As soon as the axe blade hit the floor, the human shadow creature disappeared. The armor flattened out and where the spears laid turned to slime and slowly disappeared. With that, DM let go of the ax and a still quiet went across the room. He walked over to the wall and grabbed a lamp that turned on with his touch. Sophie took her hands away from her face and looked around the room and finally ending with the shadow that DM was projecting.
DM didn't have any lungs, and so had no need to breathe. He didn't have muscles, so he wasn't sore. But he was still slowing down and making a hallowed breathing noise as if out of breath.
Sophie noticed this while staring at the shadow and knew what needed to be done. She turned to Scare and asked, "Um... Scare, can you do me a favor and grab another glass bottle from outside?"
Scare, trying to light another cigarette, turned to her and asked, "What for?"
"Please?" she asked calmly and gave him a look.
Scare sighed. "Yeah, sure, can do. Be right back."
As soon as they were alone, Sophie tried to speak to the Dead Man, but had trouble trying to start speaking again. DM understood, seeing the way he was.
He looked up where she was looking, his shadow from his body on the wall. Even though he lost his shadow, his mechanical parts still had there shadows, with gaps missing from his bones (which were the only things left that were originally his). But there was one place where it obvious that there was a gap. On his upper left side of his chest, where Merihem had been constantly stabbing, was a hole in the shape of a heart.
Well, that's embarrassing. Thought DM. And kinda odd.
DM looked down, but didn't see the hole in his ribs. Where was a mirror when you needed one?
"Do I have any broken bones?" He asked Sophie.
"Yes... your ribs..." She point in the general area on herself.
DM sighed. "Damn. Shattered or split?"
She stepped closer and gave a closer look. "It's not too bad, just broken in two. Like a split?"
"Oh, good. I can fix that. I hate replacing bones. Nothing is as solid and flexible as bone... metal is so stiff. You can never understand the subtle differences that can be made until it happens to you. I mean... look at my hands." He lifted he hands, still having the large fingertip sensors gloves. "When they were young and of flesh, they could sew a wound or create masterpieces that would make even the heartless shed a tear. Now they are of metal and without feeling... but I suppose that also has its own specialities..."
"Like breaking the faces of our pursuers." Scare said as he came in with another glass bottle. He passed it to Sophie, who then passed it to DM. He quickly switched the bottle in his stomach and started to drink again.
After getting half way through the bottle. He asked her, "You alright?"
"Yes." She replied. Scare answered, "I'm fine too, by the way."
"Good. Now get out of my house." He turned and started to walk out of the room.
"Wait!" she yelled out. "Get out?!"
"Yes, get out. You brought these men in my house and made a giant mess. Now I got to clean everything up, build new doors, and repair myself. Going to be busy for the next few days. Leave." But even though he said that, that wasn't what he was thinking. He was very curious about the girl... but he wanted to she what she wanted.
Scare answered, "Sounds good to me, lets go." He went to grab her shoulder and lead her out, but she stepped closer to DM.
"Could you help us?" She asked DM sincerely.
Scare groaned.
DM kept his face still. "Help? How could I help you?"
"I'm looking for the Shadow King. To get me back home."
A silence filled the room again. Shadow King...but isn't he...
DM stepped towards Sophie, who almost started to back away, but held her ground. He got close to her and stared into her eyes. "And what reason would I have to..." He paused as he heard something.
And then, in the silence, he heard it louder. A slight, sharp, recurring click. Like someone tapping...
"What noise?" Scare asked.
"It sounds like a heart... beating... but metal."
Sophie answered. "Like a ticking? Like my watch?"
Watch? Thought DM. Why does that sound familiar? And should it?
"Watch?" DM asked.
"I mean this. See, watch."
DM looked at the thing, but it still confused him. "I'm looking but I still don't know what it is."
Scare squinted his eye as he pulled out another cigarette to light. "She means 'watch' is what it is called, even I know that."
DM held back the groan and kept his face straight. "I know that... but what's it for?"
Scare and Sophie looked at each other and gave a confused look. Sophie spoke in a slow tone, "It's a device that keeps time?"
Ah, time. DM thought. Now that I know of.
"Keeps time? No such thing. Time is defined as a measuring system used to sequence events and compare durations of intervals. Its operational use is observing a certain number of repetitions of one cyclical event that constitutes one standard unit such as a second..."
Both Scare and Sophie stared at DM with a dumbfounded expression.
"There is also the idea of space-time, bringing the nature of time into a group related to the nature of the cosmos and natural philosophy..."
This hasn't been the first time DM has embarrassed himself over a memory problem. With the limit of memory that he has on the Stone he uses as a brain, he has gotten rid of memories that could seem as the simplest of things. Because of his lack of need for it, he had once forgotten about the word 'food' and it's use to people. After a horrified week of seeing people eat things into there body by ripping and chewing and not knowing why, he was reminded that it was a necessary for others and had to re-memorizes it's uses.
"Time is also of social importance, with sayings like 'time is money' and 'time passing', which could be considered to be inconsistent because it is arbitrary, like the personal value with life spans..."
Better not go into Eternalism... it might hurt the dumb one. But lets see if I can't make him drop his jaw.
"There are two specific views on time. One is that it is a fundamental structure of the universe, where dimensions and events occur in a sequence. Things like time travel can be possible in this view..."
But why this? Why that device? It seems like it was so simple and a useful device. Would make it easier for me to figure out when to drink and would be useful to make an better way for energy distribution. So why don't I remember that thing?
"However, like Leibniz and Kant, I believe that time does not refer to any kind of space or area that events and objects move through nor could even flow, but only a idea of structure for people to compare events."
Scare's unlit cigarette dropped to the floor. Sophie still looked stunned. DM hid his grin.
"Time is neither an event nor a thing, which can not be measured or traveled. Thus it doesn't exist."
Silence once again filled the room. Scare suddenly started to cough and pulled another cigarette out and lit it up. The coughing stopped. An addict? Of what though?
The only thing Sophie could reply with was, "Oh..."
DM offered his hand. "May I see it?"
Sophie gave a confused look. "I thought you didn't believe in..."
"I believe in technology."
To be concluded with part 10~
Whew... another long one. And mostly from DM talking. Going to try and make the next part the last for the short story. Lot of questions will be revealed, and maybe more to be made.
Busy busy busy...
Also trying to find time for a vacation. Will explain another time. Later all!
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