It's been a long time...WAY too long. I put off writing this story for a bit because, well...I wasn't sure If I was going to continue it. I usually stop writing a story after I stop getting feedback. Now did I end up getting feedback, and that's why I kept writing? No, I actually didn't. This story is not only the longest stories I've ever written, but also the one I've stuck too for the longest time. I truly love writing this story. That being said, when I finally got back into writing, this Chapter…..took so much trial and error. I changed the plot line of this thing SOOO many times, it's ridiculous. Either way, I'm glad to be back, and I hope you guys aren't too upset that I took so long. Writing is hard for me...but I wanna keep this story going :D
Chapter 7: Impossible Debt
"Wait...what? You want me to leave?" I asked.
Orianna nodded her head to me.
"yEs. YoU aRe noT WElcOmE hERe." The mechanical girl responded bluntly.
Well, that was rather harsh. It felt like I just got here, and I was already being asked to leave.
"I'm not welcome?... but...why, exactly?" I asked.
The robotic lady tilted her head to the side. I could tell by now that she did that when she was confused. The ball had floated to the other side of the girl's shoulder and was looking back from her to me.
"wHy?...BeCauSe I aM a MaChINe, YoU aRe HUmAn. tHeRE nEeD NoT bE aNY mOrE reAsON tHaN THat." The girl said.
I could feel a slow anger begin to well up inside me. I had already gotten enough of this crap from the Bounty Hunter, I didn't need it from her too. Was machines and humans being separate supposed to be a norm in this world? It didn't make sense to me at all. I mean, human's are the one's that made the machines in the first place, right? I clenched my fist.
"Does that really matter? Why do you have to isolate yourself away?" I asked.
The robotic girl stared at me blankly, per usual, as if she was a statue. Her gaze seemed to pierce through me, analyzing my every being. Meaning that she was trying to figure out if I was joking or not. She lifted her hands up in front of me. I inadvertently took a step back. I quivered as the girl placed her hand on my chest. The cold metal made my bare skin shiver. It wasn't like I was afraid...but...my body seemed to respond otherwise.
"W-what...what are you-"
"I wAs cREatEd FoR oNE pUrpOSe...tO dEstROy. mY bOdy IS a WeaPoN tHaT fEeLS nO EMotIoN. I cAN noT MinGlE wItH HuMAns, BeCauSE I woULd InEVidEnTly DELETE tHeM. I aM DAngErOUs, aNd sHOulD bE TreATeD As sUCh." The mechanical girl said.
Once again, the words of the Bounty Hunter just refused to leave my head. I gritted my teeth as I tried to ignore them. I didn't want to accept that this was true. Everything she's done so far. How she saved me from falling to my death, how she helped her partner when it was injured, how she brought me back to her place after I passed out when she could've just left me out there to die. I just couldn't...I refused to accept that all that was mere programming.
Before I was able to say anything, Orianna moved her hand from my chest and grabbed my arm. I watched as she picked up my hand and placed it on her chest (not THAT part of the chest! get your minds out of the gutter!). The cold sensation of her metal frame made my skin tingle. I looked to the girl in surprise, unsure of what she was doing. She didn't respond to me, she just stared at my hand.
"Hey...um..."
"wHAt Do yOu FEeL?" The metal lady asked.
I stood in shock. How exactly was I supposed to respond to a question like that? I looked from my hand, back to the girl, trying to verify that that's what she really asked. She blinked her glowing eyes at my obliviousness. I didn't know what she was expecting, but might as well give it a shot.
I calmed my body, and focused hard on what I could feel with my hand. I could sense the slow rumble of cog's moving. Gears, turned in bursts from all different parts of her inside. Besides that though, there wasn't much else I could feel. I tried to find something that stood out to me, but there was nothing.
"Wait..." I said under my breath.
That was it...nothing stood out to me...something was missing. I focused hard again. What was it that I couldn't feel? Her body was still moving, so It couldn't be something major. I could still feel the oil running through her metal veins, so it wasn't that. The only other thing was...oh...I think i got it. My eyes grew wide in surprise.
"...You...have no Heart..." I said.
Instantly after saying that my attention was grabbed by the sound of an explosion. The whole building shook from it. It took me by surprise, I almost lost my balance.
Even Orianna was taken back by the blast. Her body seemed to jerk after the impact. The ball started flying around the room frantically like a pinball. I grabbed onto a table ledge to try and steady myself.
"What the heck was that?" I asked.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the little monkey robot's body flashing red. He was spinning around in a panic just like the ball was. Orianna bent down and picked up the the little bot. She seemed to be the only one remaining calm in this situation. Actually, was she even capable of panicking?
"Hey, what happened?" I asked the girl.
She didn't pay me any mind as she began to communicate with the little, terrified, robot again. Was he some sort of alarm system or something? His body was still flashing red, so that's all I could think of what it meant.
Thankfully, it didn't take them near as long to get their thoughts out this time. The mechanical girl placed the little monkey robot back down on the floor, and stood up. She turned to look at me with the most stern face I've seen out of her yet.
"You must leave, NOW!" Orianna said in a very dark voice. Yet, the robotic tone to it wasn't there. It was like what happened when I first met her. She talked normal for one moment.
"Ok, first off, why are you talking...well, more human now? Secondly, there's no way I can leave now! Not after THAT!" I said, gesturing towards the direction where the explosion came from.
As if on cue, another explosion came down, much closer to us than the last one. The building shook even more this time. Metal and parts crashed all around the room, creating a mess. I covered my face as dust started blowing everywhere.
I saw out of the corner of my eye, Orianna throwing up her hands into the air. A bright yellow aura started to glow from them. I glanced to the side to see the ball begin to glow the same, before spinning around the girl. It moved so fast that all I could see was the glow creating a streaks all around the girl's body. It looked like a kind of barrier.
The ball soon began to slow down, but the streaks of glowing light remained spinning around the girl at insane speed. My body shivered as Orianna opened her eyes to reveal them glowing a bright yellow now, instead of blue. Her body started to slowly lift into the air. The room around her began to shake more and more as the power around her began to grow.
"gRaVIty BrEAk"
In an instant, the field around her shot out from her body, expanding at an immense rate. I winced as the field passed over me. I took a step back instinctively. I blinked a few times before feeling all around myself, making sure I was still all here.
"What was that?" I asked.
Orianna's metallic figure floated back down to the ground. As soon as her feet touched the floor, I heard what sounded like a ping. That's when I really saw what she did. All around the room, everything that wasn't attached to anything gradually began to lift up into the air. I stood in awe at the sight. I didn't even know magic like this was possible.
"Wow...did you, ju-ahhhhHHHHHHH!" I yelled as my own body started to lift up into the air as well. I flailed my arms around frantically trying to bring myself back down, but was failing horribly.
I looked back up at the robotic girl with a very concerned look on my face. Now she was holding two fingers to her mouth. She had her eyes closed and was whispering words that I couldn't make out. I could tell it was another spell after symbols started glowing around the fingers.
"Hey, uh, not to be a bother, but could you tell me why exactly you turned off the gravity? I mean, don't get me wrong, it's SUPER COOL that you can even do that, but I'm gonna need some context here." I asked sarcastically.
Orianna opened her eyes again. They were back to their normal blue, but they still had the sinister look in them. She lifted the 2 fingers from her metal lips and pointed them at me.
"tHiS Is nO MaTTeR YoU NeED to InVOlvE YoURsElf iN." The mechanical lady said.
After saying that, the girl started to walk towards me, her fingers still pointed in my direction. I tried to do a kind of backstroke in the air to back up from her, but I wasn't really getting anywhere. I watched helplessly as her magic imbued fingers got closer to my face.
"Wait, what are you gonna do to me?" I asked.
In a split second, it seemed like the robotic girl teleported to me. Before I knew it, I felt her fingertips on my forehead, and her face only a couple feet from mine. I grimaced in pain from her fingers that felt like burning coal on my skin. I tried to jerk my body and pull away, but I was somehow attached to her fingers.
"iN a FeW mINuTes TImE, yOuR BoDY wiLl bE DiScOnFigUrED aNd REcOnfIGuReD mAnY MiLEs FrOM heRe." The mechanical lady said.
I widened my eyes in surprise. Was she talking about Teleportation magic? I remember reading about that. That type of magic is supposed to be among the most difficult magic to learn. Going as far as a few feet is challenging, even for Archmages, but miles...how is that even possible?
"fURthErMOrE, iF YoU aTTeMpT tO ReTUrN hErE, tHEn I WiLL noT HeSItAte To kILL yOu." Orianna remarked, before moving her fingers from my forehead. It felt like someone was ripping duct tape off my skin. I could still feel whatever mark she left there.
"Urgh, why are you doing this? Can't you see that I'm just trying to help you?" I exclaimed.
I watched as the robot girl started heading for the door. The ball that had remained in the corner of the room ever since the explosions started, got up and rushed over to the girls side. She grabbed the door handle and opened it. The light from the other room shone in bright. I grimaced.
"WAIT, please, just let me-"
"I NEVER ASKED FOR YOUR HELP!" The mechanical lady yelled, cutting me off. Her voice had changed again, but this time is was shrill and menacing. I could feel the skin down my spine begin to crawl.
Orianna slammed the door behind her, leaving me alone in a room full of floating metal. Well, technically I wasn't alone, the monkey robot should still be in here. I glanced around the room for a second. I had no idea where that little guy had gone off too. Maybe he was floating around here too. Actually, for that matter, how was Orianna NOT floating too?
AHHH, too many questions again, I don't have time for this. I paced back and forth frantically, trying to figure out what to do. I wasn't sure exactly how long the spell had left, but it had to be less than 30 seconds. I scratched my head, and stomped my foot on the ground, trying to come up with any answer I could.
…..wait a second. I looked down at my feet that were now planted firmly on the ground.
"HOLD ON, WHY AM I NOT FLOATING ANYMORE!?" I asked myself.
I looked around the room to see if anything else had stopped floating, but it seemed like everything still was. Why did the spell wear off on me so quick? Is it less powerful on people or something? I jumped up a few times to check, and sure enough, the spell had worn completely off.
I snapped out of my confusion, and remember that I had a ticking time bomb on my head that was going to go off any second now. I started sprinting around the room as fast as I could, looking in drawers, floating pots, anything that might possibly hold something. I really had no idea what I was looking for, but I hoped something would jump out at me when I did.
I soon felt the mark on my head get much hotter. wincing in pain, I reached up and touched my forehead where the spot was. To my surprise, I didn't feel anything there, even though I knew something was.
"Urgh, I'm guessing this means that the spell is starting. DANGET, what do I do!?" I asked myself.
All at once, Orianna's words echoed through my head. 'I never asked for your help.' I let my hand slowly come down to my side. A feeling of defeat washed over me. Maybe she was right. I did kinda just force myself on her problems. I had no right to butt into her life the way I did.
I lifted up my hand. It had already started to go transparent. Small particles broke away from my body, and flew around like tiny fireflies. I would have been in awe more if the situation didn't depress me so much.
There was one thing that I still didn't get though. Why WAS i so gungho about helping Orianna? I really didn't know myself to be honest. I mean, I guess it could be….my thoughts drifted to the image of a little girl that laid dying, with me standing over her not knowing what to do. I gritted my teeth. I could feel tears beginning to well up in my eyes.
Ofcourse that'd be the reason...I'm still trying to repay the impossible debt. I'm constantly forcing myself into people's lives, aren't I? Like I think I have a right to help them, whether they want it or not. When in reality I'm just using them for my own benefit.
I sunk down onto my fading knees. I thought back to everything that me and Orianna had been through so far. It wasn't much, but it was enough to contemplate over things. I smiled when I remembered how happy the mechanical girl was when the ball started snuggling up on her. I grimaced when I remembered how I stepped in front of Orianna to protect her from that Bounty Hunters attack. Knowing just how powerful she is, I have no doubt that all I did was get in the way.
"I guess in the end...she never accepted my help. She just endured my selfishness." I gloomily said to myself.
Then a faint memory started to revive itself in my mind. I guess I did remember a little something before I passed out. I saw the fuzzy image of Orianna kneeling over me. The same look in her eye that she always had. Then I saw her mouth moving...but I don't remember...what did she say?
I rattled my brain, trying to remember. What was it that she told me back there? several different possible answers scrolled themselves through my head. I paced back and forth again, or at least, I hovered. I didn't really have legs anymore, so that wasn't an option.
Since I wasn't looking, I didn't see the floating chunk of metal in front of my face. My head clanged into the object, sending it and me back away from each other. I cringed in pain.
"OW, hey, watch where you're going!" I said both angrily and sarcastically.
I really wanted to massage the spot, but I didn't exactly have hands to do that at the moment. Instead I just rubbed it on my shoulder. wasn't sure how doing this was going to help it, but I just really wanted to rub it for some reason.
"man, thanks for that, I needed another scar to add to the-."
All at once it felt like time stopped as the memory from before cleared itself in my head. Orianna's face lit up in my memory. When her mouth moved, I could finally remember what it was she said.
"Thank...you...she told me, Thank You." I muttered under my breathe.
I stood motionless as my body continued to slowly fade away. The room around me began to grow darker by the second. I wanted to scream, but what would of been the point? Whether or not Orianna really wanted my help, she wouldn't let me no matter how hard I tried. It made me sad, but also more determined than before.
I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth as I could feel the remainder of my body disintegrate itself. The darkening room around me started to slowly replace itself with a magic like nothing I had ever seen before. It was like I was swimming in a witch's cauldron the size of a mansion.
I looked around to try and find myself. I was still in bits and pieces, floating through the magic. I was wondering what part of me was actually looking at this...I mean, it still felt like my body was there, but it was pretty clear that it wasn't.
Soon, the area around me started shifting between various colors. In front of me, a whirlpool in the magic appeared. It started sucking me in right away. I figured it was pointless to try and fight back this time. As cool as it was, I'd rather not get stuck inside this...whatever it was.
My body got pulled faster and faster, until I looked down to see that my body was starting to take shape again. I soon felt my feet touch something soft. I could tell instantly that it was grass. Well, atleast I knew that I was outside, that's a start.
The whirlpool in front of me began to open up. In front of me, I could see a bright light. I covered my eyes with my now functional arms. The magic around me began to fade, as trees and grass started to come into view. I shivered as the cool air touched my bare skin. I don't remember it being this cold before.
Before long, all of the magic had gone, and I was left standing in the middle of a forest. I looked around, trying to see if anything looked familiar to me, but it was hard to distinguish between trees. I had no idea where I was. I wasn't sure if I should just press on until I ran into something. I mean, even if I wanted to, I wouldn't know how to get back to Orianna.
I jumped as I heard the sound of someone coughing behind me. I threw my head around so fast, I thought my neck would snap. I stared in shock as my gaze met with the face of someone I recognized. Her short, black hair waved lightly in the wind as she stared at me with wide eyes. I returned the look back to her.
We just stared at each other for a while, as it seemed both of us were trying to figure out what the heck was going on. Once I opened my mouth, the girl opened hers too.
"IT'S YOU!" We both said in Unison.
"You're the Bounty Hunter from earlier!" I continued.
"And you're the guy that I stabbed!" she added.
Before anyone else could say anything, I saw the black haired girl's gaze shift downwards, causing her to face to instantly switch to one of shock. I shot her back a confused look.
"What? What's wrong?" I asked.
The woman casually pointed her finger downwards, before covering her eyes with her hands. I raised an eyebrow before looking down at myself to see what she was freaking out about. It didn't take me too long to figure out why.
"NAKED!" I screamed before immediately covering my unmentionables with my hands.
"W-W-WHY AM I NAKED!?"
"HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW!?"?
"MY PANTS, WHERE DID MY PANTS GO? AHHHHHH!"
"Here, put these on please."
"Wait...why do you have a convenient pair of pants and boots on you?"
"Why don't you worry about that AFTER You put them on!"
"Alright alright"
Many awkward moments later…
I tied the knot tight around my waist before walking back out of the bush. It was a pretty nice pair of pants. They felt like they were made out of cotton. The boots were pretty nice too, and they actually fit which was a surprise. She must of had really big feet, because...I mean, It's not like I had small feet or anything...hehe
I cringed as I pulled on the bandages still wrapped around my waist. I placed my hand over the spot that hurt. It started bleeding again...great. That made me wonder though, if my pants got teleported somewhere else then why did the bandages stay? Actually, why did my pants teleport somewhere else in the first place?
I turned my gaze to the Bounty Hunter that was waiting patiently for me. She held out a map in front of her. I watched as she started marking down certain areas of it. She stopped after she noticed me.
"Hey...well, they fit at least." The woman said with a sigh of relief.
"Yeah, I was surprised they fit too. I mean, these aren't your clothes, right?" I asked.
The black haired girl snarked a bit before nodding her head.
"Actually, they are. I always keep a spare set of clothes on me. In my line of work, you never know when your stuff's gonna get torn or cut. I've experienced it enough to prepare beforehand." The Bounty Hunter replied.
The woman then proceeded to eye me down a bit. She puckered her lips curiously as if she was trying to figure out my measurements. After a few moments of analyzing, she locked her eyes with mine before letting a mocking smile come over her face.
"Hey, how tall are you?" The black haired lady asked.
I could feel my mouth twitch. I nervously started scratching the back of my head before shifting back and forth on my feet.
"Um...my height?...well, I, um...I'm, uh...6...foot..." I responded, getting the sentence out as slowly as I could. I quivered my lips a bit as I said it.
I watched as the girl's eyes flattened. She gave me a stern look that sent shivers down my spine.
"You are not. I'm 5'8, and were almost the same height." she remarked.
I let my arms fall in defeat in front of me.
"Fine, you got me, I'm 5'9. Happy now?" I said.
The smile returned to the girl's face, along with a quick burst of laughter. I felt my every being sink to nothingness.
"Hey, it's not like I'm short or anything! I'm just under average, that's all!" I exclaimed.
"Hehe, sorry, but I'm pretty sure under average is just a nicer way of saying short." The woman stated with another quick burst of laughs.
I gave a big sigh. The fact that no one else had pointed out my height since I came here, I had almost forgotten the fact that I was short. I mean, I guess Rona was about the same size as me too. It's not like I get bullied alot about it, cause I'm not all that much smaller than most people, but I'm still kinda self-conscious.
I shook my head, trying to forgo the matter. At least the Bounty Hunter had stopped and went back to her map. She had it set down on a tree stump now so she could write on it better. I was pretty curious what she was doing with it, but I was pretty sure I should figure something out first before I ask…
"So...hey, uh...what was your name again?" I asked.
Instant regret shot through me as the girl turned around with a menacing glare on her face. I threw my hands up in defense before taking a couple steps back.
"ARE YOU SERIOUS!? YOU FORGOT MY NAME ALREADY!?" The hunter proclaimed.
I waved my arms out in front of me.
"No no, it's not that I forgot, it's just that I didn't care enough to remember, hehe…...eh…...uh, WAIT, THAT DIDN'T COME-"
I was halted by the breeze of a knife flying past my head. It stuck in the tree behind me. I'm pretty sure my heart stopped there for a second.
" Do you wanna die?"
"NOT PARTICULARLY, NO!"
This time the girl gave the big sigh, before she returned back to her map. I slowly lowered my arms back down.
"It's Ember." The girl said.
I waited for a bit before I responded. I was afraid she might chuck another knife at me if I said anything else. After I thought it was safe, I spoke up.
"Alright, Ember. I'll make sure not to forget it this time." I responded with a meek smile.
The bounty hunter seemed to pay me no mind as she was engrossed in her work. From the looks of it, she was trying to find buried treasure. I wanted to look over her shoulder to take a peek at what she was doing, but I decided against it for now.
"So...you're name's Mykale, right?" the woman asked.
That took me by surprise. Now I felt even worse that she was able to remember my name, considering the fact that I never even told her what my names was. I looked at the back of the girl's head confused.
"Um...uh…"
"If you're wondering how I know, it was when I tossed you to the side after cutting you up." Ember said nonchalantly.
I cringed in pain before grabbing the bandages, and pressing them against my skin tight. I don't think my body would let me forget something like that.
"Yeah, I do." I answered.
"Well, after I did that, I heard that clockwork girl call out Mykale. It was faint, but I definitely heard it. I was assuming that that was your name. Turns out, I was right." The woman remarked.
I could feel my stomach begin to churn in knots after I heard that. I remember after being thrown. I thought I heard her say my name, but I assumed that I had just imagined it...did she seriously...but, why? I wanted to be happy, but I couldn't stop thinking about all the other times when she made it very clear that she wanted nothing to do with me.
"I must admit, that after I heard that, it made me doubt even my own words. I couldn't figure out how a lifeless machine like her could do something...so human like that." The woman continued.
I clenched my fist. My body started shaking with frustration and anger. I was so tired of questioning myself and my motives. I was tired of constantly wondering if what I was doing was right. I was tired...of asking myself questions that I was afraid to get answers to. There was only one way I was going to get those answers, and if it kills me by trying...then so be it.
"So I'm guessing she was the one that had to do with you popping up in the middle of nowhere, butt naked. What, did you tick her off or something? Hehe, I bet you got kicked out, didn't you?" The girl went on.
"Hey, Ember?" I asked.
"Hmm?"
"You've been tracking Orianna for a while, right?" I asked.
I could tell the the woman was surprised by the sudden change in subject. So much so that she actually stopped writing on her map. She turned over and looked at me with a stern look.
"Do you always state the obvious so abruptly like that?" the black haired lady responded.
"I'm guessing that you know where her place is too?" I added in.
I saw the woman's expression slowly change to a cocky smile before she turned her head back around.
"Hmm, so that's what you're getting at." She snarked. "Honestly though, what kind of bounty hunter would I be if I didn't keep marks on my paychecks?"
I gave a big smile.
"So...can you like...show me where it is?" I asked.
"Alright, slow down robo-lover boy, you sure are asking a lot of someone that kills people for a living. I gotta get some compensation for a task like this." Ember said with a chuckle.
"...robo...lover boy..." I muttered under my breathe.
The woman held out her hand, and dropped the ink pen she was holding. It clanked onto the wood of the stump, before rolling off into the grass. The girl stretched her arms behind her, letting out a loud groan as she did. She threw herself up on her feet, looking like she was drunk as she wobbled back and forth.
"Wait, so, what did you wAA-!" I was cut off after something large and heavy crashed into the back of my head. My vision instantly started to go blurry.
I saw Ember turn around in my foggy sight. Her mouth moved, but I couldn't hear what she was saying. My ears were ringing so loud. What I could see is her face turn to a look of terror as she pulled out a bunch knives, but she didn't have a chance to throw them before a dart stuck into her skin.
I saw the girl waver back, saying something that I could only imagine was cursing. She pulled the dart out, but it was too late. She fell to the ground within seconds of being hit. She wreathed her body back and forth for a while. She tried several times to push herself off the ground, but failed everytime. It didn't take long before I collapsed on the ground too. My head hurt so bad.
I could barely make out anything, but I was able to see the 3 pairs of legs walk out and surround Ember. They picked her up off the ground, and began tying rope around her. She struggled and squirmed, but whatever was in that dart was keeping her plenty sedated.
I gritted my teeth as I tried to push myself off the ground, but everytime I tried I just flopped back down, opening my already existing wounds even more. I saw one of the pair of legs turn around and start walking towards me. I tried to move, but my body seemed to go in all sorts of different directions. Once the legs got next to me, they bent down. I heard the cackle of a menacing laugh that sent chills down my spine.
"Still conscious? Ha, you're a tough one, I'll give you that." The voice of the man said. He was close enough to where I could barely make him out.
I turned my head up to try and get a look at his face. Instead, I was met with a much less pleasant sight. A fist that was coming at me really quick. I don't remember anything after that...that's been happening to me alot lately...
First off, I got to say the usual by thanking you for reading this Chapter! Secondly, I would like to ask for your guys opinion on something. I'm planning on going back to Rona's story next chapter, but I know some people won't like that. That being said, another option of what I could do is finish the segment with Mykale and Ori, up to when they meet up with Rona and Connor again, and THEN tell Rona and Connor's story in full. But I'll only do that if people want that, so you gotta tell me. Thanks again for reading! Here's the link to the facebook fanpage incase you're interested. (Put the text after /)
Clockwork-Heart-459852401022644/