Nano 2019

#Nano 2019 It was a cold night, one that you remember till your death bed, the wind was hauling in the mast and a cold spray was washing the deck. The deck was dark and silent and the men were visibly affected by the harsh conditions, yet there was tension in the air, something vibrant. everybody was focused on the task at hand and the strong men were running around each other with the kind of feline grace and prescient precision that can only be achieved through intensive training. The sea was as dark as the sky and each jump of the ship sent spark of moonlight around. Lord Erikson was at the helm, threading the ship like a needle between wave and rocks. " I sure hope you know what you are doing Arthur. " The tone was calm and warm but the doubt was real. Sir Yorgen Erikson wasn't someone easily afraid or shaken, but he was clearly uneasy with what I was intending to do. " I share your hope, brother " I replied. The truth was I wasn't as optimist as he was. The letter was enticing and I was more than set on meeting my mysterious friend. If he was even half-interesting as he thought he was, the trip will be one to remember. That's said the whole idea of a trip worthy of being remembered is to be a survivable one and on that matter this one was, let's say, not very up to the word yet. Everything had started a few weeks ago, while I was on vacation. Coming home after a long deployment abroad covering the eastern war of independence, my newspaper was keen on keeping his most known journalist alive, well-fed and entertained. All in all things way more enticing than a cold stormy night at sea. But during my stay at the "Grand Ilsarü Hotel", a pleasant stay I must confess particularly considering the fact that the swimming pool was rather large, I received a peculiar letter. The letter was signed by A.J.Ysalünd. Which was rather peculiar considering that, A, A.J.Ysalünd was not a friend of mine, and B, said person was presumed dead something like, six century ago. The letter itself was quite unusual, a blue silk envelope containing a lite brown paper covered in nice sharp writing in violet ink. It seems to appear that the writer used some kind of metallic pen nib, which while not unheard of was quite rare n this day and age where everybody can afford a light typewriter. Said letter was an invitation to visit the author in his home and was followed by an address and some direction on how to send a response. The most strange thing about the whole ordeal was the address itself: Ars MenSarïs Lighthouse, 1 Sea Road, Westpralia. Ars MenSarïs.. the old lighthouse was of legendary origin. as far as human (or any other for that matter) memory goes the lighthouse was. No builder, caretaker or keeper was known to it yet every night the immense tower was set alit and the light of Ars MenSarïs was the beacon most seafarers used to navigate in and out of the country. While the light was often seen as the warm embrace of home for most sailors, the lighthouse itself was nearly a week out of the coast and the sea at the base of the gigantic white marble tower was a treacherous hell of stormy fury and sharp shards of rocks that most would avoid as much as the plague. Yet the rumors of riches and glory to be gained in it where enough to drive a lot of foolish kid and a few hardened sailors in this water. Some of them as indeed come back with strange tales of the ArsMensarïs keeper of the light, and how they've seen him in between to waves in the distance. Yet nothing was known about him, except what was on the golden plaque on the docks. "Yee mighty wanderer, look in the night and see.See as, I, A.J.Ysalünd have built the safety of the south, the keeper of the light, bearer of the eternal flame. See as the fire of Ars Mensarïs drive home the damned of the sea. See as the warm embrace of Ars Mensarïs protect the doomed soul of the deep and the one who still to this day sail. See my works and pay heed to my warning, never thou should lose sight of your home " The plaque itself was of unknown origin, it's installation lost in times immemorial. Very few of the city inhabitants even acknowledge it's existence anymore as it was thought to be some kind of antiquity. But most of Elsuran inhabitant still have heard of A.J.Yslünd and all knew about the Ars Mensarïs lighthouse and its legendary origin. Thus the letter stroke me as very, very strange. I pondered for a long night about it. On one side, it was an obvious bad joke from a frustrated concurrent, probably one of the "Elsuran Globe". There was also the fact that my hotel room was particularly comfortable and the young princess laying around the swimming pool bellow particularly not shy. On the other hand... "Damn it Arthur, this time you really have outdone yourself. The hell are you trying to do? kill us all ?" Mister Nivel wasn't exactly a kind and caring person at the best of time but now that his star reporter was about to jump in the thickest of thick of mystery and probably disappear at sea, He was positively mean. "Dear Mister Nivel, may I remind you that you are here on your own accord and that I did try to warn you against coming here." I said. "and let you die at sea with your feline friend? No fucking way Arthur, you are a way to valuable for that. And I fully intend to cover in full your demise if need be." he answered "charming.. truly" I said snarkily. "Arthur for the love of all the gold of the world, will you stop that non-sens! Can't we go back to port and go to my office  to talk about your next trip ?" implored the fat old man. "ALL STOP" yelled sir Erikson "Drop Anchor! Set down the sails and rope them to the deck" he added to the crew. "Arthur it's now or never..." he said to me. Here we were. Right in the middle of the worst patch of furious sea. Here was the entrance of the kegendary Ars Mensarïs lighthouse. "launch the rowboat" Yelled Yorgen Erikson. As soon as he finished the crew threw a row boat overboard and roe it to the board of the ship. Yorgen looked at me and pointed at the small rowboat rolling on the wave a good three meters below "After you, my dear" he said with a grin. "You don't mean we" started the old Nivel. "We ? there is no we here. Mister Wöstgaard here will embarck on this small craft and row toward the light at the piers of Ars MenSarïs, while i will accompany him. You on the other hand will stay here. silent." Cut him Sir Erikson."but but but but" tryed to argue mister Nivel " You WILL stay there" shouted Yorgen Erikson sending shivers along my spine. This seamed to have shut him up for good. Mister Nivel returned to the cabin rummaging in his pocket in search of some dry tobacco. With a last look on the deck I jumped overboard and unto the ladder on the outside of the ship. If the trip on the NorthernStar had been a rough one, it was silky smooth compared to the rowboat trip. The water was chilling and the wind nearly tiped the boat multiple time. After what seemed like a quite long trip they arrived in front of a row of steps carved in the marble. At the bottom of the stair was a rod with a bright yellow lantern. "Good luck Arthur" said Yorgen "Are you implying I need to jump and swim ?" I ask, suddenly less sure of myself "matter of fact i do." he answered "Eïlsin Grace, this gonna be a cold one"I replied "Sure thing, yet the only way to join the stairs" explained Yorgen pointing at the green light in the distance. There was a small set of stairs leading to a marble piers? On the piers a hooded figure was standing carrying a green lantern. "Well... wouldn't want to make our host wait" I said throwing my sealed bag overboard. Why on Earth had I elected to wear my formal uniform. It's not like the thick leather coat and though denim uniform will be in anyway hurt by the sea water, but carrying an heavy coat and two sword into furious sea wasn't the safest idea ever, even in without aknoxledging the intense cold. "You should give me your gun Arthur, I know infantrymens do love their guns, yet it will be of no use after such a bath." The old navy versus infantrymen jab, reminded me of how much i owed to Yorgen Erikson to have put his ship in arms way to carry me there. I solemnly removed the silver gun from it's shoulder strap and gave it to him "Take care of it, i will come back for it sooner than you think" I said "Never doubted taht old chap, See you in a month sharp" he replied. I jumped in water more out of sheer training and mechanical sens of duty than true resolve. Use military kind keep for life the calm effective and duty bound spirit that often pass for resolve long after training and spirit hardening stopped. Even so the contact with water was a sharp teminder of the foolishness of the whole idea. The icy water was crawling under my uniform ever so slowly biting hard every inch of skin along the way. the intense cold and sheer weight stopped me dead in water, short breathed and shaking. Swimming tothe stairs was a whole new ordeal in itself and the fiftheen meters felt like a marathonian feat of stamina. Yet the firm marble suddenly appeared under my foot, a life saving grace. Raising on my feet i quickly extracted myself from water in a shower of cold moonshine sparks. "I am trully appaled to have you do this, dear Mister Wöstgaard, Sadly it's trully the only way to acess my humble abbode." said the misterious hooded figure "at least it was for you..." he added misteriously. "Let's get you dryed and warm, shall we ? you must be terribly cold" he said giving me his hand to help me stand. "I would gladly follow you anywhere warmer" I said between my clenched teeth. "Though I must confess that I am really suprised to see Anyone alive around here. How you survive here is beyond me..." I said shaking the sea water out of my coat. "I am fortunate enough to not miss anything, my abbode as in comfort what it lack in, let's say, socializing oppurtunity..." he said while starting to walk toward the base of the gigantic tower. Up close the lighthouse was a sight to behold, a giant spear of white smooth marble planted in the deepest of sea by some giant of the past, eternal vigil of a devasted wasteland of icy water. the stairs behind me was plunging deep into the ocean quite probably a very long way down toward or even to the abbyssal plate under us. The thought was as fascinating as it was chilling and a deep fear awaken somewhere in my brain. I elected to follow my host toward the door at the end of the pier. A heavy black wood door with what looked like silver reinforcements. My host rummaged in his travel coat sleeve and retrieved a small silvery key that he inserted in the middle of the door before turning it softly. The ddor creaked open slowly in a long sight of warm air, revealing a wooden floor and a hevilly lit interior. "After you" said my host retracing back a few steps. I entered the warm glow of what appear to be somekind of living room. There was a few deep seat with tentalizing cushion of red velvet a giant firplace sending waves of warmth around the room and all the necessary tools for some light leathercraft and rope repair. Seeing a coat hanger and a small chest containing some shoes near the fireplace. I quickly removed both my coat and shoes and put them to dry. "Welcome to my humble domain mister Wöstgaard, I am so very pleased to meet you at last. Allow me to introduce myself as Alexander Jhoan Ysalünd" said my mysterious host while disrobing himself. I was way beyond the point of being able to speak, my host was indeed A.J.Ysalünd. No this could not be, I tought, the one named on the plate would ahve been dead for centuries. must be somekind of decendant or loosely related parent at least. After hanging his own cloth on the coatrack, he turned a smilley face to me and bowed deeply. My host could not have been older than fourty, fourty-five maximum and was strapped on what seem to be somekind of uniform. A blue shirt white a gold "It's trully a pleasure to meet you mister Wöstgaard, your articles on the war where fascinating and i am trully humbled that you accepted my modest invitation." he said while planting his blue eyes in mine. "How ?" was the only coherent thing my brain thought about replying at the moment. "All in due time I swear, but for now let's get you on a more confortable foot mister Wöstgaard, you must be frozen" he said pointing and the downward stair on our left."I will show you your room, so you can get proprely dressed" he continued descending in the deep of the stairs. While I was positively confident that the wall was more than enough to retain the water, I must confess that I was quite surprised and frankly a tad nervous to see that my room was under water level. None the less I followed suite and quickly catch up with my host "This is the main complexe. feel free to explore it at your pace and to your heart contempt, quite frankly I have nothing to hide. Well except for the personnal room of my other guest of course." he said while we where descending a second and then third fly of stairs. "Others guests ?" I asked quickly "You mean there is more that will come to this remote place ?" I nearly yelled of surprised. Alexander took the same strange look of both infinite patience and some mischievious joy in his suspence. "Well to be honest to you, mister Wöstgaard, you are, dare I say, a tad on the late side. Many other guests are already there" he added. It stopped me dead in my track, struke by lightning, not only I was not the only one daring enough to come on this hellish water but I was the last one to do so. I must confess my ego felt somewhat diminished "But..." I started "All in due time don't worry answer will come" interrupted Alexander with a slight smile."For now your room" he said opening a door to the fourth level under the one I entered in, which to me at least felt a long way down under the water. there was a corridor with a dozen of wooden door of different size, shape and color. Alexander stopped in front of a light grey one, with some blue-grey metal reinforcement, quite probably somekind of steel. Retrieving a key from his belt he opened the door and gifted me the key "Consider this your room. Feel free to inhabit it as you see fit and with as much comfort as you could. If you need anything ask my butler, he his usually in the kitchen" he said pointing at the opened door at the end of the corridor. "I will wait for you in the small salon" he said, adding " the one we entered in" upon seeing my still frozen look of disbelief. "I hope you'll find everything you need in it, now if you'll excuse me" he said looking at the stairs. "Of course, excuse me to keep you from your other guests. I will join you soon." I said entering the room and gently closign the door behind me. That's when it hit me. The room. The room was positively gigantic, to the point where I was unsure how the previous and next door of the corridor was not for the same room. The place was lit by a warm fireplace on the right flanked by two massive bookshelves. Beside me was a coat rack on my right, and a massive wardrobe on the left. The bed in fornt of me was a massive canopy one worthy of a king. The sheet were of silk and apparently to the color of the Westpralian coat of arms. I wondered for a while if such attention had been put in dressing the room of each guest. On the other side of the bed there was a door, a writing and drawing desk upon which a typewriter was on display and a curtain covering a part of the wall. "that's a nice room if i ever saw one" I thought. Opening the door thaugt me that it was a bathroom, containing a bathtub, a massive walk-in shower and a sink with heated water tap on all three. everything in it was made with the same lightgrey stone and blueish metal that as been used on the floor and door of the other room. a pile of fluffy towel were stacked on a small table near the think. I quickly removed my coat and entered the shower. The hot water on my skin was like taking shower in molten rocks but after a few second it became a warm embrace and I nearly fell asleep in it. I suddenly realized how cold I was before. Cold and Hungry ! I quickly jumped out and grabed a towel to dry me completly and returned to the main room. Out of curiosity I opened the wardrobe only to find it already full, while my sealed bag was still laying at the door where i left it. I grabbed a shirt and quickly found out that not only it was of immense quality, a hand crafted silk one, it was also tailored both to respect the Westpralian military standard and to fit me perfectly. The tailor who made that shirt was either one of Elsuran finest where I had my usual made or extremly well-informed. After a bit of research I found that my room was in fact decked with four complete military uniform to my size and rank complete including boots, two set of sunday clothes and three training attire. It also contained somekind of reinforced overall, an armor probably and a sleeping suit. All extremly well tailored and probably costing the price of a small villa on Elsuran costal front. I elected to dress in military garment more out of habit than strictly to follow anykind of protocol. Upon inspection I also found an ink pen and a small notebook as well as a small bottle of violet ink. I filled the pen quickly and put it in my pocket alongside the notebook and locked the room behind me. "What ever these answer are this evening will be one to remember" I said aloud while going up the stairs. Arriving in the entrance room i exited the spiral of the stair to join my host and some unknown guest that where sitting near the fireplace turning there back on me. I looked a bit more at the room since last time I was more preoccupied by, you know, not dying. the floor was marked by somekind of regular pattern drawn by some black wood insert in the light wood floor, looking up my heart skipped a beat. Firs of the room ceiling was a good twenty-five meter above us and more so nearly all the space was filled by a gigantic pendulum whith what appear to be a massive bronze counterweight. the thing was crossing the room wall to wall above me in a solemn silent ballet of terrifying power. The mass there would have make the wreaking ball in the dockland of Elsuran look like a christmass decoration, yet the whole pendulum and mechanisme was working in a surreal silence and a perfect harmony. I stopped in the middle of the room, lost in veneration before the beast of steel above me for what must have been a long minute. "Mister Wöstgaard ? will you join us ?" the question from mister Ysalünd drove me back to reallity. "Of course" I replied starting to walk toward the fireplace again. Mister Ysalünd guest was another surprised to me when I see her. She was a gorgeous women, standing a good one hundred and heighty centimeter tall I would say she was huge. While she was sporting some trully mesmerizing curves, the sharpness of her face, the piercing power of her gaze and the heavy duty leather jumpsuit let nothing to imagination. She was a hardened veteran of some active fighting military unit, a feel reinforced by her hairstyle, a side cut of blue dyed hair, and what was probably a gun that she kept on her lap. Her green gaze was trully sharp and the look she gave me stunned me in place. "Mister" she said sharply before continuing her conversation with Alexander "That's why I asked for backup Alexander, yet the higher up are still sitting on their ass so I am tied here"she said. after a while Alexander replied "Well, that's not exactly good news. That will be all for today Sarah. You can stay with us this night as mister Wöstgaard, an infantryman himself and a sharp shooter himself I was told will be with us" At the mention of my name Sarah gaze lit up sensibly and she looked at me more kindly. Yet she replied to me "While I am delighted to meet you mister, I must excuse myself, my girls need me on the night and I would not be a great leader if I was to stay here drinking fancy wine on cozy chair while my girls sleep on concrete." Saying that she jumped on her feets "I respect that a lot Miss, May I have the pleasure to know your name though ?" I said quickly as she was already walking past me. "Name is Sarah O'Connors, maybe next time handsome" she shot back running, already halfway up the stairs. "Please do excuse her. While she is the best of soldier, I fear social skill and conversation was never really her best skill" Said alexander behind me. "Don't worry I am quite used to it. Admitedly I am kind of like that my self. At least according to Mister Nivel" I replied while laughting. "Please grab a sit Mister Wöstgaard" offered Alexander while my eyes where still following the soldier upstair. "Arthur" I replied truning back my attention to my host. I grabbed the armchair where Sarah was before and sat on it. "So I am sure you have some questions for me" said my host. "Matter of fact I have quite a few, quite a lot to be honnest" i replied. Alexander audibly chuckled and added "Well we have a month only so I suggest you start now" "First of who are you trully..." I said grabbing my pen and my notebook "What do you mean ? As you know I am Alexander Jhoan Ysalünd of course" He answered visibly surprised to be asked that. "Well, I know it's the name you gave me, but to my knowledge the last A.J.Ysalünd on record would be six hundred fourty four year old, give or take ten years. So..." I said "Six hundreds fithy two in fact" he interrupted. I felt the floor open under me. Was I speaking to somekind of undead or mythological creature. A ghost maybe ? Shaking away that thought I stumbled on to ask "You what ? How ?" "My dear Arthur I fear you do not realize how much you don't know about me. Not like it's not my own fault on many count though" said Alexander "As for my age, I must confess that yes, I am indeed nearly seven centuries old. Trust me I am keenly aware of how old this is" he added with a mischivious grin "That said, I am only about middle aged for my people, you see as you may have guessed by now I am in fact not human nor felis or any other kind you are familliar with" he explained "Who are you then ?" I asked "Well, depend of who you ask. My kind name itself अमर, amarans. Your people called us Nephilims or Aesirs. We are and always have been few in number and cursed with immortality. Many of us choose a long time ago to leave this world behind but some like myself have elected to stay behind as vigils" he answered " That said or condition does as it's perks as we are immune to your decease and most of the common toxins, blessed with a good health even at old age. Living that long has also the advantage of giving you plenty of time to learn, train and meditate. so we are blessed with an abundance of gift except but forever deprived of mortality" explained Alexander. I could not refrain to ask him why he was saying that immortality was a curse, his answer however was not the one I expected "Well first of some of us do die. It has happened notably through drowning. But taking our own life is a big taboo for us and most of would not be able to find a suitable way anway so we tend to stay alive forever. And I do realize most of your kind would be more than happy to sign up for that but as I explained already we have more time to get wiser than that" he said "You do realize, what immortality mean mister Wöstgaard ?" he asked 'Not exactly, no. But to be honnest i would gladly try" I replied jockingly "Well I can't deny some of it his sometime worth it but you must realize Arthur that for us, nothing is forever. Being immortal mean being alone. never settle, never be in love, never find solace in the view of a tree hanging over a lac on the sunset. Even tree are for us what wheat are for you. For me your infancy was a short while ago while for you mine is somekind of antic history. Every last one of my brother in arms, lover or trully friend is dead, and I had more time to miss them than I had with them. Infinitely more in fact. The saddest thing I learned in the nearly thousand years I was on this Earth is that, while every memories and fame will eventually fade to the sand of time, the truth is you absolutely cannot un-saw a tree. I have cut more trees, kill more men, lost more friends, than I would like to admit. Eternity is a fearfull prospect trully" he admitted sadly. I must confess that seeing the look on his face was really a silent warning. Carefull what you wish for. For a few minutes we stayed silent watching the logs disapear in the flame of the fireplace. Suddenly my host broke the silence again "Well, anyway that's enough for now. I am sorry of having put such a burden on your shoulder. I am pretty sure you don't cross half an ocean to listen to an old man warning you about eternity." he said "Well I must admit dear sir, that while I would be more than willing to listen to you speak about the history before our time, I had not that idea in mind when I came here. Well, to be honnest, the main driving force for such a trip was curiosity. It's not everyday you got mail from a antic legendary wiseman living in the deepest of the forbiden sea." I said shooting him a grin. He laughted heavilly "Ha, well, I admit it must have been quite un expected for you. It was long in the making though, I had my sight on you for quite a while." he admitted " Me, Sir ?" I asked "You are a good journalist, which is a quality in short supply on this day and age. Also your friend the Captain Erikson vouched for you, which is more than good enough for me" he replied. "Yorgen ? You know Yorgen ?" he exclaimed "Well dear Mister Wöstgaard, you're not the only one brave enough to come around there. Also, how do you think I get you this mail in the first place.." He said calmly. Thinking of it, It was indeed yorgen who had bring me the letter in the middle of a stack of old mail he had stored for me while i was abroad."Damn it, the old pirate never told me anything about it." I sighted "That's mostly why I trusted him. Captain Erikson is of secretive nature even considering is felis ancestry" he said. "You tell me" I bitterly replied "He knew for months that the best story ever was under my nose and never let it slip the slightest" I grinded between my teeth. Alexander laughted audibly and replied "Well I am sure you have repaid him in kind on mre than one occasion before, considering your brand of journalism" "Fair point" I admited "Anyway I am famished, woudl you like to have a supper Arthur" he asked. My stomach replied for me with a deep growl. "Let's rejoin in the dinner room, in say twenty minutes." he said gesturing to the ceiling he added "Two floor up. I must suggest that you take the lift though. It's quite a long way up" He said pointing at a small wooden door under the stair. "Perfect. see you then" I replied. Alexander jumped out of his armchair with some kind of feline grace and disapeared on the stairs going down in big leapy athletic steps. If he was trully nearly nin century old he was in damn good shape for it. I elected to take the stairs, out of curiosity on about what was in the middle floor. Ascending the stair I looked at the pendulum. The cable was linked to a complex mechanism, somekind of clock-like mechanism was maintaining the pendulum on a stable swing. Looking at my wristwatch informed me that the pendulum swing was in fact a ten second back and forth. So that pendulum was in fact somekind of clock. I started my ascencion again. I arrived on the floor above the entrance slightly out of breath. Looking at my feets it hit me. Through the glass floor of this floor I can see that the whole entrance floor was a clock. The pendulum was slowly moving around the giant dial made by the floor tile some thirty meters under me. The Earth rotation made the pendulum turn around the dial and the pendulum itself was polished  to shine on one side and darken on the other, so that every ten second a small light needle pointed at the time. Near me on the wall was load system, probably the one giving this gigantic pendulum it's energy. the rest of the circular wall was completly covered in books. Millions of them. The stairs gave access of a web of small passageway around the room. The room was lit by a host of small electrical lantern. The novelty of them was a bit undercut by the multitude of them. While electric lighting do exist in Elsuran, it was a the time still quite expensive to have and, except from the luxurious mansion of Lucian street and the academy of imperial science, was still a novelty. That said the book was far more impressive to me. Between where I standed on the floor  and the ceiling some fifty meters above was laying more books than all the Library of the Sirdan Empire united. This was most certainly the largest book collection on earth and was quite probably worth more than the imperial palace. "Eïlsin grace..." I sighted looking at the seemingly infinite bookshelves. Jumping along the stair I searched to understand