Anderson's body hurt. Ever single moment it hurt like hell and yet he ran. He had blacked out for a moment and now he lays sprawled on the cold hard snow. The only movement in his body was the shaky breaths he took.
With every breath the smoke of his pipe entered his body. The pipe laid just barely in his mouth.
Even when enhanced by it his body still didn't move. The affects were not as good as an ascended memory should have been. For the fact was, he was a sleeper and sleepers could not infuse their bodies or memories with essence. Although with the affects of the memory his body was just barely weaker than an average awakened.
If not for that fact he would be dead. He would have never been able to use his command in the fight. He would never survived the tail whip nor even be able to dodge any of its attacks, and yet he lived.
He had woken from his blackout a few hours after, but he remained in the snow for days.
He was cold. The affects of the smoke had focused on keeping him together. For three days he suffered in the cold. His body had wanted to shiver, but it didn't. It had focus everything on healing.
He wanted to move. His lips quivered as his weak voice whispered.
"I command myself to move." With his words a single nail was removed.
After three days he moved. It was tough, but he moved. Three days worth of snow had built up on his exposed back.
He was cold. The cold had kept him awake. The cold ate away at him. It had been torture. The makeshift armor had been broken in his fight. There was nothing between him and the snow as he had laid.
His will to survive was both at a high and a low. He wanted to not be cold, be it death or survival he wanted to be warm.
That was all he wanted. He tried to make a fire, but it didn't light. All the wood was wet from the snow. He tried to hollow out a hole in a tree to get wood, but he didn't have the strength to do it.
In the end he walked. Day after day he walked. His body hurt, but the cold was worse. It bit in deep. He felt it in his soul.
Same as before when he saw the vines he grabbed them and the bark off of the trees. Except he didn't stop when he made a single layer. He made two then three then four layers. Even four layers didn't stop the cold. He felt like it was going colder and deeper.
The days pasted, and so did the nights, yet he never stopped. He was going to be warm, he was going to get to the Spire.
His mind was blank as he walked. He was hurting, he was cold, he was hungry.
Then he stopped. Not because he wanted to, but because he couldn't go forward.
Looking up Anderson saw the Spire. Except it wasn't a Spire. It was a Clock.
And its hands seemed to be frozen.
Zena POV
Zena sat in car waiting. The train had broken the sound barrier once again. Her destination was close when she was able to check. Now it could be any moment when she arrived.
After about an hour the train started slowing again. At the same time Zena felt her head go heavy. Sleep was trying to take her. She tried to resist the feeling, but she soon scummed to the feeling.
The train stopped, this time it did not start up again. Zena's body laid in the car asleep.
The car door slowly opened. A man in a suit and tie walked in. He reached out to pick Zena up. With his six fingered hands he lifted Zena up.
After some time Zena woke up.
Looking around Zena saw that she was no longer in the train car.
'Where am I?'
The room was made almost entirely out of wood.
'How is there so much wood everywhere? Aren't we underground?'
Getting up Zena was stopped by the tightly wrapped blankets.
'Dang this is tight.'
Zena continued to look around the room, in it were many more beds. Each one made perfectly.
'Who did this, a Robot?' Zena thought rhetorically.
"Its good to see you up." A monotone voice sounded behind her.
Quickly turning while summoning her sword she prepared herself.
"Who are you?" Zena questioned.
"I am the mayor of this region, Lloyd. Please do not be alarmed by your situation. There have been many like you." The suited man calmly.
"Where are they?" Zena asked while looking at the man. "And are you human?"
"That first question is easy, they are at the Day Clock." He answered while raising one of his hands. "For your second question, look at my hand. Am I human."
"No It doesn't look that way."
"Then you are correct."
"Then why are you not hostile like every other living thing in the Dream Realm?"
"Who said anything about me being alive. I and every other original resident is not living. We are Clockworks."
"What is a Clockwork?" Zena asked puzzled.
"We are the creations of the Clock Worker. He gave us pseudo souls when he learned how corruption worked."
"Why are you being so talkative?" Zena felt something
"Why that is because we were made to be helpful and welcoming. We are merely faculty and laborers, due to the fact we can't awaken."
"Ok then tell me about the Clock Worker and where we are while your at it." Zena wanted to learn as much as she could.
"The Clock Worker was a human who was blessed by ~~~~. He was a Sacred Beast who was know for his dealings with both the Gods and Daemons. He was the inventor of most of the things around this city.
Before I answer your second question please walk with me." As he said this he turned and walked out of the room.
Zena hesitantly followed after waiting a few seconds.