You quickly started to reassess the situation, knowing that you were potentially facing more than this individual if he was so readily able to turn the citizens against you, against one of the guardians of the city. You were that what prevented the things that went bump in the night from threatening them, you were of the ones who the queen herself had given her blessings to, you were of the ones that the politicians of the city had declared vital to the city's continued operation. You were deemed to be one of the uncorruptable enforcers of law, of safety, that it was treason to act against you, as to act against you was to act against the country itself.
This was all known to be fact to you.
This was what you had to remind these people of.
The figure before you maintained that agressive stance as he waited to see if you would make the first move, while you maintained that impassive gaze. You were not going to initiate hostilities unless there was no other way, as you could see that the odds were against you, that you were facing potential destruction in a manner that you could not justify. If the act of sacrifice was one in what you would help save the citizens of the city, to save those important to its running, or to deal a crippling blow to trhe things that went bump in the night you could justify it.
Simply throwing yourself away in a futile battle against a foe of this nature however, was not justified. Your body was soft, unarmoured, it could not sustain damage without it being impaired and losing function. You were devoid of your weapons, you were stripped of your superior vision, you lacked everything you knew would have allowed you to resolve this situation.
Including your appearance.
"I am Guardian Unit Three-Seventy," You stated, your voice emotionless and flat as you shouted to ensure that you were heard. "Citizens of London, return to your homes. Failure to do so will have the aid you have rendered to this individual classified as treason and appropriate action will be taken," You paused, tilting your head slightly as you watched the figure before you shift slightly, his expression showing what you could only assume was confusion.
"Individual is classified as a potential taint bearer, knowingly assisting taint bearers is classified as treason. Individual has attempted to prevent standard guardian duties, including the neutralisation of a banshee and rendering assistance to a victim of its attack. Victim believed to be deceased. Banshee believed to be at large," you stated as you relayed the relevant details to the people, believing them to be what it would take to convince them to return to their homes, to avoid commiting a crime that would result in their cleansing.
"Are you going to believe this woman who claims to be one of your beloved guardians, a crazy woman covered in blood, a woman who clearly suffers an infirm mind?" The figure asked, gesturing towards you as he did so. "This woman is a servant of evil, a tainted monster who would if left to her own devices commit sins such as the murder of you and the consumption of your body and soul!"
You could not undestand why, yet the peope here were rallying around this figure, moving away from their homes once more as they stared at you, as they yelled at you in hateful tones. "Fear not though, faithful ones, for I shall not allow her to bring harm to you, to sway you away from your position in heaven!" The crowd cheered, while you glanced to the side, looking at the street signs as you took note of your current location.
You were a fair distance outside of your standard operating area.
"Location noted. Returning to-"
Your words were silenced as the crack of a firearm filled the air, as the world started to spin about you as you staggered backwards, as pain lanced through your head. You could hear cheers come from the crowd, distant cheers as you stumbled backwards and lost your footing, as you fell backwards and darkness took you.
You could feel yourself falling.
Weightlessly falling.
Drifting in darkness.
This continued for what felt like an eternity before you felt yourself being supported, your body draped in the arms of another as your eyes opened to a world that was not the same as the one you had been stood in prior. Shimmering colours glowed in the sky above you, while you were positioned in the middle of a come that had been split into three area's, while you lay there in the arms of a figure who you recognised to be the same man you had first awoken to see in this form.
The man was knelt, almost cradling you in his arms as blood poured endlessly from a gaping wound in his chest, though he seemed unaffected by it. The wound should have been crippling, fatal, yet he was showing no outward sign of distress from it. Piercing blue eyes gazed down from the pale mans face as his lips curled back slightly, as a smile crossed his features as your gaze met his.
He gently lowered you to the floor, sitting you upright as he brushed your hair aside, his expression changing as his features contorted into an expression you were unfamiliar with. "A head wound. That's the last thing you need," he muttered, sighing briefly before he settled before you. "Do you recognise me?"
"Designation Eurochkoles."
"Do you know who I am?"
"Designation Eurochkoles."
The figure tilted his head slightly before shaking it slightly. "No, you do not. I am Eurochkoles, I am the one who made you what you are-" the figure started, though you were fast to interrupt as this struck you as true. You couldn't explain why, yet what he said struck something deep down.
"Creator."
The figure recoiled visibly at this word, though he made no effort to deny it. "Please, just call me Eurochkoles, it pains me to hear you call me that, for that is a reminder of the mistake that I made in aiding in the creation of you... Guardians," the figure breathed, though the emotion, the expression that he bore was lost on you as you leaned forward, your usually impassive gaze replaced by one that openly betrayed reverence, reverence that you could not explain.
"Awaiting orders."
"Please, Joy-"
"Designation, Guardian Unit Three-Seventy."
The figure fell silent, looking down at his hands for a long moment as he swallowed, looking up at you as water started to run down his cheeks. It took you a long moment to associate this with tears, though the signifigance of them was lost on you. Emotion for the most part was lost on you, striking you as inefficient, as something that did little but hinder the application of ones abilities to any task that was required of them.
"Three-Seventy, when you are able, return to the Technomancers guild house instead of the Clockworkers, I shall be there," he muttered, his voice quiet, wavering, filled with emotions that you couldn't place. The emotions were irrelevant in this matter however, he had given you an order and you were going to follow it out as soon as possible.
"I must... Go..."
The figure breathed as their their features contorted, their hand moving to clutch the wound on their chest as they started to fade from sight, leaving you sat inside alone inside that dome. A dome split into three equal parts. Each part was distinct from the others, with one of them being the inside of a house with a woman that you recognised to hold your features, one of them being a dank and gloomy place filled with broken walls, overgrown plants and trees that the stench of decay came from, and the final one being the one you were most familiar with.
It was the inside of one of the facilities you had first become operational within, with another guardian stood inside it. You could see tools and materials for repairs laying about the place, work benches, pipes lacing the walls and floors. Steam occasionally escaped from the pipes, filling the air with hissing as you made your way towards the burnished bronze figure that stood there.
"I require assistance," You stated as you looked up at the figure as you stopped before it, watching as glowing green eyes met your gaze, as the figure before you quickly seemed to gauge what was required of it. For a brief moment you closed your eyes, your lips moving as you started to mouth those words over and over again.
"Request Broadcast."
Your eyes opened to the gloom of the city night as your hand moved to your head, as the sound of cheering filled your ears once more, the sensation of moisture soaking through the back of the dress that adorned your form telling you that you had barely touched the ground. The discrepancy between the moment you had lost operational capability and once more finding yourself operation must've been moments at best, and yet...
And yet you felt that what you had seen had been real in a way you could not explain. You had met your creator and you knew it to be so. Deep down you knew that the imprint of him that had been left upon you in your creation matched him.
You rolled over onto your side as you attempted to get up, hearing the sound of cheering fade as you found the right hand side of your body was not responding correctly, though that loss of control was quickly being restored as you struggled for a moment to get to your feet. Your one hand still grasped the sword that you had obtained earlier, while you took in a deep breath.
"Attack upon a guardian is an act of treason. Assistance of enemies of the empire is an act of treason. Obstruction of guardian duties is a crime. Your crimes have been noted and shall be punished accordingly," you stated as you pointed towards the winged figure that stood a distance before you. "Drop your arms and surrender or face the consequences."
The figure snorted.
He stood there with one hand to his ear as he made a show of listening out for a long moment for the other guardians as you stood there, smiling as he turned back towards the civilians who had rallied about him. "See, you need not fear this woman, for she is no more than a lunatic, one of those most foul who I shall cleanse with the light of the heavens!" He stated, before turning his attention back towards you.
"Now, foul one, it is your choice. Will you surrender as to make your last moments as painless as possible, will you fight and certainly perish to my holy might, or shall you plead for judgement, so that you may beg for mercy for your crimes?" the figure asked, as he folded his arms across his arms across his chest.
"Three-Seventy, This is Two-Eight-One."
"Three-Seventy, This is One-Four-Eight."
"Three-Seventy, This is Nine-Four."
As those three initial voices eched from a few streets away the towns people turned pale, while the figure heading them's expression contorted into what you assumed as anger. You could hear further voices, you could hear heavy footfalls rapidly approaching. You could hear the approach of what you estimated to be at least ten other guardians, telling you that these people would be dealt with as appropriate. "Surrender and you shall be given fair trial, attempt to run or fight and you shall be neutralised," you stated, as you watched the civilians almost immediately throw down the few weapons they had taken as the other figure leapt skywards, wings fluttering as they rapidly fled into the night.
Even as the figure fled you could hear gunfire from behind the houses that the other guardians approached from, though you knew that every shot that connected would be rapidly recovered from, that they would not be so easily stopped like this. They would be added no doubt, to the list of enemies of the city, so that future sightings of them would be responded to as appropriate.
As the burnished bronze form of multiple guardians stepped out of the many junctions leading into the street you approached them, while they immediately restated your designation as their attention fell upon you. Even stripped of your shell, they knew it to be you now somehow, though your unusual state didn't distract them from the task at hand, from restraining the civilians here ready to march them to the appropriate facility.
You had been given a direct order by your creator, though the nature in what it had been delivered was one that registered as being unreliable. Was it worth pursuing this unreliable order, did you plan to return to the Clockworkers for repairs, or did you have other tasks that you felt you had to more immediately take care of first?
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Topic: They told me I could be anything... (Read 78993 times)