Freak City

Astro: “It’s been hours. Why isn’t this going anywhere? Tch! This is getting annoying!”

Welpen skipped along the path as if nothing was wrong and there wasn’t a problem in the world. After all, he was just a kid. He hadn’t experienced much trauma and seemed to take everything as a joyous moment. He was carefree and especially since he was isolated his whole life. He saw this place as another stepping stone to get to Isara, however his childlike nature did take over sometimes as he was having fun in the adventure that awaited them.

Astro: “Will you be still for one moment? You haven’t stopped skipping this entire time. How have you not run out of energy?”

Welpen: “Huh? Are you talking to me?”

Astro: “Why you–”

Welpen ran to the other side of the path through the grass, afraid of what Astro would do to him.

Astro: “Wait!”

It was too late. Welpen had already almost reached the other side when he fell to the ground out of nowhere. It’s like he hit his head on an invisible barrier and could not pass to the other side.

Welpen: “Ow ow ow. Ouch. That hurt. I’m good though. Don’t worry Astro. I’m okay. Some invisible barrier is in front of me. I’m used to barriers. This is nothing. But…I guess we can’t cross over to the other side. I wonder what’s over there. It looks no different from where we are. Just nothingness. Is that a word?”

Astro: “Just come back over here. Don’t separate fro

m me. All we can do is look forward for now. Let’s keep walking and hopefully we’ll end up–”

While Astro was speaking, he continued walking forward and hit a similar barrier to what Welpen had just experienced. He wobbled backwards, but maintained his footing. He was curious. He reached his hand out to the space in front of him, but to no surprise, it wouldn’t let him pass through. Astro thought, ‘The hell. Is this the wrong path? Did we go the wrong way? Was it really that simple enough to where we have to all the way back now? This is ridiculous. Shin. You bastard.’

Welpen: “I’ll try to slice it with my sword. I call this the super slicer! Heeyah!”

Welpen swung as hard as he could, but the barrier repelled him and his sword backwards onto the ground. He stood up and charged at it again with the same result.

Astro: “Hmmm. Interesting. Let me try something…Hades Breath.”

The black smoke released from Astro, but repelled off the glass instantly and dispersed.

Astro: “I thought so. It’s not just physical. I don’t think it would matter what power I used or how much mana. Although…There is a key to this for sure.”

Welpen: “Astro what do we do? My super slicer didn’t work. My ultimate move was powerless.”

Astro: “Just follow me kid. We’re going off the path to the right. Stay along the border of the barrier and keep moving your hands up and down until you feel something that shouldn’t be there. It will be like an object stuck to the wall, but just invisible. Let me know if you find it.”

Welpen: “Okay! Off I go!”

Astro and Welpen slid alongside the wall. They couldn’t go left to the other barrier, however Astro quickly figured out that there was no distance they couldn’t travel as long as they were on this side. He released this at the start with the forest. They only went along a specific area that led them to this path, yet the trees stretched further than that. It was as if they were destined to show up at that path. He didn’t know what the left side offered, but this was the fate they chose. There had to be something here.

Lone behold, Astro’s keen eyesight came in handy. He held his head against the invisible wall and spotted something a little further down. He was slightly sparkling and shaped like a door handle. They hurried over and Welpen put his hand on it without thinking. He opened the door to something that they both would have never guessed was here in a million years. An unthinkable possibility from where they just were compared to now.

Night fell.

It was dark as could be. Flashing lights lit up the sky with music playing. A city filled with monsters, kids, witches, warriors, guards, merchants, and more. Every type of person was here. Undead beings and animals roamed the streets. People were getting drunk without a care in the world. Everyone was enjoying the endless party that occurred. Tall buildings towered over people.

Welpen: “Wh-What is this, Astro? A p-party? Why is this city so big? The buildings are as tall as the sky!”

Astro wondered if Dante or Lucky were here. He couldn’t get them off his mind. The burden of failure was etched into his mind. He had to save them even if it cost his own life.

Astro: “Welpen. Same rules as before. Stick by my side. I don’t know what the hell this is, but we have to look around.”

Astro began to walk forward, but something caught Welpen’s eye. A small flower the size of his finger lay close to the door where they had just entered. A red spider lily.. Even more interesting was a small orb that blended in with it, but Welpen had seen it out of the corner of his eye sparkling. He bent down and grabbed it. A red sparkling orb that looked like a chaplet, almost like a ruby jewel. He didn’t know what it was, but he wanted it and put it in his pocket.

Astro: “Let’s go kid. Are you coming?”

Welpen: “Oh, sorry.”

The guards at the front gate lounged around and didn’t care about incoming people. They drank along with the rest of the people in the city. Astro and Welpen walked in with ease. The gate was wide open for visitors to enter. Scandalous women walked around with bikinis on. Girls with animal ears and fur did the same. People danced all around them.

Astro: “This is loud and annoying. The hell is going on.”

A man approached them in a business suit and opened a black briefcase in front of them.

???: “Greetings! My name is Sora Issac. The pleasure is mine. Would you be interested in the contents of this briefcase? I shall open it for you now. Inside is a small dagger with an opening at the end for this other item called the Peeking chaplet. It was grey with mist inside and 2 small eyes that connect to your opponent’s eye if you draw blood with the dagger. All this for the low price of 5 death tokens.”

Astro: “Get the hell out of my face. We don’t want your stupid toy. Welpen, let’s go.”

Sora Issac immediately went to the person right next to him to offer the same deal. He hustled again and again as Astro and Welpen moved on.

Welpen: “Astro. Wouldn’t that have been good to have? That seemed cool. I have a dagger myself, but that chaplet looked cool!”

Astro: “Don’t listen to anyone here. We can’t trust anyone. How about this? If you make it out of here alive with me, then I’ll go with you personally to get that chaplet. I know where you can find them.”

Welpen: “Really?! Yipee! I’m going to get a bunch of chaplets and get strong and power up my sword and find Isara and fight monsters and, and…”

Astro: “Slow down kid. Let’s get through this crowd of people. Let’s see…Huh? A guild? Welpen come on.”

Astro had spotted an adventurer’s guild from across the street. They hurried on over through the front doors. Inside were a mix of monsters and humans.

‘Why are there even humans here?’ Astro thought. He went up to the lady at the front. He wasn’t shocked at what stood before him. A blonde-haired woman with a human face and a skeletal body.

“How can I help you two today?” she said with a huge innocent smile on her face.

Astro: “Where are we?”

The girl answered, “Huh? You’re in Weakening City.”

Astro: “How do you get out of this place? How do I get out of this city?”

She once again responded, “You want to leave? Well…Nobody really wants to leave this place. Personally, I haven’t ever seen someone leave.”

Astro: “Huh? Then where do your guild members go to fight?”

???: “Umm. They keep the city safe in case of bad people or if there are fights that break out within the city. Are you okay, sir?”

Astro: “You’re saying that nobody can leave this city? How far does this even go?”

The girl looked utterly confused as if she had seen a ghost. As if she had shot someone with a thousand bullets and they revived the second she shot them. She spoke again in concern for Astro.

“Sir. There is a barrier in this city. Once you enter, you can’t leave. But, why would you want to leave? This place has everything you need. Now, would you like to sign up for a guild card?”

Astro: “You little–”

Astro quickly stopped what he was saying as figures peered over the top of him and Welpen.

Astro: “Fine. We’re leaving. Let’s go, Welpen.”

The girl spoke once more before allowing them to leave. “Umm, sir. I’m sorry. Maybe I was misspeaking. It’s clear that you actually want to leave. In a few days, there is a tournament being held at Chaplice Hill. You’re lucky. This is a 3v3 tournament. The winner gets any wish they want granted from the commissioner. You may even wish to leave if you truly desire that.”

Astro looked annoyed, but also grateful in his own way. “Thank you,” he said as he walked out. ‘A few days? How long is a few days and where the hell even is this place. I didn’t want to ask. I was about to have to beat their asses, which would’ve caused too much commotion. I'll just have to ask around. But, who the heck do I ask with all these freaks here?’

Welpen: “Astro. What is that?”

Flashing letters appeared on one of the buildings. It said, ‘Death to all, all to Death.’

Welpen: “What does that mean?”

Astro: “I don’t know. I don’t like the sound of it either, but let’s check it out. It looks like a lot of people are entering.”

Astro and Welpen entered the sliding doors to a room full of people. Many different kinds of people and even some monsters stared them down, but kept to themselves. Had they known what awaited them here, they would have never entered.