Chapter 5: Domo Arigato
"Are you sure this a good idea?" Hank asked, picking through a stack of metal sheets.
"Absolutely." Monica said, digging through the wires of a discarded control panel. "Khybon doesn't care about this stuff unless he needs to recycle parts for some project"
The duo were searching though a scrapyard in the Underworld where old pieces of damaged or derelict battlegear were dumped alongside more mundane refuse. While most of it was junk, it was a well-known rumor that some pieces were good salvage with the occasional treasure found within.
"Do you even know what were looking for?"
Monica stood and wiped sweat from her brow. "All I know is, we'll know it when we find it."
The scavenger hunt went on a couple more hours, at the end of which they had acquired a statuette of an Underworlder, a tarnished ring, and, for some inexplicable reason, an Earth can opener. But nothing particularly impressive. Wiping grime from her hands, Monica was really to call it a day when a shuffling noise nearby caught her attention. Motioning for Hank to crouch down, the pair snuck forward to see who else was occupying the area.
They didn't see anyone at first, until a collection of junk moved from one pile of garbage to another. Humanoid in shape, it had a barrel-shaped body, pipe-like arms and legs ending in three sharp digits each, and a squat head set with three glowing red eyes. Hank rapidly tapped her on the arm and pointed a bit further away where another machine made it presence known. This one was a yellow sphere with long thin tendrils coming from it's body, like spindly spider legs, and the same trio of eyes set at the top of the orb.
"What are they? Robots?" Hank whispered in his companion's ear. Her breath caught in her throat, another machine entering the space. This one had arms and legs similar in design to the first, but with a wide, flat head and torso, and holding a beaten wooden staff. It seemed to show it's find to the other two, who made some mechanical humming sounds before continuing their own searches.
"I've never seen anything like these before." she said, scanner in hand. "But I've gotta get one." The scanner buzzed and sent out lines of light to copy the machine's code, drawing it's attention. The humans tensed up, but it merely stared at them for a long moment before returning to it's task.
"That was freaky." Hank relaxed and peered over her shoulder at the scan. "What kinda gear is that?"
"It's not." Monica broke into a grin. "They're creatures."
"Bull!" He pulled the scanner closer, holding onto the green-haired girl's hand. "Energy and Power aren't bad, Wisdom, Speed and Courage are terrible. No Mugicians, no Elements. But yeah, wow."
A low rumble drew them away from her scanner. The mechanical creatures had moved further away from their previous position and had started sorting through some heavily bent steel rods. One of the sections had shifted, causing the whole pile to start teetering ominously. An automaton, the one with the staff, noticed this and made a series of buzzes and whistles at the others, who made to move away from the mound.
The rumbling grew more intense, however, and the screeching of metal rubbing against metal caused Hank and Monica to cover their ears in pain as the entire mountain of metal came crashing down. They were far enough away that they didn't need to worry about being hurt, but when everything settled, only two of the robots were clear of the collapse. The third, barrel-bodied 'bot was missing, save for one arm protruding from the mass of steel beams.
"We should help" Hank took a step forward, stopping when Monica put a hand on his shoulder with an awestruck "Look". The construct with the staff has stepped forward, towards it's trapped companion. In one swift motion, it snapped the staff releasing a burst of energy that was drawn into the exposed limb. A faint whirring sound from within the collapse grew stronger and louder, until, remarkably, the rubble shifted and the automaton extracted itself in a burst of motion that left girders strewn about as though they were no heavier than planks of wood.
The two humans stood there, dumbstruck as the trio of machines went back to work picking through the scrap and garbage. "That was awesome!" Monica exclaimed, watching them go about their business. "Where do you think they came from?" Hank shrugged.
"They didn't explode, or bust out half a dozen weapons, so it wasn't Ulmar. Khybon?" he guessed.
"Maybe. I'm heading back to Chaotic to add this to my deck. Coming to my match?"
"Oh, you know it."
When she entered Battledrome Hotek later that day, it was to face off against a chubby boy with long dark hair pulled back in a ponytail. He nodded in greeting and went about setting up his battle team
"Never played against this guy before." she began a mental rundown. "Jacob said his name's Perry, and he used Danians. It's only a 3v3, so as long as I play smart, I should be in good shape."
"Let's see," Monica thought to herself, tapping the dial to rifle through her cards. "I'm def gonna use the robot I picked up earlier." She moved the card to front row along with a muscular Underworlder. "If Hank was right about Khybon making them, his mechanical know-how should help me figure out how it did that boost move earlier." She lingered on a large green beetle before adding him to her back tow. "Ghuul's fast, and he can strike enemies from the back."
"For equipment..." She rotated a separate dial. "A Mech Blade for Khybon. He created it, and probably knows a few tricks. For Ghuul, a Windstrider. It'll let him move even faster and attack the back rank without having to fight through the front-line defenders first." She flipped through her collection of battlegear, for something that would complement her new robot. "A Lightning Canister, I think. It'll give it an energy boost, and do a bit of damage to another creature if it gets coded."
A quick selection of Mugic and Locations, and Monica locked her deck. A klaxon-esque alarm sounded through the drome, revealing the battleboard. Monica's opponent squinted through his squad of Danians to the strange robotic Underworlder in her front row. "Never seen that before. What's it do?"
"You'll see"
"Fancy_Lhad, you will be the attacker. Please activate the Location Randomizer."
The overweight boy nodded at this and spun the dial. It stopped on a picture of a murky bog, full of twisted, moss-covered plants and bubbling green water.
"Gloomuck Swamp. Choose your attacking and target creature."
"Ibiaan attacks Khybon" he announced, pressing on his card. The creature's code swirled around him, changing his body into a giant ant, thorax and midsection supported by four sturdy legs, the rest of the body jutting up with the head and last two arms to form a humanoid torso. He leered at Monica with glowing green eyes and snapped his mandibles. Although he was wearing some kind of leather armor over his brown exoskeleton, her eyes were drawn to the gleaming metal spear in his claws.
Monica's own transformation was swift, the code transforming her into a tall humanoid with yellow skin and a trio of eyes on his forehead. Two extra arms sprouted from Khybon's chest, each with some kind of weapon or tool attached to the end: A wide, powerful drill, a robotic clamp, and a flame-shooting cannon. Only the fourth limb was without a cybernetic attachment, ending with four clawed fingers. Clothing was sparse, little more than red boots and a loincloth, his chest covered with a metal harness that occasionally belched steam from two exhaust pipes mounted on the back.
"Let's get Chaotic" Ibiaan declared, reciting the unofficial catchphrase of the Dromes. Monica rolled her eyes and groaned at the cheesy line.
The muggy damp of the swamp was stifling, sunlight barely filtering in through the thick canopy, the few clear areas still shadowed from low clouds that clung to the region. Khybon trudged though the algae-laden goop, swatting insects that made their home in the bog in search of a bigger bug to squash.
'If I stay here any longer, all these cyborg parts are gonna rust" Monica thought from inside the burly Underworlder.
The sludge that passed for water in the swamp started to bubble. At first, she thought it was a gas pocket or something, but the wet popping sound took on a new tone. Small moans and whines seemed to form from the escaping air, the mud itself swelling in places to resemble gaunt bodies or screaming faces. A part of her brain wanted to panic at the frightening images, but Khybon's own courage made it's presence known, recognizing the attack and suppressing her flight response.
"Nice try, Bug Boy. Wanna see something really scary?"
Drawing upon memories of the darker aspects of life in Perim, Khybon summoned a swirling tornado of horrible phantasm and sent it howling through the swamp with a shout of "Fearocity!". A cry of terror followed shortly after, Ibiaan attempting to charge past through the mud with what seemed like a hundred angry ghosts hot on his heels. The Mandiblor caught a foot on a root and went sprawling into the filth, where the attacking spirits enveloped him.
"Sludge Gush!" he shouted from the ground. The specters dispersed under the wave of muddy stagnant water the Danian summoned, a wave that surged towards Khybon, who immediately ran for cover behind the closest tree.
Taking a moment to catch a second wind, Monica tried to tap into Khybon's memories, looking for information on the automation they suspected he built. A few bits of information flashed by when Mugic notes played, a marching cadence that echoed eerily in the swamp. Peeking out, he could see the Danian's antennae quivering wildly, a telltale sign that he was using his Hive ability. "Must've been 'Chorus of the Hive' mugic" she thought. By using their telepathic hivemind, some Danians could receive support from the other Mandiblors, the working class of the tribe, on the board.
Taking the offensive, there was a flurry of energy blasts from the Underworlder's arm cannon, firing from behind the wooden barrier, Ibiaan returning fire in the form of a spray of needles. One of these grazed Khybon's arm and his eyelids started to droop, its powerful toxin taking hold. His vision was going blurry, so he jammed the drill head of his arm into the trunk of the tree and set the appendage spinning. With a loud crack, the tree slowly tilted, then fell forward towards the insectoid.
"It's gonna take more than a Sleep Sting to put me down!" Khybon shouted over the crashing branches
Ibiaan skittered to the side, avoiding the move with a taunting "You're right! Vine Snare!" Khybon tried to dodge the tangle of roots and plants that sprung up from the swamp and failed, the foliage wrapping around his legs and holding him in place. He quickly summoned his battlegear, a curved bronze blade with intricate carvings, to start hacking at the vines while Ibiaan made his way around the fallen tree.
Clenching his fists together, Ibiaan slammed them into the closest patch of dry-ish ground. Kyhybon felt the earth tremble beneath him and suddenly found himself airborne, free from the vines and launched upward by a pillar of rock. Carefully judging his target's speed and ascent, Ibiaan threw his spear with all his might and Khybon squeezed his eyes shut upon noticing the incoming projectile. Opening an eye cautiously, Monica sighed, seeing the familiar interior of the battledrome.
Ibiaan was doing a kind of jumping victory dance during his transformation back into his human form and chanting "I got you, I got you!"
"Yeah" she said in a clipped tone. "Sure did" What was this kids problem? He was acting like he'd never played in a drome before.
Her scanner chimed and she tapped a button to see Hank's face appear on screen.
"Tough break, but at least it's only one battle, yeah?"
"Yeah," she leaned in to whisper into the scanner "but I think it just won me the match" When he tried to ask what she meant, all Hank got in response was a wink and an ended call.
A spin of the location randomizer set the battle at the Underworld Colosseum. "Ghuul attacks Lobanne"
"You can't do that," the other player cut in "Lobanne is at the back of my line, and Ghuul's at the back of yours. He's too far away."
"Ghuul can move an extra space when I change his position" Monica informed him. "And the Windstrider he's equipped with let's him move two more."
The boy scoffed, but placed his hand on his card all the same, changing him into what looked like a bright red, obese version of his last creature. Monica's new form was simple: a human-sized green beetle, eyes glittering with both intelligence and malice.
Without the stands full of screaming and cheering spectators one would normally see in such an arena, the Colosseum was disturbingly quiet. Until, that is, Ghuul dashed towards Lobanne, trailing fire from his wings with a daring Clashjet attack.
Watching from the Port Court, Hank saw a Mugic counter vanish from Lobanne. "He's using his special ability" he hear someone nearby say. "Lobanne can make himself resistant to certain elements"
A fireproof bubble of energy formed around the insect, taking the edge off of the blazing tackle, but the damage was done. Lobanne was pushed back by the sheer force of the melee impact, using his four legs to avoid getting knocked down.
"Unsanity!" Lobanne snapped, a beam of pale blue energy shooting from his skull to strike Ghuul in the head. Ghuul staggered under the mental assault, barely shaking off the double-vision the attack caused in time to see the Danian turn and kick out with his hind legs like a horse, creating a blast of force. Scrabbling to the side put him just out of reach of the Flash Kick and he countered by conjuring a cloud of burning embers that swarmed around Lobanne, obscuring his vision.
Seizing the opening, Ghuul took flight, beating his wings to kick up a blast of wind that cut into the Mandiblor's carapace. On the downside, the wind helped clear away some of the burning sparks, allowing Lobanne to clearly see his opponent again. With a cry of "Telekinetic Bolt!" a pair of stone benches were ripped off of their mounts in the stands and hurled toward the giant beetle, who casually dove under one and around the other, remaining airborn.
"Sorry, Lobanne. I don't have any snappy one-liners. Power Pulse!" A blast of energy reduced Lobanne to code and left her opponent with a sour look on his face. He continued to glower at her, only breaking into a wide smile when he was reminded by the Drome AI that his Flash Kick from earlier allowed him to look at the top two cards of his Location Deck and lock in the next battle site. His chosen card showed three wide mounds connected by bridges, supporting a cavern.
"Mount Pillar" the Drome announcer declared. "Choose your target and attacking creature."
"Odu Bathax attacks...uh" he pointed at the mechanical creature still on Monica's front line. "That robot thing"
"Odu Bathax vs Khybon's Engineered Automaton at Mount Pillar. Let the battle begin"
"Ha! So Khybon did make them." Hank shouted over the crowd. He had the grace to apologize to those he disturbed, before gluing his eyes to the screen where the flat-headed automaton was ambling down a dirt tunnel.
Monica had only been through Danian territory a few times in the past, so here in the tribe's backyard, she was completely lost. It didn't help matters that this body was sluggish and jerky with it movements. So when the large Danian with blue-grey chitin burst through a wall, she promptly fell over with a high-pitched mechanical "Scree!"
"Oh, man!" Odu Bathax crowed. "And here I was actually worried about that thing!" he held his stomach laughing. The Automaton let out a series of metallic chirps and whistles that, though indecipherable, seemed less than polite. This was followed by it's three eyes flashing red and releasing a volley of heavy iron spheres that clanged loudly off of Odu Bathax's exoskeleton.
"Ow! You little...' He returned fire with spheres of his own, these made of solid granite. A moment later, a gaudy yellow hat shaped like a tick or beetle appeared on his head.
"Too bad for you my Mandiblor Crown gives me extra energy, on top of what I already get for my Mandiblors. You're little tin man here can't beat me, so just forfeit"
Another round of clicks and whistles, and the Automaton held up it's arm where a golden metal jar was nestled in it's pincers. The sharp digits closed on the canister, easily crushing it, releasing a surge of lightning that arced through the creatures. Odu Bathax spasmed at the shock while the Automaton...
Monica laughed evilly inside the machine's body.
...absorbed the electricity. It's lurching movements became more fluid, it's claw-like hands snapped shut with a deafening clang. Even it's eyes; they shone bolder and steadier, craftier.
Hank whooped aloud as the Automaton's stats doubled, even trippled in some cases.
The Automation stepped forward on steadier legs and, with a single swift movement, lashed an arm out, cleanly removing the Mandiblor Crown and deactivating it.
"Hey!" Odu Bathax grabbed the headgear, trying but failing to reactivate it. "That's not fair!" he whined.
The construct tilted it's head and a deep rumble emanated from within it. Glowing red lights met beady red eyes. A set of clear synthetic tones sounded out:
"Just. Forfeit."
The rumble grew louder, shaking the walls until it culminated in a blast of sound that threw the insectoid warrior backwards. A portion of the tunnel collapsed on top of the Danian, muffling his shouts. Eventually, earth shifted and Odu Bathax was digging his way out the way only an ant could. With a bellow of "Thunder Shout!" sound waves traveled back down the tunnel in the previous direction to slam into the robot.
While leaving it's body visibly damaged, the attack didn't stop the Automaton. Drawing upon the electrical energy stored up from it's supercharge, lightning danced along it's limbs, lancing out to strike against Odu Bathax's chest, causing a blast of code that quickly reverted the earthen tunnel into the battledrome.
"No" the opposing player literally stamped his foot and snatched his scanner of the pedastal. He stomped over to Monica and started yelling at her. "This isn't fair, you must be cheating, you stupid-"
All of the monitors displaying the match in the Port Court suddenly changed to other battledromes. Hanks eyes went wide and he immediatly got up, running to Battledrome Hotek.
The spinning Chaotic logo in the middle of the room interrupted the player's stream of invectives.
"Fancy_Lhad, you have been found in violation of the Chaotic Code of Conduct. Your travel privileges to Chaotic and Perim will be suspended for one week."
What?" he yelled, outraged. "That's-" his yells were cut off, being forcibly 'ported out of the drome.
Monica stood there is silence taking in what just happened. She'd never seen player kicked from Chaotic, even temporarily.
"So, I should be more careful about what I say?" she asked awkwardly, remembering some of the stronger language she used with the Automaton's mechanical beeps and whistles.
"That would be wise."
"'Just. Forfeit'. Jeez" Hank mimicked the Automaton's voice with exaggerated robotic arm movements. "I thought he was gonna have an aneurysm"
"I'm not so sure he didn't. That was freaky, seeing him get booted like that. What was his problem?"
Hank shrugged. "Some people are way too into competition. You see it at football games, guys trash talking til they get benched, or parents starting fights"
"The only fight I was expecting was with you." She nudged the muscular boy with her elbow. "The way you came barging in, I thought you were gonna beat him down."
"To be fair, the last thing I saw before the feed switched was him coming at you."
"My hero"
They were back in the scrapyard, wandering around the piles of junk and refuse. Monica was a little shook from the experience with Fancy_Lhad screaming at her and asked Hank to take a walk with her in Perim. He wasn't sure why she chose a junkyard of all places, but was happy to help her relieve stress.
"Look who it is" she pointed at the remains of a wrecked vehicle where three familiar creatures were taking apart the craft. The Automatons turned at her declaration, decided the humans weren't a threat and went back to work. On a whim, she reached into a pocket and withdrew the tarnished ring she found earlier that day. A quick scan identified it as a Ring of Na'arin, a common Battlegear that could make it's wearer slightly stronger and smarter.
She approached the trio with a smile, holding the ring out to them. One, the barrel-bodied robot, approached and gently plucked the ring from her hand. It inspected the jewelry, slid it into a compartment in it's chest, and went back to work disassembling the vehicle.
"That was nice of you. Why though?" Hank asked.
"I like these guys. Maybe they'll need it one day, in case of an emergency."