Inside the Storm

Haven, Capital of the United Nations, First General Hospital

The corridor lights flickered for the third time in the night and the trainee nurse looked up from the nurse station with annoyance. "What is the matter with the lights tonight?"

"What day is it today?" The other senior nurse asked from her desk.

"It should be the fourth day of the week..." The new nurse replied. "Why does the day has to do with the lights?"

"Oh... it's that time of the week..." The other nurse said in a low mysterious voice. "You are new... so you don't know about this..."

"What is it?" The new nurse asked.

"This... hospital... is haunted..." The other nurse answered. "Especially after the clock strikes twelve on every fourth day of the week..."

The new nurse looked at the wall clock nervously, seeing the time was actually ten past twelve. She hurriedly said, "There... can't be things... such as ghosts here right?"

"Ohhh..." The other nurse replied with a serious expression. "This hospital was built over an ancient ritual site of the goblins... Many... people died here!"

"You can hear the cries... and their footsteps at night... if you listen carefully!" said the nurse with her eyes wide open. The lights at the time flickered again, making the trainee nurse jump in fright.

"Are... are you sure?" The trainee nurse asked timidly, she looked around the hospital ward which only the corridor lights were lit and everywhere else the lights were turned off. She hugged herself as she suddenly felt cold.

"Shhh..." The other nurse placed her finger to her lips. "Listen..."

The trainee nurse nervously strained her ears and suddenly she heard heavy footsteps coming closer and closer. She shivered and hid behind her colleague in fright and nearly cried. "S- something is coming!"

"What are you two doing!" A stern voice came over the counter and the older nurse giggled. "Any patient complaints?

"Nothing, Head!" She lowered her laughter and nudged the trainee nurse and whispered in a low voice, "It's just the Head Nurse on her rounds! Hehehe!"

The trainee nurse stood up wobbly, after getting a bad fright. She took a deep breath to calm herself and leaned over the counter at looked at the Head Nurse who was a short dumpy looking goblin. "A- All is well here..."

"Good!" The female goblin head nurse nodded and left the nurse station after signing the chart to continue her rounds and her heavy footsteps slowly faded away into the corridor.

"You are so bad!" The trainee nurse pouted. "How can you scare me!"

"Hehehehe," The older nurse giggled. "But... you are so cute! Hehehe!"

"AHAHHAHAHAHAHAAHHAAHahahahahahahahahahaahahahaa...."

Suddenly the lights flickered again and long eerie laughter echoed down the hospital corridors. The two nurses expressions paled as the unnatural laughter sent chills down their spines and they both gasped in fright at the same time.

"AHHHHHhhhhhh!"

-----

Dr. Sharon smirked to herself as she put her hands down. The thick target board which she smuggled with some difficulty into her office had a small blacken patch that was smoking slightly. The smell of burnt wood hung thickly in her office despite the opened windows.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAAA!" Dr. Sharon laughed joyfully. "I DID IT!"

She raised her right hand up with her palm facing upwards and using her left hand to support it, she visualised a ball of flames in her mind and concentrated hard, like she was trying to force her bowels or fart, but instead with her hand.

A ball of flames the size of a tennis ball slowly materialised over her open palm and with a victorious cry, she flung the fireball at the target board, scorching the target with a shower of sparks and smoke.

The lights flickered and she did a victory pose and laughed again. "I finally mastered the Level 1 Fireball spell!"

"AHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!!!"

-----

"Captain?" Ford knocked gently at the door of the Captain's house. He pushed the door wide open and stepped in, seeing the Captain seated at the patio overlooking the city.

"Is that you Ford?" Blake asked in a low hoarse voice.

"Yes, Sir," Ford stood next to Blake. "How are you, Sir?"

"Feeling like shit," Blake replied curtly. "But thanks for asking."

"Take all your time to recover, Sir," Ford advised. "I... still can handle the command..."

Blake nodded and after a moment of silence, he asked, "I am sure you are not here just to chit chat with me with your busy schedule?"

"We had successfully regained control of the probe orbiting overhead," Ford gestured to the skies with one finger. "But... upon reentry, the Valkyrie picked this up..."

Ford handed over the tablet to Blake who took it slowly. "This is what they snapped with their sensors on their return trip..."

Blake looked at the image on the tablet and his expression changed into a deep frown. The image showed a lone continent. "This is the New World, yes?"

Ford nodded, "Sir if you zoom out more..."

Blake pinched out the image and the view expanded showing a thick ring of storm clouds surrounding the continent. "This..."

"We... seemed to be located inside the eye of a super cyclone..." Ford explained. "Except for some unexplained reason... the super cyclone seemed to be anchored to the New World..."

"The eye of the storm which we are inside," Ford let out a deep breath and continued, "Is estimated to be around 14,000 kilometres in diameter."

"The New World as we know is roughly 4,000 kilometres wide and 3,600 kilometres in length," Ford said. "It is roughly the size of Australia on Earth."

"But this super cyclone covering this continent is estimated to have a diameter of over 45,000 kilometres!" Ford exclaimed. "If we deduct the eye of the storm... It means the thickness of the cyclone is roughly 15,500 kilometres wide!"

"That is almost the distance from Singapore to New York on Earth!" Ford declared. "It means..."

"This means... we are covered with over 15,000 kilometres of a super cyclone at all sides..." Blake finished the sentence.

Ford gave a nod, "Yes... Our people are trying to understand why and how such an unnatural weather phenomenon could even develop..."

"And judging by the old records... this never ending super storm has been there ever since the first people had ever stepped foot here..." Ford added. "Literally for a few hundreds of years..."

"When the computer plotted the course to land the ship..." Blake sighed as he recalled that moment he drove the cruiser to crashland on the planet. "It didn't show up on the sensors... I don't recall anything..."

"Strange..." Ford frowned. He saw the After Action Report but there wasn't any mention of the storm either. "Anyway, we might get some answers after we finish downloading the data from the probe."

Blake nodded uninterestedly as he stared blankly at the city. Ford sighed inwardly and stepped back, "Cap, I take my leave now. You... get some rest..."

Ford looked back at the lonely figure of the Captain sitting alone at the patio before he closed the main door. He looked up to the skies before he walked towards the waiting vehicle with determination in his steps.

"Another couple more months before the supercarrier is ready!" Ford said to himself. "We can do this!"

-----

Somewhere in the Sea of Clouds, Protectorate Fleet

Under the dark gloomy skies, a tornado suddenly formed right in the path of one of the smaller escort airships. The airships in its path quickly responded by changing their course but the lead airship was drawn into the fury of the tornado and started spinning wildly.

Pieces of armour and hull plates were ripped out and flew in the whirlwind. More and more debris joined the wild dance and even figures of screaming crew members could briefly be seen before they disappeared in the maelstrom.

Gouts of flames and smoke erupted from the sides of the sickened airship as its magical barriers collapsed and failed under the fierce onslaught of nature. The hull unable to handle the stress crumpled like paper and ripped apart in pieces, tossing the crew and debris out.

As if sated, the tornado eased off and disappeared, leaving behind trails of falling debris and screaming bodies. The rest of the Fleet continued on without any attempt to rescue the lost crew.

"Lord Inquisitor," The Captain of the Flagship Aggression bowed and reported in a respectful tone, "We lost another escort ship to the storm. This is the fourth vessel in just a week, my Lord!"

Inquisitor Rism took a sip of sweetened tea and placed the delicate teacup down as he turned away from the crystal windows. The loss of the escort airship did not dampen his mood as the people of the Protectorate were honoured to die for the Judgement.

"Their souls are with the Judge," Rism gave a dismissive wave to the Captain's worries. "If fate takes their lives, it means the Judge has decreed it! We are not ones to question His plans!"

The Captain bowed and returned to his station unconvinced. Despite his unwavering faith to the Judge, he still leaned over to his crew and gave the order for all ships to strength their magic barriers and be on the alert for any sudden dangers.

A knock came from the ornate doors and the guards opened the door leading into the airship's bridge. A trio of soldiers dragged a bloodied and chained lawless in and they saluted before forcing the lawless to his knees before Rism.

A stench of rot, blood and voided bowels rose out from the chained lawless kneeling before Rism. He furrowed his brows in displeasure and took out a scented silk handkerchief and covered his nose and waved the stench away.

"Lord Inquisitor!" The lead Paladin bowed. "The Judgement sees you!"

"The lawless has been brought here as per your orders!" The Paladin reported.

"Has he confessed?" Rism asked in a lazy voice as he took another sip of his tea.

"Eh..." The Paladin looked uneasily at the prisoner before he lowered his head and said, "No... my Lord..."

"Really?" Rism used the tip of his boot and jerked the chin of lawless kneeling before him and looked into his eyes. "So stubborn and such strong willpower... and so much hatred..."

The lawless jerked his head away from Rism's boot and spat at him. The bloody spit landed a short distance and left a stain on the rich carpet. Rism laughed as he leaned forward and shook his head at the lawless futile actions.

"So much fire in you..." Rism tsked. "I don't understand why you infidels have so much pride. When in the end, all of you will stand before the Judge, who shall judge you according to your sins!"

"But not to worry!" Rism stood up and smiled. "As long as you repent! Pledge your soul to the Judge and He shall show leniency in His Judgement!"

"And... it doesn't matter if you don't yield..." Rism laughed as he continued to cover his nose with his scented handkerchief. "How He Judges you are up to Him, but to send you lawless up to Him... is up to me! Hahahaha!"

"Even if you do not confess now," Rism whispered in a low voice. "You can't stop the Judgement coming for your pitiful Godless people... We will find them... one by one... and if they do not repent before the Judge... than... they shall be sent to the Judgement... by the Holy Fires of Creation!"

The prisoner roared with anger and squirmed against the guards holding him down. His toothless gums making smacking noises as he roared with his parched throat.

"Even if you can't see," Rism ignored the prisoner's struggles and stared into his bloodied empty eye sockets where his eyes had been put out by a red hot brand. "I will still make sure you can hear their screams!"

"For I shall bring them all to be Judged before Him!"