Kris and Marceline had arrived in the city.
As they walked through the streets, the Neechari seemed different.
Before, they had moved with purpose, hurrying from one place to another as if every step had a task behind it.
Now they seemed lighter, laughing and celebrating.
The food stalls were crowded with rats enjoying themselves.
From atop the houses, music and songs drifted through the air.
Wherever they went, they were greeted warmly.
They couldn't understand what was being said.
But they understood the smiles.
After making their way through the festive crowd, constantly being stopped along the way, they finally reached the hall.
When they pushed open the old door, the place was as empty as ever.
On the second floor, Prakash and Harish were already waiting for them, both breaking into smiles when they saw them.
"अरे, तुम लोग आ गए!"
("Oh, you've arrived!")
the old rat exclaimed, his smile widening as he gestured for them to come upstairs.
The two exchanged a brief glance before climbing the stairs.
Face to face with them, Prakash looked as though he might start bouncing on his old feet at any moment.
"वसंत सही था, तुम सचमुच अद्भुत हो! तुमने जो किया उसके लिए मैं दिल से आभारी हूँ।"
("Vasant was right, you truly are incredible! I thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you've done.")
He bowed.
The two could only stare back in confusion while Harish facepalmed.
"वे आपकी बात समझ नहीं सकते, भूल गए क्या?"
("They can't understand what you're saying, did you forget?")
"अरे! सही कहा... वसंत और रतन कहाँ हैं जब उनकी ज़रूरत पड़ती है..."
("Ah! That's right... Where are Vasant and Ratan when we need them...")
"रतन को अब तक आ जाना चाहिए था. शायद उसे रास्ते में कोई परेशानी आ गई होगी।"
("Ratan should have been here by now. He must have run into some kind of delay.")
With that discussion over, silence settled over the room.
Everyone glanced from one side to the other.
This is awkward.
Then they heard the old door open once more and leaned over the railing to see who had arrived.
Adjusting his monocle, Sphatik finally stepped into the hall.
"रतन, तुम देर से आए हो।"
("Ratan, you're late.")
the old rat exclaimed.
"क्या हुआ?"
("What happened?")
"मैं बस रास्ते में एक सामान पहुँचा रहा था।"
("I was just making a delivery on the way.")
"अच्छा, ऐसा है?"
("Oh, is that so?")
he replied, following Ratan with his eyes as the rat climbed the stairs.
Once he reached the upper floor, Ratan gave a slight bow to Kris and Marceline.
"Pleasure to meet you. My name is Ratan."
Marceline let out a small "oh," while Kris blinked in surprise.
He speaks English. I guess he's one of the few around here who bothered to learn it...
Before he could respond, the girl was already offering her hand to him.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Marceline."
Ratan gave her an odd smile as he shook her hand.
With an exasperated sigh, Kris gave a slight bow.
"Pleasure to meet you. My name is Kris."
After returning the bow, Ratan turned toward the two rats and bowed once more.
"प्रकाश। मूल प्रमुख।"
("Prakash. Mool Pramukh.")
The two simply returned the bow.
With that, his attention returned to Kris and Marceline, a smile spreading across his face.
"First of all, I would like to thank you for your valorous service. Thanks to you, our people can begin moving forward once again."
He bowed once more.
Kris responded with a nod, while Marceline scratched the side of her nose, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
Straightening his back, Ratan continued with the same gentle smile.
"During Vasant's brief absence, I will be your guide."
"Really?" Kris perked up. "I'd like to ask a few questio—"
"Bleh."
The girl at his side cut him off.
"I'm not in the mood to sit around listening to more talking."
"Then that's easily solved."
He gestured toward the rat in the hat.
"Harish can accompany you through the city. Perhaps you could visit some of our food stalls."
"Oh!"
Her eyes lit up.
"In that case, I'm in!"
"Perfect."
He clapped his hands once before turning toward Harish.
"क्या तुम इसे शहर घुमाने ले जा सकते हो?"
("Could you show her around the city?")
"कोई समस्या नहीं।"
("No problem.")
Harish headed down the stairs with an excited Marceline following close behind, while Kris watched them with a deadpan expression.
She's so easy to bribe.
A light touch on his shoulder drew his attention back to Ratan.
"So? What was it you wanted to know?"
"Ah, right. Let's see..."
Uh, there's a lot to ask...
"Why don't we narrow it down by topic?"
"What do you mean?"
The rat adjusted his monocle.
"Well, you strike me as a rather curious person. Which means you probably want to know everything."
"That makes sense. Then... how long have your people existed, and why have humans never discovered you?"
"Oh... that's actually a good question."
He murmured, scratching his chin. His gaze drifted toward Prakash, who was quietly trying to slip away, apparently deciding he was no longer needed.
"अरे, प्रकाश। हमारी जाति को अस्तित्व में आए कितना समय हुआ है?"
("Hey, Prakash. How long has our people been around, anyway?")
"अचानक यह क्यों पूछ रहे हो?"
("Why are you asking that all of a sudden?")
"बस ज्ञान बाँट रहा हूँ।"
("I'm just sharing knowledge.")
"अच्छा! बहुत बढ़िया। देखते हैं... यह मानते हुए कि मैंने सैंतीस साल जी लिए हैं... मेरा ख्याल है, लगभग दो सदियाँ।"
("Ah! Very good. Let's see... considering I've lived for thirty-seven years... I'd say around two centuries.")
"हम्म, जितना मुझे याद था उससे भी ज़्यादा हाल का है।"
("Hm, that's more recent than I remembered.")
He then turned back to Kris.
"The Neechari have only been around for about two centuries."
"Huh?!"
His eyes widened.
"Only two centuries? But with your level of technology..."
"Well, Neechari lifespans aren't particularly long, so we tend to value every second of our time."
"Is that so? And how long do Neechari usually live?"
"With a bit of luck? Around forty years. Few make it much beyond that."
Forty years...
"And what about Vasant?"
"Vasant, hm... if I remember correctly, he's already thirty-two. That makes him six years older than me."
Kris frowned.
Thirty-two... he's already that old?
"But that's not what we were talking about, is it?"
"Ah. Right... How did you manage to live this long without being discovered?"
"We didn't."
"Huh?"
He blinked a few times.
"What do you mean?"
"Humans knew we existed."
|Marceline|
She looked bored, her eyes drifting from stall to stall.
Yet every few moments, she let out another sigh.
Why is almost everything made with these roots?
With her eyes closed, she ended up bumping into Harish.
Turning toward her, he held out a dried root.
"Urgh."
Frowning, she took it.
Seriously... why do they—
Before she could finish the thought, she took a bite, a sharp crunch echoing from it.
After a few seconds of chewing, her eyes widened slightly.
This is... actually really good. It tastes like a chip.
She quickly finished off the root before turning toward Harish.
"What is this?"
She was met with nothing more than a raised eyebrow.
Oh. Right...
Looking confused, Harish turned back to the stall and asked for another root.
Marceline watched as he handed her another one.
Then she simply shrugged and devoured that one too.
|Kris|
"Our people were discovered during an excavation expedition. Back then, we believed ourselves to be the only sapient race in the mortal plane. So naturally, it came as quite a shock."
"I can imagine..."
Wait... the mortal plane?
"We were excited. We had made contact with another race. So we tried to approach them peacefully."
"And then?"
"At first, everything went well. We traded small goods and maintained friendly relations. For some reason, they never revealed our existence to the wider world."
"Really?"
"Yes. You're probably curious about something I mentioned earlier, aren't you? The mortal plane."
He reads me like a book.
Ratan raised a thin finger.
"We've encountered a race from another dimension before, so it's knowledge we've possessed for quite some time."
Kris's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Another dimension?!"
But he quickly let out a breath and forced himself to calm down.
Easy. I already know about the Nightosphere. It's not that unusual.
Now composed once more, he turned his attention back to Ratan.
"And how did that encounter happen?"
"Hmm... I wouldn't really call it an encounter. We never actually saw them. We found a crystal that connected us."
"A crystal?"
"Yes. Through it, we learned that they came from a place called the Crystal Dimension. A bit convenient, isn't it?"
"It really is, but..."
He rested a hand on his chin.
"What does that have to do with your encounter with humans?"
"It's because we had—or rather, still have—a question."
For the first time, Ratan's smile faded.
"The humans seemed a little... too receptive to another race. So we couldn't help but wonder."
He paused briefly.
"Had they already made contact with others before us?"
Kris's eyes widened slightly before narrowing in thought.
He's right. The sudden appearance of so many different creatures after the war does seem a little strange...
What really happened before—and during—the war?
He raised his head and looked back at the rat.
"I'm afraid I can't help you with that question. But perhaps you could help me with one of mine?"
"And what would that be?"
"All of this feels a little too convenient."
His gaze sharpened.
"What did the humans really want from you?"
Ratan looked at him uncertainly before letting out a sigh.
"At first, they truly were just exchanges. Materials and ores. However..."
He frowned.
"The requests gradually became larger and... stranger."
"Stranger how?"
"They began asking for more specific things. Steel. Brass. They also requested that our craftsmen produce polymers and standardized steel plates."
"I see..."
"Then one day, they asked us to locate a power source—whether radioactive or magical."
Kris clicked his tongue, frowning.
So that's what it was...
"We refused. There was nothing for us to gain from it."
Ratan's expression darkened slightly.
"That was the last time we ever saw them."
He paused.
"Before the fall of Mahaguha."
At the mention of Mahaguha, Kris was already about to ask another question.
"Hey, what are you two doing?"
A tired voice from the entrance interrupted them.
Looking down from the upper floor, Ratan's smile returned.
"Oh, Vasant. You finally made it."
"Huh? How long have you two been sitting there?"
"Hard to say. The conversation was so interesting."
"Don't tell me you've actually been talking for hours..."
Kris blinked in surprise.
Hours have already passed?
"Fuuh. Well, knowing you—and from the little I've seen of this guy—I can't say I'm surprised."
"Anyway..."
He tossed two items to Kris, who stared at them in confusion.
"Huh? Now there are two?"
"Yeah. The old version drained too much energy and kept cracking the crystals, remember? So I split it into two parts to balance things out."
"Oh, that's great. Thanks a lot."
"Whatever... I owed you one anyway."
"Ehh."
Ratan looked at him with a teasing smile.
"And what was that, hm? You're not usually so kin—"
He was suddenly caught in a headlock.
"Your job's done. Get lost."
"Okay! Okay! I get it! Time out!"
he shouted desperately, repeatedly tapping Vasant's arm.
Kris let out a quiet chuckle as he watched their bickering.
Turning his attention back to the gauntlets, he examined them with anticipation.
Alright.
He quickly slipped them on.
The moment he did, a thin green strand of electricity briefly connected the crystals.
The cracks along his arms spread open, though not as far as before.
The crystals lit up, trembling faintly before stabilizing.
It's not as if they're completely different, but somehow they still feel brand new.
He guided the energy from his right arm into the gauntlet, forming a small orb within the ring set into its palm.
It really is easier.
He closed his hand, snuffing it out.
"Thanks. These are definitely going to come in handy."
Vasant clicked his tongue and released Ratan, who immediately hurried down the stairs to escape.
"You haven't even tested them properly. And it's an energy adapter."
"What do you mean?"
"There's a calibrator built into the inside of each gauntlet. The adapter's purpose is to convert different forms of energy. In other words, you can change the form and type of energy it manifests."
"Wow! And how do I do that?"
"No idea."
"Huh?"
He blinked.
"How do you not know?"
"I never managed to test it properly. So now it's your job to figure out how the calibration works."
"...Fair."
"And now?"
"Hm?"
"What are you planning to do next? Your job here is already finished."
"That's true..."
He rested a finger against his chin.
What should we do...