Tuesday, May 4, 2010

The Traveler.

"Get the hell up!"

"Ironic choice of words." Chronos stretched upwards, wings uncurling and stretching out to their full length. He yawned and looked down at the petite nun who was busy glaring at him. "What?"

"We missed the ferry to Caledon."

"I can fly us there." He shrugged a shoulder. The trip would not be so long for him if they stopped in Babbage for a brief rest.

"Oh hell no, I am not going to ride on... you." She pointed an accusing finger at him.

He grinned utterly amused at her flushed angry state ducking under the broken door of the monastery he lived in. The vines were beginning to overrun the place casting a foreboding doom upon the place, he rather liked it.

"How do you expect us to EEEP!" She latched herself around his shoulder when he picked her up and began to fly in the air, "I am going to scream in your ear!"

"You already are, and if you are not quiet I will drop you." He emphasized by flying lower barely missing the top of a pine tree.

"Where are we going anyway?" Rosette asked as they flew into the dense fog of Shanghai's industrial district.

"I sensed Doctor Steampunk last night."

Rosette seethed, "I am going to yell at him when I see him!"

"He won't drop you, but I will if you keep at it." Giving her a glare he gracefully landed on the uneven stone walkway of Shaiman Alley dropping her on the ground. She yelled at him in her most loudest boisterous voice. He heard some scurrying and found some scamps peeking at him from behind a barrel. There were scamps almost everywhere but the little things have found tunnels and other places to hide, that is why no one ever saw them. Little devious things.

At the end of a lane close to the pier was a run down storefront that was ever closed Doctor Steampunk lived in. He opened the door snorting when it was unlocked. Did he ever have a sense of self preservation? Apparently not if he leaves his door unlatched in a dangerous neighborhood. The house was filled with trinkets and gadgets of every sort scattered about the place on any smooth surface he could find. The stale air caused him to sneer, looking around there was a fine layer of dust on everything.

"What a slob!" Rosette tip toed around several stacked books nearly knocking over a small Asian table that had various tiny statues of Buddha and small boxes overstuffed with gears. She turned and was faced with a giant curio cabinet that had a zillion various types of ancient to modern light bulbs. "Okay I am not going to move otherwise I'll knock everything over."

Chronos furrowed his eyebrows plucking a sepia photo that was severely aged. A small young version of himself in his childlike state was standing there in an over sized coat with a serious expression, beside him with a grinning Doctor with his fists on his hips in a very Tensai like manner. He remembered this trip, they were in England about two hundred years ago. Replacing the photo above others he did not care to look at he scanned the room turning slowly around.

"WING!" Rosette called out to him when his folded wing was about to knock a candelabra over.

He frowned looking at the wall where twenty clocks sat still. "He is not here."

"What?" Rosette carried several books stacking them in the corner of the room.

"The clocks, they've all stopped." He precariously stepped over some objects and walked out of the house.

Rosette looked over to the wall of clocks realizing none of them were ticking, and like the demon said, all of them were stuck to a single time.

"I thought you said you sensed him?" She caught up to the demon who was wandering around the alleys.

"He must have left again." He almost grinned when she cursed a rather lovely string of obscenities that would make a sailor blush. What a model nun she made.

The air began to chill, and he felt a very distinct shiver up his spine. Eyes widened when he realized all the sounds of the rushing wind, the birds, the children, even Rosette stopped. Putting a hand out and pushing the girl behind his back he turned and narrowed his eyes as a shadow began to cross the alley. It was a dark blur, a figure that slowly moved gracefully. His breath caught and held.

It stopped, long pale hair almost glowing in the shadow before turning and merely glancing at him through misplaced strands of fur. Every bone in his body cried out, shadows ran before they merely passed on not sparing him another glance.

"What was that?" Rosette had been peeking over his shoulder. "Who was that?" She wondered about the figure who had just passed by, she couldn't make out a face but she was sure they were glaring at the demon.

"I... I don't know." His wings shivered. No... that couldn't be... that seriously couldn't be.

"I have to leave." Chronos muttered walking quickly out of the alleys.

"What... we have a mission in Caledon." Rosette yelled at him.

"Caledon, perfect." Chronos wrapped his arms around her waist and flew straight into the air ignoring her screams. If she was here... he would not.

2 comments:

  1. I've yet to meet Dr Steampunk, but I'll be sure to drop him a calling card the next time he's in town...

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  2. Dr. Steampunk is an ellusive creature that seems to dissappear everytime he is sought after.

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