16th of Ash, Year 4621 and 49th of Searing, Year 4620
...Continued From 'Starless, Part Two'
"There it is," he said, pointing out towards the horizon. The winds of the desert blew through - slowly, steadily - as they emerged from the chasm, peering out into all that was open before them: a great landscape of dry hills, low savannah and stone. They were so close to Ardinoe, but they had no need to move any closer. This was where they had wanted to go.
"Well, how about that..." Lucas whispered, chuckling beneath his breath. He settled his Chariot, tacking it to a small desert birch before standing up from the vehicle and stretching. "Mmf," he yawned. "Well, what're we gonna do, Jack? Camp out, tell stories by a fire? Just wondering what you wanted to see so badly at the Badland's edge."
The man appeared focused, his eyes dutifully peering across the distance, as if on the lookout for... something. "Daniel told me he had a hideout here," he whispered. "A hatch in the ground, somewhere beyond that chasm. Not far from the entrance, to the... northwest. Hidden around a group of rocks."
Lucas' brow rose. "A hideout? That's... odd. Must be pre-Bleeding."
"Yeah, it was," he nodded. "The hatch must be rusted to all shit. Honestly, probably just helps it blend better with the dryland. Oh--right there, could be it!" With a sudden burst of enthusiasm, the man started jogging towards the condensed group of stones, landing there in a minute or two. Lucas followed closely behind him, stopping as they came upon the rocks to hastily catch his breath.
"...Okay, you see it?"
Jack didn't answer -- not yet. He inspected them, smoothing his palm over their surface as he circled around. Lo and behold, there was a hatch. It was difficult to see; a number of smaller rocks had been dumped on top of it to further obscure it. Jack's eye caught the edge, though, a rusted bolt. "I do," he said. "C'mon, help me lift off these rocks."
The two men bent down, pulling one stone at a time, the surface of the hatch becoming more and more clear as they did. Once it was clear, Jack reached down to tug on the oval-shaped chain, gripping it steadily before bringing it upwards. "There," he said, his breathing settling. There was a ladder that led down. Glancing towards Lucas for a moment, the Weaver smoothed his way in, lowering his feet - one at a time - until they were held up by the bars. He gripped them steadily within each hand, climbing down as the other man followed.
Once they were inside, a smile smeared across Jack's lips, one that stuck with him as he looked around. A bed, some belongings; notes, instruments, and mechanical parts for his persistent interest: engineering. It was Daniel's alright - one look was all it took to know.
"Huh -- this place is nice," Lucas nodded, clapping his hands together.
"It is," said Jack. "There's somethin' I was hoping I'd find here. Daniel kept a journal, ya see -- about his life, the people around him. I want to know what he wrote... about me, about his family. I just think... it'd help bring me some closure."
