Day 5 in Prokulpia:Onward to the Barren Lands!
Little rays of sunshine shone upon his face.They streaked his cheeks with golden and poured awesome yellow light over and in through his eyelids. Blinking, sore and with a spinning head, Ogloromn raised first his torso and then his entire body and finally got to his feet. The woods were dark and sunny, all at once, but their most exaggerated feature was their colour. A total and unending surrounding of green. As Ogloromn looked around, blinking to keep from being overwhelmed by the green, his brain jolted into running gear and began to process the events of the day before.
Woke up in the morning. Check.
Got dressed. Check.
Went out for the hunt. Check.
Picked up by Fernkellis. Check.
Fly to Plains of Greed. Check.
Fight nasty giant with axe in one hand and billy in the other. Check.
Be a hero.
He smiled at the last thought.Slowly he was beginning to wake up to the fact that here he was a million miles away from anywhere, no worries or cares, doing whatever he felt like. He let a wave of happiness wash over him. He smelled the fresh air, scented with the bittersweet smeel of Archnun berry. Ah, Prokulpia, beautiful land! Blessed it is that you are my home! Hey, hold on, he thought, those are ROASTING Archnun berries. Mmm, he licked his lips. Thoughts were leaving his skull like they were nothing but water. As he lurched his way towards the smell, only one remained. Breakfast!
Billy looked up to see Ogloromn make his way into the clearing. He stopped cooking the Archnun berries just long enough to say, "Well, look who's up bright and early." Ogloromn scowled and seated himself near the fire. He ate a berry. "Where are we headed today?" he asked. "The barren lands," said Fernkellis. "The barren lands? Oh I've heard of those. Ain't that where people come from.""Yes, once they've been named", said Fickerfut," And we are going there. Does that bother you?" Ogloromn looked up, feeling startled dread work its way to the top of the emotional pile. He had enjoyed fighting the giant, but was not sure of his willingness to continue with such activities."Should I be? Please tell me beforehand, I don't want to be taken off guard.""The lands of the peoples..." started Billy, but Fernkellis said."We must go now, all this roasting will surely attract the giant." Within a few minutes they were gone.
As they trudged their way along( the barren lands seemed to be somewhere north going by the sun) Ogloromn got a chance to take in more of the beautiful land he was a part of. He almost wished he were a scribe. Then, he thought, all this i would have written down, and it would be with me for eternity. That was a disturbing thought, from the region of his mind that no normal thoughts belong to. Why would i need that, Prokulpia will last forever after all, he thought in argument. When there came no answer, none from the region at the furthest corner of his skull, he thought, Anyhow, only Templwrit is a scribe, and he doesn't go anywhere, so he doesn't really write much on travel, and then of what use is all that? This confusing thought process left him bewildered, but happy and smiling.
As he walked on, he mentioned the first thought to Billy. "Beautiful? true. But we mustn't get attatched. They may have that liberty", he said pointing to Fickerfut and Fernkellis up ahead," but we do not. After all, it will end in two days, and where will we be then?" This was more disturbing than the second thought, mused Ogloromn."Why would you say that?""Oh, don't you act innocent with me! You know very well what I'm talking about. I have summoned this party for i have someone to meet before our time is out. After that...." He was interupted by a cry from Fernkellis. Ogloromn shrugged off Billy's words as some futuristic cliche and ran to find what the shouting was all about.
As Ogloromn approached Fernkellis,the land ahead, that had seemed to stretch for eternities, became a cliif, and the land below it stretched out and took its place as an eternal plain. It was barren and dotted with rocks sized from pebble to boulder, and was flanked on left and right by mountains. At a point about five miles on, in the right mountain range, the stone turned purple and remained that way. Fernkellis waved his hand across the expanse before him and said,"Behold, the barren lands!" "and there", added Fickerfut, with a sense of awe alien to his voice,"Are the eternal mountains from wherein people come!" "And those, are some Bogey men coming to get us!" screamed Billy at the hordes of hairy, scraggly bipeds scrambling down the mountains to the left.
The four of them ran. That was all there was to do, and that was actually the plan from the start. For though bogey men, with cruel weapons, inhuman strength, and a hunger for human flesh, were terribly scary, the true danger of the Plains was not Bogey-men, it was Sandworms. Sandworms are overgrown worms of monstrous size that lay burried in the rocky waste of the Barren lands. Every once in a while, when the odd batch of humans are born, these terrifying leviathans will awake in their lairs and come out for a hunt. Of those humans that are born, only those with the courage, will power and sheer luck to cross the plains, survive and make it to the lands beyond. As for the parents, tired and shaken from the process of naming, they have two choices: run down the plain and get caught by the worms, or wait it out, to be found by Bogeymen. The process of naming is inhumanly tiring, and there are no Parents in Prokulpia at all.
Fortunately for the four, they were on their journey in. The worms usually take time to fully shed their slumber and the success rate for parents actually reaching the Purple Mountains was very high. The only thing against them this time was the pounding horde of Bogey men who, for some reason alerted, threatened to give the worms an early warning.
"I hear rumblings", panted Fickerfut. His steed had been left behind. It was safer in the woods. "And the Bogey-men are gaining too,"said Fenkellis. "Blast those trolls! he shouted. "We ought to remember that they will follow us even after we've entered the mountains,"said Billy. "Blast!" said Fernkellis."Won't the worms get them?" asked Ogloromn, between breaths."No", replied Fickerfut, solemly."Worms don't eat Trolls. Gives them indigestion I believe." A small rock wizzed past Ogloromn's head. "I do believe they're catching up." "Blast!" shouted Fernkellis. "Blast those trolls for running so fast! Blast my wings for breaking down! Blast this wretched soil..." and the soil before them blasted a hundred feet into the air!
"The power of Thought!" said Fickerfut."Blast those trolls!" screamed Fernkellis at the bogeymen behind them. "Oh Holmr!"screamed Ogloromn, his knees giving away and his eyes still fixed steadily in front. Right through the blasted sand, towering at two hundred feet above them, peering down were the monstrous eyes of a Sand worm, complete with monstrous slavering jaws.>>LUNCH<< screamed the worm in its harsh and ancient toungue.
Ogloromn, Fernkellis and Fickerfut stood staring in fear, only Billy was calm among them. He stood calmly as stones flew past him and watched the Bogeymen as they attempted to defend their meal. He gazed at the worm and thought, there's a guy who needs his meat, and the worm, blinded with rage, tried to smother the scavenger's in its bulk. It didn't do very well, and started to burrow underground, only to cycle around and finish the task. Only a loop of it remained. Billy walked to words it, pickeing his way through many stunned bogeymen. "You'd want to get moving!" He called to his friends," Or you'll miss your ride out of here!"
The others walked bewildered to his side. " A worm cannot catch his own tail. It looks like we must do it for him." And then out through the first hole, popped the worms rear end, and they all grabbed on as it hurtled past.
Tunnels are rather dark. You cannot see the walls, and only painful physical contact with them tells you that they are indeed there. Suffice to say, hurtling through a tunnel, attached to the rear end of a worm, the presence of the walls was something Ogloromn could have dealt with not being sure about.
"When-do-we-get-off?"screamed Ogloromn. "I don't know", said Billy, with an annoying degree of calmness. "Then-what-are-we-doing-here?""Would you rather have died?" Ogloromn gave up. This entire journey had been centred around his total lack of control over his situations. As if to underline the point, the worm leaped out of the tunnel, dragging them into the air, and flicking them in the direction of the mountains. In a few minutes they were lying at the feet of the hills. And the feet smelled. For it wasn't the Purple Mountains they were lying under. The were lying at the feet of the Mountains of the Trolls.
Woke up in the morning. Check.
Got dressed. Check.
Went out for the hunt. Check.
Picked up by Fernkellis. Check.
Fly to Plains of Greed. Check.
Fight nasty giant with axe in one hand and billy in the other. Check.
Be a hero.
He smiled at the last thought.Slowly he was beginning to wake up to the fact that here he was a million miles away from anywhere, no worries or cares, doing whatever he felt like. He let a wave of happiness wash over him. He smelled the fresh air, scented with the bittersweet smeel of Archnun berry. Ah, Prokulpia, beautiful land! Blessed it is that you are my home! Hey, hold on, he thought, those are ROASTING Archnun berries. Mmm, he licked his lips. Thoughts were leaving his skull like they were nothing but water. As he lurched his way towards the smell, only one remained. Breakfast!
Billy looked up to see Ogloromn make his way into the clearing. He stopped cooking the Archnun berries just long enough to say, "Well, look who's up bright and early." Ogloromn scowled and seated himself near the fire. He ate a berry. "Where are we headed today?" he asked. "The barren lands," said Fernkellis. "The barren lands? Oh I've heard of those. Ain't that where people come from.""Yes, once they've been named", said Fickerfut," And we are going there. Does that bother you?" Ogloromn looked up, feeling startled dread work its way to the top of the emotional pile. He had enjoyed fighting the giant, but was not sure of his willingness to continue with such activities."Should I be? Please tell me beforehand, I don't want to be taken off guard.""The lands of the peoples..." started Billy, but Fernkellis said."We must go now, all this roasting will surely attract the giant." Within a few minutes they were gone.
As they trudged their way along( the barren lands seemed to be somewhere north going by the sun) Ogloromn got a chance to take in more of the beautiful land he was a part of. He almost wished he were a scribe. Then, he thought, all this i would have written down, and it would be with me for eternity. That was a disturbing thought, from the region of his mind that no normal thoughts belong to. Why would i need that, Prokulpia will last forever after all, he thought in argument. When there came no answer, none from the region at the furthest corner of his skull, he thought, Anyhow, only Templwrit is a scribe, and he doesn't go anywhere, so he doesn't really write much on travel, and then of what use is all that? This confusing thought process left him bewildered, but happy and smiling.
As he walked on, he mentioned the first thought to Billy. "Beautiful? true. But we mustn't get attatched. They may have that liberty", he said pointing to Fickerfut and Fernkellis up ahead," but we do not. After all, it will end in two days, and where will we be then?" This was more disturbing than the second thought, mused Ogloromn."Why would you say that?""Oh, don't you act innocent with me! You know very well what I'm talking about. I have summoned this party for i have someone to meet before our time is out. After that...." He was interupted by a cry from Fernkellis. Ogloromn shrugged off Billy's words as some futuristic cliche and ran to find what the shouting was all about.
As Ogloromn approached Fernkellis,the land ahead, that had seemed to stretch for eternities, became a cliif, and the land below it stretched out and took its place as an eternal plain. It was barren and dotted with rocks sized from pebble to boulder, and was flanked on left and right by mountains. At a point about five miles on, in the right mountain range, the stone turned purple and remained that way. Fernkellis waved his hand across the expanse before him and said,"Behold, the barren lands!" "and there", added Fickerfut, with a sense of awe alien to his voice,"Are the eternal mountains from wherein people come!" "And those, are some Bogey men coming to get us!" screamed Billy at the hordes of hairy, scraggly bipeds scrambling down the mountains to the left.
The four of them ran. That was all there was to do, and that was actually the plan from the start. For though bogey men, with cruel weapons, inhuman strength, and a hunger for human flesh, were terribly scary, the true danger of the Plains was not Bogey-men, it was Sandworms. Sandworms are overgrown worms of monstrous size that lay burried in the rocky waste of the Barren lands. Every once in a while, when the odd batch of humans are born, these terrifying leviathans will awake in their lairs and come out for a hunt. Of those humans that are born, only those with the courage, will power and sheer luck to cross the plains, survive and make it to the lands beyond. As for the parents, tired and shaken from the process of naming, they have two choices: run down the plain and get caught by the worms, or wait it out, to be found by Bogeymen. The process of naming is inhumanly tiring, and there are no Parents in Prokulpia at all.
Fortunately for the four, they were on their journey in. The worms usually take time to fully shed their slumber and the success rate for parents actually reaching the Purple Mountains was very high. The only thing against them this time was the pounding horde of Bogey men who, for some reason alerted, threatened to give the worms an early warning.
"I hear rumblings", panted Fickerfut. His steed had been left behind. It was safer in the woods. "And the Bogey-men are gaining too,"said Fenkellis. "Blast those trolls! he shouted. "We ought to remember that they will follow us even after we've entered the mountains,"said Billy. "Blast!" said Fernkellis."Won't the worms get them?" asked Ogloromn, between breaths."No", replied Fickerfut, solemly."Worms don't eat Trolls. Gives them indigestion I believe." A small rock wizzed past Ogloromn's head. "I do believe they're catching up." "Blast!" shouted Fernkellis. "Blast those trolls for running so fast! Blast my wings for breaking down! Blast this wretched soil..." and the soil before them blasted a hundred feet into the air!
"The power of Thought!" said Fickerfut."Blast those trolls!" screamed Fernkellis at the bogeymen behind them. "Oh Holmr!"screamed Ogloromn, his knees giving away and his eyes still fixed steadily in front. Right through the blasted sand, towering at two hundred feet above them, peering down were the monstrous eyes of a Sand worm, complete with monstrous slavering jaws.>>LUNCH<< screamed the worm in its harsh and ancient toungue.
Ogloromn, Fernkellis and Fickerfut stood staring in fear, only Billy was calm among them. He stood calmly as stones flew past him and watched the Bogeymen as they attempted to defend their meal. He gazed at the worm and thought, there's a guy who needs his meat, and the worm, blinded with rage, tried to smother the scavenger's in its bulk. It didn't do very well, and started to burrow underground, only to cycle around and finish the task. Only a loop of it remained. Billy walked to words it, pickeing his way through many stunned bogeymen. "You'd want to get moving!" He called to his friends," Or you'll miss your ride out of here!"
The others walked bewildered to his side. " A worm cannot catch his own tail. It looks like we must do it for him." And then out through the first hole, popped the worms rear end, and they all grabbed on as it hurtled past.
Tunnels are rather dark. You cannot see the walls, and only painful physical contact with them tells you that they are indeed there. Suffice to say, hurtling through a tunnel, attached to the rear end of a worm, the presence of the walls was something Ogloromn could have dealt with not being sure about.
"When-do-we-get-off?"screamed Ogloromn. "I don't know", said Billy, with an annoying degree of calmness. "Then-what-are-we-doing-here?""Would you rather have died?" Ogloromn gave up. This entire journey had been centred around his total lack of control over his situations. As if to underline the point, the worm leaped out of the tunnel, dragging them into the air, and flicking them in the direction of the mountains. In a few minutes they were lying at the feet of the hills. And the feet smelled. For it wasn't the Purple Mountains they were lying under. The were lying at the feet of the Mountains of the Trolls.
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3:23 AM
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