Post by Admin on Sept 20, 2009 5:02:29 GMT -8
Mon Oct 13, 2008 4:02 am
papa nurgle wrote:
In the citiplex, twilight crept up on the inhabitants, like it did at the end of every day. Most of them did not even notice. The grind of work, stress of poverty and a mind full of holovid schedules, drinking trivia and internet forum flame wars kept most of the masses from even noticing the change in the plex’ from day to night. All they noted as they looked out of the windows of their personal autocraft or maglev is that it had suddenly gone from one extreme to another. For an Immortal, there were entire lives to live in the hour that day and night sat side by side. That time, the Neutral Hour, was what almost every Immortal waited for and hoped to take advantage of.
The minutes before twilight found Roland on top of the roof of the building that Ventira and he now lived in. He stood atop the crumbling tar paper and concrete of the old Domino’s Sugar factory looking out over the harbor. The building had been abandoned by the company after the rising temperatures had allowed cane sugar to be grown in the southern regions of the U.S. Without the need for boat shipments, there was no need for a factory on the harbor, so it was sold off to make warehouse loft apartments. So much change in such a small amount of time. It led Roland to think how his life had changed and how much more it would change.
The last several weeks had been a blur of shopping for new clothes and possessions as Roland had lost all he had in the fire. Ventira had done well for herself over the centuries and had no qualms about making sure that her new protégé was dressed properly and continued his lessons. Instead of cheap t-shirts made of recycled plastic with clever remarks crudely plastered on them and processed hemp pants, Roland found himself in real linen pullover shirts and cotton pants. A pair of synthleather boots along with several small hematite and silver rings finished off his attire. The blond curly locks caught the now fading sunlight and radiated hues of golden yellow even through the haze and pollution that clouded the citiplex’s air. Where a rough and tumble boy once stood; now a young man was taking shape.
Other troubles came to Roland besides his sadness over his family. He was waking over an hour before dawn each day, no matter how late in the night he would go to bed. He found his mind filled with visions of far away places long abandoned by man. Each time he would see a golden cup, that most holy of objects to his kind, appearing in the vision. It called to him and he longed to journey for it. The same happened at the hour before twilight and Roland had begun to take to the roof for the apparitions so he felt like he was doing something to appease them.
He had begun to incorporate it into a way of worship. He would rise before dawn each day and accept his gift from God, after which he would spend time in prayer and quiet song. Then he would sleep a little more until his tutors arrived for his schooling. Ventira was not going to let the boy’s education fall by the wayside. With the day’s studies over, Roland would usually take a nap then come up to the roof to await his vision at twilight. Ventira would come up later to help him learn about unarmed and armed combat and how not to need such skills in most situations. She had begun to teach him diplomacy, tact and the use of self deprecating humor to remove himself from danger. From then it was off to sleep and the process would repeat.
Ventira’s voice broke him from his musings and though he could still see the presence of the Grail he was able to focus on her, “Roland, what do you see?”
“I see the Grail. It rests in a wooded glen far to our west, somewhere along the coast of … no not the Washington coast. It’s on an island just off the coast of Washington. It is hovering over a stone surrounded by trees. The Grail calls to me and it is so hard not to heed its call.”
“Try not to get too upset over it,” Ventira replied, “Just realize that by the time you went after it, the Grail would be gone and in a whole new place at the hour before dawn.”
“Why does this happen to me Ventira? Why do I have these visions?”
“Has this been happening every day?”
“Twice, once before dawn and once before twilight and it has only started happening since… since the fire. Is this more of that nonlinear memory?”
“No, I do’nt think so,” Ventira moved away from the stairway door and headed for the edge of the rooftop. The gulls flitted around the skyline and she smiled at the sound of their call.
“I think you are experiencing Key.”
Roland spun towards the sound of her voice. He could see her near the rooftop edge but the vision was still there floating like a ghost image burned into his retina.
“What do you mean by Key?”
“Well, all Terrapyres have certain skills, if you will. While all of us are fairly smart, really strong and exceptionally healthy, we each also have certain advantages that other Terrapyres may not. For example, watch me Roland. Keep your eyes right on me.”
Roland focused on Ventira, he watched her as her hair moved softly in the breeze. Then she simply was not there. Roland shook his head in fear and amazement, one moment she was in front of him and the next, she was gone. He rushed over to the rooftop edge and looked down, thinking she had gone suddenly over the side. A voice from behind him made the breath catch in his throat.
“Easy there Ro,” Ventira was now where Roland had stood moments before, “I ‘m right here.”
Roland came back towards the center of the roof staring hard at his new mentor,”How did you do that?”
“Well with my gifts, I am able to Vanish. I can actually go invisible for short periods of time.”
“That’s amazing. Do it again.”
The form of Ventira simply winked out of sight, Roland spun around, laughter bubbling up from him in equal parts of excitement and wonder. Seconds later Ventira again appeared, this time sitting in an old wrought iron backed chair that had been discarded on the roof ages ago.
“That is, wow; I can not even think what... hey can I do that?”
“I don’t think so, you don’t seem like the kind who would need to Vanish.”
“No I guess not, but what is this Key?”
Roland walked over to Ventira and sat on the rough scrabble of the rooftop while she tried to explain.
“Well, think of Key as a kind of GPS for certain Terrapyres. Those with the skill can ‘key’ into where the Grail will appear each sundown and sunrise. They can then not only go to where it is but also lead others to it. It seems to me that you are just such a Terrapyre.”
“Why is the picture in my head so strong?”
“I am not sure, but think of it this way, just like we are all born with some things we are better or worse at than most people; some Terrapyres are better or worse than others with similar skills. I think that you just might be someone who has a really strong Key skill. In time you will learn to master the skill so it does not hit you so hard and you will be able to control how and when you use the skill. I know it took me forever to understand how and properly Vanish.”
“Is there anything else you can do?”
Ventira hesitated for several moments, looking out at the skyline of old and new that she had watched grow up for so long. She sighed then looked down to Roland.
“Yes, I have a few things. Like you saw when we encountered the Celestials, I am very fast and very agile. I have a kind of amazing Grace.”
Roland rolled onto his back and snorted laughter, “You did not just say that. Man that was awful!”
“Yea, yea,” Ventira smiled at the obviously merry boy, “I can also do this.”
Suddenly in Ventira’s hand two slender silver rods appeared. In a flash, Ventira was up on her feet and the two rods were hurtling through the air. They imbedded themselves deep into the doorframe for the stairs leading inside. The sound of their impact was sharp and strong against the sound of the traffic and people below. Roland scooted back on his butt as Ventira suddenly got to her feet and his eyes widened at the accuracy and strength of her throw.
“Wow,” exclaimed Roland as he got to his feet and brushed off his butt, “you truly have a gift for throwing, those rods really are strong.”
“You mean these rods?” Ventira asked, holding up her hand and grasping the two rods she had just thrown. Now up close to them, Roland could see ancient writing spiraling around their forms, the metal gleaming in the twilight.
“How did you…”
“It’s a gift. I am able to call these two stakes back to my hand. When I am in battle I am never short a weapon.”
“What is the writing on them?”
“It’s ancient Hebrew from Second Corinthians. It reads ‘For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.’”
“To me it means that what we fight with is more than just material goods. We fight our war with faith, our example and with the desire to show all others the path of Christ. We fight not only for our redemption, but the redemption of all who dwell on earth.”
Roland took a step back, lost in the majesty of the moment. Here he stood before a woman, a Terrapyre who seemingly was born to a life of strife. Here she was, a living weapon in so many ways, yet she sought not the path of the warrior. She instead sought a path of faith, a purpose of service. He wondered if he could ever be so strong. Anger still coursed inside him. Pain at the loss of his family still gnawed at his conscience, even though he knew there was nothing he could do to stop their deaths.
Ventira smiled at him, putting the silver stakes through two tiny loops on either of her hips. They sat there like two odd pistols on an old gunfighter as she spoke. “I have one other thing I can do. It takes a lot out of me, but I would show it to you if you like?”
“Yes please.”
Ventira stood in front of Roland, blocking the view behind her, so all he could see was her face. She opened her eyes wide and began to breathe, deep regular breaths. For several moments she stood staring into his eyes and breathing. Roland thought she was trying to hypnotize him and made to back off a little. Before he could Ventira reached out with her right hand and touched the center of his forehead.
Suddenly in a flash of light and sound, Roland understood. He was in a center of clarity. The love of Christ and the glory of God was now a part of him. All knowledge was there before him and he knew his place in the universal harmony of all things. Music, not just strands of music or orchestrations of music, but all music, all the harmony throughout space and time poured through him. He was home.
The moment of time lasted just a few heartbeats, not even five seconds to a mortal. To Roland it had seemed to last forever and not nearly long enough. Now the clarity of all was gone and he was just Roland again. His mind tried to comprehend all he had just experienced, but it could only come away with scraps and snatches of it. He staggered and fell to his knees. Weeping in joy and though confused, he felt more at peace than he had ever felt in his whole life. His eyes finally focused on Ventira, who now sat with him on the rough rooftop. She was close to him, her head bowed almost to his chest, and her hair covered most of her face. Her body seemed washed out, as if in that moment of touch she had lost some part of herself.
Roland spoke, his voice rough with strain but he smiled through it, “What was that?”
Ventira replied in a voice no more than a whisper, “That is what happens to us once we get back home. That is Redemption for us.”
papa nurgle wrote:
In the citiplex, twilight crept up on the inhabitants, like it did at the end of every day. Most of them did not even notice. The grind of work, stress of poverty and a mind full of holovid schedules, drinking trivia and internet forum flame wars kept most of the masses from even noticing the change in the plex’ from day to night. All they noted as they looked out of the windows of their personal autocraft or maglev is that it had suddenly gone from one extreme to another. For an Immortal, there were entire lives to live in the hour that day and night sat side by side. That time, the Neutral Hour, was what almost every Immortal waited for and hoped to take advantage of.
The minutes before twilight found Roland on top of the roof of the building that Ventira and he now lived in. He stood atop the crumbling tar paper and concrete of the old Domino’s Sugar factory looking out over the harbor. The building had been abandoned by the company after the rising temperatures had allowed cane sugar to be grown in the southern regions of the U.S. Without the need for boat shipments, there was no need for a factory on the harbor, so it was sold off to make warehouse loft apartments. So much change in such a small amount of time. It led Roland to think how his life had changed and how much more it would change.
The last several weeks had been a blur of shopping for new clothes and possessions as Roland had lost all he had in the fire. Ventira had done well for herself over the centuries and had no qualms about making sure that her new protégé was dressed properly and continued his lessons. Instead of cheap t-shirts made of recycled plastic with clever remarks crudely plastered on them and processed hemp pants, Roland found himself in real linen pullover shirts and cotton pants. A pair of synthleather boots along with several small hematite and silver rings finished off his attire. The blond curly locks caught the now fading sunlight and radiated hues of golden yellow even through the haze and pollution that clouded the citiplex’s air. Where a rough and tumble boy once stood; now a young man was taking shape.
Other troubles came to Roland besides his sadness over his family. He was waking over an hour before dawn each day, no matter how late in the night he would go to bed. He found his mind filled with visions of far away places long abandoned by man. Each time he would see a golden cup, that most holy of objects to his kind, appearing in the vision. It called to him and he longed to journey for it. The same happened at the hour before twilight and Roland had begun to take to the roof for the apparitions so he felt like he was doing something to appease them.
He had begun to incorporate it into a way of worship. He would rise before dawn each day and accept his gift from God, after which he would spend time in prayer and quiet song. Then he would sleep a little more until his tutors arrived for his schooling. Ventira was not going to let the boy’s education fall by the wayside. With the day’s studies over, Roland would usually take a nap then come up to the roof to await his vision at twilight. Ventira would come up later to help him learn about unarmed and armed combat and how not to need such skills in most situations. She had begun to teach him diplomacy, tact and the use of self deprecating humor to remove himself from danger. From then it was off to sleep and the process would repeat.
Ventira’s voice broke him from his musings and though he could still see the presence of the Grail he was able to focus on her, “Roland, what do you see?”
“I see the Grail. It rests in a wooded glen far to our west, somewhere along the coast of … no not the Washington coast. It’s on an island just off the coast of Washington. It is hovering over a stone surrounded by trees. The Grail calls to me and it is so hard not to heed its call.”
“Try not to get too upset over it,” Ventira replied, “Just realize that by the time you went after it, the Grail would be gone and in a whole new place at the hour before dawn.”
“Why does this happen to me Ventira? Why do I have these visions?”
“Has this been happening every day?”
“Twice, once before dawn and once before twilight and it has only started happening since… since the fire. Is this more of that nonlinear memory?”
“No, I do’nt think so,” Ventira moved away from the stairway door and headed for the edge of the rooftop. The gulls flitted around the skyline and she smiled at the sound of their call.
“I think you are experiencing Key.”
Roland spun towards the sound of her voice. He could see her near the rooftop edge but the vision was still there floating like a ghost image burned into his retina.
“What do you mean by Key?”
“Well, all Terrapyres have certain skills, if you will. While all of us are fairly smart, really strong and exceptionally healthy, we each also have certain advantages that other Terrapyres may not. For example, watch me Roland. Keep your eyes right on me.”
Roland focused on Ventira, he watched her as her hair moved softly in the breeze. Then she simply was not there. Roland shook his head in fear and amazement, one moment she was in front of him and the next, she was gone. He rushed over to the rooftop edge and looked down, thinking she had gone suddenly over the side. A voice from behind him made the breath catch in his throat.
“Easy there Ro,” Ventira was now where Roland had stood moments before, “I ‘m right here.”
Roland came back towards the center of the roof staring hard at his new mentor,”How did you do that?”
“Well with my gifts, I am able to Vanish. I can actually go invisible for short periods of time.”
“That’s amazing. Do it again.”
The form of Ventira simply winked out of sight, Roland spun around, laughter bubbling up from him in equal parts of excitement and wonder. Seconds later Ventira again appeared, this time sitting in an old wrought iron backed chair that had been discarded on the roof ages ago.
“That is, wow; I can not even think what... hey can I do that?”
“I don’t think so, you don’t seem like the kind who would need to Vanish.”
“No I guess not, but what is this Key?”
Roland walked over to Ventira and sat on the rough scrabble of the rooftop while she tried to explain.
“Well, think of Key as a kind of GPS for certain Terrapyres. Those with the skill can ‘key’ into where the Grail will appear each sundown and sunrise. They can then not only go to where it is but also lead others to it. It seems to me that you are just such a Terrapyre.”
“Why is the picture in my head so strong?”
“I am not sure, but think of it this way, just like we are all born with some things we are better or worse at than most people; some Terrapyres are better or worse than others with similar skills. I think that you just might be someone who has a really strong Key skill. In time you will learn to master the skill so it does not hit you so hard and you will be able to control how and when you use the skill. I know it took me forever to understand how and properly Vanish.”
“Is there anything else you can do?”
Ventira hesitated for several moments, looking out at the skyline of old and new that she had watched grow up for so long. She sighed then looked down to Roland.
“Yes, I have a few things. Like you saw when we encountered the Celestials, I am very fast and very agile. I have a kind of amazing Grace.”
Roland rolled onto his back and snorted laughter, “You did not just say that. Man that was awful!”
“Yea, yea,” Ventira smiled at the obviously merry boy, “I can also do this.”
Suddenly in Ventira’s hand two slender silver rods appeared. In a flash, Ventira was up on her feet and the two rods were hurtling through the air. They imbedded themselves deep into the doorframe for the stairs leading inside. The sound of their impact was sharp and strong against the sound of the traffic and people below. Roland scooted back on his butt as Ventira suddenly got to her feet and his eyes widened at the accuracy and strength of her throw.
“Wow,” exclaimed Roland as he got to his feet and brushed off his butt, “you truly have a gift for throwing, those rods really are strong.”
“You mean these rods?” Ventira asked, holding up her hand and grasping the two rods she had just thrown. Now up close to them, Roland could see ancient writing spiraling around their forms, the metal gleaming in the twilight.
“How did you…”
“It’s a gift. I am able to call these two stakes back to my hand. When I am in battle I am never short a weapon.”
“What is the writing on them?”
“It’s ancient Hebrew from Second Corinthians. It reads ‘For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.’”
“To me it means that what we fight with is more than just material goods. We fight our war with faith, our example and with the desire to show all others the path of Christ. We fight not only for our redemption, but the redemption of all who dwell on earth.”
Roland took a step back, lost in the majesty of the moment. Here he stood before a woman, a Terrapyre who seemingly was born to a life of strife. Here she was, a living weapon in so many ways, yet she sought not the path of the warrior. She instead sought a path of faith, a purpose of service. He wondered if he could ever be so strong. Anger still coursed inside him. Pain at the loss of his family still gnawed at his conscience, even though he knew there was nothing he could do to stop their deaths.
Ventira smiled at him, putting the silver stakes through two tiny loops on either of her hips. They sat there like two odd pistols on an old gunfighter as she spoke. “I have one other thing I can do. It takes a lot out of me, but I would show it to you if you like?”
“Yes please.”
Ventira stood in front of Roland, blocking the view behind her, so all he could see was her face. She opened her eyes wide and began to breathe, deep regular breaths. For several moments she stood staring into his eyes and breathing. Roland thought she was trying to hypnotize him and made to back off a little. Before he could Ventira reached out with her right hand and touched the center of his forehead.
Suddenly in a flash of light and sound, Roland understood. He was in a center of clarity. The love of Christ and the glory of God was now a part of him. All knowledge was there before him and he knew his place in the universal harmony of all things. Music, not just strands of music or orchestrations of music, but all music, all the harmony throughout space and time poured through him. He was home.
The moment of time lasted just a few heartbeats, not even five seconds to a mortal. To Roland it had seemed to last forever and not nearly long enough. Now the clarity of all was gone and he was just Roland again. His mind tried to comprehend all he had just experienced, but it could only come away with scraps and snatches of it. He staggered and fell to his knees. Weeping in joy and though confused, he felt more at peace than he had ever felt in his whole life. His eyes finally focused on Ventira, who now sat with him on the rough rooftop. She was close to him, her head bowed almost to his chest, and her hair covered most of her face. Her body seemed washed out, as if in that moment of touch she had lost some part of herself.
Roland spoke, his voice rough with strain but he smiled through it, “What was that?”
Ventira replied in a voice no more than a whisper, “That is what happens to us once we get back home. That is Redemption for us.”
