The tower soared into the sky, rising further with each passing second. Rocks which once made up the floor tumbled through the air. The festivities ground to a halt as more and more Ghalari looked up from their drinks and revelry. At first, sheer shock rendered them all speechless. Then the falling rocks of the tower's floor slowed, eventually stopping in midair. They, too, began to rise, albeit slowly.
The first scream broke out among the grounded Ghalari. Then another, as more pieces of earth began to break free of the ground, the panic grew. Larger and larger pieces tore free of the area surrounding the tower. The citizens watched as their land floated away, carrying dirt, trees, and terrified animals.
Several of the Ghalari pointed in horror at the horizon. As if ye-Kambha'le had found righteous fury in chaos, stormy clouds gathered on the horizon. The storms seemed frozen a certain distance from the tower, as if forming a ring around ye-la'spiekr.
Amidst the chaos, a series of primitive looking aircraft launched from the ground, little flies amidst what could only be the wrath of gods. Joining the birds was the almost magical aircraft which launched vertically: the vehicle of the interlopers. It joined the squad of vehicles which steered toward the floating tower.
Guardian Imroham looked down at his clasped hands, and prayed.
GRAVILYFT SYSTEM, TEN PERCENT COMPLETION. ALLIFAX STORM DEFENSE CHARGING. HARLMON SPACE DEFENSE CHARGING. ALL SYSTEMS FUNCTIONING. GRAVITON EXCITER FUNCTIONING. STORM GATHER FUNCTIONING. GUARDIANS FUNCTIONING. ASCEND TO PREVIOUSLY DETERMINED SAFE ZONES. SHUT OFF TIME REMAINING: TEN MINUTES.The words were not in Isle Common, nor Ghalari, but somehow Edward understood them anyway. They were musical, as if spoken through a hundred different languages. He heard them in his mind more than his ears, as if they were spoken directly into his soul. "Did you all hear that?" he shouted, but his words were lost by the shaking.
Collin nodded grimly, finally heaving them all up the first step. Not a moment too soon, as the ground floor fell totally away. "Plummet," Edward mumbled. A massive cliff face stretched out beneath them, and now it appeared that more and more pieces of the ground were rising after them.
Noise below them seemed to cut through the rumbling above. Was that...airplanes? The sound of roaring motors filled the cavern, and the Endurance slowly rose up through into the tower. It barely filled half of the massive room. Edward laughed out loud; the utter madness of it all made him lightheaded.
Who of all people would be at the helm of the bird but Vernon Conway himself. Edward had no idea how on earth the man had made it to them, but he wasn't about to ask. He couldn't hear Conway's words, but he managed to read the lips. "How in the eighty gods of the sea's guts do we turn this thing off?"
It was a valid question. Edward wished that he could answer it. Something in his mind told him that he should be able to, but he couldn't place it. And, obviously, they were running out of time. "How do we shut it off?" He shouted to the others. They were close enough to hear him, he hoped.