BOOK 3 | CHAPTER 3: THE GOD IN THE TOWER

Daron Vega, sent Metis to the Straggler Room. The Straggler Room was a single-room caravan building in the back of The Caravan. The building was on wheels and was pulled by four Walkers. In The Straggler Room were kept the caravan passengers without tickets. They were The Stragglers.

The Stragglers stood on the front porch of their room. They heard screams and saw plumes of smoke rise from buildings on the Eastern side of the caravan. Caravan Guardsmen riding Joggers left to investigate. Other Caravan Guardsmen stayed by The Stragglers and murmured.

Fig. 1

There was a dust cloud at the Eastern edge of The Caravan to the right of The Stragglers. A Meccate Addict mounted on a Jogger rode out of the cloud. The Meccate Addict held a blade. The Caravan Guardsmen confronted The Meccate Addict and their sword steel met.

The Stragglers saw more fires from buildings up ahead. The Stragglers planned an escape. Metis cut the harness of the Walkers. Other Stragglers protested. The Stragglers climbed on the harnesses to the Walkers pulling The Straggler Room. Some of The Stragglers fell and were crushed by the wheels. Some traversed the harnesses and stood on the Walkers. Some fell and avoided the wheels. They ran alongside the Walkers. They used the cut harness to climb up on the Walkers.

Fig. 2

The Meccate Addict was slain by The Caravan Guardsman. The Meccate and The Addict fell from the Jogger. From the dust cloud came a floating figure. It was a man in robes with a black pyramid on his head. His face was slack and his eyes were rolled back. He was a Floating Slave Wizard. Behind The Floating Slave Wizard was a vehicle. It had a large fan mounted to the front. It was The Fan Vehicle. A Walker pushed The Fan Vehicle from the back. A pilot turned a crank which spun the fan and steered. The fan created wind. The wind pushed The Floating Slave Wizard forward. The Floating Slave Wizard shot a lance of flame from the black pyramid and slew The Caravan Guardsman. The Jogger of the Caravan Guardsman was unmounted.

Buildings in the font of The Caravan toppled. Many plumes of smoke became one giant column. The Stragglers saw to the East Caravan Guardsmen fighting a large creature tied to a large cart. The large creature spat bile onto the Caravan Guardsmen and they died.

One of The Stragglers had a Falcon. The Straggler Falconer sent the Falcon to lure an unmounted Jogger to The Stragglers. The falcon guided the unmounted Jogger to The Stragglers standing on the Walker. Some of The Stragglers got on the Jogger. They rode the Jogger to the other unmounted Jogger. The Floating Slave Wizard shot them with a lance of flame. Two of The Stragglers were slain. One Straggler survived. He was called Junior.

The Floating Slave Wizard shot The Stragglers on the Walkers with a gout of flame. Some of The Stragglers perished.

Junior rode the Jogger over to The Fan Vehicle. He boarded and killed the pilot. Junior controlled The Fan Vehicle. Junior steered The Fan Vehicle and The Floating Slave Wizard away from The Stragglers on the Walkers.

A Meccate Addict mounted on a Jogger rode from the buildings in front of The Stragglers. He swung a blade at The Stragglers on the Walkers and missed. Metis held The Crystal of Horgelon aloft. A pink hand emanated from The Crystal of Horgelon. Beams of pink light shot from the fingertips of the hand. The beams of pink light vaporized the Meccate Addict.

The Stragglers on the Walkers leapt onto The Fan Vehicle controlled by Junior. They drove West into The Desert Wasteland.

The Stragglers saw a tower on the horizon. The Tower was impossibly thin. The Tower's height was deceptive at a distance. A small wall ringed the base of The Tower. The Stragglers climbed the wall and saw six trees. The trees each had fruit of a different color. The trees stood in green grass. There was a Dwarf Warrior reading a scroll under a tree. When The Stragglers called out to the Dwarf he ran to the far side of The Tower. He returned with a Tall Human Warrior. The Tall Human Warrior spoke words and the surrounding wall became translucent and The Stragglers passed through.

The Tall Human Warrior brought The Stragglers inside The Tower. He said their God lived above in The Tower. He would not give the name of the God. The God was The Unnamed.

The Tall Human Warrior lead The Stragglers down stairs underneath The Tower. There was a wide hall. To the right were arcade walkways above a large courtyard. In the courtyard were crops. Across the hall were arcade walkways around another large courtyard. In this courtyard there were livestock.

The Tall Human Warrior invited The Stragglers to eat their food and become followers of The Unnamed. The Stragglers ate the food of The Followers of The Unnamed and became Followers themselves.

The Tall Human Warrior said The Stragglers must perform a rite of passage as new Followers of The Unnamed. The Stragglers must go to the neighboring society and convert them to Followers of The Unnamed. The Tall Human Warrior lead The Stragglers to a staircase in a deep cavern. The steps went down into darkness.

The Stragglers walked down the stairs. They felt their bodies grow lighter. Their feet barely touched the ground. They fell a few spans and then felt their bodies grow heavier. Their footfalls carried their weight on a new staircase. It was made of white marble. The staircase lead upward. They saw light above where the staircase crested. At the top of the staircase was a field of green grass. At the edge of the field was a massive temple. A golden orb glowed high above.

The Stragglers went inside the temple. There was a single, giant room. Along the walls were columns. There were hundreds of people enjoying a party. The people wore elaborate dress. At the far end of the room lounged The Slender Giant on a sofa.

The Stragglers attempted to convert the people of the party to the worship of The Unnamed. They were brought before The Slender Giant. The Slender Giant was annoyed at their behavior. The Slender Giant summoned one of his Champions. The Champion was armored in black and wore a mask. The Champion held a black axe. The Slender Giant said The Stragglers must duel his Champion.

The Stragglers said they wished for a Contest of Dance. The Slender Giant acquiesced. For the four Stragglers, The Slender Giant summoned four Champions. The Stragglers defeated the Champions in The Contest of the Dance and successfully converted the people of the party.

The Stragglers left the temple to return to The Tower. On the field of green grass they were confronted by the four Champions.

Fig. 1 "A Meccate Addict Mounted on a Jogger," Benjamin Marra

Fig. 2 "A Floating Slave Wizard," Benjamin Marra