Paley showed its tiredness for almost an hour now. It never stopped, but its speed gradually dropped in a visibly rate. August didn't blame him. If he needs to relentlessly run for almost four hours, he must be dead by now.
Snow Grove became bigger, its huge body became clearer from the close distance. With a closer look, Snow Grove was surely intimidating. Beside from the White Wall, Snow Grove was the biggest structure he has ever seen. The structure stood like a beast, bathed in moonlight, it showed a smooth surface of its wall, impossible to climb in, a formidable fortress.
August gazed slid along the stretching wall, the sense of awe filled his chest.
"Fascinating, isn't it?" Rein asked, wearing a smirk on his face.
Sure is.
August left that question unanswered. Those words were carried away with the gusting wind.
Minutes passed by; they were at the front gate on the base of the cubic structure. Once close enough, August could roughly guess the structure wall material. It was some sort of stone that grinded with great precision, smooth and slippery.
The closer he looks the more uneasy he be. He peaked pass the main entrance, beyond the group of guards whose doing their job searching Rein's sled and body but barely see anything.
"Welcome back mister Rein." One of them greeted Rein politely. August eyes twitched.
Is he really that famous?
No matter how hard they acted, searching Rein was more like having a small chat with a celebrity.
"How's the hunt, sir?"
"Should I call the medic, sir?"
"Are you alright, Paley?"
Numerous questions were asked within a minute, but none have questioned a man who currently sat astride on the wolf, it's like he wasn't even there!
The main entrance was an open space separate from the building itself, compared to the building behind, it was tiny. There was a small shed made of stone located just a couple meters on the right of them. That's where the guard rest once they're not in their shift.
Rein greeted each of them back with a friendly smile. Then the procedure continued. One of the guards finally noticed August, at last.
In the fully closed bright blue uniform, August couldn't separate any of them. The reason for this uniform is to be warm enough to work outside the building. Just enough for them not to die from coldness, but seeing how they shivered, it mustn't be very effective.
"Sir, who is this?" One of the guards gathered his courage to ask.
Rein glanced at August slightly, "Oh...he's my son."
All of the guard were shocked, fully in denied.
One of them sighed, he sounds the most mature out of them, "Look, kiddo. Consider yourself lucky. Not everyone can protect you in there. But this man can."
Protect me!? Protect me from what!?
August looked between the guard and Rein front and back. His curiosity peaked after this claimed.
"Y-Yeah, y-you're v-v-very lucky, b-bro. I w-would like to be his a-d-dopted son any d-day." Another guard said, with a shivering voice.
The grown guard faded away from the packing group of guard, with a mumbling voice he said, "Let me get you something to wear first."
Before he completely disappeared into the shed, he added, "Don't make so much scene the first day in, kiddo. People here rarely seen ascender."
How could he forget, he was half naked in the snowstorm! Now these guard know, the new ascender has arrived.
Just like that, August was targeted even more. The guard rushed to him, the questions were thrown left and right like a snowstorm around them.
"What is your pathway, can you tell us!?"
"Cool sword, dude!"
"I see why he's adopted you..."
August didn't answer any question; he couldn't process all of them at once.
The mature guard walked back from the shed; he carried a very thick coat in his hand. With low amount of struggle, he handed August the coat.
August casted his gaze along the brown fur coat. It was very heavy for a coat, so thick and soft it almost twice the thickness of the blanket he used earlier. He swung it across his shoulder, it fit perfectly. From the outside he looks like an overweight man.
"Thanks."
The guard nodded and gently tapped his thigh, "Alright, keep your sword insight, then, you should be all set. Welcome to Snow Grove. Collin!"
The guard's name Collin jumped in fright from the back, "Yes, sir!"
"Escort them inside."
Collin, the guard nodded, "Yes, sir!"
"The rest of you! Get back to your position!"
In harmony, all of the guards left three of them alone and walked back to their assigned position.
Before continuing forward, August dropped from Paley back. His butt hurt so much; he couldn't keep riding him.
Collin, the guard took a quick glance at August. Once they both stood straight, Collin began to shrink. He was short compared to Mha'rea citizen, not just him even other guards seems to be shorter than him. Even while Collin tippy toe, he only reached August chest. August never realized how tall he is until this moment. Perhaps the only person who taller than August was Rein, who was again, resting on his sled.
The way from the immigration control and the main entrance was not very far away from each other, just around five minutes on foot. Collin led both of August and Paley at front. August quickened his step, try to stay beside Collin.
"Hey, Collin."
Collin jumped again, his voice trembling but August couldn't figure out it was from fear or coldness, he asked, "What's t-the matters?"
"Tell me, how is it inside?" August just has to asked. He couldn't hold back his thought.
"In what way? If it's about safety, then, all I can tell is..." He stepped closer to August, his voice became soft and light, the stutter was gone, but still, it could barely be heard in the stormy wind, "Just don't try to mess-no, don't get in contact with Juno, Morrowine and Friday, not in any way."
What? Who are they?
"Why? Who are they?" August felt chill when hearing these names. He didn't know who they are, but he wouldn't be messing with any of them.
"Snow Grove isn't the safest place on this land, let's just say that they're a lot, a whole lot of crime happened here. They are the head of them, crime organization."
Like a gang?
"What about law enforcer, surely you are one of them, right?" His hope for this place already been reduce to almost zero, seeing person in a uniform doing their work could help calm him down.
"I...am but we were feed through them. At this point, they're like the government than we are. I believe that everything I do every day was a job they assign me to do."
Great...I'm about to step in a crime city.
He almost believed that he would have such a good time here. In fact, those good time was gone just a minute ago. All he did was smile, awkwardly.
Every step he took felt like a walk to hell. He forced every muscle on his legs to keep moving forward, knowing full well he didn't want to. But considering every choice he has; this seems to be the only one there is.
The main gate was open widely, an area of the cubic surface was hollow created a walkway for any visitor to came in. The wall was thick, the deeper he gets the more it felt like a prison. Not a single window in sight, only one way to enter and only one way to exit.
Collin stopped, "This is as far as I can send you."
Crowded, the place was packed. The first thing that caught August's attention was how many people roaming around the place. This place is even more chaotic than his home ground, Mha'rea, which considered a big city already. There was barely any space, people walk with many parts of their body always in contact with each other. The ceiling was about ten meters tall, barely fit three floor building. There's no sunlight, or any natural light only stretching electric light tubes that expanded on every walkway.
Just looking, made August out of breath, literally.
The buildings were built simply, not a lot of decoration, just plain metallic buildings. Although, they didn't make any striking appearance, they still gave out a sturdy and safe look. Apart from mumbling sound from the people, a buzzing sound from those light tubes, came after was a clanking sound of mechanical machine that can't be seen.
Collin quietly disappeared without August noticing. He looked around, there was only one walkway that led forward into the raging crowd.
Rein crawled out of the sled. He stretched his back for a moment. Once he was done, he slowly walked toward August and Paley. Once, one person saw him, it's like a whole city knew about his arrival. All of them stepped aside, creating enough space for them to walk by, even Paley.
Woah... this is something.
Being a son of him might bring August a great opportunity and a huge privilege. Could he do anything wrong here? Can he just bring up Rein whenever he was in trouble?
During the time they walked, people talked to their company, most of the topic being the new face whose walking alongside Rein. They were confused of August present; some already guess that he might be an ascender. While they are absolutely correct, August doesn't feel the need to announce it just yet.
While being a minority, August often seen a Frotine among the human. Fortine are those people who live in the extremely cold weather. While August himself be able to warm himself up, Frotine just born with the ability to endure the coldness. He never met one himself, until now. They have pale grey skin, white iris, bright white hair and their lips are as white as ashes. According to the book he once read, their body are as cold as corpse. He wishes to prove that at some point, but not now, not while being watching by a thousand pairs of eyes.
One of his interests was to study as many race, as many place, as many story as much as possible. As a historian, a professor, he felt like it's his duty to do so, not just about humanity but every other race on this planet. While being all alone, in this place far away from home, he will take this opportunity to expand his knowledges.
Rein waved his hand around, he tilted his head to speak to August, trying his best to fight against noisy crowd, "There's a proximity of ten thousand people on each residential floor. There were ten here. Another ten were an industrial floor, food, electric, weapon and army. They were irrelevant, you have no business there. Try your best to avoid those floors, them morons who's in charge of them were a pain in the ass. They will make your life miserable."
"Alright."
Then, after a long while they finally reached what seems to be an elevator. It was large, capable of carrying hundreds of people at once. The crowd behind them returned to their lives. Three of them stepped into the elevator. Iron fence closed up the entrance immediately after they entered.
Rein turned to August, "Normally, people have to wait for it to reach its full capacity before it starts working. But for me, it's a special treatment."
What about me? Do I also get those special treatment?
The elevator slowly going upward while making a cling-clang noise. The gear parts were visible but protect by a rusty iron fence. It looks dangerous, to think about having to take this with another hundreds of people already troubled August.
At the floor they entered, painted badly on the wall was a number, 1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7. They have reached the seven floors. As crowded as the first floor, he found people here a lot calmer and more organize. They don't yell or making a fuss. Once they arrive, people just make a way for Rein but act like he's their friendly neighbor. They waved and greeted but didn't make a big deal out of it.
They stopped at the largest building August has ever saw since he arrived here. This place was a size of four regular buildings combined.
Rein sighed; smile painted on his face, "Home sweet home."