Summers looked over the bodies of their former attackers, trying to gauge the damage to his back as Synel worked near an exhausted Asle. There was a lot of blood, but near as he could tell, nothing had managed to break the skin.

Asle stirred beside him. She bolted up almost immediately, looking around until her eyes landed on what was left of the man that had nearly just killed Summers.

“…Asle, talk to me here, are you okay?”

Asle weakly nodded in response.

Summers couldn’t help but follow her gaze, looking at the half man on the ground. “What the hell did you do?”

The girl looked at Summers, confused, before her tired brain caught up.

“I tried to make him go somewhere else.”

“Did you cut him in fucking half?”

“No. . .” Asle said, looking at the body. “I couldn’t do that so I just. I think I put somewhere else in front of him.”

Summers looked down at the man. He was close enough that the blast would have killed them both. Even if it had somehow backfired on him. Which, incidentally, was exactly what it looked like had happened. Only Summers wasn’t dead, and despite the corpse there was no other sign that something had exploded.

“How’d you know you could do that?”

Asle paused. “I just. . . remembered. . ? Like I always knew.” Asle’s explanation trailed off, she sounded tired.

“Whatever you did, you probably saved my ass.” He gave her a tired smile. “So, thanks. Again.”

“Welcome,” Asle said, she smiled but there was more than a little exhaustion in her voice.

“Dear, we may have a problem,” Synel called over.

“A big problem,” Roan added.

Summer glanced over.

“What is it?”

“This isn’t a patrol,” Synel said. “These men are guards.”

Summers looked over to the more intact bodies nearby, he’d been smart enough to aim for the heads, but their torsos were covered with something like a tabard. And they were all elves.

He glanced between the bodies, and the city in the distance.

“Oh,” Summers paused. “Oh shit. If they’re already in the city…”

Synel pointedly looked at the bodies, then the Humvee. It was smoking. “If they are, they’ll be sending someone to investigate. We can take what we can from the vehicle, but we can’t stay here.”

“Right. I don’t think I can fix this thing. Not quickly, anyway.”

Summers looked towards the city. Unless they wanted to be run down on the road, they had one choice. And while really didn’t want to leave something like that turret behind, it wasn’t like he could carry it along.

“Synel,” Summers began. “What do you know about sneaking into a city? Unless you have a better idea, feels like a it’d be easier to blend in with the crowd than run. Least until we know more.”

The corners of Synel’s mouth quirked up. “I might know a trick or two.”

“This is not a trick,” Summers said. “This is just petty theft.”

Synel had them circle around the city where they’d found a few farms, or maybe orchards that followed the curve of the canyon. The plants they grew were something like a mix between the succulents of his earth and an odd red vine. Many of the residents were out tending to their land, which had made it easy for Summers to break down their door and steal some clothing.

“They’ll know foreign clothing. If they are being occupied by our enemy, then they’ll be watching for those. Besides which. . .” Synel glanced at Summers, who was adjusting a plain, tan shirt with an oddly deep neckline. “It looks quite nice on you.”

“And you called me a thief.” Roan said.

“Which you still are.” Synel responded. “And don’t forget what we’ve done for you thus far. You’re free to leave but if you take advantage of our position, I think you’ll find us much less forgiving.”

“Knew a few guys that snitched to get ahead, didn’t end well for them. Doubt I’d do any better." He folded his arms behind his head. "Keep me fed, and I’ll stay happy and useful.”

“Just making sure we have an understanding. And don’t worry about your. . . condition.” Synel assured. “There would be more than a few people like you in the slums, you won’t stick out too much. In fact, it will make what we’re doing easier.”

Roan quirked his head. “How so?”

“Having a thief will reassure my friends we’re only interested in business.”

“Friends?” Summers asked.

Synel gestured ahead. Past the farms, the canyon opened to the heart of the city. A river ran through the middle of a massive collection of wood scaffolding and homes built into the side of the cliff-face. Now that they were closer, Summers could see that much of it looked as though it went several meters into the rock.

“How the hell did they build all this?” Summers craned his neck to look at the structures. Some even had intricate carvings on the stone face. “This would be hard for people in my world, and we have power tools.”

“The city’s hundreds of years old. I know it’s passed hands a few times, built up. But the original structures were carved by a type of lizard that burrows in stone.” She gestured to the many tunnels in the cliff walls. “Though they were hunted to an end.”

“So, this is basically a natural wonder that people moved into.”

Summers glanced at the wood bridges and pulleys that ferried people from one end to another. Men and women hauled goods unloaded from ships in the river below to a home recessed in the stone.

“What about the rest?” Summers asked. “Or the art. I’m kind of impressed they managed to make something so massive.”

“That’s mostly slaves,” Synel replied.

“Oh.” Summers paused. “Yeah, that’ll do it.”

Summers saw one of the workers strain to lift a box nearly as large as she was. She was thin, dangerously so.

Problems for later.

Synel moved to one of the workers and handed him a few coins. They looked back at Summers, Asle and Roan. His eyes lingered on the boy a moment before he gestured for them to get on one of the pulleys.

“Guards don’t bother patrolling near the dock,” Synel explained. “Should be fine getting in this way.”

“You know, I never took you for that much of a rulebreaker,” Summers quipped.

“Because a good one doesn’t look the part.” She glanced back at Roan. “You’re welcome to take notes.”

Roan didn’t quite roll his eyes, but Summer figured it might have been the elves’ equivalent.

They were pulled up to the scaffolding, and soon they were on their way to the center of the city. Above them, they could see walls lining the cliff’s edge. Curious, Summers managed to catch a glimpse of the guards there. They were wearing the same tabard as the men he’d killed, but even from this distance he could see they lacked the robotic movements he’d come to associated with people under the hamr’s control.

So they were on the right track, but it didn’t answer his questions.

Roan supported the still tired Asle as they made their way through the canyon, and up to the city proper. As they did, Summers saw something strange.

Up ahead, in something resembling a courtyard, there was a robed man talking to the crowd. He couldn’t make out what the man was saying, but a group of four guards stood holding rifles at his side.

Their eyes were a solid black.

Summers ushered the group into a small shop nearly a block away from the strange, robed man. He was being cautious. They’d encountered more than one of Wendel’s lieutenants, and somehow, they were able to sense both him and Asle. But, since he’d been able to blow one up, that suggested it was something they needed to actively try for. Didn’t mean he wanted to test that theory, however.

“On the bright side, they weren’t shooting anyone.” Summers said. “Not yet, at least.”

Synel paused and glanced out the window. “Do you remember those soldiers of yours? Some of them made a deal for their lives. Perhaps that’s what’s happening here.”

Summers considered that. If it were true, that was bad news for them. It was one thing to convert and destroy a city. If the city had already surrendered, that would mean every single person here would be coming after them in one form or another.

“No,” Summers looked outside. “But I think you’re on the right track. He could be trying to convince the locals to give up.”

“Well then, we’ll simply need to find out more, won’t we?”

“I love the way you make dangerous shit sound easy.”

“To be fair I have seen you succeed in some of the most stupid, dangerous endeavors imaginable. In fact, my time with you has been the most dangerous and stupid of my life.”

“Wait, you said before what we did wasn’t that bad. Something about the ‘great winter’?”

“That was a lie to make you feel better.”

Summers had to repress a smile as the shop owner looked over. “Fair enough.” Summers looked back to Asle and Roan. “So, who’s up for some recon?”