Two Halves: chapter 42

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Two days later there were making steady progress on their journey. They had skirted between the small towns that dotted the landscape and frosted caps of the mountains. It was easy to avoid most of them, but their route would take them directly by a larger community on the way to Cloudtop. If they didn’t pass by it they would have to take a three day detour across several larger peaks.

 

The mountains proved much slower than the large plateaus and valleys. The legs of the Canyon Creeper would scissor down onto the rocks and carry them more smoothly over the rougher terrain. Because of its small size it didn’t need the direct control of the larger crab transports instead the steering the control panel directly provided was enough to crawl over the landscape.

 

They had to eventually go up to the small room where Bestalel was staying. it was surprisingly comfortable; Sozimon had planned ahead and somehow made it so the room bounced much less than the rest of the ship, and when you got into the hammocks the movement was hardly noticeable. Bestalel spent most of his time lying in these slings staring at the ceiling, or looking out of the windows staring at the slowly passing landscape. He didn’t speak much, but small pieces of him were returning. After the first day he retreated from the room to eat with them in the cockpit, and when the asked how he was doing he simply described his thoughts as “slotting into place”.

 

They were coming up to the white cap that marked the final leg of their journey and the final town that they had to pass. The buildings were old and rickety, and in front of the village entrance was a pile of boxes and barrels awaiting pick up. The only building that looked new was the forge that topped the mineshaft the town was centered around. Black smoke still poured from stacks that stuck up from the twisted metal of the refinery. They retracted the legs and started up the treads to carry them past the town. As they closed in on it there were able to see the building more closely and see that the pile of good had slowly gotten smaller as they closed in on the settlement.

 

Several Salex troopers were supervising the loading of the goods into a dimensional rip just within the town’s square. Nicolas, who was driving, tried to halt their machine once he could see the soldiers. They were spotted though, one of the men were shielding theirs eyes to look at dirt trail their wheels had kicked up. He started to indicate to his friends what he had seen, and one pulled out a pair of binoculars to see them more clearly. Zeckle stared out the window at the Salex soldiers as they scrambled to find something.

 

“Don’t just stand here. Get the lead out before they have time to find something stop us with,” shouted Zeckle over his shoulder. Nicolas pulled the rope that was the acceleration. Behind them in the engine room the coals burst into renewed life and the boiler began to vibrate with the force its bubbling.  The wheels spun for a moment before gaining traction for them to move. They were pushed back into their chars by the force of the acceleration, and as they sped along a loud metallic voice roared over the landscape.

 

“You are in a non-regulation vehicle. Report to the entrance of the town and your vehicle will be confiscated and you will be set free. Otherwise we will have to take action against you,” said one of the soldiers using a megaphone. He looked to see that Nicolas had not altered his course, and started to converse with his friend quickly. They stared to gather up something, and construct a small devise in front of the supply pile. Luckily they would not have brought anything to pursue them with, but they would have weapons with stopping power sufficient to take their vehicle out of commission. 

 

“What is going on?” asked Bestalel as he descended from the room above. He looked out the window in time to see the team launch a pod missile out of the small devise they had constructed. Several came out of the rocket box each trailing a line of black smoke. Bestalel looked at them for a moment before his eyes started to change. It looked as if golden liquid was creeping up his retina to cover his pupils, and in its place was the seven-sided star of Kintera. The missile that was closest to them started to slow, and then exploded maybe a hundred feet from the Canyon Crawler.  Even though they were so far away the cockpit rocked from the blast. The other missiles began to slow and were enveloped by a golden light.

 

Each would hang in the air for several moments before releasing their blasts. As the smoke cleared the land between them and the town looked like a war zone. Huge pieces of ground had been pools of molten slush, and as they rode away it slowly hardened into glass like mirrors of crystalline substance. The Salex men were gazing at the car in horror as the smoke slowly dissipated, and tried to load in a second barrage, but by the time they could get the missiles off they were leaving the rockets’ maximum range. Nicolas looked beside him to where Bestalel was still standing. The bronze was rapidly draining from his eyes and the bronze stars were disappearing.

 

They sped away across the landscape towards Cloudtop. Bestalel collapsed onto the floor once the power had left him. Zeckle bent down to pick him up and turned to Nicolas.

 

“What the hell just happened!” shouted Zeckle as she cradled him in her arms. He was breathing slowly, and Zeckle dragged him to the bench. After she buckled him in he slumped sideways and lay there sleeping. 

 

“I don’t know. Calm down. I saw his eyes; it was the symbol of Kintera. It seems we have a guardian angel now…” He turned back to the windshield and looked out over the landscape. They were beginning to enter the high energy magic zone the was centered around Cloudtop. Once they were inside it would be impossible for Salex to follow them.

 

The next day there were just outside of Cloudtop. Bestalel had woken up after a few hours, and hadn’t remembered what he had done. Though did not seem surprised after he was told. Now that they were so close to the city they saw another vehicle every so often. They passed under several of the crab transports, and many other small carts drawn by Krignal passed them by. They finally drew near to the crater that Cloudtop was located in.  They passed by one of the great chains that kept the city on the ground. Above them was the floating mountain of Cloutop. Thousands of rivets bolted to ground around them and chains connected to the bottom of the mountain. The underside of the mountain was covered in roots that had slowly worked their way through the soil into the bottom.

 

The mountain had ripped itself up from its place centuries before. There had always been a tribe there mining the Teki stone that produced an anti-gravity affect when exposed to magical energy. They had mined deeply into the mountain until one day a miner found something. The largest single Teki stone in existence, over a hundred feet across. An airship could be held up with a stone the size of a fist, so when this was discovered something far more dramatic happened. Magic blew in through the tunnels and a single fleck of energy touched the stone to activate its power. It pulled up through its small veins spanning the entire mountain and began to lift. It tore the top off the mountain in a dramatic event of twisted stone and ripping soil.

 

The mountaintop had floated across the crater for years bouncing against the edges to floating back to the center. Eventually the tribe’s men began to inhabit the flying island, and connected lines down from it to the old site of the mountain’s base. The city had slowly grown because when the mountain was destroyed it uncovered something. Below the peak was a wellspring, one of the few that existed on the planet. It spewed magical energy up around the mountain fueling the birth of great magi. This was the reason the academy was founded here. Magic affected the development of people, and if there were taken here before puberty and trained in the correct manner even the least powerful mages could become great.

 

The flow of power also morphed the stone of the mountain. It caused the creation of many magical metals and stones, including Jeori, Teki, and Senbone. This gave birth to an enormous export industry to the fringe colonies. Cloudtop along with Gen were to two superpowers of the Pekili mountain range, but Cloudtop was the only one to endure the Blaze War. Because of the magic around Cloudtop being so powerful it was impossible to use block the magic around it in any large quantity, so when near the city all technology was useless.

 

They were getting nearer to the great bridge that connected the city to the ground. Cart after cart of ore and crystal sat at the base of the great bridge. Under the city were the largest refineries on the planet. Steam powered mining tools sat around gnawing at the ground, and workers inspected the soil in search of the correct alloys. In the center of the great pits was the mystical focusing iris. It sat on top of the nexus of the wellspring. Around it the magical energy was so thick it physically manifested itself as a light blue mist. People had to wear protective suits while working on the crystalline lens that concentrated the magic into a beam and shot it onto the bottom of the city where it was stored for later use. If they didn’t wear the suits the raw magical force would burn them, which causes terrible mutations and horrible disfiguring transformations.

 

They came to the beginning of the bridge the harbor of Cloudtop dominated the landscape. At least fifteen crab transports sat along the dockyards. Hundreds of small Krignal drawn carriages sat unloading small goods and homemade things to be sold at the great market. They made there way slowly though the hundreds of people that clogged the streets. They got many strange looks for the Canyon Crawler, but now it was not unique. Every so often they saw one or two other custom vehicles, but there were mostly just one man speeders instead of larger carriers like they had. They finally worked their way through the crowds and warehouses to the foot of the bridge. On either side were stables and car yards for personal steam powered vehicles.

 

They drove slowly into the car yard where a group of boys were running between the vehicles taking them from people and storing them in the oversized buildings. One of the boys ran towards the Canyon Crawler and tapped on the side. Nicolas got up from his chair and opened the hatch to the outside. Bestalel was already coming down from the room above, and Zeckle was leaving the engine room.

 

“Hello, sir. I haven’t seen this kind of mover before, so could you please drive it into the yards yourself?” The boy’s shinning face looked up at him. He was probably eight and already working. Nicolas returned to his chair and drove slowly through the gateway. Inside were hundreds of machines spanning multiple levels. All of them were being filled slowly from taps lining the walls. Older men were working on the engines or repairing devises. The boy led them to a smaller are filled with custom devises. A few engineers were sanding among them examining the new tech. They were led into a slotted space beside a three-wheeled open top transport. Nicolas opened the hatch and began to climb down; he had offered to help carry, but Bestalel had decided that he was to bear their bags. They had eaten most of the food during the trip so they threw the last few scraps of food into the brazier.

 

“Hey there, can ya tell me who designed this monstrosity? Never seen anything quite like it,” said one of the engineers. He had a pump tank on his back; it was a small tank filled with water that you would pump with one hand and the liquid within would come out one of the nozzles connected to a small tube leading to the main tub.

 

“Sozimon Kilgrapha.” answered Zeckle. The man whistled and ran his hand along the tracks and examined it.

 

“That old b******s still making these crazy things. I’ve seen a few of his come through here; always cause a stir with the rest of the engineers. Everyone wants to look at them to see if they can get a working schematic down,” said the engineer as he tapped the treads with the tip of his nozzle. “I’ll take care of this bad boy for free. No one will accept money for this; it’s to valuable. I’ll try to get a design ready.”

 

“I want to pay you for something though,” said Bestalel as he reached for his money pouch. “Take this thing back to Sozimon. He is expecting it back. He lives in Gen near the docks, and when you take this there don’t use the main roads, and avoid cities. This is not a regulated design and Salex will confiscate you if they see it.” He handed over a single golden Genzis. The engineer examined it for a moment in surprise then stuffed it into his pocket.

 

“Thank you, sir.” The engineer hurried away to a small metal covered hut where a few other engineers were lounging around playing a card game. Bestalel turned around to start making his way back through the building. Nicolas and Zeckle followed him between the large machines. Hundreds of engineers worked on the machines to fuel and fix them. At the entrance another boy led them past the never ending stream machinery. They started to walk though the stream of people coming and going from Cloudtop. Thousands of people piled onto the bridge. Huge beach ball sized orbs of Teki stone were connected to chains and attached to the bridge. The soft white pithy stone were extending out small magical membranes keeping them in the air.

 

The gates that marked the entrance to Cloudtop had several; workers were inspecting every piece of good that comes into the capital. Custom officers inspected their bags before they made it into the main entrance of the city. The gates were huge and heavy; their rusted green surface dominated the eye as you approached. One of the three great entrances was open letting people through. Beyond was the main road leading the Bronze Citadel and the Academy. The signs of wealth were prevalent throughout the buildings. All of them were ornate and made of special made materials. Magical crystals glinted and shone in the light as hundreds of baubles floated in the air. Each had colored glass and a small Jeori shard within. In this kind of high density magic zone even to smallest piece shone with great intensity.

 

Each had a small grain of Teki on it’s top, so that they floated in the air. Thousands of them slowly drifted between the streets casting multi colored light down on the citizens. Even in the height of the Blaze War Cloudtop kept such things. it was a symbol of power and authority. It showed the people that they were still proud enough to keep up appearances.

 

The very streets were scrubbed clean and polished. The metal surface was so shiny that Nicolas could see his face in it. They walked to the central square where the daily market took place. It was not the food sellers and the cheep good that inhabited these stalls. Instead were the fine silks and precious jewels. The lattice steam powered luxuries and the most amazing metal contraptions sat on display for the wealthy to peruse and enjoy.

 

Most of the normal citizens had filtered into side alleys and different roads leading to the poorer places in Cloudtop, and nearly none made it to the center of the city. The fountain had the immortal image of the miner who had discovered the great Teki stone. It showed him triumphantly exiting the cave hefting his pickaxe over his shoulder. Water spewed out of both end of it and slowly fell into the pool surrounding the great copper depiction. It had long since grown green and rough with the rust of centirues.

 

They walked behind it past the purchasing masses to the Bronze Citadel. The oversized staircase before it had a few royal guards standing on its steps. They wore the dark purple and silver robes that were the color of the great clan that ruled Cloudtop. On their chests were the small six winged badges that held the emblem of the family. What concerned Nicolas most though were the halberds each carried.

 

“No one may enter the Bronze Citadel.” said one of them as they tried to climb the staircase. Every time he took a step the plume that crested his helmet wobbled dangerously.

 

“Are you telling me? The clan lord of the Flamels that he can’t enter the citadel?” Nicolas starred down the man. He did not crumple, and Nicolas glanced at his pin. It had the symbol of a guard captain. One of eight that made up the Feathers of Fate, the royal guard of the Hulami clan.

 

“Sir, I am sorry, but I require some form of identification.”

 

‘Will the clan guardian of the Flamel’s due? This is Zeckle my guardian, Zeckle would you please release your aura for a moment to show him who you are?” Zeckle turned on her aura for a moment and let black waves of energy ripple across the stare case. The man did not flinch in front of the onslaught of energy. He was obviously powerful. Several other guards of the Feathers were sitting bored at the top of the stairs eating their lunch, and at the influx of energy glanced down boredly at them.

 

“Thank you sir for your cooperation. I am Jento, captain of the Cloud Breakers, and I will be leading you to the throne room.” He began to walk up the stairs, and as they passed the guards he spoke again. “Will you not do that in front of the citizens. Uphold the honors of the Cloud Breakers, we don’t want the other guard squads to start looking at us like we are inferior.” They entered the great pillars of brass that led to the entrance. Hundreds of them extended towards the sky on either side of them. The Bronze Citadel itself was even more impressive. It was entirely made of metal and had thousands of the small baubles slowly making circuits around the taller towers. At night it was glorious to watch from the Academy. At the highest point in the library you were above the altitude the baubles went, so that both above and below you it looked like stars shone.

 

They entered the double doors; each side was flanked my more guards. They snickered as Jento passed. Their pins indicated them as different squads of the eight. Whenever Jento looked at them though they glanced away in fear.

 

“I am sorry for their disrespect, but the Cloud Breakers have lost standing. Even though it has been years we are still blamed for the Cloud Walkers not joining the Blaze War. We were supposed to be The Council of Cloudtop’s envoy to them, and we failed. I have since taken over for the old captain, but they still don’t trust me.” He slouched slightly as he walked, embarrassed. They were led through more and more rooms. Each with expensive paintings hanging on the walls, and valuable nick knacks lining the shelves. The carpets felt like they were a foot thick in their velvety softness, but eventually they made it the entrance to the thrown room.

 

At the head of the magnificent chair that sat above a myriad of golden steps was a man sitting talking to several advisors. He looked at the group that had entered. Then squinted at Nicolas in particular.

 

“Nicky? Nicky is that you!”

Author's Note

Sorry i was cleaning my grandfather's house out yesterday so I couldn't write. He has to live with us now because of his condition so we are gonna rent out his house.

Reviews

[Daniel Gardner]

awesome times 42!

[Lucy Joan]

Again, very well written. I feel like I could jump right into the story. Love it!

[Tea And A Cheshire Smil..]

great continuation :) I really enjoyed reading this.

[trish420]

I'm sorry about your grandfather :-(

Great continuation though! I love how no matter where they go either Nick or Besty is recognized :-) I can;t wait to hear what he has to say about their adventure! One question, if this is all for Abby (? see, I forgot) when is she gonna come into the picture? I want to know if this is all worth it LOL (jk, it is)

[P.S I Love You]

This is a great write. (keep on writing more) :)

[Huggy Bear]

Amazing piece:)