Architecture & Adversity

by Jeremy Dwyer

  “Even unknown stars cry out because of the sins of these people! This may be another judgment plague. Yet, we have our mission. Can you still navigate, or is this as bad as the pain you felt when listening to the stars in the darkness?” Borislav asked.

  “I feel no pain, and I can still navigate, because the blue, yellow and red suns are all clear in their sounds. I will chart our course now, and then steer the ship,” Tikhon said. He then used the sounds of the suns, and the information of solar path and position he learned from those sounds, to plot a course toward the southern extent of the Solkidian Trail land bridge.

  After this, Tikhon said: “I have our course charted. Raise the anchor.”

  “First, Kresimir will call down the fire of Divine Wrath upon this town, as well, and bring an end to their false material wealth,” Borislav said.

  Kresimir drank anew of the waters of the Lujladia Ocean from his vial and was energized. He projected a beam of light at a wooden building in the Port of Pestakerin and it caught fire. The flames spread quickly, even burning some of the ships. The merchants and their guards struggled to apply their own powers to extinguish the flames.

  “Perhaps, now, they will believe in God’s Laws and Divine Wrath and repent from their sins. We must continue on our journey,” Borislav said.

  While the port town was burning, several of the other Pilgrims gathered together to raise the ship’s anchor. Then, Tikhon entered the wheelhouse and steered the Bronze Harvester out of port, sailing east across the Elanatin Ocean.

  When the Bronze Harvester reached the western coast of the Solkidian Trail land bridge, the Pilgrims of the Burning Road anchored the ship in a small port that did not even have a port town – it had only docks for ships. Borislav took with him one hundred twenty (120) of the Pilgrims, leaving the two hundred thirty-eight (238) others to watch the ship.

  After the one hundred twenty-one (121) Pilgrims – including Borislav – set foot on land, they found dirt roads and followed these into poor farming villages. Their message was accepted by many and their number quickly grew to eight hundred forty-two (842). The Pilgrims returned with these new recruits to the Bronze Harvester, joining the others for a total of one thousand eighty (1080) members.

  Borislav ordered Tikhon, saying: “The people of this region heeded the warning, and their suffering and poverty have already begun to purify their souls, so that we need not burn their buildings and their land. Tikhon, plot a course for eastern Volaraden, near the jungles.”

  Tikhon drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from his vial and was energized. He listened to the sounds of the stars and plotted a course. He gestured to the others to raise the anchor, and when several of them worked together to do so, Tikhon converted the Bronze Harvester to its airship configuration, pivoting the masts and sails to the sides of the ship to become sailwings. The ship ascended to one hundred twenty (120) feet of altitude and sailed south over the low-lying areas of the Solkidian Trail and the eastern edge of the continent of Baradaxa, returning to sea level in the Dead Waters Ocean. The ship’s masts and sails were pivoted to the upright position and the Bronze Harvester sailed southeast toward the northeastern coast of the continent of Volaraden, from which they could see the jungles.

  As in the Solkidian Trail, Borislav took with him one hundred twenty (120) other Pilgrims onto the shore – there was no port, so they lowered the boarding ramp directly onto the land – and entered the jungle, leaving nine hundred fifty-nine (959) of the Pilgrims to watch the ship.

  “Dangerous tribal warriors are known to control these jungles. I will call for protection, so that our message can be delivered to their primitive, idol-worshipping minds,” Borislav said. He drank anew of the waters of the Zovvin Ocean from his vial and was energized. He called out to the spirit known as Lekradorel to protect them. The spirit created a shield of spiritual energy around the Pilgrims of the Burning Road, protecting them all from the anticipated confrontation.

  Upon entering the jungle, Borislav met several warriors and preached his message to them. Most of them were unconcerned or said: “Beware the Wrath of Havatissa! He is the spirit of the forest and the animals within it. Preach not your religion to us!” However, some were swayed by the message of the Pilgrims of the Burning Road and joined them. They returned to the Bronze Harvester with these new recruits and their new number was one thousand two hundred twenty-nine (1229) Pilgrims total.

  Borislav ordered Tikhon, saying: “Tikhon, plot a course for western Meridianus.”

  “Are there others in the jungle who heard the warning but did not listen? Shall we burn them?” Kresimir asked.

  “Many heard but did not heed the warning, because they worshipped a different spirit – a lesser god. Yet, we will not burn them at this time. Their punishment will come later, and it will be much worse than that of the merchants and other money worshippers. It is time to continue our journey and spread the message elsewhere,” Borislav said.

  Tikhon drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean from his vial and was energized. He listened to the sounds of the stars to learn their positions and movements. After using this information to plot a course, he gestured toward the others to raise the anchor. After several of them did so, he converted the Bronze Harvester to its airship configuration, pivoting the masts and sails to the sides of the ship to become sailwings. The ship ascended to one hundred twenty (120) feet of altitude and traveled south over the low-lying areas of the eastern coast of the continent of Volaraden, returning to sea level in the Gradaken Ocean. The ship’s masts and sails were pivoted to the upright positions and the Bronze Harvester sailed southeast across the Gradaken Ocean. After two (2) days, the ship eventually arrived at the western coast of the continent of Meridianus, in the Port of Sedurabrith.

  “We have arrived at our destination, and here we will bring the message of the Wrath of God to the world. Their sins must be punished with plagues, and so we will poison their streams and lay waste to their fields. Famine and poison will make them suffer, and through suffering their character will be built. If they are wise, they will rise above their sinful ways and follow us, renouncing their own thievery or renouncing those thieves for whom they work and enrich,” Borislav said.

  “There are stores of various waters in barrels in the hold of this ship. We must all prepare ourselves,” another of the original eleven (11) Pilgrims said.

  “Petya is correct. You will help him go into the ship’s hold and bring out the Gradaken waters, the Lujladia waters, the Ikkith Tar waters and the Zovvin waters,” Borislav said.

  Petya himself drank anew of the waters of the Kazofen Ocean from his own vial and was energized. He began to conduct the water purification process to improve the purity of each of those specified waters, so that they would be more effective. When the other Pilgrims – mostly, the new recruits – joined him, they were able to carry the many barrels on deck.

  “Now, we will give drink to the thirsty: those who thirst for the waters of the magic oceans to have the power to control the elements and fulfill the mission of the Pilgrims of the Burning Road,” Petya said.

  “Yet, you must thirst for the Message of God above all else, because the ocean waters are a lesser power, and cannot quench your thirst for eternity,” Borislav said.

  Soon, they all drank anew and were energized according to their waterbindings. Borislav personally took the higher purity Zovvin waters to be energized and he called upon the spirit known as Lekradorel to protect them all. He was certain that they would meet violent resistance, because of the Divine Wrath they would be delivering.

  Borislav then led one thousand eighty-eight (1088) other Pilgrims with him into the port town, leaving one hundred forty (140) to watch the Bronze Harvester. Once they entered the Port of Sedurabrith, Borislav preached their message and a few people believed him, thus turning away from their labors for their dishonest employers and joining the Pilgrims. Others rebuked or mocked the Pilgrims, so they moved out of the port town into
the nearby farmlands, where they preached the message again and recruited a few more.

  However, Borislav decided that it was time for the Divine Wrath to be shown and he gave his orders to the other Pilgrims – the one thousand eighty-eight (1088) he brought from the ship, but not the one hundred two (102) recruits they gained here in western Meridianus, because they were not yet ready – saying: “Many have heard the message, yet few have accepted it and repented of their sins. The time for Divine Wrath is now. Let there be plagues of famines and poisons! Let fields be laid waste!”

  Those Pilgrims who drank of the Lujladia waters created bright rays of heat and light, setting fields of corn and wheat ablaze. The fires spread and burned more fields, destroying hundreds of acres.

  Those Pilgrims who drank of the Ikkith Tar waters created shrouds of cold and darkness, killing the crops and freezing the soil.

  Those Pilgrims who drank of the Gradaken waters called forth locusts and other pests, directing them to devour the crops that were not burning or frozen. They also took control of the work animals on the farms and set them free, directing them to trample the farmers and other laborers. Then, they called to snakes to bite and kill the farmers and other laborers with deadly venom. After this, they also led hundreds of the vipers into the streams and lakes. Once there, these Pilgrims killed the serpents with their bare hands, spilling the snakes’ venom so that it would contaminate the waters and poison those who drank of them.

  The attack was fierce and the resistance was weak, because the farmers were mostly drinkers of the Kazofen waters – good only for bending stones and crystals – who were working the fields part time until a better opportunity was available. Extracting precious gemstones from the hills and mountains was the greatest source of wealth, and where they earned the most for their efforts. Farming was considered an inferior profession by many in Meridianus and any food at all was regarded as good enough, so they had little desire to improve crop quality by drinking the Gradaken waters themselves. However, increasing the quality and quantity of gems carried substantial rewards, but that required drinking the Kazofen waters. Since each person could only have a single waterbinding according to the laws of the oceans, most of these farmers chose their waterbindings based on profit.

  Borislav knew that the economy was corrupt – preferring the profits of gem mining over faming – and that if the majority of the farmers and other laborers had been drinkers of the Gradaken waters, they could have regained control of the animals, who would have been unable to trample them. Instead, they could have turned the creatures back against the Pilgrims. Even the venom of the serpents would have been no danger to the farmers and other laborers, because the Gradaken waters would have counteracted it, since it is a property of creatures over which those waters give dominion.

  CHAPTER 17: Advancement of Trade and Design

  Polyxene peered through the modified crystal of a section of the wall of her fortress, gazing out onto the Kazofen Ocean. She peered around even the mountains surrounding her, an ability afforded by her alterations that imbued the crystal with a periscopic structure. She watched as her ships approached – a fleet of thirty-one (31) frigates and sixty-eight (68) galleons – hoping that the payload was of sufficient quality. She could work to alter it and increase the quality of the quartz they carried in their cargo holds, but the process would go more smoothly and quickly if she didn’t need to correct large quantities.

  When the fleet came close enough, she modified the crystal fortress wall again, so as to create an opening and receive the ships.

  ~~~

  On board the Dusk Breaker, Captain Sjaak steered the wheel, under orders from the compelling power of the spirit that had overtaken him. He drank anew of the waters of the Atrejan Ocean to hear the sounds of the stars and continued to hear the same strange sound as before – a cry of pain from three (3) different stars that were not in the sky above. Still, he could hear the ordinary blue, yellow and red suns and was able to navigate by using the information of solar path and position he learned from those sounds. He led the other thirty (30) frigates and the sixty-eight (68) galleons they escorted, and all the ships soon disappeared from the outside world and reappeared inside the strange crystal fortress. He saw the diamond-covered woman again, and knew that he had no choice but to comply with her orders, which were relayed to him through the spirit, commanding him to guide the ships to where they needed to be. The sound of the cries of pain grew somewhat stronger at that point.

  ~~~

  Polyxene watched as the fleet of ships entered her fortress and then she altered the crystal structure of the wall to seal the entrance and to seal the viewport through which she gazed out onto the Kazofen Ocean. She watched as the crew members of the galleons worked to unload their quartz cargo onto the floor of the fortress. She glided across the floor toward them and created a momentary aperture in her diamond-covering around her mouth, through which she drank anew of the waters of the Kazofen Ocean from her vial to become energized. She then closed the aperture and proceeded to peer into the low-level structure of the quartz, identifying the imperfections and the highest quality portions.

  After locating the masses of quartz that were adequate, she began to mold them like clay into a unified fabric with the proper low-level structure and density. By touching an edge of this fabric, she was able to control all of it, so that it moved as she glided across the floor of the crystal fortress toward the first of the quartz domes. She then maneuvered her hands to cause the fabric to roll up over the quartz dome and fuse the new material into place. She saw that the violet light within it became dim again, and that was because she had increased its thickness. She did the same to the other two (2) quartz domes, and the violet lights within them also became dim once again.

  Polyxene decided that her repairs were, in fact, more than satisfactory, so that she could return to her other work. Now, however, her ambitions were greater: she needed to design more carefully to avoid a repeat of this incident within her fortress. If there was to be damage due to a highly volatile experiment, it had to be in a different environment, at a distance, where the containment of the violet stellar cores could not be compromised. She also needed to be sure that she wouldn’t be at risk for an even more dangerous containment breach: if the ruby spires ever cracked, the results would be horrifying. Ruby was harder than quartz, but no crystal was unbreakable: she knew this because she knew how to break every crystal, no matter its low-level structure, even if no one else could.

  Captain Sjaak waited on the deck of Dusk Breaker and watched as the diamond-covered woman was working on the quartz domes in another area of the crystal fortress. They appeared to have a brightly glowing violet light and then the light became dim. The sounds of the cries of pain from the three (3) unknown suns then dissipated, and he had a horrifying realization: the diamond-covered woman’s work and those strange sounds were all connected. Those violet lights within the quartz domes weren’t lights at all – they were parts of stars!

  Polyxene then glided across the crystal fortress floor toward the fourth ruby spire and said: “Havatissa! Stand at attention!”

  The swirling blackness inside the fourth ruby spire ceased its movements when she spoke.

  “I have another mission for you,” Polyxene said.

  “I await your ordersss, my lady,” the voice of Havatissa said through the fourth ruby spire.

  “Guide more ships into this region of the Kazofen Ocean. Direct the bankers to construct a new port of call, where merchants can exchange precious gems. And be quick about it: I know that you are attempting to resist serving me,” Polyxene said. She then altered the low-level structure of the fourth ruby spire, twisting it into a form that caused pain for the demon within.

  “There isss no need to ssstrike at me. I will direct the operationsss of the sssentral bank accordingly,” the voice of Havatissa said through the fourth ruby spire. Havatissa knew that he had to obey this latest command if he wanted the pain to ever end,
so he reached out to lesser spirits, and through these he reached out to Governor Lux in the central bank.

  Polyxene intended to commandeer the yet-to-be constructed sea port for her later experiments, and another of her demons would be instrumental for that purpose. She could no longer safely conduct them here, because her new experimental designs entailed more risk and volatility, threatening the integrity of the crystal fortress, as well as endangering the quartz domes and ruby spires within it.

  ~~~

  The office of Governor Lux was in Trading Center Five building on Haza’Kedro’Maral Island in the Pirovalen Ocean. Lux was alone in his office, sitting on the floor with his legs folded. He drank anew of the waters of the Zovvin Ocean to sense the spirit world and concentrate on its denizens. He occasionally summoned spirits to manipulate the people around him, unless they were protected by other powers, or were more adept at controlling spirits than he was, which – in a few instances – they were.

  Governor Lux felt something in the spirit world reach out to him. It was a lesser spirit with whom he was not familiar, but it relayed a message from a stronger spirit whom he knew: Havatissa.

  The lesser spirit sent a message into the very spirit of Lux, telling him: “You are to direct the finances of the central bank toward the construction of a new port of call in the Kazofen Ocean, near the dense region of the mountain range.”

  Governor Lux spoke back, through the spirit world, such that only the contacting spirit could hear him, and said: “What is the reason for this? The assets of the central bank need to be allocated carefully. Whereas this construction project may have merit, there are competing opportunities, with greater profit potential, that command my attention.”

  “If you do not construct the city in that location, another agent will, reaping the profits,” the spirit said.