Gently guiding Elara up the ramp of the airship, Caden made sure she was safely inside before following suit. As the ramp closed behind them, Elara moved into the cockpit and took the controls, her fingers dancing over the panels with ease and familiarity.
"We could fly over the city's outskirts," she suggested, her voice a bit quieter after the recent confrontation. "The outskirts should be less crowded with other groups and may have some places of interest. Or, we could try to explore the outer districts. They were more industrial and less populated, so we might find something others overlooked."
As the ship began to ascend, the sprawling metropolis unfurled beneath them. Verdant swathes of greenery contrasted against the crystalline structures, the natural world claiming back what had once been a lively cityscape. Tall towers, once gleaming with activity, now stood silent and empty, while lush vines curled around their base. It was an eerie sight, a city caught between its past and the encroaching wilderness.
As they climbed higher, the vastness of the city came into view, its former glory now overrun by the resurgent flora and fauna. Patches of wildflowers bloomed brightly on abandoned rooftops, while large, bird-like creatures nested atop once-grand structures. Caden and Elara could see herds of large herbivores moving slowly through the wide streets, their presence a stark reminder of the cycle of life and rebirth.
"It's breathtakingly tragic," Elara mused, a slight tremor in her voice betraying her emotions. "Once teeming with life, now a testament to nature's resilience... But we must remain vigilant, Caden. The other groups will surely arrive soon."
Elara's voice took on a hopeful tone as she shared her idea with Caden. "My parents told me stories about a place called the Ark when I was younger. It was meant to preserve our planet's biodiversity, to protect it from any catastrophic event. They stored cryotubed pairs of countless species there, as well as seeds from diverse types of flora. It was sealed within the mountains to the west for protection. It might still be untouched."
The concept of the Ark brought a new sense of anticipation. A facility dedicated to preserving the natural world of Elara's people was not only an invaluable resource but a testament to their foresight and deep respect for their home planet.
"I think it's worth a visit, Caden. It's possible that other groups may overlook it given its location and purpose. And who knows? We might find something there that can aid us."
Caden gave Elara an affirming nod, his eyes reflecting determination. "Let's do it. Even if we don't find anything of use, the knowledge stored in there could be invaluable."
Adjusting their course, the airship veered westward towards the mountains, the promise of the Ark waiting among the craggy peaks. The idea of an untouched vault of natural knowledge stirred both excitement and caution as they prepared to discover what lay ahead.
As the airship moved towards the western mountains, the sight of the sprawling city gradually receding behind them was replaced by vast, dense wilderness, an unending expanse of towering trees and winding rivers gleaming like silver veins under the Kryithian sun. The colossal peaks, craggy and topped with wisps of clouds, loomed ahead, their might undeterred even by time.
Elara navigated the airship expertly through the mountainous terrain, her eyes scanning the rock faces for any signs of the Ark. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed at the sight of a peculiar formation hidden amidst the mountains - a large metal door, overgrown with vines and moss but still imposing. It was almost perfectly camouflaged against the mountainside, nearly invisible to an untrained eye.
"That's it!" she exclaimed, pointing out the hidden door to Caden. Her voice contained a mixture of relief, surprise, and a hint of nostalgia.
As they neared the entrance, the size of the door became more apparent - it was a mammoth construction, built to withstand the harshest of calamities. They landed the airship on a flat surface nearby, the engines humming down to a gentle purr.
The duo cautiously approached the door, with Caden's Stelaris Essence heightening his senses. The ancient structure seemed dormant, but the intricate symbols etched on its surface suggested sophisticated technology lay behind it. This was the Ark, a fortress of knowledge, a sanctuary of life, waiting to reveal its long-kept secrets to them.
Elara took a moment to study the hollow next to the door. The subtle depiction of a hand inserted into the orifice was more an invitation than a warning. With a nod from Caden, she slowly extended her arm, her fingers trembling slightly, not from fear, but from the anticipation of the unknown.
As her hand reached the depths of the cavity, her fingers brushed against a series of indents, arranged in a pattern akin to a handprint. Guided by instinct and lineage knowledge, she pressed her palm against it, matching her fingers to the indents.
Almost instantly, the hollow constricted around her arm, an array of needles piercing her skin. Despite the surprise, Elara remained composed, her eyes reflecting determination rather than pain. After a moment of analysis, the cavity relaxed its grip and her arm was released. A soft glow emerged from the hollow, shifting from a pulsing red to a steady green.
The enormous door, dormant for hundreds of years, started to groan under its own weight as it began its upward ascent. Centuries-old dust and debris fell around them, the echoes of the moving gate reverberating through the mountain range. It ascended slowly, stopping when it was just high enough for them to squeeze through. Beyond lay the mysteries of the Ark, the last bastion of the Arivas civilization, waiting to be unveiled.
Upon seeing the gap in the door, Caden and Elara exchanged a brief glance before both of them began to make their way through. Caden went in first, the edges of the door pressing against his suit as he squeezed through. Once on the other side, he turned back to help Elara, who followed suit, pushing through the narrow opening.
The moment Elara cleared the threshold, the door behind them started to lower with an audible groan. They both glanced back as the ancient stone slab fell back into place with a deep, resonating thud that echoed through the hollowed-out mountain. The door sealed shut, plunging them into darkness, save for the faint luminescence of the control panel, casting an eerie, emerald light.
They were inside the Ark now, completely cut off from the outside world. The silence within the cavernous space was deafening, broken only by their own measured breaths and the occasional hum of some still-active machinery. Despite the darkness and the uncertainty of what lay ahead, they couldn't help but feel a sense of awe. They were standing in a place untouched for centuries, a vestige of the once-great Arivas civilization.
The interior of the mountain was far more expansive than either of them could have imagined. It was an enormous hollowed-out cavity, sprawling in all directions. Above them, the ceiling was laced with glittering bioluminescent patterns that mimicked the night sky, lending a celestial ambiance to the colossal space.
Arcologies, self-sustaining habitats mimicking ecosystems, filled the vast expanse, separated by clear winding pathways and interconnected by translucent bridges. Each arcology was like a miniature world encapsulated within a crystalline shell, a microcosm of the diverse environments that once thrived on their homeworld. From lush forests with towering trees to arid deserts with sand dunes, to aquatic environments filled with vibrant coral reefs, each biosphere was more stunning than the last.
From their high vantage point, they could look down into these biodomes, watching the preserved Arivas flora and fauna go about their timeless routines. Each arcology seemed to operate under a distinct day-night cycle, maintained by the artificial lights mimicking a sun at the dome's zenith.
The glass-like material of the domes, an advanced Arivas technology, was one-way; they could look in from the outside, but from within, it projected a panoramic view of an open sky. This allowed the contained life to exist as if in their natural habitat, blissfully unaware of the mountain's rocky interior.
The scale of the project was breathtaking. It was a testament to the Arivas' mastery of technology, and their commitment to preserving life in all its myriad forms. It was like stepping into a time capsule, where the essence of their world had been captured and protected against the passage of time.
They began to walk through the vaulted hallways of the Ark, their footsteps echoing off the cold stone floor. Towering storage units, each a masterpiece of Arivas technology, hummed quietly on either side of them. Rows upon rows of gleaming glass tubes stretched up towards the ceiling, each containing a seed or an embryo held in stasis.
The embryos were diverse, encompassing over 200 species of fauna that once roamed the Arivas homeworld. From small, sleek creatures of the waterways to larger, more robust species of the land, every tube contained a lifeline to the past, preserved against the destructive onslaught of time.
Parallel to these, seed vaults stretched out as far as the eye could see. Thousands of seeds, each held in its own individual compartment, were preserved in the ideal conditions to ensure their viability for countless years to come. From the smallest herb seed to the largest tree seed, they encapsulated the diversity of Arivas flora.
Caden and Elara took their time moving through the repository, their eyes wide with awe. The forethought and care taken by Elara's people in safeguarding their planet's biodiversity was beyond anything Caden had ever witnessed. It was a breathtaking sight, a testament to the Arivas civilization's values and their deep, unbroken connection to their planet.
Caught up in the potential of their discovery, Caden turned to Elara, his voice echoing in the vast chamber, "Elara, we could take these with us, all of them. My internal storage has enough space. We could find a new planet, a new Arivas, we could..."
His words trailed off as he noticed Elara's silence. She was standing still, her body rigid, her eyes wide as they fixed on something in the distance. Caden felt a chill creep up his spine as he followed her gaze.
A tower of tubes lay shattered on the ground, the silhouettes of tiny embryos within splayed in grotesque patterns amidst the ruins. A large, jagged rock, presumably dislodged during the wars and fallen from above, had smashed into the fragile structure.
Caden moved to Elara's side and looked up, catching sight of the remaining intact tubes, forty of them. Among these, five stood out, distinguished by the royal seal of the Arivas, marking them as of royal lineage. These must have been preserved by her parents.
The sight brought an ache to Caden's heart, a mix of sadness, anger, and a sense of deep injustice. Elara's people, their potential, their very future—had been so cruelly and abruptly halted. But amidst the destruction, there was hope. A tiny, fragile hope encapsulated in those forty tubes. Their survival could mean the continuation of the Arivas people, their culture, their history. A future Elara could reclaim.