A Day in the Clouds (Chapter 23) - The Hours Between 0300 and 0400
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The multi-talented @verbal-d (who, by the way, edited this chapter) has bestowed a wonderful gift for this story. Known for his lyrical rhymes, he's also a master when it comes to mixing melodious beats. To enhance the reading experience, play this on loop in the background as you read this chapter. Take a deep breath, and allow yourself to be consumed by the entire experience. Please be sure to follow and donate to @verbal-d! You can also follow his work on SoundCloud.
I stood up from my bed as soon as I regained my composure. Sweat dripped down my entire body. I shook as I stood in the darkness, with only the sound of the giants snoring to accompany me. The frigid air sent chills down my spine. I took a step the same time a giant snored, so that I could mask the creak the floor made. They weren't in sync, so it wasn't too difficult to time.
Upon arriving at the door, I jumped up and grabbed the knob, turning it clockwise on my way down. The door unlocked, and I slid my myself between the narrow opening. With no other option, I had to make do with the opportunity afforded to me.
The hallway outside was pitch black. But, as expected, my eyes adjusted to reveal my surroundings. I ducked down and searched for the sword that I had crafted earlier. It took a while, but I eventually found it. I fastened it behind my back, with its cross-guard resting on the rear neckline of my garb.
The door squeaked, and the hairs at the back of my neck all stood in attention. I looked back only to discover that no one was there. The air was cold, and the glass windows were rattling because of the wind blowing up against it.
There was something unnerving about the entire situation. I hoped that the giants never predicted my move. How could they have ever expected me to go after their secret weapon? The one they portrayed as any wayward prisoner's doom. I would have still carried on with my strategy of gaining their trust. But, the loss of their secret weapon would have surely put a wrench in their tactics.
I took small steps as I descended the steep staircase. One wrong move and I would be tumbling down the jagged steps until way after I lost my life. The shadows on the walls moved, as if they had a life of their own. I gripped my sword's hilt, ready to draw it whenever a threat revealed itself.
The walls seemed like they were moving in closer together. They wept and howled, and a metallic grinding echoed from within them. Black ooze dripped down from the ceiling. It then made its way to the gaping chasm that waited beneath the staircase.
My lower jaw vibrated uncontrollably, and my palms sweated profusely. I squinted my eyes, bit my lip, took a deep breath, and continued with my descent.
No matter how frightening it was, I knew I had to face it. I had no control over my surroundings, so I decided to not stress about it. My body, however, was something that I could control. I steadied my breathing, and took my hand off the sword.
The stairs moved farther apart, and the ooze made the surface slippery. Every step I made was silent and deliberate, careful not to tumble over the edge. It was a harrowing descent, but it was the only route outside the prison. I didn't have any other option. The giants must've deliberately made it this way to discourage escape.
I had to conserve my energy for the impending battle. If what I had experienced — hallucination, premonition, dream or memory — was any indication, then I knew my opponent wouldn't be easily defeated. I focused on that realization. Traversing these steep steps was nothing compared to the duel that lay ahead.
What if I got caught before I faced that hellbeast? That would surely derail my plan of gaining their trust. What if it became morning by the time I arrived? Would the hellbeast be awake by then? I tried to distract myself with questions as I continued with my descent.
I spent a long while tackling the stairs that time began to lose its meaning. Gusts of wind attempted to throw me to the gaping chasm below, but I buckled down and stood my ground.
This was my summit. Many people considered climbing tall mountains a monumental feat. Descending this towering fortress would be mine. I had always found it easy scaling tall heights. But, I guessed that was what living on top of a mountain would do to a person.
Before I knew it, I had already made my way to the bottom floor with all my parts intact. I knelt down and kissed the ground where I stood. Never had I been more glad to be standing on a stable surface. My knees were weak, but I knew that I had to forge ahead.
I jumped up a cushion, then grabbed hold of the doorknob to unlock it. It made an eerily sharp creak, so I ran outside as quickly as I could. Running through the tiled hallway, I felt the sword dislodge from my back. Soon, I found myself in front of the brown, metal gate that served as the first line of defense for the fortress. Ironically, it became the last obstacle that stood in my way.
I gripped the sword, and used it to unfasten the latch. Its doorknob was higher than any of the other doorknobs I had encountered so far. There were no platforms nearby that I could use as a springboard, so I had to improvise. Luckily, the sword was long enough to reach it. Out of breath, I had trouble steadying my aim, but I eventually succeeded in unlocking it.
If I had planned to escape, it would've gone smoothly so far. However, that wasn't my primary objective this time around. I made my way out to the prison yard as soon as the metallic gate swung open. This was the part where I could've shouted 'Freedom!' but it wasn't the right line for this scenario.
"Let's do this," I whispered, in a hushed, stern tone.
The cloudless night sky allowed the moonlight to dimly illuminate the surroundings. A soft breeze brushed across the prison compound. Sleeping prisoners littered the yard, like landmines in a battlefield. While I was certain that no one would alert the giants, I still had to be careful not to trip on anyone and wake them up.
Trust was hard to come by in the prison. If I learned anything in all my years as a captive, it was that I shouldn't trust anyone completely. Everyone had their own interests, and most didn't line up with mine.
I navigated my way through the cavalcade of slumbering inmates. Their constant shifting and turning made it hard to dodge them. I steadied my breathing, and focused solely on not tripping on anything. The battle could wait, and my viento would recharge even if I didn't will it to.
A cacophony of snores overwhelmed the silence. Sleeping amidst all the noise was an impressive feat. Exhaustion and the necessity of sleep played huge factors in allowing them to rest.
I held the sword high above my head, so that it wouldn't have any chance of bumping into anybody. The strain from its weight added to the difficulty of the journey. My shoulders became sore with every second I spent wandering the prison grounds.
As I passed the middle fortress, I caught sight of a small gathering of giants up ahead. Huddled in a circle, they sat on rusted, metallic chairs. They drank copious amounts of, what seemed like, alcohol. I drew my sword back, and hid behind some shrubbery.
Ari, the night watch giant, was among the group that sat just beyond the outermost fortress. I recognized two of the giants as members of Jenmu's fortress, but I was unfamiliar with the others. The light above them was dim, but it provided more illumination than the moonlight ever could.
There was no way of going around them. They were what stood between me and the opening where I last saw Coche. If I concentrated hard enough, I could hear the rattling chains that bound the hellbeast. Speaking of my ally, it wouldn't hurt if I had help when I took on the giants' secret weapon.
I had to think of a way to get through that opening. Even though they seemed absentminded, there had never been a successful escape during their watch. They may have been more cunning than the giants that guarded the fortresses. Considering that they had to guard the entire prison during the hardest time to keep watch.
As they sat there laughing and talking loudly, I was pretty sure that they had one eye on every escape route. Underestimating them was not an option.
I crawled towards the outermost fortress, and slowly pushed a ceramic vase that sat on an elevated surface to the edge. Careful not to tip it over, I positioned it just so that it was barely keeping its balance. After that, I raced back to the shrubbery where I hid earlier.
I waited a while to catch my breath, and to see if the vase would tip over by itself. Some time passed and, unfortunately, it didn't move an inch. I picked some loose rocks and threw them softly, one by one, at the vase.
My heart raced, and my breathing became labored. Sweat dripped down my back and the side of my face. I set the sword down, so that I could conserve my strength.
Eventually, the vase tipped over and broke upon its fall. Its contents spread all over the ground below. I looked on as the giants stood in attention. Just as I planned, the group rushed to the scene to examine what transpired. I picked up the sword, and gingerly walked past where they congregated.
The stench of liquor littered the air. It was intoxicating, and the pungent odor made me feel light-headed. I wouldn't allow this to be a deterrent to dissuade me from pursuing my objective. After all, this wasn't even intended as a trap against escape. Or, was it? It didn't matter. I held my breath, and ran towards Coche.
"Wake up, old friend," I whispered, as I gently stroked its side. "I need your help."
The creature laid quietly, without a hint of the slightest snore. It was almost too silent, which troubled me greatly. I felt around for a pulse, or whatever sign of life, but I didn't know if its body worked the same way as mine did.
"Coche? Are you ... Are you asleep? I-I ... I don't know what to do. How do I wake you up? Give me something. Anything."
From a distance, I heard the terrifying rattle of chains grinding against each other. I could've sworn that I heard a deep, throaty growl creeping up just on the other side of Coche. I gripped the sword's hilt tightly, ready to pounce on whatever would pop up.
As soon as I determined what direction it was going, I ran to the opposite side to catch it off-guard. Alas, it was nowhere to be found! I looked up to see if it was above Coche, but it still wasn't there. If the teevee was to be trusted, the beast would've been saddled atop Coche stalking me with fiery red eyes.
Chains clanked again, but this time I was sure it was behind the concrete fence a few meters away. The sound must've bounced off the prison walls earlier.
Without my viento, I charged silently, but aggressively. The giants had resumed their post, so I had to be careful not to make any loud noises. Blades of grass sliced against my bare leg, but I remained undeterred. I wasn't quite sure if I would ever get this opportunity again, so backing down wasn't an option. Heck, up until that point, I didn't even think about how I was going to make my way back.
"This ends tonight, foul beast!"
As I entered its infernal den, the first sight that greeted me was that of a small creature. It had dark-colored fur and a huge resemblance to the hellish beast that devoured me in my dream. 'Small' was a loose description. It was large for my size, but in the perspective of the giants, it was almost as tall as I was, therefore it was small to them. The creature, which slumbered on the ground, had a heavy chain strapped around its neck. It could have been the one causing all of the rattling I had heard. But, it didn't look like the nightmarish creature that plagued my hallucination.
I stood there, confused. Trying to wrap my head around the whole situation, I rested my back against the concrete wall. Perhaps this was its offspring, and the parent was out prowling the night for prey. If that was the case, then it could be back any second now! I turned my back swiftly to survey the surroundings.
In my haste, I accidentally hit the sleeping creature, and, in turn, it sprang awake. I gripped the sword tightly and swung at its head, in hopes of decapitating it. My sword broke in two, but the beast didn't seem to have taken any damage. It looked at me with its beady eyes, and tilted its head to the side. Distressed, I threw the part of the sword that I was still holding right between its eyes.
It shook its head and flinched. With no other weapon, I stepped back until I hit the concrete wall behind me. The beast regained its composure, walked towards me and pushed its snout against my body. It sniffed me, as it readied to take a bite.
My eyes welled up, upon the realization of my impending demise. I wasn't going to go down without a fight, so I clenched my fist and cocked it back.
The beast turned its head to the side and barked hoarsely. Seeing an opening, I took a deep breath and used all the strength that I had left to knock it out.
Just when I was about to deal the killing blow, Ari intercepted my strike and pulled me up high in the air. The beast looked on as the giant dragged me away. It didn't know how lucky it was that it received a chance to live for another day.
![viento](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://technonaturalist.net/sites/default/files/styles/sensible_display/public/art/viento.png?itok=XlCdSplG)
The extremely passionate @ryivhnn has created this magnificent viento-inspired artwork for this story. Close your eyes and picture this masterpiece, as you imagine Ledd soaring to new heights. Please be sure to check out @ryivhnn's wonderful artwork and in-depth logs of her experiences with homeschooling her children. You can also become a patron of hers on Patreon so that you can support her regularly.
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Ooh this was a tense chapter. What was going to happen in the confrontation with the creature? Something as simple as coming down the stairs is a major exhibition. I don't know if this makes his life more stressful for him or just more interesting and exciting.
Edit: Oops, that should be expedition...
Haha! I think it's a bit of both. Doing menial things seems to be always bothersome, but every action feels like a new adventure. So, there's a good mix there, I think. Rather, I surely hope so. One can never tell unless it comes from him.
Since it's out in the open, yes the creature is indeed a dog. Ugh. I would provide a bit more detail in the coming SILVER LINING, but rest assured that he was very docile. Worst guard dog ever. Wouldn't bark or bite anyone, just lays around the whole day haha!
Thanks for your continued support, my friend! It really means a lot :D
Thank you for upvoting my photo. If you like that one you may like my other ones. https://steemit.com/@readallaboutit
Man, first of all, thank you for leaving a comment however irrelevant it may be to the post. Secondly, this is not the way to go about trying to gain more followers haha My advice is to read a person's post, leave a heartfelt comment about it, and if that person finds you compelling, he/she would surely check out your account. As it is, I'm more inclined not to check the link you provided.
Man, first of all, thank you for replying. All I was doing was thanking you for upvoting one of my posts. Unfortunately steemit doesn't offer any other way for me to contact you except through your blog. I feel that it is just good manners to thank someone for their upvote or am I wrong? I'm waiting for your reply with great anticipation. 😊
LOL being mocking or condescending won't win you any friends either. I was just offering you a piece of unsolicited advice to help you gain more followers, but yeah sure. By all means, don't listen to my advice.
It's one thing to thank someone and comment about that other person's post (the latter being thanks all to itself), it's another thing to upsell your profile by starting it with a thanks.
Dear jedau did you actually even view the post of mine you upvoted?
Yeah, I did. Though it's after the fact. What's your point? I don't get why you're being so worked up about this.
I am registered to a service called Streemian, which lets people auto-vote on posts based on what a curation trail votes on. I did not see your post when my account voted for it, but the reason I signed up for a curation trail was so that my voting power could help users whose deserving posts I would otherwise miss.
Firstly you state you looked at my post then you claim it was auto voted. You called me condescending which is personal. I did not get personal with you. I prefer votes from people who directly appreciate my posts and not from a auto voting spamming system under the disguise that they are helping people. It's so that you guys can benefit from earning curation rewards and nothing else.
Sure, man. Believe what you want. I've removed my vote already so you won't have to look at it. You wouldn't have reached 200 votes without those auto votes you hate so much. Read your first reply and tell me that's not in any way condescending.
I didn't claim anything I said I looked at it after the fact. That means I looked at it when you commented, because that's what I do. I support people who comment on my posts. That's why I don't need to redirected to people's profiles because I do that on my own to people who leave comments.
Oh the beast was lucky alright! :OD It almost got doinked!
It would be wise for it to count its lucky stars that Ledd didn't have full access to his viento or else he would've been blown to bits!! Here I'm thinking if it even knows how to count. Oh man, I'm falling into another philosophical rabbit hole!!
Before I plunge head first, allow me to thank you for your continued support, dude! Your words are worth more than Bitcoin at this point! :D
Oh man if they were with more than that I would be happy to share them satoshis around!!!
I don't have the exact valuation but I'm sure it does! You are a national treasure here, dude. So the worth you bring to Steemit is immeasurable haha!
Lol, you are far too kind. I am but a mere Steemian peeing in the water like everyone else!! :0)
HAHA! What an analogy! I wish I was being too kind, but as it stands, your pee is far thicker and richer than most others here. Completely well deserved though. I am lucky if I am able to follow in the direction you took to achieve that quality of pee. If I am able to drink even a small fraction from what you...
Wait a minute! Are we still talking about shares on Steemit or purely pee? If it's the latter, should you be going out to have your pee check? I'm not sure if thicker and richer are positive descriptions medically :/
I shall endeavour to bottle some of that thick rich pee and send some over for your immediate consumption!!! Lol
I try to frame this in the context of reality, and think if it's right to be excited about the prospect or not hahaha!
So much suspense in this post.
I'm glad you picked up on that! I hope you enjoyed the chapter even though you haven't read the story from the beginning. It would be awesome if you find the time to catch up on it before the finale. Thanks for taking the time to read and for leaving a comment! I really appreciate it, Rahul :D
It would be nice if you add the previous chapter summary in the starting of the new chapter in short.
You know, that's a very interesting idea, and one that I thought of initially putting. I can't recall the reason why I chose not to though. Maybe because this was a serial, and the recap kind of removes some energy from the flow. I'm not sure. In any case, I wouldn't be able to do it now for the previous chapters as I'm unable to edit them. But yeah, will definitely consider your suggestion heavily for my next stories, for sure! Thanks for the advice, man :D
ACK! LEDD! That poor hellbeast :<
That poor hellbeast indeed! Talk about all bark and no bite! I'm afraid this is where the action falls off :( Now you see that thing I told you about the forked path to the finale. Would it be disappointing? Tune in next week to find out.
I was so nervous when I put this out, because I knew it wouldn't be able to measure up to the previous two chapters. But, this was the necessary chapter to solidify all the theories for the ending.
I'm just so happy that you were one of the people who stuck around, mate! I truly appreciate the continued support and all the entertaining commentary you provide. Always a pleasure spotting them in the comments section :D
What are you talking about? Stories would get pretty tiring if it was nonstop action. Has to slow down and eventually stop somewhere and it's obviously time to wind down here XD
I'm sure you'll come home strong :)
Haha yeah... People have to note the time the story is happening. Heck, Ledd shouldn't even have been up in this chapter! Haha! This has been a great journey, and I'm just so happy to have been fortunate enough to stumble upon awesome people such as yourself during the course of this story :D
Well perhaps not but sometimes you just have trouble sleeping don't you XD
Likewise, I'm glad I tripped over that early chapter (I can't even remember how I found it).
Haha! You have a point, my friend! :D I think you stumbled upon it because of the fiction trail? You know I remember feeling bad about you commenting that you would keep up with the story then didn't comment for the next 3 or so chapters hahaha I thought you just flaked or something. I'm glad things turned out differently :D
Despite what it may look like I'm actually almost cripplingly shy XP so especially at the outset I have a hard time saying anything to anyone for any reason (and also makes this social networking shenanigans...uh..."interesting"). Sometimes I don't have much to say despite my best efforts and would rather just leave an upvote (I've been doing that a bit much lately, been sitting around 90% for the last couple of weeks) than do the "good post" thing :)
AHAHA! You know what, I'm actually the same way IRL. The level of anonymity that Steemit provides helps me to kind of venture out from my comfort zone and unleash my full potential. The way I act here on Steemit, even to strangers here, is the same way I act around close friends. So yeah, the platform kind of serves as a buffer that keeps my shyness in check :D
Suspense, drama, intrigue, action! A myriad of emotions all tied up in a neat little bow by you! What stand out moments! Sneaking past the those giants, Ledd getting ready to battle, the final showdown and the 'barking' beast! You write, we see. Simple as that! Just phenomenal stuff, my bro.
And your recognition is growing by each new post. I personally want it to grow to infinity as that's how highly I regard you. Keep on pushing and showing the world what you're capable of, awesome @jedau. Outstanding chapter from your innovative and creatively brilliant book! :)
You're too kind, my bro! I really feel undeserving of the praise, but I gladly accept it. This has been a trying six months for sure. I'll try my best to keep on pushing, as I really want to succeed beside you, brother. Man, I could only imagine years down the road and we're reaping the rewards of our hard work.. I really want that to come true :'D
I'm just so happy you came back when you did. I couldn't imagine capping off this story while you were still on a hiatus!
The pleasure is all mine after reading your great material. Never stop pushing, my bro!
Oh, you know I ... hmm ... will try to try to never stop pushing hahaha!
Wow, I was on the edge of my seat with this chapter, you are really taking us for a ride with these past few, I love it!!! I'm still guessing dog, though I admit if it were not for the walking toward him and the snout, you made me doubt myself from stating that before enough to question if it was an inanimate object for a moment, that he only imagined was alive like coche.
Splendid, magnificent, I'm so glad this is the first actual story I've read since I got back. And I'm also really glad it's the only thing I missed! Well, besides you at that gathering, oh man, I really want to meet you face to face after experiencing it. There are people in particular I want to meet, and you my beautiful friend, are on the top row of that list!! Is there any way you would be able to come? Wouldn't it be magnificent if you could travel with me and @prufarchy to invade the highlands and see @meesterboom? Think of it! The adventure! The stories we could share!
Oh man, that would be the dream! I swear, I would wear a kilt the whole time if I were given the chance to join you guys!! I am thinking about it, and it's really bumming me out that I won't be able to do so :( If only I was earning, I don't know $60/post then I would jump at the chance right away. Alas, I am earning nothing at the moment :'(
Having you and boom master boom there is like hitting two birds with one stone. I don't know prufarchy but he seems like a nice guy. Personally, I have no doubt that our paths would converge in the future, but it would've been so awesome if we were able to take a detour in the coming months...
You always have me in suspense, waiting step by step that will happen. Very well described and sincerely thought that the beast died.
I love the use of the word "Coche", every day you surprise me with words of my lenguage and your knowledge about them.
I never asked. Your last name is Latin. Do you have Latin descendants?
I try to throw in a curve ball here, and I'm glad I succeeded with it. There are many Spanish words ingrained in the Filipino language, so it's common to find a lot of intersects.
Thanks for stopping by, my friend! I appreciate you taking the time to leave your thoughts :D
Since the Philippines was colonized by the Spanish, many of us have a percentage of Spanish blood. I can't put a number on it, but my best guess is that I have 3% haha! Maybe I had a Spanish great great great great grandfather, but I couldn't tell for sure.
Ahhh now I understand. Gonzales is a very familiar surname where I live. In Argentina there must be 1 million of Gonzales. Maybe we're cousins, haha.
And you really innovate using the words in Spanish. I have not read much in English, but I do not think there are many writers who use this method.
Have a great Thursday!
At the top of my head, Gabriel Garcia Marquez is an author I know who incorporates Spanish as well, because, well, it's his native language haha!
Oh, wait, do you have a Gonzales lineage too?? Haha! It would be funny if we trace back our origin and see that we have the same 32nd ancestor haha! Now that gives Steemit connecting people a whole new meaning!!
Have a great day as well... cousin!!
wassup!
as my senpai, I wanna ask you is there like any discord channel or any other medium for fellow content creator in fiction topic?
Go to the @steemtrail discord server and search for @fiction-trail There you can find other fiction authors and can post your own work as well :D I used to be a curator there so I'm a bit biased haha! Make sure you tag your posts fiction as the first tag to increase visibility.
Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you get a chance to catch up with the story one of these days :D
Excellent work dear friend @jedau, as always very professional, a pleasure to visit your blog, the materials you present are extraordinary. I send you a hug, may you have a beautiful week.
Thank you, my friend! The week is off to a great start, I just hope that it continues all throughout. I hope you have a wonderful one as well :D Sending you all the positive vibes!
Come here to wish you a beautiful day
Thank you, my friend! The day's winding down for me, but I wish you a wonderful day in your side of the world :D
I want to wish you a beautiful weekend, have a great time surrounded by family and friends
The weekend's going to be busy with wedding preps, so I'm hoping for the best. Have a magnificent one as well! :D