We left the Under-Slums shortly after our meeting and I found myself breathing fresh air again. Well, mostly fresh. The city had a thin smog which seemed to cover most of the area. I hadn’t noticed it before but I was pretty certain it was factory smoke, not that I’d ever seen a factory in Celestia so who could know for sure?

Asmodeus was still sleeping and Bell carried him dutifully as we walked through the back alley towards the centre of town.

“The capitalists have a poncy council,” Rex said as we walked, “it is made up of a bunch of rich guys who own the biggest corporations in town. You’ll need to meet with one of them to get them to agree to talks.”

“Who would you suggest?” I asked.

“Fredrick Millicent should be the easiest to convince,” he said, absently scratching at his facial fur, “that guy is a weasel. Easily intimidated. Give me five minutes alone with him and I’ll get us that meeting.”

“Somehow I don’t think that’s what the gnome wanted,” I sighed, “… wait, did you say Millicent?”

“I guess his family was a big deal after all,” Bell said, “and here I was thinking he was just some low rent noble’s son… maybe I should have slept with him after all.”

We all looked towards her.

“When were you going to sleep with him?” Panda asked.

“Oh, at the king’s ball,” she replied lightly, “he propositioned me whilst Kaleb was talking to the big guy. Naturally I said no, I have more class than that.”

“Do you?” Panda asked, raising an eyebrow.

Bell looked at him with a fake shocked expression and then laughed.

“Where can we find Mr Millicent,” I asked Rex.

“In the financial district, I’ll show you the way.”

With that we followed the huge lycanid through crowded and twisted streets that were nothing like the parts of town I’d seen on the way in.

In lieu of the wide main streets that made room for those who had reached the level cap to be able to zoom around like the Flash, these streets were made of broken cobles and looked more like something out of a Victorian period drama.

We passed rows of closed down shops with boarded up windows. People littered the streets and the smog above them seemed thicker somehow, darker.

Groups of catonids, lycanids, garuda and even a smattering of leprechauns huddled together beneath large, mouldy blankets as they warmed themselves on trash can fires.

It was a horrific sight, but the smell was worse. Unwashed bodies, urine and the all too familiar stench of depression hung heavy in the stale air. It reminded me of the day my first stepfather left.

I’d come home from school to find the house in tatters. Furniture upended, glass broken, the stench of spilled beer and mascara tears. Of course that happened every time my mum broke up with someone. After a while I stopped caring so much. But the first time, well that was something to remember.

She took me out for pizza and a movie and by the time I’d woken up the next morning it was as if nothing had ever happened. There was no trace of him having ever been part of our lives.

I hated reliving that moment. It’s amazing how something as inconsequential as a smell can bring it all flooding back.

“Who are all these people?” I asked.

“Most of them used to run the stores around here,” Rex answered, “but they were put out of business by the corporations. They’ve been making bids recently inside the local government, buying up land for their factories.”

So there are factories in Celestia.

“If they’re buying the stores shouldn’t the owners be rich now?” Bell asked flippantly.

“No, the land and buildings were all owned by the council,” Rex replied sombrely. “The small business owners leased them. No normal person can afford to own property in this town, sweet cheeks.”

“And the government just sold off all its land to these rich guys?” I asked.

“It’s hard to say no when they offer you billions of gold coins, besides the council basically is the government around here.” he shrugged.

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“That sounds about as corrupt as where I’m from,” Bell murmured with a smirk. I got the impression that she didn’t really care too much about bigger issues, still, she seemed to know more about it than she let on.

The sceptical part of me had to wonder if Rex had taken us this way on purpose, part of the gnome’s plan to garner our sympathy for his cause. Either way though, it was a difficult sight to look at.

Even if it had been engineered and this was just a small part of Cali Port, no one should have to live like that.

“I guess Havarian Socialism is looking pretty good right now, ay kid?” Panda asked smugly.

We turned a corner and it was like walking through the wardrobe to Narnia. I swear that even the sky was brighter as we stepped onto a high street full of well dressed, happy looking people.

Wind distorted through the large centre road from the superhero-like level cappers as people went about their day without a care in the world: shopping, eating out, buying adventuring gear. Happy families barely a stone’s throw away from the desolate area just behind us.

I wondered if they knew.

“These idiots bury their heads in the sand,” Rex growled, mostly to himself.

“Who are they?” Bell asked.

“Factory workers, middle management mostly from the looks of them,” he replied, his voice was ragged as if he was suppressing violent urges. “You can find Millicent in there,” he said, pointing a large, hairy finger towards a huge, glass skyscraper.

It looked remarkably similar to the Adventure Society building, it even came with loud protestors outside the sliding glass doors.

“How are we going to get through the crowd?” I asked.

“They’re my protestors,” Rex said, opening his arms, “hey, human, watch this.”

He took a few steps forward and cleared his throat loudly. A few people from the back of the crowd turned around and then the mumbling started. Like a game of whispers, within barely a minute the entire crowd had turned around to look at the massive lycanid with his smug grin.

“I’m here on urgent business,” he said in a voice loud enough to put Asmodeus to shame, “these adventurers are acting as a delegation for us, let them through.”

Like Moses parting the red sea, he spread his arms out and people moved aside clapping and cheering as we walked through the gap like movie stars attending a premier.

“This looks suspiciously like a wall of death,” Bell commented, “we’re gonna go so hard when that breakdown drops.”

I chuckled as we passed through the crowd towards the main doors.

“See human,” Rex whispered in my ear, his breath warm and foisty, “you’re not the only unique one around here.”

“I didn’t realise it was a competition,” I replied light heartedly.

“It’s not,” he said hastily, “but if it was I’d win.”

We reached the front of the crowd and I found myself staring directly at a wall of armed men. It was like a police barricade minus the riot shields.

They all wore black suits underneath their thick, metal armour. It was an odd combination. The man in the centre, who seemed to be in charge, held up his hand as I approached.

“Sorry sir but this site is on lockdown at the moment,” he said formally, “I’m afraid you’ll have to come back later.”

“I need to speak with Fredrick Millicent, it’s urgent,” I replied.

“Mr Millicent is unavailable at this time,” the guard said, “if you’d like to schedule an appointment I can look at his itinerary for you? Though I doubt he’ll be able to see anyone until this mess is dealt with.”

I opened my mouth to speak but was harshly knocked to the side by the large lycanid before I could say anything.

“Get out of my way you puny little capitalist worm,” Rex said, literally picking the man up by the scruff of his neck and throwing him to the side.

The rest of the guards didn’t like that.

“We have a lycanid in sector three, send reinforcements!”

“The commander is down, I repeat, the commander is down!”

“The line has been compromised! Johnson, get in there and sure up our centre.”

“Yes sir!”

They sprang into action, presumably talking through some kind of verbal voice chat function.

“Hurry up, human,” Rex said as he battered a nearby guard with his shoulder, “get in there and get us that meeting! I’ll hold them off.”

Though this wasn’t exactly the diplomacy I’d had in mind, I didn’t need telling twice. Quickly, I ran through the gap Rex had created and dived through the automatic sliding door.

Inside the foyer was a contingent of surprised people dressed in formal shirts with strange patterns and embroidery on them.

One of them dropped his steaming beverage as I walked past him, fixing the collar of my armour as if this was just like any other day.

They layout was pretty similar to the Adventure Society buildings apart from the water fountain in the middle which said Millicent Industries in large, bold letters.

Behind the fountain was what looked like duelling escalators with a small elevator tucked into a corner to the side.

There was a receptionist desk in the other corner and an array of coffee tables and seating scattered about, that was where most of the employees were sat, steaming cups of… something in hand.

“Which way to Millicent’s office?” I asked the crowd of startled employees.

No one spoke, but all of their eyes were on me.

“Why even bother asking?” Bell said as she waltzed up behind me like she owned the place. “It’s obviously going to be on the top floor, that’s where they always are.”

“Good point,” I replied before jogging towards the elevator.

Panda looked up at me and sighed before lifting his arms, I picked him up and pressed his paw onto the nearby control panel.

The lift door opened with a ding.

The elevator was mana controlled so, as possibly the only person in Celestia with no mana for himself, I couldn’t activate it.

“You know, I could have just done that for you,” Bell said over my shoulder.

We entered the elevator and this time Bell pushed her mana into the switch, instructing it to take us to the top floor.

The doors shut and our little tin box began moving upwards when a jingle began to play. It was a hearty tune, very happy.

“I hate elevator music,” I mumbled.

“Really?” Bell asked, “I always think it’s so peppy.” She bobbed her head to the lacklustre tune and her turquoise hair bounced around her shoulders.

“Right guys,” I said, changing into my formal suit through the quick equip function in my HUD. “I think it’s time for a meeting with the big guy.”