Escalation, by Charles Matthias

Story name: Escalation
Author: Charles Matthias
Publication date: February 3, 1998

Date: 706 CR, 7 days before Easter
Location: Metamor Keep

Overview

While Kimberly and Matthias enjoy a picnic, one of his manuscripts is blown away, and Charles makes a risky climb to retrieve it.

+ Story info (Spoilers!)

Summary

Kimberly and Matthias are enjoying a picnic on a spring afternoon beneath one of the Keep's buttresses. They watch a hawk circling overhead and think about recent events. Both Charles and Kimberly try to grab some bread at the same time, knocking over the basket. The pages of Matthias's story underneath nearly blow away. Matthias stops all but one page from floating away, which lodges itself underneath the buttress.

Thinking it will be an easy climb, Matthias begins scaling the wall. As he ascends, the stones become looser and more corroded, and he finds himself losing his hold repeatedly. After finally fetching the parchment, he rolls it up and lets himself shift into rat form, letting his clothes fall to the ground, to make climbing down easier.

As he scurries down, he narrowly misses being grabbed by the hawk, and shifts back to his normal form when he is 10 feet off the ground. Kimberly scolds him for nearly getting killed, and after they both rest on the quilt, Matthias promises never to do another stunt like that again.

Characters

Main Characters:

• Charles Matthias: Headmaster of the Writer's Guild, a rat morph.
  • He will read the winning story on the last evening of the festival.
• Kimberly: Matthias's beloved, a rat morph.

Important Mention:

• Phil: A headmaster of the Writer's Guild, a rabbit morph.
  • He will read the third place winner's story on the first evening of the festival.
• Channing: A headmaster of the Writer's Guild, a goose morph.
  • He will read the second place winner's story on the second evening of the festival.

Referenced:

• Gregor: The Keep baker, a capybara morph.

Points of Interest

• A brief mention of the labor system of Metamor Keep: after a couple months, all new inhabitants must find a job to pay for their stay. If they cannot find work, they are given simple tasks to earn a basic income.
• This was the last day for submissions to the writer's contest. Charles and the other headmasters will reviewing them tomorrow.

	Matthias's First Cycle	Second Cycle >
Stories	Stories in yellow are not part of the cycle proper, but give important context for other stories.
	Metamor Keep · Writer's Guild · The Fight That Never Happened · Support Group · Facing Knight · Confession · Evening Stroll · Especially Disappointed · Escaping · Escalation · Errands and Editors · The Secrets in Truth · A Small Repair · Equinox Arriveth · Entertaining Thoughts of Eucharist · The Effects of Rising Too Early · Eating at the Duke's Table · Easter Endeth · Early to Sleep
Characters	Charles Matthias · Kimberly · Channing · Elliot · Goldmark · Hector · Father Hough · Julian · Loriod · Michael · Nahum · Phil · Saulius · Tallis · Thalberg · Duke Thomas · Zhypar Habakkuk