Chapter 44: Sand From The Moon
It's only been a week, maybe two, since Hat Girl had faced the Empress. Since the memories she had lost were brought back at full force. Since she realized there was someone who was suffering, if not gone, because of her. And there was nothing she could do about it now. A lot had gone through her mind in that time. Trying her best to accept that was just how things would be, now and forever. How to move on with the life she was currently living, with the knowledge of her past haunting her.
Maybe it was too soon for her to be out. Maybe she should give herself more time to rest. Maybe she was hurrying herself to get better. Maybe all that was true. But she tried to push those thoughts to the side. Because she was stuck with more worries. As she reflected on her current life compared to her old one, she found herself glancing beyond the parent. Beyond where even time pieces could access, the future. The future not just for her, but her family, her friends, and everyone that called this planet home.
She was tied to the Second Coming of the Moonjumper. She didn't know why, or how. It should just be a myth. A myth about a second version of a powerful being coming eventually. Those stories existed in myths and prophecies all the time, that it itself was nothing new. But the stone craving of her she found in those desert ruins, one that seemed to be tied, at least a little bit, to the Moonjumper legend. It frightened her. Even before her encounter with the Empress, that kept her up at night, not knowing her part in all this.
Today she was going to change that. It was another cool autumn morning, the sun was just barely starting to come up from the horizon. On most other days she wouldn't have been up so early, but she had a trip to make today. She needed to go back to the tower or the ruins and find anything else there. Anything that could help prepare her and the clan for what was going to happen. That was all she wanted, was that so wrong? If it turns out she needed to leave to keep them safe, that would be what she did.
But she couldn't know that until she got there. She adjusted her sleeves as she sat on the rock outside the orbital station, her phone screen making a small bit of light. Mr. Macbeth and her Papa will be there any minute so they could head out to the desert. The sooner the better. She glanced up at the sky for a moment, recalling that day in the tower. Recalling that figure that formed seemed to blend into the shadows. All she could really see was the cloak they had worn…
She heard footsteps as she turned around, seeing the two men approaching, talking with each other. "Perfect." She whispered as she garbed her phone. Part of her wished she could have Platinum tag along, but as much as she loved her brother, they didn't need to be getting into trouble today. Besides, he had made some plans with Van, and she wasn't going to prevent
them from finally getting together. "Are you two alright?" She said as she hopping off the rock, glancing at the two of them.
"Did ya get anyt'in' to eat?" Right ask, crossing his arms as if he knew the answer. Hat Girl shook her head, she’d honestly forgotten too. "Figured." Right tossed an apple he had garbed to her.
"At least you two aren't goin' to have to deal with Snacther's voice on the way there." Macbeth sighed, adjusted the strap of the cooler bag he was bringing with them. He couldn't even focus on half of what Snather was saying even if he wanted to. He caught something about the swamp or, was it about some gem? He didn't know and frankly he wasn't sure he wanted to know. "The only good thing about it is it woke me up in time. I chose the wrong night to catch up on paperwork for the train."
"'ow do ya even 'ave paperwork for t'e train rig't now, t'e trains on our 'ome planet." Right asked, to which Macbeth just shrugged. Some of it was leftover from before he died and he just only now found it. He wouldn't be surprised if someone sneaked some fake files into his room to give him work, he knew a few people who would do that after all. Right just sighed. "W'otever, let's just get goin'. T'e sooner we get t'is done, t'e sooner we can all rest easy." He eyed his daughter.
"Wait!" A voice suddenly came through the area, the group pausing before looking over as Reginald ran up to the group. "I know the plan was just for you guys to go but, I can't help but worry about what might happen." Reginald said when he got there, looking at Hat Girl with some worry. Right took his hand and looked at him, and Reginald gave him a smile. "Don't worry," He started. "I bumped into Jaques and he said he could handle things for today. He was a leader before and he seemed to handle things well."
"Reg, t'e last time we went to the desert ya got over'eated quickly." Right said, eyeing his husband's outfits. The colors were more gray than black, but they were still dark. At least Right had an internal cooling system, Macbeth was a ghost, and Hat Girl was some heat resident alien. They were all fine with their darker tones, Reginald wouldn't be. Not that Right would be able to get Reginald to change now if he wanted too. "Are ya sure?"
"Like I said, I'll be fine- Wait, I didn't say that." Reginald said, earning a small chuckle from Hat Girl as she glanced in the direction they would need to take to get to the desert. Sure, she would rather be going now but they all just woke up, she could let their minds wake up more before they headed onto the road. Reginald got close to Right. "And besides, if the impossible happens and something bad happens." He leaned on him and held his hand. "You'll be there to save me." Right smiled at that.
"Why are married men like this." Macbeth whispered to himself, rolling his eyes as he adjusted his hat, looking up to make sure Alexsandera's faint glow was there. He found himself staring at his hand for a minute. He had gotten so used to the ghostly, dark purple that it was just normal for him now. And it was going to be until the day he moved on, if that day ever came. "Why am I having these thoughts?" He whispered to himself, Reginald and Right glancing over. "It doesn't make sense, I shouldn't be able to think this clearly at all and yet…"
"Ok, I hate to interrupt but, maybe we can banter a bit on the road." Hat Girl said after she caught herself letting out a quiet yawn. The others glanced at her, and Macbeth nodded, heading ahead of the group to be the lead, in case of the off chance they got jumped by something on the way. They had yet to see if any animals that would harm them lived in the desert after all. "You're going a little to far east there." Hat Girl chuckled as the ghost paused, looking over. "What?"
"I thought it would be the same way as the studio, both are in the desert." Macbeth said, following Reginald once he showed them the right direction. Snatcher's voice seemed to pick up in his head, seeming even more like a blur of random words and slowly getting louder. He wanted to toss a rock at the ghost but they didn't have too much time to spare. He glanced over at Hat Girl as they began to head through the woods. "Are you sure yo' ok with all this?"
"Even if we end up discovering something bad at the sight, it'll be better then if we find nothing at all." Hat Girl said as she glanced at him. Macbeth hated how he could see the logic in her statement. She was young, she shouldn't be thinking logically about things like this over a worry that it could affect the whole clan. She managed to keep a smile on her face as they kept going. "Say, you ever want to go see if we can find those Eversteads? That's what they're called right, what Jaques ran into?"
"Hattie, I'm pretty sure based on what we're told we wouldn't be able to just walk into that cave again." Reginald said, Macbeth letting out a small shiver as he thought of that night and the creatures in that cave. He was just barely able to handle the cruise, he wasn't sure if he could survive that cave, even without those creatures. Why did they exist anyway? "I still find it a little strange, that voice that Jaques mentioned. You think it could be tied with, you know what?" Reginald asked as he looked back at her, getting a nod. "Yea, me too."
Only time could really tell, they all supposed.
The heat wasn't as bad as the day they went there in the past, which considering the seasons, made sense, but it was still hot. Right Hand Man had an eye on his husband and rarely looked away as they walked through the sandy land. Reginald seemed to be doing a lot better this time, and he already had a water bottle out for when the heat would get worse, but that didn't stop the cyborg from worrying. Hat Girl hid her worry better, but she was still worried. Another reason they needed to get this mission done quickly.
There were more people here then there was the last time they came to the place. A few owls and penguins could be spotted even as the ruins just entered sight. Hat Girl thought she could even make out a Mafia in the distance as they walked up to the sight. Macbeth gave a curious hum as he scanned around, Alexsandera coming from his hat and resting on his shoulder. For the other three, it felt more empty then the last time they came here. Mainly due to the lack of the tower, now in a more ruined state.
The tower that held the stone piece that brought them back here. If anything was going to be tied to the stone, it would be in that tower.
"So, t'ere's no way t'ey're just gonna let anyone walk in and look t'rough t'e rumble." Right Hand Man said, using his robotic eye to get a better look at the ruins of the tower from the distance they were from it. He couldn't zoom in too much, but he was faintly able to make out fences blocking it off. Small metal fences that were easy to jump over, but fences nonetheless. "Could cause a distraction of sorts, but I 'ave a feelin' t'at wouldn't go well. We don't want people gettin' 'urt unnecessarily."
"It's been months since we last were here. Surely they would have gotten anything of worth that survived the collapse out of the rumble by now." Reginald said, leaning against the stone entrance as he drank some of the water just to have it in his system. He scanned, glancing ahead and saw one of the Nomads by one of the old dried up wells. "Hattie, go ahead and ask them about that." he pointed her out. "Macbeth, follow just in case."
"Alright." Hat Girl took a breath as she began to walk over, putting her most natural smile on as she did. The whole world didn't know what she went through and they didn't need a hint that something was wrong. She watched the nomad adjust a sign next to the well before giving a quick "Excuse me?" making them look over. She glanced back at Macbeth who nodded before she continued. "Hi, I'm sorry to bug you, I was just wondering. The tower, did anything in it survive the fall? It seemed pretty bad."
"Oh, you have no idea." The nomad chuckled. Clearly not having worked the day it fell since she was inside it and it was bad. She let out a sigh not too long after. "Not everything, unfortunately. Although anything surviving at all was a miracle." Hat Girl gave a nod to that statement, that gave her some hints that there were things that made it. The nomad pointed to a building nearby. "We relocated anything that survived the tower's fall in there. Or well, most of what survived the tower."
"Most of it?" Macbeth asked, walking beside Hat Girl. "What happened to the rest? Is it bein' restored somewhere?"
"I wish I could say that. One night they were in their spots and by morning they were gone! No footprints or handprints, or anything giving a hint of what might have stolen them!" She paused before looking at them. "Sorry, it's just a bit upsetting, you know?" Hat Girl gave a nod as she looked at Macbeth. It was impossible for there to be no clues, they knew that better than most people. "It was the more interesting stuff as well, with some kind of story. All that was left in their place was some sand."
"I'm sorry to hear all of that. I hope it turns up soon." Hat Girl said, before turning around and heading back to her fathers, who had started to walk over. Both gave a sigh when they saw the lack of excitement in her eyes, that couldn't be good. She glanced behind her for a moment as the Nomad left to head to another part of the ruin town, before speaking. "Someone stole some of the surviving relics from the tower. Based on the way she described them, it's what we're after."
"There's no way it's convenient." Macbeth said. "It has to be tied to the Moonjumper myth."
"Was it one of those cat's like yer friend, or could it 'ave been Snatcher or somethin'?" Right asked, Hat Girl shaking her head. It would have left footprints on the ground if it was a Lazy Paw, that's how she learn to spot them. And while she could see Snatcher taking them for one reason or another, she couldn't see Snatcher not telling them or spilling the beans to Macbeth by mistake. "Well, I 'ave no idea then, t'ose were t'e only two t'at came to mind. Do you t'ink t'ey could 'ave gotten far?"
"If they made it out of this desert at any time with those things without getting spotted, then they are really good at this." Reginald said, wiping his brow. "Despite saying that, no. I don't know why but I got this, weird feeling they couldn't have gotten far with them, do you?" Macbeth gave a nod, and the other two shrugged. "I feel like to just steal those things, I don't think they stole them just to have them or sell them."
"They had to have left something behind, right? Unless whoever it was can teleport, there has to be a hint somewhere." Hat Girl said, scanning around the area. It might just not be something they could see. Maybe there was nothing at all. But she couldn't leave empty handed like this, she had to at least try and find any clue about all this. She let out a sigh as she turned to the others. "I think the best course of action is to look around, see if we can find anything off… and I'm not the one in charge here."
"Well, those were the words I was planning to say." Reginald said with a smile. Hat Girl returned it, before letting out a sigh as she got into the cold bag for a bottle of water, shivering a bit from the remaining pieces of ice that Macbeth had tossed in to make sure the water survived the heat. Reginald, meanwhile, made a mental note in his mind, recalling the few landmarks they saw their last trip here. "Let's try to be careful, we don't know if whoever it was is still here, and if they'll be mad."
"Probably would." Macbeth said, the dweller on his shoulder nodding.
"W'otever happens, t'ey'll 'ave to get t'rough me first." Right felt a hand on his shoulder. "Ya want me to tone it down, I guess?" Right asked as he turned to Reginald, getting a nod. Hat Girl let out a small chuckle as she glanced around. She needed to be alert at all cost, she couldn't let anything leave her sight. This was her one chance, she couldn't let it get pass her. "Hattie, try and stay wit' t'e group." Right called, making her paused. she didn't even notice she started walking.
"Sorry! It just happened." She chuckled as she went back to them. Reginald began to walk in the direction of where he recalled one building. It was bigger than the rest, maybe some town hall? Or a church? It was hard to tell exactly. He didn't know what the people who lived here did. Or how contented they were to subcon, if at all. Hat Girl glanced behind them at time, taking some breaths. "This is all going to be worth it guys, I promise." She held her own hand. "We're gonna find something, I'm sure of it."
Macbeth gave Hat Girl a worried glance. He didn't like how she was acting about all this. It was good they were looking for answers, but still.
"Kid," He said, drawing her attention to him. "We're all going to be fine, even if we don't find anything. You don't need to worry. If there's any group that has a chance of taking on some deity, it's the clan." Hat Girl didn't respond, just glanced ahead. Macbeth let out another sigh, he had to at least try.
In the hour that they searched and researched areas, they found nothing. Not a single clue to the location of the items, or even what those items were. It was frustrating, especially for Hat Girl. There couldn't be nothing here! Should she have come back here earlier? Would there be clues then? She didn't know and she would never know. She did her best to hide how she was feeling, but her footsteps got a bit more heavy against the ground. Her breath slowly became more shaking. Her eyes would dart to every light crack in every surface.
It became clear to the others, especially her dads, that this wasn't going well and if they let her keep stressing like this, something bad was going to happen. Reginald was able to convince her that a break was in order, even though Reginald intended to leave once she had cooled off. He could check the news to see if anything came up at the station. So they went to the oasis, the sight just as clear and perfect as the day they were last here. Before Hat Girl was even aware of the stone.
Back when the world made just a little more sense. Back when there were no memories. No Moonjumper myth to worry about.
"Righty, don't think of taking my gloves off this time, I have something ready for you if you do." Reginald said as he sat under one of the trees, giving Right a smug look. Right just gave a shrug in response. Hat Girl let out a small chuckle, although it had less energy than usual. It almost seemed like it was a fake one. Reginald glanced over at her. "Hattie, you can sit in the shade if you want. It's cooler under here." Reginald said, waving her over despite the fact her back was turned.
She shook her head, and Right walked up to her, making sure to give her a little space between them as he sat down. "Are ya feelin' well? Over'eated or 'ungery?" He asked her. He didn't want to start with 'are you ok', the answer people gave was usually yes. She shook her head, and let out a sigh as she reached into the water, allowing it to wash over her hands. "We'll find w'ot we're lookin' for." He said. "'and If we don't ‘ere, we'll find t'em somew'ere else."
"I…know I shouldn't be getting so upset and moody over the most realistic outcome." Hat Girl admitted with a sigh. She glanced at her reflection as she pulled her hand from the water. Even with the ripples she could see the faint red forming around her eyes. She didn't let it. She took a breath to try and calm down, but something about that made her even more annoyed. "I just- I don't know if I can explain it all. I just want to learn what's going to happen so I can make the right call."
"Well, how do you know that seeing what might happen and trying to prevent it won’t just lead to that happenin'?" Macbeth asked, getting a small and quick glare from Reginald and Right. Hat Girl turned to him, not out of anger, but in confusion. He walked over, keeping his gaze focus on Alexsandera as they floated over the water. He needed to be ready to act if something happened. "I'm not sayin' that to be mean. It's just somethin' that happens a lot in stories, who says it can't' happen in real life?"
"I ‘ate it w'en ya make good points." Right Hand Man sighed, looking down at the ground. "It feels like our life is one crazy novel now anyway."
"Well, you make good points sometimes too." Macbeth shrugged as Alexsandera floated back to him, resting around his arm as he turned to Right Hand Man. "Sometimes." Right gave him another glare, but it faded when he heard Hat Girl chuckle.
"Please never change guys." She said as she glanced over. Her smile faded again, never change… How simple the idea seemed, yet it felt impossible. "I don't want you all getting hurt." She spoke, more to herself than the others. She reached up to her hat and put it in her lap. "I just want us to get home and not have to worry about this. But it feels like no matter what I do I won't be able to escape whatever fate lays ahead. Or worst..keep you all safe from any harm my involvement might bring…"
The group was silent for a moment, allowing her to try and process her thoughts some more. Reginald got out from the shade, walking up to his daughter. "Hattie…" He said as he sat down beside her, the alien letting out a sigh as she met his eyes. "You worry about the clan because you care for them, like they care for you." she gave a nod, she knew that was true. "Worrying is a good trait to have, to an extent. And you're allowed to feel worried. So much is happening and who knows what will happen next."
"That doesn't mean you should let it take you over completely." Macbeth stated, pausing as he glanced around. He had no idea why, he just felt, strange all of the sudden. Not that it was time to worry about him. "I know it's hard not to let worry, guilt, anger, sadness, all that consume you. Trust me on that." Hat Girl have him an odd look at that as he tossed a stone across the oasis’ waters, just to not have to look them all in the eyes. "And I know, whatever happens, we will let it."
"We all 'ave issues Macbeth, ya don't need to be focusin' on yourself in this." Right stated, to which the ghost just shrugged. Fair point. Right paused as Hat Girl began to stand up, Reginald backing up to give her more space. She dusted some of the sand off her outfit as she took a look at the sky above. Right waited for a minute before walking just a little bit closer. "Look, no matter w'ot 'appens from all this, we 'ave yer back. Ya don't need focus on yer fears alone."
"Your words and ideas are helpful, they really are, and I appreciate them." Hat Girl said as she turned to face all three of them. "It's just.. I just wish I could have known more. Could have figured it all out that day in the tower. Or, who was even…" She paused, having turned to face one of the view buildings that were nearby. That hint of red, peeking from beyond the stone wall. "That's them." She whispered, just loud enough for the group to hear. "The figure in the tower when it collapsed."
"You think they could've…" Reginald asked as he walked up to her, trying his best not to look where she was looking, to make it less obvious. She gave a nod, looking at him and reaching for his hand. The fear of the moment came back to her for a bit. Right glanced ahead, locking onto the figure with his vision. Their facial details seemed blurred under the hood, but it didn't matter. "Righty, I know what you're thinking, but I don't think-" The cyborg raced ahead. "Why are you like this at times!" He said, taking a breath before going to race after him.
"Oi, ya 'ave a lot of exlapin' to do!" Right shouted, anger in his voice. The figures reaction was a little delay, maybe from the shock of being spotted, but they raced off. Unfortunately for them, their red cloak was easy to spot amongst the desert and it was easy for Right to keep his eyes on them, eventually turning on his flight mode just to catch up to them. "Don't try 'nd run from me!" He shouted as he managed to grab the cloak and dug his feet into the ground, expecting to take the figure down with him.
"Papa!" Hat Girl called when she saw him catch them… Only for the cloak to seemingly fold onto itself a bit. Hat Girl could tell that from where she was. There seemed to be some sand falling to the ground, but no sign of anyone inside. Right looked both shocked and angry when they came up to him, Hat Girl going up to the cloak and glancing at it for any patterns on it. "Wait a second… there's still sand inside." She noted as she glanced at the hood.
"Can you please let my cloak-"
The group let out a collective shout of surprise. The sand inside the cloak shot forward a bit, seemingly out of fright. Some magic aura covered Right's hand and forced it to let go, some of the falling sand rising into the cloak.
"Macbeth, are t'ey doin' illusion magic or somethin'?" Right said, the ghost giving him a confused look on how he should know. Right let out a huff as his arm changed into a blaster, aiming it at the figure as he walked over. "We need answers and know ya 'ave t'em." He reached with his human hand and tossed the hood of the cloak. "Ya.."
He didn't really know what he was expecting considering the little he and the other saw. Granted, he doubted any of them were ever expecting to come across someone like this. There was just sand. Sand floating around in the vague, faceless form of a human head. Hints of what seemed to be magic seemed to appear for a brief moment. At first, Right thought it might have been a spell to cover their features, but if he squinted he could faintly see through the sand of their head.
The figure backed up a bit, glancing around to see if anyone else had spotted them. That was when the group saw the figure didn't have legs. Some of the figures sand reached back for their hood, forming into hands as it covered their head. They glance at the group of toppats for a minute, silent. Like they had never been in this kind of situation before and didn't know what to say about themselves. Hat Girl stepped forward, and the figure glanced at her. Or at least move their head in her direction, they had no eyes so who knew how they were even seeing.
"You came back here…" They said. Their voice was a little odd. It had a faint echo effect to it. And there was something just…off with how it sounded. They were clearly speaking aloud but their voice almost felt like it was going through their heads more than the actual world. If Macbeth wasn't so used to someone's voice ringing just in his head, he would have assumed it was in there. "I don't understand. There was no reason for you to come back here. Not after what happened and with everything…"
"So you do know about my daughter's place in all this." Reginald asked, taking his hand and moving Right's blaster down. The figure of sand just looked at him, falling silent. Did they not talk to anyone? Reginald wouldn't have been surprised, if they had he would have thought he heard about this being sooner, but no one had mentioned it. No one beside Hat Girl may have even seen them. Speaking of which… "Who are you? Why didn't you help her when the tower was collapsing?!"
"I-I should have, I'm sorry I didn't! I just, didn't know what to do. I was so worried about being seen that thought didn't cross my mind." The figure spoke, looking back at Hat Girl. Despite not having features, Hat Girl could tell they meant it, and were sorry. There was just something about the way they spoke and moved, and the aura around them. Reginald gave a nod as he sighed, wiping his brow. "My name is Autiomaa. I… lived here for years. It's the only place I ever known."
"I guess you hide from the people who made this a tourist sight?" Hat Girl asked, getting a nod from Autiomaa. Hat Girl couldn't help but think of how lonely that must be. Were they scared the people would do something with them? She couldn't say. Although, considering when she last saw them, there were still questions going through her mind. She took a breath. "Do you know anything about the Moonjumper myth? The one about the second coming of the Moonjumper? Anything about it?"
"Don't try 'nd lie about any of t'is." Right spoke, keeping his gaze on the sand creature as their cloak lifted a bit. "She didn't come all t'is way for nothin' after all."
"I wish I could tell you your story, I really do. But just because I was technically the Moonjumper doesn't me I-" they paused, having seen the looks in the group's eyes. It was stunned but filled with surprise. Autiomaa sighed. "When the original Moonjumper died, his… 'being' was split into four, and spread across the world, forming their own beings. I am one of the four, mostly made of what remains of the Moonjumper's magic. However, I have very few memories from him. I…wish I had more I could say, believe me."
"So… That means the stories are true then." Macbeth said, Alexsandera looking up at him. He shouldn't say he was surprised, he had a feeling they were real with all the evidence that recently came up. But deep down he had hoped it was all just one big conscience, that there was no need to worry at all. Autiomaa's mere existence, if they were telling the truth, was the last nail in the coffin. "Do you know about the other pieces? Where we might be able to find them? Do they know more?"
Autiomaa didn't answer right away. Just glancing at the sand below them, as if conflicted in how to answer. Hat Girl decided to take a different approach. "You were the one to steal the relics from inside the tower, right?" She asked, to which Autiomaa gave a sheepish nod. Hat Girl walked up to them and placed a hand on their shoulder. The cloak denting from the faint and sudden pressure of her hand. "Those relief told parts of what's going to happen when the Second Coming arrives, right?"
"Maybe? I can't say for sure." Autiomaa said, letting out a sigh with a hint of frustration. The sand below them shook a bit, making her step back. Autiomaa floated back, a hand of sand forming and resting on their featureless face. "The Moonjumper, he saw his death before it happened. I know that. And he saw what was going to happen, he saw you." Hat Girl held in a gulp. "But it's all so blurry to me. And he never told anyone. Maybe he write it down, but he likely never gave all the details." They looked back up at her. "Those relics are all guess work. Everything with the future is."
"I suppose that's to be expected." Hat Girl sighed. She was upset inside, she just wanted to know what was going to happen. But was there any hope of that if a piece of Moonjumper himself couldn't remember what's going to happen. Who's to say any of the Moonjumper pieces knew that much anyway? Maybe they were all as clueless as Autiomaa and really, who could blame them? "Is it possible for us to at least see them?" She asked, drawing her hand away from them. "To get any clue we can?"
"I don't see why I couldn’t allow that." Autiomaa said, after a moment of hesitation. They could tell this had been bothering her, they really could. But they couldn't do much to help. Autiomaa glanced into the distance nearby, a ways away from the ruins. A single stone stood tall there, Autiomaa floating in the direction of that before turning around to face the group again. "There's a hidden tunnel over there. It was where I was born. It's where the relics are kept now."
"Well, let's get goin' then." Right said, walking ahead of the group. "If we're goin' to learn anythin' of use from t'is trip, t'e sooner t'e better."
"Of course sir." Autiomaa said, following behind him. Right paused and gestured for Autiomaa to go ahead, the sand figure shaking their head, but going anyway. Right still had a faint look of mistrust in his eyes, he still couldn't be sure that this being was being truthful about their origins. They seemed kind, but he knew how easy kindest could be an act. More than anyone. "So… How was the trip here?" Autiomaa asked as they glanced back. "I'm sorry, I normally just speak with myself."
"It's fine, no need to worry." Reginald said, offering a smile. There was some unease in him as well, but as long as Autiomaa didn't try anything, it would be fine. At least that's what he told himself. He glanced at Hat Girl as she took a drink of water, she seemed to be feeling a bit better. On the surface, at least. Reginald reached over and adjusted her hat a bit. "See, everything is going to be fine." He spoke to her. "I'm sure we won't have to worry about this much longer."
"I hope so." Hat Girl said with a smile. "I mean, if the second Moonjumper is like Autiomaa, we won't have to worry."
Reginald gave a nod. Macbeth was in the back of the group, mostly paying attention to Alexsandera. They did a small ring in the air, seemingly happy. Macbeth couldn't blame them, finding out your story's legend was real, and a piece of them was still alive? Who wouldn't be excited. Especially at their age?
"Yo' enjoyin' all this, aren't you?" He asked, getting a nod.
That was all fine and good but… there was a question going through his mind. Why is it he knew Autiomaa was a part of Moonjumper before they said anything. And… why did he feel this need to hear every word, and to bow?
It took about ten minutes to get to the stone, enough time for the group to gather their thoughts, at least a bit. When they got there, Autiomaa had them take some steps back. A warm, orangey magic came from them, as the group near the stone seemed to part. A staircase came into view as sand fell below, showing the tunnel of stone. Two lights near the entrance lit up with a warm yellow glow, and Autiomaa had the group come in, before closing it again. The sand on the ground seemed to disappear.
The stone of the wall was old and dusted. The lights looked like torches, but instead of a flame at the end it was a magical gem that glowed. There were old, faint carvings on the walls. Hat Girl took glances at them as they walked through the place. They seemed to be mostly of the nomads or, at leasts what looked to be them. She shouldn't have been surprised, but still, something felt off.
"You said you were born here?" Macbeth asked Autiomaa, walking up closer to the sand spirit. They nodded as they paused, glancing into one of the nearby rooms. Macbeth glanced in, there was nothing special about the room. Just a few old vases and some sand on the floor. He gave a nod as Alexsanedra peaked in, him quietly calling them back to his hat as he turned to ask another question. "What was it like, if you don't mind me askin'. Just coming to life doesn't sound easy. I know a robot who had it rough when it happened to him."
"Robot?" Autiomaa asked as they glanced at him, tilting their head. Macbeth didn't know what to say right away, but Autiomaa sighed. "I remember being confused. All these senses I felt I had before but didn't come to me. This cloak was hanging up on the room. I used it to help me try and grab some sense of..identity I guess?" They glanced at the wall. "I can't really say much more, it was a very long time ago. I can't remember clearly." They stopped outside of another room. "The relics are in here." They said as the lights in the room glowed.
"Thank you." Hat Girl said as she walked into the room. There wasn't too much, some more stone tablets, some small statues, and a vase, but surely she could piece together the story from these. She began to look at them. She saw carvings of tophats. Of flowers and butterflies. And of moons. But nothing that was clear from the start. The statues were worn in age, and none seemed to show her. "Ok, surely I'm missing something." She whispered as she went through to look for anything she might have missed on her quick glance.
"Hattie." Reginald said with a small sigh, watching her do this. It was like she wouldn't have time to do this, or that if she didn't figure it out this second the world was going to explode. He walked over to one of the stone pieces, and waved her over. It showed a carving of what seemed to be her, and the moonjumper. The figures were just glancing at each other. "Alright, it looks like things are going well. Or, are going to go well, I suppose." Reginald said with a smile, looking at her.
"Well, at least from what we can see." Maceth said as he went to one of the statues. "The bottom of this one looks burnt."
"Fire was used to kill the Moonjumper, so that's likely a statue of the past and not of the possible future.." Autiomaa pulled their cloak closer to their being. "I don't like to think of the fire now." There was a shiver in their voice that earned a look of pity from Macbeth. He glanced back at the statue, and glanced at the one beside it, showing a shape rising. "I think that could be the Moonjumper, there's a piece of the head missing." They paused. "Are those… chains on his arms? I only just noticed…"
"I think? it's too rough to tell." Hat Girl said as she walked by Macbeth. There seemed to be what almost looked like a cuff, and a single piece of a chain still attached. But it was so stumbley, it could have just been how they stylized the outfit. Could have just been a connection point to a part of the statue that no longer exists. She gave the idea of him being captured a thought. "If the Second Moonjumper will get captured, then I suppose things would be quiet… but it doesn't explain me."
"Like I said, only Moonjumper knew what was going to happen." Autiomaa stated. "I can't find out… Unless.."
"Unless? Why are ya sayin' 'unless' now? Did the idea just come into your brian or somethin'?" Right asked, getting a sheepish nod from Autiomaa. Right let out a sigh as he looked at Hat Girl, who seemed interested. She was still looking over the relics, mumbling to herself, but she was glancing over. Right crossed his arms as he turned back to the sand creature. "Alright, w'ot do ya 'ave in mind t'en? Do ya know if it's even goin' to work wit'out harmin' someone, based on 'ow yer actin'?
"It's a spell that could show a more accurate version of the future." Autiomaa stated. "I saw it a few times in a spellbook I read but I never thought to try it. It requires someone with a personal attachment to the relic, however. You all just showed up, so none of you would have enough of a direct connection to make it work." Right went to speak but they rose a hand. "And before you say ‘why not me’, it's because it can't work on the main subject of the relics story, and since I'm techally 'Moonjumper', I count as the subject." They then mumbled “For some reason…I’d like to know more too, but nope.”
"Wait!" Hat Girl brought out her bag, taking out the stone tablet that brought her here and raced over. "I’ve had this for months now, I've been worrying over it. Is that enough of a connection?"
"It… should be.." Autiomaa gently took the stone, examining it for a moment, before handing it back to Hat Girl. They flew into the room across the hall and returned with a book floating in sand. "It shouldn't be harmful with my type of magic. The worst you might get is some dust in your eyes… But are you all sure this is a good idea?" Autiomaa glanced at them all. "It may be useless information to you. Or it could be something you cannot prevent, and therefore you will spend until that moment in dread."
"Well, if we would have said no to something like that we wouldn't have come all the way out here." Reginald sighed, looking at Hat Girl. She was holding onto the stone. She was desperate for any information that could put her mind at ease. What kind of father would he be if he didn’t allow her that. He glanced over at Right, who gave a hesitant nod, before Reginald walked up to the creature. "We'll allow it. Just, please try to be careful. We're all a family here, I don't want to lose someone."
"I doubt that's goin' to happen." Macbeth said, but looked to Autiomaa. "But please do try to be careful." Why did he feel so strangely confident in all this?
Autiomaa nodded as they began to head down the hall, the group following behind. "I'm… sorry if I'm getting you dragged into something bad." Hat Girl said as she glanced at the men with her. "I'm just… so desperate to know. I have been for awhile, I don't like hiding it. It doesn't rest easy with me… I just hope this will finally clear my mind and we can return to some form of normal. You know?" She asked as she glanced at her fathers. Reginald wrapped an arm around her shoulder and she held his hand.
"You'll be fine, we'll be fine." Right said as he glanced at her, offering her a small smile. She gave a small one in return, before glancing at the floor. Counting the footsteps in her mind. Her footsteps to her destiny, her fate. Or just her ease of mind. She didn't know. She just knew she was walking towards something. And she wasn't going to run back now. "I'm still ready to shoot the cloak if they try to backstab us." Right quickly whispered to Reginald, earning a small glare.
"I feel like they would have done that earlier if they were going too." Reginald said. "You could have a little more trust, you know that?"
Right just shook his head, before pausing as the hall got darker.
The hall eventually ended in a large room. It was empty, a fine layer of sand on the ground. Was this where it went every time the door to this place was opened? Autiomaa opened the spellbook and glanced at the page. Right peaked over the shoulder of their cloak, but he couldn't read whatever was on the page. It just looked like gibberish. It didn't seem too complicated, however, at least from what he could try and gather from it. That made him feel a bit more at ease. He backed up with a small sigh of relief.
Hat Girl glanced at the stone in her hand, and walked up to Autiomaa, holding it out to them. They glanced over at her as they allowed the book to fall onto the ground, gently taking it. She let out a small sigh, closing her eyes. Autiomaa moved some sand, carefully using it to move some hair out of her eyes. She looked up at them as they placed a sandy hand on her shoulder. Somehow, she knew they were offering her a smile. She took a step back, holding her hands to her chest as she took a breath.
The room fell quiet. Autiomaa glanced away, taking a breath.
"I… need to say this now in case I forgot to earlier." Autiomaa said as they turned to the group. "This spell, I can't promise it will show what you want. To be honest, I can't even promise it will show you what you need. This stone is filled not just with Hat Girl's fear, but of carvers who would never live to see these events, wanting to capture the signs of the Second Coming of Moonjumper, not one person in a hat." They took a breath. "There is no promise for anything of use, but I will do my best."
"That's all we can ask for." Hat Girl said, and Autiomaa nodded, their sand faintly glowing beneath the hood. They brought the stone up to their head, taking a breath. Macbeth stood in front of the group in case anything happened. Suddenly, the stone glowed and cracked, as Autiomaa forced their form through it, the sand on the floor suddenly rising and spinning. Hat Girl went to cover her eyes but found the sand was mostly behind the group. "Autiomaa!?" She called as she looked up. "Are you alright?! Are you hurt?!"
"It's ok, I heard Snatcher talk about this before." Macbeth said. "Some spells require a person to lean more into their personal sense in body, mind, magic, all that. Because Autiomaa is made of sand, they-" Macbeth paused as he turned around to face the group, stopping mid way. He didn't even notice the vague shapes forming in the sand. He just barely caught the fading form of a man. A man toppats would be able to recognize, especially him…
"Mr. Macbeth?" Hat Girl asked, looking at him before he shook his head, trying to clear it.
He glanced up in time to see Autiomaa reforming back into their cloak, seeming to try and regather themselves. They reached part of their sand, forming into a hand, up high. The stone suddenly reformed itself, and everything stopped. The sand came crashing down onto the ground. The living members of the group letting out coughs as Autiomaa slowly floated down, glancing at the stone.
Hat Girl looked at them, and raced ahead, shaking off some sand from her clothing as she went. "Did it work?!" She asked them.
"I believe it did…" Autiomaa took a breath, as if trying to gather themselves mentally. They placed the stone in her hands, and she glanced at the picture.
The picture showed her and the Moonjumper. She was standing on the right side, what seemed to be a line cutting through the rest of the right. The Moonjumper was on the ground, on his 'knees', an aura around his hand. The lines in the back seemed to show subcon forest, but something felt..odd..
"It doesn't look like anything bad." Reginald said as he glanced over his daughter's shoulder. "It's like he's showing you something with a spell maybe?"
"Maybe he's… helping us get home?" Hat Girl said, looking at her fathers. "We are slowly getting closer to getting back. But I don't think you figured out how to launch that back into the atmosphere.."
"Well… No." Right said, as Hat Girl let out a giggle. One that seemed to lack the stress. The worry. It sounded almost just like how it should sound. Almost…
"Well," Hat Girl brought out her bag, placing it on the ground. She began to place the stone back inside, but paused. "There's something on the back. It only had one image before.."
The group fell silent, as she turned it around to show them. It showed the Moonjumper, floating in a state that almost seemed surprised. There was a figure on the other side of the image, but that part of the stone was more cracked, and it was just a little harder to make out any details. They could see the faint shape of a human figure bowing. Some cloak cover most of their features. Butterflies were dotted about. The faint shape of that station was in the background.
"W'ot does t'at mean?" Right asked, turning to Autiomaa.
"I… wish I knew. I could in theory try the spell again, but considering it already did what it was supposed to do, I don't expect you would get different results.." Autiomaa looked at Hat Girl. "Like I said, who knows how accurate these images will be to what happens. I wish I could give you more."
Hat Girl let out a small sigh. "No, thank you. If both images show nothing too worrying, then that's enough for me to rest easy.." She turned to her group. "I think we're good to head back now. I don't think there's any more reason to stick around."
"One second, Hattie. Autiomaa?" Reginald turned to the sand figure, making them glance up. "I understand this place is what you have learnt to be comfortable with, but I feel like it has to be lonely." Autiomaa glanced to the side, bringing their cloak in close. "We aren't going to be here forever, but you are welcomed to stay with the clan while we are. There's so much to this world that you haven't seen."
Autiomaa was silent, glancing at the ground. Should they tell the group? About Badge, and Hydartic? About anything else they knew?
Autiomaa eventually shook their head. "This place is all I've known. I… will have to travel out of here eventually. I need to see this story's end for myself. It'll be the only way for me to know peace…" Hat Girl gave them a sad look as they glanced at the walls. "But for now, I just want to stay here, at least a little longer… I will see you again, just not today."
The faint echo of the door opening in the distance rang through the hall, the light shining in at the end. Reginald gave a nod. "If that's what you want… Thank you for your help." He offered a smile, before turning down the hall.
Hat Girl gave a quick wave before she picked up her bag and followed him, Right waiting a moment before following as well. Macbeth was about to follow, but Alexsandera floated up to Autiomaa, wrapping around their 'neck' gently. "Alex!" He called, as the dweller looked over. "I'm so sorry-"
"No, it's ok." Autiomaa said after a moment, a little bit of hand forming to gently touch the mask of the spirit. Macbeth gently reached over and took Alexsandra off. He had them rest on his shoulders, and Autiomaa let out a hum. "I feel…those strange instants you felt earlier. I feel like I have the faintest idea why…"
"What do you mean?" Macbeth asked, his tone of pure curiosity. How could this be know about that? He didn't know what to expect from an answer. Autiomaa glanced to the side, before answering.
"You know, I think a cloak of your own will suit you well."
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