The Rust-Bucket was less a tavern and more a structural collapse that someone had decided to serve drinks in.
It sat on the edge of the canal, listing dangerously toward the toxic water.
The walls were made of corrugated iron sheets welded together, and the roof was a patchwork of tarps and scavenged billboards.
Zane stood outside the entrance, the heavy collar of his new coat turned up against the wind.
He checked his UI.
ESSENCE: 99% STATUS: OPTIMAL
He was full, dangerous, and looking for a tragedy.
He pushed open the heavy blast door that served as the entrance and stepped inside.
The noise hit him first.
It was a wall of shouting, clinking glass, and the grinding of industrial music played over blown-out speakers.
The air was thick with smoke, sweat, and the chemical tang
