——— Chapter Art (Click to view) ———
Water dripped from the ceiling creating a predictable rhythm, echoing through the dark, damp, dungeon.
A boy with curly red hair converging to black tips was holding his tongue out, trying to get a drip of the water trickling from the ceiling. Behind a set of iron bars, his tongue would barely reach for one stray drop every couple cycles.
Naren grumbled and fell back before yelping in pain and sitting back up. His hands were shackled by a set of iron chains, held back in such a way that his shoulder would send a constant pang of pain.
"Damn shoulder, just get better already!"
Normally, he would be able to get out of such a situation through his flexibility. But just moving his shoulder was painful enough as is.
"That damn witch. I'll boil her alive."
Naren fell forward, avoiding his bad shoulder, yawning.
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TWO HOURS AGO
Vera led Cairo and Naren to a particularly thick mountainous pillar. One that could easily stretch a kilometer wide.
Naren looked at the wall in front of him which seemed to stretch into the pitch black of the night sky above them.
"This is it?"
"I think so."
"These got stairs too?"
Cairo grew closer using his flames to investigate the base of the pillar. Instead of stairs however, they found deep grooves carved into the pillar wall.
Vera edged closer, feeling the grooves.
"Look."
However, Naren's gaze was focused to the sky still. His ears perked as he heard the sound of something scraping against rocks and the rattling of wood.
"What you starin at?"
"Shh."
Cairo looked at Vera who pointed to her own ears. Trying to keep her voice quiet, she whispered to Cairo.
"H-he can hear really well."
Naren's eyes were half awake, but he focused on the sound. Then a couple seconds passed and he could hear the rattling get louder, along with the faint sounds of breathing. Then it became loud enough for both Vera and Cairo to hear.
Just in the sight of Cairo's embers, a wooden platform descended along the grooves in the wall, swaying ever so slightly. Cairo grabbing Vera away before she was crushed by the cage that fell.
With a thud the platform landed on the grassy floor. A gate swinging open at almost the exact same interval. A faint orange glow from a small candle attached to one of the wooden bars was illuminating two woman wearing animal-like masks: An owl and a bear.
The one wearing an owl mask was short with green pupils barely shining through the holes of the mask. Curly blonde hair, with loose strands that coiled atop the owl face. She wore a very basic leather tunic with metal plating and bone support, and a light pink coat.
"Wow, the girl was right."
The bear masked woman was taller. Almost as tall as Cairo. She had brown hair braided into two strands sitting on each side of her shoulder. Dressed in a similar outfit, except a darker coat on top.
"Identify yourselves."
The owl girl had a drawn crossbow aimed directly at Naren's neck. The bear girl on the other hand had a spear, with a metal tube midway through the shaft, one hand holding the tube, the other at the bottom of the shaft. This one was pointed at Cairo.
Naren put his hands up. Frantically shaking them.
"Woah woah woah, I was just takin a stroll."
Cairo stared at the point of the spear, a little grin on his face. He leaned closer to the point, the dim embers on his fingers illuminating his face darkly.
"Who the hell's askin?"
Vera, by Cairo's side, took a step forward, her hands up.
"U-uhm we're not bad people. We're just lost."
Naren pointed at Vera.
"Yeah what shrimpy said. We're just really thirsty lost people."
Cairo moved his eyes from the point to the eyes of the bear mask.
"You gon fight us?"
The taller woman stared at Cairo's grey eyes. Lingering, while the shorter one side eyed her. They sat in a deadlock for a second, before the taller woman sighed and lowered her spear. The shorter one doing the same with her crossbow.
"Are you sure, Siobhan?"
Siobhan, turned her eyes to Vera, raising an eyebrow.
"We've already followed that woman here."
Then her gaze turned to Naren. Not at his eyes though, instead it was fixed on Naren's scarf, before clicking her tongue.
Naren muttered under his breath: "No sense of fashion."
Siobhan motioned towards the shorter woman.
"Chrysanthemum."
"You can call me Chrys, though."
Siobhan glanced at Chrys, making her shut her mouth and straighten her posture.
"Follow us."
Naren walked right into the cage without a seconds delay. Everyone staring at him, surprised by how easily he complied.
Naren motioned for Vera and Cairo to come in.
"If they're offering we might as well."
Vera aptly followed, making sure to stay close to the Naren. But Cairo lingered, his smile faded, he clicked his tongue.
"Jus like that? Yall gon back down?"
"Just get in Cairo. I'm tired of monster meat."
Cairo lingered for a second longer, before walking into the cage as well.
Siobhan pulled a loose piece of rope from the roof, giving it three tugs, followed by a pause, then two tugs, then another pause, and a final three tugs.
A beat of silence before the cage rattled slightly. Wood grinded on stone, as the cage lifted of the ground. Slowly pulled upwards.
Naren grabbed the wooden bars watching the ground slowly get swallowed up by the darkness of night.
"I wish all the mountains had this. Those steps are way overdone"
———————————
The cage finally reached the top with a sharp clank. Swinging slightly before coming to a stop in front of wooden pathway. The gate swung open once more as Siobhan exited first, followed by Chrys.
Siobhan turned back, not looking at anyone in particular.
"Come."
Chrys spoke up as well.
"Welcome to Lastlight."
Naren stepped out. His bare feet touching onto the ground as he held himself tight, shivering. Though as he looked up, he almost forgot how cold it was.
"Nuts..."
A massive dome hollowed out from the side of the mountainous pillar like a scoop was taken out of it, easily three hundred meters high. With terraced levels clinging to the walls, doubling, sometimes trippling atop each other. Narrow staircases connecting each level along with rope bridges going from platform to platform.
Lanterns hung from poles everywhere, filled with blue glowing algae, setting a bioluminescent glow across the entire land. A fire burned in a giant bonfire in the middle of the settlement, a warm orange glow falling on the stone streets.
A crowd hung around the bonfire, many small shops open, bustling with people. A wide variety of voices entered Naren's ear at once that he was ignoring until now. Laughing, talking, eating, living. Somehow living in this hellscape.
Vera was right by Naren. Her eyes glistening. Her mouth open slightly, but no words coming out.
Cairo stepped out last as the two woman guided everyone deeper into the settlement. His one eye darting around.
"So where's your master."
Siobhan turned back without stopping.
"Pardon?"
"The woman yall follow. Where is she?"
"What're talkin about Cairo?"
Cairo let a grin creep up onto his face.
"She's controlling yall isn't she. So she's pretty tough."
Siobhan stopped, glaring at Cairo.
"We don't take orders from her."
Then a voice cut through the air, without any particular face attached to it. Coming from the crowd of people, loud enough for all to hear, quiet enough to blend into the crowd.
"Siobhan. Chrys."
The two swung their heads into the crowd.
"White hair and the little girl...Imprison the red scarf."