714 The room of a prison

It took them 3 days to arrive at their destination, and the closer they got, the more serious their conversations became. This wasn't because they were fighting or anything like it, but it was hard to continue being light-hearted when they were thinking about kidnapped people and what could've been happening to them. Becca had no information about what went down in the prison, but they knew it shouldn't be normal. For one, people didn't leave their cells or have any sort of freedom or privacy. They even had cameras inside the cells covering every inch of the small spaces where the prisoners slept and lived. Strange enough, that wasn't the case for the rest of the facility's hallways. One would expect that a prison had eyes everywhere to make sure that, if the prisoners tried to escape, they would be caught. Yet, according to Becca's intel, about 40% of the entire building was in the dark. Another big worry was the yard. On the left side of the southwest corner of the prison, there was an open field marked as 'Yard' in the blueprint, but one of the reports mentioned a pit that needed to be reinforced to make the rocks stop melting with all the fire that was being used there. Zestra's theory was that the place was a mass grave, where they would burn the corpses of the prisoners that died to avoid anyone finding out about what happened to them. It was a bit of a stretch, primarily since they could not hide the smoke or smell that would create. Despite that, the possibility of that being true made matters even more pressing.

The room where the prison was located was on the 13th layer called Gear Shift Nexus, and its doorway dropped them inside one of the main ruins just outside the limits of the city. The surrounding area was covered with rocks, concrete, bricks, and steel, split into broken foundations of buildings and rubble left behind by what seemed like a massive destruction event. However, On closer inspection, one could see that what happened here was the exact opposite. These were not the remains of a cityscape ravaged by war or a battle. Instead, it was the room itself growing a new batch of buildings like trees. People who lived here or studied this place knew that for one of these new structures to be grown, it would take decades if not centuries. And that was considering that the rubble would be attracted to the buildings closest to completion. No one could explain how that happened. There were no unique features of those bricks or stones that could explain this seemingly natural movement. Yet, that is what happened. Slowly, at a pace that would make a snail seem to be a race car, but it still happened.

Surrounded by that forest of growing ruins, the already complete structure was a skyline with five massive clock towers that pierced the heavens, surrounded by houses that looked small in contrast. Clockwork City, as it was known by the locals, was a mesmerizing blend of historical elegance and modern ingenuity mostly created by the MAZE itself. Cobblestone streets wind through a bustling metropolis, flanked by an array of architectural marvels created through the course of eons. Yet, they seemed to channel the spirit of the Victorian era. A particular style that was used primarily in London during that period. Still, it maintained its fantastic allure with giant moving gears blending seamlessly with the facades adorned by intricate carvings and delicate wrought iron balconies overlooking the streets below.

Elegant and regal clockwork horses, finely crafted from polished brass and gleaming copper, roamed the streets, pulling carriages through set paths. Anyone could signal for one of those transports and have it act like a cab. Despite what anyone would think, this wasn't created by a person. It was another example of the MAZE ingenuity when creating this room. And its creativity didn't stop there. Large bipedal clockwork golems, wearing bowler hats and long overcoats, patrolled the city with the help of clockwork raven drones that flew above the roofs. Those beings were classified as monsters by the system, yet they were friendly. If anyone got hurt or fell in front of them, the golems and ravens would offer their assistance to the best of their abilities. Only becoming aggressive when someone attempted to disrupt the order of the city.

Right outside the doorway, there was a checkpoint, a stone and iron building set up almost like the entrance of a prison, where some people would do a simple verification of the people who just arrived. Since there were criminals in the room, the guards had to make sure people with criminal records were not just waltzing inside. Hera and Freya walked towards the guard with smiles, talking about the city and how excited they were to see the place for the first time. The guard would ask them a few questions to evaluate their intentions in the room. The questions themselves were less important than a tool they had at their disposal. An intricate lie detection spell that would warn them if anyone lied to them. But the newcomers were already aware and ready for it.

Before starting, the guard pressed a button on the desk causing yellow sigils to appear all around them, "What brought you two here?"

"We heard a lot about the things in this room and came to check them out," Freya replied.

"Do you know anyone who is in the room?"

"I don't think so. But we have friends who should be around this area. Maybe we will find them here," Hera turned to Freya with an excited smile.

"Are you aware that there is a prison in this room?"

"Yes," both of them said at the same time.

"And how do you feel about it?"

"Worried. It's kind of hard not to be," Hera replied.

"Yeah. And I hope we won't have any problems with it," Freya nodded.

"Did you come here with the intention of breaking anyone out of prison?"

"I'm not here to help any criminals!" Freya shook her head. The guard just nodded and turned to Hera.

"Why would I help someone who broke the law? Anyone who was sentenced to be here should stay here," Hera huffed.

Getting no signal from the sigils, the guard nodded with a satisfied expression and turned off the spell. Unfortunately, that required a large amount of mana, and the internet wouldn't work while this was active. He asked for a moment as he finished the paperwork and started typing away.

"What do you want to do first? Go to the clock tower, or take a ride in one of the carriages?" Hera turned to Freya as they waited for the man before them to check if they had any criminal records.

"Can't we take a carriage to the clock tower?" Freya asked with a giddy expression.

"I think there is a clock tower right by the entrance. We could do that, but it feels like a waste," Hera turned to the guard, "I'm right, aren't I?"

"Yep. Keep walking here, and you will find a clock tower before you reach the places where the carriages stop," the guard nodded.

"See. I think we should see the tower first," Hera looked back at Freya, who frowned.

"But I want to see the clockwork horses. That's a vote each."

"How do you want to solve this? Rock, paper, scissors, or we flip a coin?"

"Matilda has an ego, right? And it's not like she always agrees with you. Can't we let her vote?" Freya suggested.

"Yeah, and I wish she always agreed with me. It's a nightmare to decide what to watch," Hera tapped her necklace, "Matilda, come out. I need you."

Daskka popped out of the necklace, but instead of showing in her normal snake form, she appeared in a massive dark mist cloud covering the entire checkpoint in thick black smoke.

"What the fuck is that?!" the guard yelled, and two others rushed inside the building.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Matilda! Back to snake form!" Hera gasped, and Daskka returned to her regular animal form around the Empress's neck.

"What was that? What are you two doing?!" the guards who rushed inside pulled their weapons and pointed at Hera and Freya.

"Sorry! We were doing some dungeons before coming here and needed to quickly hide from this massive monster. I asked my construct to come out in that mist form to help us sneak around," Hera raised her hands, showing she had no weapons.

"I can't believe you forgot to tell her to stop that!" Freya snarled at Hera with both hands up as well.

"It's a new item! How I was supposed to know she's not smart enough to realize the context of what I told her to do!" Hera gasped.

"They are clear. This seems like an honest mistake, and you know ego items can be finicky when you just got them," the guard behind the computer spoke before finishing things up, "Both of you are clear to go. You need a permit to get within 2 kilometers of the prison. There is a dungeon in that area, but aside from that, you are free to move around the city freely. I hope you enjoy Clockwork City."

"Thank you, and I'm really sorry," Hera gave them a small bow and left the checkpoint with Freya in tow.

Outside, they didn't say anything for a long time. Only when the checkpoint itself was no longer visible, and they could see the city in the distance, Becca activated her privacy spell. Then she whispered between the two women, "That went better than I expected."

"Me too. The trick with Daskka was a great idea," Zestra's voice came from the same direction as Becca's.

"I told you. If we flood the area with my mana, no one will notice you two teleporting out. Perks of having pure mana," Hera said with a smile.

"I'm just glad there was a crack large enough to let Zestra see the outside," Freya sighed.

"We already knew about that one. One of our contacts is already here. And, if worse came to worst, Becca and I could appear normally. As far as we know, no one knows we got the data. We are just moving like this to be safe," Zestra added.

"Wait? People are already here?" Freya turned to the side but only saw the empty space from which the spy's voice was coming.

"Yes. And before you ask, we didn't tell you because of the lie detector. It would be better for you not to know," Becca explained.

"Ah… I see… I get that, but it feels a bit unfair," Freya pouted.

"But are we sure the way we phrased the answers won't trigger any alerts?" Hera asked.

"We are. The guards who take care of the checkpoints don't work in the prison, and they don't write the answers down. The form only has checkboxes," Zestra explained.

"I see," Hera turned to Daskka, "And sorry for saying you are not smart. You know that was just a distraction."

"At least no one called you by the wrong name," Daskka, who was still around Hera's neck, huffed.

"Don't be like that. It wasn't that bad," Hera scratched the snake's head.

"You said my name was Matilda. Matilda!"

"What's wrong with Matilda?" Hera asked.

"Nothing, I just don't like it. It's not powerful or regal," Daskka turned around but kept her head in Hera's reach to enjoy the scratches.

"She didn't like being called Matilda?" Freya turned to Hera.

"Yeah. She says it is not strong or regal."

"And Daskka is?!" Freya asked with a chuckle.

Hera could feel that Daskka didn't care about that, but her own feelings were different, "Daskka is a combination of three names. Darni, the Naga hero who had a legacy and saved his civilization several times. Casks, his partner, was by his side from day one and fought alongside him despite not having a legacy like Darni. And Chika, a snake that existed for thousands of years in the Wailing Valley. She survived there alone, without help, even after being driven mad by grief. A room in the 7th layer, yet she grew to level 80 on her own. I don't think there is a more powerful or regal name than that."

What Hera didn't realize is how her voice was filled with venom as she spoke, giving a very strong feeling of a mother defending her child. Freya couldn't say anything in response. She had no idea the name had that kind of origin, but more than that, hearing the response made her realize her comment was unnecessary. It wasn't like she didn't think Daskka was impressive, especially her various forms, but being unused to the names of the Naga, Daskka sounded a bit odd in her ears. When they were about to get into the city, she cleared the air.

"I'm sorry, Daskka. I didn't mean anything bad by that."

"That's ok. I can't expect everyone to know where my name comes from," Daskka replied.

"She says it's ok," Hera spoke up since she was the only one who could understand the herald.

"And I'm sorry to you too, Hera. I would be upset if someone said Artemis wasn't a good name."

"I wasn't upset," Hera replied.

Zestra scoffed from the back, "Could've fooled me," getting an elbow to the stomach from Becca as a reply. The reporter started talking to distract everyone from the invisible coughing by her side.

"Do you remember the name of the street we need to get to? Where will our base of operations be?"

"Talca Street, number 67, right?" Freya asked while keeping her eyes facing forward.

"Yep. All the streets here have names of cities back on Earth. I think that one is from Chile. We will be quiet until we get there, but be careful," Becca was about to drop the spell when Zestra added.

"I'll keep an eye out to see if anyone is following us, but if you see anything weird, say our code. Terracotta for something to be aware of, grapefruit for careful, and papaya for 'shit time to run.'"

Hera and Freya nodded, and as the spell dropped, they continued talking as if they were just sightseeing. Pretending to be tourists who just arrived at Clockwork City.