The Mountain

Hill indeed. It felt like their feet were bound to the floor by elastic bands as they forced themselves towards the grand tunnels. The road beneath their feet was cobbled and reminded Lore of what they were missing. The local architecture teased them with its similarity to that seen on Earth in the fifteenth century. The back alleys surrounding the docking area had been quiet with only the footsteps of their party being heard but as they reached the main road, things got louder. They reached the main road and found themselves at the peak of a steep hill. Lore made their way to a nearby overlook and examined the city below. The city flowed like a river from the hilltop to the flatland below with the cobbled road meandering and waning as it travelled downwards. It created a timeline of development with newer and more modern houses being seen the closer it came to its end. Beyond the houses, a patchwork of farmland, tents and green space. Lore rummaged around in their bag only to have Tay give them what they were looking for. Binoculars in hand, they attempted to get a closer look at the tented fields. Part of them expected what they saw but it still gave them mixed feelings as they watched a group of O’Raes make their way back to their new housing. Their attention was drawn away by something flying into their field of view. Failing to catch it, they returned Tay’s binoculars and took a step back, taking in the sight before them. The sky was a perfect blue with barely a cloud in sight and uncharacteristically for a city of its size, the air was fresh. Char pulled them from their daydream of a honeymoon long away and back to the task at hand. Despite being at the hill’s peak, there was still a slight incline to hurdle before they stood at the mountain’s feet. They didn’t know if it was a regular occurrence but the streets ahead were lined with market stalls. Locals hurried about setting up their stalls and preparing to present their wares. Although not fully understanding their language, Lore picked up on the occasional word written on some of the store’s signs. They didn’t quite know what to expect when they first saw one of the Soloss but hulking teal humanoids wouldn’t have been their first guess. Lore ventured towards a shop, the sign of which they had translated as being a weapons vendor and began inspecting what the shop keep was offering.
“Mum… Why’s Lore looking at those?” Tay tugged on Char’s shoulder. Char glanced over and raised an eyebrow.
“I have no idea. I didn’t think they were into that sort of thing.”
The shop’s owner came over to Lore. He was much taller than Lore and from what they could see, he was completely without hair from the waist up. He spoke to them in the local tongue to which Lore replied by standing completely still, repeating what he had said in their head. They only picked up on a few of the words and were slowly beginning to lose faith in this being a simple weapons store.
“Sorry about them,” Char’s pronunciation was slightly rusty. “They don’t speak the language.” Char too worried when she realised that what she had said had been all she presently remembered of the local dialect.
“So they don’t need my services?” The shop keep had lowered himself to talk to them.
“No. Definitely not. My Lore was just curious. First time in this system.” Tay smiled as she pulled her parents into the middle of the street. “Ceremonial blades? He probably thought you were suicidal or into some freaky cultic stuff. Seriously?”
“I thought it said weapons.” Lore shrugged.
“It does in the high tongue but in this region, they use a more  traditional version. There are some similarities.” Tay explained.
“And I only speak the High tongue.” Char finished. “Kind of impressive that you’d know it.”
“I’m a xenoanthropologist. Nearly. I’d be pretty naff at the cultural assimilation aspects if I didn’t speak the languages.”
Minor crisis averted, they continued. Tay flagged a few more appropriate shops for them to stop by at but for the most part they kept to their straight path. They were tempted to stop at a nearby restaurant but Tay was quick to point out that whatever they were serving would be inedible and borderline toxic to them so they continued. Slightly hungry and envious of the aromatic scents that wafted down the hill. There was a square at the foot of the mountain, devoid of buildings and encircled  by ornate walls. At the corners that joined the mountain, two statues towered; standing guard of the grand tunnels and watching over the city. Moving towards the walls, they saw that what they had thought were patterns had been letters and words carved into the stone.
“Walls like these were used to teach the commoners history. Usually, a monk or other educated individual would sit here and read these walls to their audience, passing what was written into the spoken record so those listening could teach their families and friends their collective history. Similar to stained glass windows on Earth.” Tay hovered her finger along the wall. “Not as effective though. Sure they pass on more information but they still rely on a basic reading comprehension. This wall tells the story of the tunnels.” She scanned the tile before moving to the next. “These tunnels link the two major settlements, capitals, of this country. Excavated originally by two lovers, the tunnels serve as a physical representation of what their love achieved.” She moved on. “And henceforth, the great houses of each city’s eldest offspring, when they come of age, must marry and, in doing so, maintain the sentimental bond between their peoples.”
“How does that work because if the great houses always intermarry then surely…” Lore twitched as they tried to end their sentence.
“It would if the great houses remained constant. The great houses are similar to the Quatarrian ministership or Vakrael supremacy. It varies by generation.”
“Like the Normans.” Lore smiled. Tay nodded.
“Like the Normans. But in this case, none of the great families have any significant common ancestors.”
After their short break to catch their breath, they were ready to begin the last leg. The grand tunnels. They were thankful the doors were open after seeing that they were nearly three metres of metal and stone. It wasn’t too dark yet the atmospheric lighting did leave a large portion of the tunnel in permanent darkness. Not twenty metres into the tunnels, they reached their first crossroads. Tay sighed an echoing sigh which they used to gauge the relative depths of each pathway. They decided to start with the one they thought shortest so, should they have chosen wrong, the return journey would be short. There was a slight incline to their chosen path and the lighting became less atmospheric and more useful the further they travelled. At the halls end, a room with a table and two people waiting for them. Into Darkness.