It's only matter of Time...

Origin

After rushed but very careful round of deliberation, Dream manages to convince the rest of the SMP that the best way to put the most distance between them and these Hunters is to go across the sea. "They'll have to look through the entire SMP, and if we're lucky, they'll not come out this way at all." He reasoned, so once they'd made some boats, they set out. During all the boat-making, Tubbo takes a moment to think of what happens if Ranboo, Tommy, and the others return. He needs some way to make sure that they don't get caught and maybe can find their way back to the rest of them. He writes a book and leaves it in a chest beside one of the more prominently used Nether Portals. It's the best he can do, or at least the best he can think of at the time. Then, it's time to leave, and Tubbo sets his sights to what appears to be endless sea before them.

They spend several weeks at sea this way, stopping on islands to rest and collect food. Philza and the crows, Wilbur, and Niki will often take those times to scout the surrounding areas for land, Hunters, settlements, or any other useful things. Luckily, they run into little trouble, save for a couple storms that caught them by surprise or were simply unavoidable.

About two months into the seafaring, Wilbur suddenly drops onto Dream's boat, coming with news: "There's a mountain range. Absolutely massive, and inside, there's a valley. It looks used, but not human. With luck, we could probably stay there until...this...is over. Phil stayed to check further." He announces, a murmur of hope spreading through the tired Hybrids. They've rested on small islands, but an actual place to stay would be wonderful. "How far away is it?" Dream asks. Wilbur cocks his head, looking back the way he'd come. "About...40 minutes ahead." He replies. Dream dips his head, then rolls his shoulders. "Then let's go."

Sure enough, they catch sight of the enormous peaks within the hour. They're taller than the clouds in some places, unwelcoming and steeply inclined everywhere else. "Okay, so we're here. Now how do we get up there? We sure as hell can't climb that." Quackity asks, wading out of the water to start pulling boats ashore. "We'll rest for a few days, or until something happens. I'm going to go climb up and see what it looks like." Dream answers, then leaves them there. Wilbur stays to help them set up a sort of temporary camp, which basically means a few boats used to make miniature shelters, a few campfires, and a set area. Two days later, Tubbo helps get wood and goes out to look for any food, as does Fundy, Eret, and Ponk. They rest for the night, then rouse in the mid-morning to the arrival of Philza and his flock. "Dream's saying it looks safe enough, we just need a way around the mountain. It's not easily climbed." He explains, just as a bright light pierces the area. There's cries of confusion and objection, Philza using his wings to shield his eyes and Puffy's, seeing as she was closest to him. "What are you doing here?" A voice demands, stern but more urgent than angry. "Hello?" Phil responds, slowly lowering his wings as the light dims. Tubbo blinks rapidly, rubbing away the strange effects it left on his own eyes. It was like staring directly at the sun. As his vision corrects itself, Tubbo manages to identify the speaker's features. A man stands several feet away, hair purple and silver, ears pointed and long, and wearing a light blue robe with golden lines in strange patterns. On the inside, there's a deep purple background with more silver spots, like the silver in his hair. They both shine like stars. In his hands, he's holding miniature balls of pure light, or so it looks like. They blink out of existence after a moment. There's something formal and wise about him, yet ancient and lonely. His gaze is transfixed upon the Elytrian, though it does flicker to other people when they move to see him better. "Scott??" The crow Hybrid says, his flock taking a moment to catch on to whatever this means before positively swarming the man. He instantly spreads his arms, letting multiple crows perch on him. Some simply caw, others go so far as to rub against him as they would an old friend. Whatever he's saying is lost in the birds' excitement. Philza smiles, wings losing any and all tension as he turns to the onlooking Hybrids. "Don't worry, he's a friend. This is Scott, a Starborne." He explains, slowly encouraging the rest of the SMP to lower their weapons. What's a Starborne? The name sounds familiar, but the goat Hybrid's unsure why it is. "Why are you–what's happened? It's been so long..." Philza shifts uneasily, glancing around before saying something too quiet to be picked up. Whatever he says, Scott nods and looks at the group. His gaze softens as he appears to come to a decision. "I understand you come from someplace far...you're fleeing something?" Tubbo nods. "Hunters." He confirms. The Starborne turns to him, something strange in his gaze, but it seems to be what he wanted to know. "I see. Normally, I wouldn't be willing to harbour such a large group, especially on such short notice, but I will help you." He points to the towering mountains, scattering a few crows that had been perched on his arm. "I live past those peaks. Are you well enough to follow me there?" He inquires, met by varied murmurs of hesitancy or wariness. "We just met you! Philza might trust you, but I don't. Why should we follow you anywhere?" Quackity challenges, meeting the Hybrid's gaze with mistrust. Scott doesn't change his expression, instead he simply folds his hands together calmly. "I have known Philza for far more years than you all have been alive. If he needs my help, I'm not about to turn him away. In addition, for how few Hybrids there are nowadays, I think we ought to take care of one another." He explains, getting a nod from the Elytrian. Wilbur's been silent, still appearing to be shocked by the sight of the man. Quackity grunts but subsides as nobody else brings up any other questions.

Philza arranges for a crow to retrieve Dream, and the rest of the SMP packs up what little they have, leaving the boats behind to make their loads lighter. Upon arriving at the foot of the mountain a day later, they find Dream already waiting, stalking outside of a cave. "You're–no way!" Dream exclaims, sharpening at the sight of Scott. "I thought all of you had left!" He continues, turning to Philza, who offers a smirk. "We did, but I chose to hope and stay behind. And, well, there was this." Scott indicates to the passageway behind the green-clad man. The entrance is pretty big, however not dwarfing that of many things back home. It's also smooth, carved and molded into shape by clear intention. It's not natural. Wilbur's already almost inside, running his hand along the ground and slowly curling his tail. "There's a sharp difference in temperature. It's incredibly warm in here." He observes, getting a nod from Scott. "Yes, it's...very sultry." Will that pose an issue to anyone?" The Starborne inquires, mostly looking at the slime boy, who shrugs cheerfully. Tubbo turns to Niki. Despite being physically human on land, she's still a merling and they don't take too kindly to extreme heat or dry environments. "We have water buckets...I'll be fine." She promises, mostly looking at CaptainPuffy. "If you're sure. The walk isn't too long, but it is confusing. Make sure you stay close, and stay close to me." With that, Scott enters the cave and raises a hand. He summons a ball of light, the carvern walls attempting to swallow it inside their crystal surfaces. They're incredibly smooth, and like Wilbur noted, warm. It's somewhere between soothing and stifling, an uneasy balance between pure bliss and discomfort. "What are the walls made of?" Eret wonders, looking up at the ceiling. Even the ceiling is made of the rock–and that rests easily several feet taller than Ranboo or Bad. "I would almost say it's sapphire, but sapphire doesn't hold the heat like this. It's more like fulgurites, I think. Uh–sand that turns to glass under intense heat, like lightning strikes." The Starborne answers, adding the last part when Philza nudges him with a wing. "Is it valuable?" Fundy inquires, but Scott shakes his head. "I don't know. To some people, maybe, but in all my years of being here, I've never seen a piece that's come loose or anything that can affect it enough to take out chunks, so good luck finding a way to mine it." He answers. The fox hybrid huffs a little, but accepts this as they continue on.

The air only gets warmer the further in they go, though it never gets uncomfortable in full. Meanwhile, the cavernous maze of tunnels gets much larger. Tubbo knows he isn't exactly the largest person ever, but the tunnels are so large that they seem almost meant for Giants at this point, not people. They no doubt would have gotten lost ages ago, with so many directions and how each corridor or split looks the same: a triangular hole in the wall, gently curved at each point. Occasionally, they pause to let Niki douse herself in some water, but for the most part, she simply dips her hands in the liquid and spreads it on her arms to try and take the edge off. Tubbo suspects they've been walking for about an hour and a half, which is when they reach the smaller cavern, and Scott pauses. "We're almost there. Now, are any of you aware of Hybrid cities?" When they say no, Scott nods. "Just as well. I think I should tell you, this is a very small one, and it held a select few Hybrids. It will suit plenty of needs, but it doesn't accommodate everyone perfectly. I hope that's alright." Dream puts his hands into his pockets, having refused to remove the lime green hoodie. Does the heat not feel worse with it on? "We'll manage." He promises, so the Starborne moves on.

And then they're out.

The sun returns, revealing they've passed through the mountain and into a valley. There's forests immediately ahead of them all, a stream flanking them to the right. Further down is an enormous lake, feeding into various rivers and brooks that wind through fields until reaching the snowy mountains and grey cliffs. There's even a floating island that feeds its own source of water into the lake. Dotted across the land are structures in various states of ruin or wellbeing. Scott sweeps a hand to indicate to it all, clearly proud of the SMP's stunned silence. "This is my home. I hope you'll accept it as yours, as well. Welcome to Origin."