It was the 8th of July, an important day for Sandra Larsen as she reached her 15th summer of being alive. Her uncle, Ken Larsen had decided to take her out of the city to celebrate, a surprise destination that he was sure she would like. And so they departed on a train leaving Freedom Square to a town south of Yggdra, known as Gold Ocean Hills.
Meanwhile, on the train that contained all manner of passengers from the animalistic lion-like Leonuns, to the more humanoid but fox-like Vulpines, to the rarer Elves. Ken was placing his and Sandra’s luggage on the overhead compartment while Sandra was seated, giddily kicking her feet over the surprise Ken had planned for her.
‘Okay, so you haven’t told me where we’re going, but you’re sure that I’ll love it?’ Sandra probed.
Ken grunted as he placed Sandra’s luggage behind his, and he responded as he shut the compartment door, ‘Yep, very sure you’d love it. It’s a real pretty place I got to pass through working a case last year. Anyway, move over a little.’
Ken took his seat next to his niece, a dark-skinned human girl with dark brown shoulder-length hair that messily formed fringes around her eyes, which accentuated her bright red pupils. Ken himself was human too, but far removed from Sandra in both blood and appearance. He was white, blond, and with ocean blue eyes that contrasted her ruby red. Their clothes were quite different too, with Sandra wearing a grey dress shirt stained in oil in some places under a pair of suspenders that connected over a lower back brace to her trousers. Ken himself wore a normal white shirt buttoned at the top, with a small scarf wrapped around his neck, all of which was under an open thick dark-blue trench coat. His shirt was tucked into his beige pants, which was noticeably cleaner than Sandra’s.
Ken took notice at Sandra’s attire. ‘Sandra. Are you wearing your shirt from the workshop?’
‘Umm, yeah. I didn’t have anything else.’
‘You forgot to do the laundry.’
‘Yeah…’
Ken merely sighed. He’s lived with the girl for five years now, and if he knew anything, it was that Sandra had a handful of interests, and if you told her to do something else, her mind had a magical way of blocking it from her own memory.
‘I’ll get off your back for now. Are the clothes you packed clean at least?’
‘Clean enough.’
Ken stifled a laugh, ‘Clean enough… Sure.’
Sandra leaned against the windowsill of the train as it powered through meadows of green and distant mountains. She touched the glass and felt the train’s infernal engine roaring and chugging along these country tracks, and for a moment, she sighed contentedly at the idea of riding this mechanical marvel for many more kilometres. Trains gave her a measure of peace for reasons she never truly parsed, infact, all machines did. That’s why she decided to become an apprentice for a Mr. Gabriel Vernon, a Leonun car mechanic. She spent hours, days, and weeks poring over diagrams of the inner anatomy of these machines, and obsessing over every function. She still remembered the reason why she started in the first place, a magazine that her uncle happened to own was lying on his coffee table. She was just visiting then, but she saw the magazine, and upon inspecting its contents, was immediately transfixed on the adverts of cars and other motorised vehicles talking about “horsepower”. She hoped that one day, she’ll attain her ultimate goal, working on an airship.
She was 6 back then, and it was a memory she cherished to this day.
‘Enjoying the view?’ Ken asked.
‘More the train.’
‘The train?’
‘Oh, I’d like to dissect this entire place and see how it works.’
‘I’d imagine it’s burning the coal.’
‘And then?’
‘And then…’ Ken trailed off and merely shrugged.
‘Right so, the coal and the engine are over at the front of the train, right? The coal is in a car known as the “tender”. It’s then shovelled out and p-’ Sandra proceeded to explain in explicit detail of how coal-powered steam engines worked to propel the train forwards. At some point, Ken noted that she had trailed off and began talking about rails instead and how they were constructed. When Ken pointed this out, Sandra merely apologised and returned to talking about the train. By the end of her lesson, Ken was leaned back into his seat smiling and nodding, but empty in the eyes like his soul had left.
‘I thought you said you wanted to see how it worked, as if you didn’t know.’
‘Well, yeah. Knowing something isn’t the same as seeing it for yourself.’
Ken laughed an exhausted laugh. ‘I suppose you’re right.’
Right as this conversation ended, the conductor entered the car and began to check everyone’s tickets. Ken pulled out his wallet to take out his and Sandra’s tickets, only for Sandra to pounce quicker than lightning, snatching it out of his hands.
‘Hey!’
Ken tried to reach back for it, but Sandra leaned her back against the window while raising her boot, threatening to dirty Ken’s coat. She began to read the ticket’s destination and right as she read the words upon them, it was as if the sun had shone on her face, causing her to brighten up. A smile crept its way to her and she bursted.
‘You’re bringing me to the Gold Ocean Mechanical Carnival!?’
‘It was supposed to be a surprise.’ Ken huffed annoyed.
‘You’re the best, Uncle Ken!’ She exclaimed, leaping at him to hold him in an embrace.
Ken just sat idly as his niece hugged him. A couple of seconds passed and he held her back, smiling.
‘I hope you’ll enjoy it, kiddo.’
‘I will.’
‘Now would you give me the tickets back? The conductor’s right there’ He said, pointing over at the conductor standing by, politely staring at the two.
Soon enough, the train stopped at Gold Ocean Hills, and many passengers began to step off of the train, including Sandra and Ken, who for a moment, stopped to help an older Vulpine lady with her luggage that had gotten stuck between the train and the platform. Afterwards, they were off to visit the town proper.
It was a small and cosy town. Surrounded by fields of wheat, maize, tomatoes, and other produce, people flocked to that spot to collect water for irrigation as it was the spot where a river flowed through. Farmers and merchants began selling their goods to ferrymen going up and downstream, and soon enough, a town was built. As such, it became a prime spot for a train station to be built, making an easy access to transportation for the people of the town to bring their produce. Many other towns were built through the same manner, and so many towns looked like Gold Ocean, but this one was simultaneously special and cursed, at least to Sandra.
As Ken and Sandra left the train station, Ken saw Sandra leaning against a railing between parallel staircases that lead down further into the town. Sandra was hunched over, a hand supporting her chin as she stared off into the township, reminiscing past memories. Ken approached the daydreamer and stood beside her, letting his hands rest on the railing.
‘Missed this place?’
‘Yeah.’
They stood by, soaking in the sights and sounds, allowing the world to move while they stayed still just for a moment. It was daytime, and Sandra could see all the lingering memories lit up in broad daylight, the days she ran around the fountain in the square with a childhood friend of hers, some adults maddened at the sight of children experiencing loud but simple joy, and telling them off. She also recalled when her father took her to the “Shaven Sheep”, a restaurant that was fancy in the eyes of a girl who grew up in the countryside. They’d serve primarily fresh fish taken from the river and fried or steamed and seasoned with a variety of herbs and spices, and garnished with home-grown vegetables, allowing a flood of great flavour to grace the tongues of patrons starved by a long day of hard work or travel. She always felt like a princess when being served by the dedicated wait staff and kitchen, and her stomach grumbled at the memory of their cuisine.
‘Uncle Ken?’
‘Would you like to eat lunch soon?’
‘More like right now.’
Sandra looked toward the direction of the Shaven Sheep, and pointed it out with a glimmer in her eye. ‘Let’s go there!’
___
After a long day of exploration along with a quick check-in at a local inn, the two had dropped off their luggage in their room and then decided to head out for one last foray, the Mechanical Carnival. By this point, enough time had passed that the sun had once again left to allow the night to take over in governing the sky, and the streets covered in sunlight slowly regained a yellow hue as the streetlamps began to turn on one by one in defiance to the dark, and so the town maintained a way to live up to the name even in the night. But even the lamps were not enough when compared to the lights off in the distance. Going past the main square of town, taking a left at the roundabout path with the fountain in the middle, Sandra and Ken saw bright lights like stars come to build a kingdom upon the earth. It was there that stood a gate swung wide open, allowing crowds of people inside. It was the entrance to the outdoor Mechanical Carnival.
Sandra and Ken soon found themselves within that sea of people being corralled inside, and as they entered, Sandra was entranced by the sights of many exhibits that showed all sorts of man-made wonders, the finest metalwork displayed via sculptures of folkloric heroes of times long past, a stall showing the latest developments in prosthetic limbs, a shop selling metallic masks carved inch by perfect inch, and far behind all of these, at the very edge of the premises that hosted the event, rising far above the rest with its gargantuan size, a real behemoth-type airship, the airship exhibit.
Ken quickly tapped Sandra on her shoulder. ‘Kid, I think I’ll stick around here at the prosthetics section. You go explore this place, and I’ll meet you back by the entrance in an hour.’
‘Sure.’
Sandra soon found herself wandering to the direction of the airship, lured by a promise of studying the interior of a real-life airship, but as soon as she was about to enter, a hand reached out in front of her face, stopping her dead in her tracks. She looked at the man holding out the hand and saw a humanoid man with dragonic features known as a Dratshi.
‘Stop. This exhibit is not available to the general public. Special invite only.’
Sandra felt her heart drop. ‘B-but.’
‘No buts. No pass, No entry.’
Sandra leaned over and peeked at the entryway of the airship. She was so close, the hangar bay door was open, but she wouldn’t get to see it. What rotten luck, She thought. And as she turned around to face the rest of the Carnival, a light voice rang out.
‘Wait! That one’s with me.’
Sandra’s face lit up with recognition. She turned around to look at the appearance of an old friend of hers, the one she’d play with all those years ago, a Leonun boy with white fur and a mane that was beginning to grow in. She called out to him. ‘Evander?’
‘Sandra!’
Evander ran up to her and gave her a tight hug, raising her in the air and laughing all the while. ‘Oh, what luck! What are you doing here, old friend.’
‘I might ask you the same thing!’
‘I’m working on the airship exhibit.’
‘Seriously!? You’re kidding.’
‘Nope. And I get to bring a guest in. I was so busy that I didn’t get around to inviting anyone yet though, but since you’re here, you’re the guest now! Happy birthday!’
‘Seriously!?’
‘Seriously!’
‘Seriously?’
Evander paused, still smiling at his friend. ‘...Seriously.’
Sandra turned her head toward the entrance and the bouncer who stepped aside upon seeing her stare into the exhibit.
‘This is the best birthday ever.’
Evander placed her down and proceeded to take her by the hand into the exhibit. It’s there that Sandra bore witness to magnificent artefacts in glass displays far more ancient than they could fathom. They were magical constructs from a time long past that could still fill out their functions to this day, a pure opaline orb which remained floating in place within its stand without an external force forcing it there, a white cube made of smaller cubes so perfectly aligned that it could shift into different shapes and colours but you would see no line separating each cube, a one-sided marble blade with a red metal hilt and engraved golden handle that was said to be able to cleave a rip through reality. They were unscathed with not a single blemish, crack, or scratch upon them despite their age.
‘Cool.’ Commented Sandra.
‘I know that tone. You don’t actually care that much.’ Evander stated plainly.
‘I mean. It’s cool.’ Sandra said stepping away from the displays further into the exhibit, ‘but the Dawnites really didn’t have to eliminate the guts out of their technology. I wanna see pipes and wires! I wanna see the veins of technology come to life!’
Evander followed along with his hands behind his back. ‘I figured you might say that. So I decided I might show you-’
‘The airship engine?’ Sandra interjected.
‘Umm, sorry. This is a real functional airship, so the boss wouldn’t want anyone to touch the engine block.’
‘Aww come on! Can I at least see the control panel?’
‘I think that would be worse. Someone would think you were trying to steal the ship.’
‘But I wanna see airship guuuuts…’
Evander merely placed a hand on her head and gave her hair a good rub. ‘I know. But these guys hired me, and if I perform well enough, I might get into the Yggdran Magus Academy.’
Sandra furrowed a brow at his words. ‘Magus Academy?’
‘Yep. Now, I know you hate school, but I really wanna learn all I can to-’
‘I go to the Magus Academy.’ Stated Sandra who beamed at the realisation.
Evander went wide-eyed and slack-jawed. ‘Seriously!? You never told me that in your letters!’
‘I said I was attending an arcane institute.’ She calmly said.
‘Not the goddamn Yggdran Magus Academy! Pardon my language. How did you get in!?’
Sandra paused and looked away, ‘Oh umm. I suppose I did do a special little thing.’
Evander held her by the shoulders and gave her a piercing glare. ‘You are telling me.’
‘...Sure.’
‘But I wanna bring you somewhere cool.’
‘This isn’t cool?’
‘It is, but is it as cool as a mechanical dragon?’
Sandra paused as she processed what he had said. ‘A what?’ She said with an excited smile.
‘It’s a project of our group. We’re all trying to get into the academy this way, but we’ve recently reached a bit of trouble with the fire-breathing apparatus.’
‘IT BREATHES FIRE!? You’re shittin’ me.’
‘Not yet, we’re fixing it!’ He corrected, and then paused. ‘Also, please don’t swear. My mom might be in the crowd to see it get unveiled tomorrow.’
‘You’re showing me.’
‘I knew you’d bite. Come on.’
As the two left for elsewhere, it was just then that one of the airship’s door’s vault-handles began to twist, swinging open to reveal a crew of three shady men.
One of the men, a human red-head with a chipped tooth began to speak. ‘Those kids took so damn long, I got a stiff-neck hiding in there.’
One of the other men, a shorter Leporid with long rabbit-like ears and a gaunt stature, spoke back with a lisp as a tongue slid against his buck teeth, ‘W-when is S-Skalla and Duke g-gonna be done with the f-fuel?’
The last of the three men, the tallest among them, a Dratshi man with a strong appearance that matched his demeanour. ‘Skalla and Duke will be done when they’re done. As for now, we need to make sure the path to the control room is clear. Don’t forget the backup plan if things go wrong.’
‘Yes sir!’ ‘Y-yes sir!’ The other two said in unison.
___
Ken walked into a tent within the prosthetic exhibit. Within it lay dozens upon dozens of prosthetic limbs of various functions, forms and materials. Shelves were stocked with metal and porcelain-like legs and arms and attachments like hammers, pliers, and machetes. Other people were in the store too, perusing the wares on display, and Ken took note of a Vulpine lady with red hair standing with an older wolf-like Lupine man with a grey mane of fur. He walked past all the shelves and went straight for the counter where a lizard-like Siyokoian woman with auburn scales stood with a bronze left arm. Ken then greeted her. ‘Howdy. Quite the collection you got.’
The Siyokoian, thick with a southern accent, greeted him back, but with a slight sharpness to her tongue. ‘Ohoho, city folk coming in saying “howdy”. Should I be honoured or offended?’
Ken merely smiled, barely stopping his brow from twitching. ‘Yep. That’s me. I am city folk.’
‘So, what’re you in here for, Mr. City Folk? You lookin’ to replace a lost limb? Do some repairs?’
‘Actually, I’m hoping to just get some oil.’
‘Got a mechanic at home I take it?’
‘Yeah. She’s real talented. I actually brought her here for her birthday, but she’s gone off to the airship exhibit.’
‘Ah, tell her “happy birthday” from me.’
She paused for a moment and raised a few fingers to her chin. ‘Wait. The airship exhibit’s closed off for public visitors?’
‘Really?’
‘Yep. I think some rich guy’s just landed it here to show off to a couple of friends in town.’
‘Equally rich friends I take it?’
‘The Mortimer Agricultural Company actually.’
Ken sighed. ‘Seriously?’
‘Don’t like them?’
‘Don’t like their practices.’
The Siyokoian laughed. ‘I didn’t realise you were so aware.’
Ken talked back in a playful fake offended tone. ‘Well, of course I’m well aware. They’re one of the major suppliers of produce to the city and they’re strong-arming farmers to selling their crops for dirt cheap. People can’t live off of dirt cheap.’
‘I apologise.’ She said, smiling back at him. ‘I mistook you for just another cute city kid who lived a cushy life. Now, I’m starting to like you.’
It was then that the two other people in the tent exited, and Ken had a glint in his eye. ‘Is that so?’
‘Usually, city folk come by here only cause their car broke down, or they leave the train on the wrong station. The only other explanation is they got family here.’
‘Apart from a carnival of course.’
‘Of course, but between a carnival out in the countryside and staying within city premises, folks really don’t feel like leaving the city. You’d need to be someone who gives a damn about magic, machinery, or have business with some locals here.’
‘Like how Mortimer does?’
‘Correct. The company’s one of the sponsors as a result. Other sponsors are also on the lookout for smart young minds like the Magus Academy.’
‘I see. So what’s the airship for?’
As Ken mentioned the airship, her demeanour changed as she slightly slumped over the table. ‘Like I said, it’s just for show. The guy who had it brought here is having folks from Mortimer, Magus Academy and other company just to show off. You’d think they’d do some sort of air-show, but instead, they’ve suctioned out the fuel to keep it from flying, and now it’s just grounded there.’
Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.
‘Quite a waste.’
‘Yeah, but rich folk like wasting.’
‘Can’t argue with that.’
He then looked around, and upon seeing the tent to be empty for the moment, he placed a hand on the counter and leaned in. ‘Maybe, we could talk more about “entertainment” after the carnival dies down a bit.’
Her ears perked up. She then stared at Ken who sported a slight smirk at the corner of his mouth. Clearing her throat, she spoke. ‘What would you mean by that?’
Ken shifted in response, looking away and tilting his head before darting his eyes back at her. ‘I mean, we could enjoy a quiet evening together talking more about business and… Stuff. But I also have a prosthetic that I’ve been meaning to have looked at, and I’m here for a couple of days.’
‘Did you come here with your mechanic?’ She smirked, ‘what would she think?’
‘I came here with my niece.’
‘Your mechanic is your niece?’
Ken’s face shifted from having a flirty look, to being completely relaxed. ‘Yeah. She’s real smart.’
The Siyokoian released some tension in her body that she didn’t realise she was holding until now. ‘Then maybe you should let your niece know that the airship’s closed, but tell her there’s a whole bunch of other exhibits she can look around. And then, maybe, you could return here, and I’ll show you around inside my workshop.’
Ken had her. He smiled satisfied and began to leave. ‘I’ll be sure to tell you how it goes.’
‘Yeah yeah.’ She responded then muttered, ‘you big flirt.’
Making his way to the airship, Ken practically skipped as he thought about making his way back to the Siyokoian woman. What was her name again? He asked himself, but decided that he’d ask after he got his prosthetic serviced. After making it about halfway to the airship, he took notice of the two other customers who were in the tent with him. They walked off the main path between two tents, and after passing by, they then made their way to what was a cargo truck with jerrycans stacked in the back. Ken saw everything occurring and something in him felt odd. He decided, however, that he should brush it off for the moment and continued further in.
And that was when he took note of his niece walking alongside a Leonun boy. Sandra saw him in returned and began pulling Evander toward him.
‘Ken!’ She beckoned. ‘Guess who I found!’
‘Oh hey, kiddo.’ Ken greeted, ‘you’re Evander right? Evander King?’
Evander gave him a warm smile and politely spoke. ‘Yes, sir. I’m Sandra’s friend.’
‘Sir?’ Ken laughed, ‘now that’s a formality I haven’t had in a while.’
‘Just how I was raised, sir.’
‘Then you were raised well, but I’m alright with just Ken.’
‘No can do.’ Evander responded back, ‘The best I can do is “Mr. Larsen”.’
‘Alright.’
Ken leaned in nearer to Sandra. ‘Uhh, kid, I was gonna tell you that the airship was closed.’
‘Yeah, I know.’ Sandra said beaming, ‘but Evander was actually working for the guy who owns the ship, and he brought me in as a special invite.’
‘Is that so.’
Just then, to his right, Ken once again saw the truck, this time making its way toward the airship. He furrowed his brow, giving Sandra a slight worry.
‘I know that look.’ Sandra gathered his attention, ‘Is there something wrong?’
‘Oh um. I suppose I just feel a little odd.’ He stated back, ‘I feel as if I should be headed over to the airship. Just a hunch is all.’
Evander raised his voice in return ‘Oh no. You can’t do that. They won’t let you in.’
‘I know. I’ll just be looking around the outside.’
Sandra huddled close to Evander and whispered into his ear, ‘He’s got this crazy good detective sense. It’s like his instincts just scream at him sometimes, and you can tell when it happens ‘cause his eyes get all serious.’
‘Woah that’s so c-’ He paused as his thoughts began to race. ‘Wait, if there’s something wrong with the airship, I’d need to be there.’
Ken looked at the boy and his niece and made a decision. ‘No. If it is something bad, then you should stay out of it.’
He pushed back against his words, ‘No. If there’s something bad, you’d need me to get inside to check.’
Evander then shot a glance at Sandra. ‘Sandra, I told you were the Iron Dragon was. Could you go there and tell the boys there might be something going on at the airship?’
Sandra nodded. ‘Got it.’
‘Wait.’ Ken interrupted. ‘Be on the lookout for a red-headed Vulpine lady and an older grey-maned Lupine man. Just in case they go your way.’
She nodded, and she was off.
‘Alright, Evander.’ Ken said. ‘Lead the way.’
The two left for the airship, and on the way there, Evander took a pair of white gloves in his pocket and began to wear them. Ken looked puzzled at first, then noticed the intricate white circular markings and lines carved into the gloves. ‘Runic gloves?’
‘Yep,’ Evander confirmed, ‘and why’d you feel like there was something wrong in the first place?’
‘I heard the airship was drained of fuel, but I noticed two people driving a truck full of jerrycans toward it.’
‘Tsk. You think they’re trying to steal the whole airship?’
‘Not sure, but we can make sure nothing funny goes on.’
Soon enough, the two reached the front of the airship, but with no sight of the truck. Evander briefly stopped Ken and imparted some information. ‘Mr. Larsen, the airship’s fuel port is around at the back. If the truck went anywhere, it’s there.’
‘I’ll head there. You go ahead and ask the guard up front to check inside.’
And so, Ken bolted around the side of the airship toward a clearing where he noticed the pair of customers that were with him earlier pouring jerrycans full of a clear liquid into a funnel leading into the airship’s fuel port. Beside them was the truck they drove there with. Ken ran silently toward the side of the truck, only to slip ever so slightly upon the moist grass beneath him, allowing the two to notice him.
In the moments that followed, the Vulpine lady whipped out a pistol and fired a round in his direction before he managed to slip behind the truck. She then leaned her head, signalling to her imposing Lupine companion to begin circling around the back of the truck. She, in turn, circled by the front side, only to find Ken missing upon reaching there. The two began to investigate the immediate surroundings with the Lupine searching the cargo of the truck, scraping a metallic claw that was initially hidden underneath his cloak against the body of the truck, while the vulpine stared off into the rest of the open field behind the airship in front of the driver-side door. The Lupine then saw the ever subtle glint of blonde hair barely poking past the bottom of the back-window of the truck.
‘He’s in the truck!’ He exclaimed.
*SLAM*
Right as the Vulpine turned around to face him, the driver-side door swung fast and hard against her face, launching her and her pistol into the cool grass. The Lupine, upon seeing this, growled and ran toward the door, tearing it open with great ferocity. Ken, however, kicked through the back window with a surprisingly strong force and began to climb through, only for the Lupine gain a grasp on his right leg.
*CRAACCKKK*
His left foot landed hard upon the sensitive nose of the Lupine, causing a resounding crack to ring through the air and sending the Lupine back.
‘Gun… The lady had a gun’, Ken thought in his eerily calm mind.
The Lupine growled louder than before, then shouted into the night air ‘ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!’
With a single slash of his metallic claws, the back windowpane of the truck along with a couple of jerrycans were utterly obliterated with a claw mark going through them, spewing metal and fuel all over.
Meanwhile, Ken stood upon the edge of the back, holding a silver object in his hand. The Lupine man’s gaze focused in on it, and upon realising what the object was, began to panic. ‘Y-You wouldn’t DARE!’
Ken held a silver lighter in his hand. ‘I was gonna go for the gun,’ he confessed, ‘but this is even better.’
‘AaaaAAAAAHHHH-’
‘Run, wolfie.’ Ken said, tossing the lighter high into the air, allowing him enough time to run away.
*BOOM*
And as the resounding explosion sent shock-waves that reverberated throughout the carnival, Ken stood from the grass he dove into, noticing a giant piece of shrapnel lodged into his left shin. He merely sighed and pulled it out, revealing through his tattered pant leg, a metallic piece of prosthetic fused to a joint that was in turn fused with a big ring of metal that wrapped around the end of his thigh. ‘Damnit. Sandra’s gonna kill me.’
However, as he was about to walk off, a Lupine figure rose from the front of the now burning truck, and the Vulpine lady cocked the pistol aimed to Ken’s head, eager to spill his brain matter.
Ken merely smirked as he raised his hands. ‘You should know I wasn’t trying to kill you.’
The Vulpine, furious and with venom in her voice, spat back, ‘I’m gonna enjoy this, you son of a-’
‘ah-ah. You hear those sirens?’
Her fox-ears perked upward, reacting to the noise of distant police sirens. ‘Shit!’
And she began to run. The Lupine however, stayed briefly, ‘but what about this asshole!’
The Vulpine ran and merely screamed, ‘If you want to spend life in jail, go ahead!’
The Lupine looked at Ken who smiled back at him. With no other choice, he left, grunting all the while.
Ken looked back at the airship as brushed away a trickle of blood pouring from his head, and before he could concern himself with it, he began to walk toward the entrance of the airship. ‘I better check on the kid.’
___
A short while back before the explosion, as Evander entered into the airship with the guard in tow, they ran throughout the premises noticing that not a single artefact was touched or shifted. The Dratshi guard ran back to Evander. ‘Evander, there’s nothing out of place. I’m sure nothing bad’s going on.’
Evander grimaced. ‘I was part of the guard detail hired for this place.’
‘I know, but-’
Evander stared at him with a determined look. ‘I’m not resting until I know nothing’s wrong. I’m going to be a little more thorough.’ He stated, walking off.
‘Where are you going, kid?’
‘I’m off to the upper deck, then the control bridge.’
However, as Evander ran toward the doorway heading further into the airship, a cold sharp sensation rested upon the side of his neck. A blade was now hovering above his right shoulder next to his throat
The Dratshi sighed, ‘I’m sorry, kid. But I’m not gonna let you take another step.’
‘You’re part of this!?’
‘My little brother’s not doing too well these days. You know this. And the shipping company’s not paying us like they used to.
Just then, a gunshot rang out, causing a rise in Evander’s pulse. The detective might’ve been killed all because he got wrapped up in this business he should have had control over. His eyes were wide open as the Dratshi spoke. ‘I’m sorry about your friend, but he shouldn’t have gotten involved.
Enraged deep within, Evander was tempted to lash out, but decided to calm himself. A panicked mind was one to make mistakes, and he was going to keep his cool. He slowly placed a finger touching the blade. ‘Mr. Forester, we trusted you.’
‘And my brother’s counting on me.’
Ever so subtly, the runes upon his gloves began to glow blue, but he hid it barely out of sight of the Dratshi with his shoulder. He continued, ‘you know what this job means to me, right? What it means for our entire team.’
‘It’s not worth more than my brother’s life.’
‘So now you get to play with life itself? Have your friends kill a detective just trying to bring some peace and justice into the world!?’ He interrogated him as the room got just a little bit cooler.
The Dratshi scowled. ‘...I’m just doing this to save my brother.’
‘You should have relied on us. Asked us for money or extra work. We’re a community!’ Evander turned his head to his side, his piercing glare now matching the ice-cold temperature of the room as his breath condensed around his words sharpened to a spear’s point. ‘And now, you’ve gone too far to turn back.’
The Dratshi man began to panic as he noticed that the sword he held to his neck was now frozen solid with a block of ice at its tip, dulling the edge and turning it so heavy at the end that he couldn’t stop himself from dropping it.
Evander turned to fully face him. ‘Did you even bother to think about anything else?’
‘S-stay back!’
‘Did you even think about what your brother would think!?’ He began to walk closer to him.
‘I said stay back!’
‘Your brother only has you left after the war, and you decided to throw it away because you were too prideful to ask for help!’
‘Please.’ The Dratshi pleaded, dropping to his knees.
‘We were your friends. Your comrades. We promised to help each other through thick or thin, but you wanted to take the easy way out.’
‘I just wanted to-’
‘Save your excuses.’ Commanded a rageful Evander now standing above him. He stared him down as he was reduced to a puddle of tears, unable to reconcile his actions with desire to save his brother. Evander spoke once more. ‘Save it. Just turn yourself in.’
Just then, a shock-wave shook the two of them, throwing Evander off balance. He nearly fell to the floor, but managed to catch himself using a pedestal of one of the artefact displays. However, as the Dratshi saw Evander tossed back, he stood and ran right as the earthquake ended. Evander yelled. ‘FORESTER!’ But he didn’t bother to chase him down. The local police were probably on their way now, judging by how loud the explosion was. Instead, he braced himself and started walking toward the ship’s control panel.
‘What the hell was that!?’ Exclaimed a red-headed human.
‘Oh no. An EXPLOSION!’ A rabbit-like Leporid man shouted back. ‘We’re GONNA DI-’
The slap hit hard and loudly from their tall Dratshi leader. ‘I don’t know what the hell that gunshot or explosion was, but we’re going to steal this airship no matter what!’
‘y-yyeeess sirrr.’ The Leporid pathetically responded.
‘Silus!’
‘Yes sir!’ The red-head responded.
‘Go check on it!’
‘Yes sir!’
‘He won’t be checking on anything!’ A young voice echoed through the metallic walls of the airship. Right at the opened vault door entrance stood Evander.
The human tried to run toward him, but Evander slammed the door shut and with his glowing runic gloves, froze the entire door shut.
‘OH NO! WE’RE LOCKED IN! NOW WE’RE DEFINITELY GONNA D-’ The second slap to the screaming Leporid’s head was louder than the previous one.
‘Shut up!’ The leader spoke. ‘That stupid kid might have locked us in, but he hasn’t realised that we’ve already hijacked the panel, and there’s already enough fuel to at least get us far enough away to our escape vehicle!’
‘Shame about the airship though.’ The human lamented.
‘Now let’s power the ship!’ He yelled as he flipped the lever, starting the ignition. As the airship began to whirr all around them, he grinned.
But that happiness was short lived. The human called out. ‘Sir! The fuel gauge is lowering!’
‘What!? What the hell is happening!?’
As the three of them leaned over to look through the front window of the control bridge, they saw a grinning Evander standing right next to a gigantic shard of ice that was sticking to the side of the airship, freezing the area where the fuel would be. Even though Evander knew they couldn’t hear them, he couldn’t help but announce to them, ‘There’s an important ingredient to using fuel, you dummies! That’s ignition! And without heat, there is no ignition, and therefore no flying!’
And so the three criminals in the control bridge fell unto the floor utterly defeated.
___
Elsewhere, a Vulpine and a Lupine were running past crowds of concerned people who started to crowd around the plume of fire and smoke rising into the night sky.
‘This way. I can see the exit to this damn carnival!’ The vulpine blurted, and the two ran toward it.
However, right then, a sight straight out of a legend rose from a large tent ahead of them to the right. A dragon ripped through the tent roof, breathing fire into the sky, stopping them in their tracks.
The Lupine skidded to a halt. ‘A Goddamn dragon!?’
Only it wasn’t just a dragon, it was a dragon of pure metal scales with oval eyes shining out spotlights which then pointed straight at him.
A deep voice boomed from it ‘Stop right there, you foolish mortal. Stop or be burnt to ashes from my flame!’
The Lupine, scared out of his wits, looked to the Vulpine saying ‘W-what should we do?’, only to find that the Vulpine had already left him behind. Upon realising that his friend had abandoned him, he simply got down on the ground with his hands on his head begging for mercy.
The Vulpine now ran into the town proper, but as she ran through the straight road, a girl stood far far behind her wearing white gloves that glowed golden. The girl, Sandra, pointed two fingers pinched together resembling a gun.
‘God, I hope Uncle Ken doesn’t find out I brought my gloves. He’s gonna get so mad if I pass out again.’ She muttered to herself. ‘Okay, just like he taught you. Lightning has no recoil, so I won’t have to brace myself like I did when I was training with his revolver.’
Sandra pointed her fingers toward the direction of the fleeing Vulpine. ‘Breathe, Sandra.’
The Vulpine was now even further away. She was fast. ‘Control your heart. And don’t brace.’
She was so fast that even if Sandra decided to run after her instead of using her magic, she wouldn’t have caught up. ‘Fire on the exhale, and don’t forget-’
And so, despite the unique disadvantage Sandra had with magic, she knew this was the only way to do it. After all, nothing was faster than light.
‘Don’t brace on the-’
Sandra exhaled.
‘-Release.’
A flash of golden light, then roaring thunder. In a fraction of a fraction of a second, lightning shot its way through the streets of her home town, arcing wildly as it swiftly approached the Vulpine. All the Vulpine knew was that her eyes were suddenly adjusting to the sudden appearance of a golden light, and then she was hit with an electric force that sent her crashing to the ground.
The Vulpine then woke up from the sheer shock to her system, and tried to stand up, only for a handful of officers to have already surrounded her.
‘HANDS IN THE AIR!’
Meanwhile, Sandra watched, satisfied as the police surrounded her. She began to walk back toward the carnival, noting something important for her. ‘Hey, I didn’t faint this time.’
However, right as the words left her mouth, blood began to flow out of her left nostril. ‘Ah, nope. There’s the blood.’ And she was out cold.
___
Sandra’s eyes shot open only to see blinding white light and a three-pronged spinning mass. As her vision adjusted, she recognised the mass as a ceiling fan, and the light itself as daylight streaming through a bedside window, the heat of it tickling her eyelids, and the sunlight illuminating her ruby eyes. She sat herself upright, yawned, and placed her palm to her face, only to notice that she’s wearing a hospital gown with a bandage over her right arm. Right then, a doctor opened a door to her right and her face lit up. ‘Oh, you’re awake, Miss Larsen. I recall it was your birthday yesterday, so I want to wish you a late happy birthday, even if the circumstances aren’t so positive.’
Sandra stared at the doctor, an older male brown-haired Elf who Sandra recognised but couldn’t quite recall the name of. ‘Thanks, umm. Shoot. I don’t think I remember your name.’
‘Oh, then it appears I should get you tested for any brain injuries.’
‘Ah, umm.’
‘I’m just kidding. I’ve only served you a couple times before when you were much younger, so I don’t expect you to remember me just like that.’
‘Ah. I’m sorry.’
‘It’s more than fine. Now, do you recall who the current president is?’
‘President Lake Preston.’
The doctor placed a tray full of food on a table next to Sandra. ‘Good, and what’s your full name?’
‘Sandra Valentini Larsen.’
‘Good, and do you remember what happened last night?’
‘I-’
The memories flooded back to her all at once, crashing like a tidal wave.
‘Shit, where’s Uncle Ken.’
‘Speak of the devil and he shall appear.’ Said a voice from the doorway. It was Ken, now holding a crutch under his left arm along with a bandage wrapped around his head. ‘That was a hell of a trick you and those boys pulled with that dragon. Me and Evander could see it from the deck of the airship.’
‘Uncle Ken!’ Sandra exclaimed as she ran to Ken, enveloping him in an embrace. ‘Oh, I’m so glad you’re okay.’
‘Of course. It’s not my first scrape with danger, and it ain’t gonna be the last.’ Ken paused and inspected Sandra’s face, ‘now what about you? Are you whole?’
‘Yeah, of course. Just scrapped my arm a bit, but it’s fine.’
‘How’d it happen?’
Sandra scratched the back of her head and looked downward, away from Ken’s eyes. ‘Well y’see… I kinda maybe brought my gloves and shot lightnING- WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!?’
Sandra swiftly lowered herself to see a massive hole pierced straight through the metallic shin of Ken’s prosthetic leg, exposing wiring, gears, and other parts. ‘Y-your leg…’
‘I’m surprised you didn’t see it right as I entered.’ Ken muttered, only to find Sandra giving a deathly stare from below. ‘W-well, hey now. You shot lightning, when I specifically told you not to…’
Sandra was immensely angry. None of Ken’s words were reaching her ears, and the only thing on her mind was the destroyed prosthetic. ‘DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH WIRING YOU TORE THROUGH!?’
‘Sandra…’
‘This was STATE OF THE ART! I WOULD KNOW, I MADE IT!’
‘Sandra, please…’
‘BACK DURING THE WAR, THEY HAD TO RELY ON MAGIC TO MAKE THESE MOVE, BUT THE MOMENT THEY STARTED FUSING NERVES TO WIRES, IT WAS AN EXCITING TIME!!’
‘Sandra, I’m sorry…’
‘Do you have ANY idea how much wires that can connect to the NERVOUS SYSTEM COST!? Not to mention, the amount of effort I went through to make this new stuff WORK for you!’
‘L-let me make it up to you with some good news.’
‘WHAT could POSSIBLY be GOOD ENOUGH news that would MAKE me forget about you DESTROYING the prosthetic leg I DESIGNED for you… ON MY BIRTHDAY!?’
‘Evander says they’re letting you help with the airship repairs since you repaired the dragon.’
…
‘Well… If that’s the case.’ Sandra said calmly.
Ken and the doctor let out a heavy sigh of relief.
Sandra piped up once more, ‘but Don’t Forget. You’re not off the hook just yet, Uncle.’
Ken gave her a pained smile. ‘Yes ma’am.’
‘Now get out. I’m gonna get dressed for my date with airship guts.’
Chapter End