Just A Little Loko

Chapter Two

The floorboards creaked as I stepped inside. No windows were on the walls to allow light to pass, only the sheets of light that came in through the aged and eroded plank walls of this... shed. Everything in this place was wooden, for the most part. There was one bed in the far corner to the right, and in the nearer corner to the right, were a couple shelves housing miscellaneous things such as books and small sculptures. On the left was just a counter space with a metal sink, a clay fire lit stove, and a wooden closet with various old tools inside. A string with various laundry clips strung all across the back wall, approximately six feet above the ground, seven inches shorter than the top of my head.

Everything was fairly dusty, and the door lacked a good latch, but it wouldn't be hard to rig something up. With each step, dust clouded a rounded my boots. They were good boots, made of sturdy leather. They were tall, almost like armor. The leg of the boot had a metal base, with this metal being encased in the leather one sees now. There was a metal, diamond shaped plate over my knees to protect them, a metal plate that used this same logic. It was dyed a light blue, brown on the rims like the rest of the boot. To remove them, all I had to do was flip the plate out and slip my foot out. A simple, flat mechanism existed within the shaft of the boot that angled the leg of the footwear away from me, so they were easy to take on and off. They had a thick heel and were well-fitted to me. I've worn these boots for a long time... They were a gift from her.

Looking about the room with Her Highness's body under my arm, I decided that the bed would be a good place for her. Decent comfort. Better than the floor at least. I planned for her to be in the far corner of the bed so I wouldn't accidentally crush her if I took a seat. Cole looked around as I dusted off the bed in preparation for this vessel. As the Demon King's vessel, it must be treated with respect.

"Hmm..." Cole started, "This place could use some work, especially this door..."

I don't know what it was about his comment, but I felt a heat rise inside me. I left my people, I care not for them anymore, so why should I care about a stupid artifact of theirs? Even if it's just the simplest of shelters... Having no immediate motive at the moment to be angry, I pushed it down. "I'll figure something out." I said flatly, keeping my focus on the furniture before me before finally laying her down on the side closest to the wall. With my arm free from her, I took a seat and removed my gauntlet, setting it on its rump next to the bed, the joint at the wrist making the hand keel over a bit. My elbows braced upon my knees as I then leaned forward, clasping my hands, watching Cole.

"Hmph. Good. Do it soon please." He requested as he continued to root around.

I rolled my eyes, hoping I would at least be able to settle for a moment after using that much power earlier, but alas, a man must work until he's dead I guess. I pushed off my knees and stood, casually making my way over to tool cabinet. The place was fairly small, so I made it over in just a few strides. I opened up the doors and glanced around inside. Most of what was left in there was rusted and unusable now, after all this time, but there was some rope. I grabbed it and shut the cabinets, pulling a chair over to the door latch. A nearby nail poked out just enough. Given nobody else was here, I brought down my scarf so I could breathe real air for once rather than my own recycled air.

On one end of the rope, I tied a small loop, slipping it over the old nail, then threaded the rest of the rope through where the door knob was. Keeping it taught, I tied a knot to solidify the connection, then sought out a sharp object I could waste. I would've used the blades of my weapon, but I needed every bit of potential I could get out of it for fighting purposes, not ramshackle fixes. An old butchers knife laid behind the sink's faucet. I grabbed it and used it to cut off the excess rope. It was a little tough but, it worked. The end of the rope frayed, and with the knife, I put it all back in the cabinet (save for what was being used on the door of course).