In The Shadow of Asora

2. Like A Clockwork

Jongho stepped out of his home in the early morning hours and left his dad in the land of dreams. He didn't need to wake him to go out, and like this, he would dodge his wrath towards Youjin's chef.

Given the character of most of his jobs, Jongho could not blame him. But Youjin's chef was also Jongho's chef at many times.

Before Jongho sought him out, he delivered another commission first. One of the engineers nearby had needed him to build a steam-powered motor, so he could further use it for his inventions. Jongho had spent his night finishing the machine and putting all the little pieces together with great patience. His bunny had sweetened the long and cold hours with its soft melodies, but as soon as Jongho dropped the thing off, he allowed himself to sigh behind his mask.

It was all the same. An endless circle of work and tiredness. The people of Zey worked like a well-oiled machine. They were the interior of a clock, countless little cogs that had to fit perfectly together to work. And Asora, mighty and beautiful Asora in the distance was the clock face. The clock only worked because of Zey's people, but its face neither knew that nor did it have to care. It would continue ticking away as long as the tiny cogs were running.

Jongho had drawn his shoulders in as he marched through the narrow alleys. As he dodged people with twists and turns of his torso, he tried not to touch a single one of them. He didn't want to get too close.

As usual, Zey was grey. Zey was grey at any time of the day, even when the sun stood high since the tall buildings overshadowed the narrow alleys. At least it wasn't wet today, and Jongho could hurry through the loud and busy districts in peace.

Youjin was nowhere in sight when Jongho arrived. His boss lived in another poverty-stricken home between other homes. His door was deformed out of the frame and let a sliver of light fall through when Jongho rapped his gloved fingers against the grimy wood.

"Come in! It's open!"

Foolish idiot. Leaving doors open in Zey was nearly as deadly as offering help.

Jongho left the gloomy ghetto behind for a moment when he stepped inside. He had been here often, whenever it took him to run around the city and collect some good from a faraway place. The boss was not as poor as most people here, given the opportunities for his job. Yet, he didn't show off. He lived in the same penury as they all did, or else his house would probably get robbed from him under his feet.

Jongho didn't make an effort to pull his boots off. Instead, he directed his gaze right at the man who lounged in a chair that was not nearly as brittle as Jongho's was. The man nursed a cup of tea, and he offered Jongho one, too, but he gruffly declined.

"Well, you came for the job, didn't you?"

"What else would bring me here? Do you think I have the time to play around and visit friends?"

The middle-aged man laughed into his fist until his giggled transformed into painful coughs. Jongho crossed his arms and waited until he finished.

By the time he had calmed again, his face was red and contorted in a grimace. Jongho figured he had the air sickness that slowly ate away at him.

"Fair, boy. But you might want to sit down for this job. I'm about to introduce you to a new area full of treasures. Let's call in an upgrade. You have been to Asora before, haven't you?"

Jongho regarded the man with narrow eyes. He was not an enemy, that much was clear, but the implications behind his words had Jongho doubt him naturally.

"Yeah. But Asora is not exactly easy to enter or leave."

Jongho had been lucky the one time he had crossed the Chasm. He had been alone, as he always was, but he had followed the steps of a moronic group of friends that had sworn to overtake the town or something like that. He had gone over safely and looked around for a bit before leaving again. Blending in was difficult for him, and while Asora had fewer security systems since they trusted each other, the area near the Chasm was risky. That did not keep many of Zey's youths from trying, though.