Snippets

by The Wind King

Brass Beast

The Beast shuddered to life, steam whistling through its limbs as though it was life-blood as the magical pump I had laboured away on beat rhythmically, my lips twitching back as a smile threatened to overtake my face.

Thu-tsssh; a gout of steam escaped from the vents on its “back”, the heat and pressure blasting my hair back, the water clouding on the smoked glass of my goggles, as more droplets formed on the Beast’s brass shell, droplets cascading down its form, leaving trails of gleaming metal the colour of the autumns first fallen leaves.

It was almost poetic, I mused as I ran my tongue over my teeth.

THUMP.

Thu-tsssh.

One step, its metal hoof cracking the stone floor underneath as more steam escaped from the pneumatic joints hidden in its “knees”, the Beast lifted its head towards me, the Sapphire sunstones it had for eyes settled on mine as I held my breath.

Thu-tsssh.

“WHAT…DO…YOU…COMMAND…” the beast asked, it voice was dull, heavy, monotonous, an entity of inevitability, the voice echoing from within the brass casing as more water flowed down its carapace, the rhythmic pulsing of its heart beating at my ears, the heat pouring from it causing me to sweat.

I couldn’t help it, I could feel the laugh building in my chest, struggling, fighting, warring against my restraint in its attempt to escape, until it spilled from my lips. My mad cackling echoing through the stone room, the erratic sound mixing with the steady pounding of the Beast’s 'heart'.

“WHAT…DO…YOU…COMMAND…”

I met its eyes with my own, my laughter dying away as I spoke the words that would shape my future from this point onwards.

“Let’s go cause mayhem, Beast”

Author's Note:

Blame Kudzuhaiku, of "The Chase-verse" fame, this one was spawned from a short conversation I had with him on his story "The Weed", a conversation about Self-Healing brass