He continued his job for a few more days and the souls going to
Purgatory were unusually low each day.
"Why is there a lowered number of souls arriving in Purgatory?" He asked the robot at the front desk.
"Not sure."
Even Purgatory didn't know. Hmm something was strange now. Normally Purgatory knew everything.
The next morning he continued on his route. When he had almost reached one of his clients a strange beast came charging past him in the direction of his client. He looked at his watch and found he still had considerable time left. This apparently this was not a harmful beast. As he continued following his ring it suddenly jumped to another client. What had just happened! This was absurd. His watch had never done that before. Might as well play along.
Zane continued on his route and nothing strange happened. The same was for the next few days. Everything was fine after that one experience. Oh well.
After a few more days he came near another client. Suddenly the strange creature came charging by again. This time he got a better look at it for it he heard it stampeding towards him. It was a large red lizard, but with some strange features. The thing was made of shiny red almost armor like scales. It had a mouth much like an anteater's with a long trunk, and gigantic tusks. Fortunately it didn't hit him on its way by. He looked at his watch once more. There was still time left. He rushed to the client and the creature he had seen before came rushing in the opposite direction. The arrow on his ring had changed again jumping clients without him getting the soul. This time Zane continued following where the arrow had left off. Finally he reached a man lying on the floor looking as pale as a ghost.
He kneeled down to see the man, "Are you ok?" Dead, the man was dead.
Was it the creature? How could that monster have killed him without the watch reaching zero? What had happened? He decided he might as well take the soul and hope he encountered the creature again. He reached down to grab the man's soul. As he reached for it and reached inside the man, there was nothing there. He grabbed frantically around the man's body searching for a soul. There was none there! That beast had stolen this man's soul. That was why his watch jumped from one client to another, the current client had already been taken care of.
But the number of souls he had collected was normal except for Purgatory souls. But why would the beast only want those. He had to find out.
He stopped the death timer on his watch and headed for Purgatory.
"Why has a beast been rampaging around stealing the souls of those who would normally come here?"
"Unsure."
"Who sent the monster?" He was beginning to not appreciate this robot.
"Unsure."
Now it was time to see if the robot had been cursed to not say information on the subject similar to Satan's curse a few years ago. "Who didn't send the beast then?"
"The mortals and all of the Incarnations."
This was tough. All that left him with was Souls and Machines. Could it be?
"Did a machine not send that monster loose?"
"Negative."
Hmm this narrowed down his choices quite a bit. There was only one machine he could think of that had enough power to steal the souls out of living people. "Did the Purgatory Main Frame not have any involvement with the soul stealing monster?"
"Negative."
Aha! So it was the Main Frame. But why would it steal souls from itself, since the souls it was currently stealing would come to purgatory anyway?
"How do I reach the Main Frame?"
"Stairs." It said as it pointed to a small door on her left.
"Thank you." He headed down the stairs and asked himself. What was he getting himself into this time?
"Why is there a lowered number of souls arriving in Purgatory?" He asked the robot at the front desk.
"Not sure."
Even Purgatory didn't know. Hmm something was strange now. Normally Purgatory knew everything.
The next morning he continued on his route. When he had almost reached one of his clients a strange beast came charging past him in the direction of his client. He looked at his watch and found he still had considerable time left. This apparently this was not a harmful beast. As he continued following his ring it suddenly jumped to another client. What had just happened! This was absurd. His watch had never done that before. Might as well play along.
Zane continued on his route and nothing strange happened. The same was for the next few days. Everything was fine after that one experience. Oh well.
After a few more days he came near another client. Suddenly the strange creature came charging by again. This time he got a better look at it for it he heard it stampeding towards him. It was a large red lizard, but with some strange features. The thing was made of shiny red almost armor like scales. It had a mouth much like an anteater's with a long trunk, and gigantic tusks. Fortunately it didn't hit him on its way by. He looked at his watch once more. There was still time left. He rushed to the client and the creature he had seen before came rushing in the opposite direction. The arrow on his ring had changed again jumping clients without him getting the soul. This time Zane continued following where the arrow had left off. Finally he reached a man lying on the floor looking as pale as a ghost.
He kneeled down to see the man, "Are you ok?" Dead, the man was dead.
Was it the creature? How could that monster have killed him without the watch reaching zero? What had happened? He decided he might as well take the soul and hope he encountered the creature again. He reached down to grab the man's soul. As he reached for it and reached inside the man, there was nothing there. He grabbed frantically around the man's body searching for a soul. There was none there! That beast had stolen this man's soul. That was why his watch jumped from one client to another, the current client had already been taken care of.
But the number of souls he had collected was normal except for Purgatory souls. But why would the beast only want those. He had to find out.
He stopped the death timer on his watch and headed for Purgatory.
"Why has a beast been rampaging around stealing the souls of those who would normally come here?"
"Unsure."
"Who sent the monster?" He was beginning to not appreciate this robot.
"Unsure."
Now it was time to see if the robot had been cursed to not say information on the subject similar to Satan's curse a few years ago. "Who didn't send the beast then?"
"The mortals and all of the Incarnations."
This was tough. All that left him with was Souls and Machines. Could it be?
"Did a machine not send that monster loose?"
"Negative."
Hmm this narrowed down his choices quite a bit. There was only one machine he could think of that had enough power to steal the souls out of living people. "Did the Purgatory Main Frame not have any involvement with the soul stealing monster?"
"Negative."
Aha! So it was the Main Frame. But why would it steal souls from itself, since the souls it was currently stealing would come to purgatory anyway?
"How do I reach the Main Frame?"
"Stairs." It said as it pointed to a small door on her left.
"Thank you." He headed down the stairs and asked himself. What was he getting himself into this time?