“PUSH THROUGH EVERYONE!” Zal shouted over the constant bombardment of wind and sand. A tornado of dust had raged around the team throughout the trek, and only through communication and shared willpower could they manage through the chaotic journey.
Thorne gasped lightly as he forced his feet forward; ‘how many hours?’ Thorne thought. The journey had felt endless. As soon as the team had left the ship's comfort, nature had begun to bombard them with its weapons, and at no point in the journey had the siege faltered.
“WE’RE ALMOST THERE!” Zal shouted again. The cracked and decolored marble walls stood only a couple dozen feet away. Ahead of them stood a massive gate that soared upward at least fifty feet. It was made up of intricate hinges that all appeared to work seamlessly together. The multifaceted design was obviously built to open and close as quickly as possible due to its many components.
Above the city was a mesh net. It was invisible to Thorne and the rest when they first saw the city; however, it was clearly the most critical structure in the entire settlement. It was a perfect thin metal mesh that stretched over what seemed to be the whole city. However, calling it just a mesh was an understatement; it was a network of different nets, all interwoven together. Endless layers made up the construct. In some places, the top layer was damaged, but that was no matter, as the interminable layers below would assist in the city's defense. Elaborate patterns and knots were present throughout the network. Squinting, Thorne realized something incredible; ‘It's handcrafted.’
The different designs and ornate patterns woven into the metal were not consistent throughout the entire piece. Instead, various designs were scattered throughout the metal. As they got closer, Thorne and the others noticed that people were manning the marble ramparts above them. ‘Their usual job is too likely to search for dangers in the desert,’ Thorne assumed. Or maybe it's to look for people like us- the stranded,’ he speculated.
Thorne squinted up again. ‘They’re human, ' he realized as he scrutinized them. As they trudged through the sand, Thorne and Company were only a little distance away from the guards.
“OPEN UP!” Zal screamed up at the guards who were watching them. No response came back, and the gate stayed firmly shut.
“ZAL!” A shout came from Thorne’s left; it was Lyra. “Offer them food!” She said as she motioned franticly at Zal, “They probably lack food!”
‘Damn,’ Throne gaped, ‘That’s brilliant thinking.’ He hadn’t even considered that such an enclosed and obviously self-reliant city must be low on such an essential commodity.
'I've grown too used to the luxury of the academy.' he sighed.
Zal smiled wide upon hearing Lyra’s recommendation. “I HAVE FOOD AS PAYMENT!”
“Come on...” Thorne muttered, looking up at the guards. The sun had long ago vanished, and darkness had crept over the land, but the heat somehow remained, and the storms had only intensified.
“Yes!” Thorne smiled as he could distantly see the guards motioning at each other in conversation.
Lyra—who had discreetly stepped close to Thorne—nudged him; “Do you think they’ll let us in?” she asked, worry evident on her dry face.
Thorne looked back up at the guards, and noticed more movement come from them; “They will.” Thorne said, leaning into her ear so he didn’t have to shout, “Just be careful when we get up there.” He stated, looking in her deep blue eyes, "We don’t know how these people are.”
Lyra gulped but nodded as she heaved a shaky breath.
BOOM!
A loud rumble resounded and overpowered the whipping noise of the wind. The gate had been opened, and the team of students took their opportunity, rushing into the city as fast as their tired limbs could take them.
Thorne nearly collapsed as he escaped the sandy bombardment of nature, but he caught himself and held onto his knees as he heaved breaths of recuperation. His team did much the same, and only the stoic Procka seemed relatively unphased, though she was exhibiting some signs of exhaustion in the rumbling noises she was frequently making.
“WHO ARE YOU!” A loud shout came from in front of Thorne. A line of a dozen guards came rushing down from the upper walls. They were all unformed in long white overcoats. A cloth hat was worn on top of their head, likely to combat the sun's deadly rays. In their hands, the guards held what appeared to be a firearm. It was a standardized weapon, and each guard had one. The gun was a couple of feet long and was sleek in its design. A magazine was protruding from the firearm, resembling a submachine gun from Earth.
The man who had shouted at them was different, however. He wore the same white uniform, apart from what appeared to be military badges. He held no gun or any weapon, really. However, he was definitely the most intimidating for a straightforward reason: a shining bronze spectrum crystal adorning his forehead.
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“ANSWER ME!” He shouted once again, his face red. His voice was deep and scratchy as he yelled.
Moravian stepped forward and put on his most innocent face—at least the most innocent for an undead Draugr. “We are travelers from another city, sir.” He said as he looked down at the ground. We seek only refuge and safety.”
“Why didn’t you stay in your city?” The man asked, not reacting to Moravian's race or appearance as he spoke in a calmer voice.
Lyra stepped forward and pointed her finger at the blue gem adorning her forward; “the city leader resented and feared us due to our status.”
The man nodded in understanding, though his eyes lingered on Lyra for some reason, “You may enter.” He said in a gruff tone as he surveyed the five-person group, “But there are some conditions. The first of which is to hand over the food you promised.
Thorne stepped forward and pretended to reach into his robe’s pocket, “I have all of it.” He said with a blank expression, “It's not much, but here you go.” Thorne’s hand left his pocket as he retrieved some dinosaur meat. ‘He can't be given the synthetic stuff we have.’ Thorne thought as he handed out his precious dinosaur meat. ‘That will give us away as being from somewhere technologically advanced.’
A few guards rushed forward and took the dinosaur meat from Thorne. The lead officer nodded at Thorne with a small smile, showcasing smile lines around his bronze-colored eyes. As he motioned the group forward, Thorne could notice the endless wrinkles on the man's dried skin, revealing decades of work under the sun.
“You lot, go!” The man waved away the dozen or so non-cultivators. “I will be fine,” he reassured them.
Turning to look at them, the man motioned with his surprisingly well-muscled arm for them to follow him. “As I said, there will be conditions to your stay in Kroll City, " he said as they walked.
“May we know what they are?” Zal asked politely as he strode confidently forward so he could walk shoulder to shoulder with the older man.
“Yes,” the man huffed. For one, you will be required to work. You will be given different jobs depending on your abilities. Understood?” He asked as if he were addressing soldiers. “Yes,” Zal spoke for the group.
“What jobs would we potentially be assigned, sir?” Zal asked as he looked up at the surprisingly massive man. Looking back at the other four, the man pointed at Thorne, “You will most likely be a teacher.”
Thorne scrunched his face in confusion; “A teacher?”
“Yes,” The man said, “Being a rare dual practitioner, you will be able to teach double the number of young practitioners. It is best this way, so we do not have to waste too many practitioners on teaching.”
Thorne nodded in understanding, “Do you have many amber and red… practitioners?” he asked, assuming the man was referring to cultivators when he spoke of practitioners.
“We have many amber, but only a few red.” He said over his shoulder, “But the two energies are good in tandem, and in training, they are very compatible.”
“That’s true.” Thorne nodded, ‘teaching will be strange, but it will be useful. We will have to take over this city, and influencing the youth will help.’
Lyra stepped forward to converse with the man. “And what other jobs will we be ordained to receive?”
The man squinted at her and seemed confused by her formal speech but didn’t bother to mention it, “You might be an officer like me,” he said, “Or maybe an adventurer into the depths of the land. Maybe a guard or trainer.” The man pointed at Lyra, “You will be a farmer; I know that for sure.” He chuckled.
“Why so,” She asked with furrowed brows.
“We only have two blue practitioners, and that’s all we use to feed and water the whole city.” He drawled, “You will be full of work; I hope you're used to it because I bet that out of you five, you'll have the least time off.” he said with a smirk.
Lyra nodded slowly, a hint of paleness on her face. “Than-Thank you for telling me, " she sputtered out.
“Oh of course.” The man smiled, “It's always a good day when we get a blue practitioner.”
Silence fell over the group after that as everyone thought over the implications of their new situation. Thorne observed his surroundings in depth. There were few people out in the night and the ones who were moved with haste to complete whatever they were doing. The sandstone houses were packed together in a tight formation. There were no alleyways, yards, or any free space at all. Only the single road wound through the city, and the constant array of sandstone houses lined the street.
Surprisingly, Thorne noticed that the houses had windows instead of shudders or just openings. ‘So there probably is some level of technology here.’ Thorne concluded as he kept observing the city. Far ahead, towering up to the clouds, were further signs of advanced technology, the skyscrapers. There were only a few of the steel monoliths, but the ones that were present towered with unrivaled majesty in the otherwise uniform city.
‘Interesting,’ Thorne scratched his stubble-ridden chin, ‘Something is strange with this city. How could they have such formidable infrastructure while being practically solitary in a resourceless desert? It makes no sense.’
As Thorne continued mulling over the possible ways the city could have reached its current state, he noticed that the officer had stopped ahead of them; “And here we are.” he said, wiping sweat off his brow.
In the moonlight, Thorne peered at the house they had stopped at. It was a two-story, typical sandstone abode. As they had walked, Thorne had seen dozens—no hundreds- of similar buildings, all with the same height and design.
“This is where you lot will be staying, " he said as he motioned to the house. Next to the sand-encrusted grey-stone door was a number carved into the building: three hundred sixty-three.
“Mind, it's only temporary,” he reassured as Lyra scoffed at the shabby abode. If you do good and serve Kroll city well, the city lord will reward you. Hey,” the man laughed, “you may even get to stay in the industrialized sector.”
Thorn raised his brows and mulled over the man's words, ‘So there's a city lord. He’s probably grade two if he can control all of the cultivators in the city.’
“Ah, whatever, I'm just giving you lot a whole buncha false hope.” The man sighed, "All right, get in, get in. People will be around in the morn to give you your jobs.”
The man started to walk away but suddenly stopped and turned around, “Oh, and welcome,” He said with a mocking smile, “Welcome to the magnificent Kroll city.”