He leaned against the central doorway, peering out into the endless still ocean. He crossed his arms, and rested his right ankle behind his left, as he waited. His body was lean and muscular, as if it was sculpted instead of made. Though large, the body also had an elegant flow. His dark silver hair fell gently on his shoulders and down his back; thick, clean, and straight. His face had strong features, but radiated a gentle softness. He wore a simple dull white cloth, wrapped around his shoulder and tied at his waist, out of equal parts modesty and vanity. And he smiled in amusement at the scene in front of him.
Out from the gate he rested on laid a simple glass pathway, level with the waters and stretching into the horizon. A dozen yards out sat a large cat, peering into the waters. Despite its feral shape and size, it had the markings of a housecat. It wore a black coat, and had a white belly. Especially prominent were the small white boot markings on its feet.
It sat level on the glass, tail twitching in anticipation as it gazed into the clear waters below. Shadows danced across the walkway and the water’s surface, fed by the pure white light far below and shaped by unseen creatures in the sea. The cat jumped back suddenly, as a head lunged out of the water and rested on the pathway.
The cat's tail curled as it rose, and its back arced in suspense. It gazed at the head of a massive creature, whose body was obscured by the waters below. Intelligent eyes gazed back at the cat for a moment. It spat forward a mass of objects, before retreating back into the waters. It dove back down to the brilliant depths in serpentine movements.
The cat relaxed its pose, sniffing at what the snake spat up. Fish floundered on the walkway, completely helpless. The cat turned its head to the man standing under the archway, seeking approval. His calm eyes and unfaltering smile gave her the confidence to continue. It swiped at the fish, pushing them back into the water save for the one it wanted. It picked that one up with its mouth, and trotted happily back to the man with its tail high in the air.
“Was that so bad?”
Zorael looked at his pet with an amused expression. It gave him a brief glance before looking away. She stood up, taking the fish in her hands, before replying:
“He’s scary.”
It was hard to decide whether she was a human who looked like a cat, or a cat which looked human. Any onlooker would have their opinion changed depending on what angle they saw her. For a human, her face was short. Or for a cat, it was tall. These two thoughts would struggle in your mind as you looked at her head. Prominent furry ears adorned her head, focused on the man in front of her. Running along it laid short, shaggy hair. Fur ran along the side of her head, framing her face. Dark yellow eyes stared at a corner of the room with a black slit running through them, contrasting the intelligence shown in them. White eyebrows contrasted the black hair on her head.
Her body was thin and muscular. Black arms ended in white hands, with short fingers and strong nails. Black legs ended in white feet, standing gracefully on their balls. A black tail twitched to balance the rest of the body.
“Rahab’s not scary. Give him a chance, he’s not that bad.”
Zorael pushed himself off the entrance’s side with his shoulder, and turned in a simple motion. He turned his head back to his cat, and waited until she caught up before entering the doorway of the palace before them.
The gate’s wall rose two stories above the water, and stretched straight for nearly a mile. The roof rose suddenly as it got closer to its center, rising in layers. Spires of ice adorned the top of the building, decorating them without adding purpose. It gave a grand view from the main walkway, but more impressive was what was beneath the waters. Like an inverted crown, enormous stalactites dug deep into the water, forming roughly together into one large basement. For every foot above the waves the tower stood, ten dug underneath them.
Inside the gates was an ethereal dream. Light passing from underneath scattered through countless translucent walls, until they passed through the main hall in flicks of scattering lights. As if from a prism, they danced on the walls and ceiling. The hall itself was impressively built. Made like the entrance of a mansion, it had many doors leading out of it: two on either side of the room, front and back; one in the center, leading downward; and four on top of the circular staircase on either side of the room, leading to higher towers. Zorael and his pet walked through the central door, heading deep into the palace.
“It’s not like he’ll eat you, you know.”
“You never know…”
“Bootsie, I made him myself. He doesn’t eat meat. I couldn’t even fit a digestive tract on him. You’re pretty safe.”
Their words echoed through the narrow hallways, making the ice sing as the words passed. Just barely evident through the thick walls were motions of creatures beyond them. Beyond the walls, an untold number of animals made their home. None nearly as complicated as the two walking down the stairs, their simple homes were adequate for their contentment. Their population became more sparse as the pair walked down, until they reached the lower spires. Here, all life was instead housed in tubes; either awaiting life, or having already finished it. They rested, standing ready for anyone willing to gaze at them.
The pair walked to the edge of the central spire, to a room overlooking the ocean below. Here, an antiquated lab sat with various improvements adorning it. From the glass pane on the back, the ocean’s light was clear and vibrant. A colorful display of aquatic life glided in it, as if dancing for anyone wanting to see them. Along with the room’s central table sat various vats. Unknown substances rested in each of them, ready to be used at a moment’s notice.
Bootsie jumped on top of a particularly comfortable one, sat on her side, and started nibbling on her fish joyfully.
Vaguely aware of her presence, Zorael walked back to the central table. On it rested a corpse, cut open in the middle. He was in the middle of a dissection when his cat bugged him for food. Setting back to work, he summoned a scalpel, and sliced through the flesh. He examined the organs, comparing what he found with what he was hoping to build.
He mused to himself, studying now as he always has.
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