A Day in the Clouds (Chapter 9) - The Hours Between 1300 and 1400

in #fiction8 years ago (edited)

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!


<< Chapter 8


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I woke up to silence. The room remained chilly but was deceptively tranquil. As I opened my eyes, the sight of ruffled sheets and empty bunks welcomed me. How long was I out?

I felt none of the ill effects the poison had caused. A few hours of sleep did me good; my body was well enough to repair itself on its own. I felt rejuvenated.

It was light enough outside but the weather wasn’t as scalding as before. The winds that swept through the compound brought the chill in the air.

I stretched my arms above my head, wrapped a blanket over my body and descended the stairs of the fortress. The wooden steps creaked; I took lighter steps so as not to rouse any unwanted attention.

Slipping past the usually guarded corridor, a sight that I was too unfamiliar with stunned me. There were no guards manning the post, not even one giant visible from sight.

The feeling was unnerving, and didn’t at all spark any assurance that everything was alright. The blanket I hung on to fluttered in the wind, as a slight gust pushed against me. The ground pushed steadily upwards, like it was trying to tell me something.

    "Hello?" I called out, to no response. I paced around the fortress which seemed to be slowly caving in on me. Everything felt smaller by the minute. The tables, the chairs, the doors — everything.

I scratched my eyes, thinking that this was all an elaborate illusion — most probably an after effect of the poison being drained from my body. Even though everything looked like an increasingly diminutive version of what is familiar, I felt like I was in my natural element.

From a distance, I heard a faint noise coming from the outside. I shuddered to think what the source could be. The sound became louder as I inched toward the doorway.

I flew by the long hallway, even though I walked in a slower pace than usual. My bare feet shivered as it slid across the cold, tiled floor. I slipped my feet on a nearby pair of slippers right before I unhinged the metallic mesh gate.

As I pushed against the gate, the first sight that welcomed me was that of the giants tied up in the middle of the prison grounds. Tiny, unfamiliar creatures, which looked remarkably like my fellow prisoners, surrounded them. Armed with knives and spears, the creatures turned angrily towards me, almost in unison.

    "Ledd!" Mamie shouted tersely. “Run!”

In one fell swoop, the creatures broke their formation and charged at me. Rattled, I tried to pull the gate open but it didn’t budge. I grabbed onto the upper frame of the gate and leapt through the tiny opening above it. Tiny screams followed me, climbing the walls and ramming the gate.

I pushed the cushion against the gate and used it as a makeshift barricade. The creatures looked like little goblins, minus the terrifying, inhuman features. Their shrill voices was very discomforting.

I ran inside the fortress and locked the door behind me. The light inside faded as the invaders tried to enter through the windows. I grabbed hold of an elongated, wooden stick and made my way up the fortress.

The sound of their scratching and squeaking echoed throughout the stronghold. It was only a matter of time until they compromised its structural integrity. The four walls wept at its impending destruction.

By the time I arrived on the upper floor, three creatures had already made their way in through an opened window. I swung my weapon wildly, managing to knock out two and incapacitating one.

    "What do you want from me?" I angrily queried my captive, pinning its miniscule body to the ground.

The creature fidgeted hysterically, trying to get free of my grasp. It spat out incomprehensible drivel, speaking in a language I was unfamiliar with.

All of a sudden, three similar creatures jumped at me and tried to hold me down. In my haste, I had forgotten to close the window! It took some effort but I eventually powered out of the coordinated offense. I flipped one over my head and slammed it against the one I was holding down before. After that, I tossed another down the stairs and another out the window, closing it behind me.

What kind of mess did I get myself into? I scratched my head, hoping that it would yield to a solution. Panting heavily, I took a few moments to gather myself back up.

I picked up the stick they disarmed from me, and proceeded to examine them. They had no remarkable features, other than the fact that they stood about a third of my height.

How did these tiny creatures defeat those enormous giants? What could have they done differently from what I have already tried?

Their coordination seemed to be the key. They seemed almost relentless, going to great lengths to achieve their goal. It's a shame that I wasn't able to bear witness to when they toppled the giants, as I would've learned a thing or two.

I picked up the bunks and used it to barricade the staircase. The echoes that reverberated throughout the fortress became louder than ever. The lower floor of the fortress might have already been compromised.

I tied up the four creatures I had in custody and slapped them to wake them up. One by one, they began to come to and started to relieve themselves of their harness.

    "Let’s talk," I commanded to them. “I come in peace. Those giants — your enemy — is my enemy. Let us work together and—”

They interrupted me with undecipherable chattering. The creatures didn’t seem to understand my call for peace, and I didn’t know how to act it out for them.

The sight of climbing invaders horrified me, as I glimpsed out the window. They were relentless — a different kind of threat from what the giants posed. Not even given proper time to gather my thoughts, my current predicament forced to think of a way out.

    "Out of the frying pan and into hellfire," I mumbled to myself.

I wrapped my captives inside of the blanket that I wore and rolled it into a ball. The dire situation that I found myself in warranted a daring escape. As their companions made their way to the upper floor, I opened the window and readied my attack. I tied the blanket around my arm and then swung my makeshift wrecking ball toward my adversaries.

Cornered, I had no other choice but to jump down the roof that shaded Coche. As soon as I landed, I rolled atop the metallic grooves to lessen the impact of my fall. I swatted away the charging creatures as I made my way through the thin roof.

The giants looked on as I battled against our common adversaries. They howled, in hopes of drawing the attention of some of the little creatures. With no other options, it seemed that they hung their hopes on my rescue. Little did they know, all the while I was trying to strike an agreement to cement their ultimate downfall.

    "Kyaah!" I blurted out, as I made a daring leap towards the middle fortress’ roof. From there, I had a clear vantage point of the entire compound. I couldn't help but notice that all the usual exits were teeming with minuscule invaders. In my mind, I should've known that escape wouldn't be that straightforward.

Unfortunately, my heavy steps alerted the invaders of my location. Droves of adversaries scurried to cut off my escape.

I hurtled towards the edge of the fortress and vaulted over a moss-laden, stone wall. It took a moment to catch my breath after I fell particularly hard on the ground beneath. I made it to the other side — that’s all that mattered.

The slipperiness of the stone wall made it difficult for my new adversaries to climb it. I needed to distance myself from them if I ever had any hopes of recuperating.

Sweat trickled down my face and back even though it wasn’t scorching outside. Clouds filled the sky, and the sun looked like it was hiding behind them. It seems as if the might sun was afraid of the merciless, new opponents as well.

I stuck to the walls, unfamiliar of the area I found myself in. If I were to surmise, I supposed that I found myself yet in another prison. The prison compound seemed like it was part of the row of prison compounds I stumbled upon during my escape. If my hypothesis was true, then I would have to deal with both enormous and minuscule threats once again.

As I neared the entrance of the compound, I caught eye of a group of creatures overwhelming a giant. Strange markings filled the giant's arms. Its stomach bulged beyond the normal size. I kept quiet and thought about intervening. Yet, if I was to intervene, I would compromise my location.

I stepped sideways and toppled over a tin pail. The noise alerted the attacking mob, which immediately switched their focus on me. I grabbed the pail and swung it at them to ward them off.

They scratched and clawed, but their size diminished the power of the hits. But, their coordinated attack more than compensated for the lack of power. It wasn’t long until they forced me to the ground. I was getting hit in more parts of my body than I could feel.

It became strenuous to power through against them. I grabbed the tin bucket and pummeled them one by one. Unfortunately, my assault only enraged them.

Soon enough, their appearance morphed, resembling that of goblins. Their backs hunched, and their ears became pointed. The creatures' noses swelled up, and their skin turned green and almost rubbery. Sharpened teeth, reptilian eyes and a pungent odor accompanied the grotesque transformation. The anger that consumed me prevented me from feeling terrified.

I clenched my fists and tried to focus my viento. With the aid of a passing gust of wind, I charged at the goblins with all the energy that I had left in store. There was no mercy or thought of holding back. I had tried to reason with them but, I fear, diplomacy is beyond them.

Every punch I threw propelled them high above in the air. They fought back, scratching and clawing at my skin. I hadn’t noticed that their fingernails had become as sharp as their teeth. For every goblin I hit, three took its place. I was fighting a losing battle; I had to outsmart them while I still had the upper hand.

I concentrated my viento on my feet and catapulted myself into the stratosphere. I spun in place, trying to accumulate the heavy winds that blew high above. Once I had enough stored energy, I redirected a massive blast of wind toward my adversaries.

The devastating flurry managed to scatter most of them but they remained dauntless. I grinned as I levitated, acknowledging the relentlessness of the creatures.

They moved as if they had a hive mind. Their uncanny coordination made their assault all the more impressive. The timing of their transformation couldn’t have been a coincidence.

I waved my hands to the side, pushing myself against the clouds. Once my body was perpendicular to the ground, I steadied my breathing and cleared my mind. I clenched my fist, as I built up enough speed to rocket through the growing number of opponents gathered. This was all very exhilarating!

My viento provided me with enough protection to avoid inflicting injury on myself. The invisible force that had been with me for all my life was now a central part of one of my proudest moments in battle.

Reinforced by my viento, I flipped forward at the very last moment. That action forced my left knee and right fist to make first contact with the ground. The catastrophic attack left the surrounding area in ruin. Lifeless bodies of my newfound adversaries littered the shattered rubble.

I maintained my stance for a moment, relishing in the afterglow of my undeniable triumph. Grinning, I sat in the middle of the crater and waited for the dust to settle.

    "That’s how you do it," I whispered to the wind.

Without warning, a goblin jumped from beyond the sediment-filled veil! Caught off-guard, I was able to wrap my hands around its neck and strangle it to submission. It managed to let out a diabolical squawk before it passed out.

I let out a long-drawn sigh and released my grip. As I was standing up, a legion of those pesky creatures charged at me from every conceivable angle. I had let my guard down and was immediately overwhelmed.

    "Get off me!" I screamed, as I was trying to punch my way out. Darkness descended, as I fell on my back. The creatures were gnawing at me, sinking their claws into my skin. With my final breath, I charged my *viento *like I've never charged it before. Drawing power from even the winds of creation, I closed my eyes and held my breath. I clenched my fist and let out a desperate howl, as I fired my devastating blast. "Gaaah!"

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Happy TRAIL!

Woohoo! After such along time, I'm able to taste the sweet sweet TRAIL token again! Thank you guys for the recognition, and thank you @meesterboom for the nom! :D

I've been a very poor friend! When I got so busy with work that I couldn't come on here, I got so behind that I've never found the time to catch up. But today is the day! This chapter had me on the edge of my seat the whole way through, and now I'm rushing away to see the Silver Lining and the next adventure.

No worries, my friend! Don't even stress about it :) I've had a rough couple of weeks as well, so I feel you. I'm just glad you're able to find the time to catch up now. Thanks for the compliment, and I hope you enjoy the story you missed :D

"The sound of their scratching and squeaking echoed throughout the stronghold. It was only a matter of time until they compromised its structural integrity. The four walls wept at its impending destruction."
Oh this section really pulled me in. What a scene of suspense you create bro, well done.

" "Let’s talk," I commanded to them. “I come in peace. Those giants — your enemy — is my enemy. Let us work together and—”

They interrupted me with undecipherable chattering. The creatures didn’t seem to understand my call for peace, and I didn’t know how to act it out for them."

This saddens me because I can only imagine the frustration Zepp feels from always being misunderstood and not being able to communicate with others fluidly without stress, worry or unintentional friction.

"I waved my hands to the side, pushing myself against the clouds. Once my body was perpendicular to the ground, I steadied my breathing and cleared my mind. I clenched my fist, as I built up enough speed to rocket through the growing number of opponents gathered. This was all very exhilarating!"

You can say that again! When he started to fly with the wind, I was instantly in the action scenes of a great movie.

""That’s how you do it," I whispered to the wind."

Another favorite characteristic is how he whispers often, especially when he mutters under his breath "traitor" at Tetan.

Overall wonderful chapter, after reading the comments, I wasn't sure what this chapter was revealing other than a dream state or his imagination as if he was playing but the latter is highly unlikely because Ledd doesn't ever seem to lose focus on trying to escape and I didn't think he was recounting his plans of escape in his head, so my initial thought of dreaming was more spot on since he is still recovering from his sickness. Wonderfully written bro

Spot on!! I wanted to tell a fever dream sequence where he's in the giants' shoes. We (the giants) don't understand the way he communicates, much like how he doesn't understand the undecipherable chatter of his new opponents. I didn't want to say it outright, but I tried to convey it by noting that he has grown relative to his environment. He's a giant now, and that is a real nightmare scenario for him haha!

Wow pre. Your works are really great. And your story - I enjoy it. It's packed with lots of action and adrenaline on the main character's part. What you do to us readers is the same with what best selling authors do. I'm really looking forward to reading the next chapters. I will also read how these all started.

You're bringing me back to reading novels. I read the whole Percy series and it was almost like this, and you give more details. Your vocabulary is also huge!

Proud pinoy here :) Thanks for sharing your story to us!

Thanks, pre! I'm so glad that it has that effect for you. I wouldn't go as to say I'm in the same league as best-selling authors, though I just try to tell stories that I hope readers would enjoy. I do hope that more Pinoy authors achieve more prominence here. One day, we'll pave the way and make it a reality :D I appreciate you taking the time to leave a feedback!

Hey @hulkbuster, I just posted something today related to A Day In The Clouds, please try and check it out, I'm sure you can definitely appreciate it. https://steemit.com/originalmusic/@verbal-d/m-m-m-29-sliver-s-edge-of-ledd-s-silver-lining-collaborative-art-journey-with-everlove-original-beat

I thought I would share this with everyone who follows the series along with the Silver Lining.

Same with this one! Haha Again, no need to reply to this. I'm just making the comments even.

Haha, nice lead into the dream. I thought all was well and he really had just woken up. I like the fight scenes too! They are classic action film-esque stuff!! You have a way with the descriptive writing!

Thanks, dude! I'm so glad it was interpreted that way. It surely was the intention. I was really afraid that people would just dismiss it as a dream from the start. The nod to classic action films are intentional as well, and the connection will be revealed in the coming chapters. Being complimented for my descriptive writing is such a rare occurrence, so I treasure each and every one. To think, this is coming from a fellow writer whose writing style I so admire. It really means a lot! :D

What a cool dream sequence, and a brilliant way to write his nap! I really got a sense of that wind in the beginning, what a great lead in, I was totally unprepared :)
Once again you've transported me to childhood, I remember a dream I once had that also involved miniature attackers...except they were based on a movie I saw called Willow, lol. Just like life, dreams seemed to have so much more action, energy and magic when I was a kid, and you captured the power of that.
Once again you have outdone yourself, and as always I look forward to the next hour in Ledd's life!

Thank you for continually providing me with a source of encouragement, my friend! Your feedback and thoughts have proven to be quite invaluable :)

I can't say I've watched Willow before, but it looks interesting. I didn't know that Warwick Davis starred in his own movie before! #til Dreams really do cover a wide range. I owe it to the power of our brains. One day you're dreaming about miniature attackers, the next you're dreaming about The Chlorella Project ;)

The internal debate regarding the inclusion of dreams in the story was a rather lengthy one, but logic won out. I'll be discussing it a bit in this week's SILVER LINING :)

PS I happened upon an advertisement earlier that's very reminiscent of Today Again. The movie is entitled Before I Fall. Thought you would want to know.

My dream are nuts. The other night I dreamt about a friend I've met on here's soul mate, haha! He asked if I often play cupid in my dreams LOL. No, but I did that night ;)
I will be looking for the silver lining :)
I looked up Before I Fall...at least it's involving the mystery of her death and only takes place over a week, not quite what I'm doing with mine. I can't say I'm surprised, people tend to be connected and things often become a trend. That happened to me with the vampire story, I had started working on the initial idea before Twilight, and then bam the market was flooded with vampires.

Oh, I just meant the day repeating aspect of it is very reminiscent of Today Again. I guess that's where the similarities end haha I just heard it on the radio, and it made me think of your story.

Bittersweet story with Twilight. I do agree with that sentiment though, and I must say that it has happened to me quite a lot. That is, for writing and for programming apps. There's always something that pops up which looks exactly the same when you're in the middle of creating something. That's why my current approach is to try and think of something very offbeat.

Wow that is one hell of a fever dream! It is a fever dream right? RIGHT?! XD

Ach! There goes the surprise reveal and my whole discussion for the latest SILVER LINING! haha! You hit it right in the head, my friend. Good eye! You have such a remarkable grasp in terms of interpretation that it often seems like you're peeking at my notes whenever you're commenting. I'm so glad to have a supporter such as yourself! Thank you for continually leaving your thoughts, I appreciate it greatly :D

LoL! Looking forward to the Silver Lining discussion :D

You pretty much summed it up, but I still hope it wouldn't disappoint :D Looking forward to seeing your latest post soon as well!

That pressure to not disappoint is pretty terrible isn't it :) You pour so much into these that even in the unlikely event that I found something disappointing I would still appreciate it for the amount of blood, sweat and tears that has gone into it.

ps - I'm currently working on the next piece, it is not a sketch therefore taking forever.

Haha! Yeah.. But, I guess I'm slowly resigning to the fact that I can't please everyone so I might as well just do the best I can. Thank you for appreciating the effort put into this. A lot of people take that for granted, but I do the same for the posts and people I support.

Looking forward to your next piece! I think it's shaping up to be a great one, considering the passion you're injecting into it :D

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