"It's like somebody yanked off the mountaintop from the Understone Empire." Inta remarked as he looked at the vast array of stone construction carved out of the canyon itself. "Only… I think the dwarves would consider this something of a nightmare."
Entoma snickered a little bit. "I suppose they would." He wasn't wrong. As the sun began to descend, the fading light caught the gleaming webs which crisscrossed the canyon walls and various plateaus in countless places. Against the walls of the canyons there were vast numbers of entrances carved into the rock itself.
"I thought this was mainly inhabited by scorpionmen?" Inta half asked, glancing out of the corner of his eye to his companion, Entoma scratched her head.
"That's a good point, from what I recall… and scorpions don't make webs. Maybe they have-" She stopped speaking, her many sharp eyes noticed that while scorpionmen were already out and about and starting to walk the web bridges to and fro, a pace spidermen, though few in number, were beginning to emerge from the cave walls in the lower levels, and below them, ants were emerging as well. The canyon was coming to life before their eyes as the daylight died around them.
"That answers that question." Inta replied to her, deadpan and looked along the canyon level where they stood. "How do we get down?" It was his turn to scratch his head, "I'm not immune to falling damage, you know. I guess I could climb down, but I have the feeling that I'm not supposed to do that."
Entoma scanned the area, searching not by sight, but instead she searched for more pheromones. "I don't doubt you. I also doubt they're used to getting visitors." She gestured behind them to the sandblasted landscape. "Most races wouldn't live comfortably in a place like this."
"How about you?" Inta asked as it occurred to him that he'd never really asked about her preference. 'If she could live anywhere, where would it be?' He wondered, it was such a simple question, and yet there was so much to it…
"Me?" Entoma asked, "What do you mean?"
"Would you be happy in a place like this?" He nodded toward the canyon, "If you could be in any place in the world and call it home forever-"
"Nazarick." She answered without reservation. "My creator made me there, we lived there, we're happy there, nobody can ever get to us there. It has everything we need and everything we want." She said and began to walk toward the pheromone scent.
He followed after her, "Do you not like the Academy?" Inta asked, a hint of concern held on his masked face as the bug adapted his features to reflect the expression beneath.
"No, I do. I do." Entoma reassured him, "It's nice, the birds are delicious, the students… entertaining. I like the company," she let a lingering look settle on him for just a moment before she resumed following the scent, "and my little place and my work and the grounds and the city and the park… I like a lot of things." She reassured him. "But it's not really 'home' to me the way Nazarick is, no place ever can be. I know I can always go back there, where our Lord will care for us and protect us and we can find our purpose in his service."
"That's… actually nice." Inta answered her when she stopped at a particular spot.
"We wait here, I think." Entoma said and stood in place. "What about you?"
"I wait with you, of course." He smirked as he went to stand at her side.
She closed her golden hand around his flesh, "Not that. If you could live anywhere in the world?"
"Where you are, that's home." He said without hesitation.
"Flatterer." She said while her heart fluttered. "It kind of makes my answer seem less affectionate now, though. Way to push a girl."
His big, charming, toothy smile with his fearsome fangs was more amused than anything when he answered, "Thank you." He then took an almost mocking bow before he added, "But without trying to avoid your question, the place I called home disappeared a long, long time ago. I've learned to find contentment 'wherever'. But? If I could?" Inta thought it over, his disguised elven ears twitched up and down, "I suppose I would choose the place I remember being the happiest."
"Where is that?" Entoma prodded.
"I don't really remember." Inta answered with a shrug while he rubbed his chin.
"Huh?" Entoma asked, dumbfounded.
"I know how that sounds, but I remember the feeling of being there… there were other people, I think they were humans, I remember lots of gold, and fire, I get the feeling there was music… and I remember birdsong, lots of birds singing together… I think. But I can't remember any of them clearly. It's just impressions now, a feeling of serene contentment. I was happy, but I just can't place why. I've always thought that if I found that place again, I might remember more, but?" He shrugged, "I never have. And the world is a big place."
"So is it a seal?" Entoma asked, intrigue mounted at the unexpected answer.
"Maybe?" Inta answered the question with a question. "I've had it checked before by mages and none of them said it was, by their reckoning I've just 'forgotten', if it's a seal, it's not one they've ever seen."
He stopped speaking when the white sticky fluid shot toward them from a far plateau, three strands went out, each one wide enough to walk one in front of the other without fear of slipping, but not wide enough for two to walk abreast. Two of the strands of sticky web substance were at canyon level, while the other was a step down, creating a walkway with a rail for extra security.
"I suppose that's for us." Inta suggested, and Entoma gestured for him to step down.
"I don't gamble, but I think you're right, let's get into character, and see what this city has to offer us." Entoma replied, and squaring his shoulders as a devoted bodyguard might, he stepped down, took the rail with one hand and put his hand on the hilt of a blade at his side as a loyal protector should, and together in single file, they crossed over to greet the people of stone, web, and sand.