Back To Krypton

Chapter 6

Kara swats away the lower-hanging branches that get in their way as she leads them to where she estimates the accommodation will be. She occasionally looks back, checking on Nia.

She's getting slower and weaker, they can all tell but can't bring themselves to be the first to say anything, like they will jinx their likelihood of getting her help if they say anything. Instead, they do what they can, kicking away rocks that she could stumble over and holding branches out of the way.

Nia's breathing is heavy and based on the way she holds her hand to her body, the pain is still raging through her hand.

Kelly joins Kara at the front, lowering her voice. "Are we getting close? The sun is already beginning to set, and I doubt we will be able to find anywhere in the dark."

"We're in the general area from what I can tell, all we can do now is keep walking and keep an eye out. It'll be a fairly large building, so we won't miss it."

To say that Kelly is relieved would be an understatement. Nia's sticky situation aside, she is very nervous about having Esme with them trudging through unknown territory in the dark with dangerous plants mysteriously dotted about.

They keep on trudging forward, eyes peeled and searching. They don't understand how they don't see it, surely a building in the middle of the forest would be decently easy to spot.

They come to a stop so Kara can get her map out again and re-evaluate where they are and where the accommodation should be. She places her pack down onto a rock and begins to unzip it when something catches the corner of her eye. Vines.

Vines shouldn't be in this area of the forest. Maybe if they were heading directly East towards the Jagged Mountains but not this way as they point west towards Magnetic Mountain. Of course, it isn't all mapped out exactly to the mile so she could be mistaken, it has been decades since she studied this kind of thing as a child.

Still, it's odd. She looks at them for a second more before Alex clears her throat to get her attention. "Hurry up, we all want to get there as soon as possible."

"Yeah, just..." She diverts her eyes. "Never mind."

She pulls the map out and just as she had suspected they should be practically right on top of it...or underneath it. Her eyes shoot up and a self-deprecating chuckle leaves her lips.

Alex is clearly in a grumpy mood as she snaps, "what are you laughing at?"

"Look up."

They all track their eyes up and see a grand building made of vertical wooden logs and dark green crystals that seem to be almost cobbled together to somewhat resemble leaves.

They have been walking right beneath it this whole time.

Kara finds her attention drawn back to the vines and finds them leading right back up to the accommodation. "The vines are used to transport nutrients up to the crystals to keep them alive, it's self-sustaining."

Smiles littered the faces of the group, all of them happy to have finally arrived here so they can get Nia some help.

Kara follows the vines with her eyes, searching for a way to get up into the building. She traces over them with a soft touch as she walks in a wide circle, the others waiting back where they were before but watching her with interest.

Her hand brushes from the vines over to the trunk of a tree, much wider than the others. "Bingo."

She presses slightly, feeling for any difference. Her fingertips catch on what appears to be a hinge, so she pulls, and the bark comes away, swinging down but still attached to the tree, able to be clicked back in place.