The tension in the air is so palpable that it becomes tangible. We all walk in tacit silence, only our footsteps reverberating across the corridors, as we follow closely behind Dalisso.
I look at Vyswe'eyaga who is walking with a head held low besides him. She clearly is unsettled by him—more so than the rest of us—and he does not hesitate to use it at his advantage. He knows that by using her, he can indirectly sway us to do as he wants.
And that irks me to no end.
Doubled with the fact that he is apparently planning to hold her captive like some sort of pet.
I glance next to me. Ike is following along, looking more serious and guarded than I have ever seen him as he glares at Dalisso's back.
Sazayi and N'jobu are there too. They quickly caught on complexity of our situation, despite not knowing the full context, and requested to tag along. I would have preferred otherwise but their presence is a plus to add some pressure on the Anansi, especially with someone like Sazayi here.
I have never heard of an Anansi, or any creature similar to it—But this Dalisso is dangerous. Very dangerous. It does not matter, though, because after whatever Vyswe'eyaga promised him to patch-up is done. We all leave.
"Here we are." He chimes.
We make our way into the workshop. I don't know why he calls it a workshop because the place is basically as empty as all the rooms we found in this strange dwelling, except for a single chair and a giant desk crammed with the scrapings of the Nchāren machines that had attacked us.
My brow furrows slightly as Vyswe'eyaga take seat at the desk.
"Is that not a bit much?" I ask. There are so many parts that they are piled up into a small mountain, this is way too much for a single person to take care of.
"I will be alright," she says while picking a nearby piece, it is a broken part of a conical appendage, "these are old models, so their design is very simplistic. I will not take long."
The object begins to levitate slowly between her open palms, its form shifting seamlessly into a flawless sphere before returning to its original shape. A soft bluish glow emanates from its surface, bathing Vyswe'eyaga's face in an ethereal light, then intricate strings of glyphs emerge and etch themselves across its surface.
When it is done Vyswe'eyaga make the completed piece float away and lie it unto the side of the desk. Immediately after another part float to her and she repeats the process.
Her expression remains almost serene as she performs the task. She carries that subtle air of practiced ease—as if she has done this countless times before, reducing it to nothing more than a fleeting afterthought.
When I turn to N'jobu and Sazayi, it is to see them staring agape and wide-eyed at her, an expression I no doubt mirror. Then I see their expressions shift, the gears turning in their minds, and understanding dawns at them.
I sigh.
It was only a matter of time before they realized who exactly Vyswe'eyaga is… It was inevitable, in fact.
Now, how do I get to keep them quiet about this?
Dalisso, who had been quietly observing Vyswe'eyaga work with a captivated expression, abruptly stands up. His face is an unreadable mask, then it darkens.
Vyswe'eyaga stops, having sensed his change in mood, and look up at him apprehensively.
"What is it?"
He looks back at her and smiles, his broodiness nowhere to be seen.
"Oh. Something interesting just happened, I'll be back in a jiffy."
With that, he heads toward the exit, but as he passes me, I catch a glimpse of his face and shiver at the unsettling expression it bears.
What could possibly infuriate him so much?
~~~~~~~~~~~
"You are a Nchāren."
Sazayi states immediately after Dalisso is gone, he is still staring stunned at her. Vyswe'eyaga purses her lips, she looks a bit defeated, but eventually sighs as she turns back to what she was doing.
"Yes."
The two breaths in deeply when they hear her answer.
"That explains everything, your appearance, your abilities… the lexicon." N'jobu says, looking straight at me on that last sentence.
"But… How?" Sazayi interjects, "The Nchāre civilization is supposed to be gone. You are all supposed to be… dead."
"Well, we are not all dead, as you can see."
"How did—"
"—Can we… not talk about this right now?" She says crossly.
That seems to shut them up, and she continuous restore the pieces.
"Uhh… What are those things anyway?"
Vyswe'eyaga glances at me, before returning to her work. "Constructs. They are designed for security and surveillance."
"Are they not a bit overkill for security devices." N'jobu says pointedly, and she winces.
"Believe it or not but these Constructs are actually the more… inoffensive type. They are meant to just restrain intruders; they attacked you because Dalisso instructed them to."
"Still, is it a good idea to them for him. No matter how harmless, a small army of these are enough to cause some major trouble." Ike says placidly.
"Actually…" she checks the exit, Dalisso is still not back yet, "I am modifying the Constructs' Runic array and animation core, they will operate normally but will not be able to deploy any of their attack modules. They will be completely harmless, I promise."
Well… If she says they won't cause any more harm, than I am at ease with that.
About an hour and a half or so later, she has finished to repair the entirety of the Constructs had been damaged. And now, a full throng of them were in motion, gliding and hovering about the space of the workshop.
Dalisso had not shown himself ever since he left. Not to my displeasure.
I am not sure, but by their movements felt like they were observing their environment. I felt strange; to see such an almost… animal-like behaviour from these machines. It is jarring, to see those mechanical constructs behave so… life likely.
"What should we do of these things?" Sazayi asks as he looks nervously at the Constructs.
"Leave them as they are. They will not wander off." Vyswe'eyaga says, yawning softly through her hand.
"I guess it is time to rest." I tell.
"Is it alright to do so? Dalisso…" She trails off.
"We will deal with him tomorrow, rest." Ike says.
From the side, N'jobu begins to speak, but falls silent under Ike's piercing gaze. It seems he still wants he answers but it will have to wait.
Somehow, we manage to make it back to Ewa and the others, who are laying leisurely on the mattress. It does not take long before everyone has made themselves comfortable and started to fall into slumber—Vyswe'eyaga being the first.
The night had been peaceful and uneventful. To be truthful I slept like a baby, it must be the mattresses—I can't believe how soft and comfortable they were—and by the next morning we were awake and well rested.
"So, what do we do now?" Ewa asks. She and Vyswe'eyaga had changed this morning, having found their clothes cleaned and folded neatly next to them this morning.
"Dalisso seems to be busy with something else, I propose we find a way to get out of here."
"No need for that." A voice echoes everywhere, my blood runs cold when I recognised it as Dalisso's.
He emerges into the room and my eyes widen in alarm at what is now standing before us.
A giant spider tower above us. Its legs rise like colossal, jagged pillars, each one segmented and coated in wiry bristles that seem to writhe with life. Its sheer size makes it seem as though it could crush a boulder with ease, while the tips of its legs gleam like honed blades, but it strangely does not leave any gnashes on the ground.
The spider's eyes—four gleaming clusters of golden orbs—glitter with cold intelligence as it observes us. A cavernous maw, flanked by massive, serrated fangs, twitches slightly, emitting faint hisses that send shivers down my spine.
Its movements are both fluid and jarring as it passes through the archway and looms over our heads.
Suddenly… Suddenly, it makes sense why everything here is so big.
It beholds us for a moment for long seconds. I stand on guard, ready to attack at a moment's notice.
But Dalisso's next actions goes against everything I expected, he taps his front leg several times and the space wraps before us. It seems to be… swirling. It is the only way I can describe it.
Then before our eyes lie a patch of greenery, rolling mountains and meadows. For a moment I think of it as just an illusion. That is before I feel the warm light from the sun on my skin and a breeze caressing my face and hair, carrying along it the warm scent of grass and earth. My breath catches in my throat.
This is real.
I can not believe it possible for anyone to be able to mimic such distinct detail of nature. No in a believable manner, anyway.
"A dimensional gate." Vyswe'eyaga says as she inspects it, her golden pupils glittering slightly. "I understand now, this place… We are in a pocket dimension."
The spider's eyes all focus on her, then it makes sound halfway between a hum and a hiss.
"How did you know that? No, it does not matter anymore. You may leave."
"Just like that? What happened with you wanting to imprison Vyvy and everything?" Ewa asks after a bit.
His body vibrates, making each and every one of his long, dark hair appear to move independently from him. Then his voice thunders across the room.
"I have changed my mind. Humans are fragile things, that is too much than it is worth."
The way he said it… The intonation was off, and he spoke hastily. He is lying. But why?
"What about our horses?" Asks N'jobu.
"What horses? They are gone."
"What? Gone? Gone why? Gone where?" Vyswe'eyaga face is the personification of disbelief as she stares at him.
"I-I don't know. They ran off when my minions attacked you, I only took the bags."
"What?!"
"Oh. Right. Have this back." A circular object appears right in front of her face—the compass—Her eyes widen in surprise, then she grabs it like it is about to disappear once more.
Dalisso's body vibrates even more. At this point I am wondering if he is not going to fall over. He taps is front leg again as he says impatiently, "Now go."
Then a familiar feeling washes over me, I become momentarily disoriented when my front becomes down and back becomes up. I lose my footing, and find myself falling, face first this time. I crash with the soft soil but then I feel a tremendous weight collide on my back, forcing a grunt out of my mouth. Followed by many others.
Does he always have to do that?