Ascending the notches that made up a stairway, I reach the mage tower door. With a heavy exhale, I step out and instinctually glance up to where that bulbous sun was .
“Where was the sun?”
The words escape me as I blink twice with disbelief. A passing thought flickers in, reminding me of that odd mass hanging on the ceiling. I pick up a weird creak as my eyes dart around. Locking in on Pedro’s frozen form, I unsheathe my quarterstaff and approach slowly. Each step had a comfortable lightness to it. Was it all the dancing in that awful dream? Tick… Whirr, Pedro’s limbs suddenly bounce around, like a puppet on a string. Falling on his back, his head extends upside down, locking in on me, as his limbs contort into something akin to a bug.
A shrill escapes him as he lunges towards me like a feral beast. Flinching back in disgust, I furrow my brow as he leaps into the air, rotating and winding up a swing. Anticipating the attack, I raise my block early.
“Pah!”
The weight of the swing was unlike any other, like a sledgehammer shattering concrete. Sliding across the sandy ground, my arms wobble and ache as he strides forward like a curious cat. Stabilizing myself, I tap my feet on the cobblestone, readying my legs. Pushing off the ground, the air howls in my ear as I set up a sweep.
Beyond my expectations, Pedro also dashes in. Many estimations cross through my mind as I raise the quarterstaff up. Suddenly, I plant my legs on the ground and twist in for the swing. Wham! The strike connects as I smirk a bit. However, that did not stop him. Tanking the blow, he keeps moving forward. Stumbling back, I barely avoid a flickering jab as he grapples my shoulders and leaps up. I glance up as he extends a leg back, winding up to what I believe to be a thrust. Not letting that slide, I shift my weight and drop. We both crash onto the ground and roll away from each other.
Holding our stances, we glare at each other as many thoughts race my mind. How will he move? Will he react to my strike this time around? I furrow my brow as he advances with ghastly movements. What if I strike the ticking heart? A sudden realization washes over me as he swipes widely. Dodging the trajectory, I raise my guard in anticipation. Luckily, I was right as I felt the weight of a kick bouncing off my quarterstaff. narrowing my eyes, I stomp forward as I inhale deeply. Jabbing, I strike sharply at the metal chest and flinch back in pain.
“Tch tch tch…”
Noises escape through my teeth as blood runs down my knuckles. Wobbling back, I glance up to Pedro standing still, as if his heart suddenly skipped a beat. Out of nowhere, he suddenly starts twitching. It was as if the internal mechanisms were crying in pain. Flailing around aimlessly, Pedro reaches out as a odd voice escapes him,
“What… did you… do…”
Collapsing on the ground, his last words hang in the silent buzzing in the air. Grabbing my cloak off the ground, I head through the dilapidated gate and walk down the weathered stairs.
Descending the stairs, my mind reflects on the experiences that occurred. I look at my quivering hands as I recall the flowing river of Pedro’s techniques. It was quite the unique dance, combining swirling and crashing movements together.
“But in the end, he fell. That feral beast taking over his shell was not him”
I shake my head and visualize the techniques once more. One…Two… Three… The footwork flows through my head, and tangles in on itself. My mind tightens in irritation as the final step of the staircase greets me.
I walked along the road towards the dance floor and witnessed chaos. Mannequins were ripping each other apart like savage beasts lost between friend and foe. I could only pity them, knowing the mindless, meaningless life they’ve lived. Was it a gift to never know the feeling of dread, anger, and pain itself? Or was it a curse? I grip my beating heart and breathe my grievances away.
The road split into two paths. Glancing towards the horizon, I notice a faint glowing light like a setting sun fighting against the darkness.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
“What is that?”
A sense of curiosity tickles the back of my mind as I look down the other path. My ears pick up on unpleasant noises, mainly the clanging of metal and creaking of limbs. Rubbing my sore arms, I head towards the light
Faint chantings fill the air as a lonesome figure stands with his arms raised up to the sky. Cautiously approaching this individual, I peer past him to see a giant marble on the ground. Faint light slowly dimming away as a flailing mass rests beneath.
“I knew you’d come”
The peddler’s voice latches onto my ear as he continues his mumbled chanting.
“What… What even are you doing?”
I ask as he sets his arms down and turns around. His obnoxious, eerie grin directs itself at me as I gaze into the hollowness in his eyes. I shutter as he turns around and continues mumbling,
“For the world that forgot, for the world that remembered. Split between existences, I shall gather the unknown and known once more…”
He tosses a limb from his bag as it falls into the writhing bird’s nest of limbs.
Shouldn’t I stop this?
My mind wavers as I clench my jaw. Furrowing my brow, I remember the kinship in that dream.. That life of monotony, picking away at rocks and rubble, held something in my heart. Rubbing my feet into the sand, I close my eyes and inhale sharply.
“Stop this! They’ve suffered enough!”
I yell out to the Peddler as he lets out a laugh.
“I’m just fulfilling their purpose. Why does it matter to you, reborn to flesh and blood, about the fate of these things?”
I twitch at his callous words as he hangs his head low.
“We were made for this very purpose, to bring down a god!”
He raises his hands in the air as the ball of light pulsates wildly. Turning around, he points at me and laughs obnoxiously.
“Shall we dance, Clover?”
He steps forward as I raise my quarterstaff. My knuckles whiten as he tosses something towards me. Tick, tick, boom! The object explodes, sending dust flying into the surrounding darkness. Covering my face, I walk towards the light. Suddenly, a cold finger pokes at my cheek.
“Got you!”
His shadow looms over me as he waves giddily. I hop back and tumble on my landing, rolling beyond the smokescreen.
“Ha…”
My eyes catch his silhouette walking out of the smoke. Kicking his legs forward, He hunches a bit and shuffles around in his pockets.
“Hmm… this one will be fun!”
He pulls out an odd box with tendrils whipping against its sides. Hiss… The box opens as a bulbous inky mass drops to the ground, running into the light.
“That was not supposed to happen. Oh well, I guess?”
Shrugging he pulls out a comically large fan. Not sure what he is doing, I run in, winding up an attack. With a hefty swing, a sudden updraft howls forward. Ugh, I brace myself against the rushing sand. Squinting my eyes, I tumble to the side and catch my breath.
“You’ve ought to do better than that. With this amount of skill, how did you overcome the guardian of the tower?”
I frown at his taunts and get up from the ground. Closing my eyes, I listen to my racing heartbeat and take a deep breath.
1, 2, 3…
A cadence echoes in my head as my heartbeat begins to slow down. Holding a stance, I lean on my back leg and spring forward. Like a rushing river, I flow atop the sandy terrain with three light steps. Wham! My staff slams against… an invisible barrier?
“Wha?”
I pull back, and rotate into another strike. Clank, My attack lands right into his hand as he leans in, gazing into my eyes.
“Please, try again. Strike with more vigor next time”
He pushes me aside and tosses my staff on the floor.
“If it helps, Brace yourself!”
With a gleeful tone he raises the fan with both hands and swings. Whoosh! A roaring wind blasts the surrounding sand away as my cloak billows violently. Slowly, my feet float off the ground and I fly away. Flailing aimlessly, I tumble hard, getting a face load of sand.
Coughing, I spit out some sand and look around. Mannequins were mindlessly walking towards the peddler. Or were they walking towards the light? I shudder at the thought and walk with the herd. As we arrive together, the Peddler turns around and smiles at the crowd.
“Shall we begin, finally?”