The Moving City II

The sun had long begun its descent, yet the trio trudged forward, their limbs heavy with exhaustion. The road beneath them stretched endlessly, an unyielding path of dust and gravel. Lucius, who had remained uncharacteristically silent for most of their journey, finally let out a frustrated groan, rubbing his aching shoulders.

"Are we even going anywhere?" he muttered, voice laced with irritation. "We've been walking since morning, and I swear we've passed that same damn rock at least three times!"

Yu Xuan exhaled sharply, kicking a stray pebble across the barren road. "Would you rather go back? Maybe take a nap in a ditch somewhere and wait for a pack of beasts to find us?" His sarcasm did little to improve Lucius' sour mood.

"I'm just saying," Lucius huffed, running a hand through his sweat-dampened hair. "At this rate, I'd rather be eaten than walk another—"

"Shh!" Nai suddenly lifted her head, eyes narrowing as if trying to focus on a distant sound.

Lucius paused mid-complaint, glancing at her with mild annoyance. "What now?"

"Do you hear that?" Nai whispered.

All three of them fell silent, their breath hitching as they strained to listen. At first, there was nothing but the usual rustling of wind through the cracked earth. But then, it came—a distant, rhythmic tremor, like the muffled pounding of colossal footsteps.

The ground beneath them vibrated.

"What the hell..." Yu Xuan breathed, his body tensing.

The tremors grew stronger, the subtle shaking escalating into violent quakes. The earth split in places, dust rising like a fog around them. Lucius stumbled back, eyes widening in alarm as an immense shadow loomed over the horizon.

A city.

No, not a city. A behemoth of steel and stone, an impossible construct that defied reason. Towering structures stood atop a massive, mechanical platform, their spires scraping against the storm-ridden sky. Enormous, reinforced wheels the size of entire buildings churned up the land, leaving devastation in their wake. Engines roared, a cacophony of grinding metal and hissing steam filling the air as the monstrous city advanced, consuming everything in its path.

"RUN!" Yu Xuan shouted, shoving Lucius forward.

The three of them bolted without hesitation, their legs burning with renewed urgency. The colossal wheels crushed the terrain behind them, sending shockwaves that nearly knocked them off their feet. Every breath they took was laced with the scent of scorched earth and smoke, and the deafening rumble of the city's movement swallowed their frantic gasps.

Lucius risked a glance back. The sheer size of the Moving City was incomprehensible—fortified walls, watchtowers, and entire districts rested upon its massive, rolling foundation. It was a world in itself, an unstoppable juggernaut that devoured the land as it pressed forward.

"We can't outrun it!" Nai cried, her voice nearly drowned by the mechanical thunder.

Lucius gritted his teeth, his mind racing. There was no way to escape—not on foot, not when they were already at their limit. His gaze darted around desperately until he spotted a sloping incline of shattered debris leading up toward the city's underbelly.

"There! The wreckage!" he pointed. "Climb it! Now!" Harriet shouted.

With no other options, they veered toward the incline, scrambling up the unstable terrain. Dust and broken stone crumbled beneath their feet as they clawed their way higher, the relentless advance of the city mere meters behind them. One misstep, one slip, and they would be swallowed whole by the monstrous wheels below.

Lucius reached the top first, gripping the edge of a rusted platform and hauling himself over. He turned just in time to catch Nai's outstretched hand, pulling her up as Yu Xuan scrambled behind her.

With one final effort, Yu Xuan lunged, and Lucius grabbed his arm, yanking him onto the platform just as the earth below was reduced to ruin.

They collapsed, panting, as the city rumbled onward, unaware of the new passengers clinging to its lower levels.

Lucius coughed, rolling onto his back as he stared up at the towering structures above. "We're alive... but what the hell did we just climb onto?"

Yu Xuan sat up, wiping sweat from his brow. "If I had to guess?" He let out a breathless chuckle. "The Moving City."

They scrambled onto the platform just in time, their lungs burning from the mad sprint. The sheer force of the moving city sent powerful tremors through the steel beneath their feet. As they steadied themselves, Lucius staggered forward, gripping a nearby railing for balance.

He peered down. Beneath them, massive steel treads churned through the earth, grinding rock and soil into dust as the city pressed onward. Enormous gears twisted and locked in place with rhythmic precision, keeping the behemoth in motion. Smoke curled from countless chimneys, and vents expelled steam with hissing bursts.

Lucius exhaled sharply. "Well, damn. This thing does exist."

Harriet, still catching her breath, shook her head in exasperation. "I hate that you might actually be right, Yu Xuan."

Yu Xuan smirked, though exhaustion dulled his usual sharpness. "Told you so."

Their moment of awe was short-lived.

A loud clang rang out behind them. Before they could react, figures in heavy metallic armor emerged from the inner corridors of the city, weapons drawn. The city guards.

"Who the hell are you lot?" barked a soldier at the front, his visor barely revealing his scrutinizing eyes.

Another soldier stepped forward, raising a strange device that whirred with energy. "Unauthorized passengers. Possible Force wielders. Standard procedure—restrain and search."

Lucius and the others tensed.

"Wait, wait—" Harriet started, raising her hands in surrender.

Too late. The guards lunged.

One grabbed Nai's arm, twisting it behind her back. She snarled, flames flickering around her fingers before something cold and metallic snapped around her wrist. The fire vanished instantly.

A force-suppressing collar.

Two more guards seized Lucius, wrenching his arms behind him. A sharp sting followed as a matching collar was locked around his neck. His body immediately felt heavier, the unnatural strength he had relied on before now completely gone.

Yu Xuan fought back, ducking and slipping from a guard's grasp, but a brutal kick to the stomach sent him crashing to the floor. The guards wasted no time shackling him.

Harriet barely had a chance to react before they restrained her too, forcing her down with precision. The collars hummed with faint energy, suppressing any trace of their Force abilities.

Then came the next part.

A guard stepped forward, rifling through their belongings. Their weapons were tossed into a nearby chest.

Lucius clenched his jaw as they seized his dagger. Nai's fists trembled as her brass knuckles were stripped away. Yu Xuan glared as they emptied his pockets. Harriet bit back a curse as her satchel was taken, the jingling of coins signaling their loss.

"Don't look so sour," one of the guards sneered. "Force wielders get special treatment. Lucky we don't just throw you off the edge."

Lucius grit his teeth but said nothing.

The leader of the squad gestured toward a side passage. "Move. Spot check first. Then we decide what to do with you."

With no other choice, they were shoved forward, forced deeper into the mechanical labyrinth of the Moving City.

To be continued -