" Im here..." His voice trailed off into infinity.
" Hollow Wild's, Im here"
Ehuhuh. Ehuhuh! James let out a series of guttural coughs and moans, his throat felt like it was glazed in soot.
Cough... Cough.. Cough...
James turned around and stared at the kiln. It was a large cylindrical tower of stone and some form of mortar, the bricks were grey and covered in scorch marks near its base. The entrance to the kiln was an iron door engraved with the insignia of a fire-axe. At the tip of the kilin a dim lilac flame burned unobstructed and the ground surrounding it was covered in concentric rings of ash and charcoal.
James' eyes clicked back to Uquin who had returned to a a bipedal stance. However, she's still seemed taller and there were patches of darker skin and fur along the surfaces of her forearm and bicep. Her chest muscles were also thicker and wired, they held a strange asymetry like they weren't simian but feline in composition.
James ignored this and asked the first thing that came to mind. " What touched me?"
James used his thumb to gesture at the obvious palm prints that formed a nasty-looking mandela across his back.
Uquin sighed. " Come, We'll walk and talk"
James nodded. " Alright."
Before they walked off James glanced at the kilin once more. ' Don't worry Ignazio, I'll come back. '
By the time James reacted, Uquin had already started to walk down a flight of steps.
"So this is the Fire Garden?" James asked as he caught up to Uquin.
Uquin cut her eyes slightly and nodded. " The Fire Garden, is one of the oldest farms that belonged to humanity."
"Farms?"
James looked out into the distance. There were smoke stacks that extended upwards into the sky, their tips were caked in a layer of soot. A thin layer of smog seemed to settle in the air. Large factories lined with steel and iron that roared and churned like living things peaked up from the haze. White light seemed to shift red in his eyes, as he watched the twinkling of what he could only assume to be lanterns or lights below.
" Yes, Farms. The pilgrims that found themselves here two thousand years ago settled and made farms to protect themselves and provide a sense of community. It's still used today."
"Oh, okay." James continued downward. ' This place looks like it's in an industrial revolution. Could Gasper and Hazel be here? '
James glanced at Uquin. She once again seemed to be unbothered by worldly machinations. After a brief second of thought he continued.
" Was I the only person you found?"
Her head turned slowly and her gaze gained a strange vigilance. " There are more of you?"
James stuttered back in disbelief. He glanced at his skin tone. " What do you mean more of me?"
Uquin continued. "More people from Earth. Are there more of you?"
" More from Earth? Why do you say it like that? Is there something I'm not understanding?" James furrowed his brows as their steps slowed.
" Answer the question." Her tone impatient.
" Yes. "James answered succinctly. "A man and a woman."
" Were they with you when you were in the forest?" She stressed.
" No, they weren't. I woke up alone." James replied, his words trailed off and his expression grew darker.
" Okay. They may be somewhere else. The Hollow Wilds are vast and expansive. There are no maps that cover all of its surface currently. Your friends may have appeared near another farm."
" Oh that's good." James sighed, his shoulders slowly relaxed.
" You should do more to worry about yourself currently." She added casually.
" What?" James doubled taked.
She smirked and pointed to his exposed ass cheek and the fact that he was barely clothed.
They had almost reached the base of the staircase and the streets of the Firegarden were visible from here.
The streets were a dense mix of iron and black cobble. The clamor and sliding of hot gears, spindles and all manner of large simple machines along their treads made James feel as though he stepped into the 19th century.
Hundreds of people passed by him every second, men, women and children. The clothing was mute, solid colors, and was devoid of any complex designs or cuts. Men seemed to wear a long sleeved shirt with a pair of trousers held up by loose suspenders.
Women and young ladies were modestly dress, with low cut skirst that swept the floor. Regardless the bases of their dressed were caked in a light layer of coal-dust and grime.
There was also the occasional person dressed in the same outfit as Uquin.
James looked out at the crowd and looked at himself. Younger children were pointing and mothers were shielding their eyes. James subconsciously filled in the blanks. 'Why am I getting deja vu?'
Uquin quickly pulled him out of public view into an alleyway. " Did you enjoy that?" She raised an eyebrow.
" No?" James asked.
" Good, thats for almost getting me trapped in the catacombs"
James shook his head in disbelief. " You made it out...I would've died."
Uquin pretended not to hear him. The duo quickly and stealthily crept their way through empty alleys until they made it to a store front.
[Ziggy's One Stop Shirt and Shoes ]
The sign was carved into a steel plate that was nailed into wood. James couldnt describe it as anything artistic. In-fact it may be the poorest design he had ever seen.
Even the facade of the store was empty. The metal stands had no clothing. James put his finger on the glass and dragged it down. He watched as a light layer of coal dust trickled from his fingers.
" Are you sure this place is open?" Uquin ignored James and pushed open the front door.
Ding!
A chime signaled their arrival. Before James stepped in he glanced at the smoggy sky and the seven spoked start that twirled around in the heavens like a nightlight. ' What kind of fucked up place is this?'
James stepped inside. ' Mmmm'
James resigned himself from breathing through his nose. ' If i smell anything new for the next week, I might loose my mind. Why does nobody talk about their senses. Everything smells different and my nose is killing me...'
James could feel his sinuses swelling as he rubbed his nose attempting to get clarity, Uquin walked behind the counter.
James looked around, there was also very little inside the store. More empty metal stands and racks. What little there was seemed to be there long enough to yellow and smelled of mildew.
Behind the counter was an obese man. His face was round, had deep dimples and his black hair was curled into light waves.
He had no shirt, but a cotton mesh marina stretched across his belly exposing his belly button and barely covered his nipples. His skin tone was dark and there were curls of hair on his rotund stomach. He was leaning back into a high reclining chair, his face shielded by a comedically small hat and his trousers seemed to be a size too small.
Snore... Snore... Snoree
Seeing that he was asleep Uquin, enthusiastically slapped his stomach making ripple like waves on a bed of water.
Thwack.
He seemed undisturbed despite scratching his ass after the first slap. Uquin furrowed her brows and concentrated, a green aura leaked out from her palms and her rough but feminine hands grew and were now as large as a bearpaw.
Thwack! Like the sound of a whip being cracked she slammed her palm into his belly. James clenched his teeth at the sight of the purple paw-mark on his skin. His stomach jiggled and oscillated like an overcharged pendulum before slowly coming to rest.
Snor- " Huh?" A hefty nasally voice echoed out. " Someone call me?"
" Ziggy, Do you have any clothes?" Uquin stepped back slightly as he shifted his weight forward. James could almost swear he felt the floor sag slightly.
" What you said u need? Clothes? You already came last week for a stitch up after that incident in the silent forest. Never, thought id see you again. Those were Elder cryptids out there, luckily Juraman was able to stabalize the situation. I heard you found a black boy floating in the river downstream, were they tainted?"
James' eyebrow twitched. Uquin glanced over at James. It was then that Ziggy opened his brown eyes fully and took in what was infront of him.
" Ah, Ah...Black boy?" Ziggy pulled his mesh marina up to his nose. " Is he clean? Why is he naked? Did you wash him?"
Pft.. hahahaha. Uquin burst out laughing watching Ziggy. Ziggy swirled his chair around slightly. Seeing Uquin laugh his expression softened slightly but he still kept his guard up towards James.
James frowned but remained silent. 'I probably do stink...'
Ziggy looked James up and down before easing himself off the seat and maneuvering past Uquin to the back room. Surprisingly his steps were not lumbering or heavy. He just walked funny.
Uquin and James sat in silence for a few minutes. The two occasionally crossed eyes but the contact was broken as quickly as it was made. Uquin scratched her brown hair and pretended to sift through the 8 shirts and the 2 trousers on display.
Ziggy stepped out from the back room and took a step towards James. However, he quickly took two steps back behind the counter and placed a set of white shirts, pants made from hide and black leather boots.
" Wear this. Just quickly change in the back, the clothes you came with will be sent to the kilin to be purified and repurposed so the clothes are on me." Ziggy said without missing a beat.
James nodded and changed.
After adjusting to the long pants and slinking on his overalls James walked out.
Ziggy nodded in approval. " At Least you're not ugly"
James bit his lip and remained silent. 'I hate this guy.'
Ziggy held his palm forward pointing towards James. "So now what?"
The two exchanged glances.
"Lord Juraman told me to provide him with a weeks worth of food and water, I had planned to take him to the Lodge and figure things out from there."
Ziggy shifted his weight and thought for a few seconds before glancing upwards at James. " Don't bother, I'm actually in need of a helping hand here. I'll feed him for a week."
"Hmm?" Uquin raised an eyebrow.
"Don't look at me like that, my stomach just thinks that this kid is interesting is all." Ziggy continued.
He lightly scratched his stomach where the purple palm mark had already begun to fade. " A lot of unrest in the silent forest. The King Shuck's offspring have been terrorizing our scouts and have blocked off the routes to the outposts. You planning on heading out again?"
James listened to their conversation intensely but something clicked in his mind from earlier. " Wait."
They both turned. " You said a week ago. I was in there for a week?"
Uquin glanced at the ceiling for a few seconds as if calculating the time. " Hmm, six and a half days."
Ziggy preemptively answered James' next question. "Time is funny down there, I'm not big headed enough to explain any further"
James sighed."Okay."
"Moving on, Quin, Why don't you stay in the Garden for a bit and do a job for me? I'll pay you for it aswell. Just treat it as a fun holiday."
" What are you trying to say Ziggy?" Her words were mixed with suspicion and tension.
Ziggy flapped his wrists waving her off. " Nothing, Nothing. I just think you're taking this cryptid killing thing a bit too far. Trying to follow Juraman and the rest that deep into the forest for a newbie like you is a death sentence. Luckily, you saw this guy floating in the river and was sent back, who knows what could have happened." Ziggy did his best to pout and seem afraid.
" Mmm. I'll be back Ziggy. You. Come." Uquin did her best to remain calm.
James had already turned around the moment he saw Uquin frown.James looked over his shoulder and pointed to himself.
" Yes you. Come. Now." She stressed. Uquin was already walking out the door.
Ding!
James turned to Ziggy. Ziggy smiled and patted the clothes. " Don't worry, I'll clear out a space for you in the back. I've been needing to do some cleaning."
James tilted his head and his brows furrowed suspiciously. " Why are you so certain I am coming back?"
Ziggy patted his belly. " Gut feeling"
James did not continue any dialogue and stepped out into the street. Uquin was patiently waiting for him, her face was a mix of a scowl and a frown. A bit unpleasant to stare at.
" So, Where we going?" James asked.
" The lodge"