Tortured's Tale

Chapter 3

The town of Grimwald was a complex network of streets lurking with a variety of doubtful individuals. One had to be very careful not to stumble into some puddle of trouble. Unlike larger cities sprawling far inland which were sophisticatedly divided into two distinct blocks, Grimwald was a definition of proper chaos. The old ways merged with high-tech madness didn't prove such a revolutionary idea after all. The mayor learned that a hard way.

The situation served as a fantastic example of an organization gone wrong and total lack of understanding of relationships between two diametrically different races. In fact, it turned into a matter of scientific research for some seriously bored individuals.

The town of Grimwald was of circular shape with stout walls encircling it. Those walls were built long ago out of a strange magical rock. People didn't know its origin or its actual function. Little heed was paid to tales in dusty tomes talking about their protective power. The mix of opinions brewed a trouble no one bargained for as high-techs decided to implement their innovative ideas. No stone was to remain in place. The old ways' race strictly disagreed but mild and soothing was their anger, pleading to the mayor and their strange brothers to leave alone the stones which had stood there long before any of them walked the soil. Good intentions were met with vehement opposition. The high-techs claimed the walls were just an unnecessary obstacle serving no useful purpose, preventing contact with the rest of the world.

"Times of war are long gone! We must open ourselves before we turn into one of those fables you adore so much. "

"What fables? Those walls had stood there long before any of us saw the light of day. What right do you have to say we don't need them anymore? Without them, Grimwald ceases to be what it used to represent."

"Hahaha... And what did it ever represent? Without us, it would still be an old-fashioned hole at the end of the world. "

"What do walls have to do with fashion? They are cornerstones of this city. You tear them down and you disrespect your promise. We are to value each other! "

"Our values lie elsewhere. Is fighting what you really want? For that is what it will come to and it will be you for whom it will turn into a disaster. Your powers are just as frail as your walls. "

"Firmer than your backbones... But have your way. Time will prove you wrong. There is more to this than meets the eye."

And so the walls fell down in one click of a button and a sleek digital fence arose in their stead. The races were estranged in Grimwald ever since.

The situation would have most likely ended in a bloodshed were it not for the mayor. Incapable as he was in organizing society, so competent he was in diplomacy. He managed to keep the strife on a verbal level. But the superficial peace was fragile and at times such as these fragile things were doomed to crumble.

Not surprisingly, the problem lay buried deeper than in races' inability to find a common ground. They were simply poles apart which rendered coexistence as such unthinkable. The sad thing is that it didn't always use to be so. There were times when harmony operated. A harmony which understood the fundamental importance of the old ways but at the same time acknowledged the dazzling ascendence of the new. Alas, no one remembered anymore and if they did, they were few and wouldn't tell.