TheDigger Directive Pt II

Maxwell rocked back and forth slowly, hiseyes fixed on his daughter.  She wasdressed in her pink and purple pyjamas. She sat with her legs curled up in his immense lap, a small lotus in ablack pond.  They had been playing forhours now, and she still wasn't tiring.

“Catch me again daddy!'

“OK Cindy, close your eyes and hide.”  Maxwell pushed as much excitement into hisvoice as he could.  The fatigue poisonsin his system were taking their toll. He needed to sleep.

Cindy giggled eagerly and clapped her handsover her eyes and buried her face into his neck.  The rocking chair lurched back with the change in weight.   Her cold hands pressed against his neckreminded Maxwell about the Thermostat. He must remember to call the repairman after his next BPN.  In the flurry of payments for babysitters,the landlord, his LAD loan and alimony he always came up short for thethermostat.

“Come find me daddy.”

Maxwell started to walk his hands up herback.  Ever since his change he lostempathy for his daughter continual fascination with this game.  He would never again know the simple joy shegarnered from an imaginary chase followed by a quick tickle.

“Hmmm, I'm looking for Cindy.  Where could that terrible tornado be.”

Cindy giggled with anticipation.

“What was that!   Was that a little Cindy girl? Where could she be?  Maybeanother little giggle will show me eh?” His hands crept round to her ribs, Cindy tensed up in anticipation.  “Maybe a little tickle will give me a littlegiggle eh?  Maxwell gently dug hisfingers into her sides.  Cindy burst outin high pitched squealing, her head snapping back as she arched her back tryingto escape his grasp.

“Stop it big bad monster, eeeeeeep!”

“I got the terrible tornado!  I got the Cindy girl, and I'll chew her up,chew her up.  Arrrrrrrr”

Maxwell stopped tickling as Cindy startedsquealing again.  She playfully beat athis arms as she wriggled from his lap. Her bare feet touched the cold concrete of the floor.  She danced from foot to foot trying to avoidthe freezing surface as much as she could.

“ahh, spiders daddy, spiders are nippingme!”

“Quick, break for the bed, while you stillcan!”

Cindy giggled enthusiastically as Maxwellswept her up into his arms.  As he ranaround the flat pretending to stomp on spiders, he noticed Cindy rubbing hereyes in between giggles.  At last hecould put her to bed and she wouldn't get up again.

“Fly fly away terrible tornado.  Away to sleep in your little cloud.”

Maxwell ran through her bedroom door.  He rested her gently in her bed.  Her giggles were subsiding now as sheinstinctively got comfortable.  Maxwellgrabbed the thick fluffy bedspread and draped it over his little tornado.

“In your cloud now, no spiders can climb uphere.”  Cindy resisted slightly.  She was still a little hyped from the gamesthey played.  Maxwell held the bedspreaddown over her firmly, stopping her from squirming out.

“Time for real bed now Cindy.  No more!”

“Awwww! Just one more hide and seek daddy, I promise!”

Maxwell started creeping his hands under thebedspread onto her ribs again, “That's what you said Last time terribletornado!”

He tickled her again, enticing moregiggles.  She squirmed under the fluffycover, unable to escape his hands.

Maxwell pulled back and stood.  Cindy wasn't ready to calm down and get cosy.

“How about a story, will you go to bed if Itell you a story?”

“Yep!!”

“OK, 

____________________

Long ago, in the Great Kingdom of Progressiathere was a mighty king, the most powerful man in the land.  Some said he was wise and treated his peoplewith kindness and true justice.  Otherssaid he was evil and like a leech that sucked the kingdom dry.  No matter what was said of him, one thingwas always true, if anyone defied him, they always lost their battle.  None could defeat him, even his mostpowerful champions, the knights of the severed head.  Some say he was so strong, even his name was a killing word andfew dared to speak it for fear of him paying them a visit to find out why.

The king had many great warriors under hiscommand to control the land.  They weregreat and brilliant men and women.  Eachone as colourful and different as the next. They came from all walks of life and from different races to serve theking and earn his favour. 

There was a one mighty warrior calledDreadwell.  He was once of the poor menof the Fell Downs. Dreadwell was blessed amoung them.  He never lost a fight and his deeds stacked as high as the kingsregal spire.  He had fought theBrotherhood of the Kross in their own city, vanquished Fleshmen from thewastelands, destroyed mighty armies of the Blackday cult and had even seen theBeast of Knives and lived to tell the tale. His crusades even stretched beyond the borders of the kingdom, beyondthe Abyss Sea to lands and kingdoms both beautiful and deadly.  Some said he could even defeat the BlackCloud Giants, men of war created through sorcerous means by the kings wife, insingle unarmed combat.

The king poured his favours greatly uponthis mighty warrior.  It seemed thatnothing could separate him from the path of greatness.  But even though many adored him, he alwaysfelt less than he should be.  He longedto join the Knights of the Severed Head, but he was not powerful enough.  He sought many magical ways to increase hispower and worth to the king, but he never came up to the standard of theKnights.   Until the day he created hisown downfall.

He was dispatched by his lord to board oneof the kings immense caravels, the Starseeker, and travel to the further mostregions of the realm.  There he wouldfind an enemy that had been assaulting Progressia.  He would vanquish the enemy in the kings name.  Dreadwell felt assured that the kings namewould guide his sword arm and the enemy would be no more.

For twenty days and twenty nights thecaravel sped across the Abyss Sea to the most remote outpost of the realm, onlyto find a burning ruin.  He scoured theshoals and trenches of the Abyss Sea until he found the enemy, a mighty sableleviathan.  It stretched as long as theStarseeker, its scaley black skin as tough as iron.  It's mighty tail threshed from side to side, breaking against theStarseeker time and again.  TheStarseeker was the strongest caravel in the kings navy and withstood the assaultsof the leviathan.  The Starseeker fellupon the creature with its blades and bows, but none could even scratch itsscaley hide.

The creature reared from the water and letout a soul destroying roar.  A brightcolumn of flame engulfed the Starseeker, and melted its valiant heart.  In desperation, Dreadwell leapt from theStarseeker onto the threshing leviathan. Using his blade, he dug his way under the creatures hide, intending todestroy it from within.    The leviathantried to crush Dreadwell within its bulk, but Dreadwell burrowed long and fast,tearing through muscle, sinew and bone faster than a chiurgeons knife.

As Dreadwell dug his way towards thecreatures head, he discovered the source of its devastating fiery breath.  A glowing white crystal set into a blacksteel gauntlet.  The creature must haveswallowed it in the far reaches of the Abyss Sea.  Dreadwell snatched it up and put it around his own gore slicked hand.  The new power coursed through his arm as heunleashed it upon the leviathan from within.

The creature was quickly vanquished.  Dreadwell emerged from the charred corpse ofthe creature.  Nearby, the survivors ofthe Starseeker watched in awe from their long boat at the vision of Dreadwellemerging from the mighty cadaver of the threshing leviathan. 

Together they all made for home shores.  Dreadwell was high on the heady scent ofpower emanating from the weapon he now held.

He returned to the kings court and demandedhe be accepted to the Knights of the Severed Head.  He would burn them all if he was denied.  Dreadwell had made a terrible mistake.  The king was outraged by Dreadwells'audacity.  He reached out with hispowerful magics and the weapon grew cold in Dreadwells hand.  Terrified for his life, Dreadwell fled thecourt and hid the gauntlet.  He washunted down by the Knights of the Severed Head, returned to the palace andtortured.  As he was to be put to death,The Lord of Rust, the first Black Cloud Giant, took pity on him.  Dreadwell had been a valiant and steadfastcomrade for the lord for may years. Even here in his final hour he protested his only wish was to serve theking as best he could.  The Lord of Rustprevailed upon the favour of the kings witch wife to recreate Dreadwell in theimage of a Black Cloud Giant.  He wouldescape the kings attention and continue to serve as he always had.  The witch wife agreed, deep inside she hadalways been fond of Dreadwell.

Dreadwell was reborn and took his place onceagain amoung the mighty warriors of the land. Noone but the Witch wife and the Lord of Rust knew Dreadwells' secretidentity.  But even though he once againrose to fame as a new man, deep inside he wished he could return to the kingand reveal himself, begging forgiveness for his foolish pride.

_______________________________________

Cindy watched Maxwell walk to the door.  His measured pace was uninterrupted by thearmy of toys on the floor.  He reachedup to the light switch and turned to look at his daughter.

“Daddy, did Dreadwell ever have a girlfriend?”

Maxwell tried to smile, but his memoriesfought it in the opposite direction. “That my dear is another story.”

Cindy seemed satisfied with the answer fornow.  “I love you daddy.”

He missed the feeling in his chest that heused to feel at those words.  Anothervictim of the change.

“I love you too sweetheart.”

The room was plunged into darkness.  Maxwell closed the door.

Maxwell sat in the creaking armchair. Itstrained under his bulk, barely able to handle his oversized frame.  He sat and stared out at the pounding rain,cleaning downtown whilst it piled sin upon sin in its fathers absence.  He found himself questioning wether thestories on TV were a hoax or not.  Atest of loyalty in Slayers final absence.

As Maxwell mused, a large shape fell pasthis window, hitting the ground below with a terrific thud.  Maxwell moved quickly to the window andpeered at the street below.  Amonstrosity shambled down the alley out into the main street, fresh raggedcloaks of flesh hanging from its frame. Maxwell had seen the abomination once before, a very long time ago.  For the first time since the change he wasglad for the loss of emotion it had brought. For he was quite sure it knew he was watching it, and who he was, andwho he had been.  Something was rakingthrough his hollow soul, dredging out the dark secrets within.

All thoughts and feelings of sleep drainedaway like Uptown rain.  Maxwellretrieved his weapon from its hiding place. In that brief moment when their minds touched, he knew its plan andsensed something darker, something unnatural and unnoticed amoung the twistsand turns of its analogue mind. 

He activated the weapon, it had been badlydamaged by Slayers mind many years ago. But careful nurturing had coaxed life from the object once more.  He slipped it onto his hand and admired itstwinking lights.  The stasis fieldhummed gently, waiting to unlease the power within.

Maxwell took a quick glance at Cindys'door.  He fumbled with the phone,precious time slipping away.  “Jean, itsMax…..

Yes I need you to come now, its veryurgent…..

Look I'll pay you triple wage if you're herein 5 minutes, the clock is ticking…

OK, bye.”

Maxwell  moved out for Uptown.