There is only one person who knows what's going on here, and it's certainly not him.
"I could use some real food too. If you find me the kitchen, I promise you a feast."
"Deal!" Zelretch exults. In a flash, She grabs him and drags through a stainless steel hallway, the red carpet the only element lessening its starkness. Light shines from the other end and he thinks he can hear the trickle of water and birds singing. But that makes no sense...
No, he won't fall for it. It's been a wild ride so far so he braces himself for yet another surprise. Not matter what he discovers, he'll take it in stride with the willpower of a hero! His mind is steel as they exit...
...and continue their way on a charming, rose bordered path at the back of a beatiful country house. It certainly fits the girl that cheerfully pulls him along. He smiles, thinking about the kitchen such a place must have. He's truly looking foward to it.
Zelretch bypasses the portal entirely, jumping the wall and dragging him along for a rough landing. Archer shakes his head in bemusement
Then his brain crashes.
He is in the mansion's garden, but his eyes slips over the bushes of mixed spring and summer fragnances, reaching the other end of the garden where no wall obstructs the view. He walks numbly all the way to the edge and takes in the view.
The mansion sits on the edge of a mountain and Archer can only stare.
At the impossibly large waterfall feeding the vast, idyllic plain. It is nearly untouched except for the train tracks that crisscross it. There is one right beneath the edge as well, probably to serve the mansion
At the gaping crevice that scars the land, nearly sundering it in half.
At the
-castle-! A massive stone fortress right out of the dark age, yet standing not too far from what looks like a modern train station as well.
Archer stares, struckbumb.
"This is becoming an annoying habit."
Zelretch slips right in front of him and pokes him in the eyes. "Quit spacing out," she sniffs at her "Lord", pointedly ignoring his grunts of pain.
"My apologies," Archer growls as he recovers. "For some reason, waking up in stranges places seems to be taking its toll on me. If it's not too much to ask, could you tell me
where the hell I am now?"
His harsh words sting, but they get his point across. "We're still under Tokyo," she explains.
"Bullshit. They'd have discovered a cave this big a long time ago."
"The cave is much smaller than it looks The sun, the sky, most of the horizon, it's all one big illusion. Everything beyond the castle is. Except," she points at the wall, or rather behind it, "for that way."
Far in the distance, a large tower looms overs the land, piercing the clouds and vanishing in the sky. Many tracks lead to the megastructure and vanishes within.
"This is the Hive's main shaft. They dug this first and expanded from it, I think."
"You think?"
"I'm not sure," she says defensively. "I was asleep for most of this place's construction. Grandfather only brought me here at the very end. All I know is that it's the only place trains can go to get to the surface or the other levels. They're not nearly as large as this one!" She adds hastily as Archer's face morphed in horror.
"That's about all I can tell you about this place. Satisfied?"
"Not by a long shot." He says numbly. "But you cannot tell me what you don't know."
"So can we go eat now?" She whines pitifully.
Archer's mind's full of questions. Who had built this place? What was its purpose? Had Zelretch somehow known Archer would end up here? Or had he engineered the whole thing?
Gah, his brain is full of fuck. He needs a break.
"Zel, bring me to the kitchen."
"Zel?"
"If I keep caling you Zelretch, I'll keep confusing you with the old man. Zel sounds cute, doesn't it?."
'Zel' shrugs but it can't hide her pleased smile. She's clearly happy to have gained a nickname.
Archer is a little distraught when he finds out the sorry state the kitchen is in. Like the rest of the mansion, everything is buried in a thick layer of dust. Worst, the pantry is utterly empty, leaving him to fend for himself with frozen goods
But that's his where his talent shines through. If Archer himself finds the result mediocre, Zel's gives her full approval.
Soon after, he finds a bedroom and crawl beneath the sheets after summarily dusting them. He says nothing when Zel joins him under the covers. Soon, they sleep.
The next day.
[]Clean the mansion
[]Find a terminal
--[]Read about the Hive
--[]Read about the "Z Group"
--[]Read the messages
[]Explore the underground territory!
--[]the castle
--[]The main shaft
--[]The rift
--[]The forest
[]Look for news of the real world.
[]Leave this madness behind! Find a way to go back to the surface.
-----
The roll was about finding a base underground. Enjoy.
