The wind howled in Ed's ears as he clung desperately to the deck of the Iron Raven, the airship now soaring through the sky. Panic gripped him as he struggled to maintain his balance, the force of the wind hitting his face like a physical blow.

"Clayton!" he shouted over the deafening rush of the wind. "What do we do now?"

Clayton, gripping the railings tightly, looked over at Ed. "We have to get inside," he yelled back, his words barely audible above the wind. "There's a hatch door on the other side of the airship. Follow me!"

With that, Clayton began to carefully make his way across the deck, his eyes locked on the distant hatch door. Ed hesitated for a moment, fear gnawing at him, but he knew he had no other choice. He had to trust Clayton, at least for now.

As Ed followed Clayton, the airship continued to soar through the sky, the world rushing past them in a blur. They reached the hatch door, and Clayton gestured urgently for Ed to help him open it.

"Help me open this!" Clayton yelled, straining against the howling gales. Together, they wrestled with the stubborn hatch, their fingers numb from the cold and the pressure of the wind. It refused to budge.

Just as Ed felt his strength waning, a particularly fierce gust nearly tore him away from the airship. He cried out in terror, but Clayton's firm grip on his arm kept him tethered.

“It’s not good to die on the first day,” Clayton said as he pulled him back towards the ship. Ed nodded towards him in thanks and turned his attention to the hatch door.

Finally, with a collective effort, they managed to pry the hatch door open just a crack. Air rushed into the narrow opening, pulling at their clothes and making it even harder to maintain their grip.

With one last, powerful push, they forced the hatch open wide enough to squeeze through. Without hesitation, they slipped inside the airship, leaving behind the perilous grip of the rushing wind. The door slammed shut behind them, muffling the deafening roar of the outside world.

Inside the Iron Raven, they found themselves in a dimly lit corridor, the airship's interior filled with the hum of machinery. They took a moment to catch their breath, their hearts still racing from the daring feat they had just accomplished.

Ed looked at Clayton, a mix of relief and exasperation in his eyes. "What was that all about, Clayton? We could have gotten ourselves killed!"

Clayton, however, wore a triumphant grin. "Well, Ed, sometimes you've got to take risks to get what you want. And right now, we're one step closer to finding that rogue Captain."

Ed and Clayton moved cautiously through the narrow corridors of the Iron Raven, their footsteps echoing softly in the dimly lit interior of the airship. The ship's intricate machinery hummed around them, filling the air with a constant, rhythmic vibration.

"Why do you keep calling him the 'rogue Captain'?" Ed asked, curiosity piqued. "Doesn't he have a name?"

Clayton's gaze remained focused on their surroundings as he answered, his voice steady. "I've learned it's best not to get too personal with the people I hunt. It makes it easier, you know?"

Ed raised an eyebrow, unsure he understood. "Easier how?"

Clayton let out a sigh. "Easier to do what needs to be done, Ed. When you know someone's name, when you hear their story, it becomes harder to see them as just a target. It becomes harder to pull the trigger."

Ed contemplated Clayton's words, understanding the logic but not fully agreeing with it. "I guess it's a way to keep a distance," he mused. "But don't you ever wonder about the people you're hunting? What drove them to become criminals in the first place?"

Clayton's expression tightened for a moment as if he had wrestled with this question himself. "Sometimes," he admitted reluctantly. "But in the end, it's my job to bring them to justice. That's what I was trained for and that’s what brings food on the table."

They continued to walk, footsteps echoing in the corridor.

"So, that weapon of yours," Ed began, "What is it?"

“This is a flintlock pistol, it’s a type of firearm that uses a flint striking mechanism to ignite gunpowder and fire a projectile, typically a lead ball.” He said as he pulled it out of his holster and gave it a twirl. “It's a bit old-fashioned compared to some of the more advanced weaponry you might see in Gear Gate, but it gets the job done."

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Ed examined the pistol with a mix of curiosity and admiration. "It's quite an interesting piece of technology. I've never seen anything like it."

Clayton chuckled, sliding the weapon back into its holster. "Well, they're not as common as they once were, but they can be quite effective."

Suddenly, he stopped listening intently. There was a sound up ahead like scratching against metal. Both Ed and Clayton tensed, their hands instinctively moving to their weapons as they approached the source of the noise.

The corridor seemed to stretch endlessly, shadows dancing ominously in the dim light. The tension mounted as they crept forward, unable to see what lay ahead.

Then, from the shadows, a creature darted out into the dim glow of a lantern on the wall. Ed breathed a sigh of relief as he recognized it – a rat. He relaxed his grip on his spear, realizing it was just a small rodent.

But their relief was short-lived, as another unexpected presence approached swiftly. Clayton reacted with the precision of a seasoned hunter, aiming his flintlock pistol at the approaching threat and pulling the trigger.

A sharp crack echoed through the corridor as a spark ignited the black powder, and a lead ball shot forward, striking true. The creature was dispatched instantly, and they both looked down to see what had been lurking in the darkness.

They both looked down to see the fallen creature. It was no rat; it was a raven, its sleek black feathers now stained with dark blood.

“I know the ship is called the Iron Raven but I didn’t expect an actual Raven to be on here” Ed joked hands still near his spear in case another avian decides to attack them from the shadows.

"We have to hurry. If this airship crosses the city's protective bubble, our legal rights to carry out the bounty will be null and void." Clayton explained somewhat in distress.

Nodding in agreement, Ed steeled himself for whatever lay ahead. The cockpit door loomed before them, and they knew that time was of the essence. Together, they slammed the door open and stormed into the small, dimly lit space.

Inside the cockpit, the rogue captain sat hunched over a control panel, his gloved hands darting across buttons and levers. He seemed to be mumbling something to himself, wholly absorbed in his task. The sudden intrusion caught him off guard, and he looked up with a mixture of surprise and alarm as Ed and Clayton burst in.

The rogue captain's voice held a hint of bewilderment as he demanded, "Who are you, and what in the hell are you doing on my airship?"

"We're bounty hunters," Clayton declared, his eyes locked onto their target. "We're here to collect the price on your head."

The rogue captain's words spilled out in a frenzy of desperation. "You don't understand!" he exclaimed, his voice tinged with hysteria. "I know the truth about this city! I have to leave and tell the world!"

Ed lowered his spear, interest piqued. “What do you mean by the truth of this city? Tell us what you know”

“No you want to kill me, I heard the man say it himself,” he said now clutching his head. “You want me dead, the Grand Magister wants me dead”

"You don't... don't understand," he stammered, his eyes wide with paranoia. "The truth... about this city... I must leave... tell the world... must leave..."

In a frantic burst of energy, the rogue captain sprang from his seat and bolted down the narrow hallway of the airship, his footsteps echoing in the metallic confines. Clayton and Ed were in hot pursuit, their breaths ragged as they chased him through the dimly lit passages.

Amidst the chaotic pursuit, the rogue captain drew his flintlock pistol, and the metallic clink of bullets being chambered pierced the air. He fired a shot, narrowly missing Clayton, who responded with a volley of his own, bullets whizzing past their target.

Ed, not to be outdone, hurled his spear with precision. It soared through the air, narrowly missing the rogue captain, who barely had time to react. He called the enchanted weapon back to his hand, its gleaming tip nicking the rogue captain's arm as it returned.

He stumbled backwards clutching his arm in pain and returning fire. A flash of a spark and acrid smoke filled the air as Clayton pulled the trigger. The bullet whizzed past Ed and struck the rouge captain in the thigh blood splattering across the floor.

Clayton reached the fallen man first, his pistol pointed squarely at the rogue captain. However, he is stopped by Ed who runs in front of him. "Clayton, we need to know what he means by the truth of the city! We can't just kill him without understanding!" He says out of breath

"He's clearly insane, Ed! A criminal! And besides, we need to bring back a body as proof to claim our rewards. We can't afford to let him escape." He barked back

"Clayton, please listen for just a moment! If we kill him now, we may never learn what he knows. There's something he's trying to reveal about this city. It could be important, something that could change everything!" Ed pleaded with him

"Look at him, Ed. He's not going to give us any answers. He's lost it. I brought you along to teach you, not to have you decide our every move." He said putting his foot on the injured man so he doesn’t escape.

"I get that, but there has to be another way. We can disarm him, tie him up, and do whatever we can to capture him without killing him. Bring him to a healer so his mind can be fixed" he was now getting louder and getting more irritated at his partner.

"Ed, this isn't the time for curiosity. We have a contract, and we need to fulfill it. Besides, he's a danger to others, and we can't let him roam free. He said as he loaded another shot.

"Clayton, I know you've seen the harsh side of this world, but there's more to it than just black and white. This city, Gear Gate, there's something strange about it. We can't ignore that." Ed said now standing in front of him

"What do you know about my city? You’ve been here for less than two days and suddenly you’re an expert on Gear Gate. You're too idealistic, Ed. We're in a dangerous business, and this man," he gestured towards the rogue captain, "is a criminal. He's wanted for a reason."

"I get it, Clayton, I really do. But if we don't try to understand what's happening in this city, we might end up being pawns in a game we don't even comprehend."

"Ed, you've got a good heart, but it's a dangerous world out there. Sometimes, you have to make hard choices. Let’s say this man wasn’t a criminal and that he’s right. That doesn’t change the fact that he’s our target and that we need to eliminate him. I don’t know what type of place you come from but here we need to earn coins to feed our family"

Ed leaned closer, his eyes locked with Clayton's. "Clayton, what if this man has information about the truth of Gear Gate? What if the city itself is hiding something that could change everything? Perhaps even the Grand Magister is connected to this”

Clayton's gaze softened, but he remained resolute. "And what if he's just a madman? Ed, I can't risk our lives on 'what ifs.' We have to think about the here and now."

With a jarring lurch, the airship seemed to plummet. Ed and Clayton were forced to abandon their debate as they stumbled, grabbing hold of anything to stay upright. They had only now realized that nobody had been piloting the ship.

They were falling and they couldn’t stop it