-The light sent shadows across the woman’s face as she bent down to peer into it. Her dark eyes flitted back and forth as she read, then she reached down and touched the metal egg. -

I sighed as I finished reading my favorite portion of the “Unofficial Biography of Marta Marks” and closed the book. It was one of the few books we owned, and I had read it numerous times. I wanted to give it a quick read once more before I got my own robot. I hoped it would give me some extra insight into what I could expect from my interaction with the sphere.

I was a little too loud while shutting the book and sighing, and it alerted Jonas that I hadn’t been paying attention to the road.

“Dammit, Matty, I thought I told you to keep your head on a swivel,” he admonished. I apologized but only received a grunt in response.

We were both sitting on a small cart. I was sitting in the bed, and Jonas was on the driver’s bench. His robot pulled the attached cart forward at a steady and brisk pace creating a small trail of dust in our wake. Since Jonas and his robot were the only real things protecting us from a monster attack, he had to be ready to unlatch it and transition into Symbiotic Mode at a moment’s notice, so early spotting of anything dangerous was essential.

We both had spears and knives for protection, and when it came to Jonas, they were useful weapons. Working with his robot in Companion Mode, Jonas could use the spear to drive a monster into the range of his robot and have the robot attack. If he changed to Symbiotic Mode, he could use the spear with greater strength and accuracy or discard it for his robot's internal weapons. Of course, in a fight, his weapons are only his robot’s farming tools repurposed. In the event of a strong monster approaching us, my spear would be used to hopefully keep it at a distance.

Not that I’m useless with a spear. When I was younger, Jonas would drill me consistently in spear stances and strikes, a skill he said everyone should possess. Once my mom was gone, and he stopped, I continued doing it as much as possible. I didn’t have any practical experience, but I felt I could kill any small and weak monster that came up to us. The issue was with any strong monsters that might show up; without a robot to supplement my strength, I wouldn’t be able to do much.

Even in the face of Jonas’ overwhelming paranoia, we still managed to make it into town without incident. As we slowly turned the last corner to the town, a long curve around a grassy hill that always made me want to run up to the top and roll down, we came upon an unexpected sight. Where we could usually see down the road and into the - albeit shallow - depths of the town, but now there was a large wall and gate running perpendicular to the road.

The wall was made of ten-foot-tall logs arrayed in a line running away from the road on either side. There was what appeared to be a large wooden gate that was able to shut, but it was currently open on an arc that opened toward the town. Two guards were standing on either side of the town’s new entrance.

As soon as we rounded the corner and saw the gate, Jonas pulled the cart up short, probably due to the shock of seeing one where none previously existed. When a couple of seconds turned into a minute, I got curious.

“Is everything alright?” I asked.

“Yeah, I was just wondering what they were doing here,” replied Jonas. My question must have brought him out of his internal pondering because he spurred his robot forward.

“Well,” I said, answering his question, whether he wanted me to or not. “They’re in Symbiotic Mode, so I would say they are on the lookout for monsters.”

“You don’t say?” Jonas deadpanned.

“That or raiders,” I continued. “If they were in Companion Mode, they would be searching for smugglers or criminals trying to sneak around.”

“But why are they even needed?” He raised an eyebrow at me. “I can’t remember the last time random monsters attacked the town, let alone raiders.”

“Does it matter? This is a good thing. The kingdom is expanding, and the town is finally growing too. Maybe, they will finally pave the roads. Or, even better, we’ll be able to get some power lines at our farm.”

Jonas didn’t seem to like that idea. He just grunted tersely and frowned the entire way into town. As we got closer, I could see that underneath their symbiotic armor, the guards were wearing red vests with the insignia of the Kolonia Kingdom Guardsmen.

“Those aren’t just town guards. Those are kingdom guardsmen!” I tapped Jonas’ shoulder excitedly. There were usually just town guards in the area, and I was ashamed to say that seeing kingdom soldiers in town was the most exciting thing that had happened to me.

Jonas didn’t say anything as we rolled by, nor did the guards. I did notice that they were not just blatantly ignoring us, though. I could see the eyes of both guards looking both Jonas and me up and down as we passed by.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

The town wasn’t that large, but it looked like it had expanded since the last time we were there. It seemed there was the beginning of another street off to the right of the first cross street and a handful of additional buildings. It used to be one main street going through the center of the town with two cross streets that only went about a hundred meters each way. Most of the buildings in town were homes, but all those on the main street were businesses.

The main road we had been traveling on was a major thoroughfare across the kingdom, and the town was a decently active stop on the way. It was still too far from any major city to get a paved road, but it had a small power node.

I looked toward the back of the town to where the power node was. I could see its rounded tip at the top of the steeple. Numerous wires were coming from the tip, but it didn’t look like there were any more than usual; not that I could tell the difference.

A gigantic black sphere gleamed in the sun at the center of the town, where most of the year was a large circular field. That wasn’t the only item in the center, though.

There was a wooden fence around the sphere about half as high as the town’s new gate that wasn't previously there. Straight ahead was a small entrance. It was only large enough for a single person to enter, and it looked like steps were leading up to the sphere. However, what stood out to me was what looked like the largest chains I had ever seen crisscrossed over the sphere. I couldn’t see what they were anchored to, but just the idea and the audacity of them stopping the sphere left me dumbfounded.

Two more kingdom guards stood in their uniforms at the entrance to the sphere, but they weren’t in Symbiotic Mode; their robots were resting on the ground next to them. Both robots looked to have a similar build. There were spherical bases with three legs coming from the bottom for maneuverability. I didn’t know enough about the different types and builds to know anything other than they were Martial Class, as most guardsmen were for some reason.

Another guard sat back a little further on the stairs, but he looked different than the others. The guards had leather helms around their heads with black plumes from the center. The other man had a shiny metal one with a white plume. Even though he was sitting and appeared to be of a higher station, he wasn’t any less observant of his surroundings.

Jonas pulled the cart over to the side in front of the supply store. I could see the guard in the metal helm looking our way.

“Why are you stopping here,” I asked.

“You can walk over there.”

“But I need you to vouch for me, or they might not let me pass.”

“I don’t know what’s going on over there, but I don’t think we’ll be able to get a robot for you.”

My face started to turn red as my temper flared. To think that Jonas brought me all this way and was going to go back on letting me get a robot was unthinkable.

“Hey,” Jonas snapped. I stared daggers into his heart. “It’s not me. If they let you, I’m here. Although, I don’t think that’s going to happen.” He turned without another word and headed into the store.

I spun on my toes and stomped toward the sphere. The guard captain watched me the entire time, and as soon as I started walking toward the sphere, he stood up. He walked down the steps and a few paces in front of the other guards to intercept me.

“Stop where you are,” he said, holding up one hand. I did as he ordered, not wanting to start trouble. “What’s your business here?” The other guards were watching me intently for any signs of danger.

“I’m here to get a robot.” I stood up straight and puffed out my chest to look important.

The guard captain looked confused. “You don’t have a robot? Aren’t you too old? What, did yours break? You can’t get another.” He said altogether without letting me reply to his questions separately.

“I’m only sixteen, and I’ve never had a robot,” I replied.

“Sixteen?” He pulled out a notebook from somewhere behind his back. “What’s your name?”

“Matthew.”

He flipped through a couple of pages and then stopped on one and squinted. “Last name?”

“Gearwon.”

“I don’t have either of those names on my list.” He frowned and closed his small notebook. “Sorry, run along.”

“What type of list is that?” I asked.

“It’s a nunya list,” he said.

“Nunya?”

“Yeah, none ya business,” he said loudly, then snickered while looking back at the other guards. The guards were both laughing, but they didn’t relax their posture.

I took a deep, calming breath and attempted to try again. “I could go get my father if -”

“Listen, kid,” he interrupted me. “You’re not on the list.” He snapped his fingers, and his robot emerged, moving silently from behind him. It wasn’t like the tripod-legged spheres the other guards had. This one had four legs like my father’s, but it was smaller and moved with preternatural silence. Its head was shaped like that of a Mire Wolf with glowing eyes. A red light flashed from its eyes and washed over me from head to toe. On top of its back, a screen lit up.

“No registration,” he said and looked back up at me. He studied me for a moment. “It doesn’t matter. Even if you were registered, you’d have to go to the next town to get a robot. This one is closed indefinitely.”

“That’s impossible! They’re never closed,” I practically yelled, and all three guards and their three robots tensed.

“Matty,” hollered Jonas from behind me. I turned and saw him wave me over. The guard captain was no longer looking at me but squinting at Jonas. I slowly turned and walked away, back to the store where Jonas was standing by the door.

Jonas said nothing about the guards or my yelling when I got to him. I had no idea if I was glad or angry about that. He just handed me a folded slip of paper.

“Take that to the grocer. Here,” he said, handing me a few coins and one of the large bags we brought. “I’ll meet you by the exit in thirty minutes.” I snatched the paper and money and headed off.

The grocer was a few buildings down the first crossroad. So I had to walk back toward the town's main entrance and hook a left. It only took me a minute to walk to the street. I turned the corner with my head down while lost in my thoughts. As I passed the first building, a clod of dirt violently hit my shoulder. I stumbled to the right and clutched my shoulder in pain. It stung a little, but it was more out of shock from the sudden attack.

“Ahh, did the dumb hick get a owie?” Drawled a nasal voice in the area between the houses. I swung toward the voice, already knowing who it was. I was filled with rage and needed a good outlet, but when I turned toward the town bully, I stopped before I could do anything foolish.

Five were in the dark alley between the houses, with the leader being the only one partially out of the shadows. They stood there, standing in a group, each with a smug grin. I would have rushed in there and fought them anyway, but I noticed that everyone wore a robot in Symbiotic Mode. They had been ready for me to run in and weren’t planning to play fair.