The children let loose terror-filled screeches as the beast broke into the small clearing. This wasn’t the first time it had found their hiding spot; it had already claimed many of them. Yet, it would not be sated until every tiny human fell.
It locked on to the smallest and slowest of the bunch and moved. With a blur of motion, the child disappeared. Those that remain scattered into the surrounding grass, each praying they wouldn’t be next. If they could just hold out a little longer, just keep away for a few more minutes.
A soul-piercing screech from somewhere in the grass signaled another loss.
The young boy crawled along the ground, making himself as small and quiet as possible. A hard thing to do with every movement rushed the tall grass around him, but staying still wasn’t an option either. They’d tried that already. Nevertheless, the beast had found them, somehow.
They had to just keep moving. If they kept moving, then — .
The grass to his left rustled, and the boy froze. A moment later, a young girl, only a year or two young than him, stumbled from the grass, panting, sweat dripping down her face. She stopped, frozen, staring down at him, wide-eyed, then muttered.
“Oh, no…”
The next instance, she was gone, disappearing into the grass as something yanked her from behind.
The young boy’s breaths came in ragged breaths, and his heart pounded like thunder in his chest as he stared at the place where the girl had vanished. He knew he should run, should try to hide, but his mind was blank. When his legs, at last, started listening to his head again, it was already too late.
An enormous shadow slowly appeared from the tall grass, moving far quieter than something that large ever had the right to.
Slowly, it approached, drawing out the moment. The young boy was the last, and its victory was all but assured. When it finally loomed over the boy, it stared down at him with its three glowing red eyes and laughed.
But as the beast reached out, its metallic hand and the young boy gave into his fate, a loud whistle cut through the silence, and a masculine voice called out.
“TIME!”
The gargantuan metal beast collapsed to the group, deflating in defeat.
With a roaring cheer, the gaggle of children on its back slid down and rushed the young boy, lifting him on their shoulders. It had taken nearly six tries, but they’d finally won! Victory!
==========
Zolzaya watched the nearly three dozen children climb over the collapsed Lord Protector like he was the world’s biggest playground and shook her head. The other adults of the village, watching the scene, smiled and laughed, likely thinking how funny it was that even a powerful spirit beast was no match for the energy of small children.
Zolzaya knew the truth, though.
He was pouting…
Sure, the Lord Protector had gone easy on the kids, but he had honestly put effort into their “game.” Even so, determined children’s adaptability and quick wit weren’t to be underestimated.
It helped that the children had been playing this same game for years now. It was part of the basic training, preparing them for their eventual apprenticeships in a few short years. Typically, one of the older Guardians played the role of the ‘Hunter’, but one thing had led to another…
The survivor’s homecoming has been… hectic, to put it lightly. They’d discussed whether to leave the Lord Protector out of sight before approaching the village to prevent misunderstandings. But after talking, they agreed it was better he be seen with them. Who knew what would happen if he were seen wandering around the outskirts of the village?
Of course, that didn’t stop Zolzaya’s father from bursting from the grass, filled with a fiery rage she’d never thought him capable of. Juatan had charged, then struck out at the Lord Protector with the full force of a well-established, mid-stage [Silver Spirit] Cultivator before anyone could warn the man.
It seemed Zolzaya had inherited more than just her gift from her father.
Of course, the Guardian’s attack had about as much effect on the Lord Protector as Zolzaya’s own attack had, even when three other Guardians erupted from the grass. Their combined strength couldn’t break the strange energy shield surrounding the spirit beast.
Zolzaya’s heart sank when she heard the cracks of thunder from the Lord Protector, and she feared the worst. Yet, instead of the spays of blood she expected, all four Guardians doubled over, clutching their abdomens as if they’d been struck by a mighty fist. When one fell over on his side, and Zolzaya saw the fist-sized dent in the man’s chest plate, she realized she hadn’t been too far off.
Silently, she thanked the Lord Protector for his restraint. While such a blow would leave a massive bruise (she was sure one Guardian even had a cracked rib), she knew its thunderous attack could do far worse.
The next few moments had been part heartwarming reunion and part emergency medical treatment as the group helped the injured Guardians out of their dented armor. A quick debriefing from Ulagan and an “all clear” signal sent to the village saw the four Guardians kowtowing before the Lord Protector. Zolzaya’s gift told her the creature was more amused than insulted, but she kept that to herself.
Men’s pride could be a fragile thing, after all…
The Guardians had then escorted the group back to the village, followed by the expected confusion, fear, and excitement as the village rushed to meet the survivors of the last group. That excitement soon turned to mournful wailing as it became clear they were returning with not even a third of the number they’d left with.
The following day had been a typical song-and-dance as the story circulated through the village. Everyone wanted to know what had happened, and some even tried to blame the Lord Protector. Either for not saving their own family member or somehow having planned the whole thing. The Elders, to appease the villagers, placed a guard on the mysterious spirit beast; a full 12 [Silver Spirit] Guardians, led by the Captain himself, the only [Gold Spirit] Cultivator in the village.
Not that any of the leadership believed they could do anything against the creature, of course, after Ulagan and Kallik’s retelling of events. But it kept the people at ease… somewhat.
The Lord Protector, for his part, had been surprisingly cooperative during the entire ordeal. Ulagan and others thought the spirit beast was passive and aloof, but Zolzaya knew the truth. The creature was extremely calculating, and everything it did was for a purpose. Even this air of indifference and helpful nature was all for a goal. It needed them for something, but Zolzaya’s gift couldn’t tell her for what.
So far, it had only shown interest in the blacksmithing carts. It had “requested” a staggering amount of various metals and ores stored there.
The event had caused a small confrontation, with Ulagan having to prevent the other Guardians from stopping him and the Elders having to pause their meeting with Kallik. After a brief discussion, the Elders (begrudgingly) agreed to ‘offer’ the metal to the Lord Protector as thanks for bringing the survivors home. The village would have to eat the cost and pay the blacksmiths back for the losses.
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
The Slatewalkers weren’t the richest village, but they specialized in traps and arrays, so their stockpile of various metals was significant. That they were headed to the Earth Shrine, where they could trade with other villages and restock on necessities, meant that the village wouldn’t suffer too badly, especially with the treasure gathered by the other groups during the examination trips.
So how did all that culminate in the Lord Protector playing “Hunter and Prey” with a group of the village’s children?
It all started while the Lord Protector used the materials to… heal? It looked more like the spirit beast was crafting armor to her, but she wasn’t a crafter, so what did she know? Instead of eating the material like she’d expected, the various materials were mixed, refined, and transformed in ways she couldn’t understand. Various broken and burned carapace pieces were removed and broken down, then reformed in mere minutes.
The spectacle was so mesmerizing and magical that it soon gathered a small crowd, including many of the craftsman the Lord Protector had “requested” the materials from. Several were even sketching the scene with a fervor that burned to Zolzaya’s gift.
In only a short two hours, the Lord Protector’s outer shell had gone from broken and melted in several places to a pristine metallic sheen. Where once the spirit beast appeared broken, it now radiated a regal, if dangerous, air. She could tell the repairs (?) wasn’t perfect, though. Some areas were slightly off-color, while others were thicker than their undamaged “originals.” Regardless, the Lord Protector looked in far better shape than he had only a few hours prior.
As the show ended, the crowd slowly dispersed. Well, most of them did.
A small group of half a dozen children lingered on the edge of where the crowd had stood, held back by a pair of Guardians. They stared up at the Lord Protector with wide-eyed wonder, pointing and whispering to each other.
Now, if one thing can be said about Slatewalker children, it was that no others under the sun had quite the talent for getting into things and places they shouldn’t be.
Zolzaya had fond memories of all the trouble she, Yutu, and Ganaa had gotten into during their youth.
And they had been one of the meeker groups, but Slatewalker standards!
So it should have been no surprise to anyone when a tiny girl suddenly stood up on top of the Lord Protector’s back, declaring herself the world’s best Beast Tamer.
What followed was a chaotic mix of laughing children being chased by Guardians, parents screaming or yelling, and general confusion as Guardians pulled one child off the spirit beast. Only to turn around and find two more fighting to be on top.
So a typical afternoon in the Slatewalker village.
The mess had gone a long way toward lifting the somewhat dour mood that had blanketed the village since their group’s return. It helped that the Lord Protector did not mind the children crawling over him. Things might have been different if Ulagan and Ganaa weren’t laughing the entire time, of course. With the two’s assurance that the children would be fine, the other Guardians let them be.
More than a few people spoke out, questioning if it was wise to let the children play around an unknown, obviously powerful spirit beast in this manner, regardless of how gentle it seemed around them. Zolzaya would admit she felt the same, in a way. Her gift told her that while the Lord Protector didn’t mind and genuinely enjoyed the children’s company, there was more to it. This, too, was just another way for it to endear itself to them.
Manipulation on top of manipulation.
But the cheery, excited play of the children soon drowned out the voice of the naysayers.
Soon, the play had evolved into a game of Hunter and Prey, partly on Ulagan’s suggestion. The young Guardian was quickly becoming one of the most vocal proponents of the Lord Protector in the village, alongside Ganaa. She could tell they were hiding something from her, but she couldn’t quite tell what, and that made her nervous.
Part of her wondered if she should tell them her own secret and speak suspicions about the Lord Protector. Another calmer part of her warned it could cause more trouble. The Lord Protector was… unpredictable. There was no telling how it might react if it knew she could tell there was more to him than he let on. Ultimately, she chose to watch and observe, then report her concerns to Kallik once the meetings with the Elders were finished. As her mentor, she was one of the few who knew of her gift.
==========
Alpha stood and gently pulled the pile of sleeping children off him.
The AI was used to rambunctious, energetic children, but lord above, these were something else.
The plan was originally to play nice with the kids and give off a more friendly neighborhood-15-meter-tall-robot vibe. It had worked before, especially on worlds where people didn’t really have a concept of what a war machine looked like.
People let their guard down around you more when they saw you playing with children. Even the guards they had watching him seemed less tense as they moved the small pile of bodies and brought them to waiting parents.
Alpha had to admit, he’d expected more… pushback than he’d received in this village so far. More often than not, first contact was met with fear, suspicion, and weariness. While that was still present, it was more like that of a stranger visiting town than a gargantuan metal creature of unknown origins.
Even when he pushed and tested their limits by raiding their metal storage, he’d only gotten some pointed questions and was “gifted” the materials by what he assumed were village leaders. Not that he was complaining; the materials had been enough to cover much of his more pressing repair needs.
He was still short on supplies, and the TAWP wasn’t at 100%, but he no longer had to worry about pushing the frame too hard or breaking something important.
It was… strange, even so. Something told Alpha he was still missing context. Lucky for Alpha, he had a village to explore now.
Well, less him and more his swarm of [Wasps].
Since arriving, the [Wasps] had spread out through the village, hiding in various places, gathering data, or scouting out points of interest. Things were going great, even if most of the information he’d gathered had been mundane village gossip. His lexicon had taken a tremendous leap over the last few hours, with thousands of new data points to pull from. He was fairly certain he could hold a lengthy conversation with a local now, but stuck to the “mysterious, silent type” image he’d been cultivating so far.
After all, people were far more willing to speak freely around you when they thought you couldn’t understand them.
He’d never quite seen a town like this, though. Roaming cities weren’t anything new to Alpha. A notable portion of the Federation population chose to live in giant city-ships instead of on a planet. But this was the first he’d seen that was so… low-tech.
On each of the nearly 600 carts that made up the ‘village’, a building was built. These varied from small, single-family homes to large workshops filled with complex tools. What Alpha could only assume was the town hall was the largest, and it looked like it could easily house over 300 people at once. At over 3,000 people, by Alpha’s count, the village’s population was respectable for such a setup, if not enormous. They even appeared to be in the middle of expansion if the two dozen unfinished carts being pulled behind the others said anything.
At the end day, though, a cart was a cart, even if the drive, suspension and axle systems were far more advanced than Alpha expected.
Instead of being automated, each cart was pulled by a large, Elk-like creature. A “Grand Elk,” as the villagers called them. They were gargantuan beasts, easily half the size of the TAWP. Not quite megafauna, but pushing the limits. They seemed powerful, too, with a team of two easily pulling a smaller building cart with little difficulty, while teams of six to ten pulled the larger carts.
These Grand Elk even seemed to pull double duty as both herd animals and cart engines, as he’d witnessed several families milking or shearing their large companions. The creatures themselves were strangely docile, almost cow-like in their disposition, though that may have simply resulted from generations of domestication.
The combination of more than a thousand large herbivores and hundreds of heavy carts resulted in a long, neatly flattened scar through the prairies trailing the village for miles. Alpha was sure that if he looked at it from the sky, he could track the village’s progression up to this point going back possibly months.
One particular cart had caught Alpha’s attention almost immediately after spotting it with a [Wasp].
It was a small, inconspicuous cottage nestled in what Alpha assumed to be a residential section of the village, given how many homes were in the area. At first glance, there wasn’t anything very special about it. In fact, it seemed in need of a new paint job, even if it appeared well lived in.
No, what caught Alpha’s attention was how it practically glowed. Not to the visible eye, but with the same strange energy waves he’d recorded during his first encounter with Yutu and Ganbaatar. Where the young man had created a spatial distortion from out of nowhere.
Intrigued, Alpha piloted the [Wasp] and approached the building. The tiny drone landed on the roof and quietly approached the strange lines, giving off the energy signal. It was gentle, almost undetectable compared to the violent storm the spatial distortion had given off, but undeniably similar.
Alpha couldn’t even tell how they worked. They appeared like nothing more than lines carved into the wood grain to him. Lines so fine and simple that if you didn’t know they were there, you’d be mistaken for thinking they were just random scratches.
Yet, somehow, they — .
“What do we have here?”
Suddenly, the [Wasp] was plucked from the surface by its wings. The small drone struggled, but couldn’t escape the assailant’s grasp. Soon, Alpha was looking through the [Wasps] camera into the smiling face of a wrinkled, hunched-over old man.
The man peered at the drone with one open eye and spoke.
“And who might you be, my little friend?”
The drone went still, unsure if the senile old man talking to a bug was serious or not.
Wait… weren’t they on the roof?