City of IF

[FatHairyApe]

Chapter Eight

"It's--it's you!" Raish breathed. "Why did you take us here?'

"Why did I?" Ezekiel asked, shocked. "I did nothing. You fell into the trap on your own volition.

Raish glared at me. Her pupils burned.

"And, like all other actions you will take before I kill both of you, you will find there to be consequences." Ezekiel paused before stepping outward and motioning to the elaborate setup behind him. "The walls of this room are constantly being pushed inwards by the gales of this area. The Wind Peoples have set up generators which send an opposing force backwards so that the walls stay in one area.

"These generators will run out before the sun sets, which," Ezekiel looked at both of us, "leaves you about fifteen minutes. The only way to ensure that the opposing winds they will continue to operate--and, coincidentally, the only way to destroy Hiergo's bonds and unlock the single door to this room is to solve the puzzle behind me."

Now that he stepped far enough away from it, we could see how vast and strange it really was. It consisted of a variety of snaps, levers, pieces, and wire which only could rotate. Two enormous electrodes were installed on either side. I figured our mission was to assemble the pieces to connect the flow of energy.

"There's not time to explain, I afraid," Ezekiel laughed. "I have a Gem to find!" He stepped to the side so that his feet were directly over the dusty remnants of the pearl he had disintegrated. Ezekiel and the other Wind People were engulfed as the smoke billowed, and they dissapeared from view.

"Let's do this," Raish said, soberly.

"Fast!" I added.

There was no time to say hello to Hiergo. There wasn't even time to make eye contact with him.

"We need to finish this, or else we are all going to die," I said as Raish and I approached the puzzle.

"I could infer that, thanks."

There wasn't time for Raish's attitude, either.

Swiftly, we rotated the pieces. Raish began at one electrode, and I began at the other. Each item was attached to a large square of granite, so turning it was harder than you'd think. I moved one so that the string of metal attached to the electrode made contact with a wire-like gizmo that spanned diagonally down the square.

I looked over to Raish, worried. There had to be a catch. Putting the pieces together was difficult, but I wasn't doubting our success. Raish seemed to be focused and successful.

But then we heard the walls move inward. It was a gradual groaning noise, but it didn't help. We knew that that could very well be the last noise we'd hear. Hiergo screamed behind his gag. It didn't help.

"How are you doing, Raish?" I asked. The loud sound of the granite block shifting echoed.

"Fine. I've shifted three blocks. What about you?"

"Two. This third one is confusing. I've never seen anything like it before!"

On the slab was a dithering portal. I didn't know how it worked, but I could only infer that it was magical. There was one other square, higher up on the wall, that had a portal akin to this. I figured that the energy would pass through the opening and come out the other square.

"This is getting hard!" Raish screamed over the noise of stone on stone. Each block was getting heavier and heavier. Now, we had to turn objects connected on octocon blocks--increasing the possibilities for failure endlessly.

On block had a pieces of metal much to large attached to it. I had to bend it back in order for it to slide in with the triangle-piece next to it. Regardless, the puzzle wall was coming together... but the walls of the room were too. As the walls continued to smush, our puzzle continued to decay. Slabs shattered, and pieces fell out of place. We had to finish it up. There wasn't enough time.

Raish went into speed mode. She turned trinkets so that they touched. She repositioned nonconductors so that they wouldn't interrupt the flow. She finished. I finished. We finished. It was done.

But there was one problem.
Isn't there always?

It didn't connect. We stared at the middle of the puzzle--there were blank slabs in a row were we needed conductors.

"We have to go back in," I said, out of breath.

"There's no time," Raish argued.

"Look!" I screamed, pointing. "It doesn't fit! We did the puzzle wrong! We are going to die if we don't fix it, Raish!"

She looked at the wall skepticly. It was only after the next groan of the walls sealing our doom that she muttered, "We did it right."

I looked at her. She had bags under her eyes--Raish was distressed. Her hair was greasy and tainted. She had long lossed that beauty--that sparkle--that made me fall in love with her. Perhaps it was our differences, but perhaps it was life itself. Regardless, Raish failed to enchant me.

"This is the catch," she whispered. "Hit the switch."

I didn't argue. I figured Raish had figured out that there was some sort of invisible metal in the middle, all of which had been perfeclty aligned. I walked over to the large level towards the bottom of the puzzle. After looking at her once, I pulled it.

There was a giant roar. The electrode on the left buzzed with a sort of green energy, while the electrode on the right buzzed with a teal color. I figured that in order to counteract the force of the winds, both electrodes would have to get the opposing one's energy.

I watched my side. It was working. The green color zapped through the metal, clinging desparately to to each fragment but yearning to continue onwards. It slinked down the coils, shakily falling over itself like a haven of spiders. Soon, it touched the portal and teleported up to the top, just as I had anticipated.

Suddenly, I recalled the flaw of the puzzle. We had only moments left, I was sure of it. Uneasy, I looked over to Raish, whom I expected to be inspecting her side. She wasn't.

Instead, she stood, arms extended, where the blank slabs were. Each hand touched a different metal block. She was the final conductor. That was the catch.

I ran to try and stop her, but the energy beat me to it. Colors rushed throuh her, illuminating her bones and burning her clothes. This was energy I could have no power over--our magic would not work.

But I tried anyway. I closed my eyes and fell to my knees; I summoned every fragment of willpower I had within me to save Raish.

I could not escape the darkness, though. My eyes opened, and... I calmed. I recalled the words of the Tharkian Seer--Raish was to die by a friend's hand. This was certainly not a friend's doing, and those were certainly not my hands boiling her flesh. She was not to die. She wasn't. It had to be right.

The energy passed through, zooming upwards to the opposite electrode. Each side exploded with color. The walls creaked--but they moved backwards. Hiergo's chains fell. The door opened. We had done it.

I looked at Raish, who had fallen to the floor. Carefully, I walked towards her to console her, to assess her wounds. I didn't even notice my hands glowing as I made contact with her skin.

"Raish," I whispered. The contact of my fingers caused her flesh to ripple unnaturally.

Her eye opened. "Y-yes."

I stood up and recoiled. Her open wounds were closing. Somehow when I summoned all of that energy, I had activated the power to heal her. Raish picked herself up.

"Your sweat," she whispered. "You used the water and its healing properties from your sweat." Raish bit her lip. "You saved me."

"You saved us," I said, smiling.

Hiergo, who had now ripped off his gag and gotten to his feet, screamed at us: "'at are ya' wai'n' fer? We go' 'o 'et out'ta here!"

We followed him, me, holding Raish's hand, and Raish, staggering towards the exit.

"Eze'iel's off to find the Gem!" Hiergo continued once we had exited that room. We now were atop a snowy mountain in the midsts of an enormous windstorm. The Head Weatherwarden raished his voice over the noise. "If he 'ets to it 'irst, the Balance will ne'er be the same--lif' as we kno' it 'ill perish. He a'most suc'eeded 'nce. T'is 'ime, he 'an't fail!"

"So where do we go?" Raish weakly asked. I had to repeat her thoughts over the storm to Hiergo so he could hear her.

"I 'unno! What 'id the Seer 'ell you?"

We continued to walk down the mountainside, desperately searching for a friendly village we could rest at, I supposed.

"He said that it would be in the same location in three different realms," I screamed over the gale.

"'ell then! 'ollow me!" Hiergo strayed from our path. We entered a small cave. It was uninhabited, save a bunch of rocks piled on top of one another at the end fo the path.

"I 'ook a tour or two 'ere bef're," Hiergo explained. "We don' nee' saf'ey, now--we nee' a por'al!"

And, just like that, a similar gradient to the one we had seen before came to view over those rocks in the farthest point of the cave. In an instant, Annabelle stood before us, one hip cocked and her red hair smoothly resting down her chest.

"I told you there are no goodbyes," Annabelle smiled. "We've got to find the Gem. C'mon!"

And I wish I could stop this story hear and go into detail about how the three of us split up into the three different realms and how we secured the Genesis Gem and saved the world.

But no.

The cave came to life.

Or, should I say, the Earth People hiding in it morphed from stones to humans.

This was not just our war. No. Ezekiel had sparked a bloodlust in the whole world.




Decision Point: What do the Earth People want and what is the outcome of the fight?



Hope you enjoyed it guys! Sorry about the long wait. I appreciate having you all as dedicated fans though :-). Tell me what you think!

[Phantomfan]

AWESOME puzzle!

Hmmm... dp...
Perhaps they want bloodshed, and nothing more. Ezikiel's blood?

Great chapter!

[Crunchyfrog]

I thought the way you used the suspense of how and when Raish is likely to die in this chapter was very good.

For the DP

The Earth people will know nothing of weatherwardens, magic, realms, or Ezikiel. Earth people are not magical, so either they'd been transformed to stones against their own will to be unleashed on the unsuspecting weatherwardens, or they enlisted someone's help to get them here.

I say that Ezikiel is using the Earth people as pawns in all this - their world is being ravaged by uncontrollable weather, and Ezikiel has thrown them and their plight in front of Dendrin to distract him from going after the Gem.

I'd say the outcome of the fight rather depends on the outcome of this DP or the next... :)

[tayfinch]

Rebellion!

That's my vote. These earth people have artifacts from the ancient times: artifacts to conceal, artifacts to fight, and... artifacts to see the future?

Embittered and hardened against Ezekiel, they have used their artifacts to look forward and find a time of crisis. The rough, geometric-minded nation has carefully looked forward to the time of ‘Fulcrum,’ when the world hangs in balance and the works of Ezekiel are being pushed to full.

They seek the powers of the weatherwarden; but not just any WW, but one which has been kept untainted (by inexperience or character) to whom they will unite their artifact technologies and use as a sword against the evils of Ezekiel.

: ) That’s my vote.

[tayfinch]

Now, before I go on, you KNOW that I'm a fan, right? You KNOW that I'll stick with this story to the end, right?

Right.

Now... to be honest, I'm trying to get over the fact that Ezekiel in this chapter seemed more or less a... kind of kids-tv-anime type villain. His whole puzzle thing, while demanded by the readers last time, just seemed kind of... forced. Kind of like a mini-boss with low characterization in the beginnings of an RPG.

This guy needs to be EVIL! If he's going to play with his food, let him do it cruelly with a huge excess of style.

I just... saw a little too much kids' TV show villain, and not enough of the dark, troubled, torn-soul that he has been made out to be.


As for the house of TayFinch, we call for more evil, more evil genius, and more villainy which we love to hate!

[FatHairyApe]

Phantomfan wrote: AWESOME puzzle!

Hmmm... dp...
Perhaps they want bloodshed, and nothing more. Ezikiel's blood?

Great chapter!

Thanks for the comment, Phan, and awesome DP idea :)

[FatHairyApe]

Crunchyfrog wrote: I thought the way you used the suspense of how and when Raish is likely to die in this chapter was very good.

For the DP

The Earth people will know nothing of weatherwardens, magic, realms, or Ezikiel. Earth people are not magical, so either they'd been transformed to stones against their own will to be unleashed on the unsuspecting weatherwardens, or they enlisted someone's help to get them here.

I say that Ezikiel is using the Earth people as pawns in all this - their world is being ravaged by uncontrollable weather, and Ezikiel has thrown them and their plight in front of Dendrin to distract him from going after the Gem.

I'd say the outcome of the fight rather depends on the outcome of this DP or the next... :)

Great comment CF :) I love how you always analyze in your comments and often think along the same lines as I do. It always makes my jaw drop a little bit, haha. Anyway--true, it is unlikely that these Earth people are magical. The pawn idea is pretty awesome. Miss ya. I'll read through your SG asap :)

[FatHairyApe]

tayfinch wrote:
Rebellion!

That's my vote. These earth people have artifacts from the ancient times: artifacts to conceal, artifacts to fight, and... artifacts to see the future?

Embittered and hardened against Ezekiel, they have used their artifacts to look forward and find a time of crisis. The rough, geometric-minded nation has carefully looked forward to the time of ‘Fulcrum,’ when the world hangs in balance and the works of Ezekiel are being pushed to full.

They seek the powers of the weatherwarden; but not just any WW, but one which has been kept untainted (by inexperience or character) to whom they will unite their artifact technologies and use as a sword against the evils of Ezekiel.

: ) That’s my vote.

I like your observation about the Earth people's apparent magic! Because they are most likely a nonmagical people, having powerful artifacts seems to be an excellent concept to bestow them with... some more exciting powers, huh?

And 'Fulcrum' gave me tingles. This is extraordinarily thought out. I'll make sure in the DP I'll give a note to look at your specific post.
[/quote]

Quote:
Now, before I go on, you KNOW that I'm a fan, right? You KNOW that I'll stick with this story to the end, right?

Right.

Now... to be honest, I'm trying to get over the fact that Ezekiel in this chapter seemed more or less a... kind of kids-tv-anime type villain. His whole puzzle thing, while demanded by the readers last time, just seemed kind of... forced. Kind of like a mini-boss with low characterization in the beginnings of an RPG.

This guy needs to be EVIL! If he's going to play with his food, let him do it cruelly with a huge excess of style.

I just... saw a little too much kids' TV show villain, and not enough of the dark, troubled, torn-soul that he has been made out to be.


As for the house of TayFinch, we call for more evil, more evil genius, and more villainy which we love to hate!

Haha! I thank you so much for your honest comment. Sometimes we can't seem to get enough of 'em these days, huh? Anyways, I know what you mean. I totally understand.

BUT.

There is a reason. Believe me.

See, Ezekiel is not ACTUALLY Ezekiel the all powerful WW, remember? He's in the body of one of the head Wind Peoples, because the old WW Ezekiel's dead, but he was resurrected in that form. Now, this limits his powers a tinsy bit.

Also. Ezekiel knows that the Raish/Dendrin combo is dangerous stuff. He also, however, has his eye on the Gem. He can't be bothered by them... which is why he has them go through the puzzle. He knows, we may infer, that they will finish it--if they don't, it's his gain. But the tension along the way could destroy them. Every little glitch he puts into their journey is more of a burden.

But there's more. Ezekiel may not exactly want to dispose of these two... maybe he isn't evil in the first place........ But then again, maybe I'm lying :).

Hope this helped!

[tayfinch]

(Grumbling) Yeah, I know, I know.

But evil is just so... fun!

[FatHairyApe]

tayfinch wrote: (Grumbling) Yeah, I know, I know.

But evil is just so... fun! \

Do not fret, bud :) You will have your share of evil quite quite soon.
*muahahahaha*

[Alegria]

Perhaps they want... cookies???

Just kidding. ;)

I think the Earth People have noticed the presence of magic-users over time and are lying in wait (through a natural sort of camoflage that makes them look like rocks) to grab someone with magical powers to force them to work on things such as magical weapons or other mystical items the Earth people don't fully understand themselves.

Or, alternately (I know, it's cheating to suggest 2 things, but I had to bring this up), who has said that the Earth People just don't have a different type of magic? If they turned into the rocks themselves, they would have to have some powers. What if they are a benevolent, subtly powerful race who keeps the other races "in check" by sending things such as Earthquakes and landslides and the like? What if they want the gem so that they can hide it in a safer place?

Just some ideas.

[FatHairyApe]

I'm liking all this talk, guys :) Really inspiring! Keep it up and let's settle this down to four or five cohesive DP ideas. :D

[The Meaning Of Fear]

A few bits I think may be mistakes, unless I have become stupid(er):

Quote: The only way to ensure that the opposing winds they will continue to operate--

Huh?

Quote: On block had a pieces of metal much to

This would be "One block", right?

Quote: She had long lossed that beauty--that sparkle--

I think you mean lost.

Quote: And I wish I could stop this story hear and go into detail about

Here?

Anyhow, very nice chapter. I like the concept of that particular puzzle, and it was quite nicely thought out.

For the DP, I think that the Earth people are in search of the Genesis Gem as well, to further their own ends. The Earth People need the Genesis Gem to cahnge the weather on the surface to their own liking, and thus let them experience the outside world better (rather self-defeating, I know). Perhaps they have some sort of handicap or disability on the surface, and require the Gem.

And the outcome of the fight is that, Dendrin tries rather naively to convince them to stop fighitng as it is obvious that they cannot win against such large numbers, and mentions the Oracle... The rest is up to you. o-)

[FatHairyApe]

Guys make sure you vote in the poll, or I will break the tie and just write myself :D

[Alegria]

I voted for "benevolent race." I think Dendrin could use a few more allies.

[FatHairyApe]

Poll winner!: They are a benevolent, subtly powerful race who keeps the other races "in check" by sending things such as Earthquakes and landslides and the like. They want to hide the Gem.

[tayfinch]

... So, uh... I dropped in, the first time since January to see what great things were happening here and... well... I was sad to see there hasn't been any news on the Weatherwarden front!

How fares it? Real life got you busy?

I hope you get a chance to continue, and if you get a chance please write me (using my profile's email) when you post the new chapter! (Sending a copy in the email would also be helpful).

Good luck and lots of love,
TayFinch

PS: You can STILL use the 'fulcrum' idea... maybe they're a peaceful race and try to keep others in check, but it may be because they're holding themselves in abeyance. Maybe they're waiting for signs long-predicted. Maybe they're peaceful by nature, but are fiercely honorable and hold dearly a destiny where they play a critical role. When the signs come together, they will act.

PPS: Write on!

[FatHairyApe]

tayfinch wrote: ... So, uh... I dropped in, the first time since January to see what great things were happening here and... well... I was sad to see there hasn't been any news on the Weatherwarden front!

How fares it? Real life got you busy?

I hope you get a chance to continue, and if you get a chance please write me (using my profile's email) when you post the new chapter! (Sending a copy in the email would also be helpful).

Good luck and lots of love,
TayFinch

PS: You can STILL use the 'fulcrum' idea... maybe they're a peaceful race and try to keep others in check, but it may be because they're holding themselves in abeyance. Maybe they're waiting for signs long-predicted. Maybe they're peaceful by nature, but are fiercely honorable and hold dearly a destiny where they play a critical role. When the signs come together, they will act.

PPS: Write on!

Oh my gosh! I completely forgot that CoI existed haha. And then I was like OH MY GOD WEATHERWARDEN. Yeah I got really busy with college, etc. But I plan to update this asap! So sorry!! Thanks for the message :D

[Crunchyfrog]

Yay! Fath returns! :D

[The Meaning Of Fear]

Huzzah! Go Apey go!

[Phantomfan]

We missed you Fath!

[FatHairyApe]

So good to hear from all of you guys and see I still have my loyal fans :) I am re-reading old chapters to make Chapter 9 totally awesome for you all :D

Miss you guys!

[Smee]

*Thwacks away*

Hey, this isn't giving me any fables!

Bah... it's a overweight fluffy ape, rather than an apedog.

Great to see you in the city, FHA. I read Weatherwarden pretty soon after I came back and was sorry you weren't around.

Looking forward to this continuing, and seeing your ample posterior about the city.

Happy Writing :)