Monster Unleashed

Kane rode straight to the visitor’s entry of the Ministry of Labour. He fumbled with his comm module for a second and scanned the code on the dilapidated gate. A female voice chimed, Mr. Kane, Registered A class Contractor,-Slave Trade Visitor number 247. A badge with his name and visitor number rattled through a small chute. He picked it up and entered.

Not talking to Indrani twelve days in a row had not been a particularly pleasant experience for him. In his school days, Sayan would always be there to talk to. And there were a thousand other distractions if you were a student of St. Louso’s school of Protoplanet Exploration, but this was not school anymore.

Kane reached the Atrium. A collosal gold fountain displaying the Ancient Aliens loomed in view on the spot where the Fountain of Lord Luso stood less than a year ago. The Slave Rebellion had eaten up lives of twenty Ancients along with the seat for the previous government. The bi-party system meant that whichever party came to power, displayed its leanings through massive development drives. Mostly statues and public parks and such. ‘Keep them busy, rest is easy’ they said. The fountain was deserted given the hour. Kane stared at it for a second and found what he was looking for. Right at the feet of an ugly Goblin embossed on the base was a carved out trunk, thirty six inches in height and a foot long. At the centre of the chest was a mighty griffin with outstretched wings holding down the handle of the trunk with its sharp talons. There, written in a neat and tidy arch was the word ‘Pridewen’s Chest’. Odd symbols and markings all around it made him wonder. He had seen these markings before but he couldn’t remember where. Kane looked at it hard, trying to find some more about the chest, some clue, some tiny detail that might reveal the content or its use. He touched the chest and felt the embossed talons of the bird on his finger-tips. The fountain was spraying a fine mist onto his face. Kane ran down his hand all around the chest in hopes to pick-up something invisible to the eye. He stood there for a second.

“Amazing, isn’t it?” a low pitched voice rattled in Kane’s ears.

Kane spun around with a hand over his chest. His heart pounded.

It was Erichs, a free dwarf and the honorary member of the Department of Labour Welfare. Dressed in a baggy leather overcoat and a black top hat, he too was leaning over the Chest of Pridewen. His huge orb like eyes reflected the fountain in all its majesty.

Kane relaxed his fist and turned back to the fountain.

“Oh! You are working late today minister?”

“I always work till eleven thirty. I do wish you humanoids knew the distinction between hard work and hobby. Look at this place, it’s empty. Not a soul! I wonder how they sleep at night when work is pending.”

“Yeah! That’s what humanoids do. Listen, do you know anything about the Pridewen Chest?”

“I do not believe in fairy tales Mr. Kane and neither should you.” He took out his pocket watch looked at it for a second and clicked it shut. “Good night Mr. Kane.” And he walked away without even giving so much as a glance towards him.

Kane shook his head side to side and left for home.

                                                              ***

Broot picked up the copy of 'The Canneti Dawn' that Kritter rolled across his desk, flattened it out and stared at the first page. "Where is it?"

Kritter had been the eyes and ears of the organisation “I is Free” for five years, ever since the Slaves decided to have a representative body. He was wearing a white three piece suit with pearl white sued shoes and a white panama hat with a brown ribbon.

"Here," he pointed with a stubby finger, "a dwarf named Kranky and another one. They ambushed a human at Apsara Talkies and duelled with none other than Mr. Kane Morgan."

Broot looked up at Kritter with his tennis ball sized eyes and caressed the side of his head, a reminder of the assault by his former masters.

"Kane Morgan, eh? He hasn't been much of a supporter, has he? Wants to disband the ministry of Labour Welfare I've heard." He growled.

"That's not the point. The point is these incidents must be stopped. It's a disgrace to the community. Humans never wanted freedom to the Slaves and incidents like these, at a time when all over Annicet Slaves are uniting under a common leader, might set us back for ages. A common dwarf doesn't want freedom, he wants slavery."

"Hey, Auger!" Bellowed Broot.

He picked up a cigar from his case on the desk, bit off an end and offered one to Kritter who refused with a wave of his head. Broot lit the cigar with a snap of his fingers.

Auger came to the door and Broot threw the newspaper at his face and stood up, "Find out who's this Kranky and bring the two bozos over to me for questioning."

Auger bowed his head, screeched "Victory to Broot", and disappeared.

"Mordant wouldn't like it! Not one bit!" He mumbled.

He was almost four feet tall, giant by dwarf standards and muscular, with a body that looked sculpted out of stone.

Kritter drummed his fingers on the desk as he watched Broot pacing up and down the room, puffing at the little cigar emanating a green smoke that smelled like burnt rubber.

"We have representation in the ministry but it’s not enough. We must ask for fifty... no sixty percent reservations in the Ministry" said Broot coming back to business, "and a Jury representation for cases involving Dwarfs. We must demand the abolishment of the term ‘dwarf'. It's derogatory."

Kritter noted it down on comm, muttering under his breath. He looked up and said, "You should come out with an interview. Tell them who we are and what do we want! That will stop this abuse."

Broot looked at him and said, "Mordant wouldn't approve."

Kritter jerked his head up and yelled, "What's all this got to do with a goblin?"

"What's this got to do with Mordant?" Broot demanded with a cringed face.

His did not raise his voice yet it made Kritter look down.

"Mordant funds this enterprise. Mordant believed in our cause even before the other Slaves did. When the Dolohov's tortured me, when the humans abused me, made me do horrific crimes, I had nowhere to go. It took all my courage to run away, disobey a direct order. Do you know how it feels to disobey a direct order, comrade? It makes you suicidal. Ask your mother, maybe she remembers. I had to train day and night,"

"Day and night” he screamed, “to keep my mind off killing myself. That's when Mordant took me in and gave me a purpose. He is the reason you know Broot as a hero to the dwarfs and not a traitor to the humans. He is the reason why Slaves all around Annicet are writing to Indrani for equal status! He is the reason why slave traders are not breaking down that front door and throwing us out on an exoplanet," Broot had, in his frenzy, crushed the cigar in half and the tip was burning his ugly brown palm. A putrid smell of burning flesh filled the room.

There was a loud crack in the doorway and Auger entered with two Slaves squirming in his arms. A short and stout white dwarf wearing green wellington boots and a dark brown dwarf wearing an old tea cosy like a hat that had fiery red ladybugs printed all over it and a black leather collar on his neck, a mark of his servitude.

"You must be Kranky."

The dirty dwarf with the wellington boots started to plead. "Forgive me, great leader, forgive me."

"Your actions have been selfish. Extortion, assault and disobedience to the Dwarfish code of conduct…"

The dwarf with the wellington boots looked at Kranky and clasped his hands together as if praying.

Kranky too clapped his hands together and went down on his knees.

"Won't do that again. Won't do that ever."

“You know what happens when a Dwarf uses the human's rod of thunder?”

Karnky’s eyes widened beyond his skull.

“No master, a Dwarf cannot kill master”

Broot strode over to his desk and pulled out an old, dusty cardboard box.

“Yes, but a Dwarf can inflict pain”

He opened the box and with deliberate care, took out a thirteen-inch piece of metal that looked like a thick tree branch.

“No...”

He pointed it at Kranky's chest.

Kritter's eyes widened as he saw the scene unfurl and before he could hold him off, Broot clicked. A flash of blue light filled the room and Kranky slumped on the floor, limp. His huge orb-like eyes frozen and wide. A hiss and brown smoke hovered over the body of the dwarf.

He turned to the other dwarf and his face split into a wide smile, “Do you want me to stun you too, Aegnor? Huh? Do you know how much it hurts when “it” hits you?”

“No, master. Don’t master”

 “I won’t if you will find the Chest you promised me.” Broot yelled with such force that Kranky felt the windows shudder.

“Give me another chance master…”

“You’ve had your chances.” Said Broot taking a deep breath. “It’s time to unleash the monster”.