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Drew Darby

CWII-20

2/21/12

Original Scene #2

The building stood alone on a hill, just above the trees. A chimney sprouted fromthe thatched roof, and it belched black smoke and the smell of burning flesh into the

surrounding woodlands. No sound could be heard from the ominous structure, but to

passersby there was an air of evil surrounding it; little did they know how right they

were. Few ever dared to approach the building as no one truly knew what it was; there

was no recorded beginning of the building, nor was any life seen in or around it. Some

said that it was haunted; others said that a rich wizard lived there in solidarity. The

chimney continued to spew forth its abominable substances day and night, never ceasing

for a moment. Every once in a while some would claim to have seen a shape scuttling

around behind one of the darkened, barred windows, or a faint scream could be discerned

to be coming from the clearing. This day, though, a horse carrying a dark shape made its

way up the winding path to the building. It was clearly observed by a few people, butthey dared not enquire for fear of what they did not know.

Fredar had carefully disguised his face with dyes, and had worn a long cloak with

a hood to disguise his stature. The horse was 'borrowed' from a rich lord of the land

whom Fredar despised; therefore it was nearly untraceable. He had made this journey in

such haste and secrecy because he had been summoned by one of his men; the promise of

bad news had spurred him onwards. He crashed through the heavy mahogany door, and

did not wait to be greeted before he shouted angrily. "Where are you, bloody fool? Get

out here and tell me this grand secret that you've been hoarding. Im a busy man with akingdom to rule."

A diminutive figure scuttled out of the shadows of the building into the light of

the furnace. "Master...do not be apprehensive. I will reveal all...in good time. Sit...sit and

rest. I must finish an...an experiment before I deal with our problem." The creature was a

mutant; at least that was what he had told Fredar when he was hired for the job. He

possessed two pairs of arms, one significantly shorter than the other. His legs ended in

scaly feet, which had ten claws that clicked against the floor as he walked. He shuffled

along with his back bent over so that one pair of arms nearly dragged along the ground.

He wore a long cloak that disguised some of his appearance, but the deformities were still

unmistakable. Fredar was disgusted by the creatures appearance, but nevertheless it did

good work.He will have to do.

"Our problem? Fredar cursed under his breath. It's your problem until you

bloody well tell me what it is!" The king dropped into a low chair and crossed his arms

angrily. His words had no effect on the one to whom they were directed; this only

angered him even more.Thinking out loud, he began to speak again. "I pay you to do

what? Keep track of things and make sure nothing goes wrong. I gave you a workshop,

tools, patients and everything else for your experiments. I even lent you my fething

magical specimens; they aren't easy to come by, you know!" He yelled off into the

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shadows. "All I ask. All I ask is that you don't interfere with my governing and tell me

when anything significant happens. And now, when something finally goes wrong, you

dont even tell me." Before he could begin again, though, the scuttling footsteps signaledthe return of the creature.

"Master...let me tell you what I've found. Then...then we will see what you haveto say." If a creature such as this could smile, the King could not tell. His anger was

beginning to boil once again, however he retained his angry speech until the creature had

finished talking. "As you know...we have sent three of our BaHaRal...to seek out thedescendants of...him. As of two days ago...I am unable to monitor them. They have

completely dropped off...our communicators. It is as if they do not exist any longer."

"What? Could they have reversed the spells? You told me they

were...unbreakable!" The kings livid rage caused him to dig his nails into the chairs

arms.

"There is...no way they could escape. Unless they were killed. My monitorsreach...the farthest corners of the universe." The creature wrung its scaly hands.

"Master...they must be dead. And the object escaped with a...a boy. That was...the last I

could discern."

"Jaon? He is of no consequence. Just get me the the stone. Bloody devil. If this

fails...it ruins so many years. Do you have any idea?"

"Master...I have been with you all...all these many years. I assure you...this boy

can be easily neutralized. Our other spies report he is just a typical...peasant." The

creature chittered under the expansive hood that disguised its face from all but flickers of

firelight. "I have already...taken the liberty of dispatching soldiers to comb the land forhim. He...has no chance."

"He bloody well better not. I am not a man to settle for failure. You know that full

well, doctor." The king stood, and walked a few paces away. "While I'm here...I might as

well take a look at some of my projects. I trust they are still in functioning order?"

"Yes...yes they are."

"Good. Now you can return to whatever you were doing. Just don't blow anything

up." The king exited through a hidden door, which was lit with torchlight.

The creature who was called the Doctor scuttled back into the shadows, the

clicking of his claws combining with the shuffling of his feet to form an odd chorus. As

he went, he submerged himself in thought.Master is so... so foolish. He wants to endure

forever? Bah. He'll age so far life will no longer be life. He kept on walking, passing

glowing vials and bowls full of translucent green and blue liquids. He passed the boxes

that were stacked against the walls, full of materials and devices that had never been seen

anywhere else in the world. He passed the racks of sharp knives, long pokers and other

instruments that lined what the walls of what he now called home. All of these things he

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had seen so many times, yet they never grew old. His only pleasure in life was gained

through his experiments, which he spent many hours performing. Last of all he passed the

cages, suspended above his main work area. Contained in them were the 'magical

specimens' that Fredar had mentioned. What were they thinking? They had once been

young men and women who had discovered that the power lived in them and had turned

themselves in to the Empire. Now they served the king through their power; their onlyuse was to give him eternal life and to power his monitoring machines. Next to them

were more cages, full of trespassers and others who the King did not deem to allow to

roam the continent any longer. As the Doctor turned to his table with a scalpel in hand,

his 'patient' cried out, a small squeak in the darkness. Why does he cry? It's only another

limb. He's lost three already. The Doctor lowered the scalpel, and began to make his

incisions. Muffled cries echoed off the stone walls, mixing with the groaning of many

souls and the thundering of the furnace.