OoC: It's actually nearly as big as my intro post. I thoroughly enjoyed writing that, Miss Aiko. Thankies ^.^

IC:

Every step through the impossibly large Dome made Nathan more and more agitated. He still hadn’t completely ruled out the possibility that the entire thing was just one big ruse, but Cadenza seemed too sharp to be some clever ploy. If she was part of a plot Nathan expected her to be much nicer. After their initial meeting and the little interview Nate had found the woman to be witty and clever, although she didn’t resort to sarcasm. She didn’t seem to find anything terribly funny though; he looked forward to learning more about the mysterious woman.

“So where are we going?” he asked in a bubbly manner.

“Do you want to sleep in the hallway?” Cadenza replied.

“No. But I don’t see how that answers my question.”

The woman stopped abruptly in front of a door. It was exactly the same as everything else in the Dome except there was a large blue anchor printed on it.
“Follow this pathway,” she said again cryptically. For a second Nate felt that she was enjoying herself. Not wanting to incur the odd woman’s wrath again, Nate obliged. He pushed the door open with quite some exertion and peered into the room beyond. Just as he was about to tell Cadenza he would rather not the woman give him a nudge. Startled, the boy stepped forward slightly then fell into the room. He landed uncomfortably on something hard and glanced up quickly to the doorway. It was sealed tight.

That confirms it,he whispered to himself. It is all a trick. But I’m not giving up without a fight! I wonder where this tunnel leads. He took a closer look at his surroundings: he was floating on a metal-ringed barrel in the middle of a body of water. A river it seemed, although it was completely still. Its banks were a long way off but Nathan saw some things moving in the dull light. He put his hands in the vile water to try and move the barrel; the water was stagnant and slimy, and he could feel hundreds of tiny fish rushing past him. “How am I supposed to get out of here?” he shouted. The boy kicked at the water in frustration. “It stinks down here,” he said, more sullen this time.

He had no idea how much time had passed by since Cadenza – if that was her real name – had pushed him into the swamp. There was no wind, no sun; the only lives other than him were the ominous shapes in the distance and the tiny creatures beneath him. He fired several piercing bullets at the ceiling in anger, making a huge cracking sound. Suddenly a violent burst of wind filled the room and Nate’s barrel started moving rapidly. The water started flowing downwards and a tiny cloud was producing lightning and rain above him.

From the intermittent flashes of lightning Nathan had determined that the creatures on the banks were some sort of carnivorous plants. They snapped wildly at him if the barrel went within a few metres of the edge. Behind the plants were huge muddy walls that seemed to be concealing something. The plants were no doubt there to stop Nate from escaping in any direction other than the one set out for him.

As he wound his way down the tunnel the storm seemed to be getting more violent. His barrel was practically thrown about and he had to resort to fighting off the plants with his sabre more than once. Light was still only coming from the eerily enlarging cloud above him as the lightning got drastically closer. Perhaps I should harness that lightning, he thought. It’s getting pretty close, and if this barrel is destroyed I’m doomed. He outstretched his hand as he prepared for the massive energy boost. He would have to create his own strand of lightning to join with the wild one if he wanted to harness it. The boy stood up nervously then created a thin whip of electricity. He held it just below the cloud for a few seconds until the lightning came again. It struck his beam just as planned and both flashed back inside him. He felt rejuvenated and energised, but there was no time to release his adrenaline.

Another boat seemed to be coming alongside him. It was very long and thin, with only one distinguishable person on it. I need to get on that he thought wildly. “Hey!” Nate shouted over the howling wind. “Can you help me?” The passenger seemed not to have heard him, so he tried again. “I need help; my barrel is sinking.” The person heard him this time and turned around urgently. He shrugged his shoulders as if he had no means of helping him. “You have to have something!” Nathan shrieked.

The man disappeared below his boat for a little while then came back with a thin plank. He made a thumbs-up sign then began aligning his boat with Nate’s. It took some time: the wind kept on shifting around Nathan’s barrel and he had to fight off a few more planks. Once the plank was laid to make a ford between the two boats Nathan realised how tricky a situation he was in. The plank was very long and flimsy and the wind was constantly beating viciously. If he had difficulty standing on his sturdy barrel this would be nigh impossible. The other man seemed fairly confident though, and it was Nate’s only hope.

He began by getting a firm grip on the barrel then stood up. Once upright the wind crashed into him like a bag of bricks. He was nearly knocked off there and then but just managed to stay on. With next to no hope Nathan put his first foot on the plank and tested to see if it would hold his weight. The wood bent slightly but showed no inclination of breaking. He then put his other foot on the plank and spread-eagled his arms for balance. The wind beat furiously on Nathan and it took all of his power not to let himself be thrown away into the river.

Second after agonizing second passed as Nate moved painfully slowly across the ford. Finally, he was done and breathed a sigh of immeasurable relief as his feet touched the river boat. He looked at his saviour: a beaten-looking man probably in his fifties. He was plainly dressed and had a small grey pony-tail. The only true distinguishing feature about him was that he had one hand. “Well done lad,” he said in a rough, haggard accent. “Miss Madrigal sends her regards, and wants me to direct you to your quarters."

Nathan felt like strangling the woman, but that would have to wait for later.

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