The main roads were wide enough for a pair of those steam tanks that rolled out with Hikari during the wyvern raid. The gavel she steps on were probably centuries old but they were as flat as though they were laid and pressed yesterday.
She walked along the middle of the road, Ria sitting on her shoulder. Baby steps she took, the heels nearly touching the tip of the other shoe. The soles of her shoe barely lifted off the ground.
Four RazenHeir knights attempted to carve out a perimeter in the middle of the crowded road, creating space for her to walk safely. It's been years since she accidentally crushed someone on the road.
It was the festival of flowers. Couples holding hands in plain blanch outfits, wearing matching flower pendants hanging from their necks. Several women, on seeing Hikari approach, quickly dragged their men into the alleyway.
Children running around the streets, diving in and out of the gaps in the crowd of adults, tossing bundles of petals all around.
"Say, Hikari, have you been here before?"
"No"
"That's not a surprise. There's a lot of restrictions regarding giants in such a tight quarters city like this. How do you like it so far?"
"It's lively."
"I know right. My elder sister brought me along when I was much younger. I haven't seen her in years since she went to the spire academy."
From Hikari's shoulder, Ria got a birds eye view of the festive spirit where otherwise her modest height would condemn her to below the crowd line.
They approach a massive rectangular pillar extending vertically in both directions. A thick layer of lush green vines covered in rainbows of blooming glowing flowers. The dense fauna conceals the stone underneath.
There was a spot of bright sunlight that was able to cut through the web of bridges and stone buildings suspended in midair above them, shining through the hole on the dome at the top of the gargantuan walls of the fortress.
The vines converged onto that spot, the flowers there bloomed the brightest.
Around the pillars, men and women sat on the wooden scaffolding, harvesting the flowers in baskets, placing them on pulley hooks once full.
At the ground level, a stable was built onto the side of the pillar. The row of horses parked there grazed away at the vines.
Several workers scooped up the manure into wheel barrows, gathering them for the druids nearby. The crowd seemed oddly indifferent to the stench.
"Amazing isn't it? Who would expect that a fortress of stone would also be a green house?"
"Yea"
"Twice a year, a mana surge creates a growth spurt in the vines. Creating a bloom of flowers, most of which have alchemical value. The petals keep for a long time, which makes great aesthetics."
As she spoke, a brigade of children flocked around the giantess standing still before the pillar of flowers. They carried baskets of hand strung flower bracelets, slipping around the RazenHeir knights towards Hikari's massive shoe.
"She's big!" "Its big statue" "Statue is soft!" "I want to put flowers on it!" They chanted innocently.
"Get back here. It's not safe!" Their caretaker ran after them.
The children ran rings around the pair of giant shoes placed together. The giantess keeping absolutely still.
After some rounds of chasing and help from the RazenHeir knights, she managed to gather up the energetic little ones.
"Hey, are you selling flowers?" Ria shouted from above.
"Aye, we are."
"Do you happen to have rope?"
"Aye"
"How does a silver shilling for each of the little ones sound?"
The caretaker's eyes opened wide. She rushed back to her shop house occupying a room in the block and came back with a thick bundle of rope.
A RazenHeir knight helped her untangle it. The children emptied their baskets, stringing the bracelets around the thick rope, chattering excitedly in their high pitched, often rudely loud voices as they worked.
It was done. The RazenHeir knight tossed one end of the makeshift through the seam between Hikari's lower leg. Three rounds around her ankle, the knight fastened it in place with a knot.
In contrast to her other bracelet that was a carefully selected blend of colors, the new ankle bracelet was a mess of colours like a painter that mixed his entire plate together.
As the children were herded to a safe distance, Hikari lifted her shoe in front of her, allowing Ria to check.
It was beautiful.
"Thank you." Ria put some coins into a pouch and tossed it over to the care taker.
The children immediately surrounded her like a flock of seagulls.
"Enough! You heard her, one silver shilling for each of you! If you guys don't knock it off i'd-. Help!"
"Good luck. It's not like my knights can raise their sword against children."
They continued on their way, leaving the caretaker to her swarm of rascals.
Ria shivered and shifted herself closer to Hikari's warm cheeks. The middle levels of Escher where the mysterious heat on the lower levels did not dampen the chilly weather that was typical at this time of the year.
They were stopped by a troop of hearthstone keepers. They seemed to be servicing a device which Hikari recognizes as a control for moving certain blocks of stone. Alongside them, workers busily cut away at the thick vines using scissors that could only be wielded with both arms.
"Ah, the keepers, they'll be done in a minute. The city's irregular architecture makes it difficult for an invading army to storm. But it also makes the ideal grounds for thieves and assassins. "
"Thats bad."
"Blind Alleyways. The twists and turns work against the keepers. Even the vines that grow in the city make great climbing walls. The web of bridges are easy spots for grapples."
"Interesting"
"While we wait for them to finish, how about we enjoy the view?"
Hikari turned and shuffled towards the railings that were hardly halfway up to her knee. She stared down into the deep concave that was at the heart of the city.
At the very bottom, a massive bunker several times the size of her own. The structure was covered in hearthstone flags and heavily guarded on all sides. Faint traces of mana leaking out from the four entrances shielded by spiked steel gates.
"Look, it's the train station."
Hikari turned her eyes to the puffy clouds of steam and the churning of train engines.
"Spire symbols?"
Ria leaned her head forward and squinted her eyes.
"You're right. Your eyesight is incredible. I'm guessing it's most probably that workshop that created the twenty rune master crafted storm bane cleaver that failed to sell on the Moradale exchange. Guess they're trying to post it on the Herdial exchange now."
"Hmm.."
"Well, sadly, I don't think we can ever afford a sword like that for your size. Even that normal sized sword is exorbitantly expensive."
Hikari's stomach growled so loudly that it felt like a violent earthquake to Ria sitting on her shoulder. She grabbed onto strands of hair with both arms to stay in balance.
"Oh right, keep going straight, I have a surprise for you."
The blockade cleared, allowing them to march on.
It was a two storey building. The glowing red of fire glowing from the windows. The smell of roasted meat permeated the air.
"A bit more forward."
Hikari shuffled close to the side of the building. The lower end of her breast line just above the second floor railings. She lifted her hand, allowing Ria to step on.
The waiter dropped his plate as the round balls loomed over the railing.
"Ten trays of baked rice with Herdial bird meat I ordered. Is it ready?"
There was awkward silence. Smack! A fat bar maid appeared carrying two mugs of beer with one hand. She gave the waiter a hard slap to the back of his head.
"Bring out the rice!"
Gradually, the deep trays of steaming hot rice made its way onto the floor. As soon as the waiters left the first tray, the giantess's fingers wrapped around it, not minding the scathing hot steel and poured its contents whole into her mouth.
The milky skin on her throat moved, shoving the whole mass down. There was little need for her to chew the tiny grains of rice beyond crushing it with her tongue and the back of her mouth.
Ria could see a blush appearing on Hikari's cheeks as she emptied another tray. Before she knew it, ten full trays had disappeared.
"How do you like it?"
Hikari turned her gaze to her. To most, it appeared like her usual cold expression. But her lady could see a face filled with bliss.
Ria blushed as well. She was beyond delighted to see Hikari like this.
The giantess' fingers curled around her.