"All aboard!" The conductor called to the milling crowds for any last passengers, closing and securing the doors to the cars of the cable train. Business had been interrupted earlier in the day, so the conductor was eager to move his first load of passengers to the other side of the Great Chasm and hopefully catch up with his schedule. Bursts of steam gusted from the engine and motors at each wheel, each puff spouting quicker than the last in a building anticipation to begin moving. Soon there came a steady stream of steam from the cable car, and the conductor climbed into his cabin and pulled a great many levers and gadgets, commanding the machine forward.

It started with a lurch and pop from the engine, but gradually it gained momentum until it was traveling at a conservative clip toward the far bank of the Great Chasm. Landel placed a hand on a nearby rail to steady himself, his entire frame heaving in exhaustion. He hopped to hike his pack further up his shoulder, looking up through sweat-drenched brows at the leaving cable car. He had missed his ride.

Disappointed and languorous, he straightened himself and cast a weary eye over the platform he stood at. There were no other trains that ran across the Chasm, so he would have to wait for a few hours for it to return. Inhaling and exhaling sharp breaths, he wandered back to the busy streets of the inner city. In the cascading river of people he was simply a droplet, flowing with the tide as it washed up along the banks and eroded away the shops' goods. For a while he spiraled in a whirlpool winding around a bronze statue planted in the center of the main road, proudly displaying the founder of the city. He stood atop a craggy hill, wind sweeping his cape and hair back, defiantly planting his flag in the ground. Landel admired the heroic scene from all angles, carefully taking note of each minor detail added to the sculpture.

On his third pass around the statue a chorus of angered screaming caught his attention. A passing merchant was harassing a man who had set up an easel and canvas, complaining he was taking up too much room in the busy street. Landel began moving swiftly toward them, gently forcing his way through the crowd.

"Dammit! Why would anyone be idiotic enough to put their damn painting right where everyone else is trying to walk?! Everybody's very angry with you, so pack up and move out!" The painter grew distressed at the antagonism, trying to defend himself from the merchant's hostility. Tears welled in his eyes and he clenched his fists at his sides, yet the torture continued.

A thin, dark figure swooped between the two men, spreading his arms to create a wall between them. He huddled forward in a protective manner, like a wolf defending his cub. "That's enough. Just go on about your business," Landel spoke evenly. The merchant turned beet-red, infuriated and indignant that a commoner would dare interfere with him. He began to speak, but Landel cut him off. "I know who you are and what you are doing."

At this the merchant forfeited the argument and walked off, slightly shaken, leaving behind him the comment he had neither the time nor the petty nature of a peasant to argue on such base matters. Landel kept a wary eye on him until he was well away, finally turning with a beaming smile to the painter who was now packing his equipment up. His smile wavered slightly, but he asked cheerfully, "What are you doing here? Painting the scenery?"

The artist nodded, sliding his easel around to reveal a general mass of bronze streaks taking a somewhat human form. Relaxing some, the artist breathlessly replied, "That statue is beautiful. I have tried for the last week to capture its aesthetics on the canvas, but as you can see there are a few who object to my presence."

Landel nodded knowingly, muttering, "My next assignment." The painter did not hear him and queried about it, but Landel shrugged off the matter. "My name is Landel Vergahdt. Pardon me, but I tend to make it my life to help people like you." The painter recoiled in surprise, stunned that anyone would bother to help him.

"Yes. I'm Fellos Kyen, the painter. But really, why waste your time on someone like me?" Fellos drooped his gaze to the ground in dejected spirits. Landel moved around in front of him to speak with him. However, rather than consoling him and telling him to cheer up, he asked to see more paintings. Fellos brightened at the request, eagerly gathering his tools to carry them off and began guiding Landel to his home.

Arriving at a crumbly tenement, Fellos pushed tattered curtains aside to reveal the roughly-cut threshold that led to his home. Landel followed close behind with painting materials in hand, stooping underneath the falling curtains. Noticing he had blundered, Fellos apologized for not holding the curtain for his guest, but Landel shrugged it off without any concern.

Setting down his load carefully to avoid injuring it, Landel straightened himself and passed an awed eye over the wild range of colors. Patches of white and gold melted into a flowing haze of dark red and blue. Streaks of bronze and yellow raced across fields of green and blue skies. Many of the paintings bore a brown coat of dust, masking the life of the surreal images, and many of the nebulae of color called to be cleaned and revitalized. So it was of great irony to Landel that the abode that housed these vivid creations was dank and smelled of rotten wood. Landel thought to himself, Why don't artists get more respect than this?

He turned to the anxious painter who awaited a critique and smiled. "I like these. They give a new quality to city life, and they certainly have their own style. It's clear to see you aren't influenced by other artists, but I wonder if you could inspire others." Fellos grew just the slightest shade puzzled, but remained silent to avoid embarrassing himself with an obvious question. Before he could say anything else Landel was hoisting the nearest easel onto his shoulder and stumbling awkwardly toward the curtain door.

"Where are you going with that?!" implored a panicky Fellos.

"Outside." Landel worked his way gradually around Fellos, who stood still to prevent tripping this strange traveler on accident and ruining one of his best paintings. With a grunt and a shimmy Landel passed out to the street, where he presently planted the easel defiantly and looked about dramatically to draw attention. "I have with me the very first painting by the great painter Fellos Kyen, to be displayed at his first public auction starting immediately!"

Curious passersby moved closer to see the painting, mumbling speculations among themselves. A keen ear could detect comments from other veteran artists on the style of brush strokes, but Landel was listening for someone to guess an opening price. As he was beginning to set the lowest bid, Fellos stormed outside, raging. "What are you doing?" he exclaimed quietly.

"Art is something that must be shared with others," Landel explained. "You haven't done anything but let these paintings rot. You need to make a decision about what you are going to do with your talent, and you need to stick to that decision. No decision is ever wrong, but it is wrong to avoid making decisions. To leave them sitting around because you were going to sell them, but then never have the balls to stand up and show off your work, is by far the most counterproductive and self-degrading thing you can do to yourself." The painter looked at the crowd with a melancholy frown, doubt in his eyes. Landel leaned close to him and muttered in his ear, "Ask me how I know."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I guess this is another two-part adventure. I started writing this chapter a long time ago, so when I finally got back to it I forget where I was even taking the storyline. Expect more out of me soon. Oh, and thank you to Infinite Smiles for waiting so long to read this chapter.