The tunnel that Hal and Snooze crawled through eventually led to something of a sewer, though it seemed more rudimentary than those that Snooze had ever seen. To be fair, however, Snooze had not spent much time at all inspecting the finer points of medieval drainage architecture like she was some sort of adolescent, metamorphosed, rogueish Testudine reptile. No, she was but a humble god, trawling through the waste of several usurping species in a formerly familiar world that was becoming less-and-less so by the moment. 

The blurgbills, Snooze found out, were something new to her as well. Small, rodent-like creatures that very much resembled rats, though with sloping proboscis like an anteater, and seemed to be the product of one of the other Seeds of Life that had been germinated that day on the beach. Snooze, in her ever-present creative force of an imaginative mind insisted on mentally calling them, “Sloopers,” based on the way they ingested the ankle-deep water through their straw-like face danglies with a loud “sloop” sound.

Hal fended them off easily, though she seemed to take no joy in the task. They were easily dispatched as she splashed her sword through the water to scare them. The creatures would scurry away before stopping to stare back at them as if offended they’d been interrupted in… whatever it was they were doing. Each time she absolved another tiny offender of their post, Hal would shiver.

“I despise blurgbills,” she said, clearing their path while Snooze tried desperately to stop herself from clicking her tongue to call them over to her. 

The sewer was putrid. Snooze was quite sure this is what hell must smell like, if there was one (so far, coincidentally, she still hadn’t hammered that one down. Probably not a good sign, right?)

The two sloshed along, and found an exit--rather, they found the sole exit, which was something akin to a manhole-cover near the zenith of the vaulted ceiling, and made their meager exodus through the circular opening at the top of a ladder.

Upon emerging, Snooze was greeted with a brilliant sight: stars. So many varieties and lustrous alignments, but in configurations she hardly recognized. Even with the scant light thrown from lanterns in the village, she could still clearly see every aspect of the sky as if she was still on her godplane. 

They must’ve moved since I’d been sleeping. She thought. She remembered some of them, and though it had been a bit of a whirlwind time developing their forms--and not to mention so many countless ages ago-- she knew exactly where they were supposed to be. You don’t design a pattern to look like two cats boxing over a ball of yarn and then forget about it.

“You there,” came a voice, and Snooze realized that it belonged to Hal. She blinked back the tears that had--for some reason-- welled up in her eyes and faced the girl, smiling.

“Yes?”

“What path did you suggest we follow?”

“To the Rekvahn,” Snooze said, using her words. “You said you had word of it?”

Hal scoffed.

“Perhaps this is a tad late for dispute, but that would be quite unwise.”

“You’re right,” Snooze said, and Hal seemed to relax. “It is too late to dispute.”

That caused the hackles to seemingly raise for Hal, and she narrowed her eyes.

“I do not like the manner in which you wield your words,” Hal said. “It is near trickery.”

Snooze smiled.

“It’s not trickery, I just use words however they come. I’m not one for pranks…” she thought very seriously about when she had ever fooled someone. A plethora of images and events cascaded through her mind, playing back all of the funny, and not-so-funny tricks and hoodwinks she’d performed when she’d been in the old world. 

“Er… at least, not in ages.” 

The technical truth was, sometimes, still the truth.

Hal’s scowl didn’t fade, but instead she turned her attention to a large object in the distance. Snooze looked too, and she could see now that they were not far from the bell tower. She’d passed it several times during the afternoon and evening in her search for the plucky warrior-girl. It was old, likely one of the oldest structures in the whole of the village, ringing at precisely on the hour with a wonderfully musical clang. However, it was quiet now, and Snooze was not sure how long it would be before it hammered again. She hoped to be gone by then.

“I cannot take you to the Rekvahn,” Hal said, still facing away from her toward the bell tower. “It is a fell and vile beast that I do not wish to bear knowledge of. I can give you the directions, and you may go alone.”

Snooze sighed. She couldn’t blame the girl. There was no reason at all for her to tie herself to the god’s personal journey. She’d already done more than enough getting her out of the predicament in the tavern, and likely ruining her reputation with whatever organization she was a part of.

“That is fair,” Snooze said, and then felt the jewels in her pocket. “Oh, here.”

Snooze lifted a gem at random and tossed it to the girl, who caught it swiftly, as if terrified it would be lost to the night. She examined it in the mild starlight and her eyes danced. Then she frowned and shook her head, pushing the gem back toward Snooze.

“I cannot accept this,” she said. “Please, return it to your personal effects.”

Snooze chuckled.

“Don’t be so stiff, Hal,” she said. “Consider it a gift. Seriously, I owe you for helping me out of that mess. Kleft too.”

“The payment does not suit the undertaking,” the girl said. “You have already seen fit to overpay me for a simple escort to the village, a fact that weighs heavy on me enough. Taking more of your gems would only serve to pulverise my honor, making me little better than a thief.”

“That’s… uh, a very strong opinion on the matter,” Snooze said. “But I insist. I don’t need this stuff, and it will be worthless to me soon--er-- I have more where this came from.” She recovered her slip as eloquently as she could, but she saw Hal give her a strange, sharp look.

This kid seriously needs to relax, Snooze thought. She’s nothing but storm clouds! When I was her age, I was gleefully hurling cinder blocks off the overpass like a normal kid, not embroiled with some strange militaristic regime where my boss wants to slice me up with a blade! Oh, to be young again!

There are times where no comment is needed to demonstrate the powerfully acute strangeness of what someone says. This is one of those times.

“I won’t accept it without due bid,” Hal said then, sighing. “I must work to the labor of what you have paid me.”

“What do you mean, Hal?” Snooze asked.

“I will accompany you to the Rekvahn.”

Snooze couldn’t but smile ear to ear.

“That’s great news!” she exclaimed. “That was a really quick turn around, honestly. I figured it would take endless begging and pleading to get you to switch to my side of this journey, I’d have maybe even thrown in a bit of tears for good measure. I can be pretty convincing when I’m shamelessly embarrassing myself.”

Hal met her gaze with an uncomprehending stare.

Snooze chuckled, slugging Hal lightly on the shoulder.

“You’re alright, Hal.”

The warrior put a hand on the pommel of her sheathed sword.

“I will not suffer violence against me,” she said seriously. 

Snooze raised her hands up in pacification, feeling very much the fool for participating in such a faux pas. She realized that something like that could very much be confused as a threat in a world like this. She’d have to remember to keep her hands to herself.

“Sorry!” she said earnestly. “I didn’t mean to--”

A grin broke across Hal’s face--the first sign of personality other than glowering she’d yet seen the girl exhibit.

“It was only said in jest,” Hal explained.

“You’re a strange sort of creature, are you not?” Snooze asked.

“That’s quite bold, considering,” Hal responded. 

Snooze snorted.

“Fair enough,” Snooze said with a nod, and gestured towards the dim lamplights in the distance.

“Shall we?”

“That way is foolish,” Hal said matter of factly. “This way.”

She turned in the opposite direction of Snooze’s indication and began marching away.

Snooze looked towards where she had gestured, and then at the quickly receding form of Hal.

“How can you tell?” she asked, but when Hal didn’t respond with anything other than her continued movement, Snooze hurried to catch up. The bell tower sprang to life then, sounding thrice to indicate the late--or supposing, early hour.

“Hey! Wait up!” 

----

 

In the darkness of the trees, a shape watched as the two shadows toddled off to the east. Once they were a comfortable distance away--though still in sight, the shape emerged from its hiding spot and began to stealthily dog their path.

A light chirp suddenly burbled into existence, and the shape froze, staring into the space ahead.

A small object resembling a falling autumn leaf appeared in the air, and the shape in the shadows lifted a finger to touch its surface. A display sprang to life, populating with text and the figure harumphed as it read over the contents of the message.

“Yes,” the figure said in a soft voice. “I’m aware, you do not need to keep reminding me.”

The display cleared and after a beat, repopulated with more text.

“Alright, that is suitable,” the figure said. 

The chirp sounded again and the display suddenly disappeared, and the object hanging in the air began to fade away, to return from wherever it had come from. 

“Thank you, Book of Leaf.”