Wednesday, January 11, 2012

The Tower of Trials Chapter 3 Page 2

George went back to watching the wilderness outside. He considered what he knew about the Vixens. He had heard about Mabel and Tricia before they had met. Rumors had spoken of a sniper and an armored warrior, descriptions of which matched the two Vixens with him. There was also a mechanic or engineer of some sort who hung in the background, who he presumed was Laura. But about the fourth Vixen, whom they were to meet, he had not heard anything.

He was about to ask Mabel about the fourth Vixen when something out the side window caught his attention, something brown and purple. A short distance away, running in the same direction as the transport, was some kind of four-legged wasteland creature. And it was steadily drawing closer.

Soon it was close enough for George to see that it was a cat of some kind, though it was unlike any he had seen before. Its height reached up to George's waist, making it much larger than the small felines that often wandered near the boy's house in Covenant. The cat had dark brown plates covering its head, sides, back and limbs, over its purple fur.

"What's that?" George asked, pointing at the creature.

"An armored panther," Mabel answered briefly.

"A panther?"

"Yeah. You expected some fancy name for it?"

"Well..."

"Everyone's got their own names for everything," Mabel said without taking her eyes off the view in front, "Each creature out here probably has a dozen names for it. Better call to that by what it looks like: an armored panther."

"Are there many creatures out here?"

"Sure. But you won't see them. Best way to avoid trouble is not to be seen."

"Are they dangerous?"

"They can be."

"Is that panther dangerous?"

"Yes, she is. Her claws can cut through armor."

George was then very much concerned about the fact that the creature was running alongside the transport, close enough for him to see its green eyes. He was comforted by the fact that it had displayed no aggression thus far. But it was small comfort, knowing the potential of the panther.

The creature had sharp claws. George very much doubted that his personal armor would protect him sufficiently.

The terrain they traveled over turned rocky. There were light rattling sounds as the wheels of the transport crunched and scattered pebbles. Mabel slowed the vehicle as they approached a mountainous outcropping of rock.

The panther was ahead of the transport, taking a path between the rocks jutting out from the earth. Among the rocks, there were small bushes with needle-thin leaves. Though there were not many of those bushes, there was more vegetation there compared to the sandy wilderness they had just come from.

Mabel appeared to be following the panther.

Was the panther an ally? Was it a friend? Or was it a peculiarity in the wasteland that wild beasts led travelers to where they wanted to go? George thought of asking Mabel but something ahead distracted him.

In the middle of an open space among the gigantic rocks was a circular man-made tower made of dark gray stone. It was not very high, with maybe six or seven floors. There were windows, but not many - most of them were on the first level. The roof of the tower appeared to be flat.

The armored panther led them straight to the front of the tower. There was an entrance at ground level, secured by a pair of heavy metal doors. The doors were decorated with motifs of lightning bolts and what appeared to be stringed musical instruments. The entrance was more than large enough for the transport to fit through.

George was so intent on studying the details of the tower that he did not see where the panther went.

Mabel left the engine running and unbuckled her seatbelt. She picked up a rifle with an attached scope from behind her seat. Then to George's dismay, she went to open the side door of the transport.

"What are you doing?" George asked with alarm, "That panther's still out there!" He hurriedly checked his mask as air from the wastes mixed with the air within the transport.

"Oh, don't worry about the panther," Mabel said as she stepped outside, "I need to have a look around."

Tricia too got out of the transport. "Just wait here while we check the area," she told George.

George was still concerned. He looked out the windows to see if he could find the panther. He did not see the creature. Instead, he saw something small, riding fast on a trail of white smoke, flying towards him. George ducked just as the object exploded against the side of the transport.

"Wasters!" Tricia cried through the comm, "Stay in there, George!"

The doors of the transport closed automatically. Armor plates rose to protect the windows. The plates also cut off George's view of the outside. Up above, mechanical gears started clicking. George guessed that the turret was moving.

One of the displays in front of him appeared to be feeding visual from the outside. Tapping on the keyboard, George quickly found the controls for the cameras. There was one each for the front and back views, which showed him nothing but the tower and rocks. The camera on the turret provided the most interesting view. He activated the external mikes.


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