Out of Time the Grand Quest

by Christopher Douglass

  Soon more and more contract pairs began passing by one at a time. There was a blond wisp of a woman who could barely be four and a half feet tall sitting on the shoulder of a man who had to be at least eight foot and built like the side of a brick building. But the man wasn’t walking, he was in turn being carried forward on a platform of air being cast by the girl who wasn’t even waving her hands or mumbling any words, just smiling and waving at the crowd. Kimberly did notice the tip of the staff attached to her back was glowing blue, and she had a feeling that wasn’t just a visual effect to impress.

  Some weren’t very impressive at all, the pair just walking to the gate to station themselves next to the growing line. These ones would probably be the ones most likely to die quickly. The ones without enough power to impress or didn’t stand out much to begin with. A few walked alone, ones that wanted to go on quest even though they didn’t have a partner. Joel and Grell said there were some of these kind every time as well. They would usually end up attaching themselves to another pair, and become a backup mage or mediator partner in case the current partner died. It was a second chance to succeed in case of failure, so making alliances with these single ones was a viable tactic. Soon there were a good eight pairs standing in state and another half dozen un-partnered men and women who stood next to the partnered pair they had chosen to go with.

  Jordon tugged at Kimi’s sleeve once more, pointing at one last pair coming up from the distance, the giant tree with the rainbow leaves not far behind them.

  “Look! There’sh Frank! And hish mediator Milly!”

  Frank had taken on the form of a Troll. He too looked like an eight foot man built like a brick house, but his proportions were all wrong and his skin was a light green that reminded her of the goblins. He dragged a club full of spikes along the ground and small earthquakes vibrated her feet with each step he took. At first Kimi thought he was alone.

  Until she realized Milly was the raptor walking next to him waving at the crowds.

  Milly looked just like the pictures of the dinosaur she had seen in books. Maybe slightly bigger in size, standing around four foot. Then again, she had never seen a real life dinosaur before, nor been to a museum with their bones on display, so she couldn’t be sure. Although she had been told humans weren’t the only things that had been pulled through the time rifts, this was the first time she had seen proof of that fact.

  Moments after the two took their place at one of the few empty spaces left, the crowd went silent between one breath and the next. As if the moment the huge walking tree touched it’s first root to the lane, a spell had been cast. The tree made its slow progress down towards the partners by the gate Everyone bowed their head as it passed, some even knelt. About halfway down, Daniel stepped out of the crowd, clad in the full armor of knighthood, bearing a shield engraved with crossed branches. He drew his sword, placing it straight up in front of his face in a salute before turning and marching just ahead. One by one, more men and even a few women dressed as knights emerged to join him, until four marched in front and two behind. All with their blades pointed skyward. An honor guard for the plant.

  Jordon seemed to realize Kimi was at a loss for what was going on, so he pulled her down close to whisper into her ear. Mindful not to break the atmosphere by being too loud.

  “That ish the Queshter’sh tree. The Grand Wizard plants it when a Grand Quesht ish imminent. It won’t grow until the day of the quesht, then it shootsh up overnight. It will tie itshelf to all the queshtersh before they leave. It will plant itshelf outshide the gate and let all know what ish happening. Ash people die it will wilt and looshe itsh leaves and branchesh. If they all die, it will die too. But it ish tied to all the other treesh jusht like it around the world. Only if the quesht fails completely will it topple.”

  As the tree came upon the gates, the arch split in half, swinging outwards to allow the massive trunk to exit the town first. Kimberly hadn’t even noticed when exactly Joel had appeared next to the other partners in his robes of office. As the Quester’s tree lumbered out, those leaving filed in behind it, forming two rows behind the rear honor guard. It moved off to the side, it’s roots digging into the ground as it settled in place. One by one, each person cut their palms, smearing their blood on the bark as the six knights stood to either side. With each smear of blood that soaked into the brown bark, a new branch grew. When everyone had completed their task, even the dinosaur, twenty-four new branches marched skyward. And somehow Kimi knew who each and every one of them was attached to.

  The six knights snapped their swords out and up as Joel took a stance in front of the Quester’s tree.

  “I declare the Grand Quest officially begun! May your step never falter, your blades never dull, and your trials never end in failure. Go with our blessings. Live with passion. And die with honor!”

  A roar rose in the crowd so deafening she was surprised the Quester’s tree didn’t bend to the side. The questers themselves wasted no time in leaving. Flying with magic, running on foot, riding their partners, however they could move. Within seconds they had scattered, becoming nothing more than a faint memory on the wind. The sound of galloping hooves from behind caused Kimi to turn along with everyone else. Barreling down the lane was Maria, leaning low over a unicorn’s neck. As she flew past the crowds, she slit her hand, letting red flecks trail behind her. She was through the gates and slapping her wound against the tree as she passed it. By the time another branch grew, she was already long gone.

  “Jo---ooooo----eeeeee------lllllll Ambrit Dewarney!”

  Grell’s bellow seemed to make even the roar of the crowd moments before seem a whisper in comparison. Her form flew into the air over the heads of the crowd across the way to land on the path with a resounding thud of promised doom. Her body was already bubbling with stone outcroppings and her landing had made a crater in the packed ground. Like an unstoppable train gaining momentum, she started running towards her husband. Ripping off fist sized boulders from shoulder and arms to chuck them at Joel who was already heading in the opposite direction. The projectiles always just missed him, landing a single step behind. But they too sunk into the ground like it was mud.

  Soon they were out of sight as well, but the sounds of their battle echoed long after. Lightning strikes from the sky, and pieces of tree being flung over the canopy giving the crowds an indication of where they were.

  “She might really kill the old codger this time.”

  Those words came along with a chuckle from some man behind her. But his comment seemed to be the signal for the crowd to disperse. Despite the fact the questers were gone, the festivities showed no signs of ending anytime soon.

  “Let’sh go!”

  Jordon didn’t seem too worried about the fact Maria had just galloped off alone, or that Grell was chasing Joel for some reason. He was more interested in the grand party that was quickly ramping up. The boy took her hand yet again, tugging her after him as he headed back into town. Kimberly saw bands breaking out into song as dance floors spread out from around them. Men and women of all ages were flocking to these musicians, their dancing ranging from classical ballroom to wild flailing of hands and feet Kimi had never seen before. Off in the distance, Kimi saw a mage telling a story by pulling clouds from the sky and shaping the white nimbus into the pictures.

  “How long will this go on?”

  “Until tomorrow. There ish alwaysh shomething new and intereshting. There is danching every year for all ages of courshe, but the gamesh are alwaysh changing and the random eventsh are different every year too.”

  Kimi felt like she had the first time she had gone to a real “big top” circus. Where the performers did their acts under giant tents. Her head craning in every direction to try and see it all. Despite her awe and wonder, she couldn’t get the thought of Maria riding off out of her mind. Why had she done something so stupid? With no partner, no physical fighting skills, and magic that was by her own admission laughable, she was begging to be killed
.

  “Step right up! Try your hand at one of these unsolvable puzzles! If you can solve it you get a prize! Only one chip per play!”

  Kimi stopped in front of a booth with an array of locking puzzles set out on the table. They looked slightly different from the ones she was used to, but it was still the same concept. Move one or more pieces around until it all came apart. Kimberly raised her eye at the old gentleman barker.

  “If they can be solved, then doesn’t that mean they aren’t really unsolvable? And if they are unsolvable, then wouldn’t that mean your game is non-winnable and a fraud?”

  The old man gave her a toothy smile in return, leaning over the counter, one hand on his hip.

  “Ah, a wise girl huh? Well then, why don’t you try your hand at it? I vouch that each and every one of them is solvable, but so few can figure it out they might as well be unsolvable. An old mediator friend of mine who came from Atlantis forty years back showed me how to make them. He said they were all the rage with the young folk. And even they couldn’t get it all that often. So what do you say? Think your smarter than an Atlantian missy?”

  “If they couldn’t figure these out then they must not be all that smart. I bet I could solve this one in less than one minute.”

  Kimi held up one that looked like two square pieces of wood, with five metal bars connecting them. Four around the outside and one in the middle. The middle rod had a gold ring around it. While the one she knew so well had rounded wood pieces instead of square ones, she knew this puzzle’s secrets.

  “Well then one chip and you can prove it!”

  “I don’t have any chips. I don’t even know where to get them.”

  Jordon dashed off to a nearby woman with bulging apron pockets. He waved his arms around and pointed at Kimi as he spoke to the woman. She glanced in her direction then nodded, pulling out a handful of what looked like blue poker chips. Jordon rushed back with his prize proudly, handing one of them to the barker. The entire scenario had only taken two minutes.

  “Well now you’ve had your escort here pay for you, time for you to put your chips where your mouth is.”

  “Just to be sure, these are solved through non-magical means right? They don’t require any kind of spell or other magical incantation for any reason.”

  “Nope. Only need pure intellect to figure out. And tell you what, seeing as you say you can figure it out in under a minute, If you manage, I’ll give you a tier two prize instead of a tier one.”

  “Deal.”

  “I’ll be timing you. One minute, starting& now.”

  The old man held up his finger and a sixty second timer began ticking down in the air between them. Kimberly was tempted to try and make it look cool, holding the item until the last second before solving it. But she decided against that route, just in case she was wrong about the trick. Jordon was bouncing up and down, confident that she would make good on her words.

  Sliding her finger between two bars, she wiggled the middle one that the ring was trapped by. As she suspected, it was shorter than the others, being held in place by a small magnet. The other end dropped into the slot and she was able to pull the ring off. After that it was a simple matter of turning the ring to slide it out from between two of the outer poles. Holding out both items she grinned as the clock stopped at forty-five seconds.

  “See. Simple.”

  “How did you---?”

  “I own one of these. Well I should say I owned one of them, since I can’t go home anymore. It’s made differently, but it is the same puzzle.”

  “I should have figured you were pulling a fast one on me. But a deals a deal.”

  “Hey, don’t complain. I know full well you’re pulling a fast one on the people here too.”

  “And why do you say that missy?”

  “Never met a carnie yet that wasn’t a little bit crooked. That puzzle and that puzzle there really are unsolvable. I’ve seen them before as well and their openings are in the wrong places. You’d never be able to get them positioned in the right spot to pull them apart. The bulging sides just won’t let you. I’m sure you’ve got a few others like that as well. And I am also sure those are your “hardest” challenges that will net the player the biggest prizes if they win, which they won’t. You're not a complete shyster, since most of these probably are solvable. ”

  “You’ve got a shrewd eye on you miss. Seems I’ve been caught red handed. Though it is just good business. It entices customers and they can still win the highest tiered items-- they just have to solve more than one puzzle. Besides, it is all in good fun, I’d never try to cheat anyone if there was real money on the line.”

  “Right. I’ll make sure to ask Joel if that’s really the case next time I see him. That is, Grand Wizard Joel.”

  That made the man nervous. Kimi could see the way his smile faded from his face as he started to fidget. This confirmed in Kimi’s mind how much bull crap the man had just tried to sell her. Holding in her smile, she looked over the array of goods the man reluctantly brought out so she could choose her prize. Kimberly was about to take a book and pen set that seemed to scream her name until a small sound met her ear. It was so small she almost overlooked it completely as an echo of the crowds behind her. Ignoring the man’s indignant exclamation, Kimi crawled over the table and behind the booth with him, cocking her ear to the side trying to get a better listen. When he grabbed her arm in an attempt to make her leave, Kimi imagined herself as a martial artist, easily reversing his hold and throwing him out into the street where a crowd was beginning to gather.

  “Somebody stop that mad woman! She’s ruining my booth! Is this the way you people treat wandering gamers!”

  As Dan and a few other men dressed as knights stepped forward, Jordon got between them and Kimberly, holding his hands out wide as if that would actually stop them. Surprisingly, it did, allowing Jordon to speak up.

  “No! If Kimi thinksh there ish shomething wrong then I believe her! She hash already pointed out shome of hish toysh are un-winnable. He ish jusht mad he got caught cheating.”

  One of the knights grabbed the man up by the back of the neck, holding him in place as Daniel motioned for Kimi to continue with her search. She did so, tuning out the loud complaints of the man who was probably trying to drown out the small sound she was following. That sound led her to a buried corner in the back. Tossing crates and boxes of prizes to the side, the sound got louder. It reminded Kimi of a mix between a musical note and a child’s sobbing. She finally unearthed a cage, inside of which was a fairy.

  At least, that was the best way she could describe it. No bigger than her pointing finger, it had the form of a woman, with gossamer wings that reflected the light. But she also had the characteristics of a bird, with fine downy owl feathers covering her skin, and a beak nose. The fairy, or sprite or whatever it was, looked up at Kimi fearfully, shrinking against the far side of the cage. She heard a gasp from Daniel behind her, turning to see his eyes riveted on the creature.

  “An Urma! I thought they were extinct!”

  “A what?”

  “Urma. They are spirits of the forest. At least they were. But the Grendalsnatch’s supposedly hunted them all to extinction.”

  “We aren’t extinct! We have just withdrawn into hiding! There are not many of us left, but we live!”

  Her voice was as small as she was. Yet, instead of sounding like a mouse, the musical quality came out much clearer. When Kimi tried opening the cage, she found the door wouldn’t budge.

  “It’s no use. It’s sealed closed. The wood won’t break no matter how much weight is put on it. I’m trapped in here and have been for half a year.”

  Kimi studied the cage, even as the knights tried to get information from the guy. There was something off about the wood. It looked to be made of many tiny pieces. The logical thing would be to make the frame from single whole pieces of lumber. Wouldn’t that would make it stronger? Finally it clicked in her head.

  “It’s a puzzle bo
x. More complex than the simple toys he was peddling but still the same concept. Move the pieces in the right combination and the box, or this case the cage, unlocks.”

  “Lot of good that information does you missy. Not even you could figure it out. I’m the only one with the combination.”

  “Is that so? Well then, I accept your challenge. But I must warn you, there are two ways to solve every puzzle. You can solve it, or you can use the cheaters way and break it apart.”

  “Ha! Better magicians than you have tried to break it and failed missy.”

  “Well, that’s where I have the advantage. I’m not a magician. I just read a lot of books. Ever heard of a thing called physics? Of stress points and torque?”

  Kimberly could see the baffled looks on all the faces around her, as if she was speaking a foreign language. Then again, she probably was in a way. Advanced physics and architectural design was probably an alien concept to most of them. Atlantians came from a technologically advanced culture, so they would understand, but it wasn’t like they were all that common here, only being summoned to become mediators for quests mostly.

  “What’s your name Urma?”

  “Nimli.”

  “Well Nimli, My name is Kimberly, or Kimi for short, and I might need your help. Don’t mind if I mumble nonsense, just do as I say when I tell you. First though, I need a dagger, at least six inches, nothing less. I’ll use a sword if I need to but the leverage will be off.”

  It was Daniel who handed her his belt knife, the blade as straight as she could wish. Inspecting the cage she began to talk out loud, going over everything she knew of the books she had read.

  “The strongest design is the triangle, the weakest is a straight line with no underlying support. Circles distribute the weight through motion while squares diffuse it along the length, sending the brunt to the supporting arms. Torque is the ability to overcome resistance using a turning motion. Every design has a weak spot, be it triangle or circle. And every design has a stress point, a point where the shape will break if just a tad bit more pressure is applied. This cage design incorporates all these concepts.”