The Second Cataclysm

[Dio the Awesome]

The Heart of the Gods

Phasmoenia, the capital city of Caligo, is built on a high mountain peak, the city itself spiralling upwards with the natural mountain ridges. The population of the city is large, with an assortment of artifacts from the past. High statues, old buildings and lost bits of technology lay scattered throughout the city, some ever left over from the first cataclysm. At the top of Phasmoenia, on the high peak is set an ancient temple. Here you will find no people, the summit of the mountain abandoned as though it was cursed. The insides of the temple have long been stripped bare, the walls caved in and buried, and any lore wiped away by the winds of time.

There is one thing however, that neither man, nor machine, nor the slow march of time could remove. A massive tangle of metal and blackened stone lay defeated over top of the temple ruins. The metal appears to once have been circular in shape, but it is now contorted. In some areas the metal appears to have been melted, in others it looks cut or shattered. The native Caligoeans will tell you stories of have the Gods, in their anger, struck down the greatest of all their inventions with molten fire and crackling lightening. The cataclysm destroyed the device, and the temple on which is set, beyond all recognition. Caligoeans call it, The Great Taboo.

Within the twisted metal and scared stone, lies a chamber within the machine barely large enough for a single person. The outside of the chamber is blackened, scarred and scratched, but not broken, as if it was able to withstand the onslaught the Gods brought against it. Inside the chamber is a host of screens, lights and controls; all of them lay dormant. Also within the chamber is a seat for one person. If someone was to sit down, the first thing they would notice would be the hole in the console, which would hold a fist sized stone. The stone was long ago called the Heart of the Gods. Most inhabitants of the island either do not know of, or have forgotten about the chamber within The Great Taboo, or its purpose, let alone the Heart of the Gods...


Blue Tide Rising

It has been roughly 30 years since the organization Blue Trinity first discovered the island. During that time they have sent dozens of recon parties into the jungles of Caligo. Most returned empty handed, or not at all, meeting gruesome ends at the hands of the jungles dangers, or suspicious Caligoeans. Still, those few successful missions which acquired strange technology and artifacts convinced Blue Trinity that further exploration would be profitable.

Blue Trinity has finally committed itself to establishing a base on the island, something that no visitor to the island has ever done before. This action could provoke violence from the inhabitants. It could lead to a war on Caligo...

[Dio the Awesome]

The sun had just broke through the leaves and mist, sending pale yellow shafts of light to the forest floor. The air was damp and thick, yet some how it did not feel oppressive, but liberating. An aroma of old decay and new growth permeated the thick air. In the middle of this serene forest lay a man accompanied by his Shade. The man was asleep, leaning against a tree. He was skinny, but muscular and lithe from spending years in the forest. His clothes were simple. He wore a pair of faded jeans, which had torn long ago and now reached to just the middle of his shins. The vest he wore was dark red and left his arms and chest bare, but he did not seem bothered by the cool morning air. The only other items he possessed consisted of a pair of dark sun glasses which he kept in his vest pocket, an empty satchel, and a long handled dirk that was strapped to his waist.

The shade was awake, and perched patiently in the branches above the sleeping man. The Inklaw was jet black and maybe a bit small for its kind. Her beak glistened with the morning dew. She shook her head to shake the droplets off, then began to hop around impatiently. The human was slow to wake as usual. Finally unable to contain herself any longer, the Shade let out several loud caws.

There was no response from below.

The Inklaw hopped down, landing several feet away from the man and cawed again. This time there was a soft grumbled and he shrugged his way into a deeper sleep. The Shade let her breath out in exasperation. She lighted on top of the mans chest and gave him a solid peck in the ribs. The man sat up with a jolt and a yelp. He gave the bird on his chest a sharp look, “Shiva. Cut that out.”

The sun is up. I am bored. Shiva told him.

“Yeah yeah. I'd love to run and jump and play, but I was having this wonderful dream about a sexy young girl....” He trailed off.

You sure you want to finish that story Dio? Shiva threatened, and made a show of readying her beak.

“Okay okay!” Dio held up his hands defensively, “I yield.”

Shiva nodded and hopped off of her companion. Dio noted to himself that Shiva was unusually jealous for a Shade. “So, where to?” He asked her.

To the beach. I was to see the ocean again, go hunting. She told him.

“What? Are you joking?” Dio groaned, “We were there not three days ago.”

Shiva shot him an expressionless look that told Dio she would not be denied. He sighed and stood slowly. After he adjusted his empty satchel and dirk he nodded to her, “Let's go.”

---

The treck to the shoreline took the better half of the day, and the sun had just passed its zenith. It still shone brightly, the lack of cloud cover allowed the sun to burn off most of the fog. On the coast. Waves of heat poured of off the baked brown sand. The water crashed noisily against the beach. As was normal for Caligo, the water away from the shore was rough and violent. Though neither of them had any intention of venturing far into the water. Dio sat on the shoreline with his feet in the water, and watched Shiva dive for fish in the shallows.

Eventually Dio became bored watching his Shade bob up and down, and started to wander the shoreline. Shiva caught up with him and landed on his shoulder. She was streaked with water, which ran off of her feathers and onto his arm. While her bird like features could not convey emotions, Dio could tell she was immensely pleased with herself.

“You looked like a canary playing in a bird bath.” Dio remarked with a smirk.

A canary?! Shiva shouted and ruffled her feathers. I'll show you a canary. Shiva acted as if she would peck him, but stopped short and nuzzled his neck with her beak. Dio laughed and stroked her head.

“Hold on.” Dio stopped in his tracks. Just ahead sticking out of the sand was a rusting metal pole. Attached to the pole was a thick coil of wire which ran from the pole to the shore and disappeared into the water.

“Shiva check that for me.” He said, but she was already in mid flight. Shiva was able to touch an object and instantly know its history, from the moment it was created or born, to the moment it was destroyed or died. Dio once asked his companion if she had ever seen the moment of creation. She shook her head and explained that in the case of plants or animals she could only see up until their birth. In the case of something more durable like a rock, she could only see from the point where is was chipped from a large rock, like the 'birth' of a pebble. Shiva theorized that if she touched the 'heart of the world' where the rock was still whole and unbroken she may be able to see the world as it was created, but not the universe itself.

Dio then asked what she saw at the end of a vision. At first she dodged the question by simply saying she saw the death of whatever she was looking at. He made the mistake of pressing further and asked what the 'death' of a rock looked like. Shiva refused to answer and disappeared for three days. They never spoke of the issue again.

Blue Trinity placed this marker here. They will use it to relocate the island and navigate through the storms. They will reach the shore in two days. She paused, letting the information set in, and she checked the object again. Sometimes simply knowing the future will change it. Just in the way that knowing you are going to be robbed will cause you to protect your possessions, knowing the future will cause you to try and change it. She would know if their efforts were successful before they started by looking at the object a second time. At once she knew they could not change the future. She did however see her companion futilely trying to push the metal pole into the water. She pulled herself out of her vision.

What are you doing? We can not stop their arrival. She warned him.

“Like- Hell-” He grunted as his feet dug furrows in the sand. “It must be sunk in pretty deep.” He wheezed.

Of course it is, now if we can just... Shiva trailed off as Dio pulled out his dirk. He slashed at wire, which buckled and sent vibrations up Dio's arm, but did not break. He slashed at it several more times until the weapon bounced out of his hand and embedded itself in the sand. The wire was marked by several shallow cuts, but was otherwise unharmed.

“Okay.” He sighed and retrieved his blade, “I'm done.”

Finally. I told you, nothing can stop their arrival. Shiva scolded him.

“Yes yes, you're all knowing. Now can you tell me what they are up to?”

Shiva shook her head. I can not.

“Then we'll have to find out ourselves.” He motioned to the treeline. “Let's get out of sight for now.”

Shiva nodded and flew towards the forest with Dio close behind.

[Rusty Wings]

Lilah's vibrant blue eyes opened at 6:59 AM, a phenomenon which only occurred on days when she didn't have school. On a school day she would have fought to stay asleep while her Shade pestered her into wakefulness; on days like today, their roles were reversed. She tousled her already-considerably-tousled more-strawberry-than-blond curls and yawned hugely before nudging her snoozing Grimalkin, who was curled up in his customary spot at the foot of her bed, with her toes. "Rise and shine, Lox."

Loxley growled deep in his throat and inched away from her prying feet. Lilah giggled and kept scooting herself closer to the ill-tempered Shade until his evasive efforts caused him to topple off of the bed with a yelp. Lilah burst into laughter before hopping out of bed and sitting beside her grumpy companion.

"You okay?"

Loxley shook his head pitifully, but he didn't appear to be truly hurt as he crawled into her lap, still trying to go back to sleep. What time is it even?

"Seven," Lilah replied, picking the cat-like Shade up and placing him on his feet. "Come on, you promised we could go surfing today!"

Yeah, yeah, Loxley yawned, stretching luxuriantly. You just go get ready, I'll be... I'll wait... here...

Lilah rolled her eyes before disappearing to the bathroom to prepare for a day of sand and surf. When she returned she scooped Loxley up into one arm and descended the stairs noisily, knowing that her father would already be awake.

"Morning, Dad," she said to Daniel Cheshire, who was blearily eating a bowl of cereal and reading a book at the kitchen table, his Inklaw reading along from his perch on his companion's shoulder. She dropped a kiss on his forehead on her way to the toaster.

"Good morning, Delilah," he replied. "Surfing today?"

"Yes, sir!" she said cheerily, hopping on top of the counter to wait for her toast.

Her father nodded. "Please be careful," he said, making sure to catch her gaze so he could be sure that she was listening.

Lilah nodded impatiently with a hasty thumbs-up. "Yeah, no problem." Daniel opened his mouth as though about to elaborate, but at that moment Lilah's toast popped out of the toaster and she caught it in the air, buttering it with quick, practiced ease before sticking a piece between her teeth and throwing a few leftovers into a lunchbox to bring with her.

"I'll be home for dinner!" she said with a wave, and with that she and Loxley were through the front door and off to the beach.

---

Where to today? Loxley asked from his place in the front basket of Lilah's bicycle.

"Somewhere different," said Lilah. "Everyone knows about my good spot now, so it's not as fun. We need a new spot that not as many people go to. I was thinking we could go a little farther down the shore, more towards the forest."

Loxley made a growling noise. You know, there's a reason people don't surf down that way. It's dangerous.

Lilah shrugged, a devilish grin pulling up the corners of her mouth. "Dangerous is just pessimist for exciting," she said, and she began to pedal faster.

---

When they reached a spot that suited her she tossed her curls into an untidy ponytail and stripped down to her swimsuit, spraying on sunscreen. "You coming?" she asked her Shade as she strapped her board to her ankle.

Loxley bared his fangs in a way that could only be described as a smile. Of course!

"Race you!" she called, already sprinting towards the waves with her board under her arm.

Cheater! the Grimalkin called after her, overtaking her easily with his uncanny speed.

Laughing and shouting, the two friends hit the waves, Lilah surfing with her Shade balancing on the front of her board. The waves were rough, but not so rough that lifelong thrill-seekers like Lilah and Loxley couldn't handle them. Each time they tumbled from the board or got pummelled by the fearsome breakers they sprang back up, ready for another go. When they finally stopped for lunch, though, a glint farther down the beach caught Lilah's eye for the first time.

"Hey... Hey, what's that?" She pointed what looked like some sort of metallic pole out to her Shade, whose eyes narrowed when he saw it.

I don't know... There aren't any of them anywhere else on the beach, at least where we've been.

"Hm..." Lilah took a bite out of her sandwich, pondering the mysterious object. "When we're done eating let's get a closer look."

Loxley nodded, his ears turning on his head like little satellites. Lilah knew how he felt; until seeing the pole she'd been fine, but now she thought she could feel eyes on her skin; she felt like they were being watched.

[The Ghost Writer]

Lieutenant Captain Victor Gibbons was the Blue Trinity communications liaison within the organization's paramilitary department. He had seen a lot in his recent years with the company, and even more in his past military life with the British Royal Navy. The wrinkled brow, callused fingers, emotionless and stern face, and graying hair were all the resembling traits of a dignified warrior in his late forties. But don't let the solemn and monotone countenance, for he is also a humble family man; a father. He was proud to have both a son and a daughter. He was especially proud of his little girl, always wanting to be like her dad. It was this very thought that had put a smile on his face right now.

"Gibbons...," a voice came into hearing. "Gibbons! Did you hear me?!"

"Yes, yes," he said after a while, returning his attention to his superior, Captain Russel and his superior, Major Maelstrom. All three men were standing in the middle of the operations room inside Blue Trinity's naval base, located somewhere on the northern edge of the infamous Bermuda Triangle. All three of them were wearing the standard navy blue uniforms of the paramilitary department. Officers, as they were, had their respective silver insignias on the collars and again on the cuff links of their jackets. The digital disruption camouflage pattern gave them a modern and tactical image, coupled with the traditional style of blousing the bottoms of the pant legs above the tops of the boots.

"Then," Major Maelstrom began, "you fully understand that you're taking over as the team's field handler?"

"Yes, sir," Gibbons responded, recalling his military discipline and snapping to the position of attention before a higher ranking commanding officer. "As long as your men listen to my guidance and instruction, their shouldn't be a problem."

The Major and Captain exchanged positive and satisfied looks. "As I said, Major," Captain Russel stated, "the Lieutenant Captain, here, is the best man for the job. He'll make sure this operation is carried through without a hitch."

"Very well then. I'll leave it up to him to ensure its success and the safe return of my men." The Major nodded respectfully to the two of them and turned to leave out of the operations room.

When the door closed with a hissed, Captain Russel turned around to face Gibbons. He had a stern look about him and a raised brow. "Are you alright, Gibbons?"

"I'm fine, Cap'n," the man responded with utmost respect; even though, deep inside, he only longed for a relaxing vacation and time away from these privatized lunatics and their damned science fair projects.

"When will the Major's men arrive on the island?"

Gibbons wasn't sure if his boss was asking in order to test him or if he actually wasn't paying attention to the briefing just now. Even when he was halfway in wonderland, dreaming about being with his family, Gibbons was able to pick up on everything that the Major had to say. It was sort of sad, he thought, that a full-ranking Captain such as Malcolm Russel would miss such a vital detail. "Two days, sir. The team is making their final preparations now and receiving their supplies." Gibbons decided to give a quick re-brief before Russel could ask anymore questions. "They team will depart at zero-hundred hours, local, that morning from one of our military freighters off the coast of Caligo's main island. They'll approach the shoreline by a Zodiac transport. Since the fog and mists are always too thick to see ahead, and the local anomalies interfere with most of our long-range sensors, they'll be following a carbon fiber cable that he managed to grapple onto a secluded point on the coast. The cable is mostly hidden beneath the sea, so they'll be using a particle-impact sensor to detect the unique compound of the cable and distinguish it from the other elements at the seabed."

"Why don't we just use a stealth plane and paradrop them in?"

"It's the Major's mission, sir; not ours. But I'm sure there's good reason for it."

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