THE NIGHTMARE - FACET XIII
Maxwell peaked his head out from behind the boulder they were hiding behind. Comically, Mobambi and Peter did the same.
In the moonlit night, Karakuri Castle was an absolute abomination for a palace. What might have once been a simple keep on a rocky plateau was now a gigantic parasite suspended above an upturned maze of deep crags and disheveled rocks.
Mechanical arthropodal limbs jutted out from the tower keep, both from above and below the castle walls. Pulleys and gears were exposed all over the tower, protruding from its massive steel shell. Turrets and massive cannons were stationed from almost every level of the central keep, each one aimed in a different direction. And the mass of tentacles at it's pinnacle spread over them like the limbs of some giant sea anemone.
If he didn't know better, Maxwell would have said the castle was abandoned. No lights peaked through the tower, no torches or lamps hanged overhead. No guards stood vigil outside the palace either… But then again, there didn't seem to be a ground entrance to be seen. Not with the foundation up in the air.
Mobambi stepped out from their hiding spot, "There doesn't seem to be anyone around."
Maxwell sighed, "No, there doesn't," also stepping around the massive rock, "But that doesn't mean it's not dangerous. I don't know what Rachet was thinking when he designed this place, but I highly doubt he would have left his keep undefended."
"So… How do we get in?" asked Mobambi. Peter warbled, coming up behind Mobambi.
Maxwell looked at the tower, and then Mobambi, "That, will be up to your…" The griffon glared at him as if to watch what he was about to say, "—friend, Peter here," Maxwell, gestured to the griffon. "Even we can't find an entrance on the ground, flying should get us a higher vantage point, and we can find an entrance on the plateaus."
Peter cawed and flapped his wings in anticipation.
"So, we fly up, try to spot a door into the tower," Mobambi reasoned. "Then we use that to go inside?"
"Basically," Maxwell nods. "Though, I'm still cautious. We don't know if any—"
*QUAWRK!* Seeing no point in waiting around, "Whoa!" Peter scooped the boy over his neck with a gallop and grabbed Maxwell by the shoulders. "What—!? Oh not again!" Peter's wings spread like a great cloak and with a great leap, and couple flaps, they were airborne!
Peter flew high, higher into the air, with Mobambi as his exuberant rider and Maxwell hanging like a stung up fish. If he could, Maxwell would have glowered at the winged-beast for making him ride in his talons again.
Still, three sets of eyes scanned the tower as the griffon circled the castle keep. The levels were organized in an ascending corkscrew. Each stretch of wall packed into one another, sort of like clustered fish scales. Not all of the terraces were dedicated to something though. Some were just empty platforms of rust and metal.
"Hey! How about over there?" Mobambi pointed.
High on Karakuri Castle, there was a door with a small platform sticking out of the wall. The door was emblazoned with a stylized red turtle, and the trusses underneath the plank seemed mechanized. A fall-trap for whoever stepped outside of the castle. However, trap or not, that also seemed to be their only way in.
"It will have to do…!" Maxwell patted the griffon's scaly claw, "Drop me off over there and I'll see if I can open the door!"
Then he thought about it for a moment. It was a narrow perch with no railings, "…Please catch me if I fall!"
Peter squawked and then banked towards the odd door.
Nothing reacted to their approach. No guns, no sudden lights, or any sounds of lubricated metal. Peter simply flapped his wings and slowly began to hover above the balcony. He let Maxwell go, and the mage was glad to see that the platform was solid. The griffon then dove off to retreating to a safe distance, leaving Maxwell alone on the platform.
Maxwell then approached the door and felt around for any hidden mechanisms around the frame.
It was supposedly straightforward. The giant leaver crossing the door was its handle.
However, Maxwell didn't trust this keep. No one built a castle like this and simply leaves it unguarded! This castle, ugly though it was, meant something to Rachet. It displayed the dedication and breadth of intellect Rachet had for mechanical engineering. He wasn't going to underestimate it now!
…So, having checked everything he could, Maxwell let out a breath and pushed down on the lever. He heard the creaking of taught machinery, but it didn't sound too out of place for a hatched locked door. Then he slowly pulled. There was barely a sound on the hinges, beyond the initial tug on the door.
Inside, the door opened up to show an enclosed stairwell. The material wasn't metal, but stone. An untouched piece of Karakuri Castle before its… renovations.
Maxwell pushed the door open as far as he could, then lit up his prosthetic with Veilfire. He waved the flaming hand at Mobambi and the Peter, signalling them to fly in. It would be an enclosed space, but with his wings folded, Peter should be able to squeeze into the tunnel… if the birdbrain was even willing.
"You're not impressed with Peter?" Salem asked with a teasing tone.
"Considering 'Peter' nearly killed me twice, I think I have the right to be annoyed," Maxwell told the spirit.
The griffon turned in the air, seeing the light within the shadow of Karakuri Castle. Maxwell moved into the doorway to give Peter the landing space. The griffon landed surprisingly gentle as he controled his landing. Mobambi then wrapped his arms around the top of Peter's neck. The griffon then craned his head lifting the boy so he could land squarely, on the balcony.
"Ready?" Maxwell asked as he took out his staff.
"Mm!" Mobambi nodded with a determined lower lip. He marched straight into the door way, but then looked around the tunnel, "Wait, is Peter even going to fit in here?"
Maxwell nodded, "I believe he can fit," eyeing the creature as it came up close. "You coming, 'Peter?'" The eagle/lion hybrid gave Maxwell an unimpressed chuff, then walked forward, subtly measuring the walls between his feathered frame.
Seeing the griffon able to walk, Maxwell and Mobambi both turned inwards down the staircase. Maxwell took the lead, his hand lit with Veilfire, lighting their way. Mobambi was turning his head every so often looking at the masonry. Peter stalked behind them, his footsteps quiet with predatory precision. Spiralling down as they descended into darkness.
O O O
…Shall we check in with the Straw-Hats for a moment?
With Nami…
The navigator sat on the bed where she had been imprisoned for the time being. She was upset at being seperated from everyone, and waking up being surrounded by old men had certainly not helped.
Oddly enough, all the old men had all looked like stereotypical storybook wizards. Tall pointed hats, long flowing robes, and every size of beard imaginable. Nami was sure Max would get a kick out of this place. It could become his retirement home, eyebrow twitching all the while.
Truthfully, they didn't seem like bad people. Nami knew she had been hysterical when Kuma's bubble landed here. They only locked her up for their safety… But they did seem like a bunch of cowards.
…Actually, was she even imprisoned?
"…H-Hi? …Hello?" The door opened slowly, and an old wrinkled head peaked through. "How are you? …Uh… Girl who came out of the sky?"
Nami looked up from behind her knees, "You talk too much. What do you want?"
The old wizard looked nervous. He was afraid of setting her off again into an outrage. "Looks like you calmed down a bit… You're not going to go crazy again, right?"
Nami glared at the old man in his blue robes and drooping cap.
"Er…" He dug into his robes, "N-Now presenting the infamous, tightly tied Wind Knots!"
What he produced was a small length of rope, one that had three knots in it. The old guy was trying to wow her, like this may make her feel better. How old did he think she was!? Six!?
"If you undo one, it brings a gentle breeze."
The wizard undid one knot and amazingly enough, a small breeze did appear inside the room. Nami blinked, confused for a minute. How did he do that?
"If you undo a second, it brings a strong wind."
"What!?" It was cold! Nami ducked into herself as a strong wind really did appear inside the house. Her hair blew in the wind, and the sheets wrinkled beneath her.
"And if you undo a third, you better hold tight then!"
A sudden wall of air pushed her out of the bed, bring her sheets with her. Nami tumbled onto the floor, covered in bedsheets thrown unto her. Wind howled like the haunt of some ghostly hunt. Pots fell over and shattering onto the floor and the windows rattled like hoards of rioters trying to break in!
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"
*BONK!*
However, with the lack of knots in the rope, the wind finally died down, leaving the room still again. Also Nami whacked her climatact on the wizard's head.
"I-I thought it might cheer you up!"
"WELL—!" Nami paused for a moment.
"…IT DID! THANK YOU!" It really didn't, "BUT I NEED TO GET HOME! …Where am I I anyway?"
The old man stuttered, "Th-This is Weatheria. A small sky island where we study the weather."
Nami blinked, "A sky island!?" How did Kuma end up sending her here!?
O O O
"…Hey! You hear that?" Mobambi stopped in the middle of the staircase. Peter's head came up besides him as he looked at his rider.
Maxwell looked back at the teenager, then back back down the tunnel, "…Yeah, I hear it."
It was the clanging of spinning gears.
Maxwell smothered his Veilfire to dim their light. The staircase had seemed to go on and on, with almost no variation till now. It almost made Maxwell question just why the stairs were positioned here, but the sound had broken that monotony. "Stay close…!"
The slowed their pace and proceeded a little farther in. There, they saw a light, a break in the staircase revealing an archway. It was their first found level since since entering the fortress.
In it was an empty, barren, room with another archway on the other side. The walls were covered in plaster, and five massive gears hung suspended in the left corner. They were churning together, two cones, and three wheels, one of which pulled a chain. A gap in the floor revealed even more machinery beneath them, going deeper and deeper inside the castle.
It wasn't just gears though. There were pistons, valves, needle meters, pipes—! Maxwell hadn't seen this much machinery since Enel's Ark on Skypiea! And this vastly more intricate.
The only of thing about this room was how it was being lit. There bulbous flower-like lamp growing out of the wall that looked too old and artisan. It appeared to be an oil lamp.
Maxwell's eyes furrowed, "Why would—?" There was a small flickering swoosh in the next room and light peered in from the next room.
The mage's staff immediately roared to life, with a spell on the tip of his tongue. Peter growled, his feathers bristling, as his throat sounded like broiling water. Mobambi retreated into the safety of Peter's feathers as the two stalked towards the exit.
Both the man and the beast hid behind the edge of the entrance, listening closely for any sign of an adversary.
When Maxwell nodded, the mage went first. He spun his staff, releasing an Arcing Surge into the compartment. Lightning flashed and Peter bounded in with a mighty roar, ready to tear limb from limb!
…But there was no one to be found.
"The hell?" Maxwell frowned. His spell had hit nothing.
Mobambi looked around, "There's no one here…" The only thing notable in here was the open wall crossway and the same oil lamp fixture they saw before.
"But then how did—?" There was another fwoosh and light appeared through another archway, into another adjacent room.
This time they approached the room carefully. Peter, Mobambi, and Maxwell tip-toed over and looked into the next room, slowly. The mage noted just how bare these rooms were, but then another oil lamp started, and Maxwell broke cover. He looked into the archway and witnessed a procession of oil lamps light up.
"…Well, someone knows we're here." Maxwell eyes looked up, trying to see if he could spy any snails looking down on them. Interestingly, there were no ceilings, just caverns and cubes.
"Should we follow the lights?" Mobambi whispered to the mage. The boy hadn't taken much stock in Maxwell's warns. But now that strange thing were occurring, he was starting to get nervous. They had no idea who or what was watching them, and these lights could very well be a trap!
"…I'm not sure we have a choice," the mage replied. So, Maxwell started walking forward. If this was a trap, it was better to trigger it and be aware of it, than ignore it and forget later. A trap was only a trap when you weren't prepared for it.
Mobambi ran up to catch up with him, while Peter followed.
O O O
…Speaking of traps, how about a little music?
With Sanji…
~"In the Grand Line~, there is an island of dreams…!"~
—Nami-san. Robin-chan.
~"—This, is the Island—The Island of Women. Where the plants—ANimals~ And everything in sight IS~ PINK~!"~
—Are the two of you well, wherever you are?
One, Two, One Two Three Four—stop-the-beat!
~"…And where all of the people… have a mai—AAAAAIIIII~den's heart~!"~
—Right now… I'm in hell…!
SING IT WITH ME NOW!
"WELCOME~ TO KA-MA-BAKKA KINGDOM~!" "AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" "SANJI-KUN~!"
(To those of you who don't know, Kamabakka can also be translated into, "Nothing but Transvestites." XD )
…
—And to Maxwell,
…I swear, if you cursed me into coming to this place…
NOTHING SHALL STOP ME FROM MY REVENGE!
YOU HEAR ME OLD MAN! IF I GET SO MUCH OF AN IOTA THAT YOU HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH THIS, I'LL BUTCHER YOUR TRAPEZOIDS INTO NEXT WEEK'S STEW! AND USE YOUR BONES FOR CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP!
…I DON'T CARE IF THAT'S POLITICALLY CORRECT OR NOT!
SOMEONE! JUST GET! ME! OUT! OF! HEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRREEEEEEE!
…Maybe we should check in on someone else…
O O O
With Franky…
On a winter island in the Grand Line, a dog barks and fires rockets from it's mouth.
*BARK!* *BOOM!* *BARK!* *BOOM!* *BARK!* *BOOM!*
Their target, an unknown creature with large forearms, "OWAH!"
"Wait, stop! Taroimo!" A boy commands the dog, and the dog does stop, settling for a growl.
Strangely, the mutt is covered in armor, loaded with various munitions and wears a glowing visor across its eyes. The rockets it fired had even come from its mouth.
His master then approaches the stranger, which turns out to be Franky. "I'm sorry, are you alright!? He thought you were a monster…!
Franky sits up in the snow, smoke rolling off him, "Yeah, I'm fine."
The boy freaks out a bit, seeing that he was indeed unharmed by Taroimo, "Huh!? How are you fine!?"
Franky lifts up his shades and looks around. They were in the middle of a blizzard, and it was snow as far as they eye could see. "Damn, this is a mess. How far did I fly?" Then he realizes he's on a winter island, "Gah! So cold," and sneezes.
"You shouldn't be just in your underwear in this cold. Were you robbed?"
His grandfather comes up behind him, "Here, put on these furs."
Franky looks at the gift, "A loincloth!? Don't screw around! I don't need that! If I put something like that on, they'll call me a pervert!"
"OOOO~!" Franky then jumps up and poses. What most people don't realize about Franky, is that he had a music player installed in his chest. AND HE'S ABOUT TO GET FUNKY! "FOLLOW MY LEAD!"
~"MOVE YOUR HIPS, AND SHAKE YOUR BUTT, STICK IT OUT TOO THE RIGHT!~
~"HANDS ON YOUR HIPS, GIVE YOUR ARM A FLICK, AND DANCE OUT THROUGH THE NIGHT!"~
~"NOW ALTERNATE— LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT! LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT! GET FUNKY NOW!"~
Somehow the old man, his grandson, and even the dog gets caught up in his dancing, lining up beside him.
~"BRING HANDS UP FROM BELOW, AND BEND THEM NINTY DEGREES! SHAKE YOUR ARMS AND ROLL THEM ON, AS THEY WHISTLE THROUGH THE BREEZE!"~
~"LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT,"~
"Mmmmmmmmmm—MMMMMMMMM~!" Franky takes his rolling arms and bends down as the music reaches it's climax. Then does his signature victory pose!
"SUUUUUUPEEEEEERRRRRRR~!" Explosions sound off behind them like smoke on stage thanks to the dog.
( *Knock-knock-knock-knock!* The Narrator opens his door to find his boss outside with a notice in his hands. The narrator reads the note, "…What do you mean we have to stop with the musicals!? I thought you liked writing those!? "Wah-Wah-Wah-Wah—WAH-Wah-Wah—". "Really boss? Charlie Brown noises to fill in dialogue? And what do you mean it's ruining the tone!?" "Wah-Wah-Wah-Wah-Wahwahwah." "…Ugh, Fine. We'll get back to the story." )
"I'M STILL COLD!" Franky snaps out of his funk. "WHERE AM I!?"
"Eh!?" The boy then realizes what he just did and was confused by it.
His grandfather just crosses his arms, "This is Karakuri Island. The birthplace of geniuses. You're in the Future Country, Barujimoa."
"AND WHERE THE HELL IS THAT!?"
O O O
Back in Karakuri Castle, Max, Mobambi, and Peter followed the lights. Each lamp, in the next room, lit up as they entered another. Someone was definitely directing them, but for what purpose, Maxwell couldn't discern. They had yet to encounter any obstacles.
"…Well, we followed the lights. Now what?" Maxwell looked around. The lamps had lead them to a room that had no secondary exit. It was a dead end, with only a portrait, a cabinet, the oil lamp, and a brass tube on the wall.
Mobambi looked around, "You think there's a secret door here, or something?"
"[—ere—eh—en—fac—a—ecret-oor—ung—man.]"
"Huh?" "What the—?" Even Peter turned his head, looking around for the echoey voice. Strangely though, it sounded muffled.
"[Ip—oo—woo—eindee—owen—ee-cap on—ee—pipe, ee—can—conerse—or—oundee.]"
Maxwell and Mobambi looked at the brass pipe, realizing that was where the sounds were coming from. Looking up, the pipe was coming out of the ceiling, and bent near the end of its length. The pipe mouth was intricate, spreading out into a cone shape and capped with a flippable lid. Curious, Maxwell flipped it open.
"[Ah, can you hear me now? Much better.]" The voice rang clearly, even though there was an echo. That came from the reverberation travelling down the pipe. "[Good evening, gentlemen. My name is Gonzo, butler of the Gamekara family, and I will be your guide during your stay here at Karakuri Castle.]"
"This place has a butler?" Mobambi raised an eyebrow.
Maxwell ignored the question, "I take it you're the one who's been lighting the oil lamps."
"[Indeed!]" Gozo replied, "[Young master Rachet has always been so detailed in his creations. He even designed a console to control every light fixture in the castle! …Forgive me, old habits die hard…]" He had spoken with such pride. Why would he ask for forgiveness?
"Why are you talking to us?" Maxwell's eyebrows furrowed, "Shouldn't you be activating the defences of this castle?"
"[That would have been protocol,]" the butler agreed. "[However, I recognized you on the visual snail, and sad though this is hard for me to say… Mr. Trevelyan, I need your help.]"
Maxwell and Mobambi looked at each other before turning back to the pipe, "…Why? Does this have to do with the Children of Nightmare?"
There was silence for a moment.
"[…I shall explain more when you have reached the control room,]" the butler said soundly.
On their right side, a section of the wall started to turn, separating brick from brick. The rotating masonry revealed a secret doorway. "[Stairs towards the control room are inside, at the very top. Please do be careful though gentlemen. I was unable to disarm the traps surrounding the stair wells. I'm afraid only Young Master Rachet had the key to that system.]"
"Thank you!" Mobambi answered before Maxwell could respond. "Come on Peter, let's go!"
"Hey! There are traps here, remember!?" Maxwell chased after the beast and his rider as they entered the secret door.
"Whoa!" Maxwell caught up to the boy, seeing him look up at the mechanical obelisk in front of them.
It was the central core of Karakuri Castle, or at least Maxwell assumed it to be. A pillar of machinery, full of cables, pistons, chains, and lights running up and down its length. Around the core were multiple terraces, ribbing the walls and filling the central tower of Karakuri Castle. Each one was netted with panels of belt mesh, to prevent people from touching it.
Maxwell looked around and saw that their ring was filled with consoles, boxes, and engines around the walls. Cables and long florescent lights hung beneath the ceiling. The only break in the ring was the staircase leading up to the next floor, and the wall behind it.
The mage leaned forward to look up at all the terraces above them. He counted about ten in total. That meant there going to be at least ten different defences they were going to have to get through. Maxwell doubted he would have settled for simply one kind of trap.
He considered burning through the nets, "…Mobambi, how good is Peter at scaling cliffs?"
"Um…" Mobambi looked at the griffon. Peter then warbled in his throat and somehow the boy understood him, "…He says that he's used to clinging onto canyon walls, but he can't really climb."
"…Alright," Maxwell looked at the staircase. "I want both you and Peter to walk behind me. I'm going to trigger the traps. Then we can figure out how to get past them."
"What?" Mobambi balked at the mage. "Why would you want to trigger the traps?"
"Because if you trigger them ahead of time, then you're less likely to be caught in them," Maxwell explained. "Plus, I'm starting to get sick of surprises."
Luffy would have found all of this amusing. However, Maxwell was less inclined to think so. He wanted to get back to the Sabaodey Archipelago, find his friends, and return to their journey. And finishing this task, along with ending the Children of Nightmare, was the fastest way how. He didn't want any more… unexpected delays.
So, Maxwell climbed the steps and stopped just before the last floorboard. His plan was to cast three spells as they travelled the floors.
One was to cast Veilstrike. This would disturb any pressure plates, and jostle any tripwires, hidden in the floor before they walked. He would do this about every 10 steps, just so he didn't miss any.
The second spell he would use was a Mind Blast. Except he would be casting it as a glyph. Now, after many test trials Maxwell had experimented with his glyphs, he had found that the Mind Blast was his the weakest spell a glyph. He found that the farther he projected his psychic wavelengths, the less malleable the spell was. It was good for a jump-scare, but very little in combat.
A stray thought ran through his head. "Maybe I could start using it to cuff someone behind the head?" Maxwell was hoping to use this spell to trigger and buttons hidden in the walls.
Now, the third he was planning to use was the Fade Step. This would be his emergency spell. Should any of them activate a trap, or need a way through it, Maxwell would cast this spell to escape. They would blitz them through the floor, hopefully going through or over the activated trap.
So… Maxwell activated the first trap.
With a solemn thump of gravity, the defences activated. Giant mechanical toy gorillas, holding black headed mallets, started swinging their weapons onto the ground. Each statue was operated on a mechanical spring, sprouting from their back, so the statues only swung a few-dozen times before slowing down and stopping.
It had been loud though.
Mobambi finally uncovered his ears, "…Wow." He came upand looked closely at the statues, having never seen such colorful figures before. One of the mallets even had some writing on it, saying "1t."
Maxwell, Mobambi, and Peter weaved and leapt through the weave of hammers, only stopping so the mage could trigger the next set of statues. There had been multiple plates, but the worse thing they had to suffer was the cacophony of swinging hammers whenever Maxwell activated the traps. The trio made it safely through.
"One down…" Maxwell stepped up to the second flight of stairs.
…The second trap had been a bit more worrying.
As soon as Maxwell activated the pressure plate, the mage had to jump in order to not lose his legs.
"Hey!" The stairway had been shut close. Mobambi pounded on the slab below, but the metal was solid. Then, curtains of sheet metal crashed onto the edge of the terrace, sealing Maxwell in. The mage then heard the telltale hiss of gas filtering into the room.
"That's not good…" Still he remained calm. A plan formed in his mind, his familiars thinking in tandem for the best solution…
Using more of his repertoire, Maxwell first used Wildfire, to see if the gas was combustible.
*BANG! Fwoosh…!*
…When nothing else exploded, Maxwell started creating an Ice Storm. Snow and frost formed in the tunnel from Maxwell's magic, and slowly he pushed the mana forwards, trying to encompass the whole tunnel. Ice formed on his body, creating a protective layer that insulated his person from the cold. Then he started walking, shifting his focus to energize his foci, so that his familiars floated around him.
The hovered above him in a ring, each preforming a different spell. Minieve kept up the Ice Storm, resupplying it with mana for the ice and snow. Salem would be a second pair of eyes, looking for the gas vents, for now. When they spotted one, Mordred would then light it up with Wildfire. The sudden explosion of heat would disturb the cold, melting the ice, but the chill would keep the water molecules condensation. That condensation would then get cold again, expand, and plug up the nozzles.
Of course, this didn't stop the gas. It just made the remaining nozzles more pressurized. It was a knock-out gas of some kind, and Maxwell started to slowdown near the end of the tunnel.
That's when Salem started unleashed an Arcing Surge. If the gas didn't want to ignite, then it would burn! The supercharged bolts of plasma unleashed a colorful reaction amongst the gas, burning it with the semi-constant energy.
Purple, green, pink, Maxwell swore he saw funky colours by the end of it. But, with the gas gone, the slates covering the exits opened up. He just needed a little rest…
"Ugh…" And the mage instead had fallen over, if not for Mobambi rushing up to catch him. He would have dropped to the floor…