Tides of Odd
CHAPTER 1
the hallway was long, dark and stank of the heady fumes of half refined petroleum as the glukkon slipped down the hallway, grumbling all the while. Grimacing as he entered one of the small pools of hideous orange halogen light that stained the hallway at regular intervals, he raised his hand, grimacing and rubbing at the oily stain of dirt and grease that besmeared the bottom of his glove. Cursing (-disliking shoes for the most part and the resulting effects it had on his hands at times like this-) he trundled on down the hallway in his sparse clothing; a sheer sleeping shift and the immaculate, but now stained, gloves stretched across his large hands allowed his limbs a longer, smoother stride than the jerky struggling he normally had to pull off when fighting through the frumpy clothing of his Glokkstar wear, but they let in the chill of the factory something awful. Grimacing, he bent for a brief moment, tightening his ears to his skull, and flipped the garishly bright peacock hued scarf back around his neck, (the one piece of status he suffered through at this time of night), the tassel slapping his thin shoulder as he straightened to his considerable height once again. He couldn't help grumbling for the ten millionth time about the foregone fashions of his big cheese days, the tastefully designed suits rather than the glitz and sequins of the ball gown nightmares he had to wear now....
"SIR!"
Groaning, the glukkon Mainard turned to glare at the slig striding swiftly down the dark grimy length of the corridor. Mai's eyes were a strange washed out bluish green glow from deep within their overshadowed sockets- pale at this time of night from hours of sleep still to be slept.
The slig tilted his head upwards, letting his eyes focus in the gloom on those of the glukkon, not a little tired himself.... he could barely force them to stay open, their greatest desire to be to slide into slumber once again, and let the world go to hell as far as he cared....
"Sir ya wished there ta be a meeting with tha-" the slig hesitated, ducking his head as he shivered a little at the superstitious nervousness of the moment. "Tha E-Executioner when he got here… he's here…" noting the glukkon's less than peppy response, the slig started whining- "ya wanted me ta wake ya when he got here sir…"
"Yes that will be all"
Nodding, the slig shivered a little, anticipating the thought of slipping back into the soft recesses of his sleep sack once again, and turned, mechanics whirring, to stride down the corridor- a sudden whump of hot air brushed him, pushing him back several inches and teasing the scarf back from the glukkon's neck.
"Um…"
both voices droned out as two sets of glowing eyes turned down the corridor- which suddenly had a much stronger orange glow. The young slig watched, entranced by horror, as a blast of fire suddenly slammed forth from a doorway far down the hall, bathing the wall before it before rushing-
Mainard, his shoulders already pressed hard to the grimy wall of an open doorway, tilted, balanced and, cursing, reached out and spun the slig from before the incoming fireball and into the wall- the slig's wince was overshadowed by the roaring heat as the fire thundered down the hallway, leaving a swath of superheated air that dissipated and died in moments, the fire drinking so much oxygen that it killed itself moments after it had begun…
Shaking soot from his shoulders, the Glokkstar CEO of Dark Seas straightened, and, without a moment's hesitation, began cursing so vehemently that the young slig, wincing from the heat and impact, felt his face redden under the mask…
"I WANNA KNOW WHERE THAT CAME FROM!! I WANNA KNOW WHERE THE SPARK ORIGINATED AND WHAT DAMN FOOL MUDDY SCREWED UP AND LET ODD KNOWS WHAT CATCH FIRE!!"
"That one's easy…" the voice was strange, disturbing, a sickly gentle murmur too low to be heard and yet heard with such crystal clarity, despite wishes to the contrary "third valve- extractor number three… a young mud named…." The slig that wandered into the light seemed to carry a chill about him as he strode forward… larger than normal, though obviously not by any chemical means, the slig was old, older than the twenty odd years his species was clocked at. Gruesomely grizzled and scarred- the hard marks crisscrossing his skin not indeed battle scars but twisted, incomprehensible tattoos burned directly into the old, grayed flesh. "Named…. Danny. Didn't survive. Suuuuch a pity…." The slig's eyes burned- his face, bereft of mask, twisted into a grin as the Executioner lifted a glowing reddish rock in his palm. "Hope you didn't mind that I took a… memento?"
Mai stared down, blinking slowly, at the rock glowing feebly in the slig's hand. A sound, deep in his consciousness flickered, a fluttering moaning- screaming? –Snatching his hand back, the Executioner smiled again and tucked his hands behind his back. Blinking again and shaking his head, Mainard looked down at the slig, trying as best he might- despite the singing and soot stains on his garb, to stare down the slig smiling up at him.
"I DO so hope you haven't been grazing among my employees slig…" staring dangerously at the slig, Mai turned and, in a purposely rude voice, spat in a hard tone- "I'm sure I'll be very interested in whatever the hell you have to say in the morning- till then- rest well… and slig?"
"Hmmm?" the Executioner's pleasant derisive amiable tone grated across his conscious like nails on steel.
"stay in your Odd damned room!!"
CHAPTER 1
the hallway was long, dark and stank of the heady fumes of half refined petroleum as the glukkon slipped down the hallway, grumbling all the while. Grimacing as he entered one of the small pools of hideous orange halogen light that stained the hallway at regular intervals, he raised his hand, grimacing and rubbing at the oily stain of dirt and grease that besmeared the bottom of his glove. Cursing (-disliking shoes for the most part and the resulting effects it had on his hands at times like this-) he trundled on down the hallway in his sparse clothing; a sheer sleeping shift and the immaculate, but now stained, gloves stretched across his large hands allowed his limbs a longer, smoother stride than the jerky struggling he normally had to pull off when fighting through the frumpy clothing of his Glokkstar wear, but they let in the chill of the factory something awful. Grimacing, he bent for a brief moment, tightening his ears to his skull, and flipped the garishly bright peacock hued scarf back around his neck, (the one piece of status he suffered through at this time of night), the tassel slapping his thin shoulder as he straightened to his considerable height once again. He couldn't help grumbling for the ten millionth time about the foregone fashions of his big cheese days, the tastefully designed suits rather than the glitz and sequins of the ball gown nightmares he had to wear now....
"SIR!"
Groaning, the glukkon Mainard turned to glare at the slig striding swiftly down the dark grimy length of the corridor. Mai's eyes were a strange washed out bluish green glow from deep within their overshadowed sockets- pale at this time of night from hours of sleep still to be slept.
The slig tilted his head upwards, letting his eyes focus in the gloom on those of the glukkon, not a little tired himself.... he could barely force them to stay open, their greatest desire to be to slide into slumber once again, and let the world go to hell as far as he cared....
"Sir ya wished there ta be a meeting with tha-" the slig hesitated, ducking his head as he shivered a little at the superstitious nervousness of the moment. "Tha E-Executioner when he got here… he's here…" noting the glukkon's less than peppy response, the slig started whining- "ya wanted me ta wake ya when he got here sir…"
"Yes that will be all"
Nodding, the slig shivered a little, anticipating the thought of slipping back into the soft recesses of his sleep sack once again, and turned, mechanics whirring, to stride down the corridor- a sudden whump of hot air brushed him, pushing him back several inches and teasing the scarf back from the glukkon's neck.
"Um…"
both voices droned out as two sets of glowing eyes turned down the corridor- which suddenly had a much stronger orange glow. The young slig watched, entranced by horror, as a blast of fire suddenly slammed forth from a doorway far down the hall, bathing the wall before it before rushing-
Mainard, his shoulders already pressed hard to the grimy wall of an open doorway, tilted, balanced and, cursing, reached out and spun the slig from before the incoming fireball and into the wall- the slig's wince was overshadowed by the roaring heat as the fire thundered down the hallway, leaving a swath of superheated air that dissipated and died in moments, the fire drinking so much oxygen that it killed itself moments after it had begun…
Shaking soot from his shoulders, the Glokkstar CEO of Dark Seas straightened, and, without a moment's hesitation, began cursing so vehemently that the young slig, wincing from the heat and impact, felt his face redden under the mask…
"I WANNA KNOW WHERE THAT CAME FROM!! I WANNA KNOW WHERE THE SPARK ORIGINATED AND WHAT DAMN FOOL MUDDY SCREWED UP AND LET ODD KNOWS WHAT CATCH FIRE!!"
"That one's easy…" the voice was strange, disturbing, a sickly gentle murmur too low to be heard and yet heard with such crystal clarity, despite wishes to the contrary "third valve- extractor number three… a young mud named…." The slig that wandered into the light seemed to carry a chill about him as he strode forward… larger than normal, though obviously not by any chemical means, the slig was old, older than the twenty odd years his species was clocked at. Gruesomely grizzled and scarred- the hard marks crisscrossing his skin not indeed battle scars but twisted, incomprehensible tattoos burned directly into the old, grayed flesh. "Named…. Danny. Didn't survive. Suuuuch a pity…." The slig's eyes burned- his face, bereft of mask, twisted into a grin as the Executioner lifted a glowing reddish rock in his palm. "Hope you didn't mind that I took a… memento?"
Mai stared down, blinking slowly, at the rock glowing feebly in the slig's hand. A sound, deep in his consciousness flickered, a fluttering moaning- screaming? –Snatching his hand back, the Executioner smiled again and tucked his hands behind his back. Blinking again and shaking his head, Mainard looked down at the slig, trying as best he might- despite the singing and soot stains on his garb, to stare down the slig smiling up at him.
"I DO so hope you haven't been grazing among my employees slig…" staring dangerously at the slig, Mai turned and, in a purposely rude voice, spat in a hard tone- "I'm sure I'll be very interested in whatever the hell you have to say in the morning- till then- rest well… and slig?"
"Hmmm?" the Executioner's pleasant derisive amiable tone grated across his conscious like nails on steel.
"stay in your Odd damned room!!"
