Cursed By | Moon

2 | Roan

Their landing was shaky and it felt like the shuttle was doing its best not to be torn apart. There was a moment of awkward anticipation before a flood of bright light blinded the begrudging collective as soon as the doors of the shuttle were thrust open, relieving the cramped space of stale air that had begun to smell like sweaty feet.

Roan threw his hand up to protect his eyes, catching glimpses in-between parted fingers as he batted his long lashes, getting dragged out by a flurry of unfamiliar hands that were more than a little rough.

The base they had been taken to was built into dark rock that had been hollowed out long before his time but the landing strip they were currently on was fairly new; a half-circle of flat metal suspended over the edge of the cliff that was high enough for the rushing wind to be a problem, actively making it difficult to see where they were going without the protective eye gear that the Amalgam were wearing.

The forcefield was thinner here, he noticed, giving him some insight as to why the weather seemed to be at war with itself. Through squinted eyes, Roan could just make out the twin towers that let out plumes of hot steam before his eyes adjusted.

Before him was a fortress built like a colosseum, oval in design with plenty of windows that would allow for a view from any angle. They'd let the flora reclaim much of the outer walls with patches of moss covering sleek black metal and rock whilst an ecosystem of trees and shrubs gave the base some of its own natural camouflage.

That isn't to say it blended in perfectly however, as there was still the artificial glow of light coming through the glass windows sprinkled sporadically through the entire design, but he assumed it worked well enough to trick any adventurous Makhar that might find themselves up this high.

Now that they were at the edges of Ylale, signs of the Outerplanes were beginning to encroach, like the silhouettes of the tallest trees and a damp earthy smell that carried far on the winds. However, the sea of clouds and the heavy hanging mist that tumbled down the valley made it a bit of a challenge to see the dreaded jungles that waited beyond, a fact that Roan didn't like very much. It made him nervous, and he didn't like the feeling at all.

"Keep it moving!" An officer yelled, the belted command accompanied with a hard shoulder.

Roan stumbled but caught himself, glaring at the officer for the unnecessary show of force but making no move to stand up for himself. Some fights were worth fighting for but this was not one of them. Besides, he might have been prepared for it if he hadn't been so preoccupied in surveying the base but that was neither here nor there.

The Amalgam were shouting off inaudible commands but their voices were getting lost in the excitement, reduced to muffled cries as the rain started to pick up. Without the correct gear, the weakest of their group started falling to their feet and needed the assistance of those around them to keep pushing forwards.

Thunder clapped and lightning sprayed but it was another beast altogether that halted even the Amalgam officers. Roan would have thought would be used to hearing such awful sounds but apparently not, their joints seemed just as stiff as the Elves who collectively froze, glancing over their shoulders at the shrouded expanse upon hearing a monstrous screech that pierced through the noise and carried for miles.

Even from here Roan could sense the power behind that voice, felt how his bones trembled in response and the hairs on the back of his neck prickled. Any beast that could silence the sky was surely one to avoid at all costs.

The Amalgam seemed to agree as within seconds they had them all inside the empty building which he'd learn was actually an empty hangar that was no doubt built to house one of the four aircraft carriers the Amalgam occupied. To his knowledge, quite a few Amalgam families chose to live on the giant aircrafts he'd scarcely seen flying over Ylale but most were forced to live on the surface in the Colonies or on the Amalgam's Mother Ship, the infamous aircraft which was practically its own floating island.