“Job?” Spear asked.
“Yes, a job. Out here, I need to find food, parts, and other goodies. To survive on my own, I have to be able to trade. Since I am not in the Gel game, I figure some honest work as a professional guide, and maybe a little salvage on the side should do the trick.”
“I don’t need a guide,” Spear said starting to walk away, “Or someone who just wants to salvage. I need to find the originals so I can wake them, so they can help me rescue my people.”
“Sure. Think about this; First off, I’m the best guide you will get out here, and second, I think these originals likely existed at some point, but they're dead now. You need to get over it. If they ever existed and were hidden, they left behind a lot of stuff that you can find. Stuff I can trade to keep us alive.” she argued.
"I don't want your help," Spear stated.
“You need me, and you don't have a choice. I'm helping.”
Spear stood slinging his bag over his shoulder, testing the weight of the familiar metal length of his weapon on his back.
“You talk too much.” He glared at her.
“I have been told that before,” Iris said, grinning.
“I’ve mostly been the one telling you,” Spear stated.
"I'm following you whether you like it or not. I think you have worth," Iris declared, standing up tall, placing her hands on her hips in defiance, "I think if I can get you where you need to go you make me rich."
Spear looked at her for a moment. Maybe traveling with someone might be worthwhile? There was safety in numbers.
Shifting his bag, Spear began moving back towards the distant path, "You can come if you want, but I need the originals to help me free my friends. I'm not interested in salvage," he quickening his pace.
Iris clapped her hands together, "Oh this is exciting! We're a gang! A group! A new tribe!"
Spear stopped in his tracks, "This isn't a game!" turning he pointed his finger at her, "I need to find them. I need to find the originals."
Iris raised her hands, "Sure! No problem. I get it," her face became a reflection of mock stoicism, "See? Serious face. I'm here to help. We both benefit."
Spear shook his head; He didn’t like the idea that she was involved, but he couldn’t argue the free advice or the assistance. Secretly he just hoped that Iris would not abandon him the moment the road became difficult.
Chapter 26
“So what do these originals look like anyway?” Iris asked stepping over a downed tree which had fallen across the path they were on.
“Like us, I think. Just softer,” Spear said hopping over.
"Soft?"
Spear was quiet for a moment as he considered the memory of his dream.
"Yes. Soft. I think they have the same faces as we do. Maybe the same material all over their bodies."
"That's weird."
Spear shrugged.
“And why do you think they are going to help us? They could turn out to be crazy like the rest of the others out here.”
Spear shook his head, “The dream, or memory I saw showed me that they are good. They were kind and took care of us. They made us. We were built to help them.”
“I’ve never had a ‘Master’ so I might be a bit biased when I say, there is no way I am serving someone other than myself. Really, bad idea waking up another race of slavers.”
“They're not slavers,” Spear said, this line of questioning had been going on most of the morning now and it was becoming irritating, “They are the ones who made us.”
“They aren’t very imaginative then,” She retorted, "How do you know this for sure?"
“Look, I don’t have all the answers. I only have had the one dream I had when…” Spear stopped in his tracks listening; he could hear water running. They were getting close to the river.
“What is it?”
“I can hear the river,” he said smiling, “We have to follow the river to the ocean.”
“That’s good because we should be getting close to the dam soon.”
“There’s a dam?”
“Was a dam, its old and broken. Maybe at some time the valley was flooded years and years ago, but now it’s just the way to get across.”
“Why would they dam the river?” Spear asked.
She shrugged, “These Originals must have been an odd bunch. They built these things, blocked rivers, made the big structures, but didn’t seem to need them for anything. At least nothing I could tell. Maybe it was just because they wanted to build it; then they all left. Where did they go?”
“They must have had some reason,” Spear declared, "Why build all of the things they did?"
“You’re welcome to speculate,” Iris stated, “All I know is that they are gone. Long gone. I've never seen anything other than the ruins, and I’ve traveled farther than most.”
“Then why are you helping?”
“Well, to be honest; My only hope is that you find some long lost city no one else knows about so I can scavenge from it, and sell what I find. It’s a hard life out here for a girl on her own.”
“I thought we were working together?” Spear asked.
“Yeah. Sure. Something like that,” she shrugged again.
Spear shook his head and wondered if she had ever used the Gel. He genuinely was starting to think she was insane.
The trail changed from a thin path to graystone covered ground as the trees parted. The opening slowly widened into a large view of a winding river deep in another canyon below them. A cliffs edge struck out to their left, and to their right, the graystone extended almost entirely across the river save for a short gap with a wide wooden plank laid across.
Spear could see that the calm water of the river was funneling through the small gap and ejecting out over the treetops in an arching spray. As they moved closer, the roar grew louder and louder. Eventually, they approached the square graystone platform which seemed to grow out of the soil.
Next to the edge the noise was deafening.
“This way,” Iris cried out, hopping up onto the stone wall. She tiptoed across balancing with her arms out as she went.
Tentatively Spear stepped up and stood atop the wall. His knees felt like they would collapse if he didn’t keep them moving. Trying not to look down he kept pace with Iris until she paused in the middle.
“What’s wrong?” he yelled back.
“Just checking that it’s stable. This part is a bit risky. Mind your step,” she said, hopping up onto a thick wooden beam lashed across a gap. Its slick surface glistened with moisture, only broken by the fibrous cables that wrapped it to the graystone.
Stepping quickly, Iris danced her way up and onto the beam. Spear watched as her feet tapped quickly across the beam before safely landing on the other side.
“Come on,” she urged.
Stepping up onto the beam he tried not to look past his feet into the crevasse below. It was as wide as he was tall and through it, the entire river ejected in a ribbon of spray. The water jetting through it roared by. The hypnotic effect forced him to look upwards to avoid vertigo. Urging his feet to move he shifted them forward carefully over the remaining distance. As he neared the far edge, he shuffled quickly and collapsed onto the graystone. He was still not across the length of the dam but was at least safely off the skinny beam.
“I don't want to do that again,” he said quietly to himself. He felt as if his legs would shake themselves apart from the excitement. Spear smiled and looked up at Iris, but her face was a mask of concern and worry as she stared off into the distance from where they had come.
He turned and could see that behind them on the other side of the river.
Spear could see Eric, still clad in green robes, running through the trees along the upstream bank. In the distance, black smoke rose in a pillar from across the forest. Spear’s heart sank. He tried to tell himself that it wasn’t because of him. His mind tried to find some other reason for the far off doom, but his heart told him a different story.<
br />
Eric speed brought him to the dams edge with reckless abandon. The green-clad unit mounted the dam wall and raised a short metal club above his head. His eyes were beads of anger.
Spear could only hear the rushing of the water as Eric dismounted and slammed into him, flattening him to the top of the dam. Spear's head bounced hard against the graystone, rattling his senses. His hands instinctively move forward to defend himself, wishing he hadn't strapped the sharpened pole to his bag. It had been a foolish mistake that might cost him his life.
Eric's expert proficiency at assault was obvious, as Spear's hands were batted out of the way. The metal pipe came down, and Spear had less than a moment to shift his head to the side. The clang of the club echoed next to his ear showering him with chips of stone and sparks. It raised again, but Spear bucked his hips and shifted his attacker's weight as he rolled. The thin wall offered little in the way room, and Spear could feel their bodies begin to slide over the edge. Pushing Eric away, his hands clambered for grip as the weight of his legs dragged him over the edge. As Spear latched onto a pocket of broken graystone, Eric's hand dropped the club to grab Spear’s leg as they fell into the abyss below. The dropped weapon clanged and rang against the graystone with each tumbling impact. Each consecutive impact became quieter and quieter as it fell away to the distant bottom.
Spear was tempted to try and kick his attacker loose. Looking down, he could see Eric holding on for dear life. The anger had been replaced with fearful eyes and a death grip.
Spear pulled upward testing his tenuous grip. Ever so slowly he reached the lip, scrambling with his free hand to find purchase. After a moment, Iris grabbed at Spear’s pack, lifting hard and clasped Eric’s free arm, pulling them apart.
The two combatants separated on the top of the dam, and Iris helped Spear off towards the opposite bank from where they had started. He collapsed, tripping over a root, landing on all fours. Eric's anger renewed and he pushed himself to his feet to charge at Spear. Iris tried to block the unit but was shoved aside. The green unit tackled Spear from behind, and they rolled in the dirt.
Eric’s fists lashed out against Spear’s face, but arms blocked each smashing blow.
The barrage disappeared, and Spear felt the weight lift off of him. Eric stumbled backward landing on his read.
“What are you doing?” Iris screamed at Eric over the noise of the water.
Eric stood slowly, and Iris stepped forward, ready for another attempt. Spear could hear Eric's voice for the first time, “He brought them. He brought them to our home, and they killed everyone! Everyone!” Eric’s fists balled up.
“Stop,” she commanded holding out her hand.
Eric lurched for a moment, and Iris touched his arm consolingly.
Eric touched his clothes; Spear could see that they were charred and burned, “All of them are gone… We barely made it out alive. Everything we worked so hard to keep safe. It's just gone,” Eric dropped to his knees defeated.
“How?” she yelled over the noise of the water.
“You both did it. You led it to us, brought the Giant right to our door.”
“There are no more Giants left,” she said shaking her head, "Are you sure?"
“I saw it myself. It was a giant. It had a cutting weapon. Everyone just came apart. They fell to the ground in pieces! The ground was covered in bodies. Nothing was left. I couldn't fight. It was over in a matter of minutes. All I could do was run,” Eric grabbed at the soil and flung it to the side in frustration.
Iris bent down, touching her friend’s shoulder, “Maybe there are others. Maybe some escaped. It wasn’t the first time that there was a breach. Just because there is someone to blame, doesn’t mean that they were the cause of it.”
“Stop it!” Eric said standing, "It's because of you and this stray you brought back."
“Maybe, or maybe it was just a matter of time before we were found again. It would have been this or the slavers, or the infected,” Iris said her hand touching his chest, “They decided that they didn’t want to know about the world. What they didn’t know and didn't prepare for killed them.”
“It’s the Master I’m sure of it,” Spear said, fear filled his voice, “I’m so sorry. I never meant for this to happen. I thought he didn’t know where I was. I didn’t think he would come this far after me! I should have stayed--”
“Shut up!” Eric roared as he stood. His fists clenched. Iris’s gentle pressure increased into a shove to keep him back. She glared at Spear, silencing him further.
Eric turned away.
Spear looked at the ground. He had killed all of those units. They had taken him in, despite their need for secrecy. How had the Master found them?
“We have to run,” Spear said to them, “If the Master's coming he will have the guards with him. We can’t stay here.”
“Where are we going to go! There is nothing left! Everything we built, everyone I knew! Gone!” Eric yelled again at the sky before leveling his arm at Spear, “It's all your fault!”
Spear felt the guilt overwhelm him. It was his fault. He was a harbinger of their destruction and death itself had picked up his trail.
Spear tried to find something to say, something that would provide some solace, but all the words he wanted to speak seemed hollow.
"We need to hide. We need to get someplace safe."
“Where?” Spear asked Iris.
“The only place left we can go. The City.”
Chapter 27
The group had descended below the massive dam. Inching their way down the winding trail. With each switchback, Spear could see more and more of the large expanse of water beyond the next forest, and less and less of the smoke from the burning village.
The churning dark water of the pool at the base of the waterfall seemed to reflect everyone's mood. Inside Spear wrestled with the guilt of bringing destruction to the group's village.
Spear wanted to ask Iris about the city but given that he was the herald of destruction for her home he opted for guilty silence. Out over the water, a wall of clouds moved towards them, flickering with ribbons of lightning in the twilight.
The footpath began to slope steeply, and Spear had been spending so much time looking at is feet that he had not noticed the change in environment. His eyes caught a graystone pillar, and he looked upwards at the structure. It towered over them at least four times as tall as he was and at least as wide as he was tall. In a way, it reminded him of a tree with all of its branches removed. It was a dead thing; time and weather had shed its limbs and canopy.
Beyond that was a landscape of overgrown ruins, and mounds of broken graystone. The square and vaguely cube-like shapes were all organized neatly and laid out in a grid. The crumbling structures had been claimed by hundreds of units bustling around like insects. Each erecting roofs of what material they could find or build. Beyond the outer ring of the shantytown was a taller core of gray structures. The tops of which appeared to have long fallen, flattening areas with piles of rubble through which nothing would grow. The remaining lower buildings were dotted with square holes. Some lights flickered intermittently behind a few, but almost all were dark.
“This must be the city,” the Spear broke the silence. He stared at the spectacle.
“Watch yourself and stay close,” Iris commanded. Her happy tone had disappeared and was now replaced with a brooding attitude, “The units that live here are desperate, and would happily sell us into slavery if they can take us.”
“Why are we going there then?,” Eric asked, “It’s not worth the risk.”
Spear wanted to agree with him, but simply trudged on.
“There is a cartographer here. A keeper of maps and information,” said the Archivist, “He may be able to aid Spear on his quest.”
Eric shook his head, “Quest? To get another village wiped out? To have everyone killed.”
“I didn’t mean to bring that on you,” Spear said looking at the Eric. The unit didn’t return eye c
ontact.
“Their deaths are because of you,” Eric said. His voice was dark and foreboding. It made Spear wonder if it would be wise sleeping tonight near him.
“He didn’t kill them. His ‘Master’ did. There is only one mistake, and that was hiding and hoping that the world outside would destroy itself while we were safe," Iris said.
It didn’t alleviate the weight on Spear’s shoulders. The idea that he had led the Master to that place seemed far fetched. How had the Master known he was there?
Spear struggled to try and think of a way that the Master had tracked him to the village days after losing the guards over the cliff. Perhaps he had left a trail, or maybe he was being stalked by some unseen unit.
His hand reached up and touched the place where the discipline collar had been, then realized that the device had long been removed. Was there something inside of him that was sending off a signal to the Master?
His hand touched the tooth. It didn’t matter; he had faith that the originals would save them. He would find them and wake them, and they would protect him. They would help him destroy the Master and free his people; That is if they were still alive.
He hoped that Iris was wrong.
As they moved into the exterior of the city, suspicious eyes peered out from the sleeping boxes built out of the rubble. Caves formed from fallen slabs, and piled layers of graystone seemed to make up the majority of living spaces. Little to no organic material was on the ground. Spear wondered if they had been digesting it, or had cleaned it from this place because their Master had told them to do so.
“Watch yourselves,” Iris said stepping forward with more conviction. She pulled a thick metal club from her bag.
Spear unslung his bag, realizing his own weapon was not in his hands. Unstrapping it as he walked, the touch of the cold metal was reassuring.
“Where are you leading us?” Eric asked.
“The gates, she pointed to two tall structures down the main path. The rubble on either side felt like canyon walls, extending towards a set of small doors through which units were coming and going.
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