"HEIYA, HOLD ON ALREADY!" Hrurim calls out once again, his efforts more likely to burst my eardrums than anything else. I wince away slightly, cringing my eyes tight in spite of the stiffness of my carapaced head.
"I think she heard you the first ten or so times..." I mutter between my chitters, somewhat hoping to hide them. He looks my way, his scowl ever increasingly lit up by the light of the strange crack in the rock. Whatever is causing the light and the fresh air breeze, it feels unnatural for it to be the surface and yet...
Putting my claw on the edge of the rock, I turn into the light. My jaw loosens up and I step in with the still-human as we take in the sights. My bandages become a little soggy and I look down as wet grass tickles away at me. Heiya's within sight and she's just as lost in it all, too. Honestly, I can't tell what has me confused more... The fact we're on the surface somehow or that I'm somehow relieved to see it again.
I guess it makes some sense if we were underground in the sense that the road just happened to be in a mountain. I've patrolled a city like that for five years now before the whole Atarifuge business came about. But, I'm having some doubts that, that is the case. And, turning around, I'm only proven right in that capacity.
My claw comes up to the stone wall of the mountain and I look up and up. Though the horizon is well-detailed and an easy fooling, it's uncanny with its fakeness. We're not on the surface, we're still underground. It's just, somehow, the surface's likeness is here, too.
"Well, it beats the endlessly dark tunnels, I suppose." I muse and Hrurim nods in agreement as I cover my brow to stare lightward. Whatever is lighting this place up doesn't imitate the Orbital-Halo at all. Whereas one has a clear image of the great divine machine holding it in place, this is just a ball of light.
It's not an unfamiliar concept, however, and a small boy comes to mind. One with interstellar hair and solar eyes. Ihtuntar, God of the Stars. Though, if the designer is paying actual homage is hard to say or if it's just a byproduct- And the other two are leaving me behind.
"Strange, strange crack." I say as I leave the walls of the mountain interior behind. Catching up with the pair, the dense oak land forest breaks apart. Some ferns rustle and wild rodents rush about, hiding themselves away in the undergrowth. A couple birds chirp along, moving about with as much curiosity as it is caution guiding their feathers.
"Keep in sight, Heiya. Please." Hrurim begs the grieving hwardgon as I approach. He throws me a quick view and rises, half-tempted to pop a lit stick into his mouth. Though, his lack of them is making him as cautious as it is making him desperate.
"So, Mr Guide, anything you want to tell me?" I ask the still-human, minding some branches as Heiya's idle walking brings us onto a small, rising patch of clear ground. Hrurim gently lashes his friend's daughter, keeping her still for the moment while we survey the area. A lengthy whistle somehow makes its way through my mandible-burdened mouth.
"This is the private resort of a nobleman's daughter." Hrurim explains, and it's all that is really needed to justify it all. Richly painted skies that somehow imitate the sky proper. Endless reserves of wildlife and plants that have somehow been developed in such a natural, convincing way. The birds in the canopy, the insects under the blades of grass and all in-between.
It's all a stage and actors for an audience of just one.
"So, we're trespassing?" I ask, looking to the pair as Hrurim furrows that thoughtful little brow of his.
"It's hard to say... The magic on this mountain is something else, as you can probably tell. We're not supposed to be here is right on the money. But, at the same time, no one was ever supposed to make it in here. It's quite the popular story how they stress tested this. The noble paid gods-damned Suhurlodst to send their Exceptionals on a destruction spree to try and break into the mountain." he exposits, the irony of our situation certainly something.
"This isn't a recent story, is it?" I ask, just to make sure.
"This was decades ago. This entire project was commissioned when the daughter was what...? Seven?" he goes and I shrug, the words already on my tongue.
"Don't look at me for answers. Fifteen years ago, I had no idea magic was a real thing, and I was at school for a city that now no longer exists." I go, looking around some more as I properly focus on the distance. Enough sky and forests, time to focus on the... Mountain within a mountain...?
"I guess that palace over there, that's where we'll find the daughter." Hrurim remarks, pointing out the pristine, alabaster wonder of engineering. Purple topped spires and gold lining them enough to break all the banks I can think of. Clear bricked roads going all the way down the waterfall-decorated mini mountain. There's no doubt towns and villages in this place, too.
Where there are towns and villages, though, there are also people. So, that's certainly something to take in. Not only is this private resort a thing... It's fully staffed.
"Gods above, where do you even find enough people to fill out a place like this?" I ask myself as I try and get a good idea of where is and isn't the mountain's internal walls.
"Certainly a lot of refugees these days, probably more than happy to fill out a place like this," Hrurim grumbles, giving in to his cravings and smoking a stick up.
"Still... Still." I go, not sure what else there is to say.
"We should keep going." Heiya adds, though I can't quite pick up what she's saying. She's certainly not all that interested in speaking a tongue I can understand right now. And when she's doing this Hrurim is right behind with-
"Not until we know where we are," he says, the strange sounds of the underground language annoying for the simple fact I get none of it. Though, I suppose it's easy enough to get what he's on about this time with what the situation is. None of us are moving and the circumstances of what we are doing is certainly a stiff back maker.
Having some magic right now would be a good confidence booster, but it's hard to say. All this magic to protect this resort is unlikely to be a lone line of defence. Impressive feat of engineering or not, every bunker has its garrison. All castles have their lords. Walls need men to man them, guns to line them. A lock for the door.
"Let's fall back to the treeline a bit, plan ahead for the time being?" I suggest, though, wandering and talking is just as good an idea as we're at least moving then.
"Mmm, feet need a rest anyway." Hrurim groans, and that's good enough for us all to gather elsewhere. We approach an appropriately shaped tree and Heiya takes off for some privacy while I lean on the crusty surface.
"So, any ideas?" I ask and the still-human shrugs, not much coming to his mind.
"Hard to say. I want to say we need to head to some village first. Ultimately, towards that there palace or whatever." he goes over, what few supplies did survive the earthquake spilling out across the earth. Though the outpost helped us stock up, it's only so much with how little baggage we actually have to make do with.
"Path seems simple enough, but who's to say even that isn't part of the wall there? For all we know, this little everglade is the only thing about this mountain." I point out and Hrurim keeps to his thoughts. A thick cloud of smoke parts his lips and his huff comes to a sudden end.
"Still worth a shot either way if we're going to stay in here. Otherwise we might as well try and nab some fresh meat and get back into the tunnels," he huffs, a scoff to his words the entire time. He's talking the talk, but I doubt he wants to walk that long, arduous, dark walk.
"I think it's best we try at least a bit to stay here as..." I say, turning to a whisper as I point out Heiya's actions. She's been nothing but miserable, and she still is. But, at the very least right now, she seems to be entranced by the hidden mountain resort. It's something to keep her mind occupied, at the very least.
"Mmm." Hrurim goes, his tongue clicking and then wetting his lips.
"I mean, I'm stuck with you either way. But, I have to say, at least here seems to offer me a chance to recover my magic at a better pace than what we have going." I point out, though, how truthful my words are is something to think about. Internal-magic is a constant for things like rocks and more. While there's a slight 'aura' of sorts, the scientific specifics escape me.
All I know for certain is that I need to be able to safely digest this rock, otherwise it's worthless.
And, well, given the story Hrurim's just told me about Suhurlodst and their Exceptional House, I have my doubts. If it can withstand the power of prodigies and gifted studiers, then it will tear me apart right now. Atarifuge almost killed me through simply existing, never mind the colossal sword or anything else about that damn god-machine. His simple mechanics took magic from everything around him. Miles upon miles with an end that keeps on growing.
I hope there's a proper source of magic here somewhere, something I can regulate. But it's hard to say with how I know nothing at all about this place. For all I know, simply lingering about here is good enough. But, again, ignorance is a bane, not a gift. At least not here.
"Hopefully, there's something I can get a good supply on. I've at least got experience surviving with little magic." I remark more so for myself as my thoughts come to an end.
"We're in no rush. Not with the little one over there." Hrurim points out, his stained fingers flicking towards the lone hwardgon girl. I look her way and then back towards the distant palace.
"That's fine, but too much time will be bad for her." I make sure he knows, and he nods along, a sigh and pinched nose bridge certainly an appropriate gesture.
"With what she's going through... I'd rather lose her here, where she's going to be safe. Rather than doing what got... What got her father killed." he tells me, struggling on the last bit. And the way Heiya ruffles her ears only makes it clearer as to why. It's an obvious thing, and the world has deemed it fit to smack me with a brick about it.
"Either way, too much time will be bad for her. And it will certainly test my patience I can promise that much." I say, kicking away as I take a moment to stretch my aching body.
"Yeah, well? Your patience can kill itself and I still won't care. Heiya comes first. At the expense of your damn bug life, if I see fit." Hrurim snorts, and I can't help but snort back. The only reason I'm here is on the promise of helping these two deal with their little mafia problem. Something they cannot do. Even with Ivahstar, they couldn't do it.
They need my magic...
But Heiya needs is some time away from it all. A long breath parts my mandibles and I straighten out, towering over the fearless human. He keeps his eyes on me, nose slightly up in some contempt for what I am. I ease up, turning away as I try to get my mind on track.
"So, how far we hoping to get in the day?" I ask, minding the human as he happens to check his watch.
"Huh, the light up there is timed perfectly to the daytime on the surface." he remarks and I nod, finding that to be quite the interesting detail!