Gilded Chaos

Rams- Of Sorts

Staring at my castles of words, also known as my library, I wonder how I'm going to choose thirty from the lot. 

Apparently, the universe- being Mr Terrignem, it seems- will be choosing for me as he bursts into my apartment in the middle of the night, interrupting my meaningful contemplation.

"We're leaving. Now."

He immediately lifts the suitcase full of clothes and other necessities, takes my hand and starts out of the apartment.

"Wait, what about my books?!"

"There's no time", he replies briskly, showing no sign of stopping as we rush down the stairs, leaving my apartment door wide open- and exit the building. We continue walking instead of hailing a cab, to my annoyance. I'm wearing trousers, thin shoes and a tunic, as opposed to my usual uniform of a waistcoat and boots. Thank heavens I still have my trusty layers of soot covering my hair and skin, for extra cover, of course.

As we run along a sidewalk by the river, something suddenly rams into my side and sends me flying across the sidewalk with the wind knocked out of me.
I faintly hear commotion a few meters ahead of me, it's probably Eric giving the idiots who tackled me a good pat on the back; I wouldn't put it past him.

Groaning as I sit up, the scene that meets my eyes is a different one entirely.

Eric seems to be locked in an epic battle with a... Minotaur?

Before I can question the universe, a minotaur comes rushing at me. I roll away in the last second, jumping to my feet with adrenaline pumping through every weak limb. 

Spinning around, I gasp as I'm lifted off my feet and rammed into the wall, seeing stars as my head taking the brunt of the impact.

"I hope you get good dental for this job, you need it, you stupid beast", I gasp out before the minotaur slams me into the wall once more. My vision starts to black out but I am kept in the bothersome grip of consciousness as the beast jostles me awake.

"Mine will be a kindness compared to what the Master will do with you, you weak mortal", the thing grunts out, much to my surprise.

"Oh wonderful, you looked too stupid to speak. Looks can be deceiving, it seems", I grit my teeth as I kick out as hard as I can and connect with whatever's between his legs. He lets out a roar and drops to his knees as I land on my feet.

I start running with my heart in my throat just as I feel my ankle being yanked back in a painful grip, tripping me and causing my head to connect with the sidewalk. My poor golden head.

Twisting around, looking at the ugly Minotaur with its barrel chest and sickly red eyes yanking me towards it with its fist at the ready, I grab onto anything I can- anything being my suitcase that Eric must have abandoned sometime during this nightmare- and I swing it towards the thing's head, which does nothing more than causing it to grunt in irritation as it swats the case aside.

Looking towards the heavens in spite, I see Eric standing a few feet away instead, holding the head of a minotaur in his hand. He flings a throwing knife with deadly precision to the minotaur's arm, making it let go of me with a roar.

He's suddenly standing before the minotaur in a flash, having dropped its former companion's head in the river. Taking its head between his hands, Eric stares at it with such fury that his eyes seem to glow an eery golden colour from my view on the ground.

The minotaur suddenly starts screaming and struggling against his grasp, Eric seems to take no notice as the thing's head suddenly bursts into flames. 

I think I say something along the lines of "Impressive", though I cannot be sure, my speech and vision seem to be taking some time adjusting to not being rammed against things.

Right before my vision blurs, he kneels by my head and slaps my cheek lightly, trying to keep me awake. Good heavens, what an idiot. I groan in annoyance and manage to roll away, reaching my hand towards the river and sipping some water that could do more damage than that minotaur. 

Before I can take more than two sips, however, I'm scooped into someone's warm arms, with my head lolling this way and that, pain blooming in every sooty inch.

"So much for not brawlin', ey lad."

At hearing the oh so familiar voice of the person carrying me, my eyes widen to saucers as I swing my head in his direction, causing a sharp stab of pain.

Hissing as I squint at none other than Holber, I can't help the grin that spreads across my face at seeing his bald head, dark eyebrows framing his warm, brown eyes and sooty face. The bleeding nose is a new addition.

"Where the hell have you been, you stinky old posh?"

He rumbles a laugh, squeezing me lightly, "Nice to see you too".

His features suddenly turn serious as he continues towards the docks, with a silent Eric in tow. "Ol' Murphy's gotten into a bit of a mess. I managed to escape, though not after bein' tied and gagged in the middle o' the forest. Two chimeras and none other than Medusa herself, who actually summoned empusa to separate me from Murph. I've sent word to a contact in Italy that you two will be coming in a few weeks' time".

"The plan was to go to Amazon. We have no need to go Italy", Eric says, narrowing his eyes at Holber.

"On the contrary, Sir, you'll be needing to go to Italy. My contact's been keeping me updated and says that Medusa came from the Labellum Portal there. Also that a lot more so-called dark creatures have escaped the very same gate. Something's definitely going on on the other side. Chances are, Murphy will be taken there, as well".

I'd never heard Holber speak so seriously before, it was rather fascinating, considering he was making no sense to me. I did gather one thing, though: "Why won't you be coming with us?"

"I've got some... family business to deal with over here before I leave. I'll meet you after a couple o' weeks, poppet", saying this, he gently lowers me to my own two unsteady feet. We've reached the docks and stop in front of a medium-sized boat- a sea trawler to be precise- of very dark colours. 

An old man, who Holber greets warmly, loads my luggage onto the boat- I assume Eric already has his onboard. The boat barely looks like it can carry my three suitcases. 

Before leaving, Holber hugs me tightly and says, "Give them hell, Pandora".

Before I can express either my annoyance at my name or my bewilderment at his message, he turns and leaves, vanishing between the shadows and steam of midnight London. 

Boarding the boat, I can't help the nerves roiling through my stomach- as well as the bone-deep tiredness I feel. Eric stands stonily by the hull, staring back at London with narrowed eyes, seeming to be ready for anything. I choose to believe the night is done with me; it has to be. I certainly feel as though I can't do much more. So I do what needs to be done with myself and find my sleeping quarters within the dark cabins of the boat, prepared to sleep through the chaos of my thoughts and the sea.