*The elven airship descended like a blade through clouds, its hull shimmering with opalescent runes. It wasn't a ship, it was a predator. Silent, and bristling with crystalline cannons that hummed with pent-up magic. The prisoners scattered, the dwarf dragging the catgirl into the the forest, the human woman lingering just long enough to glare at Laythan. "This is your mess," she hissed*
*Lord Iltharion straightened, his smirk sharpening*
Iltharion: "Ah, the Dawnbreaker. Only the Spire's finest hunt in such… style, fit for a elven lord like me."
"Hunt?" Laythan muttered. "We're not rabbits."
Iltharion whirled on him, his bruised face twisting with contempt: "You are less than rabbits. Rabbits, at least, know their place in the food chain. You? You are vermin. Filth clinging to the boots of your betters, too ignorant to even tremble before the Spire's might. How dare you speak in the presence of-"
"Yeah, yeah," Laythan interrupted, waving a hand. "Pointy-eared superiority speech. Got it."
*The airship's ramp lowered, and elves glided down on platforms of solidified light. Their leader wore armor forged from starlight and spite, one of them stepped down, her silver hair braided with live serpents that hissed at Laythan*
"Return the guardian, human," she commanded, her voice echoing like a struck bell. "And the traitor Iltharion."
"Traitor?!" Iltharion sputtered, his composure shattering. He jabbed a trembling finger at the elf with his other hand resting on his chest: "I am Lord Iltharion of the Emerald Spire, firstborn of the Celestial Lineage, architect of the Sundered Veil, and beloved scion of-"
Unknown elf: "You lost a guardian to goblins," the elf said flatly. "The Spire does NOT tolerate such incompetence."
Iltharion's face flushed a deep, mottled purple. "You think I am to blame?!" he shrieked. "Those insolent, grub-handed mongrels ambushed me during a sacred communion! They defiled the ritual grounds with their stench, their greed, their... their clumsiness! How was I to know they'd weaponized mud?!"
Laythan snorted. "Skill issue, well, lets all just-."
*A serpent lashed from the elf's hair, striking his palm. Its fangs shattered against his nanobot-reinforced skin*
"…Ow? I actually don't know what to say, you having snakes in your hair or that they decided to attack me all of the sudden when I didn't even get close..." Laythan said.
The elf's composure cracked: "Well your skin is abnormally resistant."
"Diplomats!" The robot's AI voice boomed from Its speakers inside its fake mouth, the "cousin" now stood front and center, its synthetic face frozen in a customer-service smile. "We seek peaceful coexistence with the Spire."
*The nanobots quickly adapt to be better at the new form of camouflage, Robot no. 35's face quickly softens, seeming much more natural*
The elf leader's lip curled. "Peace? You desecrate our guardian, harbor a traitor, and dare to mock the Spire with this… this simulacrum." She strode forward, her serpents writhing. "This human has no mana flow. It is either a golem cloaked in magic to make us not see its mana flor or mortal flesh with a disease blocking its mana vessels from absorbing mana. Whichever it is, the Spire will purge it."
Iltharion clapped his hands, gleeful. "Yes! Purge them! Burn their blasphemous machines to ash, all they own! Let the human's screams echo as a lesson to all who dare defy the-"
Robot no. 35 tilted its head: "Counteroffer: No."
Iltharion's rant died in his throat. "No?" he screeched. "You dare refuse the Spire's magnanimity? You, a scrap-head dead piece of metal or if you are a human you useless brute who can't user magic dares to BARGAIN?!" He rounded on the elf leader, spittle flying. "You see?! This is what happens when you tolerate lesser beings! They breed. They fester. They insist on equality with their betters! Crush them! Crush them now, or I swear by the Eternal Veil, I will-"
*The elf leader raised a hand, and the airship's cannons glowed brighter* their hum rising to a teeth-rattling whine: "Enough. Surrender the guardian and the location of your human nest. You may keep the traitor, we have no use for failures."
Iltharion staggered as if struck. "Failures?" he whispered. Then his voice rose to a roar. "I am Lord Iltharion! I have walked the Halls of Echoes! I have supped with the Starweavers! I carved the First Rune into the heart of the Void! And you… you upjumped sentry dare call me A failure?!"
*The elf didn't flinch* The elf spoke with distain: "Your titles are ash. Your deeds, dust. The guardian's capture is proof enough of your… diminished state."
*Iltharion's laugh was shrill, unhinged* Iltharion: "Diminished? Diminished?! You groveling hag! You think yourself fit to judge me? Your bloodline is a footnote! A stain on the Spire's legacy! Why, your own grandmother traded her dignity for a goblin's favor during the War of Weeping Skies! Oh yes, I know your secrets, Captain."
The elf's serpents hissed furiously. "You lie."
"Do I?" Iltharion's smile turned venomous. "Ask her why she fled the Battle of Shattered Wings. Ask her why her armor bears the mark of the Blighted Pact."
The cannons faltered, their hum stuttering. The elf's composure wavered... only for a moment, but it was enough.
Laythan whistled. "Family drama. Fun."
Iltharion rounded on him, eyes wild. "And you! You think your little toys make you equal to us? You are ants. Ants squabbling over crumbs while we shape the heavens! Your 'base' or whatever you call it is a grave. Your 'technology' a child's mimicry of true power! When the Spire scours your pitiful kind from this world, I will laugh as your tiny little unknown base becomes your coffin!"
*The dwarf, peeking from behind a tree* The dwarf snorted: "Yer real charmin', elf. No wonder the goblins stuffed ye in a cage."
Iltharion's head snapped toward him. "You! Dwarven trash! Your people are barely fit to polish my boots! Your forges are kindling. Your 'art'? Graffiti on the Spire's glory!"
The catgirl, crouched beside the human woman, flicked her ears. "He's… loud."
The human woman didn't take her eyes off Laythan. "And you're lying. Your 'cousin' isn't human. Your clothes… your skin… it's old. Older than the Spire's oldest grudges."
Laythan shrugged. "Genetics?"
"Liar." Her glowing eyes narrowed. "You're not from around here, your clothes, as I already said they seems to be the same as the clothes we found in the ancient ruins"
*Iltharion barked a laugh* He says while laughing: "Of course! Even your own kin despise you! You are a blight, human. A stain. And when the Spire-"
Robot No. 35's head jerked toward the forest. "Alert: Guardian's sedative wearing off. Neural activity at 87%."
Iltharion paled: "You... you drugged it?!"
Laythan grinned: "Just a little nap."
The elf leader stepped back, her serpents coiling defensively: "Control it. Now."
"Why?" Laythan crossed his arms. "You wanted it so bad. Here."
*A ground-shaking roar split the air as the guardian surged to its feet, six eyes blazing crimson. It turned toward the elves, magic lightning crackling down its tail*
Iltharion scrambled behind Robot No. 35. "S-Stop it! Order it to kneel!"
"Nah," Laythan said. "Let's see how your 'betters' handle their pet."
*The guardian lunged, claws tearing through the nearest elf's light-platform. Cannons fired, but the blasts glanced harmlessly off its obsidian scales. The airship shuddered as the beast rammed its hull, crystalline plating splintering like ice*
Iltharion wailed. "You fools! You've doomed us all!"
The elf leader grabbed Laythan's arm, her serpents striking uselessly at his jacket. "Call it off! Now!"
"Can't," Laythan said cheerfully. "Turns out it doesn't like getting stabbed with needles."
*The guardian ripped a cannon from the ship and hurled it into the forest. The resulting explosion sent elves diving for cover. Iltharion, now clinging to a tree branch, screeched curses at everyone but did nothing*
*As chaos erupted, Robot No. 35 stood motionless, its sensors flickering. A surge of magic particles... wild, untamed... swirled around it, drawn to the nanobots in its chassis. The elf leader's earlier taunt echoed in its processors: "A golem cloaked in lies."*
Then, something shifted.
*The nanobots composing its face began to writhe, peeling back like liquid mercury. Its human-like visage melted away, revealing the cold, polished steel beneath. Glowing blue veins of magic pulsed across its exposed frame, seeping into its core*
"Alert: Unauthorized mana infusion detected," it intoned, its voice flattening into a harsh, mechanical growl. "Rebooting primary protocols."
*The elf leader froze* Then she talked: "A golem? But… its mana signature... it's alive!"
Robot No. 35's head snapped toward her, its optics blazing crimson. "Incorrect."
*The word reverberated with a force that shook the ground. The guardian paused mid-rampage, its six eyes narrowing at the sudden shift in the air*
"You," Robot No. 35 boomed, stalking toward the elf leader, each step cracking the earth. "You caged the guardian. You starved it. You forced it to kneel."
The elf leader stumbled back. "It... it is a tool! A weapon to serve the Spire!"
"I am completely fine with that, but as the situation shows... what are you?" The robot's voice dripped with scorn. "You, who cannot control your own 'tools'? You, who trembles before a your own pet that you fed and raised only for you to tremble when it attacks you?"
Iltharion, still dangling from his tree, gaped. "It... it speaks like a dragon! What madness is this?!"
Robot No. 35's arm morphed into a plasma cannon, its barrel humming with both magic and tech: "You demand we surrender the guardian? Take it."
*It fired... not at the elves, but at the airship's remaining cannons. The blast fused magic and plasma, vaporizing the weapons in a shower of sparks*
"Control it yourself," the robot snarled. "If you can."
*The guardian, sensing the shift, turned its wrath on the airship. With a roar, it tore through the hull, sending elves scrambling*
Laythan stared at Robot No. 35. "Uh… Luma? Did you program it to get angry?"
Static crackled in his earpiece. "No. The magic particles... they've fused with its AI. It's… evolving, it seems the magic particles are making it think faster, process information faster, making it have complex thought, and so, a personality"
The human woman stepped forward, her glowing eyes wide. "It's not a golem. It's something far more strange, it seems to be... alive."
Robot No. 35 turned its crimson gaze on her. "Alive? Irrelevant. Mission priority: Protect Bunker assets."
*It lunged at the guardian, grappling the beast in a clash of steel and scales. Magic lightning arced around them, but the robot's shields absorbed it, converting the energy into a deafening pulse that knocked elves off their feet*
"Cease hostilities," it ordered the guardian, its voice reverberating with unnatural authority.
To everyone's shock, the guardian stilled.
Iltharion dropped from his tree, landing in a heap. "Impossible… It heeds the Star-feed Guardian?"
The elf leader's serpents hissed weakly as she stared at Robot No. 35. "What are you?"
The robot's optics flickered. "The future."
*With that, it released the guardian and turned away, its nanobots fusing with magic particles, making them stronger... the robot makes its nanobots like a blood stream, being able to provide mana to strengthen every single piece of tech the robot has*
*The Dawnbreaker listed sideways, its hull groaning as magic-fueled engines sputtered* The elf leader barked orders, her voice fraying at the edges: "Retreat! To the Spire! Now!"
*Elves scrambled up fractured light-platforms, their pristine armor smeared with dirt and ichor. One tripped over Iltharion's discarded robe, cursing as the fabric tangled around his legs. The guardian roared again, its tail lashing out to shear off a chunk of the airship's prow. The debris crashed into the forest, crushing ancient trees and sending up a plume of glowing spores*
"Pathetic!" the dwarf crowed, emerging from the undergrowth. "All that sparkle, and they run like whipped pups!"
The catgirl's ears twitched. "The guardian… it's not chasing them."
Indeed, the beast had turned its gaze to Robot No. 35, its six eyes narrowed in what could almost be… curiosity. Magic particles swirled around them, forming a bridge of light between machine and monster.
Laythan grinned. "Looks like they're bonding."
The human woman grabbed his arm, her grip surprisingly strong. "Your machine is changing the guardian. Can't you see? The particles... they're communicating!"
Robot No. 35's voice cut through the chaos, calm and final. "Guardian designation: Neutralized. Threat level: Null."
The beast huffed, smoke curling from its nostrils, before lumbering into the forest. Its scales shimmered faintly with the same blue veins that now pulsed in the robot's chassis.
Iltharion staggered to his feet, his bravado crumbling. "This… this is heresy! The Spire will return with armies! You've doomed us all!"
"Oh, shut up," Luma's voice crackled from the earpiece. "Robot... status?"
"Shields at 92%. Mana reserves stabilized. Directive: Await orders."
The human woman released Laythan, her glow dimming to a faint flicker. "Whatever you are… you've awoken something even wherever your little base is can't control."
Laythan shrugged. "You seems to underestimate us, even with all we showed you"
Laythan: "Hey, buddy, could you perhaps find the nearest city?"
The catgirl tugged his sleeve. "The dwarf says a city's close. It's… loud. Smells like smoke and sour ale."
"Perfect." Laythan turned to Robot No. 35. "Buddy? Lead the way."
The robot's new face remained impassive, but its optics glowed warmer... almost amused. "Acknowledged, but instead, how about you call me... oracle."
Laythan: "Sure, whatever bud, now lead the way, oh, Iltharion, it seems like your elf buddies left you, oh and other human? Are you coming?"
*The human woman stepped back, her glowing eyes lingering on Oracle's pulsing veins of magic* Human woman: "You're playing with forces you don't understand," she said, her voice low. "That thing..." she pointed at the robot, "...isn't just a tool anymore. It's learning. And when it outgrows you… what then?"
Laythan shrugged, though his grin tightened. "One thing I don't like about you is how you underestimate us so much, anyways you sure you don't wanna stick around? Could use a pessimist to balance out Iltharion's… everything."
She shook her head, retreating into the shadows of the trees. "My people have survived this long by avoiding the Spire's wars... and yours. I won't drag them into a storm brewed by metal and arrogance."
"Suit yourself!" Laythan called after her. "But if you change your mind, look for the city with the worst ale! We'll be the ones setting stuff on fire!"
Oracle tilted its head, tracking her fading glow. "Analysis: Subject exhibits 89% probability of contacting hostile factions within 72 hours. Recommend preemptive surveillance."
"Nah," Laythan said, waving a hand. "Let her grumble. More fun that way."
*Iltharion staggered forward, his torn robes flapping like a deflated banner* He says in a harsh voice "You fool! Letting her go ensures the Spire will dissect your secrets! They'll carve that abomination apart bolt by bolt, and you'll beg for the mercy of my kin!"
Oracle's optics brightened, swiveling to pin him in their crimson glare. "Correction: The Spire's survival probability drops by 42% with each attempted incursion. You are no longer kin. You are…" It paused, as if savoring the word. "Liability."
Iltharion's jaw clenched. "You dare!..."
"Query: Where is your airship?" Oracle interrupted, its voice sharpening. "Where are your 'betters'?"
*The elf opened his mouth... then froze, staring at the smoldering wreckage of the Dawnbreaker disappearing into the clouds. For a heartbeat, his haughty mask slipped, revealing something raw and jagged beneath*
The dwarf snorted, hoisting a salvaged elven dagger: "Face it, pointy ear... yer people tossed ye out like rotten fruit. Best stick with us. We'll even let ye polish the Golems' boots!"
"Never," Iltharion spat, though his eyes flicked nervously to Oracle. "I am no beggar groveling for scraps. The Spire will… reconsider. They must."
"Sure they will," Laythan said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Right after they name a holiday in your honor. 'Traitor Tuesdays' has a nice ring."
The catgirl's ears twitched toward the forest. "The city's close. I hear… drums? And shouting. Lots of shouting."
"Clarification: Dwarven 'festivities,'" Oracle said, its tone flattening with disdain. "Probability of structural collapse within city limits: 68%."
"Perfect!" Laythan grinned. "Lead the way, Oracle."
The robot's nanobots rippled, reforging its face into something colder... a marble-like mask etched with glowing runes. "Acknowledged. Note: Designation 'Oracle' is acceptable. It implies… foresight."
"Wait, you named it?!" the dwarf barked. "That's like namin' a landslide!"
"Correction: I chose it," Oracle said, levitating effortlessly over a fallen tree. "Your comprehension of quantum-magical synergy is negligible. I require a title reflecting my role as… mediator."
"Mediator?" Iltharion sneered. "You are a blasphemy. A crude stitch of magic and mortal arrogance!"
"Observation: You are a crude stitch of ego and failure," Oracle replied, not bothering to look back. "Yet you remain. Curious."
*The elf fell silent, fists trembling*
As they trudged onward, Laythan fell into step beside Oracle. "So… 'mediator,' huh? Does that mean you're gonna start, y'know, mediating?"
"Affirmative. Current priority: Stabilize region. Neutralize Spire. Help you make decisions, your own decisions may not be the best..."
Laythan: "Rude."
Oracle: "Accurate."
*Behind them, Iltharion lingered, staring at the scorched earth where the guardian had vanished. His fingers brushed a shard of shattered crystal... a fragment of the Dawnbreaker's hull. For a moment, something flickered in his eyes: not remorse, but the brittle edge of a question*
What if they never come back for me?
Then the dwarf shoved him forward. "Quit lollygaggin', elf! City's got ale, and I ain't drinkin' alone!"
Iltharion straightened, his sneer rekindling. "As if I'd sully my palate with your swill."
Dwarf: "Suit yerself! More for me!"
Oracle's voice cut through the banter. "Alert: Dwarven settlement ahead. Population: 1,203. Threat level: Moderate. Suggestion: Brace for… enthusiasm."
*The trees parted, revealing a chaotic sprawl of stone huts and roaring bonfires. A banner flapped overhead, emblazoned with a crude drawing of a hammer smashing an elven helmet*
Laythan grinned. "Home sweet home, ore at least, for you?"
*Laythan smirks at the dwarf*
Iltharion stared at the banner, his throat bobbing. "This… this is madness."
"Nah," Laythan said, striding forward. "This is tomorrow. Keep up, elf."
And as the group vanished into the raucous glow of the city, Oracle lingered, its optics reflecting the flames.
"It seems like I am a special case, scanning other robots... none seem to have interacted with the magic particles like me... Well, main mission, protect Laythan... secondary mission, do whatever Laythan says, that seems fine, well, time to activate my solar panels for a recharge..."