The Road to the City: Journey to the Underground Metropolis

We set off again in the morning when the sun was barely over the horizon, having left the oasis well behind. The desert very soon gives way to dense jungle, rich foliage allowing dappled shadows to fall upon the forest floor; the air heavy with humidness and the sounds of insects chirping and leaves rustling. With each step, we seem to go deeper into the heart of the wilderness.

The path is fraught with danger as, on and on, we encounter hostile creatures lurking in the undergrowth. The haters emerge from the dark, their misshapen forms blending without effort into the thick foliage, launching relentless attacks. My arts of martial prowess are put to test as I deftly avoid their blows, delivering well-placed strikes that send the creatures reeling.

Meanwhile, Tricky summons whirling tongues of purple and black fire, sending her spells to weave an intricate pattern in the air as she unleashes torrents of flame upon our enemies. The flames dance with a feral intensity, eating everything in their path as they incinerate the haters with ruthless efficiency.

"Tricky, no!" I exclaim as the flames envelop the forest, and the heat starts pressing against my skin. "You can't use fire here; you'll burn the whole jungle down!"

Tricky's eyes widen in realization, and she quickly douses the flames; a look of guilt crosses her face as she says, "I'm sorry, Astro. I didn't think about that one."

Though pressed from every side, we remain undeterred; we struggle inch by inch to wrest our prize, determined to stop at nothing until we are in possession of it. The haters continue their assaults, though we ward them off by combinations of strategy and raw skill.

The hours tick by, and the minutes feel like ages, as finally, deep in the heart of the forest, we chanced upon some hidden jungle temple. In front of us was the ancient overgrowth-covered moss and vines, while the stone walls were carved all over with telling stories from a time long past.

The carvings immediately catch my eye, and as Tricky searches for the entrance, I move closer to the wall, tracing my fingers along the worn lines of the carvings. These images show an ancient civilization with figures bowed in reverence toward a towering deity. I peer closely, trying to make sense of the story in these weathered stones.

These figures seem to enact a sort of ritual, offering what looks like food and treasures to the god. By their postures and expressions, it would seem they were struck by wonder, even devotion. The carvings can be detailed, but I don't get what this story means. The only thing which I might get is the idea that these people had great respect for this god, hence building their lives around this god.

"What are you looking at?" Tricky's voice startles me and takes my attention from the wall. She stands a couple of feet away, her eyes taking in the scenery of the temple's front.

"It appears this structure was created by an ancient people who would give reverence to a certain god," I respond after stepping away from the wall. "But I am unable to read much more than that."

Tricky nods, an introspective look on her face. "These temples often hold secrets and powerful artifacts. If we can find the entrance, we might find something that can help us."

She begins searching again, her hands brushing vines and moss aside as she examines stone walls. I join her, our movements cautious and calculated. The scent of earth and foliage hangs heavy in the air, along with the faraway calls of jungle beasts, an eerie backdrop to our task.

This temple stands as a work of genius among the ancients, with stone walls weathered, intricately carved, and glyph-inscribed, to whisper secrets of ages past. Tricky's keen eye catches a hidden button amongst the vines. With a quick press, a mechanism triggers, prompting a massive elevator to emerge from the ground.

"Found it!" says Tricky, eyes shining with excitement. She points to the elevator as it rises, its stone surface traced with further ancient symbols. "There's our way in."

We step onto the elevator, and it begins a slow descent, shuddering, pulling us deeper into the earth. The walls of the shaft blur as they pass next to us, cool air within the temple standing in great contrast to the humid jungles outside. After what feels like an eternity, the elevator stops, and we step out into a vast underground chamber.

As we go deeper in, the chamber breaks into a sprawling underground city: skyscrapers rise upwards, their faces covered in bioluminescent plants casting an ethereal glow over the metropolis. The city is filled with life-demi-humans of all shapes and sizes, going about their day as one would.

I do nothing but stare at the greatness before us with my mouth open. "This is insane," I whisper, amazement in my voice.

Tricky nods wildly, her eyes wide with wonder. "I've never seen anything like it," she says. "This city must have been hidden for centuries."

We walk down the streets, no different from other demi-humans. Some had animalistic features-like fur or scale textures-while others sported wings or limbs. The air was thick with the drone of human voices and other sounds of everyday life; a cacophony that echoed through the underground city.

"Let's lay low," Tricky instructs in a smooth, steady tone. "We don't want lots of attention.

We step off the elevator and into the sprawling underground city, our eyes wide in wonder at the tremendous skyscrapers and busy streets. As we walk toward the city gate, the tremendous size and complexity of this hidden metropolis continued to amaze me. The demi-humans were going about their daily life around us, seemingly oblivious to the newcomers in their midst.

As we draw closer to the gate, I notice several heavily armored guards standing watch. Their presence is imposing, their armor gleaming in the bioluminescent light illuminating the city. Just as we are about to pass through, one of the guards steps forward, blocking our path.

"Halt!" he commands, his voice firm and unwavering. "Where are you from?"

I turn to Tricky, who steps forward with a confident look on her face. "We are travelers," she states smoothly. "We are from a place far beyond this city."

The guards simply glance at each other; not a flicker of emotion crosses their faces behind their helmets. "You cannot pass," one of them states firmly after a moment.

Tricky's eyes flash with irritation. "Why not?" she asks indignantly.

He folds his arms, his stance unyielding. "You are neither cat nor dog demi-humans. Only those with such lineage are allowed entry."

I feel a sense of trepidation wash over me as I realize the gravity of our situation. The guards are getting suspicious; their eyes study us more intently. One of them takes a step forward, his eyes boring into mine. "How did you get here?" he questions, an accusation implicit in his tone.

I take another deep breath and try to stay calm. "We found an old temple in the jungle," I explain. "There was an elevator inside that brought us here."

With my words, one of the guards hands falls to the hilt of his sword. "That should be impossible," he growls. "The temples are only visible to cat and dog demi-humans."

In an instant, Tricky's senses are on high alert; her eyes gleam with astonishment and readiness. I know she is just on the verge of summoning her magic, shifting her weight with barely perceptible tension.

I feel the danger spiral out of control and hastily move one step forward, my hands raised appeasingly. "Wait, please!" I exclaim. "There must be some kind of mistake. We didn't mean any harm."

The guard clutches his sword tightly, his eyes narrowing. "If what you say is true, then you must explain yourselves."

I nod, a flurry in my head searching for some kind of explanation. "We were just exploring the temple," I said in a steady voice. "We didn't know it was restricted. We're simply trying to find our way and learn more about this place."

The guards just look at each other again, none too convinced. But for the time being, however, the tension among us all loosens up. "Alright," one of them finally says. "You will, however, remain under our supervision until we can verify your story."

Tricky's stance relaxes a fraction, though I can easily tell that she is still tense-as a drumhead, by the look in her eyes. "Thank you," she says, carefully keeping her voice neutral. "We'll co-operate."

The guards walk with us as we step through the gates and down into the heart of the city. I couldn't stop the feeling of relief that seized me. We had avoided immediate conflict, but we were far from home free.

As we continue walking down the busy streets of the underground city, the guards all of a sudden stop, which of course means that Tricky and I stop with them. I look around curiously, wondering what is going on.

That is when a very sleek limousine pulls up beside us, its shiny black paint catching the light of the city. It opens its door, and out comes this vision. A catgirl with bright purple hair and piercing purple eyes suddenly appears in my line of vision; she has my undivided attention. She is attired in a very trendy outfit: a pair of striped red and purple striped sweatpants, along with a warm sweater with an outsized onigiri logo in black and purple color on it. Adding mystery to her deep-set eyes, a purple-tinted pair of sunglasses looks great on her.

The guards snap into rigidity, bowing their heads in respect. I could feel it in the air, an aura of command she carries with her into the room.

"Who are these outsiders?" she asked, her tone as smooth as silk, yet laced with authority, her gaze holding a curious stare upon us.

The lead guard forward. "Lady Okayu, they claim to have come from the surface through one of the old temples. Neither cat nor dog demi-humans."

Okayu's purple eyes narrow slightly behind her sunglasses as she appraises us. I feel a shiver run down my spine, but I stand my ground, meeting her gaze.

"Well, this is interesting," Okayu says, minor amusement in her tone. She takes a step closer to us, surveying us with more curiosity. "And what brings you to Luminara?"

Tricky, confident as ever, took a step forward. "We are travelers. We kind of fell into an ancient temple and got on an elevator which brought us here. We are just trying to find our way and learn about this place."

Okayu's eyebrow rockets upwards with interest. "Ancient temple, you say? And you, non-cat nor dog demi-humans, were allowed in?" She turns to the guards. "Well, I do believe we have a mystery.

The guards shift uncomfortably, apparently at a loss for how to continue with the situation. Okayu herself seems far more curious than suspicious. She looks back at her limousine, then back at us. "I think we should talk about this further. Guards, I'll take them from here."

The guards look at each other and then nod, stepping aside for us to pass. Okayu motions for us to get into the limousine. "Come, let's talk somewhere more comfortable."

Tricky and I look at each other. An unspoken agreement that we should take her lead. The next thing, we slip into the limousine, interior so plush and luxurious, a total opposite of the tension-ridden city streets.

As we were getting comfortable on the plush seats, Okayu joined in and slammed the door shut. The limousine smoothly pulled away. Noise of the bustling city gets dimmer.

So," Okayu says, easing back and finally taking off her sunglasses to fully disclose her striking eyes, "tell me more about how you found that temple and what you're really looking for down here."

I take a deep breath, ready to explain our situation, as Tricky watches Okayu with keen interest. This is an unsought ally; a major key could emerge to unlock secrets of the underground world, with a way going forward.

As I begin to tell our tale, a flicker of hope begins to dance around in my chest. With her aid, we may as well elbow our way through this weird, new world and find what we are looking for.

Listening to our story, Okayu furrows her brow. "You two sure have an interesting tale. My name is Nekomata Okayu, and I am among the Elites here at Luminara."

I exclaim to myself in recognition, "Nekomata Okayu? From Hololive? I know you from my world! You are a Legend! A Japanese Idol! Known around the Globe!

After the story, Okayu's eyes gleam with mirth. "Seems like fate does have a funny way of bringing people together. Listen, I have a hotel here in town. You can stay there for the night. In turn, I might need a favor from you tomorrow."

Tricky and I looked at each other, tacitly nodding at our acceptance. We say yes to Okayu's terms with just a nod.

"Thank you, Okayu," I reply with gratitude. "We will be glad to help in whatever ways possible."

Okayu smiles-an expression reassuring and mysterious all at the same time. "Good. Now, let's get you settled in."

As the limousine slides through town toward Okayu's hotel, I almost feel a wave of relief wash over me.

The sleek limousine winds its way through the packed streets of Luminaria, this underground city teeming with life and vigor. As we thread our way through the stream of traffic, I cannot help but ogle at the towering skyscrapers and the myriads of demi-humans going about their daily lives. Finally, the limousine pulls up in front of this super magnificent hotel, whose façade is a dazzling display of light with spires reaching what almost seems to reach the ceiling of the cavern.

Okayu steps out first, and the hustling crowds around us immediately pay their respect to her. Tricky and I follow her, still in awe of the hotel.

"Welcome to one of my many hotels," Okayu says dramatically, her arm flung toward the grand entrance. The doors slide open, and a warm, golden glow emanates from inside to greet them. Crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling, casting sparkling reflections on the marble floors. Rich tapestries and sumptuous furniture adorned the space in a manner which spoke of elegance and comfort.

We step inside, the cool air and soothing ambiance a stark contrast to the chaotic energy outside. A sense of awe washes over me as I take in the grandeur around me.

Okayu leads us to the front desk, where a courteous attendant greets us with a warm smile. "Lady Okayu, your guests are most welcome," he says with a slight bow.

"Thank you," Okayu says to us, facing us. "I hope you will find your stay comfortable." She nods to the pair of ornate keys the attendant hands to us. "These are for your rooms. Sleep good tonight. The day after, I'll talk about the favour that I said.

She dismisses the action with a wave of her hand. "Think nothing of it. You are my guests now. You can show yourself around the hotel, make yourselves at home."

Tricky and I glanced over at each other, wordlessly sharing that we had been through something surreal. Be that as it may, this world had turned out to be pretty weird, but Okayu's hospitality proved to be an comforting anchor.

We walk towards the elevator, and in my mind, I feel a great buzz of expectations. The elevator doors slide open, and we stepped inside; its plush interior a continuum of the hotel's opulence. The elevator ascends easily, stopping on our designated floor. The doors open into a corridor lined with exquisite artwork and ornate doors.

We find our rooms with ease; keys fit perfectly into the locks. Inside, the rooms are havens of luxury replete with plush beds, rich fabrics, and every amenity imaginable. I drop my things onto the bed and take a moment to drink in the comfort and tranquility.

A knock at the door breaks my reverie, and I let in Tricky, who has a look of wonder on her face. "This place is incredible," she says, with wide eyes.

"Yeah, it is," I agree, as I step aside to let her in. "I can hardly believe we're here."

She nods, looking around appreciatively. "Okayu seems like someone we can trust. But we should stay on our guard, just in case."

I nod, appreciative of her caution. "Agreed. Let's rest up tonight and be ready for whatever comes next."