Nephti trekked up the next stretch of mountains, disappointed that they hadn't shifted away into the flat land she loved so much. Which meant there was another city in Kalea, the place of mountains. Nephti had no idea what to expect, not knowing the world like the back of her hand in the slightest. The mountain began to grow darker under her, before trickles of glowing... something started appearing alongside her. What was that? Whatever it was it smelled... nice?
Eyes watching the strange liquid flowing from the top of the mountain warily, the girl followed it up, huffing and panting as the rocks scuffed her sandals and cut at her bare feet. What she'd give for something flat... The girl hoped for better terrain as soon as she knocked this "city" of her list.
A sudden screech made the girl duck, diving behind the barrels lined up in front one of the stores she had been passing. Hair fell across her face, and she looked up carefully, watching a shadow move across the sky. Only an illusion. Only an illusion. Rising slowly, she looked back up, making out the bird more clearly. A giant eagle - most definitely an illusion. Animals that big just couldn't exist. Not birds, anyway.
Following it curiously, she stumbled through the streets, avoiding the glowing orange thing that rolled through the streets and that the mountain was spitting out constantly. What was this place?
She moved around another cluster of houses to a larger square, where a bunch of those larger birds had gathered. They sat on the ground pecking at each other, grooming themselves or doing other bird things, looking up suddenly at her arrival.
"Hey," she said awkwardly, not sure whether the illusions of giant birds would understand her, "How are you?"
One of the birds made a weird eagle noise at her, reminding her that even as an illusion it couldn't talk. That was, at least, better than getting a weird reply, right?
Eyes watching the strange liquid flowing from the top of the mountain warily, the girl followed it up, huffing and panting as the rocks scuffed her sandals and cut at her bare feet. What she'd give for something flat... The girl hoped for better terrain as soon as she knocked this "city" of her list.
A sudden screech made the girl duck, diving behind the barrels lined up in front one of the stores she had been passing. Hair fell across her face, and she looked up carefully, watching a shadow move across the sky. Only an illusion. Only an illusion. Rising slowly, she looked back up, making out the bird more clearly. A giant eagle - most definitely an illusion. Animals that big just couldn't exist. Not birds, anyway.
Following it curiously, she stumbled through the streets, avoiding the glowing orange thing that rolled through the streets and that the mountain was spitting out constantly. What was this place?
She moved around another cluster of houses to a larger square, where a bunch of those larger birds had gathered. They sat on the ground pecking at each other, grooming themselves or doing other bird things, looking up suddenly at her arrival.
"Hey," she said awkwardly, not sure whether the illusions of giant birds would understand her, "How are you?"
One of the birds made a weird eagle noise at her, reminding her that even as an illusion it couldn't talk. That was, at least, better than getting a weird reply, right?
