Jeff and Vaeri entered the city roughly an hour later. They had needed to find one of the many gates through which one entered the city. Though not visible form afar, Jeff had told Vaeri about the fence. The cities leader, what’s his face, Jeff had a real hard time remembering the guys name, was not a fan of people going and coming as they pleased. Something to do with thieves apparently, though Jeff believed it had more to do with controlling people in general.

  As such Jeff had warned Vaeri that the guards could be assholes. They had a reputation of harassing people, especially young woman who travelled alone, which was why Kate and Candy always took Butch with them when they left the city, or well Jeff too or Ken, but Butch really stuck with people and they tended to leave him alone. Well unless they were stupid at least.

  The guards technically had a monopoly on violence inside the city, which was really the most technical of all technical answers. De facto people tended to ignore the guards unless it could come back to bite one. They only really were there to guard factories, the shafts upward to the cliffside and some other critical infrastructure. Nothing like what apparently a police force was meant to do. It also meant that guards with a particularly bad reputation had a nasty habit of vanishing. As such most smart guards just left the people alone, the Boss of Brindgap also didn’t seem to care too much as long as everything else ran smoothly.

  Thankfully for Jeff and Vaeri, well more Vaeri since Jeff doubted any guards would harass him, the guards on duty at the gate they went in were the kind off ok type. They made a note of their entry, checked one of their bags, thankfully one of the once holding nothing much of worth and let through after they paid the entrance fee in goods. Jeff had gathered some extra things just for that purpose back in the camp. He didn’t want to use the sheets he had; they were worth more than the shirts he gave up. Thankfully most guards did not take their job especially seriously and Jeff and Vaeri must look miserable enough that they were not seen as worthwhile.

  The one concerning thing was, it was eerily quiet. There were normally dozens of people entering or leaving, but now there were maybe a handful tops. It was weird, when Jeff asked one of the guards in his typical bluntness, the guard just shrugged.

  “Camps have gone quitter people think somethings afoot. Some folks think the connection to the demons again. I doubt it probably just some crazy crabs running around again like last year, there had been a whole week were no one showed up because they were all busy hunting the crabs.”

  Jeff didn’t believe the man but just agreed with a shrug, there was little use in arguing with him or the other guards, odds were they worked for the same boss as the mercenaries so better leave it alone. In all likelihood they didn’t even know what was going on, less likely some blabbed.

  Overall the entrance into Brindgap went smoother than expected, now it was only time to go to the bar and maybe find a place to sleep. This would hopefully not take long but better prepared than a nasty surprise. Which introduced a problem Jeff hated. Trusting people with his stuff. Sure in the wilderness people could stumble upon his stuff and steal it, but it was unlikely and if it did happen it was more his own fault than anything else. In the city, especially inns, or hotels, he really didn’t care at which point one changed into the other, people knew he had his stuff in the rooms. Sure, they gave him the “only” key, but he didn’t much like trusting people this much.

  Well, there wasn’t really a choice, so he was forced to think about the inn he originally stayed here. Or maybe he could Vaeri choose one she was more used to this sort off travelling sooo.

  “Hey Vaeri you know how to find a trustworthy inn or hotel, or whatever right?”

  “Ahh sure”, she said confusion clear in her voice,” don’t you know any good around here?”

  “Not really I used one but it’s a bit ago and I don’t remember the name and anyway I don’t like using these places I rather keep my stuff hidden or with me if I can. Thought you probably have better instincts for this sort of thing than me, unless you didn’t use them much and I misunderstood you.”

  “No I did use a lot of them, Mildred helped me figure out which to trust honestly.” Mildred was apparently one of the guards of her first caravan, she had taught Vaeri most about living in these caravans. Vaeri had mentioned her over the last few days a lot.

  “Well then I can show you the way to the main street for inns and”

  “No”, Vaeri interrupted,” it’s better to use an inn that’s not in the hotspot for these establishments, thieves know they have a lot of marks in such places and while I doubt we will be robbed if we go further out it’s less like, because there is less traffic it’s often not worth it. Unless there aren’t any cheap inns outside the main street.”

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  Well, she had a point, that and Jeff remembered the main street for inns was uncomfortably close to Brothel Street and while he didn’t mind too much, he also didn’t want to hear the loud music from the street all night again.

  “Ugh sure, I think I remember one or two Candy told me about.”

  “Yeah, why don’t we ask them for a place to sleep? I thought you wanted to meet them anyway.”

  Jeff winced, he hoped she had forgotten, he had not entirely shared his plans for procuring a crawler with her yet. He wasn’t quite sure why, it seemed a mix out of embarrassment and fear his plan had a huge obvious hole he had forgotten like he didn’t have enough money to buy a crawler ah yeah that was it.

  “Better I deal with some things first before we get them, there is a bit off trouble I want to clear up before.”

  Vearis displeased look said exactly what she thought of his tightlipped approach.

  “Maybe we can talk to them first anyway? I mean what trouble could you have done they wouldn’t talk to you now but would listen when you want them to come with us?”

  Well she did have a point … sadly.

  “I just have to deal with something ok, it will all work out.”

  Vaeri did stop then right in the middle of the street, some people gave her a nasty look as they nearly stumbled into her but they just moved around, thankfully there were not many vehicles around, so the street made dodging quite easy. Her look did seem even less pleased. Jeff was an idiot but not enough to miss such a hint, she wanted an answer. Also damn her and the ability to raise one eyebrow, it looked amazingly skeptical and Jeff hated he wasn’t able to reproduce the effect at all. Well he could train but, wait he had to say something.

  “Fine, ok you want to know this badly? I sold a crawler core and now I get one to get us out of here. They were pretty pissed I sold it but it seemed smart at the time, we didn’t have enough money to fix it up anyway and people would just steal it or pressure us if I didn’t sell.”

  “Wait, you don’t have a crawler? I thought you did!”, indignation crept up in Vaeries voice.

  “Well technically I said I had a plan for it, you even asked me how I would get one.”

  “I thought your friends had one! No wonder you were dodgy about it. Fuck, I should have asked more questions! So how do you plan on getting one then?”

  Well he never lied still Jeff felt somewhat bad at Vaeries expression. He did say not to worry about it and he had a plan, the fact the plan was not really present didn’t help.

  “Well …”

  “No fucking way, you don’t have a plan? Well, fuck us then. How do you plan to get one and then talk to your friends then? You probably wont get one with the mercenaries”, she stopped suddenly realizing again they were in an open street, sure it wasn’t bursting full and how many people would really listen to them, she thankfully hadn’t screamed just sounded exasperated. So she grabbed him by his first and tugged Jeff into a side alley.

  “So what’s the damn plan, out with it, it’s not like I can suddenly start a new exit plan, I think I deserve to know it now that I am stuck with you pretty much, I doubt I can risk Esher now, especially with how much more it must have fizzled!”

  “So the plan is to buy one”, Jeff didn’t even get to finish, which was fair.

  “Buy one? How much money do you have? I doubt you looted enough from the camp! Even then who would sell one to you? It’s not like you can get a new one easily around these parts? Are you serious?”, thankfully Vaeri did keep her voice down still her anger didn’t help much, especially when she voiced the problems Jeff had until now ignored. Well he had another idea, buuuut well it was not really any better. Well depends on the definition of better really.

  “Yeah I mean I thought about it if I couldn’t buy one I though, you know, maybe we steal one”, again he couldn’t finish his sentence, again a part of him had to agree that Vaeris anger was pretty justified.

  “Stealing one? Seriously? The two off us? I don’t know about you but I am not really versed in stealing especially something like a crawler! Which is probably guarded like a treasure vault, or might even be in a vault!”, she threw her hands up, exacerbated, which come to think off it was a constant state for her. Or well most people who were in contact with Jeff for longer periods of time.

  “So you want to try to buy one, not get mugged and killed with the cash you have, if it doesn’t work try to steal one and then convince your friends to come with us?”

  “I mean yeah?”

  Silence was all the answer that statement got and probably deserved. Well definitively deserved, it’s not like Jeff didn’t know it was a stupid idea. There was also another nearly as stupid idea. But he didn’t want to do it, it would probably fail on step one. More or less definitely on step two and on step three everyone died if not for a miracle. But well the other plans failed at step one, so it technically was better. That and Vaeri was right he would probably get mugged for the money if they went alone.

  “Well could ask the people I know for help”, Jeff said sheepishly, it was always going to be this way and he knew it. He just really didn’t want to. He also suspected this was exactly what Vaeri ahd hoped to hear.

  “Well that sounds at least somewhat like a plan, do you think they could even be of help? And where do we find them?”

  “Ken would be of help at the very least, Candy and Kate probably too, Butch, well Butch is always helpful to have around. It will be harder to convince them what we too have to offer outside a reason to do a suicide mission. We can find Butch probably at the same bar or go find Ken at his home.”

  “Well then lead the way then, I doubt we will need a hotel if we can convince them to help us right?”

  “Probably not sure”, said Jeff his tone defeated, he had known but it always sucked to be right.