Great photos, I love to see out-and-about shots. Looking forward to seeing what Arachne thinks of the mountains :tu

“Why have we stopped? Is everyone admiring that mountain?” asked Arachne, taken in by it herself.


http://i.imgur.com/h9BCUjwh.jpg


“No… It’s construction. They’re working on the road ahead. Hopefully we don’t see too much of it.” As it was, we were already on a detour route that added a couple hours to the day’s drive. Running into more delays only made it worse. “What do you think of the trees?” I asked, gesturing out the side. Since we were stopped we might as well take advantage of the situation.

Arachne looked out at the wall of green on the roadside. “I don’t like them. There’s too many and they’re all pokey. I don’t understand why surface elves would want to live in them. It’s disgusting. And they’re everywhere!”


http://i.imgur.com/wQ33p75h.jpg


“I’m sorry to say you’ll have to get used to them. They’re plentiful out here.”

Arachne grumbled.

I grumbled as the traffic continued to be plentiful and slow due to the construction. At least I got to show Arachne some big equipment.


http://i.imgur.com/kb9Zrijh.jpg

Lovely scenery! 👍🏼🌲

http://i.imgur.com/5rfHOQ8h.jpg


“What’s that structure across the water?” Arachne asked.

“All those little boxes? That’s a train. It’s a device for transporting large amounts of heavy goods long distances. I think we’ll get closer to it further up, if it’s long enough.”

“Long enough?”

“Yeah. There can be like one hundred cars or more on something like this.”

“I think I see mounds of black stuff in them. What is it transporting?”


http://i.imgur.com/KrqPVtmh.jpg


“Black stuff? Probably coal, then.”

“What!? How do your dwarves mine up so much raw resource!? Your slave drivers must be very efficient!”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “No no, there are no dwarves in this realm. Humans do it all. We have machinery, some of it not unlike what we saw in that construction site. Once we pull it from the ground we can transport it on these trains wherever we need it. Some of it is probably getting exported. Some is probably used to produce power for lights and things. You saw how large Calgary was. That’s a lot of humans who need a lot of power!”

Several miles later we saw another train. “Look. Those are grain cars. They’re full of grains like wheat.They’re probably headed out to the coast to be shipped overseas. It’ll be harvest from all those fields we saw earlier.”


http://i.imgur.com/v1Gqbxeh.jpg


Arachne shook her head slowly in disbelief. That amount of grain could supply her whole city for a very, very long time. “You humans are efficient. That is part of what makes you good at serving.”

I chuckled awkwardly.

Great updates. I love how she said the trees were "pokey." I'll be thinking that whenever I see pines from now on :D

Lovely scenery and storyline. What was her reaction when you showed her your big equipment? :whistle:

"Trees are malicious! You will not convince me that all trees, with their little pokey needles and little pokey twigs aren't actively trying to poke your eyes out. Maybe its surface elf magic, but the trees are compliant!"

"Big equipment? Agent? No... Think more along the lines of 'massive tool.'

"Or do you mean that big yellow thing? It is impressive. A small machine created by humans with the strength to move mountains."

Super art work photography well thought out

After all of the construction delays we’d faced during the day not even the turbocharged engine of the car could compensate. By the time we arrived at the night stop, a seemingly abandoned recreation area, it was pitch black outside. The last city had been left an hour back. Outside of the car it was clear enough that the glow of the milky way was visible in the sky. It was truly breathtaking and a very humbling view while one urinated on a bush.

I digress.


http://i.imgur.com/9KAhwdlh.jpg


“What did you think of the day, Arachne?” I asked as we settled in for the night.

She shrugged. “It was okay.”

“Oh, come on! I know we sat in a lot of construction today, but it was still fun!”

The elf smiled. “Okay, it was pretty fun. I liked the shake this morning. The scenery has been like nothing I’ve seen before. As much as I dislike the hairy creatures, I understand why dwarves like to live in the mountains. I enjoy the speed of this machine and the feeling when it changes direction quickly,” she admitted. “Will there be more of the same tomorrow?”

“Definitely. We’ve got a little more driving to go before we get to one of my favorite roads, but the day is definitely going to start in the best possible way, I assure you. There will be more beautiful mountains, and something completely different that you’ve never seen before. If today was good, tomorrow will be even better,” I promised. “We should get some rest. I want to get on the road early so we can get ahead of the traffic.”

“You know I don’t require the same amount of rest you do. I will trance for a few hours, then go and stretch my legs. Yell if you’re ready to go.”

“Yeah, sure. I heard something moving in the bushes, so just be careful, okay? It might be a bear.”

“One of those stocky black-haired creatures? Yes, I saw it when you were out of the car a moment ago.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Yes. It was watching you.”

I chuckled nervously. “Those things can totally kill you, you know. Maybe you should stay in the car?”

Arachne sighed. “Rivvil and their inability to see in the dark. How has your race survived?” she wondered out loud. “Look, I’ll take Rhyl. If one of them is stupid enough to come near Rhyl will knock it down long before it has a chance to do anything.” Arachne’s companion had found a snug spot to rest in a glove in the door. He’d spent a lot of time there.

I sighed, knowing that I wouldn’t convince the confident drow otherwise. “I know you can take care of yourself, I just don’t want anything to happen to you, is all. I worry.”

“You do. A lot.”

“It’s only because I care about my mistress,” I confessed. “Good night Arachne.”

I turned off the dome light and the car plunged into darkness. I could feel Arachne looking at me in the darkness as I got comfortable. She didn’t reply to me, but I felt comfort that she was here with me.


http://i.imgur.com/c2ytqECh.jpg

She's such a delightful travelling companion. 💙