Dungeon Robotics 122

Puppet

Looking ahead as the wind buffeted my face, I enjoyed the landscape passing by us at rapid speeds. We had not had a chance to use the bikes father made for us at full speed since their creation. Now that time was of the essence, we had permission to really open them up. 

Teleporting was completely down. The Portals were currently embedded in a slag of obsidian and other post molten rock. Father told us that it was unsafe to use them either way. Thus, we were traveling the old fashion way. Not that we minded. 

Metal tracks lined the ground as we made our way towards the valley. Izora was in charge of a train systems construction from Tearfalls to the Steel Spire. She was a few weeks from being done with the project set to her by father. The train would be quite fast, as it can go supersonic. 

“I see the construction crew up ahead,” I called to the others over the communication channel. It was hard to talk otherwise given how fast we were traveling.

Retrofitted miners stopped what they were doing and turned towards us in a guard position. We pulled to a stop so they could identify us before approaching closer. After a second under a red light, the workers got back to their jobs. We finished our approach and found a large vehicle with wheels the size of a person slowly making its way through the terrain. 

It was using terra mana to flatten the ground, while driving spikes that would protect the construction from terra spells and must weather. Monsters would still be challenge, but it would mainly be the train that was attacked and from what father told me, it would possess plenty of defensive capabilities.

We pulled alongside the vehicle then spotted Izora standing on the roof surveying the path ahead. I doubted there were too many things that would cause this vehicle to alter its course, but it was better to be safe than sorry. I set my bike to autopilot then jumped up on to the terraformer.

Izora stood at the center of a raised platform. Dozens of transparent screens circled around her. From the few I looked at, I saw mana readings, information on the ground and soil around us. As well as a myriad of other data that was important to her work in one way or another. “Izora. How goes the project?”

She turned to look at me, before turning back. “All according to my lord’s plan. We should be hitting the undead scar in a few hours and that is when we’ll really have to start working.”

I glanced ahead of us and focused my eyes. My sight zoomed into the distance to the point where the forest ended. The undead had stopped their nightly march on the city, but the scar was still creating undead daily. Something would have to be done or it will get out of hand eventually. That was part of Izora’s project.

“Hopefully, the Anubis metal will be able to handle to the amount of unholy taint. If not, father will likely have to get involved personally and he’s rather busy at the moment.”

“Yes. The lord managed to stop the fighting to the north. I felt it via the connection. He still has plenty to deal with. I felt something cause him some stress, though I don’t know the particulars.”

“Father can handle it.”

“Of course. I have no doubt in my mind,” Izora replied giving me a glare. I guessed I offended her in some way. Mortals were so touchy. Even after almost two months among them in Tearfalls, I still failed to navigate the minefield of conversation at times. 

“I suppose I will leave you to it then. May the next time we see each other, we both have succeeded in our tasks.” 

She gave me a nod before turning back to the screens around her. I jumped back down on my bike and turned the autopilot off. Revving the engine, I shot after the others who had moved ahead of me. 

~~

Stopped at a clearing just before the undead scar, I looked over the map before pointing out two locations. “We have two choices. The entrance father told us about in the ruins or the giant hole on the other side of the valley.”

“Either work. We have the tracking device father made for us. The ruins are closer and while assisting Louella is our priority, scouting is also one of our tasks,” Z2 said then pointed at the ruins. “I think the ruins would be the best choice.”

I nod my agreement but turned to the others. “Anyone have anything they’d like to add?”

“Tunnels will greatly limit my combat options. Take that into account if we have to engage anything down there,” Natsuko commented while cleaning her rifle. It had several forms, but the rifle form did offer the greatest power.

“Got it. Then we’ll head for the ruins then reassess once we get into the Beneath.”

Everyone agreed and we took off soon breaking through the withered trees and into the undead scar. Undead wandered aimlessly both weakened by the sun but amplyified by the unholy taint under their feet. We adopted an avoidance policy only taking out those in front of us. Natsuko and I formed rifles and began blasting the undead’s heads off as we made our way through the scar. 

After about a kilometer, we came to the canyon that strechted the length of the undead scar. Azra jumped off her bike and moved to the edge while we formed a defensive circle around her. Kneeling next to the edge, she channeled her mana to start forming a bridge for us to cross. I noticed that sweat was dripping from her brow.

“What’s wrong?”

“The unholy taint is making it harder than it should be. It is going to take me longer than we anticipated.”

I looked out over the canyon. It was between five and six hundred meters wide. To make a bridge to cross that would be no easy task. If the taint was going to make it harder then we might have to reaccess our path.

“How much longer?”

“A few minutes. I just won’t be much help while I’m working this.”

“Alright. We’ll handle the undead. You take care of that.”

I turned back to the others. The undead were aware of us thanks to our violent passage through her, but the sun was still up so only a few of the monsters were putting much strength into pursuing us. Natsuko was making sure work of them for now. With each round she fired taking the head of one of the creatures.

I kneeled and worked to create a wall around our location. I quickly saw what Azra meant when there was almost a resistance to me using the terra mana on the ground here. I forced my way through it and managed to make a three meter high wall and a six meter high pillar for Natsuko to fire from.

“We are going to hold this place until Azra is done.”

“If she can get us close enough, I can finish the bridge with my ice,” Z2 said rotating her hand to form a small smooth ball of black ice.

“Hopefully it won’t come to that.” I released my drones for the first time in almost two months. I couldn’t use them around the mortals. I’d still made sure to work on them while on my down time at the city. 

Spider drones appeared around us. I had them mount the wall and fire at anything that got to close. I had to be careful as their ammunition was created from my mana. Still it complimented our forces quite well. Burst of gunfire sounded out through the eerily quiet landscape while Natsuko rifle boomed every now and then. 

Twenty minutes passed without incident with us easily handling the undead that approached. Azra was roughly seventy five percent done with the bridge. Another ten minutes or so and she’d be done. The pile of undead around the walls had created almost another set of walls. 

I was worried though as the sun was about to set. I moved to the walls and channeled light mana to flood the area with light. It was risky as it would attract undead to our location, but I didn’t want anything sneaking up on us. 

“Puppet. Something is happening to the undead we’ve killed.”

I hopped up on Natsuko’s pillar to see what she was talking about. The undead we’d already killed had turned to a partial liquid and were moving to a central location. Something massive was forming in the distance.

“Is there a core? Something must be causing this to happen,” I said zooming my eyes to look through the area.

“I didn’t see or detect anything. It just started to happen. This is why I hate the fucking undead,” Natsuko replied making a disgusted face.

“I agree.” I glanced back to Azra’s work and saw there was still about seventy or eighty meters to go. The person herself was clearly almost spent as she was breathing heavily. We might have to take Z2 up on her offer. I just worried the bridge would be unstable with only one side anchored. Especially if the undead was chasing us along it. 

I tapped Natsuko’s shoulder. “Kill it.”

Seven rounds sounded from her rifle almost instantly. The behemoth suffered seven blows that took huge chunks from its body. Unfortunately, it reformed without much issue. I narrowed my eyes at the annoying monster. 

I drew my sword, then channeled my mana into it. It reformed to a rifle only there was a capacitor instead of a cartigate. I aimed for the middle of the undead then pulled the trigger. A beam of light sliced through the air and burned a hole through the center of the creature. I pulled the gun up and cut the monster in half before I released the trigger.

The two halves of the body on fire from the heat generated, I thought that had done it. The fire went out and the two halves snapped back together. I lumbered towards us continuing to grow from the undead that it absorbed from the ground. 

I aimed again and fired. The beam sliced through it for only a second before a green barrier formed deflecting the beam. I tried to think of something else to try but the undead scar was just pumping too much mana into the creature. 

“Get ready to run!” I shouted to the others. My drones were hammering the undead with countless rounds but the bullets were bouncing off the barrier. Natsuko was able to priece the barrier with her rifle, but the damage repaired faster than she was causing it. 

There was a wave of shadow from behind me. I ducked but didn’t feel anything. 

“Lean!” Z2 shouted as the shadow engulfed the giant undead. I saw flashes of green as Lean absorbed the mana from the undead. While I worried what that might do to Lean, we really didn’t have much of an option right now. The whirlwind of shadows died down and Lean emerged from it as it vanished. The undead was completely gone.

He ran up to Z2. “Yes?” he asked with a child-like tone. 

“That was dangerous! But, thank you for protecting us,” she said with a breath of relief.

Over the last few months, I’d noticed that Z2 was starting to act like a mother. I could tell she truly cared for Lean. I just wasn’t sure how much. Lean gave Z2 a large smile.

“Done! Damn that was annoying!” Azra called from her place next to the canyon.

“Great! Let’s get the hell out of here,” I said hopping on my bike.

I left the drones on the makeshift wall to block it. The undead so far hadn’t been too intelligent but the last thing we needed was for one to come along and get the bright idea to break the bridge while we were still on it.