Page 24 of My Big Scaly Alien Naga
I agree,Clare said.But where can we go?Is there anywhere that's safe?
I suppressed a cold laugh.No, there wasn't.This planet was created to be a death trap.But I couldn't say that to my mate.I wanted her to hope.
Ba'quoo chirped excitedly.There is another cave, one that the Big Ones used a long time ago.They have not been there in generations.I can lead you there.It is far enough from this den to offer safety to the other chii, yet you should be able to reach it just after sunset.
Fuck.Sunset.The portal had taken me to a different part of the planet, far further to the north than my previous position.It got cold here at night.Cold enough to pose danger to a naga.But we also couldn't stay here.And even if we took the portal back, the camera drones were probably scanning that area as well.
There was nowhere to hide on Kalumbu.
Our only hope was to delay our capture long enough for help to arrive.If there was any help to hope for.
I zoned out for a click to check on my communications implant.No response, but it was still transmitting.Wait.What if this was how the game makers had tracked us to the Diamond Heights?Unlikely, highly unlikely.But better safe than sorry.I turned off the broadcast but kept a channel live to receive any potential message.If we evaded the drones again and they didn't manage to find us a third time, it would be proof that my implant could be tracked.How ironic would that be.
"Everything okay?"my mate asked aloud.I must have looked strange, unmoving, my gaze focused inwards.
"Yes.Sorry.We should leave soon."I switched back to mental communication.Ba'quoo, Sa'quii, could we get some supplies from you?Food, water, blankets, any kind of weapons you may possess?
We do not use weapons,Sa'quii said dismissively, almost sounding offended at the thought.But we do sometimes collect what we find in the jungle.Big Ones drop them carelessly.Ba'quoo will take you to our storage cave, while I will have a little chat with Clare.There are some things she needs to know.
I was tempted to ask what those things were, and whether we really had time for that, but I knew better than to argue with the leader of the chii.Despite her size, she was a formidable character.I was almost a little scared of her.
By the time we left the diamond cave, the first moon was high in the sky and the second had broken past the horizon.The sun was edging towards the mountain range in the east.We didn't have much time left.The temperature already seemed lower than when I'd arrived.
I searched the skies for the drone.
Ba'quoo pointed south.It is flying somewhere there.Do you want to attract its attention?
It was exactly the opposite of what Iwantedto do, but it was necessary for the chiis’ protection.As long as the drone was searching for my mate and I, the chii were in danger.
I sighed grimly.Yes.But you should be gone by the time it gets here.Can you point us towards the other cave?
Ba'quoo chittered with irritation.Why did I get matched with the stupid one?I don't have to be with you to guide you.The other cave is within mind-speak range.I will tell you where to go from the safety of my den.
To my surprise, my mate chuckled.Was she amused on my behalf?Making fun of me?
I had to be better.Smarter.Impress her so she would no longer doubt that we were mates.I had to be the best naga I could be.If only I could have focused completely on my mate rather than surviving on a hostile planet.
"Then let's go," I said aloud."Give us a few clicks to get away from the cave entrance, then I will make some noise for the drone's sensors."
Ba'quoo swiped his tails against my scales, as if to say goodbye or wish us luck, then jumped off.Other chii who had been watching us curiously also disappeared into the mountain's heart.I really hoped we hadn't endangered them with our presence.This was their safe haven, far from monsters and the Trials.
"It's just us now," Clare said with a brave smile."Do you think the other cave will be as beautiful as the one we just left?"
"If it's also made of diamonds, that is likely.But I don't know what the chii meant when they said that 'Big Ones' used the cave.If that's to say that the game makers used it, we might not be as safe there as I'd like us to be."
I tightened the straps of the makeshift backpack containing our supplies.Ba'quoo had also given me an ancient axe that needed sharpening but would do for now.My mate, insisting that she could carry something, held our blankets.Even that had been a struggle for me to allow.The chii had told me what she had been through.The waters deep within the mountain had healing properties, so they'd said, but even after spending hours floating in there, Clare wasn't fully recovered.She hid it well, but sometimes she would wince when her leather-wrapped feet stepped on a rock.
We walked in silence, following a narrow path through the rocks that gently climbed past massive boulders.Around us, the diamond mountains reflected the fading sunlight.The peaks reached high into the sky, far past the clouds, forming a sharp ring all around us.We were in a valley, yet even this had to be at quite some altitude, much higher than the jungle.Sadly, Clare and I would be affected by the altitude before the drones were.
When we were a fair distance from the chii's hideout, I made Clare stop.We had reached a small plateau that opened up the most magnificent views across the Diamond Heights.I wished we could stay here for a while, enjoy the scenery, maybe have a romantic picnic.Instead, we had to call the enemy to us.How ironic that I was about to purposely endanger our safety.
"It is time," I told my mate."I will attract the drone's attention.Once it has us tagged, it will stay with us, observing us every click of the day.I very much hope that the cave we are going to has a small enough entrance that we'll have at least some privacy from the game makers."
"Can the drone harm us?"Clare asked with a worried frown.
"No.They have no offensive capabilities.If they're attacked by the local fauna, they can emit a sonic wave to stun beasts for just long enough to get out of their reach, but otherwise, they are built to observe only."
"Good.I mean, not good, I'd rather we didn't have anyone watch us, but I understand it's necessary.Goodbye privacy, I guess."
