Title: Travelling
Author: the random monkey
Date: 8-31-04
Author's notes: Here it is, folks, the long-awaited seventh chapter. The first part of it came fast, but the rest... meh. It's kinda filler, and there's more filler to come, but I'll try to make it interesting. (Traumatized mages are interesting, right? )
Enjoy! I own nothing.
P.S. This song is teh ROXORZ!!!!1
P.P.S. Apparently has started removing "non-language relevant characters." No underscores, carats, asterixes or tildes. And I don't know about you, but I wasn't informed. Now I have to go back and edit all my stories to include lines again. (This is where an angry emoticon would go, but it's no longer supported, apparently.)
-----------
"From here on son, it's not that sunny,
It's a long and lonely climb."
-Elton John, "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy"
-----------
"Here we are!" said Mr. 73 cheerfully.
286 stopped and looked at the cave in front of them. It was an opening carved in the side of a mountain, a high arch that ended far above their heads. A few stairs led inside to a hall decorated with intricate carvings that faded into the dark depths. On either side of the opening were the remains of several tall pillars- and behind the broken, jagged edges of the pillars were familiar scorch marks.
286's knees suddenly felt weak, standing there. He knew what those markings were from. They all did. They stood in silence for a few moments, each lost in his own thoughts.
Mr. 314 finally broke the silence, clearing his throat. "So it's just through here?" he asked.
"Um.... no," replied Mr. 73, raising one hand to scratch the back of his neck. "This is, uh, the first part." He semed like he wanted to say something more, but stopped.
"What is it?" Mr. 314 must have noticed this as well.
"Um..." Mr. 73 shifted his weight from foot to foot nervously.
Seeing Mr. 73 nervous made 286 nervous too. During the short time they had been travelling together, the C-type had been very cheerful and positive. If the thought of entering the cave was enough to scare him, the journey would probably be terrible....
"Is something wrong?" asked Mr. 314 worriedly.
Mr. 73 sighed. "There was a battle here."
"We can see that," said Mr. 314, gesturing toward the burn marks on the cave entrance.
"Yeah, but..." said Mr. 73, looking back at the cave, then back to the others. "There was... People died... Inside, there's still...." He fell silent for a moment, then sighed and turned around. "I just wanted to warn you."
He started walking, and the other three followed him, past the charred and broken pillars outside and into the inky blackness of the cave. Mr. 73 held up the large stick he had picked up along the way to the cave and lit it on fire, casting a flickering, orangeish light on the cold, gray stone walls.
Mr. 286 immediately noticed the smell. It was a terrible smell, sweet and sour at the same time, that made his stomach lurch. He looked around. Other than the smell, it didn't seem that scary...
The four of them crept through the passage, soon coming to a large, open cavern. 286 was surprised; he'd thought the whole cave would be like the entrance, small and narrow. He stared in awe at the dimly-lit chamber. He could tell it had once been a very nice place. The walls seemed to shimmer, the pink and purple rock reflecting back in the dim torchlight. The carvings from the entrance were continued on the walls inside, strange curves and shapes that seemed random, yet meaningful at the same time.
Distracted by the haunting beauy of the cave, 286 forgot to watch where he was going, until his foot landed in something wet and gooey, sucking it in with a SCHLUUURP sound.
Horrified, he froze, looking down to see what he'd stepped in. He gasped sitlently, then screamed, again silently.
It looked like a large lump, with the top wrapped in purple cloth and the bottom wrapped in dirty white. It was oozing something wet and sticky where 286 had touched it, and there were little white things crawling all over it, and in and out of what had once been its skin, and in the holes where eyes once had been. It smelled like the rest of the cave, only worse, stronger, as if all of the smell had been put in one place.
Pulling his foot out with a strange ttthp sound, he scrambled away, up against a wall, but he knew he could never get far enough away. He could feel the gooey liquid seeping through his pants and onto his leg. He couldn't stand the feeling, or the smell, or the image of the body- he was collapsing- he couldn't stand it, but he couldn't get away- he couldn't move- he could feel himself falling apart- everything he'd eaten came up out of his mouth and onto the ground-
Strong arms grabbed him and pulled him up. He clung to the body they were attached to, burying his face in the coarse fabric of the plum-colored robes, sobbing silently, shaking violently.
"You have to be more careful," Mr. 73 scolded in a gentle, tearful whisper as he stroked 286's back.
286 jumped when another hand touched his shoulder. He looked up to see Mr. 314, his eyes wide with fright. He, too, was shaking as he wrapped his arms around 286 and started crying along with them.
He's crying...
Error: extraneous stimulus
Instruction: walk to him
Error: instruction not issued by commander
Walk to him...
Error: instruc-
Walk to him... He's crying... Walk to-
Error: extraneous stimulus overload
Resetting intelligence system
Default Mission: Wait for Orders
Default Objective: Obey
286 heard Mr. 314 gasp, and looked up. 286 silently gasped, too.
287 was standing right next to them.
"What is it?" Mr. 73 asked. "What's wrong?"
"He walked over here without being told to..." replied Mr. 314, his voice full of awe. "He... Ever since he hit his head... he hasn't done anything without being ordered to..."
His fear pushed aside for the moment, 286 left the embrace and turned toward his friend. For a moment, he thought he saw a hint of sadness in those golden eyes-
They were blank again.
For a little while, the four just stood there silently, lost in thought; then Mr. 73 cleared his throat. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "We have to keep going."
Reluctantly, the little party kept walking.
286 was much more wary now. He peered cautiously at the ground, trying to avoid looking to the sides at the bodies he now saw were scattered around the passage: more Black Mages, and big monsters, and thin, furry bodies with long tails that 286 had never seen before and wished he'd never seen.
They walked through a large door and followed a narrow path through a dark room into another large room like the first, only even more beautiful. Light entered this one through a small opening in the top, and reflected off the metal decorations on the walls. A large bell, tipped onto its side, lay on one end of the room.
For the first time in a long time, 286 smiled. It was so beautiful...
"Almost done," said Mr. 73, as they entered yet another passage. This one had many pools of red-stained water, and more bodies. Walking into such a horrible place after being in the last chamber made 286 want to cry. He narrowed his eyes, trying to block out the image of the room and remember the warm beauty of the last one.
"Right out here," said Mr. 73. He was standing by a blood-spattered door. "This door goes outside. Um, there's some humans around here... So what we have to do is run. That way." he pointed to the right side of the doorway. "There's this forest... Well, not a forest, but, uh, lots of trees. Run that way. Are you ready?"
286 gave one last glance around the cave, shivered, and nodded.
Mr. 73 slowly swung the door open. 286 was almost knocked off balance by a wave of hot, dry air that blasted through the chamber-
And then they were running, Mr. 314 in front and looking back to make sure 287 was following, then 286 and Mr. 73. They ran for what seemed to 286 like forever, creeping closer to a patch of lush green that contrasted sharply with the gray rock face behind it and dry, grassy plain in front of it. He tried to ignore the burning sensation in his chest, picking out a tree and running just toward that, watching as it became clearer with each step, its broad leaves coming into view, followed by its little red fruits, clearer with each step... just a few more... one or two...
And finally they were there, the three aware mages collapsing to the ground and panting for breath, while 287 stood at attention as always, his breath coming in quick gasps, until Mr. 314 ordered him to sit down.
Mr. 73 leaned back against a tree and closed his eyes. "We made it," he said with a grin.
"We're there?" asked Mr. 314, lifting his hat a bit to wipe away sweat with his sleeve. "This is the village?"
"Oh, no," said Mr. 73. "Um, I meant we made it here without being seen. A human saw me last time..." He trailed off, then suddenly lifted himself to his feet, walking slowly into the trees and motioning the others to follow.
They walked wearily a short distance to a small stream. "Drink," said Mr. 73, leaning down himself to scoop some water into a white-gloved hand and lift it to his lips. 287 immediately complied, and Mr. 314 soon followed.
286 kneeled down and scooped up some water for himself. The water was slightly sweet and wonderfully cold, and he closed his eyes, relishing the cool sensation of it running down his throat, spreading through his body, soothing aching sides and burning lungs, easing the ache in his legs from the strain of too much activity on newly healed bones.
"How- What-" sputtered Mr. 314, and 286 looked up to bright, energetic eyes, full of bewilderment.
"It's magic water," replied Mr. 73, a calm, satisfied smile on his face. "Hey, you should wash your arm in it, too."
Tentatively, Mr. 314 dipped his wounded arm into the water, giving a small yelp and pulling back as a rough piece of scabby skin came off. He pulled his arm to him protectively, examining it, and his eyes widened. "Look," he said grinning, showing his arm to 286, who returned the grin. What had been a large scab was now smooth, healthy black skin.
Mr. 73 had taken off some of the pouches that had been hanging over his shoulder and was now emptying them out. Mr. 314 asked the question before 286 could find a way to communicate: "What are you doing?"
"Getting water," replied the C-type. "This is good water, and we'll need it." He dunked one pouch underwater for a moment, waiting until bubbles stopped coming out, then tightened the leather thong woven through its opening and tied it tightly.
"What is the next part?" asked Mr. 314, lounging against a rock.
A frown passed over Mr. 73's face, but was quickly hidden. "Um... Don't worry about it now. We need to rest."
286 didn't need any more encouragement, and he curled up next to Mr. 314 and closed his eyes. After all, it couldn't be any worse than that cave...
Author: the random monkey
Date: 8-31-04
Author's notes: Here it is, folks, the long-awaited seventh chapter. The first part of it came fast, but the rest... meh. It's kinda filler, and there's more filler to come, but I'll try to make it interesting. (Traumatized mages are interesting, right? )
Enjoy! I own nothing.
P.S. This song is teh ROXORZ!!!!1
P.P.S. Apparently has started removing "non-language relevant characters." No underscores, carats, asterixes or tildes. And I don't know about you, but I wasn't informed. Now I have to go back and edit all my stories to include lines again. (This is where an angry emoticon would go, but it's no longer supported, apparently.)
-----------
"From here on son, it's not that sunny,
It's a long and lonely climb."
-Elton John, "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy"
-----------
"Here we are!" said Mr. 73 cheerfully.
286 stopped and looked at the cave in front of them. It was an opening carved in the side of a mountain, a high arch that ended far above their heads. A few stairs led inside to a hall decorated with intricate carvings that faded into the dark depths. On either side of the opening were the remains of several tall pillars- and behind the broken, jagged edges of the pillars were familiar scorch marks.
286's knees suddenly felt weak, standing there. He knew what those markings were from. They all did. They stood in silence for a few moments, each lost in his own thoughts.
Mr. 314 finally broke the silence, clearing his throat. "So it's just through here?" he asked.
"Um.... no," replied Mr. 73, raising one hand to scratch the back of his neck. "This is, uh, the first part." He semed like he wanted to say something more, but stopped.
"What is it?" Mr. 314 must have noticed this as well.
"Um..." Mr. 73 shifted his weight from foot to foot nervously.
Seeing Mr. 73 nervous made 286 nervous too. During the short time they had been travelling together, the C-type had been very cheerful and positive. If the thought of entering the cave was enough to scare him, the journey would probably be terrible....
"Is something wrong?" asked Mr. 314 worriedly.
Mr. 73 sighed. "There was a battle here."
"We can see that," said Mr. 314, gesturing toward the burn marks on the cave entrance.
"Yeah, but..." said Mr. 73, looking back at the cave, then back to the others. "There was... People died... Inside, there's still...." He fell silent for a moment, then sighed and turned around. "I just wanted to warn you."
He started walking, and the other three followed him, past the charred and broken pillars outside and into the inky blackness of the cave. Mr. 73 held up the large stick he had picked up along the way to the cave and lit it on fire, casting a flickering, orangeish light on the cold, gray stone walls.
Mr. 286 immediately noticed the smell. It was a terrible smell, sweet and sour at the same time, that made his stomach lurch. He looked around. Other than the smell, it didn't seem that scary...
The four of them crept through the passage, soon coming to a large, open cavern. 286 was surprised; he'd thought the whole cave would be like the entrance, small and narrow. He stared in awe at the dimly-lit chamber. He could tell it had once been a very nice place. The walls seemed to shimmer, the pink and purple rock reflecting back in the dim torchlight. The carvings from the entrance were continued on the walls inside, strange curves and shapes that seemed random, yet meaningful at the same time.
Distracted by the haunting beauy of the cave, 286 forgot to watch where he was going, until his foot landed in something wet and gooey, sucking it in with a SCHLUUURP sound.
Horrified, he froze, looking down to see what he'd stepped in. He gasped sitlently, then screamed, again silently.
It looked like a large lump, with the top wrapped in purple cloth and the bottom wrapped in dirty white. It was oozing something wet and sticky where 286 had touched it, and there were little white things crawling all over it, and in and out of what had once been its skin, and in the holes where eyes once had been. It smelled like the rest of the cave, only worse, stronger, as if all of the smell had been put in one place.
Pulling his foot out with a strange ttthp sound, he scrambled away, up against a wall, but he knew he could never get far enough away. He could feel the gooey liquid seeping through his pants and onto his leg. He couldn't stand the feeling, or the smell, or the image of the body- he was collapsing- he couldn't stand it, but he couldn't get away- he couldn't move- he could feel himself falling apart- everything he'd eaten came up out of his mouth and onto the ground-
Strong arms grabbed him and pulled him up. He clung to the body they were attached to, burying his face in the coarse fabric of the plum-colored robes, sobbing silently, shaking violently.
"You have to be more careful," Mr. 73 scolded in a gentle, tearful whisper as he stroked 286's back.
286 jumped when another hand touched his shoulder. He looked up to see Mr. 314, his eyes wide with fright. He, too, was shaking as he wrapped his arms around 286 and started crying along with them.
He's crying...
Error: extraneous stimulus
Instruction: walk to him
Error: instruction not issued by commander
Walk to him...
Error: instruc-
Walk to him... He's crying... Walk to-
Error: extraneous stimulus overload
Resetting intelligence system
Default Mission: Wait for Orders
Default Objective: Obey
286 heard Mr. 314 gasp, and looked up. 286 silently gasped, too.
287 was standing right next to them.
"What is it?" Mr. 73 asked. "What's wrong?"
"He walked over here without being told to..." replied Mr. 314, his voice full of awe. "He... Ever since he hit his head... he hasn't done anything without being ordered to..."
His fear pushed aside for the moment, 286 left the embrace and turned toward his friend. For a moment, he thought he saw a hint of sadness in those golden eyes-
They were blank again.
For a little while, the four just stood there silently, lost in thought; then Mr. 73 cleared his throat. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "We have to keep going."
Reluctantly, the little party kept walking.
286 was much more wary now. He peered cautiously at the ground, trying to avoid looking to the sides at the bodies he now saw were scattered around the passage: more Black Mages, and big monsters, and thin, furry bodies with long tails that 286 had never seen before and wished he'd never seen.
They walked through a large door and followed a narrow path through a dark room into another large room like the first, only even more beautiful. Light entered this one through a small opening in the top, and reflected off the metal decorations on the walls. A large bell, tipped onto its side, lay on one end of the room.
For the first time in a long time, 286 smiled. It was so beautiful...
"Almost done," said Mr. 73, as they entered yet another passage. This one had many pools of red-stained water, and more bodies. Walking into such a horrible place after being in the last chamber made 286 want to cry. He narrowed his eyes, trying to block out the image of the room and remember the warm beauty of the last one.
"Right out here," said Mr. 73. He was standing by a blood-spattered door. "This door goes outside. Um, there's some humans around here... So what we have to do is run. That way." he pointed to the right side of the doorway. "There's this forest... Well, not a forest, but, uh, lots of trees. Run that way. Are you ready?"
286 gave one last glance around the cave, shivered, and nodded.
Mr. 73 slowly swung the door open. 286 was almost knocked off balance by a wave of hot, dry air that blasted through the chamber-
And then they were running, Mr. 314 in front and looking back to make sure 287 was following, then 286 and Mr. 73. They ran for what seemed to 286 like forever, creeping closer to a patch of lush green that contrasted sharply with the gray rock face behind it and dry, grassy plain in front of it. He tried to ignore the burning sensation in his chest, picking out a tree and running just toward that, watching as it became clearer with each step, its broad leaves coming into view, followed by its little red fruits, clearer with each step... just a few more... one or two...
And finally they were there, the three aware mages collapsing to the ground and panting for breath, while 287 stood at attention as always, his breath coming in quick gasps, until Mr. 314 ordered him to sit down.
Mr. 73 leaned back against a tree and closed his eyes. "We made it," he said with a grin.
"We're there?" asked Mr. 314, lifting his hat a bit to wipe away sweat with his sleeve. "This is the village?"
"Oh, no," said Mr. 73. "Um, I meant we made it here without being seen. A human saw me last time..." He trailed off, then suddenly lifted himself to his feet, walking slowly into the trees and motioning the others to follow.
They walked wearily a short distance to a small stream. "Drink," said Mr. 73, leaning down himself to scoop some water into a white-gloved hand and lift it to his lips. 287 immediately complied, and Mr. 314 soon followed.
286 kneeled down and scooped up some water for himself. The water was slightly sweet and wonderfully cold, and he closed his eyes, relishing the cool sensation of it running down his throat, spreading through his body, soothing aching sides and burning lungs, easing the ache in his legs from the strain of too much activity on newly healed bones.
"How- What-" sputtered Mr. 314, and 286 looked up to bright, energetic eyes, full of bewilderment.
"It's magic water," replied Mr. 73, a calm, satisfied smile on his face. "Hey, you should wash your arm in it, too."
Tentatively, Mr. 314 dipped his wounded arm into the water, giving a small yelp and pulling back as a rough piece of scabby skin came off. He pulled his arm to him protectively, examining it, and his eyes widened. "Look," he said grinning, showing his arm to 286, who returned the grin. What had been a large scab was now smooth, healthy black skin.
Mr. 73 had taken off some of the pouches that had been hanging over his shoulder and was now emptying them out. Mr. 314 asked the question before 286 could find a way to communicate: "What are you doing?"
"Getting water," replied the C-type. "This is good water, and we'll need it." He dunked one pouch underwater for a moment, waiting until bubbles stopped coming out, then tightened the leather thong woven through its opening and tied it tightly.
"What is the next part?" asked Mr. 314, lounging against a rock.
A frown passed over Mr. 73's face, but was quickly hidden. "Um... Don't worry about it now. We need to rest."
286 didn't need any more encouragement, and he curled up next to Mr. 314 and closed his eyes. After all, it couldn't be any worse than that cave...