Beyond Gods 42 Gates and Walls

The rickshaw drove past the bones the size buildings. Before long, just as the sun began to set, the Looking Glass Kingdom's gates were in front of them. The city was surrounded by a large concrete worn down wall.

"We can't get in with the gates closed," said Lin frowning, "if we stay out here at night, we are good as dead. The ores in the area are interfering with my mana abilities and at night their potency increases."

"Then lets climb the wall," said Johan.

"Security will shoot us," said Lin wearily, "Most cities have strong defenses because of the constant power struggles among different sects. Plus even if they didn't it would take too long. Look at the size of the wall."

"Then lets knock on the gate?," suggested Brandy, "maybe they'll answer and let us in."

Johan and Lin looked at each other and shrugged.

Lin walked up to the large metal gate and banged on it with a closed fist.

"KNOCK!"

Her fist echoed noisily against the steel gate.

"HELLO!," yelled Lin, "IS ANYONE THERE?"

After a moment of silence, a voice boomed from behind the gate, "WHOSE THERE!?"

"I am Lin, assistant to Sir Silverblade, with me is Brandy of Silverblade's regime and Johan of Earth. Can you let us in?"

"The gates have been shut for tonight, to prevent infiltration by the sand worms and other creatures at night."

"Can you make an exception?," asked Lin, "we will die if left out here."

"We cannot, it is Kingdom policy. We will open the gates only when the suns rise again in the morning."

"But we will die!," yelled Brandy.

"We don't make exceptions," yelled the man, "as a solider, I can loose my position if I do. The rules are in place for a reason. I apologize, but you will have to make due."

"What if we climb the wall?" yelled Johan.

"It isn't possible, but if you manage this before the sun sets, I will let you in," yelled the solider, "I am the only person on duty for the next hour at the gates. But I have never seen it happen."

Lin looked up at the towering wall which was at least 50 stories high.

"It isn't possible," said Lin as her eyes watered up.

"It is," said Johan, "I was climbing for years. Me and my friend would scale much more difficult terrain than this."

"It might be possible for you," said Lin, "but how about me and Brandy? If my mana abilities were not being so repressed by these ores, I wouldn't have any difficulty ... but this place ... I can only use low level techniques ..."

"I don't think I can climb the entire way if I had to carry both of your weights," said Johan, "I am just not strong enough. But I have an idea."

"What?," said Lin.

"My friend Neil used a mana burst to stop our fall when we were thrown in the pits," said Johan, "can you manage that?"

"It shouldn't be a problem," said Lin, "but it won't be strong enough to propel us that far up."

"Well, I was thinking that we could make a steep ramp out of the roof of the rickshaw," said Johan, "prop it up with sand. Drive at the ramp at full speed so we get some distance. If you guys are tied to me with a blanket, I can carry you for a bit if I can get a grip on the wall. The wall seems more jagged higher up, so it should be easier. With a mana burst, you should be able to stop our fall, or even propel us further up."

"If we fall from that height," said Lin, "Brandy will definitely die. She is manaless. We might even die."

"Guys," said Brandy with her eyes watering up, "just leave me behind. I don't want to be a burden or the reason why everyone dies. If you leave me behind, you two should be able to make it."

"That isn't an option," said Johan.

"It might be our only option to survive," said Lin.

"No," said Johan, "Lets give my idea a shot. If we don't we are dead anyways."

Making haste, they quickly dismantled the rickshaw, created a sand ramp and used the picnic blanket to create a makeshift rope that tied all of them together.

"Okay," said Johan glancing up at the darkening sky, "Get on my back and hold tight, I'll ride the bike toward the ramp, you add to our upward momentum with a mana burst and I'll grab the wall when I get the opportunity. Don't shift around too much."

Lin nodded.

Lin wrapping her arms around Johan's neck and wrapped her legs around his waste holding on to his back. Brandy did the same to Lin.

A strengthening rumble in the ground started just as the suns all disappeared behind the horizon.

"The sand worms," said Lin worriedly, "they can sense us now."

Johan disconnected the bike from the rickshaw, mounted it, and made distance between the ramp and the bike. Then he rode towards the ramp, progressively picking up speed.

"CRASSSSSHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

A sandstorm erupted behind Johan as a gigantic worm erupted out of the sand behind them and began to chase them.

"ROARRRR!!!!!"

The sound of the worm's battle cry vibrated the very air around them and shook their bones. Its shark light teeth could be seen clearly in its large open mouth as it chewed through the sand at an unnatural speed. It looked like it was a shark swimming in water. Johan increased the effort he put into peddling the bike and the sand the bike kicked up magnified ten fold.

"BANG!"

The bike hit the steep sand hill ramp they had created and the steel roof of the rickshaw echo loudly as the bike launched itself up at almost a 90 degree angle into the air up towards the wall. They were airborne Lin, fired off a mana burst which quickly accelerated them up and towards the top of the wall.

The large white worm followed them up leaping off the ground, its large mouth open exposing razor sharp shark like teeth.

"Hold on guys!," yelled Johan as the distance between the worm and them began to lessen.

Johan stood up on the bike seat, he launched himself up with the power he had built over the years jumping from pit wall to pit wall.

The bike shot back like a bullet into the worm's mouth. The worm was unfazed as it gobbled the steel bike up as if it was nothing. With the added momentum Johan managed to latch onto the wall but still they were only 15 feet up.

"AHHHHHHHH!!!!," screamed Brandy latching onto Lin tightly in fear.

Lin's face paled.

The worm's mouth was almost upon them, but it clearly didn't have enough momentum to reach them. Then Johan did the unthinkable. Rather than climbing up the wall. He launched himself off the wall towards the worm. With explosive power Johan kicked off of the worm's large razor sharp teeth to gain more height and propel himself, Lin and Brandy up and over the wall!

The worm's tooth shattered from the force of Johan's leap, and thick purple blood exploded out of the wound, like a geyser's eruption.

"KYAAAA!!! OUWWYYYYYY!!! OWWW!! OWWW!!!"

The worm let out an eerie inhuman screech filled with pain as it fell back down towards the ground.

Today, Johan's plan had worked.

They had made it back into the city with their lives. ... Barely.

But without the rickshaw, how would they get back to Silverblade's abode?

Chapter end

Report