"Please, follow me," the old man said and Lusa chuckled lightly.
"No matter what you have up your sleeves old man, I dare to find out," she said and followed the man amused by her words, in.
She found that the odd crystal she had seen from outside the structure was much more clear inside. She walked behind his tall figure till they stood at what seemed to be a crystal garden. The sky above them was open for all to see. Some benches and chairs were in small corners. The crystal sprouted from the ground like giant grass, mimicked thoroughly; blades and all. The man sat on the chair by a large crystal sprout and she took the bench opposite him.
"What is this place?" she asked and he smiled slightly.
"A piece of what you came for," he said and her eyes filled with curiosity dimmed into a cold stare.
"You know who I am and even dare to claim to know what I want, yet I do not know you. Isn't it time you explain?" she asked.
"I am the chief. I am responsible for this settlement. I knew you would come. A Thraine guarding a Thriergor gate, you would one day come was common knowledge," the man said.
"Then you know what the inscriptions on the gate say, as well as what I want, but how do you know I will want it?"
"Probability; after so many Thraines, at least one will be interested. This is a precarious time. If you did not come, there may be no more Thraines left to come," he said and she frowned.
"You speak of us as though we are many a people in this clan. You must understand that this Thraine clan you speak of is but a handful of people. There are not enough of us for such a probability," she said and he chuckled.
"You all have always had odd motives. You wish to become a Nether queen. As such, you wish to tap into the power of the gate," he said and her frown deepened.
"We are not as isolated as you may think, Lady Lusa. You wish to have the crystal heart of the Holy Lady's tears and I wish to relocate my tribe from Thriergor. I am sure there is a way for us to help each other," he said and she relaxed a bit. A deal then, that was a much better playing field.
"Since you are not so isolated, you must know that there is a working portal on Thriergor. Why would you come to me?" she asked.
"That portal is limited for some destinations, or else you would have been able to use it to enter the Netherworld," he said and she nodded.
"Still, if the gate is what you also need, then this transaction is not particularly fair. I have gathered all the pieces of the gate key and you have the last one. You should be able to offer me more," she said leisurely and he smiled.
"There is much you do not know about even yourself. You cannot bargain with me with such ignorance,"
"Oh? Is that so?" she asked, "And how did you come to this information?" staring at him in amusement.
"A little naughty boy told me," she raised a brow at these words.
"If you knew him, you would be as annoyed as I am right now," he smiled and she chuckled.
"You don't seem to be,"
"Yes, time does that to you. That is the only way I would be sitting before your kind making deals," he said with a slight chuckle.
"So you have something to offer? Tell me. Your great self may be angry, but don't lose focus on the goal. What can you offer that will make fair the pieces of gate key in my hand?" she asked.
"All your clansmen are a liability; loose cannons one might say. If he did not care about you at all, he would have dealt with you already. The one in that monastery is trying to revive the holy lady, the one across the barrier is trying to attain spiritual heights, the one in the valley wants to evacuate her clan from Thriergor; this I approve, the one in the dry lands wants to control trade across the realms, the one in the fortress wishes to subdue the Sab machines in the higher realms, the former empress is carrying a great burden; probably a bit too great, Lucy Wickshire, the chosen one; that one, she may be the very last Thraine they create," he said and she froze.
At this, he smiled, "Get my tribe to the second heaven and I will tell you how many times Thraines were created,"