The atmosphere got heavier as they approached the Unbound air mines of Unbadda.

Physically and socially, everything seemed to darken. On the outside, trees seemed more crooked, grass seemed grayer, there were less birds. On the inside, people were quieter, laughed less. Everyone knew what they were approaching, and no one was eager to do so. Sure, there were plenty of quests in the vicinity, but the mere knowledge of what went on inside the air mines made anyone shudder.

Kayden didn’t want to go. Though it made him feel guilty, sometimes turning a blind eye was the less painful way to do some things. But he would save them eventually, all of them at the air mines. It was just a matter of time. Nevertheless, he’d go now anyway. Tham’s village –their village– was his top priority at the moment, and he wouldn’t let his shivering change that.

Kayden couldn’t see the full height of the city of Unbadda from his seat inside the Wandering Wonderinn. Built upon a rising cliff that cut into the ocean, the coastal city was built exclusively in shades of black and gray, with high towers and spires rising from the topmost peaks as if trying to pierce the sky. The Unbadda spires were as high as it got here.

“So depressing,” the Right-Hand Man muttered with disapproval. “The Skyfall Empire doesn’t know when to stop. No wonder people are brought here to die.”

Still a safe distance from the outer gates of the city, the Wandering Wonderinn stopped. It lowered onto the surface, and silent adventurers started walking out its open door. Abner Chafter and the Right-Hand Man approached Kayden, Tham, and the Mimicker as they were about to leave.

“Hey,” Chafter said. “Before you three leave, I wanted to tell you something.” He paused a moment before continuing. “You remind me of an adventuring party I once knew. They wanted to topple an empire too, as many others. But you know what made them stand out? Their happiness. They never stopped messing around. They never let the horrors they faced take over their selves. I didn’t get to know you for long, but I know I want you to stay that way. I’m sure you’ve all faced your fair share of trauma in the past, but what matters most is the present. So don’t change.” He smiled, shaking Kayden and Tham’s hands.

“Yeah,” the Right-Hand Man agreed. “When you lose sight of yourself, you lose everything. I hope to see you again soon. Not just as adventurers, but as friends.”

“Will we see you guys and the Wandering Wonderinn again?” Tham asked.

“The Wonderinn is only found when it wants to,” Chafter replied. “Maybe. Who knows? I’ll be looking forward to the possibility.”

Kayden let out a smile. He’d few times said goodbye to friends before. In most cases he’d never had the chance.

“We’ll be seeing you then,” Kayden nodded.

The Mimicker then spoke, as they were about to cross the door.

“Are you my friends?” it asked.

“We are,” the Right-Hand Man said with a smile.

The Mimicker said nothing, but Kayden knew that, had it had a face, it would be smiling.

“Thanks for everything,” Kayden finally said.

With that, they crossed the door to the outskirts of the air-mine city of Unbadda, and soon after, the Wandering Wonderinn started once more on its way to whatever its destiny was.

Stolen novel; please report.

All main entrances to the city were heavily guarded by imperial soldiers, and the surrounding wall made it practically impossible to enter through any other way.

“All right, now to find a way in,” Kayden said, folding his arms as they examined the city from the nearby hill the Wandering Wonderinn had left them on.

“Have you ever been here before?” Tham asked.

“Not that I remember,” Kayden said. “But I remember pretty much nothing, so that’s not saying much.”

They spent a while looking at the city, trying to think of something, until Tham spoke.

“I think I have an idea,” he said. “But it’s, like, a really bad idea, so we should probably leave it for last.”

“There are no bad ideas,” Kayden said.

“So, uh,” Tham started with hesitation. “I can’t see the sewers from here, but they should lead below the city and go up eventually. There’s a chance we could sneak through there into the city without being caught.”

“Ah, yes,” Kayden nodded. “Classic. This is a coastal city, built upon a cliff. That means the sewers are probably set on the edge of the cliff, to throw the dirty water onto the sea. Let’s go check it out.” He smiled, trying to reassure Tham. “I’m sure it’ll be a piece of cake.”

The freezing coastal wind lashing against the cliff wall made Kayden realize, minutes later, that maybe walking along the edge of the rock hadn’t been the brightest idea. Besides the fact that it was ice-cold up there, they constantly slipped over the edge, and Kayden had to time after time regress time on Tham and himself to keep themselves on track. Still, they were making progress, and so Kayden thought the best move was forward.

“What?” Tham asked Kayden a few steps later as they precariously walked, glancing at him.

Kayden frowned. “Huh? I didn't say anything.”

“Someone’s singing,” Tham said. “Can't you hear it?”

Kayden focused, narrowing his eyes and looking around. Soon he did hear it as well, far in the distance towards the sea. A badly-matched chorus of female voices, singing rough but clear words that cut through the wind.

“What shall we do with adventure’s jailerr?” the women sang. “What shall we do with the calling’s mailerr? What will we do with Tham and Kaydenn? Early in the morning!”

Kayden felt a shiver run down his spine –whether because of the song mentioning their names or because of the freezing cold he did not know. He instantly recognized the voices. Marrmaids. An immortal crew of female pirate cannibals who lured innocent men with their sea shanties and pirate noise.

Kayden without missing a beat ripped a piece of clothing off his shirt and, splitting it into two, plugged it into his ears as deep as he safely could. He couldn’t afford to listen to the hypnotizing song, and neither did–

“Tham!” Kayden called out as he turned around, right in time to see him step off the ledge and into the sea.

Kayden immediately dived behind Tham, in such a way that he got close enough while in the air so as to regress time on both of them. They reappeared back on the ledge, and Kayden grabbed Tham hard to stop him from jumping again.

Tham struggled against Kayden’s grip, hipnotized. As Kayden had both arms busy keeping Tham from jumping, he couldn’t plug Tham’s ears with anything.

“Tham!” Kayden exclaimed. “Stop it!”

Tham muttered something Kayden’s plugged ears weren’t able to hear.

“No!” Kayden said, thinking fast. “They have nothing to offer you! No salary! No health insurance! They’re just going to eat you!”

Tham kept struggling, saying things Kayden couldn’t hear.

The Mimicker called out from Kayden’s back. “They don’t even sing well, Tham!”

“It’s not worth it, Tham!” Kayden said. “It’s just like with the Wandering Wonderinn! Do you remember why we didn’t stay with them?”

Tham hesitated for just a moment, but then kept trying to force Kayden off.

“Because of your village, Tham,” Kayden finally said. “Because of your friends, because of your dad. Are you willing to give all that up for a bunch of cannibal pirates?”

Tham paused. He looked at Kayden. He looked at the sea. He looked at his own hands.

And then, with a wince, he pressed his ears hard with both hands, dampening the sound.

He whispered something, too low for anyone to hear, and then kept moving forward.