The Chronicles of Weyard

By Claviculae

Chapter 9: The Land of Mist

Brigg had plotted a course that would take them south, around the southern tip of Gondowan, then back north, through the land bridge. They would follow the western coast of Gondowan and Angara until they reached the city of Champa. From there, they would plot a course east-southeast, directly towards the area that Albert had directed them to. Supposedly, that area was directly south of the Mogall Forest, so they would be able to use that as a landmark. They continued on their southward course for several weeks, finally sailing around the southern tip of Gondowan.

"Santur, come here quick!" Meron shouted. "What is it?" he asked, running to the starboard side of the ship. "Look out there! Another continent, and it's all white!" she exclaimed. Brigg walked up to them. "Yes. It's called 'Tundaria', and it's white because it is always covered in snow. Very few people live there, and the only thing that draws visitors is an ancient tower." Santur continued staring for several minutes, using the keen eyesight unique to his Element. "I can see the tower!" he shouted. Meron, Brigg and Gandas all ran to the side and strained their eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of it. "I can't see anything." Gandas said, very disappointed. "That's because you're not Jupiter. Santur has uncommonly good eyesight, even for a Jupiter person." Brigg said. Meron was very disappointed. She wanted to see the tower herself, but on their present course, this would be as close as they would get. She hit upon an idea. Turning to Santur, she lightly touched his hand. She closed her eyes and let the image enter her mind. She could see the tower, far off in the distance. It was tall, and had a rounded top. On the roof of it, there was a small steeple-like pole that extended far into the air. It was beautiful, and she wished that after they were done with their work, that they could visit it. She wanted to explore it, to map out every corridor and hallway. She wanted to reach the top and climb the pinnacle. She heard Santur speak through the mind link. 'I know how you feel. I want to go there too. And when we're done exploring that one, there are two others just like it, located elsewhere in Weyard. I want to explore all three.' With that, he broke the link.

They continued on their northbound course for eighteen days, making exceptionally good time thanks to wind. They finally reached the settlement of Champa. It was a large town, almost a small city. It wasn't very prosperous due to the fact that it was out of the way and off the beaten path. No one had ever really managed to scale the cliffs and cross the mountains to the north of it, save for a few adventurous explorers. If a pathway could be opened through the mountains and a method of crossing the Lamakan Desert devised, it could become very prosperous indeed, due to the fact that it would be right along a trade route from the cities on Angara to the cities on Indra and Osenia. Currently, anyone wanting to trade between Gondowan and Indra or Osenia had to cross the Karagol Sea, pass through Suhalla and continue eastward, then cross several rivers to reach Lalivero. From there, they had to hire a ship to take them to their destination. Yes, opening up a trade route through Champa would revolutionize the town.

But as things stood, Champa was a small city built up against, and even into, the northern cliffs. Many passages were carved deep into the cliff. Some of them led out to ledges on the southern face of the cliff. From there, a person could see the distant continents of Osenia and Indra. In one of the caverns, there was a famous forge. Legend had it that a person could make weapons of incredible power in it. Santur wanted to visit the forge. After all, forging weapons was a hobby of his. Brigg had taught him how to and seemed to enjoy it almost as much as Santur. They had both worked on countless swords, knives, axes, and various farming implements. In Kalay, Santur had bought a souvenir, a tiny piece of Orihalcon. Orihalcon is an ore of incredible strength. A weapon made from it was unbreakable, and once it was treated, it was almost unmeltable. The small piece that Santur had bought was not enough to even forge a ring, but Santur planned to add it to some more conventional metals and create a strong alloy. From that he wanted to forge a shuriken, a small star-shaped throwing blade. The purpose of a shuriken, or a throwing star, is to enter the body of an enemy and lodge itself there. That way if you don't kill the enemy right off, then the enemy will eventually die from the complications of a small blade moving around inside of it.

"Santur, toss the ropes." Gandas ordered as he brought the small ship alongside the dock. Santur threw the heavy cords over the side but missed the dock by a few feet. Just as the ropes were about to hit the water, the dock attendant held his hand up and said, "Catch." The ropes stopped instantly and returned to the dock attendant's waiting hands. Santur stared at him. He had seen Catch used before, but that was always to grab something tiny, like an apple. Those ropes were meant to hold a ship in place. They were four inches thick and unbelievably heavy. Yet the man had used his Psynergy to catch them. That was impressive. The man tied the ropes to the thick corner posts of the dock. Gandas and Brigg grabbed the gangplank and started to lower it towards the dock. Santur jumped up on the railing of the ship and ran down the rope to the dock.

He walked up to the dock attendant. "That was pretty powerful Psynergy you used. I've never seen anyone who was able to use Catch on something as heavy as a docking rope." The man smiled and replied, "Yeah, you learn to use skills like that when people aim incorrectly and throw the rope into the water. And you're not the first person to miss." Gandas, Brigg, and Meron walked down onto the dock. "Let's head into town." Brigg said. They walked off into the small city.

Many of the shops were just small stands with tarps set up to protect them from the rain. Some shops were inside buildings, but they were scarce. Champa was not a rich town. They headed back into the caves that were carved into the cliffs. Most of the rooms back there were devoted to living quarters, but there was an occasional shop or two. Eventually, Santur located the room with the forge. An old man was working at it. Santur walked up to him. "Hi. I here that people who use this forge can make weapons of extreme power." The man looked up from his work and smiled. "Yes, that is correct. My great-grandmother used to run this forge. She was unbelievably skilled with it. After she passed away, her son took over. It has been passed down for several generations. Someday soon, I will pass on and my son will take over for me. Now, is there something I can help you with?" Santur nodded and held out the orihalcon. "I want to add this to an alloy and forge a small shuriken. Can I do that?" The man looked at him and smiled. "I can help you do that. Let me heat the forge. I just finished making an alloy for someone. He had me shape it into a crescent, and then he took it and left. Said he needed to head back to the inn and sharpen it. Oh, sorry for rambling." he said, stoking the fire in the forge. He then focused his Psynergy and the fire in the forge nearly exploded. He took a crucible and put some iron in it. He then took the orihalcon from Santur and added it to the mixture. "A shuriken, you say?" he said, stirring the molten alloy. Santur nodded. "In that case, let me add something else." He opened a cabinet and reached in. He produced a small block of black metal. "This is called Dark Matter. If a weapon is forged purely from this, it will be cursed." "What do you mean when you say it will be cursed?" Santur asked. The man merely smiled at the interruption. "A cursed weapon is one that cannot be unequipped. For instance, you can sheath a cursed sword, but if you try to throw it away, it will stick to your hand. The curse can temporarily prevent you from moving, and if you use Psynergy when cursed, it has a double-edge to it and will hurt you. But don't worry." he added, seeing the worried look on Santur's face. "This amount in an alloy won't curse it. It will merely enhance the weapon's battling power." he continued, adding the small block of metal to the mixture.

Once the alloy was mixed and purified, the man let it cool. He then poured it into a disc-shaped container. He let it cool to the point where it was pliable, then used a small blade to cut various pieces of it. It began to take shape. Once he had all the points carved out, he dropped it in a barrel of water. He grabbed some tongs and fished it out. "There you go. Sharpen the edges, and you have a first-rate throwing star." he said, taking the coins that Santur held out. Santur rushed back to the inn where his friends were staying and showed them the shuriken. Brigg was impressed. Santur grabbed a file and headed down to the main room of the inn. He grabbed some food, then started to sit down when he saw a man with a crescent-shaped piece of metal. He had a file and was sharpening the inside edge of it. He wore a hooded cloak that hid his face. Santur was curious. He went and sat down opposite the man, who didn't even look up. For some reason, the man was familiar. As he ate his supper, Santur watched the man file the edges incredibly sharp. He then pulled out a small tool, bairly thicker than a hair. As he started to carve a small hole in the edge of the blade, Santur realized who he was. "Goman! Imagine running into you here." The man looked up and put a finger to his lips. He got up and walked away. Santur followed him up the stairs. He opened the door to a room and they both stepped in. The door was shut and the hood removed. It was Goman, all right. But he had a new battle scar, right under his left eye. "Hello, Santur. How have you been?" he said, embracing him. "Good. And you?" "Not so good. Someone is tracking me, trying to hunt me down. Whoever is trying to kill me is definitely Mars. Actually, I think that there are two people trying to kill me. I have someone trying to protect me, though." "Who's that?" Santur asked. "You wouldn't know him. He's an old friend of mine, though." Goman replied. "Would he, by any chance, be named Albert?" Goman startled. "Yes. How do you know?" "I work for him, too. He sent me off to test out as an Adept. We stopped here to get supplies. What's your assignment?" "The same thing. Albert decided that I had worked for the ACSS long enough to merit the title of Adept. All I have to do is get there and test out. Oh, and shake my killers as well." "Why don't you hitch a ride with us?" Santur offered. Goman considered it. "If you have room for me, I guess." "Sure we do!" Santur replied.

He brought Goman back into his room and explained to everyone else that Goman was coming with them. They spent the rest of the evening working on their weapons. At the end of the evening, Goman returned to his room. The room Santur and his friends were staying in only had three beds, so Santur had to take the floor. It didn't bother him, though. He lay down and was soon fast asleep. As he lay there, he began to dream. He was up in the air, thousands of feet above the ground. He could see all of Weyard from here. The view shifted south and focused on Osenia. The view then started to rush towards northern Osenia, moving closer to the ground at a frightening speed. He wound up standing in a port city, Alhafra if he remembered correctly. He was transparent and no one saw him. 'I guess I'm just supposed to be an observer,' he thought to himself. He wandered to the northern part of town. There, in the water just off the beach, was a ship. It had just dropped anchor. Suddenly, dozens of people came pouring out of the ship, jumping into the water and swimming to shore. At first it looked like they were trying to escape. But as they came to the shore, they filed into ranks. Santur was dumbstruck. They were dressed in gray.

He tried desperately to wake up. He didn't want to watch this. As soon as they were all on the beach, they ran into town and dispersed in the crowd. Santur knew what was coming next. A battle cry was issued and all the assassins drew their swords. Santur tried to run but was unable to. He knew that he needed to watch this. It wasn't just a nightmare. It was a vision of what would happen. He watched as they mercilessly killed the civilians. He didn't know why they were doing this. It was a terrible. They were massacring the civilians. So many innocents were being killed. Then, like someone had thrown a switch, they stopped. They all looked behind them and saw the smoke rising from their ship. Somehow during the massacre, someone had got to their ship and set it ablaze. They all ran back to try to quench the flames that were destroying their only hope of escape. As they reached the beach, Santur saw who had set the ship on fire. He watched as himself, Meron, Brigg, Gandas, and Goman all started fighting the killers. It was over in ten minutes. His friends and the vision of himself were bairly scratched. The killers were on the ground, lying in their own blood.

He awoke and sat upright, drenched in sweat. He knew that it wasn't a dream, but a vision of the future. He got up and started pacing, trying to collect his thoughts. It was five thirty, too early to wake the others. They didn't usually get up until six. He laid back down in his sleeping bag, unable to calm himself. He closed his eyes and started reading Meron's mind. Soon, he was in that meadow again. He walked up behind Meron and tapped her on the shoulder. "Oh, Santur. What are you doing here?" she asked. "I need to talk to you." "Is this a mind link, then?" "Yes." he replied. They sat down and he told her about his vision. After he finished, he broke the mind link and woke up. It was six. He woke the others and they packed, ready to go. Once they were out at sea, Santur pulled Goman and Brigg aside and told them his dream. Goman agreed that it was a vision. "What should we do, then?" Santur asked. "Just wait. Those things won't come to pass until we are near enough to Alhafra to fulfill our part."

They sailed east for several days. Each day, it got mistier. By the fourth day, they couldn't see for two hundred feet. But as they sailed around in the mist, not sure of where they were, Santur suddenly saw them. Two great pillars of stone, jutting up out of the water. He yelled to Gandas, who quickly steered the ship to port, bringing them into the treacherous Sea of Time. They followed Albert's directions, sailing around the glowing rocks. Each time they did, the currents vanished for a few seconds, allowing them to navigate. They eventually made it through and wound up in the open ocean. They sailed north, towards the single piece of land jutting up out of the ocean. As they neared it, they found a small entrance at its base. They sailed into the cave. Suprisingly, there was light in the cave. Enough light for them to navigate by. They came to some docks and dropped anchor. They lowered the gangplank and walked down onto a grassy path. They followed it until they came to a stairway. They walked up and found themselves in a grassy field. A man was leaning up against a tree. Santur walked up to him. "Excuse me. My name is Santur and I'm here to try out as an Adept." The man nodded and started walking. Santur and his friends followed.

He led them up to a building. They walked in. It was a huge arena. No one was occupying it, save for a single man standing in the center. They walked up to him. Santur explained who they were and what they were there for. He told everyone but Santur to go sit down. They obeyed. "So kid, you want to be an Adept?" the man said. "Yes sir." "You'll have to prove your strength." Santur grinned and held up his hand. The fight was on.

Ten minutes later, Santur had the man completely beaten. He quickly drank a vial. "You've got guts, kid. Go sit down while I battle your friends." One by one they passed the test. After everyone had beaten the man, he lined them up. "You've each proven your worth. I hereby declare you Adepts, masters of the Elements!" He held his hand up. A purple aura surrounded Santur and lifted him in the air. It grew in intensity until it engulfed him. Then, it set him down and vanished. Meron ran up to him. She gasped and he smiled. His pupils were purple, as was the newly formed birthmark under his right eye. She hugged him, crying from joy. Then she gasped as a blue aura surrounded her and tore her from Santur's embrace. As with Santur, it grew in intensity until it engulfed her. When it set her down, Santur ran to her. Her pupils were blue. The process was repeated on Brigg, Gandas, and Goman. After everyone was powered up, the man looked them over. "You are now masters each of a single element. But this is not the end of your quest. No, you must now strive for the power to become an Adept of the parent elements. Santur and Meron, seek the power of Luna. Gandas, Brigg, and Goman, search out the power of Sol. Once you have done so, visit me here. Now, how did you travel here?" "By boat, sir." Santur answered. "Boats" the man scoffed. "Boats are slow. Let me grant you a faster and more efficient means of travel. Follow me. Oh, and Santur, stop it with the 'Sir' business. My name is Hydromin," he said, walking out of the stadium. They followed him outside. Some men were waiting there. Hydromin spoke with them and they left. Soon after, Santur heard whinnying. He looked at the creatures galloping towards them and nearly fainted with joy.

"These will be your steeds. They are Elemental Horses." Hydromin said as the animals approached them and stopped. "Here, Santur. This one is named Jupiten. He can soar through the air at incredible speeds." The horse walked up to Santur and nuzzled him. Santur caressed it, overcome with joy and affection for this animal. It was a light sky-blue and had small wings, like that of Jupiter Djinn, streaming back off its head. "And for you Meron, there's Mercurin. She can travel through water unbelievably fast." The horse walked up to Meron. It was deep blue, and had the small tail of a Mercury Djinni coming out from where head met neck. "Brigg, here's Venusit. He can move through ground like air." The horse came up and sniffed Brigg. It had the tail of a Venus Djinni coming out of its head, much like Mercurin. "Gandas and Goman, here are your steeds. Maror and Maris. They can each fly through the air as a fireball." The horses walked up to their new masters and nuzzled them. Their manes and tails were burning brilliantly. "Also, here are some special weapons for each of you. Here, Santur. This boomerang can be guided with your Psynergy. Meron, take this deck of cards. Each card you draw from it has a special ability. Some attack with vines, others with lightning, and others with searing flames. Brigg, you are the only person able to lift this hammer. To you, it will feel light. But when you swing it, it carries incredible momentum. Gandas and Goman, take these whips and learn to use them." Everyone accepted their weapons, looking them over. Santur threw the boomerang, then focused his Psynergy on it. It flew around the group and came back to his waiting hand.

It took Meron a full minute to notice that Santur was standing perfectly still, eyes closed. She quickly touched his hand, establishing a mind link. At that moment, however, Santur snapped back to reality. "Quickly everyone! Albert just contacted me. He said that the two Mars people who hired him have found out that I'm still alive! They've sent the Gray Company on a quest to cleanse Weyard! Their first target is Alhafra! Let's ride!" Without another word, they all jumped on their horses. Jupiten sprang southward into the air, flying a hundred feet or more off the ground. Mercurin sprang off to the edge of the pillar of land they were on. Upon reaching it, she jumped off the edge, taking Meron into the ocean with her. Venusit vanished into the ground, running straight down until he reached the floor of the ocean. Maror and Maris both jumped into the air, engulfed in fire. They soared through the sky, following Jupiten. They all headed south, hoping to stop the massacre.

What's gunna happen next? Will they be able to stop the Gray Company from slaughtering all the innocents? Will they be able to defeat the Gray Company once and for all? And who are those dumb Mars idiots who keep popping in to make trouble? Find out next time! In the meantime, please review and email me. Thanx.

Claviculae

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6/20/03

8:56 PM

27 paragraphs

306 lines

3842 words