Step One

[Albert Wesker]

The village was just about exactly as Wesker had envisioned it. Composed of sturdy structures, meant to be easy to tear down and put up again. The population was entirely composed of the rock-creatures -- Gorons, as he had to remind himself. They ranged in size and overall stature, some of them being shorter than your average human and some being easily head and shoulders taller than even a very tall man. Ranging from just about as broad and stout as a man, to bearing more resemblance to a boulder. Some of them were bald, some sported sparse growths of hair, typically in strange shades of pale blonde or gray, at stark odds with their otherwise dark and rocky complexions and appearance.

The one thing all of them had in common was their backs, covered in a layer of jagged material, like organic rock. The older and more rugged looking Gorons, as he began to take note of, had larger and more craggy, jagged patches of rock adorning their backs. Some even had huge growths of spiny boulder covering their backs, nearly akin to the shell of a stony tortoise. Seemingly, it was as both a form of self defense and a natural aid to their lifestyle of curling up and rolling about. The jagged spikes and rock would crush and mow down anything they slammed or rammed into, most likely, as well as providing a tough barrier against any hostile or dangerous ground they might roll over. All that rolling and thundering about probably helped to keep the jagged growths of stone filed down and somewhat manageable.

It was all very interesting, and from where he sat in the 'shade' of a hastily summoned tent, Wesker made note of his observations and findings in an electronic notepad he had taken the time to summon. There was much potential here, for use in his experiments and possible advances to his designs. If he could find a way back home, with new information and inspiration like this...it could be of great use indeed. Perhaps even here, it could be of some use. Testing the limits of what this Omnilium substance was truly capable of.

He was thankful, overall, that he had been left more or less alone after his arrival. Aside from the occasional surly stare from a passing Goron as they went about their work of dismantling and preparing for their exodus, he had been left free and unbothered. The great and majestic not-so-gravity-defying boulder and his partner the eternally grumpy rolling lump had wandered by more than most, making it clear enough they were keeping an eye on him.

But there were some among their number who were less grumpy and outwardly dismissive and hostile. One of them had even stopped to share a conversation, and with some careful prodding Wesker had been able to unearth much about both the Gorons, and this location in general.

It was called the Ashen Steppes. Just one verse of eight primary ones, and perhaps the most inhospitable one. The Goron pointed out that Wesker had phenomenally bad luck, or an extremely poor guide, if he had wound up in the Steppes as his first locale to visit in the Omniverse. The Gorons called it home, but they had lived in an active volcano even in their homeworld, so it was actually a bit less awful than where they had come from.

More and more information was pried out of the rock-creature, whenever he stopped by again. Every now and then he had to excuse himself, to return to work. It was a busy time, and all hands were needed. But eventually he always came back, with more answers to be provided to more questions. The question of the rain was eventually brought up, and the Goron pointed out the danger of it: acid rain. Far more acidic and dangerous than the dismissive tone with which Wesker noted it, capable of literally melting down and dissolving even living creatures caught out in a bad storm for even a few hours. It was why they had relented to allow the outsiders into the village during such a busy time in the first place.

With that information digested, Wesker was far more grateful than he had been before. Especially with the sign of a drizzle beginning to fall outside already. The Gorons, as was noted, had learned to adapt to it and could withstand the acidic downpour for short periods. The hides of their dwellings, thankfully, were made of tough drake hides and rock lizard skins, nearly impervious to the dissolving deluges.

Wesker shortly enough accepted the generous offer of his Goron informant to take shelter in his own tent, made of the resilient animal hides, to wait out the storm. The one he'd conjured up would be lucky to last until it really started raining.