Tom and Arias began to talk with the creatures as they went on their day-to-day activity. They searched for the creature who mentioned the strange stone he found, but they didn't see him for now.
"We didn't find him. The island isn't big enough for that," Arias grumbled as he watched the mountain. He wondered if the creature lived there. If it was the case, it would be horrible to climb all the way up. He could be wrong and they would climb for no reason.
"I'm sure he might be busy elsewhere. He might be on a ship and would come back later. Maybe we should ask around to the other creatures. I am curious what it looks like," Tom replied.
The two began to ask the creatures about the fragment of the Jewel of the Cothica.
"We heard about the strange stone that was found on the island and I really wonder what it looks like," was one way Tom asked the question. He sounded genuinely curious about it. It was something he had to find and he could only imagine how beautiful that fragment might be.
The elementalists were hesitant to answer the boy's question. Despite coming from the Cothica, he was with an overworlder. They didn't trust the ram creature that much or not at all. They were mostly evasive in their answers.
The two knew they mistrusted the overworlder more than they liked the human from the Cothica. Still, Tom didn't deter and continued, trying to convince them that Arias was a good friend and creature.
Eventually, praising the humanoid ram brought results. He got a few answers, but none of them told him that the elementalist who had it lived on the mountain. Arias mentally groaned at the simple thought that they had to climb.
"It's a little bit above the base of the mountain," a creature explained to them.
That was a relief for the overworlder.
Chapter 75: The Seach For The Fragment part 2
The duo walked towards the mountain.
"It's a good thing we don't have to climb until we reach the submit. I can do it, but it would long and difficult to reach the top," Arias commented before he sighed in relief. They didn't have to climb that much to meet the creature.
"What do you think it would look like?" Tom curiously asked.
"I have no idea, but I think it would be one of the most beautiful things we will ever see. I mean, from what we know, it couldn't be something that we couldn't stand to watch," Arias guessed as he scratched his chin.
The teenager frowned a bit as he thought a bit more about that, "I don't know if it would be that impressive. I guess it would be simple and unassuming. It would be harder to see for what it truly is if it isn't that great."
"Unassuming I see. Maybe there is something beautiful with that if it is unassuming. I mean, you were that way when we said you came from the Cothica. You are not the kind of creature we imagined would live there if it was a land," the overworlder commented.
The two continued to imagine what the fragment would look like. Tom frowned a bit. He had a feeling he had a conversation about the fragment with someone. He had no idea who it was. It seemed like it was his imagination, but at the same time, he knew it wasn't.
The two reached the mountain and looked around. They tried to see for a house, but couldn't see anything that stood out from this side of the mountain.
"I guess the house we are checking is at the other side," Arias concluded as he continued to check around.
"That creature might live close to a mine or he just rather live on his own," the boy guessed.
The creature nodded negatively, "I don't think so. If he was more of a hermit, the elementalists wouldn't know about that strange stone."
"Someone who rather live on his own, but often visit the village," Tom guessed. He could think the creature in question wouldn't be the social type. He corrected himself, someone who wasn't too social, but still was a bit.
The two walked around the mountain as much as they could, before Arias had to climb a bit. The creature felt the boy held with his arm around his neck as he began climbing.
He didn't have any trouble until he found a safe stop to drop. They continued on foot for a little bit, before they reached the other side.
The two saw a house, which looked like it was sculpted in the mountain to make that house.
The two looked at each other's.
The ram grumbled, "There is no pathway to reach the house. We have to climb it," he put his hands on his hips, "Looks like he isn't the kind of creature who likes having visitors."
"Or maybe he is a creature who can control the earth. An earth elementalist would be quite good at doing something like that. Maybe," he suggested a bit nervously. He put his hands on his back. He remembered a bit the time where he explored a few locations of Perim. It felt a bit that way just to reach the creature.
"Let's go," Arias decided as it felt like they were sightseeing. It was more impressive to watch the Cothica with how alien the world of the human was. He waited for the boy to jump on his back and climbed. He didn't want to use his earth elemental power. He could be seen as an enemy and that would spell trouble. Not only that, but he didn't know how solid the mountain was. He didn't want to cause a landslide.
He quickly reached the home and landed on the ground. The boy slid on his back and they looked at the entrance.
No one came to greet them and they weren't quiet.
Tom approached and tapped the entrance, "Hello. Is anyone here? I'm Tom and we can to visit you and the stone you found."
The overworlder wondered if being that honest might be a good idea. They could have waited a bit before asking that.
"Finally, someone upfront about it," a creature grumbled a bit in annoyance. He walked outside and looked at them.
The body of the creature was made of brown rock with some silver parts made of rock on his hands and feet. His amber eyes looked at the group as he crossed his arms. The muscular creature wore a white loincloth. He looked at them with little interest, but he had a small smile, "Everyone just want to come around when they all just want to look at the stone I've found. At least, we won't waste time with you trying to get in for another reason. Anyway, I am not interested in showing this right now," he glanced at the human, "Still, you came from the Cothica and it is quite far away," he put his hands over his eyes and grumbled a bit.
"He can go in there alone if you want," Arias suggested. He couldn't convince the creature to let him in. He could tell with his attitude. It was best if Tom could get inside and talked with the creature.
The creature was pensive for a while. He scratched his chin. It made a small sound as he scratched it, "Whatever. I don't mind if the human come. You are an honorable creature. I am Gek. It's not my full name as it is quite long and boring to tell you all of it. I would waste your time trying to make you remember it. Anyway, come inside human."
"I'm Tom."
"A simple name. I appreciate a simple name," Gek replied as he invited the boy in.
Arias sighed as he rested his back on the wall of the building. He wanted to see it, but this might be for the best. Now, Tom had to convince the creature to let them take it.
Gek checked the human for a few seconds, before he took a few steps towards the back of his room.
Tom looked around curiously. He saw the house was just one big room divided in a few seconds. There was something that look like a bed made of rock at one corner. He could see the kitchen at another corner with the stove or something similar. He did notice there was another door at the back of the room against the flank of the mountain. He saw the elementalist going there.
"The fragment is in this room. I am constantly digging the mountain during the day," Gek commented. He stopped talking, as if he finished a long conversation.
Tom guessed that the creature felt like he told a lot with only one sentence. It was clear that the creature was a miner and he mined from his own house.
"I found the stone in there. I have no idea where it come from. It was a place that I explored before and I mined everything. It was there, simply on the floor. Maybe for once in my life I was careless," he signed in annoyance.
The boy guessed the creature couldn't believe he made such a mistake like that. He didn't comment in the matter. He didn't want to get on the creature's bad side, "You think you didn't see it or like… Like it wasn't there before?" it was something he wondered from what the creature said.
"Yeah. I know I am not someone who is lazy Tom," Gek replied. He took a deep breath and sighed, "I heard of a few rumors about a strange stone before, but it is one of legend. There is no one I would be the one to find something like that anyway. No one will leave me alone."
The boy did notice the creature was more talkative than before. He guessed that it might be one subject he loved talking about. It could also be because he was the human and he was polite. He had no idea what the answer was, but he was just glad it wasn't an awkward silence most of the time, "They are so legends in Perim that comes true… in strange ways."
"Like what?"
"My world is the Cothica. I know it's true now, but it sounded so ridiculous before," Tom admitted. He sighed, "It did give us a lot of attention. Also show how little I knew about my own world. Also, how we are connected to Perim. Just found more answer after my friend Peyton got capture by the metalist king," he glanced down. He was there, but couldn't help his friend at all.
"Metalist. A bunch of creatures that are too dangerous and too thirsty for power. It seems the same as the m'arrillians, from what I heard of course," he commented.
The boy wondered if he knew they came from the Cothica or not. He didn't ask about it.
The creature returned and held the stone in his hand.
Tom looked at it and it was a rather unassuming stone. Still, from the sight of it, he could tell it was the fragment of the Cothica.
The stone color was scarlet. A plain color that didn't jump out. It looked like it didn't look like it was a fragment. It seemed it was perfectly cut by someone into a part of it. Still, there was something in it that seemed extraordinary. Tom couldn't tell what it was, but there was something inside of it, "Did you do anything to it? I mean, it looks like someone just cut it with a knife or something like that."
"No. I didn't cut it in any shape of form. It was like this when I found it. It's so strange to find a stone like that," Gek commented. He looked at it, "There is also something a little strange about it, but I can't put my finger on it," he sighed quietly, before he looked at Tom, "What is it?"
"This stone…" the boy decided to be honest. He needed it and it might be better if the elementalist knew about it, "This is a Fragment of the Cothica."
Gek sighed in annoyance, "That's what I suspected. I just wish it wasn't."
AC: This is the end of this chapter.
Next: The First Fragment.
Tom needed to convince the creature to give him the first fragments and to find a way to leave the island.