Chapter 34: Visit
The upper spires of the Johannesburg Mega City felt like an entirely different planet.
Down in Sector Nine the sky was always choked with thick gray smog and the streets smelled of ozone and garbage. Up here above the cloud line the air was crisp and clean purified by massive atmospheric mana filters. The buildings were constructed from gleaming white marble and reinforced glass reflecting the bright afternoon sun.
Glen stepped off the high speed transit elevator and adjusted the collar of his black jacket. He felt entirely out of place. The citizens walking past him wore tailored silk suits and elegant dresses. They looked at his heavy combat boots and the massive black longsword strapped to his back with a mixture of curiosity and mild disgust.
He ignored them and walked toward the Zenith Medical Pavilion.
The hospital looked more like a luxury resort than a medical facility. The lobby was filled with lush green plants and the soft sound of running water from an indoor fountain.
Glen walked up to the front desk. The receptionist a polished young man in a crisp white uniform smiled politely.
"Welcome to Zenith sir. How may I help you?"
"I am here to see Mary Mcdonald" Glen said.
The receptionist typed the name into his glowing terminal. His polite smile faltered slightly as he read the file. "Ah yes. The patient from... Sector Nine. She is in the premium recovery wing. Room 402. Take the crystal elevator to the fourth floor."
Glen nodded and headed up.
When he pushed open the door to Room 402 he stopped in his tracks. The room was massive featuring a floor to ceiling window that offered a breathtaking view of the city skyline.
His mother was sitting up in a plush adjustable bed reading a digital book. The heavy humming machines and breathing tubes that had surrounded her in the slum hospital were gone. Her skin had regained its color and she looked ten years younger. The synthetic lung treatments and high tier alchemy had worked miracles.
"Mom" Glen said softly stepping into the room.
Mary looked up her face breaking into a bright warm smile. "Glen."
She set her book down and opened her arms. Glen walked over and hugged her carefully avoiding putting any pressure on his healing ribs.
"Look at you" Mary said pulling back and inspecting his face. She reached up and gently touched the faint scar on his cheek. "You look like you have been fighting a war. I saw the tournament broadcast Glen. I saw what that giant boy did to you."
"I am fine Mom" Glen smiled pulling the black metallic card from his pocket. "The medics here are top notch. And it was worth it. Look."
He handed her the Independent License.
Mary took the card her eyes widening as she read the engraved letters. She knew exactly what it meant. It meant her son was no longer bound to the slums. It meant he was free.
Tears welled up in her eyes. "Oh Glen. I am so proud of you. But you have to promise me you will be careful. The people in this city, the Guilds, they do not play fair."
"I know" Glen said his voice gentle but firm. "But so do I."
He spent the next hour sitting by her bed talking about everything except the monsters and the demonic anti mana. They talked about the food in the hospital the view from the window and the ridiculous outfits the upper city citizens wore. For the first time in his life Glen felt a profound sense of peace. His mother was safe.
When visiting hours ended Glen took the elevator back down to the lobby.
Waiting for him by the indoor fountain were Isla and Caleb. Isla was leaning against the marble rim her arms crossed while Caleb was tossing a gold coin into the water and trying to catch it with a tiny localized gravity field.
"How is she?" Isla asked as Glen walked over.
"She is doing great" Glen smiled feeling a massive weight lifted off his shoulders. "The alchemy treatments cleared her lungs completely. She is going to be discharged in a few days so that’s that."
"That is great news" Caleb said successfully catching the coin and pocketing it. "Which means we have exactly a few days to figure out where we are going to live. Because I am not going back to the academy dorms and I assume you do not want to drag your mother back to Sector Nine."
Glen frowned. He had not thought that far ahead. "I put all my money into her medical trust. I am completely broke."
Isla rolled her eyes and pushed off the fountain. "You two are hopeless. Follow me. I already solved our housing problem."
They left the hospital and walked through the pristine streets of the upper spires. Isla led them away from the bustling commercial districts and toward the older historic sector of the city.
They stopped in front of a massive wrought iron gate. Beyond the gate sat a sprawling stone estate. It was beautiful but heavily overgrown with wild vines and thick weeds. The windows were dark and the stone pathway was cracked.
"Welcome to the Sinclair family estate" Isla said pulling a heavy brass key from her duster. "It has been abandoned for five years since the Astra Guild bankrupted my parents. But the deed is still in my name."
Caleb whistled looking at the massive mansion. "It is a bit of a fixer upper. But it beats a bunk bed."
"It is perfect" Glen said looking at the high walls and the private courtyard. "It is a fortress."
Isla unlocked the gate and pushed it open. "It is our new base of operations. But before we can start planning our next dungeon dive we have to clean the courtyard. And Mcdonald you are doing the heavy lifting."
Glen laughed drawing his massive black longsword. "Finally. A challenge."
