Despite it being the final push to get to Sivayas, several hours of walking was still what I had to go through to finally reach here. Although, I can't really complain either as I wasn't even supposed to survive, being struck by a twice storm in a row is truly some luck, but surviving both is a miracle.
With the amount of time I had filled with walking, I tried my best to avoid thoughts that could slow me down after already using up so much time sheltering from the rain. It's only natural however, having my mind touch on the subject even when I don't want to. It's understandable why it happened, why she would just leave me considering how dire the situation is. The weight of her, her cargo, me, and my cargo would have prevented neither of us from getting away.
It was do or die, and I got the short end of the stick. When it comes to it, I am the least of the priority. If something were to happen to her, many high profile deliveries would have been reverted, all the progress made with her help would implode paradoxically, and her loved ones loses her. My sacrifice would only cost some grains to be lost most likely. It's logical, yet, I couldn't shake off the idea that I was left to the mercy of the storm in one brief moment. I mean, it is something that I expected, or had to expect at this point. Nomad Couriers are expected to prioritize themselves and their packages.
Whatever I think or feel, it doesn't matter in the long term anyways, things are just back to how it was. I should be sighing in relief now that I am entering Sivayas' surface facilities, taking my first step off the dirt ground and onto the concrete foundation.
At one point, this place was an archipelago of islands, before it bore witness to a dramatic transformation over the years. The most striking change was the complete evaporation of the purple seas that separated the islands, reduced to a barren landscape of cracked earth and parched riverbeds. Just by moving my eyes from one side to the other, I can easily see where the water once was.
Despite being separated for centuries, the Sivayans saw this as an opportunity. As the water receded, the denizens of Sivayas began constructing a network of underground cities, linked by subterranean tunnels and passageways. The interconnected underground cities allowed for efficient trade, communication, and governance.
What once was defined by scattered and divided islands, is now united into one bigger entity on the map.
There was no conveyor belt to a distribution centre for me to deliver to on the surface once I reached the entrance to the underground. On the surface, there was only a simple shelter with an elevator in the middle. It made sense however, as having a distribution centre to distribute all over somewhere as big as Sivayas would just be too impractical.
With a brief grunt coming straight from my throat, I stepped onto the elevator and pressed the button on its panel. The platform trembles as the mechanism activates, lowering me with the world above fading away as I make my way into the depths of Sivayas' underground cities. The faint hum of machinery surrounded me, several mechanical moving parts being the object that sustains life beneath the barren surface. The air grew warmer, a stark contrast to the cold breeze on the surface.
My nose breathes in the approaching air, smelling the metallic underground city, closing my eyes as I get closer to my destination.
.
.
.
With another hour of walking through multiple snaking roads and taking rides on publicly available transportation, I finally made it from the main entrance of Sivayas to my destination of Octalban. It wasn't as harsh as a walk on the surface, but it was certainly still labouring, albeit with more noises walking pass me.
Faced with a door to a facility that I had to deliver to, a panel to the left of it lit up with light, showing a guide to scan your card. As the screen suggested, I pulled on the card that was attached to my chest with a stretchy string and tapped it onto the panel.
With the door opening up, it revealed what I expected was going to be another distribution centre, but it did not have any aspects of a conventional centre at all. I entered the facility, the sterile scent of a laboratory filling my senses. The hum of machinery and the distant sound of voices caught my attention. This was no ordinary distribution centre; it was a research facility.
Never once did I care before, but what could I actually be carrying on my back to be granted access to such a high-level facility?
At first, I wasn't even sure what to do or where to go, and I was just getting ready to just navigate the labyrinthine halls. Before I could however, a voice spoke from the side of the entrance, a voice of a bookish yet eager man. "You must be-- Zach, is that right?"
I turned around to face him, a man with hair that sat between tousled and frizziness, large round glasses that reflected the light in ways that prevented me from seeing his eyes, and a lab coat that was worn with age. He was looking down at a clipboard before facing up towards me, fixing his glasses so I could see. "The thing you are carrying is for me, so come along with me, we have other guests waiting for you."
He then walked deeper into the facility, expecting me to immediately follow him. Barely a few feet into the walk, he stops and turns to quickly note. "Oh, and you can just call me Craig. The others call me C for formalities."
