D.A.V.I.D.

A loud beeping sound echoed on the metal walls as David booted up. The orange lights on his reactor cast odd shadows behind the simple wooden table and chairs in the center of the room. Pipes full of steam and water shot along the walls and the roof at right angles, making the room more rectangular than it was. A dim yellow light spread around the table as a lamp swayed back and forth, propelled by the occasional steam leak from the pipes. The grate floor covered with a homely brown rug, and a maroon tapestry covered the only window. Light seeped through the tapestry, causing it to glow slightly.

David’s eyes began to illuminate, but quickly the backup lights turned off. Slowly, he regained control over his animatronic arms. He fumbled at first with his fastenings, having only just woken up. Contrary to popular belief, David and other automatons were actually as clumsy as humans. His dexterity increased as he went, and soon his chest was loosed from his station. He began to work on his feet, which stood planted to the base of the machine. The machine had the letters “D.A.V.I.D” linked on the bottom. His mind was hazy, but he soon remembered what it stood for. Dualcore Automated Virtual Intelligence Droid, or for short, android.

He hated the machine, but he only needed to use it biannually. It cleaned his core and restructured his circuits, fixing any wear and tear he had suffered over the past few months. Oscar equated it to a “physical checkup,” or whatever humans did to make sure they ran correctly. It never really interested David. All he needed to know was that he was an Automaton, he needed crystal to recharge himself every now and again, and he needed a way to sneak past the guards on the north stairs.

It didn't take him long to become fully operational, especially since he didn't need to eat like Oscar. He did have to clothe himself, but that was trivial. He wore a grey tunic, with beige pants and a simple leather belt. Shoes were unnecessary since his feet were designed to like metal boots, and he didn't need a hat in the blinding light of the city. His body had a built in hood, similar to the knight helmets the guards wore. He looked in the mirror, seeing his grey eyes stare back at him. He didn’t look at all animatronic, but instead looked human; he was well built, with strong arms and thick legs. He was tall, but not enormous.

As soon as David was ready, he went outside in hopes to find something new. It was his passion to search around, find new places, meet new people, innovate new ways to get around the guards. He had never actually tried to sneak past them. He was planning on doing it the second he was recharged by the machine. He never did like to rush things, but today felt to be the day. 

They guarded the way up the north stairs, into the upper city. It was said to be beautiful, white and clean, where automatons and humans of high status went to loiter and spend their time. Sometimes he imagined that the lower city was that. Sometimes his dreams were smashed into tiny metallic shards. Ironically they happened at the same time.

To say that the lower city was a bunch of filthy slums stuck together to make a maze would be a compliment. It was little more than a bunch of dirty metal alleyways and streets of brown metal grating, held above thousands of pipes, porting everything from steam to napalm around the city. Steel and bronze buildings were stacked all around, making the already depressing paths full of shadows. Where there wasn't shadow there was blinding light, so bright even Automatons had problems seeing without eye-wear. The light came from the center of the city, Uthethar's Star. It was a power source to everything in the metropolis, and supposedly Uthethar lived there.

David dreamed of seeing Uthethar, but didn't know what to expect. He only knew a little about Uthethar. One, he lived in the giant, extremely annoying but useful star in the center of the city. Two, he was the source of the cities laws and justice. Also some stuff about being multiple personages, but that was unimportant. All that mattered was that he was cool, and David wanted to meet him. But to do that, he had to make it past the guards.

There were four guards, all dressed in metallic armor and wielding electrified spears. They stood around the clean, white stairs. From a distance, it looked like marble, but David knew better. It was merely the same type of metal he stood on, but it was clean over there. In front of the stairs was a large plaza. It was open and spacious, with a large fountain in the middle. The size and sheer roundness of the fountain was perfect for hiding behind. It seemed almost too easy for David to sneak behind the fountain. The guards didn't even notice.

He was a bit nervous. David had never tried to sneak past the guards, but he had seen it done several times in the movies. It was easy, throw a rock to make a noise and the guards will walk over there. Everyone knew they were blatantly unobservant. David couldn't wait to brag to Oscar about how he made it to the Upper City and met Uthethar. Everything was just perfect. Now to just throw the rock he had found on the way and… Bang! Sadly, David greatly underestimated his strength, and his aim. It wasn't long before he was surrounded by the surprisingly fast and observant guards.

“What do ye think ye are doing kid? That bloody well hurt!” yelled one of the four. His helmet was slightly dented on where the rock hit.

“I was just trying to get up the stairs to see the Upper City,” David stammered, terrified on what was going to happen to him. All of the guards except the one hit looked amused.

“What, did you think it would happen like in the movies? We aren't that stupid,” one of the guards chuckled. “Well, sorry kid, but we gotta do our job. Ye threw and hit one of us. Don’t worry, we won’t have ye for long, just gotta register ye, so my brother here doesn't throw another o’ his tantrums.” One of the guards took some chains from his armor pocket and bound David’s hands. Holding an end of the chain, the guard guided David up the stairs. “Well, at least I still get to see the upper city” he thought as he marched upward.

The Village

Erik snapped his fingers. A small blue flame ignited from thin air, floating above his hand. It was a cold morning in the village, and Erik woke up shivering. The fire pit in the center of his house was nothing more than a few bare coals, lying dead on the paved dirt ground. Thankfully he had his blue fire to keep him warm.

If he could barely manage the cold mornings with his fire talent, it was a wonder that the Grounded could. He pitied the Grounded, the people in his village unable to receive talents, but not too much. He knew they couldn't receive their abilities because they never managed to climb the mountain. Only Skybreakers were able to inherit talents, and so it was the Skybreakers’ job to ensure the safety and happiness of the Grounded, even though there was no visible difference between the two castes. Still, their lives were significantly harder than the Skybreakers, as they could not aspire to be warriors, nor could they possess the capability to do marvelous and incredible things.

 Thinking of the Grounded reminded Erik of his friend, Vanitur. He hadn't seen Van all day yesterday. Van was probably at his favorite nook on the mountain, one that looked like a shell. Oddly enough, though Van knew the mountain base better than anyone else in the village, he had never managed to climb to the peek, and has never had a talent. Maybe he had climbed the mountain yesterday during the storms, Erik thought. He knew it unlikely though. Nobody has survived climbing the mountains during the storms. They either return to the village, or are found dead at the base.

Erik himself climbed the mountain on a cool, sunny day. He had prepared hard for it, and it was an easy climb. Reminiscing of that time, he remembered what it was like to receive a talent. He was nervous when he was finally able to enter the Temple of the Heart. The temple was a gleaming cavern, carved by the magicks within its very own stone walls. Though fuzzy in memory, the talent room remains clear in his mind. It was a large, spacious hall full of aquamarine pillars and surrounded with sapphire walls. The Lapis Lazuli ceiling was littered with luminescent Rubies and Topaz, shining their scarlet and golden lights on the enchanting hall. The floor was moonstone, and throughout the hall stood almost countless pedestals of Larimar.

Each pedestal shone a weak ethereal light, depicting a rainbow of colors when one glided their eyes around the room. Each pedestal had a different object on them, each one representing various talents. But Erik didn't remember them, he ran instantly into his talent. Upon the first pedestal he reached was a small blue flame, wavering with energy and life. This flame was the same one between his fingers, warming him after the cold night. He didn't remember leaving the Temple, nor the celebration that apparently happened afterwards. But the flame stayed with him.

After cooking himself small meal from the few foodstuffs he had within his house, Erik walked outside. The small dirt streets were teeming with life, as villagers scrambled to buy, sells, chat, and move from one area to another. Most of the people were Grounded farmers and workers with some Skybreakers in the mix, rapidly moving in and out of the fluctuating crowd. Erik went through the crowds almost absentmindedly.

Out of nowhere he heard his name. He looked around, trying to locate the source of the familiar voice. Again it called, and he turned around to be greeted by the beaming face of Vanitur. Van was somewhat tall and lanky, with a bony physique. He had a crooked, triangular nose with average sized ears and green eyes. Across his left eye was a large scar, something from his childhood. His hair was a reddish brown, with a bright yellow orange streak on the bangs. He wore a dark green and brown tunic, with a belt crossed over his shoulder and attached to another belt around his waist. His legs were long, covered with the beige fabric of pants, and his feet were bare.

“Hello Van, you seem particularly happy today.” Erik commented. He didn't expect an answer. The more you got to know Van, the less he tended to talk. He was a reclusive fellow.

“I did it! I finally did it!” The fact that Van spoke so loudly surprised Erik just as much as the words he said. “I made it to the top!”

Erik was speechless. Not just did Van finally make it to the top after numerous failures, but he did it during a storm. “H-h-how did….?” He stuttered. To think, that after years, Van would finally have a talent. People who had happened to hear the news or knew Erik and Van gathered around, wondering what the commotion was about.

“I know! I need to tell the elder!” Van ecstatically exclaimed before he shot off running off the way Erik came. Erik stood there, mouth agape, pondering the things that Van had said. People were chatting rapidly now, having figured out what the news was about. Soon the whole village would know what had happened. But Erik didn't know what would be more sensational to hear: the fact that Van made it to the peak, or the fact that Van actually said more than three words in public.

Introductions

Hello all,
My name is Jacob, and I have just jumped onto the blogger bandwagon. A few things about myself: I am a tall, young man who attends Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. I am a Mormon and a Liberal (odd I know, you will get used to it after all the shunning). I like to read books, play video games, hang out with friends, and play Frisbee. I am a Microbiology Major, and want to go into oncology research. As for the blog, I don't quite know how frequently I will post (probably at random in full honesty). I hope to make this a story blog, but it may become a spiel of events that happen in my life. Anyways, enjoy :D
Sincerely,
Jacob Hawker

Skybreaker

The clouds were giant stretches of shadow across the blue and grey sky. Soon, the dry, vast expanse of the plains would be soaked and flooded, forming a mosaic of rivers and streams. Since a child, Vanitur had always been afraid of the sky. Its roars rocked him wherever he was, and its blade was the fastest ever seen. Yet this time was different.

The thunderous legions marched onward through the sky, as they have countless times. They would come and blot out the sun, conquering the land swiftly. They would rend it with rain and gale, ravaging all those who failed to hide within the earth. They would march forward until they reached the mountain, which challenged the sky ceaselessly. The mountain was so tall that it made scraping the edge of the heavens a trivial matter. Systematically, each of the soldiers of lightning would charge the mountain, only to be deflected and defeated. When all the armies had faltered, the sky would clear and the sun would shine once more.

Van could never say what scared him more, the mountain or the storms. But one thing was certain; he had never climbed the mountain. He wasn't the only one however. Many people have failed to accept the daunting challenge of climbing the sheer face of that giant warrior. Yet those who had climbed seemed different; they were social, talkative, and happy. Often, these self-proclaimed skybreakers would invite others to climb the mountain, but most would not listen. Whenever asked, they all would say the same thing: the view is worth the trial. But Van never understood what they meant.

The old, wise elder of Van’s village often spoke with Van, trying to convince him to look on the mountain as he had, and so many others had. Yet Van was unsure. He didn't see how it was possible to go up the mountain. He had tried several times, and was defeated just as the clouds were.

He didn't know why he approached the mountain again. Maybe it was his curiosity, or perhaps the elder finally convinced him. And yet he approached it when the storms were preparing their siege. Soon the mountain would be its most deadly, and yet he continued to approach the base.

When he arrived at the giant’s foot, he looked up, only to see its head enshrouded in shadows. Soon the arrows would fall, and the spears of lightning would strike the sides, causing the ground to break. Any other in his village would have turned back to wait for another day, one more clear. No one had ever climbed the mountain during the storms. And yet Vanitur prepared to climb. He wanted to finally see the sky.

By the time Van had begun to grip the walls of the mountain, slick water was running down the sides. He pushed onward, hand over hand and foot over foot as he had countless times before. His muscles tired and his grip grew weak. His eyes stung from the rain’s endless assault. Yet he pushed forward.

After a while he saw a small nook, one where on his most successful attempt he had stopped to rest before returning back to the ground. Upon reaching it, the nook was shallow and concave, like a shell, providing protection from the endless gale. In his shell he could see as far as the village, deserted of life. All the villagers were inside their underground havens, waiting out the armies of the sky. He wondered if they noticed his absence, if they wondered where he had gone.

Continuing the climb was hard, especially since Van was now in uncharted territory. He had never made it past the shell nook, and knew nothing of what lay ahead. Looking up, he saw that he would soon reach the clouds themselves, as they swirled and fought with the giant. Occasionally one of the warriors would throw down their lightning, breaking the mountain but only making it more jagged and fierce. In a way, this helped Van, as the strikes created fresh handholds for him to climb on.

He did not realize he had entered into the storm clouds until he felt the wind push him up. It was so sudden that he barely held onto the giant’s burly armor. The gusts would batter him back and forth, as if the soldiers lived solely to stop Van from reaching the top. Though the rain was no longer there, he couldn't see forward due to the shroud of darkness surrounding his entire person. Without eyes, he trusted his hands and continued, hand over hand, foot over foot.

The sun was blinding, but beautiful. It warmed his freezing, wet body as he climbed further, through the clouds and toward the peak. He could feel the glory of the mountain, welcoming him home, as if he was a child who has been away for a long time. Eager, he hastened his climb, hoping to finally see what so many others of his village had seen. Hoping to finally know what they meant by the “view”.

The top of the mountain was flat, calm, serene, and warm. It felt as if it was its own world. Yet the exhausted Van didn't understand why it was so glorious and cherished. It wasn't until he turned to see the sun that he understood.

The deep, red sky filled the vast expanse around him, and the golden sun and its silver queen stood side by side. The clouds had transformed from monstrous beings to kind, even welcoming friends. Their broken orange faces greeted him as they began to leave, reopening the view of the ground below. He could see the plains, full of life and liveliness as animals came out of their safe havens to congratulate each other on survival. Far in the distance, a shimmering ocean stretched out its broad arms, welcoming all to come.

Van now understood why the mountain was cherished, even holy, to the people of his village. The giant was no enemy, and the clouds no soldiers of darkness. They were old friends, coming to greet each other, to share countless stories of the beauty of the world Van could finally see. He dropped to his knees, crying tears of joy as he finally understood the beauty of the world. But even more so, he was finally a Skybreaker.