Chapter 13

Explaining the concept of snow to someone who’d never even seen rain and had no previous knowledge that water could become a solid... was a tough concept to convey. However, as he attempted to explain, Touwon was aware of the concept of ice somehow. He nodded in agreement and barked out a few short words in their language to support Oskar’s explanation because her face went from suspicious and confused to simply skeptical.

Oskar was fairly sure that was all the progress he was going to make on that front for the time being. Also, it was apparent Touwon could understand Oskar perfectly, but either chose not to speak it or had some difficulty with it. Either way worked for Oskar.

As long as I can do call outs if things go south. We'll need it if we end up fighting one of those big snake things... or worse out here.

Additionally, a running Wayspring was not something to be complacent around. Many creatures had adapted to being very good at finding water, but hopefully most of those wouldn't be willing to fight for it. They would bide their time until it was left unguarded. They sat around and relaxed, but kept an eye out for danger.

Concerned, Oskar watched the Wayspring water pouring out of the hose into the sand. He couldn't drink another drop, and all their water-skins were full. The strangest thing about it was he didn’t feel the desire to relieve himself at all, despite having drank easily a gallon of water over the past hour. This would have been dangerous back home. His body must have been even more desperate for hydration than he’d thought.

Seeing his concern about the wasted water, Fox said, “It is not a waste. There is always enough for those who need it. It seems wasteful, but the water comes from the sand as a gift. We have taken our fill. Our bellies and our skins are full. The Wayspring will dry at the end of its time, no matter our actions.”

“We could close off the siphon, try to shore up the pool of water. It has been tried by all before, but it will sink back into the ground at its appointed time. Only waterskins and bellies can contain it. Larger containers work, too, but are unwieldy and require constant guard. This is our way.”

She reached over and sprayed him with the cold water, laughing as he failed to dodge out of the way from his seated position. He was about to ask about the Great Storm when his newfound sense told him something was coming, something huge. His face must have given him away, because Fox and Touwon both stood, backing slowly towards the wall of the dune; the hose forgotten, pouring the precious water into the sand.

Above them, something massive was overhead, yet causing only the barest hint of a shadow. He could hardly see what he was looking at until his PUB interface surrounded something in the sky above in a thin outline. Oddly, a name popped up nearby. That had never happened with a creature before.

Tinembrous

A massive whale shaped cloud filled the sky, but was only visible because of a shimmering, subtle sparkle that was outlined by his PUB interface. There was no threat level. He felt no sense of danger, just a general sense of something impending and immovable coming. As he looked at Fox and Touwon, he wasn’t shocked to see them both staring up with their mouths open, just as surprised as he was.

Their PUBs must have pointed it out to them as well. I wonder if they get as much sass as I do.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Fox whispered, “A Skywhale. I never thought it true.”

The massive Skywhale lumbering across the sky completely eclipsed his multitude of questions. Swimming might be a better word if such a thing were even possible. As if any of this was possible even a day ago.

Although, If Penny can swim in the sand, a giant cloud whale could swim through the sky, I guess.

As he watched it move closer, he noticed he could see the expanse of space through the whale like a cloudless night, the unfamiliar stars shining and blinking visibly even in the daylight. The entire experience was profound. The sheer sense of scale humbled Oskar on a level that he would never forget. He wouldn’t want to forget it.

They watched in awe as it gracefully flew overhead. The temperature dropped disproportionately to the small amount of shade it offered, but the entire experience was beyond surreal. It eventually floated out of sight. It took hours, but they were content to watch it pass over in relative silence.

The sudden increase in heat on his shoulders brought him back to reality, such as it was. He turned to his totally normal purple Kobold friends in the middle of an endless desert under two suns on a strange planet. This was reality. The heat bearing down on him was a truth, as Fox would say. The constant wind just overhead was a truth.

That huge Skywhale was a truth, too, whatever the hell it was.

“So, care to explain what the hell that was?” he asked.

Fox, still staring up in wonder, “A legend. They used to be heralds of either a great storm, or a guardian of the Great Tree,” she shrugged. “Or Trees. Either way, it seems to be a lie. I see no storms, not a cloud in the sky, and all the Trees are dead. Yet, still… I never imagined I would see one myself.”

“Is Tinembrous the name of the Skywhale or the name of the species?” He asked.

Fox looked at him curiously before asking, “I do not know. Where did you hear that name?”

“My PUB. Check yours,” he said, confused. “My Goggles interface outlined it and then a name appeared.”

“Your PUB interface gave you a na-“ she stopped as Touwon began barking at him in the Kobold language and ran over to inspect Oskar’s Goggles and Bracer. The sudden movement startled Penny, who dove under the sand with a chirp.

Fox listened intently, answering Touwon in their language before turning to Oskar and said, “You have a matching set?”

Her eyes were wide. Oskar blinked, confused. “What do you mean, matching set? Like… my Goggles and Bracer? I think so. Why?”

“Where? How? You are walking around with a Chief’s ransom on you, and you claim to have just appeared. This is worrisome.”

Touwon spoke to her for a moment, and she asked, “What is your PUB designation? The letters when they synced?”

With a thought, Oskar pulled up the PUB designation.

//_Rat1 Synced

_Rat2 Synced– The rat’s out of the bag now, dummy. Apparently matching Gear is rarer than ever, now. How long was I asleep? Oh well, we had a good run. I was just starting to like you, too. Granted, I like anyone stupider than me. It makes me feel superior. You, Oskar… make me feel like a God. //

“Rat one and rat two? Like… the animal?” He asked, and Fox gave him a snort.

“No, dry brain. Not like an animal. It is just letters. Identifiers. They were created in order. The original set was AAA, then AAB. Yours are RAT. The rarity is that there are almost no sets that have remained together. They were mostly all destroyed centuries ago. The handful of complete sets known to us are deeply protected.”

Oskar stared down, willing his character model to appear over his bracer like before. Looking over to the Kobolds, both had Bracers to go along with their Goggles, and he was curious about the difference. “Why does it matter? Don’t they still work?” Oskar asked.

“Absolutely, they are operational. A matching set remembers, though. It learns. It is much like artificial intelligence in some ways, but over time, can become even more. Your PUB adapts to you. For instance, you seem to control your interface with thought. It reacts to your needs.”

Oskar nodded.

“As I thought. Your PUB will grow in capability as it syncs to you. You may eventually access a wealth of history, maps and information from previous users, if there are any. Surely there is at least one.” She shook her head in wonder.

“You put so much dangerous information in our heads. You could have us killed thrice over with just what we’ve found out this day.”