The trip to the mountain was, in a word, long. It was arduous. Near claustrophobic at many points. And also very, very educational. As Celia had learned that this world was not as uncivilized as she once thought. While there didn’t seem to be any form of a universal language, or any sign of long lasting peace, they did have trade. Simple and oftentimes confusing trade.
It worked well enough for the needs of the "beyondlings" on the way to the mountain. Some would go out and hunt, collecting enough food for themselves and enough for several others, and then they would trade it. Either for other tastier foods, or for items they themselves couldn’t acquire.
Like weapons. Because yes, they had weapons. They were very rudimentary, often made from bone or rock, but they were still weapons nonetheless. And it usually wasn’t long before those weapons wound up being used. Because the beyond, civilized as it was, at the end of the day was still a place of savage brutality where might made right.
So long as the mob of pissed of monsters you created didn’t get their hands on you. Which they often did.
But, outside of the odd chaos that was Beyondling interactions, the trip was relatively quiet. There was no great clamor of constant communication, or the unified cry of hundreds of steps being taken in sync. There was just movement, stops to rest, trading, and Celia’s favorite: eating.
Which she did a horrifyingly questionable amount of on the trip. Eating both food that she caught for herself, food that she traded for, or in one case, another one of her fellow travelers after he tried to eat her.
Most left her alone after watching her cook and eat her self made prey in just one sitting and continue on as if nothing had happened. Who would’ve guessed that having the stomach capacity of a whole tribe of wolves would be so intimidating. Or rewarding.
Modification gained!
Hard shell
Modify being?
Slots open: 6
1: locked, 2: This maw for Mine, 3: These teeth unending, 4: Tremor sense, 5: Lash, 6: Hard shell, 7: empty
Modifications available: none
Modifications complete!
That was the other thing about the trip. Celia had gotten stronger, a lot stronger. Her muscles felt like coiled bits of metal just waiting for an excuse to spring out. Claws sharp and strong enough to cut through bone and flesh with the same sort of ease that a knife had when cutting through butter. Her scales were harder now, more akin to actual chain mail than just being hardy. A defensive nature that only grew stronger with Hard shell creating a second 'shell' of scales over the first.
Her other modifications were stronger as well. More refined too. She could grow teeth exactly where she wanted and in the exact pattern she wanted now. No more random bursts of fangs in a general area. Her tremor sense painted a picture of the world that was almost as good as her actual vision. Minus anything not touching the ground of course. And Lash now had another tentacle growing out of the first.
But what she was most excited about in the end, was that she was an inch and a half taller now. That made her almost as tall as her dad. Which she was going to totally rub in his face when soon she got back home and saw him again.
She just needed to find that portal first. Maybe even buy a map. That is, if any of the 'locals' even knew what a map was in the first place. Which she didn’t exactly have high hopes for.
But it wasn’t like she would be making much progress towards finding the ocean anyway.
The world was a massive place. And she had a feeling that this one was even bigger than the one she had come from. It would take time to find the ocean. No matter how persistent she was in her search. Even if she knew where it was right this moment, she would still need to travel there. Which would be arduous no doubt, and more than a little dangerous.
And really, she just hoped that the mountain would serve as a good stepping stone. Somewhere to start her search. Or at least help her get a grasp on the surrounding area, as well as the culture.
That was the thought that guided her all the way to the foot of the mountain, and up. A winding path that eventually came to an end at what looked to be some sort of city. A massive section of the mountain that had been hollowed out to make room for a smattering of simplistic buildings. The most complicated looking of which was made out of random bits of stone glued together by a… substance.
Celia drifted away from that one as she, as well as the rest of the monstrous individuals she’d traveled with, entered the cave. The crowd splitting off into a loose mismatch of groups going off their own ways. The only consistently amongst them all was that they were trading, making, or setting up shop in some way. Though, unlike when on the road, the things they traded varied far more greatly.
It went from just food and crude weapons, to chunks of stone with pictures scribbled in on them, blades of less crude make with symbols inscribed into their flesh, and a few even traded out actual pieces of barely functional armor. It was, quite frankly, both unlike anything Celia had ever seen and so much grander than she would’ve expected from a collection of monsters who seemed incapable of speech. But it was far from the most stunning thing the cave had to offer.
That honor belonged to the massive dragon all the way at the back. A multi-winged replica of the two she had seen before. It’s scales still the same pale coloration. Four wings still shaped like half formed celestial objects plucked from the sky, fingerless limbs still growing throughout. Where it differed from the other two, however, was again it’s four wings rather than two, as well as it’s eyes.
There was life in them. Sclera a cold subtractive dark, iris bleeding into pupils in the image of a freezing sun. Gaze scanning everything that resided within its domain, from the smallest bug, to the largest brute. Passing over her and onto the next thing within its peripheral and back.
Eyes in constant assessment of everything and never pausing for anything.
Except for the second dragon as it’s massive form slowed on approach and embraced the mountain much as its twin had. The sight giving pause to practically the whole cave, followed immediately after by everyone else returning to their business. Everyone save for Celia, who found herself staring at the very familiar face of a large scorpion like monster.
Four stinger legs holding him up as he helped unload "cargo" from the dragon they had been riding in.
Up until he saw her.