10th of Ash, 121
At the Cross Family Estate, a few miles outside the city
At the Cross Family Estate, a few miles outside the city
Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock
CLANK
Nathan was jolted awake. That throbbing sensation on his head immediately returns.
“Bloody fuck!” he shouted as he leaned back on the bedpost. He looked at the shattered pocket watch on the floor. His hand searched the nightstand for something to ease the throbbing sensation on his head. He found an unopened vial with white powder, he opened the vial emptied the content into the palm of his hand and snorted it. When he felt the throbbing sensation began to fade he tried to stand up. Unfortunately, he stepped on a bottle of wine, and the momentum caused him to fall back into bed.
“Damn it. What the fuck is that powder that Old Joe gave?” He grumbled to himself as he lay in the bed staring at the ceiling. He waited a few minutes before sitting back up. He manages to catch a glimpse of a little girl peeking through the tiny space of the open door. He couldn’t see her face. As soon as he moved his body the little girl disappeared. He could hear her running across the hallway.
“Hey… hey!” Nathan stood up and made his way to the door. He swung open the door. It hit the halberd that was held by the armored knight statue near the door. The halberd fell and Nathan managed to jump back, missing it by few inches. “Damn it.” He cursed under his breath. He looked up and saw the little girl peeking out of the opened door at the end of the hallway. “Hey!” Nathan scrambled to his feet and jogged across the hallway, tried as hard as he could, he couldn’t run faster. The girl’s still peeking from the door, and as soon as Nathan got several feet from the door, the door slammed shut. Nathan grabbed the handle of the door and pushed the door open. There was no one in the room. He looked around and made his way to the piano sitting near the glass window. He sat on the piano bench, hmmm that’s strange it’s warm. He thought to himself. He surveyed the room, he remembers spending his childhood here, his father, uncle, and their friends would often meet in the study to discuss their work.
He was never allowed in the room when they were having a meeting. He looked across from where he was sitting and remembered that he once tried to eavesdrop on his father by hiding behind the curtain. He remembered the deformed creature that his uncle summoned to flush him out of his hiding place. He was traumatized and vowed to never eavesdrop on them. His uncle just laughed, picked him up, and carried him out of the room. But well, he was never the kind to back away from a challenge, he finally found a good hiding spot. He fell asleep halfway through the meeting, as it was just them talking about their work stuff. Nathan was disappointed and thought that they were doing something exciting, but alas it was just the boring grown-up stuff.
But when he waked up, he saw that nobody’s in the room, but the door to the study was still locked and their stuff’s still in the room. He sneaked around, after waiting for a while he got bored, he lifts the fallboard of the piano and began pressing the keys at random. As he pressed several sequences of keys he could hear a click from the bookshelf behind him. He stood up and made his way to the bookshelf. He was about to inspect the bookshelf when he heard hurried footsteps and talking from the other side of the bookshelf. He was scared that his uncle would send another deformed creature so he fled and never again set foot in the study when his father’s having a meeting.
He sighed and lifts the fallboard. He began pressing the keys one by one, from the highest octave to the lowest.
“It’s still in quite a good condition.” He paused when he pressed the G key and no sound came out. He shrugged, continued, and found several more keys that don’t produce a sound.
“Well, too good to be true huh? This instrument must have been older than me at this point.” After pressing the keys at a random sequence he heard a click from the bookshelf behind him. “Well, time to find out.” He stood up and made his way to the bookshelf. As he was about to push the bookshelf out of the corner of his eyes he saw the little girl standing several feet from him.
“You! Who are you?” Nathan approached her.
“Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock” The little girl smiled as she chanted.
“What the fuck?” Nathan tried to get close to her, but the closer he got to her, the heavier his body became.
“Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock” Her voice became softer the closer he get to her.
She was within reach but, Nathan was already on his knees. He lifted his hand to grab her but, it felt like an immense weight was tied to his arm.
“Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock” The little girl chants in a whisper as his hand reached out to grab her.
CLANK
Nathan was jolted awake. That throbbing sensation on his head immediately returns.
“What the fuck?” he shouted as he leaned back on the bedpost. He looked at the shattered pocket watch on the floor. He pinched himself to make sure he’s awake. He looked at the tiny space between the open door, but there was no one peeking back at him. He placed one foot on the floor, he was about to put the other foot down when he remembered and looked down. He saw the bottle of wine on the floor, where his foot would have stepped on it. He made his way to the door and stopped. “It’s just a coincidence right?” he pushed the door and sure enough it hits the suit of armor and the halberd fell. “Fuck, what was that white powder? That’s some strong stuff.”
He looked up at the door at the end of the hallway it was slightly ajar. He blinked and appeared in front of the door. He pushed the door open and immediately made his way to the piano, he placed his hand on the piano bench and it was cold. He lifted the fallboard and pressed the G key. No sound came out. He then began to press the other keys that don’t produce sound. After playing on random sequences he heard a click from the bookshelf behind him.
He pushed the bookshelf and it opens up to a set of stone stairs leading upward. After traversing through the stairs and the winding pathway with the help of his matches, he arrived in another room. Before his fire die out he saw a Dragonshard used for powering the electricity and placed it inside the nearby compartment. After several minutes of waiting in the darkness, the light bulb turned on. It was dim, but it was enough for Nathan to explore the room. He saw a desk facing the round window on the other side of the room. He made his way there and saw a painting of their family.
He shifted through the pile of documents on the desk, as he did, an old box fell from the desk with more documents. He picked it up and was about to place it back when he saw something familiar. Father’s journal? No, it can’t be. He must’ve kept it close with him at all times. I thought they buried it along with him. He thought to himself as he opened the worn leather journal. As he flipped through the pages a letter fell out of the journal. He picked it up and read it:
“I’ll be damned.” Nathan looked at the date of the entry of the journal. It was on the 10th of Frost, 92nd Year of the Age of Steel. Nine days before his sixth birthday, seven days before that fateful afternoon. The last time he saw his father’s smile.
Nathan looked up through the round window just in time to saw a carriage entering the estate’s ground. He pocketed the journal and letter and blinked to the other side of the room to take out the Dragonshard from the compartment. He then vaulted to the bedroom he was previously in. He heard the main doors opened and people chattering in hushed voices. He opened the windows of the room and securely hid the journal on one of the cracks on the outer wall. He then picked up the bottle of wine and made his way downstairs.
“Hey Nathan,” His uncle called out. “Gabrielle’s worried about you. She said you haven’t been back in several days.”
“Hey, uncle. Yeah, she probably looking for a test subject to test out her newest inventions.” Nathan chuckled.
“Gotta clean the place up if you plan on staying longer.”
“Well, it’d be expensive to renovate the place back to its former glory.”
His uncle laughed. “If I have the money I would rather renovate and stay here instead of that one-bedroom apartment in the West End.”
“Hey, at least you’re in the West End,” Nathan replied.
“Anyway found anything interesting? Your father’s hidden stash of wine perhaps?”
“The unsolved thirty years mystery. All I found is this bottle of wine. At least it’s quite good.” Nathan chuckled, he then gave the bottle to his uncle.
His uncle uncork the bottle and took a gulp.
“Uncle, the name Velar rings a bell?”
His uncle stared at him. “How do you know that name?”
“Well, a person calling themselves Velar came by. Said something about remember thirty years ago.” Nathan lied. “Probably a lunatic who wants to trade a telltale for a bottle of wine and food,” Nathan observed the change in his uncle’s facial reaction.
“Uncle, everything alright?”
CLANK
Nathan was jolted awake. That throbbing sensation on his head immediately returns.
“Bloody fuck!” he shouted as he leaned back on the bedpost. He looked at the shattered pocket watch on the floor. His hand searched the nightstand for something to ease the throbbing sensation on his head. He found an unopened vial with white powder, he opened the vial emptied the content into the palm of his hand and snorted it. When he felt the throbbing sensation began to fade he tried to stand up. Unfortunately, he stepped on a bottle of wine, and the momentum caused him to fall back into bed.
“Damn it. What the fuck is that powder that Old Joe gave?” He grumbled to himself as he lay in the bed staring at the ceiling. He waited a few minutes before sitting back up. He manages to catch a glimpse of a little girl peeking through the tiny space of the open door. He couldn’t see her face. As soon as he moved his body the little girl disappeared. He could hear her running across the hallway.
“Hey… hey!” Nathan stood up and made his way to the door. He swung open the door. It hit the halberd that was held by the armored knight statue near the door. The halberd fell and Nathan managed to jump back, missing it by few inches. “Damn it.” He cursed under his breath. He looked up and saw the little girl peeking out of the opened door at the end of the hallway. “Hey!” Nathan scrambled to his feet and jogged across the hallway, tried as hard as he could, he couldn’t run faster. The girl’s still peeking from the door, and as soon as Nathan got several feet from the door, the door slammed shut. Nathan grabbed the handle of the door and pushed the door open. There was no one in the room. He looked around and made his way to the piano sitting near the glass window. He sat on the piano bench, hmmm that’s strange it’s warm. He thought to himself. He surveyed the room, he remembers spending his childhood here, his father, uncle, and their friends would often meet in the study to discuss their work.
He was never allowed in the room when they were having a meeting. He looked across from where he was sitting and remembered that he once tried to eavesdrop on his father by hiding behind the curtain. He remembered the deformed creature that his uncle summoned to flush him out of his hiding place. He was traumatized and vowed to never eavesdrop on them. His uncle just laughed, picked him up, and carried him out of the room. But well, he was never the kind to back away from a challenge, he finally found a good hiding spot. He fell asleep halfway through the meeting, as it was just them talking about their work stuff. Nathan was disappointed and thought that they were doing something exciting, but alas it was just the boring grown-up stuff.
But when he waked up, he saw that nobody’s in the room, but the door to the study was still locked and their stuff’s still in the room. He sneaked around, after waiting for a while he got bored, he lifts the fallboard of the piano and began pressing the keys at random. As he pressed several sequences of keys he could hear a click from the bookshelf behind him. He stood up and made his way to the bookshelf. He was about to inspect the bookshelf when he heard hurried footsteps and talking from the other side of the bookshelf. He was scared that his uncle would send another deformed creature so he fled and never again set foot in the study when his father’s having a meeting.
He sighed and lifts the fallboard. He began pressing the keys one by one, from the highest octave to the lowest.
“It’s still in quite a good condition.” He paused when he pressed the G key and no sound came out. He shrugged, continued, and found several more keys that don’t produce a sound.
“Well, too good to be true huh? This instrument must have been older than me at this point.” After pressing the keys at a random sequence he heard a click from the bookshelf behind him. “Well, time to find out.” He stood up and made his way to the bookshelf. As he was about to push the bookshelf out of the corner of his eyes he saw the little girl standing several feet from him.
“You! Who are you?” Nathan approached her.
“Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock” The little girl smiled as she chanted.
“What the fuck?” Nathan tried to get close to her, but the closer he got to her, the heavier his body became.
“Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock” Her voice became softer the closer he get to her.
She was within reach but, Nathan was already on his knees. He lifted his hand to grab her but, it felt like an immense weight was tied to his arm.
“Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock” The little girl chants in a whisper as his hand reached out to grab her.
CLANK
Nathan was jolted awake. That throbbing sensation on his head immediately returns.
“What the fuck?” he shouted as he leaned back on the bedpost. He looked at the shattered pocket watch on the floor. He pinched himself to make sure he’s awake. He looked at the tiny space between the open door, but there was no one peeking back at him. He placed one foot on the floor, he was about to put the other foot down when he remembered and looked down. He saw the bottle of wine on the floor, where his foot would have stepped on it. He made his way to the door and stopped. “It’s just a coincidence right?” he pushed the door and sure enough it hits the suit of armor and the halberd fell. “Fuck, what was that white powder? That’s some strong stuff.”
He looked up at the door at the end of the hallway it was slightly ajar. He blinked and appeared in front of the door. He pushed the door open and immediately made his way to the piano, he placed his hand on the piano bench and it was cold. He lifted the fallboard and pressed the G key. No sound came out. He then began to press the other keys that don’t produce sound. After playing on random sequences he heard a click from the bookshelf behind him.
He pushed the bookshelf and it opens up to a set of stone stairs leading upward. After traversing through the stairs and the winding pathway with the help of his matches, he arrived in another room. Before his fire die out he saw a Dragonshard used for powering the electricity and placed it inside the nearby compartment. After several minutes of waiting in the darkness, the light bulb turned on. It was dim, but it was enough for Nathan to explore the room. He saw a desk facing the round window on the other side of the room. He made his way there and saw a painting of their family.
He shifted through the pile of documents on the desk, as he did, an old box fell from the desk with more documents. He picked it up and was about to place it back when he saw something familiar. Father’s journal? No, it can’t be. He must’ve kept it close with him at all times. I thought they buried it along with him. He thought to himself as he opened the worn leather journal. As he flipped through the pages a letter fell out of the journal. He picked it up and read it:
Nathan frowned as he read the letter. Who is R? Who is this person calling a friend? Friends in the Jewel, the Puppet secure things in the North? What is Velar’s Clock? And what the fuck is the Key? Nathan debated in his mind as he continue reading the letter. Old Haunt? His workplace? No, that’d be too easy. This place? He looked up and surveyed the room. Perhaps, but it says, only they could reach it. Is it in the city? Who is the Inquisitor? The Grand Marshal? The Order? But the person said ‘their’ it could mean that the Inquisitor is not a singular entity but maybe an organization. The Order perhaps? I should ask Uncle Franz, maybe he knows something. He paused and flipped through the pages of the journal until he found a page that have the seal on the letter imprinted on the paper from being sandwiched by it all these years.Friend,
Everything is in place. The work is ready for completion. We have gained concurrence from our friends in the Jewel. I fear that the Puppet might go rogue. He needs to be eliminated in order to secure things in the North.
Time will be on our side, my friend. Velar’s Clock is ticking and we have the Key. For now, I’ve placed it safely within our old Haunt where no one but us can Reach it.
I will contact you again. Stay vigilant. The Inquisitor is starting to get suspicious. We can’t let the Clock fall into their hands.
-R
“I’ll be damned.” Nathan looked at the date of the entry of the journal. It was on the 10th of Frost, 92nd Year of the Age of Steel. Nine days before his sixth birthday, seven days before that fateful afternoon. The last time he saw his father’s smile.
Nathan looked up through the round window just in time to saw a carriage entering the estate’s ground. He pocketed the journal and letter and blinked to the other side of the room to take out the Dragonshard from the compartment. He then vaulted to the bedroom he was previously in. He heard the main doors opened and people chattering in hushed voices. He opened the windows of the room and securely hid the journal on one of the cracks on the outer wall. He then picked up the bottle of wine and made his way downstairs.
“Hey Nathan,” His uncle called out. “Gabrielle’s worried about you. She said you haven’t been back in several days.”
“Hey, uncle. Yeah, she probably looking for a test subject to test out her newest inventions.” Nathan chuckled.
“Gotta clean the place up if you plan on staying longer.”
“Well, it’d be expensive to renovate the place back to its former glory.”
His uncle laughed. “If I have the money I would rather renovate and stay here instead of that one-bedroom apartment in the West End.”
“Hey, at least you’re in the West End,” Nathan replied.
“Anyway found anything interesting? Your father’s hidden stash of wine perhaps?”
“The unsolved thirty years mystery. All I found is this bottle of wine. At least it’s quite good.” Nathan chuckled, he then gave the bottle to his uncle.
His uncle uncork the bottle and took a gulp.
“Uncle, the name Velar rings a bell?”
His uncle stared at him. “How do you know that name?”
“Well, a person calling themselves Velar came by. Said something about remember thirty years ago.” Nathan lied. “Probably a lunatic who wants to trade a telltale for a bottle of wine and food,” Nathan observed the change in his uncle’s facial reaction.
“Uncle, everything alright?”
