The walk away from the ruined academy was a study in contrasts. Kael moved with the predatory economy of a Sanguine Enforcer, his silver boots barely making a sound on the cracked asphalt. Beside him, Chen hopped over potholes, fanning himself with the Gilded Folding Fan and occasionally stopping to inspect a particularly interesting piece of rusted rebar.
"You know, Officer Pincushion," Chen said, snapping his fan shut. "I'm a bit of a blank slate. I remember my name, and I remember a very vivid dream about a girl complaining about milk, but the rest of this... 'pale world' is a bit of a mystery. Where exactly are you taking me? To a farm? I've heard I have potential, maybe I'm a prize-winning radish."
Kael didn't turn his head. "If you were a radish, I would have eaten you already. We are heading to Neo-Omaha, the Sector Capital of the Midwest Sanguine Domain."
[Notice: New Location Discovered – Neo-Omaha (Sanguine Stronghold)]
[Local Difficulty: Silver to Gold Rank]
"Neo-Omaha," Chen tasted the name. "Sounds like a place that has actual electricity and perhaps bread that hasn't turned into a fossil. Tell me, what's the social hierarchy? Am I allowed to speak, or should I practice my 'humble servant' face?"
Kael sighed, a sound like wind through a tomb. "Listen closely, Bronze. The world is no longer a playground for your kind. Neo-Omaha is a Tri-Tier City. The Under-District is for the human 'Livestock'—workers and blood donors who keep the gears turning. The Mid-Tier is for the Lycan mercenaries and Silver-Rank enforcers like myself. And the Spire..."
Kael looked toward the horizon where a jagged silhouette was beginning to pierce the violet clouds.
"...the Spire is the seat of the Sanguine Lord, Marquis Malphas. He is a Gold-Rank entity. In his presence, your heart will likely stop purely out of etiquette. Do not look him in the eye. Do not speak unless your life depends on it—which it will, constantly."
"Marquis Malphas," Chen whispered. Inside, his Martial Awareness was already cataloging the name. Gold-Rank. Probably arrogant. Likely wears too much velvet.
[New Mission: Infiltrate Neo-Omaha]
[Objective: Enter the city without being registered as a 'Blood Donor.']
[Reward: 500 Coins + Skill: 'Presence Concealment' (Bronze Rank)]
"And the monsters?" Chen asked, pointing a closed fan toward a distant, howling forest. "The ones that don't wear silver coats?"
"Wilderness trash," Kael replied. "Lycans who lost their minds to the spores, and 'The Pale' who didn't evolve. They are the background noise of the apocalypse. The real danger is the High-Blood Aristocracy. They view the world as a stage, and everyone else as props."
Chen's eyes flashed violet for a split second. A stage? How nostalgic. "Well," Chen chirped, tucking his fan into his belt. "I've always been good at being a prop. I once played a very convincing tree in a dream."
As the hours passed, the ruins grew denser. The vegetation changed from simple ivy to thick, glowing vines that pulsed with a faint, necrotic light. The air grew colder, and the sky deepened into a permanent midnight, held in place by the Sanguine Lord's atmospheric arrays.
Finally, they reached the crest of a hill. Below them lay a city that looked like a Gothic nightmare fused with futuristic technology. Massive searchlights of ultraviolet-filtering glass swept the perimeter. High walls made of black obsidian were topped with electrified wire and guards holding rifles that glowed with crimson energy.
"We're here," Kael said, his posture straightening. "Keep your mouth shut and stay behind me. If the gate guards ask, you're a 'Special Interest' recovery from the Dead Zone."
Chen looked at the massive iron gates, where a line of shivering humans was being processed by armored guards. Above the gate, a banner hung, depicting a drop of blood inside a golden crown.
"It's charming," Chen said, his "Apocalyptic Guide" pinging with a dozen new warnings. "Very 'last-days-of-humanity' chic. Does the city have a gift shop? I'd love a postcard for Gary."
[Warning: You have entered the 'Sanguine Influence' Aura.]
[Your stats are currently suppressed by 5%.]
Chen smiled, his violet eyes reflecting the neon-red lights of the city. He felt the weight of the "Mirror of the Sovereign" skill fragment in his soul, waiting to be activated.
"Neo-Omaha," Chen whispered. "Let's see if the Marquis is ready for a leading man who's been sleeping for a decade."
The gates groaned open, releasing a hiss of cold steam, and the two stepped into the heart of the Sanguine Domain.