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Post by KayKay on Jun 8, 2018 3:06:42 GMT
The Osprey had spent the morning rumbling it's way up the lazy Nyastes river. The boat had stopped by Nerode not long after the crack of dawn, and those who wished to depart at the village did so. The rest moved further upriver, where the forest grew thick and hills and cliffs rose up from the land. Mole excellently navigated the many twists and turns as the river swerved around its obstacles, until finally at noon they reached a makeshift dock and a crude riverside shack of corrugated steel and plywood.
Here The Osprey was roped to the dock, after Mole disappeared into the shack to gather gear and packs full of water and dried food, the passengers onboard departed into the forest.
Leading the way was Kyra, sharp green eyes prying into the underbrush. There were no trails here, and she was forced to rely on familiar landmarks to find her bearings; a strange, tilted tree that resembled a ballet dancer; a rusted car that had been stranded in the jungle years ago; a strange black idol in the middle of the jungle which bore the markings of a six-fingered hand. She also kept her eyes out for predators, though with a group of this size Kyra didn't expect to be attacked by robbers or tyrants. Despots on the other hand were a bigger concern, and the fingers of her right hand brushed against her hip, where her largest revolver was kept holstered.
After many hours, the trees appeared to thin up ahead. Kyra reached out a hand to single to those behind her to stop. Only ten feet away the forest floor gave way into a hidden cliff. There was a small trail spiraling down another thirty feet to the bottom, where the dark entrance of a cave awaited.
"We'll have to do this single file," Kyra called back as she lead the way down the path. "Mole, take up the rear."
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Post by Stage on Jun 8, 2018 4:09:26 GMT
Those closest to Kyra- namely, the elderly man and the yellow-eyed women, who seemed to be serving as leaders for the others- formed the front of the line. They passed back instructions to the rest as they began to move.
"Ms. Savior," said the gentler of the two women to the freedom fighter. Her English was quite clear, and her accent was lighter than that of her more fearsome counterpart. "What is your name? I want to thank you correctly."
-
Leslie, who had fallen behind due to her shorter strides, preceded only Mole in the line.
"So," she asked without looking back, "how'd you end up working with a gal like that?"
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Post by KayKay on Jun 8, 2018 5:12:19 GMT
Kyra smiled as she lead the way down the path, keeping her pace slow so the young and elderly could keep up. "You can call me Fox," she told the woman. "Don't know if that name means anything down in Matta, but if you've been to Mival before you might have heard it."
She kept her eyes trained on the cave as they made their way down the ravine. There was always the risk that an animal could be nesting inside, but her sharp eyes found nothing when they pierced the darkness. "Hey, I don't think I caught you and your friend's name either."
–
"Fox? Ah, yes, she was working for money when we first met," Mole answered. "I was a member of a resistance group. Our enemy was Saberdex Industries; they were very people that the Lexians were hoping to sell you to. They were hoping for modern weapons in return.
The man sighed. "We originally hired Fox for her skills in thievery; Saberdex Industries had secure files that we needed to procure. As it turns out our enemy was her's as well. She started working for free. Now she might as well be considered a member herself.
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Post by Stage on Jun 8, 2018 6:59:17 GMT
"I am Cipo," the yellow-eyed woman smiled. "And this is Lora. My cousin. Thank you, Fox. You truly saved us. She may not act like it, but Lora wishes to thank you too. She is sad your small friend left before she could show her appreciation."
"We know what foxes are," was all Lora grunted. "Good eating if there is nothing else around."
"I have already thanked you," wheezed the old man from behind them. "But not by name, so thank you once more, good Fox. I am Wolpoch. You may call me Poch if you wish."
-
"So she's some kinda cat burglar?" Leslie asked suspiciously. "And what sorta company buys slaves and has a resistance? You fellas come from some world from what I've heard."
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Post by KayKay on Jun 8, 2018 8:37:59 GMT
"Pleasure to meet you, Poch," Kyra replied, looking back his way. Her eyes trailed down to quickly observe the old man's knees. They seemed steady enough on this slope, despite their long trek through the rainforest undergrowth and their swim the night prior. He was strong for his age – or perhaps such strength at old age was common among all Pientans. Even so, it disturbed her that the Lexians would kidnap such an individual to be sold into hard labor; Saberdex didn't usually have much use for the elderly. She was quick to push away the thoughts of what might have become of Poch, and directed her attention towards navigating the path. They had nearly reached the bottom.
"If we're lucky, Vessy will be back in time to see you off at the airships," she told Cipo and Lora. "Oh yeah, and if you want, you're welcome to stay in Mival too... I guess Matta might not feel as safe as it used to. If you want to stay, Mole and I can help you register and get a roof over your heads."
–
"A company that's both desperate for workers and limited in funds," Mole answered. "Saberdex is a wealthy corporation and holds more power than most governments, but their products are highly expensive and difficult to produce."
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Post by Stage on Jun 8, 2018 13:00:04 GMT
Cipo shot a meaningful look towards her cousin, yellow eyes sparkling, but Lora shook her head. "I have business on Matta. We will return."
Wolpoch chuckled in the meantime. The path of his liberator's eyes had not escaped his. "Do not worry for me. The bora are a hardy breed."
-
"Can't be worth what they tried to do to us," Leslie muttered angrily. Her deep blue eyes glanced back at Mole. "So how long ya been here?"
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Post by KayKay on Jun 9, 2018 6:44:19 GMT
Kyra nodded at Poch. "Okay. Hey, could you and Lora let the others know about my offer? They're welcome to stay in Mival too."
They had reached the entrance to the cave now, and Kyra paused to retrieve several flashlights from one of the packs they had taken from the shack. "It's just another kilometer or two through these tunnels," she called back, passing all but one of the flashlights to Cipo so they could be distributed among the group. "Keep a watch on the little guys."
Near the back, Mole withdrew a flashlight of his own. "Eighteen months, seven days," he told Leslie. "I can hardly believe that's all it's been."
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Post by Stage on Jun 9, 2018 6:52:05 GMT
Wolpoch nodded and began to pass back flashlights along with Kyra's message. Lora pushed the task onto Cipo with a grunt.
"Do you have a knife?" the fierce lebran instead asked. "Beasts can dwell in the underground. Birds with teeth. I want arms."
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"That's all it's been?" Leslie asked incredulously. "You know that's over a year, right? I haven't held down a job that long."
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Post by KayKay on Jun 9, 2018 7:13:25 GMT
Kyra drew a tactical folding knife from her jacket. She pulled open the serrated blade – four inches in length – and locked it into position before handing it to Lora. "I know it's not the biggest knife out there," she said apologetically. "I only keep it as a survival tool."
–
"It may be well over a year, but it has felt thrice as long," Mole replied solemnly. He avoided Leslie's eyes as he focused on the flashlight in his hands. "There are many of us who have left behind family and friends. Rebuilding has not been an easy task."
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Post by Stage on Jun 9, 2018 7:17:14 GMT
"I can make do," Lora replied. She had the slightest trace of a smirk, the first sort of smile Kyra had seen.
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"Yeah, I... fuck," Leslie sighed. It was her turn to avoid eye contact. "I hope my pop doesn't think I'm dead."
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Post by KayKay on Jun 9, 2018 8:24:01 GMT
Mole was unsure of how to console the woman, or even if it was within his right to. What could he say? Any promise that she would see her father again would be an empty one; eighteen months and counting and he had still not been able to determine a method to return them to their own world. He remained silent as he and Leslie followed the others into the darkness of the tunnels.
Kyra led the way, though she often slowed her pace as she turned around every few minutes to do a quick head count, paying extra attention to the six children. When she wasn't keeping track of the Pientans, she was peering into the darkness far beyond the beam of her light. Many of these tunnels stretched on for miles under Lemuria, but this particular path would lead them to Mival's undercity. It was the easiest way to sneak a large group into the city's bordered without being stopped and questioned by the guards – even if the Fox wasn't a fugitive, Kyra refused to take the risk that Mival's leaders would report the escaped Pientans to Lexia.
After a while, Kyra slowed down again, but this time to fall back so that she was walking side by side next to Cipo. "Just occurred to me you guys probably haven't had a hot meal in a while. Want to stop by some place in Mival before we head to the airships? It's on me."
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Post by Stage on Jun 9, 2018 8:30:31 GMT
"We could not," Cipo fretted, shaking her head, sending her locked hair swinging. "This is far too many mouths to feed for one person to pay for."
Wolpoch considered the offer however. "I agree, but if you insight, please feed the children first. They have growing to do. We adults can endure."
"Are we free to leave and enter the city?" Lora's yellows eyes, lit dimly by the surrounding flashlights, looked upward. "I can hunt for the lebrans."
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Post by KayKay on Jun 9, 2018 9:30:13 GMT
"You should be," Kyra answered Lora. "There's guards at the walls. They'll want to know your name and whether or not you're armed, but people enter and exit all the time, including lebrans. You'll blend right in."
"What do the kids eat, Poch?" she asked the old boran. "Red meat? Sea food?"
–
Deciding he had been silent for long enough, Mole decided to try to initiate conversation for a change.
"You're military?" he asked her. "Which nation did you serve?"
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Post by Stage on Jun 9, 2018 9:36:33 GMT
"Both, as well as fruits and greens," Wolpoch answered. "Thank you again for your kindness."
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"None. Or all of em I guess. International organization. Anti-monster. I'm from the US though."
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Post by KayKay on Jun 20, 2018 13:30:27 GMT
"It's no problem," Kyra said. "I know it's not easy going without food, especially when you're young. Those kids are made of tough stuff."
She threw a cheerful wink at one of them before she turned her attention back to the darkness of the tunnel ahead. They were approaching what the beam of her flashlight made out to be a dead-end; but on closer inspection one could see a small crack just barely large enough for an adult man to squeeze through. Kyra knew that beyond it was the Mival Undercity, and she quietly pulled a revolver from the holster of her jacket as she approached the entrance.
The rough rock snagged at her clothes as she squeezed through. She emerged in another tunnel – this one man-made. It was an old sewer tunnel, barely large enough for Kyra to stand up straight without having to bend her knees. There was no drainage – it had long been separated from its original pipeline.
After checking both ends of the tunnel to make sure the way was clear, she signaled through the crack for the others to follow.
–
"International?" Although Mole didn't smile, his tone seemed to have grown warmer. "Then we are of a similar background. I'm from Germany, as you might have guessed. I worked for a similar anti-monster organization. I was an NCM technician – in layman's terms I operated military software designed to upload the human consciousness into an external source."
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Post by Stage on Jun 20, 2018 23:40:59 GMT
Cipo moved to follow Kyra, but Lora caught her by the arm. Muttering something, likely a warning of caution, she shouldered past her cousin and squeezed through the crevice first. Cipo shook her head, but smiled lovingly as she did so.
Her expression grew colder when Wolpoch stepped besides her. The old man likewise looked upon her without warmth. Rather than discussing who would go first, Cipo mutely stepped ahead of the elderly boran and forcefully claimed the right.
Clicking his tongue, Wolpoch moved through next. Though he was stouter than all three of the women who went before him, he was much shorter, so he fit as well.
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Leslie scoffed. "Well, that jus went over my head in about seven sorta ways. I'm not sure what any of that meant, but I take it it's supposed to sound impressive?"
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Post by KayKay on Jun 24, 2018 4:46:15 GMT
Once everyone had squeezed through, Kyra did a quick head count and lead the way.
"There's an abandoned subway station just up ahead," she whispered back, making sure to keep her voice down. "It'll lead us up top. I'll have Mole find us a place for the night... I don't know if the airships run this late."
–
Mole shook his head. "It was a job, nothing more," he told Leslie, making a mental note to limit his vocabulary around her. "I find more creative pleasure in creating new technologies rather than maintaining already existing ones."
He was the last to slip through the crack, following behind the group as they made their way through the undercity.
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Post by Stage on Jun 24, 2018 5:33:56 GMT
A grip on Kyra's arm stopped her from going ahead just yet. The yellow eyes of Lora looked into hers, the faintest glow outlining them. "Is it safe? Is it just humans and lebrans? Or are there more borans?"
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Leslie clucked her tongue. "Sounds impressive to me," she said, though her tone was not quite one of admiration. "All I wanna do is manage forests. S'why I joined up. Could never get a scholarship on my own and I sure don't have the money laying around to pay a full tuition. And I'm sure not gonna trouble Pop."
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Post by KayKay on Jun 24, 2018 6:45:41 GMT
Kyra furrowed her eyebrows and stared at Lora for a moment. "Uh, some criminal activity here and there but it's safer than the jungle. But the crime rate is much lower than in London, and all races are welcome to Mival. I'll be taking you to the safest part of the city anyway."
Though she was speaking to Lora, her eyes flicked quizzically between Wolpoch and Cipo. She seemed to be taken completely off-guard by this.
"To answer your second question, uh, mostly humans here. Big section of the city run by lebrans too. Few draxons here and there. I, uh, haven't seen many borans though. Think most of them stay in Matta?"
–
"Then your reason for joining the military was an admirable one." Mole sighed. "It's a shame to hear that the price of education is so expensive in your world as well."
He unbuckled a flask from his belt and took a drink, then offered it to Leslie. "Water?"
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Post by Stage on Jun 24, 2018 7:50:27 GMT
"Yes," Wolpoch rasped. His tone was not as warm as it usually was when he addressed Kyra. "We borans stick tightly to the island. The only Pientan towns on the mainland are... lebran." - Leslie took the flask with a nod. "Thanks." After taking a quick drink, she thrust the flask back towards Mole. "So why'd you join then?"
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