Chaos in the City of Progress 3/3
“He sprang fast through the puddles, like a predator in the woods, and jumped headlong into the cloud of smoke”
Surrounded by a world completely gray, the
hero of Piltover analyzed the situation. He could hear the cries of the wounded
men all around and could clearly see the robot in front of him. Thought it had
to be torn down quickly, but could not help wondering what it was that cloud of
smoke.
A clump of wet hair fell over his forehead
when Jayce lunged forward, toward the acceleration gate he had created earlier.
He was used to the electric shocks traveling along his muscles as soon as he
crossed it: the body was more and more agile, fast and responsive.
Jayce stroke many mighty hits against the automaton,
unable to respond to this furious assault. The weapons mounted on its forearms
were suitable to a fight on the distance, but were unable to withstand a valid defense
in a short range combat.
The mechanical monster staggered.
Jayce raised the hammer, ready to land the
final blow, but at that moment the man who wore the exoskeleton regained
consciousness. His eyes were imbued with terror. His face, a mask on which was
painted a pleading cry for help.
«Please! Save me!»
The plea of the scientist blocked the action
of Jayce. Numbers of thoughts, as many as the raindrops that were falling
around him, invaded his mind. How could he save that man? Destroying the
exoskeleton that controlled him? What would happen? It could explode?
Unfortunately for him, his hesitation gave the
robot time to recover. The long barrel and the gun mounted on its arms changed
shape, becoming sharp gloves that tightened around the imprisoned man's hands.
«Stupid. Food. Now. You. Will. Die» declared
the creature.
Sharp blades darted forward and stuck in the
chest of Jayce, who screamed in pain.
«Sheriff, what's going on in there?»
«I have no idea. Can’t hear anything» Caitlyn
said, pointing to the smoke. Her gaze in the gun sight, she was ready to shoot
as soon as had seen that infernal machine moving. Her attention was suddenly drawn
by the screams of some nearby policemen.
«Be careful!»
«It's coming!»
«Move away!»
Caitlyn did not understand what they were
referring to until she saw a huge, bestial figure, hunched, whose aspect was
hidden under a dark green cloak with a wide hood.
He sprang fast through the puddles, like a
predator in the woods, and jumped headlong into the cloud of smoke.
«And what the hell is it?» everyone
wondered.
Jayce coughed. Spat blood while the automaton
lifted him from the ground.
The cold blades were approaching the ribs.
Almost felt the contact of the metal with his bones.
When he fell to the ground, he did not even
have the strength to ask what was happening.
The same mysterious figure who had launched
fearless in the smoke had engaged a brutal melee fight with the mechanical
monster, whose claws tore the cloak, but did not shed a single drop of blood of
the expert fighter.
The rain began to roar with greater
intensity. Some lightning tore the sky in the distance. And the wind blew
harder. Only thanks to it the dense smokescreen that had invaded the square
began to thin out.
Caitlyn and all the agents under her command
watched incredulous the paladin of Piltover on the ground, wounded, surrounded
by so many policemen in even worse conditions. They did not know that he was
reduced that way by a reckless act of human compassion towards the unfortunate
scientist, who was the victim of that evil exoskeleton.
Moreover, with great surprise of all
present, the threat had been defeated by the hooded champion. The machine was
forced to the ground, dominated by a being half man and half wolf. Water
dripped from thick tufts of blue hair, and pattering on the heavy golden armor
that he dressed.
A gloomy howl broke the silence.
«Hairy. Food. Let. Me. Go.»
Warwick did not answer. He gave the automaton
an evil smile, exposing the sharp teeth.
«What are you doing here in Piltover, manhunter?»
Caitlyn asked, firing a bullet of intimidation.
Once again, the wolf remained silent.
Grinding his teeth with wicked delight, inhaling the sweet, pungent smell of
blood hovering around.
He howled a second time. Stronger than before.
He tore the mechanical tentacle from the spine of the exoskeleton. The lights
on the rough robotic face were extinguished and so did the consciousness of the
machine, or rather, the program that infused in it a semblance of life.
The automaton was repaired several days
later.
It was reactivated in a two-storey laboratory,
surrounded only by flashing lights and cold, inert metal.
«That's what has been agreed.»
«Very good. It was a pleasure doing business
with you» snarled Warwick before moving away down a narrow, dark hallway.
«Let's get back to us, Rewdan» said an
arrogant voice, to the rhythm of a rod hitting loudly on the metal plates of a
raised platform: «Who knew a mediocre scientist of Piltover such as you would
be able to steal my latest prototype?».
The bald man shook his head to recover, then
looked up. The terror began to attack him when he realized where he was, and had
been immobilized with strong restrictions on some sort of operating table.
«You took my latest masterpiece, an
exoskeleton intelligent, an engineering marvel, and you have made it a slave of
human flesh!»
«Viktor...» gasped Rewdan: «I swear... I do
not...».
The scientist of Zaun, leader of the
Glorious Evolution, interrupted him with a wave of his hand. His eyes, hidden behind
an expressionless iron mask, were turned down with disdain.
«Spare me at least your excuses. I don’t
know yet why the prototype has associated humans with food. It is the logic of
a parasite! Unworthy of an advanced machine!»
«What will you do to me?» Rewdan asked, any
hope of salvation long gone.
The brilliant inventor grinned smugly. That
question was the prelude to the explanation of his grand plan. There is nothing
that an egocentric megalomaniac desire more than expose his delusions.
«Nothing too complicated. I have soldered
your primitive arts to my creation, and have padded explosive charges that will
reduce you to crumbs if for some reason Chaos-000001 should be deactivated.»
Barely
moving the head, Redwan watched his body. He could not see the burns and the scars
that the intervention of Viktor had left, now hidden by a surface layer of
processed steel, but he felt the flesh of his arms and legs fused with the
exoskeleton he was wearing.
First, he shouted with all the breath in his
body, then cried in tears.
«Precisely» continued the genius of Zaun: «The
prototype you’ve stolen was the first in a series of one hundred thousand
intelligent exoskeletons. So I have baptized it Chaos-000001».
The automated tentacle moved sinuously, and
the robotic head humbly thanked its creator.
«I'm a monster» sobbed Rewdan.
«Yes. You are» Viktor replied: «Seeing
flesh, bones and blood connected to my prototype disgusts me. I tried to
separate you from the machine to ... well ... kill you. But I did not succeed
without damaging the control cables and the support cord. So I opted for an alternative
solution».
«YOU HAVE SOLDERED ME TO A MACHINE! YOU ARE
THE MONSTER!»
«AND YOU ARE A THIEF!»
After the yelling, tempers placated quickly.
The scientist of Piltover no longer had the energy to fight against his cruel
fate, and Viktor counted the seconds, beating them with his rod, waiting for
the question that came soon after. There were words he was anxiously waiting to
hear.
«What will happen to me now?»
The king of the inventors remained
impassive, but every fiber of his being screamed: “Victory!”.
«You know, Rewdan, actually there’s
a chance for you to survive.
I can separate you from the exoskeleton Chaos-000001, so as I
joined you to it.»
The man's eyes gleamed with a new light. The hope contained in
the poisonous words of Viktor had already
conquered him.
«But you must eliminate its
attachment to meat. If you do this for me, I
will be able to create new models
of Chaos, and mount
them on a much more robust structure of
fragile human bodies. And you will be free, at last. We both will have something to rejoice!»
The metal bands that blocked Rewdan snapped
open, and he stood up. He did not realize that his release involved the obligation to accept the proposal of Viktor. A myriad of conflicting
feelings stirred within him like
a stormy sea: despair, relief, pain, fear.
And last, doubt.
«How am I going to do what you ask, if not
even you’ve been able to succeed?"
It arrived, at last. The culmination of his
grand plan: Viktor had deliberately allowed the prototype was stolen, and now
had a guinea pig that would’ve tested its potential against the strongest
warriors of Valoran. The summoners would’ve never voluntarily tested his device,
but a desperate man in need of help? Oh, yes! To such a person, they would not
have turned their backs.
«I’m sure you know about the League of
Legends. Maybe someone there will be able to help you.»
THE END
*** If you don't have confidence with the game League of Legends, click on the above image to discover how the characters look. ***
*** If you are League players, check the champion concept of Rewdan on the official forum! ***
*** If you are League players, check the champion concept of Rewdan on the official forum! ***
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