So I've decided to get to the main part of the story ASAP. On to Monte d'Or!
Shimmering-Sky: Congratulations! I was afraid Descole would be a little OOC...and yes, he'll eventually meet Clive. I wonder how I'm going to write that...
Hollyshadow the medicine cat: I like drama too :D but I tend to get really tense and stuff. I wanted to go half and half, but ultimately I decided that consistency was more important than quantity.
GoldGriffin: I dunno, I really liked the Detragan...Detragiganto...Detrathing. The Fortress was cool and all, but most of it was built by kidnapped scientists. Not Clive himself. Descole built his machine in Eternal Diva by himself and kept it safely hidden without having to build a city over it. Meh. Thank you!
Oh, and I finally have a pairing chart for this story! ...yes, I make charts for stuff. So, without further ado:
Hershel - Claire (OTP)
Descole - Emmy or Clive - Emmy (haven't decided)
Clive - Flora or Flora is left unpaired (depends on above)
Luke - Arianna (friendship [is magic])
Tom...forever alone
Enjoy Chapter Nine!
Chapter Nine
In the City of Miracles
Despite its dazzling appearance at night, Monte d'Or looks damn unimpressive in the morning, Tom thought.
His observation was certainly at least partially correct. Monte d'Or was famous for being lively and bustling with activity amid neon lights, but in the morning, the fun vanished along with the colors.
Well, for a desert settlement, it's done remarkably well for itself.
"Excuse me, sir, do you know where Ledore Mansion is?"
The man stared. "How do you not know? Aside from the Reunion Inn it's the most famous building in the whole city!"
"It's my first time here. I'm merely a visitor. My apologies."
"Oh...well, sorry. It just seemed a little odd. Most visitors arrive at nighttime, that's all. Well, if you go up ahead, turn right, and continue north, it should be on your right."
"I see. Thank you."
"No problem. Enjoy your time." The man strolled away.
Tom looked toward where the man pointed. Hm. Might as well practice running. I'll probably need to in the near future. He grinned. Twenty six seconds should do it.
And off he went.
Tom reached the residence, panting and gasping for air.
"Damn. Thirty three seconds," he grumbled. "I blame the bumpy road..."
He knocked on the door. Moments later, a man with light brown hair wearing a blue suit and red tie opened the door.
"Hello. My name is Henry Ledore. Who are you?"
"My name is Tom. I wish to speak with Randall and Angela Ascot."
The man furrowed his brow. "And what business do you have with them?"
"It...involves the Professor. In a way."
Henry looked confused, then his expression brightened. "Ah! You mean Hershel Layton! Right this way, please."
As he was led into the house, Tom mused, It seems Randall is really great friends with the Professor. I didn't even need to state my business, I just needed to mention a name.
"You're really a Time Guardian?" Randall asked for what seemed like the seven billionth time.
Tom rolled his eyes. "Yes, I am. I have come for assistance; the world is in grave danger."
"How so?" Angela asked. Understandably, she was quite suspicious of this man who showed up out of nowhere and pretended to be a mythological figure.
"Do both of you know what the Oculus is?"
Randall immediately nodded. "Of course! I am an archaeologist, after all."
Angela meekly said that she had no idea what an Oculus was.
Ignoring Randall's expression of horror, she asked, "So what is it, exactly? Am I correct in saying it is important?"
"You are, in fact, understating it, ma'am. The Oculus is what allows us to live in a world where time flows linearly. So naturally, it is fundamental to existence as we know it. Being a Time Guardian, my job is to get rid of anything that might disrupt the flow of time. For example, a pebble might make a splash in a river. Likewise, some anomaly might find its way into the time stream. The difference is, while a pebble falling into a river only affects the system a tiny amount and has no real harmful effects, a paradox will cause the time stream to lose control, possibly self-destruct. Even worse, some paradoxes simply pop up naturally, out of nowhere. So the Oculus prunes them out, acting as a security system."
"Yeah! And if someone gets their hands on it, they can do whatever they want!" Randall laughed. "The mere threat of using it could bring governments to their knees!"
"Precisely. Unfortunately...the Oculus is missing."
"What!?"
"Yes. And I fear there is someone who wants it. I do not know who or why, but I can sense it. I do not know when it will appear. It could even be miles underground, though chances are this is not the case."
Randall suddenly became serious (Angela liked to call it his "professional face"). "Hm. So let me guess, you need some help getting it before this other guy does?"
"Yes."
"Alright then, I'll help. Wait..." Randall was deep in thought. "I heard that writings describing the Oculus date back to almost ten thousand years ago, on the walls of the Nautilus Chamber. So does that mean...the Oculus is of Azran origin?"
"It is. Good deduction."
"Hold on. The Oculus was made by the first Time Guardian. So does that mean that the Time Guardians were Azran?"
"No."
"Oh..."
"But you are very close to the truth. The Azrans...were not only the most advanced ancient civilization, they were also the very first ancient civilization. Theon, the first Time Guardian, jump started the creation of Azran civilization by making the sophisticated device that is the Oculus. Not only did this make life extraordinarily simpler (less time complications), it also began an era of innovation, as people realized just what was possible with the materials they had. You could say that the creation of the Oculus was the first Renaissance."
Randall was, of course, fascinated by this information. Interestingly, so was Angela.
"So," Tom continued, "back to the question I came here to ask. Will you help me?"
"Of course!" Randall certainly was an adventurous one.
"I will as well," Angela said.
"Excellent. By the way, I'd like to visit the Nautilus Chamber of Akbadain myself. Do you know how I can reach there?"
"Oh, there's a tour that takes people there and back. It makes one round trip every thirty minutes, so you can spend as much time there as you want and return later."
"Thank you. I will do just that."
The moon was already high in the sky by the time Tom left Monte d'Or. He took a look back at the city of lights and entertainment.
It really is more beautiful at night.
Chapter Nine DONE! Next chapter we'll continue steamrolling ahead. I want to get to writing the main story; these are all preparatory chapters thus far (with the possible exception of Chapter Three).
Please review, favorite, and follow! Don't forget to bring a sweater-wait. Damn. Don't mind me.