Chapter 13 - Old folks home.
The Griffon, laden with its passengers flew high over the outskirts of the troll village. Alice found it strange and curious that she had only left this village a couple of days ago to begin her quest to learn about he religion of wonderland. She suppose if she had known then what it would lead to, she might have conveniently forgotten about it. No! Wonderland was her world and she was going to protect it at all costs. She turned to Christopher and gazed at his complexion .She then came to the conclusion that maybe, just maybe, the quest had some merit after all. She gave him a reassuring smile and he returned it thankfully. At that moment, she sighted the elders house in the distance. The other inhabitants of the village were climbing through the gas mine shafts trying to reach the only person who had escaped the invisible corruption that had enslaved them all. They had less time than she thought.
"Hold on Alice!" Cried the griffon. "Were going in and were going it fast"
He dove towards the house at tremendous speed which caught both Alice and Christopher by surprise.
They held on tightly for two reasons. One was the tremendous speed at which they were descending and the second was the trolls who had seen their approach were throwing various projectiles at them, trying to knock them out of the sky. One of them succeeded. A small yet hard stone hit Christopher in the head and he momentarily lost his grip, but a moment was long enough. He slipped down the Griffons' spine and would have fell to his death if Alice had not grabbed his hand in that split second.
The griffon approached the ground with decreasing speed finally touching down gently with Christopher clinging for dear life, hanging over the griffons side. He dropped down and was followed by Alice who brandished her Ice staff and awoke it by tapping the bottom. The griffon looked around and a look of regret and frustration came across his face as several stones flew down upon them.
"I can't stay here and wait!" he apologised. "I'll have to meet you somewhere else."
"WHAT!" exclaimed Christopher loudly. "How the hell are we supposed to get out of this damn place then!" Alice noticed he had never lost his temper like this before!
"Don't worry, I'm hoping the Elder can give us a ride in his balloon, if we make it!" She replied.
The thought suddenly hit her that the elders balloon only carried one person and even so, not very steadily but she didn't want to panic her companion any more, it would only make things worse!
The banged on the door frantically and the griffon took off back towards his eyrie. The door was locked and Alice could hear the villagers getting closer. She asked for forgiveness for what she was about to do.
"Stand back!" she orders and pointed the staff towards the door , twisting the handle.
The blizzard emerged from the crystal receptacle, blanketing the door in a layer of ice. Which Alice proceeded to shatter, taking the door with it. No-one was home.
"Great!" said Alice "Where the hell could he be!"
Christopher searched frantically for anything that would answer that very question when he found a single note on a small table. "I think this is for you."
Alice snatched the note from his fingers. Cursing herself as it was very improper and very rude to snatch things. She read the note:
"Dear Alice,
I don't know what you did but it sure pissed someone off! There's a box in the cupboard in the kitchen for you. You may need what's inside! Get it and hurry to the roof. I haven't got all day!"
Christopher stood in total confusion as Alice searched. Why write a note if your only upstairs! Alice found a small red box in the cupboard and opened it quickly. Inside was a watch, specifically a dead time watch. It could freeze time for a short while for everyone except herself. The only side effect was slight dizziness since your sense of balance is disrupted for a few seconds afterwards. She had little time to marvel at the small device when she heard a scream from the living room. Christopher!
She burst into the room to see him being carried away, shoulder high (so still not very high) by the towns people who had entered with ease since the door was in pieces below the archway! Alice had forgot to seal the entrance! Christopher was blocked by a large mob so she could not save him now.
"Your next Alice!" Cave a voice from the townspeople. It was the voice in her dream! The man in black! He was here!!
That was enough to convince her to go to the roof where she found the elder and his balloon waiting for her!
"GET IN, GET IN!" he yelled.
She had no time to be ginger boarding the zeppelin and simply dived into the basket as the mob leapt after her. She silenced two of their number with a short blast from her staff as the Elder pedalled his precious balloon with fury as they flew off once again over the village. But someone was waiting for them.
Konchuu was waiting below them, standing outside the elders house behind the mob which proceeded to begin wrecking the house. He watched the balloon fly across the sky towards the end of town and proceeded to run after it with incredible speed, unmatched by any human being alive. He reached the city walls at the same time as his prey and had finished playing with them.
"SO PERISH ALL HERETICS!" He yelled out, his deep voice rumbling through the air like a clap of thunder as he pointed his wrist in their direction. His stinger flew swiftly out of his wrist accompanied by it crow like screech towards the zeppelin. It tore through the balloon like a butchers knife through a tendon releasing the precious air that kept them airborne.
"It's no good!" The troll yelled, pedalling with every ounce of strength he had left "We're going down!"
Alice knew well that there was a long drop below them and dying was not a pleasant alternative!
"Can't we land anywhere?" she shouted.
"We could crash through the Skool roof in the fortress of doors, we can just make it!" he answered apologetically. Alice knew the great library was in the skool, and landing in a skool was better than not landing at all! The air seeped through the balloon similar in the way a deep cut would drain blood, rapidly and deadly as it's driver pedalled towards the approaching fortress trying to make use of it's last moments of a machine. The fortress became clearer as they approached. A large wall was surrounding a building which was rocking from side to side. This was the skool, and it was also abandoned and haunted of the spirits of Boojums. A banshee like creature who killed it's victims with the power of it's scream, and it wasn't particular of it's targets. As they descended, Alice braced herself for the worst.
Konchuu witnessed the zeppelin spiralling out of the sky with both it's pilot ad passenger holding themselves tightly as the balloon crashed into the roof of the fortress sending bits of wood an masonry flying everywhere. He smiled knowing they had survived the impact and held his wrist out once more as his stinger came flying back through the sky into it's holster, it's mission a success.
"I know you survived Alice." He said to himself, his voice blanketed in evil. "When we meet again, you won't be so lucky!" He glared at the zeppelin sticking halfway out of the roof and vanished with a dark hum. His destination, Through the great mirror, back towards his master.
The Griffon, laden with its passengers flew high over the outskirts of the troll village. Alice found it strange and curious that she had only left this village a couple of days ago to begin her quest to learn about he religion of wonderland. She suppose if she had known then what it would lead to, she might have conveniently forgotten about it. No! Wonderland was her world and she was going to protect it at all costs. She turned to Christopher and gazed at his complexion .She then came to the conclusion that maybe, just maybe, the quest had some merit after all. She gave him a reassuring smile and he returned it thankfully. At that moment, she sighted the elders house in the distance. The other inhabitants of the village were climbing through the gas mine shafts trying to reach the only person who had escaped the invisible corruption that had enslaved them all. They had less time than she thought.
"Hold on Alice!" Cried the griffon. "Were going in and were going it fast"
He dove towards the house at tremendous speed which caught both Alice and Christopher by surprise.
They held on tightly for two reasons. One was the tremendous speed at which they were descending and the second was the trolls who had seen their approach were throwing various projectiles at them, trying to knock them out of the sky. One of them succeeded. A small yet hard stone hit Christopher in the head and he momentarily lost his grip, but a moment was long enough. He slipped down the Griffons' spine and would have fell to his death if Alice had not grabbed his hand in that split second.
The griffon approached the ground with decreasing speed finally touching down gently with Christopher clinging for dear life, hanging over the griffons side. He dropped down and was followed by Alice who brandished her Ice staff and awoke it by tapping the bottom. The griffon looked around and a look of regret and frustration came across his face as several stones flew down upon them.
"I can't stay here and wait!" he apologised. "I'll have to meet you somewhere else."
"WHAT!" exclaimed Christopher loudly. "How the hell are we supposed to get out of this damn place then!" Alice noticed he had never lost his temper like this before!
"Don't worry, I'm hoping the Elder can give us a ride in his balloon, if we make it!" She replied.
The thought suddenly hit her that the elders balloon only carried one person and even so, not very steadily but she didn't want to panic her companion any more, it would only make things worse!
The banged on the door frantically and the griffon took off back towards his eyrie. The door was locked and Alice could hear the villagers getting closer. She asked for forgiveness for what she was about to do.
"Stand back!" she orders and pointed the staff towards the door , twisting the handle.
The blizzard emerged from the crystal receptacle, blanketing the door in a layer of ice. Which Alice proceeded to shatter, taking the door with it. No-one was home.
"Great!" said Alice "Where the hell could he be!"
Christopher searched frantically for anything that would answer that very question when he found a single note on a small table. "I think this is for you."
Alice snatched the note from his fingers. Cursing herself as it was very improper and very rude to snatch things. She read the note:
"Dear Alice,
I don't know what you did but it sure pissed someone off! There's a box in the cupboard in the kitchen for you. You may need what's inside! Get it and hurry to the roof. I haven't got all day!"
Christopher stood in total confusion as Alice searched. Why write a note if your only upstairs! Alice found a small red box in the cupboard and opened it quickly. Inside was a watch, specifically a dead time watch. It could freeze time for a short while for everyone except herself. The only side effect was slight dizziness since your sense of balance is disrupted for a few seconds afterwards. She had little time to marvel at the small device when she heard a scream from the living room. Christopher!
She burst into the room to see him being carried away, shoulder high (so still not very high) by the towns people who had entered with ease since the door was in pieces below the archway! Alice had forgot to seal the entrance! Christopher was blocked by a large mob so she could not save him now.
"Your next Alice!" Cave a voice from the townspeople. It was the voice in her dream! The man in black! He was here!!
That was enough to convince her to go to the roof where she found the elder and his balloon waiting for her!
"GET IN, GET IN!" he yelled.
She had no time to be ginger boarding the zeppelin and simply dived into the basket as the mob leapt after her. She silenced two of their number with a short blast from her staff as the Elder pedalled his precious balloon with fury as they flew off once again over the village. But someone was waiting for them.
Konchuu was waiting below them, standing outside the elders house behind the mob which proceeded to begin wrecking the house. He watched the balloon fly across the sky towards the end of town and proceeded to run after it with incredible speed, unmatched by any human being alive. He reached the city walls at the same time as his prey and had finished playing with them.
"SO PERISH ALL HERETICS!" He yelled out, his deep voice rumbling through the air like a clap of thunder as he pointed his wrist in their direction. His stinger flew swiftly out of his wrist accompanied by it crow like screech towards the zeppelin. It tore through the balloon like a butchers knife through a tendon releasing the precious air that kept them airborne.
"It's no good!" The troll yelled, pedalling with every ounce of strength he had left "We're going down!"
Alice knew well that there was a long drop below them and dying was not a pleasant alternative!
"Can't we land anywhere?" she shouted.
"We could crash through the Skool roof in the fortress of doors, we can just make it!" he answered apologetically. Alice knew the great library was in the skool, and landing in a skool was better than not landing at all! The air seeped through the balloon similar in the way a deep cut would drain blood, rapidly and deadly as it's driver pedalled towards the approaching fortress trying to make use of it's last moments of a machine. The fortress became clearer as they approached. A large wall was surrounding a building which was rocking from side to side. This was the skool, and it was also abandoned and haunted of the spirits of Boojums. A banshee like creature who killed it's victims with the power of it's scream, and it wasn't particular of it's targets. As they descended, Alice braced herself for the worst.
Konchuu witnessed the zeppelin spiralling out of the sky with both it's pilot ad passenger holding themselves tightly as the balloon crashed into the roof of the fortress sending bits of wood an masonry flying everywhere. He smiled knowing they had survived the impact and held his wrist out once more as his stinger came flying back through the sky into it's holster, it's mission a success.
"I know you survived Alice." He said to himself, his voice blanketed in evil. "When we meet again, you won't be so lucky!" He glared at the zeppelin sticking halfway out of the roof and vanished with a dark hum. His destination, Through the great mirror, back towards his master.