Top of the World

Harnio floated up to where the professor was standing. "I still don't know how you're floating and all. I don't feel any battery, nor do I see you doing any writing at all."

"Hahaha student... Before... You know..." Harnio nodded. "Before the events with Marcule."

"Correct... Well before that, he was able to come up with a way that allowed the essence to be in a piece of clothing..." Harnio nodded. "That's simple... I've done that many times."

"Yes... yes, you have. However, he found a way that say if I wanted to float in the air, or walk among the winds, I just had to wear a pair of shoes... These shoes allow me to do just that... No need to turn batterys on or anything." Harnio stared at the professor's shoes, nodding in thought. "It makes sense." He looked around in thought. "What are we going to do for our training?"

"Easy... We're going to make this place in the firelands more livable. If we're going to be here for a while... Than we need to clean it up a lot..." Harnio nodded, and looked at the sky. "We need to start filling the place with water, and also deal with the clouds of ash that cover this place in dust, and hide the sun..." Harnio looked around in thought. "How can we do that? If we just push the clouds another way, than we'll also lose cover from them... They protect us, by hiding our efforts and work, so if people land here, all they'll see is just clouds, and nothingness."

"Student look around... We don't want others to find us, unless we want them here..." Harnio nodded. "Also... If we're going to be staying here, than we need everything here, covered and protected from outsiders." Harnio scratched his arms in thought. "Professor... What if we actually let the volcano cloud fill this place, except for a certain area... That would make this whole place dangerous and unlivable, while giving protection to only us."

"How would we be able to survive student?" He smiled. "Easy... Have a wind wall blocking the ash clouds from entering this area, that would also clear the skies and make this area livable for people here... As well as provide a means of food and survivability, from the harsh elements from the firelands."

"Now, you're thinking... That's a great idea Harnio... I'll leave you to it..." Harnio looked at the professor in confusion. "What do you mean? How am I able to do that all by myself? You said we're not you're... There's a lot of work for this to happen." He saw the professor's hand raise up at him. "I'm just support... cough... cough... old and tired... Arrhhh my back... It hurts if I stay up here too long... I need to go find a chair and sit in... See you student..." Harnio watched as the professor landed back on the ground and sat on a stone chair with his eyes closed. Harnio shook his head. "I thought the monk was lazy... Now I know there's someone who is a genius at being lazy."

He stared at the ash clouds around him, and floated down until he was standing on the ground looking at the complex in the distance. He looked around, frowning. "I guess this'll be where the walls are going to go... I'm thinking like the ones above the tower... That'll keep them safe." He shook his head. "I can't do that yet... I need to make walls and rules so that the winds don't go wild outside the area." He looked at the ground, and started writing on it.

He blinked and felt the world slow down around him as he concentrated on his writing. Once he finished he looked up where he was and sighed. "I've gone a bit overboard... But this should be a start... Lets see what happens when I finish this..." He smiled. "Experiments... Are good... I hope there are no explosions... There shouldn't be... I didn't add any fire runes in my writing..."

He finished the final umlaut and watched as the ground started to shine. He smiled as he felt a strong wind push up from the ground and formed a barrier from the ash clouds. "Excellent... That went well, now I have to make the second border..."

He sighed and started writing again letting the world around him slow down as he carefully checked his writing. Once he finished, he looked up, wiping the sweat from his brow, and smiled as another strong gust of wind pushed high into the air. He frowned... "This one can't be see through... Its better if the ash clouds were able to gather in here as well... At least these walls will stop the dangerous, sharp winds from causing too much trouble." He started writing again, and didn't stop until he had walked through the entire channel he had already made.

He looked down at his worn out shoes, poking his toe out of the bottom, and started floating. "I've never had to walk this much in such a quick time... I'll have to make some nice shoes for myself." He looked at the holes in his robes, and burn marks frowning. "I haven't made anything for myself at all it seems... I need to change that when I have a chance."

He crossed the final symbol and watched as sharp winds started to blow in the wind wall channel he had made. "Excellent, that part is now working... Now to direct the ash clouds." Harnio floated above the wall and looked at the scene in front of him. "Lets see you fill this place with clouds... Dangerous dust, and hot winds that cause the body to melt... The only way to us, will be through the brothers... Or the air."

He waved his hands at the surrounding volcanoes, and started drawing in the air, causing the wind in the area to change direction. He smiled as the lands started to fill with thick ash clouds, and the wind walls were well hidden by the clouds. He looked at the volcanoes. "You better not stop releasing smoke and lava, or I'll send the brothers after you."

"I don't think that the volcanoes could hear you, or if they were able to hear you, not do anything you just said." He turned and looked at the professor as he looked over the work he had done. "Not bad Harnio... You should be very impressed." The entire place except around the complex is covered in thick clouds of ash... The walls keeping it out are also hidden... Very impressive my student." Harnio nodded. "How long have I been doing this for?"

"You've been working on this for about a week... I've seen Cliffhopper outside training as well on the grounds, to make them fertile... Seems like the next thing we'll need here is rain." Harnio looked towards the professor. "If rain, than would there be a chance of flooding here?"

"Not if you control the winds, and the weather will move around... See with the low level ash clouds from the volcanoes you've set up. You have created a lot of cool air above... This means we're going to get a lot of rain in the area, you just need to make sure that when it rains, on this side it is clean." Harnio nodded in thought. "It seems I need to learn as much as I can about weather if I want to make this place livable."

"Good student... As part of control of the winds, you also are able to move weather around, and create weather patterns... You just need to remember that, if you do those things, than somewhere on Athlos will also be affected." Harnio frowned. "So, with me doing these small things here, I've created a new weather system somewhere else on Athlos?"

"Depends..." Harnio frowned in thought. "What do you mean it depends professor?"

"If you're able to control the winds, and energy in the area, and keep it in one spot, than the weather around Athlos won't be affected... You just need to plan well, and in detail." Harnio smiled. "That I can do... As long as I don't take all the moisture in the air around here, it will travel to other cities and also spread water for them."

"Now you're thinking like an armsguard... You need to eat something first... And after eating you can go work on the rain... After a few days there'll be a lot of moisture around here... It'll start raining on its own, but the ground will like it... It's probably not seen clean rain for a long time."

Harnio nodded an followed the professor to the complex and stood on the roof. "Here... Eat this... Its not the most delicious, but it'll give you the energy you need to get through the rest of your training." Harnio nodded and eat the strange root in his hand. He looked at the professor's shoes with wide eyes. "This is delicious... What is it?"

"Its called a sweet potato... Its been roasted in the fires around here from the lava... Nothing special." Harnio nodded and took another bite of the roasted potato. "Its very good... I think I can go and deal with anything after eating this... I'll have to take as many as I can with me... They're delicious."

"Hahaha... My student enjoys plain food it seems..." Harnio shook his head. "This isn't plain at all... Its full of flavor, and also sweet." Harnio put the rest of the sweet potato in his robes and floated back into the sky. "Professor... I must attend to the weather around here. I have to make this place a safe and protected place."

"Harnio... You haven't even looked up at the sky, have you?" He frowned and turned looking up at the beautiful blue sky. He smiled. "At least some of it is complete... The ground and this place will become a lot cooler as well, once we have a bit of greenery." Harnio nodded in thought. "How are you going to get greenery here?"

"Hohohoho... Leave that to the old shadow and his apprentice... They'll bring it... I'm not sure what they'll bring, but they'll bring it here." Harnio nodded and floated above the clouds. He lifted his hand as he felt small drops of moisture cover his hand. "See... This low is going to create a lot of rain here... On the other side. There will be very strong storms..." Harnio looked at the wall of wind, nodding. "That's fine with me, as long as it stays over there, than we'll be safe here too."

"So how are you going to deal with all this extra moisture in the air?" He heard the professor's body turn in his direction. He looked down around the complex and smiled. "I know what to do, but I'll need the help of the brothers to make it perfect."

"Only Cliffhopper is down there... You'll have to wait for the monk... He's a little busy at the moment." He nodded. "Than I'll just keep it small, until I see the monk."

"Or, you could go ask his wife, or her mother... They're both down there." Harnio smiled and floated back down on the ground, only stepping on it when he saw Raven. He looked down at the ground. "Hello, Raven... I'm in need of your assistance, with something."

"What's that monk?"

"I want to make a waterfall, but If I just make it, than this entire area will be flooded. I want to make it in a way, that will not flood this plain we're making... Hence me needing help."

"That's possible... Where do you want the waterfall to go from?" Harnio turned and pointed at the top of a nearby volcano. "I'm going to collect a whole heap of extra moisture up there, use the gravity to send it down here... It would be fresh and clean... So we can use it for cooking, and whatever else is needed."

"Good idea... The plants will need it as well, when they arrive that is... We better hope we're done by the time he arrives..." He nodded and watched Raven's hands as she moved them around her body. "You want to make a river type structure from up there to here?" Harnio nodded. "A waterfall into a river... That's a good idea..."

"I can do that... Just watch and see... I'm not as good as my husband, but I can still make it happen." Harnio turned, looking at the volcano as he heard cracks, and steam starting to pop from its walls. He smiled. "We just giving nature a helping hand... This place will be a paradise for all of us soon."