Part XV -- Elements
"THROUGH the Elements?!" exclaimed Jenny.
"That's what I saw," Wara reported. "The path -- the game-approved path, at any rate -- goes straight through the Regions of the Elements. At least, it goes into the Region of Air. Whether it continues into the others is anyone's guess."
Wara had gone ahead of the others to see what lay in store for them. Actually, Vader had been expecting an obstacle of this magnitude. As they got closer to Lake Eerie and the end of the game, the journey became more hazardous.
"At least we're in northern Xanth," Jenny said, ever the optimist. "The dangers in southern Xanth are much bigger and stranger."
"What sort of dangers?" asked Luke.
"There's Com Pewter, of course, and the never-ending swamp we call the Ever Glades. And Lake Ogre-Chobee -- the ogres live in the Ogre-fen Ogre-fen now, but the chobees are fearsome water monsters who still live there. And Mount Parnassus, a world all its own."
"What is on this Mount Parnassus?" asked Vader.
Chang took over from here, being more versed in the mountain's lore than Jenny. "Parnassus is home to a select and strange group of creatures. It has two peaks -- the southern, home to the Tree of Seeds, and the northern, which harbors the Tree of Immortality. The Tree of Immortality is guarded by the Python, a huge snake that will devour anything but prefers females, and the maenads, a race of eternally young and beautiful but extremely vicious women."
"Too vicious for the Python, I presume?" Vader smirked.
"Pah, I could show that Python a thing or two," said Metria, who was still buried somewhere in Jenny's pack while she recovered from her last explosive transformation.
"The Tree of Seeds, which produces seeds and fruit of every plant in Xanth and several Mundanian species as well, is guarded by the Simurgh, a giant bird who has seen the destruction of the universe three times and is considered the wisest living creature in Xanth. She shares the south peak with the Oracle and the Muses."
"Who are the Muses?" asked Luke.
"Nine immortal women, mistresses of the arts -- music, literature, sculpture, drama, that sort of thing. Part of their duties is to compile the volumes of historical literature that tell of Xanth's history and major events. In fact," and he smiled amusedly, "I wouldn't be surprised if they were observing our exploits and writing of them now."
Vader stopped short. No one had told him he would be monitored during the course of the game!
"Don't worry," Jenny told him. "Very few Xanthians read those volumes."
"But what of the rumors?" asked Wara.
"What rumors?" inquired Chang.
"That a man -- I think his name is Piers Anthony -- smuggled copies of the Muses' books into Mundania and sells them as his own creation?"
"Mundania is a strange place," Chang replied. "They don't believe in magic. If they read the volumes, they will assume they are merely fantasy."
"This information is irrelevant," Vader cut in. "Right now we must deal with the Elements."
"Right," Jenny replied. "But there's some history to them as well. Centuries ago, a war was fought between two Magicians -- one good, named Hydrogen, and one evil, named Loudspeaker. Their struggles created the Regions of Air, Earth, Fire, Water, and Void before Hydrogen finally defeated Loudspeaker. The first three Regions are very violent, but the Region of Water is mostly peaceful. The most dangerous one of all, however, is the Void."
"Metria told me about that," said Luke. "Nothing that goes in ever comes out."
"Right. Hopefully the path will go around it."
"But how will we get through the Region of Air?" asked Vader.
At that moment, the group rounded a bend in the path to face a flat expanse of land on which a raging mass of frothing dust and whirling cyclones twisted -- an air-plain, if one wanted to see it that way. Jenny had been correct in calling the Region of Air violent. And Wara had been correct as well -- the path led straight into the bedlam.
"I see no way through," said Chang in frustration.
"Everybody look around," Luke suggested. "There must be a way. There's always a way."
Jenny picked up a sack. "I found a wind bag. But it's not much help -- it only creates wind. We need a way to get rid of wind."
"Are you sure it's not an air bag?" Wara asked.
"I can't tell the difference," Jenny replied. "Besides, an air bag won't help either."
Vader spotted something out of the ordinary -- so to speak, for Xanth itself was out of the ordinary. A tree clung valiantly to the ground at the very fringes of the Region. A lone tree, wind-gnarled and scraggly, but most definitely a tree. This warranted a closer look.
Jackets of some sort grew from the tree, and he pulled one down and examined it. It was fairly large, and he was sure it would fit over his armor. A key to the challenge?
"What have you got there, Lord Vader?" asked Jenny, coming over to take a look. "Oh, windbreakers! Of course! That's the way through the Region of Air. Everyone, come over here!"
"I should have known by now," Luke remarked, pulling a windbreaker down. "The key to a challenge is usually a pun."
"I was hoping we would come across an air-break to break apart the winds, but a windbreaker works just as well," said Chang. "Well, centaurs don't normally wear clothes, but in this case..."
Vader removed his cape, donned the coat, and replaced the cape over it. He was sure he looked ridiculous, but for now he would tolerate it. Once everyone had shrugged into a jacket, they began the trek across the air-plain.
All around them the wind churned and screamed, tying itself into knots and giving birth to whirlwinds and tornadoes. The air was practically opaque with dust and silt. The travelers walked in a pocket of calm in the maelstrom, their windbreakers forming a protective bubble around them.
At last they were clear of the Region of Air and its eternal windstorms. Everyone shucked their windbreakers, and most of the group simply hung them on the nearest tree in case a traveler coming the other way needed them. Luke, however, held his with a thoughtful expression before stuffing it into Jenny's pack.
"Hey, watch it!" snapped Metria.
"Sorry," Luke replied. "But this may come in handy later."
"Uh-oh," Jenny fretted, looking up. "We have company."
"An old friend, I see," Vader noted, spotting Fracto emerging from the Region of Air. "Back to harass us some more."
"Oh, he thrives on making mischief," Wara replied. "My father hated him. He would come by and storm over his herd while they were grazing."
But the cloud didn't release the expected storm. He only watched them, as if curious as to how they had survived the flood he had unleashed on them at the Gap.
"For now, ignore him," Vader advised.
After a short walk down a path lined with such exotic items as rock maples, concrete plants, and mountain roses, they reached the next obstacle -- the Region of Earth. The ground beneath them shivered and snarled as earthquakes shook it. Rocks splintered against each other as the ground heaved and split, thrusting up mountains one minute, gashing open canyons the next. Hot gasses hissed out of fissures, and in the distance volcanoes belched out smoke, ash, and liquid fire.
"The path goes through this Region as well," Chang observed.
"How can we be sure we remain on the right track?" Luke inquired.
"Horses and related species are very sure-footed," Wara offered. "Chang and I can scout out the safest route."
"Then lead the way," Luke offered.
Wara switched to her unicorn shape, and she and the centaur took their places at the head of the group to pick out the path.
The going was extremely rough, and there was no backtracking, for the landscape altered itself constantly and violently. Though Vader was not a skittish man by any means, it still unnerved him to look behind and see the ground they had occupied seconds ago replaced by a gorge, a lava flow, or a pile of fallen rock.
Chang stopped. "Problem."
"What's wrong?" asked Jenny.
"The path from here on out is very steep. I'm not sure the bipeds among us can navigate it."
"Then we'll ride on your backs," Vader replied. "Is that a problem?"
"Not at all," Chang answered.
Wara became human long enough to answer. "Only if it is Luke or Jenny that rides me. When I become a unicorn, I'm subject to all that entails." She resumed unicorn form.
"What does that mean?" asked Luke.
"Unicorns customarily only allow maidens to ride them," Jenny explained, "though they will tolerate a man if he..." She looked at Chang. "I'm under the Adult Conspiracy. You finish it." She covered her ears.
"Unicorns can only be ridden by virgins," Chang summarized.
From Jenny's pack came Metria's hysterical laughter. Vader failed to see the humor in the situation. Apparently so did Luke, seeing as his face was going bright red.
Wara knelt, and Luke mounted the unicorn. Jenny started to climb on behind him, but Wara shook her head and snorted.
"Oh, I forgot." Jenny removed her pack and gave it to Vader. "You'll have to carry this. Metria's not exactly a maiden."
Metria laughed maniacally again.
"Be quiet," Vader snarled into the pack.
Sammy meowed and leaped onto Chang's back, settling down at the curve of the centaur's spine where the human and horse parts connected. Vader mounted as well, and their party was once again on its way.
Much later they exited the turbulence of the Region of Earth, covered in dust and ash but fine. Luke, Vader, and Jenny dismounted and started walking again, though Sammy was content to remain where he was. Wara stayed in unicorn form, seeming comfortable with that shape while around Chang. Was it Vader's imagination, or did those two spend more time together now that she was free of the love spring's spell?
The path was now lined with firecracker plants, hot pepper plants, and the like. Fitting, Vader thought, as the next Region would be that of Fire. He suspected it would be a highly volcanic area.
"Fracto's still following us," Chang observed. "You must have really annoyed him last time you met up with him."
"Just don't insult him," Jenny advised.
Vader halted in his tracks. Ahead of them blazed the Region of Fire -- and it was no volcanic region. It was a solid wall of flame that rose as high as an AT-AT and stretched to both sides as far as the eye could see. Deep in his gut, a panic began to rise. He managed to quell it...
"And the path goes through here, too!" Jenny exclaimed.
Okay, he'd just lost his grip on his panic.
"Hey, this gives me an idea," Luke said eagerly, digging through Jenny's pack.
"Quit jostling me around, Skypilot!" Metria snapped.
"Sorry." He looked up. "Hey Fracto!"
A gust of wind sent hair and clothes flapping and made the flames dance wildly.
"WHAT DOES A MORTAL WANT WITH THE KING OF THE CLOUDS?" Fracto thundered.
"How does one go about making a deal with you?"
Fracto was silent a minute, caught off guard by the request. "IT DEPENDS ON THE DEAL."
"We need to get through the Region of Fire."
A rippling boom of thunder, almost like laughter, shook the air. "THAT'S NOT MY PROBLEM, IS IT?"
"We need your help to get through it," Luke pressed. "Will you use your storm-making powers to put out some of the flames and create a path for us?"
"YOU WANT ME TO WASTE GOOD RAINWATER ON THE SORRIEST COLLECTION OF FREAKS IN XANTH?" Fracto guffawed.
"In return," Luke went on, "we'll give you this." He pulled something out of Jenny's pack.
"A WINDBREAKER? WHY WOULD I WANT A WINDBREAKER?"
"Oh, I dunno," Luke replied casually. "I thought you'd want it to nullify any upstart cloud that sought to challenge you, but if you don't want it..."
"I'M INTERESTED," Fracto said quickly. "BUT HOW WILL I KEEP IT FROM NULLIFYING MY OWN POWERS?"
"This," Luke replied. He held up half a stick of reverse wood, one of the pieces he and Vader had used to get through the forget-whorl.
Fracto considered. "AND HOW WILL I KEEP THE REVERSE WOOD FROM REVERSING MY POWERS?"
He produced the other half of the stick.
A blast of wind sucked all three objects out of Luke's hands, and they spiraled into the sky to be swallowed by Fracto's vapor.
"I ACCEPT. NOW LISTEN CAREFULLY."
"We will go around the Region of Fire," Vader interrupted.
"But we've already made a deal," Luke protested.
"Cancel it," Vader ordered.
"We have to stay on the game-approved path," Chang replied.
Vader shook his head. "I will not pass through there. I cannot. Go on without me if you must..."
"Why?" asked Jenny.
Vader didn't speak for a long time. How would such a confession affect their perception of them? Would he be branded mentally unstable or a coward? His fear was a very real thing, however, and they had to know that.
"Many years ago, I fell into a molten pit," he explained slowly. "That damaged my body so severely that I was forced to wear this mask to survive."
Jenny caught on. "You're afraid of going into the Region of Fire! You have a phobia of fire!"
Darth Vader, lord of the Sith, afraid. The notion sickened him. But it was true. Every time his gaze lingered long on the flames, memories of Obi-wan's sweat-slicked face, of searing plasmatic blades, of unendurable heat, of hot agony, of hard cold medical machinery, of rage and pain and soul-wrenching sorrow inundated him. The very thought of entering that holocaust paralyzed him.
"You can do this!" Luke encouraged. "Sure, it'll be hard, but no one ever said this was going to be easy. And we said we'd stick together on this journey."
"Do you think it's easy for me to admit I cannot do it?!" Vader countered.
"I have an idea," Jenny said. She delved into her pack and produced a scarf. "Tie this around your eyes."
"And what do you hope to accomplish?" Chang asked her.
"I'm going to lead him," she replied. "If he can't see the flames, maybe they won't frighten him. And I can help him through."
Vader stared at her, uncomprehending.
"You helped me at the wormhole," she pressed. "Now let me help you. Kneel so I can tie this."
Touched and humiliated at the same time, he crouched and allowed her to wrap the scarf around the lenses of his mask. He stood again, and she took his hand.
"NOW LISTEN CLOSELY," Fracto boomed. "THE FLAMES OF THE REGION OF FIRE ARE RELENTLESS. I CAN SNUFF A PATCH DIRECTLY BENEATH ME, BUT IF I MOVE FORWARD, THE FIRE WILL DRY THE WATER AND RE-IGNITE THE AREA IN AN INSTANT. IF YOU WANT SAFE PASSAGE THROUGH THE REGION OF FIRE, YOU MUST STAY DIRECTLY BENEATH ME."
Rain poured down all around. Jenny pulled at his arm to guide him.
Though he could see nothing, he could feel the heat of the Region of Fire all around him. Combined with the steam from Fracto's downpour, it made his surroundings feel like a sauna. Smoke laced every breath he took, and the ash-blanketed ground sank slightly with each step.
At last they stopped, and someone pulled his blindfold off. They were past the Region of Fire.
"Thanks, Fracto!" Luke shouted.
The cloud boomed a farewell and moved on.
Vader placed a hand on Jenny's shoulder. "Thank you, Jenny." He was too embarrassed to say much else.
But she sensed what he had not said. "Don't worry about it. Everyone has something they're afraid of, no matter who they are. I'm afraid of heights, and you're afraid of fire."
"Not all fire, simply walking through it," he corrected.
"Did I miss anything?" Metria asked, suddenly appearing in the middle of the group.
"Your dress, for one thing," Chang noted dryly.
"You don't have to tell me, Wader," she huffed, her dress reappearing. "Get some clothes on. Oh look, a lake!"
"Ocean" was more like it. Ahead of the path lay an expanse of water that dwarfed anything Vader had ever seen before. Plants such as water hyacinths, water lilies, and breadfruit trees that bore sea-biscuits grew along the shore.
"The path goes to the shore," Wara noted as she became human again. "And it looks like it goes underwater, too."
"We shouldn't have a problem with this Region," Jenny assured them. "All we need is a boat."
"Done." Metria leaped into the water and became a sail-powered raft. Everyone climbed aboard, and the craft set off.
The others might have thought the journey peaceful, but Vader found it dull. Once the shoreline disappeared the scenery became a monotony of blue-gray water. Not even an island or fellow watercraft could be seen.
Something broke the surface on his side of the raft -- a porpoise. The same one that had aided them at the Magician's castle? No, this one was a different shade of gray. It cackled good-naturedly and nuzzled his hand. Grateful for the break from his boredom, he rubbed the creature's head. It purred and executed a graceful leap, playfully splashing water at him. He couldn't help but laugh.
Then a thought came that sobered him instantly. A porpoise always had a purpose. This one wasn't just part of the scenery. It was the key to an upcoming challenge.
"Creature ahoy!" Wara exclaimed.
Vader faced the front of the raft to see a huge shape just beneath the surface, barreling toward their raft at top speed. Chang sent an arrow into the water, and the creature veered right. Then a long neck with a fearsome reptilian head snaked out of the water, screaming in rage.
"That looks like a plesiosaur!" Jenny exclaimed.
"Plesiosaurs aren't vicious," Chang protested. "They're always eager to please..."
"This one's vicious!" Jenny countered. "Looks like a crossbreed -- plesiosaur-allegory mix."
Wara's face went white. "Darius! He and his army use crossbreed animals as weapons and beasts of burden! He must have sent it to get rid of us!"
Of course. The beast was eager to please -- eager to please Darius, at least. Darius knew they were coming and sought to eliminate them.
The plesiosaur's head came closer, water and saliva dripping from its grinning jaws. But a flash of annoyance crossed its ugly face, and it turned sharply.
The porpoise, who had just rammed its nose into a soft spot on the beast's belly, squealed tauntingly and swam off like a blaster bolt. The monster followed, though its bulk slowed it down enough to assure everyone that their benefactor wouldn't be eaten.
"That was close," Luke groaned.
"Crash ho!" shouted Metria, a mouth forming on her sail.
"What ho?" asked Luke.
"Touchdown, re-entry, earth, continent..."
"Land," Wara corrected.
"Whatever."
The raft beached on the opposite shore, and everyone disembarked. They had surmounted the challenge of the Region of Water.
"Good work, Vader," Wara congratulated.
"For what?" he asked.
"Befriending the porpoise. You were friendly to it, so it was friendly to us in return."
"That was not intentional."
"It was still a big help..." began Luke. "Aw no!"
"What?" asked Wara.
"The path."
Vader saw what Luke was referring to. The game path led straight into the Void. A hazy area whose borders couldn't quite be defined, it tugged at him as if he were standing near a powerful magnet.
"Should we try going around?" he asked.
"Who knows what'll happen if we go off the path?" Jenny replied.
"We can't go through the Void!" Metria protested.
"You can," Luke pointed out. "You can teleport to the other side."
"Yeah, but if you get sucked into the Void and wipe out, Grossclout'll mush my head!"
"There must be a way," Luke murmured.
"But nothing can go through the Void," protested Wara. "Only day and night mares can survive..."
Something clicked in Vader's brain. "Jenny, remember that Mundane woman we met at the Good Magician's castle?"
"Yes," Jenny replied. "Why?"
"She was brought to Xanth by a day mare. The creatures are not merely delivery beasts. They can be a means of transportation."
"Day mares are largely imaginary creatures," Chang informed him. "Only in the dream realm are they given substance. It is impossible to ride them."
"Unless you are in the dream realm with them," Vader retorted.
"Well, I suppose it is possible, if you were daydreaming and happened to contact the day mare who brought you the dream, that she MIGHT convey you," Chang conceded, though he sounded highly doubtful. "But day mares don't simply come on command, and you cannot predict when one might appear to deliver..."
"Your talent, horse-rear!" Metria interrupted in her usual blunt manner. "You can summon the things, dismember?"
"What?" asked Chang.
"Decapitate, mutilate, recall, recollect..."
"Remember," Luke replied.
"Whatever."
"Oh, yes," Chang replied with an embarrassed grin. "I so seldom use my talent that I forget about it on occasion."
"That's it," Luke realized. "Chang summons day mares, and they transport us, in our dreams, beyond the Void. Hopefully, that will get us physically past the Void."
"We can give it a try," Wara replied hopefully.
"Everyone think of something pleasant," Jenny ordered. "Chang, summon five day mares, one for each of us that can dream. Metria, go to the other side of the Void and wait for us there."
"What if you don't show up?" she asked.
"Give us an hour, then come back," Luke told her.
"All right, Boardwalker." She vanished.
Vader closed his eyes, imagining himself at the controls of his TIE fighter. He had customized the fighter heavily, but unlike the infamous claptrap Millennium Falcon, his was a seamless, expertly crafted starship. Ever since he was a child, he had loved beautiful machines -- his long-lost droid and first project C-3P0, his podracer, various skycars and starships, and his prized Executor. A majestic, powerful vessel, she was the undisputed queen of the stars.
Funny -- he was so fascinated by machines, but hated the fact that he was controlled by them. It was quite the irony. But then, the Executor and his TIE didn't dominate his life in the same ways his life-support armor did.
Something flickered at the corner of his eye. A scarlet horse galloped across the stars, silent, beautiful, and utterly out of place here. He brought the TIE around for a better look.
(Who are you?)
[Day Mare Morgana. And you?]
(Lord Darth Vader.)
[Why do you contact me?]
(I require transport to the opposite side of the Void. Can you aid me?)
[Fire your tow cable.]
He made an adjustment to the firing mechanism and pulled the trigger. The heavy cable streaked forward several meters before the line ran out. Morgana took the end in her teeth and set off at a swift canter, pulling the starfighter along with her. Then she quickened her pace, running at a speed he'd thought a horse incapable of. The stars became blurs on either side as if they were penetrating hyperspace...
And when he opened his eyes again, he was facing a game-regulation campsite, the Void far off in the distance behind him. Luke and Metria had already set up tents, and after a few minutes they were joined by the others.
"Another challenge behind us," Jenny said brightly. "And we're almost to our goal!"
"It's a wonder you can be so cheery," Wara noted, looking concerned. "The Ogre-fen lies between us and Lake Eerie, and we still have Darius to deal with."
The unicorn girl was right. The game wasn't over yet. There were still greater dangers to face, and there was no guarantee that any of them would survive to see the end of the game.
Tomorrow would come too soon. He retired to his tent and fell into a deep sleep.
"THROUGH the Elements?!" exclaimed Jenny.
"That's what I saw," Wara reported. "The path -- the game-approved path, at any rate -- goes straight through the Regions of the Elements. At least, it goes into the Region of Air. Whether it continues into the others is anyone's guess."
Wara had gone ahead of the others to see what lay in store for them. Actually, Vader had been expecting an obstacle of this magnitude. As they got closer to Lake Eerie and the end of the game, the journey became more hazardous.
"At least we're in northern Xanth," Jenny said, ever the optimist. "The dangers in southern Xanth are much bigger and stranger."
"What sort of dangers?" asked Luke.
"There's Com Pewter, of course, and the never-ending swamp we call the Ever Glades. And Lake Ogre-Chobee -- the ogres live in the Ogre-fen Ogre-fen now, but the chobees are fearsome water monsters who still live there. And Mount Parnassus, a world all its own."
"What is on this Mount Parnassus?" asked Vader.
Chang took over from here, being more versed in the mountain's lore than Jenny. "Parnassus is home to a select and strange group of creatures. It has two peaks -- the southern, home to the Tree of Seeds, and the northern, which harbors the Tree of Immortality. The Tree of Immortality is guarded by the Python, a huge snake that will devour anything but prefers females, and the maenads, a race of eternally young and beautiful but extremely vicious women."
"Too vicious for the Python, I presume?" Vader smirked.
"Pah, I could show that Python a thing or two," said Metria, who was still buried somewhere in Jenny's pack while she recovered from her last explosive transformation.
"The Tree of Seeds, which produces seeds and fruit of every plant in Xanth and several Mundanian species as well, is guarded by the Simurgh, a giant bird who has seen the destruction of the universe three times and is considered the wisest living creature in Xanth. She shares the south peak with the Oracle and the Muses."
"Who are the Muses?" asked Luke.
"Nine immortal women, mistresses of the arts -- music, literature, sculpture, drama, that sort of thing. Part of their duties is to compile the volumes of historical literature that tell of Xanth's history and major events. In fact," and he smiled amusedly, "I wouldn't be surprised if they were observing our exploits and writing of them now."
Vader stopped short. No one had told him he would be monitored during the course of the game!
"Don't worry," Jenny told him. "Very few Xanthians read those volumes."
"But what of the rumors?" asked Wara.
"What rumors?" inquired Chang.
"That a man -- I think his name is Piers Anthony -- smuggled copies of the Muses' books into Mundania and sells them as his own creation?"
"Mundania is a strange place," Chang replied. "They don't believe in magic. If they read the volumes, they will assume they are merely fantasy."
"This information is irrelevant," Vader cut in. "Right now we must deal with the Elements."
"Right," Jenny replied. "But there's some history to them as well. Centuries ago, a war was fought between two Magicians -- one good, named Hydrogen, and one evil, named Loudspeaker. Their struggles created the Regions of Air, Earth, Fire, Water, and Void before Hydrogen finally defeated Loudspeaker. The first three Regions are very violent, but the Region of Water is mostly peaceful. The most dangerous one of all, however, is the Void."
"Metria told me about that," said Luke. "Nothing that goes in ever comes out."
"Right. Hopefully the path will go around it."
"But how will we get through the Region of Air?" asked Vader.
At that moment, the group rounded a bend in the path to face a flat expanse of land on which a raging mass of frothing dust and whirling cyclones twisted -- an air-plain, if one wanted to see it that way. Jenny had been correct in calling the Region of Air violent. And Wara had been correct as well -- the path led straight into the bedlam.
"I see no way through," said Chang in frustration.
"Everybody look around," Luke suggested. "There must be a way. There's always a way."
Jenny picked up a sack. "I found a wind bag. But it's not much help -- it only creates wind. We need a way to get rid of wind."
"Are you sure it's not an air bag?" Wara asked.
"I can't tell the difference," Jenny replied. "Besides, an air bag won't help either."
Vader spotted something out of the ordinary -- so to speak, for Xanth itself was out of the ordinary. A tree clung valiantly to the ground at the very fringes of the Region. A lone tree, wind-gnarled and scraggly, but most definitely a tree. This warranted a closer look.
Jackets of some sort grew from the tree, and he pulled one down and examined it. It was fairly large, and he was sure it would fit over his armor. A key to the challenge?
"What have you got there, Lord Vader?" asked Jenny, coming over to take a look. "Oh, windbreakers! Of course! That's the way through the Region of Air. Everyone, come over here!"
"I should have known by now," Luke remarked, pulling a windbreaker down. "The key to a challenge is usually a pun."
"I was hoping we would come across an air-break to break apart the winds, but a windbreaker works just as well," said Chang. "Well, centaurs don't normally wear clothes, but in this case..."
Vader removed his cape, donned the coat, and replaced the cape over it. He was sure he looked ridiculous, but for now he would tolerate it. Once everyone had shrugged into a jacket, they began the trek across the air-plain.
All around them the wind churned and screamed, tying itself into knots and giving birth to whirlwinds and tornadoes. The air was practically opaque with dust and silt. The travelers walked in a pocket of calm in the maelstrom, their windbreakers forming a protective bubble around them.
At last they were clear of the Region of Air and its eternal windstorms. Everyone shucked their windbreakers, and most of the group simply hung them on the nearest tree in case a traveler coming the other way needed them. Luke, however, held his with a thoughtful expression before stuffing it into Jenny's pack.
"Hey, watch it!" snapped Metria.
"Sorry," Luke replied. "But this may come in handy later."
"Uh-oh," Jenny fretted, looking up. "We have company."
"An old friend, I see," Vader noted, spotting Fracto emerging from the Region of Air. "Back to harass us some more."
"Oh, he thrives on making mischief," Wara replied. "My father hated him. He would come by and storm over his herd while they were grazing."
But the cloud didn't release the expected storm. He only watched them, as if curious as to how they had survived the flood he had unleashed on them at the Gap.
"For now, ignore him," Vader advised.
After a short walk down a path lined with such exotic items as rock maples, concrete plants, and mountain roses, they reached the next obstacle -- the Region of Earth. The ground beneath them shivered and snarled as earthquakes shook it. Rocks splintered against each other as the ground heaved and split, thrusting up mountains one minute, gashing open canyons the next. Hot gasses hissed out of fissures, and in the distance volcanoes belched out smoke, ash, and liquid fire.
"The path goes through this Region as well," Chang observed.
"How can we be sure we remain on the right track?" Luke inquired.
"Horses and related species are very sure-footed," Wara offered. "Chang and I can scout out the safest route."
"Then lead the way," Luke offered.
Wara switched to her unicorn shape, and she and the centaur took their places at the head of the group to pick out the path.
The going was extremely rough, and there was no backtracking, for the landscape altered itself constantly and violently. Though Vader was not a skittish man by any means, it still unnerved him to look behind and see the ground they had occupied seconds ago replaced by a gorge, a lava flow, or a pile of fallen rock.
Chang stopped. "Problem."
"What's wrong?" asked Jenny.
"The path from here on out is very steep. I'm not sure the bipeds among us can navigate it."
"Then we'll ride on your backs," Vader replied. "Is that a problem?"
"Not at all," Chang answered.
Wara became human long enough to answer. "Only if it is Luke or Jenny that rides me. When I become a unicorn, I'm subject to all that entails." She resumed unicorn form.
"What does that mean?" asked Luke.
"Unicorns customarily only allow maidens to ride them," Jenny explained, "though they will tolerate a man if he..." She looked at Chang. "I'm under the Adult Conspiracy. You finish it." She covered her ears.
"Unicorns can only be ridden by virgins," Chang summarized.
From Jenny's pack came Metria's hysterical laughter. Vader failed to see the humor in the situation. Apparently so did Luke, seeing as his face was going bright red.
Wara knelt, and Luke mounted the unicorn. Jenny started to climb on behind him, but Wara shook her head and snorted.
"Oh, I forgot." Jenny removed her pack and gave it to Vader. "You'll have to carry this. Metria's not exactly a maiden."
Metria laughed maniacally again.
"Be quiet," Vader snarled into the pack.
Sammy meowed and leaped onto Chang's back, settling down at the curve of the centaur's spine where the human and horse parts connected. Vader mounted as well, and their party was once again on its way.
Much later they exited the turbulence of the Region of Earth, covered in dust and ash but fine. Luke, Vader, and Jenny dismounted and started walking again, though Sammy was content to remain where he was. Wara stayed in unicorn form, seeming comfortable with that shape while around Chang. Was it Vader's imagination, or did those two spend more time together now that she was free of the love spring's spell?
The path was now lined with firecracker plants, hot pepper plants, and the like. Fitting, Vader thought, as the next Region would be that of Fire. He suspected it would be a highly volcanic area.
"Fracto's still following us," Chang observed. "You must have really annoyed him last time you met up with him."
"Just don't insult him," Jenny advised.
Vader halted in his tracks. Ahead of them blazed the Region of Fire -- and it was no volcanic region. It was a solid wall of flame that rose as high as an AT-AT and stretched to both sides as far as the eye could see. Deep in his gut, a panic began to rise. He managed to quell it...
"And the path goes through here, too!" Jenny exclaimed.
Okay, he'd just lost his grip on his panic.
"Hey, this gives me an idea," Luke said eagerly, digging through Jenny's pack.
"Quit jostling me around, Skypilot!" Metria snapped.
"Sorry." He looked up. "Hey Fracto!"
A gust of wind sent hair and clothes flapping and made the flames dance wildly.
"WHAT DOES A MORTAL WANT WITH THE KING OF THE CLOUDS?" Fracto thundered.
"How does one go about making a deal with you?"
Fracto was silent a minute, caught off guard by the request. "IT DEPENDS ON THE DEAL."
"We need to get through the Region of Fire."
A rippling boom of thunder, almost like laughter, shook the air. "THAT'S NOT MY PROBLEM, IS IT?"
"We need your help to get through it," Luke pressed. "Will you use your storm-making powers to put out some of the flames and create a path for us?"
"YOU WANT ME TO WASTE GOOD RAINWATER ON THE SORRIEST COLLECTION OF FREAKS IN XANTH?" Fracto guffawed.
"In return," Luke went on, "we'll give you this." He pulled something out of Jenny's pack.
"A WINDBREAKER? WHY WOULD I WANT A WINDBREAKER?"
"Oh, I dunno," Luke replied casually. "I thought you'd want it to nullify any upstart cloud that sought to challenge you, but if you don't want it..."
"I'M INTERESTED," Fracto said quickly. "BUT HOW WILL I KEEP IT FROM NULLIFYING MY OWN POWERS?"
"This," Luke replied. He held up half a stick of reverse wood, one of the pieces he and Vader had used to get through the forget-whorl.
Fracto considered. "AND HOW WILL I KEEP THE REVERSE WOOD FROM REVERSING MY POWERS?"
He produced the other half of the stick.
A blast of wind sucked all three objects out of Luke's hands, and they spiraled into the sky to be swallowed by Fracto's vapor.
"I ACCEPT. NOW LISTEN CAREFULLY."
"We will go around the Region of Fire," Vader interrupted.
"But we've already made a deal," Luke protested.
"Cancel it," Vader ordered.
"We have to stay on the game-approved path," Chang replied.
Vader shook his head. "I will not pass through there. I cannot. Go on without me if you must..."
"Why?" asked Jenny.
Vader didn't speak for a long time. How would such a confession affect their perception of them? Would he be branded mentally unstable or a coward? His fear was a very real thing, however, and they had to know that.
"Many years ago, I fell into a molten pit," he explained slowly. "That damaged my body so severely that I was forced to wear this mask to survive."
Jenny caught on. "You're afraid of going into the Region of Fire! You have a phobia of fire!"
Darth Vader, lord of the Sith, afraid. The notion sickened him. But it was true. Every time his gaze lingered long on the flames, memories of Obi-wan's sweat-slicked face, of searing plasmatic blades, of unendurable heat, of hot agony, of hard cold medical machinery, of rage and pain and soul-wrenching sorrow inundated him. The very thought of entering that holocaust paralyzed him.
"You can do this!" Luke encouraged. "Sure, it'll be hard, but no one ever said this was going to be easy. And we said we'd stick together on this journey."
"Do you think it's easy for me to admit I cannot do it?!" Vader countered.
"I have an idea," Jenny said. She delved into her pack and produced a scarf. "Tie this around your eyes."
"And what do you hope to accomplish?" Chang asked her.
"I'm going to lead him," she replied. "If he can't see the flames, maybe they won't frighten him. And I can help him through."
Vader stared at her, uncomprehending.
"You helped me at the wormhole," she pressed. "Now let me help you. Kneel so I can tie this."
Touched and humiliated at the same time, he crouched and allowed her to wrap the scarf around the lenses of his mask. He stood again, and she took his hand.
"NOW LISTEN CLOSELY," Fracto boomed. "THE FLAMES OF THE REGION OF FIRE ARE RELENTLESS. I CAN SNUFF A PATCH DIRECTLY BENEATH ME, BUT IF I MOVE FORWARD, THE FIRE WILL DRY THE WATER AND RE-IGNITE THE AREA IN AN INSTANT. IF YOU WANT SAFE PASSAGE THROUGH THE REGION OF FIRE, YOU MUST STAY DIRECTLY BENEATH ME."
Rain poured down all around. Jenny pulled at his arm to guide him.
Though he could see nothing, he could feel the heat of the Region of Fire all around him. Combined with the steam from Fracto's downpour, it made his surroundings feel like a sauna. Smoke laced every breath he took, and the ash-blanketed ground sank slightly with each step.
At last they stopped, and someone pulled his blindfold off. They were past the Region of Fire.
"Thanks, Fracto!" Luke shouted.
The cloud boomed a farewell and moved on.
Vader placed a hand on Jenny's shoulder. "Thank you, Jenny." He was too embarrassed to say much else.
But she sensed what he had not said. "Don't worry about it. Everyone has something they're afraid of, no matter who they are. I'm afraid of heights, and you're afraid of fire."
"Not all fire, simply walking through it," he corrected.
"Did I miss anything?" Metria asked, suddenly appearing in the middle of the group.
"Your dress, for one thing," Chang noted dryly.
"You don't have to tell me, Wader," she huffed, her dress reappearing. "Get some clothes on. Oh look, a lake!"
"Ocean" was more like it. Ahead of the path lay an expanse of water that dwarfed anything Vader had ever seen before. Plants such as water hyacinths, water lilies, and breadfruit trees that bore sea-biscuits grew along the shore.
"The path goes to the shore," Wara noted as she became human again. "And it looks like it goes underwater, too."
"We shouldn't have a problem with this Region," Jenny assured them. "All we need is a boat."
"Done." Metria leaped into the water and became a sail-powered raft. Everyone climbed aboard, and the craft set off.
The others might have thought the journey peaceful, but Vader found it dull. Once the shoreline disappeared the scenery became a monotony of blue-gray water. Not even an island or fellow watercraft could be seen.
Something broke the surface on his side of the raft -- a porpoise. The same one that had aided them at the Magician's castle? No, this one was a different shade of gray. It cackled good-naturedly and nuzzled his hand. Grateful for the break from his boredom, he rubbed the creature's head. It purred and executed a graceful leap, playfully splashing water at him. He couldn't help but laugh.
Then a thought came that sobered him instantly. A porpoise always had a purpose. This one wasn't just part of the scenery. It was the key to an upcoming challenge.
"Creature ahoy!" Wara exclaimed.
Vader faced the front of the raft to see a huge shape just beneath the surface, barreling toward their raft at top speed. Chang sent an arrow into the water, and the creature veered right. Then a long neck with a fearsome reptilian head snaked out of the water, screaming in rage.
"That looks like a plesiosaur!" Jenny exclaimed.
"Plesiosaurs aren't vicious," Chang protested. "They're always eager to please..."
"This one's vicious!" Jenny countered. "Looks like a crossbreed -- plesiosaur-allegory mix."
Wara's face went white. "Darius! He and his army use crossbreed animals as weapons and beasts of burden! He must have sent it to get rid of us!"
Of course. The beast was eager to please -- eager to please Darius, at least. Darius knew they were coming and sought to eliminate them.
The plesiosaur's head came closer, water and saliva dripping from its grinning jaws. But a flash of annoyance crossed its ugly face, and it turned sharply.
The porpoise, who had just rammed its nose into a soft spot on the beast's belly, squealed tauntingly and swam off like a blaster bolt. The monster followed, though its bulk slowed it down enough to assure everyone that their benefactor wouldn't be eaten.
"That was close," Luke groaned.
"Crash ho!" shouted Metria, a mouth forming on her sail.
"What ho?" asked Luke.
"Touchdown, re-entry, earth, continent..."
"Land," Wara corrected.
"Whatever."
The raft beached on the opposite shore, and everyone disembarked. They had surmounted the challenge of the Region of Water.
"Good work, Vader," Wara congratulated.
"For what?" he asked.
"Befriending the porpoise. You were friendly to it, so it was friendly to us in return."
"That was not intentional."
"It was still a big help..." began Luke. "Aw no!"
"What?" asked Wara.
"The path."
Vader saw what Luke was referring to. The game path led straight into the Void. A hazy area whose borders couldn't quite be defined, it tugged at him as if he were standing near a powerful magnet.
"Should we try going around?" he asked.
"Who knows what'll happen if we go off the path?" Jenny replied.
"We can't go through the Void!" Metria protested.
"You can," Luke pointed out. "You can teleport to the other side."
"Yeah, but if you get sucked into the Void and wipe out, Grossclout'll mush my head!"
"There must be a way," Luke murmured.
"But nothing can go through the Void," protested Wara. "Only day and night mares can survive..."
Something clicked in Vader's brain. "Jenny, remember that Mundane woman we met at the Good Magician's castle?"
"Yes," Jenny replied. "Why?"
"She was brought to Xanth by a day mare. The creatures are not merely delivery beasts. They can be a means of transportation."
"Day mares are largely imaginary creatures," Chang informed him. "Only in the dream realm are they given substance. It is impossible to ride them."
"Unless you are in the dream realm with them," Vader retorted.
"Well, I suppose it is possible, if you were daydreaming and happened to contact the day mare who brought you the dream, that she MIGHT convey you," Chang conceded, though he sounded highly doubtful. "But day mares don't simply come on command, and you cannot predict when one might appear to deliver..."
"Your talent, horse-rear!" Metria interrupted in her usual blunt manner. "You can summon the things, dismember?"
"What?" asked Chang.
"Decapitate, mutilate, recall, recollect..."
"Remember," Luke replied.
"Whatever."
"Oh, yes," Chang replied with an embarrassed grin. "I so seldom use my talent that I forget about it on occasion."
"That's it," Luke realized. "Chang summons day mares, and they transport us, in our dreams, beyond the Void. Hopefully, that will get us physically past the Void."
"We can give it a try," Wara replied hopefully.
"Everyone think of something pleasant," Jenny ordered. "Chang, summon five day mares, one for each of us that can dream. Metria, go to the other side of the Void and wait for us there."
"What if you don't show up?" she asked.
"Give us an hour, then come back," Luke told her.
"All right, Boardwalker." She vanished.
Vader closed his eyes, imagining himself at the controls of his TIE fighter. He had customized the fighter heavily, but unlike the infamous claptrap Millennium Falcon, his was a seamless, expertly crafted starship. Ever since he was a child, he had loved beautiful machines -- his long-lost droid and first project C-3P0, his podracer, various skycars and starships, and his prized Executor. A majestic, powerful vessel, she was the undisputed queen of the stars.
Funny -- he was so fascinated by machines, but hated the fact that he was controlled by them. It was quite the irony. But then, the Executor and his TIE didn't dominate his life in the same ways his life-support armor did.
Something flickered at the corner of his eye. A scarlet horse galloped across the stars, silent, beautiful, and utterly out of place here. He brought the TIE around for a better look.
(Who are you?)
[Day Mare Morgana. And you?]
(Lord Darth Vader.)
[Why do you contact me?]
(I require transport to the opposite side of the Void. Can you aid me?)
[Fire your tow cable.]
He made an adjustment to the firing mechanism and pulled the trigger. The heavy cable streaked forward several meters before the line ran out. Morgana took the end in her teeth and set off at a swift canter, pulling the starfighter along with her. Then she quickened her pace, running at a speed he'd thought a horse incapable of. The stars became blurs on either side as if they were penetrating hyperspace...
And when he opened his eyes again, he was facing a game-regulation campsite, the Void far off in the distance behind him. Luke and Metria had already set up tents, and after a few minutes they were joined by the others.
"Another challenge behind us," Jenny said brightly. "And we're almost to our goal!"
"It's a wonder you can be so cheery," Wara noted, looking concerned. "The Ogre-fen lies between us and Lake Eerie, and we still have Darius to deal with."
The unicorn girl was right. The game wasn't over yet. There were still greater dangers to face, and there was no guarantee that any of them would survive to see the end of the game.
Tomorrow would come too soon. He retired to his tent and fell into a deep sleep.