Bal - As they three look over a map, "And what is this island ... 'Cartographer'."
Cartographer - "A volcanic one sire, and still active."
Cybal - "As the magma pushes from ocean's floor, the mountain rises higher and higher."
Bal - "I wonder if his plans must involve it."
Cybal - "They would at the very least have to incorporate it, looking at the same map we are."
Bal - "Indeed ... "
Cybal - "I'll fly ahead with full scouting party."
Bal - Stares a moment. "It is wise." Returns to the map as she turns to leave. "And bring the Cartographer."
She turns again to him.
Cartographer - "My lord ?"
Bal - Looking up at Cybal, "This map ... seems incomplete to me." He turns to the Cartographer, stands tall and works his arm as healing is clear. "And you insect, seem untested."
Cartographer - "Um. Technically I'm a spi ... "
Bal - A chunk of armor over his face folds back into place with a grind ... "! BEGONE !"
~ The Children's Section ~
(open credits)
But the river, two nightmares on lunch break while building a fort ~
One - "What do fortify this river for ... "
Two - "Well the order came from Bal directly, so it must be some kind of evil ... "
One - "Mmmm ... evil is good."
Two - "And what's good ... "
One - "Is evil ... hahahaaa ... " They toast their smoking potions and drink. "Still ... I like my evil to be a little ... more hands on that this. I do not like this ... preemptive evil. Like evil where ... we have to sit around and wait for them to walk into it ... evil traps."
Two - "Oh ! I know what you mean. Back in the day we brought our evils to people directly !"
One - "Now it's like ... evil plot this ... horrific fate that ... and what's it all for ?"
Two - "For the strange walky things I suspect."
One - "I've heard of them ... what of them ?"
Two - "Oh. Well apparently, I heard, they gather heroes ..."
One - "Nawwwww ... "
Two - "So they say, like moss on a rolling stone."
One - "Well that's not right at all then is it ?"
Two - "No it is not."
They slam their potions and get back to work as the view rises over the very long river still waiting to be fortified, out to the ocean and the small volcanic isle as Cybal rides toward it, cartographer following in a strangely invented dirigible, nightmares simply leaping the great distance from behind to before them there.
Cybal - On a well packed Alabast next to the dirigible, to the Cartographer at its wheel, "Continue to circle for your maps, I set up camp directly below. Miss nothing, and circle thrice."
Cartographer - "I fear for my balloons my lady, this volcano still sputters ... "
Cybal - "And I fear for your stance as a spider if I tear off the two legs you're standing on." Begins a spiraling descent.
Cartographer - To himself, "Well. Don't see how that would help me fly in circles all day ... " The airship veers into its first arc high, to examine the volcano's mouth. Voiced over, "Sometimes I think I may be working for very bad people."
She lands among the nightmares who already look about for anything which may fear, they turn to her for instruction.
This land is barren, pale stone of the dust accumulated from the shattered glass of obsidian here and there forming a forgotten wall now set into it all.
Cybal - "You three circle that way and you three that." She looks around and at the ocean ... "I smell nothing that fears here, this trip is to learn. Remember everything. Return and carve it in stone."
They dart bounding their separate ways.
These nightmares with her are clearly different than those set to such things as construction. In fact builders and the like are far older, in secret each one was once a god who forgot who who they were.
Which happens sometime.
These hunters however are purely adaptable, with no persona or core of a soul at all. Simple strands of pure human fear, as it is being ruled by humans. Formless without the fear to guide it, and completely undifferentiated from any other.
Here they prowl and leap from stone to stone, up and down the fearless mountainside.
The volcano itself is broad, its irregular explosions shattering its walls further and further back, the remnants re-cooling in sharp veins. As the Cartographer circles high he spots a cooled island within.
He pulls a scope to examine it closer.
A few straight lines, here and there, the signs of once a civilization.
____________
Gabby - "I don't even remember what my parents do when I'm here. And I don't remember all of here when I'm there either. But I do remember my dad talking about other worlds."
~ Her father - Tucking her in, "The universe is infinite, but there are only so many ways, that matter, can be put together. So everything that's here, is somewhere else ... "
~ Gabby - Cutting him off with a giggle, "In a different way."
She sits up in her bunk on the walker suddenly. Lays back and looks at the sky.
____________
Invisible King - Devouring an ice cream cone, "Well we exist right now, so that would mean there's someone here imagining us !"
Maid - Clearly bored already holding two more cones in one hand and one in the other, starting to drip. "Uh-huh !"
Guard - "Maybe it's me." Smiles proud.
King - "You !? Pfffffffffffffffffffff(looks at him and back to the ice cream)fffffffffff." Shoves it in his face. "Next." Looks at the guard. "Ff." Takes the next cone.
____________
Mike - Sitting cross-legged with the rest in the center of the opened machine. "Well we're going in a straight line. We're not like just ... wandering around dreaming stuff."
Ari - "I used to have a lot more nightmares."
Gabby - "I'm sorry."
Ari - "Yeah ... "
Sam - "Me too. I ... haven't had a bad dream this whole time. Well. Since that one."
Outside, the giants walk.
Adam stops, raising a hand. They all stop looking around.
Gabby - "You feel that ?"
Ari - "Yeah. They're coming."
They get up and head for the command chairs.
Sam - "Xenofix, close the roof."
It closes before a nightmare bounces off in hard direct attack, then back to the woods. Their mist creeps the ground closer to, seeking their fears. The four gather around it, waiting for the attack. One just flies between their gap and bounces again.
Inside, another hit felt.
Sam - "What are we afraid of ?"
Ari - "Them !"
Sam - "Yeah ! More than anything !"
Gabby - "So they can't take form as anything ... "
Sam - "But themselves."
The hear the guns wind up and begin firing.
Ari - "Nothing to fear but fear itself !"
Gabby - "Somebody said that once."
________
Cartographer - To Cybal, "Only the nightmares can approach it, too deep into the volcano's core for flesh. But it is there my lady ... forgotten to time itself."
Cybal - Showing impatience with his verbiage ... "What is there."
Cartographer - "Hephaestus' forge ... my lady. Abandoned."
Cybal - Smiles, "Ours."