HOTEL LEX - FLOOR 5 (28/?) (Patreon)

The Baron taps his finger, awaiting your response. You muster up the courage and ask what exactly it is that he wants. His eyes light up, having been waiting for this response.

"You've got an interesting soul. I want to experiment on it." His beak twists into a crooked smile. "Specifically, how much it can withstand."

You are taken aback. When had the Baron peeked into your soul? Your mind races and you think of when it could have happened; then you realize that he took an awfully long time gazing at you after you mentioned looking for the Timekeeper in the subway. Those were the eyes of a predator who has found their prey. What was it that he saw?

"A soul unbound from body; a soul that knows not what home is." He slowly walks toward you. "Your soul is capable of possessing many forms for it is not completely attached to any one in particular; I want to see how many forms it can possess, I want to see how thinly your soul can stretch, I want to see just what will make it break"

You step back, your throat dry once again. You lock eyes with the piercing gaze of the falcon whose pupils widen with desire. You are just a few steps away from becoming his new science project when suddenly, the Timekeeper reaches out and grabs his shoulder.

"He is not yours to play with." The robot's gears crank loudly, steam gushing out of him.

"You see it too, the potential." The Baron does not take his eyes off you. "Do not lie to me, Vesta; you came for him, not the watch."

The Timekeeper hesitates before speaking. "The days of my experiments are long over; you know that better than anyone else, Azalius."

"You disgust me." The Baron spits on the ground. "A creator of your caliber reduced to nothing more than a useless pile of gears working in a junkyard waiting to rust and rot away."

The Timekeeper grabs hold of the Baron's neck and steam erupts from beneath his cloak with such force that it reveals his body. You see scraps of metal churning, rusted brass wires that loosely form a shell of a figure. You see the skeleton of some kind of toy that is barely identifiable with the damage and wear on it. You see multiple smaller and shorter hands supporting each other, twisting knobs and dials. His eyebrows spin furiously. His voice roars like an engine, "DO NOT TEST ME, TOYMAKER. I WILL MAKE YOU REGRET IT."

The Baron laughs coolly, "How?" His feet dangle off the ground, yet he shows no sign of submission. "All you have left keeping you together are a few copper wires."

The Timekeeper throws the Baron hard. He goes flying into a nearby wooden shelf, sending watches and clocks of all sorts into the air. The Timekeeper's head swivels toward you, his neck contorted, his splintered wooden jaw hanging wide open. You don't wait to figure out if the Baron's words have taken root in him and you grab the pocketwatch from the table along with Emmett. The Timekeeper makes a grab for you but you duck. Having already scanned the room for potential exits when you first entered, you run.

> Run toward the front door.> Run toward the workshop.> Run toward the wooden staircase.

READ THROUGH THE WHOLE COLLECTIONSTART READING FROM PAGE 1 DONATE TOWARDS OUR GOAL (Read here for what goals give!)

THERE IS NO MORE STORY; UNDER IS THE POLL. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN VOTING ON THE STORY, PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO THE PATREON FOR JUST $2!