027 - Journey to the East

On the other side of the stone arch, down a long wide road - they sky lit by an orange-red on the low clouds, the cobblestones made barely visible. There were others! People! Here in the dead city, Magnus ran past countless ruins.

On the other side of a wall of ruined two story buildings the fire blazed, he found an alley, vaulting a high wall and scrambling up the side of a fallen house. There was a voice - someone yelling, black smoke billowing out the tops of several collapsed stone houses.

"Pillock! Boy! I know you're there!" A high pitched nasal voice, grating on the ears screamed out. "How dare you touch my tools! Get back here! I'll skin you alive!"

Within a courtyard next to the blazing fires stood a tall man, his face twisted in rage. He wore a long red robe, his hair singed black. An Alchemist. A real, gods honest Alchemist. By the flickering firelight Magnus saw that around the alchemist were dozens of naked bodies, a mess of limbs and contorted appendages.

"My experiments! A week's worth of research! Ruined by a stinking swamp brat!" The Alchemist took a vial of grey liquid and poured it onto the cobble stones. A green spark and flash of light.

The cobbles twisted and broke apart, from the ground emerged a dozen tiny stone men. The Alchemist pointed and screamed "Golems, find them! Bring back every living thing is this damn city!" He moved his hand in a mysterious pattern and the shape of a spider web seemed to hang in the air, suddenly a ball of light shot up, and another, bright balls of white light like tiny suns above the city streets.

The tiny stone men leapt into action, scattering in every direction. Magnus shrunk back down hiding in the ruins. Should I jump out now? Get him from behind? Wait . . . wait until he's off guard . .

One of the stone golem scurried up the ruins, running right by Magnus. It stopped, looked at him, then turned and carried on. Magnus snatched it up, holding it in both hands. It really was like a little stone man, arms and legs, even a tiny head with a stone nose. It struggled, almost slipping from his grasp. Magnus squeezed his hands tight and the little man burst apart.

"Ouch!" The Alchemist clutched his head, looking up towards Magnus. "It broke?"

"Let me go! No!" From the far side of the burning courtyard came a shriek and the sounds of things being thrown and broken. "No!" Lars, being dragged by two golem, desperately twisting and rolling. Behind him the Golem dragged a man, half naked and bloodied.

The Alchemist waved his hand, a series of blue lines appeared and spread out shooting at Lars and the man. Lars screamed, the blue lights pierced both the boys shoulders, ripping the bag from his back and spilling its contents to the floor. With a flick of his finger, the Alchemist shot another two threads through the wounded mans shoulders.

Lars and the man were utterly helpless, the Alchemist pointed and the blue lines retracted, with a sweeping gesture he flung them at the wall of the courtyard, the lights pinning them to the stone wall.

"Am I, Ovidius Genus Meridie not a fool? A week! A whole week in this blasted swamp, this putrid city, for what? For a child to burn my tools!" The Alchemist sneered, another blue line shot out from his fingers and pierced Lars through his leg.

"Sorry!" Lars sobbed. "Please, I'm sorry! I just wanted to save my father! I'm sorry!"

"Your father? Fool! Look around," Ovidius pointed at the dozen corpses littering the courtyard. "Here is your father. That thing you stole away is merely a simulacrum, something far beyond your meagre understanding! All my notes . . my magnetosphere . . all my samples!" Ovidius voice rose in fury, several sparks of blue lighting congealed at his fingertips. "Everything I've worked so hard for!"

Just as Ovidius eyes turned red, just as he thrust his fingers at Lars shooting sparks at the boy, Magnus stood. He had crept along the ground, hiding amidst the corpses, and now raised a brick and brought it down with all his might on the Alchemist's head.

Crack!

A shower of blue electric lights burst the brick apart, Magnus flew back, smashing into the burning house. Ovidius turned, entirely uninjured.

"I thought I smelled a rat." The Alchemist waved his hands, a sea of blue lines formed a web in the air. "Something my Golems couldn't detect, something not living but still moving."

Magnus staggered to his feet, his rags catching fire. A blue thread shot through the flames, hitting him in the chest and bouncing off at an angle.

"Alchemist!" Magnus roared, rushing out into the courtyard. Ovidius sent another blue line, and other - they smashed into Magnus with a shower of sparks, Magnus raised his arms, charging forwards and roaring.

There was panic in Ovidius eyes, he jumped away, swiftly uncorking a grey vial and pouring it out onto the ground. Magnus was on fire, his blisters bursting with pus and the black lines under his burning skin throbbing and pulsating. He tripped over a corpse, yelling, lunging toward the Alchemist once again.

The contents of the grey vial, a fizzing grey liquid, bubbled on the courtyard cobblestone. They cracked and split and in an instant a vast number of tiny stone golems erupted out filling the space between Magnus and Ovidius.

Ovidius pointed at Magnus. "Kill."