They came upon the second "plaza", less an actual circular space like the entry plaza, and more like a slightly widened intersection of the path going from right to left of Thunderclaw Fortress's second level, and the stairs from the first level and the stairs across from those that continued up to the third level.
"Up here are usually the storefronts the civilians use, basic clothes, food stalls, butchers, etc." Hamish pointed at each place as he named it. "You also have the Thunderfang, the only bar and pub within miles, so you might be there often celebrating I suppose." He gave a smile over his shoulder.
"I'm underage." Layla said, only to get a weird look from Hamish.
"What?" She asked, and he frowned. "What do you mean... under-aged?"
Layla had been gaining confidence as time passed, and after the fit of laughter when everyone laughed at her stomach, she felt surprisingly warm and good with the people she'd taken as her teammates, especially when Kai and Pedro both mentioned being hungry to take attention off her, and when Michael made everyone laugh about something different. Xandra had patted her back and been there, while Helena... well, she didn't seem like she was that bad a person at least?
So that budding trust was enough to help her push past the anxiety and make into indignant anger. "I'm not under-aged! I'm a perfectly good age!" She pouted, looking away from the Ursa, who looked to the others with a helpless "what did I do wrong?" expression.
Michael patted him on the back. "It's okay, you just misheard her. She said she is underage, as in too young to drink."
Hamish froze... and then burst out laughing. "Too young to drink?! Hahahaha, I've never heard a more ridiculous idea in my life!"
The others stared at him, and he looked at them with a raised eyebrow and a slight condescending tilt to his jaw. "You think a girl can be old enough to risk her life as an adventurer and face death, yet be too young to drink? The very idea is a disrespect to this brave young woman."
He turned around, not waiting for an answer, and the others could feel that his attitude towards them had shifted from not quite understanding but polite to possibly being slightly angered at their double standards in thought.
"I..." Kai started, before trailing off helplessly.
Was it wrong to say a 16 year old girl the size of a 12 year old shouldn't drink? But then again, as adventurers their role is to fight and to face death and monsters! Compared to that, acting like she isn't responsible or mature enough for even a single fucking cup of alcohol did seem... a bit much.
Xandra stepped forward, grabbing the ursa by the shoulder. "I apologize Mr Hamish... we understand that such an idea is alien and perhaps even offensive to those who risk their lives in the Adventurers Association, including you and your own teammates I assume."
Pedro nodded as Hamish turned back around. "Yeah... in our world, we don't face death in pretty sure... or at least don't have the kind of responsibility we do here. So a rule against younger people drinking makes sense as many of them are good for nothings... but it's different here, and even if we can't remember there, we still need to adjust to this new reality."
Helena stepped forward, a serious expression on her face. "Indeed, but we understand. To act like Layla cannot drink because of her age, size, or gender is to disrespect a young woman who will fight alongside us and face death with us. It won't happen again."
Hamish looked at the party for a moment before nodding. "Very well... I guess if your word is truly so different, perhaps such a mistake is excusable. Please do not disrespect a fellow adventurer ever again."
Kai smiled cheekily. "Well I miiiiiight if they deserve it~."
Hamish chuckled at that. "Sounds fair to me." He reaches out a hand, which Xandra clasped as he looked her in the eye before staring the other five in the eye as well, before returning to hers.
He gave her arm a single shake, and stepped back. "Alright, lets keep on, eh?"
Michael nodded, and they kept following as he pointed out certain shops for specific supplies, like a storefront specifically for fishing line and rope closer to the walls on the right side.
Past it the path... went down as stairs doubling back on themselves many times until it reached an area of water behind the walls, hidden from outside view!
And there was a gate that hung open over the hole in the wall's base that allowed the fishing boats to go out into the lake.
Kai frowned. "I... don't remember the lake linking up with the ocean in any way?"
Hamish shook his head. "It doesn't, the lake is a good source of close food and a natural defense, and it's fed by a river that comes from the inner lands, so ships can go up and down the river to transmit supplies and messages." He smiled as he turned. "Upriver is where you'd find cities."
"Ah... but you also have a sea port?"
He shook his head. "That's mostly used by the village down the coast to settle their vessels to trade and communicate with us, and for adventurers to use. A few civilians might own boats on the sea dock, but they would never dare go fishing without an adventurer party protecting them."
"The sea is dangerous? But not the lake?" Kai questioned attentively, and Hamish nodded seriously. "Yes, and don't even think about going to the sea as you are now. You might be adventurers from another world, but the sea is a level 6 zone around here, and only goes higher towards the chaotic border."
"The chaotic border would be towards the forest yes? It's those ominous red-purple clouds?"
Hamish nodded his head, before shaking it. "The chaotic border is that direction, but the ominous clouds are merely the outer layer's phenomenon trying to devour the order of the weather. The ground beneath those clouds is twisted by chaos... the true chaos border is the very edge of the world of order. The last bit of anything..."
They exchanged glances before Kai hesitantly asked.
"Can you... explain what there is after the edge? Does it look like the world just drops off a cliff and there's nothing past it, just the abyss that is chaos?"
Hamish shook his head, confused. "No, not at all. Why would you think that? Chaos looks... like everything in all possibilities is happening all at once at the same time. Or at least, that's how the legendary mage Reagan once described it in historical records."
Helena raised an eyebrow. "No offense, but... I didn't take you for the type to read historical texts."
Hamish laughed. "Indeed, most nobility seem to think low-level adventurers are all crass thugs and barbarians, while high ones are heroes and knowledgable due to experience, but in reality any good adventurer must learn to research the history of the land to explore it! After all, finding out what a region was before chaos corrupted it can be vital in finding artifacts and possibly nexus points."
He saw their confused faces and hastily shook his hands. "But that is nothing you have to worry about any time soon, believe me!"
He shook his head as he turned around. "I suppose if you wish to know what chaos looks like, you'll have to grow until a day comes where you can see it yourself."
He continued the tour.
On the opposite side to the dock within the walls, to the left side was a gate much like the one by the storehouses on the first level, except this gate was open, and a dock could be seen that had lake barges docked there.
"Lemme guess... this is where ships from upriver come in?" Helena asked with a polite smile.
Hamish nodded with a chuckle. "Indeed, it is obvious no? The orientation of the fortress makes sense, does it not? Methods of transport of food are on the side with the warehouses and the Adventurers Association is there to safeguard it, the other side is shops and housing, the level with lake access which is more used by the natives is the level where housing mostly is, while the level where most adventurers come is where their facilities is. Finally, we have the third level."
He brought them up a flight of stairs, but interestingly instead of the angelic statue from before, this statue was of a man holding a sphere overhead, and the sphere seemed to have an engraving, but it was hard to see with water rippling down it as it all flowed from seemingly nowhere right at the top of the sphere, washing down the statue much like the angel between the first and second level.
Kai squinted. 'I think... it's a bird?'
A indistinct shape on the orb held aloft seemed to perhaps be the carving of a bird? Or more like the idea of a bird, just an outline of a "bird" shape with no regard for its species or any distinct details of it, which was strange considering the rest of this statue and the statue below were so extraordinarily detailed to the point Kai was sure magic was used in their creation.
'There's a story there.' His curiosity itched while his adventurer senses tingled, somehow already seeking out any hidden "gems" that may be around.
They went up the right stairway again, and came to a large open space... which confused the party all the more.
They hadn't realized, somehow, just assumed that when they went up, the castle would be ahead, right against the lake. It was the position of power after all, all the flow of traffic going up the steps just to see the castle ahead-that was a powerful kind of message in and of itself.
But instead... the castle was to the left. And to the right was a smaller building, also build with ornate arches, and this one had stained glass windows depicting humanoid figures covered in a race of light from the heavens, slaying evil beasts of many dark colors, even a dragon with yellow "scales" made from separate glass pieces that were somehow a dusky yellow to make a dark yellow color, despite yellow usually being such a bright color in anyone's imagination.
The castle was still easily 4 stories in the main building, with 3 towers going even higher, but it was just... bewildering that it wasn't in the center of the large open space of the third level. It was like the top of the city here was created by a god swinging a mighty blade to perfectly cut the top off the outcropping the fortress was built on, creating a smooth flat surface of stone with many different minerals sparkling in the ground, glossy with how smooth it was somehow.
'Even with magic... this area is beautiful.'
And finally... what was straight ahead?
The place they all expected the castle to be?
Nothing.
It was empty... and the floor extended past the walls as a platform of natural stone over the lake with a perfectly smooth top.
They stared in silent awe at the sun perfectly framed between two pillars on either side of the platform, both with the same indistinct bird image as that orb between this level and the second.
It felt ancient, and sacred, and beautiful.
"This platform and statues... in fact even the stairs around the statue, of you paid close attention... are all made from the natural bedrock this fortress is built on."
Hamish turned with a smile. "These things have been here since long before this place was made into a fortress... but they seem to have a deterrent effect on the Chaos, warding monsters from attacking Thunderclaw Fortress."
"So... do you feel it?"
They didn't need to ask what he meant.
There was a desire, burning in all their veins.
To know.
What happened? Who built this? What did it mean?
Helena wondered at the beauty and aesthetic sense! Who could create such a thing? Did history forget them...? Perhaps... she could find out, she could learn and discover and explore the ruins of these people and find the truth of these beautiful architects?
Kai felt the curiosity itch at him, the uncertainty. How old was it exactly, how long ago was it made? What techniques made it last so long? Sure you can just say magic, but what kind, how did magic affect this, what kind of people did this? Maybe... he could find out, could explore ruins of these people and find their knowledge?
Xandra felt wonder. 'If I looked for the secrets of this place... would I see more beautiful things like this view and how it's so perfectly set, the perfect combination of artificial and natural beauty?'
Michael stared. 'How old is it? Could I find out how they made such strong material? Could I use it to become tougher, to upgrade my parts as a mechanical being? Does the origin of my mechanical race have to do with a society that built things like this one? Or maybe... this IS that society?'
Layla felt bubbly passion. 'It's an adventure, a journey to seek out the truth!' Some giddy and childishly courageous emotions filled her like a burning fire of thirst to see, to journey and explore!
Pedro stared quietly. 'These people who built this... why did they do it? What is it's purpose? Is it just art, or meant to be part of some greater whole? Where can I find the answers?'
'Their eyes...' Hamish nodded. 'They burn with the flames of an adventurer. We all seek out adventure for different reasons... but we all go, even to our deaths, like moth driven to flame.'
'Because there's just something to it, some part of us that can't help ourselves.'
"You do feel it. Remember that feeling... because that. THAT. Is what it means to be an adventurer, more than anything else, even the fight against chaos is just a part of that. The will to see more, to see the old and new, to see lands forgotten and new lands created from Chaos, to be the first to reach them and the first to see them. That's what being an adventurer means."
And suddenly they got it.
'This is why we were summoned... because we have this spark. This feeling... not everyone has it. That's what set us apart to be chosen, and is what drove us to accept. The desire to see another world none from ours has ever seen or explored...' Kai's mind whirled, and he looked to Hamish, who had no smile or condescending expression. He simply stared back.
And it was all it needed to be.