1. Macabre Marmalade (COMPLETED; EDITING)

XXXVIII (17.2)

Todor and Hillard drove in silence. The black Aurilidion that Governor let them use while on duty made almost no sound making silence in the cabin especially awkward.

"So, what is your name? Just Hillard?" Todor said taping his knee with fingers.

"Norman Hillard. Agent in the employee of her Excellency Governor of Moriganhold," he responded after half a minute of staying quite. "What about, you? I know your name and that apparently you are a mage," Norman said with a doubtful accent on the word mage.

"You think I would lie about that?" Todor asked amused.

"People lie about many things to get ahead in the world. You are either greatest con artist or a miracle of science."

Todor laughed at that logic, genuinely mirthful. The car slowed down approaching the checkpoint. Hillard stopped the car and started rummaging through his pockets. After a bit, he fished out two plastic rectangles with a clip on.

"This one is for you," he said giving one to Todor who accepted it and looked at the item. It was a laminated ID card with Todors name and position.

"Provisional constable? Am I having a trial week to check if I am qualified for the job?" Todor said with a smirk.

"As Governor said, your inauguration will be held in two months. Until then you are a provisional constable," Hillard said opening the car door. "I should have given you a gun as well but you seem to be overly prepared."

Todor nodded and followed suit getting out on the street.

He never visited this part of the town. It nested close to Moriganhold port, between coastal cliffs and gentle hills. The entrance to the little town was covered with old Mother Globe buildings that transitioned with the Knitting. No gang claimed the territory, probably because it was not worth the effort of policing it.

Like everyone, he heard stories of Sea Pit. During the war, one of the Humanity First Alliance battleships launched a shell making a huge crater on the coast. As the city grew, less fortunate populace took residence in the hole, building cheap houses with the wreckage from the war-wracked sea side. What it became now is a self-contained community of almost twenty thousand people. Or maybe even twice that if rumors are to be believed.

Turns out Hillard had to park the car far from the Sea Pit. It took them almost forty minutes to reach the edge of the secluded town on foot. The first thing that reached his ears was a cacophony of different languages. Excited chatter of Morg merchant trying to sell hot dogs which probably were made out of real dogs. Squeaky voice of the prepubescent boy selling newspapers of all things. A group of scantily clad women, Anadori, Morg and human, eyed them as they approached down into the Sea Pit proper.

"You boys came here for some fun?" Anadori woman said once they were in earshot.

"We are on her Excellency business today," Norman said flashing the laminated card.

"Oh, don't be that way Nommy, we missed you," one of the human girls yelled. Norman's face suddenly camouflaged itself as if trying to hide into the poppy field.

They kept walking ignoring the calls, giggles, and catcalls from the girls. After they passed between two large pillars the view over entire Sea Pit broke in front of them.

"You seem to know this place. Where do we start?" Todor said gaping at the spectacle. A quarter of the buildings was made out of tank armor pieces, boats, even entire ships. Mixed with the metal were wooden shanties and concrete barracks that looked prefabricated. What was most amazing was that everything was on made on the slopes of the crater. Sometimes large squares were dug out to make for a flat surface where water purifiers worked, making rainfall water safe to drink. But most of the time buildings were just hanged on the angle of the slope making entire landscape surreal in Todor's eyes.