Nice stonework, but not particularly realistic.
He's been petrified by magic.
Those berries look ripe and juicy, but my Mom taught me never to judge a book by its cover. They're probably poisonous, and almost certainly fattening.
Those berries look ripe and juicy.
It's Crow.
That doesn't work. The stone surface is too coarse, and the petals aren't moist enough by themselves. I think I need to mix them with something, to make it easier to apply.
Other than getting him all red and sticky, what would be the point?
No, I need to mix the petals with something.
Nah-ah. That marshy ground between me and the berries looks treacherous. I'll probably get stuck, and drown.
No, the marshland is too dangerous to be wandering around in.
Uh-oh, I'm sinking!
Now that was a bit scary. I could've lost my shoes! And, I guess, my life.
Uh-oh.
Strange texture. My fingers feel tingly.
Mmmmf! Fmmmpt! Dfmmm ssssmm fff!
Oh my God!
Amffnnns...ssmmm? Tfssmpmm. Mmmmf!
What are you?
Dmmmrr. Kmst trnd mmm nnnt stnnn.
Dmmmrr? I don't understand what you're saying. Can you try to open your mouth a bit?
Nnnn. Mmpssbl.
Impossible? Okay. Okay, there's gotta be some way to help you talk. By the way, can you help me get up there...into the castle?
Ysss. Bt mm rmmss knnt mvv. Nnd mmgk.
I don't know any magic, sorry. But I'll try to find a way to soften you up.
Thnnk yy.
Hello again.
Yss?
Uhm, so you can't help me get into the castle unless I help you, uh, soften up a bit first, yes?
Yss.
Right.
There. You feel better?
Sftr. Sooooftr. Softer. Yes.
Unfortunately, I don't think the salve will be effective for very long. I'm April, by the way.
Lorhan. I'm a sailor. And you have got to help me get out of here! I don't think I can stand it much longer.
What happened to you?
That blasted, blasted alchemist cast a spell on me, turned me to solid rock. Then he put me here, to be gatekeeper and anchor for his blasted castle. That was near six full moons past now.
You've been here for half a year?
Curse the Balance, when you say it like that...it is an age. My wife is sure to have taken to someone else's bed by now. Blasted magic, the Vanguard were right.
What do you mean, the Vanguard were right?
That we've been at the mercy of the Balance for too long. It's time to make some changes, put the control back into the hands of the people.
How would that have helped you?
Well, for one, there wouldn't be any rogue magicians like this Roper Klacks running about causing trouble. Do you not agree?
I'm not about to argue politics with you right now, Lorhan. I'm in a hurry.
Who's arguing? And, blasted be my rocky hide, get me out of here!
How can I help you?
It ain't just me, April -- there are dozens of men up there, servants and sailors and merchants and soldiers -- all sent here by their masters to deal with Roper Klacks. Hah!
Cursed be the Balance, we've all been turned to stone, and our souls trapped in a crystal that the madman keeps in his tower. He draws power from that, power that shouldn't be his by right.
But this blasted problem with the Balance has upset the natural order of things. If the Vanguard were in control, this would never have happened. Things would be like they used to be, a long time ago.
Everything was good then?
Oh sure, there were problems. But this Rift, it ain't natural. Science and magic belong together, in the hands of the people. Not to some naked Guardian fellow in a tower somewhere far away.
Listen, we've got more important things to think about, like how I'm going to get inside the mountain, beat this Klacks guy, and free your...soul?
Yeah, yeah. You're right. And I can feel my muscles turning to stone again. We must hurry.
How do I get inside the mountain?
I'll pull the stairs down for you. Usually, when Klacks comes and goes, he softens me up for a bit, just so I can raise and lower the stairs for him, and then he changes me back to solid rock again.
Once you're inside -- and if you manage the defeat the madman...I don't see how you're going to do that, a young woman like yourself...
I'm pretty resourceful. And I'm not your run-of-the-mill teenybopper either.
You're what? Anyways, if you defeat Klacks, you must find his study, and break the crystal, the soulstone. That should break the spell and give us back our flesh-and-bone bodies.
Sounds like a plan.
All right, here goes! Uh, watch your head, April.
Go! I can't hold this open much longer!
What can I do you for?
Thanks, Crow.
You got it. I'm gonna go back up there and work on my eyesight. I ain't stopping until I can spot those cute chicks from miles and miles away.
It's chilly out here. You should really be wearing a sweater, doll. You don't wanna catch a cold, not with the fate of the known cosmos on your shoulders!
I'm fine, thanks, Crow. What's going on with you?
Keeping my eyes open, you know, floating on the warm winds, doing that whole hawkeye shtick. I'm getting pretty good at it too. I spotted you from at least one hundred yards away.
Impressive.
Yup. They don't call me the Lord of the Winds for nothing.
Do they really call you that?
No, but soon, by the Balance, they will!
Now -- what can I do for you, sweetheart?
Crow, I need you to fly over there and get some of those berries for me. And Crow?
Yes, ma'am?
Don't eat the berries.
No, ma'am.
