51: Strider

As I entered the “cockpit” of the silt strider, I carefully examined my surroundings. The back of the strider curved upwards and slightly over the interior of the cockpit, and it slowly extended and retracted as if breathing. The leathery surface of the interior was very rigid and tough, hardened by exposure to the sun and to the ash storms. Balen began manipulating a panel of wires and bulbs at the front of the cockpit, pulling and squeezing gently. It took me a moment to realize that these were a living part of the silt strider that allowed a skilled operator to maneuver the creature with great precision. Balen was indeed skilled, and the silt strider began lumbering along without so much as a lurch. Balen was focused intently on the task at hand, and Kael, Darkasha and I sat down on the living benches under the shelter of the flap of chitin at the back of the cockpit. They were much softer than the rest of the creature, and were in fact quite comfortable.

The silt strider moved quickly, each leg moving in sequence with the others, and we were soon moving up the ashen ravine towards Ald’ruhn. Balen was soon able to let the creature steer itself, and began talking about the recent improvements to the road network on Vvardenfell. He told us about the carving of trails through the walls of the ravine that made accessing Ghostgate and Ald’ruhn much easier from Balmora.

“Since Red Mountain quieted down, these ravines have become less dangerous, and it’s looking like no new eruptions will occur for many decades. Hopefully the trails we’ve cut will be kept clean and clear.” Balen said, “It was we silt striders that cut the trails. Sure we had some help from the mages guild and House Redoran, but we had all the muscle.” He pulled a wire in the panel and gestured towards the face of the silt strider. The strider lifted a huge claw and held it in the air briefly. “These hooks ain’t just for looks after all.” He looked up at the sun briefly and then turned to a greasy sack by the panel, which he opened and dug around in. He pulled out a huge glob of disgusting slime and dropped it in corner of the cockpit. The smell began to fill the air immediately, and Darkasha cover his sensitive nose and began to moan lightly. Balen returned to the panel and squeezed a small bulb. The floor beneath the glop opened and began sucking down the vile slime. Balen walked over to the orifice and stuck his hands into it. In a matter of seconds, the glop was gone and Balen’s hands had been cleaned by the strider’s “mouth.” Balen looked sheepishly at us and said, “Sorry, but feedin’ time is feedin’ time.” I frowned and shook my head to clear my senses.

We continued for some time. Darkasha stayed in the shade of the overhang and dozed, while Kael looked over a series of documents he received from Caius and other Blades. I wandered around the interior of the cockpit and watched Balen dexterously guide the creature through the narrow ravine. He explained to me more about the anatomy and workings of the strider, though I’ll admit to understanding little of it. Apparently all of the strider is open to a person who knows what switches to pull, and Balen was very eager to discuss the mating and husbandry of young silt striders. Naturally I was politely interested, though I was actually watching the surrounding skies for any sign of fires or the red lightning that I associate with Oblivion Gates. My scan revealed little, as winds had picked up and storm clouds had slowly filled the sky during our journey. I became so engrossed in my search that it took me a minute to realize Balen had trailed off and stopped the strider. I leaned on the leathery edge of the strider and looked down towards the ravine. There was a roughly hewn passage cut into the wall of the ravine, but it had become blocked with a huge pile of rubble that had been cut from the surrounding ravine wall.

I turned to Balen, who was prodding the control panel and making the strider poke at the rubble. “What’s going on?” I asked him.

He frowned. “Something must have closed off this passage. Without it, we’ll have to double back and go all the way around Balmora to make it to Ald’ruhn.”

Kael looked at the rubble and the deep gashes in the ravine side and raised an eyebrow. “What could have caused this? The cuts are so deep into the ravine side!”

Balen looked at the gashes and shrugged. “I guess a silt strider could probably cut it out in a few hours,” he said, “but no one in their right mind would do that! All the silt strider owners across Vvardenfell benefit from this passage!” He sighed and began to turn the silt strider around.

“No,” I said, grabbing Dalen’s shoulder. He jerked, but kept the strider under control. “We can't waste that much time. Keep going north. Take us to Ghostgate.”