Post by Unknown on Jun 15, 2010 23:34:28 GMT -5
"Your tea, señor."
"Gracias. Un azúcar?"
"Si, señor."
"Gracias."
The man took a sip of his tea.
"Excuse me, if only for a moment."
"Si, señor?"
"What is the date, if I may ask?"
"It is Wednesday, señor, June the sixteenth."
"Gracias."
As the waiter made his way to the next table outside the small cafe, the man with the tea checked his watch. It had been nearly a year since he had last stepped foot in Drakborough, but for good reason. It was almost noon, the summer sun oppressively hot. Just a few more minutes and...
"Señor?"
"What is it?"
"Are you interested in any of our-"
"Go away."
"Si, señor."
11:59
The man stood up and took one last drink from his cup of tea. He placed a sickle on the cafe table, a small smile on his face as if laughing at his own joke. For a moment he paused and looked in the direction of the Palace of Slytherin, home to the university of Firefox. Years ago he had led an assault on the Palace, as successful of an assault as he could have hoped for.
There were only a few seconds before his watch would indicate noon, so the man set off at a hurried pace towards the towns square. There existed a fountain now, and several plaques to commemorate battles and deaths. There were even a few plaques commemorating the destruction of the fountain.
Running at a sprint now, the man reached the fountain and leaped onto a stone bench around the perimeter. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a long, thin, and ashen wand. He also checked the time again.
12:00
"Good noon, Drakborough! I have a wonderful announcement!" the man shouted, his wand to his throat.
The sparse patrons out and about on a hot weekday stopped, alarmed but not entirely terrified. There had not been any sort of assault on the town in a very long time. It appeared only as if some excited man had an announcement. That was, until the sounds began.
First there was a ticking noise, loud and consistent, then a grinding noise coming from below the fountain.
"I have finished, finally, my latest creation, and you will all witness its unveiling!" the man shouted again, his voice beginning to sound less excited and more sinister.
And the beast erupted from the ground below the fountain. It sent marble flying in all directions, and water drenched even the man standing on the bench.
Once the dust settled, the creature stood in its full glory. It resembled a medium sized dragon, but it was made of metals of all kind. On the outside, there were thick plates of steel tinged green by their unnatural origins. Visible only through the cracks in the joints was a skeleton of reinforced iron, all holding together an intricate system of cogs and springs moving like the workings of a living creature. The dragon's wings were a latticework of iron and steel.
The green tinge permeated all of the creation, giving the impression that it was creating a thin green mist. Its eyes were red rubies, and its claws were cut obsidian.
The man turned to face his creation, which obediently ticked and waited for orders, and smiled with pride. He had taken every precaution he could imagine to make the creature as fearsome as possible. He had made sure to reinforce every piece of the intricate gear work, and even enchanted it to be self-repairing.
The man shook off his wand, sending a spray of sparks out as he did so, and aimed it towards a boarding house just off the square. The Clockwork Dragon moved with more grace than could be expected from such a creature and began to assault the structure with its claws and teeth, ripping it to shreds.45
"Gracias. Un azúcar?"
"Si, señor."
"Gracias."
The man took a sip of his tea.
"Excuse me, if only for a moment."
"Si, señor?"
"What is the date, if I may ask?"
"It is Wednesday, señor, June the sixteenth."
"Gracias."
As the waiter made his way to the next table outside the small cafe, the man with the tea checked his watch. It had been nearly a year since he had last stepped foot in Drakborough, but for good reason. It was almost noon, the summer sun oppressively hot. Just a few more minutes and...
"Señor?"
"What is it?"
"Are you interested in any of our-"
"Go away."
"Si, señor."
11:59
The man stood up and took one last drink from his cup of tea. He placed a sickle on the cafe table, a small smile on his face as if laughing at his own joke. For a moment he paused and looked in the direction of the Palace of Slytherin, home to the university of Firefox. Years ago he had led an assault on the Palace, as successful of an assault as he could have hoped for.
There were only a few seconds before his watch would indicate noon, so the man set off at a hurried pace towards the towns square. There existed a fountain now, and several plaques to commemorate battles and deaths. There were even a few plaques commemorating the destruction of the fountain.
Running at a sprint now, the man reached the fountain and leaped onto a stone bench around the perimeter. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a long, thin, and ashen wand. He also checked the time again.
12:00
"Good noon, Drakborough! I have a wonderful announcement!" the man shouted, his wand to his throat.
The sparse patrons out and about on a hot weekday stopped, alarmed but not entirely terrified. There had not been any sort of assault on the town in a very long time. It appeared only as if some excited man had an announcement. That was, until the sounds began.
First there was a ticking noise, loud and consistent, then a grinding noise coming from below the fountain.
"I have finished, finally, my latest creation, and you will all witness its unveiling!" the man shouted again, his voice beginning to sound less excited and more sinister.
And the beast erupted from the ground below the fountain. It sent marble flying in all directions, and water drenched even the man standing on the bench.
Once the dust settled, the creature stood in its full glory. It resembled a medium sized dragon, but it was made of metals of all kind. On the outside, there were thick plates of steel tinged green by their unnatural origins. Visible only through the cracks in the joints was a skeleton of reinforced iron, all holding together an intricate system of cogs and springs moving like the workings of a living creature. The dragon's wings were a latticework of iron and steel.
The green tinge permeated all of the creation, giving the impression that it was creating a thin green mist. Its eyes were red rubies, and its claws were cut obsidian.
The man turned to face his creation, which obediently ticked and waited for orders, and smiled with pride. He had taken every precaution he could imagine to make the creature as fearsome as possible. He had made sure to reinforce every piece of the intricate gear work, and even enchanted it to be self-repairing.
The man shook off his wand, sending a spray of sparks out as he did so, and aimed it towards a boarding house just off the square. The Clockwork Dragon moved with more grace than could be expected from such a creature and began to assault the structure with its claws and teeth, ripping it to shreds.45