A Visit to Baloffburg (Part 2)
((Right, now that school is out, I've got myself some more free time, which I hope to put into writing stuff, primarily this little series I've begun. I hope to make an update perhaps every 3 days until I get to the end of this little arc... So three cheers for my first self imposed goal for this blog.
If you are a new reader just jumping in, you might want to start from part 1, or perhaps even Daedalus and Icarus if you want to get to know the characters of this setting a bit more.
In any case, enjoy...))
The station was bustling with activity, with many people coming into the city from outside. Not many people were leaving though. Dove guessed that this was because few people could afford to leave the place. Baloffburg had all sorts of rumors which detailed it to be a city of opportunity, where one can easily find work without the need for training and support themselves and families. What the rumors neglect to mention was how meager the pay was, how many shifts were required for a living, and the constant state of poverty that filled the streets.
Once people got into the city, it was difficult to get enough money to buy a train ticket, and the train was the only way to leave aside from braving many many miles of desert trekking. Of course, there were those that tried to leave by stowing away on the train, or even forcing their way through. And for that very same purpose, there were the Baloff Enforcers.
Patrolling the platforms were the Baloff Enforcement Officers, constables clad in brown military uniforms, their heads covered front to back by gas masks, which made them seem inhuman. In their hands one of two weapons were firmly held. Either a repeating rifle or a gas gun connected to a tank on their backs, meant to temporarily paralyze offenders, which was why they themselves wore the gas masks. It was rumored that they were truthfully machines, animatronics that obeyed their orders to the letter. This was further enforced by the facts that no flesh actually shown, and they were perpetually silent in any and all undertakings.
Whether the rumors themselves were actually true, Dove didn’t know. Maybe he’d ask Lord Baloff himself when given the opportunity… Though it was doubtful the man would divulge even a tease of a hint. He loved to blabber on about the conditions of Baloffburg, not even capable of telling good from bad or perhaps not even caring, but even he held his secrets. And even if the enforcers weren’t automatons, the rumors that they were would only work in their favor, and Baloff would not be one to let an advantage slip. He was a businessman at the end of the day, after all.
One of the enforcers shot a glance at the Ravenclock siblings and their butler, but beneath the dirty emerald lenses though, it was impossible to tell why he was doing so. Regardless, another sight caught his attention. A poor man in rags was lying around, tired.
“No loitering! Leave at once!” the harsh voice buzzed through the mask, as much a part of any of these guards as their uniforms.
“Please, sir, I’m tired…” the man meekly begged, expecting mercy.
The guard’s response was anything but merciful. Taking his rifle, he smashed the butt of it into the man’s head, shoving him from his spot and sending him rolling onto his back.
“I repeat, no loitering! Leave at once!”
The urchin did not need to be told another time as he scrambled to his feet and ran away. He ran so fast he fell over, but crawled back up and continued at his reckless pace to hurry away. The enforcer turned back to the Ravenclocks, and upon still seeing them there, snapped an arm out, pointing in the direction of the nearest exit to the station. There was obviously no kindness in his emotes, and Einhardt silently urged his charges to make haste.
Outside the station, the aesthetics of the city were near identical to the interior. The only difference was the overflow of citizens at the bases of the filthy spires and skyscrapers. Stacks of smoke from the many factories in the city could be seen even behind these structures. Dove nearly gagged at the taste of the air itself. How this wretched place got its name as a place of opportunity was beyond him.
Octavius signaled for a cabby to come with his gloved hand, standing half a foot above most of the haggard crowd. Despite that, not many vehicles were stopping to pick the group up. Dove was beginning to get bored and looked around the city some more… Then, in the corner of his eyes, something caught his eye.
In the middle of the streets a fancy automobile paraded, starkly contrasting the rest of the city with its polish and shine. There were two men in it, one in a dark uniform with a trimmed cap. The other in the back wore a suit as extravagant as the vehicle he rode. Clearly this was one of the more fortunate men in the city that managed to make his fortune… as an executive in Lord Baloff’s own company.
The man was loudly proclaiming everyone to make way, and no one dared not to comply. However, the man himself was clearly in no rush to go to anywhere, and his automobile cruised down the lane at a leisurely pace. Vehicles lined up by the road’s sides, letting the nobleman pass. At this rate, Dove, Phoenix
But then from out of the crowd rushed out a small shrouded figure, who ran straight for the automobile to everyone’s surprise. The executive himself had a look that was somewhere between being offended and being perplexed that anyone would have the nerve to approach him from this motley crowd with such audacity. When the bold newcomer was only a short distance away from the vehicle, he sprung into the air, above what a normal human could be capable, and landed in the car besides the businessman,
“Get away from me,” the man cried out defensively, in fear.
For naught, it seemed. His “assailant” reached into his coat pockets and pulled out the man’s wallet, and made a speedy escape by again jumping up high. Upon hitting the ground, the thief broke into a run, sprinting towards the crowd. The executive sat still in utter shock, before shouting to any nearby enforcers he could find, “That runt made off with my wallet! Find him!”
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