Born Anew

Born Anew VIII

The Red City was right before us. A majestic place made entirely of red stones and metal. Even the soil was red. We didn't know how it came to be, but we knew it was the place we were meant to be at. The place leading to the entrance to the realm of spirits where mortals and gods could meet.

An ancient place built long before any of us existed. I constantly poked fun at Kraid's insistence of this being an expedition and not an adventure. He would quickly argue our scientific expedition turned into an archeological one. While we all felt this was an adventure, it was impossible to refute a logical argument based on how we handled things, and also based on the fact that Kraid hired us all to some extent.

"Is this it? It looks deserted!" Marinette yelled. "And I don't remember it from when I was in this region."

"Because this place is haunted." Rhuk replied.

"Haunted? This is bad."

"No. It is not haunted. That was just a rumor. I was informed by Master Sitri of it. This is a city of Fae." The construct explained. "Unless you take the right path you will never find it."

"Why is it empty. Did they die?" Lowry stated looking at the beautiful, yet deserted landscape.

"As dead as you are." A furry creature stated. "My name is Natron. Chief Geologist Natron!"

"How did a boy become a geologist?"

"Boy? I'm a woman! I have spent most of my life studying to reach the place I am in."

"It's a Kobold. These things are naturally small. We throw them into the mines when we can't enter." Rhuk chuckled. "I think I know why they won't welcome us."

"That's right! It's you, ogre! But I'm not afraid of ogres. We Fae have an advantage here, and I don't think you'll cause trouble."

"We are just passing by. We heard this city would lead to the place where we could meet the gods." I explained while holding my laughter at the scene of a small fur covered thing threatening Rhuk.

"The entrance to the Fae lands? Yes! It's here, but it won't be easy for you to reach it."

"How much will it cost? I am in charge of the money here." Kraid pulled a bag of Aureas.

"Keep your money, Kraid. I think she means we need to fight our way in. I really don't feel like fighting cute things. Back home I had a gerbil, before moving to Aurora."

"Hey! Did you, dumb faced human call me gerbil? Do I need to inform one of the Dullahan guards we have invaders?"

"We're no invaders. My dumb faced fiance is looking for a way to grab the things he left back home, and move with me for good."

"Marinette, that is not the plan. He's returning to his world." Lowri's words made me uneasy. I was no longer sure which path to take, but I had to keep pushing until I figured it out.

"Wait! This guy is from... Well... Yes... That will help. But I need to tell the Dullahan guards of it, and they aren't nice. I hate those guys."

"I thought there would be no Dullahan guards, whatever they are, if things were calm."

"Who do you think guards the entrance? Fauns?"

"They could. Fauns make good guards." Kraid replied. "I would replace Robert with one if he wasn't my friend."

"Anyone else here wanting to replace me with a faun? Because you might need to do so when this is over."

"If you leave I go with you!"

"Cat. You can't leave. You belong to Avlaan. The gods won't let you go." The furry creature stated. "You want him to stay, don't you?"

"Well. I would rather have a faun. They taste better."

"Ogres." Lowri scowled.

"I was joking."

"You weren't! My neighbor got eaten by an ogre!" Natron yelled.

"Only outcasts do that. In the Kingdom we respect other tribes. We have pride!"

"Easy there. Take us to the Dullahan." Kraid stated. "Even they have something we will persuade them with. We already got Sitri on our side."

"That makes it all even easier. Sitri is a celebrity here." The Kobold proceeded to guide us.

We walked into a large building which resembled a temple of sorts. Statues of different gods lined the walls of long halls and corridors. It was all made of the same red substances. The rock felt smooth, and the metal was sturdy yet elegant.

"Why is everything red here?" I asked.

"We like it that way. We paint it all red."

"She's joking. I know this metal. Rubica." Rhuk touched a sword held by one of the statues.

"Yes. We like it that way. We use rubica and cold rubedo as main building materials. This place is rich in those. Even the soil has traces of rubedo."

"Isn't rubedo the philosopher's stone?" Lowri asked.

"Cold rubedo isn't. Cold rubedo is naturally occurring where there's too much magic. It stores magic, but can't be used to transmute things." She began to caress the smooth surface of a statue resembling Orobas. "We don't even know if magi rubedo exists. We just know this thing is magical and allows us to craft it in many unusual ways. Most of the city is made of it because it's easier to work than other rocks."

"So you don't paint it all red?"

"We paint all other building materials red. There are of course other colors in the city. My clothes are not red, in case you forgot. But Red is an important color. The color of passion, courage, and the color of the best building materials we got."

"National pride?"

"Exactly, ogre!"

"We're not so different."

"I guess... I hope we meet again. It has been just a few hours, but I kind of like you already. Maybe I will join you on your way back."

"You are more than welcome." Ever Faithful replied.

"She isn't! I am no longer hiring a short fur covered nuisance."

"Kraid, are you angry or something?" Marinette looked oddly at him.

"No... I just can't afford another one in our team."

"Oh! That! Don't worry. If I join you, I'm doing so for the sake of a grand tour! I want to go on one." She led the way to a wide room with a symbol on its wall. "Here we are. Hey, headless guy! We need to pass!"

A large being, carrying his grotesque head in one hand and a whip made of bone on the other, approached us. He was followed by a girl carrying a sword. She took a wrong step and her head rolled down.

"Grab your head, trainee." The ugly face muttered.

"Sorry, father. I know I shouldn't lower my guard."

"What do you want, kobold?"

"This human. He's from another world and must meet the gods. He knows Sitri, which means he must go through the gate."

"Sitri? Do you have any proof?"

"Orobas gave us this map, ad the robot is Sitri's employee." I rolled the map out.

"Robot?"

"The construct. They call them robots where he came from." Kraid explained.

"I see. Go ahead. We take no responsibility if any of you dies."

The symbol turned into the entrance to an unfamiliar landscape. We were on our way to the end of the journey. That was also the place where Rhuk would find answers.