The Revelation of the Vine: Graft

Chapter 9: A Kiss of Words

  They all stood on the steps above with their eyes locked on me, as they processed what they'd just heard. "I'm about three-quarters of the way there,"  Teion's voice rang up, breaking their stare. "I don't think the floor is close enough to drop from the rope though. It s almost another 20 feet." A few moans and groans rose up from the Seeds."I'm not finished,"  Teion responded, "I see the cliff jutting out from the wall. I can swing to it no problem. I can hook this end of the rope and you all can zip across. Then we can use the rope the rest of the way." Sighs and yeses broke out among them now. I returned my gaze to the gently swaying rope, watching Teion s energies travelling down. He would reach the radius of the lantern soon. "There he is,"  Falkir said, pointing toward the shadow-topped figure that slipped down the rope above the light. Teion dropped down until his feet had touched the lantern, and then wrapped the rope around his left arm a few times. He slowly reached down, trying to pull the lantern up to him with his other hand, and with a hard yank of the rope, the lantern popped up to his waist. He quickly pulled his knees up to catch it and the lantern landed in his lap. He struggled for a minute or two, trying to get the lantern untied. The tight loop of the rope finally pulled free from the knot, and he wrapped it around the front of his belt. He then strapped the lantern on the back of his belt with a buckle, and reached back up to give his arm a rest. After a short rest, he began to swing his legs. It took several long minutes for him to start gaining the momentum he needed, but eventually started to swing the rope forward then back. Each swing brought him further and further toward the cliff, and the light that radiated from his waist swung back and forth in the darkness like a mesmerizing pendulum. A few more minutes passed, and Teion had built enough momentum in his swing to get as close to the cliff as possible. He was on a backswing now, preparing himself to release the rope, and hopefully, soar to the cliff. Down and forward, he started his final swing. He reached the lowest point and then arched upward. The rope reached its apex, and his hands released. The speed and height were perfect; he continued forward, and sailed over the lip of the jagged rock, landing on his feet and sliding until the rope at his waist stopped him."Whoa, man,"  Tenbu said, as he and the other Seeds gawked in amazement. Teion was quick at unhooking the claw from his belt and tying it to his end of the rope. He found a good spot, and stuck the claw in its grip. "Ready,"  he called. One by one, the Seeds zipped down the line, meeting Teion with newfound respect and admiration. The Knights and I were standing at the edge of the broken stairs when the last one landed on the cliff. Feng and Solanicus vanished from beside me, and reappeared on the cliff behind the shocked Seeds before I could even register the fact that they had not previously been there. "Whoa,"  Tenbu exclaimed, turning around and jumping into a fighting stance, then slowly lowered his fists as he realized it was the Knights. "Really!? It took you guys all of half a second to get down!""Like the Cap said, there was nothing we could do for you here,"   Feng grinned, "Sorry, brother, I wish we could have helped, but you guys did extremely well.""That s right,"  I called down from the steps, as I dropped the upper end of the rope down into the chamber. It hit the side of the cliff with a sticky thwack. Teion s voice, cracking with concern, bounced up the hole, "Captain!?" A few of the others gasped."I'll be alright,"  I called back down, as I gathered the supplies. "Don't tell me you already forgot what you just saw. Wait there, and keep your eyes on me . . . if you can." Confused chatter rose among the Seeds, as I tossed the pack-roll across the gap onto the ledge in front of them."Vine--,"  I whispered for effect, and started the process of Stepping into the Vine phase. I watched the sound waves echo into the chamber below and then begin to slow to a crawl. The Knights and Seeds seemed to freeze in place, eyes staring up as I vanished from their sight. I felt the molecules of my body pull inwardly, toward a sucking vortex that opened in my solar-plexus, and then they were absorbed into my soul. The world around me shifted, starting from the opposite side of the center of the vortex, and expanded like a sphere around me; everything filled with spectral-blue light, as I entered the Vine phase of the universe. The walls and floor around me transformed, no longer covered in the black corruption, but bright blue-fire that danced within outlines of white. A fluorescent staircase stretched out into the chamber, connecting with the cliff across its expanse. The slowly vibrating soul-energies of the Knights and Seeds hovered over the landing on the other side. My soul had taken the shape of my body, a burning blue-white form that radiated with light in its purest form, stronger than gamma radiation; so intense and powerful that no physical thing could even comprehend perceiving it. I stepped onto the glowing, sapphire stairs, walking over the lapping waves of fire that felt cool, not hot. They felt refreshing and energizing, as if radiating with Spirit and Life. I passed by the frozen sound waves of my first word that lingered in the air, and felt as if during each step, the soles of my spiritual feet fused with the flames that cooled instead of burned, and rejuvenated my soul. The last step echoed through my soul-form, and I felt some of the energy reach out and touch the soul-essences of the men standing before me. The formless, swirling mass of blue-white light that made up their soul-essences reacted to the energy, and visibly shivered, as I passed between them to the other side of the landing where I turned around and began to step back into the Transition. I felt the inside-out conversion once again, as my soul sucked into the vortex and was absorbed by my re-materializing body. The physical forms of the Seeds and the Knights faded into view, as the blue, cooling flames faded, the light, and the stairs disappeared. The sound waves of my first word began to pick up speed again, traveling across the chamber toward us, and the Knights and Seeds started to move."--Step", I said, as the sound waves from my first word reached full speed. Both words echoed across the chamber, and collided in the center of the gap where the stairs should be, exploding like a hollow ring, as I reappeared behind them only half-a-second from when I disappeared. A few of the Seeds fell down as they heard the complete sound of the words Vine-Step in a way that made them seem as if they were both spoken at once but from different parts of the passageway. Some jumped into fighting positions, and others crossed their arms over their faces in defense. Tenbu stood next to Falkir with his weapon ready, a stunned look on his face. "What the . . . how did . . . that was . . . oh, man . . . wow. We re gonna learn to do that?"  His stammering brought a blush to his cheeks, and he lowered his weapon, recomposing himself. The others did the same."Vine--,"  I said, and disappeared. "--Step"  I said, when I reappeared at the ledge of the landing behind them. The words collided once again in the midst of them. They turned around again to face me, holding their composure this time, but their eyes still blinked like they'd seen only the apparition of a ghost."Vine . . . Step?"  Teion asked, closing his eyes when he said the words, as if expecting to suddenly teleport to some random location. He slowly opened them, peeking out through slits, and then sighed once he realized that he was still in the same place."That s right,"  I replied, as Zahk and Korsin appeared next to Feng and Solanicus. "But it's not a magic spell. I have just demonstrated the most important of the abilities that the Sowing will grant you. By converting our Construct from soul within body to body within soul, we have the ability to come and go from the Vine phase of the universe.""But, what exactly is the Vine?"  Atreios questioned. A few others piped up in accord. Then when he turned and noticed Zahk and Korsin standing there he yelped, "Where in the Vine did you guys come from?""Let's get a fire going so we can rest for a bit,"  I said, and thrust my sword through the Corruption and into the rock in the middle of the cliff. The Corruption that covered the floor circled away from the glowing blade. "I'll explain what I can about the Vine while we get warm and dry."