It didn’t take them long to reach the gates that divided Upper Elysium from Twilight Elysium; the width of the former was a few times lesser than that of Lower Elysium. Fifteen minutes of brisk walking was more than enough for the two to lose their curious tails and to reach the ominous looking gate, which was guarded heavily by guards that looked like they meant real business.
Over a thousand troops stood at the ready, with tens of check-in stations that were manned by a clerk each. Despite the intimidating entrance, there was a rather long queue of people that was constantly in motion. The sheer efficiency in which entry and exit to Twilight Elysium was processed was an eye-opener, especially since this was the epitome of ‘Throw more people at it’.
“You think we can replicate this?” Marie asked.
“Maybe,” Aziz replied. “Hey, are those school kids entering Twilight Elysium too?”
“You got it,” she replied. “The most famous school in the Mortal Light Dynasty is in there, the Phrontistery of Scientific Reasoning. Rumour has it that it’s the place where the most innovations occur.”
“What do students and innovations have to do with each other?” Aziz asked.
“It’s a research institute first and foremost,” she replied. “See that unkempt fellow walking straight into Twilight Elysium without anyone stopping him? I’m willing to bet half my salary that’s probably a scientist.”
“Betting is bad for you,” Aziz replied. “I’d rather not.”
“Spoilsport.”
“I don’t even have much liquid assets to bet with you, so what do I even have left as a wager?”
“Yourself?”
“Are you trying to take revenge for the beastfolk who were forced into manual labour?” Aziz shook his head. “I’m innocent!”
Bantering in such a fashion, the two slipped into the queue, making sure to lower their voices even further. Within moments, the efficiency of the clerks had brought them towards a processing station, at which point Aziz and Marie held a finger to their lips and slid their invitation over.
The clerk raised an eyebrow, only for his eyes to widen a moment later. His hand slipped under his desk for a moment as he said, “Marshal Marie, Colonel Aziz, good evening to you.”
Another clerk appeared a few minutes later, the new arrival bringing five men dressed in suits as dapper as Aziz’s own. Raising a monocle, the new clerk smiled. “I will now lead you to your destination. Please, follow me. If there are any sudden inconveniences, feel free to raise them to me at any time.”
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“Very well,” Marie replied.
“Let’s go, then.” The clerk smiled, revealing a full set of pearly-white teeth. At the same time, the five men in black fanned out into an escort formation, with Marie and Aziz at the middle. None of them made any noise as they walked, but from their practiced, smooth movements, Aziz could tell that they were skilled fighters.
As they entered Twilight Elysium, Aziz couldn’t help but suck in a breath of air. Like Interregnum and Seireiden, the place was full of tall buildings, but instead of the corporate air that they gave off, the skyscrapers here had a mysterious feel to it.
“This is Twilight Elysium, the heart of innovation for the Mortal Light Dynasty and the Five Lands,” said the clerk, who clearly wasn’t just a regular worker. “Some people like to think that these buildings are very dangerous.”
“Can’t deny I didn’t get that feeling,” Aziz muttered.
“You are correct. They are very dangerous,” the clerk replied smilingly. “I suppose we have some time, and you are a very valued person, after all. We’ll make a slight detour.”
Aziz clamped his mouth.
Leading them over to one of the buildings, the guard raised a hand to stop them around a hundred metres from the entrance. “Do you see that line there? Any unregistered personnel will be shot at if they enter. There are signs everywhere to make sure that untoward accidents don’t happen, and as of implementation, the accident rate is zero.”
“Zero? That’s really impressive,” Marie commented idly.
“Not really, considering that this was only put in place around nine months ago,” the clerk replied. Brushing his black hair back, he gazed at the warnings. “Our analysts have predicted that the first person to walk into the identification zone without the correct identification will appear in three months. We’ll tone down the lethality of the automated defences at that time.”
“T-that’s interesting,” Marie forced out.
“It should be. Most of us have a betting pool running on this, after all.”
“What’s the most far-fetched bet?” Marie asked.
“Tomorrow.” The clerk rubbed his nose. “To be accurate, thirteen hours from now.”
Aziz didn’t know what to say to that, a sentiment clearly shared by Marie, and so, the two urged the clerk to bring them towards the destination as soon as possible. Hearing about automatic killing machines built into civilian infrastructure wasn’t on his shopping list, or his bucket list for that matter.
“Very well,” said the clerk. “We’re actually quite close to the venue in question; this private dinner party is actually here at that building.”
“That cube-shaped odd building?” Aziz asked, unable to help himself.
“No, that’s the Borg House. It’s the more normal looking one at the side,” said the clerk. He paused for a moment. “Is that disappointment I hear in your words?”
“I was wondering what such an odd-looking building had,” Aziz replied. “It looks fascinating. Is it a historical artefact?”
Beside him, Marie nodded vigorously.
“It’s a cultural artefact of sorts,” the clerk replied. “A cultural replica of a famous iconic…ship on Earth. I guess we call them Locomotives here, though. Well, don’t let me keep you waiting. Come on in. This is the place where the dinner party is at.”
He snapped his fingers, and power surged out from his body. Bits and pieces fell into place in Aziz’s mind, and Marie’s hand gripped his tightly as a very familiar, very famous face greeted them.
The Pinnacle grinned. “Thank you for gracing my dinner party with your presence today. Come on in. We have good food and great games.”