Hammerhead
Explorer
Why is it than whenever only one party member is able to speak with the locals, the other ones end up being servants or assistants?
Sagiro's Story Hour Returns (new thread started on 5/18/08)
- Thread starter Sagiro
- Start date
RangerWickett
Legend
Piratecat said:
His wife loves him. And . . . and, though it might break her heart to hear this, . . . I love him too. Because, deep down, don't we all have a little Dranko in us?
. . .
*shifty eyes*
. . .
Uzumaki
First Post
Keep it up, it's working!nemmerle said:
Future wife, anyway... Are there any wedding plans for them? They're in a monastery after all, though a spider wedding would probably be a rather bloody affair. "I now pronounce you husband and wife... You may now eat the groom."RangerWickett said:
Plane Sailing
Astral Admin - Mwahahaha!
Uzumaki said:
ROFLMAO!
Sagiro
Rodent of Uncertain Parentage
No, no paternity leave yet! The baby could still come any day, but we're 12 days off the actual due date. When it happens, I (or maybe PCat or KidC) will post to let you know. I'm afraid the rate of updates is likely to slow again once I have an infant to take care of, but I'll do what I can. 
In the meantime, I can't resist nemmerle's polite requests.
Sagiro’s Story Hour, Part 224
Machina Ex Dei
“Click. Click hiss click burble slurp clickclick”
Or, as Kibi hears it:
“Areee any of youuuUUUuuu hunnnnnnnnngry?”
Gaz Mur, Abbot of the Vree Monastery, regards his guests with numerous multifaceted eyes. There is general agreement among the party that yes, some food would not go amiss.
“Weeeeee will have foooOOOood brought to youuuUUUu,” says Gaz Mur.
“That would be very much appreciated,” says Kibi. Gaz Mur waves three of his arms toward a waiting servant in the back of his spacious round office, and the second Vree flies out through a hatch.
“So,” says Kibi. “What will happen to me in this Machine? Do you know how it works, or were you just following instructions?”
“Mmmmmmm... weeeEEeee believe that your magic will go baaaaack through the Portal, and be uuuuuUUuuuused to sunder the unnnnnnnnatural connections that bind all the Slices togetherrrrrrrrrrr.”
Kibi frowns at the notion of sundering. “Will it... will it harm me?”
“Pruzzzzz Flit says nooooOOOOoo,” answers the Abbot. “He is most knowledgeable about the Machiiiiiiiiine. He is the master of mindzzzzzz, and the most immmmmmmmportant person in the monastery, excluding myzzzzzzzelf.”
“The ‘master of minds?'” asks Kibi. “What does that mean?”
“Look about you!” says the Abbot, motioning to the closest window. “We are innnnnn the Chaos, yet everything izzz stable, yezzzzz? Thaaaaaaat does not happen by itself, you knowwwwwww. He coordinatezzzzzz the effort to keep thingzzzzzz stable at the monastery.”
At Morningstar’s urging, Kibi asks, “Have you ever heard of the Eyes of Moirel?”
“Eyezzzzz of what? No. Are they imporrrrrrrrrrrrrtant to you?”
“Well... yes,” says Kibi.
“I can have sommmmmme of my people read through old scrollllllls and bookzzzzz and see of there is mention of themmmmmmm.”
“I’d appreciate that,” says Kibi. “Did Pruz Flit build the Machine himself?”
“Pruz Flit, yes. Very busy, Pruz Flit. Uzzzzzzzually his job is full timmmmmme, be he was able to leave the mmmmmmmmaintenance of the monastery to his key servants while he oversaw the building of the Machiiiiiiiiine.”
The Vree servant comes back into the office with large baskets hanging from all of its legs. Each basket is filled with an assortment of unrecognized fruits. There’s a basket for each of them, filled with more food than each of them would normally consume in a week – easily 20 pounds. Before any of the Company can even decide which fruit to try first, Gaz Mur plunges his head into his own basket, wherefrom comes a truly horrific sound of gobbling and slurping. They can see the bulges of food swelling the Abbot’s throat as he eats; it’s one of the least appetizing spectacles they’ve ever witnessed.
“Kibi,” asks Morningstar, “Could you ask the Abbot if he’d object to me casting detect poison on the fruits, just in case?” Kibi does so. Gaz Mur lifts his head out of his meal. Strands of thick saliva trail from his mandibles back into his basket of (now mushy) fruit. Perhaps mindful of his manners, he slurps them into his hairy mouth. It’s all the members of the Company can do not to get sick right on the spot.
“Pleazzzzze, by all means,” says Gaz Mur. “We have assumed the foooooood is safe for you, but we cannot be surrrrrre.”
It turns out to be a good idea; some of the fruits register as poison. Morningstar warns that the small green ones could be dangerous.
Through Kibi, Aravis asks Gaz Mur if the Vree came up with the idea for the Machine in the first place.
“It came from the Source,” explains the Abbot. “We prayyyyyyed for a way to end this imprizzzzzzzonment, and the Chaotic Source put into our minds the Machinnnnnnnnnne, and the name of Kibilhathurrrrrr Bimmmmsonnnnn.”
There are mixed feelings among the Company about the Vree and their Machine. They debate it back and forth for a minute or two, while Gaz Mur finishes his meal.
“We could go to one of the other places where people are looking for Kibi,” says Morningstar. “There’s the Lord of the Roses, and those ant-creatures that sent the assassin.”
“I wonder if they have Kibi Machines too,” says Ernie.
“Even if they do,” says Aravis, “We still won’t know if it’s all a Black Circle plot, or a legitimate way that someone is trying to fix the Slices.”
“And there’s the crazy Black Circle guy making statues of Kibi,” adds Ernie. “Maybe we could find him.”
But no one really wants to commit to leaving the Chaos without at least having tried something. In the end, they leave it up to Kibi.
“Would you like any dezzzzzzzzzzzert?” asks Gaz Mur.
Strangely enough, no one is hungry, and that’s before the servant brings in the dessert basket, full to the brim with squirming white maggots. Gaz Mur sticks in his proboscis and slurps some out. Between gulps, he says to Kibi, “Pruzzzzz Flit will need to speeeeeak with youuuuuuu. There are some calibrationzzzz that still neeeeeeeed to be done on the Machinnnnnnnnnnnnne, for which youuuUUUuuuu are nezzzzzessaryyyy.”:
“And they have to fit you to the shackles,” says Ernie jokingly under his breath.
With the meal and interview over, Gaz Mur asks about the biped’s preferred sleeping arrangements, and says it will all be taken care of. Pruz Flit will likely want to speak with Kibi as soon as possible, but the rest of the party is free to go where they wish until they want to sleep.
“Is there anywhere we shouldn’t go?” asks Grey Wolf.
“If youuuuu go too farrrrrrr, you will leave the boundzzzzzz of the stability, so beware. Alzzzzzo, there is another one of the Bluuuuuuue Portalzzzz out of here. You may go through if you wish; it should be safer for youuuuuuu. It goes to a place where all is air and bluuuue.”
“That sounds terrible!” says Kibi.
“An elemental plane I haven’t been to yet!” says Dranko. “It’ll be another notch on my belt.”
Aravis, Dranko, Step, Snokas and Grey Wolf are curious about this place of air and blue, and head that way. Before they go, Morningstar casts a telepathic bond on Dranko, Aravis, Grey Wolf and Kibi.
“Kibi,” says Scree, “Let’s not go there under any circumstances.” Kibi nods.
“So what do you think about this Machine?” he asks his Familiar.
“I don’t think I trust it,” says Scree. “We don’t know anything about it. Perhaps we should go take a look.”
Since this Pruz Flit fellow wants to talk to them anyway, that sounds like a good plan. The four of them leave Gaz Mur and head back across the monastery. It takes some practice to use the walkways, since they bend and twist like pieces of disconnected Moebius strip. They constantly have to adjust their personal gravity to stay upright.
Meanwhile, the others find Gul Trez waiting for them nearby.
“Hellllo,” he says. “Do you neeeeed me to guide you about?”
“Yes,” says Aravis. “We’d like to see the portal that goes to the Plane of Air.”
Gul Trez makes some agitated chattering sounds. “Mmmmm... caaaaaan you survive there? WeeEEEEEe cannot.”
“Why not?” asks Aravis. “Is it dangerous?”
“It izzzzz not Chaosssss,” explains Gul Trez. “We loooozzzze our life energyyyyy when removvvvved frommmm the Chaosssss. It izzzzz part of ussss.”
“We can survive,” says Aravis, nodding. “Don’t worry.”
“Then followww meeeeee,” says Gul Trez, falling away backward like a plummeting tour guide. Gul Trez leads the five of them to the blue Way; it’s larger than most they’ve seen, over ten feet on a side. What catches their eye, though, is about fifty yards beyond it: the border of the monastery. It’s not a sharp dividing line, but the light slowly fades into a great blackness, and out in the depths they can see distant flashes of red and orange light of fire lightning in the vastness. It’s a sobering reminder that they’re still in the heart of Limbo, albeit in a safe oasis. Dranko gazes out at the turbulent morass, then looks over his shoulder at the floating spheres of the monastery.
“You know,” he says, “when we succeed, which with luck and Delioch’s blessing we will, we’re going to go home to our own world... and it’s going to be so frikkin’ boring!.
“Oh, come on,” says Aravis. “We’ll get into some sort of trouble before too long.”
“And if we don’t, it’ll come looking for us,” adds Grey Wolf, nodding. Dranko perks up at the thought.
Grey Wolf, Snokas and Step hold the ropes tied to Dranko and Aravis, and those two jump through into the Way. After the transition they find themselves hanging in empty air, and since their minds instinctively decide on an “up,” they start to plummet. Their ropes pay out rapidly until they readjust their gravity. There are no clouds, no local fauna, and no geographic features of any kind – just a uniform pale blue light and empty air in every direction. Only the Way itself offers a frame of reference. Dranko practices some corkscrew maneuvers while flying, and is clearly getting the hang of it before he is stopped cold. It’s not that he slams into anything, but rather he comes to a sudden halt, like he’s settled into an invisible cushion that's stolen all of his momentum.
“Did you do that?” he calls out to Aravis. The wizard shakes his head. Dranko realigns his gravity to fall back toward the Way, and that works just fine.
“I bet I know what’s going on,” says Aravis. "We must be in a very small Slice, and you just found the edge.”
To confirm his belief, he casts true seeing, which makes Slice boundaries appear as opaque gray “walls.” He sees that this Slice is actually shaped like a tall elevator shaft, not much more than fifty yards across, but extending both “up” and “down” as far as he can see. Dranko falls back into one of the Slice-borders and lounges there, staring across at the glowing Way as if reclining on a perfect feather-bed.
* *
Kibi and the others set out along the curling stone walkways toward the Machine. Flicker prefers to fall/fly, but Kibi and Ernie have a strong preference for solid ground beneath their feet. A Vree coming the other way scuttles around to the (relative) underside of the path to let them pass. Others wave at them; in all they seem a very friendly and polite people.
Halfway to their destination, they pass a large floating stone platform that had been empty on their way in. Now there are fifteen Vree upon it, performing gymnastic combat drills. The Vree leading the exercises spots them, gets a subordinate to take over, and falls to greet them.
“HelllooooooOOOOoooo,” says the Vree in a low, grumbly voice. “Is one of you Kibilhathurrrrrr Bimmmmsonnnnn?”
“Yes, I am,” Kibi answers. “Your drills are very impressive.”
“Thank youuuuuuuu.” The Vree turns to Ernie. “What is yourrrr name?”
“Ernest Roundhill, at your service and your families’.”
“And you?” he asks Morningstar.
“Morningstar, Shield of Ell.”
“What is an Elllllllll?” asks the Vree.
“It’s her God,” says Kibi. “Like the Chaos is for you.”
“You have your ownnnnn Chaosssss?” asks the Vree, impressed. “And do youuuuu protect it, Shield?”
“Yes,” says Morningstar.
“Good. Verrrry good. My name is Tizzzzzzz Mot; I am the masssssster of Clawzzzzzzz. I must keep the trooooooops in shape, so we can best fight the Slaaaaaaaadi.”
“We fought against the Slaad ourselves,” says Kibi, a bit proudly.
“Szzzzzzzo, I have heard. Howwwww many did you killlllll?”
“Eight or nine,” answers the dwarf. “And a dozen of those spiky lion-things.”
“Where are you going?” asks Tiz Mot, changing the subject.
“We’re going to take a look at the Machine,” says Kibi.
“Mmmmmmmmm.” Tiz Mot’s forelegs twitch nervously. “The Machine, hey? Have you szzzzzztudied it?”
“No,” admits Kibi.
In a softer voice, Tiz Mot says, “I don’t truszzzzzzt the Machinnnnne.”
That’s discomfiting!
“You don’t?” asks Kibi. “Why not?”
“Hmmmmm... I say this to you in confidence, Kibilhathurrrrrr Bimmmmsonnnnn. I don’t think that Pruzzzzz Flit properly understandzzzz it. I’d be warrrrry if I were youuuuuuu.”
“What do you think the Machine does?” asks Kibi.
“I don’t knnnnnnnow,” answers Tiz Mot. “The problem izzzzzz, I don’t think Pruzzzzzzzz Flit knowzzzzzzz either.”
“They want me to go in it,” says Kibi nervously.
“Of courszzzzzze. We alllllllll hope it workzzzzzzzzz.”
Morningstar asks, “When the Chaos talk to Gaz Mur, are the things it says usually right?”
“Yessssss. But the newwwwww Chaossssss has not been tesssssted over timmmmmme.”
“And when you worship the Chaos,” she continues, “do you have rituals?”
“The Chaossssss permeatezzzzs us. It sometimezzzzz speaks; only Gazzzzzz Mur understands its meaning, but it commmmmmmforts all of us. We can feeeeeeeel the trepidationnnnnn of the new Chaossssss. It knowszzzzzzz the universe mussssssst be healed, or it will perishhhhhh.”
Tiz Mot looks around again, and then starts to drift back to the stone platform. “Iiiiiii must go back to my drillzzzzzz; I juszzzzzzzt wanted to introduuuuuuce myselffff.”
When he has gone out of earshot, Ernie remarks, “It’s interesting to know that not everyone thinks the Machine is a good idea.”
“Hmph,” says Kibi, frowning. “I had been leaning toward using the Machine, since we have no better options, but now I’m not sure.”
Soon the four of them reach the Machine Sphere. There are two Vree guarding the Hatch.
“Gruzzzzz Flit was hoping youuuuuu would stop byyyyyyy,” says one of the Vree. It opens the hatch and lets them in
The Machine is not a thing of gears and cogs; it’s just a ring of floating wooden and metal stakes. (Imagine a large ball with a bunch of toothpicks stuck edgewise to it, all over its surface. Now take away the ball, and connect the toothpicks with ropes. That’s the Machine.) Its only other “features” are the red energy playing along the ropes, and the metal cage in the center. Several Vree busy themselves around the Machine, and it’s clear that one of them is in charge.
“Hello!” calls Kibi. “Are you Pruz Flit?”
“MMMmmmmmm...yessss, I am Pruzzzzz Flit. And who are youUUUuuuuuu?”
Pruz Flit, Master of Minds, is ecstatic to learn that Kibilhathur Bimson has arrived. “Thank youuuuuUUuuu for coming!” he says loudly. “We will neeeeed you!”
“Would you mind if we cast some spells to look at the Machine?” Kibi asks.
“Pleazzzze do. Just don’t harmmmm it, or interfere with it.”
“May I touch it?” asks Kibi.
“Only where I innnndicate it’s safffffffe,” warns Pruz Flit. “Come over and I will showwwwwww you.”
They wait while Ernie and Morningstar spend a few minutes praying for new spells. Kibi warns Pruz Flit that his tongues will run out soon, but that Ernie will be able to talk to him instead.
“It’s uzzzzzzeful to have servantzzzzzz, izzz it not?” says Pruz Flit.
“Oh, they’re my friends, not servants,” says Kibi. If it's not Dranko as the presumed servant, it's just not as fun a pretense!
Morningstar casts true seeing, Ernie casts tongues, and Kibi casts detect magic.
Looking with true seeing, Morningstar doesn’t see any difference – there’s nothing invisible, or illusionary, or disguised. The Vree themselves are not magic, either. Detect magic shows Kibi that the Machine is indeed highly magical. He senses varying types of magic on the Machine – some transmutation, some enchantment, a small amount of necromancy, and a significant amount of abjuration. It’s a very complicated thing, thaumaturgically speaking.
“If I go into the Machine, asks Kibi, “and it seems to be malfunctioning, or it hurts me in some way, and I’m forced to teleport out, would that cause any extra problems?”
“If it wazzzz in the middle of worrrrRRrrrrking, and youuuuu were suddenly remooooooved from it, I don’t know what would happen, but it would not be gooooooood, I imagine. Howeverrrrrrr, if you find you are in painnnnnnn, or sure it is malfunctioning. I suggest you leeeeeeeave it. Weeeeeee would not want anything to happen to youuuuuuuu. We would neeeeeeeeed to rebuild the Machinnnnnnne and try again. And we would neeeeeed you alive and healthy for thaaaaaat.”
Pruz Flit pokes one of his legs at one of the stakes. “Hold that,” he instructs. Kibi starts to reach, but stops.
“First, could you explain exactly how this works, and what it does?” he asks.
“Yesssszzz,” says Pruz Flit. “I can speak of what happenzzzzzz. The Chaosssssss has talked to meeEEeeeee.”
“Oh! The Chaos speaks to you?”
“Yesssss... to me, and to Gazzzzzz Murrrrrrr. The Abbot is more spirrrrrrritual, but I understand magiczzzzzzz better, so the Chaosssss speaks to me... in more technical termzzzzzzz.”
“So what does it do?” presses Kibi.
“You will go into that Chammmmmmber.,” says Pruz Flit, pointing to the cage with a pointy claw. “It will analyzzzzze and amplify your essssssssence, and project it back throuuuuuuuugh the Portal, where it will intermingle with the interstices betweeeeeeeen the Slices. There will be feedback... controllllllled, safe feedback; it will sunder the various linksssssss and restore all of our worldzzzzzz to their proper placezzzzzzz.”
“How do you know that breaking the links will restore the worlds?” asks Kibi.
“Becauzzzzzz the Chaosssssss says so,” says Pruz Flit patiently.
“And how does the Chaos knows how all this works?”
“The Chaosssssss is a God,” says Pruz Flit. “It knowzzzzzzz more than I.”
This exchange isn’t doing much for Kibi’s confidence.
“Has the Chaos looked at your Machine and approved it for use?” he asks.
“The Chaossssssss is happy with our progressssssss,” answers Pruz Flit.
“It’s going to take my Essence?”
“No. It will uzzzzzze your Essssssence, but not take it frommmmmmm youuuuu.”
“What’s so special about my Essence? Why me?”
“You are infuzzzzzzed with the same kind of magic that is rezzzzzponsible for all of thissssss,” says Pruz Flit, waving two of his arms around vaguely.
“But you didn’t use that magic in making the Machine,” says Kibi.
“I do not havvvvvvve that magic,” says the Vree. “If I had it, perhapsssss I could be in the Machinnnnnnne. Now, there are some calibrationzzzzzzz that have to be done firsssssst.”
Ernie asks: “What happens to us when everything gets sundered? Do we go back to our own world, or would we be stuck here?”
“Hmmmmmm,” ponders Pruz flit. “You’d probably szzzzzzztay here. Do you have meanzzzzzz to travel from the Chaosssssss back to your home?”
“I think we could,” says Kibi.
At Pruz Flit’s direction, Kibi grabs one of the metal posts, and some of the red energy is attracted to his hands. He feels a mild tingle run up his arms. Pruz Flit rests a claw on Kibi’s hand. “Pleazzzzzzze keep your hand there for ten minutezzzzzz, while I pray to the Chaosssssss.”
While Pruz Flit does whatever it he’s doing, the others talk it over.
“I’d like to get out of the Slices as much as anyone,” says Morningstar, “But shouldn’t we try to get the Eye first?”
“Yeah,” says Kibi, a bit distractedly. “The question is, is the Eye of Moirel physically in a Slice, or is it ‘behind the curtain’ somehow, and we can only get it by breaking up the Slices first. If only you could still talk to Ell.”
Dranko (who has been listening in via the telepathic bond), thinks: “Maybe when we break everything apart, the rooms of the original tower – like the bedroom, and that cloak closet – will just go back to being in the tower again. And the Eye will probably be in one of those rooms.”
“So we’ll want to be in one of those rooms when everything breaks apart,” thinks Aravis.
“Excuuuuuuzzzzee meeeeee,” interrupts Pruz Flit. “Could you get inside the Chamberrr, pleazzzzzze?”
The door to central cage is already open, so Kibi adjusts his gravity to fall slowly into it. It’s quite spacious, big enough to hold three or four creatures Kibi’s size. The tingling feeling intensifies and spreads out through his body. It gets stronger as time goes by, feeling to him as if, were he to think of his body as a vessel for his life energy, that someone has dipped a rod into it and is now vigorously stirring. Pruz Flit walks around on outside of the cage, taking measurements, praying to the Chaos, or both.
After a few minutes of this, the Vree announces, “You may leeeeeeave nowwwww. I think I will beeee readyyyyy in another day or twooooooo, but I would like youuuu to be available to meeeeeee in the meantime.”
Aravis has been thinking about what breaking up the Slices will mean, and now speculates that if Het Branoi is still bigger on the inside than the outside, it would be its own demiplane, and thus they could plane shift into it. Once there they could teleport to any part of it they’d already seen. So at least they have something of a plan, if everything else goes well.
“What does the Chaos tell you, generally?” asks Kibi.
Despite the fact that Ernie is now the one translating, Pruz Flit still talks directly to Kibi.
“It has told usssss that we were saffffffffe. Sometimezzzzzz it helpsssss direct us against the Slaaaaaaaaaaadi.”
That’s not exactly what Kibi was getting at, but Pruz Flit becomes distracted by some of his servants and wanders off. They head out of the Machine Sphere, still arguing over whether to have Kibi brave the Machine, and whether this is all a big Black Circle plot, and what the chances are that Pruz Flit really knows what’s going to happen. They all meet up back outside the Abbot’s house, where one of the Vree tells them that a house has been prepared for them to sleep.
Tomorrow’s going to be a busy day.
...to be continued...
In the meantime, I can't resist nemmerle's polite requests.
Sagiro’s Story Hour, Part 224
Machina Ex Dei
“Click. Click hiss click burble slurp clickclick”
Or, as Kibi hears it:
“Areee any of youuuUUUuuu hunnnnnnnnngry?”
Gaz Mur, Abbot of the Vree Monastery, regards his guests with numerous multifaceted eyes. There is general agreement among the party that yes, some food would not go amiss.
“Weeeeee will have foooOOOood brought to youuuUUUu,” says Gaz Mur.
“That would be very much appreciated,” says Kibi. Gaz Mur waves three of his arms toward a waiting servant in the back of his spacious round office, and the second Vree flies out through a hatch.
“So,” says Kibi. “What will happen to me in this Machine? Do you know how it works, or were you just following instructions?”
“Mmmmmmm... weeeEEeee believe that your magic will go baaaaack through the Portal, and be uuuuuUUuuuused to sunder the unnnnnnnnatural connections that bind all the Slices togetherrrrrrrrrrr.”
Kibi frowns at the notion of sundering. “Will it... will it harm me?”
“Pruzzzzz Flit says nooooOOOOoo,” answers the Abbot. “He is most knowledgeable about the Machiiiiiiiiine. He is the master of mindzzzzzz, and the most immmmmmmmportant person in the monastery, excluding myzzzzzzzelf.”
“The ‘master of minds?'” asks Kibi. “What does that mean?”
“Look about you!” says the Abbot, motioning to the closest window. “We are innnnnn the Chaos, yet everything izzz stable, yezzzzz? Thaaaaaaat does not happen by itself, you knowwwwwww. He coordinatezzzzzz the effort to keep thingzzzzzz stable at the monastery.”
At Morningstar’s urging, Kibi asks, “Have you ever heard of the Eyes of Moirel?”
“Eyezzzzz of what? No. Are they imporrrrrrrrrrrrrtant to you?”
“Well... yes,” says Kibi.
“I can have sommmmmme of my people read through old scrollllllls and bookzzzzz and see of there is mention of themmmmmmm.”
“I’d appreciate that,” says Kibi. “Did Pruz Flit build the Machine himself?”
“Pruz Flit, yes. Very busy, Pruz Flit. Uzzzzzzzually his job is full timmmmmme, be he was able to leave the mmmmmmmmaintenance of the monastery to his key servants while he oversaw the building of the Machiiiiiiiiine.”
The Vree servant comes back into the office with large baskets hanging from all of its legs. Each basket is filled with an assortment of unrecognized fruits. There’s a basket for each of them, filled with more food than each of them would normally consume in a week – easily 20 pounds. Before any of the Company can even decide which fruit to try first, Gaz Mur plunges his head into his own basket, wherefrom comes a truly horrific sound of gobbling and slurping. They can see the bulges of food swelling the Abbot’s throat as he eats; it’s one of the least appetizing spectacles they’ve ever witnessed.
“Kibi,” asks Morningstar, “Could you ask the Abbot if he’d object to me casting detect poison on the fruits, just in case?” Kibi does so. Gaz Mur lifts his head out of his meal. Strands of thick saliva trail from his mandibles back into his basket of (now mushy) fruit. Perhaps mindful of his manners, he slurps them into his hairy mouth. It’s all the members of the Company can do not to get sick right on the spot.
“Pleazzzzze, by all means,” says Gaz Mur. “We have assumed the foooooood is safe for you, but we cannot be surrrrrre.”
It turns out to be a good idea; some of the fruits register as poison. Morningstar warns that the small green ones could be dangerous.
Through Kibi, Aravis asks Gaz Mur if the Vree came up with the idea for the Machine in the first place.
“It came from the Source,” explains the Abbot. “We prayyyyyyed for a way to end this imprizzzzzzzonment, and the Chaotic Source put into our minds the Machinnnnnnnnnne, and the name of Kibilhathurrrrrr Bimmmmsonnnnn.”
There are mixed feelings among the Company about the Vree and their Machine. They debate it back and forth for a minute or two, while Gaz Mur finishes his meal.
“We could go to one of the other places where people are looking for Kibi,” says Morningstar. “There’s the Lord of the Roses, and those ant-creatures that sent the assassin.”
“I wonder if they have Kibi Machines too,” says Ernie.
“Even if they do,” says Aravis, “We still won’t know if it’s all a Black Circle plot, or a legitimate way that someone is trying to fix the Slices.”
“And there’s the crazy Black Circle guy making statues of Kibi,” adds Ernie. “Maybe we could find him.”
But no one really wants to commit to leaving the Chaos without at least having tried something. In the end, they leave it up to Kibi.
“Would you like any dezzzzzzzzzzzert?” asks Gaz Mur.
Strangely enough, no one is hungry, and that’s before the servant brings in the dessert basket, full to the brim with squirming white maggots. Gaz Mur sticks in his proboscis and slurps some out. Between gulps, he says to Kibi, “Pruzzzzz Flit will need to speeeeeak with youuuuuuu. There are some calibrationzzzz that still neeeeeeeed to be done on the Machinnnnnnnnnnnnne, for which youuuUUUuuuu are nezzzzzessaryyyy.”:
“And they have to fit you to the shackles,” says Ernie jokingly under his breath.
With the meal and interview over, Gaz Mur asks about the biped’s preferred sleeping arrangements, and says it will all be taken care of. Pruz Flit will likely want to speak with Kibi as soon as possible, but the rest of the party is free to go where they wish until they want to sleep.
“Is there anywhere we shouldn’t go?” asks Grey Wolf.
“If youuuuu go too farrrrrrr, you will leave the boundzzzzzz of the stability, so beware. Alzzzzzo, there is another one of the Bluuuuuuue Portalzzzz out of here. You may go through if you wish; it should be safer for youuuuuuu. It goes to a place where all is air and bluuuue.”
“That sounds terrible!” says Kibi.
“An elemental plane I haven’t been to yet!” says Dranko. “It’ll be another notch on my belt.”
Aravis, Dranko, Step, Snokas and Grey Wolf are curious about this place of air and blue, and head that way. Before they go, Morningstar casts a telepathic bond on Dranko, Aravis, Grey Wolf and Kibi.
“Kibi,” says Scree, “Let’s not go there under any circumstances.” Kibi nods.
“So what do you think about this Machine?” he asks his Familiar.
“I don’t think I trust it,” says Scree. “We don’t know anything about it. Perhaps we should go take a look.”
Since this Pruz Flit fellow wants to talk to them anyway, that sounds like a good plan. The four of them leave Gaz Mur and head back across the monastery. It takes some practice to use the walkways, since they bend and twist like pieces of disconnected Moebius strip. They constantly have to adjust their personal gravity to stay upright.
Meanwhile, the others find Gul Trez waiting for them nearby.
“Hellllo,” he says. “Do you neeeeed me to guide you about?”
“Yes,” says Aravis. “We’d like to see the portal that goes to the Plane of Air.”
Gul Trez makes some agitated chattering sounds. “Mmmmm... caaaaaan you survive there? WeeEEEEEe cannot.”
“Why not?” asks Aravis. “Is it dangerous?”
“It izzzzz not Chaosssss,” explains Gul Trez. “We loooozzzze our life energyyyyy when removvvvved frommmm the Chaosssss. It izzzzz part of ussss.”
“We can survive,” says Aravis, nodding. “Don’t worry.”
“Then followww meeeeee,” says Gul Trez, falling away backward like a plummeting tour guide. Gul Trez leads the five of them to the blue Way; it’s larger than most they’ve seen, over ten feet on a side. What catches their eye, though, is about fifty yards beyond it: the border of the monastery. It’s not a sharp dividing line, but the light slowly fades into a great blackness, and out in the depths they can see distant flashes of red and orange light of fire lightning in the vastness. It’s a sobering reminder that they’re still in the heart of Limbo, albeit in a safe oasis. Dranko gazes out at the turbulent morass, then looks over his shoulder at the floating spheres of the monastery.
“You know,” he says, “when we succeed, which with luck and Delioch’s blessing we will, we’re going to go home to our own world... and it’s going to be so frikkin’ boring!.
“Oh, come on,” says Aravis. “We’ll get into some sort of trouble before too long.”
“And if we don’t, it’ll come looking for us,” adds Grey Wolf, nodding. Dranko perks up at the thought.
Grey Wolf, Snokas and Step hold the ropes tied to Dranko and Aravis, and those two jump through into the Way. After the transition they find themselves hanging in empty air, and since their minds instinctively decide on an “up,” they start to plummet. Their ropes pay out rapidly until they readjust their gravity. There are no clouds, no local fauna, and no geographic features of any kind – just a uniform pale blue light and empty air in every direction. Only the Way itself offers a frame of reference. Dranko practices some corkscrew maneuvers while flying, and is clearly getting the hang of it before he is stopped cold. It’s not that he slams into anything, but rather he comes to a sudden halt, like he’s settled into an invisible cushion that's stolen all of his momentum.
“Did you do that?” he calls out to Aravis. The wizard shakes his head. Dranko realigns his gravity to fall back toward the Way, and that works just fine.
“I bet I know what’s going on,” says Aravis. "We must be in a very small Slice, and you just found the edge.”
To confirm his belief, he casts true seeing, which makes Slice boundaries appear as opaque gray “walls.” He sees that this Slice is actually shaped like a tall elevator shaft, not much more than fifty yards across, but extending both “up” and “down” as far as he can see. Dranko falls back into one of the Slice-borders and lounges there, staring across at the glowing Way as if reclining on a perfect feather-bed.
* *
Kibi and the others set out along the curling stone walkways toward the Machine. Flicker prefers to fall/fly, but Kibi and Ernie have a strong preference for solid ground beneath their feet. A Vree coming the other way scuttles around to the (relative) underside of the path to let them pass. Others wave at them; in all they seem a very friendly and polite people.
Halfway to their destination, they pass a large floating stone platform that had been empty on their way in. Now there are fifteen Vree upon it, performing gymnastic combat drills. The Vree leading the exercises spots them, gets a subordinate to take over, and falls to greet them.
“HelllooooooOOOOoooo,” says the Vree in a low, grumbly voice. “Is one of you Kibilhathurrrrrr Bimmmmsonnnnn?”
“Yes, I am,” Kibi answers. “Your drills are very impressive.”
“Thank youuuuuuuu.” The Vree turns to Ernie. “What is yourrrr name?”
“Ernest Roundhill, at your service and your families’.”
“And you?” he asks Morningstar.
“Morningstar, Shield of Ell.”
“What is an Elllllllll?” asks the Vree.
“It’s her God,” says Kibi. “Like the Chaos is for you.”
“You have your ownnnnn Chaosssss?” asks the Vree, impressed. “And do youuuuu protect it, Shield?”
“Yes,” says Morningstar.
“Good. Verrrry good. My name is Tizzzzzzz Mot; I am the masssssster of Clawzzzzzzz. I must keep the trooooooops in shape, so we can best fight the Slaaaaaaaadi.”
“We fought against the Slaad ourselves,” says Kibi, a bit proudly.
“Szzzzzzzo, I have heard. Howwwww many did you killlllll?”
“Eight or nine,” answers the dwarf. “And a dozen of those spiky lion-things.”
“Where are you going?” asks Tiz Mot, changing the subject.
“We’re going to take a look at the Machine,” says Kibi.
“Mmmmmmmmm.” Tiz Mot’s forelegs twitch nervously. “The Machine, hey? Have you szzzzzztudied it?”
“No,” admits Kibi.
In a softer voice, Tiz Mot says, “I don’t truszzzzzzt the Machinnnnne.”
That’s discomfiting!
“You don’t?” asks Kibi. “Why not?”
“Hmmmmm... I say this to you in confidence, Kibilhathurrrrrr Bimmmmsonnnnn. I don’t think that Pruzzzzz Flit properly understandzzzz it. I’d be warrrrry if I were youuuuuuu.”
“What do you think the Machine does?” asks Kibi.
“I don’t knnnnnnnow,” answers Tiz Mot. “The problem izzzzzz, I don’t think Pruzzzzzzzz Flit knowzzzzzzz either.”
“They want me to go in it,” says Kibi nervously.
“Of courszzzzzze. We alllllllll hope it workzzzzzzzzz.”
Morningstar asks, “When the Chaos talk to Gaz Mur, are the things it says usually right?”
“Yessssss. But the newwwwww Chaossssss has not been tesssssted over timmmmmme.”
“And when you worship the Chaos,” she continues, “do you have rituals?”
“The Chaossssss permeatezzzzs us. It sometimezzzzz speaks; only Gazzzzzz Mur understands its meaning, but it commmmmmmforts all of us. We can feeeeeeeel the trepidationnnnnn of the new Chaossssss. It knowszzzzzzz the universe mussssssst be healed, or it will perishhhhhh.”
Tiz Mot looks around again, and then starts to drift back to the stone platform. “Iiiiiii must go back to my drillzzzzzz; I juszzzzzzzt wanted to introduuuuuuce myselffff.”
When he has gone out of earshot, Ernie remarks, “It’s interesting to know that not everyone thinks the Machine is a good idea.”
“Hmph,” says Kibi, frowning. “I had been leaning toward using the Machine, since we have no better options, but now I’m not sure.”
Soon the four of them reach the Machine Sphere. There are two Vree guarding the Hatch.
“Gruzzzzz Flit was hoping youuuuuu would stop byyyyyyy,” says one of the Vree. It opens the hatch and lets them in
The Machine is not a thing of gears and cogs; it’s just a ring of floating wooden and metal stakes. (Imagine a large ball with a bunch of toothpicks stuck edgewise to it, all over its surface. Now take away the ball, and connect the toothpicks with ropes. That’s the Machine.) Its only other “features” are the red energy playing along the ropes, and the metal cage in the center. Several Vree busy themselves around the Machine, and it’s clear that one of them is in charge.
“Hello!” calls Kibi. “Are you Pruz Flit?”
“MMMmmmmmm...yessss, I am Pruzzzzz Flit. And who are youUUUuuuuuu?”
Pruz Flit, Master of Minds, is ecstatic to learn that Kibilhathur Bimson has arrived. “Thank youuuuuUUuuu for coming!” he says loudly. “We will neeeeed you!”
“Would you mind if we cast some spells to look at the Machine?” Kibi asks.
“Pleazzzze do. Just don’t harmmmm it, or interfere with it.”
“May I touch it?” asks Kibi.
“Only where I innnndicate it’s safffffffe,” warns Pruz Flit. “Come over and I will showwwwwww you.”
They wait while Ernie and Morningstar spend a few minutes praying for new spells. Kibi warns Pruz Flit that his tongues will run out soon, but that Ernie will be able to talk to him instead.
“It’s uzzzzzzeful to have servantzzzzzz, izzz it not?” says Pruz Flit.
“Oh, they’re my friends, not servants,” says Kibi. If it's not Dranko as the presumed servant, it's just not as fun a pretense!
Morningstar casts true seeing, Ernie casts tongues, and Kibi casts detect magic.
Looking with true seeing, Morningstar doesn’t see any difference – there’s nothing invisible, or illusionary, or disguised. The Vree themselves are not magic, either. Detect magic shows Kibi that the Machine is indeed highly magical. He senses varying types of magic on the Machine – some transmutation, some enchantment, a small amount of necromancy, and a significant amount of abjuration. It’s a very complicated thing, thaumaturgically speaking.
“If I go into the Machine, asks Kibi, “and it seems to be malfunctioning, or it hurts me in some way, and I’m forced to teleport out, would that cause any extra problems?”
“If it wazzzz in the middle of worrrrRRrrrrking, and youuuuu were suddenly remooooooved from it, I don’t know what would happen, but it would not be gooooooood, I imagine. Howeverrrrrrr, if you find you are in painnnnnnn, or sure it is malfunctioning. I suggest you leeeeeeeave it. Weeeeeee would not want anything to happen to youuuuuuuu. We would neeeeeeeeed to rebuild the Machinnnnnnne and try again. And we would neeeeeed you alive and healthy for thaaaaaat.”
Pruz Flit pokes one of his legs at one of the stakes. “Hold that,” he instructs. Kibi starts to reach, but stops.
“First, could you explain exactly how this works, and what it does?” he asks.
“Yesssszzz,” says Pruz Flit. “I can speak of what happenzzzzzz. The Chaosssssss has talked to meeEEeeeee.”
“Oh! The Chaos speaks to you?”
“Yesssss... to me, and to Gazzzzzz Murrrrrrr. The Abbot is more spirrrrrrritual, but I understand magiczzzzzzz better, so the Chaosssss speaks to me... in more technical termzzzzzzz.”
“So what does it do?” presses Kibi.
“You will go into that Chammmmmmber.,” says Pruz Flit, pointing to the cage with a pointy claw. “It will analyzzzzze and amplify your essssssssence, and project it back throuuuuuuuugh the Portal, where it will intermingle with the interstices betweeeeeeeen the Slices. There will be feedback... controllllllled, safe feedback; it will sunder the various linksssssss and restore all of our worldzzzzzz to their proper placezzzzzzz.”
“How do you know that breaking the links will restore the worlds?” asks Kibi.
“Becauzzzzzz the Chaosssssss says so,” says Pruz Flit patiently.
“And how does the Chaos knows how all this works?”
“The Chaosssssss is a God,” says Pruz Flit. “It knowzzzzzzz more than I.”
This exchange isn’t doing much for Kibi’s confidence.
“Has the Chaos looked at your Machine and approved it for use?” he asks.
“The Chaossssssss is happy with our progressssssss,” answers Pruz Flit.
“It’s going to take my Essence?”
“No. It will uzzzzzze your Essssssence, but not take it frommmmmmm youuuuu.”
“What’s so special about my Essence? Why me?”
“You are infuzzzzzzed with the same kind of magic that is rezzzzzponsible for all of thissssss,” says Pruz Flit, waving two of his arms around vaguely.
“But you didn’t use that magic in making the Machine,” says Kibi.
“I do not havvvvvvve that magic,” says the Vree. “If I had it, perhapsssss I could be in the Machinnnnnnne. Now, there are some calibrationzzzzzzz that have to be done firsssssst.”
Ernie asks: “What happens to us when everything gets sundered? Do we go back to our own world, or would we be stuck here?”
“Hmmmmmm,” ponders Pruz flit. “You’d probably szzzzzzztay here. Do you have meanzzzzzz to travel from the Chaosssssss back to your home?”
“I think we could,” says Kibi.
At Pruz Flit’s direction, Kibi grabs one of the metal posts, and some of the red energy is attracted to his hands. He feels a mild tingle run up his arms. Pruz Flit rests a claw on Kibi’s hand. “Pleazzzzzzze keep your hand there for ten minutezzzzzz, while I pray to the Chaosssssss.”
While Pruz Flit does whatever it he’s doing, the others talk it over.
“I’d like to get out of the Slices as much as anyone,” says Morningstar, “But shouldn’t we try to get the Eye first?”
“Yeah,” says Kibi, a bit distractedly. “The question is, is the Eye of Moirel physically in a Slice, or is it ‘behind the curtain’ somehow, and we can only get it by breaking up the Slices first. If only you could still talk to Ell.”
Dranko (who has been listening in via the telepathic bond), thinks: “Maybe when we break everything apart, the rooms of the original tower – like the bedroom, and that cloak closet – will just go back to being in the tower again. And the Eye will probably be in one of those rooms.”
“So we’ll want to be in one of those rooms when everything breaks apart,” thinks Aravis.
“Excuuuuuuzzzzee meeeeee,” interrupts Pruz Flit. “Could you get inside the Chamberrr, pleazzzzzze?”
The door to central cage is already open, so Kibi adjusts his gravity to fall slowly into it. It’s quite spacious, big enough to hold three or four creatures Kibi’s size. The tingling feeling intensifies and spreads out through his body. It gets stronger as time goes by, feeling to him as if, were he to think of his body as a vessel for his life energy, that someone has dipped a rod into it and is now vigorously stirring. Pruz Flit walks around on outside of the cage, taking measurements, praying to the Chaos, or both.
After a few minutes of this, the Vree announces, “You may leeeeeeave nowwwww. I think I will beeee readyyyyy in another day or twooooooo, but I would like youuuu to be available to meeeeeee in the meantime.”
Aravis has been thinking about what breaking up the Slices will mean, and now speculates that if Het Branoi is still bigger on the inside than the outside, it would be its own demiplane, and thus they could plane shift into it. Once there they could teleport to any part of it they’d already seen. So at least they have something of a plan, if everything else goes well.
“What does the Chaos tell you, generally?” asks Kibi.
Despite the fact that Ernie is now the one translating, Pruz Flit still talks directly to Kibi.
“It has told usssss that we were saffffffffe. Sometimezzzzzz it helpsssss direct us against the Slaaaaaaaaaaadi.”
That’s not exactly what Kibi was getting at, but Pruz Flit becomes distracted by some of his servants and wanders off. They head out of the Machine Sphere, still arguing over whether to have Kibi brave the Machine, and whether this is all a big Black Circle plot, and what the chances are that Pruz Flit really knows what’s going to happen. They all meet up back outside the Abbot’s house, where one of the Vree tells them that a house has been prepared for them to sleep.
Tomorrow’s going to be a busy day.
...to be continued...
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