The Soulstorm Chronicles

Day Three...

For the first three days, we have made good progress under sail. Having nothing of particular importance to record during the initial stages of our journey, the artists on board our vessel today amused themselves by making sketches of their fellow crew members and giving imaginary names to the seabirds which followed in our wake.

It had been decided to head West because words had reached us shortly before our departure that the Third Kingdom, Trotmana, had been suffering renewed and increasingly violent activity. There could be no doubt that the dragon attacks, once confined to livestock and occasional assaults on lone individuals who had strayed too far into the hills, had increased greatly in magnitude and number. The latest incident had reportedly occurred in the foothills of the Arrean Mountains, a relatively low area, where an old stallion had been slain as he farmed his crops.

Day Four...

The winds that have carried us out so far in the first few days have now blown themselves out, leaving our ships becalmed. We are making some progress thanks to the efforts of our oarsponies, but the mood has grown noticeably darker as, for the first time, the ponies begin to contemplate their fate. At around noon there was a brief moment of levity when we were hailed by one of the other ships. It appeared that they had discovered a stowaway in the grainstore - a small unicorn filly, not above the age of ten. She gave her name as Celestia. Her coat was as white as snow, her mane a soft pink. She was winched across to our vessel, and when I questioned her, she explained that she'd overheard one of the warriors talking about our mission back at the port, and was unable to resist the adventure. We both knew that it was too late to turn back and the girl seemed likable enough, so I told her she can earn her passage by serving as my assistant until we make landfall.

We were passing between a series of small islands at dusk when I first heard the lookout's cry. The pegasus pointed to a patch of sea in the middle distance where the water's surface was boiling angrily. Dark clouds swirled in the sky above, and although it was unlike anything I'd ever seen before, I knew instinctively that something evil was about to rise from the depths.

The ship's sails snapped back and forth, cracking loudly as vicious gusts ripped into the canvas. Across the water, I could hear agitated cries from our compatriots on the other vessels, and there could be no doubt that they were right to be afraid. Experienced seafarers one and all, they knew that Mother Nature herself, for all her violent moods, could never conjure up a storm such as this within the few short minutes that had passed.

By that moment, the water immediately ahead of us was heaving ominously, and great plumes of spray were being hurled into the air, where the waves pounded a jagged rocky outcrop on our starboard side.

I looked up and, for just a moment, was awestruck by the sky above us. Never before have I seen the elements exhibit such fury, and yet there was a terrible beauty to the black clouds which spiraled overhead, twisting and turning in on themselves as lightning bolts slashed through their dark, seething forms.

I rushed below deck in the full knowledge that the opportunity for preparing our defense against this threat would be brief indeed. The ship began to pitch violently as I rifled through a great trunk seeking the equipment I would need. In the situation, speed was key, and so I enveloped the entirety of the contents in my magic, pulling everything out and grabbing what I needed. Hurrying back through a corridor, I found Sandorius emerging from his cabin and, with all the sternness I could muster, bade him return to the relative safety of his bunk.

Back on the main deck, the scene that greeted me was one of chaos. It was dark as night by then, and the crew worked furiously to secure all the loose objects on board and strip the sails. Returning to the bow I found my worst fears confirmed.

A dark funnel of cloud was slowly descending from the center of the maelstrom, and within it something unspeakable was beginning to take shape. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Celestia cowering in a small storage compartment at the side of the deck, and I immediately ordered her below. She was too terrified to move, however, and I had not the time to escort her, so I turned my attention to the contents of the small cloth bag I'd retrieved from the trunk. In front of me, a low plinth provided just enough space for the ritual I would have to perform. I cursed the winds for blowing the salty spray of the ocean into my eyes, fighting to concentrate my magic on undoing the ties of the pouch and release the nine flattish pebbles contained within. Eventually they spilled out, bouncing off one another and skidding off the foam-flecked wooden surface of the plinth.

To form the Sacred Circle and generate the energy required, the outer ring of eight stones must all be touching each other and the ninth must be placed in the very center, something that became harder and harder to achieve as the conditions progressively worsened. And as yet another difficulty upon the mountain that already challenged me, I could not use magic to arrange them. Once I nearly had the formation, but the ship was struck by a great wave that shook her to the core and sent the stones tumbling across the deck. At that moment we crested another huge wave and, as we plunged downwards into the relative calm of the watery canyon between the peaks, I made another desperate attempt to complete the pattern. After failing yet a third time, I realized that it was only by beaching on the lee side of the approaching land mass that we would be able to find a stable base on which to perform the ceremony.

A few moments later, skilfully guided by our Captain, we found our vessel heaving itself into a shingle bay and rolling onto its side. Celestia decided to break cover, finding in herself a new courage as she galloped from the shadows to assist me. In the darkness we could search the island only by the light of the brief but intense lightning flashes, and by the time we'd located a suitable vantage point, our foe was fully formed, its immense bulk towering over us like the embodiment of evil itself. A grotesque head, half dragon and half serpent, jutted forward from the main column of swirling wind and water on a barbed and scaly neck.

At the sides, its claws were clearly visible, but most terrifying of all was the creature's cry, a guttural scream which melded with the ocean's roar to produce a noise of such extreme ferocity that it shook the ground on which we stood.

The leading vessel was now no more than a few seconds away from the base of the tornado. It was impossible for me to determine whether this fearsome apparition was merely composed of the elements, or whether it had somehow metamorphosed into flesh and blood, thereby acquiring the ability to attack in the manner of other beasts. Either way, we were all in grave danger since the tornado itself would surely tear our vessels to shreds, even if the monster could not. The outer ring of pebbles was ready, and as I dropped the ninth stone into place, it was immediately apparent that the alignment had been perfect. A powerful white light, like a miniature lightning bolt, raced around the outer ring, bathing the stones in its glow. Celestia stood to one side of me, her look of terror now having given way to one of sheer wonderment as the strange light illuminated her features. A second later, the ring of energy u arced into the center pebble just as I knew it would, and I recognised this as the moment to strike. Without hesitation, I knelt down to touch the center stone with the tip of my horn. But a moment passed before I felt the familiar jolt of supernatural power coursing through my body.

My horn acts as a conductor and it was crucial that my aim was true if we were to avoid an appalling fate. For a brief but agonizing moment, nothing happened, and then the tip of my horn gave off a brilliant light. I fought to keep my hooves steady as I was kicked back, the power now at its maximum threshold. I pointed my horn directly at the creature before an intense streak of the whitest lightning shot skywards, piercing through the darkness. The victorious cries of our fellow travelers could be heard above the din of the oceans as the energy stream found its target, and a second later the sky appeared to burst open as the creature itself exploded with cataclysmic force, raining debris all around. So violent was the blast that we were all thrown off our hooves, and as the pebbles scattered once again I found myself unable to prevent at least two of them from bouncing across the rock surface and dropping into the ocean, where they would remain beyond use for all time.

Our crew was jubilant, but I was not so sure that the danger had passed. The tornado that had spawned the monster now appeared to be dissipating and spiraling into the ocean. But as the seas around us calmed, I began to feel more uneasy than ever. No more than a couple of minutes had passed before the ocean was completely still again, the tornado having blown itself out.

Still, the dark clouds loomed overhead, circling with less urgency than before, but maintaining their threat of evil. A cry from a crew member on the leading ship, The Verana, heralded the peril we were about to face. We couldn't make out his words, but shortly afterwards our ears were assailed by the roar of the phenomenon that had so alarmed the stallion. Not three leagues distant, at the point where the tornado had disappeared, an enormous whirlpool had formed in the ocean's surface. I watched with horror as The Verana banked sharply into the revolving wall of water and embarked on its final, desperate journey. Our oarsponies, along with those of the other vessels, immediately rushed below decks and set about the task of turning the ships around.

If a similar fate was to be avoided, our other ships would need to put a good stretch of clear water between themselves and this gaping maw in the ocean's surface as quickly as possible. As our own vessel pushed back through the surf and came about, I could see only the tip of The Verana's main mast, now making its third circuit of the thunderous whirlpool. She appeared to be moving faster and faster in the ever-tightening funnel of water, and there was absolutely nothing I could do to save the ponies on board. I watched with several other ponies as she disappeared from view, dragged down into the unimaginable darkness of the ocean's depths.

Gradually, the roar subsided and the skies at last began to clear. For now, at least, we were safe. We took a new bearing and collected a few items that we found floating near the point where The Verana had been taken down before resuming our journey, assisted by the light Easterly wind which now filled our sails.

Exhausted and deeply saddened by the day's events, I had not intended to make further entries in the journal tonight but, as I sit here now, the page in front of me lit only by the faint glow of a candle, my mind begins to travel back to the distant past.

Many years ago, a Wizard called Pollux, whose powers were at least the equal of my own, served alongside me in the Court of our ruler Arcturus. There was peace throughout the Kingdoms during that period, and he worked with me harmoniously for quite some time before beginning to grow resentful of my friendship with the King. In truth, Arcturus extended no favors to me that he would not have extended to my colleague but, as time went by and Pollux's imaginings took hold, he slowly withdrew his services, ultimately making only occasional appearances at the King's Court.

A few months later, I was approached by one of Pollux's apprentices, who'd become fearful of his master's after interrupting him in the midst of a dark ritual. I confronted Pollux in the expectation that some kind of misunderstanding had occurred, but he was defiant when I questioned him, aggressively and somewhat mysteriously declaring himself answerable only to an authority higher than my own. When, shortly afterwards, the apprentice suddenly disappeared I had no alternative but to tell the King what I knew.

Pollux was duly summoned and a dreadful argument ensued, the culmination of which was the King's decision to banish Pollux to one of the Northen islands. Unable to exile Pollux against his wishes, Arcturus was forced to enlist my help on carrying out the deed, an act that further enraged Pollux and confirmed his sense of betrayal.

And now, we have come to this. The King made mention of Pollux in his letter, and in the light of today's events, I can be sure that his suspicions were well founded. The creature that attacked us today could have been the work of none other than Pollux himself.

Day Six

We have made good progress for the last two days, but the mood on board has been solemn. This morning, we sighted Arken Island on the far horizon. Its craggy cliffs rose sharply out of an otherwise featureless ocean, and its peaks reached skywards as if reaching for the heavens. Most of those on board knew it to be the place where Pollux now resided, and they stared fixedly at its forbidding profile as we passed by.

The Captain of our vessel later reported to me that he had noticed a marked change in the shape of Arken Island since he was last in these waters. The rocky peaks had now been joined by a cluster of colossal towers, darker even than the grey granite that surrounded them, and we were forced to conclude that Pollux had built a fortress on the island.

Briefly, the thought occurred to me that we could divert Northwards and seek Pollux himself, rather than pursue the great beasts he now appeared to command, but on reflection I realized how foolhardy this course of action would have been. The waters around Arken Island are extremely perilous at this time of year, and were we to make landfall successfully and find our quarry in residence, we would have been confronting Pollux at the height of his powers.

The rest of the day passed without incident, and I spent several hours demonstrating simple magic to young Sandorius. Like his father, he shows great determination and strength of character, but he has very little instinctive feeling for the Ways of Wizardry. It frustrates him so, but I try to explain that the qualities he does possess will one day make him a truly worthy King, which I know to be true. There is something different about the young filly, though. She is usually a fiery little waif, but she spent all afternoon sitting on her haunches, watching Sandorius and myself without uttering a single word. I could sense her understanding of much that I said, however, and when I shot an occasional glance in her direction, she met my eyes with a look that spoke to me of the wisdom of centuries.