Attending the Ritual

Arnold arrived at the power station sometime around twelve and waited for the rest of them to get there.  He’d read to be there at one, and he managed to correct something which he needed to do before they started.  He updated the recording that he had left inside of Miss Avariel in the case of his death.  It would no longer be “I! HATE! THIS! CITY!“

However he hadn’t come up with something better before hand so the new recording turned out to be less than insightful with a simple, “Be it ever so humble, infuriating, and despisable, there’s no place like home.”

With that taken care of the gathering group made idle banter, talking about luck, cloud angels, sheep, bombs, the aether, Moriarty, the fact that Miss Hienrichs was insane and just imagining all of this (to which Arnold had replied that if she was being delusional she needed a better one because if he was her he wouldn’t have wanted to imagine being in his company), and other things until the knight finally arrived.

The knight arrived, the first time that he had ever seen the man and Arnold couldn’t help but think that after reading what he had in the book that the man would have been…taller.  Or at least he’d imagined he’d looked more like Scottie Melnik from what he’d read in the book.

The knight wanted them to have candles and flying machines, but Arnold had access to neither…unless you counted the New Babbage manufactured stuff that had been attached to his top hat.  Fortunately other people were there to get these items ready.  After that was done Sebastion nodded and was pleased that they had found the spirit of New Babbage…Arnold looked over at Miss December, who he’d heard everyone else call by name but had never seen her before and he recalled what Queer Hermit had said last night about how she had found it and her intention to perform a ritual today…he supposed he’d have to ask later.  For now he had no idea what was going to happen, but he didn’t intend to get on an airship if he could help it…

Tepic was against the idea for some reason, about calling Cloud Angels and wanted to know why they would be using them and what for, but the knight ignored his questions and continued forward placing a box in the centre of a drawn circle that showed up in the snow or despite it.  Avariel called it the aetheric entity box…

That was when Sebastion began to shout an incantation, “SARCHHRAGH marem du cratagh!”

As everyone looked on with anticipation, Tepic yelled at them, “HOLD IT! Tain’t right! he’s doing this fer himself!”

“I place myself before you my godess, I BEG YOU I FALL TO YOUR FEET AND BEG YOU ALLOW US THIS GIFT SO THAT WE MAY CONTINUE YOUR WORSHIP“

“The woolly sheep said this is what we had to do…”  Avariel assured Tepic as others echoed that they could trust Sebastion.  

“Are you sure?”  Jedburgh asked.

“MY FRIENDS MY BROTHERS STAND BESIDE ME AND WE ASK YOU GRANT US THE LIGHT SO WE MAY VANQUISH THE DARK!“

“Oy’m sure,” Jimmy told her.

Arnold couldn’t help as things around him began to stir and he felt things shift around him, he turned to the young fox, “Well, let me ask what will undoubtedly be something I will regret to you Tepic…What could possibly go wrong?”

That was the last thing anyone said before Sebastion cried, “SERACH MIDOR BRACH MIDOR!  SERACH MIDOR BRACH MIDOR!  SERACH MIDOR BRACH MIDOR!”  He cried it twice more and people gasped as lightning appeared leading to the box from inside the power station.  Sebastion then cried, “VWEESACH ME SERACH MIDOR BRACH MIDOR!“

“cor…..”  Tepic said as the incredible display continued until it stopped finally and the ritual appeared at an end…

“I believe we have succeeded.”  Sebastion said, as people had begun to exclaim and talk among themselves again.

“Succeeded in what, Mr?”  Tepic asked, and Gadget let out a cheer that even he questioned if it was appropriate.

“It appears that you have a new entity within the box now…”  Avariel commented, and then Sebastion picked up the box and gave it to Avariel who took it back.

“That which you need to blind those Iron eyes once and for all are now in our skies.”  Sebastion told them.  “One for each of the iron eyes.”

“Where in our Skies Sir?  Must we fetch them?”  Gadget asked, heading towards his ship slowly.

“We need to hunt in the sky!”  Avariel cried happily.

“That is why you need riders of the skies, to search out the Cloud Angels,”  Sebastion told him, and Arnold turned to Gadget…he couldn’t tell why he did it later, he was possibly just caught up in the moment or the excitement but he asked the young urchin for a favor.

“Can I come with you Gadget?”  Gadget agreed and told Nat to come with him as well as his spotter.

“Isn’t that how we die?”  Nat asked nervously.

“Shuddup and jump on ‘op along!”  Gadget ordered.

Just as they were about to take off Arnold heard Sebastion say one last thing, “And with the help of the town , the towns spirit and Malkuth, the two touched and from that power Cloud angels have been created, a gift in the fight against the dark aether.”

“Good luck young adventurers!”  Avariel called out to them, and Arnold wondered for a moment why he was doing this…the only explanation at the time that he could provide was that it felt right and that he should be here.

“chocks away!”  Gadget cried and they took off into the skies.