A Sweet Dream

The Frontal Lobe

They got into the bridge into O Cérebro, but they were stopped before they could exit it. Representatives of the queen of O Cérebro stopped them. These representatives were wearing yellow hazmat suits with air filters in their mouths, so their words were harder to understand. They couldn't make all the sounds necessary, but they spoke anyway:

"Please, before you exit, we require you to wear these. You are also not allowed to take a horse inside the kingdom" They said as they handed over hazmat suits and air-filters. The group looked at them in confusion, before putting on the suits. The Spy tucked in his beaked mask and put the air filter on underneath it, still concealing his identity from the others. The Soldier, now that his leg had fully healed, got off the horse and put on the hazmat suit. After putting it on, the representatives spoke to them again:

"We are happy to welcome you into our kingdom. The queen has requested your appearance in her court. Here is a map on how to get there. We will safely keep your horse here."

They handed them a map, and let them exit the bridge. Exiting it, they stepped into an industrial hellscape. They now realized why they had to put on the hazmat suits and air-filters. The smog in the city was so thick that they could barely see the end of the streets. The buildings they saw were all factories with smoke stacks billowing out smoke and soot into the air, polluting the heavens with filth. Every single person bustling their way in the streets also had hazmat suits on with air-filters made part of their body through surgery. The yellow of the hazmat suits would stick out like a sore thumb, if it would show under the layers of soot and grime they were covered in. Alleyways with vermin and mice rattled with noise, as they fought each other for whatever scrap of food they could get their hands on. The city may not be reeking of death or disease, but it did reek of desperation and despair. The Scholar was silent as he noted it down, his smile and gleefulness having long faded by now. The used the map and began traversing the roads. The Doctor was still mentally recovering, processing everything from El Cerebro. They began walking the streets as they tried to get into a conversation:

"Why are so many kingdoms in transitional periods?" The Scholar asked himself.

"This can't be a transitional period. I mean come on." The Spy answered.

"Maybe they're still erecting the infrastructure to clear the smog? Ach no, that's delusional. With how horrible it is, they must've already set it up if they were planning to." The Peasant said.

"No, no, you are probably correct. This must be a transitional period. This is merely the price of such progress." The Scholar said, "Let us follow the map to the court of the queen."

They began traversing the city, not that you could call it that. O Cérebro wasn't a city. There were scarce few housing complexes, but the ones that were there, were massive. The richer you were, the higher you lived. The top apartments reached higher than the smog, meaning they had clean air. The residences in the smog had it the worst. They couldn't keep it from getting in. Anyone living at or below the smog had to wear their hazmat suit 24/7, even as they slept. The smog would sneak its way into the apartment, no matter how much you fought it. If you didn't wear your hazmat suit, it would choke you while you slept, wringing its hand around your neck with its toxicity. Not even the cybernetic air-filters could help you then. Your lungs would turn ash black from the burning smoke, killing you from the inside out. The Doctor, having finally calmed down, wasn't even reacting to the people lying unconscious on the street. While she would've previously helped even though she didn't have the energy to, she didn't; not anymore, at least. The factories continuedly billowed out smoke while heavy machinery could be heard doing their job. The sounds echoed throughout the entire city, overpowering the sounds of people that a normal city would be filled with. They soon arrived at the 'castle' of the queen, but it wasn't a castle. It was a research facility, with the queen as the head researcher. As the approached the entrance, they noticed it wasn't a typical entrance. It was a decontamination chamber. They entered it, and were sprayed with an alcohol-based sanitizer. As they stepped into the facility, two managers were waiting for them: