บท 12: Chapter 12: Humble Beginnings (Part 1)
[Clock - 09:00 | 09:00 AM]
[Calendar - 20/01/2003]
[Location - Foundation Station - Old Gotham, Gotham City, New Jersey]
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POV Change
Atlas
"...is this the guy that is second in command? This cripple? Why did the boss even put him as second in command, even I am better than hi-"
Atlas felt a vein in his forehead bulge just a little bit. Faster than anyone could react, a sharp spike of jagged crystal shot out of the ground at breakneck speeds, only to stop just a few millimeters away from the other man's neck. Atlas kept smiling kindly as he treated the broken leg of the poor boy that he was treating. He didn't even turn to look at the man as he said, the same sweet and kind voice that he was using to speak to the poor child: "Well, you see, I believe that the earth is kind to us. Humanity has caused so much damage and so much hurt to Mother Earth, and yet she still loves us and in her infinite kindness, treats us as her children." This time he turned to look at the man after he finished tightly tying the leg to a stick, to keep the leg straight so he would be able to heal it in a little bit, as soon as he recovers enough energy for that: "The earth is kind... I also believe in the phrase 'Kill them with kindness'... Now, would you like to die by kindness, Jax? Is that your name- it doesn't matter, that's your name now, Jax. You look like a Jax, so that's your name now."
Jax (his name was Adrian...) gulped hard, his entire body had frozen in fear as the sharp looking jagged crystal spike seemed to inch closer and closer to his neck- With a heavy sigh, the crystal simply sank back into the ground without any sound, almost as if the earth had swallowed it down.
"Anyone else with delusions of grandeur that needs to go down a peg or two?" There was only silence in the air, the group of 13 homeless people kept quiet in fear of angering the boss even further: "Good... Now, where were we? Yes, I remember- pull the lever, Jax!"
Nervously, he looked at the lever in front of him... And pulled it. Immediately, the recently repaired and semi-functional train started to go backwards.
"Wrong lever!"
Let's go back a bit, okay?
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[Clock - 13:09 | 01:09 PM]
[Calendar - 14/01/2003]
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It has been a day and a few hours since Waylon left. It hadn't been long and Atlas didn't really miss him- I mean, it's not like he risked his own safety to save him from a haunted insane asylum, right? 'Stupid fucking alligator man.' Atlas floated, inches away from the ceiling, his hand dragging across it as he casted [Chloromorpho] and [Color] to change the color of the concrete ceiling and make beautiful patterns- because the spell was of the Illusion school of magic, he was able to influence it in the future, he's sure of it, but for now he's focusing on the school of Transmutation before going into any deep research and learning into any other school of magic, although he did learn spells from other schools of magic too. "Hum..." Lowering himself so he was 2 feet away from the ceiling, but still 48 feet from the ground, Atlas looked at the painted ceiling. "What you think, Baytor?" He couldn't exactly turn around, but there was no need for such, as he heard and read-
[<Swaying of cloth>]
[<Creaking of glass bottles>]
"[Baytor (Supportive, Happy): I Am Baytor~! (I think it looks pretty good, actually. Reminds me of my time in New York, looking at the beautiful painting of Vincent van Gogh. Truly a starry night indeed. I really like how you've made the brighter stars have a shine to them by painting around the light bulbs, marking them as planets of the solar system that can be seen in the night sky at the naked eye.)] Carrying a crate of empty glass bottles- don't worry, they're for something Atlas is working on -and swaying with an invisible wind by how happy he was, Baytor complimented the way he painted the ceiling with his magic. It wasn't at the level of Vincent van Gogh but it was still a beautiful starry night sky painting! Atlas' magic was truly wondrous and wonderful, wasn't it? "[Baytor (Happy, Excited): Oh, where you want me to put these bottles? By the others or by the special corner in the main conductor train cabin? It's great you're working on repairing the old train, it reminds me of my times taking the trains in Europe... Ah, the good ol' days...)]"
Atlas ignored the happy demon and decided to add a few details to the ceiling. Dragging his finger across it, he made a few sections of the sky darker to give the impression of clouds, and he made even more smaller stars in the background-
[<Echoing footsteps>]
[<Approaching footsteps>]
-and what now? 'Huh.' With his hands on the ceiling, Atlas dragged himself to one of his platforms at the pillar nearest to him, and he sent a [Message] to Baytor, telling him: "Hide. There's people getting close." As he also made his best to stay silent... Maybe the beauty of his painting will make people not notice him? Well- The moment they entered the place, Atlas saw that they didn't look threatening at all, but he would not underestimate someone based on their appearance alone! One old man, two women, and a child... They looked thin, but they also had these sacks of what he could only assume to be their belongings. As he observed them for a while, he saw them take in the view of the repaired subway station before one of them- the child -looked up and gasped, making the adults also take a look after making sure everything was okay.
[<Gasps of awe>]
'Yes, I know.' Atlas rolled his eyes at the screen before he caught the eye of one of the people down. He smirked at the old man as his eyes narrowed, and he decided to make his entrance. 'Well, better now than ever!' Simply allowing himself to fall, Atlas waited for the last moment to let the gravity and momentum of his fall be broken safely as [Feather Fall] activated. "So-" Floating a few inches off of the ground as his new wheelchair rolled towards him, Atlas smiled at the four new recruits for the future Croc Kingdom with excited but slightly cautious eyes: "-welcome to Foundation Station, my name is Atlas and I am your handsome train conductor, please keep your arms and legs inside of the train at all times, this train will not be making any stops unless someone dies inside it, so if you wanna take a piss please stab someone." His flamboyant and flourishing act- yes, he is a little unhinged (who flirts with Killer Croc to his face? Who actively infiltrates an insane asylum to get said croc out of it? Not someone hinged to a door frame, I tell you that much) but this is him catching people off guard by acting a little bit more- okay, he is having fun with this, okay? He likes fucking with people... Baytor is rubbing off on him, isn't he? That little demon.
"...what?"
Taking a closer look at their physical appearances, Atlas smirked- they all shared a few things in common: the thin and clearly malnourished forms, their wary and confused looks, and the most important thing: They all had the badge in their bodies. The "badge" as actually one of Waylon's scales attached to their clothes- That was one of Atlas' ideas about how he would be able to recognize if someone was sent by Waylon or not. 'So he was listening to my ramblings, huh?' A soft smile blossomed on his lips before he brushed it away, taking a deep breath and rolling in closer to them as he settled down in his wheelchair; "Waylon sent you, right? Well, welcome- again -to Foundation Station. I hope you're aware of what is our plan here, right?" There were a few nods from one of the women and the old man, the kid was looking at him in a mixture of confusion and awe that made Atlas feel like one of those stage magicians that just pulled the card trick, but the card he pulled was out of someone's ear canal or something. "Good! Now, let me tell you a few rules, okay- number one, you listen to me when I tell you to do something, okay? It's more of a request, but you wouldn't deny the humble and simple request of a guy with no legs, right? That'd be cruel! Second rule, this one very important, and it's you don't speak of this place to anyone... Because if you do, we'll have trouble at our doorstep."
There were simple nods as response, until the youngest woman asked- she was the one holding the child -with a hint of fear in her voice: "Uhm, we were told we would get something to eat?"
"Oh, of course- I am so rude, please forgive me- Baytor! Hey, Baytor, please bring some food." There was a clutter clutter sound as floating out of the box of glass bottles (seriously, he got some of his power back- he made a deal with someone, he hasn't fully explained yet because once he starts it, he gets lost and speaks about his past or something similar) was a small, tiny Baytor that quickly grew to his normal size as he floated towards one of the train carts. "While my little friend is gone, might I ask for your names? I am Atlas, as you've heard, and... well, I am the Royal Jester." With a playful boy, Atlas smirked mentally - Why not? If Waylon is King Croc, why not be Jester Atlas? He seems to be the only one with the courage and respect from Waylon to criticize his actions and decisions without getting killed! In fact, in the royal times of Europe, Jesters were not only trusty advisors to the King, but they were also very respected. 'Not only am I already a cripple, I get to act weird! That's always a plus.'
If it's not illegal, and it isn't hurting you or anyone else, please be weird. Life is short, and the world needs weird people.
"Uhm, I am Abigail... Nice to meet you?" The youngest of the women, Abigail, was about 5'3 feet tall and she also had a small scar beneath her eye. "Uhm, and this is Adam, my 5 year old son." Oh, she must've been in a very bad situation to be on the streets with a child to take care of... Atlas felt a bit of pity for the woman, but he did not allow such pity to be seen in his eyes, that would've been an insult to her strength. He simply nodded to her and turned to look at the other two that hadn't been introduced yet.
"...Adolf." The moment the old man spoke, the thick German accent was easily recognizable. Atlas blinked twice, looking at the old man like he was fucking with him, but the old man simply gave him a look that both conveyed annoyance, understanding, reluctance, and acceptance as he nodded that, yes, he was serious. That was his name. His white hair was testament to his age, which meant that guy was probably alive at the times of the Second World War... yikes. Just by thinking of his possible war crimes, Atlas felt an eyebrow rise for a second before he shrugged- he didn't really care, as long as it didn't bring them any trouble, his old man past was for his old man self.
"Ah... I'm Enne." The older woman smiled- Atlas easily caught on how her tense body seemed to relax when Abigail took her hand. They were either good friends of more, but it's none of his business regardless of which option: "Nice to meet you...?"
"Well- Oh, here he is." Baytor came back carrying a bag of canned food- hey, it's better than starving, am I right?
...yeah, it didn't taste very good.
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