Venturing Graces

Chapter Twenty Four: City of Machines

(Mecha City Arc)

"This next city is pretty cool," Rose said. She was looking at the GPS instead of the road. It was raining once again. "Apparently it's always raining in the city, so they created a machine that can produce a barrier," Rose explained. 

"Can they make a machine that'll fix your driving?" Hex asked. 

"I haven't killed anyone," Rose said. 

"That's a really low bar!" Ren and Hex screamed. 

"Magic can do that too," Ren stated. They thought of Lyse, Riina, and Futaba. "We don't need magic." They recalled their words. "But that could be cool."

"The whole city uses machinery," Rose said. Ren looked at the rainy road signs. "We'll be there soon. We will stay at a hotel. Apparently it's built into a clock tower," Rose explained. 

"Great, can't wait to have it wake me up in the middle of the night," Ren grumbled. 

"What?" Rose asked. 

"Nothing." The gang drove into the city. There was indeed a transparent barrier above them. "I wonder what that's made of...It doesn't seem like glass or plastic," Ren thought. All of the buildings were a dingy charcoal gray with some sort of machinery attached. "Interesting." Rose parked in front of a tall clock tower. 

"Here it is! Clock Tower Hotel!" 

"Wow, what a creative name," Hex commented. 

"I've been here once for a business meeting. So it'll be nice to just unwind and have a vacation," Rose explained. She looked at her phone, "We have another hour, so why don't we look around?" 

"Sure," Ren responded. 

"Good with me," Hex said. 

"I'm starving!" Baguette whined. Ren looked up at the rain. "Food!" 

"I'm feeling a little hungry, how about we go eat?" Ren suggested. The white dog winked at them. 

"Sure, everything's in walking distance," Rose answered. They began to walk down the side walk. The streets only had a few people. "It must be working hour," Rose said. Ren could feel the weight of the air crushing down on them. It felt stifling, like they were trapped inside a box of gears with no way to feel anything. Yet they could hear all the machinery ticking from every which way. 

"Are you alright?" Orochi asked. "Actually I don't care." 

"I want to go to a cafe, but only so I can see if there are cute waiters," Hex stated. 

"We are not doing that," Rose chuckled. A girl ran past the group. She was moving fast enough for Ren not to see her well. She bumped into Ren and mumbled out a quick sorry. 

"Pick pocket!" Ren's hand went to their satchel, "My phone's gone!" Ren chased after the girl. "Sylph!" Ren felt wind gather around them. 

"Hey wait up!" Hex yelled. He floated after Ren and Baguette gave chase. Ren felt the wind caress their body. The girl was fast, but Ren was faster. They chanted the words to a spell. The girl ducked into an alleyway, only to trip over a rock. 

"How did you like my falling curse? Punk," Ren cracked their knuckles. 

"That was so uncool," Hex commented. Rose, out of breath, rounded the corner. The girl pulled her knees to her chest. "She's kinda cute," Hex said. 

"A pervert!" She gasped out. 

"Give me back my phone," Ren ordered. The girl extended a shaking hand. Ren decided to take a closer look at her. She had black hair with a patch of red splattered on there. She wore a white top with long sleeves and a circular boob window. Ren quickly looked down at her long blue bell skirt.