Chapter 26 – Brightswater.

“Welcome to the city of a thousand dreams.”

“More like a thousand broken dreams...”

From what she could see as they approached, the city was massive, the biggest that Rachael had ever seen, even in her original time. Big and black and ominous, it sat on the merger of the river that they had been following with its sister from the plains to the east, reaching up into the sky. Even though it was daylight still, she could make out some lights twinkling within the city. It was fair to say that the city absolutely dominated the skyline, a declaration to the world.

As she had been told, the city did indeed sit on the convergence point of a number of leylines. She could feel their presence as they rose up out of the ground to run closer to the surface, the strongest that she had thus far felt, but still comparatively weak in the grand scheme of things, at least to her understanding. If mana engines were a thing, then she would suspect that some would be running in the city, draining some of the power from the already weak source.

The grasslands were quickly taken over by farmlands, orchard groves, vineyards, and fields of grains and vegetables filling the area, quaint little farmhouses accompanied by large barns, sheds and stables. A few had modern farming equipment parked up outside, while others had steam powered variations with large boilers and smoke stacks. Others still looked to be using more traditional methods with horses grazing in paddocks nearby, powerful breeds like the Clydesdale. Further out, she could see paddocks of cattle and sheep, a network of roads connecting the entire area.

Their track was joined by another as they got closer, the sooty smell of the city permeating the air. Two tracks then became four, and then six, all converging on what Rachael assumed was the train yard of the city. Buildings started appearing on the outskirts of the city as the farms finished, simple squat affairs of brick and wood, tightly packed in neat uniform rows, each block painted a different colour. Accommodation for the workers she guessed. Every city had its slums and shanty towns, but she could see neither from here, and the water of the river still looked relatively clean too. The river now flowed in concrete channels, split into six streams that headed down and underneath the city, lost from sight. A marvel of engineering no matter when it was done, though it did look to be quite old.

The city then started to rise up, the houses replaced by large stone and metal warehouses and buildings, two then three to four stories tall, encroaching on the edges of the tracks, and then over them as well with metal and glass bridges spanning the railway lines, the buggy running scarily close to the walls as space became a premium. No surprises that the side of the warehouses were covered in graffiti. The art of all ages. The tracks then entered a large tunnel as the buildings themselves went over the top of it, garish yellow light washing over the buggy. Rachael jumped a little as the screech of a horn sounded in the tunnel, a bright light turning into a steam locomotive that rushed past them, a line of trucks behind it, filling the tunnel with smoke and causing her to couch as she prayed for some fresh air. She was definitely not that keen on steam tech.

Then they exited the tunnel and the space opened up again, relatively, and they found themselves in the train yard proper. Hulks of engines, trucks and carriages in various states were piled off to the sides, and on the many sidings and even a couple of the main tracks, as well as lines of trucks, both loaded and not. A couple of small locomotives moved about the yard, one steam, and one looking more like a diesel engine though it was giving off just as much smoke as the steam one. High walls surrounded the entirety of the train yard, its own relatively squat warehouses sitting along one side. On the other side sat the train station proper, the two passenger platforms currently empty. Litter gathered in all of the corners, the structure looking like it had seen much better days. The two clocks, one of each platform showed different times, crates sat piled at the end of the outer one, and the gates that led into the main section of the building were closed and chained shut.

A pair of guards dressed in leather armour stood at the end of the first platform, swords strapped to their backs, crossbows at their sides. The first other people that she had seen up close, all of the farmers and workers that they had passed being too far away. This pair were also combatants, compared to labourers. She had half expected to see guns or other more advanced tech here, heck even steam powered weapons perhaps, if such things actually worked, but she was kind of relieved to see just the fantasy staples. Alison and Dudley were indeed good examples of the standard then, and what they had relayed to her from Crys’ conversations had been on the mark. The guards looked up at them as they got closer, and then ignored them, going back to their conversation.

Beyond the walls of the train yard rose more buildings, running on both sides, a familiar style to her, combinations of concrete, glass and steel, some only two or three stories high, sitting in the shadows of their neighbours that started to reach up five to six stories tall as you got further into the city proper. Except for the one directly behind the train station, which stood four stories tall, it’s glass polished and clean, and clearly displaying the logo of the Brightswater Steam Train Co. Some of the buildings were still in good condition, while others looked like a shadow of their former glory, the walls cracked and windows broken. Those close by were definitely in the former category, and like she had seen coming in, many had bridges built between them at the upper levels. She wouldn’t be surprised if many of the buildings had roof gardens as well.

Alison fiddled with a lever on the buggy, the road wheels making contact with the ground, and she proceeded to manoeuvrer it off the tracks and to the side, pulling it up by one of the numerous warehouses there. The train yard itself seemed to continue on for quite a ways, more and larger warehouses lining both sides once the station had finished, guards standing outside quite a number of them. Given that Brightswater was meant to be a trade hub, she assumed they were the storing or transition points for the good brought through by rail. Given that two rivers had joined, if they came out properly on the other side it might be possible that there was a river port in the city as well. As for road transport of goods, that was a given, but in comparison to the rail and other options she wasn’t sure. At the least, this area gave no indication.

Rachael hopped off the buggy, glad that she could finally stretch her legs again, and gave Dudley a hand to open he door to the warehouse, Alison then driving the buggy in. No demon or abomination waited within. It had just been a game, but she suspected that that event still pained Crys. Paul really had been an arse about it. But if it hadn’t happened, would she still be here now?

“It’ll be easier if you stick with us while we’re here,” Alison stated to Rachael as they made their way across the tracks and over to the station, climbing up the small ladder at the end of the second raised platform. The guards gave them another look, one of them spending more time than necessary gazing at Rachael before Alison glared at him and he looked away.

‘I think he likes you,’ Kitsune teased dryly.

Rachael shook her head. More likely just perving at her instead. She was well aware of her looks, and what she was wearing did have its drawbacks, and could well be uncommon now despite it’s previous prominence, but she was wearing it primarily for herself, not for anyone else. If it wasn’t for Kitsune’s strange ability to hide in plain sight, the cat-fox would probably draw even more attention.

“Issues?” The other man said, ignoring his partner.

“Yes. We’re going to see Audrey now. Nothing that you need to worry about though,” Alison replied. The guard nodded.

Rachael followed Alison and Dudley along the platform to its end and then across the top end to the building part of the station, then down again, past a number of doors before she stopped, and opened one of them.

“Audrey is the manager of Brightswater Steam Train Co, who we’ve been working for over the last year or so,” Alison explained. “Once we’ve updated him and got him to start organizing a recovery train, we are going to go find Saylin. She’s not so keen on the trains, but we’re going to need her. Then we’ll try and get an audience with Bowser Nobelesse. I don’t know how he’ll react, but he needs to be told about his son. We need to leave before morning though. The earlier the better.”

Rachael nodded as they made their way down the corridor. It was quiet, and the interior was in much better condition that the outside. For a start it was clean. The walls and floor were polished wood, and paintings of steam engines hung on the walls. The lights flickered occasionally, the corridor illuminated in a warm white colour. There was electricity here she noticed, both surprising and not. She seemed to recall that Alison had mentioned it as part of her spiel. Obviously Audrey was fairly wealthy. The corridor abruptly changed from wood to stone, a carpet covering the floor. Alison continued to lead the way, taking a few turns before they went up two flights of stairs, and then down another corridor, stopping outside a lavish wooden double door that had images of steam trains carved into it. Quite fancy, but unless she was mistaken, Audrey seemed to be quite hidden away in this building. Alison knocked and then just headed straight in, Rachael and Dudley following.

A short fat man dressed in a black suit and a top hat and smoking a cigar sat behind the large desk in the office, leafing through a binder. He was probably past middle age now, what hair was visible was well and truly grey. Trains decorated and adorned the room, from painting to models and designs. They were everywhere. Rachael had to admit that it was actually quite impressive.

“Yes, what is it?” he asked as he put the binder aside. “You’re from Clocky’s team aren’t you? Alison was it?”

“That is correct,” Alison replied bluntly. “Did you organize for Sean Nobelesse to tag a carriage on at Cannonsgate?”

“That’s private business.”

Alison glared at him, her presence dominating the room.

“But yes we did,” Audrey decided to continue, “it was arranged by Bowser’s office. Clocky should have received the memo.” Audrey made to reach for his binder.

“He did. But as a result the trains a wreck in the Narrows.”

“WHAT!” Audrey shot out of his chair, any other concerns forgotten, before recomposing himself and sitting back down again, fingers on the bridge of his nose as if warding a headache. “I hope I misheard you.”

“Not at all. The train is a wreck. We had two attacks going through the Teeth after we collected Sean and his ‘cargo’. One was easily dealt with, a diversion of Longhairs. However the second was an attack by a Nightbeast and another assailant. The drivers were all killed, along with one of our team, and the train derailed. Sean is missing, his bodyguards slaughtered, his cargo spilled. I’ve seen nothing like it. But whatever it is, it is dangerous. Something quite foreign, and definitely beyond the scope of what you hired us for.”

Audrey stared at her for a minute, massaging his temple.

“Nightbeasts are not a thing out here Audrey. Not normally. Only a handful have been reported in all of the western lands since the Pulse, never any in the Ethis Plains or the Eastern Teeth Range. This one wasn’t normal either.”

Audrey sighed. “You’re giving me a headache,” he groaned. “You sure it was a Nightbeast?”

“Positive,” Alison stated, crossing her arms. “I have fought more than my fare share of Wildlings, and it was miles above them. This one was a beast of magic. But it’s not the actual concern. It didn’t cause the derailment. It was just another distraction. We haven’t found the other one yet, the true threat. Clocky is out looking for both it and Sean.”

Audrey slumped back into his chair. “Bowser’s covering the bill for all of this. I won’t be paying you any more for finding it either.”

“You’re lucky that we’re even alive to report back to you. You can keep your money if it matters that much to you. We’re going on a different mission after this is all resolved anyways. You are going to have to send a recovery team in.”

“I know, I know.” Audrey waved his hand. “The Traders Office are going to be fuming too. I’ll get it organized. It’ll probably take a day or two to get it sorted.”

“We need to head back out as soon as possible, once we’ve talked to Bowser, if he sees us.”

“Use the buggy.”

Alison shook her head. “It’s too slow. We need to return as fast as possible. I want the 323.”

Audrey looked as if he was about to object, and then sighed, getting up and walking over to a cabinet and pulling out a bottle and a glass before return to his seat. “Fine,” he said as he poured himself a drink. “Get Felix to take you out.” He took a sip, then looked back up at them. “Is that all?”

“We’ll take our leave. Clocky will report back to you when we’re done.”

Audrey sighed, and waved them away. Rachael followed Alison and Dudley out.

Once they had reached the bottom of the stairs Alison stopped and turned to Dudley. “Can you go find Felix and get him to be ready to leave as soon as possible. We should be back before midnight. He’ll need backup crew as well.” Alison reached into her pocket and pulled out some coins, passing them to Dudley. “Grease his palms with this, and tell him that no matter what anyone else says we are leaving tonight.”

“You’re certain someone is going to interfere?” Dudley asked.

“Sean isn’t capable of organizing that shipment on his own.”

---

The smells of food wafted past as they made their way along the main road outside the train station, making Rachael's tummy grumble. There were a number of food stalls set up against the buildings that towered overhead, offering sustenance and gratification to those that walked past, and it made her realize that she hadn’t eaten for quite some time. Alison stopped at one, returning shortly with with a pair of meat kebabs, offering one to Rachael.

“I don’t have any money,” Rachael replied, looking bashful.

“I know. Do you want it?” Alison continued to hold it out.

“Thanks.” Rachael nodded and took the offered food, gingerly biting down on it. It was hot, but not too hot, the meat spicy and tender. It was really good actually, much better than her campfire fish. It didn’t take her long to finish it off as they resumed their walking.

The road was busy, a lot more people present than Rachael had expected, and she had to pay attention to where she was going. Some looked like mercenaries like Alison, wearing armour and weapons, while others looked like your average citizens, merchants and families. The mercenaries mostly wore leather and chain-mail armour. There was a distinct lack of full plate, which was probably quite impractical, even if it was a fantasy staple. She did wonder if any of the more modern armours such as Kevlar had survived or even capable of being produced. The Innerlands likely had magically augmented armours instead, and the modifications to her clothes probably made it about as effective as Kevlar anyway.

Horse drawn wagons rumbled by on one side, stacked high with crates and barrels, people on foot weaving around them, some carrying loads, others just intent on getting to their destination. While the styles were not all foreign, their clothing still looked like it had come from the century before, most of being made from more natural fibres. What she assumed was cotton and wool where quite dominant, as well as a general lack of bright colours, the citizens a sea of pale shades. The brighter green on her tights was definitely out of place. It was all kind of odd. The area had that modern city feel to it, but the people populating it were anything but. Alison and Rachael stepped to the side as a wealthy looked coach raced past pulled by four horses, its bell ringing loudly, followed by a gaggle of kids trying to sell maps, matches, and curse wards. They ignored the kids, Alison shaking her head, and continued on, before having to step aside again as a black box shaped car, smokey petrol fumes and all, rumbled past. A pretty young girl, dressed in bright blue silks, sat in the back seat, window down, staring down on everything she passed, as if she was above everyone. The girl’s eyes went wide and she lost some of her composure as she laid eyes on Rachael, and then she had passed them, Rachael coughing and trying to get out of the fumes. Their general lack she would not miss.

“Who was that?” Rachael asked as they reached an intersection, Alison pausing before they crossed.

“I’m not actually sure, Clocky will probably know though. Only a few of the noble houses still have functioning cars that they are willing to use just for the sake of it or to try and impress the commoners. Most just keep them for the social events of the elite. That though that was a more recent model. The sleek coloured ones are even rarer, but much more beautiful machines if you ask me. Scavengers can make a fortune selling a functioning one of those.”

“Is this road always this busy?” Rachael then queried, as they made their way along the next block. Signs proudly advertising a tailor, weaponsmith, hairdresser, gambling den, potter, and even a cafe dotted the footpath, and she had to sidestep a few times to avoid them. Just like at home.

Alison nodded. “It’s one of the arteries of the outer city, so yeah. Even at night, since it has functioning lights. It’s also the best maintained of the cities roading, in part due to the presence of the Traders Office and the other guilds, and the shadier characters usually avoid it, so it is mostly safe. Only Old City is better looked after.”

“This isn’t the Old City?” Rachael asked. She was surprised, as all of the buildings looked like that had come from the previous age.

They stopped, Alison flagging down a horse drawn carriage that had approached. The steel wheels on the outside were almost as tall as she was, and both the carriage and horses were a deep brown colour. Alison opened up the door, ushering Rachael in.

“D3 please,” she informed the driver, flipping him a coin before climbing in herself. The seats were a red leather, and looked like they had seen a lot of use. With a slight jerk the carriage started moving, and Rachael was pleased to discover that the carriage had decent suspension.

“Right, Old City,” Alison resumed, “It is Bowser’s domain and seat of power. It is walled off and guarded. You have to be someone really important to get access into there, but I hear it is a real marvel. The two blocks directly surrounding it is mostly in ruins and serves as a buffer between the city itself and his domain. It has been labelled as a ‘historic zone’ where people aren’t allowed to settle or do work without Bowser’s permission. People still do though, usually the desperate or the shady ones, at the risk of being killed by his guards. Scavengers avoid working in there though, as technically everything in there belongs to Bowser, so trying to sell it back to him is a lesson in foolishness.”

“But all of Brightswater is still all built on the ruins of an old city?”

“The inner city, yes. A lot of it has survived quite well, more so than elsewhere. Some of it still hasn’t been fully explored, retaining its secrets.”

Rachael was pretty sure that was because of the presence of the leyline. Magic could preserve things just as well as it could destroy them. The city passed by outside, buildings flowing past the windows. They’d peeled off the main street, and were heading down a gentle slope.

“So how are we going to see Bowser if only important people can get into the Inner Ring?” Rachael had noticed the discrepancy.

“He has an audience room set up at the gatehouse.”

That would work Rachael guessed, though something still wasn’t fitting right. She’d find out soon enough though.

“You called this place the city of a thousand broken dreams...”

Alison chuckled. “That I did. There is a lot of potential here, a lot of hope. The city is a trade hub, and a cauldron of wealth. Just like it is for any big city I imagine. People migrate here with their dreams, wanting to make it big. Many do. Most don’t though. The culture can be brutal, and the wealthy and influential don’t like competition and threats to their positions. The touched are no exception. I’m sure there are a lot of them in the city, but most hide it, fearful of the repercussions if they do so. Ironically enough, it’s those with animalistic traits who don’t, because they can’t. While life isn’t easy for them here, they probably don’t get the worst of the discrimination as people assume that is the extent of their changes and hence don’t feel as threatened. Not to say that some haven’t been badly treated.”

“And Fairweather?”

“She gets her fair share of it too unfortunately, especially since she has more obvious traits than most touched. However she has learnt to still hold herself high, and she is a competent fighter. You’d be silly to mess with her. Clocky’s presence also helps with that. While most people have no idea who he is, the influential do, and they’re the ones who usually stir the most. While he hates it, he knows how to leverage the association if he needs to.”

Rachael sighed internally. That probably meant that she should be careful about the casual use of her magic in the city, or around groups of strangers, unless she wanted the attention. She wasn’t too worried about what they could do to her, though they could make life difficult for those around her. Away from condensed centres of population though it was fair game. Ditto if anyone tried something stupid around her.

‘Humanity never changes.’ On that Kitsune was spot on.

They sat in silence for a while, the only noise the sound of the horses shoes against the road. They appeared to be outside of the equivalent of the CBD of the city now, most of the buildings only one or two stories, and more spread out. They crossed over a bridge, the water rushing through one of the channels far below, and past a fountain with surrounding gardens, the water flowing up and around the statue of a young man dressed in a suit with unusual gauntlet in his raised hand.

“Bowser?” Rachael asked.

“Twenty years young, yup.”

“What’s your position in Clocky’s team?” Rachael followed up, curious.

“Second in command,” Alison answered. “I’ve known him the longest, though we did only briefly meet when we were children, as Merianne never stayed anywhere for long, and I didn’t actually recall it till well after we had started working together. Made for an awkward moment. I’d run into a few difficulties with my previous team, and Clocky sought me out and asked me to work with him. Why exactly me I will probably never know, but I’d bet it is related to his sense. I couldn’t see any reason not join him, so I did. Vorsce joined us not too long after that, as two is not quite enough for a proper team, and a few months later Fairweather was brought into the fold. She was a real mess at the time, but they’ve done wonders for each other.”

“We have arrived,” the driver announced a little while later, the carriage pulling to a halt at the side of the road. It had been a lengthy ride, and Rachael was keen to stretch her legs. She followed Alison out of the carriage, which left as soon as they had dismounted. She could see a number of similar carriages parked around a large building further along the road. They were standing near the crest of a hill, a road sloping down away from them. Closely built three and four story apartments covered the entire area, circling around a large waterfall that cascaded down from the top of the hill to another channel far below. Ignoring that many of the buildings were little more than ruins now, it was a beautiful area.

“This is D3, otherwise known as Watergate, the oldest of the many residential districts of Brighstwater,” Alison said as she started walking down the road. “Where we call home at the moment.”