"You can't be serious, Nin! You have no interest in going up a level?" my fellow wall-engraver asked me in surprise after I displayed apathy to the prospect of getting a better life on the upper floors of Tobaballe. Simply focusing on applying the various lotions and oils on to the decorative bronze that had been previously worked into the wall before me, I had been working on it for so long that I just wanted it over with. My eyes soon catching on to what his own were looking at, sharply jabbing my co-worker in the side when he began to lift his head to look at one of our superiors while they passed on by doing whatever they usually do.

"Hey!" he snapped through closed teeth as his head returned to the direction of his work, a hand rubbing his newly hurt side. An agitated stare being directed at him as if he was some half-bred rodent trapped and squealing under a crate when he began to mutter under his breath about how I acted towards him.

"How about, instead of complaining about me keeping you in line, you remember why you are being kept in line? People like to be able to go home rather than get held back because some curious grounder decided to stick their nose up where it didn't belong!" harshly grabbing his shoulder as I told him that and threatening him with a can filled with eye-blinding chemicals that I was waving before him, only a gesture, nothing too big. Subsequentially leaning in a bit closer when he looked like he was about to pass out another comment, "Because ain't no one gonna care if you cry for help or turn up for work late." letting go of him after I was done with that and beginning the process to leave the area, wiping my hands clean with the cloth that was attached to my belt. Soaking them thoroughly with the water from my canteen to clean off any lingering chemicals that the cloth could not get off on its own.

Digging my knuckles into my tired eyes before then walking along the wall I had spent the last few days decorating and cleaning up. Nodding to myself quietly while I made sure it was all in an acceptable state. Occasionally giving it a little wipe if something looked off with the way it reflected the yellow-ish light above us. But I also couldn't be sure that I was cleaning something that was already cleaned prior as I was just tired at the current moment because I swear I had been cleaning some of the same spots all afternoon!

Leaning slightly through one of the nearby windows, pressing myself up against the bars that filled most of it out and glancing up at the great hanging clock in the centre of our city. Squinting my eyes a bit so I could focus on where the darker mechanical parts were in comparison to the giant ball of light that illuminated it. Groaning quietly when I saw that I still had a short while before I could technically leave this floor and go back down to mine for rest and food. Shrugging to myself when I just decided on cheating the rules and using the excuse that I needed to leave my current position.

That being... I need to change my tools...

Silently laughing to myself as I made sure I had everything to convince the guard protecting the maintenance storage of this floor. The time it would take would very much put me in a position to tell the guard there is very little point in returning to work and as such it would be better to just go on home. Making sure to keep my eyes facing down whenever someone from the higher floors came by, the jangle of their decorative plate and bands making it easy to tell if one was coming. Specifically moving softly through the floor so that my own ankle pieces didn't hit anything too hard as to deceive myself into believing a superior was close by.

Immediately recoiling in panic when I turned a corner and came face to face with one of the highest-ranking people in all of Tobaballe, someone who should in all possible ways not be this far down! Which one was irrelevant, all that matters is that I was now ready for a lesson in diving down one of the great towers of Tobaballe. My head snapping towards the floor so I didn't cause any undue offence and mentally cursing the lack of caution I had in regards to figuring out if someone was just being idle. But, that also lit a minuscule fire of curiosity within me, why was a Spire-Ruler just standing around one of the less-used routes on this floor? That had to be one of the strangest things that I knew of and possibly ever would hear of.

The very best our city had to offer and here they were, just standing in a floor they must have not wanted to see again?

"Oh, don't mind me, you can go and pass if you want." said a sweet, feminine voice as a white-gloved hand covered in a few thin strands of gold mixed into the fabric moved before my face. Of course, my inaction to this did elicit a reaction from her, just not one I expected. She didn't get agitated, nor angry, she just... Giggled... This was confusing me greatly as the norm was hostility and arrogant snoot.

This did not at all match previous encounters or the stories you heard on your days off...

My body seemingly locking up in fear when the gloved hand moved to my chin and lifted my head up so that it would be looking this person directly in their face. The disparity between how I felt and the softness of the hand moving my head was staggering. I tried to resist this grip as the state of how things worked forbid me from glancing at a superior until I could prove myself their equal in skill or wealth but I guess this is where the strangeness of their gold ornaments came into play. It changes those who wear it, they are far too strong compared to those not blessed with gold bands and ornaments like us of the lower floors.

"Now, now, you have nothing to fear. I am not going to hurt you or cause you issues. I just want you to relax." she told me with a smile while maintaining an inhuman grip on my jawbone, the difference in touch and look seemingly flying over this woman's head. She didn't even catch on to this issue until her eyes decided to follow where my ones were looking. A short-lived laugh leaving her as she released my mouth and watched me stumble back a bit, the heavy, thick soles of my work boots being all that stopped me from doing more than just a stumble.

Rubbing my mouth as I got used to the lack of pressure being placed upon it while still acting in a very worried manner. Her face soon changing to a look of disappointment when it became clear to her that just putting up a nice facade wouldn't be enough to get me to let down my guard. There was far too much social weight laced in her words for me to. One mistake and I'd be meeting the same issues I chastised my co-worker for, and, unlike his, they'd not be theoretical and hollow.

"Right... You aren't going to be getting calmer anytime soon... So I guess I'll go about this differently. You'll be coming with me, now." her face becoming stern instantly while my heart decided to pump a marathon's worth when I saw that expression change. Clenching my fists slightly in frustration before resigning myself to whatever fate I had now ended up with. Following my superior with my eyes only going as high as the pair of tight-fitting, black high heels she had on, the golden bottoms of them making a distinct sound as they hit the polished stone floor. Small glimpses of light reflecting off of the dark floor as we walked past various windows and open areas.

Once again making a sharp stop when she came to a stop in front of one of this building's many elevators. Walking into the mobile room and scooting as far from her as possible and praying mentally that my eyes didn't look up when she began to input the required codes to that let the elevator reach the higher levels. Tucking my thumbs inside of my hands as a means to deal with this awkward situation, and, at least for me, silence. The only sound being the muffled whirring of machinery and the steady, gentle tapping of my superior's shoe.

Shaking my head slightly in surprise when she tapped a finger against my shaven head to gesture me along, with us once again going on with our journey with me also being no more than a pet following its master. At least I wasn't being wheeled about in a sealed container, though, but I guess that would've been preferable to getting the looks of every person we passed as we were now in a much more used and frequented area of this tower. One filled with art depicting great moments of our history and finely crafted statues showing our heroes and some form of fountain displaying a man wrapped in tattered cloth. The water specifically being used to represent what was coming out of his fingers.

I had no clue what it was, but the craftsmanship was something as they would've either needed to create an intricate set of precious parts on a skeleton of pipes or they inserted the pipes into solid rock, rare, precious rock at that while also not damaging its exterior. Alas, my mind was so caught up on how this fountain was made that I hadn't realised I was no longer following my superior and was now drawing more unnecessary attention to myself.

"Found something that interests you?" my superior asked from my side as the smile upon her face grew wider once she saw I had become laxer around her. Even if it was more due to an unliving third party than anything else.

"Just trying to figure out how this was built..." I quietly mutter while I tried to look for any finer details in the stone. Subtle lines showing the signs of it being built from parts or anything for that matter. I did not find any, however, be it due to the light being more intense up here than on the higher floors might explain it, or, it was just the fact what I was looking for didn't exist.

"Follow me then and I'll supply you with a smaller, but similar statue and then you can coddle that as that seems to be the only real way to get you talking." she tells me as her hand grasped my wrist and pulled me away from the fountain and towards an overtly elaborate staircase made of pearly stone covered in carpets made of a rich, red cloth that seemed to change shades depending on the angle you looked at it from. I couldn't help but contort my features at the needless obnoxiousness a single, albeit grand, stairwell had. I could understand why a statue was fancy, it held history and was made to be gazed upon, this was on the other hand was just a staircase. So unless the people who worked on these floors were just overburdened with material wealth to work with, then I don't see why they'd need to make such a finely crafted staircase.

But I guess I was just upset that the ones I had worked on with others couldn't have compared to this. The quality was most certainly there alright, and it made me feel small and fanned the pessimistic fires all us grounders had of us never being able to get this good at our roles.

Grasping the side of the stairwell with an expression of worry on my face as I wasn't sure if issues were being caused by me holding on to such a construct given the fact I wouldn't be here under normal circumstances. Staying close to her when the security began to change from an occasional guard to many enclaves of the best Tobaballe had to offer. Their ornate gear shimmering in a light that came directly from their uniforms, but the strangest thing about them was the lack of weapons they had...

"These must be the famed goldhands..." I breathed out as I looked at them and they at me. The rules in regards to how you looked upon soldiers and guards were much, much different to how one merchant might look upon a shopkeep from a dozen floors above them. A nice change of pace from the seemingly endless shoe-covered feet and floors. Albeit, one could say that this place had far too much floor on it, it was very open compared to the main spires... This could only mean I was now in the region of Tobaballe known as the Crown, the highest point in the city one could go by traditional means. You could get higher, but that required either incredible skill and luck climbing the city itself or you were an engineer asked to clean or work on the external parts of the Crown.

"Alright, this will do, my personal abode. Take a seat if you will, I'll be back shortly." she said as she disappeared behind one of the many doors arrayed out in this field of dark wood, clean, white stone, gold engravings and black carpet. Making sure my rear was clean and leaving my work belt by the door so my tools didn't dirty up whatever seat I chose to sit upon. Nearly collapsing into one from sheer nervousness and breathing a sigh of relief at the fact it wasn't too bad so far. Only issues at the moment was the fact I was way out of my depth and the self-built paranoia I was experiencing.

And to be entirely honest, now that I know what the Crown mostly looked like and the size of the homes assigned to the Spire-Ruler's, I wasn't sure whether to be envious of their riches and associated merit or just angry at this waste of space. You could've easily fit half a dozen full families of six to eight from the higher floors in this room alone with plenty of room to spare once all the usual requirements were added in, but instead, all I saw was space gone to waste and pointless extravagance. Only a few people could even enter the Crown freely so what point was there in being so outspoken with the decor...?

"Here it is, one smaller statue of our heroic founder; Mar Cro's." she explained as I got up again to take it from her, "Careful, it is deceptively heavy." she told me with a mischievous wink that I was forced to ignore when I nearly collapsed to the floor when she passed the statue to me. She was certainly right, but I think for the wrong reasons, it wasn't that the weight was tricky to guess, it was that she was far stronger than what one should've been. Like, I was by no means frail, a few years physical labour made sure the muscles in my body remained firm and strong, but she was something else!

"By Thurnmourer's hammer this is..." I strained out as my muscles screamed in pain from the hauling they had to do, my face nearly as red as the carpets decorating the public-less public areas of the Crown. Placing it down safely and then moving back and collapsing on to the chair I was previously on with a face of disbelief being directed at this Spire-Lord that brought me here for some inane reason.

"I suppose you want to know why it is so heavy..." nodding in response while she crossed her well-built legs, a small amount of her darkly tanned skin being showed as she did so, the strange shine her skin also let off was very alluring, "I'll give you a hint... It isn't because of what it is made out of." confusion being my face of the moment as I blankly thought on what she said.

"That makes no sense..." was all I could get out as I watched her get up after pouring herself a drink, her slow movements directing her towards the fireplace only a few metres to my current right.

"Oh, but it does my young friend. See, there are forces out there that can do much to change the physical properties of materials." she explained as she took a sip of some rather thick looking, gold liquid, "Even people." she added on as she removed one of her gloves before crushing the glass with the ungloved hand while that same hand moved directly inside of her fireplace!

My mouth agape in concern that I had been brought to the home of a psychopath before she then walked over to me, only to show me an unharmed hand. All sense of preservation gone when I lunged out and brought her hand close to my face, carefully eyeing every groove, long-sealed scar and mark on her hand only to let it go when nothing was found... Literally no injuries were present... None at all.

But, then I suddenly gained some wit of my own, "Why am I here...?" I finally ask her after working up the courage to be so bold towards a Spire-Ruler stepping back as I asked the question.

"No particular reason, mostly just tired of my subjects being unwilling to speak or listen to me because of how our culture approaches merit and success. It's all fine and golden to praise success but to impose it so harshly? Not a fan I must say... So I thought I would challenge myself, get you to open up and spark such curiosity in you that you wouldn't care about the boundaries you impose upon yourself." a slight tone of annoyance coming with each word for the first half until she specifically began speaking of what just happened with me recently.

"Well... That certainly worked, you got me curious... My worries are not gone, though." I tell her while glancing at the door, pondering what kind of abuse I might get if I left here alone.

"Calm yourself, no one will harm you."

"History amongst my peers says otherwise."

"Then you understand where I am coming from." a gesture of the hand being all she needed to get me to sit once more, but this time, directly across from her rather than off to the side. This would've been significant progress for me from her perspective, but I was just more interested in a comfier seat.

"All I understand at the moment is that I have a rough day ahead..." I tell her with a frown as I still doubted her sincerity.

"This will take time to deal with then..."

"Really? Something you learn pretty quickly as the status quo is hard to remove? Who'da thought! Who in Undwote's frozen grip would've thought!" I snap at her as she clearly wasn't fully aware of how much of an issue she was causing for me in spite of her supposedly good intentions.

"Now, now. There's no need for that tone. But, I suppose I can go about this differently. Stand up." she says as she also does what she just ordered me to do. Getting up and standing a short distance away from her while instinctively trying to lower my gaze. But I was conflicted, she wasn't human in the traditional sense and what she was asking or possibly demanding from me was way outside the norm.

"I want you to look at me, nothing else, just maintain a steady gaze at me as an individual. Do not look at me because I have asked you, do it simply because you can." she tells me, a brief look of apathy washing over me as her contradictions were processed in my head. She wants me to look at her as an individual... Yet she does so by imposing her superior position over me, I don't think she is particularly smart in regards to how you come across when speaking.

"Fine..." muttering a response as I slowly moved my eyes up from her high-heels and past the knee before I finally realised she was wearing some form of thigh-high stocking that then filled the gap before a brief period of bare, dark skin. Beyond that, it was a dark jade, tight-fitting skirt of a more professional make and purpose, no fancy frills or decor beyond the gold that was integrated into the rim of the skirt. There was also a little overlap from a similar in colour and size suit that was held close to the waist by what was in comparison, a very simple black belt covered in various pouches and pieces of silver.

That was odd... It wasn't there for fashion purposes as it clashed too much. I had to admit though, the tightness of her clothes made several pockets pointless, her only breast pocket, for example, was stretched thin because it was forced around her rather large and impressive bust. One had to admit that she was beautiful, but one might've just said that Tobaballe was a tall city, it was an obvious observation and an idiotic one to voice. Outside of that, there wasn't much else to her uniform beyond a few brass bands and jewellery pieces on her left side, mostly on the arm.

That was it for her clothes, at least from what I could see, it was certainly something when compared the dark blue overalls I was wearing and the worn-out, black boots I had on. All that was left to turn my eyes upon was her face, smooth and shining in the light with eyes akin to brown gemstones and a finely kept tail of hair finishing it all off. I, however, couldn't stand to keep looking at her, the gnawing at the back of my head was just too much for the moment.

"There...! I did what you ask!" I blurt out as I stepped back a little, my eyes finding little comfort in the carpets below her voluptuous body.

"Well, it was something I suppose." her disappointment clear as she sat back down with a frown and a sweeping brush of her long, black hair with her still gloved hand. Refusing to sit down this time and just trying to leave as quickly as I could, "Why is it that you are so scared of those from the higher floors?"

Was she serious? Was she honestly serious!? She could probably toss me aside like a man would a child if the child decided to be an idiot and piss them off!

"The fact they could ruin my life with little repercussion...? The fact I am unable to realistically defend myself from people from your floors or the mid-level floors? In case you can't tell, you can only join the guard if you are from the thirtieth floor or higher in each of these twenty-four damn towers!" I angrily snap at her, finally having grown sick of her ignorance on the way the lower floors act. A life of luxury and constant pampering must do that to some people, seriously! She was once an inhabitant of these lower areas, she should at least have some basis to work from!.

She just sighed once more, a frustrated rub coming with it, "Well, how about this then, about two days before the upcoming festival to Thurnmourer I will be leading an expedition beyond the outer walls of our city and I would like you to come. I will show you how we on the upper floors maintain our status over the lower floors and you can serve as an intermediary between me and my lower charges. Deal?" my mouth simply came unhinged at that proposition.

"Beyond the outer walls!? Are you mad!? You people literally tell us the reason we cannot leave the city is because it is far too dangerous out there!" well, this was somewhat true, we could leave through the lower walls that followed the Civil Mountains and visit other cities if we wanted but the outer walls only existed past the one place you weren't allowed unless you were a high-ranking member of society or a member of the army or an appropriately ranked guard. To tempt the noses of Undwote's pack, they specifically had no open windows that faced that direction, that was how badly they didn't want anyone looking out that way!

"A half-truth. While, yes, it is dangerous. A dedicated effort would remove much of that danger quickly. The reason we don't let people through the outer walls is the case of preserving a little secret that you will soon be privy to should you agree." she explained as she walked closer towards me.

"How inspiring..." I mumble as she stopped in front of me, her right palm extended out towards me. Narrowing my eyes at the gloved palm as it felt off in its sincerity, traditionally I should've held my palm up and she should've put hers on mine, but that was a greeting... We weren't greeting each other.

"Do I have your agreement?"

"I... Uh... No... This is too much for you to just throw at me!"

"Hm... Another unwilling one, well, I can't fault you for your doubt, but the least I can do is leave it open to you."

"Bit rich given the fact you haven't even told me your name, much less asked for mine..." I tell her with a ghost of a snarl as I kept my attention on the white glove before me and the hand it covered.

"Then accept my greeting and I will." her voice calm and open, but I was still reluctant... None of this was making any sense and did not match expectations in the slightest.

Slowly switching between extending my palm and retracting it in the build-up to me finally deciding on just placing my palm on top of hers, "Nin... My name is Nin Urtuan."

Her other hand soon found itself on top of mine, a tender grip encompassing my now trapped hand, "Nice to meet you then, Nin, I am Iishar, Iishar Ho, Spire-Ruler of the Tower of Cro's Ascendance! Which, if you can't tell, is the one I picked you up in." Iishar told me in a joyful tone as she released my hand and gestured towards the exit, "Now, let's get you back to your floor, we wouldn't want you to supposedly go missing now, would we?" a gentle smile on her face as she opened the door. The contrast between what was said and how it was expressed was not comforting, however.

I, on the other hand, just held my palm, recently freed, and worried, there was so much to worry about at the moment... So much to think on and ponder on top of what I was already thinking on in regards to the upcoming festivity to the Thunder God!

.

.

.

"'Ey, Nin! Get your head out of the Crown, Ners is about to do his riddles! You're usually always the one to get the first few right." one of my fellow workers told me with a playful jab while I mindlessly munched on the mush in my mouth. Swallowing it out of surprise and flinching at the pain that sudden swallowing did as I wiped away the sprinkling of tears in my eyes that came as a result of that.

"Uh, no, I am not interested in Ners' riddles today." I said as I just focused on the now dry food on my plate, taking a sip of water as I mashed the little pieces of meat I had in-between the flatbread we were offered for today's evening meal. Once again glancing upwards at the outlines of the Crown high above us, occasionally following the various towers as they all curved towards it once you got high enough in them.

"Seriously, why are you acting so detached recently? You refuse to speak about why you were late back a few weeks ago and now you are insistent on just daydreaming when possible." he said in concern, while he was right in how I have been acting, I just wasn't interested in acting upon it. So I just left it at that and got up and left with my food, confused chatter being the background noise I had to deal with as I walked away with what was left of my food. Scoffing it down quickly and disposing of any rubbish I might've had while one of my hands cupped my cheeks to help me eat that which I should've eaten with more moderation.

Disposing of what rubbish I had and wandering off towards the main gate of the outer wall with my thoughts centred on my previous conversation with Iishar Ho. And while I was still unsure about my final decision, the seed of curiosity that was left in me had long since become a lumbering tree weighing down on me. It even led me to develop a habit of just wandering by the main gate of the most mysterious outer wall a few days after our conversation. But, today was a little different to prior walks.

Today was the deadline I was given, the day her expedition would take place and the situation outside the gate made that clear, a small crowd of people looking out towards the various large hauling vehicles that were arrayed before the main gate. A couple of goldhands being at the front of this mechanical column while lesser guards filled in for the rest, their presence could only mean that Iishar was amongst them at the moment or would be arriving. Moving off to the side so I could get a better look at the varying things happening in front of the crowd held back only by a few heavy-headed poles.

Silently keeping to myself before raising an eyebrow at the fact the guards eased up on their crowd repelling and began letting people in, for what reason I did not know. But, I suppose it would make sense that Iishar had been speaking to others if she was truly sincere in what she proclaimed. Perking up slightly when I saw the mythical creature herself, eyeing her with caution as she asked for various members of the crowd and flinching when I heard my name. Finally stepping forth from my little spot off on the side so I could finally get this train of thought off of me, to finally chop the tree she put in me down.

The people who were called forth watched Iishar intently as she began directing a few guards to get people on to the vehicles before I ended up being the last one not in a vehicle yet due to the simple fact of being at the back. Growing increasingly nervous when Iishar stopped before me in the same outfit I saw her in last time but this time with the edition of an ebon holster holding a small firearm within it. It would appear that despite her incredible strength she still felt the need to carry a gun, or was this gun something absurdly strong as well?

"Hello again... Nin?" she asked after a brief pause of thought, to which I nodded to, "I see you agreed to my offer." Iishar said with a gentle smile while she listened to the whispers of one of her accompanying goldhands. Frowning when her expression switched rather suddenly to one of agitation when the goldhand was finished speaking. Awkwardly standing in front of her as she turned to address the goldhand, "Then go grab the other one, that will get them moving." she hissed in a venomous tone as while her free hand massaged the midpoint of her nose.

"Um... Would you like me to join the others...?"

"No, no, no, you'll be riding with me for now as I seem to have overestimated the amount of room our haulers have." silently following her when she said that and began the short trip to the frontal most hauler. Tilting my head in confusion at the large set of four separate tanks on the back of the vehicle, their design was even a bit strange even when compared to a water tank one might find near the bottom of a spire or the various apartments built against the inner wall. Lightly running a hand along the curvature of the closest tank before climbing into the rather boxy front of the hauler.

"Never thought I would feel taller by sitting down." I quip out as I glanced outside the window, surprised by how much higher the seat put me in regards to the ground. Though now that I got over that, I just reclined into the seat I was on, quietly listening to the vibrations of the hauler's engine as it shook with enough pent-up force to pull a small building down. I would also bet money on this vehicle being able to force its way through a thinner part of the inner wall if it tried to, it certainly had the bulk too, but it being able to speed up enough would be answered quickly.

"Pardon me." Iishar said as she scooted over me, her rear having brief contact with my lap as she used the handlebars on the roof to essentially climb over me, well, swung over me might be more accurate, though. Straightening my mouth out when I began to feel like an idiot for just sitting there in the seat closest to the door, but she didn't seem to mind, she just stuck her nose back into the information tablet that was temporarily pocketed before she entered the vehicle.

"All haulers secured. OPEN THE GATE!" a guard outside declared then shouted once he had cleared away from the path the convoy would go across. Quietly gulping as the tracks on the bottom came to life and began the journey to wherever Iishar spoke of when she brought me to the Crown. Leaning hard against the barred window of the hauler so I could get an external glance of Tobaballe. And it wasn't what I was expecting, to be honest, it was pastures and fields, the outer walls of such mysterious fame hid farms? Got to admit, I was a little disappointed.

It was a nice view all things considered even if it was a little ominous due to how dark a lot of the external stonework was. But moving my head higher and higher as we drove away from the gate of the outer wall was enjoyable, I could see most of the spires and their full height from a new angle, I could see the ring of defences and homes that made up the majority of the lower thirty floors and even the various tram rings set up around the midpoint when the floors were too far from the ground to encourage walking to a different spire. One could even just barely make out the Crown at the top of the spires as they curved inwards towards the ever so dreamed about centre point of our city.

The best view, however, could be seen when I looked forward, I could clearly see the sun itself! How its light poured through the fields of crops and how the animals in the barer patches of land turned themselves away from the light so they only had to deal with its heat rather than its eye-agitating light. It was even a little fun to change the position of my head as to get two different perspectives when looking at the sun, one where my eyes hurt because the glass was clearer and one where the environment seemed to change colour when I looked out the darker parts near the top of the glass.

Not all the sights were gorgeous, though, if I was to keep myself grounded, some were concerning, the people...? Tending the fields and animals did not look like they were enjoying it, their clothes were damaged and worn with clearly visible threads coming loose. Perhaps this was why we weren't allowed to see past the outer walls? Their bodies were dirty and poorly kept and their... Tails...? Were in a very unhealthy state, like a stray pet that hasn't been cared for in weeks.

"Don't worry, Nin, they aren't like that because we aren't caring for them, it's just rough beyond the walls so we offer them a safe place to work and temporary shelter." Iishar explained once she caught me looking at all of these formerly unknown creatures. We had a section of the city that we were entirely locked off from... Due to a Refugee camp?

"That one there seems to be having it rough from you..." I point out as we passed one of these things being dragged off into a smaller vehicle, their red-ish hair as fiery as their current behaviour.

"Not all of them are well-behaved, some just have pent up energy from their time beyond the very most outer walls. But what is useful about those ones is that they're a great help on these expeditions as they know the layout of the land well. It also mellows them out. Just mind your ears, they like to spit in them." Iishar explains with a joyful tone, a small shiver coming from her at the end when she mentioned the whole debacle with ears and spit.

"Now why would they do that...?"

"We honestly have no idea, might be a greeting for them as they like to look after their ears. Well, I assume greeting as it is what they do before they properly begin to speak to you."

"Properly speak?"

"Mostly growls, squeals and squeaks before the spit goes flying. They don't spit in each ear more than once though, so it might just be to mark down familiar faces with a scent."

"I guess I'll have to wait and see..."

"It'll be better than hearing it, you won't be able to hear much with spit clogging your ears." she jokes with a shudder as she possibly remembers when she got spat on. Nearly reaching to block my left ear as it was closest to the door before calming myself. As if I was going to end up near whatever those creatures were.

"Do these creatures have a name?"

"Of course! Their parents would have trouble telling them apart otherwise!" I frowned in response to this. It was both an awful joke and I wasn't particularly ready for a casual relationship with Iishar yet, I still had a hill and a half of social stigma to stop worrying about. But, I will admit, I wasn't as nervous as before, possibly because I knew that there were fellows from around the same floor as me, "Anyway..." she said once her attempt at humour fell flat, "The name we gave them, or well, the name one of my fellow Spire-Rulers gave them when he cleaned one up was 'floof,' no particular idea why he named it something so silly but the name stuck. Their official species name, however, they never said. These floofs as it were don't seem to care much for names on things they deem unimportant."

"I see, so, where are we going exactly...?" I ask her as she still hasn't let me in on such information yet. And I wasn't keen on letting a question that has been hanging on my mind for so long now go unanswered.

"I think it'll be better if you see, don't worry, I'll explain more about what you were shown prior as well." her voice monotone as it left her soft lips. Letting out a heavy breath through my nose to show my frustration but leaving it at that for now and just keeping my eyes on the barren road now that we had passed the outer wall beyond what was originally thought of as the outer wall. Raising a brow at the floof in the vehicle in front of us, her spiteful glare and aggressive posture didn't fill me with confidence but I wasn't sure why she was angry. She was in a cage! Cages were perfect in their symbolism of life, stuff will hold you back but there were always gaps you could've found a path in. But she seemed too focused on killing Iishar with a look than anything else.

Not much else happened on our days-long journey, we saw a few sights, set up camp in the shadow of lone mountains and then kept on driving, that is, until we reached an area with some of the most violent thunderstorms that I had ever seen. This was supposedly our destination but I didn't spot anything of note... That is until I heard Iishar shouting for everyone to stay close to the haulers while they did something. I, on the other hand, just ignored it and went for a look, by Cro's' damnable name would I find what I was brought out here to see without unnecessary waiting mixed in.

Soon coming across a large, grey rock that only stood out because of its side in which I could get a better look from, my mouth soon agape in awe at what I saw... A single mountain out in the middle of a field of turbulent gold. I was looking at a cooking pot made of earthly elements, with bubbles of heat violently bursting through the liquid metal as equally golden lightning struck deep into the thick liquid. Turning my eyes up towards the mountain as the lightning's sudden flashes of light illuminated a rather strange aspect of it, its peak was shaped exactly like or was extremely alike an anvil... I was looking at an anvil-peaked mountain.

"Just like the tales of how Thurn' crafted his hammer..." a childlike sense of giddiness overcoming me as I remembered the stories I used to get told by my grandparents when they came down to the lower floors during Thurnmourer's crafting festival at the beginning of the year... Similar but not the same as the one that was coming up...! Or possibly had passed or was in process, it took quite a while to get here so I could not tell.

"Oh!? Are we here to get something for the festival?" I said to myself, not paying much mind to the sound of crunching gravel and other crushed stone behind me.

"Na. Yau wan't be gaing aaanywhere but beyand Redstane Caaanyan." a female voice with a strange accent said behind me. Turning around immediately and being struck with both fear and curiosity as some small, but furry creature levelled a rather primitive looking firearm at me. Of course, a gun was a gun either way so I didn't do much to try and run. The area was far too barren and she was by no means in all likelihood a bad shot. The steadiness of her grip as she hopped down to come face to face with me proved that.

But... Thinking of it as a face-to-face might've been misrepresenting the situation, it was like I was playing Hostage with a child as they go 'pew pew' with their toy. Even if this game of hostage was for keeps, and she seemed intent on winning.

"Let's try not to..."

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"...get too violent, I'm sure no one wants this to get bloody." the human male before me said with raised paws as they backed up a little. Their panicked mind forgetting the fact they were on a boulder and so they ended up falling off on to their back with a pain-filled thud and a surprised yelp. Snorting at how idiotic such an action was as I ran up to the boulder and then fired a stun dart into their exposed neck while they were still recovering from the fall. Keeping my musket trained on him as he flopped unconscious, just in case, don't want any sneaky movements.

And when I was sure he was out properly, I began holstering my musket once I had confirmed it and unhooking a capture-sack from my belt and pulling my hood down as well to let my spines get a bit more air and not rub so much. It was dangerous to generate too much static around here during this time of the grand-cycle and I wasn't keen on listening to Paps in regards to plucking my spines before we did a job. I was quite fond of them, so no thanks!

But standing around near the edges of Anvil-Peak's molten sea wasn't smart either, so I began the process of putting the bland-human into the capture-sack and then tying up the end. Grumbling as I now had to drag them back to Paps and his business partner because Iishar let a few get too curious and too far from the drop-off point, we even had to return an oxfuine because the original dealer hadn't sedated them properly. Paps didn't mind as long as he got paid but I very much did care about faulty goods as it meant needless travel through the ravines and valleys during a time of such vicious war amongst the wind-peoples.

Tugging on the end of the capture-sack to make sure it was tightly secured before then walking off back towards Paps and his dealing. Occasionally tugging the capture-sack forward if it began to lag behind, I could just sling it over my back, I was strong enough to do that, but I also wasn't fond of being covered in lubricant as it just gets stuck in my fur if it came into contact with it. And I was always restraining myself from rubbing my paws on whatever I could find to get rid of the lubricant that inevitably got on my paws when handling a capture-sack.

"Why we caaan't jus' use cuffs is beyand me." I miserably grumble as I finally arrived back to where Paps and co were. Sneering at the bagged human and the trouble they caused me as I tossed them into the wagon, my swing being done with just enough force to cause an ache when they woke up but not enough as to break them and those that they landed on.

"Heiya! Get here." Paps ordered once he saw me come back to the deal with the missing goods. Steeling myself in anticipation for a certain response... Rubbing my cheek with my nearest shoulder after having to deal with the sting of a harsh but supposedly well-meaning slap.

"Now, I believe that is all of them." Iishar Ho claimed as her clumsy vehicles turned around so that we could begin the transfer of goods from our mutual benefactor. In exchange for magic-less humans, or blands, we gave them a refined version of the gold found by Anvil-Peak. Of course, while they had been led to believe it was as pure as can be, it was nothing more than the sloppy slag produced by the Academy we both dealt wih. Ignorance was a powerful marketing tool, anyone in a position of authority knew that.

"Mmmm. Thaaat ane wauld maaake the deaaal dane." I comment as I looked at the slip that dictated how many pieces of cargo we should've been getting, nodding in satisfaction when the numbers matched up. Glancing at Paps while he oversaw the exchange between the tanks and then looking around as more lightning flashed through the clouds.

"Heiya. Move soon." Paps told me while he gestured at the frontal wagon in which we kept our personal supplies. Waving him off as I hopped on to the animal-driven contraption and sloping down into the seat once I unholstered my musket to my side. Grabbing the cloth that would normally be used to clean the glass front of the wagon and using it to clean my hands of lubricant. Watching for the very faint sapphire threads within the otherwise dirty white cloth before putting it back on the bar it usually rested on. Flicking my paws in the air to dry them off and remove the thin layer of water that was now on them.

Spending the next few moments fiddling with the iron-scope on my musket and replacing it with a more dedicated focused-glass scope. Holding my weapon in a manner one would normally use it in while occasionally adjusting the magnification of the scope. Stopping what I was doing to slam the stock of my rifle into one of Paps' bloodcomb ammo containers. The sudden and violent buzzing of the insects inside the container still being as entertaining as it usually is.

"And when will the next dealing be exactly?"

"No deal."

"What do you mean!? I have consistently met the deadline and paid more this time to get a far grander prize!"

"Too much going on. No more deal." was all Paps had to say as he left the frustrated Iishar Ho behind him. He wasn't wrong though, with all the stuff going on between the Seven-Peaks and those in the Theocracy based in Thurn's Forge and its sphere of influence, the main roads and paths just aren't as safe anymore, to say nothing of the land that only belongs to the wind-people on paper or stone. Especially with the recent string of Seven-Peak victories moving the battle lines and making some paths useless.

Getting a wyvern in custody also caused a few issues... We would need to stay underground for a little while before we attempted anything else. Reptiles rarely forgot and were prone to violence unless subdued. Alas, we had no means to subdue them at this moment in time beyond a wagon-load of various medication, some reliable and publically sold, others... Not so much.

With my eyes keeping a stern gaze on the large, blocky container that brimmed with heat as it violently shook on the back of one of Iishar's vehicles. Giving it a little wave as Paps got us moving away from it, now we had another thing to deal with, getting our caravan to the next drop off point so we could ensure our delivery remained pure of magical taint. The Academy was very, very pedantic when it came to the purity of their little experiments.

And avoiding such pedantry when I had Paps of all people as our primary deal-maker was not something I wanted to sit through, my body shuddering at the mere thought of a short, to-the-point speaker speaking a broken tongue to a people becoming increasingly influenced by those who view shorthand and slang as one of the greatest signs of disrespect...

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"Alright, be careful! Get these sacks into the pods as quickly as possible!" one of our accompanying mercenaries commanded to his fellow mercenaries as they began moving the capture-sacks towards the cylindrical containers arrayed before them. Walking alongside one such container and running a paw along its blue-glass sides before stopping at its steely grey frame and letting go of it.

Moving a short distance away from the group as I looked around the famed Redstone Canyon through the scope of my musket. My eyes eager for even the slightest hint of an airship, the fact we had to do this via airship either showed the Academy was desperate or the war was going faster than expected.

"There we aaare." I comment once a gentle emerald shimmer appeared from within the pitch-black bowels of the Canyon. Jogging back to Paps so I could inform him that we were running on time but there appeared to have been a problem while I was away.

"Why aren't you closing the pod!?"

"It's saying there's too much magic in this one!"

"By Undwote's grip what do you mean by that!? They all had ankle bracelets on!"

"It seems some insect got trapped in it."

"Problem indeed." Paps said while he stroked the fur on his chin as he paced around the pod in question before he came to an abrupt stop, "Put in middle. Problem hide itself." he said to them while he pointed to the men working the crane and gestured for this pod in question to get put in the centre of the forming cuboid they were putting together on the shipping platform before us. Looking up into the sky as the airship finally got out of the canyon and into the air above us.

Putting a paw over my face as its wings pulsed with powerful streams of wind magic as it came into an area away from us so it could land. The emerald feathers making up its wings dissipating as it landed on the barren rock before it, a mighty dust cloud blowing out away from it as it did so. With its polished, brass-coloured hull doing an amazing job of bothering the eye even with this dust cloud in the way as the orbital-halo's light bounced off of it.

"Make sure job done." Paps commented as he headed towards the landed airship and the people exiting through the ramp that lowered from its central portion. Aiming my musket down at the guards the airship crew brought with them in case they tried anything iffy. One had to be careful as the Academy was very willing to save money in regards to whom they hired on their end, sometimes it was an estate-guard from the Seven-Peaks looking for some experience outside of their homes or it was a drunken ravineer down on their luck.

Sharp switches of whom appeared in my scope being the norm in cases like this, me and Paps were a team so I needed to look after him even if he was overbearing in his end of it. A sigh of relief leaving me once Paps returned without issue with what must've been a staff member of the Academy itself. Their large array of copper cloths wrapped around them and the occasional decorative cog making that clear, but, I might have just been conflating the clothing culture of its nearby mountain-state with the Academy's specific attire choices, not that I really cared.

Paps' plan also seemed to have worked as the flawed pod was hidden under the magic being repulsed by the outer pods, dampening the odd one out and hiding it from the current inspection our goods were getting. Now, all that mattered was the pay for our mercs and us hitching a ride with the airship. Walking on to the large platform where the mercs had moved our personal belongings on to when they did the pods and sitting on the edge. My knees tucked close to my chest for now in anticipation for when they could dangle over the edge when the airship lifted us up.

"Make sure safe." Paps told me as he rubbed a paw through my spines before he went into our personal wagon for something. Squeaking in surprise when he hooked my belt to the wagon and confiscated any loose belongings I had. Glaring at him for a short moment before pouting as now all I could do in regards to the edge of the platform was sit down in the corner lest I invoke an angry tug on the cable from him.

"Ane af these cycles, Paps... Ane af these cycles..." I mumble as I tuck myself into the corner of the platform where the airship would be hooking itself to. I could at least occupy myself by fiddling with the cables of the airship and the fittings of the platform, I suppose.

Or not it would seem... Grumbling as the airship instead just picked us up in a magical current between the two extensions that kept it afloat. A loud noise soon bursting from the rear of the airship as a sharp spike of emerald energy began propelling the vehicle forward with us in a steady grip below it. Eyeing our now-former employees as they trekked off towards the famed main gate of distant Thurn's Forge with the other wagons that were now loaded with their pay instead of equipment. The amount they had was deceptive though, they knew it, we knew it, everyone knew it.

So much would be just taken off them by the gate guards at Thurn's Forge that it wasn't even funny. The Chained-Men as they were commonly called that hauled that colossal gate open practically killed any attempts at major trade beyond Redstone Canyon. It was understandable, there weren't many potential trade partners of note beyond the lands dominated by the Golden Fields. Thurnmourer may have been the god all craftsmen looked to, but he was no crafter of nations and his work left many a wasteland for people to die in.

Looking up from my position when the one individual that we were taking with us that wasn't in a pod began to try and escape. I suppose I was lucky that the cable Paps put on me was a long one so I could at least go and investigate the oxfuine while Paps did whatever he did when he wasn't working. For a short time on this trip, I was entranced by how the environment below us changed from barren plains of endless rock and gravel to unyielding mountains covered in light and dark greenery and patches of various exposed ores if you were lucky. However, we would not be going over the snow-belt it would seem, and the airship was wise to keep under such violent areas of the mountains when you lacked protection for your cargo.

But, chances were, it was to avoid any omniships belonging to the Seven-Peaks, they wouldn't harm us but would severely hold up our delivery. How we were going to return the oxfuine, however, was another issue in and of itself as a single one was far too little to justify the expense but simply letting them die in the ravines below would've been a major loss for us as well. Crouching before the cage which held the oxfuine and looking into their silver eyes while I pondered how we could potentially deal with this. Frowning as I looked at their behaviour and began to pay attention to it...

"Yau're nat trying to escaaape... Samthing warries yau...!" I uttered to myself as I stood up once more and while trying to glance beyond the ethereal barrier that kept up beneath the Academy's airship. Moving with haste to snatch my musket back into my grip and alerting Paps in the process as I began to scan the little pocket of forest hidden within the mountain we were currently passing and narrowing my eyes as I tracked the movement of something large within the treeline.

"Trouble?" Paps asked as he loaded his spike-gun with a fresh batch of bloodcomb, the multi-barreled weapon not causing him a single issue as he flicked the barrels back up. A mechanical click resounding about us before a relative quiet was all that we could hear. Gesturing for the whimpering oxfuine to keep quiet before a chorus of booms resounded through the air and a volley of large and crude but solid metal slammed and punctured deep into the wing of the airship.

Violently rocking our platform and putting the airship in a dangerous state of balance.

While Paps was making preparations for a crash landing into that forested area, I was just firing off as many shots as I could in what was quickly amounting to a petty attempt to stem the incoming projectiles. Most shots found their mark with critical success, however, the rate I could fire at was slowing down as my arms were becoming numb from the number of munitions I had already fired.

Soon ducking down and moving towards our wagon so I could grab some more ammo before the airship violently jerked towards the area the hostiles were located.

This wasn't a natural descent, something was pushing us... "PAPS!" I ended up screaming when a sickly brown aura ended up overpowering the emerald of the ship as its engines started breaking down.

"Osibindah!" Paps growled as a powerful figure could be seen manipulating the rock from another mountain into fine, but blunt spikes that sent us crashing downwards. Panicking when the platform jerked upwards upon hitting the rock that was unmolested by the osibindah shaman's perverse magical arts. Frantically jerking about as I tried to get Paps' cable off of me as the platform left the airships grip as fireballs devoured their way across its broken hull. A firm grip soon taking hold of me as a barrage of sharp needles shot into the cable before we crashed into the ground below.

Whimpering in pain after we had finished our violent roll through the dirt and trees. Barely being able to work up the strength to get up while Paps laid there unconscious having taken most of the force during our crash. Leaning on my weapon with sharp breaths as I tried to get my current burst of pain under control. My eyes quickly focusing on Paps as tears began to blind me.

"Pleaaase be okaaay, Paps!" I cry out as I begin to drag him away from the wreck as fast as my bruised body would allow. Flinching in fear when more booms filled the air and lance-like bolts in size forced their way into the wilderness surrounding us. The screams and commands of disoriented soldiers mixed in with the noise as wind-people proved themselves to be of much sterner stuff than their buggish foes. But numbers would win this day, not individual quality.

And a terrible roar that filled the ears of all would make sure of that as the ground surrounding the wreck seemed to turn upon the soldiers capable of fighting. Bloodcurdling screams were let out in desperate last stands as stone tendrils flattened unseen soldiers into a fine red mush of crushed bone and flattened armour. A high-pitched squeal-esque noise marking every area where the osibindah made its presence known.

Dragging Paps through a small hole in the mountains hide and coming to an abrupt stop when it turned out to be nothing more than a path to a small outcropping. Crying uncontrollably as I held my motionless father in my hands while the screams of men died down and the roar of carapaced monster replaced it. Rapidly stroking my Paps' spines, uncaring for the blood they drew whenever I pricked my paws against them. I was too enthralled with fear to care about a few little cuts.

Such behaviour would not last long... For the jangle of rusted metal and chittering of mandibles was enhanced through the hole in which we went through. Whimpers soon being my only noise as I increased my grip on the closest of Paps' paws, slowly pushing ourselves away from the hole when a bloody, carapace-covered claw made its way through to try and grab something. It knew we or something was beyond the hole and it would find it!

So I just grabbed something to sate its curiosity, in this case, a handful of the spines on my head. Shaking in silent pain as I scattered them to my side as to avoid any potential eyes that could've been watching me. And while the claw retreated through the hole, seemingly satisfied with the bounty it hauled... My heart would not stop pumping, for the smell of its drooling jaws and the rapidly drying blood it left spattered near us was still there. It still chittered as if it was pondering something.

It left though... It left... Undwote's Pack would not come looking for us for now... We were free from the howls of the pets belonging to the God of Death... But that didn't mean he wouldn't come calling again soon.

For the door that got knocked when Undwote came looking for you was always found in the heart. Its erratic thump never ceasing until Undwote was allowed in to meet your lonely soul.