Cyll and Patty docked Charbrand at the huge port beside the floating city of Bulsen. Ships more than ten times their own ship's size floated on either side of them. Cyll finished tying Charbrand to the dock and jerked a thumb towards one of them.

“Really makes a man feel inadequate, don’t they?” He asked.

“Don’t worry. I’m sure they’re compensating for something,” Maya said. She repressed a grunt of pain as Patty helped her step onto the docks.

An officer standing at the edge of the dock strode towards them. He wore the same uniform as the man that had greeted them on the patrol boat, but his hair was longer and he had a crooked nose.

“Docking fee is five silver,” he said, holding a hand out expectantly.

“Shit – our money! How are –” Maya started.

Cyll cut her off as he placed five coins into the officer’s hand. The well dressed man nodded and walked away from them without wasting a second.

“The Ashwinds were kind enough to leave us a little money to work with,” Cyll said. He chuckled at the relieved expression on Maya’s face. “We need to get you to a doctor first.”

The three of them glanced up at the towering walls of Bulsen. The docks were on the outside of the city’s defenses, presumably to make it harder for any sort of attack. A thin stream of new arrivals and people exiting Bulsen traveled through a tiny hole in the city’s wall a short distance from them.

Several armed guards watched the river of bodies like hawks, but nobody stopped Maya’s crew as they walked into the city. The moment they stepped beyond the walls, their eyes widened. It almost seemed impossible, but the inside of Bulsen was far more intimidating than the outside.

The noise of the city assaulted them immediately. It was a dim clamor – enough to make it hard to hear someone standing right next to you, but you could still hear yourself think. Mostly. Right after the sound came the smell.

It was marvelous. A mixture of saltwater air, freshly baked pastries drizzled with thick honey glaze, and unwashed bodies. None of them had ever seen anything like it.

“How can such a place exist?” Cyll asked, gaping. “Surely it offends the gods themselves.”

“If it does, I want to eat whatever I’m smelling before they get here to destroy it,” Patty said.

Somebody shoved into Cyll as he passed the paused group, turning to curse at them before disappearing back into the crowd. The three of them scurried down the main path until they found a bench slightly removed from the main flow of traffic.

“You can eat?” Maya asked as she sat beside Patty.

“I need energy from something,” the puppet said, shrugging. “But I don’t need human food. Essence works just as well.”

“I really want to know who your master was,” Cyll said. “And I want to eat whatever we’re smelling even more than that. But before we do, let’s get Maya to a doctor. I can’t imagine she’s enjoying herself very much right now.”

“Thanks,” Maya said. She gave Cyll a weak grin.

Cyll scanned the huge square they’d come to rest in for a few moments. Shops selling things from pastries to swords surrounded them. Unlike the markets in Ashwind, vendors didn’t bother yelling to the crowds. There were so many people pushing to talk to each merchant that there was no point.

When Cyll finally found what he was looking for, he patted Maya on the shoulder and rose to his feet. He strode through the crowds until he arrived at an officer watching over the square.

“Good day, sir. I’ve got an injured friend, and I was wondering where the nearest doctor was,” Cyll said politely.

“How much gold you got?” The officer asked, giving the other man a once over. It didn’t look like he approved of what he saw. “Medical care doesn’t come cheap in Bulsen.”

“Ah – around twenty gold,” Cyll said.

“Did your friend stub their toe?”

“She got electrocuted for about a minute straight. Then she got slammed in the face,” Cyll replied.

The officer raised an eyebrow slightly.

“Yeah, I’d say she about stubbed her toe. Not much worse than that,” Cyll concluded with a charismatic grin.

“Go check out the Salt Ward, in the far east part of the city. There should be a few doctors there, particularly ones that work for people of your budget,” the officer said. He gave Cyll a dismissive wave that clearly indicated the conversation was over.

The pirate ambled back towards his crew. The crowd shifted suddenly, trampling past him as a vendor at the far side of the square suddenly opened his doors. Cyll vanished under an onslaught of crazed buyers.

A few moments later, a considerably more disheveled looking Cyll appeared from within the crowd. His clothes had been dirtied and torn even more, and the man sported a peeved twist to his lip.

“Pick the captain up,” he said. “We’re going to push through the crowd towards the east side of Bulsen. There should be someone who can help Cap there.”

Before Maya could protest, the puppet had Maya hoisted over her shoulders like the worlds most fragile sack of potatoes.

“Are you comfortable, captain?” The puppet asked.

“I mean, I suppose. But I could still walk…”

Patty burst into motion, interrupting Maya mid-sentence. She charged through the crowd like a rampaging bull, knocking everyone in her path out of the way.

“Wait!” Cyll yelled, dashing after her. “That’s west! You’re going the wrong direction!”

Patty ground to a halt, knocking a pastry from a rotund man’s hand. He glared furiously at the small girl in a blue dress that had ruined his treat.

“Watch where you’re going! You’d better pay for –”

The puppet spun, slamming Maya’s foot into his head. The fat man crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Patty either didn’t notice or didn’t care as she sprinted off in the opposite direction with Cyll at her heels.