blairWitcher
Resident Soultaker
CHAPTER II
A blistering, hot sun shines across the clear, morning skies above the towering spires and tall buildings of Forge City, the capital city of Crow Country – the location of ASHES. Today promises to be a long, dehydrating day as the city's inhabitants walk to and fro the aisles of its concrete roads and dusty alleyways. A long line of trade wagons and Ox buggies line haphazardly along the major roads as the busy enforcers blow their traffic horns and flash their traffic banners on the grumbling and irritable drivers – the usual morning traffic jam. Above, a passenger airship flies smoothly above the city at fifteen thousand flight steps, carrying citizens and tourists to new destinations as it travels on its mid-morning, transcontinental flight. If a traveler,boarding the airship, looks on the ground below, he will see a bird's eye view of the capital resembling a maze of lines and dots moving across a beautifully, crafted maze like a unique colony of colored,busy ants.
Meanwhile, inside a large, faculty room on the northeast wing of the Academy for Spirit Hunting and Erasure Studies on the eastern side of the city, an irritated Felix Cross is at his desk, typing a report on a faculty typecaster. Behind him, a humongous stack of envelopes and parchments lie disorderly on a wooden desk. To someone like Cross, nothing creates a bad morning than seeing a pile of unfinished, boring, mission reports. If there is one thing he hates most in his life, that would be paperwork.
“That old git... If not for the fact that he is my dad I would've...” Felix says behind gritted teeth as he forcefully presses the keys of the poor, clattering machine. Sitting on a chair beside Cross, Albert Stein chuckles as he looks at his partner's ordeal, his hands folded at the back of his head.
“Thats what you get when you disrespect the old man, Cawie.” Stein says with a wide, mocking grin spreading across his face.
“You know, Al, if its not the fact that you are my best friend and partner, I would've given you a bleeding nose for calling that word.” Cross replies angrily, jabbing a key so hard that the mechanism broke. At once a ripping noise filled the entire faculty room.
“No, No, Noooo!” Cross shouts pleadingly as a the broken machine begins to eat and cut his nearly finished report ino small, uneven pieces, turning hours and hours of hard work into a pile of shredded, worthless parchment.
“You'll pay for this one you stupid worthless piece of clockwork!” Cross shouts angrily as he suddenly unleashes a ferocious forty five degree kick on the machine, causing it to zoom in midair towards Stein's face. Still smiling, Stein duck his head just in time to evade the incoming typecaster.
Meanwhile, inside a large, faculty room on the northeast wing of the Academy for Spirit Hunting and Erasure Studies on the eastern side of the city, an irritated Felix Cross is at his desk, typing a report on a faculty typecaster. Behind him, a humongous stack of envelopes and parchments lie disorderly on a wooden desk. To someone like Cross, nothing creates a bad morning than seeing a pile of unfinished, boring, mission reports. If there is one thing he hates most in his life, that would be paperwork.
“That old git... If not for the fact that he is my dad I would've...” Felix says behind gritted teeth as he forcefully presses the keys of the poor, clattering machine. Sitting on a chair beside Cross, Albert Stein chuckles as he looks at his partner's ordeal, his hands folded at the back of his head.
“Thats what you get when you disrespect the old man, Cawie.” Stein says with a wide, mocking grin spreading across his face.
“You know, Al, if its not the fact that you are my best friend and partner, I would've given you a bleeding nose for calling that word.” Cross replies angrily, jabbing a key so hard that the mechanism broke. At once a ripping noise filled the entire faculty room.
“No, No, Noooo!” Cross shouts pleadingly as a the broken machine begins to eat and cut his nearly finished report ino small, uneven pieces, turning hours and hours of hard work into a pile of shredded, worthless parchment.
“You'll pay for this one you stupid worthless piece of clockwork!” Cross shouts angrily as he suddenly unleashes a ferocious forty five degree kick on the machine, causing it to zoom in midair towards Stein's face. Still smiling, Stein duck his head just in time to evade the incoming typecaster.
PSSSSHHH!
A breaking noise follows as shards of broken glass fly randomly in the air. The poor thing went straight out of a glass window and shatters upon impact against the wall of an opposite building.
As Stein straightens up from his chair and looks towards the direction of the horrendous impact, he winks wickedly then says, “ Didn't you know that that glass window costs 850 orcas?
Fuming, Cross stomps both his feet and buries his head on top of the table.
As Stein straightens up from his chair and looks towards the direction of the horrendous impact, he winks wickedly then says, “ Didn't you know that that glass window costs 850 orcas?
Fuming, Cross stomps both his feet and buries his head on top of the table.
