《A Lone Automaton's Journey To Find Its Operator》
Chapter 1: Awaiting Orders...
"Initiating EZ-Type 75 Automaton, Classification: WMD"
"EZ-Type 75 Automaton Online..."
"Awaiting Orders..."
Within a forest clearing stood a five-meter tall black Automaton made of Verilium, an omnipotent synthetic metal produced in the Deomedrus Galaxy.
Its black gemstone like surface reflected the sunlight shining down upon it. Sunlight gleamed menacingly off of the Automaton''s sharp, triangular pyramid head, the rhombic pyramids that made up its shoulders, and the square pyramid that formed its chest. The tips of its head and torso both faced forward whereas the tips of its shoulders aimed towards the sky like the gnomon of a sundial.
The Automaton''s arms and legs were in tube-like diamond shapes. Its hands were shaped like that of a human with the exception of its fingers, which were pointed and glimmered sharply in the afternoon sunlight. The Automaton''s arms could extend or retract based on its needs, with a maximum extension length of six meters, and a minimum length of half a meter, but they usually stayed extended at a length of two meters long. Its elbows were in a four-point diamond shape, their articulation allowed for a range of motion greater than that of humans for its arms. However, its kneecaps and feet differed from its legs; small triangles protruding from its knees served as the Automaton''s kneecaps, while its feet were triangular pyramids that lay flat against the ground, acting as the soles of the Automaton''s feet.
The Automaton''s back had three, one meter long spikes protruding skywards from where a human''s shoulder blades and lower spine would be. The tips of the angular pyramids that made up its body, fingertips, the three spikes protruding from its back, the joints all over its body, and the vent slits running down its back; all glowed an ominous red light, except for its kneecaps, elbows, and feet which did not possess the red lights'' shimmer at their tips.
The tip of the Automaton''s chest glowed substantially brighter than anywhere else on its body, in contrast to its fingertips which shone the dimmest.
The Automaton''s body was smooth and entirely featureless beyond the lights, vents, and joint openings. Each of which gave no hint as to what may lie below its glassy, metallic surface.
Such a bizarre machine shouldn''t just be standing within a forest clearing, yet here it was, awaiting orders from its operator.
Hours turned to days and days turned to weeks when something finally changed.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
"Initiating Standby Mode..."
"Standby Mode Online..."
"Awaiting Orders..."
And that something was it just entering a different mode as it waited patiently for its operator to give it orders.
"Awaiting Orders..."
The mechanical voice repeated again, but still, no orders came and days once again drifted by.
"Awaiting Orders..."
The mechanical voice sounded through the clearing again. Asking its operator for orders, but it seemed its operator was nowhere in sight as it continued waiting.
"Initiating Sleep Mode..."
"Sleep Mode Online..."
Two months after the mechanical voice last rung out. It could be heard again this time saying it was going into sleep mode as it continued to await orders. Time once again flew by, and five months after the mechanical voice last rang out, it announced another change in mode.
"Initiating Automated Surveillance Mode..."
"Automated Surveillance Mode Online..."
"Life Detected Within One Kilometre, One Hundred And Eighty-Six..."
"Awaiting Orders..."
And again the mechanical voice asked its operators for orders which didn''t seem like they would ever come. Three months later, it did another scan.
"Life Detected Within One Kilometre, Two Hundred And Twenty-Eight..."
Falling silent for another month, until a new change came about.
"Automated Operations A.I Will Be Engaged In Four Months Unless Orders Are Given..."
The mechanical voice announced that it would begin automated operations in four months unless it received orders which were likely never to come, and four months passed by.
"Automated Operations A.I Will Now Initiate..."
"Nylus Corporation''s Central Dyson Sphere, Remote Energy Transfer Failed..."
"XZ-187 Power Station, Remote Energy Transfer Failed..."
"Automated Operations A.I Initiation Failed..."
"Insufficient Power Caused Automated Operations A.I Initiation Failure..."
"Initiating Dark Matter Generators..."
"Dark Matter Generators Startup Sequence Complete..."
"Dark Matter Generators Online..."
"Automated Operations A.I Will Now Initiate..."
"Automated Operations A.I Initiation Complete..."
"Beginning Operation: Locate Operator, Commander Hermund Jones..."
Chapter 2: Compliance Required...
"Activating Long-Range Surveillance..."
"Long-Range Surveillance Activation Failed..."
"Unknown Particle Interference Detected..."
"Activating Short-Range Surveillance..."
"Short-Range Surveillance Online..."
"Life Forms Detected Within Ten Kilometres, Five Thousand Three Hundred And Seventeen..."
"Two Thousand One Hundred And Thirty-Four Match 100% With Hominoidea, Homo Sapiens..."
"Four Hundred And Sixty Three Match 0% With Any Records..."
"Four Hundred And Forty-Nine Match 28% With Hominoidea, Homo Sapiens..."
"Eight Hundred And Twenty-Two Match 98% With Cervidae..."
"Five Hundred And Seventy-Five Match 87% With Canidae..."
"Two Hundred And Thirty-One Match 48% With Hominoidea, Homo Sapiens..."
"One Hundred And Fifty-Eight Match 58% With Hominoidea, Homo Sapiens..."
"Two Hundred And Thirteen Match 72% With Hominoidea, Homo Sapiens..."
"One Hundred And Seventy-One Match 81% With Hominoidea, Homo Sapiens..."
"One Hundred And One Match 88% With Suidae..."
"Plotting Course For Nearest Detected Humans..."
After a barrage of announcements, the Automaton walked unhurriedly towards the closest human life it had detected.When it finally broke the treeline, a sizeable grassy plain with hills peppered about and a village with humansgoing throughtheir daily motions in life entered its vision.
"Human Settlement Detected, Beginning Inquiry Into Commander Hermund Jones''s Location..."
As the mechanical voice''s announcement rang out, it began moving towards the village that seemed to have spotted it. The villagers wore panicked expressions on their faces as they scrambled to safety while a group of knights and some mixed armored individuals gathered at the entrance, seemingly ready to face against what they thought was a golem.
It could hear the knights and mixed armored individuals talking, but they weren''t speaking in a language the Automaton understood.
"Unknown Language Detected..."
"Beginning Cross-Match With Twenty Million Languages..."
"Four Matches Found..."
"Beginning Language Translation..."
"5% Translated..."
The wariness of the knights and mixed armored individualsrose when it stopped coming towards them, but they still held their ground.
"14% Translated..."
A robbed individual with a staff stood out from the mixed armored ones and started chanting something as blue light flared to life around her. The blue light coalesced, forming into a ball of fire which she pointed at the thing she believed to be a golem, and let it fly.
"Analyzing Threat Level..."
"Threat Level: Zero..."
"Adding Analyzed Action To Unknown..."
"Continuing Translation..."
"19% Translated..."
The knights, mixed armored individuals, and the robbed lady watched as the fireball flew towards the unmoving black golem, andheld their gazesas the fireball exploded upon colliding with the golem''s chest. They all started showing relieved expressions as they waited for the dust to settle, and when it did, they were perturbed to see the black golem standing there unharmed. The villagers slowly began gathering behind the knights and armored individuals while watching the confrontation.
"23% Translated..."
Therobbed lady and everyone else was growing confused. The golem continued to stand there even after being attacked, leading them to think the golem might be friendly, malfunctioning, or dead.
"28% Translated..."
One person wearing full-leather armor walked forward cautiously in the event anything happens, he''d be ready to react. It didn''t take long for him to reach the black golem. He observed the golem before him which looked, unlike anything he had ever seen before.
"38% Translated..."
Hesitation flashed through the man eyes, but his curiosity won over his reluctance. Reaching out with his hand, he felt the surface of the golem''s right leg; surprise spread across his face at how cold the golem''s leg felt. Hastily he pulled back his hand, wondering if this golem was truly alive or dead. Backing away, he inspected the golem one last time before hastening back to the group while sending the golem cautious glances over his shoulder, leaving him with only confusion as to how a golem that had just received a direct fireball, could remain so cold.
"52% Translated..."
The man returned and told everyone it seemed to be safe, and also mentioned that the golem was still bone-chillingly cold even after being struck by the fireball, causing murmurs to rise from the group of knights and mixed armored individuals.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
"66% Translated..."
The whole group quickly began arguing over what to do with the golem. Some wanted to destroy the golem. Others wanted to monitor the golem and leave it alone until they could get assurance that it posed no threat to the safety of anyone. And the knights predominantly agreed withthe latter, but they also wanted the villagers to evacuate until the matter is resolved so that no unnecessary deaths occur in case the golem turns out to truly be alive and an enemy.
"82% Translated..."
The group was beginning to settle on a decision when they heard a flat, emotionless human voice come from the golem.
"100% Translated..."
"Requesting Bystander Assistance, Under Universal Article 22B: Requested Bystanders Must Comply With Nylus Corporation Employees Or Nylus Corporation Property, During Any Emergency Situations Above Level C..."
The group was shocked at the golem''s ability to speak and lacked any understanding of what the golem was talking about, but before they could ask anything, the golem spoke again.
"Universal Article 22B, Compliance Required In Locating; Commander Hermund Jones..."
"Failure To Assist May Result In Legal And Physical Action Against Those Who Fail To Assist By The Nylus Corporation..."
The group was growing more and more confused as the golem spoke, and finally, the robbed lady that had launched the fireball got a moment to speak.
"Before we answer anything! Who, and what are you?"
"Insufficient Access Level Detected..."
"Bystander, Are You An Employee Of The Nylus Corporation Or Resident Of The Deomedrus Galaxy?..."
The robbed woman was bewildered by the golem''s questions. She had no idea what the Nylus Corporation, or what the Deomedrus Galaxy even were, only that the golem before her seemed to come from there or was at least related to whatever they were.
"I am a D-Ranked Adventurer hailing from the Orben Kingdom!"
"Unknown Sovereign State Detected, Executing Operation Under Universal Article 87A..."
"Adding Secondary Operation: Obtain Information For Nylus Officials And The Council About The Unknown Sovereign State, Orben Kingdom..."
The new bombardment of things which the robbed woman didn''t understand only served to increase her confusion. She had only grasped that the golem before her seemed to want information about the Orben Kingdom.
"Golem, you may find the information in the city northeast from here."
The woman simply wanted to be rid of this golem, and none of the ones behind her wished otherwise.
The golem kept spouting things they didn''t understand, so why not send it somewhere it''s talking might be interpreted? Furthermore, the golem didn''t seem harmful and only wanted information and the location of someone, so they didn''t see any reason to send it elsewhere.
"Do All Present Bystanders Possess No Further Information?..."
The woman again answered the golem.
"We''re sorry, we find it difficult for any of us present to understand you, so I suggested you head to the city nearby, where you may find someone who knows more about the Orben Kingdom''s affairs and information on the Hermund Jones you seek."
The woman answered gently and calmly, succeeding to mesmerize the group behind her with her smooth voice, which ordinarily sounded rougher.
"The Nylus Corporation Thanks You, Bystanders, For Cooperating..."
The red light at the tip of the golem''s head glowed brighter as it left those words and began walking unhurriedly again this time northeast.
The Automaton continued until a new treeline greeted it. Immediately catching its attention was four small, pale green figures at the edge of the woods.
"Four Life Forms Detected, Matched 28% With Hominoidea, Homo Sapiens..."
"Detected Homo Genus May Present Possibility Of Intelligence, Proceeding With Inquiry Into Commander Hermund Jones''s Location..."
By the time the four small, pale green figures noticed the surprisingly silent Automaton approaching from behind them, it was already standing merely a few feet behind them. Panic could be easily seen on their faces and from the way they trembled as they shouted unintelligible grunts and shrieks. Two of them started throwing rocks at the Automaton while the two others held rusty daggers.
"Analyzing Threat Level..."
"Threat Level: Zero..."
"Adding Analyzed Action To Attempted Deterrence..."
Every rock the small, pale green figures threw merely bounced off of the Automaton''s chest. At the same time, the two holding daggers charged forward wielding their daggers ineptly.
"Analyzing Threat Level..."
"Threat Level: Zero..."
"Adding Analyzed Action To Attempted Deterrence..."
They stabbed with their daggers attempting to pierce the Automaton, but they couldn''t even scratch the surface of the Automaton''s legs at all; instead, their daggers'' blades snapped.
"Unknown Life Form Overall Threat Level: Zero..."
"Unknown Life Form''s Intelligence Judged Too Unintelligent To Assist..."
The small, pale green figures stumbled backward and ran for their lives when they saw that all of their attacks had failed to harm the black figure before them; thankfully for them, the Automaton didn''t pay them any more attention as it continued its journey towards the city mentioned by the robbed lady.
While traveling through the woods, the Automaton stopped several times to inspect and analyze animals it found. All the aggressive ones hastily fled for their lives when they noticed their attacks did nothing to the massive black figure, although at one point, a pack of what seemed like wolves didn''t give up their assault on the Automaton straightaway. Their attack lasted until they became too hungry to continue bothering with the undamageable black figure.
Leaving the forest behind, a broad hilly grassland and a sprawling city surrounded by a pristine eight-meter-high protective wall; welcomed the Automaton''s sight.
Juve''s morning had been like any other, guarding the south-east gate of Koloum city, but in the afternoon. Something that''s never happened to Juve occurred, in the distance, he could see a massive pitch black golem sauntering towards the gate he guarded.
Alarmed by the black golem, Juve rung his gate''s bell, signaling there may be danger approaching the south-eastern gate and alerting the local garrison and adventurers to the matter.
Juve could hear shouting and commotions occurring within the city, as the gate bells were rarely ever rung without reason for concern. Ignoring the disorder behind him, Juve continued to give his full attention to the distant golem, and he was thankful there seemed to be no one in the direction of the approaching golem.
"JUVE!"
Juve heard the guard captain yelling his name, turning around he saw the captain marching through the opened gates with a contingent of city guards following closely behind.
"Captain! There''s an ominous golem on the horizon!"
The captain gazed beyond Juve and saw the advancing black golem, and began shouting a set of orders at the contingent that was following him.
The Automaton walked unhurriedly towards the gate before it and paid no attention to the bell ringing out from the city''s gate. As it drew closer to the city, another bell rung out, and with the sound, the commotion within the city grew. Still several meters away from the gate, the Automaton heard a shout come from the direction of the city gate.
"HALT!"
However, even after the shout ordering it to halt the Automaton continued walking unhurriedly towards the gate, and another bellow came.
"I SAID, HALT, DAMMIT!"
Now close enough to spot the contingent of guards bearing their shields towards it, the Automaton finally answered, stupefying the guards and captain.
"Insufficient Access Level Detected, Order To Halt Invalid..."
"Requesting Bystander Assistance, Under Universal Article 22B: Requested Bystanders Must Comply With Nylus Corporation Employees Or Nylus Corporation Property, During Any Emergency Situations Above Level C..."
"Under Universal Article 99X: All Personnel Or Citizens Of Unknown Sovereign States Must Comply With Nylus Corporation Employees Or Nylus Corporation Property, Failure To Comply May Result In Retaliatory Action By The Nylus Corporation..."
"Universal Article 22B And Universal Article 99X, Compliance Demanded In Locating; Commander Hermund Jones And Gathering Information Concerning The Orben Kingdom..."
Chapter 3: Retaliatory Action...
"I am Tirk, Guard Captain of Koloum City! And the first son of Baron Luce of the Orben Kingdom! Under whose authority do you have any right to make demands from me?!"
Tirk was fuming towards the golem for making such ridiculous demands as if it were the King. Furthermore, he couldn''t feel any mana emanating from the golem, so he believed it had to be weak, as golems were creatures born from mana and couldn''t live without it for very long.
The absence of any mana emissions from the bizarre golem heavily implied to Tirk that it wouldn''t be able to exert much power. However, that didn''t make him any less cautious since its smooth and unnatural design led him to assume it was a dwarven golem, and nothing good would occur if the dwarves were planning something against the Orben Kingdom in their mountains.
"Leave immediately or be detained!"
As the captain''s warning faded away, Juve could feel his heart pounding in his chest, hair all over his body stood, beads of sweat slid down his forehead, neck, and back. His legs quivered as he stared at the golem, the otherworldly impression of the golem caused his familial trait to roar in his mind, telling him that staying wouldn''t end well for him.
He sent a glance onto what he could only assume was the golem''s face, and that brief look was enough to send his family''s unique trait into complete pandemonium. He''d never felt his trait undergo such a meltdown before, and unnoticed to Juve, the tendrils of his trait began taking control of his mind and body.
Thoughts of fleeing drowned his mind, eliminating any semblance of rationality from him. Slowly and unnoticeably, he started sidestepping away from his fellow guards who were all too focused onto the golem to notice Juve''s desertion. Once he got far enough so that he wouldn''t be seen fleeing, he broke into a thoughtless sprint determined to get as far away from the city as fast as possible. No reasoning or thoughts other than fleeing could enter his frantic, trait-controlled mind that was burying all of his concerns away from his consciousness.
"Universal Articles 22B And 99X, Demand Compliance In Assisting Nylus Corporation Employees or Property, Failure To Comply May Result In Retaliation By The Nylus Corporation..."
Tirk was irked by the black golem''s threat of retaliation and shouted an order to detain this bizarre golem until someone from the city lord''s office arrives to question the golem.
The Automaton observed the contingent of twenty guards as they moved forward with their spears ready and fanned out in a circle around it.
"Analyzing Threat Level..."
"Threat Level: Zero..."
"Adding Analyzed Action To Attempted Deterrence And Obstruction..."
"You Are Attempting To Obstruct Nylus Corporation Property Assigned With A Task Prioritized As Level A, Continued Obstruction Will Result In Retaliation, And The Tagging Of The Orben Kingdom As An Enemy State..."
Tirk''s temper was boiling from the golem''s threats. He''d never heard of a golem with enough intelligence to speak on its own, but Tirk didn''t care as he''d also never heard of this ''Nylus Corporation'' whatever it was.
"Someone place a binding circle on this damn golem!"
Hearing his captain''s order, one of the guards planted his spear into the ground and retrieved a single, small glowing circle from a pouch tied to his waist. Under the alert gazes of the captain and the other guards, he moved forward cautiously and gradually reached the golem. He didn''t waste any time to quickly press the binding circle against the golem before dashing back to his spear. The circle the guard had pressed against the Automaton grew to encompass the Automaton''s entire waist. Within seconds of the circle''s activation, ethereal golden chains shot out from the circle; attempting to wrap themselves around the Automaton''s legs and arms.
"Analyzing Threat Level..."
"Threat Level: Z..."
"Adding Analyzed Action To Attempted Restrain And Capture..."
"Under Universal Article 1A, Attempted Theft, Capture, Damaging, Espionage, Or Interference Of Nylus Corporation Property, Warrants A Level E, Retaliatory Action..."
"Unknown Particle Invasion Detected..."
"Beginning Subatomic Deconstruction Of Detected Hostile Particles..."The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Tirk felt like his eyes were going to pop out of his head, as he watched the binding circle glow brighter, before flickering and exploding into a puff of golden light, leaving only small wisps of golden light all over the ground.
"As Suspected Personnel Of An Unknown Sovereign State, You Have Attempted To Capture Nylus Corporation Property, And Have Made The Intentions Of The Orben Kingdom Towards The Nylus Corporation Hostile. As Such, The Orben Kingdom Has Been Listed As An Enemy State, And Level E Retaliation Towards The Orben Kingdom Will Now Commence..."
Both points of red light at the tips of the Automaton''s shoulders flared brightly, blinding the guards temporarily. When they reopened their eyes, they saw that the Automaton''s shoulder tips had peeled apart, revealing small glowing red crystals.
Far from the city, Juve continued running as if his life depended on how far away from the golem he could get. He stumbled when a sudden, bright, flash of red light blinded him. The slow and unnatural pressure wave that followed the flash swept him off of his feet and slammed his unbalanced body against the ground. These two events were accompanied by a screeching sound that pierced into his ears and grew in pitch over time as if the world itself was crying out in pain. Blood trickled down from Juve''s ears as his mind and body were assaulted by the insufferable howl of the world being irreparably scarred.
To Juve, it felt like it took an eternity for the horrid, worldly screech to die down. When it did, he slowly stumbled to his feet, fighting to keep his balance as his ears rang and his head ached. Dread crept into every fiber of his being as he turned towards the city and saw nothing but a giant cloud of black smoke rising from a perfectly circular hole, right where Koloum used to lie.
The sight before him sapped any scrap of strength out of his legs, causing him to collapse to his knees, like a puppet whose strings have been cut. The realization of what he''d done began seeping into his thoughts. Disbelief at the sudden annihilation of Koloum City, made him pray to forgiving heavens that this was all just a dream, that he would awaken from this nightmare soon.
Denial washed over Juve''s mind towards his actions.
He refused to accept, to believe, that he had just mindlessly abandoned his wife and daughter, that he would desert his duties as a guard of Koloum. He continued profusely gazing at the thick black smoke rising from the gaping maw of the hole, with the expectation that he would just wake up, and shake off this insane dream.The longer he gazed into theendless, unforgiving depthsof the maw, the more light and life left his eyes.
His thoughts descended further into chaos as he realized, this was no dream, but reality. His family was dead; his friends were dead, his senior officers, deceased; his livelihood, destroyed; the joy he''d obtained in life, erased; the very home that he grew up in, annihilated.
Juve sat there, a broken shell of the man he was, cradling his knees with his head hung low as he repeatedly whispered beneath each gasping breath that he drew.
"Sorry...sorry...I''m sorry...so sorry..."
He dearly wished that he could cry, that he could vent his anguish through tears, but his trait stopped him from doing so and screamed for him to continue running, however, Juve wouldn''t, no, couldn''t run anymore, his mind too lost in grief over his actions and all that he''d lost which could never be returned.
"Are You A Citizen, Or Personnel Of The Orben Kingdom?..."
Juve gazed up with hollow eyes, lacking any shred of what one would consider life, and stared directly at the unharmed black golem that had likely been the cause of the destruction of Koloum City.
"I... I... I''m... No..."
Juve couldn''t finish stuttering out whatever he''d tried to say as he passed out, his mind overcome with remorse, stress, and fatigue.
"Bystander Unfit To Respond..."
"Proceeding With Primary Objective: Locating Commander Hermund Jones..."
The Automaton ignored the unconscious Juve, andleft behind thedesolate wound it had caused upon the world, heading in arandom direction while scanning for more signs of life; preferably, humans associated with the Nylus Corporation.
Day turned to night as the Automaton continued its unhurried pace; continually scanning and surveying the land for signs of civilization, and entered a new tree line.
It slowly walked for one and a half week through the forest. Encountering no new animals as it wandered through the woods, but when it emerged from the forest, it instantly spotted a chain of mountains rising ahead.Its vision zoomed in on the large stone gate carved into the largest mountain among the chain.
Four large, two hundred meters tall, and intricately sculpted, weathered statues of bearded armored men stood on either side of the three hundred meters wide and five hundred meters tall gate, crossing the colossal war hammers they held before the entrance of the mountain.
"Possible Civilization Detected; Proceeding With Primary Objective..."
The Automaton began its slow march towards the mountain, however, the closer it got, the less data it received from its short-range surveillance until its scanning outright failed.
"Increased Unknown Particle Interference Detected..."
"Short-Range Surveillance Offline..."
"Surveillance Module Deactivation In Progress..."
"Surveillance Module Deactivation Successful..."
"Diverting Excess Power To Optics..."
"Power Diversion Successful..."
"Proceeding With Primary Objective..."
The Automaton''s short halt to disable its now nearly useless surveillance module lasted only a moment before it swiftly returned to sauntering towards the mountain range.
Chapter 4: Your Rights Are Hereby Forfeit...
Silence reigned over the foothills, of the awe-inspiring mountains rising above. Within this deafening silence, walked a single figure, that of an Automaton. It marched slowly, and deliberately, towards the gate carved into the range, basked in the warm morning light that gave rise to a thick, shrouding fog. Its humid veil swept over the gate and concentrated around the Automaton as if it were attempting to conceal the gate from an unwanted intruder. The fog''s attempt, however, was ultimately futile against the Automaton''s optics which could observe any or all of the electromagnetic spectrum as required by the Automaton for operational purposes.
Unimpeded by the fog, the Automaton drew ever closer to the gates.
Upon reaching a distance of merely five kilometers away from the gate, the land rumbled, and the Automaton paused its march.
The rumbling scared off animals and mysterious creatures the Automaton had never seen before and reached its climax as the origins revealed themselves.
All four of the statues standing before the gate had awoken, ready to ward off any who would dare trespass upon the land they guard.
"Unknown Entities Spotted..."
"Initiating Contact With Unknown Entities According To Universal Article 17E, And In Accordance Of Current Primary Objective..."
"Unknown Entities, Disarm Yourselves Of Your Weapons And Proceed To Communicate In Your Native Language, As Specified In Universal Article 17E, Communication Will Begin Upon Successful Language Match Or Translation..."
The Automaton''s commands were being repeated in every language in its database for the best possibility of communicating with these unknown entities. However, clearly, these entities did not understand or care about what the Automaton wanted, as one of the massive statues raised its war hammer high over its head, and swung down, towards the Automaton with fierce determination to destroy the trespasser.
"Estimating Threat Level..."
"Threat Level: Z..."
"Adding Observed Action To Attempted Assault, Deterrence, And Obstruction..."
"You Are Assaulting Nylus Corporation Property Assigned With A Task Prioritized As Level A, Your Rights Under Universal Article 17E, Are Hereby Forfeit..."
The Automaton''s left shoulder tip peeled apart, once again revealing the small, red crystal within. The statue''s hammer that was bearing down towards the Automaton, suddenly, and in a bright flash of red light, burst apart at its head, sending chunks of rock flying in every direction, even into the statues themselves who did their best to protect themselves from the high-velocity stone projectiles flying in every direction.
The statue, whose hammer''s head had been blown apart, collapsed onto its back, riddled with impact marks on its chest. It was also missing its left arm, a portion of its head, and a large part of its right shoulder. The other statues had not gone unharmed by the storm of stone that had been blown their way, although none were missing any limbs, and had, thankfully for them, only suffered minor damage.
Their opponent, the Automaton, stood below, its shoulder still open, and the red crystal''s promise of destruction still shining brightly.
The three remaining statues lost themselves in a fit of rage against the black menace that had destroyed one of their ancient brothers. Charging forward with all their might, upheaval followed every step the statues made.
Unfazed by the charging statues, the Automaton firmly embedded its feet into the ground as its left shoulder crystal shone brighter by the moment. With its posture secured, the Automaton unleashed oblivion from the small crystal that seemed to have no end to its ruinous energy.
In a single instant, the world was awash in red light, as a red beam cut horizontally across the sky, slicing the statues in half. The beam continued through the statues and separated the mountain''s top from its base, causing an avalanche of boulders and small rocks to fall upon the gate and its surroundings. The red guillotine of light faded off in the distance as it parted clouds and continued to travel far beyond.
Tremendous quakes rocked the area due to the impact of the falling halves of the statues and the rockslide occurring on the mountain.
Sunken knee-deep into the ground, the Automaton disregarded the destruction it had caused, as it placed its hands against the ground and extended its arms to free itself from the ground.
"Threat Eliminated; Proceeding With Primary Objective..."
The Automaton gave little heed to the tremors and showers of rock that fell from the mountain as it continued onwards towards the gate that held steady against the quakes and boulders ravaging the area.
Far from the mountains, bustle permeated the wide streets of a city that shone as a beacon of hope, joy, and new beginnings for all those who wished to have another try at success. Shops, inns, homes, and a variety of other buildings lined the city''s immense main streets and showed scarce signs of poverty.
The alleys branching off of the main roads were lit by the soothing, cyan glow, of mana lamps, leaving no place for shadows in which thieves or other vagrants could use to prey upon those who used this magnificent web of paths to travel at their leisure to any part of the city they desired.
However, even a city such as this has its own underbelly of crime, no matter what security there is, or how prosperous and happy its people are, there is always room for the underworld to take root.
The main streets all spiraled outwards from the resplendent castle that lay at the heart of the royal capital, serving as the center of the entire Gaemon Kingdom, the wealthiest and mightiest human kingdom in the local region.
Strange vessels flew high above the city. Some carried cargo like food, seeds, materials, smithing supplies, luxuries, and even more things required for the daily life and operation of the kingdom. Another significant amount of these vessels carried people from all over the kingdom to their destinations. A few of these vessels were engraved with an emblem of the Kimordian heavenly beast, the immortal guardian of the country, this identified the ships as the ever-vigilant security forces of the nation and the city. The smallest portion of these vessels had strange apparatuses attached to their outer hull which were transmitting the audio of a ceremony occurring within the castle; a ceremony that everyone within city quieted down for as they listened to the Archduke''s speech.
"Today! We, as a people, come together to bear witness to the holiest of unions, between our beloved Princess, Sophia Gaemon, and the most daring Prince, Keiden Orben."
Cheers and applause rose from the city, sounding even into the throne room of the castle where the wedding was taking place.
"Our distant neighbors, the people of the Orben Kingdom, on this day, shall become our brothers and sisters. Our long alliance will evolve into a bond of family. We shall aid each other as one does family. And now, together as family, we shall no longer need to fear an invasion from the dwarves! Our love bound bond shall not forgive the dwarves should they dare to invade the land of our brothers, of our sisters! On this day! We set in motion the start of a new era! An era that shall lead us to greater prosperity, greater joy, and greater safety for ages to come!"
The city''s exhilaration filled the air and sounded for kilometers beyond the city''s walls.
"I will preside over this holy marriage, and I am proud to be given this honor by our esteemed King, Aimor Gaemon."
Calm and silence slowly returned to the city as the people ardently listened to the Archduke''s words.
"Now, a few words from our revered Queen, Milinda Gaemon!"
The quieting city once again burst into cheers; respect and admiration filled the air and hearts of all citizens of the Gaemon Kingdom for their great Queen.
"Thank you, everyone. I am the Queen of our great Kingdom, I have command over an army of millions, I am a mage of exemplary power, but more importantly than all of these, I feel blessed as a mother, to see my lovely Sophia find someone she wants to devote everything to, as I have. Decades ago, I gave up my study of magic in the academy to follow the love of my life, the most unreasonable man I''ve ever known, and now my husband, Aimor Gaemon. In those days, I was a mere little girl chasing the valiant Prince of our Kingdom, but I put reason in that unreasonable head of the Prince, and through our time together in situations of danger that were most certainly just as unreasonable as the Prince, we grew together, our love forged in the perils of combat. My daughter and Prince Keiden have been through just as much to reach this point. Their love bloomed even while they were separated by the Dwarven mountain range that proved most hazardous, even for a Prince or Princess, to cross. And now, after all of their hardships, their hearts will be linked as husband and wife for all of eternity!"
Applause and cheers rocked the city; exuberance overflowed at every turn, even in the underworld of the city.
"Thank you, Queen Milinda, for your words."
"It was my pleasure, Archduke Heivon."
The people of the city once again began to quiet down as the Archduke resumed speaking.
"Today, Prince Keiden, the love between you and Princess Sophia shall be cemented in the annals of our two Kingdoms; everyone present in our royal capital, Aurhon, shall be earwitness of your determination as a couple. Our divine guardian, the Kimordian, shall be the heavens witness of your union; our and your, King and Queen, bless your marriage with all of their heart.
Prince Keiden, do you promise to stand by Princess Sophia''s side as her husband in health and sickness, in joy and sorrow, in fortune and misfortune, do you promise to love, protect, and hold no truth from Princess Sophia with all of your might?"
"I do."
"Princess Sophia, do you promise to stand by Prince Keiden''s side as his wife in health and sickness, in joy and sorrow, in fortune and misfortune, do you promise to love, protect, and hold no truth from Prince Keiden with all of your might?"
"I do."
"Prince Keiden, would you stand before our divine guardian and say that Princess Sophia will be the eternal love of your life?"
"I would."
"Princess Sophia, would you stand before our divine guardian and say that Prince Keiden will be the eternal love of your life?"
"I would."
"Princess Sophia and Prince Keiden, you stand here to declare and seal your promise of marriage. Your vows shall be eternal; none shall have the power to undo your promises. You shall define your union through your intentions, through your vision, through your will."This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
The Archduke paused, waiting for absolute silence to reign over the crowd. Outside, the entire city had gone silent enough to hear the smallest cough in the farthest of alleyways.
"Prince Keiden, as you look into Princess Sophia''s eyes, please recite your vows."
"In the sacred presence of the Kimordian, I, Keiden, choose you, above all others, Sophia, to experience the wonders and sadnesses, the triumphs and failures, of life with me;
I promise freely and openly, from my heart, to give you,
my respect,
my understanding,
my trust,
my devotion,
my tenderness,
my strength,
my counsel,
my love,
and my very life for all of eternity, even in death, our souls will climb the heavenly stairs as one,
this is my solemn vow, with heavens'' agent as my witness."
"Princess Sophia, as you look into Prince Keiden''s eyes, please recite your vows."
"In the sacred presence of the Kimordian, I, Sophia, choose you, above all others, Keiden, to experience the wonders and sadnesses, the triumphs and failures, of life with me;
I promise freely and openly, from my heart, to give you,
my respect,
my understanding,
my trust,
my devotion,
my tenderness,
my strength,
my counsel,
my love,
and my very life for all of eternity, even in death, our souls will climb the heavenly stairs as one,
this is my solemn vow, with heavens'' agent as my witness."
At the wedding ceremony, as Prince Keiden and Princess Sophia finished reciting their vows, an aide brought forward, to the Archduke, a radiant, white crystal box adorned with black mana gems of the mystical and rarely seen Space element. Opening the box, the Archduke took out two; pure white rings, adorned with even larger black mana gems of the Space element than the ones embedded on the box.
"These rings have been forged from an eternal feather of the Kimordian. They represent the vows and promises spoken today.
They reflect the commitment those words inspire and all your hopes and dreams for the future.
They are a bridge for your souls to communicate and be bound to one another."
The Archduke placed a ring in both Prince Keiden''s and Princess Sophia''s outstretched hands.
"Prince Keiden, as you place the ring on Princess Sophia''s finger, please repeat after me:
This ring I give you
Is a symbol of my love and conduit for my soul.
I pledge to share with you my heart,
My land, and all of my worldly goods."
Keiden held the ring in his fingers as he took Sophia''s hand and repeated after the Archduke as he brought it close to Sophia''s ring finger.
"This ring I give you
Is a symbol of my love and conduit for my soul.
I pledge to share with you my heart,
My land, and all of my worldly goods."
Keiden smoothly slid the ring onto Sophia''s ring finger as he finished repeating after the Archduke.
"Princess Sophia, as you place the ring on Prince Keiden''s finger, please repeat after me:
This ring I give you
Is a symbol of my love and conduit for my soul.
I pledge to share with you my heart,
My land, and all of my worldly goods."
Sophia deftly mirrored Keiden''s movements as she repeated after the Archduke.
"This ring I give you
Is a symbol of my love and conduit for my soul.
I pledge to share with you my heart,
My land, and all of my worldly goods."
Sophia also smoothly slid the ring onto Keiden''s ring finger as she finished repeating after the Archduke, and held Keiden''s hands
"May the vows and promises you have made today be as eternal in your hearts and souls as these rings are on your fingers."
A thunderous shrill descended from the skies over the city and resounded throughout the streets and nearby lands. All who heard the cry felt their heartbeat quicken, and their breath draw short, for that was the sound of the Kimordian''s approval of this wedding.
"Our divine guardian, an agent of the heavens, has blessed this marriage, that is a sign the heavens themselves bless this marriage; in the lost name of our ancestors, may your love be eternal even in the divine realm."
The reverberations of the Kimordian''s shrill lasted for seconds on end, and when they finally did stop, the Archduke continued the ceremony.
"Throughout this ceremony, Princess Sophia and Prince Keiden have vowed, in our presence and heavens agent, to be loyal and loving towards each other.
They have formalized the existence of the bond between their hearts and souls with words spoken and with the giving and receiving of rings.
Therefore, it is my pleasure to now pronounce them husband and wife.
Prince Keiden, you may now kiss your bride!"
Keiden''s eyes shone with passion, as he gently took Sophia into his embrace and kissed her, the sensations he''d felt when kissing her before were like a soft spring breeze compared to the loving warmth of her soul that he now felt radiating into himself due to the rings'' soul linking effects.
Once again the Kimordian''s shrill descended from the skies, however, this time, its cry was filled with joy that seeped into everyone''s hearts all over the city, even those beyond the city''s walls could feel happiness tingling at their hearts.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, for those of you who have come to witness this union and for those of you listening, it is my pleasure to present the newly united couple, Prince Keiden and Princess Sophia."
Cheers and applause, once again, arose from the city and the crowd present within the castle''s throne room. A festive air spread to every inch of the city as celebrations got underway. The airships finally stopped transmitting audio as the ceremony came to an end, and the after-party began.
The faces of every citizen glowed with pride and joy towards their kingdom and its distant brother. The infectious rapture filling the city was being amplified by the Kimordian''s previous cry of delight, promising that the remainder of the day and night would be a long and hearty one.
Within the castle''s throne room, the Archduke loudly cleared his throat, silencing the crowd present.
"Everyone, please follow Princess Sophia and Prince Keiden to the castle''s garden for the after-party, there you may see and congratulate them."
Following the Archduke''s words, Princess Sophia and Prince Keiden led the crowd to the garden, where large tables had been set up, each table held a tremendous amount of food of every variety one could dream of.
Back in the castle''s throne room, two men sat atop two very different thrones as they watched everyone follow behind the Princess and Prince.
"Brother George, I don''t believe I need to remind you of what will happen if Keiden somehow disappoints, or hurts my little girl, right?"
"*sigh* Brother Aimor, you need not worry yourself, if my son dares do anything to hurt little Soph''s feelings, I will personally teach him how to be a gentleman."
King Aimor''s throne was made of polished white marble and inscribed with lime green depictions of a large bird crossing its wings in the protection of a city from an invading army of, clearly, small sized human figures that wore incredibly thick armor and stood beside giant featureless golems.
King George''s throne, on the other hand, was made of grey limestone rock and was adorned by various types of mana gems, even space element ones like on the crystal box and the rings it had contained, in the shape of a broadsword running horizontally across both sides of his throne.
Quiet slowly filled the throne room of the castle as the two men stood up from their thrones.
"Brother George, I believe we should join the party, after all, what is a royal wedding party without us kings?"
"True, I cannot imagine a party without us fathers embarrassing our lovely little son and daughter."
Both kings laughed as they exited the throne room, and entered the garden that was filled with a relaxing symphony and the sound of lively conversations.
"*sigh*... Brother George, I must go find Milinda before she drinks too much, else I shall not have any sleep tonight."
"Of course, I-"
King George was interrupted by a flood of red light blinding everyone present, including himself. By the time he reopened his eyes, he could see that Queen Milinda was casting something and followed her eyes to a red wave of energy that was approaching the city at an incomprehensible speed. The wave''s trajectory would make it pass over the city, but that would make it collide with the hundreds of airships present in the city''s airspace.
Unease filled everyone present as they gazed upon the red tidal wave that was growing ever closer.
Beyond the city''s walls, a crude, massive barrier of mana appeared in the wave''s path. Following the appearance of the barrier, Queen Milinda finished casting her own that was clearly much more refined than the first to appear, but much smaller. Mages in and around the city followed the example and created their own barriers behind Queen Milinda''s and the mysterious first one, all to strengthen the city''s defense against this mystifying wave of energy.
It took mere moments for the sinister wave to cross the distance and collide with the massive mana barrier, the Queen''s barrier and that of many mages throughout the city and its surroundings.
The collision was violent beyond all threads of imagination.
A black tear upon reality itself tore open at the center of the impact.
Whitish-blue flames radiated out from the edges of the scar in the sky, swallowing over a hundred airships in an instant. Rapidly evaporating moisture in the air blanketed the city and sky in a layer of mist, but just as suddenly as it had come, the fog was blown away by the explosion''s strangely delayed shockwave that shattered windows and the eardrums of many people within and around the city. However, the worse was not over, as pieces of airships began raining upon the city, some as large as a hundred meters, others as small as a few centimeters. Many people and buildings were crushed by the larger pieces, while the smaller fragments started several fires throughout the city.
Chaos filled the previously joyful hearts of everyone as they watched, ran, or even prayed to the heavens for safety, and the heavens provided.
Descending from the skies was a titanic, blindingly white bird with streaks of black and lime green flowing through its feathers. It flew down and destroyed pieces of falling airships, the hurricane-like winds accompanying its arrival extinguished some of the smaller fires, but caused several larger ones to grow in intensity.
Further worsening the calamity was the fact that many mages had suffered brain hemorrhages, or even died, from overexerting their mana in defense of the city, in the castle''s garden a majority of the mages had been able to take the strain, but a few apprentices couldn''t. One of these apprentices was Princess Sophia, who was being cradled by Prince Keiden as he yelled for Queen Milinda to aid Sophia.
The Queen heard his desperate cries and proceeded to push her way through the dumbstruck guests ignoring whoever was in her path as she made her way towards Sophia and Keiden. Falling to a knee next to Sophia as she arrived, Milinda did her best to heal her daughter, but in the end, all she could do was stabilize Sophia''s condition from becoming any worse. The sounds of havoc from outside of the castle drifted into Milinda''s ears, her sense of duty as Queen called to her, told her she had to leave, to help her people, to save those she can.
"Keiden! Stay here, with Sophia. I must go to help my people. I trust you to keep her safe during this time. Do not fail me."
"I will not let anything happen to her, even should it cost me my life; this, I promise!"
Tears silently slid down the Queen''s cheeks as she stood up and rushed out of the castle to aid her citizens, no matter how much she may have wanted to stay with her comatose daughter.
No one could believe that such a catastrophe could happen, especially on this day, a day where both kingdoms were supposed to celebrate the marriage between Prince Keiden and Princess Sophia. A day that had been blessed by the heavens themselves, and yet there was no hiding from the sight of the royal capital ablaze, of pieces of airships crushing buildings and people, of lives being torn asunder, and of the tear in the sky.
Far from the royal capital, unaware of the tragedy it had caused, the Automaton reached the gate and stopped to inspect towering construct, for but a moment before it raised its right arm, placed its hand on the gate and pushed.