The Reconnaissance Clock

CHAPTER 5 NORTH

The group climbed over the last hill of sand and saw the grassy plains and trees. This was an unfamiliar sight for most of the party but looked like it would be a comfortable place to camp. Flel nearly fell asleep where he stood but was first in reaching into his bag to get out his tent, then the rest followed aside from Prirmenha who decided it best that she shared a tent again with Morso. Kasinic had a tent as well and quickly set his up. It was decided that it would be best for each tent to sit angled to the next and the sun was beginning to get close to the horizon. "Perfect timing for a meal" said Flel as he reached into his pack and took out a few pieces of dried meat he had purchased at the Godhand. "Who knows what they put in this stuff. I've had a head ache since I ate it yesterday" Flel said. Kasinic pulled some tobacco from his bag, "Yeah, at least I know this stuff is naturally grown by forerunners. I wonder what kind of meat that is that has been dried? I eat it as well but I prefer to get vegetables from the North when I can. You should get some when we get to Ceuron. Morso surveyed the area one last time and said that there were no transhumants following him. Some ships flew overhead again and shook the ground. "Let's try out that radio" said Kasinic while proceeding to turn it on. There were ineligible words spoken beneath the static and they disappeared as the ships dissipated into the distance. "Well, now we know its mutants on those ships." Prirmenha said.

Flel's headache got progressively worse. "I need to sleep off my headache, just a few hours and I will be fine. Kasinic, would you want to take first watch? You can come get me in a few hours and I will watch the rest of the night." Kasinic nodded and Flel gave his bow and arrows to Kasinic and went to his tent to try and sleep it off. The others went into the tents and tried to get rest. Morso reluctantly went into his and tried to rest. Flel's head was pounding and he graciously sipped water from his flask.

He finally dosed off... He awoke in a hallway dimly lit by blue lights. The floor was stone and was shimmering with a layer of water where the light was reflecting from above. The hall appeared more to be a bridge surrounded by black arches above with lights. There appeared to be no bottom to the place, this has to be a dream. He walked on the bridge admiring the intrinsically crafted stones it was carved out of. There were areas where moss had grown over some of the stones but no other greenery. Water gently dripped from the nothingness above and tapped the stones without a sound. His headache was gone and he felt as though he was well rested at this point. As he walked down the hall, he noticed short pillars on the right coming up. As he got closer he realized that there were heads on the tops of the stone pillars. He immediately recognized as he got closer to them that they were all his own heads. It was him but some with short hair and some with long hair, some with facial hair and some with none. Also, on each pillar below each head consisted of a hand print embedded in the stone. Some larger than others. He found one that his hand fit into perfectly. He then stepped back frightfully. The pedestals stretched out as far as the eyes could see down the hallway. Some were of him aged older and some of him even younger than he is now. Fear struck over him and he was hoping that this was a dream.

A dark figure in a cloak approached him. The figure looked like a man but it was hard to tell in the darkness, he wore steel gauntlets and a red cloak. One gauntlet-ted hand pointed at the heads on the pedestals. His head was not covered and his hair drooped down over his shoulders and was made of metal but everything else looked organic. His face looked old and burned but he managed to painfully smile. "Welcome mortal. This is your future and your past. You don't remember, but we have met many times before. I am here to warn you just as I have done many times before that you more than one choice. You can end up like you have many times before, a head on a pedestal, or you can join me and see another outcome. I am a forgiving god and that is why I will once again offer you another choice. The Clock that I created and that you seek, will only bring pain to you." Flel looked at him in terror after realizing who he was but tried his best to remain strong, "I do not care about myself. I only care about my friends and the people that remain on Kvasir." "That is your problem Flel. Let me help you this one time. Let me intervene this time. Time has no meaning here and the human race still exists, they are evolving like they always have. I can use you. You can use me. I can give you insurmountable powers. If you use the Clock without my intervention, you will end up just as you have thousands of times before. Let it be different this time." "There is no future of our race like it is now. The mutants aren't even human anymore and they are killing us. I will do everything in my power to not let you intercede." Flel said angrily. "Then you will end up dead as you have before", the Lower Creator spoke and lowered his arm. He began to walk back into darkness and he turned back to Flel, "Admire this hall, this is where you will spend eternity. Time and time again you will use the Clock and start another thread of time that only gives pain for your species."