Chapter 3: A Slight Miscalculation
For the second time today, I awoke in an unfamiliar place. Truthfully, I was used to such circumstances – wandering aimlessly through the world in a drunken stupor was a time-honored tradition among warriors. But this was one of the few times when every inch of my body screamed in pain. I was laid upon a thick bush, staring mindlessly at the sky as I waited for the pain to recede. Every so often, I was entertained by a flash of light from above the clouds and the fall of an airship. I was grateful; such sights gave me something else to focus on.
“I imagine this marks the end of this experiment, Dear Brother…â€
“And here I thought it would work.â€
“You two again…†I tilt my head to source of the voices and my eyes narrow at the pair standing just out of arm’s reach.
“I imagine Mr. DeWitt will also fail at this point, as well.†The woman says apathetically. “The Guardian is quite a troublesome constant.â€
“Pity, I do grow weary of rowing,†the man continued. “Back to the boat, I suppose.â€
“Wait,†I demand, “I’m not dead yet.†To emphasize, I force myself up to a sitting position.
“You’re Lutece, right? That house I woke up in was called Lutece Labs.â€
“So the subject can speak and read alien languages without being aware of doing so. Quite fascinating.†He offers me a small parchment. I choke back a groan of pain and take it. It was of a strange Hyur-shaped machine and a giant beastman with wings on the back. I look up from the parchment only to curse – the pair vanished.
Next time, I’ll cripple them first.
Slowly, I drag myself off the bush and limp out of the courtyard.A fountain sat idle in the center and I used its waters to wash and dress my wounds. My major injuries were bruises and muscle sprains, but I received quite a few cuts from my fall through the foliage. The water was crisp and a few splashes revitalized me enough to ponder my next move.
With a simple glance, I realized I made it to my destination, albeit less graceful than I intended. I scanned the parchment once more and sighed heavily.
“Damn cryptic buffalo-shit! Just tell me what you want!†I hiss at the empty air, fairly sure the pair could hear me. The duo had a vested interest in my success, but they were among the most annoying employers I ever had.
And they were magical. That made things much worse.
After a few more minutes of brooding, I decided to simply walk up to the tower, parchment in hand. The ruins of an immense gate stood before me and I had to praise my good luck. As I strode into the monument, I whistled in appreciation. If anything, Colombia was beautiful – its citizens called it heaven. If not for the gigantic airship battle occurring overhead and the occasional scream of women being violated, I would be inclined to agree. I had no particular problem with either in my version of heaven, but I guess a majority of people would.
With a pained effort, I pushed open the double doors into the tower. The first thing I noticed were the machines and giant wires that lined the walls. The second thing I noticed was the trail of bodies – all riddled with bullet holes of varying shapes and sizes. Some even appeared burned or eaten alive.
I was still severely injured, so I scrounged around for supplies, eventually coming across a white bag full of medical equipment. I unfamiliar with the tools, but I recognized the sweet feeling of relief after applying some kind of ointment across my bruises and sprains. After only a few minutes, my aches and pains had vanished, although a quick test of my body said the wounds had yet to fully heal. I pocketed as much of the gauze as I could.
Then entire building shook and began to collapse. An inhuman shriek echoed from above and spurred me into action.
I sprinted through the building as debris collapsed around me, guided by the trail of bodies. I had no time to marvel at the giant magitech contraption as another screech resonated throughout the tower. An elevator sat waiting on the other side of the machine and I barreled into it, slamming on the button aptly labeled ‘push.’
As I ascended, I drew my sword – whatever was shrieking was large enough for me to hear it from the base of the tower. I readied myself to spring forward as the elevator began to slow. I could hear gunfire now – probably the ones who slew those men on the first floor. I closed my eyes to mentally prepare myself as the doors slid open.
“What-†A woman stared at me, her voice frantic and confused. Her gaze drifted to my sword, but my reaction time was faster. I snatched her arm before she could leap away.
“Elizabeth?!†An alarmed voice called out. I recognized it –the gunman from before. Thinking quickly, I pressed the button and pulled the girl against me, my sword set firmly against her jugular. I was gambling on her universal importance to the Vox Populi and Comstock. Confirming my suspicions, the gunman stopped in mid-stride as a line of blood trickled down her neck. His features were rough, scarred and hardened by death and war. It was obvious he was a man who carved his life through fire and adversity but when my blade flashed below the girl’s throat, I saw resignation overpower resolve. I smirked victoriously as the elevator doors closed and our descent began.
“Get away!†The girl squirmed but I held her fast.
“Stop struggling. It’ll be easier for both of us if you just do what I say.†I hiss into her ear.
“I said get away fro-“ The girl paused as the elevator rocked dangerously followed by another shriek. “Songbird...†She said, her voice a frightened whisper.
“Must be one big bird,†I comment dryly. She scowled at me. We soon arrived on the first floor and I pushed her forward, my sword still held lightly against her throat. “Move. That gunman came on an airship. It should still be docked.â€
“I’m not going ANYWHERE with you!†She snarled, glaring daggers at me from over her shoulder. I clicked my tongue in annoyance. When she turned her head to face me, she ran her own flesh against the edge of my sword, tracing a long line of red across her jugular. She was either extremely stupid or determined to die. The former I could deal with, but the latter was much more problematic.
“Blame Lutece,†I replied. Her eyes widened, but I didn’t want to risk my quarry escaping or killing her in a struggle, so I bashed her in the back of the head with a carefully placed elbow smash. She collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. With a sigh of relief, I hefted her over my shoulder and ran for the airship as the tower collapsed around me.
========================
“Damn you!†Booker bellowed, firing another clip into the behemoth’s chest as it charged forward at him. Like many times before, and countless times unknown, the attempt was futile. With no other option available to him, Booker barreled out of the tower as Songbird smashed through the walls once more.
The gunman managed to latch onto another skyline. After descending far enough, he disengaged from it, free-falling into Battleship Bay. He dove further and barely escaped Songbird’s gigantic hand as it swiped for his legs. The monster tried following him deeper into the water, but since it was built to soar through the sky, it could not withstand the water pressure. Both of its glass eyes cracked and shattered. Songbird recoiled in pain, clutching its face and peeling away from Booker to break for the surface.
For the second time today, I awoke in an unfamiliar place. Truthfully, I was used to such circumstances – wandering aimlessly through the world in a drunken stupor was a time-honored tradition among warriors. But this was one of the few times when every inch of my body screamed in pain. I was laid upon a thick bush, staring mindlessly at the sky as I waited for the pain to recede. Every so often, I was entertained by a flash of light from above the clouds and the fall of an airship. I was grateful; such sights gave me something else to focus on.
“I imagine this marks the end of this experiment, Dear Brother…â€
“And here I thought it would work.â€
“You two again…†I tilt my head to source of the voices and my eyes narrow at the pair standing just out of arm’s reach.
“I imagine Mr. DeWitt will also fail at this point, as well.†The woman says apathetically. “The Guardian is quite a troublesome constant.â€
“Pity, I do grow weary of rowing,†the man continued. “Back to the boat, I suppose.â€
“Wait,†I demand, “I’m not dead yet.†To emphasize, I force myself up to a sitting position.
“You’re Lutece, right? That house I woke up in was called Lutece Labs.â€
“So the subject can speak and read alien languages without being aware of doing so. Quite fascinating.†He offers me a small parchment. I choke back a groan of pain and take it. It was of a strange Hyur-shaped machine and a giant beastman with wings on the back. I look up from the parchment only to curse – the pair vanished.
Next time, I’ll cripple them first.
Slowly, I drag myself off the bush and limp out of the courtyard.A fountain sat idle in the center and I used its waters to wash and dress my wounds. My major injuries were bruises and muscle sprains, but I received quite a few cuts from my fall through the foliage. The water was crisp and a few splashes revitalized me enough to ponder my next move.
With a simple glance, I realized I made it to my destination, albeit less graceful than I intended. I scanned the parchment once more and sighed heavily.
“Damn cryptic buffalo-shit! Just tell me what you want!†I hiss at the empty air, fairly sure the pair could hear me. The duo had a vested interest in my success, but they were among the most annoying employers I ever had.
And they were magical. That made things much worse.
After a few more minutes of brooding, I decided to simply walk up to the tower, parchment in hand. The ruins of an immense gate stood before me and I had to praise my good luck. As I strode into the monument, I whistled in appreciation. If anything, Colombia was beautiful – its citizens called it heaven. If not for the gigantic airship battle occurring overhead and the occasional scream of women being violated, I would be inclined to agree. I had no particular problem with either in my version of heaven, but I guess a majority of people would.
With a pained effort, I pushed open the double doors into the tower. The first thing I noticed were the machines and giant wires that lined the walls. The second thing I noticed was the trail of bodies – all riddled with bullet holes of varying shapes and sizes. Some even appeared burned or eaten alive.
I was still severely injured, so I scrounged around for supplies, eventually coming across a white bag full of medical equipment. I unfamiliar with the tools, but I recognized the sweet feeling of relief after applying some kind of ointment across my bruises and sprains. After only a few minutes, my aches and pains had vanished, although a quick test of my body said the wounds had yet to fully heal. I pocketed as much of the gauze as I could.
Then entire building shook and began to collapse. An inhuman shriek echoed from above and spurred me into action.
I sprinted through the building as debris collapsed around me, guided by the trail of bodies. I had no time to marvel at the giant magitech contraption as another screech resonated throughout the tower. An elevator sat waiting on the other side of the machine and I barreled into it, slamming on the button aptly labeled ‘push.’
As I ascended, I drew my sword – whatever was shrieking was large enough for me to hear it from the base of the tower. I readied myself to spring forward as the elevator began to slow. I could hear gunfire now – probably the ones who slew those men on the first floor. I closed my eyes to mentally prepare myself as the doors slid open.
“What-†A woman stared at me, her voice frantic and confused. Her gaze drifted to my sword, but my reaction time was faster. I snatched her arm before she could leap away.
“Elizabeth?!†An alarmed voice called out. I recognized it –the gunman from before. Thinking quickly, I pressed the button and pulled the girl against me, my sword set firmly against her jugular. I was gambling on her universal importance to the Vox Populi and Comstock. Confirming my suspicions, the gunman stopped in mid-stride as a line of blood trickled down her neck. His features were rough, scarred and hardened by death and war. It was obvious he was a man who carved his life through fire and adversity but when my blade flashed below the girl’s throat, I saw resignation overpower resolve. I smirked victoriously as the elevator doors closed and our descent began.
“Get away!†The girl squirmed but I held her fast.
“Stop struggling. It’ll be easier for both of us if you just do what I say.†I hiss into her ear.
“I said get away fro-“ The girl paused as the elevator rocked dangerously followed by another shriek. “Songbird...†She said, her voice a frightened whisper.
“Must be one big bird,†I comment dryly. She scowled at me. We soon arrived on the first floor and I pushed her forward, my sword still held lightly against her throat. “Move. That gunman came on an airship. It should still be docked.â€
“I’m not going ANYWHERE with you!†She snarled, glaring daggers at me from over her shoulder. I clicked my tongue in annoyance. When she turned her head to face me, she ran her own flesh against the edge of my sword, tracing a long line of red across her jugular. She was either extremely stupid or determined to die. The former I could deal with, but the latter was much more problematic.
“Blame Lutece,†I replied. Her eyes widened, but I didn’t want to risk my quarry escaping or killing her in a struggle, so I bashed her in the back of the head with a carefully placed elbow smash. She collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. With a sigh of relief, I hefted her over my shoulder and ran for the airship as the tower collapsed around me.
========================
“Damn you!†Booker bellowed, firing another clip into the behemoth’s chest as it charged forward at him. Like many times before, and countless times unknown, the attempt was futile. With no other option available to him, Booker barreled out of the tower as Songbird smashed through the walls once more.
The gunman managed to latch onto another skyline. After descending far enough, he disengaged from it, free-falling into Battleship Bay. He dove further and barely escaped Songbird’s gigantic hand as it swiped for his legs. The monster tried following him deeper into the water, but since it was built to soar through the sky, it could not withstand the water pressure. Both of its glass eyes cracked and shattered. Songbird recoiled in pain, clutching its face and peeling away from Booker to break for the surface.
