Dialogue and descriptions from The Longest Journey by Funcom - Transcript compiled by Bluejay, slightly modified by me
Upon reaching Alais April updated her diary, which had somehow survived her underwater adventures unblemished.
Early Saturday morning.
Back home, at this time, I'd be safely snuggled up in bed, safe in the knowledge that it's Saturday, I've got nowhere I have to be, I can just relax all day long, maybe go to the café, hang out for a while, maybe go to the park, whatever...
This all started a week ago yesterday. One week of mysteries and danger and strange revelations about the very nature of the cosmos. And I'm still reasonably sane. At least that accounts for something.
Now I know there's an Alatien village somewhere on Alais. The question is where? And how do I get there? If the Maerum and Alatien used to live close to each other, the village should be somewhere down by the sea...maybe right around the corner.
A lush green jungle, hills and a volcano lay in the distance. And there was a faint rumbling to be heard. A stone pillar formed an arch over a fallen stone wall on the right leading farther down the beach whereas a path led up a cliff to her left. She could get lost if she just wandered off with no idea of what the island looked like or where she was heading. A guide would be handy and she thought of Crow, wondering what had happened to him. She hoped he was all right. Pulling out her flute, she played a tune and scanned the sky anxiously. Several minutes later, he appeared, flapping furiously.
Crow:
April! You're alive! You're here! You're ... soaking wet. Where did you go? I thought you'd drowned. I was completely miserable. And the chicks on this island are so prissy, they don't even care for a kiss unless you're all settled down with a nest and your own territory.
April:
Glad to see you haven't lost thee gift of the gab, Crow.
Crow:
Lady, you have no idea how limited bird twitter can be. It's all "hi" this and "here I am" that, all damn day long. I haven't had a decent conversation in days.
April:
Well, you're making up for it now.
Crow:
I never know when you're gonna go awol on me again.
April:
What did you do after I saw you last?
Crow:
Well, it took a while, but I found land. Not this island, just a rock with a coupla trees, basically. But when I went back to tell you, you'd disappeared. I thought you'd gone bonkers from thirst and hunger and drowned yourself or something, so I decided I'd better find solid ground myself, or I'd suffer the same fate. And then I found this place. Nice, isn't it? And the best part is, there are no hunters! Only a bunch of big crabs on the east side of the island, and a volcano.
April:
I had a little adventure under the sea.
Crow:
Oh. I didn't know humans had gills.
April:
We don't. Well, I do... I think. At least, I can breathe under water now.
Crow:
Cool. Not as cool as being able to fly, of course, but still. Hey, does that mean you're a mermaid?
April:
Hardly. I don't have a tail. What can you tell me about the island, Crow?
Crow:
Only what I've been able to see from above. There's a volcano -- dead, I think -- and lost of jungle. And some nice beaches.
April:
I'm gonna walk around for a bit, Crow.
Crow:
I'll just stay here and preen myself, thank you very much.
April:
I'd like to explore the jungle, but I'm afraid I'm gonna get lost. Any ideas?
Crow:
Well... I could stay airborn and keep track of where you are, that way I could direct you if -- sorry, when you get lost.
April:
Sounds like a super plan, Crow.
Crow:
Let's go!
With an enthusiaistic hop, he took off, finding a thermal to glide lazily above her as she made her way to the jungle. As she gradually made her way up the slopes of the mountain, a the ground rumbled and shook gently. The sound gradually grew louder and the shaking more forceful as she neared the mountain. She cleared the perimeter of the jumgle to see a large stone face with an open mouth as if it was shouting, carved into the base of the mountain. She stumbled as the ground trembled beneath her feet. The rumbling was much fiercer here and the ground was really shaking. It was definitely seismic. It had to be emanating from the volcanic mountain. It looked dead to her but it seemed about to wake up or erupt or something. Great, after surviving a shipwreck, a kidnap by fishes and learning to breathe in water, she was about to die in a volcanic eruption. How ironic. Bracing herself against the shakes, she looked around from her vantage and spotted an extremely tall tree that had be at least a hundred meters tall. And there seemed to be something in the tree crown which looked like a man-made construction. Carefully, she climbed into the mouth opening of the carved face and found three interesting features. An eye-shaped indenture with an aperture, a triangular keyhole and a circule wheel with a strange symbol.
April:
(Examing the aperture) It's a small, eye-sized aperture with a crystal in it, like a lens. Maybe some kind of telescope? (She peered into it) I don't see anything interesting.
She made her way back down to the beach and decided to explore beyond the arch. The coast rounded into a small cove with shell-like habitats with large crabs.
April:
It's the village of the giant crabs. Hey, that sounds like a great name for a B-movie! "Village of the Giant Crabs."(Looking at the sea) Clear, unpolluted waters, overflowing with life..Just one more reason why Arcadia is both the vacationer's and environmental activist's wet dream. Literally. (A small flight of steps wound up the side of the cliff overlooking the cove. A big statue stood at the top. She approached the crab which emitted a cry and seemed to be struggling) It's some sort of giant crab. Sounds like the poor thing's in a lot of pain. Yeah, the shell does look way too tight -- maybe he's outgrown it, but can't shed it? Or whatever it's called. I'll just take a shot here, and ask you...is there any chance you speak, like, a real language? Like, uhm, Arcadian? English?
Orlowol:
Clik-clak, clak-clak-clak, clik.
April:
Oh-kay. Now, is there some kind of magic I have to learn, or potion I have to drink or eat or ingest in some way to learn your language? Because that's usually how it goes.
Orlowol:
Clak-clik-clik, clak
April:
No? Too bad, although I'm glad I don't have to draw blood or swallow a stone or something.
Orlowol:
Clak-clak.
April:
Can't help but feel you're asking me for help, though. It's the strangest thing... After all, you're just clicking your claws, aren't you. It's not as if you're really...talking...is it?
Orlowol:
Clak!
April:
(After testing the shell) I can't break the shell. It's too thick and solid.
I found this crab-like creature on the beach, and it looked like it was in pain, like it was getting slowly strangled or something. It was really sad, but I couldn't do anything...the thing is just too big and solid for me. I need somebody to help me, somebody big and strong. Where do I find a person like that on an island like this?
There was nothing that could be done for the crab at the moment. She made her way up to the cliff over the cove and found a cold fireplace next to the statue. Up there, the water looked crystal clear.
April:
(Looking down into the water) I can see clear to the bottom. This really is an excellent spot for fishing. (The statue was interesting, it was divided into two halves with different pictorials) The top half of the statue depicts a creature with a big mouth calling out. The bottom of the statue depicts a creature with large ears listening to something. Between them was a triangular hole, like a keyhole.
She headed back to the beach and took the left path to the cliff. It opened up to a grassy plateau with the volcanic mountain and dense jungle at the background. Broken stones of a ruined city were scattered all over. There was also another of the statues facing out to sea near the edge of the cliff. She peered down a hole near a sapling.
April:
It's a deep hole. More like a crevice, actually, caused by some kind of seismic activity. God, it must be at least fifty meters down. The crevice widens out into a huge cave just below, and there's water at the bottom.
She decided to check out the tall tree with the construction she had spotted from the carved face. At the bottom of the tree, there was yet another of the statues along with three strange dry twigs and sticks. A small path wound itself up the tree. As she made her way to the path, she brushed against a bent dried branch.
Woody:
Ow!
Wick:
Shh!
April:
Who's there?
Woody:
Duh!
Wick:
Shut up!
April:
I know there's somebody there. I heard you.
Willow:
Is she gone?
Woody:
Nope, she's still around.
Wick:
Shut up, shut up, shut up!
April:
If you won't come out, I'll just sit down here and wait. Sooner or later, you'll have to show yourself.
Looking around, she saw a chair-like twig and jumped when it suddenly moved just as she was about to sit down.
Wick:
Solar eclipse!
April:
Oh my God!
Wick:
Ahhh!
April:
I hate this place. I so hate it. I can't even sit down without crushing the natives.
Wick:
Big person alert!
April:
This is too freaky.
Wick:
You think it's freaky? What about us? There's a large human stumbling around on her lumpy, wobbly legs. That's what we proper-sized folks call a natural disaster.
April:
Watch it. Nobody calls me large or lumpy to my face.
Wick:
Big boned then. You're a bulldozer with a brain, lady. You're an accident waiting to happen. At least to us Stickmen.
April:
What are you?
Wick:
What does it look like?
April:
Um, a talking twig?
Wick:
We're Stickmen, and you're an accident waiting to happen, with your large, ungainly body and wobbly legs.
April:
What's a Stickman?
Wick:
An unlucky bugger doomed to a miserable life of stiff backs and monotonous drudgery in the shadow of a Mother Tree.
April:
Happy little fella ain't you?
Wick:
You have no idea.
April:
So you guys are Stickmen?
Wick:
That's right. I'm Wick. This is Willow and that dumb looking one over there is Woody. And this is our Mother Tree.
April:
What's a Mother Tree?
Wick:
What do you mean, what's a Mother Tree? It's a Mother Tree. How difficult can it be? It's our mother, and it's a tree. It's a Mother Tree.
April:
What so Stickmen do?
Wick:
What do we do? What do we do? What do you mean, what do we do?
April:
Well, the people in this world always do something. Like the Banda dug tunnels in the earth, the Maerum killed Snapjaw and covered their houses with Tanyenn. You gotta do something.
Wick:
Hey, it ain't easy being a stick, let me tell you. You got your stiff back, and limbs, your fear of fire and water, your three hundred years of miserable boredom, and then you have to get planted and raise a family. It ain't easy.
April:
So you're not doing anything worthwhile then?
Wick:
Lady, I'm miserable, I'm grumpy, and I got a headache. What do you want from me?
April:
What's that constant, rumbling noise?
Wick:
Lady, you have no idea what we have to endure. All day, all night, that noise is just murder. It all started when Q'aman, the "quiet giant" -- would you believe that's what we used to call him? -- was banished by the Orlowol from his perfect fishing place to some remote place in the forest...
April:
Whoa, information overload! Let's step back for a minute to fill in the details...Who's Q'aman, the quiet giant?
Wick:
He's the scariest human we've ever seen. He stands as tall as a mountain, and uses whole trees for toothpicks. But he was the quiet type, and reasonably gentle...for a human. He'd spend his days out by the Orlowol village, catching fish and frying fish and eating fish, and looking out across the ocean dreaming about loose women or what not.
April:
Who are the Orlowol?
Wick:
They're the crab-like creatures who live down by the sea. They're nice people, if a little crabby, and it's hard to understand what they're saying half the time.
April:
What happened to get the quiet giant banished from that place?
Wick:
The Orlowol got scared when he accidentally stepped on one of their young ones. He didn't do any real harm, but they banished him from their village nonetheless, and told him to go far into the forest.
April:
Where's Q'aman now?
Wick:
Somewhere in the forest east of here, we don't know where exactly. He went there to get as far away from the Orlowol as possible.
April:
So what does all this have to do with the rumbling noise?
Wick:
I was getting to that. If you'd just let me get a word in edgewise....
April:
I just had some questions, is all.
Wick:
Anyway. Q'aman is the brooding type, and he takes everything to heart, he got instantly depressed, and went to sleep.
April:
And what is he doing now?
Wick:
Still sleeping. That's the problem.
April:
But how long ago was it that the Orlowol banished him?
Wick:
The last full moon, nearly thirty sunsets past.
April:
He's been sleeping for a month?
Wick:
He was depressed. What do you want, lady? Once I got so miserable I slept for eight years. And let me tell you, those eight years were the happiest of my life.
April:
How can you sleep for eight years?
Wick:
With these morons around? I'm not even gonna answer that question.
April:
No, really -- eight years?
Wick:
Us Stickmen grow to be hundreds of years old. Eight years is nothing.
April:
But still, eight years is almost half my life.
Wick:
You're a baby. When you grow up, you'll understand.
April:
I still don't understand what this has to do with the rumbling noise.
Wick:
See that statue over there?
April:
Sure. What's up with that?
Wick:
Back when the Dolmari lived on this island, ages ago, they put these statues up all around the island so they could speak with each other.
April:
You're kidding. So they're, like, telephones?
Wick:
Tele-what? I dunno what that is. The thing is, these statues are all connected through magic, and when you speak into one, your voice flies through the air and comes out of another statue.
April:
But I still don't understand...
Wick:
You saw the big head up by the mountain?
April:
Yes.
Wick:
That's the one they used to talk to everyone on the island, to warn people of storms, or to hold evening prayer. It's connected to the statues as well. And Q'aman is sleeping right next to a statue's ear.
April:
Ah, I get! Resonance. He's snoring and the deep bass reverberating through the loudspeaker -- the big head -- causes a resonance that vibrates the entire island. But can't you just wake him up?
Wick:
We don't know where he is. We're not much for exploring this forest. There's water and fire, and monkeys. Monkeys like to "play" with sticks. We don't like monkeys.
April:
But can't you just, well, send your voice to his teleph -- statue, to wake him up?
Wick:
There are four problems with that. Number one, all the statues have an assigned symbol, an identifying mark but we don't know which his is. Second, most of the statues are broken in some way or another.
April:
What do you mean?
Wick:
Some statues can only talk to certain other statues. Some can't be spoken to, and some can't hear. Which makes it very difficult to get a connection through to where you want to send your voice. Number three, in order to use these statues, you need a key. We don't have it. We don't know where it is.
April:
And number four?
Wick:
We're Stickmen, lady. What do you think? We don't know much about magic, or magic devices. And...and...
April:
And what?
Wick:
We're not too smart, okay? There, I said it. We're not too smart. And when you look at Woody over there, who's pretty stupid by Stickmen standards, that a pretty scary thought.
April:
Sorry I asked. Where do the Alatien live?
Wick:
The Alatien? The guys with wings? Up in the volcano. There's a city in there. I think they're squatting.
April:
How do I get into the volcano?
Wick:
You don't. The road collapsed a few centuries ago, and when traders come, the Alatien fly down to meet them. Nobody goes up there anymore.
April:
I'll see you guys later, then?
Wick:
If you don't step on us first.
She climbed the path up the tree. At the top, she had a clear view of the mountain and a trail on its side.
April:
If I could somehow get across to that path on the other side, I'd probably be able to make way into the Alatien village.
Resting on a branch, pointing in the direction of the mountain was the construction she had spotted from the big head.
April:
It's a big wooden...crossbow, I guess. I wonder who bulit it and what it's for.
The Stickmen probably knew though, she ran down to Wick.
April:
Who built that big crossbow in the tree?
Wick:
I did. Well, I thought of it, and these two nincompoops gave a helping twig on the, eh, manual side.
April:
So they built it, and you...supervised.
Wick:
Yup. But it's not done. There are still a few pieces missing before we can blast off for Luna.
April:
(incredulously) Did you say "blast off for Luna?"
Wick:
That's what I said. Luna.
April:
As in "the moon"?
Wick:
The same.
April:
You intend to go to the moon using that...thing?
Wick:
Lunar cannon. And yes, that's the plan.
April:
You guys are loonies.
Wick:
If by "loonies", you mean "visionaries", then yes, yes we are.
April:
How come you're not working on your Lunar cannon now?
Wick:
Because of that infernal niose, is why.
April:
So if the noise stops, you'll go back to work on your cannon?
Wick:
That's the plan.
April:
Later, guys. (She ran back up to the cannon, wondering if it might helped her get across to the other side) According to Wick, it's a lunar cannon. Apparently, it's powerful enough to send Stickman to the moon. In a Jules Verne novel, perhaps. (But no, it seemed unfinished. Best that she solved the problem of the snoring giant first)
Saturday, around noon.
Found out why the island keeps rumbling. It's not an imminent volcanic eruption, as I'd feared, but rather the snoring of a very, very large man, transmitted through a kind of telephone to a large "speaker" in the middle of the island. With all this snoring going on, nobody's getting any work done, and that's a Bad Thing. So we need...no, I need, to wake this guy Q'aman up. Somehow. And the key to this, what, puzzle? The key to this puzzle is, I think, these "telephones" that are scattered around the island.
Experimentally, she tried out the statue by the tree.
April:
Hello! (Nothing happened) Actually, it doesn't seem like the statue is receiving my voice at all.
She needed a key to operate the statues but where to get it? Perhaps the ruins on the plateau belonged to the Dolmari and she might find it there. And there was that cave beneath too. At the plateau, she opted to search undergound cave. Tying a rope to the sapling, she lowered herself cautiously into the cave. She dropped down to a ledge overlooking a pool. Hanging from the roof of the cave were large nests, as big as herself. They probably once housed the Alatiens, but were now empty and in disrepair. Below was a pool of clear water with several shell-like habitats that were most likely Maerum. A Maerum city. She climbed down to the lower ledge to a pile of rubble that was once a stone structure that fell down through the crevice. And there amongst the rubble was a slim piece of stone that looked like a bolt, or a key. It was intact. Could this be what she was looking for? She picked it up, climbed back out of the cave, retrieved the rope and made her way back to the big head by the mountain. If that was the main central that connect all the statues, she might be able to figure out how to link them all up. The stone key fitted the triangular keyhole easily. Turning the key clockwise, she was able to get some images through the eye-sized aperture. As each statue from the beach, the tree and the ruins came into sight, the circular symbol changed. Noting them down, she turned the key again and jumped with fright as a large eye looked back at her.
April:
Somebody's looking back at me! Oh, wait, that's just my eye. The lens turned into a mirror.
Making her way to the statues at the cliff and ruins, she made the appropriate adjustments before heading back to the statue beneath the tree. The way she figured it, since it did not seem to receive, it probably transmit instead.
April:
Hello?
Immediately, she could hear the echoes of her voice all over the island. It worked!
April:
Wake up. Wake up. Wake up! Waaake up!
There was a snort from the sleeping giant, who yawned, rubbed his eyes, got up and looked at the nearby statue.
Q'aman:
Uh? Who be there?
April:
It's your wake up call, sir.
Q'aman:
(yawned) How long Q'aman be asleep?
April:
About a month. I think you should get up, stretch your legs a bit.
Q'aman:
(sighed) What be the use? Q'aman be an outcast. No one like him.
April:
I'm God.
Q'aman:
God? Who be that?
April:
God is...ah, forget it, that's just one big minefield. I was just -- Bad joke, is all.
Q'aman:
Q'aman always be butt of joke...
April:
I'm April Ryan.
Q'aman:
And me be Q'aman. But what you be doing up in the air, big woman?
April:
Big woman? Watch it, I don't -- Oh, I see. It's just my voice that's big Q'aman. I'm really quite average size-wise. Where are you, Q'aman?
Q'aman:
That be a secret. Q'aman want to be left alone.
April:
Could you please stop snoring?
Q'aman:
Q'aman be snoring? No one ever tell Q'aman he be snoring. But then Q'aman always be sleeping by his lonesome. No woman like Q'aman.
April:
Don't say that about yourself, Q'aman. I'm sure that -- You know, it's kinda uncomfortable to be discussing this in,erm, public like this.
Q'aman:
Yes, everyone be hearing Q'aman now.
April:
Do you want to talk about your problems, face to face?
Q'aman:
What be the point?
April:
I'm a good listener, and I'd like to be your friend. That be the point.
Q'aman:
Q'aman not sure if he want friend now.
April:
Please let me be your friend.
Q'aman:
Why?
April:
Because I'm lonly too. I don't really know anybody on this island and I need some help.
Q'aman:
Well...Q'aman be wanting to help, but...Okay, Q'aman be your friend, and talk to you. My secret place be in the ruins of the old temple, by the wells. Follow the stream up from the rock beach and go right where it branches.
April:
Thanks, Q'aman. I'll be there as soon as I can.
Q'aman was waiting for her on the ledge near a deep well with cold looking brackish water. Albino fish flitted furiously through the water. The giant looked intimidating as well as huge. She estimated he was at least four times the size of an average human.
April:
Whoa, you are big. You're just about the biggest person I've ever met.
Q'aman:
Q'aman be a freak. No one be liking him.
April:
I didn't mean it that way, I just meant...April, you know just what to say, don't you. I'm sorry. I like tall guys, really I do.
Q'aman:
You be the only one then, because no one else want anything to do with Q'aman.
April:
Could you find another place to live where your snoring won't disturb everybody on the island?
Q'aman:
No, Q'aman be having no other place to go, except his old home in the Orlowol village, but they be not wanting him there.
April:
How did you come to be on this island?
Q'aman:
(sighed) That be a long story. Do you want Q'aman to be telling you?
April:
No, I'm in a rush so you're gonna have to tell me some other time.
Q'aman:
Okay.
April:
Sure, I have the time, tell me the story.
Q'aman:
Many long moons ago, Q'aman be happy. He be working at the Circa in Corasan where he be big attraction.
April:
What did you do?
Q'aman:
Q'aman be the World's Strongest Man. He be popular, people come to see him from all the Northlands. Some, even, from east of the Bay of Fire. But then, there be an...accident. And the Circa tell Q'aman to leave, that he be dangerous, and that no one be paying to see him any more.
April:
What kind of accident?
Q'aman:
Q'aman's most popular feat be the breaking of a large rock with his fist. Every one would applaud when the rock be breaking. Then one day, the Khalef be at the Circa, to see the performers. He be saying, Q'aman, I hear of him breaking a large rock with his fist, this I want to see. But my performance be over that day, and there be no rocks to break. So the Circa ringmaster, Obran, he be saying, let's get a rock in here, any big rock at all. So, they bring in this rock that Q'aman never be crushing before. Q'aman be not sure if it is a good idea, because rock can be dangerous when it breaks. But Obran be saying, this you must do, the Khalef wants to see, we do not disappoint the Khalef of Corasan, or we lose our heads. So Q'aman break the rock, and when it breaks...
April:
What? What happened?
Q'aman:
There be large pieces of rock flying everywhere, and one piece be hitting the Khalef and one his son. The Khalef be not seriously hurt, but his son be unconscious, and bleeding from the head. They say to Q'aman, run, get away from the Circa and Corasan, or the Khalef will have his head. So Q'aman run and he get passage on ship leaving that night. When the ship pass this island, Q'aman, be jumping into the sea and swimming ashore. And now he be here.
April:
What happened between you and the Orlowol?
Q'aman:
Oh, Q'aman be so clumsy, so dangerous. He should not be among people, he be only hurting them. The Orlowol be kind, letting Q'aman live and fish in their village. But then, Q'aman,be stepping over a young Orlowol, almost breaking his shell. The Orlowol tell Q'aman to leave village, to not come back because he may kill an Orlowol. They tell him to go as far away as possible... Q'aman be sad because he like the Orlowol, and because Q'aman be having the best fishing place in all of Alais. He lose his friends and his food.
April:
What do you eat now?
Q'aman:
Q'aman fish in these wells, here, but the fish that live down there be small and not very tasty.
April:
Would you like to move back to the Orlowol village?
Q'aman:
Oh yes, Q'aman be wishing that more than anything in the world.
April:
I saw an Orlowol down by the beach, just outside the village. It seemed to be in pain, but I didn't know what to do. Perhaps if you come along, you can help him out, and get back in favor with the Orlowol people?
Q'aman:
Yes, perhaps Q'aman can help, even if the Orlowol do not want him back.
They made their way down to the Orlowol village.
April:
Here it is, the, uh, Orlowol? Can you help it?
Q'aman:
Perhaps, Q'aman can help Poor Orlowol, it be crying for help. (He examined it gently) Ah, Q'aman see what be wrong. Orlowol not shed its shell when the time come, and now it be stuck in the shell.
April:
Why didn't the other Orlowol come to is assistance?
Q'aman:
Their claws be no good for this work. But Q'aman help. He be good with his hands.
He flipped the Orolowl on its back and did something before the Orlowol rocked back to its claws. It ceased its cries of pain.
Orlowol:
Clak-clak-clikkity-clik
Q'aman:
Q'aman be happy. Q'aman accept your graceful thanks, sir.
Orlowol:
Clik-clok!
Q'aman:
Thank you. You be making Q'aman very happy. Q'aman acceot your offer, and be grateful to the Orlowol people. Thank you very much.
The Orlowol crawled away.
April:
What? What did he say? Why did you thank him?
Q'aman:
Orlowol be inviting Q'aman to stay on the cliff above the village where he can fish again. Q'aman be very, very happy.
April:
You understand what it's saying?
Q'aman:
Orlowol language be easy to understand. It be just clik, and clak, and clok.
April:
I'm so happy for you, Q'aman. Go on, don't let me hold you back.
The giant headed for the cliff while she went back to the Mother Tree. The three Stickmen stood as before, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the rumbling had stop.
April:
How come you're not working on your Lunar cannon now?
Wick:
Because of that infernal niose, is why.
April:
But Q'aman has moved back to the Orlowol village. He's not going to disturb you, trust me.
Wick:
Really? How the heck did that happen? Nah, I don't care. The important thing is, we can work again. Thanks, lady.
With that, the Stickmen made their way up to the cannon, April followed thereafter to see Woody and Willow hard at work while Wick simply stood there.
April:
How's it going?
Wick:
Almost there. Oh, one tiny little problem, though.
April:
And that is...?
Wick:
We don't have a bowstring for our...uh...
Willow:
Propulsion drive mechanism, Wick.
Wick:
Uh, what he said, yeah. We need a bowstring -- something strong and flexible, and sinewy.
April:
Like what?
Wick:
I dunno, lady. I'm no engineer. I'm just the supervisor.
Willow:
String made from animal guts would be perfect.
Woody:
Yeah, but look at us -- do we look like the kinda Stickmen who'd make good hunters? Do you see me going after a gaintbeast carrying, what, a cone? A dry leaf sharpened to a razor edge?
A point that. So a hunter would have animal guts and the only hunter on the island would be ... she ran back to the cliff over the Orlowol village. Q'aman had his fishing rod dangling over the water.
April:
Hey, Q'aman, how's the fish biting?
Q'aman:
With its teeth. But not today.
April:
Why's that?
Q'aman:
Q'aman be not certain, the fish always bite before. But then Q'aman be having lure. Now, no lure, just bait.
April:
What do you need to make a lure?
Q'aman:
Q'aman can make lure with just anything, as long as it be colourful and not get heavy in water.
April:
You're a real DIY guy, don't you know?
Q'aman:
Always be something wrong with Q'aman.
April:
That was actually a compliment.
Q'aman:
Oh.
April:
Are you happy now, Q'aman?
Q'aman:
Q'aman be happy. He be wanting fish to bite, if they do not, Q'aman still be happy.
April:
Can I borrow your fishing rod?
Q'aman:
Q'aman must catch fish first, so he can eat. After Q'aman catch fish, April can borrow fishing rod.
A lure that was both colourful and light. She looked around and then rummaged in her pack. A crumbled red paper caught her eye. The candy wrapper!
April:
Could this wrapper work as a lure?
Q'aman:
Yes. Yes, with some work, it be perfect for a lure. Now Q'aman can make one, and hopefully catch many fish.
He tore the wrapper into thin strips and tied them to the end of his hook. It would take some time before he would get a bite so April wandered down to the beach, having decided to look for seashells to while the time away. When she returned, there were fish bones on the ground.
April:
Looks like Q'man just had himself a solid lunch. That was quick. There are only bones left of his catch. (To Q'aman) Did my lure work okay?
Q'aman:
It be working very good. Q'aman catch a large, tasty fish very quickly. April be wanting a taste?
April:
Uh, no. No offense, I'm just not too fond of seafood.
Q'aman:
This not be seafood, it be human food.
April:
What's Q'aman gonna be doing now?
Q'aman:
Q'aman be sitting here until the sun sets, then he be going to sleep.
April:
And tomorrow?
Q'aman:
Q'aman be deciding that when he wakes up in the morning.
April:
Man, you got relaxing down to a fine art.
Q'aman:
Q'aman not be knowing anything about fine art. He be a philistine.
April:
I'll see you later, Q'aman.
Q'aman:
So will I. Goodbye.
She did not need the rod so she picked up the long, strong, flexible fishing line and a large fishbone which had a very convenient shape like a hook. The Stickemen did not seem to have moved much when she returned to the cannon. She was about to hand the line over to Woody but thought she had better showed it to Wick first or he would freak out since he was the supervisor.
April:
Can you use this bowstring for your, uh, lunar cannon?
Woody:
Let me see that...Oh yeah, that gonna work good.
Wick:
All right, listen up! I got us what we need, and now we finish this damn cannon! Go to work, people! Give us a few minutes, lady, and we'll be all done.
With much hammering, twinging, and twanging, they finished the cannon.
Woody:
(giving the string a pull) It worked.
Wick:
Of course it worked, you woodbrained fool! I built it!
April:
Is it done?
Wick:
Yes, ma'am. The lunar cannon is now ready to be tested.
April:
(after a beat) Well?
Wick:
Well what?
April:
Are you going to do it?
Wick:
Do what?
April:
Test the cannon.
Wick:
Me? And get myself killed? I think not. But go ahead, be my guest.
April:
I don't think I'll fit in there.
Wick:
That ain't my problem.
Sighing silently, she tied the hook-shaped fish bone to the rope in her pack.
April:
I'll just place the hook along the bowstring like so ...and like the rope trail behind it. Okay. We're ready to fire!
She pulled the lever. The hook catapulted to a tree opposite, neatly latching onto a stout branch. Quickly, she pulled herself onto the rope, inching her way carefully over to the other side, not daring to look below. After what seemed like an eternity, she got down safely on the mountain and started up the trail. It ended with a break further up. A light wind was blowing as she peered into the downdraft.
April:
The wind is channeled through that chasm down there, and blown out and up here. Dust and dry leaves are caught in a strong updraft.
Standing opposite her on the other side of the path was a leathery creature, with wings, like a mix between a giant bat and a pterodactyl.
April:
It must be one of the Alatien. It looks more like a warrior than a storyteller, though. I hope it speaks English...I mean, Alltongue.
April:
Can you help me across?
Alatien Guard:
You are human, and we don't allow human strangers into our village. If you wish to trade, let us know where your ship is anchored, and we will send traders to you with our merchandise.
April:
I don't have a ship, and I didn't come here to trade. I came to talk to your leaders.
Alatien Guard:
I'm sorry, but we don't allow strangers into our village.
April:
Actually I am a trader.
Alatien Guard:
Where is your ship anchored?
April:
In, um, Coconut Grove?
Alatien Guard:
There is no "Coconut Grove" on Alais.
April:
So I'm not a trader, but I am a friend of the Alatien people.
Alatien Guard:
We don't know you. There is no friendship between strangers, human.
April:
Don't your people have a prophecy about a stranger who comes without a ship, or something like that?
Alatien Guard:
I don't know of any prophecies, human.
April:
What kind of prophecies do you know about?
Alatien Guard:
We don't tell our stories to strangers.
April:
What's up this road?
Alatien Guard:
The Alatien village of Ta'ama.
April:
Where's the Alatien village of Ta'ama?
Alatien Guard:
Up this road, and into the volcano.
April:
Isn't it dangerous to live inside a volcano?
Alatien Guard:
This volcano has not erupted for thousands of years, and the gods protect us. We are safe here.
April:
Is there another way into the volcano?
Alatien Guard:
No, this pass is the only way.
April:
I'm sure there is a secret cave somewhere that leads into the volcano.
Alatien Guard:
No, there isn't
April:
There's always a secret cave.
Alatien Guard:
Not here.
April:
Are you absolutely sure there's no secret cave?
Alatien Guard:
Human, you talk too much, even for an Alatien.
April:
Thank you.
Alatien Guard:
Yes, but you must leave now.
Leave? She would not bet on it. She would just have to get across by herself.. Taking out the light-as-a-leaf potion, she downed it one gulp.
April:
Oh God, I think I'm gonna throw up. That was so not appetizing. Weirdest thing though...I do feel lighter, like I lost ninety pounds. I can't even imagine what people would pay for this stuff back home. (She jumped experimentally) Whoa! I'm flyyyyy -- Not. I guess I still weigh too much to be carried on that slight updraft. (She scattered the last of the wind potion out over the chasm. The wind picked up immediately) Ahhhh! (The wind tossed her up and over the chasm. She managed to land on her feet before the astonished Alatien guard) uh!
Alatien Guard:
(gasped) Human, you flew across the chasm! You don't have wings, but still you fly like the Alatien!
April:
Believe me, I'm as shocked as you are.
Alatien Guard:
Are you the Windbringer?
April:
I know who you are, but what am I?
Alatien Guard:
Me? No, I am just a guardsman. I only have one story, and my wings do not yet support me for more than a day's flight. You are the Windbringer.
April:
What's the Windbringer?
Alatien Guard:
It's a prophecy amongst my people.
April:
Of course. There's no escaping the prophecies.
Alatien Guard:
It's said that someone, not of the Alatien, shall come among us to float on the wind like an Alatien, to learn our stories, to bring the wind back to us and to bring us into a new and happier age.
April:
Is that all? You know, I'm starting to forget how simple my life used to be... Family, friends, grades, boys -- no prophecies, nobody looking to me for salvation.
Alatien Guard:
I don't understand, Windbringer. You should speak with our Teller, up in the city. She'll be wanting to see you, I'm sure. We've waited for the Windbringer for a very long time.
April:
The Teller? Thanks.
Alatien Guard:
No, Windbringer -- thank you.
The tunnel she went through opened up to a small glassy ledge where an old man, at least she thought it was an old man since it was difficult to tell, him being all wrinkly, was sitting on a stone looking out to sea. A short flight of stairs led to what looked like a castle and a tower.
April:
Hello.
Old Alatien Man:
Good day, stranger. What would you here among the Alatien?
April:
I need to speak with the Teller.
Old Alatien Man:
The Teller? Go down into the city, and you will see the castle. The Teller, she keeps to the tower. She's old, and her eyes don't take well to the sun.
At the castle courtyard, an Alatien girl played in the dust while an adult Alatien was perched on top of a pillar at the entrance to the castle tower. There were nests here and there all over the village but they all did not seem to live in the nests though. There were quite a few inhabited buildings in the village. The Alatien at the pillar stopped her as she was about to enter the tower.
Alatien Castle Watch:
Halt! Who would visit the Teller?
April:
My name's April.
Alatien Castle Watch:
And what would you with the Teller, human?
April:
I'm not sure, but I need to speak with somebody in charge.
Alatien Castle Watch:
The Teller is our teacher and our mother, but she will not speak with foreigners who walk into our city. And how, pray tell, did you get here? The road is closed, and guarded.
April:
It's got to be my female charm.
Alatien Castle Watch:
It will not work on me, human. Please -- leave our village and return to your ship.
April:
I've come to trade with your people.
Alatien Castle Watch:
Traders are not allowed into our city. Return to your ship and we will send an emissary to negotiate.
April:
I don't have a ship.
Alatien Castle Watch:
Then how did you get up here?
April:
Long story.
Alatien Castle Watch:
And not one I care to hear. Leave our village and return to your own people.
April:
I'm the Windbringer.
Alatien Castle Watch:
The Windbringer? You are not the Windbringer...are you?
April:
How else would I've been able to get up here? I am the Windbringer.
Alatien Castle Watch:
If so, you must prove that you are of the Alatien. There are four tales from the four corners of the world that you must know by heart...They are the Tale of Winds, the Tale of Stars, the Tale of Sea and the Tale of Homecoming. I will ask you one question from each tale, and you must answer each correctly, or you can not be the Windbringer. Are you ready?
April:
No, give me some time to prepare.
Alatien Castle Watch:
Then return when you are ready, and I will test your knowledge of the four tales.
Where could she go to learn about the tales? She looked around, she doubt that she would find a library.. But perhaps the Alatien villagers would know? Her eyes fell on a young Alatien female working with clay.
Young Alatien Woman:
Be careful, don't come too close! I'm almost done with this pot.
April:
Sorry.
Young Alatien Woman:
Are you here to buy pottery? I didn't think traders were allowed up here.
April:
No, I came to speak with your Teller.
Young Alatien Woman:
Really? I didn't know the Teller spoke with anyone from the outside. You must be a very special girl.
April:
Supposedly. My name's April by the way.
Young Alatien Woman:
Neema is my name. Neema of Ta'ama, the only Alatien village on Alais.
April:
I like your pottery.
Young Alatien Woman:
It's our craft. That and storytelling. But storytelling can't buy merchandise or food.
April:
I know a lot of people who live by telling stories. Although I guess that's kinda different.
Young Alatien Woman:
They are lucky then. Not that I don't enjoy making pottery. It's good to feel the wet clay between my claws, to shape it into whatever I wish. It's almost like creating a new life.. I think. I don't have a husband yet, so I haven't tried. Have you? Do you have a husband and children?
April:
Neither, thank God. I don't think I'm ready for that yet.
Young Alatien Woman:
I was eighteen turnings this spring. I'm ready for a husband, but I've yet to court anyone who could make me soar on the winds. (sighed) I think the men of Ta'ama are dull and timid.
April:
What about the guard on the road below the village? He's our age, isn't he?
Young Alatien Woman:
Isam? He's quite pretty, and his wings are big, but I don't think he likes me. He never looks at me, or talks to me.
April:
That doesn't me anything. He could just be shy.
Young Alatien Woman:
Maybe you could talk to him, find out who he likes? But don't say I sent you!
April:
Sure, I can do that.
Young Alatien Woman:
Thank you, April!
April:
Do you know one of the four tales of Winds, Stars, Sea and Homecoming?
Young Alatien Woman:
I had to learn the Tale of Homecoming. It took a long time, but I think I got it now. I'm better with pottery than I am with the tales, unfortunately. Do you want to hear it?
April:
Please.
Young Alatien Woman:
Very well, This is the Tale of Homecoming, my Tale and I shall tell it in my own words, as told to me by my teacher in her words and by her teacher in turn.
Tale of Homecoming
Moran was a handsome young Alatien man with strong wings and a hardy beak. He lived below the white cliffs, where the water was salty and the fish plentiful. Moran was bethrothed to Anara, the loveliest girl there ever was. She was fair, and slender, and tall, and her eyes were the clearest shade of blue. But Moran was hesitant to enter into union with Anara, to become her husband and to give her children. He would always come up with a new excuse for why they had to wait a little while longer. Now, Anara was skilled at pottery, but even more so with stories, and the Teller of the village had many times asked Anara to be apprentice, to learn all the Tales so that some day she could take over as Teller.
But Anara refused, knowing that if she accept the Teller's offer, she would never be able to marry Moran, because a Teller cannot have a husband nor children of her own. Her refusal to become the Teller's apprentice was unheard of because who could refuse such an honour? But to Anara, loves was more important. Her love for Moran was beyond honour, beyond reason. But despite Anara's love, Moran was still hesitant. And then one day he told Anara, "I am travelling on a pilgrimage to the far shores. I will be gone for some time, and while I am travelling...and in accordance with our traditions, I will be freed from our betrothal. Not until I come back will the bond between us be renewed."
And so Anara turned away, never to speak with Moran again. And Moran's heart, like the pot that was left untended, broke in two, because absence makes a heart brittle.
Young Alatien Woman:
This was the Tale of Homecoming, my Tale, and I told it in my own words, as told to me by my teacher, and as I will tell it to my student when the time comes.
April:
Thank you, Neema.
Young Alatien Woman:
You're welcome, April.
One tale down, three more to go. She went over to the Alatien child and hunkered down.
April:
Hi there, what'cha doing?
Alatien Child:
Playing.
April:
Yeah? What are you playing?
Alatien Child:
Nothing. My Daddy is in the castle watch. He's allowed to sharpen his claws.
April:
Really? My Daddy owns a farm.
Alatien Child:
Yeah? Do you have animals there?
April:
Sure, he has some cows, and some horses, and --
Alatien Child:
What's cows and horses?
April:
Well, cows are big, brown, fat animals, with four legs and white spots. And they go "mooo" a lot.
Alatien Child:
(giggled) And horsies?
April:
Horses are fun to be around. They run really fast, they can jump over tall fences, and they look beautiful and graceful...but the best thing about horses is that you can ride them.
Alatien Child:
I can run fast too! But I can't fly yet. My wings aren't fully formed. But when I grow up, I'll fly far away and see everything. I'll go see your horsies.
April:
That would be nice. My name's April. What's yours?
Alatien Child:
Sa'ena. Will you be my friend April?
April:
Of course, Sa'ena, as long as you promise to be my friend.
Alatien Child:
I promise.
April:
Do you know where the Teller lives?
Alatien Child:
Over there, in the castle tower. My Daddy's watching the entrance so that only nice people can get in.
April:
Do you think he'll let me in?
Alatien Child:
I dunno. If you're nice. But you have to ask my Daddy.
April:
Where are the other children in your village?
Alatien Child:
Oh, they're in school now.
April:
And why aren't you in school?
Alatien Child:
Because I'm ahead of everyone else. I'm really smart, you know. I'm the only youngling to have learned the first tale this soon. So some days I get to do what I want. It's a little boring, though. I wish I was in school. At least, there I could sing and play and jump around with all the other children...
April:
Why don't you go to school anyway?
Alatien Child:
Because they say I would just distract the other children who are still learning their first tales... It's not fair ... I mean, I get to play by myself and everything else, but that's not fun all day. And my Mommy's working on her pottery at home, and she doesn't want me disturbing her, because she might make a mistake. But the day after tomorrow I get to go back to school, because we are going to learn some more flying lessons! They're always a lot of fun, and I'm getting pretty good at that too.
April:
I bet. I wish I had wings like you do.
Alatien Child:
Yes, they're very good to have when you fly.
April:
Do you know one of the four tales of Winds, Stars, Sea and Homecoming?
Alatien Child:
Yes! My Mommy taught me the Tale of Stars. It's a really pretty story. Do you want me to tell it?
April:
Please, Sa'ena. I would like that very much.
Alatien Child:
Okay. This is my tale, the Tale of Stars, and I tell it to you in my own words, as it was told to me by my teacher, in her words.
Tale of Stars
In the small village of Jin'jei near the rumbling hills of Unyin, there lived a girl called Mon'aa. She was a curious girl, and she would always get in the way of the grown Alatien. "Go play somewhere else!", they would say to Mon'aa but she didn't want to play with other children. She wanted to be where the grown-ups were, to see what they were doing, and to learn from them. But one day, after getting many complaints from the pottery-makers, and guardsmen, and traders, and soldiers in the village, Mon'aa's mother told her she wasn't to interfere with the grown-ups any more and that instead she should go play with the other children or sit still and draw or work with clay. But Mon'aa was always curious and now, since she wasn't to be among the grown Alatien any more, she decided to go exploring the forest that lay just outside the village of Jin'jie. She had many times been forbidden to enter the forest, because it could be a dangerous place, but Mon'aa was very curious.
Of course, she wasn't planning on going far into the forest, but then her eye caught sight of a white Flufftail hopping through the tall grass, and Mon'aa, as curious as ever, gave chase. The Flufftail ran away into the forest, and Mon'aa followed, blind to where she was going, and interested only in catching the white Flufftail so that she could keep it as a pet. But then, after a good while, the Flufftail disappeared into a hole in the ground, leaving Mon'aa alone in a small clearing somewhere deep inside the forest. She was exhausted after running after the Flufftail for so long, and as she looked around the clearing at the unfamiliar trees and flowers, she realized that she hadn't been paying attention to where she was going.
Not for the first time, her curiosity had gotten the better of her, but this time it was serious. Mon'aa was too young to fly, and she had very little sense of direction. And chasing the white Flufftail had made her dizzy and tired. It was getting darker, and Mon'aa was all alone in the deep, dangerous forest. Too sleepy and too scared to be able to go anywhere, Mon'aa curled up with her wings wrapped around her under the leaves of a tree and began crying. Soon, it got really dark, and somewhere, not far away, wolves started howling at the moon. Mon'aa was so scared she was petrified, but after a while, her exhaustion got the better of her and she fell asleep.
She woke up when she heard a voice calling her from somewhere far above. Looking up at the starry sky, Mon'aa saw a vision of the spirits of five Tellers, gazing down at her. "You have let your curiosity lead you astray," said one. "You are lost, and you deserve to be lost," said another. "Poor little girl," said a third. "We will help you home," said a fourth. "But remember this," said the fifth spirit. "We will lead you back to your village and to your mother only if you promise us one thing." "I promise," said Mon'aa. "Whatever it is, I promise I will do it."
"Very well," said the first spirit, "you will make the story of this night into your own Tale, and you will call it the Tale of Stars." "It will be a Tale to warn the curious to be careful," continued the third spirit, "and to not let their curiosity get the better of them." "And," said the second spirit, "to remind the Alatien that the spirits of their Tellers watch out for them when they most need it." And so the spirits of the five Tellers guided Mon'aa through the forest and by dawn, she was home. And Mon'aa did tell her Tale, the Tale of Stars, to everyone in the village, so that everyone would remember that the curious must be cautious, and that the spirits of the Tellers are always watching.
Alatien Child:
This was my tale, the Tale of Stars, and I told it in my own words, as my teacher did to me.
April:
That was a beautiful tale, Sa'ena.
Alatien Child:
Thank you!
April:
Have fun, Sa'ena.
She made her way to the old man looking out to sea.
April:
Do you know one of the four tales of Winds, Stars, Sea and Homecoming?
Old Alatien Man:
Mine is the Tale of Sea, human.
April:
Would you mind telling it to me?
Old Alatien Man:
I would be happy to do so. This was the Tale of Sea, told in my own words as it was told to me by my teacher, in his words, and to him by his teacher, in his words.
Tale of Sea
This was a very, very long time ago, when the Alatien were a strong people, and we could spend days riding the hot winds above the seas. We hunted fish, then, and we were at war with the Maerum...the Wettails. Akalas was one of the strongest warriors there was -- his claws were sharp and long, his beak pointy and his teeth strong. Akalas was admired by everyone in his clan, and because of this, he was cocky and arrogant.
So one day, the Teller of Akalas' city asked him to perform a very important and very special duty -- to bring a sacred jewel to the Teller of an Alatien town across the sea. This particular jewel was very important because it signified a union between the two towns, and it would benefit the people of both that it was delivered safely and promptly. Akalas grinned, and told the Teller that he would deliver the jewel both quickly and safely and that she was not to worry. But the Teller did worry, because Akalas was young and too sure of himself. But she wanted to test him and to teach him that sharp claws, a pointy beak and strong teeth are not all a warrior needs -- that a warrior must also be wise and careful.
So Akalas set out across the sea on his flight. It was on the fourth day that he spotted something in the water that caught his attention, and forgetting his duty, and following his curiosity...Akalas dived towards the water to investigate. When he came closer, he saw there were Maerum in the water, foolishly hunting close to the surface, and Akalas saw an opportunity to again prove his might as a great warrior to his people and to capture the fins of a few Wettails. But this time, Akalas' arrogance got the better of him, because the Maerum had set a trap!
As he dived towards the Maerum with his claws, a spear shot up from the water to hit him. Akalas struck the water and dropped the jewel he was carrying and it was all he could do not to drown. Akalas was bleeding and the Maerum were grabbing on to his wings and his legs but he fought bravely, and finally he managed to escape. But even though he now lived, he was dead inside because the shame of losing the sacred jewel would always be with him. Akalas could not return to his village because he had neglected his duty to his Teller and to his people, and so he went away to a small island where he could be alone. To himself and his people, Akalas now became the Lost One, he who had been on a sacred mission but had failed in his arrogance.
A year passed, and one day Akalas met with human traders from a ship that came close to his island. From the traders, Akalas heard speak of a hideous creature that lived in the sea -- the Octa'wo. The Octa'wo was said to have a third eye, like a jewel, and that this eye pulled hapless sailors into its deadly eight-armed grasp. Akalas knew immediately that the Octa'wo's third eye had to be the jewel that he lost in the sea a year ago, and he now saw an opportunity to redeem himself. But Alatien were not used to water and the thought of submerging himself in the cold, harsh ocean chilled Akalas to his heart. But he was the Lost One, and if, in his death, he could at the very least redeem himself, to his own heart, then it would worth it.
So Akalas fashioned himself a spear because in the water, his claws and his beak would be too slow, and he flew out to where the Octa'wo was last seen...and then Akalas dived into the sea. The dark water closed in on him, and his wings and legs went numb but still Akalas kept pushing down until he saw the lair of the Octa'wo. Spotting Akalas, the Octa'wo attacked and Akalas saw the monster's third eye, his sacred jewel, shining bright in the darkness and his heart was filled with a sense of duty and courage that he had never felt before. But as he began fighting the eight-armed monster, Akalas realized that if he were to fight like he usually did, he would not stand a chance. He would have to think differently.
And so Akalas tricked the Octa'wo into following him through a tight chasm, where the monster got stick and then he sawm above it and using his spear, tipped a rock on top of the Octa'wo. Swimming back down again, the Octa'wo was flailing helplessly. Now, almost out of air, Akalas took the sacred jewel from the Octa'wo's head and swam back up. Finally Akalas could deliver the sacred jewel to the town across the sea and upon returning to his village, he went to the Teller, bowed his head, and said, "Forgive me, Teller, for in my arrogance I thought I could do everything. But I could not, and I became the Lost One because of it." "You were lost," said the Teller, "but you are no more, because now you see the limits of your own strength and you will know that a warrior must be careful and wise in addition to being strong and fierce."
Old Alatien Man:
This was the Tale of the Sea, and I told it in my own words as told to me by my teacher.
She thanked the old Alatien and returned to the guard at the pass.
April:
So...Isam...That's your name, isn't it?
Alatien Guard:
Yes, Isam of Tama'a.
April:
A good-looking guy like you must get a lot of attention from the girls, right?
Alatien Guard:
Are you asking me for courtship?
April:
Me? No. Wings don't do anything for me. No, I was just thinking...maybe you had your eye out for somebody special?
Alatien Guard:
I'm without a mate. The women of Tama'a are cold and unfriendly, and whenever I try to talk to one of them, she ignores me.
April:
Huh. Even Neema?
Alatien Guard:
Neema? No, she's too pretty for me. She won't appreciate my attention.
April:
This is like high-school. Trust me, Isam -- you go talk to her one of these days and I'm sure you'll find you have a lot in common. Just...be yourself, okay?
Alatien Guard:
You think so? Perhaps you are right. I will do as you say Windbringer. Thank you.
April:
Do you know one of the four tales of Winds, Stars, Sea and Homecoming?
Alatien Guard:
Mine is the Tale of Winds, Wingbringer. Do you wish to hear it?
April:
Very much.
Alatien Guard:
Then I shall tell it. This is the Tale of Winds, my Take and I pledge to tell it in my own words, as told in turn by my teacher.
Tale of Winds
In the village of Kar'aan, in the Mountains of Tall Winds, there lived a young Alatien woman named Iuana. Iuana had one desire above all others -- to soar higher and farther than anyone else...and even though her wings were no broader, nor her body sleeker than anyone else's, she pursued this foolish desire without rest. And as time passed, she did soar higher and she did fly farther...than the other young Alatien in her village. And her name became known far and wide amongst the tribes of the Mountains of Tall Winds. But still Iuana was not happy.
She was not happy because in her vanity -- even though she was a better flyer than almost everyone else -- and to her eyes, she was still not good enough. She wanted to be so much better than anyone else that she would be remembered for all time as the best flyer amongst all the Alatien. And so, one day, Iuana decided to climb to the top of Mount Bak'ta'ana, the Tower of Light, and to soar from those giddy heights to the ends of the world. Her friends and her family pleaded with her not to, because every Alatien knew that to soar from such heights was dangerous -- that, at such heights, the air was thin and the winds treacherous.
But Iuana would not listen, and on a cold and clear morning, she climbed up to the Tower of Light, to the rock and the ice at the very top. From there, she could see to the ends of the world...and it brought tears to her eyes to know that now, finally, she would be greater and better than any Alatien before her. And so Iuana spread her wings and leaped off the mountain. Those who watched her from far below said that, for a split moment, Iuana soared and she soared higher and farther than any Alatien before or since. But then the treacherous wind caught hold of her and the thin air made her plummet towards the ground and to fall to her death amongst the rocks at the base of the mountain. In her vanity, Iuana could not see beyond her desire to be the best and vanity always stands to fall.
Alatien Guard:
That was the Tale of Winds, my tale and I told it in my own words as told to me in turn by my teacher.
She returned to the castle tower.
Alatien Castle Watch:
Are you ready for the questions now?
April:
Yes, ask me the questions.
Alatien Castle Watch:
In the Tale of the Winds, which mountain did Iuana fall from in her vain attempt to fly higher and further than anyone else?
April:
Mount Everest? / Mount Kilimanjaro?
Alatien Castle Watch:
That is wrong. Pay attention to the tale that is told you, and do not return until you know it by heart.
April:
I have no idea.
Alatien Castle Watch:
Then you should pay more attention to the tale next time. Come back when you are prepared and not before.
April:
Mount Bak'ta'ana, the Tower of Light.
Alatien Castle Watch:
That is correct. In the Tale of Stars, what did Mon'aa see in the sky that helped her find her way home?
April:
The spirits of five Tellers.
Alatien Castle Watch:
That is correct. In the Tale of Sea, what creature did the Lost One battle in his quest to recover the sacred jewel?
April:
The Octa'wo.
Alatien Castle Watch:
That is correct. My final question to you is this. In the Tale of Homecoming, what was given to Moran by his Teller when he returned from his pilgrimage?
April:
A broken pot, to teach him that absence may break a heart in two.
Alatien Castle Watch:
You have correctly answered all my questions, and so have proven your knowledge of the four tales. You are the Windbringer. The Teller would see you presently.
It was cool and dim within the castle tower. The room she was shown was bare of anything except for a large stone chair with the light from a window falling on it. And sitting in the chair reading a parchment was an old Alatien woman who must be at least a hundred years old. Her head came up as April stepped into the room.
Old Alatien Woman:
Come closer, human. (April took another few steps forward) Closer, I cannot see your face. (She beckoned insistently) Closer still. Come sit here by me. (At that, April settled herself down on the floor by the old woman) There you are. You see, my eyes are not they used to be. Ages ago, I could spot a ladybug crawling up a straw of grass from fifteen tree-lengths up. Now, I have a hard time seeing my supper. But my ears! Balance be praised, my ears, they are as good as ever. I could hear you outside, learning the Tales my children tell. You are a good listener and a fast learner.
April:
They were interesting stories and your people told them well.
Old Alatien Woman:
That is what we do. The Alatien are the keepers of the Tales, and I am their Teller, the one who must know all the Tales told since the day we came to this world.
April:
How can you do that? How can you remember every story ever told?
Old Alatien Woman:
The secret is to tell them often and to tell them in your own words, not the words of your ancestors.
April:
Doesn't that mean that the stories change with every generation?
Old Alatien Woman:
Yes, as all Tales must. Change is important, otherwise the Tales will have no meaning to us... They will be just words and we do no care about the words. We care about what the words tell us.
April:
How long have your people been telling stories?
Old Alatien Woman:
Since the beginning, human, since we came to this world, a long, long time ago.
April:
You're not from Earth? From Arcadia?
Old Alatien Woman:
Not according to our Tales. We came on a Great Wind, before the Divide, when the Earth was one and humans had yet to learn of magic and science. But we were a different people then, and the Tales we tell from that time are vague and incomplete. Like myths and legends, the younger Alatien pay little attention to these Tales. Sometimes I worry that they will be lost with me, these Tales. And I am getting old, very old.
April:
I came to you to find answers to some important questions.
Old Alatien Woman:
Ask and I will try my best to answer.
April:
Have you heard of an ancient god, or dragon, that lives beneath the sea?
Old Alatien Woman:
Once, long ago, when my people lived in harmony with the Maerum, there were stories of an old god, worshipped by the Maerum, who resided deep in the darkest depth of the ocean. According to legend, the old god had once brought the Maerum into their realm, into the ocean, and he was now sleeping, resting, before their journey back.
April:
Back where?
Old Alatien Woman:
To a great ocean, amongst the stars. When the time came, he would gather the Maerum and bring them home with him, back to their world, to their ocean. Strangely enough, we have a similar Tale. It is said that the Great Wind that brought us here will some day return to bring us back to a place where we can soar for ever on warm winds...
April:
Like heaven.
Old Alatien Woman:
In a way perhaps, but without the need for any of us to die. The Great WInd will just sweep us up and carry us away. Every evening, before I go to sleep, I recite this Tale to myself. It is a comforting one.
April:
What do you know about the Draic Kin?
Old Alatien Woman:
The Kin are numbered four, or so our Tales tell. Two in this world, two in the other, the mirror world. The White and the Blue, Red and the Green.
April:
Do you know where they are?
Old Alatien Woman:
No, the Tales never say. The Kin are elusive, they keep to themselves. I have never seen one myself, and I doubt any of my kind has. The Tales do say that our past and our future are tied to the fate of the Kin, but how, I would not pretend to know. This is one Tale that has yet to be told.
April:
Do you know anything about the Guardian's Realm?
Old Alatien Woman:
This is human business. Would you not know more than I?
April:
Your people are the Keepers of the Tales. You remember more than human kind has forgotten. Please, I need to hear what you know.
Old Alatien Woman:
This is very little. The Guardian's Realm is home to the Guardian and his tower. No one is permitted within except the Guardian who was, the Guardian who is, the Guardian who will be. And of course, the Draic Kin who were instrumental in its making.
April:
Have you ever heard of the existence of a hidden entrance to his realm?
Old Alatien Woman:
Yes. Yes, I have heard tell of such a thing, though I would not know where it is. I gather that one of the Kin may be able to tell you.
April:
Thank you. I don't have any more questions.
Old Alatien Woman:
I am glad I could help you with some answers.
April:
I am the Windbringer.
Old Alatien Woman:
I know you are. It's strange to me to hear those words spoken. I did not think they would be in my lifetime. But here you are, standing in front of me, as real as the sky is blue.
April:
I'm sorry I have to ask, but...what is that the Windbringer is supposed to do for you?
Old Alatien Woman:
I did not expect you to walk in here and have all the answers, child. The Balance has both blessed you and cursed you, and it has sent you here to do what it wills. The Windbringer is said to be the first sign of the Great Wind that will take us away from here. For a long time, the Alatien have lost the strength they used to have...Our bones have become weak, and our wings fragile. Where we used to be able to soar for days on strong winds, we are now using our legs to walk rather than fly. Why this is, we do not know.
April:
Tanyenn!
Old Alatien Woman:
You know of the reason for this?
April:
I'm just guessing, but it makes sense. Go on.
Old Alatien Woman:
The Tales also say that the Windbringer will unite us with our past and to end the age old strife.
April:
I know. You must make peace and be reunited with the Maerum. You share a common ancestry.
Old Alatien Woman:
I have always thought we did. The Tales were too similar, the signs clear. But my people...they will have a difficult time understanding why, and how, this can be...
April:
If you don't, both the Alatien and the Maerum will die out. When war broke out between your people and you were forced to move up into the mountains, it compromised a percarious symbiosis. A substance called Tanyenn was abundant where the Maerum and the Alatien lived in close proximity. It brought fish, and heat, and light to both your people. But now, living up in the mountains, your way of life, your diet, your customs and habits, they've all changed. And that's probably the cause of your brittle bones and fragile wings.
Old Alatien Woman:
Then we must make peace with the Maerum and restore the balance between us, so as to strengthen us both and prepare us for the journey that will surely come soon. When our Sitting is over, I will speak to my people and I will elect one representative from the Alatien to meet with the Maerum, in a place of your choosing, to open up a dialogue.
April:
I guess it's time for you to talk to your people, and for me to make arrangements with the Maerum.
Old Alatien Woman:
Where do you wish for our meeting to take place, Windbringer?
April:
You want me to decide? Um, well....I know, send your ambassador down to the ancient caves by the beach. Inside, there are remains of an old Alatien settlement and a Maerum city. It's a good place for your two people to meet, don't you think?
Old Alatien Woman:
Yes, And could you ask if they would bring their half of the stone?
April:
The stone? You have the other half?
Old Alatien Woman:
We have held on to it for centuries, knowing that some day, it would be use to the Windbringer.
April:
It will, trust me.
Old Alatien Woman:
Then we must make haste and arrangements! It is an important day, so let us not waste light. Go, and wait for my ambassador in the caves.
There was already a stir in the Alatien village when she left. A Maerum appeared when she used the prearranged signal at the beach and left to carry her message to the Maerum Queen. Before long, she was at the ancient cave, waiting at the water edge with the Alatien representative, the castle tower guard. He looked in wonder at the surroundings.
Alatien Castle Watch:
It's...amazing. This place is so beautiful, and the scent -- of sea and rock and nest...this scent is of home. This was home, a long, long time ago, according to the Tales, We live in pease with the wettail -- with the Maerum, back then.
April:
Now you'll be able to live in peace again, and with the Tanyenn bringing fish to your doorstep, you'll be able to eat well and restore strength to your bones. Soon, you might even be able to soar on the winds for days, like you used to do.
Alatien Castle Watch:
I hope you are right, Windbringer. And I hope the wet -- The Maerum will see the sense in it too. They are coming, are they not?
April:
They said they would. Hush! I hear something.
A dark shape appeared in the water. With a ripple and a soft plop, the sleek head of the Maerum Queen rose from the water.
Maerum Queen:
We are here, Waterstiller, as was promised.
April:
Good. Now, as representatives of your respective people -- you, the Queen of a Maerum city, and you, guard to the Alatien Teller -- must fulfill the prophecy and join the two parts of the one stone.
Maerum Queen:
We hope that our people may be joined again, Alatien, and that we may live in peace and prosper.
Alatien Castle Watch:
As we do, Maerum, and we pledge to do all we can for this to happen. ]
The Maerum Queen and the Alatien guard extended the half of the stone they held, joining the two.
Alatien Castle Watch:
The stone is now whole, Windbringer, and the Alatien and the Maerum will once again be as one. You may take it with you.
He handed over the stone solemnly.
April:
Thank you, the both of you.
Maerum Queen:
Come now, April, and we will take you to our sleeping god. May his wisdom guide you and lead you down the right path.
Saturday, late afternoon.
The Maerum and the Alatien are well on the road to forging a lasting union, and I hope this will bring prosperity to them both. They've suffered enough as it is, and I'm happy I had a chance to help them come to terms with their past and to face the future together. Okay, April is getting a little sentimental here, but who can blame me? I worked hard to get them talking, damn it, so I deserve a little credit!
At any rate, the journey continues, this time into the lair of the Maerum Sleeping God. Unfortunately, the Alatien weren't able to tell me as much as I would have liked, but at least I have another stone now. That makes two. And I'm pretty certain this god, this Draic Kin, will be able to help me out with some definite answers. I deserve that too.
The Maerum Queen waited patiently as she stowed away the stone and her diary. With the Maerum Queen guiding her, they dove into the sea. Down and down they went, the light from above vanished. A maerum waited by a ledge to hand them each a glowing polyp like plant, to light their way. And the dive continued. Past the schools of fish, the sea plants, until it seemed there were no living creatures to be seen. Eventually, they stopped above a wide ledge. From there, the Maerum Queen would go no further. April would have to go on alone, straight down until she hit the seabed and onwards until she came to an outcrop of rock. April did as she was told and eventually arrived at a strange pyramid-shaped rock.
April:
That's a weird rock. It just doesn't look...natural. (Sand covered what looked like an entry point. She brushed it away. It fluttered opened and closed, soft to the touch. It was too small for her to enter though it reacted to her touch) It's some kind of organic sensor. Hello? Is there anybody in there? (She called through the sensor. At that, a larger orifice opened up above) Spooky. Well, I guess it's an invitation of sorts. (She swam through and found herself in a small cave. There was a small ledge to climb on to) There's air in here. And it's dry! I swear, I'm never taking a bath again. (She could not see anything much except for a rounded protrusion before her) That doesn't look like a natural protrusion. It's too big and... round.
She froze as the cave trembled and then, to her shock, the protrusion before her moved. The surface rolled up and she found herself looking into the giant glowing blue pupil of an eye. A chill shot down her spine as she realized what she was looking at and what she was probably standing on. Before her was the eye of the blue Draic Kin. And she was probably standing on its face. If the eye was that huge then the dragon was colossal. The cave thrummed when it spoke.
The Ancient Dragon:
Do...not...be afraid. I know what you...are
April:
Ah...you...you do?
The Ancient Dragon:
Yes. Yes. What would you here? I...do not like to be...disturbed. I wish to be left...alone. I wish...to rest, until the Day of...Ascension.
April:
I'm sorry to disturb you but I need some answers.
The Ancient Dragon:
Everyone...needs answers. Everyone has...questions. I am not...the Oracle. I can not answer...all your questions.
April:
I don't expect you to answer all of them, but I was hoping for an answer to at least some of them.
The Ancient Dragon:
Then ask...and be gone.
April:
What am I?
The Ancient Dragon:
What...do you mean?
April:
You said you know what I am. What am I?
The Ancient Dragon:
You do...not know? Then it is not I...who should teach you about your heritage. You must make this discovery...on your own.
April:
Listen. I'm tired. I'm wet. I'm at the bottom of the sea, and I'm breathing with the help of a polyp stuck in my esophagus. So just cut the Buddhist bullshit about a journey of self-discovery and answer my question...please?
The Ancient Dragon:
Your question...has already been answered. That...is all I will tell you. Your journey...began with an answer. It is only...now...that you know the question.
April:
That's so not helpful. But thank you. I'm looking for a jewel called the Dragon's Eye.
The Ancient Dragon:
Yes. I...have one such...jewel. (A glowing gem appeared in its eye)
April:
I guess that's it.
The Ancient Dragon:
Take...it.
April:
Are you sure?
The Ancient Dragon:
Take it! It is...yours, now. It is...part of your destiny.
April:
Okay. Tell me if it hurts. (Gingerly, she plucked out the jewel and put it in her pack) What is the Day of Ascension?
The Ancient Dragon:
The day when the Kin...return home, when my...siblings come to me and we rise towards the stars...for our journey back to our cradle... This is the Day of Ascension.
April:
So you're going back to...wherever it is you came from?
The Ancient Dragon:
We will...eventually. When...everything is ready.
April:
When what's ready?
The Ancient Dragon:
I will not...answer that question. It is...not necessary for you to...know.
April:
I need to know where I can find the gateway to the Guardian's Realm.
The Ancient Dragon:
So you come...to me?
April:
They told me -- well, "they" as in the few people who could tell me anything at all... They told me that, if anyone would, it'd be you.
The Ancient Dragon:
I...know. When the Earth was divided, there...was a doorway left...open where the tower...was built.
April:
But it's moved, hasn't it? That spot? When Stark and Arcadia were created, that spot moved elsewhere else.
The Ancient Dragon:
Into...the sky. Amongst...the stars.
April:
But where?
The Ancient Dragon:
I...knew you were coming. Your journey...has not been a quiet...one. Even down...here, I could...hear you. I speak with...the Dark People... They are...my messengers. They have...prepared a map...for you, with the...entrance you are...looking for.
April:
You knew I was coming? And why? Then...okay, I know this is probably a futile question...but why didn't you send the Dark People to me earlier? You could have saved me a lot of time and hard work.
The Ancient Dragon:
You are...afraid of time...and hard work?
April:
No, but it's the principle of it, isn't it?
The Ancient Dragon:
No, it is...not. You had...prophecies to fulfill, you had...a purpose. Bringing...my children together...in preparation... This was important. And for that, I...thank you. Now...I wish to...sleep.
April:
You said something about a map?
The Ancient Dragon:
The Dark People have it. They will meet...you. I will bring...you to them.
April:
What, now?
The Ancient Dragon:
Yes. Hold...on.
She fell as the ledge beneath her moved. Frantically, she grabbed onto a raised slab and realized belatedly it was probably a scale. There was a loud rumble and a sudden rush of cold water as the dragon whipped out of its lair. She squinted as the pressure of water pressed her against the dragon as it swam swiftly towards the surface. With a thunderous roar, the ancient dragon shot out of the water. She blinked, letting go of her death's grip and sat up as the dragon rode the waves. Two ghostly lights appeared out of the fog roiling on the sea surface, eventually revealing a strange silent black ship. It stopped beside the dragon, looking rather puny against it and she slide down to land on the deck. Without much ado, the dragon sank silently beneath the waves without so much as a ripple and disappeared.
Saturday evening, August 5th 2209.
The ancient dragon, the Maerum Sleeping God, was obtuse, like most creatures I've met this past week, but at least he gave me one of the four jewels I need to complete the stone disc, and he's taking me to meet the Dark People, and apparently they will give me a map of the stars, where the entrance to the Guardian's Realm is now located. Amongst the stars! How the hell am I gonna get up there? Well, I'll deal with that problem later on. For now I'll just keep obsessing about what the dragon said, about who I am, what I am. He said that my journey began with an answer, and it's only now that I know the question. What does THAT mean? I feel I should know, that the answer is just right there in front of me, but I can't grasp it. I just don't know what he means. And it's really, really frustrating.
The ship was strange, it was enshrouded in a thick fog. Very mystic like. And it seemed nothing more than two walls latticed with circular like designs atop the usual bottom. Within, the floor seemed carpetted with cocoon like webs or cotton. A black figure waited for her beside a fireplace. She could not see the face, but it was probably a man. A tall man, wearing a dark robe. One of the Dark People, whatever they were.
April:
Thanks for taking me on board.
The Dark People's Emissary:
Who are you?
April:
Uh, well, I thought you...I mean, didn't the old dragon...? Well, I'm April Ryan. From Stark. And I guess you're a, uh, Dark Person?
The Dark People's Emissary:
But who are you?
April:
I...I'm just a student. Not anybody special.
The Dark People's Emissary:
You are special. Who are you?
April:
I'm not...I'm just... (deep breath) I'm the Windbringer. I'm the Waterstiller. I'm April Bandu-embata of the Banda, and the Venar Kan-ang-la. I'm a Shifter. I will some day become the Thirteenth Guardian, protector of the Balance. And I'm April Ryan. This is who I am.
The Dark People's Emissary:
Yes, that is who you are. And you are a Wave.
April:
Why am I a...a wave?
The Dark People's Emissary:
You have a purpose. You play an important part in the cosmos. A Wave is someone who propels people and events towards change, towards the future.
April:
And...that's what I do?
The Dark People's Emissary:
You are a Wave. There are ripples from your passing, and they spread far and wide. Those ripples will never die down. The worlds will be changed by your journey.
April:
You're telling me that everything I do affects the universe?
The Dark People's Emissary:
You can not escape it. You are a Wave.
April:
The ancient dragon, the Blue of the Draic Kin, told me you had a map for me?
The Dark People's Emissary:
A map of stars. Yes. It was made for you in our library, and given to me to hold. It is yours now. Keep it well. It is the only one.
April:
I'm looking for an ancient stone given to you by the Sentinel, the Fathers.
The Dark People's Emissary:
You came for the stone. Of course, we have it with us. Our ship would not have been chosen to meet you were it not for the stone we carry with us.
April:
Everybody's just waiting around for me to show up, so that they can give me stuff. Who knew adventuring was gonna be this easy?
The Dark People's Emissary:
It will not always be so easy. Of that, I can assure you. But here is our stone. We entrust it to you as we were instructed to do when the Fathers first entrusted it to us.
April:
Can this ship take me back to Marcuria? I mean, would you mind?
The Dark People's Emissary:
We will bring you to Marcuria henceforth. It will take a night, but we will be there at first light.
April:
That's fine. Thanks a lot.
The Dark People's Emissary:
You are free to rest here, to sleep, while we travel. The flames will keep you warm. But do not move too far away. My brothers are not friendly with outsiders. They do not take kindly to intrusion.
April:
I'll...keep that in mind. I'm staying right here.
The Dark People's Emissary:
Good. Sleep.
He glided away as she lay herself down on the floor. Exhausted by the day's events, she soon fell asleep.