He handed the sacks to Cowl, who slung them over his shoulder and gave the merchant a curt nod before turning to leave.

“Hold on now,” the merchant said, reaching out and grabbing Cowl’s arm. “Don’t leave so hastily. I’ve got some new swords that might interest your kind.”

Cowl’s head tilted to the side. “Let go.”

The merchant released Cowl, his face paling at the Hunter’s cold tone. He raised his hands, shaking his head and muttering under his breath. “Fine. Was just trying to give you a deal. Get lost, then.”

Cowl swept off with Angel and Vanessa hot on his heels. They slipped back through the crowd and left the market. The Hunter brought them down several alleyways before coming to a stop in the shadow of a crooked three story house.

He slipped the packs off his shoulder and peered inside them. The Hunter pulled out a water skin and unscrewed the top, raising his mask to smell it. Cowl let the mask fall back into place, A low, mechanical growl slipping out of his mouth. “This water isn’t purified.”

Angel cursed under his breath. Vanessa looked at them, baffled. “What does that mean? It won’t taste good or something?”

“It’s poisonous,” Angel replied. “It’s a somewhat common scam in cities. Gangs will work with merchants that sell travelers unpurified water. Then they follow you when you leave town and wait until you take a swig. Victims will feel faint and unsteady just a few minutes after drinking, so they’re easy targets for the gang. They’ll take everything of value and leave the person to die in the sands.”

“That’s horrible,” Vanessa said, her eyes widening. “I’d read about situations like that, but I didn’t think it happened in large cities. I thought such things were just in the dangerous towns near the center of the Barren! Why doesn’t the Magistrate do something about it?”

“The Magistrates don’t care about what happens outside their walls,” Angel replied, scoffing. Vanessa’s eyebrows lowered and she looked down, clenching her hands.

“My mom does.”

Cowl shot Angel a glance. The Seeker rolled his eyes and nodded, simply letting the comment pass. Cowl checked another bottle, then shook his head. “They’re all bad. He was trying to set us up.”

“How can you even tell?” Angel asked. “It’s almost impossible to recognize when water is unpurified. That’s why the scam is so common. You could recognize it just by smelling the water?”

“Something like that,” Cowl said, tossing the flask back into the sack and closing it.

“An artifact, then?” Angel asked.

Cowl just shrugged. “Stay here. I’m going to go have a little chat with our merchant friend.”

Before Vanessa or Angel could respond, Cowl slipped back off down the alleyways. Angel grimaced and leaned against the wall.

“Are you just going to let him go?” Vanessa asked. “What if he needs help?”

“He’s a capable Hunter,” Angel replied. “He doesn’t need help dealing with a merchant. Cowl will just threaten him and get some new supplies. If he reports the merchant, the Magistrate will come down on him. Just because the scam is common doesn’t mean it’s unpunishable inside the city. It’s just normally very difficult to spot.”

Vanessa let out a small hum. She made to mirror Angel, but a glance at the dirty wall made her reconsider the decision. Instead, she just stood awkwardly near the middle of the path. Minutes ticked by slowly.

Cowl slipped back into the alley so silently that Angel didn’t even hear his footsteps coming. He nearly leapt into the air as the man’s shining metal mask emerged from behind a bend. The Hunter still had two tarp bags slung over his shoulder. Cowl adjusted the sword at his hip and grunted.

“Did he replace the supplies?” Vanessa asked.

“Yes,” Cowl said. “Barely even said anything. He knew the moment he saw me.”

“Well, that’s convenient,” Angel said. “So much for avoiding notice, though. He’s almost certainly going to remember who you are now.”

“What to do,” Cowl said with a one shouldered shrug. He tossed one of the bags to Angel. “Let’s just get moving. The faster we leave here, the easier everything is going to be for us.”

They nodded and followed Cowl as he set back through the alleys of the city. The slipped past the bobbing orange lanterns and through the main streets, occasionally seeing tired looking people walking to and fro.

Even the densest crowd in Dune Valley was sparse and lonely compared to those in Bronze City. If Angel didn’t know better, he would have assumed that the city was completely dead. He voiced his thoughts aloud as they walked.

“It’s because there’s no blimp here right now,” Cowl said. “Dune Valley is essentially a tourist trade center. The only people that live here are the ones that don’t have enough money to move out. They sit around waiting for rich moneybags to fly in. When they do, the city transforms into a festival. It’s the second largest one in the Barren.”

“What’s the largest one, then?” Vanessa asked.

“It’s a giant sand barge called the Salty Maiden,” Cowl replied, his tone implying he was grimacing behind his mask. “It’s an experience. It’s a mixture between a tavern, a festival, a brothel, and a casino. Great fun for anyone abovedeck.”

“And below deck?” Angel asked, his curiosity piqued.

“The people that couldn’t afford to pay their debts,” Cowl replied. They drew up to the same spot where they’d entered the city – a large steel outcropping with a pulley system overhead. After a moment, the rattling of chain filled the air as the platform on the sand beneath them started to rise.

Once it drew up alongside them, the three walked out onto it. It started to descend once again. Now that they were out from under the protective cover of the giant metal piece that covered Dune Valley, the sun made sure to remind them of its presence.

The metal beneath their feet was uncomfortably hot, and Angel squinted through the hazy rays rising up from the sand. He licked his drying lips and drummed his fingers on his leg impatiently.

With a rumble, the metal platform thudded against the sand beneath them. The three of them stepped off it and into the sweltering desert. Without saying a word, Angel grabbed his board and tossed it to the ground. Vanessa activated her skates and Cowl’s wings popped out from his back.

Cowl shot off first, kicking up a small puff of sand as his wings fluttered into motion. Angel and Vanessa followed close behind him. As they picked up speed, cold wind whipped against Angel. He let out a sigh of relief as some of the desert heat faded away.

They shot across the sand, traversing dunes and valleys for several minutes. Cowl glanced over his shoulder several times. It was impossible to tell what the Hunter was thinking with his mask in place.

“We're heading to Silver Sand next,” Angel called over the howling wind.

“Why Silver Sand? Hillcrest is closer to the center of the desert,” Cowl called back.

"Hillcrest has too many Hunters," Angel replied. "We don't need the extra attention. This stretch will be two and a half days, and it'll be the last stretch of safe travel for a while."

“You call what we’ve done so far safe?” Vanessa asked.

“Safer than the second leg of our journey,” Cowl said. “Silver Sand is a popular trading outpost. The area around it is heavily patrolled and safe but getting into and leaving the area can occasionally pose problems. It’s frequented by bandits.”

“…what about the Magistrate?” Vanessa asked weakly, clearly already knowing what the response would be.

“Couldn’t care less,” Cowl said. “The bandits in the area don’t kill anyone – they just extort them. They won’t even take all your money when they rob you.”

“Why?”

“Bad for business,” Angel replied. “I’ve never been to Silver Sands, but if everyone going there got robbed or murdered, nobody would go there. The bandits keep the amount they take limited and are probably rewarded by the Magistrate for keeping the rest of the crime away from the city.”

“Ding,” Cowl said. “It’s annoying, but just look at it like a toll to enter the city. They only ask for a few Vex most of the time. You just don’t want to be caught unable to pay their fee, or they’ll make an example out of you.”

“Lovely people,” Vanessa muttered darkly. “Magistrates shouldn’t have to rely on criminals.”