The third checkpoint was the most bizarre one out of all of them; it was well... empty, with nothing except a vast plain of blue grass stretching until the enormous main gate.
It was also the checkpoint that most creatures in the line felt most scared of and reluctant to cross. Some of the creatures had already tried breaking the line and running off, only to be chased and caught by the abominable rat soldiers.
But Isra and Khadija had decided to put their faith in Amawas, so they marched forward carrying the duffel bags, keeping their heads lowered and not stuttering at all.
Nothing changed, even though their deepest intentions were to infiltrate the Khandaq until they reached the vine and took it back; no one batted an eye. The girls kept walking; they did notice their steps were lighter than before under the thobe though. It was as if they weren't really putting any effort into walking and were instead slithering forward at the same pace.
The effect was very minimal, but both of them noticed.
And just like that, they crossed the field and finally entered the grand city of Khandaq.
'Infiltration successful.'
Khandaq was bustling with life. The girls had arrived at the main thoroughfare, and there was barely any free space between the swarming crowd of creatures.
On either side of the thoroughfare, there were makeshift stalls lined up with exquisite merchandise and valuable items.
Right next to them was a small stall hosted by tiny round quartz-like creatures that had no mouth and no eyes. One was smaller and violet in color, and the other one was bigger and had a translucent grey shade. They had only stones set up in their stall, three whole shelves of colorful stones. Creatures would come and inquire, but since they had no mouth and no eyes, they would stay still.
Their only customers were quartz-like themselves, appearing from the crowd and silently standing in front of the stall, doing nothing at all.
Right next to them was a stall with tens of jars filled with different glowing liquids. The owner was a slender, bat-like creature with not a single speck of flesh on its body. It was so thin that all of the skin was tightly joined together with the bones. Despite its menacing appearance, the creature dealt with customers in a humble and friendly manner.
Isra looked behind at Khadija and pointed at an alley behind a tiny cottage-like structure. Khadija nodded as they both waddled through the crowd and entered the narrow passageway.
Khadija then whispered to Amawas, asking for what to do next.
The tiny dark brooch whispered back, its voice clearly entering their ears thanks to the darkness that was obfuscating their faces.
"Well... Set up a stall, walk the street until you find an empty stall, then occupy it. Don't let anyone else take it after you've occupied it, okay? And set up the jars of honeysoup. Me and Aatish go forward and investigate the current patrol schedule and the citadel guards' routine. We'll come back with a plan. Until then, stay put, don't attract trouble. One pot of honeysoup costs 27 Kibblers, don't settle for less." Amawas then switched to a tiny ball of darkness from the brooch and whispered at Aatish. She emerged as well; they both looked comically small, nodded at each other, and went on.
Khadija and Isra kept staring at each other, a mixture of excitement and nervous anticipation playing across their faces. Khadija's eyes widened, and Isra couldn't help but break into a mischievous smile.
"Oh well, let's go," said Isra as both of them started walking down the thoroughfare.
There was a stall made of mirrors completely, and its owner was a slab of mirror too. Its merchandise was liquid mirror encased in shiny glasses, shining and blinding the whole thoroughfare. On more than one occasion, guards stopped by and searched thoroughly for the owner; he was really good at hiding.
The girls kept walking slowly; the duffel bags were heavy, but due to the intense training Khadija had gone through and Isra's gift, they didn't bother them that much. After searching for a long time and ogling at some of the merchandise within the stalls, they found one empty, battered-down stall and rushed to it, then started settling in the ware.
They had three different kinds of honey soups to offer: herbal honey soup, meat-filled one, and a basic one. Gimpi had also packed in some wooden crockery.
Both Khadija and Isra cleaned up the tiny stall thoroughly, then furnished the front with beautiful honey jars; they even managed to borrow some ink to write prices on wooden slabs as well.
**********
After the stall was fairly decorated and made ready to sell, both of the girls stood in front of the counter waiting for customers; their hearts were beating extremely faster. Funny, out of everything that had happened to them, this excited them the most.
They waited and waited, and no one came. A few lingered around but simply slithered or walked away.
Isra knew some degree of salesmanship by working in the bakery on her days off, so she knew how to deal with customers mostly. Still, the sheer variety of beings roaming the road was mind-boggling; she felt anxious.
Khadija, on the other hand, was extremely relaxed; she went outside the stall and started shouting.
"One bowl of honey soup for 27 kibblers, three for 70. Come now, this is the best honey soup you will ever drink; come fast."
That gave Isra some courage too; she went out of the stall and stood by Khadija and started shouting as well. Soon they had a few customers, lining up in front of the stall.
Apparently, the soup had become a sensation in the market after just a few customers; they were already returning and standing in the line, waiting for more. The kibblers came in the form of shiny marble balls of different sizes, and the girls had a drawer full of them by now.
At this pace, they would run out of soup.
***********
As the girls' soup stall gained popularity, drawing a growing crowd, elsewhere in the bustling marketplace, #212 remained concealed in one of their sleeves, silently observing the unfolding events.
He knew the risk of getting spotted in a sovereign ruled area; free societies were a prick in their perfect bubble of civilization that they hated the most.
#212 was even more wanted and at danger than both the cats, so he stayed well hidden; he trusted the girls enough by now to know they'd take care of this.
Amawas and Aatish were two tiny balls of light and darkness, traversing through the crowds, examining the outposts and guard duties and usual routes. They had almost finished with the outer Khandaq and were currently flying towards the citadel.
More than ninety percent of the merchants came from within the underground societies lingering beneath the Khandaq, and only some ten percent came from outside.
So it wasn't just a citadel; it was a tiny little world, and at the most bottom of it was the artifact, the vine they had come to retrieve.
They both reached the depression and flew down, camouflaging through colors and flares from time to time.
The sheer scale of it was unimaginable. The colossal descending fortress stretched so expansively that distant carts and establishments appeared mere specks on the horizon. Multitudes of guards and groups of mercenaries roamed about, creating a lively spectacle.
They dived down to the first and the grandest inner layer of the enormous screw-like structure that was Khandaq, and it housed entire cities of its own.
Khandaq was built like a giant countersink, but instead of having one grand depression, it had various inverted towers as well, some exclusive to the higher-ups of the acting authority only.
Each level had its own guardian and its own force; the number of ordinary soldiers that roamed the level declared the caliber of its guardian. The more the number, the weaker the guardian would be, and they would always be stationed before entry into the next level. So it was designed in such a way that if someone decided to take on the first guardian, the entire citadel would be put on alert and closed off immediately.
After falling for a bit through the first layer, they both finally reached the grand entry of the second layer, and in front of it stood some twenty feet tall stone giant holding two axes in its either hands; it had wide cracks in its body revealing sick yellow and black flames underneath it.
The Gate Guardian looked extremely menacing.