Year 0, Month 4, Week 3, Day 5, Hour 9, Minute 33
2 weeks passed by in the blink of an eye. During that time, I had made more soldiers, as well as Sentinels. Even if the turrets were extremely expensive for me right now, they proved effective for dealing with mages, so I deemed the expense necessary. Aurea and Mors were pretty distant from each other at first, but they seemed to get closer after spending some time together. Seeing as he was experienced in matters regarding death, Mors was able to help Aurea get over the loss of her father, if only a little. Every other day, I taught Mors, first going from medical and biological causes of death and slowly working towards various philosophies regarding death. The Deathwalker was stupefied when I pointed out the seemingly obvious fact that a cut nerve or pinched artery killed just as easily as a stab through the heart.
Aurea continued to train diligently every day. Although she was still mad at me for making her retreat, she forgave me after I promised to never do it again.
“I’ll just make sure not to put her in that kind of a position again.”
“[That may not always be possible.]”
“Eh, if I need to, I’ll just tie her up and drag her away.”
By two weeks, I had already regained the number of soldiers I had before the imperial army came through. This time, however, I divided them into easily divisible units to make them easier to command.
I also fabricated a new model of robot to help combat mages, known as the Laelaps Attack Canine. They were similar to Falcons in that they focused more on speed rather than raw power and durability, but they took the form of doberman pinschers. I had found that Enforcers and Montanas were a poor match against mages, as their slow speed made them easy targets for magic. The Laelaps, with their smaller bodies and higher agility, would be much more effective. I currently had a platoon of Laelaps, but I would need more if I wanted them to be effective.
While I was fabricating the Laelaps, I made 2 custom models, which I named Bran and Sceólang. They were superior to the other Laelaps, as they had more powerful springs in their hindquarters allowing them to move faster and jump farther, as well as flamethrowers in the back of their throats. The flamethrowers were fueled with methane gas that had been painstakingly separated from the atmosphere, and would be extremely dangerous to those who were caught in the jaws of the robotic canines. They were also smarter than the other Laelaps, so they could follow more complex programs. I gave Bran to Mors, and Sceólang to Aurea.
I explained to them that they had 5 primary modes, which were guard, follow, attack, defend, and pursue. Guard mode had the canines guarding a particular place or person, and would attack any who got too close. Follow mode would simply have the canines follow their owner in a docile manner, not attacking or defending. Attack mode would have the canines attack an individual or group that their owner had pointed out, while defend mode would have them focus entirely on protecting their owner from harm. The last mode, pursue, would make the dogs chase after one person, concentrating on capturing or killing them. However, they would not chase farther than 2 kilometers from their owners. Until I had better materials to construct more advanced computer chips, they wouldn’t be able to follow detailed orders.
Mors and Aurea were both very happy with their new companions, and started testing their new modes and capabilities. I left them to it and continued fabricating some necessary components. In preparation for my next venture, I also fabricated a smaller type of robot, with the same body shape and height as a human. The speaker I used as a voice had an added modulator to make my voice more human-like instead of robotic, as well as volume control. I made a mask that fit the exact measurements of the robot’s head, which was only a curved steel plate with 2 eye holes. It would give me a strange appearance and might draw a bit of attention, but it was the best I could do for now.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
After a bit of thought, I added a bit of extra padding on certain areas so that if I ended up touching anyone, they wouldn’t feel the hard steel frame. With leather, furs, and cloth left over from my Falcons previous gathering efforts, I made a cloak, gloves, boots, and a thin shirt and pants. Once they were all made, I took control of the new robot and put on all the clothing. Walking and running around, I realized that some parts of my metallic frame underneath were still visible, so I added strings to tighten the fabrics. Once that was done, I simply looked like a very heavily dressed traveler, who also happened to have a mask on.
“That should do. Unless they were to do a close examination, nobody should be able to tell that I’m not human.”
“[Nevertheless, please exercise caution. I believe most would react in a negative manner if your appearance was revealed.]”
“Don’t worry so much, it’ll be fine!”
Using her exo-suit’s intercom system, I told Aurea to come to the iron mine, and to bring Mors with her. She acknowledged my request, and within 10 minutes the duo was waiting outside. Coming outside, I asked “So, what do you think of my new body?” I had tried my best to replicate my old voice, but it still sounded a bit off.
Looking at me suspiciously, Aurea asked “Is that you Evan?”
“Yup!” I said with a laugh.
I spent the next hour practicing how to laugh, grunt, yell, and cry with my new voice. Mors and Aurea also helped me adjust certain parts of my voice to make me sound a bit more natural.There was still something about it that sounded slightly abnormal, but most people would just brush it off without a second thought.
“So,” I said once I had finished making my adjustments, “ I want to go to Ocaephis and take a look around.”
My friends widened their eyes in shock, with Mors asking “Are you sure? Taking a trip to the city is incredibly risky.”
“Yeah, he’s right, plus don't you need your elektricity or whatever you call it?” Aurea added.
“You are correct, it is risky, but I think it will be worth it. I have 3 main reasons I want to go to Ocephis. The first is for sourcing materials, and since Ocaephis is a city that focuses on trade, I’m pretty sure that I can find much of what I need there. Second, I want to gather some information on current events, both in the city and around the empire. Third, I want to learn more about the people there, especially about the level of technology and social aspects of the empire,” I said, raising a finger each time I listed a reason. “And in regards to the electricity problem, I have a solution, so don’t worry about that.” I had already planned ahead and fabricated a solar panel that could charge my batteries, as well as bringing extra batteries along for the trip. And to make sure I wouldn’t die if this robot is destroyed, I would be bringing 3 drones along which I could transfer to if the situation calls for it.
“Alright then, if you’re sure,” Aurea said with a doubtful expression on her face.
“When did you want to leave then?” asked Mors.
“Tomorrow at dawn. It’ll probably take us about 2 days to get there, so bring whatever you need. Be sure to account for the return trip as well. If there's anything you need help with, let me know.”
The 2 of them thanked me before leaving, and since I had some time to spare before we left, I made some camping gear to make the journey easier for my companions. With some leftover cloth and leather, I crafted a small tent. Using the fabricator, I made a cooking pot that would hang from legs via chains, as well as some metal utensils. As an afterthought, I made a steel dagger for myself, as this robot had no offensive capabilities whatsoever.
Aurea briefly contacted me to ask if she should bring Sceólang. I replied in the negative, as I didn’t have enough batteries nor solar panels to power Sceólang for an extended period of time. I told her to let Mors know the same thing about Bran, then ended the conversation.
“Even if we run into any danger, Mors should be plenty of protection, right? Aurea isn’t half bad with her swords either.”
“[I agree with your assessment.]”
Once I made a few simple satchels, I felt that all my preparations were complete.