An ancient city sitting in the middle of the most hostile to live desert anyone could imagine, glowing in an eerie green light. Now that did sound somewhat ominous. It looked that way as well. That the Devourer's pawns were headed there didn't exactly make things better either. Not in the eyes of anyone else at least. I on the other hand felt as if I was headed exactly where I needed to be. It felt as if a plan was finally coming together although it certainly wasn't any plan of mine. Maybe I should have been worried but I wasn't.
We left Gib and those of his squad who had never been to the surface to their stargazing before long, returning inside. It was more than just a bit chilly out there after all. It was a combination of the cold season and the altitude. Not even the lava lake and the whole rest of the volcanic activity could hide that we were high up in the mountains in winter. How did those on watch duty get through a whole shift under these conditions? Certainly, they wore thick clothing under their armor and cloaks that were just as thick over it but that couldn't be all. It had to be some kind of magic. Possibly an enchantment on their gear.
Quietly the giantess and I made our way back to our room. That room presented us with more immediate concerns which made me forget about where we would go from here at least for a short little while. The beds were obviously not made for someone our size. We might have made do putting some of them together but even then I was afraid that they might break under our weight. In the end we decided to only use the mattresses, the sheets and the pillows. Using those to build ourselves some makeshift bedding had the additional advantage of being quieter than moving the best as a whole. There were still some off duty crews sleeping after all.
Once that was done the problems rearing their ugly heads in our immediate future were back on my mind though. I just couldn't ignore them any longer. How should I get this conversation started? I pulled my blanket a little closer around myself. Gash'zur raised an eyebrow as I struggled to find the right words. Finally I just blurted out what came to mind first. “How are we going to get back home?”
She chuckled and smacked me with one of the spare pillows.. “Are you sure that is our most immediate concern? You saw whatever that was looming, and not figuratively either, on the horizon in the north.”
“Hey!” That came out a little louder than intended. I quickly shut up again and threw the pillow back at her. “Yes. I saw it and I'm positively certain that we will be heading that way before long. Maybe as early as tomorrow. Whatever awaits us there doesn't change that I very much intend to get back alive and back home afterwards as well. I have no intention to die out there.”
She caught the pillow effortlessly and tucked it back under her head. What I said seemed to put her at ease. At least a little. “Well, we could return here afterwards and make our way back south through the Deep Dark. We crossed it once. We can cross it again. That is if you aren't afraid of the things we now know to lurk down there.”
I groaned. “Not afraid. Still, do we have any other options? Especially ones that don't require us to forsake the open sky and the fresh air up here once more.”
“Hmm.” She fell silent for a moment as she pondered either my question or the other options she knew. “We could head either east or west. There are two well known gaps in the Ringwall Mountains. Although calling them gaps migth be a bit of a misnomer. They are easy enough to traverse mountain passes though. We should be able to cross them even in winter.”
She paused briefly to catch her breath before she continued to provide some more detail. “The insectoid Klik'I'Tik even run caravans through the Shimmering Desert from one side to the other using these passes. They are the only ones willing or foolish enough to brave the desert regularly. If we head north we should in theory even come across their caravan route. The gap in the east is closer than the one in the west. At least I think it is.”
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The Klik'I'Tik? The mention of them got me thinking of the stories I had heard and read while growing up. Supposedly some of their insect mounts were as big as houses if not bigger. It was hard to imagine. I shook my head in attempt to shake off this stray thought. “Keep going.”
Gash'zur nodded and did as I told her. “Either way, we would end up in foreign lands neither of us has ever seen. We would have to make our way back from there, southward and either east- or westward. It would take us a while. Even considering that the two of us can move pretty fast if we are on our own.”
She was right of course. The route back through the Deep Dark would be much faster by comparison. It would probably be more dangerous as well though. I wasn't quite satisfied yet. “Any other options? It isn't that I'm opposed to seeing new lands and strange people but are there any other paths that could take us home quicker? Some hidden secret mountain passes maybe?”
Now the giantess rolled her eyes. “If they exist I wouldn't know of them. What with them being secret hidden mountain passes and all that. Maybe you could smack some sense into that dragon instead and have it fly us back home? Have it deliver us right onto the doorstep of Bleak Peak. Crash it into the ground near one of the volcanic vents and then make a run for it so the defenders can broil it in its own scales?”
I groaned. “As if it could be that easy.” A moment later my stomach rumbled. “You just had to mention something food related, didn't you?” This time it was one of my spare pillows that went flying her way.
She caught it as easily as the last one and sent flying right back at me. “That is the other thing I'm worried about. Cravings for strange food or at strange times will not the only thing you will be facing. Eventually. Especially if we take longer getting back home.”
I caught the thrown pillow for a change. With my face. Just as well. That way I could bury it right into it as I flopped back down onto my bedding. “Thank you. I was trying not to think about that too much.” I was mumbling into the pillow but she must have heard me fine enough. A moment later my stomach grumbled again.
The giantess must have taken that as a prompt to get back up. A moment later she pulled me out of bed and back onto my feet as well. “Come on. Ignoring your stomach isn't a good idea in the best of times. Lets see if we can get a little late night snack. I'm sure the cook won't protest too much. I doubt they have much experience with big folks like us. They'll probably just think that the portions of our evening meal were too small.”
I groaned once again but decided to follow her lead. As we reached the door I hurried back inside again though, to grab something from my pack. I grabbed our Chameleon Skin cloaks as well. It was a little too chilly for just night clothes after all. Especially if the latter were essentially just underwear.
Gash'zur wrapped herself in her cloak as I did the same. She raised an eyebrow though as she saw the other thing I had brought.
I just stuck my tongue out at her. “Whatever we can scrounge up in the mes shall, I want some of that herbal tea the apothecary mixed for me in Hearth Forge. Nice and hot preferably.”
That seemed to satisfy her curiosity. She just shrugged and led the way in the direction of the mess hall. Just as we got going a bell rang out, signaling the change of watch shifts. Gash'zur turned my way, grinning. “Seems we are lucky. If they change shifts now there is sure to be some food in the mess, both for those who go off duty and those who's shift just starts.”