Wintrow

The city never stopped. The city never rested. The city always worked.

Leaf Eminox weaved his way through Wintrow. The city was perched on the far southeast coast of the planet Navalen within the Crimson Kingdom. The night hummed of neon lights that illuminated the wet concrete sidewalks. Leaf saw women dance in holographic advertisements, magnetic floating vehicles float by like a whisper at night, and street corner cameras whirling as he turned every corner. Leaf was a bounty hunter, and he had claimed the bounty on an Offlander – a Tarnathian wanted for treason.

He stopped at the marked corner and read the street intersection: Wex Alley and 17th Street. He knew he was where he needed to be. He followed the directions from a street urchin who he trusted and who was on the Golden Fox’s payroll. Looking down Wex Alley, he saw the far end beneath a red glowing Eagle was a single, black, rectangular door. The Crimson Kingdom’s Eagle blazed in his eyes.

A drizzle descended again. He dawned his rain hood and walked the long alleyway to the black door. Each raindrop brought focus to Leaf. His senses heightened. The humming of the city. The whispering ears. The floating advertisements. Each step was like a pulse that connected him to Wintrow. He stopped at the end of the wet alleyway. A red neon hue saturated the floor and walls. The Crimson Eagle reflected in the concrete. He looked up into the misty drizzle that descended. He could hear the founder’s voice in his mind: The foundation of a city starts today. The foundation of an empire starts today. The foundation of a religion starts, today. Leaf breathed in the cool night air; Crisp, he thought, and breathed vapor out. He knocked upon the black metal door, and waited.

A single brass slot clang open. “Yes?” The charred voice of a man asked from behind the door. Only his eyes were visible. Bloodshot.

“The machine breaks for the man’s skill who built it lacked,” Leaf said.

“It was not the man’s skill that lacked, but the will of the man,” he replied.

“His will destroyed a kingdom. His skill destroyed the machine.”

The slot clang shut, a deadbolt unlatched, and the black door swung open. Out came a massive, burly man. He ducked as he passed through the doorway.

“Arms up,” the bouncer rasped. “Hood down.” He pulled out a metal detector and scanned Leaf’s body. The musk on the bouncer’s clothes stank of mildew as if he had not change his clothes in a month, and the tobacco he recently smoked masked his breath. Leaf inferred his charred raspy voice was a mixture of alcohol and tobacco from over a decade of use.

A ping alerted him.

“Holstered?” he asked without hesitation.

Leaf nodded in agreement.

“You goin’ to let me check it?”

Leaf nodded once more and pulled his jacket to the side exposing his Arc Revolver.

The bouncer upholstered Leaf’s weapon. He examined it and then swung open the cylinder on the yoke. Each chamber held a round for a total of six rounds. “Extra?”

“No, not tonight,” Leaf said in return.

The bouncer pulled a round out and held it close the red neon light. It glowed like stardust in a glass vial. The round was a Delphic round. “Damn, first time I’ve seen something like this,” he bouncer said pausing for a moment. “Incinerate a man with these, I suppose?”

Leaf nodded once more. “Loaded with Arc Matter. Manufactured at heart of the Crimson Kingdom,” Leaf said.

“How you go about getting one?”

“Business.”

The two looked at each other for a moment without saying a word.

“This what your selling tonight?” The bouncer asked.

“No. I’m only here to buy information.”

“Been here before?”

“No,” Leaf said.

“Safe to say you’ll be meeting some of your kind.” The bouncer waited for a reply and when Leaf didn’t give one, he chambered the round and closed the cylinder. “Got a name for her?”

“Dawnbringer.”

The alleyway of Wintrow disappeared behind them as the black metal door swung close behind them. Inside, a rectangular room with mirrors on each wall reflected Leaf and the bouncer. White neon lights on the mirror’s edge illuminated the space. A single old leather chair sat to one side. On the other side, a woman behind a window with a metal slab installed beneath it waited.

The bouncer placed Dawnbringer down with a force that startled the woman behind the plexiglass window.

“Sorry, princess,” he said. “These old fists can be a bit too careless.”

The woman behind the plexiglass window smiled and said, “Hello and welcome to the Nexus. We entertain all forms of trade, gambling, fighting, and host to patrons across the galaxy. We hope that your time with us is amiable to your stay, and we’re happy to help direct you to the nearest vendor that suits your needs.” Leaf saw that she wore a thigh high leather skirt and a white top with purple-dyed platinum blonde hair.

“Thank you,” Leaf said.

“Checking one weapon tonight,” the bouncer said.

“Of course. I’ll be happy to assist you in anyway I can.” She reached through the rectangular hole in the plexiglass window and retrieved Dawnbringer. “We’ll keep your weapon safe and secure.” She opened a binder and made a note with a pen before turning to the various lockers with keypads attached to the doors behind her.

The bouncer stepped aside and lit a cigar with a match. The smoke filled the room. A memory appeared in Leaf’s mind of the Crimson Kingdom’s southern border where the crop grew. He had used the plant to heal the wounds of a lost girl found in the desert beyond. He shot the man who took her.

The coat check girl returned with a small token and slid it through the open space. “Your weapon will be safe during your time underground at the Nexus. Is there anything else you need before you enter?” She asked.

Leaf retrieved the coin. The number #33 was embossed on one side. He flipped the coin over and saw the Crimson Eagle insignia on the other. He looked back at her and asked, “Can you tell me if an Offlander from Tarneth is here tonight?”

“I’m sorry, sir. I cannot divulge the details of our patrons. Does this man have business with you?”

“He does, ” Leaf lied. “He’s likely larger than most and has the common green-hued skin of his people.”

“You’re best bet is to search for him around the food market.”

“Sure,” Leaf said.

“Please enjoy your stay here while at the Nexus. You may enter through the double doors to your left,” she said directing Leaf with her hand pointing to her the right.

He pocketed his coin and returned his gaze to the check girl. The white neon glow shinned upon her contoured cheeks.

“Thanks,” Leaf said. Leaf looked at both before turning and exiting the room through the double doors.