4 years later...

  “Come see! Come see! Meckhagen’s only musical, talking and dancing red scorpion!” A small cardboard box with crude, ragged curtains came open, revealing Dexter in the box with clown paint and two castanets. “I should have stayed in the animal carrier…” Dexter grumbled under his breath, while Kat stood next to the box as some sort of street artist. She had a small box of coins in front of the box for travelers to toss spare change into. Some people stood in front of the box watching a talking scorpion for the first time in their lives while Kat picked their pockets. After about twenty minutes of Dexter making a fool of himself while Kat pickpocketed the audience, the curtains closed and Dexter met Kat in the alleyway behind their so-called ‘stage’. “Next time, you’re putting on clown-paint…” Dexter barked at Kat, throwing his red nose at her.

  “Aw, don't be such a downer, you did great!” Dexter was still visibly agitated as he washed the paint off of his face in a barrel of water. “Please tell me we got more than last time.” Dexter said while Kat counted the money. “It’s more! But not by much. Do you think we need to find a better scheme?”

  “We definitely need a better one. This is lame, it’s ineffective and above all else, I DON'T WANT TO WEAR THIS PAINT ANYMORE!” Kat giggled, put Dexter on her shoulder and wandered to their inn. In their 4 years of working together, Kat and Dexter made a living with street performances, petty theft, scamming, cheating and gambling.

  On their way to the inn, however, Kat stumbled into a noble. “You should watch your step, beggar!” He bellowed. “Maybe you should lose some weight, fatty. Then people won’t unintentionally walk into you, porker.” Dexter barked back. Oddly, instead of further agitating the noble, he was amused by Dexter’s ability to speak. “Little girl, I'm a nobleman from Stewartsville and in all my 47 years I have never seen a talking scorpion like that! How much for that pet of yours?”

  “Uh, he’s not for sale sir, you see-”

  “I can offer you 250 gold pieces!”

  “Sir! He’s not for sa-” Kat was interrupted by Dexter. “One second to negotiate please.” He pulled Kat down close to him. “Dexter, I'm not selling you! You’re all I ha-”

  “What makes you think I’ll stay with that fat blob?”

  “But that’s not fai- Ohhh… I see what you mean.” Kat smirked to Dexter before she stood up in front of the noble again with a smile and Dexter on her shoulder. “How much again?”

  “250 gold pieces, right here and now!”

  Kat and Dexter looked at each other, both having an unimpressed look on her face. “Not enough”

  “Definitely not enough”

  “Need more.”

  “Much more. She’s been working with me for a long time, you know.” The noble kept adding to the price, which was repeatedly denied by Dexter and Kat… until… “850 gold pieces! And… I will give you a special map that’s been in my family for generations. Take a look, young girl.” The noble handed her a map that Kat found incredibly fascinating. “Done!” Kat hollered while Dexter continued, not yet having processed what Kat just said. “Need mor- Wait, what? Another second please.” Dexter pulled up the map to privately talk to Kat. “Hey idiot, what are you doing?”

  “It's a map to the vault, Dex!”

  “No, it's a rolling paper with paint on it. The vault is a fairytale!”

  “Pleeeaase can I have it?” The noble would’ve seen the map moving awkwardly from side to side, from Dexter to Kat as they argued in whispers. “If this lobotomite is willing to pay 850 we can get more out of this sucker.”

  “I don't think he’ll offer more… 850 gold pieces is like 3 months of rent in the Whiteclouds district.”

  “More like 3 weeks... but it's probably a good idea to not leech too much more.” Their faces popped back when Kat rolled up the map. “Done!”

  “Deal.”

  Kat was handed a pouch, as well as the map that she quickly stuffed in her shirt, while Dexter sat on the noble’s arm. Kat walked off, knowing Dexter wouldn't stay with him for long. She began counting the gold pieces, only to realize it was a bag of beans. Angrily, she chased the still-nearby noble. When he heard Kat’s angry voice in the distance, he wanted to make a run for it. However, it didn’t get him very far. Not with Dexter at least, as he immediately stung the noble, prompting him to let him go. Dexter, once grounded, quickly made his way back to Kat, who by now caught up. The noble wanted to come back for Dexter but was immediately met with Kat and Dexter yelling at him in tandem. As he got caught but still wanted the scorpion, he started a bit of a scene. “You little wretch! Hand over the scorpion. Guards! Thief here!”

  “Thief? You tried to scam a kid out of her parent and her only source of income!”

  “Parent? Awww, Dexter…”

  “Shut up, Kat.”

  Their argument escalated to the point where a guard showed up, attempting to resolve the issue. “What’s the problem here?”

  “She! That little streetrat scammed me out of my money by selling a scorpion and training it to run back to her! Not to mention they also took my treasure map!”

  “You... bought a scorpio- What?”

  “Scammed you out of your money?! You promised me 850 gold pieces and instead gave me 850 beans!”

  “Not to mention that she didn't train anyone, I am her guardian.”

  “Beans…?” The guards scratched under his helmet, clearly confused. “This child is as good as defenseless and he pressured her into selling everything she has for a criminally low price!” Dexter added, actually turning the tide into their favor. “Well sir, that is a bit of a low blow… Here’s what we’ll do. You both get a drink together on me and we can work it out. I’ll show you a nice place where I drink with my col-” As the guard walked towards a bar with the other three, he spotted Kat and Dexter’s wanted poster before glaring back at them. They were wanted scam artists. Naturally, he felt used and turned to the little girl and her scorpion guardian with a frown.

  “Run?” Kat asked. “Yes, run.” Dexter answered as Kat threw the bag of beans in the face of the guard as to briefly disorient him before she bolted away.

  The guard pursued her through the harbor town, getting help from other guards as the chase went on. But for as much as they tried, Kat was too fast and slippery for them to catch, using cranes to quickly ascend to a rooftop level and escaping from there. However, the guards weren't ready to give up yet. They borrowed ladders from the workers on the ground to follow her. But even on the roof, they stood no chance. “Just shake them off and get to the inn!”

  “Okay!” Throughout the chase Kat used the environment to her advantage, knocking over pots to slow them down or pulling down barrels of water to make them slip and slide off the roof. The guards in their clunky armor did their very best to catch her, but every time they almost caught her, Kat would find a way to give them the slip by ziplining down laundry lines, making extraordinarily far jumps and vaulting over obstacles on the roofs. Eventually, Kat lost the guards, partially due to outrunning them, but perhaps also because the guards didn't think it was worth it to hunt down a twelve-year-old to that extent, especially given that her crimes were mostly limited to petty thievery and scams.

  Once she finally lost the guards, she cheered in triumph. Not so smart, as it resulted in her losing her balance and falling off the roof into a barrel of water that broke her fall and a box of Joggaberries that broke Dexter’s fall. Kat climbed out to find Dexter with one of the berries stuck on the front of his face, like a clown nose. “Good job back there, you’re better at running away from the guards than your old man was.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, he would have jumped off of the roof on purpose…” Kat giggled and picked Dexter up to put him on her head. “Did you mean that?”

  “Mean what?”

  “That you’re my parent?”

  “Of course not… Had to play victim to have the guard favor us.” Kat simply rolled her eyes, as it wasn't the first time Dexter said something similar.

  “Look what I saved though!” Kat cheered, pulling the map out of her shirt and showing it to Dexter who naturally wasn't impressed. “Oh good… You saved a scrap of paper that I can draw a blueprint on…”

  “It's not a scrap of paper! It's the map to the thieves’ vault!” Dexter groaned looking at the map. He briefly contemplated ripping it, but he didn't want a crying Kat to contend with. “Kat, for the millionth time. The thieves’ vault does not exist! That slimy pork paid you in beans, why would this map be real?” Kat smirked at Dexter. “Because it isn't the one he gave me? You said that dad would be there!” Dexter let out a frustrated groan before snapping at Kat. “No more of this! It doesn't exist, period. Now, let's get to the inn before Meckhagen’s ‘finest’ find us.”

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  “Awwwww... I'm keeping it, though!” She shouted, putting it back in her shirt and following Dexter.

  They passed through a dark alleyway littered with waste and tattered posters on their way back to their inn, when Kat suddenly caught a glimpse of a flyer announcing a science fair around Meckhagen. It promised that the winner would win a grand prize. “Hey, Dex! Isn't that something for us?” Dexter looked at the poster and read the heavily-stylized text. “Well, it would be if they took into account that you’re thirteen. But in those science fairs, it’s not the most impressive candidate but the most impressive invention that wins the prize.”

  “Well, it doesn't have to be my invention!” Kat hollered. Dexter snickered in response. “Clever girl… Go on, take the flyer and get to the construction site, then. We have plenty of work to do if we intend on winning this thing.” Kat smiled and excitedly ripped it off the wall.

  Walking to the construction area, Kat read the flyer out loud. “The main prize is a year of military official grade salary! And the colonel’s favor…?”

  “Sounds excellent.”

  “What does that mean?” Dexter took a look at the flyer, reading the small worn text. “I assume it means that you can make him a request. Pardons, protection, expeditions, that sort of thing.”

  “Oh! He can help us find the thieves va-"

  “NO, we are not making fools of ourselves yet again. Just let him get rid of our wanted status and be done with it.”

  “But Dexter!”

  “No buts! This is a chance to hit the reset button and you will not blow it.” Dexter snapped. Kat looked down in disappointment and stuffed the poster into her shirt. “Okay…” Kat mumbled, as they entered an abandoned construction yard they’ve been using to build gadgets and seek shelter for years. It was a small, dusty facility with boards covering the fences to act as walls, with nothing securing the gate other than a large padlock. Inside, it was sparsely lit by haphazardly scattered lanterns and the screens of crude, steam-powered terminals. Warm from the furnaces and machinery, with the constant hum of generators, the buzzing of lamps and terminals, this was the place Kat called home ever since coming to Meckhagen.

  They would spend the next few days in their laboratory, creating a machine like Kat once promised her dad. But not just any machine. An airship of all things. The navy of Fountainvale had the most advanced airships in all of Jeslore, but according to Dexter, they were crude and in need of improvement. The first few days were spent identifying key areas for improvement in the current design, as well as how to implement their advancements, then ‘obtaining’ the resources to build it and finally, the assembly itself.

  After so much work, lost sleep and research they were almost late to the science fair, mostly because the gate guard was about to arrest Kat but he was eventually negotiated into letting her in when Kat showed him their entry for the fair.

  At the science fair were members of all races. Kat was certainly the youngest though, seemingly the only one under 25. Kat wandered around the fair in awe, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she wandered past all the stands with intricate gadgets. Most of the scientists looked at Kat in confusion, as they had never seen a child competing. After roaming the fair and getting directions on where to set up an announcer yelled over the square that the contest would begin soon and that all scientists had to take place in their booths.

  On the way to the last free booth, Kat was stopped by a Cykx who supposedly ‘knew’ he was going to win the contest with his combat exosuit. “You know, this isn't a place for kids. Why don't you go back to selling cookies, little girl?” He mocked before walking away in smug laughter. Kat frowned and dragged her floating ship to the booth where she heard another voice. “Don't let it get to you!” The voice was feminine. Kat looked outside of her ship to see an Aqui Illith standing outside her booth, wearing goggles with a large telescope on her back.

  “He’s last year’s winner. Now, he thinks no one in Jeslore is smarter than him, so he keeps gloating to the others.” Kat leaned out of her ship. “Don't worry! I got something better!”

  “Heh, so do I! I made a telescope that can pierce clouds!”

  “Woww, I made a liquid fuel powered airship!”

  “Interesting… A nerd that bullies other nerds…” Dexter snickered quietly. “Is that Cykx at et again?” A Dwarven voice asked seemingly out of nowhere, to which the Aqui Illith replied. “Yeah, but I don't think his lame exosuit can win over what we’ve got this time.”

  “Aye, break a leg, lass. We’ll sho’ ‘im what fer.” Kat smiled and climbed into her ship. “Dexter! I'm worried we might lose.”

  “Don't worry about it, when you start the engines and they see how fast this thing goes, they’ll be sold. Everything here runs on coal and evaporated water, this is a marked improvement.”

  “Oh… Okay. Well, I hope so!”

  “Yeah, here comes the jury.”

  The jury came from around the corner to assess the contestants. There were a total of 5 contestants left that day: A Cykx technomancer, an Aqui Illith horologist and astrologist, a Karrar alchemist, a Dwarven gunsmith, and Kat, entering as an engineer. There was a wide and impressive array of inventions: The Aqui Illith made a long-range tracker and indicator dubbed ‘Cloudpiercer’. It would be able to spot an enemy from miles away in the air, even if they were hiding up in the clouds.

  The Karrar made an acid bomb that, through a complicated chemical reaction, accelerated the corrosion process, not killing armored enemies or vehicles, but instead damaging their equipment to render the enemy powerless on the field of battle. The gunsmith made an impressive long-range defensive cannon, the first to be capable of firing multiple shells before needing to be reloaded at an impressive range. All of which, the jury walked past with a blank face. Accompanying the jury was the local colonel of the local aerial navy, Colonel Jack Rotterdam. He too was unphased by the contestants until he stopped at the Cykx’s stand. “Ah, Nyx. What kind of invention do you have this year?”

  “Glad you asked, sir. This year I have something that could double the combat effectiveness of your units. I call it ‘Exo-Armor’, inspired by Dwarven Krachdt Panzer. However, instead of being slow and cumbersome, it makes your units fast, deadly and a lot more agile.”

  The Cykx demonstrated his invention, delivering on his promise. It also boasted built-in weaponry that he tested on the Dwarf’s cannon that, while sustaining serious damage, survived the shot. Dexter watched it from the ship. “Interesting Jeslorian spin on Cykx technology… he should have amped up the steam pressure on those pistons though, the moron doesn't even know the limits of his own inventions…” While Dexter was only mildly impressed, the colonel loved it. “Impressive, I think we have a winne- what?” One of the jury interrupted him and pointed at Kat. “You want to check out the ship of a thirteen-year-old with a wrench that calls herself an engineer?”

  “Yes, sir. It’s worth checking out, seeing from here.”

  “Oh very well… Let’s go see it then.” The jury, alongside the colonel, moved towards Kat’s ship.

  On the ship, Kat waited by the wheel. “So Dexter, how do I start this thing?”

  “Well I'll go check, double check and triple check the engines, you put the key in the contact when I get back.”

  “Wow, that’s a lot of checks… Okay! Wait, key?”

  “The wrench you got from your dad, it’s your key.” Dexter disappeared into the below-decks to make sure the engines were in order. Meanwhile, Colonel Rotterdam was getting impatient. “Hey! If it doesn't work, clear out and wait until next year!” He shouted, making Kat incredibly nervous. After a few seconds, Dexter raised his claw up from the below-deck to signal that the engines were in order. Kat jammed the wrench into the contact. “I’m going to come find you, dad…” She whispered under her breath before throwing the switch, though not quite strong enough to flip it. The colonel was beginning to run out of patience, but just in the nick of time, Dexter assisted her by pulling on the wrench switch to start the engine.

  Once the engines started roaring, the colonel took a step back. Seconds later, the mast and sail erected from the mid-section of the ship, wings sprouted out from the sides and the diesel-powered engines hissed, cranking out as much power as they could to get the ship off the ground, and much it did. It flew 20 meters above the ground at a staggering speed compared to the slow, sluggish airships the navy had now. Everyone watched in awe as Kat’s ship took off, including the colonel. The only one that wasn't awestruck was the Cykx with his exosuit, he knew he had lost the prize. “I think we have a winner…” The Colonel whispered to the jury as Kat flew the airship around.

  About 20 minutes later, the contestants took their places on the stage. Kat was the winner and keeper of this year’s title of lead inventor of the Fountainvale navy. Colonel Rotterdam stood beside Kat as she was awarded the prize: “So! Your prize, next to a year's pay, is the colonel’s favor! You can ask me to do something and if it is within my power, I will. What will it be?” Kat looked around, knowing that Dexter wasn't going to like her answer. “I want an expedition!”

  “An expedition to where?” Dexter, inside the ship, heard it and held his claw over his scorpion heart. “don't say it… don't say it please…”

  “An expedition to the thieves vault!” Once she finished her sentence everyone in the crowd laughed, Dexter rubbed his temples and groaned, even the other contestants chuckled. There were only two people with a straight face: Kat and the Colonel. The Colonel, however, wasn't pleased with the laughter and shouted into the microphone like a drill sergeant. “STOP LAUGHING!” His shout was more than enough to silence the crowd and the other contestants, as well as raising Dexter’s interest.

  “Miss Kheylana, it’s good to see that there are more people like me out there.”

  “Uhhh… Military officials?”

  “Hah, no. Dreamchasers, I mean. Both you and I believe in something that others think is a myth… This is our chance to prove them all wrong. If a full expedition to the Thieves Vault is what you want, then so be it. I shall order a regiment, arrange the finest soldiers to protect you and personally accompany you with my own fleet. Your ship shall have a special place on my airship carrier, the other contestants will be in your research team and, with a ship as fine as yours, the Thieves Vault shall be found! Tomorrow, the expedition begins!” Kat smiled widely. Seeing that there was someone else out there wanting to find the Thieves Vault almost made her happier than winning the contest. “Thank you, Colonel!” After the speech ended the fair stayed open until late at night, even after Kat received her prize.

  After staying with the Colonel for a while longer, making arrangements for the following day, she went back to her ship and Dexter who had stayed on it. “Dexter! We did it! We won the contest!” She shouted once she boarded the ship again, only to find Dexter behind the wheel with a frown. “You had one job. One thing you were meant to keep your yap shut about. And what do you ask him for?”

  “Well, he believes in i-”

  “But what if he didn't? We’d be the laughing stock of Meckhagen! Again!”

  “But we aren't! The Colonel is so nice, he believes in the vault too!” Dexter just rolled his eyes and looked off into the distant oceans. “Well, no turning back now I suppose…”

  “Yup! It won't be so bad, Dexter… And hey! Dad will be there waiting for me!” Dexter looked at her and instead of telling her he just nodded and sighed. “Yes… He will, Kat.” The two gazed off into the distant ocean horizon of Meckhagen, waiting for their journey to begin…