Of Jesters and Kings

Part 15- Smooth Sailing

They had been walking for a good hour by now, and to Charlie the buildings seemed endless. He glance behind his shoulder to catch a quick glimpse of Amber shouting something at Remmy. 

Huh, cute.

"Oy, Oy mate. Help a brother out." Remmy called out to the Cook, as Amber tightened her grip around Remmy's ears. 

"She's all yours." Charlie laughed.

The street should have ended by now. "Should" have ended. Although, athletically built, Charlie was getting a bit tired from walking. And the arguing between his hare companions. But mostly the walking. 

"Hey! Hold up.." Amber suddenly stopped and retraced her steps back with a couple quick trots. "Don't that look like Lukas's?" She said with her furry finger pointed at an old alchemist shop. 

"Gods' Balls! It DOES!" 

The trio approached the small settlement and stood in front of it's door, which was in a pretty poor state. 

"Should we knock or something?" Charlie asked.

"Aha.. I dunno, this seems so sketchy. It's like an exact copy of the store up there." Remmy said as he jutted his thumb upward. 

Amber barged her way through the two males and punched open the door. The debris clattered against the wooden floorboards, and the sound echoed in the empty room. 

Jars were lined upon the selves, and a work table was in plain view. It had an assortment of odds and ends on it, including a bronze orb.

The two hares and the cook fanned out and started to search the room. The Jester could have stopped by this area, he was a close friend of Lukas's when he was still with the House Bryne in the Upper World. Remmy slowly looked through the aisles of shelved jars and items. Some of the glass containers clattered when he trotted by. 

Charlie approached the work table and poked through the items lying on the table. The bronze orbs seemed to have been sliced open with great effort, and clockwork innards were strewn across the wooden surface of the table. 

"Guys.. GUYS!" Amber's voice rung in alarm from the other side of the room. 

Charlie whipped out his staff and dashed forward. His monkey inside his satchel let out a surprised shriek as it awoke from its nap and scampered onto the Cook's shoulder. Remmy followed closely behind. 

Suddenly, Charlie stopped. So did Remmy, their eyes filled to the brim with astonishment. 

"God God."

"GOOD GODS."

The Alchemist's shriveled body was already falling apart. His bones could be seen through his saggy skin. The eyes were glazed over with a hue of grey. However, Lukas was also clutching something against his chest. A large leather bound book. It was enormous. Loose papers stuck out from the sides, and many pages had small notes sticking out.

Remmy stumbled back. 

Charlie lit the end of his staff, using a glow stone and lit up the dark corner. 

No Time.

That was scratched into the wood behind the corpse. There must have been thousands of these markings all saying the same thing. 

There was a rumble from somewhere beneath the shop. 

"We should get out. Now." Amber said under her breath. The other two nodded in agreement. 

Remmy tore the book from Lukas's arms and made for the Door with Amber. Charlie stopped by the table and pocketed the orb.

He felt that it was going to be important. Why else did it have the word "Jester" scratched on the other half of the bronze sphere?