OVER THE EDGE January 9-15, 2008 Oracular Discovery, Book 1 of the Sylvestris Heritage A periodical book: Chapter 5 “Description in Detail” AMmaAnbDA Ramsay CONTRIBUTOR This is a book being written chapter by chap- ter for publication in Over the Edge News- paper. The previous chapters were in previous editions of Over the Edge Newspaper. Ligea I couldn’t help but stare at the lady; she had an ethereal poise about her. I wouldn’t say she was beautiful. On the contrary she had very masculine qualities and her silhouette was not feminine in the least. “Summathri, may I ask a few questions?” I didn’t want to seem uninformed so I tried to be polite. “Yes my dear, go ahead.” “What is a Norn?” I held my breath. “This is good for now,” she stopped, turned around and sat on a large stone to the right of the narrow winding path we had been fol- lowing. “A Nor is a person who was once an Oracle and who has lost the ability to con- trol what she sees. They are of the Pterido- mid family and have interesting skills each of them. Besides being an oracle each has two other skills that they have been given for their lifetime as an Oracle, skills that will save and help them in their reign. I was the previous Oracle and the skills that I was given were the skills of disappearance and levitation.” I was a little more enlightened but now more confused if that is possible. “So you said they were given to you, what do you mean and what concerns me in all this?” “Well,” she looked up to the tree line and thought about something. “Gifts are given from the previous oracle to the next, but the God is the only one who knows what gifts we will get. So, the next oracle will not necessar- ily get levitation and disappearance just be- cause I have them. She will get what the God decides is best.” “So, the stories of Oracles are true? The same ones I heard as a child?” “Yes, but the proper name for the Oracle is the Pythia.” “Oh. Where do I fit in all of this?” She looked at me and it made me uncom- fortable, constantly staring into my eyes and unflinchingly still. “You, my dear, are the next Pythia.” It was untrue, it had to be. An Oracle, me? “Rest now, here’s a blanket,” she said pulling out one from her rucksack. “It is late and we need to rest.” I looked at the treetops and the sky was still bright. I gave her a weird look. “Tt is the trick of the entryway of this for- est. It confuses those that have accidentally found their way in. It is a great protection. Those who do not realize or feel the ebb of time in their bodies grow tired and weak and do not rest until it looks dark. They eventually succumb to a fatigue sickness and our guards take their bodies and deliver them to the edge of the forest where travellers often pick them up. Now, get to rest.” That night I was startled awake by my own dream. The dream I’d had only a few days ago that woke me and caused me to be utterly scared of an unknown man was now entirely clear. The dream was of Hologoud. “What is wrong?” Summathri asked me from her lain down position. She seemed very serious and grave. “T don’t know, I have been having dreams of Hologoud, he’s been attacked and wounded and he may be killed in time. It’s the Okia, but it’s someone I know from the village where my mother came from.” “What are you going to do?” “I’m not sure, but I don’t think it has hap- pened yet. It seemed a few days still.” “JT will give you your powers and you will go back with an army of Njal. They are the Pythia’s guard and their job is to take your or- ders but to protect you at all costs. No Pythia has ever died at the hands of someone else unless already a Norn. It would be horrible to our people if one ever was. Your gifts will keep you awake and alive though. You can also feel spirit to your people. The guard is only Pteridomid and needs sleep, but if you can channel energy to them, feed it to their they will follow you. I will also give you a few things before you go” Hologoud ‘God-damn horse, I hate horses’ I decided then. The travelling was much faster without that Ligea to slow me down, although I had almost run into trouble at the bog again. I was going to check on Ligea’s house and pick up a few things for her before going to get the horse. I would also be able to grab any veggies and feed them to the horse. It would be useful to have the horse to pack all of the items Ligea wanted brought back as well as my rucksack. As I left the house I noticed that the Okia had seemed not to have come inside the house. That was odd. By their temper- ament they would surely have come into the house and turned it upside down. Everything was fine and the house was in good order. Whatever had happened to the Okia, perhaps they thought she was not the person we had been searching for. I finished grabbing the items Summathri told me she would want: a knife, wood board, mortar and pestle, hachoir, and other items that did not seem to have any useful purpose. I walked out the back door to get to the stream that would lead me to the horse and back to the path to get back to the Adamante Forest. I hadn’t noticed before that the path was very beautiful. Not only were the plants organized by levels of shade and colours but also by aromas and use. She had worked hard and lovingly on this garden. I no longer seemed annoyed by her earlier behaviour rath- er it seemed amazing that she could so easily leave all that she worked so hard to achieve. I wondered what she was doing just then and seemed to ponder about her more than I had previously. My reverie was awoken when I came upon the horse butchered to pieces where I had left it. The reins still tethered to the tree. The hairs on my neck stood up and my body was rigid with a cold shiver. I did not want to make any sudden moments should the Okia could still be around. They would have known this horse to be mine, to be the offer- ing to the new Pythia. I slowly reached up to the hilt of my longsword on my back. As I did, I heard a noise. “T wouldn’t do that, you see I am right be- hind you and I could slice off your arm before you even draw. Turn around slowly.” As I turned I saw a tall man with good stat- ure and a strong frame posed in charge stance with a blade about the same size as my own. He had blonde hair that was slightly greasy and was long enough to get in his eyes. His blue eyes were definitely Okia. “Now what?” I asked sarcastically. “Now we wait for your Pythia. You see, Summathri is a traditional sort and will not al- low Lygia to become the official Pythia with- out the horse. She will want to follow trad- ition. Problem with that is that she will not be able to impart the gifts without the trad- itional ceremony. Hagarrlith, Get him tied to that tree.” He nodded towards the tree that the horse was still partially tethered to. A large and bulky man jumped down from the tree- tops and grabbed me from behind. I would not be able to fight them. I would share a grave with the shit horse. Excerpt from Chapter 6 “What did you expect me to do?” I whis- pered to him from around the tree, “Where are my things?” “The ones that you asked Summathri to tell me to get are in the bag; anything else is in the house still.” “T never told Summathri I needed any- thing.” I was confused and I didn’t know what she herself had forseen. Summathri had never been told of anything in my oracle, how could she have known? I would find out later when I returned to the forest with Hologoud. “By the way, did you get your gifts?” asked Hologoud. “Yes I did, want to know what they are?” I smiled and kissed him on the cheek as I dis- appeared into the wind, body. It will also instil a faith within them and Bioshock paralyzes the senses VIDEO GAME REVIEW GAME: BIOSHOCK PLATFORM: PC, XBOX 360 PRODUCER: 2K GAMES RATING: MATURE Haakon SULLIVAN STAFF WRITER Right when you begin the game you are thrust into the ac- tion. Immedately after a plane crash in the ocean, you swim to a strange structure in the distance. During the swim you can easily see the state of the art graphics as the water shimmers and the aircraft pieces burn around you. Going to the struc- ture you find an elevator and use it to get to one of the most interesting settings and the most fun gameplay in an FPS (first person shooter) to date. Bioshock’s story is filled with plot twists and power strug- gles as you explore the failed underwater city of Rapture. Since the game takes place in 1960, the city has a retro feel to it and you can really get into it thanks to the immersive scen- ery and music. In Raptue, crazed lunatics and little girls with large bodyguards prowl the streets and either one will have problems with trying to end your existence. Funny enough, in the whole story of the game you only see a few sane citizens of Rapture, yet you still get the idea of how the city ran before its troubles started by picking up and listening to audiotapes scattered around the city. Of course, to explore this hazardous city you will need a healthy arsenal to protect yourself. On top of your basic weapons such as the pistol and the grenade launcher, you also have an array of powers called “plasmids”. With these you can electrocute, burn, or freeze your foes or can even just throw objects at them (including whatever explosives they throw at you). With the option of having different kinds of ammo for your weapons and with the large number of different plasmids, the combat involves defeating your enemies in more ways than you can count. This is one of the features that make Bio- shock unique. aa The graphics in the game are amazing. You can see Wie wat- er shimmer and reflect, the-splatter of your enemies, and the ~ “Big Daddies” kicking your sorry ass all in perfect clarity. The music is also excellent. The score is composed of old songs from the fifties and some “sci-fi” type music. Both really help you get into the game and envelop you into the story. There are some drawbacks to the game however. For one, there are only a handful of different kinds of enemies you fight in the game. You can count on one hand the number of differ- ent types. Also, the game is too short and is too easy. The game has a respawn system that makes it impossible to ever lose, meaning you die and come back repeatedly until you defeat your enemy with no drawback for dying at all. To conclude, Bioshock is a classic that all fans of first person shooters (or not) can enjoy. It will give you a satisfying experi- ence that will last over and over as you find different ways to eliminate your enemies each playthrough. Would you kindly pick this game up and enjoy it to the end? Fun: 1.8/2 Difficulty: 0.5/2 Presentation: 2/2 Story: 1.5/2 Replay Value: 1.8/2 “—~__ Total: 7.6/10