Take the train!

Late in the night, as the moon illuminate a dark street, a little boy strives to get up after his fall as he moves to the central place. Charles is an orphan.

He had lost his parents during the plague. Alone survivor of his family, he had been constrained to live in an orphanage. Charlot had rapidly concluded that this place wasn't to his liking. Age of 7 years old, he thought that as he reached the age of reason nothing could move him. It's why like his favorite heroes of legend, he thought that the adventure was waiting for him.

Unfortunately, dream can be deceiving. Charlot had seen himself as a bird who leave his nest for the first time, maybe it would not be smooth and majestic, but it would be his first step that would come from his hearth that craved for liberty and freedom. But as he was in his thought, his feet got caught in the clot and he made his first fall in his new life.

Alone in this world full of mystery, while the passer-by talked about industrial revolution and others thought that the war with the kingdom of Asteran was close. The world of Ygrad opened his door to a new player in this game, as beautiful as dangerous life itself!

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"The director has said that the station is close of the church and that he would takes his coffee with his paper before mass. I should go to the church; I will find my way when I arrived"

Charlot decided to take the train to go to the capital of Astral.

Astral was a city-state. Located at the seaside, this city managed to develop a big traffic. It was rapidly becoming the place of new revolutionary idea as the steam engine but especially recently the combination of science and magic had brought a new wave of discovery. But this rise in power wasn't to the liking of the kingdom neighbor, who led by an elite of sacred mage, looked at this use of magic with engine as sacrilegious.

Charlot was living in a countryside included in Astral territory and precisely at Bourg-Chemin, a little town living from agriculture which was receiving a boost in his agriculture with the help of engine power by magic stone.

Arrived at the central place, the attention of Charlot was picked up by a bar called "The last drink" who had plenty of animation. Going toward a group of man that was at the exterior of the Bistrot, Charlot asked for the direction of the station:" Do you know where the station is?" asked Charlot.

"Oh, where are your manner?! Not a hello! And what are you doing at this hour alone in the street, boy!" answered aggressively one of the men.

Charlot surprised and angry at the men replied:" It's not your problem! I'm not a child, I'm seven!".

At this word, the group of men began to laugh in front of the energy of Charlot. One of the men that had drunk too much and was half asleep, pointed toward the direction of the station. Turning around, Charlot left immediately because he was seeing one of the ancient friends of his father. The group of men were surprised by his rudeness but being drunk, they quickly lost interest in the boy.

"Now that I'm at the station, I need to find a way to go to Astral". Charlot noticed a board, and he was very disappointed to see that the station was closed, and that the next train wasn't coming before 6 a.m.: "What I'm doing now? I don't even have money!". As Charlot was losing his determination and as fear was taking control of his mind, he shouted:" Ahahah! I'm the great Captain Charlot, I'm not scared of the storm! Adventure, I'm coming for you!" This word that Charlot was saying when life gave him a bad time, immediately gave him the courage that he needed.

Charlot decided to sleep in a corner of the station and to wait for the train. He would have to take the train illegally. He would jump in the train by the back when the train would leave the station. With all this idea in his head, Charlot was feeling very tired, but he didn't arrive to sleep.

His parents had died one year ago. Put in quarantine until the end of the epidemy, Charlot had just arrived in the orphanage. Once at the orphanage, he had decided to go away immediately. He wasn't alone to have lost his family during the great plague and seeing all his fellows lamenting their loss, was really depressing. In addition, he didn't want to be locked like this last month. During the last year in the quarantine zone, he had seen a lot of persons dying and during this time, he wanted just one thing: leaving this hell. As he talked with all this people, he had learned about magician of legend that are exceptional. In legend, they can fly, launch fire ball with their hand and even cure the disease!

Charlot was awake by the apparition of the sun. Sleepy, Charlot stood up abruptly at the sound of the train. He should be ready for starting his new life. The train stopped when he was going toward the back of the train. There weren't a lot of people in the station and just some people in costume were waiting to go to work. Standing beside the door, a controller verified the ticket of the passengers. Charlot saw that the controller seemed to pay attention to him. Charlot decided to go away from the train to deceive the controller. When all the passengers took place in the train, the controller looked at the dock and whistled to warn the train that we could leave.

It was at this moment when the controller turned his head and that the train began to leave that Charlot left his hideout and dashed toward the train. Arrived at the back of the train, Charlot jumped and used all his force to go on the top of the roof. The controller had seen him, but the train had already begun to move so he decided to catch the boy at the end of the train.

Charlot was now on top of the train. While Charlot was thinking of the future, a magnific view was unfolding in front of him. The wind was blowing on his face and seemed to welcome him to his new adventure. The sun was warming his body and was making him forget all his problem. The green plain of Bourg-Chemin stretched as far as the eye could see. We could apperceive some strange engine used to plow the fields. In some fields, we could see the herds of bursuflus. The bursuflus were a strange animal from this world, standing on four legs and a meter high, they produced very good milk. They had the luck to possess a thick fur for the long winter. The bursuflus were stronger and could be dangerous if you angered them.

As he admired the view, the train received a small vibration and Charlot stood down to maintain his balance. He knew that he should have come down but if he went down the controller would catch him. He had a new idea. He would go to the front of the train and pass above the controller.

It was risky to be on top of the train, but Charlot took his courage and advance slowly to the front. He arrived at the junction between two wagons. Feeling adrenaline rising, Charlot dashed and jumped above the junction. Charlot with the help of his jump, continued to run and used all his force to pass above a second and third wagon.

A gust, more intense, made him lose his balance. Charlot fell backward and his feet went above him. Using the wind, Charlot rolled and used his hand to catch a trap. Charlot used all his force against the wind and tried to stand close to the roof.

After the gust passed, Chariot used his force to stand up, but the force of the wind and his hesitation prevented him to standing up. Whereas Charlot was feeling afraid, he saw the controller who was watching him from a trap behind the wagon he was standing in. The controller would not risk his life on the roof:" he is crazy this boy!" he exclaimed. In seen his face, Charlot stood up immediately. He didn't know where to hide now that the controller had seen him. Charlot was just in front of the locomotive. He couldn't go father and in the locomotive a mechanician and a conductor were working.

Charlot went down from the roof and entered the passenger car under the astonished gaze of the two workers.

The car was almost empty. Nobody noticed him and every passenger was concentrated on the morning paper. Charlot needed to find a hideout. Charlot was looking in every corner of the wagon but there wasn't any place to hide, and the controller was coming rapidly. Without any plan and at the view of the furious controller, Charlot dashed outside of the car toward the locomotive.

The mechanicians stopped Charlot and catched him. Charlot was struggling but he couldn't do anything against an adult.

"Calm down, boy! It's not a place to play! It's dangerous so, STOP MOVING!!" cried the mechanicians.

Charlot couldn't do anything, so he decided to stop to moving. The mechanicians saw the controller arriving and gave the hand of Charlot to the controller and said that they need to leave this part of the train that was reserved to the qualified personnel.