Dungeon Robotics 115

Morning Guys! Its good being a full-time author. I've gotten quite a bit of writing done. I think I did yesterday what I had been doing in half a week to a week. Enjoy! 

Alara

After almost a week of constant battle, we were still nowhere closer to a resolution then before. Tzulxuc was much more resilient than we first figured considering he was fighting a two-front war. The Specter Queen was holding her own, but however she’d become a dungeon core was not a normal path and her power was limited.

I was holding back as I didn’t want to risk Regan’s children more than necessary. That being said, little remained of the castle. Constant bombardment had reduced it to rubble. The only thing truly left standing was a tower that was at the exact center. It was made from something the artillery rounds couldn’t damage from his distance.

Tzulxuc’s undead forces were also adapting to the situation. Before the specters were ripping them apart, but he had made changes that allowed them to fight back. It was scary what backing someone into a corner could do. 

“Sunrise in ten minutes!”

“Thank you, officer. Be prepared to push. I want the plaza before night!”

The officers responded to my orders and began issuing commands to the rest of the soldiers. A large explosion in the distance signaled either Anubis or one of the other captains taking down a particularly dangerous undead. We taken what was once the slums and part of the lower district, but we had much of the city still to fight through before we could reach the castle. 

The sun rose and Regan’s children began to push. Their weapons made easy work of the undead with few of the monsters taking more than a few rounds of gunfire. The entire city had been converted to undead and we had to check every nock and cranny to be safe. As even with the bombardment, undead could still be lingering under the destroyed houses and buildings.

Jarvis had drone flying with the various squads so we could observe the situation and make decisions. I wondered what any king would give to have this level of control over a battlefield. We were watching squad B32 when a distress call came from a different squad. We switched to them and saw they had encountered some type of undead that had green fumes leaking from it.

The rounds fired melted before they could do any real damage. Similar reports began to pop up around the battlefield. I had the artillery focus on them but even those rounds failed to completely destroy the undead. It was able to regenerate before another one struck it. 

I looked to Jarvis for any information. “Readings indicate tier three! Individual squads are not going to be able to handle them with their current weaponry. Advise pulling back.”

I nodded and issued the order. The units fell back to our captured zones where higher level defenses had been erected. One of the smog undead moved onto the street and was vaporized by a particle beam that cut through him and the street. After that, the rest kept their distance.

I turned back to Jarvis. “Do we have any units capable… of transporting one of those weapons?”

“Yes. But it would be risky. They are very slow moving and are vulnerable to attacks.”

“Let’s wait until the sun is higher than bombarded… all locations with cannons from the city. We will not be stopped,” I said finally. I wanted to get back home to Regan. He could be back for all I knew and waiting for me.

“Understood. Being charge for long range bombardment.”

I hopped up from my chair and made my way to the top of the central tower. In the core room, Regan’s new core floated surrounded by all its defensive spells. A sphere that glowed with tremendous power. The desire to touch it grew daily likely from missing the person’s touch. 

I dropped to the ground and wrapped my arms around my legs. This was all over my head. I just wanted to be back at my grove with Lena. Regan was the take charge person. 

I wasn’t sure how long I sat there. Something with the core brought me out of my head. I thought I needed to get back to the bridge and help when I felt arms wrap around me. Panicking, I swung my hand and punched out. I felt a very solid and metal face under my knuckles and opened my eyes to see Regan grinning.

“Miss me?”

“REGAN!” I screamed and spun in his arms to wrap mine around his neck. Before I realized what I was doing, I had planted my lips on his. For being made of metal, his lips were soft. Being avatars and thus made from mana we didn’t have to breath and the kiss last much longer than any mortal could possibly achieve.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Regan said after we finally did break apart.

The fact that he left for over a month after he said he would only be gone a few hours hit me and I smacked him across the face. “Liar! You said you’d be right back!”

“Yeah. I ran into a bit of a problem. I’m sorry,” he said taking my hand and kissing the back of it. “It looks like it wasn’t all bad thou. Your speech has improved.”

I stared at him then tears sprang up unbidden. “I’m sorry. I… I… caused some of your children to die.” I buried my face in his shoulder.

He caressed my head while making calming noises. “I know, but they knew what they were getting into. Jarvis would have never let you bare that burden.”

His comforting only made it worse, even though I knew he was right. Jarvis had made sure from the first moment to tell me it was his idea. That still didn’t make me feel any better. We sat there for who knows how long, well Regan probably knew, but still I didn’t want it to end.

“Come. Let’s go end this battle. One way or another.”

Regan

I led Alara back to the bridge. I was going to help her sit in the throne, but she refused to release me. I just grinned and kept carrying her, not minding her clinginess. I had missed her as well. She could stick to me as much as she wanted.

“Stop all attacks. Keep charging all weapons for the time being. I’m not sure how this will go.” 

“Sir! You’ve returned!”

“Jarvis. Thank you for taking care of things in the north while I was gone.”

“Of course, sir,” Jarvis said with a nod.

“Time for some politics,” I mumbled then pulled the cores into the communication dimension. It was the first time with more than two core meeting and the scene was changed accordingly. Likely since we were only using one core, mine and Alara’s mindscapes were partially fused. My futuristic room had hints of plant life. It was an interesting blend.

Then there were the other two. One was so defined I could tell he saw the world in nothing short of black and white. The lich with his castle and throne. On the other side, we had the Specter Queen who appeared sure of herself, but not everything around her. Only her throne was defined while the rest was a blank canvas.

I manifested my adherent mana into the room allowing everything to take a much physical form. We could truly interact here. More importantly, I could force them into a true dialogue by flooding my aura within the room. Both Tzulxuc and the Specter Queen visibly flinched from the sensation. 

“Hello. Welcome to the first meeting of Selmore. I am Regan, the Machine Father. This is Alara the Queen of Nature. Tzulxuc, the Lich king. And the Specter Queen. If she would like me to address her by name, then she would do to inform us of it.”

“Kenia,” she replied reluctantly.

“Very well. Kenia, the Specter Queen.” I looked from each of them. “Tzulxuc informs me that a threat much greater than himself is coming. Had I only information from his mouth I would be disinclined to believe him, but that is not the case. Tzulxuc, you have the floor. Please tell us what this threat is.”

The old lich glared at me, but when I flexed my hand and his room started to crack he dropped it. While I technically couldn’t harm them here, they didn’t know that. It was a bluff that I hoped would be enough to end this battle.

“Cassin. A celestial came to me over two hundred years ago. He turned me into a dungeon and helped me realize my desire for immortality. Unfortunately, his methods were… crude. I became this… thing have about a hundred years. My avatar being my mortal body from before the change. So I began searching for a way to return to my glorious self.”

He waved his hand and an image of a King in his prime appeared. He would be considered handsome for the people of this world. I could still see parts of the mortal in his lich body. 

“That’s when Cassin reached out to me again. He brought me his flock of necromancers. He told me with enough necromantic mana I could return to my former self. Foolish and desperate, I latched onto that idea. I helped the necromancers capture the girl there by luring her avatar out of her dungeon.”

“What has changed?”

“Kenia. Bring that bitch you took from me into this realm.”

She looked to me and I nodded. Waving my hand I created a temporal link back to her core so she could bring the person’s mind here. A few seconds later, one of my top targets appeared in the meeting space. Helicilia.

“What is going on?! What did you do to me?”

“Quit your whining. I pulled you here so you could talk,” Kenia said with a growl.

“Tzulxuc!” Helicilia cried then spun and saw Alara and me. “I’m dead,” she said with a defeated tone.

“Not yet. Go ahead.” I motioned to Tzulxuc.

“Girl. Tell them who our true master is and what he told you.”

She gulped then dropped to her knees. “Cassin from Deorus. He said his plan was complete.”

“Deorus! The Demon world.” This just got more annoying.