Goidel -" Tunnel activation sequence…Check and working…Pathways formed in their usual patterns…Check."

When left in his world to work on his tasks, the lanky fighter would start to murmur to himself, doing check-ups and listing memorized facts about how to inspect the passageway through the void. At first Laidan and Ogda found it a bit odd, but familiarly, having heard a similar calming ritual before. 

Goidel-" Oh…spot on", remarked a surprised Goidel. "How, uhm, how did you know?"

The girl had to think about how to explain this one. It wasn't a memory, per se, but a feeling burst into her the moment she recognized how the warrior was dealing with his anxieties. Ogda felt the same thing, which could mean that they had a mutual they were close to. 

During brief pauses from recollecting, the beaked warrior's inquisitive mind would wonder again and again about how the amnesiacs even got in the layer. "Did they break in somehow? Teleportation? No, that's not possible because of the shell. Duplication…Maybe? Can they mess with the stones and they just act surprised when they saw them?" However he built them in his mind, though, it didn't convince him not to find them a bit endearing. " I hope I don't sound too weird saying it, but you two are an odd pair, you know?", he tried to compliment them, and to his luck, they understood that's how he meant to sound like.

Lian -" Thanks, I won't argue about that. Still, from my perspective you and your companions are a bit of oddballs, you know?", to which he blushed, tucking his head down, but then also thanked the girl. "Anyways", she added to change the subject, after noticing how he reacted; "I'm guessing that this quarantine measure has something to do with those stones?"

Goidel -'' Yes. It's a bit of a secret of how, but we know more about how they work than most Firbolgs. It's a perk our group gained." Liadan's brow tinged a bit to that and got her thinking about what it could mean. " Does he mean that they learned it by themselves or someone taught it to them?" Before she could ponder on it more, a bright light absorbed all of their attention towards the end of the tunnel.

…..

On the other side, they confirmed the portrait with which the hunter group tried to engross them: an entirely different biome than the one they landed on. The passageway through the void brought them to a land that was just waking up from nighttime. The rays of the morning sun weren't shining on a lifeless soil, but on green and purple hills, at the base of which grew small patches of forests, and pastures. The only recurring formations were the crystal mounds and crystal towers, which Liadan just noticed that didn't reflect or refract light, to her it looked like they were absorbing it. 

The changes in the landscape didn't end there, as right beside the pillars of gems there were other towers, made out of steel and copper wires, covered in rust and a rough casing, battered by a thousand-year-old wind. They sparked from time to time when a ball of energy was flung from the top of one to another. Before they could ask where its destination was, at the end of the sphere's journey lay a wall connecting two hills. 

Krass -" That, you two, is our end of the road. The city of Caer Sidi", declared Krass with a big smirk on his face. 

…

The closer they got to it, the darker the paved road ahead became, blanketed from the light by the thick foliage. 

Ogda -" Oh, a hardwood forest?", asked Ogda in wonder.

Goidel -" Kinda", replied Goidel. " It does mimic the ecosystem found on Earth, but this forest mixes all of them into one. It's got ashtrees, maples, oaks, and multiple types of pines!..."

Ogda -" His sickly tone does get more energized when he wants to explain stuff", remarked Ogda to himself.

Liadan, on the other hand, was busier trying to keep an eye on the wall. From a distance, it looked quite big, enough to strike her senses a bit, but the closer she got, the faster she understood the kind of tricks perspective could play. The forest wasn't the actual culprit for the lack of light in the area. 

The "sun", or whatever light source there was, couldn't get past the tip of the wall until later in the day, enough to charge the crystal towers around," which probably feed the land and plant life", guessed Liandan. This, unfortunately, left the path mired in unsettling dread and chilly air. Until the gates are slowly opened, and the brightness increases tenfold. 

The flora caught in the brief cone of radiance was much greener than the rest of the forest, but on travelers, it had another effect. The blinding light hit them, incapacitating their mind for a second, and the duo forgot for a brief moment about their worries. No strange lands, no memory loss, nothing except the excitement of a new place. One filled with unknown creatures of unknown sizes and unknown everything. 

Thin colossi were carrying multiple baskets and saluting another titan who was doing some construction work on the wall. Then there were the colors. Creatures that seemed related in appearance had a different skin color from each other, or spots and markers that separated them from one another. 

Dresses. Just like Blitz and Goidel, each dressed citizen looked like a townie either from a Medieval era or a futuristic one. There was no consistent fashion sense among them, or as Liadan suspected, some might not even wear them at all. 

-" Is it me, or does it look like some of the clothes and tools are stitched into their bodies, while other pieces seem like wearables? This is incredible, Krass wasn't lying about Firbolgs!", she thought. The wonder of the place was exciting to her, but not enough to hinder her from trying to make some mental observations.

Ogda, on the other hand, was curious to find out more from the people themselves up close and personal, stretching his head in all directions. Blitz, sensing their growing enthusiasm, made up an expedient excuse and grabbed all their equipment back to their base. Krass, having the same tingling senses, "jokingly" used his Captain privilege to run away in a flash, around a building and reappear right behind them.

Krass -" Seriously now, though," he said, after he giggled at his jest, "it was a pleasure to meet you two, but I do have real duties to attend to. Goidel…"

Goidel -" But, my notes…and the library…I've been outside of it much longer than we even originally agreed on", he responded sheepishly, with his voice slowing down in both volume and speed with each word.

-" Goidel, please", asked the Captain, nicely. "We can't just leave them unattended, and besides, Wight is taking care of that collection of dusty tomes. You trust him, don't you"

Krass -" I do, yes, he's much more clever and careful than I, but still…Can't you ask someone else? Leona is right there…", he tried to argue back, pointing towards the titan who was repairing the wall.

-" And she is working, and so are others…", Krass sighted, after trying to not raise his voice.

Goidel-" But…but", he staggered, trying to find another way out. He looked, then turned to Krass, then back to the two, then back at him, until something clicked: "Human! Arim! He is human, just like her. They would have more in common, wouldn't you say?"

Krass, who imagined how long the discussion would take, instantly got tired of it and decided on a compromise. "Ok, fine…It's not like he's much more of a people person than you, but sure. Take the two to a visitor's center, get them a temporary visa, and then take them to the FitforaBit shop and get them some clothes. I'll tell Arim to meet you there, ok?" After which he sprinted like a man chased by misfortune, disappearing from their sight in seconds. 

...

Following the still timorous, but also bitter Firbolg, the duo went with a silent tour, unsure of how he would react to more questions. Ogda was fine with this arrangement, though, as he was more interested in discovering the town than being told about it. 

The wide street passage was covered in a thick layer of a material strong enough to sustain all kinds of weights crossing over it. He also took notice of the size of each building, each covered with multiple types of doors and windows, made for as many types of Firbolgs as possible. " Three…Seven…doors. Is it reinforced somehow on the inside?" Ogda's list of curiosities grew with each new building they passed by. His one eye was ogling at everything that caught his attention, and unbeknownst to him, he also caught some back. It seems like even among these natives, someone with peculiarities like him was still a rarity. "Is this leading somewhere? But it looks blocked at the end…except for those handles. Is that a ladder? Oh, and about this? Why does it spin like that?" In his excitement, he kept stretching his neck and limbs, a bit too much for Liadan.

Lian -" I'm glad you're having fun Ogda, but I think you should be a bit more careful with the stretching." 

Ogda -" What?" he asked, a bit confused, until he noticed his body. "Oh, right. My bad, I'll try to keep it down".

Lian -" No, no, I didn't mean it like that. I don't mind it, it's just that we don't know the limits of your powers yet". But even with that remark, she still felt like she was admonished for nothing. " I have an idea! I'm a bit curious about this place as well, you know. Can you give me a lift so I can take a look around?"

He swiftly, and happily agreed. Up, from his level, Liadan understood a bit more why he was acting so ecstatic. The city was a jumble of different heights and sizes, but it had symmetry and beauty in its seemingly anachronistic design. She didn't know why, but the way it was built made her feel warm inside, proud even. And a joyful smile finally caught up to her.

…

With a stride in his pace, a young man was muttering in his gauntlet as if arguing with someone on the other side of a phone. Frustrated mostly, as the two had different plans on what to do that evening.

Young man -'' Yeah but, Zinc, I can literally feel when you're lying, I know you just want to try the game Tomenn brought from the human world", he remarked in a laid-back, but victorious tone. The voice in the gauntlet stopped for a second, caught off-guard by the remark. He wanted to say something in return, but the boy knew exactly what his counter-argument would be" Brigid is also doing a tour for a visitor, so as fellow trainees, we can do the same. But, if you are in such a rush, do you want to try something?"

The boy whispered an idea to the gauntlet, and a second later, the glove expanded. A thin, crimson armor covers his legs, from the tip of the neck, over the spine and part of his torso, but leaves the rest of the body free. Along with the protection, the armor enhanced the boy's speed, agility, and jumping height, far outclassing anything an Olympic gold medalist could achieve. 

Their sprint left a trail of dust behind, and his jumping height brought them from one rooftop to another. Still, as both surmised, the young man was still leagues behind the capabilities of Krass or Goidel. 

Young man-" Hey, Zinc…you still want to become a full-fledged Union member with me?", he asked after stopping briefly to admire the view over the wall. 

The gauntlet stayed silent, but the boy smiled. He received his message, one only he could hear. 

Young man -" Understood. Then, let's not keep our visitors waiting. Or Mister Goidel. I'm guessing he's getting a bit weary from being so long away from the library."