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On the miserable island far away the two figures watched as the ship set sail and just managed to escape the explosive power of the volcano.
"Who is he? Huh Gabe, who is that? And what is he doing on my ship!?" Complained the first figure as she walked back and forth over and over again.
"Hehehe, looks like your amazin- plan wasnt so amazin- after all yah. Now do as you promised Malak and give up on this crazy idea of yours." Laughed Gabe.
"What are you talking about? I promised that if they didn't survive riddle islan-" Said Malak
"Dont act dumb, one -roup searched north for the -irl, the other searched east and the last searched west. 3 Different directions and yet somehow they all managed to find the -irl at the same time? You interfered with their search... and we both know they wouldnt have survived if you hadnt interfered. If they cant mana-e that puny volcano by themselves how will they survive the riddle an-el yah?" Growled Gabe.
"I dont know what your talking about..." Said Malak avoiding eye contact with Gabe. "Stop changing the subject and focus on the more important things like who that guy is!"
"You mean the one they found on the island yah? How am i supposed to know I didnt put him there..."he replied defensively.
"Seven doors, Seven keys, Seven principles and Seven mortals..." said Malak.
"Oh i see, this last mortal makes it a crew of eight and ruins the prophecy. That wasnt in your calculations was it? He could be a very dan-erous obstacle to your plan." Said Gabe.
"Well then i'll just have to send him to the other side of the globe and my problem will be solved." Said Malak with a serious face.
"Wha- No! Do you want the others to find out what your doing?! Its a miracle no ones noticed yet but if you keep tossing mortals from place to place you will be caught. Then theres the fact that you wouldnt be able to do it anyway without the mortals permission, and the fact that it would be takin- the easy way out and cheatin- yah!" Yelled Gabe.
"No buts... wait and see what happens with the riddle an-el. Something tells me none of them will survive that anyway.."
Last edited by xXInfinityXx (2007-06-01 08:36:33)
A shiver ran down Gillians spine. It was almost as if an unseen person was watching him. Shrugging off all uncertainties, he called out in a clear, bright voice: Were setting off, folks. This place is too dangerous
Graphite rolled his eyes. Tell us something we dont already know. Good grief. Ignoring graphites comment, Gillian began searching the deck. Suddenly, an idea struck him. Free food for all dogs! he called out. Out from underneath a tarp waddled Meano, with interest in his eyes. Did someone say somethin abou free food? Gillian walked over to the Chihuahua, and picked him up, and looked him eye to eye. Gillian chose his words carefully, and kept his voice calm. You knew that island had an active volcano on it... probably even before we lay eyes on it. you know much more than youre telling us, dog, and I aim to find out exactly WHAT you know.
Meano yawned. Laddie, let me tell you something. You went on that island of your own free will. If the lassie hadnt gone ashore, we mos likely wouldnt have even heard the eruption, wed have been so far away. But, you are right, Ah DID know abou that island, and I DO know more than Im telling you. However, Im not just gonna tell you easy as pie. You gotta give a little, to take a little. Im willing to make a deal with you.
Gillian raised an eyebrow. And what sort of deal might that be? Simple. said the obese Chihuahua. You gotta tell ME about YOU before I tell YOU about ME. Gillian set the dog down and faced his crew, who had been going about their individual duties during this conversation. EVERYONE! Gillian shouted. The activity stopped, and Gillian had a captive audience.
Meano here says that hes willing to fill us in more about what exactly is going on, but only if we tell him about ourselves first. Do you all agree that this would be a good idea? There were nods, and Gillian motioned for the crew to come into the ships dining room. They all filed inside, save for the currently unconscious Irohk, who was put in the corner of the room on a blanket by Erik. So said Gillian, Who wants to begin?
Graphit didn't want to be the first, so he kept quiet and looked right and left to see who's going to be the first to tell his story, but no one stepped up. Everyone seemed to hesitate and wait for someone else to begin. "Well..." Started Gillian. Graphit's eyes widened in fear to the sound of Gillian's voice 'NO' he thought 'Not another one of that man's stories' "if nobody wants to being then-" "NOOO" shouted Graphit and rise from his sit, and everyone's head turned towards him. "umm... I want to be go first" he said uncomfortably and scratched the back of his head. "Ok then go ahead" said Gillian
"Well.." he said still uncomfortable with everyone's stares, "Like I said when we all met, I'm Graphit Kanex, and I'm from the pencil clan. um... In our clan there is an ongoing war that has been going for hundreds of years, between our own pencil clan and the... 'Tribe of the pen' " Graphit expressed the last words with disgust. He was getting more comfortable and he started talking more confidently.
"I was born 19 years ago in our capital city. My parents both died at the war when I was less then one year old, so i was raised in an orphanage, and because of the war, I was trained to be a soldier since I was a kid, I think I was six or seven when I started. One day, when I was nine, The General, the greatest man alive today, our clans genius leader, that had won our clan many battles, well, he held an assembly in the main square. there" Graphit now, with a huge smile on his face, paused for a short while, as if he was remembering a wonderful nostalgic memory.
"There" he said excitedly, "There he introduced them for the first time, 'The Shichidai' our clans seven most powerful warriors, each easily capable of wiping out an entire devision of pen troops. They all stood behind The General in the center of the square when he introduced them one by one, 'The Shinobi', 'The Spider', 'The Black Pencil-man', 'The Madman', 'The Winds', 'The Forger', and 'The Monster'. That moment when I looked at them, standing together alongside with the general, I decided that I too am going to become one of them, that I too will one day stand proud in-front of that crowd as a great warrior," Graphit took a deep breath after talking and looked at his friends with a huge smile. "So that's your story?" asked Erik "That's why your willing to danger your life to get stronger?"
"That's about half the reason" said Graphit, the smile fading from his face.
"Half the reason? then what's the other half?" asked Davy.
"I think i told the chihuahua enough about me, lets let someone else speak now " Graphit said.
"No weh' laddie, a'm dain' ta-knoh now". Said Meano. Everyone looked at Garphit with anticipation and he started to get uncomfortable again. "Ok, if I have too, then I'll to you..." he said.
"After they introduced the Shichidai, I was motivated and I trained like hell" "HAY! don't curse!" yelled Gillian, Graphit gave him an annoyed look and continued "I trained like heck, I trained more then anyone. So the recruited me earlier. I was sent to my first mission at fifteen instead of seventeen. I was sent to various missions during the years and most of them went pretty well. I continued to train hard because my dream was still The Shichidai and I was very far from that, but I felt like I'm getting closer to my goal."
"That what you didn't want to tell us?" asked Kat, interrupting Graphit. "Weht, lassie, his buildin' tah' somethin' " said the dog. "Can i continue?" asked Graphit in annoyance. "Go on" said Meano. "Ok then, One day on one of my missions-" "See lassie! ah told yah!" said the dog interrupting Graphit again. "Do you want to me to go on or not!" asked Graphit "First you make me tell a story I don't want to tell in the first place, then you start to interrupt me while I'm telli-" "Sorry lad, won' happen again". "Ok then..."
"One day, my I got a mission to join a force of tow brigades, about four thousand men, that will conquer one of the pen's stands called 'Parker's Bastion' " Graphit paused and continued shortly afterwards. "We reached the bastion about a week later. When I saw it far in the horizon, I was shocked, it.. it was a monster, it was huge and it had ten front towers and a giant fortified gate that looked like it was made out of metal. It was a terrifying sight but I was sure that our force could take that thing down." Graphit paused again trying to push away the strong emotions this story brought up. "When... when we got closer something strange had happened. usually when we attack fortified building, the enemy remains inside and shots us from above, but thus time hundreds of pen-men swarmed out of the main gate and waited for us in two long lines, we moved closer, and I was able to see that the men in the first line were crouching, and that they all held strange weapons, none of us knew at the time, but the pens developed a knew weapon, a big mechanical pencil that shot pencil tips like a gun. The next thing I heard was a shout from the enemy's line that was followed and a noise, like a huge thunder and then, then I heard a sound I will never forget, the sound of a thousand of my brethren crying in pain, all of them, a thousand of my brethren, some of them my friends since childhood, they all fell in that instant, with no honor, without the slightest chance to show they're might." when Graphit spoke those last words it sounded like he was on the verge of tears, he paused once again, and took a deep breath before continuing. "we... we all were in great shock, and we were all angry, we charged forward towards the pen men, who reloaded they're weapons, then a second explosions was sounded and many others fell. then they placed right before we reached them a they shot for the third time, and many others were killed. Only several hundreds of us were left, we thought with all our might, I remember getting into they're line but i don't remember anything else. The next thing I remember is waking up in a small prison cell. Me and about less then one hounded other men were there we were the only ones that survived that battle."
Graphit stopped again to arrange his thought and gather the strength to continue his story, and everyone waited for him in silent.
"I don't know how much time I was there. I think it was a few weeks, but I really couldn't tell because i was underground. Every once in a while a few men came and interrogated us, one by one they asked us about our army's structure, plans, troops movements and so on... and when we didn't answer they'd torture us. I... I remember my comrades's screams of pain, from the nearby chambers. I was tortured as well." He said and took off his pencil armlet, reviling a scorched lower-arm causing everyone, including the dog, to gasp, then quickly wore the armlet back on. "After a while, I just couldn't take it anymore, I kept thinking that if i had the strength of the Shichidai, I could've break free, I couldn't stand being so helpless, of being at the mercy of those pen people. After what seemed like an eternity in that danky chamber, long after I gave up on ever getting out of there, I woke up to the sound of my creeky door being opened, at first, i thought it was one of the torturers, but when I looked I saw my savior. It was one of the Shichidai, the Shinobi came to rescue us. The feeling I got when I saw him was... was... I can't describe it words, but It was a mixture of awe and fear, I just can't explain it. Any way while we got up, me and the others that survived. We saw the dead bodies of many of the pen men, I think that he killed all of them, but I can't be sure... anyway I didn't here a sound until we got outside. The Shichidai led us back to our city, we were all worried that the pens will send troops after us. And on the third day our concerns proved to be true, we could see an entire devision of pen troops behind us, and they caught up with us quickly, Then for the first "I heard him speak and for the first time I saw him fight. It... It was amazing!. Just amazing, he killed them all an entire devision in seconds! it was just... just.... incredible." Graphit paused here again and took another deep breath before he continued. "Seeing his power, made me realize how far I was from the level of the Shichidai, it gave me proportions about my strength. After I watched that fight, I remembered all of my fallen friends who died at that battle, and thought, that if I gain that power, such a thing could never happen to me again. With that power, I could protect everyone who dear to me in the future, I wanted to be a Shichidai more then I ever wanted before. And on that night I saw the dream. and got here... so thats it, that's the whole reason, Thats why I want to become a Shichidai. That's why i wanna be strong"
Davy was still feeling slightly rigid, and not least extremely tired when the boat finally set off, leaving the shores of the volcanic island behind. He finally started to notice how exhausting the last weeks had been on his mind and body, and tossed himself over at the sofa on the living room, nearly closing his eyes at that instant.
Before he could succumb to the sleepiness, a conversation between Gillian and Meano led to the gathering of the whole crew in the dining room; they had agreed on telling something about themselves to satisfy the dog, and thus be able to squash out some information from him.
So said Gillian, Who wants to begin?
Graphite started, and he did so with a breathtaking story, filled with both excitement and dramatic events. Who could have guessed that the man they had all been with for some weeks now was such a brave and strong man, willing to become stronger only to reach a rank in his own village? Davy didnt have an idea, and swiftly realised that there might be other untold stories inside the dining room at that moment.
Meano moaned in awe, looking at Graphit with wide, open eyes, gaping with his mouth open: laddie
thas the mos amazin
he began, leaving the last words to be said by simultaneously with the rest of the crew, story ever!
Graphit, somewhat embarrassed, smiled at the people around him and tried to hide the slight embarrassment of people gaping towards him.
Swiftly, hoping to out of the moment of silence, Graphit turned to Davy with a puzzled look on his face:
So Davy
theres one thing Ive been wondering on since we met
how did you lose that arm of yours?
Davy sighed timidly, backing a bit off, and answered, with a slight touch of annoyance in his voice: Are you totally sure you wanna hear about it? Its not even nearly as thrilling as your story
Graphit nodded along with the rest of the hyped up crewmember, probably waiting for another exciting story; well, the story of Davys life was the opposite of exciting.
All right, Davy began, and continued with a small sigh: I was born on the small, dark island of Sagrao, somewhere on the Grand Line. That island
was simply a free-haven for pirates and what they brought along; brothels, illegal trade, booze and constant fighting between pirates and their crews. In other words
it was the worst kind of island to grow up on.
Davy began smiling towards all the others, thinking about how his days suddenly had been lit up by them and the strange events which had brought them together, and continued:
My mother died before I was 5, so I dont really remember much about her; therefore, emphasizing on the last word, he continued: I was raised up by my father, the navigator of some small pirate crew, and learned my navigation skills and sword skills from him; but there was a major downside
He and his pirate career didnt leave any room left for a child
so I spent long periods, up to years, alone on the island. That of course
has led traces behind.
Davy stopped and grinned towards Erik in embarrassment: Yeah
sake is one of those traces
so now you should know where the sake-storage disappeared
Erik laughed merrily, shaking his head in answer: I always knew you took the sake.
Before anyone could reply, Davy continued the story:
.while my father was gone on his journeys, I trained my navigation skills
and sake drinking skills and started to join the pirates on their chats over at the bars. There were a number of interesting people
many of whom I learned a great deal, and I actually got a few good friends. One of those friends, a guy named Pharos Zanzal a cook in a pirate ship, pursued the captain into accepting me for their ship. I just needed to meet up at a nearby island
.So I travelled as a stowaway on a random ship
we encountered a storm, and suddenly I ended up with you guys.
Davy stopped again, and laid himself down to rest. The silence was broken my Meano: An what about ya arm, laddie?
Reluctantly and timidly, Davy stood up again and continued:
I was outside watching the raging storm and enjoying sake one night
Davy coughed twice, looking at the ground:
When I saw something down at the shore
it was a young woman. So, without any hesitations, I tried to save her
but my navigation skills failed; we both were drawn far out by a current and she ended up under a large stone. Foolish as I was, I started to hit the stone with my already damaged left hand
and managed to destroy the rock and save both of us.
I guess I sacrificed my hand to save that woman back then, and she found it heroic or something
Davy thought about Kat, and glimpsed at her before continuing again; somehow, he felt a bit reluctant to tell the rest while Kat was there.
So, she and Pharos, started to visit me every day while I was recovering. They were really helpful
and I guess some emotions were starting to develop between me and that woman. Meredith was her name.
Tell me more! Valencius suddenly exclaimed, jumping forth from the back row, and was shushed by the others and thrown back.
so my era of solitude seemed to be coming to an end; until that day
This topic was rather emotional for Davy, and he had never before told it to anyone, in fear of people looking at him as a fool.
One day, when I woke up, Meredith was gone along with a few things I had in my home
.6 eternal poses, leading to different places on the Grand Line. Only a small letter remained on the empty box saying: Sorry Davy, I had fun with you, but the captain ordered us to leave today
with those eternal poses of yours.
The final words Davy managed to say, before a torrent of sad emotions came over him, was:
Yeah, I was tricked and fooled, and I hope I never meet those bastards again
From now on, I'm just gonna adventure and explore the Grand Line."
Last edited by Slackbeard (2007-06-08 11:21:52)
"Yeah, I was tricked and fooled, and I hope I never meet those bastards again.... From now on, I'm just gonna adventure and explore the Grand Line." Filled with regret and anger, and perhaps something more, Davy clenched his remaining fist tightly, as if his words were an oath.
"But what can I do about it?" the young man shrugged and grinned, probably for effect. "What about you, Erik?" The doctor nearly choked as all eyes turned toward him, interrupting the inspection of the last of Irohk's bandages.
"....what about me?" Erik smiled nervously and put a hand behind his head, looking at Davy in feigned ignorance.
"Doctor and marksman seem to be quite the contradiction in professions, if you were to ask me." Davy smirked in a friendly manner and sat back down on his chair.
"I never said I was a marks..." began Erik.
"But you're more than pretty good with a gun." retorted Davy.
"I suppose you are right about that...." Erik mused, turning his chair around and sitting with his arms folded across its back. Where to begin
. My parents are quite wealthy, my father being a landed nobleman in my homeland and my mother being a well-trained and proper daughter of a very successful merchant. I have an older brother, he must be in his late thirties by now, and a younger sister who must be even now approaching the age of being considered a lady. My brother was raised to inherit the bulk of my fathers estate; I was to inherit enough that I thought I would never have to worry about my future. I spent most of my young adulthood raised under the eyes of watchful tutors; it wouldnt be unusual for me to go a whole week without speaking to either my parents or my siblings, and, at times, we would not even see each other for entire months.
It sounds lonely. said Mirage, sympathy in her voice.
Oh, it wasnt so bad. Replied Erik as he smiled reassuringly. I enjoyed learning and much preferred my books to the company of others at the time, his smile fading as he heard his words.
At the time? Gillian raised an eyebrow quizzically. Adding in his own story, the captain had begun to notice a disturbing trend in their pasts thus far. He was dreadfully sure that Eriks tale would follow suit.
Ever observant, Gillian-Senchou. Closing his eyes, Erik sighed and stood, reaching inside of his shirt and withdrawing a small silver locket. Longingly looking at the locket, Erik sighed again, this time more heavily, and opened the face of the plain but masterfully crafted remembrance. The others had noticed the chain around his neck numerous times before; perhaps some had even wondered what it was he kept so close to his heart yet hidden at the same time.
Erik held out the open locket to Gillian, who respectfully took it from him that he might see what it contained. The others crowded around their captain that they might see as well, leaving Meano scurrying around their feet, trying to draw the attention of someone, that he might see as well.
Inside the locket was a black-and-white photograph of an Erik several years younger and smiling brightly. The younger doctor sat with his arms around a beautiful lady who looked slightly younger than he; her hair was fair and her smile was that of someone who loved life and could find delight in even the most mundane of activities or occurrences.
"She's beautiful...." wonderment filled Kat's voice.
"You look so happy." observed Mirage in her usual whisper.
"Damn, what a fox...." muttered Valencious, only to be swiftly elbowed in the ribs by Davy. "What? What??" Davy shook his head and raised his eyes to Erik, who stood with hands clenched at his sides and eyes gazing at the floor.
"Whatre their names? asked Davy, looking back at the memento and the young girl sitting in front of the younger doctor and the woman, each with a proud hand on one of her small shoulders. There were several moments of silence before the young Erik spoke in subdued tones.
My wife, Elisabeth, and my daughter, Maria
. Removing his glasses, Erik sat back down on his chair and sighed wistfully. We met at one of the many university lectures I attended. his eyes and his tone brightened as he continued, It was a discussion of the newly verified merits of what had been viewed by many as a rather unaccredited branch of medicine, as I recall. An acquaintance of mine knew an acquaintance of hers and the four of us began debating amongst ourselves as to the merits of the speakers information and delivery. Elisabeth won that debate; her knowledge of medicine far exceeded mine. More importantly though, for the first time in my life, I had met someone with whom communication flowed freely. he smiled and looked around the room at the rest of his crewmates.
After less than a year and many more debates, we decided to be wed. My parents were happy that I had found a well-educated and proper lady, while Elisabeths parents were ecstatic that she had found a man of culture, name, and money. We could not care less about those trappings, however. We were in love with each other; we loved each other; emotionally and intellectually. Kat, Gillian and Graphite were smiling as Erik spoke, enamored of the image of a happy life his words engendered. Within the year of our marriage, Maria was born and, with her, our happiness increased tenfold. Pausing, Erik took a deep breath, then suddenly stopped, his head dropped, forehead resting on his folded arms.
Erik, my man, are you alright? Gillian placed a firm hand on Eriks shoulder. Kat frowned as she well recognized the motions one makes when sobbing silently.
Wha appened next?! inquired Meano, who had finally managed to pull himself up onto the table. Everyone shot the dog a menacing glare, save for Erik. Wha? I wanna know!
Stuff it, pooch! Graphite scowled, which nearly earned him a chomp on the wrist, if not for his quick reflexes.
Perhaps we should give the guy a break and let someone else talk for a while? Davy stepped forward and gently placed the locket on the table next to Erik. Gillian and Kat nodded in approval.
Last edited by Tenebrous (2007-06-09 14:37:25)
Perhaps we should give the guy a break and let someone else talk for a while? - Said Davy, putting down the locket.
Everyone was quiet, thinking about problems of other people, as well as their own. Unexpectedly, a loud snort cut the silence. Valencius walked up to the table, and before anyone could react, he picked up the locket and opened it. Erik stood up and looked at Cotez with anger. Davy also stepped in, putting his only hand on the handle of his sword.
"Pfft... You care about this thing so much? A lousy relic of past." - said the sharpshooter. -"Fine, if you want it, then take it." - Valencius threw the locket at Erik. The doctor jumped out, grabbed it and hid it from Cotez, like a small kid hiding his favourite toy from a bully. Everyone looked at the black-dressed man with hate. Valencius looked back with a malicious grin. - "What? Why are you looking at me like that? You want me to tell you a story? Should it be an epic saga like the lead-head's? Or maybe a quack's tearjerker? Do you expect me to tell you about my dreams, or my dead family? Fine!" - he shouted - "But you won't like that story."
"I was born in slums. A place, where the only thing you can find is dirt and blood. No one could afford a doctor, not that there were any willing to look after a family of beggars. My mother died while giving birth to me. She laid on a bed that was rotten and soaked with excrements, screaming in pain, with no one to help her, or even hold her hand. The people were so supersticious, that they believed a woman gives birth not only to a child, but also to hundreds of evil spirits created by the birthpains. Even my father was afraid to walk into the room. So she died, and the only thing left of her was me. My father was so depressed by loosing his "love", that he soon started drinking. Every day, he would down a bottle of cheap booze and sleep, not even looking at me once/ He barely even fed me. I was lonely. I thought this was bad, but the worst came when I grew up a bit. My father's frustration started to overfill him, and it turned into agression. He started beating me. Hard. Harder with every passing day. When i was five, he broke my arm, four ribs and nearly tore off my leg. I lied half-consciously on the floor, watching my "dad" hang himself on his belt. I somehow crawled out of my house and lost consciousness. When I woke up, I saw a kid, not much older than me. He was a member of one of the local gangs, and apparently, he found me on the street and helped me. He was a gentle, intelligent boy. He could even read and write, which was really rare in those parts of town. Somehow, he got hold of a medical book and learned how to apply first aid. He saved my life. And he died the next day in a fight with an enemy gang. His gangmates let me into their group, because "they had a vacancy". It meant that from now on, I was the one, that they picked on. They were bullying me, beating me up almost as badly as my father did. The only way for me to survive, was to be strong. My body was weak, so the only way for me to be stronger, was to be more cruel then they were. I soon gained respect and took the position of their mastermind. But i have never forgotten the pain they made me feel. I took revenge. I warned the owner of a mansion about a robbery I planned myself. The gang was caught, and their boss was shot by the man. I soon left the island. And i started killing. I became an assassin, taking lives for money, for food, for booze. The safest way to do this was from a distance, so I learned how to shoot. I killed poor and rich, powerful and unimportant. And I liked it. Because the only way to survive, is to be more cruel than the others."
Everyone was quiet. People were looking away, trying to avoid the sharpshooters eyes, filled with anger and hate. - "Do you think a human's life matters at all? The past doesn't matter, the future doesn't matter. Love, honour, dreams - they do not exist! The only thing that exists is lust, cruelty, and greed. And the only thing that matters is to survive." - Valencius looked at the crew. - "You can hate me. You can think I'm a monster, or that I lost my humanity. Hell, you can even throw me overboard right now. I will survive. I always do."
Last edited by Winxorz (2007-06-16 12:21:14)
I will survive. I always do.
The room was silent, save for Meano, who somehow managed to let out a low whistle. Laddie, ahve heard of life givin people lemons... but you take tha cake. At this time, Gillian stepped forward. Valencius Cotez. The sharpshooter cocked his head, and then raised an eyebrow. Yeah, thats my name, what about it? Gillian moved over to where Valencius had sat down, and faced him. I once served under a captain who had a very interesting motto. Every day above ground is a good day. I think thats something you should realize. Every minute that youre alive should be cherished. Because once youre dead, its done. I think you may have the second part down, but its useless without the first. Another thing you should realize: Every thing thats happened to you has happened for a reason. Cause and Effect. It may seem like everything is out of your control, and sometimes, it is. But more often than not, you can change your future. There is no such thing as destiny. Things are not set in stone until they happen. You perhaps were forced to kill a few times. The rest were your own choice. And so, your choices have led you down a path, a path that has brought you here. There is no calling our meeting fate, it was mere chance that brought us in contact with each other. And through an amazing set of coincidences, you are alive, here with us on this ship. Since youre still alive, by my former captains logic, than today must be a good day for you. Gillian turned around so that everyone else could see his face. So, this is the question: do we accept Valencius into the crew, and make him one of our Nakama, or do we let him drift back into his lifestyle of chaos?
As the speech settled into the crew members, one after another, they nodded in approval, even Eric, who had been wounded by Valencius earlier attitude. An odd look came over Valencius, something that was almost open relief, mixed with shock. The look vanished in an instant. So, dont I get a say in whether or not I join you people? Gillian shrugged. I guess not. Youre joining, come heck or high water.
Meano sighed, and looked up at Gillian. Laddie, tha was a very touchin speech, but could we cut tha chitchat an move on to tha next story? Gillian nodded in agreement. All right, then. I guess Ill take the hot seat and tell my story now.
I was born on an island in north blue called Kneemans Left. I was the second of 4 children, and my father was a marine captain. My mother was a former marine officer, and I always remember her as being a strong woman. My childhood was very uneventful, and I grew up surrounded by kind and affectionate people. I joined the marines at the age of 16, and thats where my life begins to get interesting. I was a chore boy on my fathers ship for two years, during which we defeated many a pirate ship; I became an official marine soldier two years later. I rose up the ranks quickly due in part to my fathers status, but mostly through my own work. I was promoted to captain after a victory against a particularly vicious pirate crew. At this time, I was also given my devil fruit, the Rage Rage fruit. I was on my way to another promotion when I captured a certain spy. This spy had done work for both pirates and the world government, and when I captured him, the Government was forced acknowledge its own crimes along with those of the pirates. I was put on trial at the grand halls of justice, and found not guilty of any crimes, though I almost wish I was. After this incident, I returned to my home island on leave, and married a childhood friend from the island. All of the heads in the room slowly turned towards Gillian. And then silence. Davy finally spoke. You...married... thats... not what I expected. I dont suppose you have something else youd like to tell us? there were murmurs around the room. Gillian nodded. I have a daughter whos 4 and a son whos less than a year. Everyones mouth was pretty much agape by now, except for Irohk, who was still out cold. It was Graphite who was next to speak. So, arent they worried about you by now? I mean, most of us dont seem to have any family, but what about you? You have a wife and kids, shouldnt you want to go back home? Gillian was silent for a moment, and then in a somber tone, said: My marriage ended about 6 months ago in a messy divorce. My wife got my house, our children, everything. She claimed I was abusive, and because of my Devil fruit powers, she was believed. My life ruined, I returned to full time duty in the marines. Since then, I have been in total and complete misery. Every night I wished that I could be happy again, and then, my wish was granted, and I met you guys. For the first time in months, Ive been happy.
Everyone, even Valencius, took a moment to consider the captain. Meano rolled his eyes, and barked. Laddie, your story ain half as sad as the rest of them. So wha, your wife screwed up your life, at least you still got your family and friends. Actually, Gillian croaked, They all believe my wife. Im not only estranged from my children, but from everyone else I ever knew.
Oh. said the canine. Ya shoulda said tha earlier.
Gillian rose from his seat, and headed for the cabin door. I need a little fresh air. Ill be back in just a minute.
Gillian left the cabin, to the helm of the ship. He then slapped himself on the face as hard as he could, knocking him to the deck. He got up, and then went back in. So said Gillian, in his normal cheery voice, Who wants to go next?
OOC: Sorry my post is short, but Mirage's past isn't exactly interesting
IC: Mirage slowly took a small step forward. Without looking up, she began.
"I... I don't have much of a story," she started. "I was born in the desert, about nineteen years ago... and shortly after I was born, my parents were killed by the intense heat of the desert, leaving only me and my older brother. My brother and I managed to get along fairly well, as he was a skilled hunter. Unfortunately, the desert took my brother after a few years as well. I was then the only one left, barely able to stay alive by finding desert animals and using the heat to cook them. Water was much rarer, but I managed to survive. With nothing to do and no one to talk to for eleven years, I watched the mirages that were caused by the desert heat. After time, they became my friends, so to speak... I could create them, manipulate them, even move and remove them. I had no name, so I called myself Mirage, after my only 'friends'... but soon, playing with these soulless illusions became more and more lonely. Years went by like this, and my abilities grew stronger. But still, I was lonely, and I wished my brother could return, though I knew this was impossible. Then one night, I had a strange dream... one we all had..."
Mirage stepped back, quickly retreating into the shadows once more. Once more, the room was quiet.
Kat kept her eyes glued to the ground. These people... all of them... they were strong. Stronger then she will ever be. She could feel the emotions that she had just let go slowly crawl back into her as her mind raced back to the events that took place during the last month. Faces, voices, memories that her mind couldn't let go of came back to her.
"Ahem..." The sound knocked Kat back into reality. She looked up to see seven pairs of eyes focused curiously on her. She frowned and looked away regretting making eye contact with them, but being the only conscious person in the room who hadnt spilled the beans yet she wasnt going to be let of so easily.
"So Kat, um... the whole magic powers thing... er, how did-" Gillain muttered trying not to be too blunt.
"Magic isnt something people are born with." Said Kat still frowning. "I was born in to a family that wasnt rich nor poor, I went to school to learn magic, did my homework, studied my ass off. I was just a regular girl. Ok, a regular girl that happened to be lousy at everything. My... my grandmother tried to teach me a few tricks as a child, learnt how to make pretty decent potions from her. Of course im still no where near as good as everyone else my age at it, just like im no where near as good as I should be at anything else I do. As you all probably noticed I'm a screw up, not just in magic but everything else." She stopped and took a deep breath. Everyone was still looking at her expectantly. "What?! What did you expect me to say?" Kat asked feeling annoyed. She looked at Mirage "I was never left stranded alone in a desert" She turned to Gillain "I never had a miserable divorce" She glanced at Erik. "I've never been to college and probably wouldnt have made it there..." She Swerved to Valancious and Graphite "I've never been beaten down and I never wouldve survived torture..." Finally she turned to Davy "And... and I've never been in love." her eyes drifted to the floor again. "Compared to you my life has been easy, Hope your satisfied Meano..."
"Got one word for ye lassie, BOLLUX!" Barked Meano. "Your not just a regular lass even among sorcerers. For the love of god you can see the future! An ability thats scarce even among angels, so spill."
Kat stared wide eyed at the fat pup. She felt the eyes of the crew on her again and figured she had no choice but to continue now that she was busted.
"I didnt lie, everything I said was true..."
"But..." Pushed Meano.
"But nothing... No one knew about my abilities, Even I didnt know about them until 2 years ago when they first surfaced. I was so happy at first, you know the feeling that 'hey maybe im not so worthless after all...' But when my grandmother found out she was furious. She made me promise... to never tell anyone about it, and to never attempt to change fate... She made me promise... and so I did until..."
"Until..." Said Meano.
"Until one month ago. It was a normal day... meaning it sucked. I had been up all night studying for my final exams which i knew I wouldnt pass anyway when I had a vision of a little brother being shot in the head. For the past two years i had ignore the visions, when there was a storm approaching I hadnt warned my town, when there was going to be a robbery I let it happen, when I knew that there was someone out there who needed I let fate decide their destiny. But when I saw my brother being murdered in cold blood, I... I..." There was pin drop silence on the ship that made Kat feel uncomfortable. No one even blinked as she closed her eyes to calm herself.
"A few hours after I saved my brother the whole town knew the truth. Less than 3 days later people started coming to me from all parts of the world asking me to predict their futures, some offering my expensive gifts, some threatening to kill me. Kings and Queens made journeys just to witness a power that I could neither control nor trust. I was lost, scared and confused for what seemed like an eternity... but just before i broke i had a dream and woke up here."
Meano opened his mouth to talk but Kat cut him off. "End of story." She said firmly. "Now maybe you should tell us yours."
"I would now lassie, but alas, one of your mates still hasnt given me a story yet." Said the dog and he waddled off to Irhoks side then pointed at him with a furry paw.
"And he won't be doing so in the immediate future, either." Erik removed his fingers from Irohk's neck and placed his hand on the young man's forehead. "He's stable. Again. But it's likely that he'll sleep through the rest of the day and well into tomorrow." The doctor's announcement left Meano crestfallen.
"Bu...but, ma' story...."
"Will just have to wait." replied Erik in a tone that left no room for argument.
"We did just have a long day." Davy spoke up. "Maybe we should see about getting some food?" The rest of the crew nodded in agreement.
"Alright, everyone! This is your captain speaking." Gillian grinned while Graphite groaned. "Davy, Mirage, and Valencious," the assassin's eyebrow quirked questioningly, "we need to set sail for this Riddle Island. Valencious, I want you to help Davy with whatever he needs. Every one needs a good trade to fall back on and navigating is as good as any." The diminutive marine captain clapped Valencious heartily on the back, nearly knocking him over.
"And what if I don't want to...?" Valencious smirked.
"Nonsense!" replied Gillian; a reply to which Valencious had no rebuttal before being swept along by Davy. "Erik, I don't want to bother you too much, but since you'll be looking after Irohk and he's already in the kitchen...."
"I'm in charge of the meal, of course." Smiling compliantly, Erik began rummaging through the cupboards, curious as to what the fates literally had in store for them today. Gillian stepped outside, leaving Kat with nothing to do and feeling a little useless after everything, then Erik addressed her.
"Kat, you had said that you possessed some skill in the arts of the apothecary?" Erik continued searching through the cupboards.
"Potion-making." Erik turned around this time and smiled encouragingly.
"Oh, well, yeah, I guess so...." Kat looked down at the floor, not sure how she felt.
"Good. Irohk breathed in quite a bit of volcanic fumes back on the island and I haven't found anything on the ship yet that will help expressly with that." Turning around again, holding a pot in one hand and a bag of flour in another, Erik looked at Kat very seriously. "If you know of or can prepare anything that you think will help, I would greatly appreciate the help." He ended the request with his usual smile.
"I'll see what I can do." Kat quickly left the room, leaving Erik slightly confused. Maybe I embarrassed her....
Outside the kitchen, Kat was grinning and wiped at her eyes. Maybe she wouldn't be so useless after all.
Davy took a deep, tired breath, trying to let all the stories fall in. Most of the men and women who he had sailed and fought alongside with for a few weeks now, had endured much harder times than he could possibly comprehend. A sense of pity mixed with admiration filled Davys thoughts as he looked upon each of them, sitting there silently.
After suggestion from Gillian, Davy grabbed Valencius with him to check the currents, surroundings and not least the directions of the wind. Though reluctant to the idea at first, Valencius seemed to enjoy the fresh breeze which swept through the deck; not a strange thing, judging from where Davy had first found Valencius. Davy had been readying a few questions about that particular issue, but left it when hearing the heartbreaking story. Maybe he had been a little too hard to Valencius.
Davy made a short, ignorant gaze towards the front, and turned around to meet the eyes of a tired, unmotivated Valencius:
Oi, Valencius, be a helmsman for a second and go turn the helm a bit towards the right. Okay?
Valencius scratched his head, clearly uninterested, and made a short nod of agreement before walking down to the engine room. Davy had shown him the way down there earlier, after himself discovering it while searching for an improved solution to sails. Davy sat down, figuring it would take some time before Valencius had finished his task, and took up the bottle he had been hiding since the Marine incident. The transparent liquid had a wonderful, earthly taste on it, and Davy truly enjoyed the first sip, just before getting interrupted by a cough on his left. Erik, standing tall with arms folded, was looking strictly at Davy:
Kat just finished a drink which should heal some of your damages
but Im not sure if I dare to let you drink this after drinking that.
Davy hid the bottle, and moved swiftly towards Erik, taking the small flask. The air became redolent with the rich scent of cinnamon, and Davy took the drink on a single swallow, immediately saying:
Hey, Ive been drinking for a long time
Ill be fine; trust me on this, Erik!"
Erik simply shook his head in disapproval, which Davy understood and accepted; he was a doctor after all. Suddenly, Davy noticed that his drowsiness had disappeared and his tired limbs were already at a better state; Kat really was something special, even her drinks shouldnt be able to work this fast. If the speed of recovery really was this fast, all injuries would be able to heal in a matter of a day or two.
Before Davy could express his feelings towards the shocking speed of recovery, the ship started steering to the left with a sudden tilt; Valencius had found his way to the engine room.
The ship made a full turn towards left, making an already unbalanced Davy fall down on the ground, and stabilized right in front of the blazing sun. When Davy finally managed to stand up, his eyes met a surprising sight; a large island could be seen in the distance. Even more surprising: another ship was making its way towards the island too.
Last edited by Slackbeard (2007-06-19 14:53:04)
Kat was in the kitchen with one hand holding firmly onto pack of chips and one foot planted firmly on Graphites face. Thanks to Eriks skills most of the injured in the crew had healed impressively since they left the volcano island and over the past day or so Kats potion had further increased the rate of recovery leaving everyone in a well enough condition to participate once they arrived at riddle island.
"Land Ahoy!" The shout brought the struggle for the last salt and vinegar packet of chips to a halt as both Kat and Graphite looked in the direction of the yell then back at each other confused.
"It means theres an island up ahead." Said Gillain as he walked past them, plucked the pack of chips from their clawing hands, opened it and then threw half the crisps into his mouth in one go.
Out on the deck Kat leaned over the side of the ship to get a better view. A soft gust of chilling wind blew past her making her shiver slightly as the she thought back to a conversation she a with Davy a while ago. If what he said about most islands in the grandline being one of four types: winter, summer, spring and autumn islands depending on the type of weather they have during the year was true then riddle island was definitely an autumn island. The first thing she noticed was the brilliant mixture of reds, browns, oranges and yellows all over the island and the fact that there where no mountains and only a few hills here and there gave the island a flat look. As the ship drew nearer she slowly began to notice thousands of empty ships lined along the shore, some of them looked like they'd been there for hundreds of years but all of them looked like they were in perfect condition as if their owners would be back to sail them at any moment. She wasnt sure why but the sight of so many lifeless ships made her feel uneasy.
"Alright men and women, lisen up!" Yelled Gillain striking a classic pose as his crew mates turned to face him. "We have no idea what we're here to do, how we're supposed to do it or even why we're going to do it... so get your stuff together and prepare to dock because like it or not, we're about to find out the hard way."
They found her in the only cabin along the sandy shore nearby the docking area, where they left the sleeping Meano on the ship. She stood perfectly still right at the entrance of the cabin, her white eyes staring blankly at nothing in particular and her withered face completely expressionless. With all the wrinkles she had, she definitely looked like she was way past her eighties but that didnt stop her from wearing white denim mini shorts and a loose jacket with ripped sleeves over a tight top ripped from the bottom to reveal her pierced belly button. As a matter of fact she had piercings and rings everywhere which surprisingly complimented her short punk hair cut. She was so skinny that you could literally see her bones poking at her skin and a powerful odor of rotting old socks seeped from her body.
excuse me maam. My crew and I have just arrived on the island and we need help finding someone. Said Gillain as politely as he could through gritted teeth trying to prevent the foul smelling air from entering his lungs.
you wouldnt happen to be the Riddle Angel would you? Gillain attempted again.
Of course shes not an angel! Angels are hot. Said Valancious behind him.
Besides, she looks dead. Said Graphite pointing at her motionless body.
Shes not dead! Said Gillain annoyed with their rudeness. All five of them suddenly went quiet and looked at her for a few moments.
See told ya
Muttered Graphite.
Maybe I should check for a pulse. Said Erik now concerned. He moved closer to her and held his breath momentarily to save himself from passing out from the odor, but before he had a chance to check she spoke. Slowly yet clearly, still staring blankly at nothing with no expression.
*The aim is to get to the centre of the island where the angel of riddles is waiting.
*All crews that want to compete start at the dock and choose one of three paths leading to the centre of the island.
*Along the path a hundred riddles will be asked and at each riddle there are 2 doors one with a red button and one with a green button at the top.
*All the riddles give the reader 2 options to choose from.
*If the crew gets all answers correct and press the right buttons theyll go straight to the centre of the island and meet the angle with out any problems.
*Every time a riddle is answered wrong and the wrong button is chosen the path changes to a more difficult one. Beware
Thousands of people have died on the island after spending a lifetime trying to find their way out.
*Once the crew gets to the centre of the island however the crew is asked a final riddle by the angel of riddles and if they get the answer right they will receive the gem known crimson key.
*If the crew gets the final one wrong the crew is forced to leave with nothing and doesnt get a second chance... Ever.
Oh, she died again. Said Graphite blankly, making Gillain wince.
S-so thats where the missing pirates from the ship are
Muttered Mirage.
Is that it? Thats not clear at all. I mean whats so special about the this key
what does it do? And who- Began Erik before being cut off by Valancious.
-Cares? Its a GEM probably worth a hell of a lot judging by those ships outside, meaning Ill make a hell of a lot once I find it and sell it. Said Valancious heading out of the cabin. Besides didnt you hear the pencil? Shes dead
She not dead and never was! Growled Gillain.
May her s-soul rest in peace. Whispered Mirage bowing her head with respect to woman. Erik frowned slightly and was about to follow the others out of the cabin when he felt a powerful pull on his left arm forcing him closer to the mysterious lady. Next thing he knew her bony arm was clenched tightly around his wrist, her lifeless eyes were staring right into his and his face was so close to hers it looked like they were about to kiss.
to make correct decisions from the heart, rather than from the mind
The heart
not the mind
" She breathed deeply then slowly drifted back into her previous state leaving Erik shocked, confused and speechless. Everyone else had already left. No one else saw it.
You wont believe what we found. Said Kat outside. Davy, Irhok and her were in charge of canvassing the area and had just got back.
A bigass wall so humongous that birds probably cant fly over it. We didnt see it from the ship because of all the overgrown thick trees that cover it and completely camouflage it but when we got up close there was no mistaking it. Said Irhok spreading his arms far apart trying to demonstrate how big the wall was.
By the looks of it, the wall probably extends through out the island completely blocking off the inner part of the island. However we did find a path that leads up to two doors. Said Davy.
And get this
Began Kat.
There is a big button on each door and a riddle some where nearby. Finished Valancious.
How did you know? Asked Irhok eyeing Valancious.
Uh, The corpse told us. Said Graphite as if it was obvious.
For the love of- !! Yelled Gillain.
Irohk looked dumbfumled.
"the corspe?" He said emphasizing the last word.
"yeah the CORPSE you half-wit" Replied Valancious.
"Yeah well at least i dont rape women left right and left!" Replied Irohk with a sense of fiercness in his voice.
"I do NOT! I just really like them. and their qualities..., But I have a wider vocabulary!" Shot back Valancious.
"Psh, yeah right, vocabulary isn't even a word" Said Irohk almightyly.
"Stop it you two" Said Gillian, "We are here to win, and get this GEM key"
"Fine" Pouted Valencious shooting Irohk an evil glare.
"all right, so which door should we chose??" Inquired Kat
"The one to the East!" Said Irohk pointing to the West. Mirage standing right next to him moved his arm so that it pointed to the East.
"That way is the East" Said Mirage as she backed away.
"oh..sorry about that" He said putting his arm down.
"So there are two doors, and we don't know which one to take," Said Erik
"why don't we split up?" Suggested Irohk.
"Not a bad idea," considered Kat.
"Absolutely not!" replied Gillian, "We are not taking the chances of having people missing"
"But if we get lost together, we lose all of us at the same time," Said Davy, "We should make a chance of smaller loss if somebody makes it"
"I still dont think so," Said Gillian rebelously again, "If we stick together, we could solve the problems easier"
"You heard the captain, we don't split up now which door do we chose?" Said Erik
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~In a nearbybrush~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hehehhehehe lets kill them Johnny" Said one of the two voices hiding in theb rush nearby the eight.
"Hohoho, not a bad idea Brock" Replied Johnny
"Capt. would be delighted to know that we killed them instead of just seperating them" Said Brock
"But we won't" Said Johnny, "THe Capt. said to seperate them into the maze"
"Capt. Icharoo is sure bothersome" Said Brock
"We'll wait for the perfect moment" Said Johnny
"Yes we'll go out there! and fight them!" Replied Brock
"And just as they are about to kill us" Whispered Johnny
"Then We'll show them our Devil's fruit powers" Kackled Brock
Last edited by Nakama (2007-07-05 06:09:02)
Graphite paced back and forth gritting his teeth impatiently until he finally couldn't take it anymore.
"WHATS TAKING SO LONG!!!" He yelled in the direction of Erik, Gillain, Valencius, Irhok and Davy who were huddled up nearby murmuring to each other.
"Like I explained for the fifth time, If we choose the wrong door we could be stuck in a maze on this island for the rest of our lives. We have to be sure about the answer before we choose a door so we can get to the angel asap." Mumble Gillain.
"Golden head; Golden tail; But hasn't got a body." Said Irhok reading the riddle that had been inscribed on the thick wall. "It doesn't seem too difficult."
"Yes well the obvious choice would be the green door." Said Erik pointing at the door on the right with the words "Gold Coin" and a green button on it. "But since its such an obvious answer we can only assume that its a trick to distract us from the other door."
"Well the other answer is obviously wrong." Said Valencius as he turned to face the door to the left with the words "golden lizard" and a red button.
"Anyway, all lizards have bodies right? But what if its a special lizard native to this island that we havent seen before. I mean anythings possible on the grandline..." Davys voice trailed away as the group of men began arguing yet again.
"Psst... Psst Graphite... press the red button!"
"Well you said your sick of waiting, so just press the red button." Whispered Kat so the others wouldnt hear. "I dare you." Graphite look blankly at the skinny girl for a second.
"Press it yourself!" He growled.
"But i'm too scared to press it myself! Cheh I didnt think someone like you would be as scared as a little girl... guess your not so brave after all." Said Kat folding her arms hoping Graphite would take the bait.
"What?! Im never scared!" Said Graphite shaking a fist at her. "What makes you so sure thats the right answer though?"
"I have no idea whether thats the right answer... I just reeaalllyy want to press that big red button." Said Kat looking longingly at the the button with sparkling eyes.
"Err... right..." Said Graphite then whispered in a low voice so she couldnt hear. "Freaky midget..."
"Anyway lets press the button at the same time. Those guys have been thinking about the answer for over an hour and they'll never finish." Said Kat with mischievous grin.
"Okay lets get this over with." Replied Graphite grinning back. "1... 2... 3!"
~ Silence ~
"Um... Why isn't anything happening?" Frowned Graphite starting to feel pissed again.
"Maybe we broke it..." Whispered Kat back.
"Ok then its decided that the green button is definitely the right one." Said Erik as the group of men finally stood up and turned to face the doors only to see Kat and Graphite standing in front of the wrong door each with one hand planted firmly on the wrong button. Gillain took a deep breath then slapped a hand against his forehead.
"Oops." Said Kat and Graphite Simultaneously then quickly let go of the button only to have a hidden trap door beneath them suddenly open at that same instance. Next thing they new they were both falling.
"Oops" said Kat and Graphite simultaneously as a hidden trapdoor opened beneath the two of them. Gillian, Erik, and Davy rushed over to the spot as the trapdoor sealed shut, apparently without a seem, while Irohk and Valencious just looked at each other.
"We have to do something!" Gillian loudly exclaimed, striking what he hoped was an appropriately desperate pose.
"Well, there's no way to follow them without pressing the red button ourselves...." Davy trailed off ominously as he stood, brushing the sand and dirt from his knees.
"As much as I think we should stay together," Erik looked briefly to Gillian and frowned as if in apology, "if we all follow after Kat and Graphite, our chances of making it to the center of the island and our goal will be that much farther away...." removing his glasses, the young doctor pinched the bridge of his nose in consternation.
"We have to split-up then," Gillian said matter of factly, pounding his fist into his hand for unnecessary emphasis. "But we have to think carefully about who...."
"I'll go!" Davy stepped forward without hesitation.
"Well, alright, but who...?"
"I'll accompany Davy." Erik stepped forward, not as quickly, but with his own air of determination. Gillian frowned and opened his mouth, only to have Erik interrupt him again. "Senchou Gillian, considering the involvement of the trapdoor, it is possible that Kat, perhaps even Graphite, are injured and need medical attention. Obviously the fall isn't lethal, seeing as this is only the first riddle such a fate is hardly commeasurate with the circumstances..."
"These sort of things usually do start-off easy enough." Irohk interjected, to which Erik nodded before continuning.
"And it would be a good idea if we had another arm, so to speak, as Graphite's combat prowess might very-well be impaired." Davy nodded in full agreement and both men looked to Gillian, waiting for his decision.
"Alright," the captain nodded slowly, casting a sideways glance at the young man; the looks that had been exchanged between Davy and Kat on previous occassions had not gone unnoticed. "But I don't like it."
"No one does." with that, Davy turned and walked toward the red door with the red button.
"Well then, we'll see the four of you at the center of the maze!" Gillian smiled confidently and clapped Erik on the shoulder. The doctor smiled in kind and joined Davy in standing before the ominous red door.
The two men stood in front of the door, neither moving.
"What are we waiting for, Davy?" Erik looked at the younger man with some confusion.
"It's so obvious that this is the wrong answer...." the younger navigator looked at the button with slight disgust.
"I know," Erik frowned himself, "but it's for Kat and Graphite."
"Then you push it."
"But... It's wrong...." The tone in Erik's voice was the closest to a whine that Davy had ever heard the doctor utter. "What if we press it together...?"
"It's the only way...." both men sighed as, eyes closed, they extended their arms toward the dreadful red button.
A high pitched scream echoed through the narrow hatchway then a loud and annoyed voice followed "Kat stop screaming! We're not falling anymore".
"ha?" exclaimed Kat, she looked upwards and saw that Graphit, who was holding her arm, has stopped the fall by spreading his legs in an insane split, sticking the pencil tips on his shoes in opposite sides of the pit. "This looks painful" said Kat referring to Graphit split.
"Well not really, I have strong legs" replied Graphit.
"That's ridicules, it's gotta hurt, your holding both of us with your legs like that!" said Kat somewhat annoyed.
"Well it doesn't "replied Graphit with an annoyed tone of his own, and after a short while of exchanging angry glares Graphit spoke again.
"I can't see the bottom yet, how deep do you think this thing is?" he asked.
"If we can't see the bottom it's probably very deep" answered Kat. "So... Now what?" she asked, and almost as a reply a loud crack was heard and a few seconds a later sharp, high toned squeak was heard as Davy and Erik both crashed down on the poor hanged Graphit, well spread crouch area. Then less then a second later, another loud sound was heard as the four hit the floor of a small dark room.
Kat rubbed off some dirt from her clothing then quickly turned to Graphit "Ha! I bet [b]that/[b] hurt!" she said, pointing and laughing at Graphit, who was holding his knees and rolling around on the floor. "Sorry about that" said Davy putting a friendly hand on Graphit's shoulder. Then a scripture on the wall suddenly lit up and filled the small room with light, reviling two doors, and two buttons.
Last edited by Dubi (2007-07-18 14:40:47)
Poor Graphite, rolling on the door, had been the unintended victim of Davy and Eriks swift fall down towards the dark pitch, and was squealing in pain. Kat on the other hand, was pointing her finger towards Graphite and unsympathetically laughing at the painful scene. Davy apologized, and grinned slightly before a surprising, unexpected sound of something being lit echoed through the hallway and two doors with golden inscriptions and two buttons were revealed. Erik swiped away the dust from his jacket and jumped up, clearly looking forward solving these riddles, and continued towards the doors.
Graphite took a deep breath and stood up, supporting his arm towards the wall, trying to keep one of his legs above ground level; the injury was not serious and the pain would disappear in the matter of seconds. He sighed and whispered to Kat, standing with startled eyes directed towards the doors: This time
We are not pressing any buttons!
Kat answered with a small laugh and an innocent look on her face.
Erik coughed to get the attention and read the riddle from something which looked suspiciously like a gravestone:
A box without hinges, key or lid,
Yet golden treasure inside is hid..
On the large, ancient door on the left side, an emblem was inscribed in the middle, revealed the word: heart. Just below was the red button. On the opposite door, holding the green button, the word egg appeared.
Davy scratched his head for a while, looking a bit confused, and exclaimed merrily: The answer is egg! I dont have a golden treasure inside my heart at least
Never heard of the expression having a heart of gold? Erik stared at the riddle with intense eyes, and looked as if he was about to stare down the stone.
Meanwhile, Graphite and Kat were both patiently waiting for Erik to solve this and continue their journey towards the inner island. Kat sat muttering to herself, thinking about what more the island could offer, while Graphite was crossing his fingers for unexpected meetings with strong warriors on the island.
A sudden rumbling from the ceiling turned everyones attention towards the roof; something seemed to be wrong. Davy took up his sword, speaking softly: Trouble. The small rumbling had increased into a rather large sound, almost sounding as if the ceiling was about to crush upon Davy, Erik, Kat and Graphite.
The first thing to happen was Kat panicking and sprinting towards the door with the word heart and yelling: Come on, we have to go
now! A loud crash from above made Graphites protective senses work in and he ran towards Kat, ready to get her to safety. At that moment, several large rocks from the ceiling fell downwards, almost as if targeted towards Kat and Graphite, and Graphites reflexes made him press the button. They both disappeared into another pit, the answer had been wrong.
Despair filled Davys face as Erik dragged him towards the other door while yelling: We need to survive this if were gonna find them, Davy!
Pressing the button, the door opened and another dark hallway stretched out before them; they could not turn back.
Irohk looked bewildered. Left standing there in front of a door with the green button on it.
"Press the damn button will you!?" Said Valencious impatiently beside him, "Or do i have to push it for you?"
"No no no" Said Irohk, "I can press it fine my self" He stretched out his hand, and hit the green button.
The door opened revealing a beautiful Japanese Garden, in an autumn scene.
"Beautiful" whispered Mirage as, she, Irohk, Valencious and Gillian slid in.
"Yes quite" Said Valencious with a stroke of passion as he slid veside Mirage. The next thing he knew, he had a boot in his face.
"Womanizer, lets figure out this riddle" Said Irohk patiently.
Gillian read aloud " Flys without wings, sees without eyes, has conquered the universe, but has never left home"
The red button read "Imagination", and the green button read "Dreams"
The four of them stood there for a long time, thinking so hard, they didnt notice two figures sliding in.
"It has to be imagination" Said Irohk
"It could as well be dreams, they're basically the same thing" Said Valencious
"can dreams conquer the universe?" inquired Gillian
"See, imagination would fit the best there" Irohk said with a little pride in his speech.
"Yeah yeah" Said Valencious sourly, "But who else notices those to guys?" He said pointing to two snickering figures behind a tree.
"Yeah, i just kinda ignored those idiots" Said Irohk
"IDIOTS HEY!?" Shouted one of them
"Johnny shut up they'll kill us before we can you know..." HE said awkwardly.
"The answer is imagination" Said Irohk
"What are you doing" Said Valencious
"It doesn't matter, even if they come after us we'll still get there first" Said Irohk Calmly
But all too suddenly the two jumped out, when with a gigantic hammer, and one swinging a huge axe.
"GET THEM BROCK" Said Johnny, who was swinging the hammer. He flung himself towards Irohk, who defended himself with his shield, he absorbed the shock, and pushed him off with his shield. He kicked him, and drew his sword to his throat.
"Dam your pretty good" He said smiling.
Irohk looked over and saw Valencious with his gun to Brock's head.
The two of them smiled, and brock shouted 'NOW' and all of a sudden, Brock turned into a vicous Boar, and Johnny turned into a monkey. Johnny jumped onto Brock's back, and went around to the doors. They rounded the red button, and hit it open, and then Johnny hit the green button with his hammer.
Valencious raced after them, "BASTARDS!" He shouted.
'No!" shouted irohk following him, they both fell into the putfall that was opened by the green button.
Gillian and Mirage raced after Johnny and Brock into the correct door.
Kat and Graphite had been crawling through a narrow tunnel for what seemed like eternity. It had in fact started off as a simple hallway but eventually it got smaller and smaller until it came to a point were it was impossible for graphit to crawl any further... The fact that Kat was behind him and had horrible claustrophobia wasnt helping either.
"PLEEAASSEE HURRY UP!! I cant take much more of this... the walls... they're getting narrower... I cant breath... i cant breath..." Graphite took a deep breath as Kat whined then stopped struggling to move forward. It was hopeless and they were both about to burst with stress and anxiety.
"What are you complaining about? Your the dumbass that tricked me into pressing that damn red button in the first place!" He yelled.
"If im a dumbass and you fell for my trick what does that make you?!" She Yelled back.
"It makes me the nice guy who felt sorry for the annoying dumbass and agreed to get her to shut up! THIS IS YOUR FAULT!"
"YES!!! It is my fault for not predicting that we'd be stuck in shrinking tunnel of doom and that the nice guy would have such a FAT ASS that he wouldn't be able to fit through!!! I guess I'll just have to fix that mistake of mine huh?"
"Wha-? H-how are you going to fix this?!" Ask Graphite suddenly feeling very nervous.
"LIGHTNING SPARK!" Yelled Kat from behind as she shoved a handful of silver magic towards Graphites behind.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!" Yelled Graphite as a voltage, too low to do any real damage but strong enough to shock him into lunging forward, zapped him from behind. Next thing he knew he was falling from the tunnel exit into another narrow room.
"HA!! Take that!!" Said Kat crawling out of the tunnel and pointing a bony finger at Graphite. "At least this place is bigger than that tunnel... Though it looks like no matter how we answer the next riddle we're just going deeper under ground." Said Kat referring to the fact that both doors weren't on the walls but on the floor and looked like 2 more trap doors.
"Oi! Stop rubbing your ass and help me answer this. 'I have many feathers to help me fly. I have a body and head, but I'm not alive. It is your strength which determines how far I go. You can hold me in your hand, but I'm never thrown. What am I?'. I think the answer is an arrow." Said Kat. Graphite immediately stopped rubbing his back in pain and looked over at Kat with deadly eyes.
"You only think its an arrow cause thats the door with a red button on it!!!" He yelled as he slowly walked towards her with his arms held out ready to kill her. But Kat didnt run or scream. She just stuck a tongue out at him then pressed the red button... 5 times... just to piss him off... Graphite who was standing directly above the door with the red button whispered 'oh god' then closed his eyes and prepared himself to fall down yet again, but a voice echoed through the narrow room before he had a chance to finish his prayer.
"-BEEP- Good morning ladies and Gentlemen. Please take a seet and for your own safety please keep both hands and legs on your body at all times. The weather at your destination today is sunny with a slight breeze from the north." Said a womans voice clearly as the ceiling of the room slowly opened reveiling the sky far above them. " We will begin flight in 7 seconds. Thank you for choosing Angel airlines and have an enjoyable flight! -BEEP-"
"Huh?" Said Kat and Graphite right before the floor of the room suddenly started moving straight upwards towards the new exit at a horrifically fast pace. Next thing they new they were both flung up and were literally flying over the clouds.
"Um... Meredith is it my imagination or is there a little girl and a giant pencil flying towards us?"
Last edited by xXInfinityXx (2007-07-22 07:51:08)
Two shadows appeared high in the sky, right below the great yellow sun, and they were screaming as they fell. Just below then stood a young woman in a reviling outfit, and a big man with a strange red suit. The sound of the screaming caught their, attention and they both looked up.
"Um... Meredith is it my imagination or is there a little girl and a giant pencil flying towards us?" Said the big man in the red suit.
"Actually, I Think that's a guy in a pencil suit
" said the woman, shielding her silvery eyes from the sun with her hand. "Here they come"
The two falling figures were now very close to the ground, and still screaming then one of them suddenly shouted "SLOW FALL!" and she lost most of her momentum and gently landed on the grassy ground. Beside her, the pencil men experienced a rougher as he landed on his head, his coney hair stuck deep in the ground. "arg! I hate it when this happens" said Graphit as he pushed his hair out of the ground.
"Are you all right?" asked the man in the red suit, looking amused from the strange incident.
"Yeah that fall's nothing-"
"His barley human" said Kat cutting Graphit in the middle of his sentence.
"Well, your not exactly ordinary as well are you?" asked the young woman, looking at Kat with a sly smile. "What kind of trick did you pull back
"oh, that
" replied Kat and stopped to build the tension, "that what my special ultra-falling-speed-draining-spell" she said proudly." it makes-ya' fall
slower" she added.
"Didn't you just shout 'slow fall'? " asked Graphit, shooting an unbelieving look at Kat.
That's for short" she replied.
"The hell it is" muttered Graphit.
"What's that supposed to mean" asked Kat angrily.
"Wait a sec, you can use 'magic'? " asked the big guy in the strange red suit.
"Yep I'm a sorceress" she replied.
"Hold on, who are you guys?" asked Graphit.
"Well, I'm Zachary Daniels, and thats Meredith Slacy" said the big man. "were members of The Emerald Pirate crew.
'Meredith?, nah, it couldn't the same girl could it?' thought Graphit. "I'm Graphit Kanex and that's Kat something
" he said.
"Iris" said Kat, quite annoyed.
"I think we're also pirates" continued Graphit "Kat d'you know the name of our crew?"
Last edited by Dubi (2007-07-30 14:45:16)
[[ooc:since no one is posting for Valencious and Irohk, i shall]]
Irohk and Valencious plumbeted towards the ground, gaining speed, it seemed like hours before they saw light.
"I SEE LIGHT" Shouted Irohk
"ME TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" Shouted Valencious as he fell face first into firey hot sand. Irohk fell right next to him.
"eye ith thith thand tho HOOOTT" Screamed Valencious as he propped himself up. Irohk stood too.
"My question is, why is there such a big sun if we just fell downwards???" Inquired Irohk as he shifted nervously.
"I dunno, but i cant see doors anywhere" Said Valencious.
Then all too suddenly two more figures plumbeted down from the hole and landed a few meters away.
"This sand..is relaxing" Said a male voice.
"Get up" Said a female voice
"...fine" Said the male again.
Irohk and Valencious crept forwards to examine the two new failures.
"Hi!" said Irohk a little cautiously.
"Hello" said the male as he sat up. He was wearing raggedy clothes, his hair was dark, and he had deep green eyes. Behind him was a large pole sticking out of the sand.
"Who are you!?" Said Valencious sticking his face into the man's.
"Im Dan Dale, DD for short, Im second mate on the Emerald Pirate crew" He said with a great lack of emotion.
The female shifted into the scene, and seemed to stay still as if not caring for the strangers before her. Then she almost jumped when Valencious slided up beside her. She had long brown hair in a pony tail, more glasses and was pretty tall.
"And you?" Said Valencius foxily.
"Get off" She said pushing him off. "Im Christine Chare, Marksman for the Mereald Pirate crew."
"Im Irohk Kinuken, and this is Valencius-" He paused for Valencious to fill in and seeming that he didnt, "Womanizer"
"HEY" He shouted as Irohk got a boot in the face.
Mirage and Gillian raced through the door into a large open courtyard. Brock and Johnny were pausing at the next door, musing over the riddle. Mirage and Gillian quietly approached the door to read the riddle:
"When one does not know what it is, then it is something; but when one knows what it is, then it is nothing."
A moment after she glanced at the riddle, Mirage began softly laughing. "Ironic."
Gillian looked at her. "What?"
"The answer to the riddle. It's quite ironic." Mirage smiled.
"But you haven't even seen the buttons yet."
"I don't need to. The answer is a riddle."
Gillian stared at her for a moment. "But-"
Mirage continued laughing. "Mind games are one of my interests... there's not much else to do in the desert. Riddles like these are simple." She paused and smiled. "Come on, let's go before they do."
Gillian nodded, shortly before Johnny cried out. "Of course! The answer is a riddle!" He smashed the green button with his hammer and the door swung open. Mirage dashed forwards, pulling Gillian behind her before the door closed.
"HEY!" - Valencius's foot landed squarely on Irokh's face. As his crewmate hit the ground, mumblng ear-withering curses in the direction of Cotez and most of his ancestors and future heirs, the sharpshooter turned around to face the mysterius pirates.
"Emerald Pirates, eh? Not to shabby a name, but definitely better than Gay Pirates, as I prefer to call the merry company I sail with." - Said Valencius, winking to Christine. The Emerald crewmembers looked at each other, not knowing whether they should laugh, or be offended. - "Anyways, i'm quite curious about why you're here." - The female sniper cleared her throat, pushed up her glasses, and gave Valencius a cold gaze. - "I think this is what we should ask you. You, the so called "sharpshooter" of your crew, whatever it's called, are in no position to ask questions. You can't even cooperate with your partner!"
Valencius's face changed from the nice, pick-up expression, to a cold, grim one. He took out his rifle and pointed it at the woman. - "You are the one that is in no position to ask questions. You two have just fallen through a trapdoor, so it's obvious you have chosen the wrong answer to the riddle, and are separated from the rest of your crew. Therefore, you probably have no idea what to do now, as you don't see any riddle doors in this area. Moreover, you should be still worried about solving the next riddle. I don't see any signs of battle on you, so i guess you just answered the last one wrong. Finally..." - he aimed the gun at DD - "...your weapon is about 2.5 meters behind you. Judging from your height, your arm reach is insufficient to just pick it up. You would have to stand up, turn around and make about two steps, and charge at me again which gives me approximately 3.6 seconds. It's enough for me to shoot you twice and reload. So, will you answer my question, or do we do it the hard way?" - He turned back to Christine.
But there was no Christine. The place where she stood was completely un-Christine-like. In fact, there were no signs of her anywhere around. Valencius was so shocked, that he only other thing he noticed, was that approximately 3.6 seconds have passed...
"fuck" said irohk jumping to his feet. He put his shield infront of his face as he heard a twang reflect from it.
"oo...nice shield you have there, i reckon its made of Orihalcon, a rare metal that is virtually indestructible, and your sword is too...hmm i might want those as a trophy of some sort" Said DD as he jumped, black flipped, and picked up his spear, and charged and Irohk.
Irohk blocked and unseathed his sword, he slashed at the pole of the spear, but instead of a crack, he heard a clang.
"My spear is also made of orihalcon" Smiled DD.
"shit" Said Irohk as he lunged with his shield, DD staggered backwards, and Irohk Lunged his sword towards his arm. CLANG his spear blocked it.
Irohk pushed his shield into the spear again, and stabbed hissword down into DD's arm. But instead of a flesh splitting sound, another CLANG rang out.
Irohk jumped back and let DD get back on his feet. He was smiling, a very odd smile.
"I have never had this much fun in a fight before...."
then just as Irohk was about to luunge again, a shot rang out.
"Gaaaaaah" Screamed Valencius as he fell to the gorund. His shoulder was bleeding and Christine standing behind him.


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It has been a long winter, one of the longest I can remember. Normally in the nation's Capitol, weather gets cold in the fall but doesn't get bitter until January rolls in. By March winter is forgotten and spring is right around the corner. What this means is generally in January and February in Washington D.C. most classic cars are off the road since this is the period where salt and sand are dropped in abundance on the roads due to the snow and ice that blankets the area. By March the snow is replaced with rain which washes within a short period of time all the salt and sand of
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text:
Abrahm Lustgarten, the ProPublica reporter who has spent years exposing problems that have accompanied the country's gas and oil quests, sent a reaction to yesterday's post on a new study of pathways between deep gas-bearing rock and near-surface aquifers that prompted me to adjust one line. But his full comment, and a resulting exchange, are worth posting here as a "Your Dot" contribution.
The paper found no correlation between the locations of near-surface water samples showing traces of deep-rock brine and gas wells. I initially reacted this way: "The study should end concerns that reports of briny water mixing with drinking water have anything to do with gas drilling…."
Here's Lustgarten:
Saying that the study "should end concerns…" [updated to "ease concerns" following my chat with him] sounds more resolved than I see it, and I would tend to wait and watch as the scientific investigation continues. We're just seeing the first 3-4 studies of this issue ever, and there are more to come. Besides, my impression was that this study was narrowly focused on the test of whether natural pathways exist, examined through an attempt to match brines found in water with brines believed to have come from deep below. I am not aware that the researchers analyzed the water for drilling contaminants, in the way, for example, that the EPA is investigating alleged contamination in Wyoming or did in Dimock, Pa., or that they even sought to answer that question.
That said, it certainly is significant that no correlation between the brine mixing and the drilling activity was established, and you are right that in the short term this may ease some concerns.
That said, it's actually not the findings/lack thereof about chemical fracking pollutants that I find most interesting about this article, though undeniably the current controversy and headline climate makes it difficult not to orient the discussion around that.
If we can put aside the fracking and chemical rhetoric for moment, I think this research is more revelatory for what it tells us about the geological properties themselves.
What strikes me as most significant is not only the establishing of probable pathways, but Engelder and others' reaction to that finding. In years of reporting on this issue — and the waste injection well issue, which really concerns the same questions about pathways — the public explanation has consistently been that no underground migration at all is possible. We've been told we know this because of logic (there is so much separation there is simply no way…) and because of geology (the Marcellus and other layers are so impermeable no fluids can get through them, or there are no fractures or faults to allow movement). This is what the oil and gas industry trade groups say in public, it's what the regulators say (the New York SGEIS, for example), and so on.
In the scientific community geologists are less universally confident, but the consensus conventional wisdom is still largely the same: This can't happen. It's virtually impossible.
And yet the National Academy of Sciences article published yesterday says that it is happening. (And in the first articles in my series about injection disposal wells I cited several other cases in Ohio and Florida where it happened through natural pathways). When yesterday's research came out, I expected the gas industry, for example, to struggle to address the idea that pathways exist, but instead they tell me they have long known that underground migration happens. The question, they now ask, is how long does it take? Engelder says the same — that even though the public has generally been led to believe upward migration is impossible, he has long known that it happens in some places. Well since when? And why haven't these same people discussed the potential of natural pathway migration before?
And so the conversation is steered towards the next (and still very important) question of timescale, instead of focusing for a moment longer on the very significant fact that the safety of a 150,000-well deep disposal program and all the other hundreds of thousands of wells drilled in this country is based on the premise that migration cannot happen.
Lets pause on that for a moment. The federal government runs a national regulatory program to oversee the underground injection of waste. The fundamental premise of the regulations is A) that drinking water is highly vulnerable to such injections and B) that the practice of injection can be made safe by rigorously regulating the well construction itself. For most injection wells regulations only address the well structure and site because it is assumed that the natural geological layering makes vertical migration impossible. (Fracking is an identical process to waste injection, but isn't regulated under the same program because of exemptions). In my reporting on injection wells, I learned that the scientific view is shifting and the certainty is waning. Yesterday's research article adds to the evidence that this premise may be seriously flawed.
I see the science on these issues as evolving incrementally. No one article will resolve the issue. The time question is essential, and I hear there are teams out there researching it now, including one from the Department of Energy. If we can know it generally takes 200 million years for this to happen, as Engelder says, then we probably don't care much about the risk. If we find that it takes 100 years, we might reconsider. If its 10, we've got a present-moment issue to face. Only additional research will answer these questions. But there is information out there. One case study that I examined in Haverhill, Ohio, concerned the injection of hazardous waste that was detected in a rock layer 1,400 feet above where it was intended to go. In this case scientists found that there were no problems with the injection well cement or casing — the waste had leaked through natural pathways. Most interesting to me is their estimates that it took about 20 years for the waste in Ohio to move as far as it had, and that it could still be slowly making its way upward. This is a slow enough timescale that the risk can seem remote, but fast enough that someone we know in our lifetime is likely to deal with the consequences.
I sent a couple of followup queries, consolidated here:
- Didn't the previous paper from the Duke group (Osborn 2011) rule out drilling contaminants?
- Isn't the injection well issue separate from this particular discussion? (This about extraction, with the only injection in the gas production process is the fracking itself.)
His reply:
Yes, you are right. So amend what I wrote. But what I was getting at (and it doesn't diminish the importance of these example where chemicals are NOT found) is that they weren't investigating known contamination to determine where it came from. Also, I'm not clear whether these were the same water samples, had some overlap, or were entirely different. Anyway, it is good to determine that this water isn't polluted by fracking. But some water is polluted — like in Dimock, or in Pavillion — and in those cases the question is what caused it? That's what I mean is a different approach.
As to whether injection wells are irrelevant — clearly they weren't the focus (or even in the minds of) Jackson and the other researchers on this paper, so I'm not saying that the paper is explicitly about injection wells. And maybe it is a news-stretch. But it happens to my current frame of mind because I've been thinking a lot about it, and the key issues overlap. So I guess I'm finding the relevance, or pointing out. It would be hard to argue that one doesn't matter to the other. And I find useful reference in the injection well issue because A) there is a regulatory paradigm set up to deal with it and B) the case studies are there. Its nice to know that there are no frack chemicals in the water wells tested in eastern Pennsylvania two to four years after the area was drilled. But if case studies show it has taken decades for migration to happen in some places, it at least raises the possibility that it would be too soon to tell about the impact of fracking or other injection from drilling. Of course the geology and environment is different in every single place we talk about, so we're dealing in broad lessons and generalizations here. I'm not arguing that the story will turn out badly. I'm arguing that we can't say it will turn out fine and that the things that have been said to argue it is fine are sometimes turning out to be wrong.