It took two weeks of skulking around Rainbow Basin before everything went to shit. The device that branded Okeria as a criminal had the same vulnerabilities as the one back at Walkalong; it couldn’t detect anything that wasn’t a Staura. Which meant that while Okeria was condemned to the shadows and whatever safehouses his allies had made, I was completely free to meander around the Staura-filled streets in my armor. Along with all the disgusted stares and murmurs of ‘armor addict’ that came along with that freedom.

Jun wasn’t quite as lucky as I was, but she was nowhere near as unlucky as Okeria. He was a wanted criminal, as was obvious by the posters I saw almost anywhere I went, but Jun was just one of many illegal entrants that weren’t actively searched for. As long as she didn’t do anything illegal, she was just plain ignored. Fully armored and whispered about, but personally ignored.

We could walk the streets safely, scout out places that Okeria insisted were important, and just have something resembling a normal life for a little while. Except for the fact that we didn’t have anywhere to stay. And that we couldn’t take off our armor even if we wanted to. And the people were less than happy to see anyone in armor, almost like they were in denial about where they lived. What their lives really were.

What Nia had fought for, been punished for, and died for. This part of Staura society wanted to forget that they’d ever been in danger. Something that I could relate to on some part, considering Earth had been relatively peaceful before it was destroyed, but also couldn’t at all. The all-world was absurdly dangerous, the people on the all-world were absurdly dangerous, and Endra could pop out of any corner with an unknown army of murderous assholes. Not wearing armor was like putting on earplugs, closing your eyes, and standing in the middle of a busy street. You’d be safe as long as people swerved to avoid you, but all it took was one person to absolutely ruin your life.

For those two weeks, I watched the Staura to try and see what Okeria was so pissed about. He’d almost completely gone into hiding since we left the Dredged Switchport–well, I guess it’s officially called Oil-Soaked Sotr now–and he’d only popped up to send us messages through our connected devices. I hadn’t actually seen the man in person the entire time, and two weeks of being completely contained inside of my armor was starting to wear on me. So much so that I almost missed him.

Almost.

Today, we were supposed to be scouting out the district that was at one point the veterans district. What we were actually doing was hiding in the shadows of some tall building while a platoon of armored guards shouted at civilians who looked like they were one step from shitting themselves.

“Return to your homes! Under the authority of grand warden Scalovera, you are all to empty the streets while we conduct our search!” The head guard, denoted by a prismatic sash over his right shoulder, screamed into the air with a paradoxically emotionless voice. “Ex-warden Perek has been sighted in this district, and if you are found to be harboring any information on his whereabouts, you will be brought to justice alongside him!”

Jun snorted and crossed her arms from her portion of the shadow. “Justice. Because justice is ousting Okeria without an election, kicking half of the old leaders out, and putting in a bunch of new rules just to spite them. I know the Keratilys are bad, but the Scaloveras aren’t much better. If they are at all.”

“This one definitely isn’t.” I whispered, gently holding Mortician back as they tried to get a better look. Both of our armors had luminescent pieces to them, but they weren’t used to theirs yet. “Stay still. We shouldn’t fight them until Okeria finds all the soldiers’ stat records.”

Mortician briefly resisted, but relented with a sigh. “We know. It is just so… frustrating.”

Jun and I both nodded in agreement at that. It didn’t feel good slinking around the shadows while Endra was out there, but we needed Okeria’s contacts. While he was a wanted man, those contacts stayed uncontacted. We needed more info to clear his name, or at least to find something to get Scalovera off our backs. The people of Rainbow Basin didn’t seem to be struggling under Scalovera’s rule, but even if they were, I didn’t feel a desire to protect them.

They weren’t my people. And they hadn’t done anything for Jun. Maybe that was selfish, but it was how I felt. “We need to move before they take over all the streets. It was at the intersection of four and red, right?”

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“Four and red.” Jun confirmed with a nod. “The water cafe with a logo that looks like Nia’s symbol.”

Water cafes. I still couldn’t wrap my head around that. People went somewhere, and paid a premium to drink unflavored water. The less flavor the better. I’d even heard a man carrying a small child gushing about how he got a cup of water that actually tasted like nothing.

I shook my head, then followed Jun and Mortician down the alleyway. We emerged onto a fairly busy street, but the overall vibe was completely stunned. Almost everyone had stopped in their tracks to listen to the soldiers scream from one street over, and a quick look down the street forecasted the exact same thing happening in just a few minutes.

“There.” Jun said quietly, tapping my shoulder and gesturing at a small cafe that had a water droplet under some Staura symbols my interface didn’t translate. “Remember your parts of the order?”

Mortician and I both nodded. Jun’s part was first, since she was the only actual Staura in our group. Mine was second, and Mortician’s was third. We all hurried across the slim street while trying to look as inconspicuous as possible, but three armored figures among a mass of unarmored ones was bound to draw some attention.

We just had to be somewhere else before that attention caught up to us. Jun gently threw open the door to the cafe and ushered the rest of us in, then gently slammed the door behind us, startling the few customers who had been pleasantly chatting up until a few moments ago.

“Sorry.” Jun easily apologized to the room. “There are soldiers combing the streets, so be really careful. We didn’t hear what they wanted, but they’re telling everyone to go home or get off the streets.”

That had the desired effect, which was to completely empty out the cafe in a matter of seconds. Unarmored Staura took one look at Jun then almost sprinted for the doors, leaving us alone with a mottled green and dark purple bartender who was eyeing us suspiciously. I gestured for Jun to take the lead, moving to stand at the counter that was designated as ‘leaning space’.

“Sorry for scaring away your customers, but we have an important order.” Jun said seriously, grasping her hand against empty air. She summoned an insignia from her inventory as she did, revealing a silver diamond with lightning bolts running up its sides.

The bartender’s eyes widened for the briefest of seconds, then went back to normal so quickly that I almost thought I’d imagined it. “Is it to go or to stay?” She asked with professionalism, but her hands dipped below the counter.

“To stay, please. I’ll have one perfect clear with a dash of sugar.” Jun started, to which the bartender almost visibly relaxed. That had to be a good sign.

“Of course.” She said with a nod. “And what can I get you two?”

I pretended to look at the menu for a few seconds, even though I couldn’t read any of the hand-written symbols. “I think I’ll try a semi-clear with mixed berry juice.”

The bartender relaxed, leaning over the counter and revealing her hands to us. “Ah, one of my favorites. And for the last one?”

“We’ll have whatever you recommend!” Mortician said happily, completing the strange series of code phrases Okeria had passed on to us.

“Skies above, you scared me.” The bartender sighed, wiping her hands on a towel and gesturing for us to follow her. “You said there are soldiers outside? Was that just an excuse?”

“Unfortunately not. They’re looking for Okeria.” I said with a shake of my head. “What happened while he was gone?”

The bartender shrugged as she pulled open a door to a room behind the counter. “What always happens when there’s a chance for a Scalovera to take power. They go for it. Okeria’s always been a kind of… hands-off leader if you don’t know what he actually does for us. But then he actually disappeared for a few months, and Scalovera used that to take his seat back.”

“Was there an election? Or did they just oust Okeria?” Jun asked, catching the door on her foot so it didn’t slam closed behind the bartender.

“They declared him dead, then forged some documents so that his second in command couldn’t take his place. So an old law most people didn’t even know existed got invoked; if the chain of command breaks by at least two links, the previous grand warden–if available–can retake power.” The bartender explained with a scowl. “Before we even knew what happened we had Scalovera back in power. Most people don’t feel a single breeze of difference, but everyone who worked under him knows that something horrible’s coming if we can’t get Okeria back in power.”

Mortician gently closed the door behind us, and I felt something click into place. Someone’s function had just locked us in. The bartender turned to face us, now completely clad in red armor that looked like it had ivy vines climbing up its legs, arms, and torso.

Her next words were spoken with absolute fear. “Have you heard the rumors that Endra walks among us?”