The Mist!

Cassie smiled at Dameon, glad that he was friendly and accepting.

"Any art requires learning," She said. "And wisdom and common sense can be worth far more than intelligence. But I'll help in any way I can!"

She turned her attention back to Dora, and was delighted to see that Skraal's rebuke hadn't dulled her spirits in the slightest. On the contrary, her response had lit up everyone's faces again...even Skraal's for a very brief instant.

They would do fine. Their differences were their strengths, not weaknesses. With such a diverse and colorful group, they'd be ready for anything.

 

Dora registered Skraal's brief smile with satisfaction. So he COULD smile! She thought so.

Now she turned her attention to the gathering crowds who were watching their progress toward the gate. The Wall bulked ahead of them meaning safety, security, and the boundaries of everything she'd ever known. She looked back at the people, their faces lined with worry and waved at them as though she were on a parade float.

"Bye for now!" she called out, "Don't be sad! It's a great adventure."

She saw a few of the women burst into tears and was somewhat taken aback, wondering if she'd inadvertently said something wrong.

Dora turned back toward the looming Wall and for an instant even her stalwart resolve was shaken. She knew her parents were like these watching them go, expecting them never to return, and for a moment she wondered...

She pushed the unworthy thoughts off, kept her head up and reminded herself that they could expect good things just as easily as bad...and just because nobody had ever come back didn't mean that they COULDN'T.

Keeping this firmly in mind, Dora began to whistle a popular dance tune, marching to it with an occasional skip as she went.

 

"Any art requires learning," She said. "And wisdom and common sense can be worth far more than intelligence. But I'll help in any way I can!"

"Thanks." I said and looked up at the wall again, my eyes as always drawn not to it but through it. "So what do the mages teach about the wall and whats beyond it?" I asked wondering if their might be any useful tales.

 

Ceri was content to follow a little way behind the others, at a level with Ben and Soujiro, thoughtfully quiet as she listened to those up front chattering. Occasionally she flicked her gaze around the crowds of people come to see them off, but there were no familiar faces among them. A strange, mixed feeling of relief and guilt filled her stomach.

As a distraction, Ceri tuned her attention back to the leaders, just as Dora expounded her theory that the mist might be laughing gas. Ceri couldn’t help but laugh at the girl’s exuberant and energetic enthusiasm, and, as in the inn, held a hand to her mouth to stifle her laughter. Bouncy would definitely be a good nickname, Ceri thought, watching her; Dora skipped rather than walked, and her light hearted nature would be a valuable asset, Ceri guessed, for keeping the team’s spirits up.

Particularly if Snarly didn’t improve. He seemed almost determined to be as antisocial as possible. Not just silent, like some of the others (herself included, it seemed); antagonism was clear in every movement and word of Snarly’s, and Ceri thought she might faint from shock when he actually smiled. Dora’s happy aura, it seemed, was powerful enough to get through even to him.

She wondered about the others though. Soujiro had said little after introducing himself, and when he had spoken it was with a cool indifference despite the smile on his face. Ben had seemed pleasant enough but was now as quiet as Ceri. And the mages, though they had introduced themselves to Dameon, were happy enough with just each other’s company – understandable, as they were already friends.

Still …

Ceri’s thoughts were cut short as the wall loomed ahead of them. It had a strange, intimidating quality – a solid, unbreachable obstacle that represented both safety and fear. It stretched out before them, formidable, almost seeming to dare them to leave its protection.

Or, depending on how you looked at it, its prison.

Ceri felt her heart speed up, beating loudly in her ears. She almost stopped, until Dora started whistling a dance tune, bouncy like her. Ceri took a few faltering steps, then straightened up, took a deep breath, and started walking in determined strides, in step with the tune.

She’d made this choice, she reminded herself. This was what she wanted.

 

Hortensio heard the speech out the front of the inn, although he was not really of mind to be listening intently. he had a thought that may quite well save them all a lot of time and effort, although it would set him back a bit of time...

hung it cloak over the bar in the inn then began to run at full pace to a stable only 3 miles from here, on his way he could tell that people had heard of the expedition leaving the wall and where slowly moving in their direction, out of interest, pity, or to wish them luck he was uncertain. he reached the stable later than he expected and wasted no time in haggling for a horse with a pouch of coins that he had found on the way.
as time slipped by he chose his horse; a mild grey 15 hand mare slightly underfed but with some strong looking legs and well cared for hooves.
as it wasnt his money and odd are he wasnt going to be using it again he ended up giving the bag of coppers to the man and taking the horse, a saddle cloth, saddle and the other equipment required including 4 bags of feed.

he set the horse to a trot and bounced his way through the streets of the town, and then onto the road which he assumed they would have taken. not forgetting to pick up is cloak.

(to be continued later, i have to go)

 

Cassandra smiled.

"They don't. Our histories are long, stretching back for centuries, and all of the family lines are recorded in intricate detail. The building of all the major structures, the founding of Harmony; its all there. But through it all, the existence of the Wall and the Mist is simply a given. We have only very vague records of the construction of Capital, and its early years.

"That's part of the reason I'm leaving. Why did our ancestors come here? Why does nobody return from the Mist? Why do any of us even desire to leave the Wall? They're all questions that need answers. I want to find them."

She breathed out slowly and flushed a little. Her passion to know and understand seemed to defy any masks she could try to put over it. Not that she wanted to; but her and Si were the only mages there. The rest of these people seemed so strong and capable; much more ready for this than Cassie was.

Only time would tell.

 

"That's part of the reason I'm leaving. Why did our ancestors come here? Why does nobody return from the Mist? Why do any of us even desire to leave the Wall? They're all questions that need answers. I want to find them." She replied rather passionatly, bringing a smile to my face.

"I'm sure you'll find your awnsers." I replied confidently, the wall now close enough to make out the shape of the gate on it. It'd still be a whille but the sight of the gate seemed to make this all feel more real. Now that it was with in sight I realized that she might have brought some magic with her. "So do you got any interesting magical devices to help us out?" I asked cuirously.

 

Hortensio was no horse rider, evdiant by his irregualr bouncing and sore...everything. he figgured at this pace he was only an hour behind the main group and the horse would be an invaluable asset to the survival of the group across the wall.

he bugun the think about what was over the wall, all he could imagine was a flat barron plain with the ever present dense mist restricting almost all vision making easy game for the creatures of the mist. the wall was built to keep the creatures of the mist out, but then a thought occured to him...maybe the wall is there not to keep things out of where we live, but to keep us out of where they live. what if we are the ones who are a poison to their land? there where few to none records that considered who built the wall, and why, as the wall could not have been there forever.

this thought made him nervous, maybe he was meant to stay and live the pathetic life a Jerry Turnbuckle the knife thrower. his cloak lay across the horse making a slight jangle every time the horse changes legs, and the knife handles where evdiant although the throwing blades where still relativly invisible.

i need to do something about the noise, and the weight too he thought to himself. he the land was flat yet he could still not see the people. he kicked the horse into a canter.

 

"So do you got any interesting magical devices to help us out?"

"Well, I brought a long a flash light that doesn't require batteries, and Cassie always carries a bunch of stuff with her." says Si as she continues looking down rather than at anyone, "So, do you two think there is anything dangerous beyond the wall? It just seems weird that our ancestores would build it, just becuase of some mist."

 

Ben reviewed some of the mornings events while walking beside Ceri toward the wall. Soujiro was on her other side.

He was happy to finally be leaving and hoped his sister and parents would be OK while he was away. He remembered smiling at Dora after she finished drawing the red heart on his hand; she had smiled at him too. He stared at the heart until she distracted him from it by asking him a question.

He answered Dora's question about what he thought was in the Mist by saying, "I believe the Mist is simply there to keep us from seeing what is beyond it and I hope to find people living beyond the Mist."

That conversation had not continued because Dameon had introduced himself as the leader and then they all went out the door.

He didn't really remember how he ended up beside Ceri, he simply hadn't wanted to be at the front of the group. He tried to listen to everyones conversations and chuckled when Dori mentioned laughing gas.

He kept a smile on his face and did his best to contain his excitement as every foot step brought them all that much closer to the gate that would let them see and experience the unknown!

 

Soujiro had been quiet all this time, intent on listening in rather than contributing. He felt that he could roughly gauge people by the way they reacted to others. So far Ben and Ceri had been quiet, although Ceri occasionally did strange things like skip rather than walk. He wondered how it might look from an observer's point of view. A group of suicidal people venturing beyond the wall and one was actually skipping to their death. He imagined the silent whispers amongst the crowd as they passed with the ever looming presence of the wall becoming more majestic.

Skraal had smiled earlier and that hightened Soujiro's curiosity about him. Others seemed to be relieved at the slip and once again Ceri had showed a childish nature that pleased him. She will be a useful companion, he thought.

The wall loomed closer and closer, Soujiro was inching ever slower to it, to the unknown and feared. He was very sure now that he'd made a wise choice to join this venture. He looked down at his swords which were quietly nestled on the left of his waist. He stroked their sheaths lightly letting his fingers glide over their texture. Being one of the many warriors in their group he hoped that what he'd learned wasn't in vain and that his journey to the Mist would reap the result he deeply desired.

 

Si looks around the group. Skraal scared her, but she knew he could be useful in the miss. The other girls with them seemed nice. She turns her head back and sees that guy in the blue kimono, who seems happy and completely relaxed dispite that they could be walking to thier deaths.

She walks to the back of the group and talks to the young man. "Hi there, you're name is Soujiro, right? I'm Si, its nice to meet you." says Si with a smile.

 

Madeline glanced back over her shoulder. The speaker was the blond girl with the flashlight. Her name was Si, she remembered. Soujiro, she assumed, was the man behind her wearing a blue kimino. He ran his fingers over the sheaths of his blades, as if it were habit. She frowned, and examined the other adventurers. All of them had more weapons than her. That Hortensio, who had disappeared, had carried a small arsenal.

Even Dora had a bow, which bounced against her back with every skip. Were they all trained? I could probably shoot that thing and miss the Mist around us, Madeline thought with a frown. Whatever they met out there, she could only hope that it was as useless at combat as she was. She prided herself more on her skill at running away.

Of course, if pushed into a corner, she could fight. But her small knife would only be good for close range combat. By then, it could already be too late. She lifted her leg and drew the blade, turning the dull and rusted surface over. I should have sharpened it before we came, she thought. She bent down and picked up a stone off the ground, which she grated over the blade. The rust flaked away.

 

"Hi there, you're name is Soujiro, right? I'm Si, its nice to meet you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too Si." Soujiro returns her warm welcoming smile. In the first few seconds of being personally introduced to this girl, Soujiro had thought her to be shy and more reserved. He was only slightly taller than her and a appeared pretty frail, but something signalled otherwise he didn't know what.

He looked ahead and asked her,

"As a child did you ever wonder what was out there?"

 

As Dora marched and whistled the tune she was interrupted by one of the bystanders who, unlike the others, came close enough to speak to her and touched his hat respectfully. He looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties and was leading a small white donkey by a halter and rope.

"Miss?" He said, trying to gain her attention.

Dora stopped and gave him a smile.

"Yes?"

"I'd like to make a present of this animal for the journey y'all are embarkin' on."

He handed her the lead rope and the donkey looked at her with large dark soulful eyes. Its muzzle, the end of its tail, and the tips of its ears were brown, too. There were two full packs of feed on its back.

"What's its name?" asked Dora.

"Her name's Snoball," he said, "but you can name 'er whatever you want. She's a gift to help you to carry things or so if someone gets weak there'll be a place t' ride."

Dora hugged the young man impulsively.

"Thank you!" she said happily, taking the lead rope.

The young man shot a look at an older woman in the crowd, strongly built, who was watching him with disfavor, feet apart and hands on hips. He looked a little guilty as he returned his look to Dora.

"I want'd to go with the last group through the gate," he almost whispered, "but I couln't. He gave an ever-so-slight twitch toward the woman just as she let out a bellow.

"Sivvlis Ganon Tarrington! You git back here THIS MINNIT!"

"Got to go," the young man said nervously. Then touching his cap again he trailed back toward the woman, leaving the donkey with Dora.

Dora watched him go and saw the stalwert lady lay into him with her tongue. She couldn't hear the woman's harangue but Sivvlis didn't look happy, or surprised, even when she took his cap off of his head and beat him about the head and shoulders with it several times.

He should have come with us, Dora thought. But he wasn't going to leave, she saw with sadness, he slunk back into the crowd and was gone.

She petted Snoball's muzzle and the ears flicked. Dora stepped forward, tugging on the lead rope and after a minute's hesitation the little animal followed her.

 

Madeline watched as a bystander made the donkey a gift to Dora. It was entirely white. He returned to the angry woman who attacked him with his hat. Dora petted their new companion on the muzzle and it obediently followed her, its tail swishing.

Mad waited until they were out of earshot of the man before saying, ‘Hey, at least we won’t go hungry.’

 

'Hey, at least we won't go hungry."

Dora laughed and patted the little donkey again. The animal seemed to approve of the affection and nudged her with its muzzle.

"I'm not planning on eating it, silly!" I have other food with me. Dora indicated her bulging pack, "and I'm a good cook so I imagine that we'll find things to eat and I can make something good out of them using what I brought along."

Dora grinned at Mad with great good humor, imagining the sumptuous dishes that she could create with newly explored foods.

Skraal had made no comment about the donkey. He had simply stopped and waited while the young man gifted her with it and moved on when she had. She thought she saw a small shake of the head but other than that he just looked forbidding. Since this seemed to be his natural expression it was impossible to tell what he thought.

 

Ceri was surprised at herself for being so quiet – perhaps walking with two reserved young men had affected her – but she found she was as happy to listen to the others talk as she was to talk herself. Listening let her learn a little bit more about the people she was travelling with, though she was still unsure about some of them. They all, however, had something valuable to add the group that made Ceri glad she was travelling with them.

She was half listening to Si and Soujiro talking when she was distracted by one of the bystanders giving Dora a donkey. Although she couldn’t hear what they were saying, Ceri got the impression than the young man really wanted to come with them, but couldn’t.

She watched him as he retreated back to an older woman in the crowd, who immediately and loudly began reprimanding him and beating him about his head and shoulders with his hat. Ceri winced in sympathy; that was the sort of reaction her older sister, and probably her mother, would have had if she’d told them where she was going. Not out of malice or viciousness, but worry for her. Still, it was why she had left without telling anyone.

Ceri only hoped she wouldn’t come to regret it.

 

Cassie grinned again.

"Si's flashlight will be a lot more useful than what I carry around, I'm sure." She dug in her robe and her hand found the small chain. She withdrew it, and on its end was a small golden watch, ticking softly and counting time as it flowed around them.

"It was my first big magic project," Cassie said. "I made it when I was twelve." She let Dameon examine it before she placed it back in her pocket.

"Yes, it does. I wonder if maybe the Wall was build to keep us in, rather than keep something else out. There are thousands of possibilities out there."

They continued on, and Si dropped back to talk to a man in a blue kimono. In the meantime, Dora had seemed to appropriate a donkey; definitely a useful acquisition. Cassie's smile widened.

 

We had been walking along rather peacefully when a man with a donkey apeared and seemed to gift it to Dora. I smiled and couldn't help but think that she got this treatment often. She appeared to be the kind of person people want to help out. Perhaps that skill of hers will come in handy.

Then the man returned to what I belived to be his wife who proceded to degrad him and beat him with his own hat. I found this strangly funny, bearly stifling a laughter at the man and womens antics. He must really love her to put up with that abuse though, she was probably all bark and no bite. Though with the hat I reconsidered and thought more mostly bark and a little bite.

I looked over at Ceri, the first of the group to have arrived. I recalled her tence reaction to Drake and his calculating eyes, and then I looked at Cassi also. "Pretty exciting isn't it?" I asked both of them, looking back to the rising wall. "I mean, only about an hour left and we'll be at the gate."

 

Ceri looked away from the man and woman in the crowd to catch Dameon looking back at her. She smiled at him, wondering if she’d been betraying anything of her uncomfortable emotions in her face as she watched the couple. If Dameon thought anything was amiss, however, he didn’t show it, instead looking towards the red-haired mage girl and saying seemingly to both of them,

“Pretty exciting, isn’t it? I mean, only about an hour left and we’ll be at the gate.”

Ceri smiled again. “Exciting, terrifying, exhilarating, petrifying,” she listed her feelings wryly, “Wonder how we’ll feel when we’re actually out there?”

 

Skraal watched as Dora accepted the Donkey, he shook his head. Though why this didn’t surprise him he couldn’t answer. He began to muse the thought that the Donkey would make a great meal but then pushed the thought to the back of his mind. He doubted Dora would agree.
Skraal was many things but one to prey on the weaker he was not. He simply grunted and heard the momentous squawk of his Bird.

"We’re near the gate." He mused speaking in almost a whisper to himself.

Dameon stood a little distance from him now and spoke with the two girls at this point Skraal wondered what courage Dameon possessed but then he would soon know once outside. He felt a cool breeze wash over him as he continued to walk close to Dora. He couldn’t understand why he felt drawn to this warm innocent woman.

The blackbird flew low and landed on the Donkey’s head for a moment it pecked the Donkey’s ear as though making a whispered conversation then flew off. Skraal noted the Donkey seemed happy to accept his birds presence.

Skraal stopped just a moment to view the long and tall wall now almost on top of them. The gate was tall and steep. The ore of the sheer view filled him with passion. The Wall stood one thousand feet tall, 100 feet thick, covering a radius of 10 miles. To Skraal this was nothing more than a prison a safe haven for the weak. He was not weak nor did he wish to die within its confines. He felt deep inside he was meant for something new something different. Danger most certainly lurked outside otherwise others would have returned if anything to talk of the outside world. He continued to walk close to Dora and Madeline.

He sensed danger more than he cared to admit. And yet that feeling filled him with excitement. The chance to engage in blood lusting combat filled his every sense to the core. He felt it running through his veins.

 

The door upon the wall shaped itself as we approached the wall. Twenty feet tall, and another twenty wide. Made from steal, bronze and glass. The side facing us of the gate was glass, allowing us to see gears and pulleys that made up most of the inside of the machine. A single man stood near the gate, a giant key by his side. He was six foot tall, with a slightly balding head, blue sharp eyes, and wore a matching blue mages robe.

His name was Fredrick, the second highest ranked of the mages besides Drake himself. He saw us coming and smiled up at us. He was well known for his happy goodbyes and stead fast optimism for all who left. This was the first time I had seen him or the legendary key. The key itself stood three feet tall, made completely of bronze and was rather simple in design. Only two notches on it, a pole leading to the handle which was just a bar. Though big it did not appear to weigh to much.

The key hole itself was another wonderment for me, not actually on the door but beside it. Also simple looking like the key if it had not been for the shear size of both they would not have looked out of place on a girl’s diary.

The smile that had been on my face most of the trip spread even further now as if in reaction to Fredrick’s own. He raised a hand in greeting and I quickly copied it as if my arm had a mind of his own. I actually saw a lot of Dora in this man. He stood their at the gate seemingly at ease, no worries but when the day would be done and he could return home to the guild.

“Hail brave adventurers. I had been beginning to think that you might not be showing up at all.” He said with a light, cheerful voice that more than matched his appearance if not his age.

 

There it was: freedom. Madeline peered up at the Wall from the safe confines of her hood. The shadow fell over her, and the sheer magnitude of the journey that lay ahead made her throat feel dry. What am I doing? A voice muttered. Turn back. There has to be an easier option.

She shook her head and returned the knife to her boot. She wouldn’t. Whatever she had become, a coward wasn’t on the list. She scraped the last few flecks of rust of her knife and tested it against her palm. The pressure felt dull, unfocused. She sighed and threw the rock away. It skittered on the ground and came to a stop.

 

"Now!" Anounced Fredrick cheerfully. "To get the official part of this little cerimony out of the way." He told us as we aproached the gate. He reached deep into his robe and pulled out a brown book with gold lining. He seemed to handle it as if it where a child as he opened it to a book marked page. Before handing it to me. I took the book and looked down at the page, it was half full of names.

"Now please sign here with your birth name so that you're parents or freinds will know where you went of to instead of being left not knowing." He exsplained as he handed me a pen. I signed my name carefully and then handed the book and pen over to Skraal wondering if he'd sign anything.

And so it went being passed from one person to the next until all had signed off on the list. Once that happened he took up the book, stowed it back away in his robe and hefted the key, and popped it into the keyhole. It slide in easily but he took a step back stretched his arms walked back to the key and forcefully turned it. CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK. It went as it moved. After the finaly click when the key was turned a full turn he held it for a moment and let it go.

Now the clicking noise was ten fold, the gears inside the wall turning, the pullies pulling at unknown parts and the gate slowly opened. Mist spilling forth as a crack appeared and widened into an opening big enough for several people to pass at the same time. The mist struck my face and when I breathed it in, it smelt and tasted foul, though it wasn't chocking me. I hesitantly stepped back form the mist. Fredrick seemed uneffected himself. Then with a brave face I walked into the mist, soon the world seemed to take on a dark seen as objects in the distant appeared as nothing more than shadows. Though all objects seemed a little ways away, near the gate was nothing. I waited for the group.