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Whispers of The Lands
3 - Laboratory

3 - Laboratory

Steps filled an empty hallway in the UFK Research Center. They were the steps of someone walking quickly but not running: the kind of speed found in urgency without fear. The figure producing said steps, wearing a beige lab coat typical of the center's scientists, entered the central meeting room. Inside, many other scientists were already waiting for him, sitting at a big round table made out of the section of a big tree's trunk. There were elves, bears, some jungle shamans and even a small group of orcs. That room contained, in that moment, the most brilliant group of people in all of The Lands.

The man who had just entered the room was the head scientist at the UFKRC, a relatively young elf (which, for elf standards, meant that he hadn't seen the forest before city planning) named Dvaerseles Purpleflower, who had achieved incredible academic success, principally on his studies about how to harvest energy more efficently from The Golden One. He was also very close to the government thanks to his insights on how to keep the army officials alive as machines, replacing the parts of them that had still remained human in order for them to live longer. For this, he was basically regarded as the inventor of sentient machines.

"I am glad to see that you are all here." He spoke slowly and with a satisfacted tone. "As you know, the situation we face is critical. My beautiful projects are about to end. I have recieved a letter this morning, directly from king Aetelval. In it, he as asks for the definitive destruction of the army officials. As you know, I have devoted so many years to those amazing machines... in them, lies the power that built this kingdom."

"They are nothing but death machines." Vyrblu the orc said harshly. His black skin with greyish tones, typical of orcs, reflected the light coming in from the windows and his silver eyes looked firmly at Dvaerseles. The latter smiled. Everyone in the room held their breath as they waited for his response. "Yes, you are right. What is power if not the ability to give death? You know, entropy is ever-growing. You're a scientist, so you should be familiar with such concept. Eventually, when nothing is left, everything will be possible. Destruction brings creation. True, unlimited, creation."

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Vyrblu left his seat, walked up to Dvaerseles and talked loudly. "I've been following you. I know you've found a way to recharge the officials, but you haven't told anyone. Everyone in this room already knows this. I trust them but not the king. I bet this is a royal trick to destroy all the other armies and finally dominate over everyone isn't it? But I'm sure you still need time, and we are going to stop you before this plan, whatever it is, is completed." Five other orcs also stood up and removed their coats, which revealed secret forces uniforms of the orc kingdom. "We called some friends. Loyal friends. Loyal to a fair kingdom and not this degenerating mess you and your armored friend created."

Dvaerseles didn't seem surprised. He looked at the orcs for a while and then turned his eyes back to Vyrblu. "You got two things wrong, which will result in the failure of your heroic action. The first one is that I hate Aetelval maybe even more than you do: royal intervention in the days prior to this meeting would have been certainly difficult to manage. The second is that I always work ahead of the schedule."

At these words, ten parts of the circular wall of the big room crumbled, and from them entered ten gigantic beings, hard to identify but of humanoid form, covered in wires made of jungle vines and an armor (or possibly part of the main body itself, it was hard to guess) made of thick dark stone. They did not seem to have a head. One of them destroyed the special orc force with a single movement of its arm and they proceeded to slay everyone sitting around the table, with big swords covered in some sort of rust but with a sharp blade.

Vyrblu shouted and pulled out a dagger from under his coat, digging it deep into Dvaerseles' chest. His face turned into pure horror when he saw the same wires coming out of it. "You madman... what is this? What have you become?!"

Dvaerseles smiled as one of the big swords pierced Vyrblu from behind. He looked at the orc's eyes as he fell into the ground. Only then he responded: "Entropy."