Big. Titanic. Huge. Cavernous. Monolithic. Massive... So many words, and yet none of them would do the vista before him any justice. And it was a vista. A subterranean one at that.

Tyr had no concept of a measurement that he could use to describe the true size of the thing. A cavern indeed, so vast in its proportions that it seemed the mountain above and around had been hollowed out in its entirety. Tyr had heard of the mountain holds and the great aeries, and even though he hadn't seen them in person... He was beyond confident they'd hold not the tiniest approximate of a candle to this place. Not so much as a spark, the engineering itself must've been a centuries long undertaking. Just like the platform outside, not a single damn thing supported the colossal weight of rock overhead. It just... Stood...? Is that the right word? Stock still and frozen like it's root structure hadn't been made a home for talking gate making eggheads.

A city... He guessed. A whole city state seemed more appropriate. Two, maybe even three of the capital cities of Haran could be fit within the span of it, and that was with ignoring the sky scraping scale of the buildings. Everything was metal and glass. Some of it damaged or showing signs of wear, but no less awe inspiring in its proportions. Only one thing or 'people' could've wrought such a spectacular thing. Gods. He was sure of it, this was a city of gods long lost to history. Until now. A lost city. They existed, and he'd heard of them, the lost cities of ancient civilizations. If they'd been anything like this, though, he was also confident he'd have heard of it. This might be, had to be, the great undiscovered lost city of all time.

They varied. Adventurers wrote about them. Even after they were 'found' they still kept the title, he wasn't sure why. Some had belonged to men once, or could only be found in special, magic places. Tyr was no explorer, but even he was taken aback by the achievement. The significance of such a place, and Thomas had known about it. Or at least the prince thought he must have had. Why else would he send him here?

“Hells...” Tyr whispered, craning his head upwards in disbelief. “The ceilings are so high it has its own clouds... Underground. Is this even possible?” It had to be, as it was literally looking him right in his damn face. A cloud system had formed in the sky and it was raining somewhere off in the far distance but not where he stood. It'd own unique weather patterns... Underground...

The place was lit as well. Dark in some areas, but overall the well organized streets and pathways were lit under a dull yellow gloom tracing through the cavern. Like the old roads that crisscrossed the empire that no man could reproduce even with a lifetime of effort, flat and perfect and smooth enough that no bumping would come of the carts that traveled over them. Conveniently, the massive sign stood over the half shattered gate he'd entered through was inscribed in a variety of languages. Even the old tongue. Common before 'common' was 'common', the language Oresundians still spoke at times.

[WELCOME TO INSTALLATION 0352110--

The text seemed to want to continue, but the sign looked half bitten through and the ragged edges were slightly rusted. It wasn't made of iron or steel, but some other silvery metal. Aluminum, based on it's pliability and the face that it flaked and pulled apart when he touched it.

Ignoring all of the artifacts and obviously valuable technology strewn all about, even the glass itself - if collected - would be worth more than the entire treasuries of all the kingdoms combined. Tyr was sure of it. He'd never seen so glass in one place, so clear on the bottom levels in certain buildings that he slammed into a pane of it face first having not know it was there. In a fit of aggrieved wonder, he hurled a rock at one of the largest panes only to have it bounce off and leave the glass unmarred. Not glass after all... Then?

“What is this stuff...?” The better question would be, 'what is anything here at all?'. Carts surrounded by statues, they seemed horseless, or maybe their beasts of burden hadn't been petrified like that. In any case, he saw no rings or mountings for any kind of harness, yoke, or lead. More of the glassy tablets lay everywhere, in every structure. Enough of the bronze metal to put a sword in the hand of every man, woman, and child in the empire, and a suit of plate too – with plenty to be left over if only they'd had the means to forge it. It seemed wasteful to make so many things with such an impressive metal. Perhaps this race had been so rich to truly possess such a quantity.

Even one of the large buildings could take a day or more to search over. Tyr, on his part, had completely forgotten why he had come, so engrossed in his findings. Two days passed lazily adventuring through the corridors, skyways, and streets. Two days before the rations on his person began to run low enough to feel the first pangs of hunger.

Shit... I left the rest of it in my saddlebags. He sighed, moping with a rumbling stomach. Tyr thought himself a fair opponent to pain and exhaustion now, but never hunger. Of all the knives he'd stuck himself with and long days spent tempering himself, he'd never mastered his appetite. Food was too common and the temptation too strong. It was perhaps his only instinct that refused to be tamed.

CRUNCH. CRUNCH.

Hmm?

It was the first time he had heard anything more than the whir of cleverly disguised machinery yet working in whatever way it did... Or the dripping of water, that was pretty constant. Flesh was being torn nearby, just around the corner. A dull crunching and ripping of fibers came from jaws that clacked shut with impressive force echoing through the empty streets. He could see them, or their shadows at least. Spindly, massive things of ridged backs and gaping maws. Clawed hands and snorting tittering coming from them.

Monsters... Tyr felt his heart sink into the stomach. Of all men, he'd only truly feared one. Of all monsters, there were too many to count and he'd not seen but two or three minor varieties. A barghest, a roc taking the peak of a faraway mountain. Never anything like this. Those that crawled and slithered through the dark did so with good reason, lest they find as many as a legion of men to throw them back into their holes and warrens. Haran was safe, for the most part, but this was not Haran... Not truly.

Men could be called monsters, but people who said that hadn't seen any monsters. That term used to describe the warped things of half magic and nightmare. Aberrant species that few knights could face alone, even those stronger than Tyr. Half in thought of flight, half overcome with curiosity. He had to look and see for himself what kept men huddled tightly in their beds at night.

Just a look won't hurt... Just a look and I'm gone from this place.

Inching forward, he came to the angled corner of the building, gulping at the massive shadows caught in the dull yellowed light. A snorting came from them, whatever they were feasting on seemed to be of much delight, gorged themselves enthusiastically. What he saw...

What he saw... Tyr had many preconceptions about life outside the city. All based on books that he'd read or overly talkative tutors. These preconceptions had been betrayed several times, but here in this place he found himself uniquely unprepared for the sight before him.

His horse, standing placid and completely unharmed astride a street lamp, surrounded by bizarre lizard like creatures. Lizard... Perhaps... Reptilian in appearance to a decent degree. Overlong maws full of razor sharp teeth and vivid glowing eyes of a color with consistency between them. Vaguely humanoid in the orientation of their arms and legs, sans the thick tail between the latter. A fringe of bright feathers sat along their spines in a ridge of reds, blues, and greens to match their skin. Some more vivid than the others, though they all seemed to have a uniform color of scaly hide. Little nubs from the vertebrae riding up their back to give them a sinister appearance.

“Urk...?” So stunned was the prince that he failed to tuck himself back behind the corner. These things, through some mechanic of their inhuman senses turned directly toward him. He made to flee before realizing that he'd need his horse, or he'd starve in this place eventually. That, and they didn't look particularly threatening, the tallest of the things stood not a couple inches above his navel. Small, spindly limbed... At least they didn't look strong, but he could sense mana hanging over one of them. A weak thing, just like them, but magic was magic. Unlike most things, Tyr was intimately aware of how even lower level magic could disable him.

“Human? Human in my place? Why come, human? Our food now, yes? Not take our food or I will be giving you a stick and not in the friend way! Bargain?”

“Well... Uh... That's fine. Please eat your fill.” Tyr replied, stepping nervously out from his hiding place though never letting his hand stray far from the hilt of his sword. He'd heard all monsters would attack on sight, but he'd never heard of one that would speak to humans, much less bargain with them. Not unless it was some kind of trap laid by a demon, or so the old tales said. This... Tiny lizard child did not look much like the demons described to him in his youth though. “Who...? It's my first time meeting one of your kind, how should I address you?”

“Tuk, Guk, Yuk, Luk, Puk.” The thing with a bit of mana to it pointed to his companions that remained crouched and seated. Not a shred of murderous intent came from them, only the smallest bit of childlike curiosity, and... Something about the prince, something carried over from the lands between life and death. Imperfect and unwhole, but it helped him at times. A curse, in others. He could smell it, their thoughts and fears faint on the wind. Not in the metaphorical sense, but rather the literal, he could smell the compulsions of others, their emotions even. The emotion coming from these creatures was blunt and honest. There was fear, outweighed by a simply curiosity. Then again, Tyr figured it was possible that he might have it wrong. Training with Thomas to hone his senses did not mean they were perfect. Far from it.

“A pleasure to meet you...?” Tyr addressed them unevenly, not missing the strange naming conventions of these creatures. “Are you monsters?”

“Monster me?” Luk, the one who carried the mana, pointed at himself with a tilted head. “Not think. All female in tribe say Luk nice guy. Not want mate though, sad...” He looked downcast, and the one Tyr thought had been referred to as Puk patted his friend on the shoulder reassuringly.

“Ah... Are you goblins?” Of all the creatures he was aware of, that seemed to be the most likely. Goblins were short childlike creatures with fangs... He'd heard that those from different tribes could look different than the norm, too.

“Ruk ruk ruk ruk!”

That drew a laugh from them, a stitching laughter that sounded like nothing Tyr had ever heard. Like a man sneezing into the wide end of a brass horn. “Not goblin we. Kobo we. You human, yes?”

“Yes.” Tyr replied. “Human, and I am called Tyr. Aren't kobolds supposed to be... Furry?”

He'd seen their depiction in tomes and mythology. Creatures of the deep dark that were said to be made by Ejessi in the mockery of man. Doglike monsters that stood seven foot tall, blind but with a sharp sense of smell. Nothing about these creatures met his expectations.

“First, not Kobold. I am not bald, many feather me. Kobo, okay? Human named for the weeping think trog maybe? Or... Grendel? Not know, not care. No grendel here, or they get my stick. Trog in east cave leave tribe alone or also get stick. You want stick?” Luk waved his... Stick around menacingly, shaking it at the prince without fear or the anxiety present in the eyes of the other. “Stick or friend, you pick.”

“Friends, then. I do not want the stick.” Tyr chuckled at the nods of satisfaction from the reptilian kobolds. He attempted to shake hands with the kobolds had as the merchants did, receiving a strange look and a snort in reply. They didn't seem interested in the custom, smelling his hand and swaggering off.

“Friend sit with tribe. New friend Tyr eat with tribe. Here...” Offered to him was a half gnawed turnip covered in slimy drool. Tyr declined the offer, pulling out his last remaining chunk of dried meat and offering it to the kobolds in good faith.

They huffed, snorting and glaring condescendingly at the meat. Or so he thought, it was hard to tell due to their lizard-like faces, though far more expressive than a reptile should be. With a glint of primitive intelligence to their eyes. “Not want flesh meat. Mountain tribe vegetarian, no eat meat.”

“...Vegetarian?”

“Yes. Not surprise stupid human not know vegetarian. Big life. No eat meat. Good for the scatting, yes, grow the big brain and strong bone good calcium mineral. Eat vegetable grow big strong like ancestor. Eat what human want, not eating for us.” They remained munching at the paltry bits of foraged vegetables and pine nuts pilfered from his saddlebags. What was left of it, anyways... Curiously, Tyr noticed that they hadn't touched the wrapped parcel of dried meat at all. As for all of his other belongings, they were strewn about the floor or carried by the kobolds. One of them, Tuk he thought... Wore his woolen travel blanket like a cloak tied shoddily around its neck.

“Can I take my horse?” Tyr asked after a while, pointing at the creature as it licked at the post of a lamp with great fervor.

“This beast yours?” Tuk asked nervously.

Tyr nodded.

Luk whined. Whined like a dog, feathers lowering and tail vibrating in a strange, energetic way. Fanning out his feathers and shivering intensely, slapping his tail against the ground with a guttural choking noise. Then again, everything about these kobolds was strange. “Big trouble we. Steal from friend. Chief punish we again. Oh no... Luk not have mate, chief say me have mate if behave! Not behave, steal from friend!” He cried allowed, with a very 'woe is me' cast to his lizard-like face.

If it had been a man, woman, or any combination of them – Tyr knew he might've just killed them then and there without question. His horse disappearing was his fault, obviously. He found that he didn't hate these creatures, they were too alien for him to even think about killing. He had no standard for which to hold himself to regarding their kind. Only curiosity. Unlike men, who had had ample knowledge of and remained inherently distrustful of them. He considered the fact that Thomas sent him down here to kill something, but like the wolves in the forest – he'd defend himself but not pursue them proactively.

They might be creatures capable of speech and intelligence, but all living things were animals or came from more humble foundations. Humans were unsavory. These things were just living in the dark and wouldn't even eat meat. 'Vegetarian' lizards with the teeth of a carnivore and they didn't seem interested in hunting or killing. They were judgmental about it though, the same way humans were with the same dietary predilections.

“Wait, I'm not sure what you mean. Why would you get in trouble for taking from a human?” Tyr raised an eyebrow. Perhaps their society had developed far afield of where humans lived and they hadn't met them in some time. Luk seemed to know what humans were, calling Tyr one, but he wasn't afraid of Tyr which was a sign that he had never met a man before. Any human that saw these things would either scream in terror and run away – or start an extermination. That's how men were most times.

“Friending, bond all peace no fight or argument means you are tribe. All tribe who are friendly.” The 'kobo' said. Tyr was just going to call them kobolds, it was easier that way.

“Do you have other humans in your tribe?” Tyr asked.

“No...” Luk turned his head sidelong to stare Tyr in the face with a very skeptical eye. “No human, only kobo. Not need human, stupid question. Never seen human until today, only on wall drawing.”

“Ah. Well it's nice to know that your people aren't racists... I guess.” Tyr tired of the dialogue quite quickly, but he was more amused than anything else. “Since I wasn't in the tribe before you took it, it doesn't count. I've never much liked turnips or carrots, so you can have them. My gift to you.”

“Man law?”

“Something like that.” Tyr nodded. Technically, he'd have full authority to kill any commoner who'd so much as touch his horse without permission. Not that he'd ever done so, it simply wasn't worth the energy and was pretty fucked all things considered. He didn't ride with great wealth in his saddlebags and this wasn't his personal, palace bred steed.

So I guess I'm part of a kobold tribe now...?

A while passed, food was consumed and they, for all intents and purposes, supped together. Man and kobold discussing little and staring often. According to Luk, none of his tribe had ever seen a human before. Only the chieftain had, and drawings of men adorned their section of the city. Enough to draw an a fairly appropriate idea of what a man must look like, surely. Tyr was impressed at their artistic capabilities.

“You live down here?” Tyr asked. “Do you know what this place is?”

“Not know.” Tuk shrugged, the cloak about his shoulders rustling against his scales and feathers. “Big place, under place. Chieftain come here with clutch after tusk thing kill old tribe. New egg grow well here in the warm place. New tribe here, we tribe. More kobold come chase by tusk thing. Big tribe now.”

“Tusk thing?”

“Ask chief. Chief know. Tusk thing big like long leg man. Mean thing throw rock at tribe and try eat us.” Yuk shivered, looking about in anxiety as if mentioning these 'things' was liable to bring them down upon them. “Not go in the dark place, bad place for human and kobo. Friends stay in lighted place okay?”

They walked deeper into the city, with Tyr leading his horse behind them. These small creatures were kind and easygoing after his 'acceptance' to their tribe. Kobolds seemed to fear men on a societal level, but they did not hate man or wish violence upon them. Only stating that humans belong in the 'above caves'. Evidently, the rare shifting of the earth or erosion over time would open cracks and crevices that these creatures had used to admit themselves into the city some time in the past. These places in the dark that exposed the city to external cave systems would, bizarrely, close shortly after they'd opened. The rock 'flowing like water' after some time.

Some magic. Possibly a worn mechanism designed to move fresh air and water in. Tyr had no idea, but it wasn't important. It kept bigger things out, or so Luk said, and ensured that no massive population of foreign creatures migrated here. There wasn't much in the way of food besides mushrooms, odd lichens, some eyeless fish and glowing eels in the deep streams that must've once been a sewer system. Kobolds would eat those, but for whatever reason they had a distinct fear and revulsion of red blooded flesh. As Guk explained, this came from some great 'need' in the past. Whatever that meant.

Any kobold who partook in the eating of red meat would be executed without mercy. As to why, Tyr had an idea. He wondered if he'd be allowed to continue consuming it since he was not a kobold. He didn't have much else to eat down here. There were a lot of these kobolds in the city, segregated into their own district and sticking close to a sunken structure. Like the other buildings, this dwelling was almost perfectly square, but unlike them it was obsidian black. With a thin gold band pulsing with a faint radiance around its midsection.

They looked at the prince, those kobolds, until they saw the uneven necklace of teeth and feathers around his neck. After that, it was as if they'd seen nothing bizarre at all. These creatures didn't have much interest in his, it would seem, beyond a passing curiosity. A lucky turn of events for Tyr.

Near all of their operations happened in the bowels of what could be called a series of basements reaching deep beneath the ground the structure stood on. Level upon level of crystalline blocks framed each room with various detritus and paints strewn about them haphazardly. Tyr would've thought the dwelling of primitive creatures would be messy, but not so. Surely, it wasn't to a human aesthetic and the smell wasn't as pleasing as he'd like it to be, but it was otherwise almost obsessively clean. To such a point where he had to ask toward it.

“Why do you keep this place so neat?” There wasn't a speck of dirt of broken rock on the ground. Based on the state of the building and the gouged walled he'd assume some debris or rubble had existed at one time.

“Kobo stuck in dirty cave before see new place, want place look good. Good for kobo good for watcher in sky and below. Good for ancestor me think.” Tuk shrugged. “Human place filthy maybe but kobold keep cave shiny like scale, see?” As if to accentuate his point, Tuk ran his four digit clawed hands over his 'shiny' scales making a raspy sound in the process. Whatever that was supposed to mean, the creature seemed to have a great deal of pride regarding his appearance.

“Ah...”

Five levels they passed. A vertical skyway... No, an elevator as the dwarves called them existed in the structure but it was either out of operation or they didn't know how to use it. Very similar to the magic lifts found in the Harani palace, though patterned with very different runes of a purpose he could not discern. Every floor had clusters of the crystal cubes that grew denser as they descended down stairway after stairway, eventually reaching a heavy circular door that looked to have been smashed open by some incredible force.

“Chief inside...” Luk pointed into the bowels of the poorly lit structure. “With me go, no other. We only. Bargain?”

“Bargain.” Tyr replied, amused at the creatures strange way of speaking. No crystal cubes existed in this place. Based on the racks of artifacts lining the walls, it appeared to be an armory. Piles of the crossbow artifacts lay everywhere, with similarly shaped devices of an unknown purpose near them. These kobolds took care of them too, fencing them off with barriers of bone and leaving them in neat racks.

A score of the creatures paced about the room tending to whatever duties they busied themselves with. In the style of a longhouse though more primitive in comparison, a roaring fire that belched no smoke and needed no fuel sat at the center of it to illuminate the room. Tyr was so lost in the impossible wonders that existed everywhere in this place that he found himself staring into the white flames, not surprised in the least. An eternal flame. Those existed... He'd heard that too.

“Manling.” That chieftain. He had no name, according to Luk and Tuk and Guk and... Just 'chief' or 'chieftain' or 'boss', but only to the females. Tyr had no idea where any of those were, all kobolds must just look the same. This one was the largest, reaching the impressive height of just below the princes sternum. It's snout was longer and of all the kobolds his feathers were brightest. A red so vibrant as to come near glowing in the dark shadows thrown by the fire at the center of the chamber.

Eyes matched the feathers as he stared at Tyr, the nictating membrane sliding wetly across the slit orb. “Hatchling manling.”

“Hatchling, or whatever you'd like to call me, seems to carry a connotation that you're larger than me. As you can see, I'm the tallest thing here.” Tyr spread his arms to indicate his size. Something about the arrogance and superior attitude radiated by the creature bothered him. He didn't hate kobolds, but he was growing to dislike this chieftain of theirs. The others hissed and cowered, barking in a manner that seemed to indicate surprise at the disrespect. No words, just animal noises and snorts.

“It has been many churnings of the earth since I've seen a manling. Always so arrogant. So disrespectful, yet you wear our trappings. Would you not bow before your chieftain? Grovel as your kind do before your so called kings?”

“My kind do not.” Tyr wouldn't bow. He didn't bow, and Harani men never kneeled to begin with. He still had his pride. A pride that would not allow him to kneel before the inhuman. He wasn't a racist and saw no need for it, but many in Haran were. They called themselves friends to the dwarves, acquaintances to beastkin in the good times – but never subservient to the inhuman. The law of the church dictated such, and though Tyr was no fervent adherent, he had been raised beneath those teachings. Habit was hard to break.

“Then a challenge. You'd challenge me, the Rukest of Ruk's – greatest chieftain of the kobo, who's only peer be the great ancestors of our past? Foolish. One more chance, lower yourself or die. This is our way, do not disrespect me.”

“Bow or die?” Luk looked nervous, lowering his tail to the ground and inching away from Tyr. Mana sensitive 'shaman' or not, the lizard seemed to fear this 'great chieftain'. As for the prince... “I hardly think a challenge is necessary. I'll be on my way. Clearly there's been some kind of mistake.”

“A challenge it is, then.” Ruk'Ruk barked with laughter, slitting his eyes and 'grinning' wickedly if such a thing were possible. Hoisting a stone club to his shoulder, he stepped down from his throne and approached, beating his long tail on the ground aggressively.