_{This is a continuation of the Steemit-exclusive, original novel A Day in the Clouds. Be sure to check out the previous chapters to catch up with the story. Enjoy!}

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2,000th POST ALERT!!!

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<< Chapter 11

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_{The multi-talented @verbal-d has bestowed a wonderful gift for this story. To enhance the reading experience, play this on loop in the background as you read this chapter. Please be sure to follow and donate to @verbal-d!}

Dadier came at me, with the pace of a rampaging sloth. His flab undulated with every step he took. The wooden floorboard creaked and seemed to almost give in to his sheer weight. He stretched his arms forward, and dove down to grab me.

I clenched my fist, and for a second, thought about evading capture. In my mind, I've already mapped out all the possible trajectories I could maneuver to get a clean shot at his face. Most of those would lead to the giant falling on the ground. Some would result to a broken fist, but I calculated those as having only a small probability. Some scenarios ended with me slipping and cracking my head wide open. Suffice to say, those were quite undesirable.

However, every scenario almost always end up with ... my capture. "Thinking before leaping" definitely has its merits. I stood my ground, held up my arms, and awaited the giant to do whatever he wanted to me.

    "Hey there, big man," he remarked sarcastically. "Here we go."

As expected, he hoisted me up and gave me a tight squeeze. He placed his lips on my forehead, which was, again, expected as he needed to drain my power and memory. From atop his shoulders, I could see a clear view of the entire room. Trinkets littered the entire space, scattered across the floor and the tops of the tables. It made me wonder why it infuriated them every time I didn't return the ones they lent me back into the chest. Perhaps because it was them who did it, and not us prisoners.

The giant leaped onto his throne and spun it around. The tiny wheels beneath it allowed it to glide through the wooden floorboard. He placed me on his lap, and pushed up his spectacles with his stubby finger. Dadier then rested his left hand on the kibo, and he put his right hand on ... I'm not quite sure what to call that other device. It made a clicking sound that changed the display of the picture screen. So, that's how it worked!

Unlike the kibo, which was stationary, the other device moved around. It even had enough power to carry the giant's hand. I'm not quite sure if Dadier placed his right hand on it to hold it down and not let it escape. Could it be another prisoner?

Dadier's chin often grazed my head, and it felt like I was being pushed down. He sometimes lets go of the other device and uses his right hand to violently tap on the kibo. The action, too, causes the display of the picture screen to change.

I reached out to the other device when Dadier loosened his hold of it. It had a shiny, black exterior, and felt like it was made of plastic or a plastic-like material. I shook it as I held it against my right ear, but it didn't make the same clicking sound it did whenever Dadier held it.

    "Hello," I asked, making sure that there wasn't a tiny prisoner trapped inside.

There was no answer, but it flashed a blinding red light when I looked at its bottom. I closed my eyes and threw it away. It scarred my eyes and permanently damaged my vision. Was this the reason the giant held it down to the table? Was it some sort of robotic contraption that the giants scrambled together to serve them?

I closed my eyes, as I silently writhed in pain. Scratching them didn't help with their recovery. I tried my best to stay calm and think of a solution. The old me would've just blasted that infernal device with a concentrated discharge of my viento.

As I opened my eyes, I discovered that it had survived the fall. It dangled from a black cable which extended from the back of the picture screen, preventing its fall. I tried to grab a hold of it, but Dadier beat me to it.

    "O, Ledd, don't throw the mouse," demanded Dadier. "That's bad ha, anak."

Damaus. What an odd name for a robotic servant. So far, I know that holding it would cause it to move and change the display of the picture screen. It would make a clicking or grumbling sound before it changed the display. Lifting it up would cause it to attack you with a blinding red beam of light. It was also harnessed to the picture screen. Or, maybe it's connected to it? Maybe that's how it controlled the display. Was the cable connection just a harness or could it be the source of its power?

The kibo seemed to be the same way, though it didn't seem to move on its own. From what I observed, the sound it generated seemed to be directly caused by Dadier's tapping. The devices seemed to serve separate functions. Used together, they worked in unison to allow the giant control of the picture screen. I'm just not quite what they were.

Over time, my eyes recovered from the assault. It would take so much more than a mere red flash to blind me. Viento coursing through my veins allows me to heal much quicker than other people.

Dadier switched the display of the picture screen repeatedly. One minute it was a white screen with tiny inscriptions, the next it was a scrolling display of text and images. After which it showed a cat which stared back at me with disdain. I'm not quite sure what I did to earn the cat's ire, but it went away the moment Dadier willed it away.

The power that these giants held was immeasurable. They had the whole world literally in their fingertips. Could this be their secret weapon during the Great War? If every giant had access to these picture screens of power, no opponent would stand a chance.

Back in my village, we used to just stare at the clouds, focus our viento, and think about what we want to see. The breeze would then shape the clouds to show us what we wished for. In a way, these picture screens seem to be a mechanized equivalent of that practice. These could be the culmination of all the technologies of their fallen adversaries. Damn them.

I tried to take it all in, and not let my emotions get the better of me. Access to the magical picture screen would afford me the same power the giants have. I could use it to not only rally the other prisoners, but also to gather information against my enemies. That device, which they hold dearly, would be the cause of their own downfall.

I wondered if there were others who've gained access to one of these devices. If only there was a way to know. Surely, these devices have a way to communicate among themselves. I've seen the giants talk to other giants through this. There must be a global network to which these devices connect to. It's what the giants could've used to plan a coordinated attack.

Since I've long suspected these giants to be assimilating us prisoners to their ranks, I might as well use that to my advantage while I still had proper mental faculties.

    "So, uh," I stammered. "D-Da ... This. How does this thing work?"

Dadier stayed silent, but threw me a quick glance.

    "I say, you giant," I followed, as I turned around to face him, tapping him to call his attention. Trying to avoid misinterpretation, I attempted to speak in their native tongue. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to make any difference. It seemed as if he still bore ill feelings towards me. His failure to secure me and recapture me must've resulted into severe punishment. The giant must've placed me on his lap to keep a closer eye on me and prevent me from attempting another escape. I couldn't blame him. "Since you've bound me in place, the least you could do is to teach me how to use this thing."

It seemed that my tactics were not working out as planned. I had to readjust my approach. Talking to these savages had always been tedious, but this was a necessity to further my plans.

    "D-Dadier, these picture screens fascinate me," I said, pointing to the screen. "Tell me, which fallen adversary did you steal this technology from?"

    "What did you say?" the giant asked. "You want to know how to view this video?"

Finally! At last, I was getting somewhere. It wasn't exactly what I asked, but at least the giant got the gist of what I was trying to say. I wasn't quite sure what a "video" was, but I was willing to learn anything he would teach me. Perhaps "video" was what they called this device as a whole? "Yes ... please."

We spent countless hours in front of the picture screen. During that time, I discovered that "computer" was the collective term for the kibo and damaus. The giant bombarded me with instructions, which I gleefully digested. Dadier seemingly didn't suspect anything. For him, this must've been their plan of assimilation seeing some positive traction. But, for me, this was what I needed to learn so that I could operate the "computer."

_{Cloud Source}

There was definitely a learning curve, but no hurdle was too big for my determined spirit. The giant taught me how to use the kibo in conjunction with damaus. I didn't get everything at first, but I was sure that I will master how to manipulate them eventually.

The "video" that he referred to was a collection of moving pictures that one can repeat over and over. The video of the cat that he was looking at earlier was just a piece of recording of an event that happened in the past. Even though the cat seemed to be looking back at me, it was a mere echo. Videos were different from a skype which looks like a video, but isn't a recording at all. It allowed the giants real-time communication with one another. Perhaps it's what they used to coordinate their tactics during the Great War. If only the Sachaphoyans had a skype, we could've coordinated with each other better.

Dadier smiled at me, and I fired a smile back in return. If only he knew the reason for my grin. I played out every scenario, now with my knowledge of how to use the computer. This time, every outcome almost always lead to my victory.

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<< Chapter 11

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