WRONG EPOCHS - CHAPTER 3: STORM INCOME-ING
- "I SAID WAKE UP."
eighty two amberstone bells wakes up.
Who could be waking them up at this hour? Especially with such a tone of voice that signifies a high position in the hierarchy.
- "who's there?"
eighty two amberstone bells adjusts their vision to focus on who woke them up, but finds it difficult due to a sudden headache.
- "i approached you earlier and you said you were a fixperson."
- "yeah...? what about that has you entering my room uninvited?"
- "you weren't very convincing, you know. i decided to confirm that."
- "how would you do that?"
- "seems you haven't noticed what's around your head."
eighty two amberstone bells touches their head and they feel something like a metallic headband around it. They instantly recognise what it is.
- "you didn't..."
- "yes i did."
A Dream Reader. No wonder they have a headache. eighty two amberstone bells has been found out.
- "so you know, huh?"
- "i know that you work with the ups."
- "so what are you gonna do now?"
- "well, at least you weren't lying about being a fixperson. instead of just dealing with you right here on the spot, i think you might be a bit useful."
- "so what do you want me to do?"
- "your job."
Meanwhile, GRAND FIRE OVER SEVENTY FOUR GREEN PACKAGES the Fourth finishes their negotiation meeting with the Okrameslanonian Head Country Councillors.
- "I WILL NOT ALLOW SUCH SLANDER OF THE STARS OF HARTNEBALKIA, COUNCIL. IF YOU DO NOT TAKE THIS OFFER, WHICH IS IN YOUR FAVOUR, WE WILL HAVE NO CHOICE, BUT TO START A GREAT WAR."
The Council responds in unison.
- "SO IT SHALL BE, ENEMY. SO IT SHALL BE."
Enraged, GRAND FIRE OVER SEVENTY FOUR GREEN PACKAGES the Fourth leaves the building without any more words said. As they leave, they hear war bells being rung from the grand city. The further they get, the more cities they hear the bells from.
Far enough away, they sound like birds...
eighty two amberstone bells is currently fixing some issues with the control deck of a citizen hall in exchange for a small amount of fc and being allowed to live another day, while GRAND FIRE OVER SEVENTY FOUR GREEN PACKAGES the Fourth is flying back to Hartnebalkia to deliver the news from the meeting.
-"Wait... What's that?"
As the gilded hall floats between the continents, one of GRAND FIRE OVER SEVENTY FOUR GREEN PACKAGES the Fourth's Conductor's spots something on the ground below.
- "Hey, might've found something down there."
A couple more Conductors arrive, along with the Lead Conductor.
The Lead Conductor looks closer with their telescope. They see... No, it can't be...
- "There's someone down there...!"
All Conductors immediately get into position, as the Lead Conductor sprints to the Councillor to inform them.
- "Councillor! We found someone on the Scorched Wastes!"
- "...HOW ARE THEY ALIVE IN THE LANDS BELOW?"
- "I have no idea, but we plan to descend down to talk to them. Do we have your permission, Councillor?"
- "GO AHEAD."
The Lead Conductor runs back to give permission to descend.
Down below, hours in the past, someone is walking. Searching, perhaps? They stop to watch the gilded hall pass by, when they notice it stop moving forward.
- "...?"
They see it start descending.
- "!!"
They try to run away, to not be caught by the ups, but their wheel boots aren't fast enough. They are stopped by a barrier from the hall forming in front of them.
They pull out their weapons.
They hear footsteps on the ashen soil.
They turn to look at the person approaching them.
- "Hello? Who are you? Why are you down here?"
The Conductor stops speaking when they see who they were approaching.
They only got a brief glance, but it's enough to see what they look like.
They wear a scarf, tightly wrapped around their head, only showing the eyes. They have wheel boots, an expensive transportation device, unaffordable to filth underling. They wield a Conductor staff, an electric weapon used by Conductors for self defence, along with what looks like a laser cooker, disassembled and reassembled to work like a handheld laser gun. The marks, scratches and bloodstains on these weapons and their attire suggest they have been doing something else than self defence.
The Conductor that saw them backs away.
- "..."
- "Can you... talk?"
- "...?"
- "How... are you alive down here?"
- "..."
More Conductors arrive to see the surface dweller.
- "!!"
The strange figure gets frightened by the amount of people gathering in front of them and flicks a switch on their laser gun.
- "Hey, what are you-"
The Conductor's sentence and life is cut short by the powerful laser, along with every other Conductor that was watching. The Treader then heads to the hall.
- "all done. what else do you need me to do?"
eighty two amberstone bells finishes fixing the control panel.
- "that's all. you're free to go for now."
eighty two amberstone bells leaves to do another comission.
The Treader gets through the Conductors that were outside of the hall with no difficulty. As they enter, alarms go off and a signal is sent to Hartnebalkia to protect the endangered Councillor.
Back at the Hartnebalkian Head City Council building, the signal is recieved and groups are sent to the location of the Councillor.
- "SO IT IS WAR THEN."
- "SO IT IS."
- "SO IT IS."
- "what's that noise?"
- "..."
10/11/3122
ACT 1 FINISH