The massive platform was slowly descending, opening a view of an enormous central hall. It was so huge that could easily fit a few blocks from a random city, including even small skyscrapers. Useless from the logical point as it took a lot from the limited space of the station, it was only meant for one purpose – to shock the tourists with flashy lights, multiple signs, huge screens, and an even bigger crowd that seemed to occupy most of the space. Taking into account the loud gasps that came from the tens of people around Rob, the goal was achieved with ease. Robert himself had to admit that he wasn’t far from feeling the same. The view was indeed outstanding, confirming the main idea of Fantasy City – it could entertain anyone.
Tens of barkers in different outfits were calling passers-by, trying to attract their attention. This competition appeared to be quite intensive as advertising banners were constantly changing everywhere, illuminating the surroundings. The noise of the crowd also wasn’t easing the task for the poor workers, who tried their best to pull the potential customers into their facilities. Adding the variety of the appearance among the visitors of this place, it was hard for Robert to even focus on one thing as there were just too many of everything that could catch his eye. With his life experience, he had never seen such a scene. Even the movies that tried to show the busy life of the space stations paled in comparison to reality.
There was so much more that Rob felt overwhelmed. His mind registered separate things, but it failed to make any other opinion about the city, except that it was a grandeur. Robert still noticed armed guards in battle armor, patrolling the place in pairs. The walls and ceiling had obvious empty spots for possible turrets or any other similar type of weapon. Moreover, any attempt of violence was immediately stopped, taking away both parties in an orderly and seemingly trained manner. That instantly reminded Rob of the last words of the woman before she gave him permission to enter the city.
“Remember, Mr. Flop, our city doesn’t tolerate any unprovoked violence. We rarely have someone of your kind as most Terranoid were soldiers that died during the destruction of Terra. The constant war, heavy body modifications, and military doctrine in your fallen society left quite an impact on your kind. Terranoid might be the perfect soldiers, but our city isn’t a battlefield. Therefore, try to keep in check any unpropitiated thoughts and deeds as they may lead to dire consequences. Remember that it wasn’t Terra who won the war... Have a nice stay and enjoy any fantasies you have in our Fantasy City!”
The last part was spoken in a well-trained manner with a wide smile as if it had been repeated at least thousands of times. On the other hand, the open threat in the beginning had no emotions – just a warning. The guards that were standing behind the woman added weight to her words. Not that Rob was scared, looking at the heavily armored bodies. However, he was here not to fight but to rest from his constant fight for his life.
Surprisingly, the speech made him pause. Despite the misunderstanding about his origins, it indeed described his situation. After so many death-threatening situations, Rob’s tolerance had dropped by a lot, while the instinctive thought about using strength as the first reaction in any conflict felt natural. That was disturbing. Hopefully, it wasn’t to the point where he would turn into a bloodthirsty maniac. Moreover, he was in this place in an attempt to get a break and find his place in a normal life. So, Robert just smiled back to the woman, before answering.
“Don’t worry. No plans to trouble anyone if nobody does the same to me. And if I am indeed broken, my plan of becoming a merc or arena fighter might work out even better, allowing me to release some steam in a controlled environment.”
“Then I would suggest you visit the Recruitment and Job Center. They have access to data on all requests from employers. I will set the route to the nearest office on your ID bracelet.”
Making some adjustments on a thin black bracelet, she gave him it before pointing at the platform that was visible through the gate. The device that bore a resemblance to the ones inside the spaceship with demons was a mixture of local identification, wallet, tracker, and guide. It had a tiny basic screen to show the route and was controlled with voice commands. However, from the brief information on the terminal, Robert knew its main purpose was a wallet. No matter how independent this place was, it was like a bone in the throat for many other countries because of its illegal nature. Therefore, the government of Fantasy City used a complex system of transactions to take the client’s money and send it to their account to make it untraceable. Obviously, the customers didn’t want to show their preferences in entertainment. Not that it was important for Rob, whose balance was showing an eye-catching zero.
Hmm, at least with my body I almost don’t need any sleep or food, giving me enough time to earn some cash… Yeah, I am like a perfect hobo. Can eat once a week, don’t need to rest, and can fight against anyone who wants to loot garbage bins on my territory. Hell, no! I don’t believe that with my supernatural abilities, I can find a good job to use my potential.
That was what he decided to do first. Ignoring the barkers, passing by the windows with dancing girls in Eve's dress, Robert quickly made his way to the side corridor. Despite being wide, it was not even near the central hall size. However, that made perfect sense as the city built on a lifeless planet without any atmosphere had a space limit. Still, it wasn’t the noticeable decrease in size that made Rob remind him about being stuck inside the tight crack inside the extinguished volcano. No, the ceiling was still over 3 meters high (10 ft.), while the corridor itself could fit at least 2 battle tanks from his group. No, it was people, who made the whole place feel like a packed box. Too uncomfortable. Even disturbing and pressing.
At least Robert could simply walk forward, ignoring them at all. Most of the tourists scattered even before he reached them, barely hiding warily looks aimed at him. A few completely missed Rob, resulting in them being shoved away by force. Any indignation or anger died on the spot after a single glance at Robert’s frame. He knew it as he was carefully watching over their reaction, ready to act after any sign of possible aggression towards him. Despite this, Rob still continued his way, copying the bull that didn’t notice any obstacles on its way. Only after a few minutes of such a walk did he finally proceed with what was happening. Leaning to the nearest wall, he closed his eyes.
Crap, I am deliberately provoking everyone, seeing others as potential enemies. The Tower left its impact on me. Too long a period of fighting against humans, while being alone. Not that the previous experience was any better… Huh, I need to calm down and take it easy. I am in a safe place now.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
“Is everything good, sir?”
The question was asked by a guard, who was standing in few meters from Rob. Together with a pair of his colleagues, the man was following Robert starting from the platform. Despite being overwhelmed by the sheer number of people inside the city, Rob couldn’t miss it. It was too noticeable for him, too eye-catching. Especially, when his mind was constantly wondering if his Energy Blast could penetrate the local armor, or how strong he was in comparison to the mechanical muscles. His steel wouldn’t have a chance to pierce the metal plates, while a direct hit with heavy construct might have a limited consequence on the armored figure. However, Rob still had enough ways how to deal with them.
Their battle armor consisted of a few layers on top of each other. The inner one was most likely meant to fight temperature, radiation, and other harmful environment, being just a space suit. The outer, on the other hand, was meant to protect against weapons. And considering that their rifles looked like ballistic types of weapons with visible cartridges of ammo, the metal used in the defensive equipment most likely couldn’t withstand Energy Blast. Moreover, the highly penetrative force of projectiles led to the creation of thick plates, making it impossible to keep the protection of the joints on the same level. In short, the guard’s armor had the same weakness as a medieval knight.
Seems doable… Their surprisingly wide visors are made from transparent material and not the same metal. Just darked to obstruct a view on their face. A direct hit with a hammer might crack it with ease… And I can see the parts of the exoskeleton, so I can damage the joint to prevent the movement of the limb. If anything goes astray, I can use the crowd to hide from the shots. Yes, doesn’t look any hard… Wait! Fuck! What the hell, man? You don’t need to fight at all! Relax, God dammit!
“Yes. Just too many people around for my liking,” Robert answered with a sigh, standing up. Making another deep breath, he finally cleared his mind from the dangerous thoughts. It was scary how near he was to go into a rampage. His inner “switch” appeared to be broken, leaving him in a battle-ready state, even when he was in a safe place. It wasn’t surprising as just a few hours ago his energy blast exploded the head of the Dark God.
Now I am not sure if I want to continue my fighting career in this realm. Without any doubt, I need a good rest to fix my broken head.
“Are you sure, sir?” The guard asked again, as if not believing Rob’s words.
“Yes… Oh, no. Okay, let’s do it differently. You know where I wanted to go. Lead me there, while keeping the crowd at a distance from me. You will do your task. I will get to the place without unwanted problems while getting accustomed to the population density here. Win-win situation.”
“What? But we don’t…,” the guard tried to disagree, but was interrupted instantly.
“Hey, you were following all this time. No need to pretend. Let’s make everyone’s life easy,” Robert smiled, before suddenly changing his expression into a deadly serious one after a two-second pause, “Your loss, other’s possible lives. I will go alone…”.
“No, no, we agree. Follow us,” the guard immediately reacted, turning his head to his colleagues. Getting a nod from the bigger figure, he returned his attention to Rob before pointing with his hand, “Right there. Please, come, Mr. Flop.”
Soon the help of the locals with authority showed itself. Not only did most of the tourists quickly step back from their process, seeing Rob as some kind of escorted prisoner, but also their road proceeded through not-so-popular corridors, shortening travel time. Quite a few were technical ones, with limited access. The guard had to place his hand in the armed gloves on the special terminal for several seconds before the hatch slid to the side, opening a darker place. Robert didn’t even pause before following others, not scared in the lightest about possible ambush. The reason was simple – there was nobody here who was going to bother with complex plans to capture or kill him. And the deep thought of possible battle was still there, waiting for its chance to rise again.
The technical corridor could barely fit his figure, but surprisingly it had a calming effect on Rob’s mind. Maybe it was because the crowd had finally disappeared from his sight. Cheerful, happy, it lived a full life with no fears about the next day, no struggles of survival, no pain of loss. Robert couldn’t stop him from thinking how unfair it was. Or how he didn’t fit in at all – this normal life. Rob’s only hope was on a long-awaited rest that might fix him. Or not.
“Do you often use such unimpressive routes to escort guests?”
He asked instead, switching the direction of his thoughts. Just his breath left visible steam, showing that the conditioner’s system here was working only to support the basic level of tolerable temperature without wasting energy to make it comfortable.
I must feel cold, but no – nothing. It seems my body has changed much more than I think.
Turning his attention to the side, Rob watched how the whole wall and ceiling were covered with multiple pipes, tubes, and thick cables to support the Fantasy City. The hidden hatches that somewhere deeper into the walls were located here and there, having painted marks about their usage. It was such a dramatic change from the grandeur picture of the central hall to these inner parts of the working city, shattering the first impression.
“No, only when we need to escort our non-VIP guest as fast as possible,” the girl’s voice answered from behind, showing that she was barely holding from anger. Rob didn’t know the reason, not that he cared. However, he just couldn’t resist the temptation to tease her. Maybe it was his way to create risky situations if there were none around. Or he just wanted a woman after a long period of solitude.
“Am I not a VIP? I am sure not all visitors can get three guards as an escort, not counting those who watch from behind the screens,” suddenly stopping, Rob felt an impact from behind when the girl failed to stop in time. The heavily armored body tried to throw him forward, but he managed to stop himself from moving, “Ouch, are you flirting with me, girl? I don’t think I like it when something long and metal is trying to enter me from behind, but if you have a pretty face, I may show you…”.
“Stop, Olivia!” Shouting the command, the last guard grabbed the hands of the girl, who was already raising her rifle.
“I dare you say it again, moron!” She yelled in anger, but Rob, who already turned around, could clearly see how the rifle was staying in the same spot.
“You are no fun. And quite awful guides – no points of interests, no stories, no views. Don’t wait for the tips in such case… So, what we are waiting for? I thought we were in a hurry.”
Surprisingly, their journey was finished in a mere five minutes. Making a few turns inside the technical corridor, they soon left it and returned to the main area. This time the quantity of tourists dropped by a lot, not even reaching a tenth of what Robert saw in the beginning. It was obviously because the place was meant mostly for locals, and not for visitors, resulting in more specialized facilities. One of them was his goal – “Recruitment and Job Center”.
Robert wanted to describe the place anything differently than any other shop around, but no. It was the same wide-open door with a huge sign above, and nothing else – only multiple screens instead of walls with a row of job offers, that were constantly changing every few seconds.
“Go inside. Someone will meet you,” the guard spoke, pointing to the entrance with his rifle. The gesture once again made Rob’s blood boil from the anger. The “fun” realm appeared to be filled with demands and threats, while Robert himself wasn’t perfectly fine after days of constant killing. But he still planned to fix it. He wanted to be normal.
Okay, let’s get it done! Rob, don’t agree to anything else, except a super offer. Super offer for the superhuman with magical abilities! Hell, yeah!