CHAPTER 7 – EXPLORING THE CITY

Johnny had walked a good distance from his campsite heading for the main gates.

“This is going to be tough, Albert, I'm worried how we will get in. I don’t know anything about this world. Including the languages or how to pronounce words. One of the first things I’ll need to do is find a library in this city,” Johnny spoke to Albert concerned, making his way carefully up to the main gate of the city.

Johnny looked at all the people around him and heard many conversations going on. He couldn't make out what anyone was saying.

He asked Albert to record every conversation so he could translate it later when he found a library.

The crowd got thicker the closer they got, as he got nearer to the city gate. The amount of diversity Johnny saw in the crowd was overwhelming. There were elves with pointed ears and tall slender bodies. Dwarves with short bulky bodies with long beards. Demihumaniod people with animal features to made up the bulk. Humans made up small portion along with other few races Johnny could see ij tge mix like orcs, trolls, etc.

The crowds had formed into different groups, one had a line with people who began to get out of Johnny's way and let him pass. Some bowed to him while others quickly fled out of the way. Johnny looked back in confusion, asking Albert out of curiosity. “Why is everyone parting from around me? This is just like Moses and the parting of Red Sea.” Johnny asked.

Albert replied with. “I made the stealth glamor look to the people as some important being to them.”

“Well guess that makes sense. Gotta love technology.” Replied Johnny as they walked up to the main gate without issue.

Johnny saw and heard the guards asking something. Although he couldn’t make out what was going on from the conversation. He picked up from the actions of the people around. People were having their goods searched and having to pay a gate toll into the city. None of the guards or anyone else paid attention to Johnny.

“Should we just walk in?” Johnny asked Albert.

“Your guess is as good as mine.” Replied Albert. Johnny was hesitant at first to walk through when a guard noticed Johnny. Johnny began to panic. The guard said something Johnny couldn’t make out but pointed him into the city. Johnny relaxed from the guards gesture. He shrugged and walked in.

Johnny made his way through the opening gates to see a site of despair. The first people he looked at in the city looked poor and impoverished. Many of the desperate sat around in worn, torn up clothes covered in filth and dirt begging for change while others sat around lazily like they had given up on life. The smell of unwashed bodies was unbearable for Johnny as he passed. Many of them locked their eyes on him and scattered away.

Johnny had a confused look and wanted to ask Albert. Then he remembered the glamour made him look like someone important.

Johnny could only wonder why these people had to live in the slums like this. Most of the buildings he passed were in total disrepair and rundown. They were poorly constructed with anything that could be used to hold them together. Most were made of rotting wood with broken windows boarded up. Many buildings were no taller than two or three stories in height.

Seems poverty is everywhere you go no matter where you are.

He thought with an empathy for the citizens. He quickly was taken away from his thoughts when the smell from sewers became too much. He ended up passing what he thought was a bathhouse. The smell was very overwhelming, as he heard people slashing around inside or doing their business. The people smelled worse here. Johnny tried to breathe for air as he gagged from the smell.

“This place smells like high heaven. I think my nose is going to puke. Is there any way to get rid of the smell for me, Albert.”

Johnny complained as he held his nose. Albert quickly made the stealth glamour change, so Johnny didn’t need to smell the stench. “Thanks Albert. Replied Johnny with relief.

The buildings got nicer as he walked further in. They were still in just as rough shape but not as bad. The beggars were less numerous too as people went on with there daily lives shopping and selling goods.

Johnny kept on walking up the main road to see an another gate that was a third of the way towards the center of the city. From there he could see even taller buildings that were much nicer in design.

He really wanted to get away from the slums and find a library. Which he knew wasn’t going to be anywhere around here. He made his way to the next gate. He was surprised when he was let through with no issue.

The city was nicer and cleaner in the new section. The buildings were built much nicer and sturdier. The buildings had five to six levels. They were made with brick, stone, masonry, and all other sorts of fine materials.

The people here were just as nicely dressed. They wore clothing of what he could only assume was for the middle class. People wore clothes that weren't torn or covered with patches. Some of the clothes were dirty from appearance but not as bad in the slums.

The people greeted Johhny with enthusiasm, trying to get him to come with him or into there shops. He could only speculate that is what they wanted, but wasn't sure. He wanted to say something back, but he still couldn’t communicate. He just nodded in response hoping that was enough.

Johnny looked down the road to see another gate, Past the third gate was a red crystal palace. There were even more taller buildings with even more expensive materials they were made from. He tried to approach the third gate but was given a blank look from the guards. He tried to go through the gate but was pushed back by an invisible force. The guards then yelled at Johnny pointing at him. Their gesture suggested to Johnny he needed to leave. Not wanting to start something, that is what he did as he decided to explore more of the second part of the city.

Johnny spent the next few hours trying to look for anything that was a library. He soon got bored and asked Albert for help.

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“Hey Albert. Can you help me search around for anything that might be a library?” Johnny asked.

“I’ll do my best to find one,” Albert said.

Johnny and Albert spent most of the morning circling around the second area looking for anything that could be a library with no luck. After more hours of walking Johnny was getting tired and hungry as his stomach began to growl. I need to find a quiet spot to get something to eat and rest for a bit. Johnny thought.

“Hey, Albert, can you find somewhere where no one can bother us while I make a meal?” Johnny asked.

“Sure thing,” Albert replied.

Albert spent a few minutes going over a good location he had mapped out of the city for Johnny to take a break. Unfortunately, the location was in the slums. They had to make their way back through the gates. Johnny was thankful he didn’t have to deal with the smell again.

“There is an abandoned warehouse of some sorts that is out of sight,” Albert reported to Johnny.

“Thanks for the intel, Albert,” Johnny replied.

He and Albert went to the location Albert suggested. The warehouse was in a rough shape. Windows were broken with cracks in the walls and ceiling. There were wooden crates and barrels stacked around in neat piles. While others had been opened or thrown and broken apart left to rot.

Johnny found a room in the middle of the warehouse where he could relax. Johnny used the core fragment in his head as it glowed a light blue color summoning out supplies to make his food. He had gotten a fire going, thinking of savoring himself a burger with fries for lunch, when Albert began to warn him of someone watching them. Johnny quickly put the stuff back into the core and put out the fire. He then hid in the room, behind a bunch of crates; hopefully no one would see him.

“So much for a good lunch,” Johnny grunted.

“Who do you think it could be, Albert?” He asked softly hoping no one would hear.

“I am honestly not sure,” Albert replied.

Johnny waited tensely as Albert was giving them the location of whoever was watching them.

“I detected some hideous green bulky muscular thing with what looked like four other individuals.”

“I need more details than that,” Johnny complained softly.

“The four look like city guards, the other being, from what my data has given me from Earth ideas suggests it is an orc,” Albert replied.

Johhny could only pinch his nose and sighing with frustration. He could deal with the guards maybe but the orc was another issue on its own.

“Can you create a distraction so I can get out of here, Albert?”

“I can do that,” Albert replied while Johnny waited. Albert appeared near whoever was watching them. He shot out a blast of energy at a bunch of nearby barrels. Unfortunately. Albert’s energy beam ignited the contents of the barrels. They exploded with such force Johnny was blown out of a window into the street. His glamour dispelled from the impact. People working around the industrial site were in shock to see Johnny flying onto the street.

Johnny rolled onto his back groaning. “What the heck Albert.” He grumbled as he started to get up. He was about to reactivate glamour over his racing suit to run and hide from the industrial workers. Who were staring at him in shock and fear. Before he could activate the glamor, a figure burst out from a wall of the burning warehouse. The building was now engulfed in fire and exploding.

Johnny stood in shock to see the muscular orc. The orc spoke in a language he couldn’t understand as the being began to glow. Albert then appeared next to Johnny. “We need to get out of here,” Johnny yelled in a worrying tone.

Johnny took off with the orc yelling at him. The orc said something he couldn’t hear under it’s breath. He tried to activate stealth mode but felt a dull tingle in his body. For some unknown reason he couldn’t activate it. The orc was now casting magic at Johnny as he ran. “An orc that can use magic, just what I needed,” Johnny grunted in suprise.

The whole industrial yard was in chaos. The fire from the run-down warehouse now had reached another nearby building. The flames were beginning to spread to other nearby structures. Workers, soldiers, and civilians alike were rushing out to put out the fires. Johnny caught sight of a few people that reminded him of mages casting water onto the fires as he ran.

The orc was in hot pursuit of Johnny. He yelled and barked orders at other soldiers to help him. They first ignored the orc. That is until he activated some sort of charm around his neck. The soldiers immediately reacted as their eyes glowed a dark purple. Johnny could only stare with more fear as they gave chase. Is that orc some sort of shaman? The odds were not in Johnny's favor of getting away.

“I need an escape route, Albert,” Johnny said running through the city not knowing where to go. He breathed hard trying to outrun the guards and shaman.

“There is a canal about three blocks from here that leads to the lake.” Replied Albert was floating by Johnny. Johnny kept running by other people giving him wide eyes.

Johnny gave Albert orders to create roadblocks to slow down his pursuers.

“Don’t use the energy beam again please but do whatever it takes without causing too much structural or property damage to stop them, but mainly focus on tte orc please.”

Albert created several walled barriers by kocking chucks of buildings over to slow the orc down. The orc had to blast his way through the blockades with fire magic. Meanwhile, the soldiers waited or tried to find other ways around.

A few guards managed to catch up to Johnny. They tried to apprehend Johnny with their bare hands. It seemed to Johnny he was wanted unharmed. He managed to subdue the guards with fist blows. This, however, slowed him down more.

Johnny had finally made it to the canal and jumped in. The water was cold to the touch. Johnny waded through the canal. He now had another problem. A metal grate blocked his escape access to the lake below.

“Albert!” He yelled in a panic. Albert appeared next to him and asked.

“What is it?” Albert replied.

“I need you to blast a hole in the metal grate so I can get through,” Johnny pleaded in desperation.

Albert blew apart the metal grate for him with a loud boom. At the same time, Johnny heard shouting and the sounds of footsteps. He turned around to see the orc with guards in tow just a few dozen yards away on a bridge. The orc said something to Johnny. Again, he couldn't understand. He just shook his head. Then the orc jumped down and started running towards Johnny. Without thinking Johnny turned and dashed through the blown out grate to the end of the canal. It led off a small cliff into the lake below. He leapt from the canal as he shouted “Geronimo.”

He plunged right into the lake below. Going under the water. He swam to the surface and headed for the shore. Johnny swam as fast as he could trying not to tire himself out.

He eventually made it to the shore, dragging himself out of the water as he tried to run to the prototype. His wet body and clothes made him drag his feet. By this point Johnny was physically exhausted. He looked back up where he had jumped from and saw the orc was hot on his heels. He was using some sort of air magic to float over the lake to reach Johnny. The orc was slow to descend before speeding up after Johnny noticed him. Oh crap. Thought Johnny. As he dragged his wet body towards the prototype.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t fast enough to get into the prototype. The orc landed on the shore. He sped across the campsite towards Johnny. Johnny tried to call Albert for help, but he was too slow. The orc punched Johnny in the gut with such force it knocked the wind out of him. He gasped for breath, looking up at the orc who was smiling with a devious grim before he fell unconscious.