Be it natural or not, breathing in ash, was as bad for the trees, the sky, and the ground as it was for people. Ben, Wade, and Fred did not know how long ash had fallen on the town of Ariel, but could see the death of nature around them regardless. Trees in the distance dropped and sagged, many dead completely, with only the skeleton of their brittle branches left. The ground shaped and molded to each footstep, the ash-filled snow staining the path it rested upon. Roofs of buildings were a sickly black under the snow, upon close inspection of areas that had been hopelessly cleared.
And the people fared no better, most succumbing to strong fits of coughing every few minutes or so–the kind of coughing that burns the throat like pricking needles and can nearly collapse those too weak to handle it. Even Magma Kingdom citizens, who once lived in the lava and ash of Magma City–a city buried deep in a volcano–could only stand so much ash in their lungs. The ability to withstand fire was limited in what it did for their lungs, and even they had to spend days away from the ash and smoke, or else suffer sickening physical conditions too.
The people of Ariel were most certainly not of the Magma Kingdom though. Their city lay not too far from Sky City itself, and before this they had, quite possibly, the cleanest air there ever was. The Sky Kingdom was renowned for the clean and fresh air, cleansed by the high altitudes and cold breeze. The air had once even been known to cure illness, just by breathing it in for a day or two.
Ben, Wade, and Fred found some townsfolk to further fill in the details the best they could, and the story they told was one they listened to with helpless horror.
It was a little over a month ago that it had arrived. At first there had been quite the panic, as this so-called metal monster spewed smoke and barreled its way down the streets, cracking the cement as it went.
"It was like a haunted carriage from a childhood ghost story" a mother, hurrying to the market with her toddler, declared in a shaky voice. "Only, it was far bigger, made of metal, and invincible."
She recalled that the machine, upon arriving, had marched its way to stand, immovable, in the center of the town square. Merchants had quickly fled its path, some so scared they forgot their carts. The monster would later roll over these abandoned carts, smashing them to kindling with its solid wheels that propelled it forward.
"And the soldiers?" Fred inquired, assuming them to be connected.
"They arrived the same day," the woman said before hurrying off with her young one.
Fred attempted to call for her to ask more, but she continued on, either not hearing or ignoring Fred's yells. In an attempt to question more townsfolk, they found most to be either unwilling to talk, or reluctant at the least. There was a fear at the mention of this monster, and most seemed to prefer ignoring it, particularly when it came to three strange kids asking.
With some information here and some there, the trio could slowly piece together what information was needed.
The metal monster's slender, sloped frame resembled the silhouette of a jaguar—a creature known to inhabit the caves of the mountain range around these parts. Steel, spiked, oval wheels replace where the jaguar's legs would be and the smoke that trailed behind it for miles—creating a constant rain of ash—spewed from where the mouth would be. Instead of teeth, though, there was a thin opening one might fit an arm through, and above is thick glass in the form of two triangles that acted as windows for the drivers of the monster. Though many felt it must be difficult to drive, given that the glass was blacked, charred like everything else by the smoke.
Everyone they talked to seemed certain though that there was indeed a man or two inside operating it. They had seen him the day it had arrived, open a hatch that was atop the monster's back and poke his head out to address the town.
"Do not be afraid." he had said to the scared people. "Emperor Krane has ordered the production of this machine, to help with the glaring lack of food production in your town. With it, we should be able to produce three times the food, and better feed the Elemental Kingdoms. To the glory of the Elements and to the glory of Emperor Krane!"
A machine. That's what the man had called it. It was a word quite foreign, but it's what the people of Ariel began using to describe it. The people had been curious enough to approach it in the town square at first, keeping a safe distance as its mouth continued to spew thick smoke. They had grimaced at the time from the layer of ash that had quickly formed on their white, wool clothes.
One townsman, it was said, had been brave enough to question the man atop this machine.
"It's for farming?"
"Yes, for farming." the driver had replied.
"But we have our own fields. And they're doing just fine without it."
"Ah, but this machine can tend as much land as one-hundred men, in half the time. It's truly a gift from our generous and thoughtful emperor."
Not a single Sky Kingdom citizen a month back or even to that day thought of this machine as a gift. Far from it. And they all knew quite well that Emperor Krane was far from generous or thoughtful.
As more Imperial Soldiers had poured into town, wagon upon wagonful, the citizens had known this was something they had no choice in. For whatever reason, their town had been chosen to be home to this machine, and there was the small army that had accompanied it, ensuring all went well according to Emperor Krane's plan.
"What would our ancestors think..." a man they questioned sighed as his eyes fell.
He glanced down, to the main road under his feet that ran through their town and led straight to Sky City. Under the snow, this paved road, as ancient as Sky City itself, showed cracks that were a painful and symbolic reminder of what trampled the fields and farmed the land on the outskirts of the city.
Ariel was first and foremost a farming town; for nearly a thousand years it had been so, and it wasn't merely the ash that disrupted that. The machine had effectively destroyed the farming community itself. Hundreds were out of a job as the Imperial army took over the fields, and the town had shrunk in population, some going as far as saying by over half.
Children crossed the street ahead of Ben, Wade, and Fred, running to the market stand to beg for food. An old man refused at first, but soon gave in, handing them each an apple a piece. They ran grateful, but out of the corner of Fred's eye, she saw one snag another apple when the man was not looking. It might seem wrong to some, but she knew what it meant to steal for survival.
"They fled," Fred muttered quietly to herself as her eyes followed the fleeing children. "They knew they couldn't survive here so they ran. This was their home, their ancestor's home, and they were forced from it, stripped away like they were useless. Those who stayed... did so because they had nowhere to go."
There was an anger in her voice, and it echoed what Ben and Wade felt in its emotion and power but somehow exceeded it. The boys saw, for the first time, something they thought nearly impossible.
A single tear ran down Fred's cheek, falling from her gray eyes to the ashy path at her feet.
"It's wrong." was all Ben could say. "The land is meant to be loved and cared for, not violated like this... This machine–it's what's wrong with Emperor Krane and the world he's created.
As they marched past the town square, they finally could see the beast itself. It rolled in rows down fields of crop, coated in ash but growing stubbornly the best it could. One field over could be seen perfect lines of some crops beginning to bloom. Despite the ash that covered everything, the plants seemed to grow, but only barely, and in a sickly way–their leaves drooping, and their buds dull as death. Still, stubbornly they sprout, ignoring the gray poison threatening to choke the life out of them. It's only the strong plants and the cleansing air of Sky Kingdom that could keep them alive in such harsh conditions, otherwise they would succumb completely to the ash.
With his hat pulled as low as it can go, Ben walks ahead to the back of a merchant's shop at the edge of the farmlands There he silently waits alone, getting the best view he can.
Fred and Wade stay behind, eyes falling still on the miserable people that walk past.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
As they purchased supplies at a general supplies shop just down the road, the man at the counter talked more about the machine.
"There are families starving," he said, running his hands through his pointy goatee and grunting in frustration. "I know Emperor Krane is cruel... but this is new, even for him."
"I can't imagine breathing that ash in for over a month," Wade said.
"You're not wrong. My children have been getting that wicked cough everyone has. It's troubling..."
"Something should be done," Fred declared, fists clenched and hidden from the merchant by the countertop he stood behind. "I just..." her words drifted as she held in her anger, looking out the window to see poor, hurt people walking past.
"Something will be done," the man replied, a hint of ominous warning behind his words.
They wondered what he meant by that, but didn't push it further. Wade took charge of supplies and managed to get down to business, asking what supplies the man had, and making sure his directions were correct. The man gladly changed the subject to help guide them on their travels, but you could still see the drained nature of his eyes. Like all the people in the town, he was sick and exhausted.
Meanwhile, Ben left halfway through the directions, letting Wade finish his own questions. The air was making Ben sick to his core, and he thought outside, in the garden behind the merchant's shop, would be better.
It wasn't.
Nevertheless, he had this urge to see the machine again. And there, off in the distance, it was, spewing smoke as consistently as before.
"Just horrible," Wade said as he exited the Merchant's shop and approached his friend. In his hand was a peach he'd begun eating–its sweetness helped with the anxiety.
On Wade's back is Ben's backpack he'd borrowed, filled with supplies and quite heavier than before.
"It really is," Ben replied, not taking his eyes away from the machine.
The smoke itself bothered Fred and Wade, but not as much as him. Fred was still furious at the mistreatment of the people—as are they—but the pollution of the air itself... It bothered Ben most.
"The sky..." Ben commented, pointing up. "I mean look. It's gray, all gray. And I don't see a single bird. Not one. You can barely even tell if it's night or day."
The sun had indeed broken through the smoke off in the distance, but only barely. If he squinted his eyes, Ben could tell it was sunrise, but only just.
Coughing, Wade made a disgusted grunt as he threw his half-eaten peach to the ashy ground. It lands with a small explosion of dust. The grass around it is dead and dry, and it is instantly covered with ash in moments, hiding its existence.
"Yeah, and the food tastes horrible," Wade muttered, wiping his tongue with his sleeve to get rid of the sickly flavor. "I'm guessing the peach was compliments of the machine right there? Probably grown drenched in ash."
"They said it could grow crops faster, though I don't know why you'd want to if the food tastes so horrible. I've seen what you eat, Wade, and if you can't even manage to eat it then nobody can."
"You're not wrong," Wade remarked.
Fred could be heard exiting the shop to join them and she finally approached, carrying another cloth sack filled with food, matches, and an assortment of supplies they might need.
Along with this, each of them had purchased heavier coats for the mountains–each was made of local sheep's wool and was all a matching white color. They were uncomfortably itchy because of the wool, but would manage to stay far warmer than their previous clothes. They had all begun to get quite the chill in their night walks, especially Fred. It had all cost them the remainder of their money, and Fred her final, beloved dagger, but it would last all the way to Sky City.
Slumping the sack over her shoulder, and trying to resist itching all over her jacket, Fred let out a disgusted sigh as she looked up at the oppressive smoke overhead.
"Are you ready to leave?" she asked them.
"Without a doubt," Wade replied, hurrying to her side. "The less time here the better."
Ben nodded and joined them, but there was hesitation in his steps. He kept his head low as they passed through the quaint backyard of the merchant's shop and began to walk down the ancient road again, through the town square. There was heavy traffic by now as people and carriages moved about their morning duties. What stood out most then, besides the smoke, was the steady noise of the town. The people, and even the horses, could be heard breathing, almost in unison–a labored breath as though choking or drowning. The ashy air was crushing their windpipes to the point that their breath was beyond heavy, creating a strange hum along the road from the large number of people doing it all at once.
"Do we really have to leave these people?" Ben finally asked, stopping in the road.
Fred and Wade are quick to backstep, blocking his face from any passing citizen with their own bodies.
"I want to help as much as you do," Wade said. "And we certainly know where Fred stands on the subject. But what can we really do? You've seen that thing. It's metal, indestructible metal, and even if we could stop it, there are hundreds of Imperial soldiers running around. The only way we can help is to get to Sky City, relight the core, and give everyone their powers back. Then they might stand a chance of fighting back."
"Will they be okay?"
"I think so. It's only a farming machine after all."
"I wouldn't be so sure,' Fred said. Bending down, she inspected the cracked road that the machine had destroyed. "That thing is pretty powerful. See what it's done here?"
"Sure, and that's definitely not good," Wade said. "But it's not any immediate danger to these people." He threw his hands up in defense, a look of helplessness on his face. "Look, I'm not being heartless here, I'm being realistic. These people ought to be fine for the week or so that it takes us to get to Sky City. And there's simply nothing we can do."
Fred seemed skeptical. While the boys had been outside the merchant's garden before, she had stayed and overheard some vital information.
The merchant in the shop, after the boys had gone outside, talked to her about the townsfolk attempting to do something about the machine. Fighting had taken place here and there the last week or so between groups of townsmen and local soldiers, explaining the arrival of new soldiers. And the largest group of resistance yet had been meeting to plan something new.
She applauded the man and his friends' resilience, but begged him not to do anything rash. The last thing she wanted to see was townsfolk, who have never fought before, waging a hopeless battle against trained, armored soldiers and that unstoppable machine.
The merchant promised he'd convince others to wait, but it had seemed insincere to say the least.
"It's only a farming machine," Wade repeated.
"It's been my experience that anything, no matter what it was created for, can be a weapon. Something like that," she pointed to the machine in the fields off at a distance. "It can certainly do some harm. Especially if the people are desperate enough to challenge it."
"I'd say they are," Ben remarked.
He saw a man walk by holding a blanket over his head to protect from the ash, and everything he needed to know was there, written on that man's angered expression and deadly resolve.
"Well... so much for avoiding Imperial soldiers then," Wade smirked. "If you think these people do need help, then we're sure going to give it to them. That's what we do right?"
"Definitely," Ben smiled, a little nervously.
The machine in the distance could be seen approaching a tree that'd grown in the field and threatened to stop its perfectly straight lines. A loud crunch echoed to them as it simply plowed right over the tree, snapping it like kindling. The sound of bark snapping continued as it grinded the remains of the trunk under its wheels and continued, virtually undisturbed.
"How are we going to do this though?" Fred asked aloud, both to them and to herself.
We draw a realistic picture of a tunnel into the side of the mountain?" Wade offered. They'd never expect it."
Both Ben and Fred stared at him.
"Yeah, yeah. I know. Now isn't the time for jokes" he sighed. "You guys are just no fun. If we're going to kill ourselves trying to stop that impossible thing, then I'm at least doing it with a sense of humor. Come on Fred, I've literally never seen you laugh. Just, give me a faint chuckle?"
Rolling her eyes at Wade for what must have been the millionth time, Fred turned her attention back to the machine.
"Perhaps an avalanche?" she suggested to Ben. "If we could get it close enough to the mountainside?"
Ben inspected the mountains to the north-east of them. It bordered the town, but he was unsure if they could lure the machine that far a distance. And if they did, it was more than possible that the rocks might not do much to it anyway. As a blacksmith's son, Ben could tell the machine was made from very thick metal, even at a distance.
"How are we going to cause an avalanche though?" he told Fred. "We don't have any explosives."
Fred sighed, knowing he was right. She went to pull her dagger from her boot and twirl it, something she always did when thinking, but frowned when remembering she'd just sold it. A slight sadness washed over her, and a feeling of being naked without any weapons on her at all.
Ben considered climbing a building to get a better lay of the land, but as his eyes crossed the water tower that stood beside the merchant's shop they'd been in, an idea occurred to him. He remembered back to that day at the stream and this idea grew. It was not unlike Fred's avalanche idea, and it was perhaps as crazy as Wade's tunnel, but if Ben could control his powers well enough, it might just work.
"The merchant," is all Ben said as he led them back the way they came.
He stood tall as he walked, no longer concerned with being seen. Grabbing the white cap atop his head, he dropped it to the ground, letting his messy, blonde hair free.
"We need to talk to him."
"You have an idea?" Fred asks.
"Something like that."
"Is it one I'm going to like?" Wade asked.
"No, definitely not."
Wade sighed. He'd figured it'd be trouble. Ben's plans usually were, even if they worked more often than not.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
It had taken some persuasion on Ben's part to convince the merchant to help them out. They were, by all appearances, just kids after all. Fred tried her best to appeal to the merchant's hatred for the Imperial soldiers and reminded him that she knew about him and the underground resistance that the town of Ariel had been gathering. The man wouldn't budge though, refusing to put these three kids, strangers to the town, in danger. Fred laughed at the thought that she needed protection, and Ben was quick to win him over with a show of his Elemental powers. Once Ben floated off the floorboards of the man's shop to show his ability to fly, the man was sold.
He again repeated to Fred what he had said before about the meetings among the townsfolk—their attempts to do something about the machine and the soldiers. He had no idea how it was possible, but to see this Elementalist before him, he felt electrified–like they now had the slim possibility of a chance.
"Just tell us what you need," he said to Ben.
"I need people," Ben responded as he lowered himself slowly to the floor.
"I can get people, no problem. They'll be more than eager to help."
"Just... don't mention that I'm here," Ben said. "We want the Imperial soldiers to be as surprised as you were that the Elementalist is in town. It might give us an edge."
The merchant nodded.
Grabbing Ben by the arm, Fred pulled him to the side. Wade was quick to join them in the corner and the merchant kindly waited.
"Are you sure about this," Fred asked. "These people aren't soldiers. This isn't an army. And you may be the Elementalist, but I doubt even you can take on the amount of soldiers in this town. There must be over a hundred, maybe more."
"I just need them to keep things busy, while you do what you need to do."
They'd discussed the plan in depth before, and Fred didn't like her job then and still liked it less now. She knew it was her and her alone that must do it, as Wade was neither fit enough to hold an ax, let alone use one properly. But her job put her mostly out of the fighting, and she wished more than anything that she could be at Ben's side.
"We're counting on you," Wade said gently, his usual sarcasm gone.
"Alright, Ben. We'll do this your way."
Having decided, the moment came to initiate the plan. There was a general nervousness all around, but at the same time a firm resolve of adrenaline. After the merchant had fully listened to his role, he left to do his part. Fred grabbed Ben and Wade by the shoulders, nodding to them in her own affectionate way, and left finally to fulfill her own role. Time passed quickly, and Ben and Wade found themselves alone in the shop.
An eerie silence lasted once Fred and the merchant had left, and Ben realized it was the first time he and Wade had really been alone since they met Fred. Somehow, in that small amount of time, they felt they had grown. The young boys mere weeks before, who had spent their days pranking city guards, were far from the boys that stood there then. They found themselves taking on responsibilities far greater than themselves, but like their ancestors before, they faced these responsibilities like they were now a part of them.
Soon they exited the shop and stood in the street. There was a trail of steps in the ash leading from the general supplies store to the street, but small gusts of wind quickly removed them.
"You do realize this is all reliant on powers you're only just now starting to be able to control?" Wade said.
"Yeah, but what other choice do we have?"
"And my role is what?"
"You're bait."
"Didn't we already discuss this back at Capital City?" Wade chuckled nervously. "Being bait is never good."
"Well, at least you're not alone in being the bait this time," Ben smiled back, unsheathing his sword.
With his white hat gone and blonde, flowing hair free, Ben stood tall in the street. The gold of his sword shined and glinted somehow despite the choking ash that dulled all color around them, and Ben's Sky Kingdom heritage burst forth in a way that would have made his parents proud. There was no point in hiding anything now.
It hadn't taken long for the street, once crowded and bustling, to become desolate. There were footprints in the ash of people scattering in all directions, leaving Ben and Wade alone in the street. The merchant had done his job both quickly and well. People had dispersed quicker than the wind could erase their prints in the snow.
Ben looked to his left, at the water tower standing by the merchant's shop. It stood tall, taller than the general supplies store, but not as tall as some buildings off towards the center of town. The wood underneath ash and snow was faded, showing its age as being one of the older buildings in town.
"How long do you think it'll take Fred?" Ben asked.
"Not long. Have you seen her arms? That girl seriously works out."
Wade raised his arm and looked at his own bicep. Ben stared at him, and Wade noticed, slowly lowering his arm and turning to face down the road.
Off in the distance, several soldiers walked the streets, confused and worried at its emptiness. It didn't take a genius to know that an entire town disappearing during the middle of the day was cause for serious alarm. They spotted Ben and Wade from a distance and began to approach. It was strange to see two boys alone in this abnormal wasteland, and it occurred to the dozen or so soldiers that they matched the description of the boy who could fly and his companion.
"Hey!" a few shouted as the group marched resolutely their way down the street.
More soldiers heard their calls and soon the twelve soldiers became twenty, twenty became fifty, and fifty became even more. Each soldier had heard stories of the boy who could fly and his power, perhaps over exaggerated by rumor. The small army stayed together in one mass, no one man brave enough to lead ahead alone. They quickly amassed before Ben and Wade.
"Wait for it..." Ben whispered to Wade.
"Don't move," one of the soldiers, the apparent leader, commanded. "Just stay—"
A small explosion in the distance echoed suddenly and everyone turned to look. The machine, still out working the fields, had fire billowing around it. A handful of angry citizens could be seen surrounding the machine, throwing another small bomb at it, creating seconds after another burst of fire that exploded as the homemade grenade echoed against the hard metal. Neither explosion truly hurt the machine, but they were not meant to.
Angered, the driver of the machine turned sharply and charged the mechanized wheels at the people who scattered towards Ben and Wade in response. Their job, they fled further past to their positions.
Ben was surprised at how fast the machine moved, and worried it would catch them before they got in place, but luckily they all cleared out in time and were able to stay just ahead of it.
The army of Imperial soldiers positioned on the road in front of Ben and Wade began to look in all directions, panicked at the general chaos around them. In front of them they had the boy who could fly, and behind were the fleeing citizens, and even further past the machine, rolling in pursuit at barreling speeds.
Grinning ever-so-slightly at the success of the plan so far, Ben willed his body from the ground to float a yard above the road. Pointing his sword at the army of soldiers that stand between the fleeing citizens and him, he yelled in the most commanding voice he could muster.
"Now!"
From every direction, behind every house, hut, and store, all the citizens of Ariel poured out and charged the Imperial soldiers. Unlike the skirmish in the arena back at Magma Kingdom, these people had no real weapons of their own, only brooms and makeshift sticks. This did not dwell their bravery or determination though. Ignoring the lack of armor, the lack of weapons, and the vastly smaller numbers, men, women, and even children valiantly charged forward with war-like cries.
Ben was quick to dive in and join them.
Wade looked to his own hands, realizing somehow only in that moment that he was, yet again, for some unfathomable reason beyond all logic, without a weapon again.
"Of course..." he muttered. "That'd be too easy."
Looking at the fearless Sky Kingdom citizens taking on the soldiers with brooms, he puffed his chest and charged with the same fervor. It wasn't long until Wade found himself on an Imperial Soldier's back, his arms wrapped around his neck, refusing to let go. He may not have had Fred's muscles, Ben's powers, or fighting skills of any kind whatsoever, but he could sure hold on tight and never let go. So that's what he did.
Weaving between people, flying around and trying to make this futile, weaponless battle last as long as it needed, Ben blocked every attack efficiently and parried with greater ease. With hawk-like eyes, he scanned the crowd, which had mixed together—disorganized and chaotic, no tactics but merely scrambled fighting from all directions. He looked fiercely for any Sky Kingdom citizen in need of help and was swift to come to their aid if needed. His defense would be quick, efficient, and he'd find himself immediately flying off to help others. The air gave him speed and height, and Fred had been teaching him to fight more and more of late. Ben felt a warrior's pride come over him, but the feeling was short, replaced by the fear and anxiety that comes from leading such a battle.
In the distance approached the small group of citizens, followed even more swiftly by the menacing machine as it came to aid the soldiers. As the citizens blend into the battle, joining the fray with the others, the machine stopped outside the wall of fighting. It'd be impossible for it to go any further without trampling Imperial soldiers as well as Sky Kingdom citizens.
Ben had counted on that.
A splintery crack could be heard from the water tower that stood next to the stalled machine, and Ben almost cheered aloud. Fred had timing that couldn't have been better.
Ben rocketed out of the fight to fly higher, escaping several swings of swords from slow, Imperial soldiers. Viewing the chaos from above, he could see the wood supports of the water tower, successfully chopped by Fred, begin to collapse toward the machine. Pushing hishead forward, Ben dove at the machine as fast as possible, landing firmly atop. As the water tower came crashing down directly on Ben and the machine, thousandsof gallons of water ready to burst forth, there was a lull. Every soldier and every citizen froze, some mid-swing, to see what would happen.