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The Chromatic Witch, Ep 2: The Power of Green


Yoruichi-san
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Gritting her teeth tightly, the girl pushed herself up off the ground. Sweat beaded near her temples and dripped down the side of her face and off her nose onto the linoleum below. Ninety-nine, she counted, then took a deep breath and lowered herself back down.

Her arms trembled with the exertion as she pushed up once again. There came a knock at the door. The girl allowed herself to collapse onto the floor. “Come in,” she said, catching her breath.

A lean, clean-cut young man with dark brown entered, carrying a tray. When he saw her, he frowned. “Shouldn’t you be resting?”

The girl shook her head. “I must be strong.” Her tone was tired, but steadied by conviction. “Besides, this might be my last chance to...” Her voice trailed off as a sad look came into her eyes.

The young man bit his lip. “You know,” he began after a moment, “you don’t have to go through with this. It’s not too late...”

The girl shook her head resolutely. “No, I have to do this.”

“Your family hasn’t cashed the check yet, you can still back out and simply return the money...”

“That’s not what...I mean...” The girl let out a long sigh. “I have to this, because I have to do this. This is who I am, who I want to be, who I can finally choose to be. This is my opportunity to truly be me, my only opportunity. There is nothing for me here, but there...”

The young man looked as if he wanted to say more, but he seemed to struggle inside. Finally, his shoulders fell and he capitulated. “Alright, I’ll leave you to it then.” He set the tray down on a nearby table. “You should eat it before it gets cold.”

The Chromatic Witch

EPISODE 2:

The Power of Green

“In brightest day, in blackest night,

No evil shall escape my sight

Let those who worship evil's might,

Beware my power, Green Lantern's light!!!”

The Green Lantern Oath

Warmed by the effusive sunlight streaming in through his window, Orin yawned and pulled himself out of his bed. Through his mind flitted fragments of last night’s dreams, memories of picnics at the park, splashing in the lake, and playing with his dog spot, who had met such an unfortunate end, and other scenes which were already beginning to fade.

As he yawned off the last remnants of drowsiness, an envelope icon popped up in his field of vision. “You have one new message. Read?” an automated voice asked.

“Yes,” he replied, and words began scrawling themselves in his view:

The Green Gateway has been found. All agents please be ready to depart by 0800 hours. Meet in the hangar.

Orin couldn’t keep the boyish grin off his face. The hanger...that means we’re taking the...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The blades of grass cowered, oppressed by the streamlines around the landing jet. Its sleek obsidian-hued surface gleamed cooly under the hot sun. After its elegant contours finally slid to a stop, the hatch door on its side lowered, allowing the energetic agents to exit.

They shuffled out, greeting the scene with huge grins plastered upon their faces. To one side stood a forest whose luxurious green foliage shimmered in the bright sun. On the other side was a green sea of grass as far as the eye could see.

“According to the readings, we’re at the Gateway.” Wraith commented, his brows furrowed.

The agents exchanged perplexed looks. “But there’s nothing here but nature...”

All you need is nature and will,” an unfamiliar voice said. All the agents turned abruptly towards it.

A handsome dark haired young man in a fitted black and green costume stood in front of them, surveying them with marked interest.

“Kyle Rayner, I expected as much,” Father’s voice murmured over the neuro-link.

“Are you an agent of the Chromatic Witch?” Orin asked, his hand inching towards his phaser.

The young man smiled. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” As he spoke, he held up a fist towards them, from which a green beam of light shot out, expanding as it approached. It surrounded the group and formed into a translucent green box.

In the middle of one side of the box were some transcribed some characters:

GP1.doc

In the middle of the opposite side was an image:

GP2.doc

Wraith put his hand up to the translucent green wall and felt its resistance. “Looks like we’re going to have to figure out how to get out of here.”

The young man smiled and nodded. “If you do, I’ll be waiting.” Then he turned and disappeared into the forest.

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Well I thought I'd let people play with it for awhile...also buying myself some time to work on the novel I'm writing, which has started threatening to sue me for neglect *whistling*...anyways, here's the order of the first column, counting START as 0 and END as 65.

4(11)

4(21)

1(19)

2(20)

3(12)

1(38)

3(39)

2(13)

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.

But I do think that this is a good approach although I'm sort of hoping one of the programmers will just write an exhaustive search to find the right path...

I started to write a program, then realised there were 11139276598425944064000000000 possible combinations and my poor little Dell started smoking at the thought of it. Need to work out what Agatha Y-san means.

Did we ever work out what the 1|2|3|4 multipliers in the H & K puzzles were for?

Edited by fabpig
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Follow on from vista's work (spoilered to save space) and converted to 1-64 notation


|Sq | Can be reached from	

| 1 | 2 | 5 |

| 9 | 17 | 25 | 33 |

|17 | 18 | 19 |

|25 | 17 | 27 | 49 |

|33 | 1 | 35 | 41 |

|41 | 9 | 25 | 42 | 44 | 57 |

|49 | 41 |

|57 | 33 |


| 2 | 3 | 26 |

|10 | 2 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 18 |

|18 | 17 | 20 | 34 |

|26 | 18 | 28 | 29 | 58 |

|34 | 37 | 42 | 50 |

|42 | 10 | 41 | 43 |

|50 | 26 | 34 | 42 | 51 | 52 |

|58 | 59 | 60 |


| 3 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 19 |

|11 | 3 | 14 | 15 | 27 |

|19 | 11 | 18 | 35 |

|27 | 25 | 30 |

|35 | 19 | 36 | 43 |

|43 | 27 | 42 | 45 | 51 |

|51 | 35 | 43 | 53 | 59 |

|59 | 51 | 57 |


| 4 | 3 | 20 |

|12 | 4 | 11 | 28 |

|20 | 21 | 22 | 44 |

|28 | 12 | 36 |

|36 | 20 | 33 | 34 | 38 | 44 |

|44 | 28 | 36 | 43 | 48 | 60 |

|52 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 54 | 55 |

|60 | 59 | 61 | 62 |


| 5 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 29 |

|13 | 9 | 21 | 37 |

|21 | 19 |

|29 | 21 | 26 | 27 | 45 |

|37 | 53 | 5 | 13 | 35 | 36 | 39 |

|45 | 46 | 47 |

|53 | 29 | 61 |

|61 | 45 | 37 |


| 6 | 8 | 22 | 30 |

|14 | 6 | 10 | 12 |

|22 | 20 | 21 | 23 | 38 |

|30 | 28 | 31 | 32 |

|38 | 14 | 22 | 40 | 46 | 54 |

|46 | 62 |

|54 | 30 | 38 | 46 | 52 |

|62 | 58 | 60 | 61 | 63 |


| 7 | 6 |

|15 | 16 | 23 |

|23 | 24 | 31 | 39 |

|31 | 23 | 47 | 55 |

|39 | 7 | 31 |

|47 | 15 | 44 | 45 | 46 |

|55 | 39 | 53 | 56 | 63 |

|63 | 47 | 64 |


| 8 | 16 |

|16 | 13 | 24 | 32 | 48 |

|24 | 8 | 16 | 22 | 23 | 40 |

|32 | 24 | 29 | 31 |

|40 | 37 | 38 |

|48 | 32 | 56 |

|56 | 40 | 54 | 64 |

|64 | 56 | 62 | 63 |

|65 | 61 | 53 |



| Sq |	 Can move to

| 1 | 33 | 5 |

| 9 | 41 | 13 |

| 17 | 25 | 9 | 18 |

| 25 | 41 | 9 | 27 |

| 33 | 57 | 9 | 36 |

| 41 | 49 | 33 | 42 |

| 49 | 25 | 52 |

| 57 | 41 | 59 |


| 2 | 10 | 3 | 1 |

| 10 | 42 | 14 |

| 18 | 26 | 10 | 19 | 17 |

| 26 | 50 | 2 | 29 |

| 34 | 50 | 18 | 36 |

| 42 | 50 | 34 | 43 | 41 |

| 50 | 34 | 52 |

| 58 | 26 | 62 |


| |3 | 11 | 4 | 2 |

| 11 | 19 | 3 | 12 | 10 |

| 19 | 35 | 3 | 21 | 17 |

| 27 | 43 | 11 | 29 | 25 |

| 35 | 51 | 19 | 37 | 33 |

| 43 | 51 | 35 | 44 | 42 |

| 51 | 59 | 43 | 52 | 50 |

| 59 | 51 | 60 | 58 |


| 4 | 12 | 5 | 3 |

| 12 | 28 | 14 | 10 |

| 20 | 36 | 4 | 22 | 18 |

| 28 | 44 | 12 | 30 | 26 |

| 36 | 44 | 28 | 37 | 35 |

| 44 | 20 | 47 | 41 |

| 52 | 36 | 54 | 50 |

| 60 | 44 | 62 | 58 |


| 5 | 37 | 1 |

| 13 | 37 | 16 | 10 |

| 21 | 29 | 13 | 22 | 20 |

| 29 | 53 | 5 | 32 | 26 |

| 37 | 61 | 13 | 40 | 34 |

| 45 | 61 | 29 | 47 | 43 |

| 53 | 37 | 55 | 51 |

| 61 | 53 | 62 | 60 |


| 6 | 14 | 7 | 5 |

| 14 | 38 | 11 |

| 22 | 38 | 6 | 24 | 20 |

| 30 | 54 | 6 | 27 |

| 38 | 54 | 22 | 40 | 36 |

| 46 | 54 | 38 | 47 | 45 |

| 54 | 38 | 56 | 52 |

| 62 | 46 | 64 | 60 |


| 7 | 39 | 3 |

| 15 | 47 | 11 |

| 23 | 31 | 15 | 24 | 22 |

| 31 | 39 | 23 | 32 | 30 |

| 39 | 55 | 23 | 37 |

| 47 | 63 | 31 | 45 |

| 55 | 31 | 52 |

| 63 | 55 | 64 | 62 |


| 8 | 24 | 6 |

| 16 | 24 | 8 | 15 |

| 24 | 32 | 16 | 23 |

| 32 | 48 | 16 | 30 |

| 40 | 56 | 24 | 38 |

| 48 | 16 | 44 |

| 56 | 64 | 48 | 55 |

| 64 | 56 | 63 |


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Here is where I am:

I did write a program last weekend to try to find the correct path (I have played around with the Knight's Tour, so I had a base to work from). I let it run for about 30 hours before I stopped it. I was afraid there was still a bug in my algorithm, and the running application maxed out my computers' processors. I did some more testing and started it again. I stopped the second run after about 20 hours, and put it aside until last night. I incorporated Y-san's constraints/hints, and now the algorithm runs to completion in a matter of minutes. But still no solution that hits all 64 squares. I have come close - I found 3 solutions that hit 60 of the squares before landing on the exit platform, but not all the squares. More then willing to post the solutions or the program if anyone is interested.

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DOH :duh: Sorry, I suck :(. I went and checked and found two errors. I thought I had double checked my numbers...but I should of triple checked. I feel terrible :blush:. Here is what should be the correct numbers, you can try them in your program:

Green%2520Puzzle%25203.jpg

*goes and hides behind a wall from the barrage of rotten food...or stones...not sure which is worse*

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Here we go then:

D8,D7,F7,F4,F1,D1,B1,B5,E5,E8,A8,A4,A1,C1,C2,B2,B4,B6,A6,A5,A7,E7,E4,H4,H6,H7,H8,F8,G8,G4,G6,G7,C7,C8,B8,B7,B3,A3,A2,D2,D4,D5,F5,C5,C3,C4,C6,E6,D6,F6,F3,F2,H2,H1,G1,G2,G5,H5,H3,D3,G3,E3,E1,E2,K0,

Edited by fabpig
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Here we go then:

D8,D7,F7,F4,F1,D1,B1,B5,E5,E8,A8,A4,A1,C1,C2,B2,B4,B6,A6,A5,A7,E7,E4,H4,H6,H7,H8,F8,G8,G4,G6,G7,C7,C8,B8,B7,B3,A3,A2,D2,D4,D5,F5,C5,C3,C4,C6,E6,D6,F6,F3,F2,H2,H1,G1,G2,G5,H5,H3,D3,G3,E3,E1,E2,K0,

Just got home and re-ran my app with the new board. There are actually two similar solutions:

D8, D7, F7, F4, F1, D1, B1, B5, E5, E8, A8, A4, A1, C1, C2, B2, B4, B6, A6, A5, A7, E7, E4, H4, H6, H7, H8, F8, G8, G4, G6, G7, C7, C8, B8, B7, B3, A3, A2, D2, D4, D5, F5, C5, C3, C4, C6, E6, D6, F6, F3, F2, H2, H1, G1, G2, G5, H5, H3, D3, G3, E3, E1, E2

D8, D7, F7, F4, F1, D1, B1, B5, E5, E8, A8, A4, A1, C1, C2, B2, B4, B6, A6, A5, A7, E7, E4, H4, H6, H7, H8, F8, G8, G4, G6, G7, C7, C8, B8, B7, B3, A3, A2, D2, F2, H2, H1, G1, G2, G5, H5, H3, D3, D6, D4, D5, F5, C5, C3, C4, C6, E6, F6, F3, G3, E3, E1, E2,

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Having made it cleverly past the extremely tricky ravine, the agents marched through another grove of trees into another clearing. In the center grew a garden of various flora and in the back stood an immense iron fence whose bars were greedily ensconced by ivy. Three particularly thick lengths of ivy were wrapped around what appeared to be the gate, and upon each rested a portion with a hole in it that resembled the shape of a lock.

They were greeted by a melodious, sultry voice, belonging to a petite woman with fiery red hair and pale skin in a green leotard. Her red lips curved up into a seductive smile as she spoke: “Looks like tweedle dumb and tweedle dumber failed...not surprising.” She sniffed. “I don’t know why the master keeps them around...why would he need them when he has me!”

She nodded towards the garden, and the agents now noticed six plants in particular that stood out from the rest. Orin recalled seeing pictures of these somewhere...what were they called...it had to do with some planet or another...Mars? No...Venus? Yes...yes, these were called Venus Fly Traps. And in front of each the vines seemed to form a number.

The six numbers were: 6436343, 248832, 104976, 59049, 38416, 15625

The woman’s voice became more sing-songy as she continued. “Among these babies hides the keys, but which ones will be hard to see. Be wary as, if you should choose wrong, the remainder of your life will not be long. Do not think to use might, the sweet nectar of death is in their bite.”

“I’m guessing that means we’ll be poisoned if we pick the wrong ones...and I’m guessing there is no antidote,” Wraith commented dryly.

The woman smiled in acknowledgement.

"If you’re seeking for its base,

Simply count the normal case,

Get in position to capture his Queen,

And take it to the power of green!

You’ll see it come this way,

But it not be on this day,

It will show you where to go,

His ducks needn’t be in a row.

You won’t find it in yourselves,

But to express individuality it delves,

In tales o’ faeries to scare kids,

As the hero’s best friend he hid.

In your skill once honed,

You’ll get it twice intoned,

Its nest you shouldn’t poke,

And he’s a funny bloke."

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Ignoring the numbers for the time being.

"If you’re seeking for its base,

Simply count the normal case,

Get in position to capture his Queen,

And take it to the power of green!

You’ll see it come this way,

But it not be on this day,

It will show you where to go,

His ducks needn’t be in a row.

You won’t find it in yourselves,

But to express individuality it delves,

In tales o’ faeries to scare kids,

As the hero’s best friend he hid.

In your skill once honed,

You’ll get it twice intoned,

Its nest you shouldn’t poke,

And he’s a funny bloke."

From the bolded sentence, I'm getting a definite theme of chess. Not sure about the second or third paragraph, unless it's the reference to "skill" and a definite "he", which could refer to the King.

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Possibly 3rd stanza is Green Goblin - father of Spidey's best friend.

and the 3rd line of the 4th stanza would seem to point to Green Hornet, though the other references elude me. (Has "bloke" made it into everyday Amerglish? Or is it indicating a British male. Or is it, in this case, poetic licence?)

3rd line of stanza 2 might point (!) to Green Arrow. Again the rest is a bit of a mystery to me.

I wondered if the Queen reference might have something to do with the chessboard nature of the previous puzzle. But, generally, once a puzzle has been done, it doesn't seem to be referenced again.

Deit....syntax and spelling

Edited by fabpig
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I'm thinking stanza 2, line 3 might refer to the Green Lantern, going with the superhero theme. I'm guessing that since there are only 3 keys and the first stanza seems more mathematical, it gives us a clue to encrypt the words of the other three stanzas to make three of the numbers on the Venus fly traps.

Bloke's a reasonably common word in American English, so I think it's just there for rhyming purposes.

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I thought the word "power" denoted superheroes, but then I noticed this: 6436343=23^5, 248832=12^5, 104976=18^4, 59049=9^5 or 3^10, 38416=14^4, and 15625=25^3 or 5^6.

Sorry, I just looked up Green Arrow, and it's a much better answer than Green Lantern.

I think the key to this is to find the "normal case" for each superhero, whatever that means.

Edited by vistaptb
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Nice going, Vist. The only reason I skipped over Lantern for #2 is that the GL oath is quoted at the start of the episode. There are a couple of things that confuse : "not be on this day" - there are "lantern day" celebrations in various parts of the world: and "ducks needn't be in a row" (sounds a bit like "arrow") Duck is also nickname/bingo name for "2" . I won't ask how you happen to know 23^5..... :P

Aar, I think you're looking at #4

Edited by fabpig
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Ah, yeah, nice catch fabby.

Ok, so basically we're only looking for #1.

Stanza 2)Green Arrow

Stanza 3)Green Goblin

Stanza 3)Green Hornet

I noticed they all have the same amount of letters in them. Maybe the second name is only 6 letters too?

Edit: Wait, Arrow has 5. But still, thinking along those lines is worth a shot.

Edited by Aaryan
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Maybe this has to do with the heroes' alter egos? The Green Arrow is Oliver Queen, and it's hinted at in the first stanza. Norman Osborn has 12 letters (a base for one of the exponents), and Britt Reid has 9. However, Oliver Queen has 11 letters, and none of the numbers given is 11 raised to the power of anything.

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The agents were making good progress towards finding the keys, but Orin felt something wasn't quite right. We're missing something, he thought, frowning.

Suddenly he heard a chuckle from behind him. He turned and saw the leprechaun, peaking out from behind a bush. It winked at him.

"Part correct but you must admit,

Some of the lines just don't fit!

What you think is one clue,

Might actually be two,

Read to the letter what is writ."

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