"Cho, Rifih, I am glad you two have come," said Gehn, as the two linked into his 233rd Age, "I think I finally have plans to defeat Katran.
" You see, Katran and the Moiety have been wreaking havoc and causing chaos throughout Age 5 for months. More villagers have vanished, there were over 30 bombings recorded, there were hundreds of robberies, and I'm afraid that some of there vandalism might never be able to remove. Just yesterday, when I pushed the button to listen to music from my Cannen, it seems that I accidentally triggered a Moiety stink-bomb. The stench is still in here! No, I cannot open the windows, in fear of the dangerous elements outside. So I guess we'll die either way." Gehn laughed hysterically. There was one thing notoriously annoying about Gehn: his jokes weren't funny.
"What can we do, sir?" asked Cho as he bowed. He was eager to get rid of Katran's assistance of the Moiety ever since she returned from who-knows-where. It was five months since she arrived, but in those 5 the Moiety did impossibly destructive damage to everything owned by or in tribute to Gehn that they could get their who-knows-how-many hands on. He was especially eager because this was all his fault.
"You and Rifih," explained Gehn, "Will patrol a section of Jungle Island, right there," pointing on a Surveyor's map of Riven. Unfortunately, "right there" was the Fissure Plateau. Cho had cursed this area to be the first section of Riven to sink beneath the waters, for on this plateau he was humiliated to an extreme rate. Still, he would be patrolling with Rifih, so he would be in good company.
Rifih, however, was not the always-optimistic, brings-cheer-even-in-funerals person he used to be ever since Alatan vanished. He still did not constantly weep for his son, but whenever his son was mentioned, he would cool the air with a deep, painful sigh, and look away in a horribly deep silence. But he still was nice to be around.
"Once you see a rebel," Gehn continued, "You will attack him or her, then bring the rebel to the 233rd Age, where I will question the ungrateful brute. But before you bring that barbarian, here, you will summon other Maintainers, with this," holding up 2 large whistles, "Sure, they are kind of small, but fellow Guildsmen could hear it throughout the 5th Age. Listen!" And, to the horror of Rifih and Cho, he blew in one of the whistles.
The Guildsmen screamed. They knew now that the whistles were audible throughout Riven, but also they were able to make a man deaf at close range. Gehn said, "Understand?"
"WHA'?" screamed Cho. He couldn't hear his master over the loud, high-pitch whistle in his ears. "I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" shouted Rifih.
Suddenly, Gehn (not Cho or Rifih, for obvious reasons) heard the sound of linking echoing throughout the office. It was Lirasan, another Maintainer.
"Lirasan," said Gehn, "I haven't summoned you here. Do you have a reason for interrupting my briefing to these (now semi-deaf) Maintainers?"
"It seems there is an emergency, milord," said Lirasan very quickly, trying to fight back his heavy panting. Perhaps he was in a great rush coming here, "The Moiety is assembling by the Village, with plans to persuade the villagers to join them. We believe that Katran might be among them!"
Gehn grinned, and said softly, "An opportunity indeed. Now, summon all the Maintainers you can find, and bring them to the Great Whark area."
"Yes, sir," Lirasan said, and linked to Jungle Island.
Glancing at Cho and Rifih, Gehn roared, "You, too."
"WHAT? I STILL CANNOT HEAR YOU OVER THE LOUD..."
"Oh, never mind," groaned Gehn as he forced Cho's and Rifih's hands onto the Linking Book to Jungle Island.
************************************
"35... 36... 37... 38," counted Cho, "If this doesn't stop the Moiety, what will?"
Including himself and Rifih, there were 38 Maintainers waiting at the Great Whark, and more would be coming soon. Fortunately, he gained his hearing back, and he was in the mood to attack the rebels, in revenge of darting him twice and robbing him once. Of course, Cho never killed or successfully caught any rebel once, but he sure wanted to.
"Ah! Hello, Cho," said an old voice behind him. It was Isrin, an old Maintainer, who had guarded the Fissure Plateau Cage before he did. Cho despised him, for if Isrin had not requested a promotion just before Cho did, then Isrin wouldn't be laughing at the whark sacrifices now and Cho wouldn't have been able to allow Katran's escape, "I see you are... enjoying my old job. Perhaps it was good for you to ask for that promotion."
"It was," said Cho, falsely grinning. What an obnoxious old bloke!
"So," said Isrin cooly, "age doesn't quite matter, does it? And it seems that you missed my biggest day. When I volunteered to be the first person to link out of here for almost 30 years, you were - what's that? Ah, yes - hit by a Moiety dart and shoved onto a rock shelf."
"Shut up, you old fart," hissed Cho.
"Why Cho," said Isrin, happy to see that he made Cho angry, "ever heard of respecting your elders?"
"Enough," shouted a voice from behind them. It was Erilis, a Maintainer who fell off a bridge a few years ago after the Moiety sabotaged it. He broke his right arm in the accident, and he never fully recovered, yet he still served the Guild with great pride, "We are supposed to be getting along here, to serve Gehn. Now cool it, you two!" Erilis was known for being the peacekeeper in the Maintainer army. Rifih was too, until Alatan vanished.
The elevator in the Great Whark lowered again, and out stepped Guildmaster Ytanog, the leader of the Maintainers. Ytanog was friendly, he looked out for everyone, and he was still loyal to Gehn. The only person who didn't like him in the group was Isrin, who just missed obtaining Ytanog's position. He always wanted him to die, for if so, Isrin would lead the Maintainers.
"Good evening, everyone," he began, "are all of you clear about the plan?"
"You never spoke about a plan, sir."
"Pah! What kind of leader are you without a decent plan?"
"Be quiet, Isrin," snapped Ytanog, "We are to approach the village and sneak up on the Moiety rebels, and when I say 'Go,' we will all attack. Let's see... how many are we?"
"When you arrived, 46, sir."
"Thank you Cho," said Ytanog, "We therefore have a good advantage over the Moiety. Of course, they have stealth techniques, and could triumph over us that way. The probably are aware of our presence at this moment. Spirits indeed..."
"You mean you believe that they are spirits? Imagine what master would say to that! Maybe I should lead."
"Maybe you should close your mouth, Isrin! Gehn put me in charge, not you! Besides, you are so loud that the Moiety will end up sneaking up on and attacking us now! Now, fellow Maintainers, do you understand?"
The group cried, "Yes!"
"Now," declared Ytanog, "Let's move out!"
***********************************************
"What happened," groaned Cho. He was running after a rebel, and the next thing he knew, he was lying on a bed in one of the village huts with a horrible, pounding headache.
"Cho," said Rifih's voice, "You're awake." Rifih was standing by the hut's stove. He had several cuts on his hands and face, which was proof that the battle did exist.
"Rifih," said Cho, "What happened last night, in the battle?"
"Last night," said Rifih, "You mean the night before. You were unconscious for all of yesterday.
"But anyway, when you charged after the rebel, another rebel threw a rock at your head. With good aim, I might add."
"And the battle? Did we win?"
Rifih sighed and said, "Most of the Moiety were injured, as were most of the Maintainers. However, 2 people from our ranks, I'm afraid, are up there now." As he pointed upward.
"Who?" gasped Cho. Some of the Maintainers were good friends of his. Except, of course, for Isrin.
"First, there was Erilis."
"Erilis?" Cho was shocked. He knew Erilis all his life. They went to school together, sometimes do homework together, one in a while have an argument together, but nevertheless he missed Erilis. Of course, it wasn't very surprising, for Erilis's bad arm made him an easy target, but Erilis, poor, poor Erilis!
"And then... Ytanog."
"YTANOG?!" gasped Cho. That was even worse news. Cho looked up to Ytanog, for he protected him and the other Guildsmen from Moiety attacks and other horrible occurrences. He was also a good friend. He didn't deserve such a fate!
Suddenly, the door burst open, and Gehn entered the hut.
"Cho, I'm glad you're up," he said in a tone somewhat less comforting than Rifih, "I'm afraid I have some bad news."
"I told him, sir."
"Great," Gehn said. Great?! How could someone say "great" when two nice people were killed, "Did you tell him the good news?"
"I was about to, your excellency."
"OK, then," said Gehn, "I'll have the honor to do so. Cho, we've captured Katran."
"WE DID?!"
"That's right."
Finally, Cho's humiliation had been countered by Katran's capture! She was out of the way, so the Guild could now move around Riven more freely.
"It seems," Gehn continued, "That Katran linked here unintentionally, so she doesn't have a linking book back to where she came from. But this means that Atrus will have to link here, in order to gain her back. I sure he desires to see her again. Which means that the Cage must be guarded again."
"By Isrin?" Cho asked hopefully. He thought only one thing: "Please, not me! Please, not me! Please, not me!"
"No," said Gehn, "With the recent casualties Isrin is now the leader of the Maintainers. He is far too busy to do that. So it seems that you must guard the Fissure Plateau Cage again."
WHAT?! AGAIN!?!?
Cho fainted.
****************************************
87.2.8 I've got her! Late last night I received word that Catherine was in the village attempting to persuade the people to join her. I lost two good men in the process, but I would have paid a hundred times that number for such a prize. She's been taken to the Prison Island, where I've been attempting to gain some insight as to the reason for her presence here. I've had to fight the all but constant impulse to put her on the gallows; she has adopted the most infuriating stance of only answering my questions ~ when she answers them at all ~ in her native tongue. Even so, she is a poor liar ~ I am now quite certain that her return to Riven was unintentional, and that she brought not Linking Book with her. As far as her willingness to share with me the location of the Moiety… we shall see ~ without their leader, however, they are once again powerless against me. If Catherine's coming here was indeed an accident, then Atrus is bound to come for her ~ that is a given. The question I must now consider is ~ how will he do it? It is likely that his hesitation has been due ~ at least in part ~ to this dilemma. One way or another, though, he'll have to bring a Linking Book to get back to D'ni ~ there is no other way.
**************************************
To be continued...
Thanks once again to Serpent Mage and Mitsuki Hoshiko for reviewing. Thank you! But I still need more reviews from ALL who read this... pleeeeeeeeaaaase?
I will write Chapter 6 shortly.
(P.S.: Mitsuki Hoshiko, the player frees Atrus about 5 months after Katran was captured, so while Katran was stealing books, the stuff in "Myst" was not yet taking place. What Atrus does say at the end of the game "Myst" was that he was battling another, more terrible opponent, and might need the player's assistance)
" You see, Katran and the Moiety have been wreaking havoc and causing chaos throughout Age 5 for months. More villagers have vanished, there were over 30 bombings recorded, there were hundreds of robberies, and I'm afraid that some of there vandalism might never be able to remove. Just yesterday, when I pushed the button to listen to music from my Cannen, it seems that I accidentally triggered a Moiety stink-bomb. The stench is still in here! No, I cannot open the windows, in fear of the dangerous elements outside. So I guess we'll die either way." Gehn laughed hysterically. There was one thing notoriously annoying about Gehn: his jokes weren't funny.
"What can we do, sir?" asked Cho as he bowed. He was eager to get rid of Katran's assistance of the Moiety ever since she returned from who-knows-where. It was five months since she arrived, but in those 5 the Moiety did impossibly destructive damage to everything owned by or in tribute to Gehn that they could get their who-knows-how-many hands on. He was especially eager because this was all his fault.
"You and Rifih," explained Gehn, "Will patrol a section of Jungle Island, right there," pointing on a Surveyor's map of Riven. Unfortunately, "right there" was the Fissure Plateau. Cho had cursed this area to be the first section of Riven to sink beneath the waters, for on this plateau he was humiliated to an extreme rate. Still, he would be patrolling with Rifih, so he would be in good company.
Rifih, however, was not the always-optimistic, brings-cheer-even-in-funerals person he used to be ever since Alatan vanished. He still did not constantly weep for his son, but whenever his son was mentioned, he would cool the air with a deep, painful sigh, and look away in a horribly deep silence. But he still was nice to be around.
"Once you see a rebel," Gehn continued, "You will attack him or her, then bring the rebel to the 233rd Age, where I will question the ungrateful brute. But before you bring that barbarian, here, you will summon other Maintainers, with this," holding up 2 large whistles, "Sure, they are kind of small, but fellow Guildsmen could hear it throughout the 5th Age. Listen!" And, to the horror of Rifih and Cho, he blew in one of the whistles.
The Guildsmen screamed. They knew now that the whistles were audible throughout Riven, but also they were able to make a man deaf at close range. Gehn said, "Understand?"
"WHA'?" screamed Cho. He couldn't hear his master over the loud, high-pitch whistle in his ears. "I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" shouted Rifih.
Suddenly, Gehn (not Cho or Rifih, for obvious reasons) heard the sound of linking echoing throughout the office. It was Lirasan, another Maintainer.
"Lirasan," said Gehn, "I haven't summoned you here. Do you have a reason for interrupting my briefing to these (now semi-deaf) Maintainers?"
"It seems there is an emergency, milord," said Lirasan very quickly, trying to fight back his heavy panting. Perhaps he was in a great rush coming here, "The Moiety is assembling by the Village, with plans to persuade the villagers to join them. We believe that Katran might be among them!"
Gehn grinned, and said softly, "An opportunity indeed. Now, summon all the Maintainers you can find, and bring them to the Great Whark area."
"Yes, sir," Lirasan said, and linked to Jungle Island.
Glancing at Cho and Rifih, Gehn roared, "You, too."
"WHAT? I STILL CANNOT HEAR YOU OVER THE LOUD..."
"Oh, never mind," groaned Gehn as he forced Cho's and Rifih's hands onto the Linking Book to Jungle Island.
************************************
"35... 36... 37... 38," counted Cho, "If this doesn't stop the Moiety, what will?"
Including himself and Rifih, there were 38 Maintainers waiting at the Great Whark, and more would be coming soon. Fortunately, he gained his hearing back, and he was in the mood to attack the rebels, in revenge of darting him twice and robbing him once. Of course, Cho never killed or successfully caught any rebel once, but he sure wanted to.
"Ah! Hello, Cho," said an old voice behind him. It was Isrin, an old Maintainer, who had guarded the Fissure Plateau Cage before he did. Cho despised him, for if Isrin had not requested a promotion just before Cho did, then Isrin wouldn't be laughing at the whark sacrifices now and Cho wouldn't have been able to allow Katran's escape, "I see you are... enjoying my old job. Perhaps it was good for you to ask for that promotion."
"It was," said Cho, falsely grinning. What an obnoxious old bloke!
"So," said Isrin cooly, "age doesn't quite matter, does it? And it seems that you missed my biggest day. When I volunteered to be the first person to link out of here for almost 30 years, you were - what's that? Ah, yes - hit by a Moiety dart and shoved onto a rock shelf."
"Shut up, you old fart," hissed Cho.
"Why Cho," said Isrin, happy to see that he made Cho angry, "ever heard of respecting your elders?"
"Enough," shouted a voice from behind them. It was Erilis, a Maintainer who fell off a bridge a few years ago after the Moiety sabotaged it. He broke his right arm in the accident, and he never fully recovered, yet he still served the Guild with great pride, "We are supposed to be getting along here, to serve Gehn. Now cool it, you two!" Erilis was known for being the peacekeeper in the Maintainer army. Rifih was too, until Alatan vanished.
The elevator in the Great Whark lowered again, and out stepped Guildmaster Ytanog, the leader of the Maintainers. Ytanog was friendly, he looked out for everyone, and he was still loyal to Gehn. The only person who didn't like him in the group was Isrin, who just missed obtaining Ytanog's position. He always wanted him to die, for if so, Isrin would lead the Maintainers.
"Good evening, everyone," he began, "are all of you clear about the plan?"
"You never spoke about a plan, sir."
"Pah! What kind of leader are you without a decent plan?"
"Be quiet, Isrin," snapped Ytanog, "We are to approach the village and sneak up on the Moiety rebels, and when I say 'Go,' we will all attack. Let's see... how many are we?"
"When you arrived, 46, sir."
"Thank you Cho," said Ytanog, "We therefore have a good advantage over the Moiety. Of course, they have stealth techniques, and could triumph over us that way. The probably are aware of our presence at this moment. Spirits indeed..."
"You mean you believe that they are spirits? Imagine what master would say to that! Maybe I should lead."
"Maybe you should close your mouth, Isrin! Gehn put me in charge, not you! Besides, you are so loud that the Moiety will end up sneaking up on and attacking us now! Now, fellow Maintainers, do you understand?"
The group cried, "Yes!"
"Now," declared Ytanog, "Let's move out!"
***********************************************
"What happened," groaned Cho. He was running after a rebel, and the next thing he knew, he was lying on a bed in one of the village huts with a horrible, pounding headache.
"Cho," said Rifih's voice, "You're awake." Rifih was standing by the hut's stove. He had several cuts on his hands and face, which was proof that the battle did exist.
"Rifih," said Cho, "What happened last night, in the battle?"
"Last night," said Rifih, "You mean the night before. You were unconscious for all of yesterday.
"But anyway, when you charged after the rebel, another rebel threw a rock at your head. With good aim, I might add."
"And the battle? Did we win?"
Rifih sighed and said, "Most of the Moiety were injured, as were most of the Maintainers. However, 2 people from our ranks, I'm afraid, are up there now." As he pointed upward.
"Who?" gasped Cho. Some of the Maintainers were good friends of his. Except, of course, for Isrin.
"First, there was Erilis."
"Erilis?" Cho was shocked. He knew Erilis all his life. They went to school together, sometimes do homework together, one in a while have an argument together, but nevertheless he missed Erilis. Of course, it wasn't very surprising, for Erilis's bad arm made him an easy target, but Erilis, poor, poor Erilis!
"And then... Ytanog."
"YTANOG?!" gasped Cho. That was even worse news. Cho looked up to Ytanog, for he protected him and the other Guildsmen from Moiety attacks and other horrible occurrences. He was also a good friend. He didn't deserve such a fate!
Suddenly, the door burst open, and Gehn entered the hut.
"Cho, I'm glad you're up," he said in a tone somewhat less comforting than Rifih, "I'm afraid I have some bad news."
"I told him, sir."
"Great," Gehn said. Great?! How could someone say "great" when two nice people were killed, "Did you tell him the good news?"
"I was about to, your excellency."
"OK, then," said Gehn, "I'll have the honor to do so. Cho, we've captured Katran."
"WE DID?!"
"That's right."
Finally, Cho's humiliation had been countered by Katran's capture! She was out of the way, so the Guild could now move around Riven more freely.
"It seems," Gehn continued, "That Katran linked here unintentionally, so she doesn't have a linking book back to where she came from. But this means that Atrus will have to link here, in order to gain her back. I sure he desires to see her again. Which means that the Cage must be guarded again."
"By Isrin?" Cho asked hopefully. He thought only one thing: "Please, not me! Please, not me! Please, not me!"
"No," said Gehn, "With the recent casualties Isrin is now the leader of the Maintainers. He is far too busy to do that. So it seems that you must guard the Fissure Plateau Cage again."
WHAT?! AGAIN!?!?
Cho fainted.
****************************************
87.2.8 I've got her! Late last night I received word that Catherine was in the village attempting to persuade the people to join her. I lost two good men in the process, but I would have paid a hundred times that number for such a prize. She's been taken to the Prison Island, where I've been attempting to gain some insight as to the reason for her presence here. I've had to fight the all but constant impulse to put her on the gallows; she has adopted the most infuriating stance of only answering my questions ~ when she answers them at all ~ in her native tongue. Even so, she is a poor liar ~ I am now quite certain that her return to Riven was unintentional, and that she brought not Linking Book with her. As far as her willingness to share with me the location of the Moiety… we shall see ~ without their leader, however, they are once again powerless against me. If Catherine's coming here was indeed an accident, then Atrus is bound to come for her ~ that is a given. The question I must now consider is ~ how will he do it? It is likely that his hesitation has been due ~ at least in part ~ to this dilemma. One way or another, though, he'll have to bring a Linking Book to get back to D'ni ~ there is no other way.
**************************************
To be continued...
Thanks once again to Serpent Mage and Mitsuki Hoshiko for reviewing. Thank you! But I still need more reviews from ALL who read this... pleeeeeeeeaaaase?
I will write Chapter 6 shortly.
(P.S.: Mitsuki Hoshiko, the player frees Atrus about 5 months after Katran was captured, so while Katran was stealing books, the stuff in "Myst" was not yet taking place. What Atrus does say at the end of the game "Myst" was that he was battling another, more terrible opponent, and might need the player's assistance)