Chapter 3: Lost Sheep

  We walked back up to the gates of Grand Cluster City, now opened. As we walked, we felt cold stares from onlookers that looked like an entirely different species from the robots of the village. Where the people of Kernelle wore simple clothes and all looked rounded and sleek, these robots staring at us now looked more intense and jagged. Just like the robots living down in the pipes, most had scratched out intricate engravings on their arms, legs, and faces, not unlike tattoos, and had extra pieces of metal welded onto them. Many were covered in rust.   I looked at Ephraim. With polished metal and a clean appearance, he was a puppy among wolves. "Well, we're in it now, pals," He said.   We wandered over to what looked like a bus station. Instead of a bus sitting beside the building, though, there was a large white centipede-like crustacean with long, spindly legs folded up underneath rounded chunks of carapace. Like all the other denizens of the city, the living transport system was tattooed with colorful symbols and patterns.   Compliments to the vandals, I thought to myself. Then I wondered if I'd already met them somewhere down below in the Pipes.   Beneath the behemoth creature there was a homeless robot sleeping motionless on a bench, and beside him was a map listing stations of different districts of the city, as well as a hominid attendant waiting to accept payment.   Blizz zipped up next to me and Ephraim. "Where do we go next?"   "Good question," Ephraim answered. "Eli could be anywhere."     Explore all three districts of the city in any order, then proceed to Chapter 4