The
Neave they knew took the head over towards Shroud and placed it down on the
boardwalk. She called out to Valma , who rustled out of Lily's bag, waking her
up. The secret keeper flew over to Neave and stood spinning, it's aura now a
shimmering grey. Neave reached into the neck cavity and pulled out a wires. Her
hands were clean and no blood fell to the floor. This was a fact Eryn was not
keen on, and took a step backwards. Neave leaned over Valma and whispered a few
words before the top square folded outwards in four panels. The ornate
scripture that covered Valma's body formed a design of upturned runic obelisk.
Lily could make out the familiar shapes, they were designed like the sentry
spires around Thaemor, similar to the one she used to live near. The pillars
were smaller than the obelisk in the wider world and with no discernible entry point.
Neave took the wires from the decapitated head and plugged them into the now
open panel on top of Valma. She spoke to the head and it responded, although
not loud enough for the others to hear. Valma's pulsing aura when she spoke
also seemed to be attuned to the head. Neave talked to Shroud once more,
disconnected Valma and chucked the head over the side. She brought both of them up to the now
confused and slightly afraid party. Valma danced over to the fully recovered
Lily and spun around her in her matching aura. Neave addressed the party, her shoulders high. Her voice was
now adorned with crystal chimes.
This is difficult for
me, I didn't think I had the capacity. I have worked hard, and sacrificed and
tried to stake my own claim in this world. Everything I have done was out of
protection for my children. You must remember this. I am engineered, a clone but not the only
one. My...type...was recreated many times.
Eventually, after many assignments, I became pregnant and birthed a
child, something unheard of. She was mine and I couldn't let them take her, I
kept my cover and broke contact.
I have ended up
working with lunatics, mercenaries and even my
old assignments. I couldn't leave Auspar and I couldn't hide forever.
They found me after my baby boy was born, the same uniqueness as my first born.
My creators undoubtedly wanted to take
me apart to find out how I ticked, what made me different. I countered,
offering my services and my life for my children. All our lives forfeit for
analysis if I failed. They begrudgingly accepted. Prior Braxx became my only
ally during those dark times, my only place of solace, confession and perhaps
absolution. Mine Sur, Lord Shroud, has many memories my creators wanted and I
was the only one in a position to infiltrate. Then the necromancer found Valma,
another crafted being by my creators but living metal.
When my superior
learnt of the discovery of the construct, I was to be terminated, after
bringing Valma to them. I could never leave my children to them. They are the
rarest things in the universe and they must be protected. I cannot be
'terminated',. I won't let it happen to me. I won't let it happen to them.
I have tried to deactivate the decryptions and
safeguards and Valma. This creature may possibly hold the information my
creators need to finalise their plans. I wasn't fully successful but I believe
I have initiated a cascade failure. She will in time act like an adult. Lily,
Eryn, you must raise this construct, as its programming becomes unblocked. The fragmented
memory-net can be easily corrupted while it rebinds. With a successful recompilation
and eventual reboot it could hold the key to stopping my creators.
The best thing now is
to for me and mine Sur to carry on. I must honour my promise to make him a
Lord. In the upper floors of the city, amongst the rich, I have never heard of
a clone reaching such distinctions. Perhaps this masquerading power play will
buy us enough time, knowledge and resources to end this. Enough to save my
children, enough for them to have a future.
Please find my children
and protect them. I have used both my 'father' and the old woman near my
homestead, to hide them. They were to put them in the safest place possible out
of a list I had given them. A list they hopefully burned along with the
memories of me, my children and anything out of the ordinary. You must convince
Braxx to try and get them to remember.
The machines in his blood should react to the trace signals of the
augmentations and repair them, along with the neural connections. If you found
out anything, anything at all speak this word to a willing Guldspar, Antithykera. That should hopefully activate his blood and
through Shroud, fortunately, we can communicate.
I have a couple of
things I have set up for you to retrieve that may be beneficial if you go to
Braxx. Eryn this should hopefully solve some of the possible variations you go through.
She handed over a a small stone tablet with a crystal screen. There is a device for you Chloe with Braxx,
but be warned, it is only to be used in dire circumstances. And for the
necromancer, something Valma suggested. She handed over a polished black obsidian
orb with golden veins running through it. This
has been the way I tried to dodge my creators, and their constructs. It is of
no use to me anymore, the possibilities it can show are not certain and I have
fallen foul of it. It may help your' unorthodox' approach to wealth or so Valma
informs me. The last is this, an octagonal plate. When placed between the palms
of the hand, the veins in the obsidian should pulse, allowing a single
communication to me, directly. I'm trusting you with this Eryn, only use that shard in a dire emergency.
The daylight had faded and the cold light of the moon could be barely seen
through the denseness of the clouding sky. The
shadows of the city spires have now blanketed the city. It is time for us to go
Mine Sur.
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