With the final question answered, Adrian handed the pad back to the blue-skinned being.
The being took the pad and scanned its surface for a few seconds, as if confirming that Adrian had, in fact, left nothing unanswered of the 4,250 questions. After a mont, he stood and motioned for Adrian to follow.
Adrian was directed to walk up to the sa circular platform on the floor, which he now recognized as their standard thod of teleportation.
’Are we returning to the arrival chamber? No, it’s been hours. They can’t still be just standing there.’
The being seed to cut through his thoughts, his voice just as dispassionate as before, but with a new, official-sounding title.
"Adrian. You can call Cero, by the way. I’m the manager of your assigned sector."
"Sector?" Adrian repeated in surprise. But yet again, his question didn’t get a reply.
"Take this," Cero said, walking to a panel on the wall and retrieving a new device. Adrian observed the tablet he was being handed. It was similar to the one he had just used for the questions, but this was an entirely new one.
Adrian collected it, prompting Cero to explain.
"That is your PAD. Public Access Device. It is your personal identification, your wallet, your access key, and your guide to the basic laws of the Nexus. It should give you most of the information you require."
Adrian nodded his head, his fingers already exploring the device’s smooth surface, his mind eager to tap into this new source of knowledge.
He was in the process of trying to turn it on when Cero, his work here apparently done, punched so buttons on his own data-slate. A brilliant white light engulfed Adrian, taking him away from the room without another word.
When the light receded, he found himself standing on another podium, identical to the one he had just left.
The air was different here. It felt... more natural.
So distance away from him was what he sensed to be a barrier. Adrian walked forward, and only when his hand t an obstruction did he confirm his thoughts.
But the barrier wasn’t for him to worry about. Turning around, Adrian saw a breathtaking sight that couldn’t be ignored.
He was in the midst of a city, but a city unlike anything he could have ever imagined. It was an urban area with roads that stretched as far as his eyes could see.
But it wasn’t empty. Dwarves, Elves, and Humans. His people. They were everywhere, their 6,000-plus population creating a commotion of panic.
He could see his Alliance Council mbers flying around as they tried to assu administrative roles.
Adrian could very well guess why there was so much commotion. The space was impossibly, criminally limited. The population of Thanad wasn’t a lot by any ans, but the space they had been provided didn’t seem fair in the slightest.
Charles was quick to notice Adrian’s lone figure standing on the arrival podium. He took a beeline straight in his direction. Karl did the sa as well, following him from behind, though his own expression was one of pure excitent.
"Adrian! What the heck? This place is amazing!" Karl, who landed on the ground before Charles, exclaid imdiately. He clapped his friend on the back to emphasize his point, his eyes wide as he took in the alien cityscape.
"Give an update," Adrian said to Charles the mont he landed.
Unlike Karl, Charles didn’t have an excited smile about their situation. He shook his head, running a hand through his already ssy hair. "The situation is beyond terrible, boss... It’s disastrous."
"There are exactly 1,500 houses for us. For over six thousand of us. Almost everyone arrived here empty-handed as well. No devices, no personal tools, no food. Nothing but the clothes on their backs. Leaving us here alone is a death sentence."
Adrian took in all that was said. It was obvious the situation wasn’t all roses. They were truly in trouble. The thought of the one month of nutritional credits kept him hopeful, allowing him to focus on the imdiate, pressing problem.
"How are you handling the housing problem?"
Charles looked all around at the chaos. "We were forced into a difficult choice. Our only option is for everyone to share. Over four people to a house. But it’s not ideal, boss. As you can see, the ’houses’ are far from it."
Adrian’s gaze followed Charles’s. He got a long, hard look at the "houses." They were, as Charles said, boxes.
They all looked identical, without any design of any sort, and they were small in size. The only feature worth ntioning was that they had number plates serving as identifiers.
Adrian took his hand to his forehead, rubbing his temples in annoyance at the cruelty of their situation. He knew that the only thing that could help them was knowledge, and the pad in his hands, was supposed to have the answers. He needed to find so place to settle and peruse it.
"Have you assigned a house?" he asked.
Charles smiled nervously at the question. "Not really," he said, shifting his weight. "We saved one for you. As the Sovereign, you should get your own place. So, take whichever one you want."
"No, you don’t!" Karl, who had been impatiently listening, finally interrupted. He clearly didn’t like Charles’s statent.
"I thought we already agreed on this, Charles!" He turned to Adrian, his expression suddenly reverting to that of an eager child.
"Don’t you want to stay with us, Adrian? , you, Serena, and Nyra! We’ll be roomies again, just like at the Academy! It’ll be a blast!"
Charles was about to refute Karl’s absurd and undignified suggestion, to argue that their Sovereign needed a private, secure base of operations, but Adrian cut him off.
"It’s okay, Charles," he said calmly. "He’s right. I don’t mind sharing a house. There aren’t many to go around, after all."
His approval made Karl grin widely in pride. He grabbed Adrian’s hand and, before anyone could protest, he launched them both into the air.
"Forget what Charles is saying!" Karl yelled over the din of the crowd. "The houses are aweso, and I already saved us the best one! Co on, I’ll show you!"
Reviews
All reviews (0)