Chapter 67

Hadia, the larger of two moons, was high in the sky, bathing the rocky expanse in a pale blue light.

Craggy outcroppings cast eerie shadows as Tobias stared out into the tranquil night.

A yawning chasm of blackness hid the valley below, granting their camp an otherworldly air as if suspended in a void of reality that was wholly theirs.

Cid sat a few feet away, having his own staring contest, chewing his jerky meditatively.

As much as Riley missed Ashenvale sometimes, as much as she was afraid, those small quiet hours in the depths of the night were her favorites.

The feeling of danger was natural, not liked, to be certain, but natural. Of course she was in danger; ever since awakening as she was, there was a particular edge the world had gained that kept her wary and watchful, which were good habits for a ranger.

There was a side effect, though, any moment of peace in the storm became precious, quiet moments where they were safe enough that they didn't have to constantly look over their shoulder; those were the good times.

Which made now, for all the troubles, trials, and storms raging around her, a good time, even if the future yawned before her as inky and black of a void as the valley was currently below.

She knew the truth of it, though. They had come up from that valley just after sundown. She couldn't see it now, but it was full of trees, life, and water. Everything one needed to live, really, so who was to say the future wasn't the same? That it was obscured did not mean there wasn't hope of a way forward or a pathway through.

As certain as it was to Riley that cautious awareness was a part of her nature, that knowledge was, too.

Someday, no matter how far off it may seem, there would be a sunrise, and all would be revealed, be it light or shadow.

Riley hoped for the light, though she expected the shadow, as recollection of the shadow within her left her colder than the frigid breeze moving through the peaks.

Tobias stood up and scanned around before looking up at Hadia, "It's a good night for mana potions. Everyone ready to move?"

Cid swallowed his last bite before standing, dusting off his pants, "Let's get this done."

He yawned and stretched his arms before bouncing on his feet.

"You know the way, and I think it's best we keep our headlamps stowed but move carefully. I don't like these heights in these conditions. Full moon or no," Tobias cautioned.

"Aye, stay close to me and watch your feet. Before you look ahead, look down, then away," Cid instructed.

It was one of many mantras that had joined a choir of instruction within Riley's subconscious.

As if some hidden signal were sent, Cid set off at a brisk walk in stark contrast to the quick jog that had taken them to this craggy place.

The reason soon became clear as they arched up only to turn left, walking the narrow ridge line with deep abyssal blackness to the left and right.

The wind howled, cutting channels through Riley's fur. Tobias pulled his cloak closer to him but did not slow.

As the hour drew on, a soaking cold settled into her harness, and soon enough, her jaw trembled as the night found reason to be colder.

"Would you mind setting me on fire?" She asked with her teeth chattering, causing a stutter within her mental projection.

"It'll be warmer soon enough; keep up the pace," Cid urged.

She'd heard that before, plenty of times, and it was all, near universally, bull shit.

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Riley had the better of it when they slept rough out here. Most days, Tobias was up against a rock wall or a tree, with nothing but his heavy cloak for a blanket, but Riley could lay across his lap or be pressed up against his side when they had nothing but tall grasses.

The cloak wrapped around her, trapping her body heat, allowing her to efficiently share it, mixing with Tobias' own.

She knew she helped, as a warm fuzzy center existing near his core, but all of her was surrounded by the now heavily worn and frayed garment.

"Yeah, I definitely had the better of it," she said to herself as she loped along in a near dream like state, waiting for the day when she could curl up and feel a little safe again, a little warm. A nice fire to lay beside would be perfect, or that sunbeam that drifted like a lazy reminder of days gone by that were never really that lazy.

Though, compared to ranger training, they were downright placid and dull.

"Dull would be nice," she mused, trying to keep her mind off her cold paws and frozen hide. From what she could remember from her human life, the cold hurt at least a little less; that, or she was more suited for it.

"Cruelty free fur coat," though that was a half-truth too; there had been a lot of cruelty leading up to her current existence, even if it was born on the hunger of a being that knew nothing else.

Hunger... The memory echoed through her mind like a howling wind, reminding her of the darkness and cold within her own patchwork soul...

Riley shuddered.

"Hold!" Cid whispered, holding up his hand.

The trail had narrowed, black rocks shone in the moonlight, making up the hard stone floor of the ridge they were walking over.

There was little gravel or debris. Instead, a worn and weathered shiny stone dominated the landscape, interrupted only by patches of snow that glowed with ethereal light under the full moon of Hadia.

Tobias halted and dropped low, his hand falling to his sword hilt in wary caution, "What do you see?"

Cid pulled the obsidian torc from his neck and ran his fingers over the rock wall while holding onto his power.

To Riley's surprise, sigils etched into the stone began to glow. Cid tapped his torc three times against it, causing the stone to rumble.

With a quiet crack, a seam formed, and a cavernous opening appeared as the stone simply vanished.

"Cool!" Riley exclaimed as Cid stuck his hand into the opening.

"It's warmer than out here," he corrected.

Tobias chuckled, "Another Rileyism."

Cid nodded, "Follow me; we aren't far now, but stay close," he urged as they filed in.

Blue crystals set into the stone every three feet glowed to life, causing Riley to squint against the onslaught of adequate light, revealing a smooth black walled channel cut smooth through the solid rock, much like Timbergarde.

"Final few miles," Cid encouraged.

Out of the wind, it was warmer, and something within Riley relaxed as she hopped down the long, mysterious corridor.

Looking back, the door had reappeared; ahead, the blue crystal lights traced down to a parallax.

"How was this made?" She asked, moving along in wonder.

"Magic, like Timbergarde, but no one knows who created it. Some say it was the Fae; others say it was a lost empire called the Avamari. Who knows? Ranger Central was founded two millennia ago at the end of the Ashen Wars, which is nothing compared to how long this place has been here," Cid explained.

"Two coppers for the tour?" Tobias joked, his demeanor easing now that they were under cover.

"Oh, you're about to get a silver's worth," Cid grinned cryptically, brightening for the first time since Timbergarde.

Another thirty minutes melted by as they moved down the straight channel through the rock. There were no curves, bends, or imperfections; the space was preternaturally and eerily perfect as if the mountain had found some strange method to grow that way.

"One hell of a choke point. My inferno or chaos cracker would do the damage in here. Fish in a barrel," she mused.

The tunnel ended, without ceremony or sign, dead ending to a solid stone wall. Still holding his obsidian torc in his hand, Cid repeated the ritual, holding his magic, feeding the sigils within before tapping it three times against the wall.

A burst of cold air hit Riley causing her to brace, as she saw Tobias pull his cloak tighter.

Dawn was breaking, the sun just beginning its daily journey to the east as Riley beheld the burning red orb rising over towering mountain peaks that surrounded Ranger Central like impossibly high stone walls.

Four peaks set roughly towards the four cardinal directions jutted proudly up into the dawn sky. As if in mirror, a fortress similar to Timbergarde was centered in the small valley, consisting of a central keep that towered up many stories, in the same art deco configuration of that fateful tower; yet this one had central walls jutting from each of its four sides that connected to high towers, which mirrored the peaks.

From Riley's angle, she could make out wide grassy lawns between the octets she could see, giving way to a small circle of path just before the wall, that seemed to run the length of the tiny valley.

The fortress took up almost every bit of available space and, like Timbergarde, appeared almost natural, as if it was carved or weathered out of the stone surrounding. Still, such a thing, without magic, she knew to be impossible.

This place was created as a wonder that all of the technology in the world she remembered could never duplicate.

In this world, with its hidden access, high peaks, and obscured nature, it redefined the term defensible.

"Wow," she marveled as Tobias stood with his eyes wide and his jaw gaping open.

"Feel like you've gotten your two coppers worth yet? Come on, let's get checked in and some chow," Cid prompted, with a weary but happy grin on his face.