Desperation

There is nobody more terrible than the desperate.
─ Alexander Suvorov
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"All hands on deck - I repeat, all hands on deck!"
I stood to the side as white coats flew past me in a frenzy, blurring the facade of the silver bullet-like contraption standing at the centre of the circular room. Footsteps, crashes and curses, high pitched squealing as shoes skidded on the polished floor. Someone dropped the redstone torch they were holding and caused part of the huge clock to short circuit, causing a loud hissing sound followed by shouted insults.
After watching the commotion for a little longer, I quietly slipped away to go track down the adviser. He and the king were conversing i the corner, carefully watching the assistants running around and eyeing my creation with skepticism and a hint of greed. I stopped in front of them and bowed, waiting. They took their time, chattering away. I stood still, still bowed, before the king finally looked over.
"Ah, yes... Lorne Destina."
I stood up, but kept my gaze at his feet. "I have completed my duties sir. I await my payment."
The king looked like he was about to respond, but the adviser cut across. I winced as his foul breath hit me, accompanied by his ear-splittingly scratchy voice.
"Ah, but no sire! Not yet, no. You have still ta prove this, uh... construction works!"
I frowned a little. "Your Highness, I've had many attempts -"
"He is right, Destina. You must prove it'll work this time... unlike the last few tries. You have made it considerably far, but you still have to show us you're not trying to fool us into handing over your prize without proper payment..."
I kept my face impassive as I bowed again, but let anger seep in a little as I walked away. Making this mechanic was already tough enough with the little materials I had been provided...
The assistants were now putting the last few pieces together. A handful were dragging in a selection of targets for the turret to test on. Someone ripped off the silver cover, revealing a skinny contraption with flickering redstone currents. I watched tiredly as they cleared the area, before pulling down on the lever.
Everyone fell silent as they watched the turret slowly turn its flat head, scanning the surroundings. The room was silent except for the mechanical rumble of gears turning, before the eye honed in on the targets. There was a click click, and a plume of white fire exploded out of the front, incinerating the wood in seconds. There was a low murmur, before some of them deliberately threw a pebble across the area. The turret snapped around and deftly shot an arrow. The impact smashed the pebble into rubble, and people cheered.
I turned back to the king, who was watching with slight disbelief. "I'll assume my duty is done here. I leave my creation to you, and I'll await my reward."
Without another word I strode towards the door and flung them open into the dry air. The summer heat swirled around as I walked away from the castle laboratory to rejoin the city again. People bushed past me shoulder to shoulder, and the hot sticky air lingered around. The noise was earsplittingly loud, and a terrible stench hung over us all. The ground was hot and dry under my shoes as I crunched my way through the crowd slowly, avoiding carts and horses.
Kicking away the sand as I passed the mineshaft, I turned down from the main road and away from the commotion into the alleyway, arriving at my house and and slowly opening the door.
"Alyssa?"
There was no response. A pot rolled past the ground and I picked it up before setting it on the shelf again. She was probably out shopping again.
I went to the back of the house to wait for her to come back. After several hours, the ground shook as a horse driven cart clattered on the alley and there was a dull thump as something hit the ground at the door. I rushed outside and pulled the sack inside, grinning when I tipped the golden coins out onto the table. Hopefully this'll be enough to pay off the debt.
Category:Eternulli
Category:Dramapasta
Category:Fantasy