51 『Hello Darling』 (1/2)

The Third Floor was vastly different than the first and second. Massive Red Woods, thick tree trunks, thicker than they've ever seen in the New World with a vast undergrowth of moss and smaller plantlife. There was hardly any visible soil beneath their feet as they stepped into this entirely different biome.

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Vertum grinned looking up at the tree tops high above. Green leaves, a clear blue sky with a warm sun overhead. It felt so real, and for the most part, it was.

”A farm, a wasteland... And a Forest... All inside a Castle underground,” Ninya murmured quietly as she could hardly believe her eyes this time around as well. Her mind was completely blown.

Dyne as a druid could hardly comprehend what he was seeing. So much nature inside something that on the outside, could only be perceived as unnatural.

”This is like a Hunter's paradise!” Lukrut shouted as he threw his hands in the air, before walking over to a tree and lightly knocking on it. The tree was real, it wasn't fake or an illusion.

”Considering what roams this biome, you'd be the hunted one,” Vertum chuckled at the Ranger's statement and shook his head before looking to Peter who was quiet, but clearly in awe.

”What kind of trees are these?” Ninya asked as she looked up towards Vertum.

”I believe they're a strand of Redwood, related to coniferous trees.” Vertum was no scientist, but even as the world outside the Arcologies had all been ruined by humanity, natural wonders lived on as images within the archives.

”Redwood...” Ninya nodded at this and stared at the moss at her feet, it was turning the bottoms of her boots green. Kneeling down gradually, she scraped some up with her fingers. ”And this?”

”Sheet Moss,” Vertum blinked at her question on the moss which carpeted the ground around them. ”It's purely decorative, for the most part.” Though he knew that it could be used as a powersource should modern technological innovation be introduced to the New World.

”Sheet... Moss?” Wiping her fingers off on her boots, Ninya stood up and looked towards the Druid who was looking over the greenery before returning her gaze.

”I've never seen anything like this,” Dyne, though a mellow fellow, seemed quite excited.

”Does it become night time in here?” Ninya asked as she shifted about on the moss covered undergrowth before centering her gaze on Vertum.

”It does from time to time,” Vertum nodded at this as he continued to walk along the unseen path leading through the trees towards the center of the floor.

Nodding lightly to this, she smiled a bit seeing as living in here was like living up above. They continued to follow him towards the center of the floor towards what appeared to be a Japanese Muromachi era home.

Made of dark wood, suspended from the ground by at a couple feet on small pillars. The house had blue coral tile as roofing and white walls of hardened paper enforced with magic alloys.

On the open porch was a woman with pinkish red skin, dressed in a shabby kimono with an unsheathed Katana in her hand, being sharpened against a whetstone.

Her saturated sapphire blue eyes moved up from the weapon, narrowing on the five visitors. ”Ah, Vertum-sama... Darling, you are here to pay a visit?” Flicking the katana to the side, she would then sheath it formally in its scabbard, before standing from her previous position.

”Gemini, I see you're sharpening your weapon, Seki-san really engrained that hobby into you, hasn't he...?” A small smile across his lips remained as he spoke.

”Seki...san?” Ninya tilted her head to the side lightly as he spoke of one of his friends who was absent from the world. ”Her father?” Her eyes were locked on Gemini's fleshy forehead horns.

Just as the Ranger Lukrut went to move forward to resume his flirtatious ways, Vertum inadvertently tripped him, sending the young man face first into the sheet moss.

”Ooof!” Groaned the man before pulling himself up off the ground, on all fours, he then looked up towards Vertum ”What was that for?!”

”Don't flirt with her, unless she flirts with you first, she will kill you otherwise.” Vertum stared down at Lukrut for a few seconds before he nodded, gulping lightly at the Dragon. It was a genuine warning not to flirt with Gemini.

”Ohohoh, protecting the squishy from little ole' me?” Gemini snorted as she stepped off of the porch and onto the moss covered grounds with bare feet.

”Squishy?” Ninya wasn't sure how to take that.

Lukrut frowned hearing himself being called a squishy.

”Believe me, his head is harder than it looks,” Peter snickered.