Nobody knew from whence they came, only that they arrived from the north. Through the wastes. The undead would not have bothered them. They were, from their perspective, simply not alive. Just another soulless shell.
The reason behind their arrival is another matter. Spotflares was rich in resources. Multiple rich veins of copper, an exporter of saltpeter, one of the primary components of gunpowder. Not to mention the organic components, which could be processed into acid, etchant, rope, protective coverings.
It was not really a surprise that the automatons had come to Spotflares. Eight sharpshooters, seven automatons, a steamrunner and a mechanical horse. A formidable group to test the defenses. Many, lesser prepared settlements might not have survived the assault. But Spotflares was not ill prepared, despite it's defenses never having been truly tested.
The city had formidable walls, built of sturdy, solid stone blocks, it was protected by the sea, and it had only a single entry point that made it very defensible. The group of automatons registered these facts, and blithely proceeded with their mission. Convert the city into a resource haven to assist with the further expansion of Okaz Axob, their fully automated civilization.
As the group made their way around the walls they spotted a group of four humans, idly chatting near the river by the entrance to the city. As such, it made sense that these were the city protectors, and naturally the robots affirmed their prime objective. Eliminate organic interferences. A hail of bullets and cannonballs flew across the river towards the humans. Many struck their marks. The air around the automatons filled with steam and smoke and the smell of gunpowder.
The air around the humans filled with the metallic scent of blood and the cries of the wounded. The rapid noise of explosions ricocheted off the walls and the surroundings shook at the sudden shock of cacophony. Two of the humans went down amid the hail of projectiles, and the other two were struck as well. Gouts of blood and gore sprayed periodically from the downed humans until they finally lay still.
The automatons had already begun rushing to finish processing the two injured humans when through the smoke an arrow cut the confusion and impaled itself in the leg actuator of the lead automaton, jamming it. A second arrow rapidly followed, shattering into the actuator mechanism of the same robot's left manipulator. A third shattered against the armor plating of the torso, cracking it and causing fine pink shards to rain down on the ground around it.
The automatons rapidly re-evaluated the situation. The original four had not been defenders. They carried no weapons, bore no armor. They had been a decoy. As a group the robots turned to confront their new foe and soon a small crowd of metalloids converged on the fleshy defender. A second appeared then, through the smoke, carrying a huge steel axe and grinning like a madwoman. Then a third, running swiftly and lithely towards them, unarmed but nonetheless deadly. A fourth had come but they saw it turning back. (Bluescreen decided that the absolutely HAD to go fill his waterskin right then.)
Soon the humans and automatons had closed the gap and arrow after arrow streaked by the onrushing humans towards the robots, disabling gears, damaging moving parts. The unarmed human was like a dervish, flowing through the robots like water, dodging blows as if he were made of the steam that the robots themselves emitted. But the most fearsome was the female human with the axe. At each blow she would dismantle a robot further and further until it simply could function no longer.
The humans, advanced together, and the robots, now with ammo spent, were simply no match. The dervish struck out, shattering arms, cracking open armor with his mithril shield and fists. And soon the tide had turned. A few automatons had managed to escape, to return and report of the city defenses. The presence of defenders did not deter the automatons, just changed their calculations and plans of attack.
In the end, only two human traders had died. Six automatons, five sharpshooters and one mechanical horse had been dismantled. All by the fearsome Snu-Snu Zorre Xandante Oli, Snu-Snu Cherishmosses the Forests of Heaven.
((Sorry to Garret and William. While you were undoubtedly effective, your methods of attack have a lower likelihood of causing instant death in non-breathing creatures. That and Snu-Snu's greataxe is just a massive murderweapon in action. More so since she is legendary in axe skill.
Also, chance for others to shine... new poll up. Sieges are up for all comers. Megabeasts can now be called on a first come-first serve basis (Though I may make exceptions for certain things, like deadly dust or firebreathing.) The coliseum is an individual event, but I'm not completely sure how it works since I've never tried it out yet. I'll include further information shortly.))
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Topic: ☼Choose your own adventure☼ Human Trade center (Read 14410 times)