Extraction Issues 22

Chapter 22

The next morning Negham was in better spirits and loading up the compressed wool of not only the sheep that had been sold, but also of a neighbour with similar size land and an even larger batch from another big farm in the area. It was interesting loading up the cargo, even with the boats crane.

The compressed wool wasn’t partially heavy, but more awkward. That meant the slightly slow crane had to be used for each one and then only got it to the side of the boat before the bottom caught on the bump stop of the boats side.

If a quick shaking of the crane didn’t work to swing the cargo in, the rope was needed. Doug would position the rope around the outside of the large sacks mid-line so Negham could lean back and have pressure pulling it into the boat. Then Doug still had to shove it hard or get his shoulder under others before it would suddenly give in and hurtle into the boat.

This got a few laughs as passers-by watched the more awkward ones being loaded. For the sacks that had almost been overloaded with compressed wool Doug eventually ran up and charged them repeatedly. Because Negham was leaning on the rope it would get pulled slightly further into the boat, sliding slowly across the edge.

The running and charging of the now scrawny youth as he repeatedly helped inch the sacks over the side got quick laughs. But then one of the large ones finally burst over the side, so quickly that Negham lost his footing and then was pinned under the sack as the crane helped it swing the rest of the way in.

Negham’s angry flailing under the sack half supported by the crane got people stopping and hearty laughter filling the area. On the plus side a few people that stopped then helped to get the flustered man out from under the sack.

Despite the interesting loading Negham was un-phased and smiled with the villagers now merrily greeting him as he finished loading. With Negham on his way in better spirits today, Doug finished tidying up. It was a colder day, made gloomy by the grey skies. Doug headed to the town centre wondering how the day would play out.

Trader Chan waiting and waved him over. With him was one of the traditionalists of the village. People had warned him of this fella saying that he was hoping to get him signed up to make a working trade route through the smokey path again. Chan introduced the traditionalist as Sixtaeg. He hinted that the man had many adventures of his own during his youth.

Sixteag actually talked him through the trip and what he could about the process. He was clearly quite interested in what they were doing. It seemed to be a more ancient version of what warriors had done generations ago in their village. Apparently his main point of interest was how the original ceremony had worked before those of life sacrifice way or the iron souls had both had goes at manipulating the ceremony.

In some ways Sixtaegs self-important rambling tangents left him more confused about what was happening. The cave of focus had not been required for many years because the village no longer had warriors. It was also considered sacred, so given the current bickering there was no way that the villagers would be able to agree on how to take care of it.

What was clear though, that once out of the village, the path quickly became overgrown. Despite this Sixtaeg nimbly leapt and skipped confidently along the path despite being decades older than Chan. Chan struggled along behind, clearly his wide travels were on more well worn paths.

As they arrived at the area Doug was suddenly sad that this hadn’t been one of the areas the villagers had come to an agreement for a vision to tidy up. He had thought they would just head into the overgrowth of the mountain vegetation and pop out at a cliff face with a cave in it.

It was completely different from what he had expected. This was clearly another area that the founders had lavished care and attention on at one stage. There was hints of more stonework throughout what was left of the clearing.

Before you even noticed the cave though, you could tell the area had once been half garden area and half manicured lake. Once he saw the cave he was again impressed. It had been carved into the cliff in the same style of the temple and features in the chute excavations.

Doug guessed the lake had been refashioned and once had an immaculate island and tree in one side of it. After tidying up the other founder area, he could start to see some of the lines of the design despite the overgrown state. It had an interesting asymmetry to it that was unlike the buildings and remaining landscaping around the village.

What surprised him even more is that when they finally found there way through the ruined garden; is that both men worked diligently alongside him to clean out the cave. Then a demi or so later the cave was cleared out remnants of pillars worked there way up the areas where the cave had been enlarged into a more uniform shape then at the centre, on a strange stone paved area, they made a fire.

The stonework was laid out in four sections around the fire pit. Sixtaeg indicated the two areas of most consequence to them. He first pointed out the two smaller sections on opposite sides and closer to the fire. They were for the one going on the focus search and their guide.

Sixtaeg opened the shielded box, putting the soul in one section and indicated to Doug to sit in the other. He said that these were the dangerous spots where people might not make it back to their bodies if they failed.

Doug asked if it was going to work with the soul. The soul happily assured him that it met the criteria for the ritual and if it failed it would be free of it’s prison. It would only have a challenging trip to finally face it’s judgement. The one that had all to lose was Doug. There were a variety of forces that might be drawn to his broken soul once they began.

Sixtaeg and Chen sat opposite each other in the remaining supporter slots further from the fire. Then Sixtaeg checked that Doug was ready. Once he had reassurance that the boy was sure that this was the best course of action, he gave another warning. He said that they would have to complete the ceremony under the name of Neodig, because that was still the name his soul was tied to for the time being.

They were all briefly shocked speechless until Chen asked how he had come to know this. The old man smiled and said he wasn’t born yesterday. He had to keep an eye out as there was way to many forces trying to have the village die of apathy. He dismissed the how and started.

He asked for any with authority to give clarity and aid humans to please help to them. The soul then asked Sixtaeg to give Neodig the weird pulp. Neodig was relieved that the pulp was an almost tasteless sludge. He comments that it didn’t seem to have any affect.

He instantly realised he had spoke too soon as he watched himself complete the sentence from outside the cave.

He had barely gotten used to the sensation when he started floating into the sky. During this a strange glowing person caught up to him as he rose. He was worried and tried to figure out how to address the situation.

It spoke and he realised it was the soul. In some ways it was reassuring to have his detached interest in its own state as now only a green glowing form. It helped calm Neodig as they flew up faster and faster.

There had been brief uneasy sensations, but this time he didn’t just feel troubled. As they were just about to leave the skies a smokey claw grabbed at the. It was too slow and they had left the skies, now flying through a starry space faster and faster.

The more they traveled the more they seemed to be half out of phase with the physical world. More creatures then could be seen darting to have a go at them or observing the two strange humanoid forms hurtling through their space. Neodig wasn’t sure if he was more terrified by the things coming for him, the things that turned to watch or the giant things that you briefly felt the force of their presence, even as they flicked an eye in his direction for the briefest of time.

All of a sudden a being caught up to them, decelerating from a phenomenal speed. As it matched their course and stretched it’s hand toward them it made contact with something. The something became clear and it seemed like there was some type of field around them as they moved.

Neodig turned to the soul worried. The soul laughed and said not to worry. He told him to look at it closely and compare its form to his own. Neodig calmed enough to realise that the soul was right, it was very similar to the soul even if it had a more stretched deformed humanoid form.

It had a far more gentle glow that let you see a web of sparks and currents flashing below what might have been skin if it had actually been solid. What underneath that was hard to tell, but Neodig couldn’t focus, the eyes drew his attention. They almost felt like they were sucking him in.

In someways if he described them aesthetically he would have labelled them black and empty. But it was almost the opposite. It was almost as if the eyes were taking in all space around it and holding it is a beautiful, multidimensional, spiragraph of motion.

Then as suddenly as it had appeared, it left. It let go of their field and almost as if ducking under a wave, moved out of their slipstream. Then it turned almost carving into unseen currents of space, gathering speed in a neck breaking fashion as it shot off in a fresh direction.

Doug asked what it was. The soul laughed and thought for a bit, he decided sky gypsy would be a suitable description. It was one of a type of spirits that didn’t make a dwelling in the heavens, but would move through space and let the cold shape them.

He reassured Neodig that it was a positive sign. Sky gypsies had their own interests, but were much better sources of aid than elementals or the vain one. The soul was clearly fascinated that the being had adjusted their trajectory. This was already much further than he though would be possible to go as part of the ceremony.

Neodig groaned, complaining that he was the most unhelpful support person he had ever had.

The soul laughed. It almost put on the voice of an announcer as it drew Neodigs attention to a sun-like thing that they were hurtling towards. He announced that there was no need to be concerned that was a braking mechanism. He was clearly just teasing Neodig now.

Neodig tried to stay calm as the stars around them were starting to blur and stretch as their speed reached stupid new heights. The soul was right the way off in the distance Neodig could feel the star that the soul was talking about.

Strangely as they got closer to the thing that appeared to be some sort of sun, he got the feeling that supportive pressure was beginning to be applied to the front of their traveling field even though he could no longer see it.

Then the pressure smoothly stabilised slowing them and stopping the stars from blurring by at a sickening pace. It continued to slow them. Neodig could only think of a solar flare to describe the flame that suddenly gushed out towards them. This again slowed them comfortably, but they were still hurtling towards it at a speed that Neo-dig thought would end up in an impact that would completely obliterate them.

Then before you could even blink an eye, they hit what was clearly not a sun and it expanded for the briefest moment like an absorbent energy jelly. Then the inevitable happened and they burst out the other side. But unbelievably the whole process had comfortably slowed them to speeds that physical crafts of the world could just achieve.

They were now smoothly slowing and ahead they could feel a sort of docking area that they would comfortably drift to a stop in. Neodig was struggling to process most details, but at least noticed the docking area matched the design of the stonework where he assumed his body still was.

When they arrived, the soul said that things had gone much better than it had expected. He told him to sit tight. The soul took the docking position opposite Neodig. The two supporter docks were much larger here.

Neodig quickly understood why, as two larger forms both being vaguely humaniod took the remaining spot opposite each other. One had a more insectiod feeling to it as it’s size came from stretched limbs that moved in a more wobbly or shakey fashion almost as if moving through the very matter around it. The other was more like half sea creature with a dense torso and its limbs were finned with anything from wing-like forms, through to feelers or tentacles.

Neodig didn’t have anythime to process this further. Suddenly the world seems to warp and twist till they are in a strangely calm, off-grid farmyard. The soul was there looking around and apparently content with what he saw. Doug asks if this is one of the sky dwellings.

The soul laughed and asked how he could not realise where he was, it should be really familiar.

Doug was confused and agreed that it was oddly familiar, but he was sure that he has never been there.

The soul laughs again and said it was a manifestation of his mental landscape. He congratulated Doug that it was the most stable, harmonious mental projection he has ever been in.

Doug spoke asking why they were there, or where they were or what was actually is happening.

The soul said the travellers were helping make his mental landscape and eventually operating structures interactive. The soul explained that it was relieved that there were no issues in his mental landscape otherwise things could have been very difficult.

Then the manifestation shifted. Almost as if being sucked by a powerful current into unknown dark depths. Bizarrely they end up in a bright construct with a switchboard in front of them. Neodig asked what it was.

The soul was enjoying himself now. It admired it’s surroundings. It explained that it was not actually anything. What it represented was the social conditionings, social identities and spiritual skill suits he has powered by the identities of his consciousness.

Neodig didn’t really understand and asked why it has been constructed.

The soul got serious now and said he was hoping that Neodig would get a feeling about switching some of the switchboard elements off. Each switch he turned off would free up more resources for recovery and shaping his future. But in the short term each switch he turned off would also make it even harder to function socially.

These days the highly populated parts of the world relied on these for people to navigate and be directed by those that had made it to the heights of the mysteries.

Neodig asked if he did nothing, was what the soul had been implying that he would never recover fully?

The soul confirmed this was true both on the level he would be stuck being a broken Neodig and he would also not be constructed at least partially as a newborn soul.

Then Neodig questioned what would happen if he flipped off all the switches.

The soul thought about the theoretical possibility of that option. If he survived socially his soul would be reborn and he would be more able to shape his future.

The soul clarified further if he flipped all the switches he would never function within adult social norms properly again. He would probably end up relying partially on child like social skills and whatever else could fill in the pieces for the rest of his time on the planet. That was the best-case scenario. It was more likely that he would end up even more broken.

The soul brought his attention back to his predicament in the construct. He let Neodig know that he would stay like he was till he had finished adjusting the switches to his liking. Then as soon as he took his hands off the board it would start dissolving and his mental landscape would change accordingly

This was delivered with more caution and seriousness than he had ever heard from the soul before. Doug walked up to the switchboard. He put both hands firmly on it it felt like it was humming a little.

He felt the confusion of the current state of his existence and the questions of those around him. They almost vibrated against what he had done with his existence and what he hoped to do. It was intense and he had to fight the urge to pull away.

Somehow he felt which one was the switch related to his mother and high society. He slid one hand along and switched it off. The visions stabilised slightly. He could make more definite decisions for completing projects, but would struggle with communicating in chains of command more.

He felt another switch that would balance this. It was something like a section of his ego that made adjusting for social differences smooth. He flipped it off and felt life getting rougher, but he could better act to help in the visions now.

He could feel his soul resonating with the switchboard. It was questioning about what would be necessary to get to the point where he could better shape his future. Suddenly he understood a big switch. It was like his minds emergency battery. It stored up charge and kept it functioning normally, as the seasons and the flow of the world shifted.

He slid a hand hesitating at the big switch. He flicked it off and felt the potential for chaos and instability fill his existence. But for some reason though he though it should make him weaker; the visions showed him more able to connect with the questions of those around him and feel the elements that could be responded to.

It was at the point that the soul cautioned him clearly. By it’s reckoning this was about the limit of what one could handle for changes to their ego in a lifetime.

Doug leaned against the switchboard and thought for a bit.

He agreed but said he wanted to flick a few more just to see what the visions of his future could look like.

The soul again cautioned him that usually the elite came to manifestations similar to this to upgrade the switches instead of what he was doing. This was essentially self destruction in it’s purest form.

Doug thanked the soul for it’s caution. He just wanted to see.

As he said this he felt another switch. It was the one that managed his ability to differentiate between himself and others. He slid a hand carefully and hesitated longer this time. He reminded himself that he wanted to see a way forward for the colonies and flicked the switch down.

He flicked it down and suddenly the visions became more chaotic. Suddenly he knew that their was black magic that could fake thoughts and mock people with projections. In this state the visions showed him being framed with implanted thoughts as routine scanning monitored him at crucial parts of his life.

It showed him struggling more with strange or foul distractions. The strange could be anything from trying to frame him for anger or instability. The foul took the worst traits of people around him and projected them onto him in divination events.

But he could more clearly see peoples hopes and dreams. It was making quite the difference in the feel of what he achieved.

It still wasn’t enough, he could feel how much more would be needed to make the change he was after.

He could now understand the next switch it was for almost the adult version of safety system between his mind and his nervous system. It meant that he could tolerate more intense emotions and mental pressure with minimal affects to his nervous system.

But then it came to him, so he said it aloud, as much to inform the soul, as to gather his strength. He needed to flip all the switches off and then work his way backwards to find the right balance before he ran out of strength.

The soul said nothing. You could tell it was more than troubled by the current state of things, his disapproval of the boy’s new plan was silent this time though.

Doug slid along and flipped the switches off with focused determination, letting the strange warping of the communication with the switchboard batter his soul as it now hit in waves.

The visions were gone, but he could feel it. If he could survive without all the social structure and shapes for using his ability, his hopes were almost in reach.

He had energy to force a few more changes, but it felt like this was what he wanted. Here and now he finally had the chance gain the ability to help, as long as he recklessly threw away the person he had been. Was there any point not committing completely to the opportunity.

He turned and smiled apologetically to the soul. Then he took his hands off the switchboard. It was the first time he had felt anything like horror in the souls usually calm demeanour. Then with that he almost flew out of the manifestation. Then things went black and he hoped he wasn’t dead.

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