Twisted Tales: Shorty and the Beast (Pt 6)
But, slag it, this was supposed to be a short-cut, and there was no way he was just going to give up now.
It had all seemed so simple when he’d thought of it. He was running late; he’d spent too much time in the city with too little to show for it. But he’d thought for sure that a few judicious speculations would bolster the meager earnings that he’d made through his regular trade channels. As it stood now, he’d barely made enough to cover costs. Cliffjumper was not going to be impressed. As a result, Smokescreen figured it would be best to get home as quickly as possible to give his younger brother one less thing to carp about. Hence, his fantastic idea to use the Old Road to cut through the Forest.
In retrospect, the idea no longer seemed quite so fantastic. He was cold and hungry and his paintjob was shot to the Pit. He could feel bits of organic growth stuck in his joints and undercarriage. He was sure he had to be at least halfway through the Forest and the idea of turning around and slogging through it all again was hard to contemplate. And finally, the storm that had swept up out of nowhere didn’t seem to want to stop anytime soon.
It was the last bit that was really getting to him. The fury of the storm seemed something out of legend and Smokescreen knew that he should probably find shelter. All he needed was for lightning to strike one of the massive trees lining the road and for it to come crashing down. Given his luck lately, it would come down through his roof.
The trees started to thin out and Smokescreen started to hope. But nothing prepared him for what he saw next. At first, he was certain it was some sort of a mirage brought on by exhaustion. But as he got closer and the seeming specter seemed only to solidify, Smokescreen realized that it was real.
There was a Tower in the middle of the Forest.
Smokescreen couldn’t think of anyone building a Tower - a symbol of the elite and noble and wealthy that practically screamed ‘civilization’ - in the middle of the Forest, but the evidence couldn’t lie. It was a Tower; tall and dark against the stormy sky despite the wind and rain. It was surrounded by a tall iron fence but the gate was open, creaking something fierce as the wind battered against it. Beyond the fence, a vast crystal garden glittered in the rain, lit up every so often by a flash of lightning.
Bizarre placement or not, it was solid and real and Smokescreen swore he could see bits of light peeking through windows higher up. By this point, he didn’t care if it was abandoned and falling apart or if it was inhabited by wild organics. If it got him out of the rain, he’d put up with anything.
With renewed determination, Smokescreen turned down the path leading towards the gate.
A/N: Any errors pointed out will be met with grateful appreciation.
On to Part 7!
It had all seemed so simple when he’d thought of it. He was running late; he’d spent too much time in the city with too little to show for it. But he’d thought for sure that a few judicious speculations would bolster the meager earnings that he’d made through his regular trade channels. As it stood now, he’d barely made enough to cover costs. Cliffjumper was not going to be impressed. As a result, Smokescreen figured it would be best to get home as quickly as possible to give his younger brother one less thing to carp about. Hence, his fantastic idea to use the Old Road to cut through the Forest.
In retrospect, the idea no longer seemed quite so fantastic. He was cold and hungry and his paintjob was shot to the Pit. He could feel bits of organic growth stuck in his joints and undercarriage. He was sure he had to be at least halfway through the Forest and the idea of turning around and slogging through it all again was hard to contemplate. And finally, the storm that had swept up out of nowhere didn’t seem to want to stop anytime soon.
It was the last bit that was really getting to him. The fury of the storm seemed something out of legend and Smokescreen knew that he should probably find shelter. All he needed was for lightning to strike one of the massive trees lining the road and for it to come crashing down. Given his luck lately, it would come down through his roof.
The trees started to thin out and Smokescreen started to hope. But nothing prepared him for what he saw next. At first, he was certain it was some sort of a mirage brought on by exhaustion. But as he got closer and the seeming specter seemed only to solidify, Smokescreen realized that it was real.
There was a Tower in the middle of the Forest.
Smokescreen couldn’t think of anyone building a Tower - a symbol of the elite and noble and wealthy that practically screamed ‘civilization’ - in the middle of the Forest, but the evidence couldn’t lie. It was a Tower; tall and dark against the stormy sky despite the wind and rain. It was surrounded by a tall iron fence but the gate was open, creaking something fierce as the wind battered against it. Beyond the fence, a vast crystal garden glittered in the rain, lit up every so often by a flash of lightning.
Bizarre placement or not, it was solid and real and Smokescreen swore he could see bits of light peeking through windows higher up. By this point, he didn’t care if it was abandoned and falling apart or if it was inhabited by wild organics. If it got him out of the rain, he’d put up with anything.
With renewed determination, Smokescreen turned down the path leading towards the gate.
A/N: Any errors pointed out will be met with grateful appreciation.
On to Part 7!