Goidel -" Tunnel activation sequence? Checked and working…Pathways formed in their usual patterns?…Check."
When left partaking in works he finds fulfilling, the lanky fighter would start to murmur, doing check-ups and listing memorized facts, in this case, about how to inspect the passageway through the void. To the amnesia duo, it was a familiar feeling, without doubt having practiced this calming ritual before.
Goidel-" Oh…a ritual? Yes, yes, that’s a great way of describing it-“, he realized after catching them following his every move like little chicks.
During brief pauses from his inspections, the beaked warrior's inquisitive mind would wonder again and again about how the amnesiacs even got in the layer. "Did they break in somehow? Teleportation? No, that's not possible because of the shell. Duplication…Maybe? Can they mess with the stones and they just act surprised when they see them?" However devious he built them in his mind, though, it didn't sway him from not finding them a bit endearing.
Goidel- " I hope I don't sound too weird saying it, but you two are an odd pair, you know?", he tried to compliment them, and to his luck, they understood that's how he meant to make it sound like.
Lian -" Thanks, I won't argue about that. Still, from my perspective you and your companions are a bit of oddballs, you know?", to which he blushed, tucking his head down, but then also thanked the girl. "Anyways", she added to change the subject, after noticing how he reacted; "I'm guessing that the path has something to do with the stones?"
Goidel -'' Yes. It's a bit of a secret of how, but we know more about how they work than most firgs. It's a perk our group gained." Lian's brow tinged a bit to that and got her thinking about what it could mean. " Does he mean that they learned it by themselves or someone taught it to them?" Before she could ponder on it more, a bright light absorbed all of their attention toward the end of the tunnel.
…..
On the other side, they confirmed the portrait with which the hunter group tried to engross them: an entirely different biome than the one they landed on. The passageway through the void brought them to a land that was just waking up from nighttime. The rays of the morning sun weren't shining on a lifeless soil, but on green and purple hills, at the base of which grew small patches of forests, and pastures. The only recurring formations were the crystal mounds and crystal towers, which Lian just noticed that didn't reflect or refract light, to her it looked like they were absorbing it. Their hues were brighter and nothing reflected off them.
The changes in the landscape didn't end there, as right beside the pillars of gems there were other towers, made out of steel and copper wires, covered in rust and a rough casing, battered by a thousand-year-old wind. They sparked from time to time when a ball of energy was flung from the top of one to another. Before they could ask where its destination was, they saw it as the sphere's journey ended at a wall connecting two hills.
Krass -" That, you two, is our end of the road. The city of Caer Sidi", declared the Captain with a big smirk rounding the orange beard on his chin.
…
Until the city could welcome them, the crew had to traverse through the dense forest in front of it. The closer they got to it, the darker the paved road ahead became, blanketed from the light by the thick foliage.
-" Oh, a hardwood forest?", asked Ogda in wonder.
-" Kinda", replied in a monotone manner Blitz. " It does mimic the ecosystem found on Earth, but this forest mixes all of them into one. It's got ashtrees, maples, oaks, and multiple types of pines!..."
-"Oh..his sickly tone does get more energized when he wants to explain stuff", remarked Ogda, safely, in his thoughts.
Lian, on the other hand, was busy trying to keep an eye on the wall. From a distance, it looked quite big, enough to strike her senses a bit, but the closer she got, the faster she understood the kind of tricks perspective could play. The forest wasn't the actual culprit for the lack of light in the area.
The "sun", or whatever light source there was, couldn't get past the tip of the wall until later in the day, enough to charge the crystal towers around," which probably feed the land and plant life", guessed Lian.
Krass- “ Bingo”, having catched the redhead’s mumbles.
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This, unfortunately, left the path mired in unsettling dread and chilly air; but not for long, as they arrived at the gate, signs of the bath of light shimmered beneath the giant entrance.
Several wicket doors of increasing sizes adorned the gate; Blitz, being the tallest, opened the third of the smaller ones, which gave enough space for the sun to pass through and the brightness to raise tenfold.
Lian imagined then what would happen when the entire entrance would open; it also explained why the flora caught in the brief cone of radiance was much greener than the rest of the forest.
The blinding light hit them, incapacitating the amnesiacs for a second, and the duo forgot about their worries. No strange lands, no memory loss, nothing except the excitement of a new place. One filled with unknown creatures of unknown sizes and unknown everything.
A step inward and their concept of this world was already altered. Thin colossi were carrying basket-containers on their heads and saluting another titan who was working on some construction work on the wall. Then there were the colors. Creatures that seemed related in appearance had a different skin color from each other, or spots and markers that separated them from one another.
Dresses. Just like Blitz and Goidel, each dressed citizen looked like a townie either from a Medieval era or a futuristic one. There was no consistent fashion sense among them, or as Lian suspected, some might not even wear anything at all.
-" Huh. So it does seem like some of the clothes and tools are stitched into their bodies, while other pieces seem like wearables ... .Incredibly, Krass wasn't lying about firgs!", she thought. The wonder of the place was exciting to her, but not enough to hinder from trying to make some mental observations.
Ogda, on the other hand, was curious to find out more from the people up close and personal, stretching his head in everyone’s personal space. Blitz, sensing their growing enthusiasm, made up an expedient excuse and grabbed all their equipment back to their base. Krass, having the same tingling senses, "jokingly" used his Captain privilege to run away in a flash, around a building and reappear right behind them.
Krass -" Seriously now, though," he said, after giggling at his own joke, "it was a pleasure to meet you two, but I do have real duties to attend to. Goidel…"
Goidel -" But, my notes…and the library…I've been outside of it much longer than we even originally agreed on", he responded sheepishly, with his voice slowing down in both volume and speed with each word.
-" Goidel, please", asked the Captain, nicely. "We can't just leave them unattended, and besides, Feth is taking care of that collection of dusty tomes. You trust him, don't you?"
Krass -" I do, yes, he's much more clever and careful than I, but still…Can't you ask someone else? Nizzio is right there…", he tried to argue back, pointing toward the titan who was repairing the wall.
-" And she is working, and so are others…", Krass sighed, after trying to not raise his voice.
Goidel-" But…but", he staggered, trying to find another way out. He looked, then turned to Krass, then back to the two, then back at him, until something clicked: "Human! Arim! He is human, just like her. They would have more in common, wouldn't you say?"
Krass, who imagined how long the discussion would take if it continued like this, instantly got tired of it and decided on a compromise. "Ok, fine…At least he's a tad more of a people person than you. Take the two to a visitor's center, get them a temporary visa, and then take them to the FitforaBit shop and get them some clothes. I'll tell Arim to meet you there, ok?" After which he sprinted like a man chased by misfortune, disappearing from their sight in seconds.
…..
Following the still timorous, but also bitter firg, the duo went on a silent tour, unsure of how the apparent librarian would react to more questions. Ogda was fine with this arrangement, though, as he was more interested in discovering the town than being told about it.
The wide street passage was covered in multiple bricklayers, strong enough to sustain all kinds of weights crossing over it. He also took notice of the size of each building, each covered with multiple types of doors and windows, made for as many types of firgs as possible.
-"Three…Seven…doors. Is it reinforced somehow on the inside?" Ogda's list of curiosities grew with each new building they passed by. His one eye was ogling at everything that caught his attention, and unbeknownst to him, he also caught some back. It seems like even among these natives, someone with peculiarities like him was still a rarity. "Is this leading somewhere? But it looks blocked at the end…except for those handles. Is that a ladder? Oh, and about this? Why does it spin like that?" In his excitement, he kept stretching his neck and limbs, a bit too much for Lian.
Lian -" I'm glad you're having fun Ogda, but I think you should be a bit more careful with the stretching."
Ogda -" What?" he asked, a bit confused, until he noticed his elongated, and brittle, body. "Oh, right. My bad, I'll try to keep it down".
Lian -" No, no, I didn't mean it like that. I don't mind it, it's just that we don't know the limits of your powers yet". But even with that remark, she still felt like she was admonished for nothing. " I have an idea! I'm a bit curious about this place as well, you know. Can you give me a lift so I can take a look around?"
He swiftly, and happily agreed. Up, from his high, Lian understood a bit more why he was acting so ecstatic. The city was a jumble of different extremes and sizes, but it had symmetry and beauty in its seemingly anachronistic design. She didn't know why, but the way it was built made her feel warm inside, proud even. And a joyful smile finally caught up to her.
…
With a stride in his pace, a young man was muttering in his gauntlet as if arguing with someone on the other side of a phone. Frustrated mostly, as the two had different plans on what to do that evening.
Young man -'' Yeah but, Zinc, I can literally feel when you're lying, I know you just want to try the game Tommen brought from the human world", he remarked in a laid-back, but victorious tone. The voice in the gauntlet stopped for a second, caught off-guard by the remark. He wanted to say something in return, but the boy knew exactly what his counter-argument would be" No, she is also doing a tour for a visitor, so as fellow trainees, we can do the same. But, if you are in such a rush, do you want to try something?"
The boy whispered an idea to the gauntlet, and a second later, the glove expanded. A thin, crimson armor covered his legs, from the tip of the neck, over the spine and part of his torso, but left the rest of the body free. Along with the protection, the armor enhanced the boy's speed, agility, and jumping height, far outclassing anything an Olympic gold medalist could achieve.
Their sprint left a trail of dust behind, and his jumping height brought them from one rooftop to another. Still, as both surmised, the young man was still leagues behind the capabilities of Krass or Goidel.
Young man-" Hey, Zinc…you still want to become a full-fledged Union member with me?", he asked after stopping briefly to admire the view over the wall.
The gauntlet stayed silent, but the boy smiled. He received his message, one only he could hear.
Young man -" Understood. Then, let's not keep our visitors waiting. Or Mister Goidel; I'm guessing he's getting a bit weary from being so long away from the library."