150 Giess (2/2)

I grinned, a bit of happy anticipation rising up, “Hell yeah. This is infinitely better than that other place.”

Kessiah snored, asleep after the first hour of landing here. Honestly, I couldn’t blame her. Outside of the grotesque creatures and landscape, the lands of metal had little to offer. This place was different though. Tiny wooden villages dotted the landscape. At first, I thought it was the espens. Torix corrected me,

“They aren’t quite that primitive. These are...well I don’t really know. They aren’t espens however.”

I squinted, getting a better look at the villages. In them, six armed beasts climbed through crude tree houses. Covered in white fur and red plates on their hands and face, they appeared fearsome. The largest of them even grew over the height of a tall man, making their sturdy frames all the more impressive.

The red plates on their faces looked like tiki masks, and their claws were more for stabbing into trees than living things. They ate fruit at the top of trees, enjoying a simple life surrounded by nature. It didn’t look like the worst way to live.

Kessiah glanced at them, having awoken. She laid flat on my gravity well, kicking her legs,

“Boring.”

I clasped a fist, “What? Come on. They’re nothing like anything on earth. It’s awesome.”

Kessiah rolled her eyes, “Yeah, ok. You sound like backwater bumpkin.”

Althea cupped her mouth, pretending like she was whispering, “The bumpkin that’s carrying you instead of letting you run hundreds of miles.”

I released the gravity well under Kessiah. She flipped through the air for a second before I pulled her back up. I tapped my face, “Oh man, what a lapse in my attention. Sorry about that Kessiah. 24,000 willpower only goes so far after all.”

Kessiah’s expression went flat, “Ah...fair point. He’s backwater with skills.”

I rolled my eyes, orienting them back at the lush expanse of nature. The mana warped everything, solidified crystals of it poking out of rocky clusters. Animals hoarded around these clusters, feeding chips of the gems to their young. The larger the animal, the more mana gems embroidered their skin.

The creatures were much stronger than Earth’s own ecosystem. At times, a few of them even walked out of eldritch dungeons alive. They were covered in scars and wounds, but they survived. Nothing on Earth shared that kind of tenacity outside of humans. Some of these creatures gave even stronger eldritch a run for their money.

Scaled hydras made of metal, horses with glowing hooves and antlers that shot azure lightning, even shining wolves that darted around like wisps, this planet had it all. The vibrancy contrasted the dull, lifeless fields of metal. I'll admit though, the fields of gray had there fair share of monsters too.

After another hour of green forests, plains, and mountain, we reached a sudden blot on the horizon. Torix murmured,

“If the maps are correct, this should be a teleportation center for Schema. It’s a small border town, nothing large. We’ll observe the natives here, blending in with the foreigners. Feel free to explore here and talk with other factions.”

Torix grinned at me, “Perhaps you can make some allies with the more prevalent factions near Earth?”

I grabbed my chin, glancing up, ”That's not a half bad idea.”

Kessiah murmured, ”Knowing Daniel, we'll have even more enemies than before by the time he's done.”

Althea shrugged, ”Then he'll do to them what he did to Yawm.”

Torix tapped his chin, ”Let's pray that these border town hasn't expanded too much regardless. I'd rather us keep our heads low. Our long term success on Giess depends on it.”

As we neared the town, ultra modern buildings cropped up. Sheets of steel covered most of these spaces, various emblems embroidered on them. Flags waved in the wind like symbols of pride. I remembered one of them for the steel legion. Other factions planted onto the town too, expanding their influence outwards.

They built compounds and facilities for whatever they needed. For the first time in years, I saw cars riding on roads. They carried supplies that went in and out of these hubs of activity. Power armor-clad fighters fired shots from rifles in firing ranges. Magicians taught spellcraft in open spots of the town. Merchants and caravaners sold old tech that was no doubt new here on Giess.

All this contrasted with the local espens. The locals molded their houses out of nature, the trees warped into living spaces. They molded clouds of mist that hovered near their living spaces. Vines altered into rough stairs wrapping around trees. Bridges of branch extended from treehouse to treehouse. It all flowed together, creating a picturesque image.

The flowing aesthetic hit a harsh contrast with all the imported metal, creating a surreal feel to the town. Torix turned towards us,

”We'll be taking a forest path into the city to avoid any unwanted attention. Try and avoid making a scene. That is especially true for you, Daniel.”

I spread out my arms, ”What did I do?”

Kessiah faked a laugh, covering her mouth, ”You're taller than Yawm. What else do you need to know?”

I bit my lip, ”Ok...That's fair.”

Althea snickered under her breath as we landed into the woods. Torix renewed his cloaking spell on us. As he did, I explored. A few glowing mushrooms expanded from a cluster of roots. I grabbed one, sensing mana in it.

With my armor, I sapped it out. The mushroom squealed as it shriveled and died. I frowned at the gray mush, tossing it aside. It reeked. I shook the gunk off as Torix called, ”One more casting. Let's get this over with.”

I walked up, and Torix directed a black shell of mana over me. The transparent shield generated. He pointed in the distance, ”To Icosa.”

Althea scratched her nose, ”Uh, Icosa?”

Torix waved his hand, ”It's the border town's name.”

Althea and I nodded, ”Ahhhh.”

We hiked through the dense shrubbery, making sure not to run. Running everywhere was weird apparently. After a few minutes of walking, I turned towards Torix. As I spoke, my voice muffled under the effect of my intercom,

“Why didn’t we just use the teleporter to get here?”

Kessiah pushed away a branch,

“We’re unknowns. We don’t have access to them.”

I flicked a vine out of my way, “Well of course.”

We passed onto a path through the jungle. A minute later, the far off sounds of cars and people ebbed into the forest. We stopped at a line of trees separating civilization and wilderness. Torix spoke on an insulated intercom,

“There’s a mental activation for closed link intercoms inside each of your suits. Use them when discussing details we’d rather not share. Act casual, as if we’re mercenaries passing through.”

Althea and I nodded. Kessiah rubbed her hands together, ”Please please please have something good to eat and drink. Earth was so bland.”

We walked out through the path of the jungle, several of the treehouses hanging overhead. I clicked my intercom on,

”We just had an apocalypse. Cut us some slack.”

Althea spoke into the intercom system right after, ”You made some good stuff, but the rations were just...bleck.”

We kept the conversation casual, pacing right up under several buildings. I glanced around,

“Where are the espens?”

Torix shrugged, “Eh, I don’t know.”

We passed by several homes before reaching some sort of shop on curve of the road. The area reminded me of a mom and pop shop in a suburb.

On this shop's sign, a series of flowing characters covered it. Normally I couldn’t read them, but Schema’s system made it clear.

Welcome to Selesha’s Herb Shop.

Clear panes glistened underneath the sign. The wood crossed around the panels of glass, growing with it. The greenery was gardened into the side of the building. Mana ebbed from flowers blooming on the side of this tree shop. The clusters of petals rose from earth plotted in the basins of bark.

The others walked right past it, looking for something more exciting. I stopped at the door, pointing at it, ”I'm checking this place out first. I'll see you guys in the city once I'm finished.”

Althea waved, ”Cya. I hope you find something interesting.”

I opening the door. As I ducked inside, two plants over the doorway sprayed a wave of mist over me. Imbued with mana, it didn't dissipate. I shrugged, looking around.

Thank god the ceilings were high.

The moment I stepped foot inside, I was glad I chose to explore here. Indescribable scents poured into my suit. Aromas reminiscent of cedar, lavender, rosemary, lotus, and roses came into my suit. They were different, changed in a way that made them distinctly different yet all too familiar.

It gave me a sense of deja vu and nostalgia all at once. Majestic flowers glowed in the gentle hum of phosphorescent butterflies. They sat on the roof, acting as lighting for the entire room. The sheer abundance of visual delight struck me like a sledgehammer. I felt like a kid in a candy shop. No, like Disneyland.

Unlike earth, every flower held a different color and texture. Every living thing glowed a different shade. As I observed everything in a trance, I bumped into someone. They fell, a high pitched voice yelling. Before they hit the ground, I snapped them up with a bit of gravity magic. They floated back onto their feet as I turned around.

Two amber eyes met mine, along with a look of fear. It was an espen, probably the shops owner. I scratched the back of my head,

”Uh, sorry about that.” I reached out with a hand, ”The name's Daniel.”