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Chapter 63: In The City
The New Saviors traveled for about six hours on the carriage, making the most of the morning’s bright and clear sky as they had to follow a barren dirt path for the entire duration of the trip, during which they slept as much as possible. Groovy and Bones had to focus on the roads since they were driving, but the rest of the team enjoyed a peaceful trip despite the carriage being somewhat cramped. The only ones that stayed awake were Cookie and the rookies, who were at the back to look out the carriage as they admired the scenery.
Zoey, Scott, and Ace sat on the right side with Frost, Kiwy, and Panda next to them in that order, while Shade, Cookie, and Chappy sat with the rest of the squad. Scott had to squeeze in between Panda and Zoey, though Ace left them plenty of room as half his body was leaning out the carriage, as did Chappy, giving Shade and Cookie more space since they were much bigger. But the latter moved quite a bit as he didn’t stop chatting to keep them entertained for their journey, even though he began to annoy Shade when rambling next to him.
They headed up north, where they came close to the Echokinge village, but they had to weave through hills to stick to the main path that cut across a large, mostly empty valley. The road became repetitive as the plains left them with a pretty bland view of the same-looking hills and green fields that surrounded them for hours, with the occasional cows and wild animals that Ace and Chappy counted. They also couldn’t see ahead to get a glimpse of the city, but the lack of anything remarkable or eye-catching only helped increase the rookies’ eagerness. They made it clear they were looking forward to discovering a new world that they couldn’t even conceive of, but with nothing better to do, they joked around and chatted about the mission and their potential findings.
–Do you think the city is going to be like the base or the villages?– Scott asked his friends with curiosity while turning his back to his squad, prompting them to think hard and imagine what was waiting for them at Rysemery. They couldn’t think of much since they had very little reference, but Zoey did picture something that was making her excited.
–I hope neither, I’m tired of seeing all these trees, I want something more colorful…– Zoey replied with dreamy eyes, staring at the trees at the side of the road in boredom before her gaze drifted to the sky. The rest of the rookies joined her daydreaming, except Shade, who looked at them critically from a distance until Cookie noticed them all looking out of the carriage and cracked up.
–You have never been to an actual city, right?– Cookie asked in a teasing manner, but his question garnered the attention of the rookies instantly, who collectively shook their heads in response. He scoffed at them and then glanced at the sleeping Crisis members before taking a breath, getting up to look out the carriage as well, and after getting a glimpse of what was found ahead, he sat back down to begin speaking.
–Well, let me tell you. I’ve been to many, not this one, but if it’s like the others, then you better brace yourselves to meet a lot of people. I’m talking about all kinds… small, big, tiny, with horns, tails, whiskers, wings, giant boobs, everything!– Cookie affirmed enthusiastically, getting the rookies to pay close attention as they listened in awe at his exhilarating description. Even Shade seemed interested, but no one was as excited as Chappy, who almost jumped out of his seat after hearing Cookie’s claim.
–Wait, really? Did you say giant b-…?– Chappy asked in disbelief as he leaned in to listen closer to Cookie. In response, he just laughed at his hopeful eyes, but he didn’t get to tease him much for his eagerness since Scott interrupted with a question of his own.
–You mean different people? Like Kiwy?– Scott asked with more skepticism as he glanced at the sleeping cat girl with a strange look, being cautious not to startle Frost and Panda as they were right next to her. The rookies turned their attention to her as well for a brief moment, with Cookie glancing at her with a fond smile before drawing their attention back to him with a confident nod.
–Yes, she is a cat girl… You’ll probably see more like her in the city. It’s very common to find all sorts of species in this region, that’s why there are so many cities with variety and attractions, especially up north...– Cookie responded with an eloquent, slightly arrogant tone that intrigued all the rookies, including Shade, who kept staring at Kiwy with a wicked grin. But as they all took a moment to reflect on the information, Chappy couldn’t help but let his imagination run wildly, and with Cookie seemingly having all the answers, he didn’t hesitate to keep clearing some of his doubts.
–Are there cow girls too? Are those the girls with the giant boobs??– Chappy asked again with increasing passion and impatience, which was almost to the point that his friends began to worry. However, as they were amused to see him so worked up about species of girls, they all stared at Cookie and urged for the same answer.
–Yep, most likely. But we’ll have to wait and scout the city. Hopefully, it’s the kind with princesses and brothels…– Cookie replied in a joking manner, sharing a laugh with Scott and Ace while giving Chappy something to think about. And think about it, he did as he began zoned out and began fantasizing with delighted eyes, almost starting to drool as he looked out of the carriage in an attempt to find the city they were visiting. But while he had some different intentions with his visit, both Scott and Zoey remained curious to hear more about all the diversity Cookie was talking about.
–Wow, I can’t wait to meet another cat girl. I’ve always wondered why Kiwy looked so different…– Zoey commented with curiosity and an endearing look, with Scott nodding in agreement as they continued staring at Kiwy. Ace seemed more confused and put off by the thought of more fluffy girls, but while he refrained from saying anything, Shade started to lean into the idea and saw some hope for the future.
–Imagine sleeping with one…– Shade whispered to Cookie, getting him to laugh out loud and almost wake up the squad, but also drawing suspicion from the other rookies as they tried listening closer.
–Yea, they are said to be skilled with their tails…– Cookie replied playfully, trying to be discreet too but was heard clearly, getting more laughs from the rookies, except one in particular.
–Eww, shut up, that’s gross– Zoey scolded Cookie with indignation and disgust, but her reaction only got him to laugh harder. Instead of insisting, she rolled her eyes and looked at Scott, who forced a straight face to not crack up. She still noticed he was laughing too, so she kept quiet and only focused on the scenery, choosing to look at the same trees instead of joking around with the group as their comments became deranged and offensive.
After a couple of hours, with the sun already showing signs of setting down soon, the team circled a wide chain of hills to enter another valley, now with many more riveting points of interest. As they followed the curved road, they came across a small lake under the cliff of a steep, wide mountain with a pointy peak that covered their entire west view. They got closer and noticed that they were looking at a section of what appeared to be a mountain range extending as far as the eye could see, though the lake looked more intriguing as a tiny river cut through the land, hugging the road that led them to the city they had been waiting to see.
By this point, almost all of Crisis had woken up, with Kiwy opening her eyes just in time to see the landscape surrounding the city. They were first enamored by the lake and mountain on the left, as it was far larger and majestic than any of the hills back home, but they soon entered into view of the start of a forest that extended throughout the valley on the opposite side. The woods appeared much denser, and even though they were far away from their current location, it was clear that it would be a perfect direction for the enemy to attack from.
But just when Crisis was starting to come up with defensive strategies and stay alert, the carriage drew to a halt, and with Groovy and Bones turning the horses around to park, everyone inside got to see the main attraction of the valley. The thin river connected to a moat surrounding the large city behind a tall circle of white rock walls that acted as barriers, similar to Savepoint, except the walls looked much older and less polished. The carriage was emptied as everyone got out to get a better look at the city. There were other carriages and horses just outside the moat, which paled in comparison to the structures found inside the walls, as a few buildings were tall enough to stick out and be seen from the entire valley.
They fixated on what looked like the peak of a mountain inside the base so much that they didn’t notice the wide, sturdy rock bridge they had to use to cross the moat. Groovy and Bones grabbed the last bags and equipment to join the rest of the group, and after a long moment to take in the view, they walked across to head towards a large gate in front. The rookies stayed close to each other and tried not to get near the edges of the bridge, which wasn’t too far apart from the water below, but it did seem to be the only safe ground for them to stand on and avoid drowning to death. They only looked forward but stayed behind the main squad as they had to approach the few guards at the gate to ask for permission to enter, to which they had to inspect all of their weapons and gear before they got a chance to speak.
–We are the special task force of the New Saviors, dispatched under the directive of Commander Snake and entrusted with the goal of safeguarding both the sanctity of the city and the sovereignty of its esteemed ruler in case of a-…– Indie announced calmly and politely as she offered her rifle to be inspected, unlike some of her teammates, who got defensive when others handled their belongings, especially when the guards seemed impressed and fascinated by their weapons. In comparison to their plain chain armor and standard swords, Nitro’s grenade launcher or Panda’s machine gun looked completely strange in the guards’ eyes. But surprisingly, they didn’t question the team much as the chief guard stepped forward with a notepad in hand and cut Indie off without a second thought.
–Yes, we’ve been informed about your arrival. I didn’t expect to see you so soon, but it should be easier for you to sneak into the city without causing too much commotion at this time– The chief replied as he took notes and ordered his subordinates to stop the inspection before they got a chance to search the rookies, who were already tense from the procedure to enter. The team grabbed all of their items and walked through the gate as it opened, and since Frost and Indie were the ones in front, they were the first ones to see the city in its full glory.
Inside the walls, the city of Rysemery made its grand presence clear at first glance, leaving a strong impression on the team with the way its roads and houses formed a particular cityscape that stuck out like nothing they had ever seen, even in a literal sense. The entrance to the city seemed ordinary enough, as it consisted of a small plaza with a big fountain in the middle, which served as an intersection for the three roads connected to it. The ones on the sides seemed to lead to the fields right next to the walls, reserved for what looked like barracks or training facilities on the left, and a few silos, storage buildings, and fields with crops on the right.
The first section was used solely for farming by the looks of it, though it was hard to tell as both sides disappeared in the distance due to the main structure of the city in the middle blocking their view. What caught their attention immediately was the main road in front of the fountain, the one that made its way up the city, gradually ascending as it spiraled around the large mountain in the middle of the city. While it didn’t resemble a regular mountain thanks to most of its surface being covered in houses and buildings, the team could tell that the whole city was set on a giant formation that started on those fields on each side. From their level, they could see some of the rock protruding on the sides, which was harder to spot higher up as the city was rather crammed in its layout.
The mountain in the middle appeared to be greater in width than height, and while it was slightly taller than the walls that it was surrounded by, it couldn’t compare with the mountain range next to the city. But what made up for its size was its flair, as it was decorated from head to toe, even at the lower levels with the farmlands and regular houses. The mountain was coated in all sorts of colors from the bright building and shining lights on its surface. The shape was also unique to the eye as the city ascended with the mountain, not in a tiered manner but as in an actual stretch of buildings only on the sides of the main road that spiraled up to the peak.
The sight of the housing distribution puzzled the team quite a bit, although they seemed intrigued by how it worked as it didn’t look possible at first. In front of them, the main road began climbing the mountain from the front, with dozens of houses on its side, until it slowly curved to its right side, where it began to spiral to what looked like the second level of the city, leaving plenty of space on the left side as the main road completed a full loop right at the peak of the mountain, where it only connected with one large building.
While a lot of space was wasted with this design, the main road seemed to fulfill its purpose as it connected each major location and district in the city, with the most predominant from the team’s point of view being the level above the fields. The area seemed the most crowded as there were only two straight roads with countless short and medium buildings in between, which concealed the difference in height between the two as it looked like one big slice of layered buildings stuck to the north rock face of the mountain, only a few meters below the highest point of the city.
The same style could be found in the rest of the city as well, particularly around the main road, as it kept ascending ever so slightly. It had a few sub-roads connected to it, which were almost invisible with all the buildings on both sides, though it did create a distinction between the districts. The section across the one with all the bright buildings appeared to be a wide market, which slowly faded into a more classy and polished area up the mountain, though it was significantly smaller as the road became thinner the more it drew near the peak. It eventually became impossible for the team to see what was up in the higher sections, mainly because the road spiraled behind the mountain, though it did leave a good view of what was at the top.
They could make out one building among the others as soon as they entered the city, since it was so striking. It was a large castle at the very top of the mountain, right where the road was so thin that there was no room for any other buildings. It was aligned perfectly with the start of the road and the gate at the entrance, giving them a perfect front view of the full building. The sun was setting behind it at an angle where it shined through its windows and around its figure, highlighting the pointy towers and flags on top of the building, though it was hard to catch any other details with the light casting hard shadows in front.
Fascinated by the scenery, some of the rookies became ecstatic to see an actual castle, but Cookie seemed the most excited of them all as he pumped his fist in the air and cheered silently. The rest of the team was also somewhat impressed, with Candy and Kiwy showing more adoration for the color palette and interesting shapes found throughout the city. But as they had admired the odd shape of the rising city for so long that people around the fountain began noticing, they had to move from the gate to not draw much attention.
There weren’t too many people at the lowest level, but there was still enough attention to make the team a little nervous. They began walking to not arouse suspicion, splitting up to appear as if they were just visiting and admiring the different attractions while they all headed to the main road. They walked past the people around the fountain, and even though the residents grew suspicious of Groovy, Bones, and Cookie, they stayed behind since they were carrying the larger bags.
Unfortunately, Crisis garnered most of the attention as their unusual outfits drew stares from the citizens for a while before getting distracted with something else. But as the road became more populated the higher they went, and they didn’t have many options to take, they remained cautious when making their way deeper into Rysemery and began looking for an opportunity to coordinate the next course of action.