Planet Chimera (2 page)

“Come on, Rave, you can make it,” I
encouraged myself, trudging through the snow, my mind detached from
the rest of my body.

Thanks to the horrible blizzard, the bear
chimera never appeared before me again, but what awaited me was a
task far worse than facing off against it. I descended down the
hill, the trees growing fewer in numbers, and the snow thick as
ever. I could no longer feel anything beneath my thighs, and my
hands had also grown numb. Darkness camouflaged everything; the
wind whirling uncontrollably in every direction. At last, I managed
to reach the small town, but it was not how I imagined it to be.
Small houses, with second story floors above, were lined perfectly
on one side; and on the other side, the shopping center, the pub,
and local precinct were stacked, side by side, in the same manner.
A double paved road awaited me, with ancient auto mobile crafts
parked on the side. I had heard that chimeras preferred this sort
of steam-punk like environment, but I had never guessed it to be
true. This was definitely going to throw a tinge into my plans.
Wiping the snow off my right shoulder, I strolled towards the pub,
hoping to warm myself with some good ale. The fact that the streets
were missing pedestrians crossed my mind, but I didn’t think too
much into it.

“Here goes nothing,” I muttered, opening the
wooden door, my eyes tracking the light coming from beneath the
door.

I was greeted by curious eyes, the smell of
fine wine and food making my stomach hurt. The pub was very small,
with a window on each corner, a dozen marble tables, a large shelve
with different bottles of wine and spirits, all stacked neatly
behind the bartender’s large table.

“Goodness, son, are you alright?” a man
approached me, a look of concern of his face.

He placed his right hand on my scarred
chest, as he took a handkerchief, placed some alcohol upon it, and
rubbed against my chest. The man, in his early 50s, wore a fine hat
of leather, a brown suit, a black bowtie to match his black vest,
and black, leather shoes. He had a sporty mustache, a solid jaw,
and a monocle glass on his right eye.

“Are you alright, son? Where are your
robes?” he asked, examining my body for any more fatal injuries.
“Someone fetch this young man a fine, hot beverage, and some clean
clothes.”

“Yes, my good sir,” I replied, taking a seat
by the fire, my fingers still numb and shaking. “It was not my
intention to intrude on this beautiful planet of yours, but I was
shot down by some unknown projectile, and I ended up crash-landing
here, in the forest.”

“Oh, you poor child,” he commented, handing
me what looked like tea, as he took a sit next to me. “It a miracle
that you survived the crash, and even more so that you were not
harmed by the beasts that lurk within those dangerous woods.”

“It is indeed,” I nodded, placing the cup on
the floor, to take the clothes someone had placed on the floor next
to me. “I am grateful for your hospitality, and if it is not any
trouble—I would like a ship to continue on my journey.”

“It would be our pleasure to offer you a
lift home, but I am afraid we are all stranded in this fearsome
weather, cut off from the world. Our troubles lie in the dark
plague that haunts us, when the sun goes down.”

Man, talking to these idiots in such a
manner was irritating me to the core. The way they dressed, the way
they smiled, and the way they spoke to me, as if I were some sort
of child, irritated me greatly. Beating and robbing them would have
been far much easier of a choice for me, but I was under orders to
practice restraint.

“What sort of darkness haunts your great
town?” I asked, putting on the trousers and shirt, my back a few
feet from the fire. “If I catch this monster for you, would you let
me borrow one of your ships? I have an important task, and I would
like to get back to it as soon as possible.”

“Are you mad?” the bartender, a middle aged
woman, spat, her hair wrapped inside a red crochet hat. “What can
you do against such creatures, that even our greatest warriors dare
not. You are better off staying here until winter ends, it’s easier
that way.”

“No, I have to leave within the next three
days,” I growled, my right hand forming into a fist, and my gaze on
the squeaky floor. “I have a very important mission I must partake,
and time is of the essence.”

“And what exactly is so important about this
mission of yours?” a girl, roughly my age if I was mortal, asked,
her arms crossed, sitting next to the window. “Why are you so
determined to go?”

The girl had long, red hair, dark, curious
eyes, high cheekbones, thin pink lips, and a very slender physique.
She wore a bright, white blouse, with a golden scarf around her
neck, a black dress with stripes on the edges. Some sort of
mechanical contraption with gears was belted on her waist, and a
small gun strapped behind her left boot. She reached for her cup,
took a small gulp of the liquid, and placed it down, her eyes still
fixated on me.

“My mission is not of your concern, my dear
lady,” I replied, taking a bow, as I stood up. “But it is important
that I make a hasty return to it as soon as possible.”

“Listen here, buddy,” she interrupted,
standing up, her arms on her waist. “I don’t know what your mission
is nor do I care to know. But you can’t leave this planet without a
ship—and in this blizzard, no one would dare risk their life to aid
you in your quest. And you don’t even have any money, too.”

“True, but I can repay you with my skills,”
I added, walking towards the bartender, and ordering their finest
and strongest beverage. “I have skills that might help you fight
off whatever is troubling you.”

“Listen, you, I don’t…” she rattled, pacing
towards me, her left index finger pointed at my head.

“Oh, come now, Salyanna,” the man, with the
monocle glass, stopped her, his right hand in her path. “There is
no need for name calling. I am sure it sure just a coincidence that
this man has shown up on our doorstep. If he say he can help, I say
we should give him a chance—perhaps, there is something even can
do, even if it’s a little.”

“Yes, I shall not fail you,” I replied, my
anger swirling out of control. “I will destroy what plagues this
town of yours, and then I shall take my leave.”

“Well, now that’s settled, we should find
you a place to sleep,” the man continued, his hand reaching out for
his pocket watch. “I think Baron Smith shall be able to offer you a
place to lodge for the night. And tomorrow, you can have a chat
with the constable about your departure plans, and as you know, not
all of us take kindly to outsiders.”

“Yes, I understand,” I bowed, putting on a
jacket, my mind drawn somewhere else.

“Good, then,” he grinned, walking towards
the door, “follow me, stranger.”

Saying goodbye to all of the remaining
people, all seven of them, I took my leave, following after the
strange man, whose name I had forgotten to ask. All of them were
chimeras, but unlike the other savages in the forest, they were
well-mannered and could control their human sides with ease. Not
sure why they were acted like they belonged in a different century,
but I didn’t bother asking; it seemed rude to do so.

“So, what is your name, young one?” the man
asked, gesturing me to enter his road vehicle, a smile on his
face.

“I am Rave Fireheart, sir,” I replied,
entering the passenger side, sitting on the comfortable, leather
sit. “And who might you be, sir, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Oh, where are my manners?” he replied,
cranking the dial-up engine in his mobile contraption. “You may
call me Mr. Dupon—I am the mayor of the lovely, little town.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, sir, I am
just a simple space traveler,” I lied, my whole body vibrating from
the rumbling engine of the road locomotive.

“Likewise, son,” he nodded, shifting gears,
exhaling slowly.

We left the side of the snow riddled road,
the weather taking a toll for the worst, moving east towards the
outskirt houses. I shifted my gaze, breathing softly, my hands
placed upon my lap, as I felt rather uncomfortable. Something
powerful and evil lurked around here, and it was watching me. It
seemed my goal not to kill anyone for a week was going to get
postponed.

“So, what ails you, my good sir? What seems
to be troubling your great town, if I may ask?”

“Oh, rubbish! It is nothing to concern
yourself with, young traveler. Just get some good night’s rest and
we can continue tomorrow.”

As he finished speaking, he turned the
vehicle left, taking a small detour, as he drove to the last house
on the outskirt of town. It was a mansion of grand manner, about
four stories tall, with two separate towers on the sides. There was
a barn, a few yards from the house, the whole manor covering a vast
area in size. Since it was covered in snow, it was hard to make a
clear, vivid description of the color of the house and what was
around the yard. The mayor stopped his vehicle by the golden,
barred gate, and a guard walked over to us, leaning over to take a
peek. He wore a green suit, with black stripes on the cuffs, a pair
of golden buttons on his blazer, and a black hat. What caught my
attention were his pointy fingers, like that of a lion. He also had
an awful lot of facial hair for a human, plus his eyes looked like
those of an eagle.

“Always a pleasure to see you, mayor,” he
commented, leaning over the open window, hot air coming out of his
mouth. “And who might you be, sir?”

“This is our guest for the time being,
Nelson, I trust you will keep him safe?” the mayor added, his
mustache shifting slightly, a shady look on his face. “He will be
staying at the manor until this bad weather ceases.”

“Of course, Mayor, anything you say,” he
nodded, his eyes upon me, a smirk on his face. “I hope you have
informed him about the rules too, sir.”

“Oh, I intend to, Nelson, I intend to,” he
replied, closing the window back up, as the gate opened up
wide.

We passed through it, the vehicle shaking
from the snow trapped on the tire groves, and the engine roaring in
a deafening sound. The mayor stopped the vehicle by the stairs,
close to the main entrance, and we both exited the vehicle,
scurrying quickly out of the snow. The mayor, shivering in the
snow, knocked against the door using the hard end of this cane,
glancing back to smile at me. His nose had turned blue, and a few
specks of snow were trapped on the hair stands of his mustache. I
heard the door unlock, and a man dressed in a butler’s costume came
to greet us. He was a polite fellow, dressed in black attire, a
white bowtie, and white gloves on his hands. With a graceful bow,
he waved us inside, another annoying smile on his face, too. The
mayor glided inside with haste, and I followed after, but before
the door closed, I took a quick look back at the snow covered
ground. What a day this was turning out to be! One moment I was in
my space ship, travelling to my mission objective, and the next
moment—I was shot down, and here I am.

“Before we go any further, I would like to
explain a few ground rules, my dear boy,” the mayor gestured,
holstering his pocket watch up, a timid look on his aging face.
“You will get your own room, just like everyone else residing here,
and at night, no one must wander the corridors at any cost. There
are things around here that cannot be explained by the naked eyes,
things best left avoided. If you hear any screams, you better stay
in your room and keep your door locked.”

“I see,” I nodded, my hands in my pockets,
my eyes locked at the stairs. “I understand, sir, and I will obey
all rules.”

“Good, good,” he quivered, forcing a fake
grin on his face, turning around to lead me though the mansion.
“All the accommodations have been arranged for you.”

Looking left, I spotted a
small boy, roughly eight years old, peeking at me from the corner
of the door, a look of fear on his face. There were small holes
around his lips, like someone had tried to sow them shut, his
poking fingers also scarred horribly. If this was not a red flag, I
don’t know what was. He had black, shabby hair, thin cheekbones, a
pointy, thin nose, and tanned skin. Not exactly sure if he was a
chimera or not, but I could tell by the look on his face that he
was frightened out of his mind. What was I walking into? It would
have been easier to beat up half the town with my bare hands, kill
them if necessary, however, these new developments were peaking my
disturbed mind with curiosity.
I want to
see what horrors await me
, I
thought.

“So, will I be able to take my leave
tomorrow?” I asked, watching the butler, who was walking next to
me, his arms in front of him, looking like walking mannequin.

“In this blizzard, you will be lucky if you
can even walk to the gate,” he replied, his feet stomping through
the red carpet, as he lifted up his cane.

“This is a exquisite mansion, if I many say
so,” I commented, admiring the chandelier above me, the lighting
making the whole living room look absolutely perfect. “Who owns
this fine house? I have to congratulate them for their fine
taste.”

“That would be me,” a gentleman, holding a
gold cane in his right hand, walked out a hidden room, on the left,
smiling at me. “It is not every day I get to talk to people who see
share my taste.”

“Well, it is a splendid work of art, sir,
and I am honored to be staying here for the night,” I added,
extending my right hand out to shake his hand.

“Ah! Mayor, it is always a pleasure to see
you,” he shifted away from me, shaking the mayor’s hand, the tip of
this golden cane inches from the ground.

He wore fine robes, made of red silk, a
white shirt with a golden collar, his loose pajama pants draping
over his black slippers. The owner of the mansion was also a man in
his early 40s or so, from my perspective, and he looked like the
scholar type because of the books on his many shelves. And like the
mayor, he bore a rather awful looking brown mustache, with a small
goatee on his square jaw, and devious looking eyes. I felt a
sinister energy out of him, the kind of presence I knew to be wary
of, but I didn’t do anything that could warrant any suspicions I
was harboring. My foolhardiness decision to waltz into this town
was definitely noted.