Oz; remake of the tale 1.13

13. The Emerald City

We found a way to cross over back to the yellow brick road just before the city; it was a shallow end caused by the access growth of mosses there.

"Green Shades for five silver pieces each" I looked at the Guardian of the Gate. I walked up to the figure dressed like a Circus Ring Master, but instead of a whip and megaphone; he holds a green pad with a box filled with green shades in it. I frowned at the suit he had; instead of garish colors, its all green.

"Lady, these are already reduced. You just missed the last limited edition of the 'Elton' design. Those caused seven pieces with a crocodile tie pin."

In the end, Scarecrow paid for it with some silver from her bag. We then took first step into the city.

If the Emerald City is what its name represent, then the correct shades would be its green like the jungle before it. The creator of the city have tried to make everything green including its water lanes are coated with mosses and not a path which was not planted with green shrubs. The landscape engineer here made the correct remarked well; 'here we removed the flowers and keep the leaves."

But Emerald City is a not place to live in, unless you are part of it. The sleaziest of the cons, the heathen of the crime lords and the bended crooked associates all lived in here. To them the daily chaos was to create more chaos. One mobster said it well; 'the red on the streets after a fight gets cleaned faster than the table cloth changed.' The whole of Emerald City is run by the Wizard, but no one seen him at all. He works in the background and rarely surfaced. The last time, he was to appeared; twenty four residents died of heart failure. They could not take the anxiety level and collapsed on hearing that he won't be turning up at all. Many also claimed that the Wizard works with the Witches, but the differences was he never intervene on any deals as long as he gets his cut on it.

"Tell me, Scarecrow. How do we find the Wizard?" I asked her as we been walking for days now in the city. "No one have ever seen the Wizard."

"If you are the wizard, where would you stay? Or rest?" Scarecrow asked.

"A high tower. The tallest if I am the powerful one." I point to the tallest tower in the center of the city. "He would be there."

It was Scarecrow who found the possible solution but getting it was another issue. We were trying to secure the contraption that would carry us up. It was a hot air balloon which we saw afloat around us. There was another issue related to that.

 No one wants to deal with us. Even at the premium price which we offered. The words on the streets was we are off limits, courtesy of the Witch. We ended up sitting at the tavern. At least here the owner valued his silver pieces more than some threat.

"So you took my statement to mind, or is it heart." The tavern owner laughed out loud. What would you expect from a thin frame with a pockish face. The owner swept his hand over his half reclining head to his shoulder length hair. He told us his name was Drake and then when we asked him again, he mentioned it was Nealy. So after that no one asked him anymore but just addressed him as the owner.

"If you got the silver, I have the drinks. It may not send you to the skies, but it would give you some sleep." The owner laughed again until Droid walked up to him.

"I don't drink and I am also one very impatient machine. Tell me who we can talk to or I would shave your hair off and tie it around your neck." The droid moved nearer to the owner who still looked at him with a smile.

"Mr Machine, you do not understand. The only one whom you can speak to is me. I may be the tavern owner here but i am the fixer outside this walls. Why don't you think for a while? Everyone fear you but not me." The owner smiled again. "Because as the fixer, I need not fear anyone. Not even the Witch."

"So do you want a drink now?" The owner asked again.

"I want my answer." Droid was not amused. "So tell me or ..."

"Oil Change? Its also environmentally friendly." The owner produced a can of green lubricant in his hand. Droid wanted to hit him but I stopped him.

"Droid, he can helped us. Please step back." I looked at the owner. "Fixer, tell me what we need to do."

"Buy my drinks first." We did as he asked, and for the seventh time I asked him. Then he answered me on the eighth time.

"I do deliver; wines and sweet condiments. The Wizard likes mint after dinner." The owner paused. "The next one is this evening."

Droid laughed out loud. Scarecrow looked at him and wondered why the droid laughed. But the laughter was infectious; they all started laughing.

"Its the air. There is something in the air." Scarecrow reached into her bag and pulled out a vial. She opened the vial cover and placed it over her nose. She then stopped laughing. She passed the vial to me, and looked to Droid.

How does it affect the droid? Its a Munchkins potion; used in parties to make it joyous. It only affects those who can breathe it in. But droid is a machine. Or is it?

The droid took a sniff of the vial and was back to normal.

"Get down!" Scarecrow shouted out. She pulled me down just as the darts came flying in. Toto on seeing me under threat evolve into the griffin. It used its wings to flap up a wind to stop the flying darts. Droid on seeing the new threat rushed out and faced the new threat.

It was a group of five dark dressed figures wrapped around fatigue from head to the toes. The fatigue contained a number of pockets which they kept their darts. They reached in and drew out darts to throw. The darts sharp end does not hurt the droid but the chemical it was coated with burned into the droid surface.

"System Alert! Multiple incision causing circuits breakdown." The droid withdraw to hide behind a cover but griffin on rushing out; released its blue flame. The flames caught on the dark dressed figures and then their fatigue caught fire. They started withdrawing from the street.

"Who was that?" I shouted out.

"Winkies!" Scarecrow shouted out. "They are the Witch followers."

"Darned! Don't the Witch have any enemies?" I shouted out. I am beginning to hate this pair of boots. I wanted to take it off and threw it away. But it won't come off.

"Drinks anyone?" The owner appeared at his doorway holding a mug. "Its the house finest."

Darned this owner never lets up.

The evening, I hit in the cart with Toto encircled with barrels of wine. The droid was laid flat on its back on the cart bottom, while Scarecrow was dressed like a barmaid walking with the owner.

"You sure our disguise would work?" I whispered out to Scarecrow. Scarecrow hushed me as we are marching through the Emerald City streets to the tallest tower. 

Everybody we met asked the owner if we had left. They all seemed to know that we were there in his tavern. He denies everything and offered everyone a drink from the barrel. Soon we came to the tower, and its guarded by a squad of five burly looking guard in a yellow guard dressing with a long green shaded spear.

"Hello, Tavern owner." The head of the guards greet the owner. "Pardon our dressing. The green uniform bored the Wizard, he had us changed to yellow. I feel awkward."

"Fear not, I am here." The tavern owner laughed as he served them drinks while Scarecrow pulled the cart. Soon enough we are in and we got out of the cart. Scarecrow changed back to her usual drabs. We walked up to the main door of the tower.

It opened by itself. Then a figures stepped out. Its another Winkies but this one smiled. Its dressed in yellow shades instead of the dark shades like the dart throwers. It was very courteous to greet us. One common factor among them was they all seemed to look alike. Its like a process of cloning. It may be courteous but its firm on keeping its master's privacy.

"Welcome to the Wizard Tower. The Wizard tell me that if anyone asked for him, he is not in." The Winkies proceed to close the door.

"Okay, please tell the Wizard we won't be coming in." Scarecrow told the Winkies who paused in closing the door and then nodded. Maybe it was expecting us to throw a tantrum but we were equally courteous. We were all then left standing there outside the tower. It was Scarecrow who smiled and reached for the door knob. The door open on her turning the knob.

 

"Shall we?" Scarecrow invited us in.