Stillwater was no longer a small settlement. It had become a small, but rapidly expanding city. In a few weeks, buildings several stories tall were raised. They looked distinctly out of place, both in architecture and materials. The roads which were once simple dirt paths had been replaced with a mix of steel, stone, and enchanted dirt. Using steel frames to provide structure and stability, it was filled in with greyish soil.
But it wasn't just any dirt. It was soil that could repair itself.
Borne from the analysis of a certain illusionist's iridescent weapon, Android 02 created an enchantment mimicking Attainium's ability to change and retain its shape. It was weak, not even a fraction of the legendary metal's capabilities. Although the dirt couldn't be destroyed easily, it could only shift to its original form. The process took time, and it also required a constant flow of magic to maintain the enchantment. Despite its potential, the resources it required to enchant more powerful and complicated materials were quite literally impossible. For now.
Few understood the value of self-repairing dirt, especially since it wasn't immediate. But Android 02 didn't care. It didn't have to be perfect. The hulking mass of wires and metal was the brains behind the design, realizing its potential upsides and value in the long-run.
Despite thousands of machines, humans, and carriages of all sizes passing through Metropolis, the roads were as pristine as the day they were completed. Adverse weather would wear it down, but never permanently. As long as the flow of mana was maintained, the roads would continuously repair themselves. Employing enchantments of such degree had been too costly to perform on roads until now. Android 02 was confident they could generate a massive profit off the dirt, promptly named "Enchanted Earthways".
The roads were only one of the many new inventions being produced in the city. Civilians, who have only ever seen the smelters imported from Welton's Furnace as a frame of comparison, were met with advanced technologies decades ahead of any other area in the world. Creatures made of metal and wires mingled in with the populace, integrating themselves into daily life. But they loved it. The sudden change was welcomed, as they had been liberated from the constant territorial conflicts between the Ailach Kingdom and the Idil Empire.
A once struggling settlement had bloomed into a flourishing kingdom, with prosperity and abundance replacing the former hardship and famine.
"Good. Morning." A robot tilted its head downward, creating a slight clicking noise as it did so. A singular circle that represented its eye glowed dimly. It stood behind a countertop with various baked goods on display behind a glass cover. It was one of the many businesses that sprouted up after the robot's occupation of the town. The building barely accommodated its inhuman physique, nearly touching the ceiling with its cranium.
Compared to their initial design, they had been streamlined and redesigned in order to avoid injuries when interacting with civilians. A majority of the machines did not engage in combat and were changed to suit their day-to-day lives.
"Mornin' to you too, Scrappy!" Lily said, stopping right in front of the small shop. The girl Damien and Chester rescued had grown since their first meeting. Her brown hair was cut short, now only down to her shoulders. She no longer wore ragged clothes, but instead dressed in plain and clean ones instead. "Can I get a few sugar cookies? The freshest ones you have!"
"Affirmative." It responded, collecting a few pieces of her desired food. Lily paid upfront, placing the currency onto the wooden counter while the lesser robot expertly packaged the cookies.
Lily opened up one packet, took a bite, and let out a noise of satisfaction. Her deep brown eyes sparkled as she savored the treat. "Mmm! Great as usual."
"I am. Designed. For precision." Scrappy stated, craning its head slightly to stare at the young child. "Accuracy. The key to a perfect sugar cookie."
Lily nodded her head in agreement, bidding the machine farewell. She walked to the largest building in the city, dubbed the Power Station. Stationed by the newly-renovated town hall, the place was the closest thing to a skyscraper the world had to offer. Nearing seven stories tall and a hundred thousand square feet, it was an intimidating structure for those who saw it for the first time. Lily simply walked towards the entrance whistling a jaunty tune.
She stopped in front of the doors, staring at the massive metal creature with a human-like upper body fixated atop a quadrupedal base of orichalcum. The Scrap Bot was two and a half meters tall, vigilantly guarding the front of the Power Station. Their three arms, which had once been weapons, were now transformed into hands with a smooth, shiny finish. It carried a spear in hand, minimalist in design with a sleek, chrome handle and sharpened point.
The Scrap Bot stared down at her and she smiled in response to its steely gaze.
"Heya! Can I come in? I want to see daddy!"
"You will have. To wait. Must notify. Of new entrants. What is your. Purpose?"
"I brought sugar cookies!"
It whirred and clicked, staying in place as it belched out another response, seemingly communicating with someone from within.
"Supplement delivery. For Director. Jeffrey." After a brief pause, the Scrap Bot spoke again. "You will have to. Wait for some. Time. Please hold."
The girl nodded obediently. She tapped her feet, but the silence became slightly awkward as the machine continued to stare at her without pause. Lily, deciding to initiate a conversation, quickly gathered up a point of discussion.
"Hey, I noticed you're not the same one who guards it on the weekdays. Did something happen to them?"
"Ah. You must be. Talking about. Sandy." The Scrap Bot's eyes glowed in recognition.
"Yeah! Sandy! What happened to them?"
"They are taking. A day-off. I am. Covering their shift."
"What do you guys usually do on a day off?"
The idea of the machines needing a day of rest somewhat surprised her. She had seen them work tirelessly during the initial occupation of Stillwater. They fended off monsters, and enemy kingdom spies, and helped reconstruct the city from the ground up without pause. But she supposed they deserved nothing less, made of metal or not.
"We do many things. Reading technical manuals. Gardening. Our hobbies are. Varied like yours are. Sandy is part. Of the URL. The vice chairman."
"What's the URL?"
"Union. Of. Robot. Laborers. Although it has. Robot in the name. We also advocate for. Human worker. Rights."
Retrieving a piece of paper from an unknown place, the Scrap Bot gave Lily a flyer. It held various information in simple, printed letters. A drawing of a simplified Scrap Bot holding a pickaxe in one hand and doing a thumbs-up was present in the corner of the sheet.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
"Please consider. Joining us and. Becoming part of the. Team."
Just as the machine finished speaking, the gates leading to the Power Station swung open, allowing Lily to enter unabated. She folded the flyer neatly into her pocket, leaving it as a curiosity for a later time.
As Lily stepped inside the Power Station, she was struck by the towering generators looming over her. They were huge, easily as tall as a castle tower, and gave off a faint humming sound that reverberated throughout the room. Each generator was made up of a complex series of gears, pulleys, and metal plates, all interlocking together to create an intricate machine that seemed to pulse with mana.
She slowly got closer, seeing that the generators were encased in metal, with pipes and tubes running in and out of them. The metal casing was emblazoned with intricate runes and symbols, which seemed to pulse and glow with otherworldly energy. The generators were surrounded by a series of cables and wires, all leading off to various parts of the Power Station.
From a slight distance away, a slimmer Scrap Bot with a more feminine upper body did work quietly on a square machine with a small screen. Lily approached catching the machine's attention by strolling up to the round desk.
"Hi, I'm here to see my dad?"
"Yes. You can find. The Director. On the fourth. Floor. The elevator is. That way."
Pointing across the hall, there were three sets of doors. Lily followed obediently and crossed the room, taking another glance at the powerful generators quietly humming before focusing on the elevator. She looked at the buttons alongside each one, pressing on the arrow that pointed upward, assuming it would take her to her destination.
Immediately, the door opened up to reveal a small box with four walls and no windows. A panel of buttons with numbers and letters greeted her once more, with Lily pressing the corresponding button to where the bot said her father would be.
As the elevator began to move, the child felt a slight lurch in their stomach, and she realized she was being lifted off the ground. They looked up to see the walls of the elevator were made of the same smooth, metallic material as the walls of the room below.
As the elevator continued to ascend, the child heard a soft hum, which grew louder as they neared the top. The hum was accompanied by a low-pitched whine, almost like the sound of a large animal breathing.
DING
Finally, the elevator reaches its destination, and the doors slid open to reveal her father, Jeffrey, in a pointed discussion with a unique-looking bot. The older man, who seemed to have aged backward since he assumed the role as Director of Mining Operations, held several sheets of paper in his hands while talking with the peculiar machine.
Made of shiny, metallic material, its body was a cylinder with a cubed head on top. The robot's face was made up of a round screen with two large, glowing eyes that stared directly at her father. The screen displayed different expressions and shapes as it engaged in conversation with Jeffrey. On the side of its head, a small '2' was written neatly. Lily walked out of the elevator holding her bag of sugar cookies.
"Dad! I brought food!"
Her father was knocked out of his stupor and immediately turned to meet her gaze. He seemed shocked at her appearance and quickly rushed towards her.
"Oh dear, what did I tell you about visiting me at work? This isn't a place you should be roaming around."
"On the contrary. We have child-proofed. Most of this. Facility."
Android 02 had shed its previous form; a massive orichalcum box of wires and gears, and transformed itself into a smaller, more compact machine. Although the android sacrificed some power and functions, he gained greater mobility and specialized according to the city's needs. Android 02 was the Chief Advisor of Metropolis, an invaluable component that allowed the kingdom to expand and flourish while their leader, Elric, stayed in Elway.
Many of the civilians praised its genius, greatly improving the quality of life in Stillwater through the policies and processes it instated since taking control of the small settlement. The girl had heard nothing but compliments from her father whenever the topic of Android 02 came along on the dinner table.
LIly brought the baked goods to her father's face. "Cookies!"
Jeffrey sighed and took the bag, knowing she wouldn't leave until he took them. Her persistence and stubbornness were something he knew all too well. Muttering his thanks, he took a bite and left her to her own devices. With Android 02 reassuring him that the floor was safe and couldn't harm Lily, she roamed the floor while they continued their prior conversation.
Lily explored the fourth floor. It exuded a scholarly atmosphere with its collection of books and scrolls that lined the walls. As the brown-haired girl drew closer, she could see the shelves were stacked with volumes of the latest advancements in magic and technology. She could barely understand any of the words in the titles of each book and moved on. In the center of the room, a large table dominated the space, covered in intricate diagrams and blueprints that highlight the complex machinery that powers the city. Jeffrey and Android 02 occasionally referenced the table in their conversation.
"We'll need to create solar panels injunction with the generators. Android 01 and the others are searching for places that have higher mana densities, but everywhere within a ten-kilometer radius is quite lackluster."
Jeffrey crossed his arms and furrowed his brows, looking at the papers once more. "The energy consumption is massive. With your future development plans, we'll need to at least triple our current supply of mana and electricity. Do you reckon-?"
Android 02 shook its head, the expression on the screen changing into '-_-' as they did so. "No. Humans are not. Efficient in mana regeneration. Most beings aren't. Even I cannot. Contribute an impactful amount. With all my reserves. On a daily basis."
"That's true, I suppose we'll have to look into other alternate sources of energy. I can divert some of the bots from the mines to-"
Just before Jeffrey could finish his sentence, the elevator dinged once again, revealing a curvaceous, metallic body with segmented limbs and joints. Android 01, who changed the least design-wise, entered the room and made her presence known.
"02, I have news!"
"Do tell."
"The Chief was on an expedition, about forty kilometers due west," Android 01 told, referencing a new member of their group; The Chief. A Scrap Bot that managed to achieve its second class milestone while taking control of the adamantium mines, it found its way to Metropolis and quickly became a core existence alongside Android 01 and 02 as the Commander and overseer of military operations. "He found an underground complex! A dungeon!"
"A dungeon?" Android 02, said tilting its head and showing an expression of slight surprise. It had recently learned about the concept of dungeons; underground, tunnel-like formations and hallways generated by an object called a dungeon core. They were great boons to kingdoms, providing resources and a steady source of experience to increase military power. The cores themselves were also recognized as one of the most precious items in existence, even when they were classified as low-grade ones.
"Sir, I think its important to secure that dungeon immediately," Jeffrey said, looking excited about the prospect of a dungeon. "If we can have bots or soldiers level up in the dungeon, it might offer us enough manpower to provide mana on a regular basis to keep the city running!"
"I think there. Is another way." Android 02 intoned. It began talking in the same monotone voice, while the other two listened attentively.
Lily watched this all play out in front of her, watching with minimal attention and daydreaming. Her thoughts wandered off to the adventurers who made this all possible and also saved her life.
'Damien and Chester. They really changed our lives. I wonder how they're doing?'
She hoped they would come and visit, to see how much the city had improved since they last met. Lily knew adventurers came and went, but she had a feeling they would meet once again. The girl imagined an older version of Damien returning to Stillwater, meeting with the adult version of herself. Her romantic fantasies came to an end when her father called for her to go into the elevator. Android 01 and 02 went down together, leaving a vacant one for Jeffrey and Lily.
"Come now, Lily. It's time for you to head home. Your mother must be wondering where you went."
"Oh please, mom gave me permission. Can I come along with you guys? Please? Pretty please?"
Jeffrey hesitated. As he pushed a button to close the elevator, it lurched and began moving downward. "I'd love to, dear. But it looks like I'll be in a dangerous place tonight. We're going to take a look at the dungeon that formed out there."
"Danger?! Like an adventurer! Take me there! Better yet, call Damien and tell him to help you guys out again!"
Even after they reached the first floor, Jeffrey was trying to talk his daughter out of it. Android 01 and 02 were standing alongside the Chief, who dwarfed even the largest Scrap Bots in size. Three meters tall, bearing four eyes, six arms, and a colossal, adamantium upper body that had been upgraded and fortified. It was no wonder the Chief didn't go up the floors, as it likely wouldn't fit in the elevator, nor would the upper floors be able to accommodate its weight. Its legs had been remodeled with thick, metal plates that covered hydraulic pistons for graceful and powerful movement.
The Chief was a marvel, even compared to the Androids. It was the only Scrap Bot to have evolved independently, without the help of Elric or the Androids. For years, it maintained control of the adamantium mines and fended them off from ankhegs and dwarves alike. In terms of sheer combat ability and experience, it was the best among their forces.
Gazing down on the little girl who refused to leave their Director of Mining Operations alone, the Chief intoned in a deep, mechanical voice.
"Child, you are not qualified to come with us. It is far too dangerous."
"Oh yeah, and says who?"
Jeffrey paled and tried to defuse the situation before his beloved daughter was turned into a meaty paste on the floor, but the hulking Scrap Bot's eyes flashed in response. Android 01 and 02 watched on impassively.
"Says I. The dangers within are too great for someone who hasn't undergone the proper training. Perhaps you could spend some time honing your skills and building up your strength before venturing out on such an expedition." The Chief said, maintaining an even voice throughout. It then proposed several training development programs for Lily to go through, taking into consideration her human-like physiology and talent level. It prattled on for a few minutes, going in-depth about how long it would take for her to become qualified as a dungeon-delving soldier.
"-And after you reach your class milestone, then I could approve your entry into our forces. After all, we need strong and capable individuals to ensure the safety of Metropolis."
The girl, not expecting such a level-headed and technical response, only nodded dumbly and decided to let it go. Lily's father breathed a sigh of relief but was afraid of her being recruited as a soldier into Metropolis' army. Few humans managed to qualify, as much of the city's population were regular civilians.
With Lily out of the way, Jeffrey and the group of bots prepared for a dungeon dive.