Niko and the Wyldwalkers moved quickly through the Crystal Forest and Frostholme, each far different from anything Niko had ever seen. The Crystal Forest was aptly named, as pools of water that shone with a rainbow hue gathered around spires of some kind of fractal mineral that Niko didn’t know the name of. The essence of the location ebbed between tier three on the path they’d walked, up into tier four, and if Niko’s eyes didn’t steer him wrong, had whispers of tier five essence flowing through the air. The forest itself had pale trees with vibrant purple leaves, but Niko noticed they also had hard, crystalline material that grew within them. It was a beautiful, alien sight, and Niko dearly wanted to come back to this location and explore it more fully.
“It is a dangerous place,” Sasha had said, “But there are bounties here worth the risk. Just be aware that there are monsters that dwell here.”
“And you leave them alone?” Niko had asked, not knowing yet why they would do such a thing.
“They appear naturally, and seem to be attracted to the natural treasures within the Crystal Forest. They even cultivate them, and so, even though they are dangerous, we do not try to fully exterminate them.” Sasha patiently explained, “Furthermore, they do not wander aimlessly, so our path will be safe.”
Whatever natural treasures would warrant the presence of dangerous monsters certainly interested Niko, but they hadn’t, as of yet, seen any.
Frostholme was an incredibly gorgeous winterland, Towering fir trees with icicles that almost seemed to be growing in place of needles. The ambient essence, a minimum of low tier four, surged into tier five in many places. And, like the Crystal Forest, the essence itself felt different compared to normal essence. It was cold, austere, and carried with it a kind of solemnity such that Niko couldn’t help but imagine a lonesome cabin in the dead of winter.
Above the forest the sky seemed brighter and clearer than anywhere else Niko had seen thus far. It cast a blinding glare upon the land, such that Niko was having difficulty not using his Aether Sight in place of his regular vision. Thanks to his enhanced vision, the glare did not deny him the sight of distant arcing formations of ice, like serpents flowing from the earth and frozen like a memento, that dotted the landscape. Jutting, jagged ridges of ice pierced the ground like broken ribs, and Niko dimly recognized that Frostholme was much larger than it should have been.
Sasha had dragged their attentions forward, and Niko tried not to cluck in alarm when he saw and felt the land beneath them shift and move, carrying them through the territory with speed. Upon reaching their exit, Niko found himself appreciating the gesture as he realized that Skye, Dachna, Mithel, Stella, and Ronald were all ill equipped to handle the frigid weather.
And, finally, they had come to the final plateau, what Sasha had referred to as The Towers and the home of Riizen City. Yet, even with the name given, he couldn’t have prepared himself mentally for the sight that they now beheld.
‘These trees are like skyscrapers…’ Niko couldn’t even speak, and alongside the rest of his similarly stupefied comrades, stared openly at the monolithic plants. Somehow, they hadn’t been visible from far below, something Niko had to attribute to essence shenanigans, because otherwise there was no way this wouldn’t have been visible, even from Greenleaf. Bark of many different colors filled Niko's vision, as well as mighty reaching branches that were as large as redwoods on Earth themselves spanned hundred meter gaps between the largest of the trees. Sunlight poured through the cracks between some of the trees, but when Niko looked up, he could plainly see that the trees just barely didn’t touch each other at the highest points of the canopies. It looked like there were hundreds of thousands of mirrors made of leaves that angled to cascade a fair amount of light into the underbrush below.
And flourish it did, for Niko couldn’t see a single spot on the ground not covered in lush vegetation. It was kind of intimidating even, if only because any casual bush he looked upon dwarfed full sized trees he’d seen in the Evergreen, and he couldn’t help but imagine what might live within such a place.
“Welcome to The Towers,” Sasha spoke, and startled Niko out of his examination. Upon seeing both her and Thokk’s expressions, he knew that they were amused, and had expected the reaction. He couldn’t fault them for wanting to see what the Wyldwalkers' expressions would be–this was a once in a lifetime experience, and Niko couldn’t help but feel his emotions stir at the sheer awesomeness of the location.
“It’s incredible,” Skye uttered with a quiet sort of reverence, a hand over her heart, “I can feel the forest from here. It’s… mighty.” Skye swallowed hard, and Niko felt through his mental bridge that she truly had no word to encompass what she was feeling. And, given the deluge of sensation he could feel on the other side of their connection, Niko didn’t blame her. Even second-hand, it was like the forest was something bigger than life, a literal force of nature unto itself.
“These trees have been around even before Riizen’s leadership,” Roan spoke with what was no less than absolute respect, “It is said to be a piece of the Primordial Green, once granted by a mighty Fae in return for a favor long completed and forgotten. The rest of the mountain is full of resources and makes us wealthy, but this? This makes us… mighty.” The reddish sabrecat cast an approving nod towards Skye at that.
The Phorus was about to speak when he heard a resounding ‘crack’, like a lightning bolt shattering a mountainside in the distance. He wasn’t the only one to jump at the sound, and even Sasha’s eyes warily scanned the distant trees. More noise, like an avalanche and tsunami hitting landfall as one, albeit quieter than the initial impact, filled the air for tens of seconds, before crashing to a sudden halt. Only when several more seconds passed with nothing else happening did she and the escorts relax, allowing the Wyldwalkers to do the same.
“What was that?” Mithel asked, eyes still affixed on the far distance and the direction of the noise.
“There are very powerful beasts and monsters that live in The Towers,” Sasha answered, “Sometimes, they do a little… pruning.”
Dazedly, Niko asked, “That… That was pruning? These trees?”
Niko’s eyes followed once more to the titanic growths and their branches, and idly wondered how much power one might need to take even a smaller branch off, let alone whatever had just been done.
“Are these beasts friendly?” asked Ronald with a fair amount of trepidation.
“Some,” Sasha answered seriously, “Not all of them are sapient. And of the ones that are, not all of them are a part of Riizen.”
“Aaaaand… that’s okay?” Dachna asked with clear confusion in his voice.
Sasha chuffed amusedly, “They are powerful, but not necessarily violent. Many of them are disinterested in Riizen, though some have begun to acknowledge our existence. They are immortal, or as close to it as I can tell, and have seen the rise and fall of many beast-clans. It matters little to them, and in the first place, while the Clan Head might be able to defeat them, the price would be unbearable.”
“You said monsters, too?” Mithel fidgeted, “Are they about as powerful?”
Thokk broke in then, “Not as such. They are strong, but only once in a very long time will something of true power appear. Do you feel the essence in the air here?”
Niko paused at that, turning his attention towards the titanic trees ahead, studying them. Like Frostholme, this essence had a subtle flavor, but it was different. There was a sense of growth, of nourishment, a kind of warmth that promised peaceful and relaxing rest. It was unusual, given the sheer immensity here. Curious, Niko found himself looking at the rest of his companions, before seeing their expressions relax fractionally as they did their best to draw in ambient essence.
“It is a calm thing, isn’t it?” Thokk’s voice rumbled, “Much of what appears here reflects that nature. Even the monsters are more sedate–at least, considering that they are monsters. Myself and others of the younger generations will hunt in these areas to improve ourselves, and while it is marginally safer thanks to the essence here, it is no less challenging once battle is joined.”
After enjoying the atmosphere for a short while longer, the group reconvened and moved downwards. The slope going towards the titanwoods seemed short against the sheer size of everything else, but Niko realized soon that they were on a tall ridge. Sasha and their escorts did not, however, guide them straight down the slope. Instead, they drew closer to an especially thick clot of vegetation, and Niko was left confused as to why.
Up until they got closer, and then he realized that what had looked like solid earth from above was actually only patches of earth held between the boughs of the lower branches. The actual ground was out of sight, beneath a second, much more solid canopy.
“What the peck?... Did the trees scoop out the earth, or something?” Niko remarked upon the realization, and tried to peer down through the very few cracks to the lower ground.
“Yes, or something similar,” Sasha answered, “The titanwoods are an ecosystem unto themselves. These boughs hold much of the vibrant life you might be used to in the lowlands. But beneath this layer is the penumbral layer, and beneath that, the umbral layer. Neither are places I would recommend you go.”
Niko nodded slowly, focusing his attention briefly on the feel of the essence in the air once more. Even here in the illuminated area, there was at least tier three essence, but beneath the layer, the penumbral appeared to be solidly in the fourth tier. It was mind boggling that something like that might exist on top of a mountain, but Niko was rapidly becoming numb to the strangeness of the world.
“We’re here.” Roan called out, as they reached what Niko mistook for a monolith protruding from somewhat flat ‘ground’ of wood and soil. It was a wooden tower, one with several sigils carved into it. The reddish sabrecat put a paw against one of the lower symbols, and Niko’s eyes lit up as he watched essence interact with the carvings. They crackled against one another, before moving in a specific pattern.
At once, the wood began glowing with a warm, amber light, like a beacon, and Niko saw a trace of energy bolt into the ground. It followed the tree branch beneath, before disappearing beyond Niko’s sight range in the blink of an eye.
‘Pluck me, do the trees form a network?’ Niko felt his heart beat harder in his chest at the possibility of it, ‘That’s insanely useful. How much technology do these guys have?’
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Before he could go any further down that line of thought, Roan spoke once more, “We should receive pickup shortly.”
“Can we not walk there?” Curious, Skye asked while gesturing towards the trees around them, “It looks like there’s plenty of walkways.”
“There are,” Sasha nodded, “But many of them are roundabout, and there are places where we might have to navigate around the habitats of the more territorial denizens of this place. That, and it would likely be nightfall by the time we would be nearing the city. The Towers are significantly less safe at night, as those that dwell in the lower levels rise up to hunt at that time.”
Niko nodded at that, uncertain that he wanted to do battle with anything that might live in the darkness below without a good reason. Maybe later, when they were hunting once more, but for the time being, he was looking forward to truly seeing Riizen City.
A deep, groaning noise was heard long before Niko saw what was approaching them. It was rhythmic, punctuated with a thud and then a rise in the groaning, creaking sound. Neither their escorts nor Sasha and Thokk appeared to be concerned, instead only looking expectantly deeper into the greenery.
A shape loomed out from behind the trees, small in comparison to the titanwoods, but larger than almost any living thing that Niko had seen. Only Vol dwarfed what approached them. It was like a plot of earth had sprouted many stiff legs of wood, and a flat shell of dirt and stone, speckled with growth. Amber orbs were just visible amidst cloying vines between the arms, or legs–Niko wasn’t sure the distinction mattered–that Niko was fairly certain were functioning like eyes. It drew closer, and the groaning, creaking noise became more present, but not overbearing. Even the thuds of its limbs clamping onto higher branches and pressing into tree trunks seemed somehow muted as it drew closer.
It must have been at least fifty meters wide, oblong in shape, and the twenty long limbs that extended from its sides could reach another hundred, with relative ease. The only thing that kept Niko from hiding away from its sight was the fact that their escorts were well at ease in its presence.
Contrary to what Niko expected, the thing did not move slowly, and its grand and fluid movements gave it a kind of solid grace that seemed at odds with something so large. A large, wooden limb clamped onto the tree trunk attached to their limb, and Niko felt the vibration in his bones. It did nothing to shake the titanwood, though, and as it lowered itself to be nearly parallel with their branch, Niko almost couldn’t believe what they were going to be doing.
“Well, hop on!” Sasha called out with clear mirth, “The Moxxa isn’t going to wait forever!”
Niko shook his head in dismay as the sabrecats moved onto the stone walkway seemingly carved into its side. When Niko and his companions made it to the steps, he heard the thing rumble.
“Welcome.” The voice resonated, and Niko got the feeling that it was doing so on habit, rather than anything else.
Still, Niko didn’t want to be rude–especially to something that could arguably crush him by accident–so he shouted back, “Hello! Thanks for the ride!”
The Moxxa went much more still at that, before it resumed with a very marginal shake and humming noise. To Niko, it felt like a happy hum, but their escorts were suddenly looking at Niko with shock clear on their faces.
Sasha laughed at the display, “I did warn you that he can communicate with anything.”
Roan shook his head, “You did say that. I just didn’t think it to be literal.”
After they all got on top of the creature's back, the Moxxa began to rise from the ‘ground’, and once more Niko was surprised at just how fluidly it moved. Sasha and Thokk gestured for the Wyldwalkers to follow them to the center of the Moxxa’s back, coming to a stop before a large, solitary tree that sprouted out of the stone beneath their feet.
“There are many things that you’ll see in Riizen that run on essence, and there are many goods that can be purchased with essence as well. Are you all familiar with the process of infusing essence into an object?” Sasha asked, while looking at each of the Wyldwalkers one after the other. They all nodded, having been trained at least partially in doing so, though in Mithel’s case her ability to do so was more extensive.
“Then, you’ll simply infuse an amount of essence into the stone. Everyone will generally contribute an amount, the stronger you are the more you are expected to share over. It’s an honor system, no one is going to bother with raising a fuss over something like this, but it is viewed as rude to skimp out. I’ll start now.” Sasha stated, before placing a paw onto the tree. True to what she said, Niko watched a stream of essence enter the tree. She finished after just a moment, looking no worse for wear, “And that’s it. The Moxxa have formed a symbiotic relationship with our people, acting as transportation for us in return for a share of essence that they might otherwise have to compete for here in The Towers.”
Niko trilled an acknowledgement, “That’s pretty handy. I guess if they can absorb it just fine, then that’s a pretty good way to do things.”
Their escorts all imparted a small amount of essence, followed by the rest of the Wyldwalkers. Ronald and Stella both infused essence before the Moxxa let out a low rumble and began to move in earnest.
Sasha stopped the rest of them, “That’s enough. If you give any more, most of the essence will dissipate into the environment.”
“Is it just straight up eating the essence, or storing it?” Mithel asked while looking at the tree in detail, “I thought there was always a lot of waste between transferring essence to other beings?”
“For humanoids, that is true,” Sasha nodded, “For beasts, though, we are capable of taking in essence much more freely. That said, we can only take in so much at a time. We don’t have endless stomachs, afterall.”
Niko pointedly looked as inconspicuous as possible at that, but still felt Skye staring holes in the back of his head. Niko then quickly found himself distracted by the movements of the Moxxa through the titanwood around them. The lumbering creature felt safe, if only by sheer virtue of size. Surprisingly, Niko wasn’t sure he could quite accurately place the tier of the thing. It felt like it might be somewhere between tier three and four, but the amount of essence it carried made actually determining that to be unusually difficult.
‘Doesn’t really matter, but I do wonder how strong this thing would be in a fight.’ Niko thought to himself, before another question occurred to him. Niko turned to Sasha, asking, “Is there anything that fights these Moxxa here?”
The sabrecat’s expression soured somewhat, before she relaxed fractionally, “There are, but it’s considered bad luck to talk about them while you’re riding one of them.”
“Ah… Fair enough.” Niko clucked, equating it to how people didn’t really want to talk about airplane accidents while flying. While he wasn’t superstitious, generally, that felt like planting flags and daring the world to do something about it.
The rest of the trip was spent making small talk and preparing the Wyldwalkers for what Riizen City was like. Roan explained, “People aren’t going to know how to respond to you humanoids being around. I’m sure you’re going to get a lot of staring, maybe some mild hostility, but you won’t have to worry about anyone trying to fight you with an escort.”
Sasha added, “And we’re taking one of the Blue-Claw Clan’s dedicated paths into the city. That should cut down on the number of people that will see us. We’re going to go straight to my family's home before anyone can slow us down with too many questions.”
Niko nodded at that, feeling that all of that was to be expected. Surprisingly, though, he noted that his companions seemed to be discomforted by the idea that they might be greeted with hostility.
“I’m sure it’s nothing personal.” Niko chirruped comfortingly to them, “When I first came to Greenleaf, I wasn’t expecting anything positive, either, but things turned out okay, right?”
Skye gave him a small, sideways smile, “Yeah, but everyone thought you were our tame, so they were just looking at you like a very pretty bird.”
“Well, I am a very pretty bird,” Niko nodded self-assuredly, to the amusement of the team, “But, if it makes you all feel any better, you can all be my tames this time.”
Dachna snorted a laugh, “I don’t think that’s how that works, Drumstick.”
Niko eyed him flatly, “We can always put you on a leash and find out.”
“That could be fun.” Mithel stated before immediately slapping a hand over her mouth, aghast, before flusteredly adding, “Funny! I meant it was funny!”
“Interesting tastes,” Stella playfully jibed, “If you recommend it that much, maybe I should try doing that sometime.”
Niko saw Mithel blushing furiously at that, but also noticed Ronald’s cheeks redden slightly as well, and cawed obnoxiously with laughter along with Skye, Dachna, and the others. Luckily for Ronald, no one else seemed to have noticed, and he quickly cleared his throat and said, “In any case, it shouldn’t take too long to get to the city, right?”
With clear amusement, Sasha nodded, “Only a handful of minutes at this pace, so long as no one else needs to be picked up in the inter–”
It was then that Niko and the others felt the Moxxa rumble, turning off course from the straight path it was taking and diverting slightly.
Sasha’s tail flicked at that, “Well, it seems we’re going to have company on this trip, then. Someone else must have called for a Moxxa. If we’re lucky, another one will answer before long, and this one will resume its course.”
Niko was surprised at just how put out Sasha seemed at that, before remembering that she wanted to get back to the city sooner, rather than later.
And, sure enough, in moments the Moxxa rumbled once more, this time in a way that Niko felt like was a grumble, and turned course back towards the city.
“Guess there was one that was closer?” Niko asked, tilting his head inquiringly, “Do the Moxxa just go based off of which one is nearer to the pickup area?”
“Partly based on that, but also based on which ones are still digesting essence.” Roan dutifully explained, “As this one will be full for some time, it probably doesn’t need it.”
That seemed perfectly reasonable to Niko, though he imagined that perhaps this Moxxa wanted to stuff its face to the brim and overeat. Not that he had any room to talk, given how much Niko knew he could put down in a single sitting.
Only a handful of minutes later, they neared the city. Niko knew that not because anyone told him, but because of the trees themselves. Immense decorations and carvings dotted the bark of the titanwood’s trunks. Flags of woven material, plates with carved icons, and even massive skulls of some kinds of beasts hung from colored rope, bearing one family or anothers mark upon it. It reminded Niko vaguely of a tribal culture, yet with more sophistication than that description might initially suggest.. There was a kind of pattern to it all, and the closer to the city that they got, the more such sights greeted the company.
Until, finally, Niko beheld trees that were even larger than what he’d seen thus far. Whereas none of what he’d seen was small, these trees were twice as large as the ones they’d passed. More than that, huge vines and tree limbs extended downwards, woven and clearly intentionally maneuvered to lead off into the distance. Niko’s eyes followed the immense strands to a multi-tiered city, suspended in the air between the trees in a massive gap that could hold all of Greenleaf with plenty of room to spare. The trees held thick slabs of stone and earth in place, and upon them Niko finally laid eyes on Riizen City, and had all of his expectations blown out of the water.
It didn’t even look like beasts had made it, as it was all somewhere between a blend of rugged construction and ornate, curving architecture. Very few buildings boasted hard angles, save for rooftops, and it looked like the vast majority of the infrastructure was built to support both large and small beasts, if the wide roads with multiple walkways suggested anything to Niko. With his enhanced vision, Niko could just make out a myriad of beasts walking around in the city.
And, for some reason, he felt almost envious while looking at a not insignificant number of them that wore some form of clothing. Robes, cloaks, sashes, and all sorts of variations that Niko could think of were on display, some in bright colors, while others were more subdued. Some of them even wore what Niko thought was jewelry, though he couldn’t make out that much detail even as they approached rapidly.
“Welcome to Riizen City,” Sasha chuffed proudly while enjoying the expressions on the Wyldwalkers' faces. Niko had to admit, he might have had some primitive preconceptions about what a city built by beasts might look like, but he was happy to have been completely off the mark.
Niko trilled happily, “I think I’m going to like this trip.”