Tales of Undeath: The Von Virtus Chronicles

XLIX. The World Sleeping Beneath

Ballo: Slow down, Virno. I can't keep up...!

Virno: Just trust me, dammit. Weren't you also in a rush to leave? Quit dragging your feet!

After coming to terms with his present situation, Virno accepted to go with Ballo. In their attempt to escape Nox's clutches, they left Clavia's busy workshop behind and were making their way out of the heavily industrialized city they were in.

Virno: The streets ahead are as smooth as silk, no cracks or bumps whatsoever. Just put one foot in front of the other, you'll be fine. At least until we reach the gates up ahead...

Ballo held onto Virno's arm tightly, doing his best to become accustomed to the near-complete absence of sight. Barely being able to see the path ahead made it harder for him to walk than he'd like to admit...

Ballo: I'm doing my best... You're sure this is north gate 3, aren't you...?

Virno rolls his eyes, letting out a brief sigh.

Virno: Yes... I'm sure. I may be an idiot in the battlefield, but I can at least follow street signs.

Ballo: Can you, though...?

Virno clenched his teeth, as Ballo betrayed a slight smirk. Ahead of them laid one of the imposing gates that led into the outside of the city. It was a towering wall of stone, with steam-operated metallic gates embedded onto it. Down by the ground level, several warehouses were arranged along the inner perimeter of the walls. These uniquely numbered warehouses seemed to house animals and vehicles within, some open, some closed. Just a few feet away from the gates, one of the guards intercepts them.

Guard: Good morning, gentlemen. Entry and exit out of north gate 3 is reserved exclusively for mechanical or animal-pulled vehicles, no foot traffic allowed. I would ask you to head toward either gate 1 or 2 instead, if you intend to-

Before the guard could finish, Ballo reaches into his pocket and extends a rusty token in his direction. As soon as he realizes its origin, the man interrupts himself.

Guard: ... Apologies, we did not recognize you. I'll have your token, please. 

Ballo nods, and the guard takes the token from his hand.

Guard: One moment, please wait here.

As the guard turns around and heads toward one of the warehouses, Virno couldn't help but marvel at the sight before him. He had never seen so much bleeding-edge technology, all concentrated within a single city before.

Virno: This is insane...! I never knew cities as advanced as this existed... Are all of these contraptions operated by steam...?

Ballo: A few, although magic plays a large role, too. But this is hardly something new, young man... You come from a well-off family, didn't they give you plenty of teachers and books to learn about the outside world?

Virno crosses his arms, his eyes scanning the massive walls in front of them from top to bottom.

Virno: I was never much for learning -- not for most of my time back home. Also we're not so well-off anymore... We're about as far away from that as you can get, nowadays.

The air got tense. Virno's gaze wandered off into the void, as he became lost in thought, wondering about the past. His family home... What might have happened to it since they left? Was it abandoned, now...? Perhaps a new family had moved in. All the butlers and maids -- would he ever see any of them again? And Instructor Pocna... Now there's a face he wish he could look at once more. Just once more... If anything, to give him a proper goodbye.