Day 43

I run down the tunnel, entering the forest room.

It still hurts, as my body assimilates the transformation. The ring is the sole reason I still live, it is the only 'higher' quality item I have ever seen, one step lower than the gilded-steel golem. I don't know the specifics of the ring, only that it had a massive twenty points of modification. Merged with a ton of scrap metal spike and one impaled rat. Twenty-five points of modification available, total.

I only count as a pitiful three, broken as I was.

I can see my own stats, but really they don't tell me much.

Durability a solid five thousand. Look at the bone golems, they had twenty thousand. They were blown away in singular attacks from the Butcher... lets not try to pick fights with boss monsters again in a hurry.

The flavor text mocks me by hinting my transformation is unique, but that means little, just that I'm the only one reckless enough to use my method. It was an insane move after all. I'm sure I'll suffer for it in the long run. I mean am I even still alive? I don't have a heart or lungs. Just a spiraling ring. It grinds in my chest, like some kind of dynamo. It is my power source. What powers the ring is a question I don't have an answer to. All I know is the ring was a vital ingredient for this kind of metamorphosis.

So I'm not sure where to begin describing how different I am now... my chest is scrap iron, with a grill. I look like a cut-rate cyborg.

Iron components spread throughout my body reinforcing my limbs, providing additional bone support and strength. However it was not a complete upgrade, rather a stop-gap thing. My left arm and my right hip are less efficient than the rest of me. I seem to have run out of valid ingredients before I could finish.

My claws and teeth are iron, and I heavily reinforced my skull and spine. Last thing I need is to be hurt there. As for my heart-ring... I welcome attempts to attack me there.

As an interesting note, I can FEEL with the metal body parts.

I don't quite know what I did to myself in that irrational state, but it was clearly a directed insanity. I was practically delirious as I did it. All I know, I forged a body with a goal: I made myself for assault.

This might explain why I'm so flimsy, in terms of durability.

I would like to spend a few weeks carefully testing and upgrading this... prototype. However I have a delay of four hours to catch up on. That is just how long it took to modify my body from the ground up. The caravan is trundling away, with my treasures and more importantly people I need to rescue, alongside others I deeply, desperately need to rip to shreds.

They have already left the Forest room.

Following the scents and the tracks I approach.

I enter a side-tunnel and follow it for several minutes, reaching a new area. A Forest room of a sort. A forest of amethyst crystals, the lavender spikes of gemstone as tall as men.

Some kind of swirling, energy being composed of crystal shards springs out of the forest sending spikes spraying at me. I block with my arms and run up close. With an underhand, open palm blow from my right hand I shatter the creature's core crystal. The being collapses, tinkling as it hits the ground. I don't even bother plucking the shards from my body, nothing critical hit. I barely lost thirty durability. Although I did break my ring finger. Eh, later.

I run. My stamina is excellent, but it isn't unlimited. The ring seems to have limits.

A second passage, which leads into an even more improbable room. A room of crevices. Massive gaps seem to lead into empty darkness.

There!

Five carts hauled by bull-things with a single horn, forty soldiers, several merchants, fifteen slaves and one traitor bitch.

I have faith in my design, even if I don't understand it.

I can't see many short cuts, but my body makes some of the more unlikely ones possible. I leap the gaps as I sprint, circling them. I may be flawed but I'm operating beyond Olympic records for the long jump and marathon. They are slow, over-encumbered by the iron they owed me. The iron they stole. Yes, it will be a nice repayment for my difficulties. A full upgrade.

As the first cart and three advance guards approach the exit I drop the modified floor, watching them plummet. Five down, literally.

The others panic, thinking this is some kind of natural disaster. Until I rip out the throats of a pair of guards with their backs to a pillar on the roadside with my claws. That pillar made a nice, hollow hideaway.

I take a bronze shortsword from one in my left hand and advance, hacking the reins on the bull creature. As the guard driving the cart shouts the alarm I already have the sword through him.

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Damn I'm fast now. They saw me but couldn't react quick enough.

They form ranks and prepare to face me as a group, really a smart move on their part.

But I'm not using a shortsword now.

The cart is strewn with my weapons. I know them all.

I take a handle in each hand. Swordbreakers. The only thing I know I'm not going to snap with brute strength.

Snarling I leap down from the cart and come at them. The fifteen of them.

I see Niala at the back of the caravan. She sees me and gives a strangled cry. They chained and gagged her! UNFORGIVABLE!

Baring my teeth I utter a war-cry.

“YOU WILL DIE!!!!!!!!” [Rick, furious] “You will all die screaming!”

A man runs at me, with a shield blocking.

Huh. Stupid.

The swordbreaker alone would fold that like tinfoil. With my current strength I cut him in half, through it. No, I overdid it a hair. I broke something. A support in my right arm. Ten durability down. Hah! Like I care!

I charge the massed men, sweeping both weapons out wide for maximum damage. Three crippled and one dead in that one blow.

I block a sword, and push it back using my weapon, hurling the man off the edge of the ravine.

I take a slash to the back but that just dulls the blade, even scrap iron is harder than bronze. My skin and muscles take a bit of damage from it but it isn't more than a flesh wound. Forty durability down! Pitiful!

Two men attack my front, I block two swords high then slam down my weapons on their leading feet. As they scream the metal bars shatter their ribs. Pfft. Leather armor, no defense against a good knock. I could be pissed and still make better equipment than these fools carry.

The remaining men grab at me, trying to loop chains around me.

Shit! It is thick!

Come on ring! Full throttle! Let's show these bastards who they're really up against!

The ring shrieks as it goes into over-drive. I strain and tear the chains apart.

I pick up a loop. I modify my swordbreakers. The resulting weapon is a fearsome pair of morningstars with chain. Whirling these bad-boys I smash through the rest of the soldiers, ignoring the slashes of swords unable to cleave my bones. Two of those men are very dead, shattered skulls.

An arrow appears in my neck, I just laugh and snap it. I don't breathe or bleed, fools.

I'm only a few yards from Niala!

Then I know enough to snarl long before I see her. Because I can smell bitch.

I grind my teeth in fury. She has a knife at my sister's throat.

“Well... I suppose I can't win this one.” I drop the weapons. “But this isn't a loss yet either.” I smile. “I have to retreat for now. Remember this though, scummy little bitch. You hurt my sister and I will be back and I won't stop until I have your black heart for my dinner! But don't worry, you'll eat your share too. Rest easy, I will be back... soon.”

I run and jump off the ravine edge. With iron claws I catch hold of the far side, some thirty yards away.

Clambering onto an isolated area I leap onto the next, just like I did to flank them the first time.

I'm not worried. They aren't going to escape. They have to turn around and take a different, riskier path, since I completely cut off the main road. It is going to be a much riskier path with me here.

Huhuhu...

Or they can return my friends and goods and survive, whatever works...

Later I take measure of my injuries. It was all minor stuff, small cracks and shallow cuts. It adds up to quite a bit, with so much of it. Grand total: I'm down to four thousand two hundred and ten points of durability. Still as far as attrition goes I crushed fifteen guards and crippled six more. They only have nineteen healthy men to stop me. The merchants aren't fighters. The bitch will go down harder, but she will go down.

I'm currently sitting in wait, getting ready for them in the Amethyst room. It isn't very big, a mile squared. It should be a nice kill zone.

Welcome to my own little patch of Hell, bitch and co. You barely got a taste of what is to come!

What we learned:

You do NOT mess with someone's sister and expect to walk away.

The slave girl is just digging herself deeper...

The ring has more secrets than Rick realized.

Roborat is either going to breakdown or destroy his enemy!