Calian, Lutrex and Pancake decide to take a ground based taxi for their travels. Calian’s stop was the military base while Lutrex and Pancake’s destination lay within the suburban district located past it.
The older agent’s reasoning for the choice was so the oni could remember landmarks along the way should she explore the city on foot. And remember she did, but not for any signs or notable architecture. No, the objects of her focus were the many restaurants and eateries they passed over.
After a few minutes of travel, the twisting white jungle is slowly replaced with green open fields of bushes and trees as the taxi exits the downtown district and enters the military district.
The road they were on connects to a highway leading to the Arkham district in the distance, marked by the 500 to 600 meter long frigates floating or descending to their docking stations.
Lutrex also spotted what looked to be a massive cathedral opposite of the base. From her position, she estimated the thing to be a few kilometers in length and hundreds of meters in height.
The long stretch of road eventually leads to an automated checkpoint that scans passing vehicles. Guardhouses were located on each end of the gate with agents serving as the enforcers.
Passing through without issue, the taxi continues on its way until it arrives at the front of the military base’s entrance. Stepping out of the vehicle, Calian waves goodbye to the two before entering the compound.
The taxi continued its travel until it entered the suburbs. The two of them stared outside the window of the vehicle, observing the new district they were in with curious eyes.
Compared to the twisting, sterile white buildings of the city, the boxy and simple designs of the houses and the abundance of trees, bushes and flowers gave the suburbs a more welcoming atmosphere.
The people living in said suburbs though we're a bit less inviting due to their unusual appearances.
While there were plenty of people with an electronic mask, she spotted people in full exosuits complete with their helmets who were strolling on the sidewalks, reclining on chairs in their front lawn or playing with their children.
Lutrex wondered if it was a weird trend on the planet to wear combat armor outside of work or were they expecting something bad to happen? Regardless of the reason, they seemed to be happy and relaxed if their body language was anything to go by.
A few more minutes of travel and Lutrex and Pancake see the university in the distance thanks to a tall, white structure serving as a landmark and beacon for visitors and students alike.
Lutrex and Pancake eventually arrive at the university, being dropped off by the taxi in front of a stone guardhouse that served as the entrance into the campus with a large open gate for vehicles to enter and exit on the oni’s left.
They weren’t the only ones arriving as plenty of students wearing the white and yellow uniforms of the university were walking or running towards the guardhouse.
Entering the building and passing through the scanning gates, Lutrex paused for a bit and wondered if she had been teleported back to Cedus. She saw pictures of the campus from Brun’s website but she didn’t know the extent of its full appearance.
The campus, from the architecture of the buildings to the design of the lamp posts, looked to have taken inspiration from the past to the point of near-perfect restoration of the 20th century time period.
As they headed deeper inside the university, Lutrex also noticed the large number of foreigner students within the campus.
Many of them were human or humanoid in appearance, having the occasional animal part here or there to distinguish themselves from each other or some minor changes on their bodies such as ear length, height or skin color such as red or green.
Second to them are the androids who had a humanoid shape to them despite the exaggerated body parts on some of them. Many of them could easily pass off as humans should one use their sights, but Lutrex could smell and see past the disguises.
The other androids were more easily identifiable as they did not bother hiding the fact at all. Some had their joints visible while others did not bother painting their shells to match human skin color. The rest of the androids either resembled a human without skin or mascots due to their cartoonish appearance.
And the last of them are the hybrids that resembled a crossbreeding of humans and other species. The canine variety seemed to be the most numerous out of them followed by the felines.
Lutrex wasn’t the only one silently observing as those who walk by her or notice her from a distance can’t help but stare out of allure, curiosity or recognition.
Pancake took notice of the many eyes on his sister and decided to climb on top of her head to better watch the individuals.
Stolen novel; please report.
Lutrex herself did not take notice as her attention is wholly on the many buildings and landmarks they passed by, making sure to remember their location should she need to visit them in the future.
In under half an hour, Lutrex and Pancake were able to traverse the entire campus. Tired and hungry, the two take a shortcut through the memorial park of the school.
The “park” was more of a miniature forest in actuality, with a thick layer of trees that hide the buildings surrounding it. Mushrooms, ferns and other wild flora littered the ground outside the stone paths while small pterosaurs on the trees squawk and clack their beaks.
While some would find this atmosphere soothing, Lutrex felt nothing but terror as she stared deep into the green hell. Standing a few feet away from the entrance, she could clearly hear them.
Insects. Thousands of them from within the park. The maddening flaps of their wings sent a cold down the oni’s spine as they hover in the air in ball shaped swarms.
Normally, Lutrex would just avoid locations such as this and would rather take the longest paths possible. Unfortunately for her, the loud growling of her stomach is too strong to ignore.
If she truly was going to cross the park, she would need to reach the end unscathed. And Pancake was the one who was going to make sure it happened.
“Pancake, I am in need of your help.”
The cephalopod climbs down from Lutrex’s head and sits on her right shoulder, intently listening to what his sister is about to tell him.
“In order for me to bring us to the cafeteria, I need you to be my shield against the winged pests.”
Pancake gives a salute, understanding what he needs to do as he returns to his place on top of oni’s head. Now with her companion at the ready, Lutrex takes a deep breath before entering the garden with a stern and focused look.
She goes down the stone path at a brisk pace, making sure to move fast enough to reach the end in time but not too fast that Pancake can’t intercept the insects moving towards her.
Pancake himself does his job with robotic accuracy, snatching the pests a meter away from his sister by stretching his tentacles. Thanks to his vantage point, he has a 360 degree view of the area.
Lutrex herself tries to avoid confrontations as much as possible, changing lanes or lowering her head whenever an insect or a swarm get too close to her.
Thankfully the students were already in their classes at this time or Lutrex would have died of embarrassment if crowds of people were to see a grown woman dodge insects like the plague.
After minutes of bobbing and weaving against the flying menaces, the two of them finally see the clearing at the end of the path. Just a few more steps and they would be free of the-
SMASH!!!
A wasp nest falls a few feet in front of the two, cracking like an egg onto the stone path. Time slows down as both Lutrex and Pancake realize what just happened.
The angry wasps emerge from their wrecked home like a roaring fire, ready to seek out and destroy anything near them. Lutrex, who instinctively covered her mouth, was petrified at the sight of so many of them.
The fear didn’t last long however as it was instantly replaced by shock as she saw Pancake leap towards the angry swarm, his lower half outstretched to catch the wasps like a net.
His eight tentacles spread out as far as they can, grabbing as many wasps from the air with his suckers to ensure not one of them reaches his sister.
His beak opens wide to greet the wrathful legion as he envelops them with his tentacles, trapping them within his body as a makeshift prison. He bounces on the stone steps, the impact further angering the wasps as they start stinging and biting him.
Lutrex, realizing what transpired, runs towards her companion out of worry. She kneels down in front of Pancake who is violently shaking because of the swarm inside him.
To her disgust, she could see the many wasps ramming themselves on his translucent membranes attached to his tentacles.
Disgust turns to horror as she sees them puncturing and biting the translucent skin to try and escape their prison. Pancake’s response was to squeeze tighter so that they couldn’t move anymore.
Lutrex didn’t know what to do or how to help her brother. As her face became more distraught, she noticed that Pancake had been staring at her all this time.
His black orb-like eyes were unflinching, showing no fear or pain as a multitude of tiny, venomous knives stabbed him repeatedly. Pancake nodded towards his sister, who was taken aback by the gesture.
With a heavy heart and pursed lips, Lutrex stands up and runs towards the exit as Pancake watches her escape into the clearing, content in knowing he kept her safe.
Lutrex ran and ran until her legs gave way, collapsing in front of the white monument that towered over the campus. She lowered her head down, her hair hiding the tears welling up in her eyes for what she did.
This was the second time she ran away from danger as a loved one sacrificed themselves to let her escape. As her tears threatened to fall from her face, she felt a tap on her leg.
She turns around, her face once again twisting into horror. The thing that tapped on her leg was Pancake, or what she thought was Pancake if the color was anything to go by.
The small creature was now slightly larger than before, swollen and covered in stings as it seemed to drag itself towards her.
Realizing that Pancake needed treatment immediately, Lutrex picks up the swollen cephalopod and runs towards the bridge that leads to the other end of the park.
As she got close, she stopped dead in her tracks a few feet away from the bridge before dropping to her knees. In front of her were hundreds of insects hovering over the lake.
Lutrex lost all hope after seeing the swarms of insects. With Pancake out of commission, she was doomed.
“Uhhh... Do you need some help?”
At least that’s what she thought until a voice spoke behind her.