Chapter Text
Surrounded by the golden and crimson rays of dawn, which bathed the pass leading to the Valley of the Moon in a soft glow, Grey Wind was not admiring the idyllic view that stretched out before her, but was rather looking anxiously at the blue and white scribbles inscribed visibly on the collapsed pillars and ruins that doted the path.
Innocence had taught her a few scavenger signs, and she could recognized those of death, danger and disease in those primitive paintings.
She hoped that these warnings were no longer relevant.
Upon closer inspection, Wind realized that it was probably the case.
The colorful mixture, normally resistant, crumbled under her fingers.
It had been painted there at least a few thousand cycles ago.
A cheerful call summoned her back from her small camp before the gray Iterator could give a more precise time estimation.
The Gourmand, who had been enjoying cooking to their heart's content since the beginning of their journey, signaled to her that breakfast was ready.
They had set up camp in the shelter of a ravine a few slopes down from the pass.
"Good day to you too, oh healthy one. Did you sleep well ?"
After receiving an affirmative nod from the slugcat, who was tasting the blue fruit porridge they had just prepared like a chef, she continued.
"Do you think we will be able to reach our goal this cycle?"
The creature made an uncertain gesture with the spoon they was holding, before continuing in slugsign.
"Not Sure. Depends On Creatures We Encounter. Possible, Though."
She nodded slowly, before taking the warm bowl her traveling companion held out to her.
After eight long cycles of train, which had taken them across the continent, almost from one ocean to the other, they had to stop at a station barely visible on the network maps, where the tracks ran closest to the mountain range sheltering her Senior's domain.
The snow-covered peaks were barely visible on the horizon when viewed from the anonymous train stop.
It had taken them almost three times longer than it took them to get here to cross the wild region, already affected by winter, snow and ice blocking the highest roads and freezing the rivers.
Fortunately, thanks to the talent of her guide, they encountered few hostile creatures, and the rare lizards that attempted to attack them were quickly dispatched by them.
The first time Wind had seen the rotund but strong slugcat plunging a piece of rebar into the throat of a poor predator, she had turned away, resisting the biological reflex to gag.
She knew of the violence that had to be inflicted on the outside world in order to survive, but seeing it suddenly with her own eyes was a rather difficult trial.
But, well, like everything else, she had gradually got used to it.
She had still refused the improvised spear that the slugcat had offered her a few cycles ago, unable to bring herself to kill something in cold blood, even for self-defense.
In any case, very little could really hurt her, so what was the point of being aggressive ?
Anyway, they were almost arrived at the end of their journey.
If not today, then tomorrow Mountain Home would welcome them in safety if not in comfort, as it was still just a few poorly dug tunnels in the thick rock of the mountain when she left with Innocence for the Capital, Oath.
I wonder how they ended up arranging all of this...
Five Pebbles will undoubtedly have detailed plans to provide her with, if they had the opportunity to discuss it.
Wind finished her breakfast quickly while Gourmand was washing their utensils, they then gathered their belongings and crossed the pass, their destination almost in sight. They would arrive soon, if all went well.
—
Not everything went well.
In the beginning, it was fine.
Accompanied by a fitting breeze, Grey Wind and her guide quietly descended the gentle slope that led them into a forest of giant ferns, where the almost tropical, buzzing with life climate contrasted sharply with the cold, arid and barren high valleys they had crossed just days before.
Swarms of batflies were frolicking in the canopy of fern trees, while colorful eggbugs foraged in the mossy bushes.
From time to time, a family of noodle flies passed by, the parents guiding their young with characteristic trumpeting sounds.
She even noticed a group of mimic beetles, a species that was truly very rare so far east.
Their advanced camouflage technique, similar to that of a white lizard, could not fool the weak thermal vision that Wind had received as a gift from the Guild of Artisans, whom she had helped solve a mine network optimization problem some time ago.
She was watching Gourmand picking mushrooms, when suddenly, silence fell over the forest, all the insects suddenly going quiet.
A rustling sound rang out in the bushes, and the slugcat had just enough time to roll away before a strange specimen of green lizard charged at them.
Getting up, they threw the spear they always kept close by with all their might, but the beast dodged it, displaying an agility that seemed almost supernatural for a creature of its size.
Recovering from the shock, Wind realized that the predator was not alone.
Other lizards surrounded them, closing off the clearing where they were standing, displaying coordination that was almost like that of the yellow specimens.
There were far too many of them to fight, even for a slugcat as brave as her guardian, so they did the only thing possible in a forest, surrounded by predators : taking advantage of her puppet agility, Wind jumped in the nearest fern tree after swooping Gourmand from the ground.
Fortunately, this strategy proved to be the right one, as the monsters seems unable to climb up after them, contenting themselves with scratching at the sturdy trunk of their perch and groaning in frustration.
This gave the gray Iterator the occasion to study them in more detail.
They were clearly green lizards, obviously, but were much slimmer and much more built for speed than for endurance, unlike the normal individuals of this coloration.
Furthermore, their social behavior was the opposite of the territorial aggressiveness normally displayed by this specie.
A group of seven lizards was now circling around their giant fern, occasionally hissing or screeching in their direction, as if to scare them.
She looked desperately at the beige slugcat, who was sitting precariously on a branch that could barely support their weight.
They seemed much calmer than she did, ans she wondered how they were going to manage this perilous situation.
Seeing her distress, her companion began to sign.
"Instincts Will Make Them Leave. No Rain Cycles, Just Have To Wait. All Is Good."
—
In the end, Gourmand was right.
After what seemed like an eternity to the Iterator, the lizard pack lost interest and went off in search of a new, easier prey, preferably one that couldn't climb on trees.
Once back on solid ground, the slugcat and the Iterator hurried through the forest, wanting to spend as little time as possible in the hunting grounds of dangerous predators.
They had to finish the last few instant inside the forest running, pursued by a small group of three thin green lizards that had unfortunately spotted them.
Wind ended up having to carry her exhausted companion in her arms.
Fortunately, the puppets' artificial muscles were more than up to the task.
As soon as they emerged from the protective shade of the giant ferns and advanced into the much more open plain, the predators gave up the chase.
On one hand, this reassured her, but it probably meant that they had left one territory and entered another, this time that of the infamous vultures.
The slopes stretching out before her certainly offered a clear view of the lake and the beginnings of industrial installations that could be glimpsed through the vegetation, but they provided absolutely no cover from any flying creatures.
She figuratively swallowed what served her as saliva.
She could already make out flying dots in the sky, small for now, but which would not hesitate to enlarge and dive toward her and her guide as soon as they would spot them.
Why did this valley have so many predators ?
And why had her former comrades chosen to stay there?
They must have been constantly walking on eggshells just to walk out, she thought.
How did they manage to destroy the Rot when there were so many dangerous creatures laying around ?
It was a mystery that she would inquire as soon as she would arrive, she was sure of that.
She hoped that Seven Red Suns still had their legendary cooking talent. While Gourmand was themselves quite skillful when speaking about food, the raw ingredients were still fruits and berries found along the way. She dreamed of a a delicious bubblefruit pottage, accompanied by tender lilypuck roots.
Wind pulled herself together.
They hadn't come all this way to dream about food, no mater how wonderful it was.
She had a mission. They were almost there; this was going to be the last test before a well-deserved return to civilization.
Fortunately, the journey across the plains went better than expected.
So well, in fact, that she began to worry about not seeing any of her friends' overseers, whom she should have already encountered.
She knew that most of the holographic eyes of Five Pebbles had followed him to Mountain Home, along with some of those from No Significant Harassment and Seven Reds Suns.
There should be more than enough of them to cover the wild area that formed the outer valley, especially on this side where their outpost was located.
But her concern was put to rest when she came across a road.
A real road, not a wild animal trail ! They were getting closer to their destination !
Admittedly, it was only a dirt road.
But it was compacted dirt nonetheless !
Forming a gentle curve, it followed the natural contours of the area to remain at the same level. It would certainly take them straight to Mountain Home, and she set off happily, her slugcat companion following close behind.
—
They were making good progress, as the plain transited into a small grove, chatting along the way, when suddenly, an overseer popped before them, bobbing its eye left and right.
She greeted him by a sign of the hand, before realizing that it was in automatic mode.
It, on the other hand, made a gesture of extreme surprise when it saw them, before displaying the danger symbol in front of her.
Wind didn't understand.
Everything was calm, so why such a warning?
Unless it thought Gourmand was dangerous? That must be it...
Before she could ask it the question, other overseers began to appear around them, and, spotting them, flashed the same danger symbol.
She barely had time to start worrying when the ground began to shake and an immense roar was heard, as all the overseers disappeared in the ground.
Wind turned around in surprise and saw a metal monster charging her at incredible speed, chasing a huge vulture that was skimming along the trench that the road cut through the trees around them.
Behind the raging monster, she could see two massive lizards, one moving in leaps and bounds and the other expelling bursts of gas so as not to fall behind.
She was sure she was going to die, crushed and devoured by these four predators built for the chase.
There was no chance she could escape by climbing a tree this time.
It's a shame, she thought, failing so close to the goal.
She was suddenly pushed roughly to the side by her beige companion, a sudden movement from which she escaped unscathed only because she was made mainly of metal, and fell to the ground on the side of the road.
Nevertheless, she felt the gust of air generated by the vulture's movement, which, passing them in an instant, made a strange spin to slow down above them.
The huge iron beast also swerved and tore up the track for several meters before coming to a halt in a huge cloud of dust and dirt.
The lizards, more agile, were already beginning to circle around her cautiously as she got up, surprised to still be alive.
The vulture landed abruptly in the circle formed by the reptiles, causing her to fall back again.
That was it, it was the end. She looked at Gourmand, who was calm despite the situation.
Sorry for condemning you, little creature...
A familiar voice suddenly rang out, interrupting her lament.
"Grey Wind? What are you doing here ?" exclaimed Moon, dismounting from her acrobatic lizard. "I thought the Festival was coming up and you were overwhelmed with work ?"
"Senior Moon ? What are you doing there ?"
"If you keep asking each other the same question over and over again, it's not going to work." echoed the voice of No Significant Harassment, still riding his own nitro lizard.
What ?
The gray Iterator no longer knew where she was.
A few moments ago, she thought she was going to die, and now the ones she was looking for appeared before her.
"Well, Wind, you can thanks the void Pebbles installed good brakes on that pile of mud he dare calls a vehicle, otherwise I would have had my work cut out for me!", continued the green Iterator, laughing at the a robotic growl that emitted Pebbles, which came from behind her.
Wind turned around and saw that what she had taken for an iron beast was in fact a huge trike painted to look like a charging beast.
Even though the paint job was rather crude, it had done its job on Wind.
Pebbles stood on the driver's seat, his pilot googles on his dusted head, brandishing a vengeful fist at his jubilant comrade.
"Pebbles, Sig, are you two going to start already?
We have a loved one visiting us, which is rare enough in itself, so you shouldn't drive her away with your incessant verbal sparring, don't you think?"
Seven Reds Suns, who had just dismounted from their king vulture, slowly approached her with a reassuring gesture, and held out their hand to help her get up.
She swallowed hard when she saw the curved handle of the strange weapon protruding from their belt, as well as the rows of pointed objects that could only be ammunition for said weapon.
She nevertheless accepted the outstretched hand, noting in passing that it was not the original one at all.
How did they lose it?
What here could be strong enough to rip off a puppet's limb with its void glass mesh?
She hoped fervently that such a creature was no longer lurking in the area.
The others took advantage of her reflection to come and greet her.
They were clearly smiling and delighted to see her, but Wind couldn't help noticing more and more strange details.
No Significant Harassment's mask was scarred, a disfiguring mark that even the regeneration of their metallic skin had not erased over time, crossed their face.
What's more, the normally carefree Iterator also carried a sword at his side, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
Fives Pebbles, normally so clean-cut, in addition to the dust caused by his vehicle, had strange burn marks on his arms, that his bracelets couldn't hide, as if red-hot chains had been wrapped around him.
On his tool belt, he too had several knives, too wide and long to be used for anything other than combat, standing out among the other more normal tools on his belt.
Only Looks to the Moon seemed normal, displaying her normal gentle smile, but she looked at her with a discrete wild spark in her eyes, something that was not there when she had left long ago.
She was relieved to find them in good health, but she couldn't ignore the signs of a life spent in a wild and hostile environment.
My Void, dear friends, what has this place done to all of you?
She was interrupted in her thoughts by a cheerful exchange of chirps.
All the Iterators turned toward the source of the noise, seeing the small group formed by their slugcats surrounding Gourmand and greeting them as befitted their rank, elevated in the society of these critters.
"Oh my, Wind, I had not seen that you had a companion!" exclaimed Moon, delighted, as she approached the lively group of creatures.
"Hello, healthy one, although my memories of that time are not very clear, I remember you and the visits you paid me.
I see that everything is going well for you, dear little one."
The beige slugcat responded with a deep bow, before greeting the others with another bow.
Pebbles scoffed.
"I remember you too, rotund one.
What are you doing with one of our companions, who comes from the east, when I gave you a door leading to the west?"
The slugcat's good mood faded somewhat.
"Fives Pebbles. Colony Had To Migrate, Far To The West, Where It Was Said A Machine God Protected From All Danger. It Was True."
At this, Suns raised their head.
"Oh, so Promise of Liberation succeeded in establishing his slugcat colony?
It was one of its major projects, I remember it well...
It was based on his work that I was able to create my Spearmaster.
I owe him a lot..."
"Yes. Have Been Living In Superstructure Much Longer Than You, Who Only Recently Arrived At Oath Of Protection In Colony History."
No Significant Harassment interrupts them by clapping his hands.
"This is all fascinating and all, but shall we continue this conversation at home?
In any case, the race is ruined, so we might as well go home. "
The race? That was were they were doing…?
The green iterator continued, despite the questioning look of the face of Wind.
"Pebbles, do you think you have room in the slugcat compartment of your trike?
Unless you're comfortable on the back a lizard, Wind, in which case I'd be happy to give you a ride~"
"Ah... Um, thank you for your offer, NSH, but I think I'll go with the slugcats.
If they think it's safe enough, I'm not going to question their judgment."
"Very well, your loss~" replied the green Iterator with a shrug, heading toward his mount, which was beginning to get seriously bored.
—
The return trip was rather pleasant, contrary to what Wind had initially thought.
The small cabin at the top of the trike was padded, and even though it was a bit cramped for her and the five slugcats, it was fine.
Innocence had told her about emergency shelters that were more compressed than this.
Even Five Pebbles' rather… sporty driving did not detract from the comfort, as they quickly passed through the different regions that made up the route to Mountain Home.
She knew they would soon arrive when the dirt track abruptly changed to a bio-macadam surface, which made up almost all the roads in the outposts outside Oath.
After stopping to pass through a decontamination chamber, they finally arrived at their destination.
The place hadn't changed that much, after all. The layout was the same, with its central courtyard and numerous doors leading into the cliff. The huge glass roof of what she guessed was a solarium had not yet been installed when she left, however.
"End of the line, everyone off!" shouted NSH, banging on the side of their vehicle, after putting his lizard in a stable provided for that purpose.
"Sig, if you hit my trike one more time, I swear I'll never give you polymorphic alloy for your sword ever again."
What? Such a precious material for such a vile use as a weapon?
She calmed down. Different places, different customs, and all that…
She refocused on her environment, as Moon was motioning her to follow the group into their home.
At least they were kind enough to leave their weapons in the entrance hall.
Of course, she expected No Significant Harassment and Seven Reds Suns to stop and put down their equipment, but she was surprised by Fives Pebbles and Look to the Moon when they removed their bracelets and rings, gold and silver respectively, and placed them in boxes clearly intended for that purpose.
Noticing her questioning look, NSH began to snicker, before promising her something.
"Don't worry, Pebbles will show you his technological masterpieces tomorrow, no doubt.
It's going to be an electrifying experience, for sure!"
Wind decided that it was something to worry about.
She carefully followed her companions through a low archway and found herself in a room that closely resembled the appearance of one of the nests, located in the central orb tree of Oath.
Having a special relationship with the slugcats of this colony, she immediately recognized the inspiration behind this room.
It was remarkable work, one could almost smell the freshness of humus that was normally present in this type of shelter, she thought as she sat down on a huge cushion provided for that purpose.
A slight cough from her senior, who was sitting on a cushion of the same kind opposite the unlit fireplace, drew her attention away from her observations.
"Very well, my dear Wind, I hope you are settled in.
We will be staying for most of the evening, after all."
She continued after receiving a positive response from the concerned Iterator.
"Let us start at the beginning : what brings you here, so far from modern civilization ?"