We Bow

Beautiful. At its heart, the dome built up from the ocean floor populated by lethal life and sealed away for so long was beautiful. Vibrant, lush greenery filled most of the dome, consuming that which the humans had left behind. Most of the buildings were almost swallowed entirely, invisible unless you knew where to look. What plants weren’t green were other brilliant hues instead - purples, reds, oranges, flashy shades of yellow and peach. Made to get your attention, to draw you in or warn you away.

Beautiful.

Deadly.

Ghostlight followed Tobias as he lead them through the tangled, twisted undergrowth. Her lantern swung lightly with her every step, creaking quietly. It was the only sound that accompanied them.

This place, this dome, Atlantis, was so loud. It wasn’t the anguish of the Alpha Lab that clouded Tobias’ senses, but deceit. Lies, manipulation. Secret arrangements made behind closed doors, whispers when they thought they would go unheard. Schemes, plots, and plans being made. Ascension. To the throne, or to the surface?

The surge of energy that rocked the islands had opened the door to Zone A long ago. What had made the Atlanteans wait so long to show their faces?

Tobias tilted his head, eyes unfocused, yet seeing everything. The gathering of power. She was coming.

Warmth by his side drew him back to the present as Ghostlight’s lantern passed by his ribs. Slowly, he glanced towards her to see her sightless eyes smiling back at him. They were no longer in the jungle but in the city, itself.

Atlantis.

A shining metropolis built from what remained. The commissary had become a place of preparation, the incubator had become a hatchery, research buildings had become places of construction and ingenuity. The noble’s hatchlings were raised separately, of course - they had to learn about their nobility, that they would become stronger, better than those hatched beneath them. It was reminiscent of an ancient structure of human government - which had persisted in some form even until the modern era, until their untimely disappearance.

The pavement and buildings had been swept and picked clean of debris, the jungle kept at bay by regular pruning. Roots ripped out, seedlings destroyed, vines ripped back. Much of what was removed from the encroaching edge was taken to the commissary to be made into something more palatable, something which appeared to be more appealing to eat.

Ghostlight snorted to herself. The courtiers, and in fact all the Atlanteans with their painted hides and feathers, their flashy and sometimes functionally useless armour, were so focused on appearances. Symbols of status, all of it.

In the Alpha lab it had been signs of physical weakness that spoke of imminent demise - here, it was weakness of spirit that would cause an abrupt shift of power. How many had been cast out to survive in the unforgiving jungle because their façade had slipped?

The water that flowed around the island that made up the heart of the dome made for a fitting metaphor for the population - the kingdom. On the surface it was quiet, peaceful, and even relaxing to watch as it swirled around the many islands. It was clean and pure, drinkable and giving the citizens of Atlantis life. Below the surface, though, it was treacherous and roiling. You would be swept away if you went in too deep, poisoned by its salinity if you left the safety of the kingdom.

What cruel creatures this place had created.

Most of those dwelling within the city were content to ignore Tobias and Ghostlight as they walked with purpose down the streets, or at the very least kept their dislike of the topsiders to wordless glances and quiet whispers. Appearances, as ever, were of the utmost importance.

Some, though, looked upon them with scrutiny. Word of the odd pair had begun to spread, but no one was quite concerned enough to stop them.

Not, at least, until Tobias put a fox-like iguanodon in their path.

“Excuse me.” A warm-toned oviraptor stepped into their path, looking uncertain but determined to stop them from getting too close. His crest was crowned with stripes of green, reminiscent of what had once been a symbol of great victory and achievement. Now it was the mark of a scout, and someone with noble ranking.

“Lady Sela is not to be disturbed, least of all by topsiders who have no business with the Court.”

Tobias looked down at him, silent and still. This oviraptor took his position seriously. It gave him power and safety. Working under Sela kept him well-fed and comfortable, and he wasn’t going to let them endanger that.

That was what his words said, anyway. His eyes… he looked so nervous. Topsiders had treated him poorly. He risked a cruel fate if he angered Sela.

The oviraptor’s worried gaze flicked to Ghostlight when she spoke, her voice cool and even as ever. “We have business with your Lady.”

“I’m afraid I’m not aware of any scheduled arrangements today.” The “least of all with any topsiders” went unsaid, but heavily implied.

“I must protest your approach and ask that you leave my Lady’s presence-”

“Let them pass, Varpunen.”

The oviraptor squawked quietly, alarmed by Sela’s presence just behind him. It felt like a failure, but there was no malice in Sela’s warm eyes - just the glimmer of something more. She was fascinated. What topsiders dared to approach her on the streets like this, and so boldly claim that they “had business” with her?

Ghostlight and Tobias looked towards the iguanodon, the ghost of a crown hanging just over her head. Unseen, but felt by all. 

“We’ve come to offer our services,” Ghostlight said at the same time that Tobias spoke in a flat, cold tone: “We will deliver your message.”

If she was at all perturbed by the sound of Tobias’ voice, it went unseen and unspoken. Cold like the faces of the Court should she ever be cast out to the jungle beyond the safety of Atlantis’ boundaries. Cold like a body that had been drained of blood after being pierced with a spike.

She had heard the whispers of the ghosts that gave the oviraptors poisoned offerings, the fortune tellers who knew too much for being told too little. Those who had traversed the carnivorous wall between the barren surface and the flourishing Atlantis with no guide but their own selves, one of them blind and the other a fool. She recognised them now.

“Then deliver it,” she said, her voice just as cool as Ghostight’s. Her eyes gleamed in the light of the artificial sun. This was a test. Were the rumours true, or had they been grossly exaggerated due to the wild nature of the topsiders and the vivid imaginations of the scouts who had spent too much time among them?

Tobias did something Sela didn’t expect - he bowed, and deeply. His arms spread to the side like a bird opening its wings, his muzzle almost touching the ground. Ghostlight, as well, bowed despite not being able to see her companion’s actions, though Sela did note that she was not as gracious, and did not bow so steeply.

Varpunen watched the exchange in silent confusion and apprehension and only dared to breathe once Ghostlight and Tobias had left, and Sela returned to walking the streets perusing what items vendors had available.

Ghostlight followed Tobias in near silence, her lantern swinging and creaking lightly as they made towards the commissary building. Tobias carried Sela’s unspoken message in his heart. He hadn’t needed to ask, he could feel it in the air. Something was coming.

They were quickly put to work in the commissary. The dinosaurs in the building were no stranger to the unfortunately unknowledgeable assistance the topsiders provided. The cryos were not the first topsiders that had been sent to help prepare food for the feasts, and they would not be the last.

Lahna barked orders as she ran about the commissary, which were to be obeyed by all. For being an oviraptor, she had an exceptionally commanding air of authority to her. Perhaps it was the scars that were ripped across her hands after having spent so long working in the commissary, or the green vines painted around her neck that marked her as a survivor of the inhospitable growth in the dome. It could have also been that no one wanted to be on the receiving end of the sharp quills that grew off her rump and tail.

She ordered euoplos to pound tree nuts, foraged tubers, and special herbs into paste which could be used as dressings or delicately flavoured mash. She ordered oviraptors to pick and stir and mix different foods. Topsiders were given tasks as well, but easy ones - ones that she trusted they couldn’t mess up, and ones that she knew wouldn’t give them an opportunity to poison any of the courtiers.

Tobias was given the task to wash fresh cuttings in the water to cleanse them of dirt and insects. Ghostlight, she was sceptical of. Topsiders were already almost worse than useless, so what use could she possibly have for a blind one? Nevertheless, Ghostlight was tasked with picking leaves from larger branches that had been cut down from the encroaching edge of the forest. It seemed easy enough, something that even a blind topsider could achieve. Lahna was pleasantly surprised, then, when Ghostlight not only completed her task, but did it expertly - each leaf was delicately stripped from the branches, the newer of them (and therefore softer and sweeter) placed separately from the older, rougher leaves. Even the bark of the younger branches and fresh-grown tips had been stripped away from the wood, which could be brewed into tea and used medicinally.

It was impressive, to say the least, but Lahna didn’t have time nor have any particular desire to give praise to someone barely deserving of it.

With their tasks completed, Tobias made to collect a bowl that had been filled with nuts, fruits, and the fresh-washed leaves he had brought back. Lahna paused them, briefly, confused by this act of initiative when all others predominantly and merely obeyed her direction rather than doing things themselves - but dismissed them. She had no further use for the cryos for the time being, and the fresh salad did need to be delivered to the banquet. He could bring back what was surely an empty bowl to be refilled once they arrived.

Again, Tobias bowed with the respect Lahna was due, and Ghostlight followed suit, albeit to a lesser degree. The Atlanteans barely deserved the respect they believed that they did.

With an obvious task in their hands, and Ghostlight’s lantern creaking faintly as a constant companion to their steps, the pair walked solemnly towards the banquet. This was where they were ultimately meant to be, Tobias felt sure of it this time. The draw was strong, and getting stronger with every step they took. He could feel it in the beating of his heart. Drumming. War.

The banquet building was alive and lively. Conversation and music filled the space, as well as the scents of all manner of dishes which were laid out to be picked from as desired. It was alien to the topsiders, most of whom looked notably uncertain about their surroundings. This was not their place. These were not their customs, not their friends or family, not food or drink that they were familiar with.

At least the pachys, who stuck to each other as closely as they could, looked to be in marginally better health now. Still, they were lost. They didn’t want to be here. This was not the answer that they sought.

Ghostlight turned her head towards a group of other topsiders - a massive pale acro, a painted oviraptor who didn’t belong, and the children who would follow in their footprints. An explosive combination to be in such close proximity to those who could be their enemies.

Tobias set the bowl of salad within the bounty of the banquet with the rest of the food spread throughout the center of the building, foregoing the empty bowl that the full one was meant to replace. That was not what drew him here, and they still had a message to deliver.

As purposeful as he had been when he approached Sela, Tobias also now approached another. His crown was visible to all, a crest of feathers streaked with a dark, rich purple that stood in stark contrast to the white feathers of his head and neck. He carried a similar aura of nobility and superiority as all the iguanodons within Atlantis, and looked down upon them as they approached.

“We bring a message,” Tobias whispered. His voice was soft, quiet. A thorn between the ribs, a poison slipped into a drink.

“From Sela,” Ghostlight added. She raised her chin when she spoke, her lantern swinging lightly. Its quiet creak was somehow audible even despite the din of the banquet.

Blackmist had been expecting such a message, just not that it would be delivered to him by topsiders. These ones were small, their shoulders scarcely higher than a scout’s crest, and looked piteously weak. One blind, the other thin. Both useless. But perhaps that was why they had been chosen to carry the message - there was little else that they could be useful for.

When neither Tobias nor Ghostlight made any further attempt to approach, nor to meet him to speak the message they carried, Blackmist snorted and stepped forwards. He knelt before them, one wrist on the ground, so that their words could reach his ears. To anyone watching, it almost appeared as though he was bowing deeply to the cryos. But what respect did the nobility of Atlantis owe to the topsiders, really?

Tobias’ words were like ice crawling through veins.

“It’s time.”