Re: The Fatal Conflict (GBS2G7) (Round 2: Robo City!) (Replacements required)
06-18-2011, 08:19 PM
Originally posted on MSPA by Ixcalibur.
Luron listened to the undead herbalist only out of courtesy, from what they had seen so far of Zaire it would be the highest order of idiocy to attempt to fight him.
“No.” Luron replied. “If you’re really going to fight Zaire you’re as good as dead already…” he hesitated, that phrase didn’t really apply when you had all already died, but his meaning was obvious.
“If that is what you think…” Kaja replied, he turned to the spectre and the scourged. “And you?” They made a noncommittal noise that could only mean no. He glanced down at the maintenance robot that contained Symphonia as it idly circled them; she beeped a little tune that was not exactly conclusive, Kaja could not even tell if the machine had understood him.
“Okay.” He said with a sigh, his hands began to work; busily mixing up some potions from his contraption. “I will take my leave now.” Luron’s hand went to his weapon as he waited to see what the Doctor was up to; his visions unhelpfully blank at the moment. Momentarily Kaja had mixed up four potions; he held the flasks by their necks in the gaps between his fingers and corked them. “Here’s something to help in case you come across more of these ‘robots’.” He handed two of the potions to Luron and two to the Scourged version of Zach.
“They’re a mixture of khillic root and…” Kaja looked at the confused and disinterested look upon Luron’s face and summarized: “… just stand back. They’re powerful brews, some of my most potent ingredients in fact. Use them well.” He walked down the corridor that Luron and Symphonia had come up, brewing potions as he went, pausing only to shout a good luck to the group he was leaving behind.
Moments later Kaja was picking his way down a long corridor littered with the broken chassis of defeated robots. Among the shattered and bent metal and wrecked circuitry there was a single robot, ripped almost in half but still somehow functional. It crawled along the floor, searching for something amongst the debris of its fellows. Kaja watched it with interest, expecting his earlier hypothesis that these machines were essentially mindless drones to be confirmed. The broken machine seemed to find what it was looking for, a small square device. It pushed down a button on the device and spoke.
“Ambush failed.” The machine said. “I am the only surviving unit. Target can safely be considered to be the ‘destroyer’. Extreme measures may be necessary to limit further casualties.” Kaja brought his heel down on the back of the robot’s head, smashing its already damaged face against the floor. Its voice crackled and died and its body fell limp, nothing more than scrap. With the one hand, not burdened by potions he picked up the device the robot had been talking into and jammed it into a pocket. It would probably come in handy whatever it was.
Kaja briefly wondered whether he should go back and tell the others to expect ‘extreme measures’ whatever they were, but after momentary consideration he concluded that this was not really helpful information. They were likely already expecting more robots and he could do no more for them than the potions he had already brewed. Shaking off the lingering guilt he stiffened his resolve. He had to find Bellona and Kargrek, and perhaps Scott if he could also be persuaded to go after Zaire. Steeling himself, he made his way further down the corridor and into the street beyond.
The doors slid open in front of him, and he stood silhouetted in the doorway, flask in hand ready to fight some robots. As he looked out across the narrow street beyond he noticed that while there was plenty of robots they were all standing stock still, staring up at something. He stepped out into the street, and followed their gaze up to a massive video screen mounted upon the side of a nearby building. It displayed images of a group of robots clustered around a larger circular robot. It looked almost immobile in its design and it spoke to the crowd as though it was some kind of spiritual leader.
“There have been rumours flying around that the prophecy is finally being enacted.” The voice echoed out across the city. “I delight in telling you that yes, today is the day that it will all come to pass. Not long ago the Arbiter stumbled into this city ignorant of his fate, but even now he is being prepared. Soon he shall be ready to stand alongside us in our final hours. It is his shoulders that will bear the burden of the events that are about to unfold. Because of him our city will be saved, or it will be destroyed.”
The image of the robotic preacher vanished from the video screen replaced with footage of Scott Williams; their Arbiter, unconscious and being operated on.
Kaja did not have time to ruminate on the implications of this, as a robotic cheer from the assembled robots, brought him back to the robots standing in the street before him. As one, the machines turned, there was a moment of inaction from both Kaja and the robots, as he regretted letting an advantage go to waste, and then he slung one of his potions into the crowd. It was time to fight some robots.
Luron listened to the undead herbalist only out of courtesy, from what they had seen so far of Zaire it would be the highest order of idiocy to attempt to fight him.
“No.” Luron replied. “If you’re really going to fight Zaire you’re as good as dead already…” he hesitated, that phrase didn’t really apply when you had all already died, but his meaning was obvious.
“If that is what you think…” Kaja replied, he turned to the spectre and the scourged. “And you?” They made a noncommittal noise that could only mean no. He glanced down at the maintenance robot that contained Symphonia as it idly circled them; she beeped a little tune that was not exactly conclusive, Kaja could not even tell if the machine had understood him.
“Okay.” He said with a sigh, his hands began to work; busily mixing up some potions from his contraption. “I will take my leave now.” Luron’s hand went to his weapon as he waited to see what the Doctor was up to; his visions unhelpfully blank at the moment. Momentarily Kaja had mixed up four potions; he held the flasks by their necks in the gaps between his fingers and corked them. “Here’s something to help in case you come across more of these ‘robots’.” He handed two of the potions to Luron and two to the Scourged version of Zach.
“They’re a mixture of khillic root and…” Kaja looked at the confused and disinterested look upon Luron’s face and summarized: “… just stand back. They’re powerful brews, some of my most potent ingredients in fact. Use them well.” He walked down the corridor that Luron and Symphonia had come up, brewing potions as he went, pausing only to shout a good luck to the group he was leaving behind.
Moments later Kaja was picking his way down a long corridor littered with the broken chassis of defeated robots. Among the shattered and bent metal and wrecked circuitry there was a single robot, ripped almost in half but still somehow functional. It crawled along the floor, searching for something amongst the debris of its fellows. Kaja watched it with interest, expecting his earlier hypothesis that these machines were essentially mindless drones to be confirmed. The broken machine seemed to find what it was looking for, a small square device. It pushed down a button on the device and spoke.
“Ambush failed.” The machine said. “I am the only surviving unit. Target can safely be considered to be the ‘destroyer’. Extreme measures may be necessary to limit further casualties.” Kaja brought his heel down on the back of the robot’s head, smashing its already damaged face against the floor. Its voice crackled and died and its body fell limp, nothing more than scrap. With the one hand, not burdened by potions he picked up the device the robot had been talking into and jammed it into a pocket. It would probably come in handy whatever it was.
Kaja briefly wondered whether he should go back and tell the others to expect ‘extreme measures’ whatever they were, but after momentary consideration he concluded that this was not really helpful information. They were likely already expecting more robots and he could do no more for them than the potions he had already brewed. Shaking off the lingering guilt he stiffened his resolve. He had to find Bellona and Kargrek, and perhaps Scott if he could also be persuaded to go after Zaire. Steeling himself, he made his way further down the corridor and into the street beyond.
The doors slid open in front of him, and he stood silhouetted in the doorway, flask in hand ready to fight some robots. As he looked out across the narrow street beyond he noticed that while there was plenty of robots they were all standing stock still, staring up at something. He stepped out into the street, and followed their gaze up to a massive video screen mounted upon the side of a nearby building. It displayed images of a group of robots clustered around a larger circular robot. It looked almost immobile in its design and it spoke to the crowd as though it was some kind of spiritual leader.
“There have been rumours flying around that the prophecy is finally being enacted.” The voice echoed out across the city. “I delight in telling you that yes, today is the day that it will all come to pass. Not long ago the Arbiter stumbled into this city ignorant of his fate, but even now he is being prepared. Soon he shall be ready to stand alongside us in our final hours. It is his shoulders that will bear the burden of the events that are about to unfold. Because of him our city will be saved, or it will be destroyed.”
The image of the robotic preacher vanished from the video screen replaced with footage of Scott Williams; their Arbiter, unconscious and being operated on.
Kaja did not have time to ruminate on the implications of this, as a robotic cheer from the assembled robots, brought him back to the robots standing in the street before him. As one, the machines turned, there was a moment of inaction from both Kaja and the robots, as he regretted letting an advantage go to waste, and then he slung one of his potions into the crowd. It was time to fight some robots.
Spoiler
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Heaven Help Us | Make Room!!!! | I'm Not Okay (I Promise)
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Hang 'Em High | The Only Hope For Me Is You | Zero Percent | Early Sunsets Over Monroeville | DESTROYA | Demolition Lovers | To The End
Surrender The Night | Disenchanted | The Ghost Of You | Party Poison | Vampires Will Never Hurt You | The Jetset Life Is Gonna Kill You