Guns For Hire | {E.Aster Bunnymund x Fem! Reader}

Chapter 7: Boy Wonder

"So...either of you gonna tell us about the Afterlife?"

"Why would we know anything?"

"Because you both seem to know more about this place than any of us?? I thought we established that."

With a sigh of frustration, Vanish pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose, trying to balance her weight on top of North's back. Meanwhile, Erebus was silent, using his deteriorating cane to make his way slowly forward.

"Your mom said that the Afterlife was best be described as a cyber bar with a steampunk flair. Most people usually go to drink all their worries away, even hire Mercenaries for...'missions', as your mom put it," Vanish said reluctantly, grasping onto North's jolly red coat as she watched the city of Eclipse appear before them. She sighed, "the Afterlife is a pro's club, no one needs to prove themselves; any brawls were strictly for fun."

"Woah...do you think Mom ever drank there?" Rogue queried as she stepped out of the elevator, her back facing the city, "I mean, c'mon, she's one of heroes of this place isn't she?"

Vanish bit her lip in contemplation, briefly glancing towards Erebus who stared intently at the broken asphalt beneath him. Rogue's eyes blinked with confusion as her initial eagerness quickly dissipated, her hands slowly drooping to her sides. The little automaton then climbed onto her shoulder, letting out a sorrowful whine.

"Losing a war makes you anything but a hero..." Erebus sighed, leaning against his cane as he stood at Rogue's side, "she might still be deemed as such by the city, but she'll most likely never let go."

Everyone widened their eyes in surprise at his remarks, taking quick, sharp breaths as he swayed toward the brink of the platform. Immediately after, the diminutive robot followed closely behind him, taking a jump onto the handrails that stood firmly on the brink. All present, including Erebus, converged and peered in wonderment from the precipice.

"Welcome...to Eclipse City," Erebus motioned outwards. From the cliffside, the polluted undercity sprawled out before them; a landscape of reckless industry, churning out noxious clouds of hatred and casting a toxic pall across the city. Blocking the radiance of the night sky, a smoggy veil filled the urban heart of the city and spread out far and wide. From their vantage point, they could see a thousand and more Eclipsites, their vibrant sails and hoverboards zipping around and vanishing in the fog.

The people of Eclipse have an infamous reputation for their high ego's, but also great pride in their city. In Eclipse, they see their right to freedom and autonomy as what makes the city unique and special. Therefore, activity is aplenty in the streets. At each turn, one can find vendors with quirky merchandise and clandestine pathways rife with driven entrepreneurs vying to get ahead. Corporate combat is, supposedly, the foundation of Eclipse's status as a city-state. Consequently, those who trade with Eclipsites ought to expect some form of espionage and subterfuge.

Crafted primarily from ironwork of all shapes and sizes, either smelted in fiery forges or plucked from the junk piles of higher city tiers, Eclipse has achieved a balance between stark practicality and stunning artistry. Beneath smoggy skies, tall structures of rivets and metal stand tall, topped with vibrant wonders. Slums sit on the outskirts, encroached upon by creeping urbanity, yet even here, life is not entirely suppressed; vibrant cultivars thrive amidst the ashes. Through careful planning, and the addition of coloured glass and lightweels, the city is kept illuminated despite the deep shadow of looming cliffs. Eclipse may be drenched in darkness, but it is no city of despair.

"It's so...big," Tooth wowed with wonder, her wings flitting in the air as she watched people fly by on their boards. Every single person looked more different than the last, ranging from beasts, to aliens, to human look-a-likes with elven ears. Fashions of Eclipse seemed range from conservative to the outlandish, respectfully mirroring its counterparts above. However, it seemed to be common to see wealthy individuals of Eclipse dress in the recent fashions of The Lunar Empire due to their frequent dealings with the surface city. There were also those that augment their bodies, either from necessity or for showcasing their progressive and/or wealthy status in the community. There seemed to be a distinct difference between the appearance of Lunite and Eclipsite augments. Lunites were more flamboyant in their craftmanship, often adorned with gold and blue arcane crystals, while Eclipsites were born more of the necessity and practicality of their environment and often have crude metal and toxic green chem-fluid within. For those that live in the city for a very long time, it's easy to distinguish true augmented individuals from those with faux augments.