The man grinned toothlessly, nodding and coughing again. "Ka, ka!" He tapped the sun several more times. "Chakna. Out."
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
Ainsley nodded and began to head his away around the lake. The thin strip of land was just big enough to keep the water from lapping up onto his shoes. Thankfully they wouldn't have to wade through the murky liquid, nor would they have to get any closer to the dead serpent.
Being just ahead of the others kept Ainsley from being able to see the map properly; the only light nearby came from his ribbon, and he was already straining his eyes to see in front of him. He'd just have to walk slow and hope the others were close by until they'd made it across the lake's perimeter.
They all seemed to come to a consensus and started to walk towards the big opening. Aisnley was leading the way and was walking painfully slow, and naturally Mel found herself walking next to Aumrauth and Elias.
"So..." she began, wondering what to say to break the stiff silence. "Where is everyone from, again?"
She was not sure they ever really talked about this, but hey, a couple of near death experiences can really bring people together.
"I suppose I'm from Kent, originally," Elias said stiffly. "It depends on where the job takes me."
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
"That's where I'm from," Elias pointed out. "Kent, England!" He snorted. "Though I barely remember it anymore. Too much bloody travel."
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
"Huh," Mel said plainly, drawing a blank. "Haven't heard of that place before. I haven't really been anywhere besides Sector 2, though. So I wouldn't know."
Once the others got closer and the lights of their ribbons illuminated the area Ainsley returned to a regular walking pace. He listened silently as his companions talked about where they were from.
“I’m from Earth, too,” he jumped in, glancing back at the others. “Born and raised in Maine.” Ainsley didn’t mention his magical background, figuring if someone was curious they’d ask. “What’s Sector 2?”
As crazy as it still sounded, Mel knew they all came from different worlds. Still, it was strange having to explain her hometown. She didn't think she'd ever meet anyone who wouldn't know it to be common knowledge.
"It's where I live," she said to Ainsley as if it were obvious. "What's Maine? And Kent? And England? Are they, like, the name of an ungoverned town or something?"
"Maine is a state," he explained. "The section of land where I live is called Maine."
They were all from different worlds. It was glaringly obvious. While it did feel off having to explain what his home state was, Ainsley figured Mel probably felt the same way having to explain her hometown to him. He took comfort in the fact that Elias was from England. Even if they were from different worlds, which could very well have different timelines, he was able to hold on to it's familiarity.
Elias took a deep breath. Talking about something familiar might settle his nerves. "Kent is a town in the country of England," he said, trying to find that pleasantness he'd had at the beginning of this nightmare. "A country is a place with its own government. England is ruled by a queen. I served her back in the 1860s."
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
None of it really made sense in Mel's head until Elias said the year he was from. She had always been average at school, but she knew enough history to keep a loose chronological timeline to how things developed to the present day.
"Oh, I get it now!" she explained before she could finish her thought. "Some of us come from different worlds, but some of us come from the same world, just in different times. Huh."
She scrunched her nose in thought. "I'm like... hundreds and hundreds of years ahead of you. Weird."
Mel didn't think she'd ever nonchalantly pass off aliens from another world and time traveling that spanned centuries, but that somehow seemed less strange than exploding chests and a sea serpent guarding simple tools.
Elias started at that. He'd always given quite a bit of thought to the future. In his line of work, one had to do so. Such things were for the benefit of humanity, were they not? It only made sense to look forward and imagine what life would be like if he succeeded. "And how is it that far ahead?" he inquired, trying not to sound too eager. "What are humans like there? Has health care improved?" That was a fairly vague question, but it would get the job done.
"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik
Aumrauth found all of their earth history quite interesting, but frankly, he was more preoccupied with their immediate concerns. He walked in silence (for once) and kept an eye open for the opening on the map.
