Destiny No More

Chapter 38

Mistral was a very old kingdom, unlike Atlas and Vale which had been mostly built up within the last century or two; the city of Mistral had been around for hundreds of years. For that reason, it hadn't been planned out to accommodate modern amenities. While things like electricity and running water weren't too hard to accommodate, things like wide roads for cars and public transportation were pretty much non-existent within the city, meaning that the only real way to move around was by walking; a fact Pyrrha was quickly growing to hate.

Most of the city had been torn down and rebuilt in the centuries that the Kingdom had stood, but the Eastern Districts were a notable exception. With how crowded Vale was, and how the city was constantly trying to build new places to house people, Pyrrha was surprised to see that Mistral could afford to leave the entire area as it was. While Vale did have buildings left abandoned, they were few and far between, contrasting harshly with the squalors condition of the Eastern Districts. Between the lower level and now this, Pyrrha was forced to wonder if Mistral's Council even knew how bad things were.

She and Tai had run there as quickly as they could, the paths mostly being abandoned due to the weather and the time of day, but upon arriving they had been faced with the same issue they had been dealing with their entire time in Mistral. Where to begin?

The people that lived on the Eastern Side were clearly poor, and although they didn't seem as hopeless or as desperate as those on the lowest levels, and while the buildings did appear to be in disrepair they were still livable and most of them were inhabited.

Thankfully that limited the number of places they had to search. They had avoided the smaller buildings or anyplace that looked like it was only one level, though they noted them as they ran past, in the event they were unable to find anything else.

The rain had long since soaked through her cloak, causing it to weigh her down slightly. Her clothes hadn't fared much better, and her hair was stuck to her forehead. She was grateful that the rain was warm however, as it at least minimized the risk of getting sick, and it didn't distract her as much as it could. The normally bright moon was hidden from them, and the only reason they were even able to see at all was the sparse lamp posts, casting dim light across the rocky paths below.

Their search had led them to only one option, an old stone church that looked as if it had been standing even before the Great War. While some people still practiced the old religions, their followings were far less popular than they once had been, and as a result, there were a lot of abandoned churches scattered across Remnant.

Ducking in-between two nearby structures, Tai found a spot to shield them from view as well as the rain. Pyrrha joined him a moment later, for not the first time she was glad she had pulled her hair back, thus keeping her wet hair from getting in her eyes.

"That's our best bet." Tai kept himself close to the wall, only looking around the corner enough to search for any sign of activity.

"Would it still be safe after being abandoned for so long?" Pyrrha looked around the corner. The building's walls appeared to have been built out of an ornate stone, but the years of neglect had worn away its potential splendor. The roof had not collapsed yet, but it was clearly only a matter of time, and the large wooden doors at the front were open and being blown around by the storm.

"They built them to last." Tai assured her. "People used to hide in the churches during Grimm invasions and storms, so they usually had pretty sturdy construction. Most people don't pay them much attention anymore though."

"So it would be easy to sneak in and out?" Pyrrha asked.

"That's the idea." Tai stepped out of their alcove back into the rain, taking a moment to make sure they were alone on the street before stepping towards the church.