The streets of Ragan were as well lit as always, sparkling both from the cleanliness and the massive pillar of light shooting into the sky. More than once, Faiz had to drag Keite along, for the smaller boy seemed unusually taken by its radiance, his eyes going vacant as he tottered along in no particular direction.

  “Hey, focus! Oh for pities sake, Keite! I agree it’s a pretty view but you don’t need to start drooling over it! Or wander off into an alley or canal for that matter.”

  The fluffy boy whimpered mournfully as Faiz turned him around and forced the hood over his head, leaving him only a forward view, “I’m sorry friend…It’s just-I keep being drawn to it! It’s so confusingly bright, I can’t navigate around it properly! My sensors..”

  Faiz noticed the two antennae on Keite’s head were rotating in random directions and raising and falling erratically, as the boy gesticulated at him. Feeling a spark of inspiration, he tore out strips from his own cloak (concerningly easily, was it made of vellum?) and wrapped them around the antennae carefully.

  “Ah! Careful, I’m fragile there…and, it doesn’t confuse me anymore..?” Keite reached up and gingerly touched the impromptu headwear, then grinned brightly and-predictably-drew Faiz into a hug, “Thanks~ I’m so grateful!”

  Indulging in the fluff a moment longer, Faiz sighed and started walking again, pulling his torn cloak over his shoulder, “You might as well ditch the rest of your cloak, by the way. I can’t imagine it being comfortable for your wings.”

  “But-but…master Jesyll said-“

  “I can assure you, even if we pranced about in festive garb down the streets, we wouldn’t be any more conspicuous than if we wore these ominous things. It displays to the entire world that you’re actively trying to hide something. Counterintuitive.”

  Despite looking conflicted, the insectoid child eventually went along with his recommendation, tying the cloak around his waist and skipping up to Faiz.

  “So! Where are we going? You must know right? Master Ellery said you were super sneaky-like!”

  “Is that so?...I suppose I didn’t punish that heap of rust enough then. As for where, the first order of business is to scope out inadequacies, weaknesses, that sort of stuff. You won’t learn anything loitering around right next to your target.”

  “So we talk to people? Yay~ That’s my favourite part of going anywhere new! This’ll be so much fun!” Keite had started taking notes, his finger shimmering as it wrote into a pad he’d pulled out of somewhere.

  “…sure.” Faiz was absolutely sure now, this fuzzy ball of cuteness was the perfect saboteur, totally adorable and totally useless, more likely to help the enemy than you. He’d have to do this alone then, but first to ensure the little firecracker wasn’t blabbing…

  “Keite. I have an important task for you. You like seeing new things and the light, yes?”

  “Yeah! Why do you ask?”

  “You go find a tour group or something. Ask many questions about guard schedules, internal protections, and everything else. You can take notes yes? Write and write, ceaselessly.”

  “Wouldn’t that uhm…give away our plans?”

  “As long as you’re disguised as a tourist with a group and guides? No chance. They talk about anything and everything for more value. Just remember to come by the Serpent Share later on, alright?”

  The fluffy boy nodded cheerily, already running off, his voice echoing, “Okay~ I can do that! Byeeee!!”

  Finally, he’d managed to defuse that dangerous explosive. Faiz fiddled idly with his lightdial, as he whistled and walked into the streets.

  It was very easy to discern whether the people he passed were native to Ragan, or also passing by. The natives be they scaled or furred all had a distant and hardly discerned shimmer behind the eyes (or vision equivalent), which somewhat reminded Faiz of a familiar rotting light, one that emanated from that Tephra he slaughtered back in the mind.

  The differences also manifested in personality, those with the shimmer being far more genial and personable, as he found when he accidentally bumped into a large, plated individual, and he was the one apologized to before the other party went on their way. How splendid!

  The city didn’t seem to follow cycles as far as he could tell, and when asked, a resident only looked at him as if he’d grown manifold heads. Faiz was understandably worried after learning this, as it most likely meant there wouldn’t be any dead time between guard shifts or the like. Curse that ever present beaming light!

  The roads were cast in stark colours, with lanes each for flight, vehicles, nautical beings and average travellers. Oddly, there wasn’t any signage on the front of any store or shop, and the stalls set into the sides of various streets displayed no wares openly. How was anyone supposed to conduct commerce here?

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  He found the answer to this discrepancy at a helpfully placed information pavilion, which was one of apparently many in the city. Predictably, there were a whole lot of people clamouring for the attention of one of the attendants. Faiz was able to discern a multitude of facts after a bit of time, gleaning a picture of the city.

  Apparently, the reason there was no open street culture of any sort is because everyone just stayed home; Those digital coins meant you could buy things from your abode and have warped over to you immediately. No need for walking into shops when the shops came right to you. How was anyone not native supposed to buy anything? Purchasing an expensive construct to follow you around of course, and exchanging currency on the move at horrific rates.

  “What a mess, they’ve made a system here capable of fleecing everyone and vexing anybody…I’d rather be back home than in this mill.”

  He kept on wandering the gleaming streets until he eventually made his way back up to the docks, and these were admittedly far more well maintained than he’d seen in Shaiher, made of (obviously white) stone with outcroppings of an amber shade. A special sort of timber perhaps?

  “Little sailor, I was wondering when you’d show up! I suppose you were too tired the past few days to collect your sphere? You’ve returned for it now, have you not? I’ve got it here, rest assured..”

  Faiz looked up, startled. It was a longarms, a familiar one at that; One doesn’t easily forget a person who saves them from tripping into a canal, after all! Faiz had absolutely no comprehension about anything the woman spoke of, but past experience taught him to smile and nod. Usually the other person told you all the details anyways.

  “You have it right! My captain sent me, yes. Won’t you kindly present it to me?”

  She strode into the waterside gatehouse, and came back out shortly thereafter. She now had a trunk with wheels rolling behind her in one hand, and a massive, heavily bookmarked tome in the other. “Let’s see, The , hailing from sector 13 of dockyard Wernaav…Leisure vessel class, automation modifications, crew of two individuals: Alks-Agan and Human…this is your ship yes?”

  He nodded even more vigorously, his sixth sense for opportunity growing stronger yet. Was he going to-

  “Wonderful! Usually we’d have to do an entire verification process, but considering I saw you myself, I trust that’s not needed now. One moment!” She rifled through he trunk before pulling out a translucent cube, containing…alright, his first instinct was to ask why she’d made a miniature of their ship and stuck it in a shape, but on second thought, it most likely held the actual ship itself.

  Faiz took the cube from her, then smiled as politely as he could, “Excuse me, would you mind laying out the guidelines for me again? I apologize, but I want to ensure I’m following proper procedure, for safety of course.”

  The longarms chuckled at his words, packing up her trunk as she replied, “You needn’t worry about anyone’s security, little sailor. I appreciate that at least you’re responsible here, though. Follow the usual: No throwing or selling, don’t fiddle around with and come back here and I’ll break its seal and you can sail again. You really shouldn’t fear, however. All our container spheres are made of the highest grade materials, nearly impervious to all harm!” She glanced around to ensure there wasn’t any company, and leaned in to whisper, “You didn’t hear it from me, but rumor has it that even one of the assembly had to make an effort to break one.”

  Faiz looked at the distinctly edged cube in his hand, then back up at the woman. “Spheres?”

  “Ah, our research wing only discovered that square shapes were more efficient for spatial expansion after we’d filed for the ‘sphere’ trademark. Corporate policy is to call them spheres no matter what.”

  “Very sensible, yes. Now, if you’d kindly excuse me..” Faiz hurried away fast. He didn’t know much about companies-none had managed to make inroads into Shaiher as far as he knew-but from whenever old Kalak heard of them, he’d start fuming and chewing through his leaves, ranting about how they were all worse than the delved ones themselves. Not something to associate with.

  Faiz tried to gain a little more information, but apparently loitering was a fineable offense, so he mostly wandered about. It wasn’t all failure though, he’d scoped out the Central chamber, learnt about response times of the local lawmen, and so on.

  With that, as his lightdial (which still functioned as an ordinary lightdial) displayed a time around the end of a cycle, he returned to the Livid Smoke.

  It seemed he’d arrived a tad late, seeing as the other three master criminals were already in, Ellery and Keite chatting as the tubespawn (presumably) slumbered soundly in the background.

  “I feel so relieved to know you capable and prepared professionals are my accomplices in crime.” He had no more rage or irritation left in him, only an easy-going understanding that no matter what he did, he’d be met with more insane antics or sheer laziness.

  “Friend Faiz~ Me and master Ellery were just waiting for you! Thanks for the praise, hehe.”

  “Kei, I don’t think he’s being genuine with us…right, kiddo?”

  “Obviously he isn’t! You two should be spending more time in the sarcasm factory methinks, maybe you’ll eventually be able to return volley? Oh, who am I fooling, ole Jesyll’l have to do that by my lonesome..”

  Faiz felt a headache coming on as he leaned against the shop counter, watching as Jesyll ambled up and came out to the front, “You look terrible, kid. More than usual, I mean. All that light negatively affecting your heart of darkness? Your captain here has every remedy available for ya, just ask!”

  “Oh, for the heavens sakes, please…” He groaned and pushed the writhing being away, his gaze shifting onto the other two, “I won’t talk to them, so how about you two? Please tell me you learnt something of value?”

  Ellery whirred into a thin sheet, the side facing Faiz forming into something resembling a design-print. “You betcha, kiddo! Me and Jes mapped out the whole chamber and then some! I might even have to suggest a couple renovations, place is ancient.”

  “I listened to your advice! There really were tours going around inside! The guide was so nice, she told me anything and everything I asked about! I even got this pretty souvenir~” Keite was proudly displaying a mass produced gilded towel, which he’d draped across his gossamer wings.

  “…Right. Fine then, I suppose you all did fabulous work. We really need to plan this out now, I think?” If Faiz played this all out correctly, he may just have had a method to actually accomplish this theft..