Chapter 38: Why
The summer sun warmed my porcelain shell as I walked down Weath's main street. Children no longer ran from my mere presence. They waved, often calling out "No Eyes!" with cheerful voices. Even Derek's shy younger sister, Pippa, had taken to following me around the marketplace, pestering me with questions about my mechanical limbs.
A month of peace had changed so much. The villagers who once feared me now nodded in greeting. Farmer Tull approached with a ba...
2025-03-21 09:07:30 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 37: Return
The morning sun painted long shadows across Weath's main road as Mallie and I made our way into the village. My combat frame creaked with each step, the damage from our battle evident in several torn plates and bent joints. Mallie walked beside me, her quiver now full of recovered enchanted arrows, tired but proud.
I carried the Snapper Dragon's massive head in two of my mechanical arms. Black blood had dried along its neck where I'd severed it, and its...
2025-03-20 23:44:06 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 36: Dragon
The Snapper Dragon's muscles bunched, and then it exploded toward me with frightening speed. Its maw gaped wide, revealing rows of yellowed teeth designed to crush bone. The creature moved like liquid death, covering the distance between us in heartbeats.
A whisper of air resounded within my ears, followed by a meaty thunk. An arrow sprouted from the beast's thick neck, the enchanted arrowhead driving deep past fur and muscle. The Snapper Dragon's charg...
2025-03-20 01:52:39 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 35: Partner
I walked through Weath's dusty main street, my metal feet leaving deep imprints in the packed earth. The villagers paused in their daily tasks as I passed. Some flinched at my combat form which was so different from the porcelain figure they'd grown used to seeing.
"Good hunting!" Old Willem called out from his usual spot outside the tavern. He raised his mug in salute.
I nodded back. Thank you.
"Stay safe out there," Sarah Goodmak...
2025-03-18 16:33:05 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 34: Hunting
Within the warmth of Clarik's smithy, I worked. Laid out before me were my four weapons: One longsword, one curved short sword, a spear, and a mace. I had had them since the break-out at Qordos and each had served me well. But these weapons were made in haste, using scrounged up materials that were not of the highest quality. I wished to improve on them, as I had improved my body.
I held an enchanted arrowhead between my porcelain fingers, one of the b...
2025-03-17 18:18:00 +0000 UTC
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Crusade
Soon, our union of kingdoms will march forth to conquer the Primordials or die trying. It will be the largest alliance of human races that has ever been attempted, all for the sole pursuit of ridding our world of this threat. Yet we were not the first men to attempt such a grand feat. Over a century ago, a union of sapien kingdoms took up the mantle of war against the Primordials. They acted as we do now, rousing a massive army, one whose number was unmatched in previous histo...
2025-03-16 20:20:29 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 33: Adventurers
The morning sun warmed my porcelain plates as I led Marshes and his team along the eastern forest's edge. My mechanical legs moved smoothly across the uneven ground, each step calculated and precise. The adventurers followed behind, their leather boots crunching fallen leaves.
"And this is where you encountered them?" Marshes knelt to examine a patch of trampled grass.
Yes. Henrik's farm lies just beyond those trees.
Over the p...
2025-03-15 19:25:06 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 32: Misunderstanding
I held perfectly still as the unknown adventurers spread out around me. The Archer on the roof nocked an arrow while the others advanced with practiced coordination. Their weapons gleamed in the morning light, well-maintained steel that could easily shred my new porcelain plating.
I mean you no harm, I projected, but they flinched at the mental contact.
"It's using magic!" Coyle, the mage, shouted. His hands burst into flam...
2025-03-14 09:08:32 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 31: Visit
I followed Mallie through Weath's dirt paths, my new boots leaving clean impressions in the morning mud. The fitted clothes and porcelain frame drew stares from everyone we passed. Different stares than those I had gotten before; these were less fearful, more curious.
"Morning Miss Mallie!" Old Willem called from his porch. His eyes widened when he recognized me. "By the gods, No Eyes? Is that really you under all that fancy work?"
Good morning, Wille...
2025-03-13 02:47:49 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 30: Human-ish
The rhythmic ping of hammer on metal filled Clarik's smithy as he and I worked on our separate projects. I was shaping the steel skeleton for my new form while he hammered out various items for the farmers of Weath. After a few hours work, I'd pause to create some more pure steel for Clarik's farming tools. The pace was meditative, allowing my mind to drift while my hands stayed busy.
"No Eyes!" Mallie's cheerful voice rang out as she bounded into th...
2025-03-10 20:28:12 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 29: Smithing
The rhythmic clanging of Blacksmith Clarik's hammer filled the smithy as I worked, carefully assembling the inner framework of my new form. Wood shavings and bits of porcelain littered the workbench where I'd laid out my materials.
"Still can't believe you're building yourself out of teacups," Clarik said between strikes. His broad shoulders flexed as he shaped a plow blade on his anvil. Unlike the other villagers, he showed no discomfort at my presen...
2025-03-10 09:24:24 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 28: Blame
I combed through the spot where Vom had been, discovering just crushed vegetation and displaced foliage. The diminutive goblin had slipped away under cover of darkness, with only subtle impressions in the soil leading into the dense thicket as evidence he'd been there. Perhaps this was for the best; he'd fulfilled his role by alerting me to the bandits' presence. Yet I couldn't help but question whether the shell-shocked monster would make it alone out there. Did he ...
2025-03-08 05:26:17 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 27: Defend
My mechanical legs propelled us through the darkness, servos whirring as I pushed them to their limits. Tree branches whipped past, barely missing my armored frame. Vom clung tightly to my chest plate, his thin fingers wrapped around the metal ridges.
"Please slow down," he whimpered. "Vom getting sick."
I ignored his pleas. Which way to village? From your camp?
"South," he squeaked, burying his face against the cold metal. "Always south t...
2025-03-05 18:16:22 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 26: Traces
My mechanical feet barely disturbed the underbrush as I moved through the darkened forest. The Mind Sight painted everything in varying shades of clarity; not color exactly, but pure understanding of depth and form. Trees stood like stark sentinels, their branches reaching across my field of vision. Bushes clustered at their bases, perfect hiding spots for those who wished to remain unseen.
I kept my weapons ready, the twin swords and spears balanced perfectly...
2025-03-04 00:05:47 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 25: Useless
I listened to Mallie's report with growing unease, my mechanical hands stilling on the half-assembled contraption before me. Another family was dead. More accusations pointed my way.
"They're wrong about you," Mallie said, sitting cross-legged on a fallen log. Her bow lay across her lap, her fingers absently tracing the curved wood I'd crafted for her. "Everyone who knows you knows you'd never do something like that."
How did you find me. Out...
2025-02-28 19:58:08 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 24: Monster
The morning dew clung to my mechanical legs as I stood with the gathered villagers and refugees. Harke adjusted the straps of his pack one final time, his hands trembling slightly. The sight made my chest ache with an emotion I couldn't quite name.
All around us, people wiped at their eyes. Even the usually stoic Old Willem dabbed at his face with a sleeve. Harke had been their rock during those dark days in Qordos, his healing magic and quiet strength keepin...
2025-02-26 00:52:25 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 23: Gods
I stood at the edge of the village, watching farmers lead their new temporary workers toward the fields. The mechanical joints of my four arms clicked as I shifted, the morning sun glinting off my armored frame. Two days of peace had settled the initial fear of my presence, though children still ran when I approached.
Footsteps crunched behind me. I turned to see Moskin and Katherin, Mallie's parents, approaching with Harke.
"No Eyes." Moskin's weather-wor...
2025-02-26 00:48:40 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 22: Weath
The Blue Water River's mouth stretched before us, its waters catching the last rays of sunlight. Our group moved with practiced efficiency now, setting up camp and posting watches. The children no longer needed help pitching tents.
I stood sentinel through the night, my mechanical body requiring no rest. The rushing water's sound reminded me of something, but like all my memories, it slipped away before I could grasp it.
Dawn broke crisp and clear. We bro...
2025-02-26 00:45:11 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 21: Green
The gray mud gave way to more patches of grass with each mile we covered. By the second day, green had overtaken the lifeless dirt entirely. The survivors' pace quickened as nature flourished around us. Real nature, not the twisted mockery of the Hellzone.
A cool breeze carried the scent of pine and wildflowers. Birds called from somewhere ahead. The group's excitement built as we crested a hill to find a proper forest spread before us. Living trees stretched t...
2025-02-26 00:41:33 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 20: Hellzone
Two weeks of trudging through the Hellzone had hardened our large group. The survivors no longer huddled together at every sound, no longer flinched when corrupted beasts emerged from the wastes. They'd learned to fight back.
I watched Mallie demonstrate proper bow grip to three other children. Her freckled face stayed focused as she adjusted their stances. The weapons we'd taken from Qordos had served us well: crude swords, spears, even a few crossbows. Whe...
2025-02-26 00:38:51 +0000 UTC
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Primordials
Not a single soul born upon the surface of our world remains ignorant as to what the Primordials are. They are the enemy of all Mankind, yes. But that is just one facet of what these mighty beings are.
The Primordials are entities of great power. They were born from the days when the planet was but a mere infant. Primordials are older than us, older than the total collective history of mankind. And they are the ones who are solely responsible for the horrifying state...
2025-02-26 00:37:04 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 19: Trek
I stood beside Harke as he counted the survivors gathered near the entrance of Qordos. His quill scratched against parchment, marking names and numbers.
"Eighty-seven survivors," Harke said, lowering his book. "Most of the casualties were from the adult p-pens."
My mechanical fingers clenched. Those brave souls had charged the slavers with nothing but crude spears and shivs. They'd known the risk, but fought anyway. Better to die standing than live in chai...
2025-02-26 00:36:02 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 18: Attack
The pale light of dawn slowly crept over the mountain peaks, painting the slave camp in shades of dark gray. From my shed, I could hear the camp stirring; the early shift of guards were making their rounds, slaves being roused for another day of misery. But today would be different.
Through the cracks in the wooden walls, I watched Belmund stumble from his tent, still half-drunk from the previous night's revelry. He barked orders at two guards, who moved to un...
2025-02-26 00:32:49 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 17: Prepare
I fitted another metal plate into place, the edges aligned tightly and with no gaps thanks to Assembly. The new chest cavity housed delicate machinery, a framework of gears and pulleys that would give me greater mobility than before. Each piece clicked together with perfect precision, guided by an innate knowledge I couldn't explain.
Thin copper wiring threaded through the joints like artificial tendons, allowing for fluid movement. The three arms took shape,...
2025-02-26 00:29:29 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 16: Sneaky
The days crawled slowly while I was stuck in my wooden prison. Between visits from Harke and Mallie, I traced patterns in the walls with my makeshift fingers, counting splinters and mapping every crack in the aged boards.
Their visits brought life to my solitary existence. Mallie's bright chatter filled the musty air while Harke's analytical mind provided engaging conversation. But more importantly, they brought materials.
"Look what I found!" Mallie dro...
2025-02-26 00:26:50 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 15: Analyze
"Escaping won't be simple," Harke said, his fingers drumming against his notebook. "The camp has around sixty sla-slavers patrolling at all times."
Numbers. Mean nothing, I projected. Already killed. Many warriors.
"And nearly got d-destroyed," he countered. "You caught them off guard before; they'll be more w-wary of you now. And there are a lot of them. Even if their levels are low, they'll swarm anyone who causes t-trouble."
2025-02-26 00:24:08 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 14: Rebuild
Harke shifted uncomfortably, his fingers twisting the hem of his robe. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but... are you male or female? I c-can't quite tell."
I paused, considering the question. Don't know, I projected carefully. Memories. Gone.
His brow furrowed. "T-truly? All of it?"
Most. I nodded. Remember. Pieces. Images. Words.
"You don't even remember your own name?"
...
2025-02-25 21:50:17 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 13: Speak
The slavers dragged what remained of my broken form across the camp, tossing me into what appeared to be an old storage shed. Thick wooden walls rose around me, the only light filtering through barred windows near the ceiling. They left me there on the straw-covered dirt floor, alone with my thoughts and some empty wooden crates. I lay on my back silently, feeling a fierce burning shame from my defeat.
Hours passed before the door creaked open....
2025-02-25 21:42:41 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 12: Vicious
Two days dragged by in this iron prison. My mechanical fingers traced each bar, testing their strength and composition. The metal was thick, sturdy, built to contain creatures far stronger than my current form. Assembly could reshape these bonds, but the guards' watchful eyes never strayed far from my cage. Their curiosity about the "monster" kept them alert. I would have to wait for nightfall, when darkness could mask my abilities.
A shrill ...
2025-02-25 21:40:40 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 11: Night
The sun dipped behind the mountains, casting long shadows across the camp. A hush quickly fell over the pens as a tall sapien strutted through the grounds, flanked by several armed guards. His battle-scarred face and muscled frame spoke of violence, and the massive axe strapped to his back gleamed dully in the fading light.
Belmund burst from his tent, his fat jiggling as he rushed to meet the man. "Boss! You're just in time to see the new stoc...
2025-02-25 21:39:29 +0000 UTC
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