There's a bang like a hammer on a huge sheet of metal, rolling through the streets, throwing up dust and blowing out the gas lanterns set along the road like a racing strip - and she's gone. Seeing other people watch her, I realize that I'm just used to this sort of thing. And they don't even know about the smoked finger collection...or her iron pot. How long has she had that?
After a while, Susauryoku says that now she's either done it or is...dead. I don't think she's dead. Kyoshi walks off to find out, and so do I and some others. Its incredible how cold it is - cold as when I was outside the Seninn, blown out the hole in the Wandering Star. Kyoshi just goes in, though, and not long after he's got HighDive...and she looks dead. She's so small...and missing a hand - most of her forearm. I barely warm her up - she's frozen solid. I think of Mokuzai then push it away.
Una brings her back. I'm surprised by how scared I get when she might be dead. I feel like I talked her into going in there. It just...it all seemed to make sense. But if she's dead, then I was wrong, and maybe we're wrong about everything. Maybe we still are. But...
I don't know if she understands...but we're doing it. Bit by bit. Freedom. Balance. I don't know who Una has to forgive, or how Kyoshi needs to be just, and Rei still seems to be looking for a purpose...that isn't just being a tool of her Kyo-tee-shee that is.
The city holds a celebration for HighDive. She gorges on candy - how did she find any!? - and gives random speeches from the tops of buildings. She challenges all kinds of people to fights and races and high-dive competitions. She displays her set of fingers and demands Susauryoku's finger to add to the chain. Or maybe an ear. His choice, but she prefers the finger.
We rub her belly and the old man makes a hasty retreat.
The next few weeks go by real fast. The army is coming and its far more than any of us can count. And more refugees. The ones from Geneva Prime arrive, and they are still being fed by Karia. We dig tunnels and make preparations. I try to stay busy because a lot is going on - lots of hurrying around and meetings and looking at maps. I'm not even sure what we're looking at - moving colored shapes around and pointing.
I get to see Zipporah a lot. We go fishing some afternoons, but there aren't really any fish. She could sing some up, but that's not very fun. We also find some old buildings submerged in the huge lake up here. The buildings look different from the ones in Stardown - there is corroded metal and bits of glass in the mirk. Zip's a lot less interested in it than I am, so we leave it alone down there.
I tell people the army that's coming won't kill us all so that I can believe it.
When the first...the vanguard, they call it...gets here, there are already millions of them. We're told that they'll go for Crystal Fork to set up a command, and that we need to fight them there, make them pay, and then crush the town to rubble. Those are all things I've gotten good at doing, so I'm in - all of us are.
I've never fought tanks before. I just didn't know much about the military until these few weeks when suddenly they want me to help fight it ten to one. Its tough, but then suddenly Rei...does something. She's really frightening. She rises into the air and the sun is blotted out by some kind of huge shadow. And then the ground starts shaking and all of the buildings - all of them - tear themselves loose from their foundations. They just float there, as if they're waiting.
And then she tears the town apart. Before she's done, she crushes thousands, tens of thousands, of soldiers and tanks and rubble into a huge ball and hurls them past the horizon, crashing out toward Goshi's endless army.
She's found her purpose, maybe. I'm glad she's on our side. (I think she's on our side.)
We're interrupted to learn that Goshi is heat-bombing the refugees. I catch myself. I had started thinking that we were fighting an army, a bunch of normal, reasonable people. No. We are fighting monsters. We have always been fighting monsters, whether they are eyeless or they look like chief executives.
I used to think I could make them pay enough to convince them to stop. Now I know better. You don't send an army of 80 million halfway across the continent because its good for business.
Well then. We'll stop you the hard way - one at a time. Kyoshi goes off to chase the Varan away - they're not here to fight, just bomb helpless refugees.
At the same time, there is a mass offensive against the northeast pass, held by Susauryoku and a small force of the army we've patched together. Rei and I go there, and Una joins us. They're throwing up huge metal bridges over the river that we'd hoped would slow them down. No such luck. They swarm across, not even caring about the thousands who are being torn apart crossing the river. More just come to replace them.
How did they get talked into this? What do they think they're here for?
Then it is Una's turn - things are coming to a head, and I think we're all...changing. Becoming something more. She calls down an army of Tee-Shee from the mountains all around. They swarm down on the Goshi soldiers.
I remember the cavern of the "purple Vorax", the terrible visions there, the torture of the Tee-Shee, the collected agony of all life on Karia. I know what they're feeling. Then the order comes to cross the river and to strike now, to kill and rout them and chase them down. There are screams that you can hear even across the river. The tanks go wild and out of control. The battle becomes a slaughter.
I stop paying attention for a while. My face is warm and wet.
I wonder if the Cheldrun will ever have to feel what they've done to other Cheldrun?
There is a story I don't really understand about Zipporah sinking some boats, or their crew or something. Having to do with "nerve gas", whatever that is. When Rei says it, her eyes light up. She thinks I don't notice her looking at me but I do.
That night, the Zipsum come with "tidings of woe from the manyest of the Karians." Its...typical Zipsum. I think they breed so fast so that you can't exterminate them all at once, because everyone has to want to. Even Una. They're just unstoppable, like termites that are impossible to catch or hold still and are armed with poisoned knives and arrows. They are here to kill us, apparently.
After that we try to talk to them a couple times. Why do I keep forgetting and letting HighDive talk to people we don't want to fight? Only Una speaks Zipsum, I think, and maybe Rei, among us. Una tries because HighDive and Rei are hopeless at this kind of thing, and even Una comes back so upset she squaks and molts all over the place.
I get sort of desperate and angry. Just give them the damn fruit. They don't think with anything higher than their waistline anyway. Maybe that'll turn them on Goshi. I get flashbacks of the Riverswift tribe "trial" and I want to smash something.
Somewhere I get the impression that HighDive's tribe has been...wiped out? Or captured or something. She doesn't seem bothered.
I have no idea.
To top it off, the Laughing school of the Anakarix wander into our camp to help by not being helpful. Maybe the lizards and squirrels will fight each other, and save us fighting them off or being laughed at. That would be something to see. I hear the Anakarix can fight, but I don't think it'll happen at night either way.
Maybe they'll help Jin-Kalys with the math, I dunno.
Not long after, I get my chance to smash things. It shouldn't, but it feels good. Not so much after, but during...yeah. I see Hurricane, I see Katashi Blade, I see Rain on every one of their faces. I smash and smash and smash. Their bullets bounce off me. Their bayonets dull and snap off. A horrified look from Zip lets me know that I'm covered in dirt and gore.
One by one. If that's how we have to do it. One by one.
Showing posts with label High Dive. Show all posts
Showing posts with label High Dive. Show all posts
Family Ties
A wisp of smoke is hard to see through jungle foliage in the middle of the night, on the night of the new moon.
Arrow teleported to a spot high enough in the sky that he would have time to get his bearings during the fall and choose a good spot in the canopy to disLocate into. It was quick. It was silent. He sent his thoughts through his earbud, I'm in, send the others. Seconds later the air was filling with his compatriots.
Timing, he reminded himself, would be crucial. Not speed. Timing. There was no way to be faster than a Zipsum, but you might catch them by surprise, if you were careful. Therefore, Arrow sat patiently, waiting for his compatriots to find similar perches in silence. They communicated by thought, avoiding even gestures that might rustle a tree branch and alert their sleeping quarry.
Patience and timing, were virtues Arrow prided himself on. They were his keys to survival. A Lieutenant in the Goshi army, a veteran Hei-Shi, and a survivor of no less than two encounters with the outlaws (once on the deck of the Rodan, and once at a flop house in Geneva Minor), Arrow made a habit of not getting himself killed - even when it seemed like Goshi command had it in for him, like tonight.
At his signal the first two units began disLocating into and out of Zipsum nests. Pink blades flickered to life sedating the sleeping Zipsum and their unconscious bodies were tossed into padded crates one on top of the other. Even as silent and as well coordinated as this effort was, it wasn't more than half a minute before the conclave began to stir, to awaken, and to realize they were under attack.
Now. Arrow sent the single word command out through the network.
In perfect unison the second two units of Hei-Shi deployed specially prepared gas bombs. They hissed to life all over the grotto as enraged Zipsum were drawing bows and grabbing wicked curved knives. The combination of steam and a neural destabilizer sent the Zipsum warriors into uncontrolled paroxysms as their bodies involuntarily began to shift forms and they lost all control of their extremities. While the blueish smoke wafted around trembling Zipsum bodies could be seen everywhere.
With the gas bombs deployed the rest of the Hei-Shi, including Arrow, leapt into action. It would be no use to try to contain the whole tribe. Some Zipsum had already escaped through underground burrows, or out small holes in the trees, or just by running really goddamn fast. But Arrow was pleasantly surprised by how many they had caught. Occasionally a conscious one would dive at him and he would happily bring a bluish blade into being on his fist and dispatch the maddened animal. His orders were to capture as many as possible, but he'd let his men know that they should defend themselves with lethal force. No playing games and getting injured.
While the rest of the Hei-Shi were fighting and gathering Zipsum bodies to be tossed into crates, Arrow looked around for the person that had been described to him. She would be painted in the colors of the tribe and wearing a chain of shrunken Cheldrun skulls. He found her tiny squirrel body quivering on the ground in a large hollowed out trunk of a Sygola Tree. Without hesitating he stepped on her hind legs with all his weight crushing them both, then he picked her up and brought her eyes level with his own. The pain in her legs made her lucid and as she looked at him her eyes narrowed in anger.
"Are you Living-Scarred-Heart, mother of High-Dive-Bludgeon?" He asked to be certain, according to his information she was the only one in the tribe who would probably understand Cheldrun.
She didn't reply but spit in his face, which he took as an affirmative. In response he squeezed until he felt a rib snap and walked back toward the rest of the Hei-Shi.
He tossed her into one of the crates that was nearly full, closed it and sealed it. Looking around, the work was almost done. Plenty had escaped, and one of his Hei-Shi had taken a poisoned blade in the neck, but otherwise it had gone according to plan.
The voice of Goshi Command came in over his earbud, Did you find them?
Yeah, he sent back, Tell Drives-Like-Oni that we got his whole motherfucking tribe.
Arrow teleported to a spot high enough in the sky that he would have time to get his bearings during the fall and choose a good spot in the canopy to disLocate into. It was quick. It was silent. He sent his thoughts through his earbud, I'm in, send the others. Seconds later the air was filling with his compatriots.
Timing, he reminded himself, would be crucial. Not speed. Timing. There was no way to be faster than a Zipsum, but you might catch them by surprise, if you were careful. Therefore, Arrow sat patiently, waiting for his compatriots to find similar perches in silence. They communicated by thought, avoiding even gestures that might rustle a tree branch and alert their sleeping quarry.
Patience and timing, were virtues Arrow prided himself on. They were his keys to survival. A Lieutenant in the Goshi army, a veteran Hei-Shi, and a survivor of no less than two encounters with the outlaws (once on the deck of the Rodan, and once at a flop house in Geneva Minor), Arrow made a habit of not getting himself killed - even when it seemed like Goshi command had it in for him, like tonight.
At his signal the first two units began disLocating into and out of Zipsum nests. Pink blades flickered to life sedating the sleeping Zipsum and their unconscious bodies were tossed into padded crates one on top of the other. Even as silent and as well coordinated as this effort was, it wasn't more than half a minute before the conclave began to stir, to awaken, and to realize they were under attack.
Now. Arrow sent the single word command out through the network.
In perfect unison the second two units of Hei-Shi deployed specially prepared gas bombs. They hissed to life all over the grotto as enraged Zipsum were drawing bows and grabbing wicked curved knives. The combination of steam and a neural destabilizer sent the Zipsum warriors into uncontrolled paroxysms as their bodies involuntarily began to shift forms and they lost all control of their extremities. While the blueish smoke wafted around trembling Zipsum bodies could be seen everywhere.
With the gas bombs deployed the rest of the Hei-Shi, including Arrow, leapt into action. It would be no use to try to contain the whole tribe. Some Zipsum had already escaped through underground burrows, or out small holes in the trees, or just by running really goddamn fast. But Arrow was pleasantly surprised by how many they had caught. Occasionally a conscious one would dive at him and he would happily bring a bluish blade into being on his fist and dispatch the maddened animal. His orders were to capture as many as possible, but he'd let his men know that they should defend themselves with lethal force. No playing games and getting injured.
While the rest of the Hei-Shi were fighting and gathering Zipsum bodies to be tossed into crates, Arrow looked around for the person that had been described to him. She would be painted in the colors of the tribe and wearing a chain of shrunken Cheldrun skulls. He found her tiny squirrel body quivering on the ground in a large hollowed out trunk of a Sygola Tree. Without hesitating he stepped on her hind legs with all his weight crushing them both, then he picked her up and brought her eyes level with his own. The pain in her legs made her lucid and as she looked at him her eyes narrowed in anger.
"Are you Living-Scarred-Heart, mother of High-Dive-Bludgeon?" He asked to be certain, according to his information she was the only one in the tribe who would probably understand Cheldrun.
She didn't reply but spit in his face, which he took as an affirmative. In response he squeezed until he felt a rib snap and walked back toward the rest of the Hei-Shi.
He tossed her into one of the crates that was nearly full, closed it and sealed it. Looking around, the work was almost done. Plenty had escaped, and one of his Hei-Shi had taken a poisoned blade in the neck, but otherwise it had gone according to plan.
The voice of Goshi Command came in over his earbud, Did you find them?
Yeah, he sent back, Tell Drives-Like-Oni that we got his whole motherfucking tribe.
Kick-Ass Queen: A Ball of Fur and Fury
The Kick-Ass Queen Award goes to the character who most players agree did the most devastation in the coolest way through the entire season. This prestigious award is accompanied not only by the trophy emblem (right), but by 5, count them 5, of the coveted red Never Gems. The honored recipient of the third ever Kick-Ass Queen Award is High-Dive Bludgeon, the deadliest squirrel ever to crack a nut.I admit that when I was given this assignment I almost shit myself. It is an honor to get to interview the recipients of these awards, but High-Dive Bludgeon has a bit of a reputation. Being a mere 200 point NPC I was extremely nervous about the prospect of coming face to face with the mammal who put the wild in the word... um, wild. If half of the reports are true, then she is personally responsible for some radical, Oni-scale destruction. So I trembled more than a little when I was told that her agent agreed to the interview.
What can I say about High-Dive? She is a study in extremes. When she is active she is a metabolic force of nature. She moves so fast that she shatters the sound barrier. When she is calm, such as when a companion is rubbing her tummy, then she is like a limp towel. Incidentally, this entire interview took place in the context of an extended tummy-rub. When I tried speaking to her without the manual assist, her answers came back in speech too rapid to be comprehensible, though her close friends do a decent job of interpreting.
"Our relationship with High-Dive," Kiyoshi said cautiously, "is what I would describe as... explosive."
I encouraged him to continue.
"What I mean is, things in High-Dive's vicinity tend to explode. So far those things have not included any party members, so we keep her around."
"Plus," Moses added, "how are you gonna stop her?"
An apt point.
Rei was much more positive about her furry companion. "High-Dive's aggressive tendencies are very useful if carefully encouraged against the right targets. Personally, I consider her presence in our party as something akin to possessing a tactical nuke. When other people know you have one they tend to surrender really fast."
Una had been handed the tonic squirrel subject by this time to continue the rub-fest, so I asked her what she thought of the only other surviving Karian in the group. I was looking for the human interest angle on the story so I encouraged Una, a tragic figure herself, to give me some insight into the troubled psyche of this little squirrel that might explain her violent tendencies.
Una thought for a moment, "Nah, High-Dive just likes to blow shit up."
As for High-Dive herself, the only words she had for this interviewer were, "Did you bring me candy?"
An enigma? Or just one violent little rodent? Either way she is this season's Kick-Ass Queen. She is High-Dive Bludgeon: a ball of fur and fury.
To Set a Course
At some point during our sea voyage, at night, Rei speaks up to the rest of the group. She looks thoughtful, and somewhat troubled. What she says is as follows:
"I think we need to talk. All of us. We've gone too long without explaining anything about what we're doing or where we're going. I know we're heading west, but why? Because the Dusk Sages live there? These 'Dusk Sages' haven't been helpful to us so far. They're extremely dangerous at best, and they may be actively hostile towards us. Why are we going to their retreat? Do we want their assistance? Are they likely to give it? Are we going there to kill them if what we saw is correct and they really are causing this Cataclysm?"
"Are we just following an arrow in the sky? But who put it there, and why? Are arrows in the sky trustworthy forms of guidance? And then there's the Enemy to think about. Almost every place we've visited has been attacked by the Oni. Does it advance our cause to bring the same fate down on the Dusk Sages?"
"I don't know how traveling west will help us deal with Katashi Blade and his DisLocators. He's summoning Oni, using the Enemy to gain power, isn't he? Provoking war between the Cheldrun cities? There's Nero to think about, too. He's out there, planning something. I think of the two he's the more dangerous." Rei looks at Una. "And he hasn't forgotten what you did to his arm." She waits a beat. "... Before we met up again, I gained access to the computer core of the Bosphorous. I used the ship's sensors to scan the planet and its immediate surroundings for Enemy signatures. There are now Enemy signatures in most of the Cheldrun cities, some scattered across the wilderness, some in the wilderness surrounding the Grand Chantry. But those aren't what worry me. What worries me is the source of Enemy signatures in orbit of the planet, where they're clustered so thickly that the ship's sensors could not distinguish individual signatures."
Rei looks up at the sky and points to the wandering star. "There they are now," she murmurs.
"And if they're sitting there in orbit, what are they waiting for? If I had a position in orbit of a world capable of resisting my invasion, and my goal was the destruction of everything, I would bombard the planet with asteroids until it had suffered so many Extinction Level Events that there was no chance of anything surviving. Why haven't they done that? What do they want if not our deaths?"
"The point is, we're flying blind, unless one of you knows far more about the situation than I do. We have to deal with the Enemy somehow. How are we going to do that? We aren't exactly an army ourselves. I'd like our odds a lot better if we had more people under our command, but we can't do anything about that right now. What are we doing? Why are we sailing west? What do we intend to do when we get there?"
Rei looks at each party member in turn, waiting for an answer.
"I think we need to talk. All of us. We've gone too long without explaining anything about what we're doing or where we're going. I know we're heading west, but why? Because the Dusk Sages live there? These 'Dusk Sages' haven't been helpful to us so far. They're extremely dangerous at best, and they may be actively hostile towards us. Why are we going to their retreat? Do we want their assistance? Are they likely to give it? Are we going there to kill them if what we saw is correct and they really are causing this Cataclysm?"
"Are we just following an arrow in the sky? But who put it there, and why? Are arrows in the sky trustworthy forms of guidance? And then there's the Enemy to think about. Almost every place we've visited has been attacked by the Oni. Does it advance our cause to bring the same fate down on the Dusk Sages?"
"I don't know how traveling west will help us deal with Katashi Blade and his DisLocators. He's summoning Oni, using the Enemy to gain power, isn't he? Provoking war between the Cheldrun cities? There's Nero to think about, too. He's out there, planning something. I think of the two he's the more dangerous." Rei looks at Una. "And he hasn't forgotten what you did to his arm." She waits a beat. "... Before we met up again, I gained access to the computer core of the Bosphorous. I used the ship's sensors to scan the planet and its immediate surroundings for Enemy signatures. There are now Enemy signatures in most of the Cheldrun cities, some scattered across the wilderness, some in the wilderness surrounding the Grand Chantry. But those aren't what worry me. What worries me is the source of Enemy signatures in orbit of the planet, where they're clustered so thickly that the ship's sensors could not distinguish individual signatures."
Rei looks up at the sky and points to the wandering star. "There they are now," she murmurs.
"And if they're sitting there in orbit, what are they waiting for? If I had a position in orbit of a world capable of resisting my invasion, and my goal was the destruction of everything, I would bombard the planet with asteroids until it had suffered so many Extinction Level Events that there was no chance of anything surviving. Why haven't they done that? What do they want if not our deaths?"
"The point is, we're flying blind, unless one of you knows far more about the situation than I do. We have to deal with the Enemy somehow. How are we going to do that? We aren't exactly an army ourselves. I'd like our odds a lot better if we had more people under our command, but we can't do anything about that right now. What are we doing? Why are we sailing west? What do we intend to do when we get there?"
Rei looks at each party member in turn, waiting for an answer.
Conflicts of Interest
My hands quiver as I catch little bits of parchment as they fall from the rafters.
How... how could... why...? WHY!?
The little chittering source of my frustrations looks down from its perch with glee in its eyes as it nibbles on a tome of buckskin filled with musical lore. My eyes gaze sorrowfully upon the smudged script.
Why you little... RODENT!
I'm vaguely aware thet I'm sputtering nonsensical protests; spittle spraying about the room as I make feeble attempts at enunciation while frantically waving my arms in protest. The little demoness is laughing at me now, losing control of its bladder and micterating upon the already damaged tome. I can feel my rationality slipping away swiftly until it is but a small voice in the back of my head.
The room reverberates with the crack of thunder as the song of Tempest surges within me, driven not by need, but by rage.
Wait... don't do it!
My mind becomes a warzone. Rationality duels emotion while desire presses the attack against responsibility.
KILL HER! KILL THE WRETCHED DEMON!
I feel like a bystander as I feel my rage take temporary control, summoning all the energy of the Tempest I can feasibly control... and perhaps more. The last time I became this angry was in the Goshi tower. The last time this happened, it ended in death. My eyes turn white as the core of a bolt of lightning and my voice becomes the wail of a hurricane wind accentuated with cracks of thunder. Then a hesitation.
She doesn't know! Ignorance is not deserving of death! You are a teacher, not an executioner! Stop! Please, for the love of Karia, stop!
WHAT USE IS THERE IN TEACHING ONE WHO WOULD DESTROY LORE FOR THE SIMPLE PURPOSE OF SPITE!? WHAT WORTH IS THERE IN SUCH A CREATURE?
A creature's worth is not for you to decide. You know this. Would it not be better to educate than to destroy? Of course it would. You know this. You accept this.
It seems reason has temporarily swayed the battle in its favor. I manage to choke out a few words of warning. "Squirrel! Out! NOW!" It just keeps laughing and smiling. The little demon has no idea of the intensity of the battle that is being fought for her life within my strained mind. It would be so easy to give in. It would be so easy to leave the little beast as a pathetic pile of ash. It would be so easy, just this once, to do not what my responsibilities dictated, but what would feel satisfying at the time.
I watched it all play out in my mind; my throat unleashing the few notes that would spell the doom of the otherwise ignorant Zipsum. Her eyes exploding open in surprise... literally. Every fiber in her fragile little body being heated hotter than the temperature of the sun in less time than the eye has a chance to notice. Her normally supple fur incinerating in a flash, followed closely by the vaporization of her internal organs and bones. Come to think of it, there wouldn't even be much ash left; just the stink of ozone and burnt hair.
Then the ramifications.
Moses looks at me like I'm the cruelest creature on Karia.
One of the gentlest hearts you have ever known, and you may have just broken it, old man.
Kiyoshi and Una have a look of betrayal in their eyes.
You swore to protect them. How can they trust you now?
Rei giggles.
Everything, even the removal of a demon, has its price. Are you willing to pay this one?
Reason reassumes full control of the battlefield as I watch Rei gently transfer the now dozing form of High-Dive outside. The Tempest resides, taking my visage of wrath incarnate with it. I feel frustrated tears welling in my eyes. It is difficult to become so enraged and not have an outlet and so, my outlet becomes my tear ducts. My hands are shaking uncontrollably as I cradle the tome. Una looks at me with concern in her eyes.
If she knew what sort of battle just took place, how would she think of you, old man? How would she react if she knew how close you were to destroying everything within 10 meters of the place you stood, all because of a book? What if the others knew? What if the squirrel knew?
For now, she offers me kind words, tea, and cleanses the tome of High-Dive's urine.
I begin reading quietly, pondering a solution to my conundrum. The trick would be getting High-Dive to understand without having her witness it first-hand.
Hell of a trick, that.
How... how could... why...? WHY!?
The little chittering source of my frustrations looks down from its perch with glee in its eyes as it nibbles on a tome of buckskin filled with musical lore. My eyes gaze sorrowfully upon the smudged script.
Why you little... RODENT!
I'm vaguely aware thet I'm sputtering nonsensical protests; spittle spraying about the room as I make feeble attempts at enunciation while frantically waving my arms in protest. The little demoness is laughing at me now, losing control of its bladder and micterating upon the already damaged tome. I can feel my rationality slipping away swiftly until it is but a small voice in the back of my head.
The room reverberates with the crack of thunder as the song of Tempest surges within me, driven not by need, but by rage.
Wait... don't do it!
My mind becomes a warzone. Rationality duels emotion while desire presses the attack against responsibility.
KILL HER! KILL THE WRETCHED DEMON!
I feel like a bystander as I feel my rage take temporary control, summoning all the energy of the Tempest I can feasibly control... and perhaps more. The last time I became this angry was in the Goshi tower. The last time this happened, it ended in death. My eyes turn white as the core of a bolt of lightning and my voice becomes the wail of a hurricane wind accentuated with cracks of thunder. Then a hesitation.
She doesn't know! Ignorance is not deserving of death! You are a teacher, not an executioner! Stop! Please, for the love of Karia, stop!
WHAT USE IS THERE IN TEACHING ONE WHO WOULD DESTROY LORE FOR THE SIMPLE PURPOSE OF SPITE!? WHAT WORTH IS THERE IN SUCH A CREATURE?
A creature's worth is not for you to decide. You know this. Would it not be better to educate than to destroy? Of course it would. You know this. You accept this.
It seems reason has temporarily swayed the battle in its favor. I manage to choke out a few words of warning. "Squirrel! Out! NOW!" It just keeps laughing and smiling. The little demon has no idea of the intensity of the battle that is being fought for her life within my strained mind. It would be so easy to give in. It would be so easy to leave the little beast as a pathetic pile of ash. It would be so easy, just this once, to do not what my responsibilities dictated, but what would feel satisfying at the time.
I watched it all play out in my mind; my throat unleashing the few notes that would spell the doom of the otherwise ignorant Zipsum. Her eyes exploding open in surprise... literally. Every fiber in her fragile little body being heated hotter than the temperature of the sun in less time than the eye has a chance to notice. Her normally supple fur incinerating in a flash, followed closely by the vaporization of her internal organs and bones. Come to think of it, there wouldn't even be much ash left; just the stink of ozone and burnt hair.
Then the ramifications.
Moses looks at me like I'm the cruelest creature on Karia.
One of the gentlest hearts you have ever known, and you may have just broken it, old man.
Kiyoshi and Una have a look of betrayal in their eyes.
You swore to protect them. How can they trust you now?
Rei giggles.
Everything, even the removal of a demon, has its price. Are you willing to pay this one?
Reason reassumes full control of the battlefield as I watch Rei gently transfer the now dozing form of High-Dive outside. The Tempest resides, taking my visage of wrath incarnate with it. I feel frustrated tears welling in my eyes. It is difficult to become so enraged and not have an outlet and so, my outlet becomes my tear ducts. My hands are shaking uncontrollably as I cradle the tome. Una looks at me with concern in her eyes.
If she knew what sort of battle just took place, how would she think of you, old man? How would she react if she knew how close you were to destroying everything within 10 meters of the place you stood, all because of a book? What if the others knew? What if the squirrel knew?
For now, she offers me kind words, tea, and cleanses the tome of High-Dive's urine.
I begin reading quietly, pondering a solution to my conundrum. The trick would be getting High-Dive to understand without having her witness it first-hand.
Hell of a trick, that.
Episode 9: Welcome to the Jungle
BOOM!
Everything went wrong all at once. With a demon and a flying train. But you know about that already.
And then BANG we all went into Mokuzai-land where there was plenty of tea and I ate all of his candied nuts but you couldn't leave no matter how much you tried. Seriously. I walked all over and even tried to go backwards when forwards didn't work. People talked and I don't remember what they talked about. They sounded serious and I didn't have any Magic Stickers for Kyoshi so it'll be a while before he gets any better.
Una has magic that's better even than Magic Stickers, but she can only use it when she's sad, which for her I guess is all the time. Sorta. Except for...you know who. And stuff. Um.
Then we came back out of Mokuzai-land, and we were up on this cliff with Una where other Vorax used to live. No nuts. Nuts! Of course. Because they're Vorax. Or they used to be Vorax. Or they're still Vorax but they're gone. Or because they're gone they're not Vorax anymore. Or something. Empty nests and paintings.
And then Zipsum came! Drum-drum-drum-drum-da-drum-drum. Profound-Speaks-Always and I negotiated. It went better than with the Biomade because no one had to be tied up. And I didn't lie to her because:
1. She asked about Cheldrun defilers, and our Cheldrun weren't defiling. Moses kinda smells, but I wouldn't call it defilement.
2. I thought it would be better to, you know, just go with them and hang out with them and eat and run and jump (and splash! but that's later) but not talk about the Cheldrun with us because it would make her mad.
3. Yup. It made her mad.
4. I'm not sure why I'm numbering these anymore.
5. Now lets get back to the story and stop numbering stuff.
We ran and ran and got there really quick with Una. And they were all over the place! It was great! The Riverswift Clan smells like foam and algae and they jump and they dive and they have loads of nuts and we ate (we're sorry!) a very special fruit that they explained to me but I forgot while I was eating it and I jumped and no one ever jumped so well ever before and splash! (see above) and then they thought I was dead and I went all crackly-tingly and bounced around (I think that'll help when we have to kill more Cheldrun) but that was before they thought I was dead-
Ha! But I wasn't!
And then we partied but then Profound-Speaks-Always got mad and talked at us, like I said. So now they're prisoners, which means they get the last dibs on the food! Ha-ha!
Oh, and there's something about a big Vorax and a hole in the ground. But I don't think I'm going into any holes that aren't in trees and filled with nuts thankyouverymuch.
Everything went wrong all at once. With a demon and a flying train. But you know about that already.
And then BANG we all went into Mokuzai-land where there was plenty of tea and I ate all of his candied nuts but you couldn't leave no matter how much you tried. Seriously. I walked all over and even tried to go backwards when forwards didn't work. People talked and I don't remember what they talked about. They sounded serious and I didn't have any Magic Stickers for Kyoshi so it'll be a while before he gets any better.
Una has magic that's better even than Magic Stickers, but she can only use it when she's sad, which for her I guess is all the time. Sorta. Except for...you know who. And stuff. Um.
Then we came back out of Mokuzai-land, and we were up on this cliff with Una where other Vorax used to live. No nuts. Nuts! Of course. Because they're Vorax. Or they used to be Vorax. Or they're still Vorax but they're gone. Or because they're gone they're not Vorax anymore. Or something. Empty nests and paintings.
And then Zipsum came! Drum-drum-drum-drum-da-drum-drum. Profound-Speaks-Always and I negotiated. It went better than with the Biomade because no one had to be tied up. And I didn't lie to her because:
1. She asked about Cheldrun defilers, and our Cheldrun weren't defiling. Moses kinda smells, but I wouldn't call it defilement.
2. I thought it would be better to, you know, just go with them and hang out with them and eat and run and jump (and splash! but that's later) but not talk about the Cheldrun with us because it would make her mad.
3. Yup. It made her mad.
4. I'm not sure why I'm numbering these anymore.
5. Now lets get back to the story and stop numbering stuff.
We ran and ran and got there really quick with Una. And they were all over the place! It was great! The Riverswift Clan smells like foam and algae and they jump and they dive and they have loads of nuts and we ate (we're sorry!) a very special fruit that they explained to me but I forgot while I was eating it and I jumped and no one ever jumped so well ever before and splash! (see above) and then they thought I was dead and I went all crackly-tingly and bounced around (I think that'll help when we have to kill more Cheldrun) but that was before they thought I was dead-
Ha! But I wasn't!
And then we partied but then Profound-Speaks-Always got mad and talked at us, like I said. So now they're prisoners, which means they get the last dibs on the food! Ha-ha!
Oh, and there's something about a big Vorax and a hole in the ground. But I don't think I'm going into any holes that aren't in trees and filled with nuts thankyouverymuch.
Mission: Aquatic Turbo Squirrel
Moses doesn't sleep. He's so heavy, he can barely lift an arm or a leg, but his head is light, like he's floating above his lumbering body. The ringing never leaves his ears. He turns his furnace down for the night, becomes listless and leaden in his movements. For a while he's still.
Its hard to breathe, but he doesn't want to wake anyone up. They need their sleep and he'll be ok. The stickers fixed him up pretty good, and he knows bullets won't stop him. Not yet.
Its hard to breathe, and his breath catches, escapes as little, stifled sobs. He holds a hand over his mouth, clenches his eyes, tries to swallow them but they come back up. He sees the bullet going through the Mechified's head, his eyes watching Moses, looking at the Symbol, dying while looking right at it. The gunfire following them. The shouting Mechified, going to fight soldiers with picks an shovels and drills. Going to get shot and die, just so Moses can run away. So Moses can survive. The weight builds and builds and builds, so heavy, too heavy...
He pulls his hand away some time later, snot clinging to everything, his eyes starting to crust over. He wipes his hand carefully on his coveralls, wipes his face with a rag that replaces snot with little wet smears of grease.
Highdive is watching him, her bright little eyes fixed. She quivers with energy, even in the middle of sleeping-time. Her paws are tucked under her. Maybe she's cold.
Moses roots quietly through his many pockets, comes up with a nut that she gave him what seems like a whole day ago, but is probably just a few hours. He holds it out to her, sees her nose quiver. There's a blur and she's perched on his stretched-out leg (the flesh one of course). She glares at his right side distastefully and snatches the nut in another blur, coming to rest just beyond his reach. She begins munching it, still staring at him.
Moses decides. "Listen..." he whispers, as quiet as he can, knowing she can hear better than he can anyway, "I need your help with something. I know that...some of you...like to carry messages."
Her eyes narrow again and crumbs fall from the corners of her mouth as she mumbles...stupid machines (crunch) not that we like to (munch-munch) well we do (gulp) not the point (nibble) should pay us better.....
"I, uh, I know, uh, sorry. But listen. I need you to carry a message for me. I don't have anyone else here who can do it without getting hurt...but you can. However you want. And then just, you know, run away. And wait wherever you want for a reply. Maybe you could...write it down? Like in a note? I don't want you to get caught..."
The suspicion is now as thick as Blackrock smoke. Her jaws have stopped working and she's glaring at him like she's finding nuts she can loosen. Lefty-loosy.
"Here's the message. I want to ask them. I'm a Symbol. I'm...part of the surgency. And I want to know. If they're after me. If they're...if they catch me, if I go to them, will they stop? Will they stop fighting? If I go to them, and I'm not a Symbol anymore, then they can just...work things out. You know. Make it better down here. We can go back to work. If they make it better. And we can stop fighting. I don't..."he looks away, eyes glistening, blinks a few times, looks right at Highdive, clenches his fist, "I don't want...anyone else to die...because of me. No one else. Can you...can you tell them that?"
Its hard to breathe, but he doesn't want to wake anyone up. They need their sleep and he'll be ok. The stickers fixed him up pretty good, and he knows bullets won't stop him. Not yet.
Its hard to breathe, and his breath catches, escapes as little, stifled sobs. He holds a hand over his mouth, clenches his eyes, tries to swallow them but they come back up. He sees the bullet going through the Mechified's head, his eyes watching Moses, looking at the Symbol, dying while looking right at it. The gunfire following them. The shouting Mechified, going to fight soldiers with picks an shovels and drills. Going to get shot and die, just so Moses can run away. So Moses can survive. The weight builds and builds and builds, so heavy, too heavy...
He pulls his hand away some time later, snot clinging to everything, his eyes starting to crust over. He wipes his hand carefully on his coveralls, wipes his face with a rag that replaces snot with little wet smears of grease.
Highdive is watching him, her bright little eyes fixed. She quivers with energy, even in the middle of sleeping-time. Her paws are tucked under her. Maybe she's cold.
Moses roots quietly through his many pockets, comes up with a nut that she gave him what seems like a whole day ago, but is probably just a few hours. He holds it out to her, sees her nose quiver. There's a blur and she's perched on his stretched-out leg (the flesh one of course). She glares at his right side distastefully and snatches the nut in another blur, coming to rest just beyond his reach. She begins munching it, still staring at him.
Moses decides. "Listen..." he whispers, as quiet as he can, knowing she can hear better than he can anyway, "I need your help with something. I know that...some of you...like to carry messages."
Her eyes narrow again and crumbs fall from the corners of her mouth as she mumbles...stupid machines (crunch) not that we like to (munch-munch) well we do (gulp) not the point (nibble) should pay us better.....
"I, uh, I know, uh, sorry. But listen. I need you to carry a message for me. I don't have anyone else here who can do it without getting hurt...but you can. However you want. And then just, you know, run away. And wait wherever you want for a reply. Maybe you could...write it down? Like in a note? I don't want you to get caught..."
The suspicion is now as thick as Blackrock smoke. Her jaws have stopped working and she's glaring at him like she's finding nuts she can loosen. Lefty-loosy.
"Here's the message. I want to ask them. I'm a Symbol. I'm...part of the surgency. And I want to know. If they're after me. If they're...if they catch me, if I go to them, will they stop? Will they stop fighting? If I go to them, and I'm not a Symbol anymore, then they can just...work things out. You know. Make it better down here. We can go back to work. If they make it better. And we can stop fighting. I don't..."he looks away, eyes glistening, blinks a few times, looks right at Highdive, clenches his fist, "I don't want...anyone else to die...because of me. No one else. Can you...can you tell them that?"
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