Ryoiki: Return to The Beyond (6)

CHAPTER 7: There is always history.

Ita sat on the horse; it had been so long since they had ridden a horse. They needed a small refresher, but it came back to them naturally.

"...I hope your journey goes well." Oanki said, eye level with Ita on the horse.

"I do as well...although, I still am unsure where I am going..."

"Which is exactly why I have this for you." Oanki said, pulling out a compass made of metal, with a letter under it.

"...A compass?" Ita asked.

"A Genlator. A permanent compass...set to a single location. The letter is for Distrerel."

Ita nodded and loaded the two items into their backpack...the pulled their face coverings up and set off.

The ride to the research post took around two cycles, which wasn't hard...the Genlator was a helpful piece of tool...why hadn't anyone in Ryoiki invented something like this? I mean...maps existed, and now GPS did too...

But Ita still questioned the usefulness of it.

Along the journey, Ita had quickly passed into a desert-like zone.

They continue their journey until they reached the research outpost...

It was a large excavation site in the middle of the desert, heading down many layers.

"Hey! Who goes there!" A female voice shouted, walking over to Ita.

The woman had brown hair up in a bun, with glowing blue eyes.

She wore light, but airy armor, to counter the heat of the desert. Showing off her thick black skin.

Ita held up the letter, stamped with Oanki's symbol...his staff.

"...Oh."

Ita got off the horse and was led to the largest tent in the area...passing by several copies of the woman.

Entering the tent, Ita was greeted by more clones...and one without glowing eyes.

"...Who the fuck?" Distrerel asked, looking at Ita.

"I bring a letter from Oanki." They said, tossing the letter down on the table, on top of a map of the site.

Distrerel sighed and grabbed the letter...

"And you are?"

With one swift motion, Ita removed their mask and goggles.

"Ita, child of Orix."

Distrerel eyes widened.

"Oh, my flame...I thought...You had died!"

Ita shook their head.

"I've come back to The Beyond for my father...Oanki said you would be a good lead for where to find him."

Distrerel chuckled.

"I'm not a good lead for anything...that's stupid of him...but whatever. You can explore the dig site while I read this letter-"

Ita nodded, and left the tent, traversing the dig site.

It wasn't the largest thing in the world, but Ita saw a large green door at the bottom...

Walking down the path, Ita passed many copies of Distrerel, all mindlessly working tirelessly...creepy.

Ita walked their way to the bottom...and looked up at the green door.

Ita assumed it was made of completely oxidized copper; however, they couldn't fully tell.