Chapter Text
No Significant Harassment was feeling good.
A friend he thought was distant had returned, and even though it felt strange at first to see each other again after all this time, it had warmed up since.
The green Iterator noticed that the day after Wind had arrived, she had already stopped using full names and started using broadcasts abbreviations instead.
She wasn't using nicknames yet, but that would happen soon enough, as several days had passed since then.
The preparation time for the trip flew by, and everyone was excited beyond measure.
After all, they had never attempted such a long expedition before.
Although the Iterators had thought about it at first, they had quickly abandoned the idea of traveling by mount or vehicle, having to either leaving them at the nearest train station (their first destination) or completely ignore the train and cross the entire continent on them.
Unfortunately, they were created for racing, which meant extremely fast journeys, but short ones, and above all on flat terrain.
The wilderness that separated them from Oath was far from the paths they had traced in the Valley of the Moon, far from it.
So the good old-fashioned walk was the order of the day.
No one complained, on the contrary.
The journey was as important as the destination, and, according to Wind, they should enjoy nature before ending the trip in a train that would take them directly to the superstructure of Promise of Liberation, after several cycles of travel, despite the speed of this way of transport.
Sig was not looking forward to this particular part of the journey. Sure, he liked trains, but only the concept, and perhaps the optimization of freight transport.
When it came to traveling himself, he much preferred to feel the wind in his antennae than to find himself locked in a box. It brought back too many memories, and he knew he was not alone.
Strangely, Wind, who had made the trip on the train in question, was not complaining.
Hmm, perhaps their much more... wild lifestyle had imposed biases on us that had gone unnoticed otherwise?
Fascinating, for him who specialized in Iterators, and therefore their psychology.
At least it gave Wind an advantage, since she was having a hard time adjusting, the poor thing.
Reflexively, he looked up at the gray Iterator, who was supervising the slugcats as they made their own preparations for the journey.
Judging by her authoritative manner, this was not her first attempt at such a task. Even Pebbles' explosive rat, normally fiercely independent, followed her orders to the letter, under the amused gaze of Sig, who was tuning his guitar one last time before the departure.
It was obvious that he was taking it, to liven up the inevitable evenings by the fire that would occur throughout the journey. This was not at all to annoy Pebbles, of course.
He knew that even though the pink Iterator preferred to throw himself into the void sea rather than confess it, he knew that Pebbles loved listening to him play classical ballads from the ancient times of the Benefactors.
He chuckled softly, which earned him a glance from Wind, who was unaccustomed to his antics - in person, at least - but he ignored her and carefully stored his precious instrument in its reinforced case.
Saying goodbye to her, he headed for the kitchen, as it was almost time for dinner.
Moon had offered to help him, and he didn't dare say no to spending time together, even for something as mundane as preparing dinner.
He walked away from the boarding bay whistling an old tune, happy with life in general.
—
He found Moon in the kitchen, preparing concentrated nutrient tablets.
She was focused on her task, mixing different nuts into the dough, no doubt in an attempt to improve the taste of damp cardboard that was normally associated with these travel rations.
He approached as quietly as possible, his servo motors running at half speed to make as little noise as possible, and managed to snatch one of the small squares that had not yet been wrapped and make it disappear into his access port to the ant neurons designed for this purpose.
"Hey! You little thief! Give that back right now!"
"I don't know what you're talking about, dear Moon.
And anyway, you need a taster, don't you?" he replied, contradicting himself, smiling at the blue Iterator's sulky pout.
Faced with this, she couldn't help herself and threw in the towel with a sigh, before smiling back.
"You are impossible, Sig. You know that, right?"
"Well, for once, our blessed creators showed rare wisdom in choosing my name~" he replied, trying to take another piece of the strangely addictive ration, but Moon slapped his hand away, continuing to hold his gaze and smile.
"Tsk tsk. If you want more, you will have to earn it, dear.
Help me take them out of the oven and wrap them up, and do not let me catch you keeping any for yourself, or you will only get the classic recipe for the next journey, am I clear?"
He gave her a mocking bow, nevertheless heading toward the oven, obeying her dutifully.
He wasn't going to tempt fate, because he knew that beneath her velvet exterior, Moon would not hesitate to carry out her threats.
She wasn't a Senior for nothing, after all.
—
Between two batches of the snacks they had decided together to call “travel cookies” (the recipe was now in the self-cookbook), Sig had time to prepare the end-of-cycle meal.
The fresh meat from Pebbles was welcome, as their reserves were dwindling rapidly, having to feed an Iterator and a slugcat who ate well more than the usual quota, not to mention the additional tax related to preparing for the trip.
Tonight's meal would mainly consist of parts that were too delicate to be turned into rations, plus some bread and jellies for the vegetarians among them.
After all, it was one of the most fundamental rules of any self-respecting chef: everyone should be able to eat at their table and leave satisfied.
Moon had left him at the end of the afternoon (after locking up the rations) to go and pack her own things. They were leaving tomorrow, after all.
He had had time to prepare earlier in the cycle, and his belongings were waiting for him in the hallway of his quarters, his tanbur proudly enthroned on top of the pile, in its protective leather case.
There was no question of him leaving without it, even though Pebbles had tried to convince him to leave it at Mountain Home (Would the trip be too rough? Pebbles, we live in an ecological hell. Outside the valley, one could almost walk to Oath with their optics deactivated without too much trouble).
He laughed as he chose to serve slim jam rather than cherry.
The pink Iterator, despite the additional computing power associated with his generation, was almost as readable as a Benefactor.
Anyway, he too had to do stupid things from time to time.
Like managing to snatch that delicious cookie from Moon's hands without being spotted and before her departure.
He quickly disposed of the evidence of his theft, checking a little too late that no one else was in the kitchen.
To his relief, he did not meet the judgmental gaze of a yellow overseer, nor that of his fellow Iterators or slugcats.
He quickly wiped his hands, checked one last time that he had turned everything off, and took the trays containing the food to the dining room, where the others were already waiting, given the time.
Bah. A good chef was never late, nor was he early.
—
He woke up the next day, memories of the previous evening still fresh in his mind. Wind had had a strange reaction when he saw the lizard meat, but he had expected that.
It had subsided as the meal progressed and the meat disappeared, quickly eaten first by the slugcats, then by Pebbles and himself.
Suns had fallen back on raw jelly, which they fought over with Moon and Wind, who would have liked to have had a little more on their bread.
But the blue Iterator had only herself to blame, since she had “secretly” given away half of the jam she had managed to get to Ruffle throughout the meal...
Anyway.
He had judged the proportions well, since they had no leftovers to deal with this morning. They would be able to leave with peace of mind, knowing that nothing perishable awaited them at Mountain Home.
He stood up, feeling pleased with himself, and gathered up the last few items lying around his room.
Given the time, Pebbles wouldn't let him come back here if he'd forgotten anything, so he took the time to compile a checklist.
Tanbur? Check.
Travel sweets? Check.
Blade oil & sharpening stones? Check.
Hunter's emergency medical kit? Check.
Rack of pearls containing his latest works? Check.
…
All right, he had everything. He had to hurry, or he was going to get an earful - and not just from Pebbles.
Of course, he was the last to arrive, which earned him some looks from the pink Iterator, who was practically buzzing with impatience. Ah, these third Generations. Always in such a hurry.
He decided to take the diplomatic way.
"Fellow Iterators and Slugcats, greetings. Please forgive me for being late; I shouldn't have stayed up so late yesterday."
Pebbles, who was about to launch into a tirade, stopped short, the grass cut off beneath his feet. He grumbled for a moment before going back to rummaging through his bag.
"I see everyone’s here. I don’t want to keep us waiting any longer, so let’s get going."
He glanced at Wind, who had put her travel clothes back on.
She clearly wasn't very comfortable in them, no doubt preferring the more classic, loose-fitting dresses she had put on as soon as she arrived in Mountain Home.
And she had refused to take any kind of offensive gear. Moon had convinced her to take at least metal alloy cane, which could serve both as a walking aid and as a makeshift shield, should the need arise.
Oh well. An extra travel companion, even if she’s not exactly a fighter, is always useful.
And we were talking about an Iterator, after all, so it’s not like she’s dead weight.
She could always carry bags, Sig noted with amusement, glancing at the knapsack the gray Iterator had taken from their supplies.
At least now she looked like a real adventurer, and not like an Iterator who’d gotten lost on the way from home.
Sig smiled at the thought, checked his belongings one last time, and walked through the gate of Mountain Home with the others.
—
The journey across the Outer Expanses was quick.
One of the few notable events was a flock of vultures that flew over their heads, as they crossed one of the bridges that made up the network of Pebbles, but they didn’t dare swoop down on them, recognizing the danger they posed.
Although it took a while, the wildlife had grown accustomed to their presence - and especially to the certain death that would befall any creature foolish enough to attack the freed gods.
That didn't stop Wind from nervously watching the group of predators in the distance, clutching her cane as if it would save her life.
Hmm...
There's room for improvement...
Oh well, on this trip, we'll have all the time we need.
Sig was certain of what he was thinking.
After all, Pebbles had been worse than that at first, and look at him now...
He chuckled as he watched the pink Iterator strut along in the lead, his maroon slugcat close behind, checking to see if any white lizards that hadn’t yet gotten the message were basking in the sun, on the concrete bridge they were currently crossing.
But no creature fond of napping showed up, and they left the marsh that stretched out at the foot of the retaining wall without a fight.
The night before, they had decided that, instead of crossing the valley from one side to the other through the former grounds of Moon and Pebbles, they would simply go around the southern side of the valley.
Given the state of the built-up part of the area, the time lost would be negligible, and the journey much more pleasant.
And so they quietly entered the fern forest that had, all things considered, recently taken root there.
—
They made their way through the canopy teeming with life.
Swarms of batflies fluttered among the tallest ferns, occasionally chased away by squicadas that seemed to be feasting. A true little paradise. For a certain segment of the population, at least.
Wind approached Sig, who was leading the expedition, using his weapon to clear a path through the thickest brush.
"Um... NSH, even though you probably know more about the local ecosystem than I do, I think it’s worth letting you know something...
“Well, it's not exactly nearby, but my guardian and I,” she explained, pointing at Gourmand, who was munching on a batfly that had been too curious for its own good, "were ambushed by a strangely sociable group of green lizards.
Given their numbers, I wouldn’t be surprised if their territory spans the entire forest, and I don’t know if even you’re capable of stopping dozens of lizards at once... "
But before the Green Iterator could answer, Wind's fears came true.
A slender green lizard, similar to the ones that had attacked her, slowly emerged from a bush, its predatory gaze fixed on them.
Wind could already sense movements in the bushes as they closed in, and she gripped her cane with both hands, looking determined.
But Sig didn't care. On the contrary, he was delighted.
"Ohhhhh, the little ones! You've grown so much!
Come see Grandpa, come on!"
With an enthusiastic grunt, the lizard, moving playfully, came and curled up in the outstretched arms of the green Iterator, overjoyed.
Pebbles came to Wind's rescue; the grey Iterator clearly didn't know where to go or whether she should run away or stay put
"They are descendants of his first experiments with racing creatures.
The early generations didn't attack us, but when Sig released them, the young ones weren't used to our presence and turned feral again.
Why they don't attack Sig, though, I have no idea. Maybe he knows what he's doing after all …"
"Ah, I get it now.
Well, sort of.
And that explains why they act that way as a group, if they were raised that way."
She looked thoughtfully at her green friend, who was play-fighting with the lizard.
Who was winning, by the way.
After a while, Moon had to step in.
"Sig, I don't mean to bother you, but it would be great if we could get out of the valley during this cycle.
And if you're spending this much time on just one lizard, we're not getting out of here."
The Iterator in question stood up with dignity, despite the saurian drool on his face.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. But I've prepared for just such a possibility."
He pulled a silver bag out of his backpack, shook it triumphantly, and then opened it, causing the other lizards to emerge from their hiding places.
"All right, my dears, I'm just stopping by, but I didn't come empty-handed! Go get it!"
He took a big handful of meat-flavored kibble from the bag and tossed them into the air.
Wind was nearly knocked over by the nearest lizard, which took advantage of its genetic programming to go snatch up the delicious treats scattered by their creator, who was already fleeing in the opposite direction.
"Run!
If they see us when there aren't any left, they'll ask for more, and we'll never get out of this!"
Wind muttered a rare curse under her breath, no one hearing her, and started running.
—
They had to use their weapons for the first time in the old quarry that cut into the mountain and formed the southern secondary retaining wall of the Moon-Pebbles facility.
Since the ground in the area was too rocky and saturated with chemicals from kilocycles of exploitation, almost no plants grew there, but that didn’t mean there weren’t hiding places for ambush predators.
On the contrary, the collapsed cliff faces and old mining machinery formed a chaotic three-dimensional landscape, full of nooks and crannies that provided a comfortable home for the area’s apex predators: the ramwigs.
Distant cousins of the dropwigs, these creatures were more aggressive than their vertical-ambush-specializing counterparts; they would hide all sort of little spaces and simply charge any prey that came within their reach.
Their larger size and overdeveloped jaws ensured that such behavior did not result in the demise of the attacking predator after such a charge, which was capable of killing even green lizards on the spot if they were sufficiently distracted.
But these lizards remained down in the valley, and only blue and pink individuals were present in the area, with a few cyan and white ones on the more elevated parts.
This meant that the ramwigs had a safe area with plenty of food.
And so, the population grew rapidly.
Far more than the Iterators had predicted, as they didn’t have very recent data, the abandoned quarries being supposedly an area of little importance.
Sig, who had just decapitated his fourth giant creature in less than ten minutes, was starting to regret it.
The first attack came just as they had entered the mining site. Sig had slowed down to discuss the best route with Moon, allowing Wind to pass him and move ahead, slightly isolated from the group.
From a crack between two blocks of cut stone emerged a creature the size of a red lizard, and Wind owed her survival solely to a marvelous spinning motion of her metal cane, which blocked the bite aimed at her neck.
By the time the insect had recovered from the parry, Suns and Pebbles had already fired their weapons at it several times, turning it into a smoldering heap.
Wind was frozen in place, shaking slightly, but Sig didn't know if it was because of the ramwig's violent charge or because of its even more violent death.
He approached her gently and took her in his arms, ignoring Pebbles’ questioning look. Yes, he could be gentle sometimes.
"Wind? Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
That seemed to snap her out of her daze, and she nodded slowly.
"Huh? Oh... Yeah... Sorry, it's just that...
This must sound stupid to you, but... I'm not used to it.
For you, getting attacked is an everyday thing, but for me...
I had forgotten how hard it was, sorry if I'm not in my best shape..."
Moon stepped in, and Sig let her take the gray Iterator into her arms.
“Dear Wind, do not worry.
We were just like you at first, too.
Without our little companions, we would probably be in much worse stat than we are today.”
The slugcats puffed out their chests and struck up what sounded like a war chant, which echoed strangely loudly given the singer’s average height.
"Anyway...
Sorry about the crash, we're in a dangerous area, and I don't want to cause any more trouble. It's a miracle we haven't been attacked again...
Let's go..."
But despite what she said, she stayed in Moon’s arms, holding her a little tighter, while the blue Iterator whispered words of encouragement to her.
She stayed in Moon’s arms for a moment before stepping back and bravely setting off down the road.
She would have been attacked again immediately if Pebbles hadn’t thrown a spear just before the monster burst out of its hiding place.
Man. They really need to go over the basics of survival with her.
—
They made their way cautiously through the complex carved into the mountain, avoiding the narrowest passages, but unable to completely escape the ramwigs, which had truly colonized the entire area.
And while there were plenty of insects outside, that was nothing compared to the number waiting for them in the tunnels.
The unlit corridors teeming with murderous creatures reminded Sig of a strangely familiar situation, particularly those tunnels overflowing with spiders just before they destroyed the Rot that had taken root there once and for all.
Ah, what fond memories...
Moon led them to a vertical shaft; the light streaming down from above at least gave them a chance to see their enemies more clearly, as their night vision had its limits in the depths of the mines they had just traversed.
Strangely enough, Wind was the best at detecting an approaching attack, but Sig remembered hearing her mention thermal vision.
Hmm, once he got to Oath, he’d have to look into that...
They climbed as best they could up the rusty pipes of the well, with ramwigs trying to knock them off the narrow platforms where they stood, utterly disregarding of their own lives.
Either that, or they had inherited the classic dropwigs’ ability to cushion even the deadliest falls.
In any case, the Iterators and slugcats didn’t have that useful skill, so the climb was more slow and painful than anything else.
Time and again, one of them stumbled over a support they thought was stable, or because of an insect, but the Iterators’ reflexes and iron grip saved them from a fatal fall.
Not so for their comrade, however.
Many monsters also fell, either because their prey dodged them, or simply after taking a hit from the group of adventurers, who were starting to get fed up with them.
Toward the end of the climb, on the first rungs of an almost intact ladder that would lead them to the surface, Sig even surprised Wind by using her cane as a bat and sending one of the ramwigs plummeting into the abyss—though she shot him a guilty glance when she saw that the green Iterator had spotted her.
He smiled at her, giving her a thumbs-up, all while swatting a bug that had managed to get around his little Hunter to try and tackle him from behind. Bastard.
Everyone managed to get out in more or less good shape, although Suns, who was last in line, had to help kicking a particularly determined creature, which fell into the jumble of pipes and support beams with a furious grinding of its jaws.
But once they reached the plateau above the quarry, the attacks stopped almost immediately, giving them a moment to catch their breath before they set off again under a sky that was already turning in the orange of twilight.
They were barely late.
—
Exhausted but happy to have made it within the time limit, the group at the shelter marking the pass leading out of the Valley of the Moon.
It was a different path that Wind had taken to get here—one that led to lower ground than the route taken by the grey Iterator, and was therefore likely to have less snow.
They sat in silence around a fire, the scavenger symbols casting an almost terrifying aura in the flickering light; these symbols were carved almost everywhere along the passageway, as if to mark a cursed zone.
Hmm, before we stepped in, our territory was on the verge of being that…
Sig thought, pensively, as he looked at a fairly accurate depiction of a daddy long legs.
No wonder we’ve never seen a tribe again, if they marked the paths like that...
Anyway, we'll probably run into some along the way, among other things...
And with that, Sig, the last one still awake, extinguished the dying fire and went back inside the shelter, which closed behind him.
They had survived the first step of a long journey, and he thought they hadn’t done too badly, after all.