Chapter
CCCLXVI: Where Moments Do Intersect ~Multehx
Kenzo sighed softly. Ratch grunted in agitation, turning to glare at the unseeing yet more clairvoyant Maestro. "When we gettin back to the damn road anyway, you crazy fool?!" he growled.
The Maestro did not move to respond. He did not shift his body even the slightest. The wind whistled quietly, softly through the tree tops, and a golden leaf fell silently downwards. Maestro quietly glanced up as it fell in its graceful descent, as if to gaze upon it with his covered eyes. "So...fall already," he murmured in slight admiration, as if this was a monumental deduction for anyone to make.
Kenzo exhaled, a cloud of steam wafting out from his helmet, causing him to smile. "Yeah...sure is. We musta been so busy in our trek we never noticed it." The knight shifted his sitting position, raising a cupped hand to catch a falling leaf. It was red and tattered on a few ends from the insects feasting upon it. "Funny how such things become so trivial and forgotten when they once were awe inspiring," he mused, setting the tiny object upon the ground.
"Yeah," Ratch couldn't help but smirk slightly, "It's all little compared to what we're up against now."
The Maestro nodded. "How can much compare to a journey to strike down the wicked Time Bender?"
Sighing, Kenzo tilted his head. "True...too true...," he quietly replied.
They sat in silence for a time. Then, Ratch turned to glance at the Maestro again. "So, you haven't answered yet, tough guy."
The Maestro seemed to nod slowly, then glanced back to the sky. "And what was the question again?"
"When are we hauling ass and getting back to business? You might be a weaker 'bot, but I'm not tired out this easily. Rest isn't somethin' we can take much of in the straights we're in."
Maestro nodded slowly. "Too true, all too true, Mr. Havoc," he began, bending his knee up and resting an arm upon it. "But, the winds tell me, it is for us to wait here a bit longer. Answers shall come soon enough on what to do next. I am certain."
Muttering, the larger robot resigned himself to return to leaning against the tree trunk he had been against before.
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Jaded exhaled, not a trace of steam filling the air by his scarf-covered mouth. Scilas breathed out as well, a slight puff of white being produced by him. He sat cross-legged upon the ground, arms crossed, eyes closed. Jaded had his back to the statue, knees bent up in front of him, his arms crossed and eyes closed as well.
Neither said a word, nor budged a millimeter from their positions for what seemed like hours on end. Finally, Scilas voiced his thoughts. "So, how long till something?"
Jaded opened his eyes, a frown furrowing his brow. "Not long."
"The burning starting up yet?"
"Sorta. Just a strong tingle now. But it's building. Something'll happen. Lizard kids better get back here soon."
Scilas glanced at his friend out of the corner of his eye, then shut them again, smirking. "Damn your bloodline, man."
Jaded smirked,
closing his eyes. "Take a number."
------------
Malfector threw up his hands, shaking his head rapidly. "How many times will you request what is not yet even confirmed!"
He stood in an aged hallway of a rather large dwelling, the wooden floors dusty, dirty, and decayed into pure darkness that lay below them in spots. The robot stood there, watching the single flawless wooden object; a door, with a dusty exterior, yet without so much as a scratch. Its brass handle had begun to rust, but was still as solid as ever.
The robot silently stood, staring at the door. It stared silently back at him. He frowned, shaking his head. "No, I have stated such already, no." The door was silent still. "Because, you don't just find such a thing laying about in a spring-time meadow, asking to be taken. There are complications." Its silent presence pervaded and dominated the hallway, casting all in it into inferiority and subordination towards its firm assertion. "Well, someone is there and has come into contact. It was attained for a period of time, but that was cut off by an intrusion."
A hundred, a thousand, probably even ten-thousand years had this lumber stood in its current shape, gazing silently at its surroundings. The robot released steam from its joints with a groan of frustration to the sound. "Yes, corrections are being made. All will continue on schedule. The wizard has taken pre-emptive cue, but I personally doubt he will amount to any interference."
Motionless, the
peeling, blue-painted door loomed above all, though it stood at only about six
feet high. Malfector went to a knee, placing an arm
across his breast. "Understood,
He got to his feet, nodding, then turning and heading off down the hall.
And, again, silence. Silence and the door were the
hall yet again.
-------
The demon sighed, shaking his head. "It was a dismal failure." He shook his clenched fist, growling. "All was going FINE until some damn interlopers got involved!! It was in my claws!"
The one before him sighed, shaking his head slightly. "Most unfortunate indeed...I could visualize how things went from your account." His expression became serious and his eyes seemed to indicate something off on the side. "Seems you need some edge. Take it and crush them...this lizard who so humiliated you first."
T'Lucan snickered. "You won't regret this move, I assure you."
"Oh, I know
I won't," his compatriot murmured, "I never regret any favors..."
----
D'Nel stared at Rainy. Then at Ray. Then back to the Yoshi. Ray. Yoshi-Ray-Yoshi! Ray! Yo-
The robot growled as he delivered a brutal backhand to the young man's chin. "STOP THAT, you PUTZ! You're making me sick!" But the young gent was too busy locating there whereabouts of his mind and the whereabouts of his body and the distance between them to even notice these words.
As D'Nel regained his bearings slowly, Ray-Noh turned to Rainy. "So...what do ya wanna do, kid?"
Rainstorm began to respond when D'Nel butted in. "Obviously to stay here in this village!" he grinned suavely, arm bent, finger touching his brow, other hand upon his arm, legs spread at the perfect angle. The two looked at him: Rainstorm totally confused, Ray wondering just where the heck he learned to do that and why he was never imparted the secrets of such coolness in motion.
D'Nel continued, laughing boldly. "Why? It is so simple!," he grinned, holding one bent arm in front of his chest and extending the other diagonally downwards behind his shoulder. "Because, nothing has happened here recently, which means that nothing is going to happen here for awhile, therefore, we are completely safe if we remain here!" He grinned triumphantly, zipping his arms about, his right hand's index finger folded upon his chin, the other supporting his elbow. "Now, in times of danger, it has been expertly shown that one should head to the biggest, oldest, most desolate surroundings possible!" He spun, pointing off over a row of houses. "I believe I saw such a place this way, so, ONWARD!"
He laughed again as he began to march off. Rainstorm shrugged and began pursuit.
Ray-Noh stood there a moment, watching.
"...You are so going to
teach me that, you bastard…" he muttered, setting off after those two as
well.
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Cracking his metallic knuckles, the hulking behemoth of alloy watched, from under the safety of a tree's shadow, the wrecked remains of the fallen space ship. Well, worthless lizard bioform...if YOU do not distract them for me to gain entrance, then I shall devise cover enough to do so.
With a quick flurry of flying metal plates, Nonth rearranged himself into a form resembling perfectly the quick scan he managed of one of the passing robots as it walked from the hulk and to the looming tower a bit away. Walking with the total assurance of the robot, he proceeded towards the downed ship, heading for one of the side entrances to stand in queue with a number of similar looking robots.
Only the one at
the end of the line wasn't about to do menial servant
work, as these probably were. No, Nonth had no
intentions whatsoever about now, or ever doing windows.