The Oathsworn

by Liandra Jake

  When he shut it, Michael jerked his head in the direction of the door. "What's with him?"

  "He's got 'abnormal feelings towards males.' Kale seems like he wants Flake to keep it to himself, but it's best to work subtly." Arend replied.

  "There's nothing subtle in any of what you said to him." Michael said as he and Arend finished dressing. They walked out the door fully dressed.

  They were in a small open-roofed hallway in one of the side towers. They seemed to be for when Sereph soldiers lived in them as barracks. Many were opened up for the resident Serephs and a large plaza was atop the block of rooms Arend' crew was assigned. They had gotten the lowest floor, where no one's been for a long time judging by the dust covered doors.

  The fortress was divided into six towers. The two Residential Towers to the front left and right, the entrance and Recreational Tower Arend' group had entered through was in the middle between the two Residential Towers. Agriculture was behind the right Residential Tower and a Business and Education Tower to the left behind the Residential Tower. The final Tower in the six pack was much larger than the others, containing the Library and the Control Room.

  A different Sereph was assigned to Michael. "It's Iris' day off. My name's Night."

  She was a black haired Sereph about Arend' height. A halo was at a 45o angle around the base of her right upper wing. Arend couldn't help but notice the difference between male and female Serephs were a lot more noticeable than a normal Pog. 'A more prominent chest' as he put it.

  "That's Michael and this is Arend." Flake said.

  Night nodded to the both of them. Maeil was headed their way down the hall. "What's going on?" Arend asked.

  "Your prototype. I think the technology can open many doors for us in technological advancement. Or in the very least learn more about you and compensate for the actions of the others." Maeil replied.

  Michael spoke up. "Do you think I could get a look at the library?"

  Night grabbed Michael by the backpack he still wanted to carry around and dragged him behind her. "C'mon scholar boy, the library is open source."

  "Come along Arend, let me show you my lab." Maeil led them out onto the walkway between the Residential Tower and the Business Tower. Maeil stopped halfway. "Over there, under the main tower." Maeil said, pointing to a door and small stretch of a rung ladder in the band of concrete separating the large Korvan at the bottom and the wall of the tower.

  "Do you think you could fly him over?" Maeil asked Flake.

  "Yes, but-" Maeil hopped over the railing, bee-lining for the door.

  "We can't do anything from here." Arend said as he stood up on the railing.

  Flake was impressed Arend could balance on the small piping, not including the strong winds. "I don't think this is a good idea." Flake said as he hooked Arend under the arms.

  "Your feelings towards me don't bother me, as long as you don't forget I can't return them." Arend said.

  Flake and Arend leaned forward off the railing slightly, taking to the air with little effort on Flake's part. "I know that. But some Serephs can't understand that idea. They have trouble accepting different people. If they know you're different, you're automatically an outcast, but forbidden from leaving the Fortress. Few have ever successfully escaped." Flake brought him level with the ladder.

  Arend was up and in the doorway in seconds. Flake was surprised as Arend gave him a helping hand. They quickly followed Maeil's fading footsteps in the narrow, dark hallway.

  - - Connections - -

  Night pointed Michael to a Sereph scholar. He had golden hair smoothed back and had a wide halo around the crown of his head. "These people will freak if any Sereph they don't trust stands anywhere near any of these books. And the scholars do not trust us guards. It's for a very good reason, but I'll have to guard you from just outside on the main walkway." Night left him to the scholar.

  Michael approached him slowly. "My name is Michael, is it alright if I look at some books?"

  He asked tentatively. The scholar didn't look up from his book, waving lazily at Michael. Michael walked over to an empty desk. It was very wide and half doughnut shape. It was made from a sturdy oak. It had a chair, lamp, paper, and pencils for his use. A thick layer of dust coated everything. Michael wiped it off with his sleeve, rolling it up to his shoulder after patting out what he could.

  The surface was notably flatter than the others in use. Michael placed his large backpack onto it. He began pulling out some of his own books and notes. He had to pull out his warped lamp to reach something deeper. With his hand deep in his bag, he didn't notice what the lamp was doing. Red sparks fell from a crack in the frame. One of his books burst into flame. The cries of panic about the fire were instant. Michael doused it with a disappointed look on his face. Canteen now half empty, he picked up the sodden, charred book.

  It was a generic atlas he picked up in a used bookstore. Even if it was ten years out of date, he still regretted losing it. He dropped it into a waste bin and turned his attention to the lamp. The Serephs had calmed down, but kept a wary eye on Michael. Michael easily popped the lamp apart with a rough twist. The small screws easily snapped; the glass didn't show any sign of cracking.

  The fire Korvan in the lamp glowed brightly, but gave up no more sparks. Michael reached for it but immediately regretted his haste. He stuck his fingers into his mouth, There was a resounding, quite laughter. The scholar next to Michael watched him with an amused face. Michael pulled a grey bag from a pocket in his backpack.

  Holding it inside out in his hands, Michael picked up the supercharged Korvan. He flipped it over and pulled the strings closed. The air around Michael began to warm up very quickly. It was strong enough to stir the pages of open books. When the current stopped, Michael took a peek into the small bag in his hands. The Korvan was glowing softly. A Vulcan Korvan? That's a little bizarre.' Michael thought as he placed into a black felt-lined box containing other Korvan that tickled his imagination.

  "What is that?" The scholar asked Michael, pointing at the bag in his hand.

  "I found it in a Great War scrap yard. Its Grey Adamtinium threads weaved into a fabric. I added a Mithril drawstring to release the Orenth the bag would absorb. I met a man named Isaac who made it for me." Michael replied.

  "I've been researching the Great Wars intensely; in the Second, they'd use material like this in their airship's armor to absorb the Orenth from attacks and used Mithril rods to transfer the Orenth into their weapons. A majority of their weapons could only function when under heavy bombardment. It was a steady climb up to Mithril-Adamtinium cells. Shortly thereafter, so began the Third Great War." The Sereph said.

  "Do you have anything on Axis?" Michael asked.

  "Yes, experiments, prototypes, everything up to about 100 years ago. The company has really stepped up security since then." He replied.

  "More like secrecy." Michael said.

  The scholar nodded knowingly. "Aqua." He held out a hand.

  "Michael." The shake caught a little attention that faded as they began discussing the Great Wars in detail.

  [X]

  Iode sat up in a narrow room. His and Corenden's beds were set up in a ten foot by ten foot room. He stood in the only place that wasn't occupied by Corenden's luggage or their supply bags. Iode retrieved a small food pack before he walked out of his room. He devoured his rations as he looked around. The guards supposed to be watching the door were busy showing off to a group of women.

  Iode walked up a spiral staircase as he left his section of prison rooms. He knew what they were based on size and the triple locking mechanism on the door that was modified to open from the inside. The Serephs loitering in the small plaza atop the prison block flashed Iode dirty looks. He ignored them as he continued to eat.

  He gazed up at the high roof. "Hey freak!"

  Iode tossed his trash in a trash bin.

  "Stop ignoring me freak!"

  Iode took to the air, interested in how the roof support
s were designed. He flew up to one of the many beams that curled up like a circular ribcage. He checked the join where the beam ran up the roof. He noticed a few open airports to the outside. The air tasted slightly salty.

  'Salt? This must be from a Slipstream that passes over the ocean.' Iode thought.He inspected the rivets that held the beam to the wall. 'Blue rust…' He ran a finger over one of the rivets. A fine blue dust coated his fingertip. 'Blue-steel... If they've rusted to this level of deterioration, they've been here a long time.' Something bounced off the beam past his head and bounced into his face.

  "You're no safer up her than down there, freak."

  A posse of adolescent Serephs had Iode cornered. A second object was thrown, hitting the beam. Iode could hear the fragile rivets strain even with such a weak throw.

  "Stop that! It's dangerous!" Iode barked.

  Two of the larger Serephs threw him against the wall. The one who had been speaking flew forward. "No, talking back to us is dangerous. I suggest you keep your mouth-" With a metallic ping, a shorn rivet head popped the Sereph across the cheek.

  Blood poured from the wound. Panic began to take control of the Serephs. Four more rivets popped. Iode blocked three with his body, catching one in his hand. He opened it to reveal the upper half of a rivet. He snapped it easily in his hands.

  "Go tell someone this beam will collapse if we don't secure it as quickly as possible." Iode ordered.

  They fled quickly. Iode doubted if they'd tell anyone what was happening. Serephs began to gather in the plaza below Iode. Several were injured in some way by shorn rivets. The bean created a high screech as it ripped the large backup bolts running down its center from the wall behind.

  Rivets were popping all over the place. Iode ignored them, trying to push the beam back up with brute force. The entire fortress shuddered as they passed over the mountains and into a more intense section of the Slipstream. The beam broke off completely, bringing with it a large section of the roof.

  Iode immediately locked his wings, diving for the beam hanging onto the section of roof by a single fist thick bolt that hadn't snapped. Iode shot past the flipping piece of the ceiling. Snapping his wings open and lurching skyward briefly, Iode reached done arm through a bolt hole and locked his grip on the piece of wall behind, latching onto what he could with the other hand.

  The air shook as Iode flapped his wings frantically. The downward wind he created lifted a few surprised Serephs off their feet. Even with the force his wings could lift, Iode still landed hard on his feet. His entire body strained under the metal press that he tried to stop. Every muscle was visible as Iode fought against the unbelievable force behind the section off roof and wall. Part of the floor below him warped. As the initial impact dissipated, Iode struggled to stand as straight as he could. A group of Serephs laid flat at his feet, faces frozen in fear.

  Iode managed to grunt. "Move."

  They scattered. Iode dropped everything, breaking through the chunk of wall with a weary punch. Some of the ceramic shingles jumped in the short drop, shattering onto the plaza floor. Iode still stood proud, panting like a marathon runner.

  "What the hell happened!?" Someone shouted.

  "Why is this thing alone!?"

  "…I'm bleeding!"

  The chaotic uproar grew quickly. Iode found himself the scapegoat for their panic. "What did you do!?"

  "Get out of here freak!"

  The anxiety from their near-death experience fueled their prejudice. They pelted Iode with pieces of the ceramic tile. Iode still stood proud of his achievement, ignorant to the ceramic shattering on his skull.

  A powerful female voice spoke out. "Stop this! He saved you all!" The pink Sereph Arend had spotted before was walking through the splitting crowd, knocking the ceramic from their hands as she passed. She stood shorter than the others, red hair left to flow behind her. Iode noticed she didn't have a halo like the other Serephs.

  There was an aggravated murmur in the crowd, but the plaza was once again pelted with dropped ceramic. The pink Sereph walked up to Iode. "Are you okay?" She asked as she hesitantly reached at the blood running from a cut on the side of his head.

  "I'm fine. No one here would be able to do any real damage." Iode replied.

  She pulled his head down slightly. "You should at least take care of this." She gently pulled a twisted piece of metal from under Iode's skin, leaving it on the floor.

  "Thanks." Iode said as he stood straight once again.

  "So then." She walked over to his side, leading him by the hand behind her. She sat him down on a bench. "How does a Pog learn how to channel Orenth like that?" She asked.

  "What do you mean?" Iode asked. "When you flap you wings; as a species, Floxes manipulate the air around their wings. It's how they don't have to always flap to remain airborne. The thing is, when you caught the roof like that, a gigantic amount of energy was released. Far more than a normal Pog is capable of." She explained.

  "What's your name pinky?" Iode asked.

  "Rose." She replied.

  Their conversation was interrupted as a group of Serephs in white helmets showed up. They inspected the fallen roof plate with great confusion. "I don't see how this could have happened. The beam isn't damaged at all."

  Iode frowned, approaching them. "Are you seriously the best this place has to offer?" Iode asked.

  "We're the best of the best. I suggest you respect that." One of them replied smugly.

  "'The best?' I know people who can't build a tower with blocks who could do this better than you." Iode bent down and picked up one of the numerous shorn rivets. "This is your problem right here. Blue-steel should never be blue; it was named that because when it rusts, it doesn't have red rust. They were destroyed because they were treated for corrosion, specifically, salt." Iode explained.

  "The air up their carries a faint hint of salt, most likely carried from an ocean. It's not strong enough to be an immediate issue, but it's time that really wears the metal like this. It's time to fix this issue, starting with replacing every rivet up there and anywhere else exposed to the air."

  The constriction crew had a closed-circle meeting. "How are we supposed to keep the new ones from rusting?" One of them popped up to asked.

  Iode tilted his head in disbelief. "What the hell is wrong with your education system!?" He said to no none in particular. "You have to coat it in oil or grease every month, OR, buy high priced sealant that would last decades. It would be the same for normal steel."

  The group nodded to each other before facing Iode. "We're going to need your help. We've never done anything like this before.

  'Oh this will be fun.' Iode thought as shook his head slowly. "To start with, move everyone in this tower OUT. We don't want to risk any casualties. This entire tower is now a construction zone."

  [X]

  Arend was hard at work shaping his blade with a hammer. Through a complicated process, Arend had managed to hybridize a second Matrix inside the blade, with the sole purpose of delivering Orenth as smoothly as possible. The Orenth Purifier Korvan was worked in to function as the tip of the solid blade. Spaces were provided for two extra Korvan to help in the absorption of Orenth into the system.

  Maeil had provided Arend with all the materials he could ever need. The Dragon Drive was already rebuilt and Arend was strengthening the blade for a final time. Arend quenched the blade in -320-metal. It was a metal that was liquid at room temperature, and when electrified, becomes cool extremely quickly, all the heat transferring to the path the electricity took through the metal.

  Blade now shatter proofed by normal means, Arend shut the door to the forge and began sharpening the blade carefully by hand, since no machine could do it at this point. Maeil was working on an assignment from Arend. It was a Kruxsetting exercise meant familiarize him with proper Matrix wiring. A clock rang. Maeil immediately got up. Flake woke up from his nap.

  "Arend, we have to go." Maeil said.

  "What for?" Arend asked, glanc
ing up from his work.

  "A daily ceremony that is mandatory for everyone on the fortress. It wouldn't help your image to be a no show." Maeil replied.

  He opened a trap door connected to a storage room in the library. Arend set down his blade by the Drive and followed Flake and Maeil up. "Why didn't we come in this way?" Arend asked as he stared forward instead of upward. He was in no way curious.

  "The light switch was by the front door. I don't come here often." Maeil replied.

  The three of them stepped out from the closet into the bright noonday sun. A mass of Serephs were working their way into the Inner Sanctum, where the controls for the fortress were. Maeil and Flake escorted Arend through the large double wooden doors. The Serephs were taking glances at him, covered in soot and grease.

  The Inner Sanctum was a semi-circular room with walls and floor covered in a mosaic of broken white tiles. As a Sereph would step on one, it would change to the color of their hair or eyes. The ceiling was a large glass dome. The tiles beneath Arend stayed white. He, Flake, and Maeil marched to the front of the congregation. Arend' presence robbed the tile under anyone nearby of color in a circle about ten feet wide.