The rock pillar we headed for was mostly separate from the rest of the city. Only one other bridge connected it with the rest. It reminded me a little of the foreign traders' quarters in Gothol'gathrak with the exception that no additional gates barred us from actually entering the city. There probably were other security measures in place though. I wouldn't have been surprised if that bridge leading deeper into the city were collapsible. Either way I didn't mind. The way it was situated provided us with some privacy as well as some peace and quiet in general. The cavern was rather busy after all.
Our accommodations in turn left me speechless, as Gib led us into a suite of rooms. There were several bedrooms, a bath and several other rooms, like a sitting room, a fully furnished office as well as a kitchen and even a dedicated armory, arranged around a central courtyard which sported a surprising amount of greenery. There was even a sort of drip irrigation system carved into the rock to make sure none of the plants would turn into dried out husks. Never mind the lighting that matched the larger crystal pillars. This was well beyond anything I had expected.
Most importantly though, both Gash'zur and I had ample space. Especially head space. Neither goblins nor the forgeborn fashioned in their image would have needed it. Lower ceilings would have been more practical. Most curious. Would the rest of the city be like that as well? Almost like in Gothol'gathrak? I decided to ask. “Ye have rooms ready for big folk? And not just on short notice.” I gestured to encompass the rooms around us. “This must take some serious effort to maintain. And ye do it although ye probably don't get all that many visitors. Or am I wrong?”
He kept walking at my side as I made the rounds of our quarters. “Certainly, it takes effort but it is no wasted effort. And never mind the height ceilings. Pretty much all the public spaces are built like that. It keeps people from going stir crazy. Even short people like us need room to breath. Can't do that if your head brushes against the ceiling.” He laughed out loud. “If ye find yerself in any place with a noticeable lower ceiling around here ye have probably stumbled into a supply closet or something of the likes.”
He slapped his hands against his tights and bowed. “Now if ye will excuse me. I'll see about getting a meal delivered for ye. Make yerself comfortable and rest up. There be people who would asked to see ye and even more who would ask ye questions for sure but there is no hurry.” He pointed to a small room near the entrance of the suite. “I'll leave someone if ye should be needing for anything else. If ye have questions don't hesitate to ask. I can't promise ye answers to all of them but we will try.”
I nodded and watched him go. Most of his squad left with him but as he had promised three headed for the small room that was not quite a guardroom. They probably had orders to keep an eye on us. Wandering around unsupervised in an entirely unknown city of people I was not really familiar was not on the list I wanted to do right now anyway. In a way our little guard detail would keep us out of unnecessary trouble as well. First things first though. I sat down on one of the stone benches in the courtyard and Gash'zur moved over to join me. “Any plans or ideas?”
She sat down as well to marvel at the greenery no mess than I did. For a moment we both were silent then she spoke up. “I honestly have no idea. All stories about goblins I know, and there are precious few of them, are old. Really old. Already more legend than just plain history. That we actually encountered them surprised me as much as you. That we now sit in their city …” She shook her head as she trailed off. “If we get a chance to tell the tale I doubt many would believe it.”
I perked up again at the last part. No easy feat considering how heavy my body felt right now. “You think they might not let us go?”
She shrugged and bit her lower lip. “I don't know. Maybe? Big secrets like this city are not kept by letting everyone who could tell a tale about it just wander off into the world.”
I groaned. “Yeah, two people can keep a secret, if one of them is dead. Or something like that?”
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She nodded. “Something like that. Although it could be quite possible that the city becomes our gilded cage instead. Not the worst fate one could imagine but probably not what either of us had in mind for the rest of our lives.”
“Mhm.” I got back up and stretched thoroughly. “I guess we will have to wait and see about those people who want to see us and the questions they would like to ask?”
She nodded and got up as well. “Lets make use of the armory first. There are cleaning rags, oil and proper tools! It has been a while since we had a chance to properly take care of our gear. That will give us something to pass the time while we wait for the meal Gib promised.”
I followed her through the archway leading to the armory, undoing my belt even as we walked. Once we arrived we spread out our gear on a table each. It wasn't much but that was all the more reason to take good care of it. We took our time cleaning and oiling everything that needed it. By the time the scales of my armor, which had been collecting more grime than anything else, shone in their usual luster again Gash'zur was done with her gear as well and we returned to the courtyard after a quick visit to the bath.
The hot springs had been nice but as they were they couldn't compare to an actual bath with actual soap, sponges, towels and even some scented oils. It really helped me feel alive again.
One of the forgeborn awaited us as we arrived. “We arranged a light meal for ye in the sitting room.” Even as he talked, he led the way. “A gazpacho, a cold vegetable soup, and some mashed ashroot with honey and fresh berries.” He bowed as we walked past him into the room.
There were two bowls, one cold, the other still steaming hot, for either of us. A cold vegetable soup? That sounded a little adventurous. It didn't look bad though. It had a lively red color and was pretty thick. It was eclipsed by the mashed ashroot though. The smell was heavenly and although it was a pretty simple dish it looked no less heavenly in my eyes.
I bowed my head as well. “Thank ye for the meal.” As I sat down I realized something though. There was only one spoon for me and one for Gash'zur. I shot the forgeborn a questioning look.
He seemed a little confused until I picked up the one spoon I had. Finally he nodded in understanding. “I'm terribly sorry! I assumed ye would know. Ye usually drink the gazpacho right from the bowl.”
I nodded and flashed him a smile. Now that sounded intriguing. Could I drink it as a cold drink to complement the mashed ashroot? I wasn't quite sure, since the mashed ashroot was of the sweet kind with plenty of honey and the berries, real raspberries, probably were sweet as well. I was willing to give it a try though.
As it turned out it was an adventurous combination. Not in a bad way though. Or maybe that was just my body signaling me that it really appreciated getting some vegetables and fruit, for a change. The helpings were pretty generous but when I finished nothing remained and the same was true for the giantess and her bowls. We looked at each other and grinned sheepishly.
Our guard had left us during the meal. Thus we made our way to our rooms on our own afterwards. Darkness had fallen as we ate. It wasn't complete darkness though. Carefully cultivated lichen growing in reliefs cut into the walls provided just enough light for us to find our way.
We each had a room for ourselves. I had considered sharing one, at least briefly, but in the end we decided to get a proper bed for each of us since we could for change. The beds were hewn from the very rock but they had actual mattresses, pillows and fine sheets! I fell asleep pretty much as soon as I pulled up the sheets around me and my head hit the pillow.