43 Red Twilight Demon of the Flowers chapter 43

Chapter 43 Alone in Heaven

Edmond Dante is a Methuselah, 150 years old but barely a teen by his clan's standards, he runs across central park, breathing hard as he is being chased, he yells in a squeaking voice "I am a registered traveler, I am here on a working visa! Why are you chasing me!"

The 10-foot-tall kangaroo looking, women, Milli Malagaurd drops down from a tree to block his path, she pulls out her alien gun RONA and flips up the trigger to rev up the chainsaw bayonet on it "Why did you run?"

Dante looks up at the Stith women "I was on my way to the food bank when…" he is struggling to catch his breath" …five men started following me." he rests his hands on his knees for a moment to center his balance "… I couldn't tell if they were with you or…"

Milli pulls out her Watcher insignia "Earl Cryslis, I hope I am saying that right, you are wanted by the Holy Order of the Von Richton Watcher's Society for questioning. You will place any and all alien object you own on the ground before you and approach me walking heel to toe, with your hands held forward. You will be searched. Failing to execute these actions in said order will result in disciplinary action. By traveling to this world, you have implicitly excepted our laws and authority."

Dante outstretches a hand "I would like to see your badge please."

A plumb aging Joe Dove catches up, he hoots and yelps "woo! You sure can run for a skinny kid." Joe leans on his cane "Remember me, Ed?" Joe is a master manipulator, his deep voice soothing, his smile disarming.

Dante nods "you are the man that stamped my passport."

Dove smiles with a nod "you got it, kid." He stands up straight stretching his back "now things don't need to get complicated here, I just want to talk for a second."

Dante is charmed by the old man, he takes off his coat placing it at his feet. "How may I serve you von Richton?"

"your clan, you have some really cool computers. You can pull off some complicated calculations. Can you help me find something?" Joe asks as he takes a hard breath to recover from the chase.

Dante looks calm again "what are you looking for?"

"Keys, magic keys," Joe explains

"Keys?" Dante looks confused.

Joe wave "Milli, will you slap him for me?" Milli is a good soldier, she punches Dante nearly knocking him out in one slap, her hand wraps around his undershirt to keep him upright. "Yes, keys. The Keys of Salvation if you must know, the keys of Fate."

Dante is shaken, he brings his hands up to his head railing from pain. "I don't know what you are talking about!" Dante hastily explains.

The humor is gone from Joe's face. "I think you are laying to me. Between you, Countess Estargo, Marks Karingson, and Cilverant. one of you knows something, and I want to know what." Joe waves to Milli "slap him again." This time Milli backhands Dante, this time she lets him hit the floor. "I can't believe this guy. " Joe complains. "touching the Key give someone superpowers, and if you can find all of them on one planet you become a Tamriel. Do you get it, kid?"

Dante is frantic, he will say anything to avoid getting hit again "Dr. Marks Karringson, I know him. He…"

Joe shouts down at the child "I know that already! Tell me something I don't know."

"Lances Jacob…" Dante starts to mumble something. Milli perks up her ears and a rush of lost memories fill her mind. She flips around her gun and fires a plasma wave down at Dante, she doesn't know why, but she is convinced that the next words out of Dante's mouth would be more damning to them all then helpful, she silences him.

Milli darts her eyes up to Joe, Joe has his revolver drawn and is at a mid-ready stance, shooting from the hip isn't perfect but at 3 yards it is hard to miss, Milli partly lifts her gun. The two stairs at each other. Joe brakes the stillness "I didn't order you to shoot him."

Milli shrugs "sorry, weapons malfunction."

Joe chuckles "I was board of that conversation anyway." Joe puts his gun away defusing the situation.

A voice from a nearby bench calls over "Joe, my brother traded away his divinity for a lifetime of pleasure. Did he get a good deal?" the voice comes from a man in a silk overcoat, oily black hair and powdery white skin, he has boots and black slacks equally as regal, and thick leather gloves to protect his hands. Until he lifts his head to let his eyes be seen he is almost nothing more than a shadow. Teeth made of silver, eyes of violet gemstone. It is the voice of Cravixs, king of Tamriel, and in his own words the one true god.

Joe approaches Cravixs "you told me I had ten years, it hasn't been ten years yet."

"There are no more angels in hell, no more demons in heaven, no gods dancing in the moonlight to hear your prayers. No one, but me. Joe, you now have my undivided attention" Cravixs waves Joe over. "Tell me, have you chosen a hero to face me yet?"

Milli holds up her gun as Joe approaches the soulless god of huger. "Joe, one side please, I want to shoot the monster."

Crow laughs "you think this is me? You think anything that happens to this body means anything to me? This is just a puppet that I have placed before you to act as a mouthpiece. You cannot hope to bask in my beauty." The King of Tamriel explains "I speak worlds into being, my breath set time in motion, light burn to the beating of my heart. I am the foragemaster that tempers the fires of the real. I am the living dream that gives shape to life. You are weak, your ideas small, your actions meaningless."

Milli snarls, she holds up her weapon ready to but god to the test. "Is that a fact?"

Cravixs nods "that is a fact."

Milli grips her gun firm, Joe places his walking stick on Milli's rifle and pushes It off line, Joe grits his teeth and whispers a shout "Strand down agent Malagaurd" Milli lowers her gun as by Joe's request.

Crow turns his head looking past the trees of Central Park "I fear we a having trouble understanding each other Mr. Dove. Let me give you a clue." Crow waves his hand, and the trees start rearranging themselves as to not obstruct Crow's view of the city "abandon your silly ideas of glory and conquest, the time for that his passed." He points to a forty-foot-tall billboard advertising a concert featuring the band The Avatar Awakened as the headliner: center stage stands Luca Wingate, to her right Alison Poe Frog, how is also called [Ashley Jacob] to her left Charisma Diego, then on the far-right Tail Vixon and far left the man known only as Mac.

Crow points "Bring me him."

Joe looks to Crow "you want to fight a middle-aged rock star?"

"Look hard Joe" Cravixs order "look at his eyes, you know who that is. You hunted that monster once, in the 1940's."

Joe squints "Sa-la-daynamO?"