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 Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2022 6:10 pm
Belmont really did bring everything; he arrived with a stuffed pack on his shoulders and a few extra bags carefully placed in his subspace pocket. He’d explained to Targovishte how to focus and draw something in and out of the little pocket dimension while he was preparing to take her to his Wonder.
The trip itself had been swift, and the change was immediate. Where it had been a darkening sky on Destiny City, here there was sunlight. Or, there would have been, if a heavy layer of clouds weren’t covering the sky. In the distance, thunder boomed loudly, and the air was thick with moisture.
The fog was so thick that it was difficult to see even just two feet in front of them.
Belmont fanned the fog out of his face; he was still holding onto her arm and was trying to will away the dizziness of arriving with a companion but it wasn’t as bad as he’d expected.
The area smelled like fresh fallen rain, and dirt, and trees, and there was a distant, sweet, floral smell. It was impossible to tell where it was coming from, but Belmont guided her towards some towering ruins. It was too foggy to see the floor, but the stone ground was easy to recognize compared to the soft dirt outside.
Tips of trees poked through the fog on a rising mountain a bit behind the castle, but Belmont was quick to say, “Don’t back up. I don’t know how far away the edge of the cliff is, but it’s a steep fall.”
He half turned to look behind him, to the sea of fog that seemed to cling to everything. There was a slight breeze, and the fog seemed to start to drift downward a good few yards away, but he was going to make sure they stayed far away from any potential danger. “It wasn’t this foggy the last time I was here but it’ll clear up once we get inside. I’m glad it’s not storming too bad, it gets a little rough. I think all the water has eroded a lot of the dirt here, I’m hoping there’s some way to make sure it stays safe. I’m afraid of a landslide or something. There must have been a few in the past, some of the castle seems like it’s littered down the cliffside, and you can see a bit down below. Well. When it’s not this foggy.”
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Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2022 9:58 am
It wasn’t that Targovishte hadn’t believed him. She had believed that there was such a thing as a Wonder but…it was very different to believe something and then to actually see it with your own eyes. This...wasn’t anything she had anticipated, and the very fact that they were actually on…Jupiter...it kind of made her head spin just a little bit. Or, perhaps more than a little bit.
At his warning not to back up, she froze and hesitated. “...How um. Far will I fall if I do find the end of the cliff, what…where should I step?” The idea of dying today wasn’t…really…well. Wasn’t really the ideal thing to do.
“Is it always this foggy? I mean, you said it wasn’t this foggy but was it foggy? Is this just…a land of fog? Or do you think it’s just us in a cloud? Just um. If you know where you’re going, I’d love you to guide me, falling to my death is really…lowkey one of my biggest fears.” Reaching out, she took hold of Belmont’s sleeve and felt better when she had something to hold on to. “Lead the way.”
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Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2022 10:33 am
“Just stick with me,” Belmont said, and he couldn’t help but smile. “We’re still a good ways off, but I want to be a little careful.” Impressive for him, given how much he loved the rush of something dangerous, but this wasn’t just him he was thinking about, it was her too.
“We’re just going to walk forward, you’ll see the castle–there it is,” he said; the fog moved slowly out of the way, and a moss covered, stony wall came into view briefly. He hooked his arm around hers to make sure she knew he had her, just in case, and began to lead her.
The pale stone was barely visible in the thick fog, but Belmont walked confidently into it. It took less than a minute for them to reach an open gate. They’d overcome ruins and debris, but Belmont had kept her safe and close.
“Here, we’re getting closer. It should clear up a bit inside.”
It did; half a minute later he’d pushed open a great wooden door. It had very old cuts in it, like someone had tried to break in at one point in time.
The inside hall was not unlike the outside; it looked like it might have been ransacked, or like everything had been moved out of that room and somewhere else. Some of the windows were broken, but the ceiling was tall and the fog had diminished significantly. They could see. It was cool, but not wet.
The room stretched on, clearly once the Great Hall, and there were doors to the left and right and far across the room. The ceiling seemed impossibly high, and though there were balconies there were no visible stairs leading up to them.
“Ta-da,” he said, energetic and proud of his wonder.
It was in rough shape; he’d cleaned up the broken glass before, but there were still rocks and moss and vines. Nature had tried to take over, and it looked like it was succeeding.
“There’s a lot I haven’t yet uncovered. But, welcome to Belmont.”
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Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2022 11:21 am
Targovishte didn’t want to complain, but she was quite glad when the fog was gone and she could see where she was moving. Belmont had been sure of where he was going, and she had trusted him but…still. The idea of falling off of a cliff wasn’t something she wanted to even mildly entertain.
Still though. Now that the fog had cleared…even though the castle was clearly in ruins…it was impressive. “I can’t…I mean. I knew we weren’t still in the city, but this…this is terribly impressive and I’m not sure I can wrap my head around it completely like…”
Hesitating, Targovishte opened up the backpack she had worn and drew out a small tool kit with a sheepish smile.
…Tools were far more expensive than she had anticipated but. This one hadn’t broken the bank.
“I did bring these for you despite what you had said, but looking at all we have to do…I…I’m not sure that it’ll make any sort of difference at all…but ah. Thank you for helping me.”
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Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2022 11:42 am
Belmont looked at her tool kit, paused, and couldn't help but laugh warmly at her generosity. “I think every little bit is going to help, Targovishte. This castle didn’t get built overnight, it’s not going to get fixed overnight, either. I know it needs a lot of work, but…”
He looked around and felt comfortable.
There was a lot of work to do. But…it didn’t feel undoable.
“Come on, let me give you the tour. Maybe we can pick a room and do some clean up. Do you know how to use those tools? I can teach you, if you don’t. So you’ll be ready to start fixing up your own Wonder, too?”
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Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2022 11:48 am
“And I’m sure that the castle wasn’t built with such high end tools either, so that will surely help, also for your question, I absolutely do not know how to use the tools so any help would be appreciated. Except hammers. Those are easy to use you just knock one thing into another. I have hung some artwork in my apartment you know, I’m not so bad with hammers…and unlike my mom…I’ve never put a hole in the wall with them.”
Targovishte laughed and nodded at him, eager to continue the tour. “I hope that I’ll have your help to rebuild my Wonder too? If it’s like this, I could use your help, obviously.”
That and the fact that she was really enjoying this friendship and wanted excuses for it to continue. For once, the idea of being this other person…this powered…knight was…
Almost…enjoyable.
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Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2022 12:01 pm
“Of course!” Belmont exclaimed. “We’re in this together. Two people tackling a problem is better than one. With your picture hanging expertise and my other general tool handling experience, we’re sure to make a dent on all this damage. Maybe once we get all of this cleaned up we’ll need to decorate again, too. Kinda bland in here,” he admitted.
“Not sure where they put all the stuff or if someone just took it, but I’m hoping that we’ll find somewhere with some hidden trove. Would be nice to get some art on these walls, but I guess we’ll have to figure out some way to fix the windows, first. I don’t want the weather getting in. But,” he smiled at her, “Let’s go look.”
There was so much here that he had yet to uncover. He’d been curious the first time he’d been here, but this was different. He was more energized.
He couldn't wait to see what they found here–or at Targovishte.
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