Chapter 204. Dusk City
Dusk City stood in stark contrast to the vibrant, bustling City Tyler and his crew had just left behind. The city below appeared in shades of gray and muted tones, as if the very air was laden with a sense of melancholy. The streets, though wide and well-maintained, lacked the color and life of other cities. Buildings loomed tall, constructed with dark stone and iron, their facades weathered by time. This place felt old, much older than its modern elements suggested.
On the outskirts of the city loomed an enormous structure: an amusement park, but one that seemed frozen in time. Stretching over several blocks, it had once been a place of joy and excitement. Now, it was a ghost of its former self. The once-bright rides stood still, their colors faded by years of neglect. The Ferris wheel, which should have towered proudly above the park, was now a rusted, lifeless frame. A roller coaster with broken tracks lay dormant, vines slowly creeping over its supports. The sense of abandonment hung thick in the air.
The economy in Dusk City started declining, they couldn’t afford to maintain the park. It fell into disrepair, and now it just sits there, unused.
Near the old amusement park there is a Teleportation Hub. Like the rest of the city, the Teleportation Hub looked old and somewhat rundown. The dark stone and metallic structures made it blend in with its surroundings.
The tiles on the floor were chipped, and the air smelled faintly of dust and machinery. The main room had several large teleportation arrays on the floor, encased in rusted metal frames. At the far end of the room, an old dwarf with spectacles sat behind a cluttered desk. He was slumped over, snoring lightly, clearly in no rush.
*Beep beep*
"Hmm?" The dwarf stirred awake at their approach, blinking blearily. He adjusted his spectacles, then reached into a drawer to pull out a smaller pair of black lenses , which he clipped onto the larger ones.
The dwarf behind the counter scowled as he glanced at the monitor in front of him. "Got a signal coming through..." he muttered, his voice gravelly from years of use. He hit a few buttons on the ancient-looking control panel, and the room rumbled to life.
A group of kids with furry ears and tails ran across the room, squealing and laughing as they chased each other around the unused arrays. The dwarf growled, his face darkening.