Denzen is massive, at least from my perspective. I had climbed a tree to get a better view of our surroundings. A giant river snakes its way along the back of the city, and I notice boats going to and fro from what must be a port. Only one gate leads into the city from the main trail. It's shut and sealed with two knights stationed in front. Behind the tall walls, I see crossbowmen at the ready.
The city is a single circular structure split into four rings, each stacked on the last with ever-cascading walls. The architecture is very similar to Amacedia, with a unique fusion of steel and wood, but in scale it gives a grander feel. I spot multiple shadows within the city's first ring that I can create a gate to. The problem is, everybody standing around them is a bounty hunter.
"Renald, I think we need a new entry plan." I slowly climb down the tree. "Everywhere I can shadow step to is swarming with bounty hunters."
"Hmm." Renald looks around, scratches his chin, then locks eyes on a passing boat. "Can you get us onto that?"
"Yeah, but there's no telling if it'll get checked at the docks." I remind him, trying to keep caution at the forefront of my mind.
"If it does, just shadow step us back here and we'll try again later." His eyes are burning with determination.
"Fine. Grab my hand." I train my eyes on the boat, which is about to pass out of my sight.
Renald's hand grabs mine as soon as I see the shadow-filled interior. I allow myself to fall backwards into the shade of the trees around us, pulling Renald down with me. Just as quickly, we are regurgitated on the inside of the small boat. It reeks of fish, and around us are baskets of freshly caught fish, crabs, and oysters. A little drool seeps down my chin as I eye the juicy basket of crabs.
"Whisper, no!" Renald pulls me back. "This is somebody else's. We can get some seafood later, ok?"
"Aww, alright." I pout, just a little.
Just outside the slightly ajar door, I can see a solitary figure, propelling us forward with a long staff of some kind, which he pushes off the bottom of the river. He hasn't noticed us yet.
We drift for another 20 minutes, then the boat thuds into something, which I assume is the dock.
"Hey Hal! Help me get these baskets off the boat!" A man yells. The figure who was guiding the boat steps off, and another, smaller figure steps on.
"I gotchu pop!" The new figure says. "Which ones? You want me to just grab what we're taking to the stall, or you want me to grab everything?"
I tackle Renald behind the baskets, and the door flies open. Looking around at all the freshly caught seafood is a scrawny young human boy with red hair, deeply tanned skin, dark brown eyes, freckles, and blue fishing garments in dire need of replacement. He sports a pair of beige leather sandals and has a single dagger tucked into his belt. From the way he looks, he can't be older than 14.
"Just grab what you can for right now, I'll have Kenny and Kon help you get the rest when I finish tying the boat down." Says the figure from earlier. He sounds further away than before.
"Alright, pop!" the young boy, Hal, grabs a basket full of fish and turns to leave. He doesn't shut the door behind him.
I spot an empty, dark alleyway across the port and grab hold of Renald, who I have been on top of this whole time. I grin at the shock on his face as we fall through the shadowy floor of the boat and into the alley.
"I'm alive!" Renald pats all along his body and sighs. "You've got to warn me before you do that."
"We made it, though, didn't we?" I stand and help Renald to his feet.
"But where is 'it' exactly?" He creeps away from the docks and towards the end of the alley.
"From what I saw of the city, it's sectioned into four rings. It seems like we're still only in the first ring." I follow closely behind Renald. "Liaz mentioned something about having to make it to the inner ring, which is probably the fourth ring, all the way in the middle of the city."
"Then that's where we're headed." Renald smiles proudly, then his face grows dark.
I whip around to see what he's looking at, a series of wanted posters stuck to the wall behind me. Each of us has a poster with a rough sketch of our faces and a bounty. The posters say "Wanted: Dead or Alive". Only one of us is missing a poster: Ironvine. Instead, there is a wanted poster of Ironvine's intricate golden armor with the name "The Golden Knight". Beneath it is a whopping bounty of 200 Sapphire Coins. Renald, Goldenclaw, Liaz, and I all have the same bounty of 100 Sapphire Coins. My eyes land on Glimmer's poster, which has an insane amount of 100,000 Sapphire. My jaw drops.
"This…" I can barely process the crazy amount of money on Glimmer's head. "...This can't be right."
When Renald does not respond, I glance over at him and notice the poster in his hands. It has a picture of Renald's white armor, the name "The White Knight of Ardent", and a bounty of 50,000 Sapphire. Renald crumbles the paper up, irritation written all over his face, and tosses it away.
"I think we're going to need disguises." His head darts around. "But where would we get some?"
"Stay here. I'm sure there's bound to be a shop or cart somewhere with some cloaks that I can steal." I offer, but the sun is bright overhead, and I can't find any other shade to teleport to. "Never mind, it's too bright."
"Shit. There has to be something…" Renald stalls upon seeing a nearby sewer grate. "...Ah ha! Come on, this way!"
"Oh no." I take a colossal step back. "Ren, please, there has to be another way."
"Sorry, Whisper, I think we're out of options right now." He draws his saber and pries the metal grate open, revealing a ladder leading into the darkness beneath the city streets. "We don't have time to wait until dark. Glimmer could leave the city at any moment. We have to hurry."
Then he sheaths his saber and hops down, disappearing into the darkness. I'm still hesitating, despising the idea of traveling through the city's sewers. All of my training as an assassin, and I have to resort to this. Oh, how low I've fallen.
"...but dad said to help Hal with the rest of the baskets." I hear the sound of male voices approaching.
"Come on, Kon, we'll just stop in for a second." Urges a second voice, slightly older.
"I better get a shower after this." I mumble, climbing down after Renald.
I jam my dagger into one of the holes in the grate and close it back. I pull my dagger back out and sheath it as a set of heavy feet rush by overhead.