Re-done for your enjoyment. :) Hope you get really, really confused.
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Night is calling, Away! Away!
Empty your mind of troubles and dreams
Empty your heart of all daylight things
Night is calling, Forget! But the day
Will not wait, not for long, won't delay
Shannon Hale
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CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.
The harsh sound of metal hitting metal filled the chamber, echoing off the dank walls into every side cave. Each time the hammer fell, all nearby creatures dug into the ground, trying to escape from the cacophony of a master at work.
He did not care for them. None of them. They were insects, all of them; worthless peons to his might and power. It did not matter to him if they lay, half-insane because of the work he accomplished. He didn't need to care. Did they care that he was who he was? Did they care that he had more appendages than most living beings could imagine? Did they care when they saw him mutate? No. They didn't care about him, so he didn't care about them. After all, he was the one getting paid while they sat wallowing in the muck.
A slight creak came from the far wall. He did not turn from his work, keeping two eyes on it, but a blinded third orb swiveled to see who dared to come through the doorway.
He relaxed slightly at the sight. Just slightly. The Serpent could be mean at times, and he knew better than to mess with it. But he knew what it had come for, and he knew exactly what it was to ask.
The Serpent slithered confidently up to him. "We are all getting impatient," it said harshly, not affected by the noise of the hammer. "This had better be about that mission."
The brute nodded, his clouded eye fixed upon the snake as he continued his work. "Master has been testing you," he said pointedly. "Master has been watching. Seeing if you are worthy."
The animal growled, a surprising sound for a creature its size. "If we weren't worthy to begin with, then why in Karzahni's name did he hire us?"
"Master sees great potential in you. However, Master does not like your lack of patience in his abilities. Master says that your workers are better than you in this."
The Serpent's eyes narrowed. "Are you saying that I am as incompetent as to be lower than my own henchman?!"
The brute nodded slightly.
A horrific sound, the mix of a howl and a scream, erupted from the throat of the creature. As the metalworker watched, the snake began to change, morphing into a two-legged being similar to himself. Spikes began to grow from the shoulders, hands, and chest. In a matter of seconds, the Serpent was a living, breathing nightmare of claws and teeth, standing in the middle of the metalworker's domain.
The brute did not react. The mindless peon did this whenever he lost his temper. He had taught himself not to even flinch when this change occurred.
The spiked creature strode right up into the metalworker's face, his mouth set back into a fierce snarl. "I should slice you where you stand, you insane, weakmin-- Hurkk!"
The Serpent's words were cut off as a great hand wrapped around his neck and held him several feet above the ground. The creature clawed at his throat, trying desperately to free his windpipe.
The brute glared at the struggling being in his grasp. "I will not release you unless you listen to me."
The creature tried in vain to say something. Instead, he nodded weakly, his eyes dimming slightly from lack of oxygen. Nodding in return, the brute loosened his grip. The Serpent collapsed onto the floor, choking and coughing as air rushed back into his lungs. As he calmed, he glanced up at the metalworker, impatience beginning to brim as he waited for a statement.
The brute crossed his arms over his mighty chest. "Here is what Master said; there is no lie, deception, or false guidance in my words: 'Gather your workers. Strike swiftly and quietly, for night is calling, and the time has come.'"
A deadly smile spread across the Serpent's features. "I assume that he has, in fact, found the Servers?"
The brute did not react at first.
The Serpent chuckled quietly, reaching into a crevice in his armor. "If that is the case, then I am sure he wouldn't want... this."
With that, he revealed a long, golden cord now wrapped around his fingers; but the cord was not what made the metalworker's eyes widen.
It was what hung from it.
The Serpent stepped towards him nonchalantly. "So... what else does Master know?"
The brute swallowed. "Nothing else. Master told me nothing else."
"Is that so?" His eyes flickered amusedly. "Maybe a... persuasion would jog your memory?"
"Master said nothing else."
The creature leaped forward dangerously. "Listen, you mindless fool! Do you know that you will never get a chance like this again? Endless power and glory is within your grasp, and yet you do not want it!" He dangled the object in the other's face. "Do you even know what this is?"
The metalworker nodded.
"Then why do you not take it?!"
"Because we told him not to."
The silky voice came from within the shadows of a corner, not definitively male or female. The Serpent jumped slightly at the sound, not expecting the presence of another. He waited, motionless, listening for more words.
One minute.
Two minutes.
He growled impatiently, turning his attention back to the brute in front of him. "I have no time for your tricks, impudent one. Answer my question."
Suddenly, he felt the force of two thick, metal-like tentacles wrap around his neck and abdomen. Before he could speak, they were pulling his startled and screaming form into the corner. The metalworker winced slightly as he heard the crunch of armor and a muffled yell.
"So much impatience," the voice whispered. "Must we remind them so often, Mokra? Do they enjoy seeing their members being thrown back to them in hobbling pieces like this?"
Mokra shrugged. "Maybe Master thinks that they are... impudent?"
The voice chuckled. "Master thinks they are very impudent." The sound of slithering tentacles could be heard as the shadow creature lifted his prey up for examination. A few seconds, and the snap of a cord could be heard.
"You thought you could hide this from us, Serpent?" the voice hissed, dangerously violent in tone. "You know what power this holds. You know what one can do with this."
The voice paused.
"You also know that unless you are one true of heart, you cannot even glimpse its abilities."
The voice of the Serpent was scratchy and hoarse as he replied, "Y-yes... but I thought that, if the legend is true, t-then the Servers could-"
The creature threw the Serpent hard across the length of the room, crunching him into the far wall. "You fool! You know that the Servers have been dead and useless for years! Why do you think I'm sending you on this mission?"
The Serpent slumped to the ground, clutching his arm. He glanced up in confusion. "Y-you've found the source of the replacements, then?"
Another chuckle. "You could say that."
Mokra did not pay attention to the rest of the conversation. He only returned to his work, raising the hammer and dropping it, in an endless motion. He had one job now, and that was not to eavesdrop onto another's conversation, even if it was in the same room.
One day I will finish this for Master, he thought. One day, I will succeed. It will be the best of all weaponry.
It will help to kill the Taralevia.
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Comments, please. Re-writing just this part took for-EVER... D: