Dark. It’s too dark.
help.
Please?
…
I don’t know how long it's been… I can’t move any of my limbs. There’s a dark and heavy pressure all over my body, like I’m being crushed.
…
I’ve never been a fan of small spaces but holy crap, this takes the cake.
…
I can’t tell if it's been minutes, hours or days. Only darkness seems to permeate my whole being.
…
AH! Something moved, the pressure on my right arm has lessened. Oh, there it is again, this time near my right leg. At least I think it's a leg. Gradually, the pressure on my right side begins to lessen. As if many large masses are being lifted away. Perhaps I’m buried under some rubble? If so, it’s lucky that I don’t seem to breathe in this body.
…
It took a while and there were some long pauses, but suddenly all the weight on my right hand is gone. I wiggle it around and I hear a dampened, but still shrill, scream. Huh, guess there’s people out there. Hope they won’t hur-
“OW!”
I yell out in pain as I feel a blunt force suddenly hit my hand. Hey, that's a good sign, I can still talk. But WHAT THE HECK! Jerk, why’d you have to go ahead and bash my hand. Actually… that’s interesting, I can feel pain. I figured I would be in a robotic body or something.
…
Another insufferably long pause before anything else happens. I think I'm starting to go crazy. I know sensory deprivation can be devastating to a person’s sanity, but I think sheer boredom might get me first. But all of a sudden, lots of the pressure is moving. Some of it going away, some of it simply moving.
…
Eventually my right leg was also uncovered, and it's kinda cold now. I guess I was getting used to being buried. Then with a sudden rumble, almost all of the pressure is gone. Though, just as I start feeling some wet dripping hitting my hand and leg, the pressure stops changing.
…
For what felt like years, there was lots of dripping. Eventually my head and body started feeling wet as well. I really hope that’s water and not some sort of terrifying acid rain. Hmmm… is it raining? Could be that wherever I am is being flooded slowly and it just so happens that I'm buried under a slope and that dripping sensation is from a flow of liquid.
…
Eventually, the liquid stops. Though my body is still very wet, I feel my hand and leg drying. Whatever that was, it stopped. Hopefully whoever or whatever was out there comes back to continue uncovering me.
…
It looks like I wasn’t wrong in placing my hope in this mysterious being. I feel the pressure changing again. And this time, finally, my left leg and arm are freed. I probably shouldn’t move. If last time was any indicator, they might just hit me again.
…
It takes a little while but just as my body is being uncovered, a bit of light shines through. It’s almost blinding. FINALLY, after all this time, I. AM. FREEEEEE!
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“Hey, Burk! Look, I told you! There it is.” Amy was pointing to a strange metal body half buried in the rubble. She had sensed a strange mana signature buried deep within a pile of rubble in the ruins. Though it had taken her about 2 weeks to uncover the giant mess, she finally decided to ask her friend to help out.
“Amy… I don’t know about this… what if it’s gonna attack us, or worse! EAT US! Maybe we should just tell the village elder about this and head back home? I really don’t wanna do this…” Burk had been dragged into another crazy situation because of Amy. She claimed that there was something valuable in the rubble mountain and that if he helped that she would teach him how to make cream puffs. Ahhhh~, cream puffs… what was he doing again… OH YEAH, IMMINENT DANGER
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
“Amy seriously, we really shouldn’t be messing around with these sorts of things… who knows what could… you aren’t listening again aren’t you…”
Amy had already begun to move the last stone covering the chrome… menace. The large rock had lodged itself between the metal thing and another rock above it. He supposed this was why Amy had brought him here. If anything, he was pretty good at moving heavy things.
“Fine whatever, but if anything happens… it's your fault.” so saying, he grabbed hold of the rock and together with Amy yanked the big ‘ol stone out.
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“GAH! That's bright as all get…”
Finally, who or whatever had done it. He was free from that dark hell. It was times like these that I was realizing just how comforting the empty white void was. Actually, something more pressing was at hand. Now that he was free, he had involuntarily sat up. Now staring at him, utterly dumbfounded, were two young… humans? I can only assume they are human.
“Ummm… hi? I guess thanks for freeing me from that pile of…”
I pause as I look around, It looks like I was right. I was buried underneath some rubble. Perhaps it was during a collapse that the system memory was damaged.
“Thanks for the help of getting out of there.” he finished his thought… so smooth, no way that was weird.
“Umm… hello… person, metal thing…” the young girl responded. She seemed to be faring far better than her male companion who was currently preoccupied with… trying not to wet himself. Yeesh, am I that ugly? I would hope that my face… wait… my face… I’m a robot aren’t I?
Hmmm… surely if I’m around there must be more robots right?
“Hey, there wouldn’t happen to be more robots around here would there?” I asked totally non threateningly.
“U-uu-uummmm, y-you ar-arent gonna h-h-hurt u-us r-right?” the boy stammers, the poor guy might just soil his pants right here and now.
“Nah, I wouldn’t do that.” I calmly and carefully say, as to not frighten the already terrified boy.
“...” he stares at me
“...” I stare back
“You sure?”
“Yep”
“Ok”
That might have been the most awkward conversation I have ever had. Makes me wanna crawl back into the pile of rubble.
“By robots, do you mean other things like you?” the girl asks.
“Yeah, that would do it. And I guess anything that can move on its own, made of metal.” I figured I should broaden my definition. I might be the only sentient robot around these parts.
“No, there isn’t then. Ummm, mind telling us what you are mister metal thing?” she queries, it seems as though I might have been dug up out of sheer curiosity. I’m a little wounded, but it's understandable.
I look down at my body for the first time. Wow, that is… shiny, like really shiny. Isn’t that kinda… tacky? Oh well, I guess beggars can’t be choosers. I’m pretty much just a metal humanoid. Smooth interlocking metal plates make up my limbs, they slide around with almost no noise when I move. I wonder just how advanced their technology is.
“I am a robot.” I declare.
“A robot? You said that before but like… what is a robot?” the girl asks.
“It’s a machine capable of doing complex tasks.”
“Cool… so… what do you do?”
“Me? I guess… be me?” Actually, she brings up a good point, what am I supposed to do now?
“Ok? Well either way, me and Burk need to head back to the village now. Your welcome to follow… but I doubt everyone would be very welcoming to the idea of a robot.”
“Yowch, true enough. Actually, if he’s Burk, then what is your name?”
“Amy, and yours?”
“I’m Neal, and if I can’t go with you, then can you at least tell me which direction your village is?”
“It's to the east that-a-way.” so saying she points towards a broken down wall out towards a large sprawling plain.
“Aight, thanks for digging me outta there. Imma look around, but I might head to your village at some point.” I guess it might help to look around, get some bearings on my location and gather my thoughts.
“Ok Neal, well I guess see you round then.” And with that, the duo left in the direction previously mentioned. Now standing, I look around. Finally alone I can start to take in the surrounding area.
The pile of rubble I’m standing on is made of various rock types, mostly marble. A chunk of a pillar here and some tiles there. The ceiling above me has fallen away presumably due to ages being exposed to the elements. Where the ceiling isn’t gone, a beautiful mural decorates the ornate ceiling. Some sections depict battles long past, others of times in prosperity. Turning my gaze downward I notice the beautiful tiling has been interrupted with sprigs of emerald grass and vines. Though the tiles no longer hold their beautiful sheen they probably once held, the skilled craftsmanship still shows.
Huge pillars dot the collapsed room, holding up what remains of the ceiling. The far wall has completely collapsed, revealing an awe inspiring landscape. Signs of passage can be seen here, presumably from those two I just met and whoever else is in their village. What I find most interesting though, is that this room (or what’s left of it) is HUUUUGE. Like I’m talking hundreds of meters long. In addition, it's also like 10 stories tall. Whoever built this knew their stuff.
Anyways, I ain't here for sightseeing… ok, I kinda am, but that's besides the point. Next thing to gawk at is myself. After standing there for a while I started to investigate my body. My smooth, interlocking chrome plates comprise my outer layer. My right hand has a small hole in the center of its palm, I wonder what that’s all about. I also don’t have any… specific physiology, which makes sense from a robots perspective… but it's a weird feeling for me.
After standing for what must have been at least an hour, I started walking towards the collapsed wall. I guess I’ll start by exploring the plains, and I’m sure that I should swing by the village. Well then… It's been a rocky start but, here I come World!!!