[center][h3]Dead Zone Hinterlands - Witch’s Nose[/h3]
Harry’s [@Eviledd1984]  Amaterasu’s [@DracoLunaris] Chosen Undead’s [@Simple Unicycle] Level 11 Big Band (22/110)
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1760[/center]

All things considered, Kit handled the revelations he received from Band pretty well. Maybe he was no stranger to crazy situations like this, or maybe he was simply made of sterner stuff than the average man, but he managed to take the news in stride and adjust his view of the big picture without losing sight of the present. He wasn’t even freaking out about all the futuristic technology around him. Band gave a nod of respect to the knight for his character and composure after he stated his intent to carry on with the mission. “Right on.”

The detective did not expect Harry, meanwhile, to be on the verge of tears. Though given his hyper-emotional behavior during the short time he’d known Harry so far, maybe Band should have anticipated such a reaction. That said, the fate of his friend seemed to impact him a lot more than the nature of the World of Light itself, since Harry began to rattle off practical questions about the mission right away. Unfortunately Band didn’t have the answers, and even if he did, he didn’t want to put Heismay and Amaterasu any more on edge. There was no telling how much Galeem’s influence impacted their cognition, and what reaction they might have if unintelligible information hit their mental blockers again and again.

For now, his ragtag team needed to focus on reaching Witch’s Nose, and while Kit and Harry grappled with their new reality, the others had already forged ahead. The lake ahead of them had a decent current thanks to the waterfall that fed it from the southeast and the rivers flowing down the mountain, and it carried enough [url=https://i.imgur.com/fmr5hnH.png]debris[/url] that an agile adventurer could get cut across the water rather than go around. This mostly took the form of logs washed downstream, maybe from a lumber mill, but there were also wooden pallets, broad-backed turtles and, despite the altitude and climate, lily pads. Amaterasu had found herself a big one that made crossing the lake a breeze, and hopping around seemed like the easiest thing in the world for Heismay, but the going would be tougher for Harry and Kit. And impossible for Band. He doubted any of the debris could even remotely hold his weight, and that was if he didn’t just tumble right off to begin with. Luckily, he had an alternative he could make use of now that he was out in the open.

“I must go. My planet needs me.” Band jumped up into the air and reconfigured his lower half into an array of [url=https://i.imgur.com/MM4Z7KR.png]rocket thrusters[/url] fueled by sound energy. “Just kiddin’. See y’all on the other side.”

Band rocketed over the lake, taking the chance to appreciate the mountainous scenery. Though still rather close to the Dead Zone, this area was remarkably beautiful, with a natural majesty that could just about take his breath away. Unfortunately, he couldn’t admire it for long. His thrusters weren’t designed for sustained flight, so Band steered himself toward the top of the cliffs by the waterfall on the lake’s far side. Heismay was almost there already, hopping up the rock wall like a flea. He climbed up just a few moments after Band touched down, and the sight of the big man seemed to surprise him. “Well. You certainly made good time.”

“Thanks.” Band settled down in order to give his mechanical body a break. “You ain’t the flyin’ type?”

Heismay pursed his lips as he thought for a moment. “I suppose I cannot blame you for not knowing in this country, where Elda are curiously common, since Eugief being able to fly is a misconception even in Euchronia. Although we are excellent jumpers, we can only glide in the air.”

“Gotcha, sorry. Didn’t mean to offend or nothin’,” Band offered an apologetic smile.

His new acquaintance shook his head, unbothered. “Think nothing of it. Where I’m from, discrimination by tribe is woefully commonplace. Even if not as many bat an eye at a Eugief in this land, it is hard to see things in a different light.”

Band nodded, his expression solemn. “It ain’t exactly rare where I’m from, either. As if havin’ humans, ferals, dagonians, elves, and gigans wasn’t enough, plenty o’ humans are happy makin’ divisions amongst ‘emselves, too.” He shrugged. “Folks have it hard everywhere, I guess. Me though, I think it’s what’s [i]inside[/i] that counts.”

Heismay sat beside him, watching as the others made their way toward them. “I was surprised, but grateful, that you heard me out. For many my word carries little weight, to say nothing of what I actually claimed.” He narrowed his eyes. “I’m well aware how preposterous my claims must seem. I am but a disgraceful hermit, after all, and unworthy of warmth or trust. I only ask that you and your friends approach the situation with an open mind and draw your own conclusions. Sometimes, a monstrous face may hide a heart of gold, and sometimes monsters hide their true faces behind masks that everyone trusts.”

“Uh huh.” That was the second time Heismay alluded to monsters hiding their faces. Band wondered if this was merely cynicism borne from the Eugief’s experiences, or in reference to specific people. If there really was some hidden darkness in Martira, it warranted investigation, and based on the misinformation provided by Morris, Band knew where he’d want to start.

Once the others caught up, they proceeded toward the mountain. Thanks to Heismay, they found the cave entrance nestled within the surrounding landscape and pushed inside, leaving the daylight behind one step at a time. The already-cool air chilled down considerably within the rough and uneven tunnel, and the sounds of birdsong atop the waterfall’s rumble gave way to an eerie silence interrupted by the occasional echoed drip. If not for glowing mushrooms and the little lantern on Kit’s belt, it would be pretty much impossible for anybody but Heismay to see, but for Eugief at least echolocation would suffice even in total darkness. Fortunately, it wasn’t too long before the warm light of a lamp could be seen up ahead, marking the point at which the tunnel gave way to a huge and unusual cavern beneath the mountain.

[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/fNrdh8Y.png[/img][/center]

Built in the middle of the cavern, and into the surrounding walls, were rickety wooden houses of wooden planks and nails, connected by similarly slipshod bridges, held together with the help of an abundance of huge, thick ropes. If not for the drawings sprawled across the sides of these dwellings, it would have looked like an elaborate bandit hideout to Big Band, but those images of shapes, plants, animals, and foods were more reminiscent of classroom walls in kindergarten. It was an odd and unnerving juxtaposition against the rows of stalactites and stalagmites that surrounded those houses like fangs.

So, this was where the culprit behind the Martira kidnappings kept her prizes? Band narrowed his eyes, scanning every inch of the cavern he could. The warm light shining from inside the towering structures suggested that they were occupied, but he couldn’t see any security. Slowly, he began to approach the central tower, working his way up along the spiral pathway to the right. Right away he passed beneath a length of rope, at which point he noticed that it wasn’t rope but huge, thick strands of red yarn, strung out and woven together in such a way that brought to mind impossibly large spiderwebs. “Hm…” Unlike Harry in the mansion, he elected to not announce his presence. Heismay had referred to the abductor as a ‘she’ but had neglected to mention anything else about her, and Band had a bad feeling about this.

Heismay was less wary, but even he kept his voice down. “The children should be inside. Let’s go and check on them.”

Moments later, the team reached the wooden bridge that led to the door of the main house. Band tested it carefully, but it seemed able to hold his weight, just barely. Just to be safe he stayed behind while the others creaked across, looking and listening. He could hear faint whispers from inside the building, but it was too far away to see much through the cracked-open windows. For the first time, he wondered if this could all be some kind of trap.

After crossing the bridge, Heismay reached up and rapped on the door with his knuckles. He seemed somewhat nervous. “Hello? Anyone home?”

A number of muffled, indistinguishable voices could be heard inside the building, as well as excited footsteps. Seconds later, a small voice replied from within. “W-who is it?”

Heismay cleared his throat. “Ahem. It’s…Heismay. I’m a friend of Molly. And…I have guests. Who want to make sure you’re alright.”

[i]Molly?[/i] Band thought.

The door swung outward, revealing over a dozen children. Though a little dirty, and dressed in patched-together clothing, none seemed to be hurt or starving at a glance. Instead, they seemed excited to have visitors. They all started talking at once, instantly overwhelming Heismay, and a moment later he found himself pulled inside. Kit, Harry, and Amaterasu were invited in as well, the kids oohing and aahing over the knight’s armor and Harry’s appearance, while a dozen grubby mitts went to stroke Amaterasu at once. Seeing all this, Band let out his breath and made his way over the bridge to follow the others with his gentlest face and voice in use.

“You’re so big!” A little boy admired Band as he tugged him inside by the hem of his trench coat. “Not as big as Molly, though!”

Band’s eyebrows went up. “O-oh yeah? Sounds like a real big lady…” Once inside, Band saw that the first floor of the house was essentially a big living room. There were pillows, blankets, and toys strewn everywhere, with shelves full of thin, highly illustrated books and jars of cookies or fruit. All the walls were covered by colorful blotches of paint or crayon. Against all odds, it seemed to Band like kids [i]were[/i] being taken care of here. Of course, that only raised more questions, and he suspected that the others had their fair share too. He could only be sure of one thing: that Molly, someone evidently even bigger than he was, wasn’t here yet, and that his team should do their best to figure things out before she arrived.