Chapter 2 of The Thunder Gauntlet

Chapter 2

A voice boomed so loud that I jumped.

“First click your fingers,” it was robotic and absolutely not Excalibur’s. Looks like rebelling would get me nowhere in a locked room but I still gritted my teeth. I clicked my metal fingers. Sparks violently came out of the Thunder Gauntlet.

“Focus more,”

My face contorted in anger. Focus more? The sudden anger made me click my finger with such force I’m sure my fingers could’ve cracked. A dagger of light branched out of my finger tips in a second. It hit a training dummy and its chest was blackened.

“Well done. Now class,” 

The voice was so fake and emotionless it numbed my mind. Suddenly a white board and a chair and desk rose up from the ground. I looked at the door and punched it. It didn’t even budge.

“Please sit down,” school, now with magic! Everything sounds cooler with magic except getting kidnapped by weird priests. That sucks.

“We have been fighting many other kingdoms that will be covered next. We have been at war because of the findings of the Armour. You are currently wearing the Thunder Gauntlet while our king has the Lightning Gauntlet,” interesting. So my gauntlet is nearly one of a kind.

“Marble is also the holder of another peice of the Armour. The Dial Aegis. It can resurrect people who have died. That is what makes Marble, Marble,”

“It is impossible to take off any peice of the Armour,” damn looks like I can’t auction it off. I did a dry laugh.

Suddenly the door unlocked itself. Excalibur was nowhere to be seen. Barely took notice about that because it was night time outside. My brain was fizzled trying to reason out why it was night. Did I wake up at noon? 

No I was only here minutes.The robot didn’t say a thing I just sat there, confused. Shaking my head I realised that I have a metal glove on me that can shoot lightning and it’s attached to me forever. Why should I question anything at this point? I went straight to bed (well the corridor only went one way) and slept soundly.

I woke up in the same cloud as before and I got up out of bed and looked around. Everything was the same; even the clothes were out on the chair. They were completely black contrasting the whiteness of this kingdom. Just how I like it.

While putting them on I heard shouts and wails. I burst out. Everything is the same. Everything is peaceful and nothing is happening. I look out one of the arches. Each of the houses was different but immaculate.

I hear the robot voice down the hall. “Come we have more learning to do,” I took a final glace out and walked on.

 

“Now learn this technique,” The blackboard switched into a TV. I saw what seemed like the King putting his index and middle finger together and then he slowly waved it around him, electricity followed the fingers. 

It looked like he was drawing in the air with a yellow crayon. Finally he shot his fingers forward and all the lightning he built up fired out into a training dummy.

“Now you may practice,”
My first go at it was all right but not perfect. I noticed that it took a lot of concentration to do. I did it again and again until I became a rain cloud of sweat.

“We must learn more. The chest armour, Dial Aegis, can resurrect people that is why the filthy people of Steam Od want it. There are many others who wish the power of resurrection but covering them all in one class will be too cumbersome,”

The rest of the information I got passed like a blur. Something about how people in Steam Od sacrifice people and want them back...why was I not paying attention? This sounds super interesting in my head but something’s now clicking.

“And so Steam, the clockwork dragon, made the border of Steam Od,” I frowned. Who and what is the “clockwork dragon” do they sacrifice people to it or something-

“Yes you got it right. The people of Steam Od sacrifice people to Steam,” my head snapped up. 

“Right now they are making something new. Our spies are having trouble finding out what it is though,” ummm. What? This is too much information all in one day.

“Now go to bed,”

I walked without thinking. Can it read my mind? Why wasn’t I- so the Steam Od people want the Ord to keep on sacrificing people forever? Terrible. Scum of the Earth. I will never until their nation is nothing. I stopped...the silence in my brain was deafening.

I didn’t think about that. Someone else did. I laughed out loud. Am I crazy? I hope I am. This world doesn’t seem real or-

Pain rattled my neck. I screeched and wailed. And then my head was cut off.

                              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I woke up and walked to the classroom. Details were lost until I walked into the training room. I fell to the ground suddenly. My body contorted. I was going to puke. But then a figure grabbed something at the back of my neck. It felt like a plug comeing out of my brain.

Firstly I looked around the training room. It seemed as familiar as walking. “You do remember don’t you?” that seemed like the weirdest question I’ve ever heard. But I realized that it wasn’t the robot, it was the King, wielder of the Lightning Gauntlet, and leader of the invincible.

A wide smile reached across his wrinkly skin. He looked a thousand years older than Excalibur. His body rested on a huge wooden stick. There I saw the Lightning Gauntlet. It looked identical to its brother and I have no doubt they work the same.

“Let me ask you again because you’re obviously confused, do you remember everything?” His voice was warm and pleasant. It was fitting that he led Marble
“BRRRRRRAAAAAAGH,” I vomited and my knees buckled “Yeah I do,” I could hear my uncertainty clearly

“Don’t worry. You learned all of this about...one thousand years ago about,” my face fell. A sliver of memory struck my mind. The Dial Aegis resurrects people. And also my family is dead. They lost me and never saw me again. I wanted to scream until I realized that Steam Od would’ve killed me and my family just to feed Od.

“I am truly sorry. We couldn’t just watch you and your family die an untimely death but we also kept you to help stop Steam Od. Those past thousand years we trained you, without you even knowing. It must have been frightening waking up today but worry not, everything you learned your brain would automatically use the techniques you learned,”

I gritted my teeth. So they’re going to use me as a weapon. Well I already know this. It’s creepy. So I have combat experience greater than anyone on Earth but I still feel fourteen. We stood there in silence for a couple of seconds until I asked “So what’s next?” I didn’t bother hiding my frustration

“Well we will let you live here for about a week until you get sent off,” The King did look genuinely sad. My life was cut short so I could serve a war I haven’t heard of before. But I know why. The people of Steam Od are sacrificing innocents. And they want the Ord? Do they even know how valuable it is to Marble?

The King smiled and said “Please let me show you where you will be staying,” at the back of the classroom, stone was lifted up and light poured in. “Welcome to the true nation of Marble!” he led me out into the street and walked away, waving me good bye. Lost I walked on.

 

The whole city was hustle and bustle. I could barely see where I was going because of the mass of people, kind of like in school. A pang of sadness hit me. Anyway I need food. I shambled to the nearest cafe.

Thankfully there were only a few people in here. The barista however beamed at me. He was hopping with joy but not too much or he’ll hit his head off the ceiling. Behind him were shelves full of strange bottles, coffee beans and is that a bottle full of eyes?

The counter had lovely smooth wood and marble underneath. It looks like he had blown the entire budget on that; the tables looked cheap and the door had hundreds of splinters ready to ruin someone’s day.

“Ohh ALOHA!” he shouted. Strange, am I famous or something? Walking over he starts babbling. “Hellllo! How was your time here so far? Could you show me the Thunder Gauntlet? Oh please please please please please!” 

He had a lisp of sorts and his accent was thick. What accent though? No clue, maybe because he talked fast. I had no idea of what to think of the man but before I could say a thing he grabbed my hand. “What’s it made out of?” he gasped

“It’s made from concentrated copper,” I frowned. So did I learn that as well? How much do I really know?
“Sorry I think I’ve forgot to mention my name. It’s Chrome!” he held out his hand abruptly.
“Well it’s a pleasure Chrome,” I shook his hand.

“Now sit down and order a drink. It’s on the house well as is everything for you,” I would have felt threatened if it wasn’t for his shining smile
“I think I’ll have,” all of these drinks were completely weird like have you ever heard of a ‘tape recorder’? “I’ll have the ‘banc’,”

Chrome slid a very thin glass with a straw in it. The straw looked like it was squashed. The glass itself was full of a green liquid. I started sucking on the straw, waiting for the juice. But it took an age so I could finally taste it. It was sour. I winced at first but it was amazing though.

“You like it? It was one of my specialties,” he bragged. I stopped and said “This is wonderful! I’m going to finish this but can you recommend something? You know somewhere fun,” Chrome gave me a large smile and I think I know why

“Why not give your Thunder Gauntlet a test run? I know the perfect place,”

Chrome left his shop and led me to a little arena. All it was was an elevated platform. People crowded around it. We made our way through to find six yellow tentacles fighting against a martial artist.

The martial artist slid, dived and ducked every swipe of the bright light. He was sweating and working had but the other man had his hands behind his back. And a smile like a snakes slithered across his face.

People shouted, something about bets, the martial artist called Bestalk finally collapsed in exhaustion as the yellow tentacles ripped him apart. People shouted with glee while others booed.

“Can I join?” I said with the fullest expectation to kill the man called Dues.

“Sure I guess,” with that I jumped onto the platform. Everyone went silent
“Alright Deus I might as well get you back for punching me in the face,”
“Really now? You only have a thousand year of training,”
“Yeah we all know who’s going to win,” I mocked while pointing to the Thunder Gauntlet. Everyone did a little “oooo”.

“Okay then let’s stop with the chitter-chatter,” I said, taking off my black jacket.

My combat experience kicked in. It felt like my natural instincts took over. I put my index finger and middle finger together and thrust them forward, sending a branching path of lightning. By now Bestalk got up and ran off stage.

A yellow light blocked the strike. Deus’ venomous smiles crept back up. His left three tentacles shot forward while the others blocked any entrance of lightning. 

Quickly I clicked my finger. Wild lightning splayed outward.

Gritting my teeth I continued blasting lightning, the yellow beams got destroyed faster than being created. Now Deus blocked completely. Taking the opportunity I placed back my two fingers and waved it around. The traces of lightning stayed in place. I did this until Deus figured out what I was doing.

Finally I jabbed my fingers out releasing all the lightning I stored up around me. All of it gathered into one lightning strike. It went straight through the yellow beams of concentrated lightning and into Dues’ skull. He fell to the ground. Dead.

People cheered so loudly I thought I would go deaf. Wiping off the sweat on my forehead I put back on my black jacket. I walked through the crowd as they made a way out for me to get some food. Because damn I am HUNGRY!

Author's Note

So I'm wondering if this chapter is too much of an expostion dump. I think that I did it in a weird way that might MIGHT be better than someone telling you everything outright. But still leave anything, bad or really bad.

Ver 1.1 13/7/2017
Right I edited the first half of this chapter, but I don't think I fixed all the grammer issues. I mostly focused on changing the story here and there. No much else to say but if you read the first version but didn't re-read it then all that's changed is that I changed the Ord to Dial Aegis a part of the Armour.