Tigu-chtu-tal, the City of Noble Bones. Arethar was right, it was very clear why it was called that: the gigantic skeleton that supported the whole cave couldn't be defined otherwise. There were no columns or special mushrooms to support the ceiling: only the huge bones of the dead dragon, which looked like huge pillars that could have lifted even the sky, and which didn't even bend under the weight of three kilometers of rock.
The dragon's body was at least a kilometer long, maybe even more; the rib cage alone measured at least five hundred meters. Their wings, legs and tail were stretched out in all directions, and their bones thicker than tree trunks merged with the ceiling of the cave supporting their enormous weight and creating a cavity beneath them into which an entire city had taken shape. Palaces almost forty meters high or even fifty soared upward, yet they were nowhere near able to touch the dragon's vertebrae; and compared with ribs as wide as a whole district, they looked like small stones placed there quite by accident. No matter what was inside the cave, how beautiful it was or how carefully it was crafted: the huge skeleton of the dead dragon still dominated the view, capturing the viewer's attention without any hope of resisting. Those bones were the only thing that mattered, the only thing that had the right to be admired; they couldn't be called anything other than noble.
"I don't believe it..." Rhaegal murmured in ecstasy. "You built your entire city... under the body of a dragon?"
Arethar nodded. "The great Balagaberan has always protected us. She has protected us for ever and ever. No natural disaster can even just hope to shake her invincible bones. While the rest of the underworld is continually subject to change, with whole areas and caves that collapse and collapse, tunnels that are closed, cavities that open and earthquakes that devastate everything, and for this the cities that we build elsewhere need further support from us... that's not happen here. Nothing, not even the fury of the earth itself, can cause the slightest change. Even while she lies in her eternal sleep, Balagaberan continues to protect us all"
Haku had no problem believing it; normally he was skeptical of everything, but at the moment to think that the giant skeleton of the dead dragon could not resist against any calamity seemed ridiculous, stupid, almost pathetic. Those bones so huge that he, even at his thirteen meters, would have looked like an insect by comparison, they could not be defeated. The most violent earthquake would have felt like little shaking, and wouldn't have left even a scratch on those massive ribs or those gigantic vertebrae. Even in death Balagaberan was invincible, and the elements could do no more than bow down and admit defeat, and run away in fear hoping that their pathetic attempt to bring her down hadn't somehow roused her from her eternal slumber.
"You are welcome, kind visitors. Allow me to lead you to our humble city, and welcome you to Tigu-chtu-tal" Arethar said, rousing everyone from their shock. The arachne was leading the way to the palaces, which were at least a hundred and fifty yards away from the skull from which they had descended, the dead dragon's neck being so long it exceeded the width of a small city. The group crossed that stretch of land, land that seemed to be at once very soft and cultivable, but also hard and solid like the bones of Balagaberan, and very strange plants resembling a strange fusion between a tree and a lichen grew out of it like of colored pillars. When they came near what used to be the outskirts of Tigu-chtu-tal, which was directly under the shoulder blades and collarbones of the giant dragon, they were finally able to get a better view of the houses: even though they were only houses on the outskirts, they were built with extremely solid stone and with a manufacturing technique comparable only with the palaces of the nobles, and each of them was at least three stories high; the roofs were of white marble and had shapes similar to spirals and many of them were even surmounted by extremely accurate sculptures. The stone walls were covered with bas-reliefs or murals or mosaics, making them extremely colorful, and each house had windows that could be opened and closed like doors and whose glasswork was impeccable. Strange lamps composed of colored cloths arranged in a circular shape and from the base of which were hung strange threads that shone in the light of the fire inside were hung along the road from tall poles made of some porous material, illuminating the environment as if there was the sun. The streets were paved with very smooth and solid rock, cut with extreme precision to form hexagonal tiles, which were then arranged to fit together in a perfect pattern. There were no walls or garrisons or sentinels, probably because there was no risk of being attacked by anyone underground, since there did not appear to be any wild beasts in that cave and from what they understood the arachnes lived rather at peace with each other. others. It was truly extraordinary: this could hardly be considered a suburban area, what normally in a city would have been the poorest and most run-down district and where you could have found only shacks and a great stench, yet here it was already more refined and elegant than many noble districts.
As soon as they were close enough, the other arachnes who lived in that part of the city also became visible. They became aware of them in turn, and when they did they seemed to freeze; the baskets of edible mushrooms carried by the traders fell from their hands and the tools with which the laborers were repairing the houses were abandoned on the ground with a clank. The arachnes' eyes widened even wider than might have been thought possible, not only the two large pairs but also the six smaller ones, and their spider-hair hair seemed to stand on end as if animated by a strange energy. And then someone unidentified seemed to shake in surprise and let out a cry that reverberated throughout the outskirts of the city: "The lords of the world have arrived! The lords of the world are here!"
That was what set off an unpredictable chain of events: the arachnes recovered from the shock and their faces changed completely. Their stupid and shocked expression was replaced by one of pure joy, their lips curved in a happy smile, their eyes seemed to sparkle with their own light, and tears even started to fall down their faces; someone raised their hands to the sky, someone jumped, someone seemed to shake in a frenzy, and someone even folded their hands in front of their chest as if they were praying. All the arachnes, men, women and children, began to shout in voices filled with happiness in its purest and most absolute state: "The lords of the world! The lords of the world are here! The lords of the world are back!"
Like a river, hundreds of arachnes rushed out of their houses into the streets, some even clambering onto rooftops to see better, and dozens of them ran towards Haku, Rhaegal, Tikka, and Teramon; the four dragons were taken so by surprise that they had the impulse to put themselves in a defensive position, but when the arachnes came within a meter of them they stopped and looked at them as if they were looking at a mountain of pure gold; many of them fell on their knees in front of them and some even took off some jewels they were wearing and gave them to the dragons, almost as if they were offerings; even if a little hesitant, Haku, Rhaegal, Tikka and Teramon accepted them, and when they did, those people who had offered them jumped for joy and some even fainted with happiness.
The four dragons looked at each other quite confused and also uneasy. They weren't used to being treated like that; everywhere they went, even among their allies, there were only looks of suspicion and fear. But this time there was no suspicion or fear in the arachnes eyes, only deep happiness; and while Haku, Rhaegal, Tikka, and Teramon didn't mind at all, indeed their dragon pride was flattered by such reverence, they didn't know how to act in that situation. Never would they have thought they could be welcomed by a people in such a warm and happy way. But how were they to move now? What were they supposed to say? Indeed, did they have to say something, or would it have been better to remain silent? Boh! They didn't know, having never interacted with anyone like that. Their first encounters with any other people they had ever met had always been based on deceit, abuse and cruelty, certainly not on feasts and gifts.
Fortunately they didn't need to do and say practically nothing: it was enough for them to move a paw forward, an action that happened almost by mistake, and the arachnes in front of them moved, clearing the way. Haku looked at his three siblings, hoping that they would figure out what to do better than him since they are better at understanding newcomers' emotions, but their eyes signaled to him that they were just as confused as he was. Not knowing what else to do and not sure if it was a good idea to ask Arethar to speak on his behalf, Haku saw no other solution than to continue on the road the arachnes had just opened, so he walked confidently through them, trying to act like he wasn't upset by the situation at all. Rhaegal, Tikka, and Teramon hurried after him, and the rest of the party did as well; however, unlike Haku, one could just glimpse their insecurity. In the eyes of the arachnes all four dragons were absolute and perfect existences, but only Haku was moving with the royalty and pride that befit a supreme being. And seeing him walking at the head of the pack and with such confidence and determination on his face, the arachnes began to whisper: "It must be him! The king of all dragons, as was foretold!"
Haku almost let his confidence collapse on hearing those words, which obviously couldn't hide from his excellent hearing; only the thought that it was better not to show insecurity kept him from stopping and asking for explanations. So he continued on, listening intently to the arachnes in hopes of learning more, but though they all referred to him as the king, no one elaborated on the explanation. Behind him Rhaegal, who in turn had heard what the arachnes were saying, almost choked on his saliva, a gesture that did not go unnoticed by Tikka and Teramon, who, however, apart from looking at him inquisitively, didn't ask any questions, at least not at the time.
They continued on through the city, moving rapidly from the suburbs to the inner districts; Haku didn't know where to go, so he decided to simply follow the crowd and head for the largest building he could see. As they went on the houses around them grew still larger and taller, some exceeding five storeys, and their roofs as well as marble were overlaid with onyx and precious stones forming marvelous sculptures, and upon their moors were set lines of gold and silver that formed beautifully crafted designs and mosaics, many of them depicting breathtaking landscapes, extraordinary cities and huge dragons flying in the sky revered by thousands of people on the ground. The streets had become even more paved and refined, widening and being covered with golden dust in the spaces between the tiles, and the mysterious lamps were no longer anchored to poles, but flew above the whole city suspended by some magic of the wind and illuminated everything with a riot of color. As they walked, more and more arachnes looked out of their windows, came out of their houses, or joined everyone who was admiring him on the streets, and in none of their eyes Haku could see the slightest sign of fear and suspicion, only joy and triumph.
Eventually he reached the building in the center of the city, which was placed directly under the central vertebrae of the giant dead dragon; it was a huge building fifty meters high, with towers rising above all the other buildings and extraordinary domes on top, and whose walls were full of colors and designs of all shapes and sizes, some very realistic, some blurred and abstract , as if different artists had started drawing each with their own style. The building had a huge door so high that even a dragon could easily enter it, which was located at the top of a staircase of fine white marble crossed by crystal lines that almost looked like water flowing all the way down the stairs. When Haku reached the base of these stairs, the crowd suddenly fell silent, and a group of arachnes dressed in sumptuous robes appeared at the top of them. One of them, who appeared to be older than Arethar, stepped forward and looked at Haku with a joy the dragon didn't think was possible to see on a person's face, and exclaimed: "Now I can die happy! Finally you, Haku, are come among us! The lords of the world are back!"