Court of the Traveling Crown: 3) Within the Scope of Reality

3) Within the Scope of Reality

Maph'ridome.  Metropolis -

The bustling inner city metropolis stands protruding from the belly of the mountain that houses Maph'ridome. While the outer city slums sit rested upon the cliffs, surrounded by the housing developments, the main inner city is separated, miles under sea level.  The buildings are built from underneath, only reaching nearly half the distance of the cliff cities. A large overpass, corroded by eternities of filth and rust, is the only thing connecting the two different sides of the slums; below this overpass is the metropolis.  Directly above the overpass sits the pipeline, the city’s exhaust pipes, allowing the steam somewhere to escape.
Uriel and My'rex slowly walk along the corroded overpass, taking their time with each step, unsure if the bridge is going to collapse upon their next. The silence between the two of them is thick enough that the tension could be cut with a knife.  Uriel lifts his hat to fix his hair and places the hat back on his head.
“So, where exactly are we going, Clarence?” My'rex breaks the silence, the voice box crackling with a little static.
“Clarence?” Uriel asks.
“Yeah, it’s…” My'rex stops upon seeing the confusion of Uriel’s face. “Never mind.”
“Okay then, we’re headed to the inner city, the elevator is on the other side of the bridge.”
“I get that, genius, but where exactly are we going?”
“I’ve got a friend that works in the Maph'ridome Hospital. He’s an expert in teleportation and breaking into rifts.” Uriel responds.
“Alright then. Speaking of teleportation, don’t you arkn guys have wings? Why are we fucking walking everywhere if we can just fly?” My'rex turns and glares through the eyeholes of her mask.
Uriel stops walking and turns to face her. “I could, if my wings hadn’t been crushed the day I left the Arkn council.”
“Your wings are crushed?” My'rex asks, surprised.
“Yes. Hence the walking.”
“Maybe you could just get one of your arknza buddies to ring a bell for you?” My'rex lets out a burst of laughter.
Uriel again stares with confusion on his face. “Bells? I don’t follow.”
My'rex shakes her head, still laughing. “Never mind, damn, it was another joke. You arknza really need to work on your sense of humor.” My'rex exclaims.
“There isn’t much need for a sense of humor in a king.” Uriel pauses. “Besides, I’m funny as fuck.”
“A. I doubt that sincerely. B. Who the fuck even voted for you?” My'rex asks with another chuckle.
“No one did, you don’t exactly vote for a king, My'rex. See, kings are chosen from a bloodline and when they’re born, they’re princes, until—”
“Stop. It was a figure of speech.” My'rex cuts him off as the two continue to walk.
The silence returns to the two, only being broken by the constant tapping of water droplets escaping the rusted pipelines above them.  This silence lasts a little longer then it had previously until a single word cuts through the air with a loud echo.
“Uriel!”
Both My'rex and Uriel turn to face their confronter simultaneously. A gathering of younger arkn stand circled around an even older one. None of them can be older than their mid-20’s.  Each of them wears some various form of color coordination, implying a gang of some sort. These boys each have on leather clothing mixed with more Victorian-based styles, signifying they are from the inner city.
The head of the group lifts a type of assault weapon from under his jacket and aims it at the two, instantly met with My'rex drawing an arrow into her bow. The golden shine from the bow is blinding. Uriel remains calm, trying to figure the situation out as the others in the group raise guns to meet with My'rex. Uriel closes his eyes momentarily to consider his options.
X                                                    X                                            X
Uriel opens his eyes to find himself in the courtyard of the golden castle. The overgrown trees and heavy shrubbery are a beautiful sight, met only with an even more beautiful smell of the flowers and the nearby stream running through the garden. Several men—soldiers—stand about the courtyard, some standing guard while others talk amongst themselves. There is a man sitting in a large chair upon the center of the plaza. This man is wearing a large brimmed hat, an overcoat and a beautiful blue scarf thrown across his face. King Delphar.
He is accompanied by another man that stands by his side, going over some kind of notes on a clipboard. The man stands at almost a defensive position. Uriel comes running up to them in excitement.
“ Uncle Delphar. I did it. I was able to conjure my first weapon. It was a really cool looking sword, a bit heavy though.” Uriel says with laughter in his voice.
“That’s wonderful, my boy.” Delphar responds, looking down at the young prince.
Uriel wraps his arms around Delphar, giving him a hug. “It was all thanks to your training.”
“Think nothing of it, my boy, you’re the one who has to use the magic. So this is an excellent achievement, Uriel.” Delphar returns the hug.
“Hey, uncle Delphar, I have a question,” Uriel asks shyly.
“Ask away, young one.”
“Why am I different from the others? How come my magic is really powerful and the magic of the other children in the castle isn’t?” Uriel asks.
“Well, my boy, it’s because you harbor your father’s bloodline. Your father was one of the most amazing warriors of our time and you are next in his line. You’re to be king someday, boy.” Delphar answers proudly.
“Really? Oh, that’s so cool. I am going to be a great king, Delphar. I’m going to be strong and I’m going to be respected in battle, not feared.” Uriel exclaims.
Delphar chuckles and looks down at Uriel. “Why not both?”
“Because, Uncle Delphar, I’d rather my enemy know who I am respectfully because then we could maybe come to some kind of arrangement where I wouldn’t have to hurt them.”
Delphar cracks a smile.
“I also don’t wanna fight dekn either.” Uriel continues.
“Oh?” Delphars smile turns to surprise. “But they’re out worst enemies of them all, Uriel.”
“I know. But I mean I don’t wanna fight them because some silly king says I have to. I wanna pick my own enemies and I wanna try and make peace with them some day.” Uriel jumps up and down as he explains his future plans.
Delphar smiles once again. “Silly king?”
“You know what I mean, Delphar.”
Delphar lets out a laugh as he playfully brushes the boy’s head.
“Make me a promise though, Uriel.”
“Anything, Delphar.”
“Promise me you will never leave your people. Promise you’ll never abandon them, no matter what.”
“Of course, uncle Delphar. I’d never leave my people. I’ll lead them to a great time of peace—I promise.” Uriel responds excitedly.
“Good, good, my boy. Now go run along and play.”
Uriel nods to Delphar and runs off to meet a friend of his that had been waiting for him. His voice grows distant as the two run off.
 "It’s a shame, really.“ Delphar says, turning to the man standing next to him.
 "The prophecy, you mean?”
“No, that the young ones have more wisdom than some of us do.” Delphar chuckles.
“There’s been another defector.”
“Respond swiftly.” Delphar answers. “But quietly.”
X                                                    X                                              X
 Uriel opens his eyes to find himself back on the bridge, facing the gang of boys with their guns raised, now shouting various things in a tongue. Uriel finally responds.
“What exactly is it you want here?”
The leader of the gang steps up—a kid with blond, short-cut hair and face tattoos resembling a forest city.
“Your son killed my father! You’re going to answer for this sin!”
Uriel lets out a heavy sigh as he turns to face My'rex. “I’ve got this.”
My'rex lowers her bow but keeps the arrow armed.
“Son, I have nothing to do with anything my son does. I do not have contact, nor will I ever, with his actions. Do you understand me? Now, go home. This is silly.”
“No! You’re responsible for his death and now I’m going to exact justice for it, you defector scum!” The boy yells as he motions for his crew to pull the trigger and open fire on the two.
Before a single one of them can even raise their weapons, four single shots are heard from one solitary blast, echoing along the pipeline. Four bodies fall to the ground, the life drained from them.  The bodies lay still in a puddle of blood, circling the blond leader, who stands there in a puddle of his own piss.
Uriel slowly steps towards the kid, holstering his revolver and picking up his wide brimmed hat from the ground. He reaches the kid and places a hand on his shoulders.
“Go home, Andrew. Your mother is probably worried sick. ”
“How did you—” the boy begins.
“I’m an arknza, kid. Now go home. I had nothing to do with your father’s death. ”
“You’re still a murderer. You killed my friends. All of them, without hesitation!”
Uriel grabs the kid by the throat and lifts him into the air. “No, you killed them when you hired them to kill me for something I didn’t do nor was I responsible for. I am responsible for a lot of sin in my life, but this isn’t one of them.” Uriel throws the boy onto the ground as he scurries about to regain his footing.
“Now, get the fuck home before I change your mind. And remember, you’re now responsible for the death of your friends, of which you should make sure next time you want to ambush someone that they are better shots than that.” Uriel finishes as the boy scurries off.
“Your son is Ellpagg, right?” My'rex asks as she sheathes her arrow and wraps her cloak back on her.
“Yeah. He is.” Uriel answers.
“Have you seen him since he got out of the Infernous?” My'rex asks.
“No. He wishes me dead, he doesn’t want to see me.”
“Is there anything you’d like him to know?” My'rex asks.
"It doesn’t matter, he won’t listen to my excuses anyway. He thinks I betrayed him when the council sent him to the Infernous. ”
“Well did you?”
“No. Of course not. They sent me away knowing I held a majority vote. I was never able to defend him.” Uriel responds.
“Well, say you could—say you could tell him anything and that he’d listen. What would that be?” My'rex asks as she scans the bodies.
“I suppose it’d be… That I am proud of him. I’d want him to know how much pride I have in him at everything he’s gone through. No one should have to make the kind of life decisions he’s made on their own.  Sure he’s corrupted now but no amount of words can describe how proud of a father I am of him.” Uriel answers.
“Maybe one day you’ll be able to tell him that.” My'rex says as she starts walking back along the bridge. Uriel catches up in a hurried jog.
“You knew those boys were shifters, didn’t you ” My'rex grins under her mask.
“Of course, why do you think I left the only arkn kid alive? Those weren’t friends of his. They were defectors. The valks are probably on their way to collect the bounty this minute. The kid probably found them in a bar somewhere and was promised justice for some riches.” Uriel explains.
“You know. I’ve misjudged you, Clarence.” My'rex laughs again.
“Seriously, the fuck does that mean?” Uriel asks in anger now.

to be continued ...


 Through the freshly polished scope of a sniper rifle, from atop one of the buildings a distance away, My'rex and Uriel can be seen walking along the bridge. The scope focuses on Uriel, scanning his body from hat to boots. My'rex looks back but never directly at it. A chatter erupts from a walkie talkie.
“Report.” The voice crackles through the airwaves.
“I have them in my sights. It’s as you predicted, he’s gathered some kind of help from a Lurker from the looks of it.” The voice responds. “Confirm the kill and I can be back by dinner. ”
“No. We want you to observe them for a while, figure out his plans.” The voice cracks through the static again.
“Understood. I’ll report when I have new information. Father isn’t going far from me. Over and out. ”
“One shot to bring about the end of an empire.”

to be continued…