(It kinda was, yeah)
Tanrial raised a brow, scratching at the back of her neck, "Well that's… interesting yet… I don't even know anymore. I mean, yeah, I'm glad he cleared a few things up but why would you fool an entire town into thinking your…" She sighed, jumping over a rock.
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"I've met his type," Mike growled. "I'll bet he's one of the stupidly rich eccentrics who used to own property somewhere around here. Sounds like he's still rich enough to call an entire village a 'pet project'–and self-absorbed enough to mess with other people for his own amusement. I don't trust him, whether he's offering to help or not."
Bernon reread the letter silently, frowning. "What I don't understand is how he knows so much about us. Have we accidentally befriend a spy? If so, who? And if not…..well….how else could he know about our plans?"
“That means somebody at the meeting is working for him, right? I mean, most people have gone now so really it has to be anybody from the village, Polla and that included.”
"If there is a spy," Mike said, "It's either a villager or one of Ryker's people. This Torres guy seems like someone who likes to be way ahead of the game….it makes sense to me that he'd put a spy in Ryker's base just on principle. And if this spy is one of his kids–"
"No, that doesn't make any sense," Bernon argued. "The kids were too loyal to go against Ryker like that, and anyway most of them were never allowed aboveground. I think it's much more likely that the spy was one of the scientists or guards, who then managed to escape after we attacked them. Or disguised himself and came back to the lake with us, I guess."
Mike thought about it with a deep frown for a few minutes. "What about Rick? I hate to cast doubt on him since he seems like a good man….but he kinda showed up out of nowhere, and he admitted himself that he'll accept any well-paying job, so he can't have very high morals. Plus he's been gone quite a bit lately….he claims he's visiting Fear and Snatch, but he could be reporting our plans to Torres instead…"
Bernon glanced worriedly at Tanrial. "I don't know….what do you think, Tanrial?"
Tanrial scratched at the back of her head, frowning slightly, "Well, I don't think we should rule out Rick, he could have been visiting Torres instead of Fear… I highly doubt the kids are spies, too. Like you said, Bernon, the kids are way too loyal to Ryker to spy."
"Right. Or they were, anyway. I doubt they have much loyalty to him anymore after yesterday." Bernon sighed and glanced at the sky above the trees. Then he frowned and looked again. "That's weird."
"What?" Mike glanced at him.
"The clouds," Bernon said, pointing.
Through a gap in the branches, it was possible to see what he was talking about. Up until now, the sky had been a smooth, reluctant greyish-blue. But ahead of them, a veritable wall of dark clouds loomed up, sweeping off in a great curve on either side and towering incredibly high. All was still, as if the clouds had been frozen in place, but lightning flashed silently in the depths.
"Soooo, I know magic and stuff is like, common now but….. that is not normal, is it? I'm right, aren't I?"
Bernon's face crinkled up in confusion. "It's not this common anywhere else I've been, that's for sure. What are we gonna do?"
Mike looked like he hated the idea, but said it anyway. "If we want to get back to Polla's village, we have to head for that….storm, or whatever it is. Let's just keep our heads down and try not to linger, and maybe nothing bad will happen. Not to us specifically, at least."
"And you know this, how?" Tanrial raised a brow, "Every time you say 'Maybe nothing bad will happen' something bad happens, have you ever watched a horror movie?"
"I don't even know what a horror movie is," Mike replied with a shrug. "Look, I'm not saying I'm certain of anything, but I do know that the sooner we get back to the lake, the better. If you have a way to increase our odds of survival, I'd be glad to hear it. Either way, the only road back is the one we're on now, and I really don't want to get lost on top of everything else. Fair enough?"
Tanrial sighed, still not liking the ides but nodded, “Yeah, I guess that’s fair. Let’s just hope we don’t get struck by lightening or anything.”
Bernon reluctantly agreed as well and they set off again down the path. It wasn't long before they could hear the thunder in the distance, as well as a deep, ominous rumbling sound that was probably the wind beneath the clouds. As they ascended the slope over the valley, the air got heavier and more damp, until it was like walking through a jungle. There was no rain yet, and the breeze was faint, but it felt like the distance between them and the gale was only a matter of yards.
"It looks like the wall of a hurricane," Bernon said quietly as they walked. "Do you think it was building up around us the whole time we were in the village?"
(Australia needs to get its shit together because I aM sO dOnE wItH tHiNgS nOt WoRkInG)
“It probably was,” Tanrial replied, a slight frown on her lips, “I mean, there was going to be a Strom, but this isn’t a normal storm at that… What do you think it’s like on the other side? You think Polla is seeing it too?”
(aww, what's up? hugs Is Notebook being a jerk or something?)
"I don't know….I hope they're okay, out on the lake."
"They're probably used to it by now," Mike said from up ahead. "I agree with Tanrial, though, there's something kinda fishy about this one. Remember how Torres made the rain stop when we went to see him? Maybe this is connected to that somehow."
(Ahaha, no. So there’s this test you have to do every two years called Naplan, and we have to do it online this year, bUt ThE prAcTiSe mEsSeD uP oVeR tHe WHOLE cOuNtRy)
“I’d bet my money that it was something to do with Torres. I mean, this isn’t a natural occurrence, magic been normal and no. Someone has to have caused it… And it’s not Bernon or myself, and the onl other person we know who has an effect on the weather is Torres.”
(whAT girl that's terrible! I hope things get figured out soon! Tests already suck tremendously without technical difficulties T.T)
"Yeah," Bernon agreed. "The real question is, why? Is he specifically trying to screw with us, or is he just trying to keep the storm away from Den Ys? He did say he's got a lot invested in the place."
(brb, gotta eat)
(Yup, NaPlAn Is ThE wOrSt - sorry, I’ll stop now)
“Yeah, but it’s just a storm, how bad could it actually be? Actually, I take that back, but you get my point. But why put it over another village? And if it is him, why not wait awhile until he thought we were back at the village?”
(hugs again)
Mike glared at the clouds, which now were only a hill or two away. "I'm tired of trying to second-guess that weirdo. I think if nothing else, he probably wants to confuse us, and that could prove to be a dangerous distraction further down the road. Let's just try to get through this in one piece and worry about the psychology of egomaniacs later."
(I gotta head to bed, seeya ^^)
(Bye bye)
"Let's hope it's as easy as it sounds." Tanrial muttered, continuing towards the ever growing cluster of dark clouds.
The wind started to pick up a few minutes later. After that, it was as if some invisible barrier had been crossed. The change in weather was sudden and extreme. The rumble of thunder became an unbearable roar, the wind and rain tore at the trees relentlessly, and lightning flashed non-stop all around them. They were soaked in seconds. Water came cascading down the slope, carrying mud and debris with it, and threatened to sweep them right off the path. It was so dark that if it hadn't been for the lightning, they would have become lost almost immediately. The storm pummeled them and the forest mercilessly, with no sign of letting up any time soon.
Bernon staggered closer to Tanrial and tried to shout over the wind, then gave up and used his telepathy instead. We should hold onto each other so we can't get separated! Tell Mike too!
(PoRt WoN tWo GaMeS iN a RoW! HeLl FrEaKiNg YeAh!)
Tanrial nodded, just being able to make Bernon out over the heavy rainfall. She looked to her otherside, just making out Mike's figure, Mike! We've got to hold onto each other otherwise we're going to loose one another!
(NiCe!! XD)
Mike slowed for a second and reached out to grip her arm. "Do you or Bernon have any light?" he shouted, much louder than Bernon had been. "Something that won't go out right away?"
(WhIcH mEaNs We'Re ThIrD oN tHe LaDdEr bEaT bY oNlY GeElOnG aNd BrIsBaNe - You probably don't know what I'm talking about but I do not care rn)
Tanrial shook her head a little, I don't. Bernon could probably try and harness his lightning into one solid ball of energy, She turned her head to him, You think you could try?