A Timely Knight

A Chase in the Night

The Clementine cut through the open field with all the speed it could gather. However, it wasn't enough to catch up to the moving platform carrying the bird. The vessel was far too large to manoeuvre and Timothy knew that, once the platform entered Ravenport, it would easily lose itself in the twisty, stony streets.

The sound of more engines behind them made Timothy turn around. His heart almost burst out of his chest when he saw three carts catching up to them, each one with three passengers aboard. Their hanging, dog-like purple tongues and the trail of blue saliva that they left behind made it clear they were Royders.

Turning back, Timothy felt the sweat dripping down his face. His clammy hands held on to the wheel as he tried to come up with a plan. In the distance, Ravenport's shape appeared, it's low and plain structures dwarfing under the night sky.

The three carts finally caught up with the bird and surrounded it, forming a menacing convoy that'd be hard to take down.

"Can we fire at them?" Timothy had to shout to make sure the Raygun understood him.

The young man shook his head. "We could try, but we won't touch them, they're too far away. We need to move in closer and Clem is not fast enough."

"We need to go down there," Master Nilla said as she held on to the mast while Timothy struggled to control the large aeronef. "We'll never catch them in this."

"I might have something for you," the young Raygun said as he approached Timothy, requesting control of the Clementine. "Climb down the stairs and go through the door on the right. There are two bobbers you can use. They're light and fast, and they also have guns on the front so you'll be able to shoot at them. I'll open the door for you and I'll lower the ship as much as I can so that you can jump out."

Timothy and Nilla didn't waste any more time. They did as the young man said, running towards the stairs before he had even finished talking.

The Raygun gave them one last warning before they disappeared. "Just don't break them!"

The bobbers were exactly where the young pirate had said. They were thin and quite long; two rather large wheels supported the weight. The engine was completely visible, as were the guns that were haphazardly installed in the front. The rust that covered the whole thing did little to increase Timothy's trust in the vehicle, but they had no choice. Running wasn't an option.

The lower door opened slowly, allowing a storm of dust into the small chamber. Nilla was first to get on the bobber and Timothy followed, only half-convinced. He felt the cold steel against his skin as he stepped on the pedal. The engine came to life with a loud roar and before he knew it, the bobber was moving towards the ramp formed by the open door.

They dropped for about six feet before touching the ground, and Timothy felt the hit all over the machine. For a few seconds, he thought the whole thing would come undone. Once the bobber proved its resistance, Timothy pressed the throttle and accelerated into Ravenport. The night would be their ally. The empty streets would be the only witnesses to this chase, while all Ravenportians were safely tucked in their beds.

As they entered the city, the sound of the engines caught the attention of the Royders. The ones in the cart at the end of the convoy turned to face Timothy, pointing their large rifles at him. They fired at once and Timothy had some trouble avoiding the bullets. More worried about the two-wheeler than he was about himself, he pointed the bobber's guns at the car and fired.

He had been expecting simple bullets, but he was instead surprised to see fireballs coming out of the guns' muzzle. The Royders successfully avoided the attack, but their cart lit up as soon as it came in contact with the flames. Now a moving ball of fire, the cart stopped abruptly. It then started reversing, before spinning 180 degrees. Facing Timothy, it started advancing directly towards him. The collision would be swift and instant.