Piercing the Vortexes

by Ozik

A first-person story in which the protagonist, represented by a Harrier pilot, makes an emergency landing on an unknown island that is actually inhabited by forest spirits. The story will describe the adventures of the main character and his newfound friend, their different thoughts and views on certain behaviors. (What you're reading is translation).

8. Chapter 8 - Final (part 1)

As I got home, I kept thinking about the gravity of what I had done. I sat at the table continuously, staring at the wood grain and holding my head with my hands. The only thing I had time to do was wash my face and wash away that poor guy's blood. Around me, Lir was walking around me with nervous thoughts. He was nervous not because of what I had done, but because I was unnecessarily giving myself bad thoughts. I think he misunderstood the problem a bit. Although, it would be more accurate to say that he was extremely misguided in his conclusions. After a while, Lir stopped walking around the table. He stopped and, looking at me with an approving look, asked:

- Slake, don't worry about it. They'll take him to the fountain or the nearest well and everything will be fine. So what if he got shot with that thing, what's the big deal?

- Lir, look. There's something you just don't understand.

- What didn't I realize?

- The chance of surviving a shotgun blast at point-blank range is less than one percent.

Lir looked at me thoughtfully. But I think he was starting to get it.

- Lir, what's your custom for murder?

- Uh, we don't have any murders.

- What would you personally do if someone killed your brother?

-I- how am I supposed to answer the question?

- Uh, okay, look. Do we have a five-year sentence for murder, all the way up to execution?

- What is ...

- Let me get this straight. Incarceration is when you do time in a concrete box behind bars in a smelly room that smells of waste, tobacco, and human rotting skin. And execution... It's mandatory death by law. When you're in so much pain that you die.

- So you're saying they'll do the same thing to you?

- If not worse.

Lir stood there confused for a while, trying to say something, but he hesitated every time he thought. Finally, he took my hand and led me to the room where I'd slept last night.

- Get under the bed, if they come here, I don't think they'll notice you.

I didn't even say anything, just silently climbed under the bed with my back up. I had hidden my helmet under the bags beforehand. That's where I left my shotgun. To be honest, it was pretty dusty and dirty under the bed. But not to the point where I started sneezing.

- What are you gonna do?

- Honestly, I haven't figured it out yet, but I'll probably just sit around pretending I don't know where you are.

Not to say that his plan sounded promising, but still, I was willing to do anything to make sure this conflict went away smoothly and without too much trouble.

- Can I even get out?

- Absolutely not. What if someone comes in here while you're out? They'll see you!

I sighed heavily, but there was nothing to do. For the next few hours I had to watch the gray walls that surrounded me and the dark floor, which was a little lighter because of the heavy layer of dust that got into my nose and made me scratch it occasionally. I couldn't say exactly what I was afraid of or what I should expect. Although I hoped that the incident would somehow be covered up, I had to prepare for the worst.

It's been a while. I was getting hungry and falling asleep. I'd even forgotten a little why I was lying here. But when I heard the knock on the door, I quickly returned to my current reality and remembered why I was lying here. The knocking wasn't fast, but it wasn't slow either. Three knocks for each repetition. Then, I heard Lir cautiously walk to the door and ask who came to see him. But there was no answer. This made me rather uneasy. Another line of knocks on the door followed. Lir asked again, but again there was no answer. The door opened ajar and someone began to enter the house quickly. From the sound of stomping, Lir got up from the floor and started to catch up with the guest, but the unknown person stomped faster and walked around the rooms, looking for something. It was looking specifically for me.

- Hey, I didn't authorize you to come in without permission!

Next, Lir looked as if he was trying to stop the intruder, but from the sound of it, he was pushed away again with great force, causing Lir to fall to the floor. The thing continued to dart around the room until it stopped in front of my bed. There was silence. Neither Lir nor the guest moved. All I could see was the dense fabric that prevented me from realizing who was standing in front of me.

- Come on out.

That voice was like nothing else. It was as if it had been altered in a computer, but it was so high quality, so natural...

It was addressed to me. I stopped breathing and didn't even blink. Would he get out of here?

- If you don't come out, your friend will die.

I was extremely puzzled by this sentence. But before I could even think about it, that voice started counting down...

- 10!

I heard the distinct sounds of hooves pounding on the floor.

- Slake!

What the fuck is this shit doing to Lir?!

- 9!

- Sleeake... Just... Out!

But I still haven't gotten out. Maybe it's a joke.

- 8!

- I can't go this long without air... Please stop.

Things were heating up. But if I just climbed out, that thing would kill me too, and it would only get worse.

- 7!

- Slake! Can you hear me? Я... Please. Get out.

Oh, fuck. How do I get out of here without getting hit by this thing?

- 6! I'm starting to count faster!

- Aah! No, I don't-

- 5, 4, 3, 2..

I pushed myself off the wall to my left with my feet. With all my might, I pushed myself up with my arms, quickly rolled over onto my back, jumped to my feet, grabbed THIS by its approximate head position, and smashed my knee into the thing's head with all my might!

It bounced, and I thought I had reversed its direction of light. It hit its back against the wall from the concussion and fell to the floor. I quickly ran up to it and began to tear off the cloak and saw...

- Ф... Faith?! What the fuck?!

- Idiot. You haven't reformed at all. Ungrateful creature.

- And I'm the idiot. You almost strangled Lir!

- I couldn't strangle him. Stop talking nonsense.

- Bitch, I'm gonna hit you a second time.

She really didn't look good after my blow. Her pupils went upward toward her eyes, her ears had gone slack and hung like noodles, and her forehead was very red from the blow.

- I just wanted to tell you. He's alive.

Something in me woke up. I immediately remembered the conflict. But now. I feel so much better now.

- Also... I showed up a little bit in your iron thing...

I grabbed Faith sharply by the chin and throat.

- But I did manage to find out something.

A slight smile appeared on her face.

- I think I figured out how your mixture works that was floating in a keg called "fuel" and now I know how to recreate it.

Those words were like a gift to me. Even more precious. I took her chin more firmly and with my fingers I made her smile so that her cheeks covered her eyes a little. After a few seconds of thought, I let go of her throat.

- That was your surprise?

- Yeah...

It made me feel good to hear that and with my other hand I stroked her head and brushed her hair over her ear. She laughed awkwardly. The whole situation seemed awkward. Maybe because I hadn't met anyone with that kind of temper yet.

- Ow, stop it! I've already given up!

It was Lir who slapped Faith. The slap made Faith's left cheek redden and blush. I stopped holding her chin and sat down on the floor on her right side. There was an awkward silence. I slowly lowered myself down and lay on her lap. She didn't object, but instead folded her arms around me. Lir was looking at this whole picture. His facial expression left many questions. He seemed to have calmed down, but there was still anger in him, and something was pushing him to punch Faith in the face again. But he didn't. He just sat down. Sat down next to her and leaned against Faith's arm and started to fall asleep. No wonder she was so tall. Tall and comfortable. Comfortable and soft. At the thought, I started to close my eyes myself. Nerves and age do their work. Faith took turns carrying us in her arms, laying us on the bed, and then lay down herself. I drifted off into a dream that I couldn't see, or I just forgot it right away.

I woke up before anyone else, like 5:00 in the morning. For some reason I couldn't move. That fact puzzled me enough to make me open my eyes. To my right, I saw Faith, who was holding my hand pretty tightly. I didn't want to wake her up, but I couldn't go on sleeping like this. I had to resign myself to continuing to lie in the same position. Suddenly Faith opened her eyes and moved closer to me. I resisted, saying I couldn't sleep without moving, but Faith didn't care. As a result, I had no choice but to stay helplessly in her arms.

Soon I woke up. It was quite light outside the window, and I thought I had slept until about noon. The house was completely silent. Where was I supposed to look for these two? I got out of bed and sat down at the table and ate some of the fruit that was already in the basket. These fruits tasted quite unusual, and I couldn't remember any fruit from our world that tasted similar. After eating and drinking some water I went outside. There was no one around again. I guess I'd have to spend quite some time looking for Lir and Faith. Maybe they went to the tree, or maybe they went to that fountain. Or maybe- My airplane! That's it!

After a few meters I saw the silhouette of my jump jet and two small lights in the distance. As I got even closer, I was quite surprised. I had to stop after checking several times that I was not blind and that what I saw was not a mirage. The covering of my airplane had been removed, some parts were lying around and the airplane looked like it was undergoing a major overhaul right now. Seems like I should have been prepared to see something like this... No! I wasn't ready to see this!

- FAITH! What the fuck did you do?! How are we gonna put this back together?!

The constructress quickly turned around and ran to me. At the same time, I was already thinking about what I could say to her to apologize in threefold sincerity.

- Now how do we put this together?

- Same way I disassembled it, but in reverse order.

- Do you remember how you took it apart?

- Down to the last detail! Don't worry, I'm sure of myself.

- All right. Then let's go, you tell me what to spin.

- Except, uh, here's the thing. I've been taking it apart all day. That doesn't include trying to figure out the construction of your thing.

- What did you use to take it apart?

- What do you mean, with what? With my paws.

That's where I stopped. How do you take apart such a huge airplane with your paws? And without skill!

- I just twisted what twists and also used spirit flame. The hardest part is the fasteners. These things that look like mushrooms, only with a notch in the cap. They're so tight.

- Wait a minute. So you're saying you can use teleportation, but you didn't think to get a screwdriver?!

- What's that?

- Ah, Lord, what's wrong with you...? A screwdriver is a stick, the end of which is perfect for screwing in those "mushrooms".

- Aah, that's it! I see it now. If you help me describe it, I think we can recreate it here.

We approached the airplane. Lir was looking at us sideways. He wasn't going to engage in conversation, but was thinking about his own thoughts. I didn't bother him. Perhaps he was thinking some thoughts related to philosophy. For that's what he used to do before I came here. Meanwhile, I was trying to draw what a screwdriver looks like on the airplane's hull. It was difficult for Faith, but after a few tries we got it perfect. Next, I explained that we could add some gears to this screwdriver. Faith thought this would be too complicated and decided to start replacing my ideas with her own, using their fire nature. I didn't object to this. To some extent, such solutions would even be more efficient. But that rule only applied to spirits. For me, it was just a useless thing. In any case, there was no need to load her up with such thoughts right now. Quite quickly she began to understand what I wanted from her and, in a few minutes Faith was able to create all the necessary tools with which to assemble the plane went extremely fast. With no regard for time, hot weather or fatigue, we assembled my jet, putting each part in its proper place. She took on mostly anything that didn't have electrics. Electricity was a big mystery to her so I did all the power circuits.

Soon, the assembly process was complete. We were quite tired and so we just collapsed on the grass and lay there speechless. I was extremely pleased that assembling the airplane had been so easy, considering I wasn't very good at my own jets. Faith elbowed me, as if hinting that she wanted something from me. I looked at her silently.

- Haven't you forgotten what I told you yesterday.

- You said a lot of things to me yesterday. And you did a lot more.

- I'm talking about fuel.

- Fuel. That's right. You mentioned it once.

- I didn't mention it, I told you about it. While you were gone, we spent the early hours of the morning with Lir trying to recreate it. I was able to teach him how to create a flammable liquid almost in the field. I don't think there's any point in explaining to you how it works. It's pretty much the same as your fuel. It's just that we're using a spirit flame, so it can... well. burn. There's no downside to that, is there?

- In general, many airplanes have an afterburner chamber, from where the fuel flies out with tremendous force and even higher temperature. But my airplane doesn't have such a chamber. It's not very fast in principle. Because its main trick is vertical takeoff. Yes, it won't catch up with the SU-25, but unlike the Rook, I can land almost anywhere like a helicopter without any problems.

- Okay, now tell me what a helicopter is.

- Okay. It's a box that has huge long planks on top of it. The planks spin very quickly and push the whole structure up into the sky. That's the simplest thing I can think of.

- Good. (chuckles) What I really like about you is that you can explain such complicated things in simple words. Then will you explain what those things are under your wings?

- They're rockets. Little airplanes. On my command, they bounce off the wings of the airplane and fly to the target. The bigger ones can navigate the heat and fly into other planes, blowing them up. The smaller ones can't do that. They fly straight down. They're launched into the ground to destroy someone. Something really big, for example.

A serene sunset was coming. Small particles of dust flew toward the sun, glowing blue as if they were little Seive lights. I stopped thinking about the things I was going to do. I forgot about Lira, forgot about Faith, forgot about all my responsibilities. At times like this, my brain was ready to shut itself off and let my eyes give me the pleasure I craved. The light cool breeze was giving me a break from that albeit humid, but still warm air that had accompanied me throughout the day. There were more and more clouds in the sky, but it didn't look like rain was coming. Only a scarlet sunset with a golden sun looked up at me. And those huge trees that swayed so leisurely in the distance. It was only in moments like this that I could say. This is it... Summer... Almost like my childhood. Just like then, I had no worries. And at least now, in a world unknown to me, I could feel alone with myself. The sun was slowly going behind the horizon, the clouds were getting darker, the wind was getting colder and night was coming. Dark, but still as pleasant as when I went out on the balcony to admire the big stars...

- Hey, Slake, Slake! What, did you fall asleep?

I must have really fallen asleep in my thoughts that I didn't notice Lir coming up to me.

- Why don't you tell me where you've been?

- Uh, I was, uh. practicing. I was practicing making fuel.

- Is that the nickname you gave your invention?

- It's not a picture. I can't wait for the recipe to be invented. I think we'll try it tomorrow.

- So you're not even sure of your image

- Well, uh. How can I put this delicately? We're sure. But, uh.

- BUT...

- But not all the way through. We haven't had any explosions, leaks or other emergencies. I think you'll be fine.

- I hope you realize that I'm not messing around here and if I have an incident...

- You're staying here.

- Yeah, but before I do, I'm gonna take you down a peg.

- Uh... How's that?

- I'll make myself a hat out of your fur and your leather.

Lir swallowed his saliva and fell silent.

- But if we succeed, I'll fulfill your dream.

Lir raised his ears and smiled. I think I gave him the motivation he needed to make the ordeal go smoothly.

I lay down next to Faith, Lir lay down next to me, and we fell asleep pretty quickly. We had a big day ahead of us.

Early in the morning, I was awakened by Lir. A crowd of other spirits had gathered around, eager to see us. I felt a little uneasy. I was used to doing things in public, but here I wanted to do them quickly and perfectly.

Lir helped me up and brought me water to wash my face. I was somewhat surprised at his gratitude, though I shouldn't have doubted it. Flying on an empty stomach had to be the right thing to do. I started climbing into the cockpit without even asking the others. But no one objected. As it seemed to me. After a couple seconds, Lir teleported over to me. I wondered why he did it. Out of interest? Perhaps. Or maybe he had something to say. Let me ask him.

- Hey, Lir, are you too bored to stand there?

- No, I don't.

- Then why did you come to me?

- Я... Uh, here's the thing. I just- I just wanted to say that, uh.

- Well, go ahead

- Maybe you shouldn't go.

- Are you afraid of getting bored?

- Yes. But that's not the reason I started talking.

- And what is your reason?

- Do you remember the night before last? We were still at my house. Uh-huh. I had a bad dream. I saw you in it. You were flying your airplane. And all of a sudden, you get hit by this huge bird. It was so big, I'd be perfect food for it. I don't think you should fly away from here.

- Oh, come on. You think some big bird can do anything to me? I'm not gonna crush it! I'm gonna crush it in the air! I'll turn it into a sieve! I'm gonna-

- Are you done bragging?

I turned to my right. Faith was looking at me with a disgruntled face. When her face tried to express her displeasure, it made me feel very uncomfortable. Maybe it had something to do with my upbringing? I'm still a guest in this world, and I don't know a lot of things.

- All right, all right. Let's get started. Just ask everyone in the audience to stand back about 20 feet.

All the spirits slowly began to back away. Faith came around the back of my plane, checked to make sure everything was closed, and ran up to me.

- I drained your fuel into a separate container that was green and looked rather oddly shaped.

- A canister?

- I don't know. Maybe. The point is, we'll be launching on our fuel now, because I'm afraid to mix the two fuels.

- Why did you drain my fuel without telling me anything?

- Sometimes, you don't need to know everything.

- That's my jet. I need to know everything about it!

- All right, all right. Come on, pour your helmet.

Faith immediately handed me my helmet. It looked like she'd given it a good scrubbing and washing. Again, she did it without me.

Okay, helmet's on. Powering up. Checking controls, ejection and fire control systems. Fire control system. Fuel control system. It's all good. I closed the cockpit and waved for Lir and Faith to move away. All right, start the engines. The turbofan blades are starting to spin up. That screech. I miss it. The fuel was starting to flow. I looked carefully in the mirrors and so far everything was normal. The fans were still spinning. The squealing was getting worse. I had reached the right speed of rotation. At that moment, Lir appeared in front of the nose of the plane. I wanted to wave my hand at him to make him go away, but he seemed to realize the risks. Lir raised both hands, pointing to the sky. I increased thrust to 80%. The plane staggered slightly and I began to take off. With a firm grip on the controls, I began to lift off the ground. As if feeling the airplane as an extension of my body. Understanding its behavior on a subconscious level. This is gonna work. Soon I'll be out of this crazy world! What about Lir? FUCK HIM! Aren't you ashamed to think that? He took you in. No one can tell me what to do! Only I can be my own master. Only I have power over myself, my thoughts and my actions. Then channel that power. I froze for a second. Am I talking like this? To myself? Okay, stop thinking.

- Lir, I think you can come with me?

Who did you say that to, you idiot? To your head? At the same moment, Lir appeared in my lap. His teleportation caused me to panic slightly, but I didn't tell him my thoughts.

- Lightyear, Slake, this isn't a joke? You're really taking me with you?!

- Yeah. (chuckles)

I answered briefly and dryly. As if I didn't mean it.

- Then I have to tell you about little surprise number 2.

His phrase came with such interest and a sly smile... The caustic spirit pressed himself against my back and got under my seat belts. I lightly helped him into it.

- Crank the engines to full, you'll be surprised.

It sounded even stranger, but I made up my mind nonetheless. My strong hand guided the thrust lever to the 100% position. Lir glimpsed it, then clenched his paws into a fist, pressed his ears to his head, and flashed blue flames. My plane jerked and flew upward with tremendous force. I quickly managed to reverse the direction of the thrusters and we sped off toward the water in the distance.

- Lir, what the fuck is this?

- Show me your skills, I want to see them. With this kind of traction, we can outrun everyone!

He didn't stop blazing with flame. Lir's eyes were burning, too, whether from happiness or rage and speed. I gripped the wheel even tighter and, ready to maneuver, began to circle the islands. Barrel, barrel, roll... I was not afraid of any overload. Sharp turns and tilts. I'd never experienced such adrenaline. I forgot everything and lived in the moment. In the embrace of the blue flame we aspired above birds to the sky, like Daedalus, but faster, brighter, higher ... And then, flying out of the clouds, I cried out.

- LIR, I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU DO IT, BUT I JUST WANT TO SAY, UH. THANK YOU FOR BEING YOU AND THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING. YOU AND ME, WE'RE GOING TO GO FASTER AND WE'RE GOING TO BEAT ALL THE SUPERSONICS ON THIS EARTH!

I made a left barrel roll and pointed the nose of the airplane down toward the ground. Still blazing, Lir screamed at the top of his voice, but not with fear, but with joy. Nausea, dizziness? We had forgotten about it and were hurtling toward the ground at breakneck speed. I pulled the wheel back with all my might, and, almost touching the boughs of the trees, we soared into the sky again. The islands of Friol grew farther and farther away, Lir stopped blazing, and we just looked at each other. And even through his helmet he could feel that smile and the genuine happiness he gave me. Emotions... That's the ultimate gift for a loved one. Not one phone, not one car, not one lock can replace the feelings I just experienced. Only such things can't be bought and sold. Only such things are priceless.

From the author.

Hello everyone. Finally, I'm done with this story. At least the first part of it. I procrastinated on it for a very long time and didn't want to continue it, but thanks to the support of a few people I'm done with it. I have a bunch of plans for part two with new locations, new characters, new stories. But I don't see the point of writing it without some kind of asset from the readers. If you get stars and subscriptions, there will be a part 2. No reactions, no part 2. I think you understand my thoughts. Any questions? Write in the comments. I'm reading everything. Thank you for reading and I apologize for the delay. Love the spirits and appreciate every moment in life. And I'm not saying goodbye to you. I'll see you again)