Chapter CCLXXXIII: More Fun with the Metal Man ~Multehx

The sun shone brightly, and the air was filled with the sounds of children and their elders screaming and running in terror. The massive metal monstrocity lumbered through the town, pausing to launch a tethered fist at a fleeing peasant.

With a loud noise, each time, the fist would smash a hole in the ground where its target had just been standing a moment before, its cable would tense, retract, and the fist would snap back into place on its wrist.

Nonth snickered as he progressed, waving a finger mockingly. "Now, now, you kids gotta learn to stay in one place if you're gonna play with Uncle Nonth."

Cackling devilishly, he twitched ever so slightly and a wave of electricity passed over his body. He nodded his non-existent head and raised his index finger, stating loudly, "Iron is a vital need of any well balanced diet, and people today are just sadly below the health standards. Start YOUR day the RIGHT way!"

As the electric-wave faded from view, Nonth straightened up and glanced around.

As he scanned the houses, he found himself muttering, "Yes...I heard once that it's never healthy to deprive one's self of something they need...and after that growth-spurt, I. NEED. METAL!" His hands clanged loudly as the knuckles of each collided with those of the other. "But this town is so......old. Where am I going to find metal?..."

Fortunately for the marvel of mechanics, over the screams of terror, it heard another sound; a dull, almost inaudible "clang". As he listened more intently, he heard the sound again, and once more after that. The clangs seemed to follow a soon predictable rhythm. An odd sound echoed from the depths of Nonth's collar. To those who heard it, it probably sounded like a furnace clearing. To others, most likely a toaster oven backfiring. But to the ears of any trained scholar of robots, it was stifled laughter.

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The blacksmith wiped the sweat from his brow, heaving a wearied sigh. It had truly been a hard day's work, but it had been worth it. The ornate, sturdy, six-foot long broadsword sat on the anvil where it had just been pounded into perfection with the smith's hammer and craft-full eye for weapon design. It would make a fine blade for the one who ordered it indeed.

Though, as he turned to the front of the shop to put up the sign announcing the place was closed until the following morning, he wasn't expecting the front door to explode off its hinges, sail through the air deftly, and hit him, knocking him out cold where he fell.

Squeezing under the doorframe, Nonth snickered at the arm limply lying beneath the battered door on the floor.

"Don't get up, I'll help myself," the being laughed maniacally, making its way over to the forge.

Examining the shelves of metalwork the smith had crafted, it groaned in dismay. "Only lousy scrap pieces..." it muttered, picking up a few horseshoes in one hand, a doorknocker in the other. Hesitantly, it shrugged. "Guess these shall have to do," it noted before the metal objects seemed to be pulled into its palms as seamlessly as something of mass into ordinary water.

It continued this pattern, absorbing everything made of metal on the shelves it laid its hands on. Nonth only paused a minute as it spied a collection of steel arrowheads.

Slowly, a clever plan began to form in his computeristic brain. Closing one hand over the arrowheads, Nonth slowly took them in as he did the other objects from the smith's. Similarly, an open tool box sitting on the work bench suffered a similar fate.

Glancing about, the robot then spied the steaming sword on the anvil. Without even contemplating how hard it had been worked on to be fashioned into such perfection, Nonth smirked as he promptly absorbed the hilt into his hand, the blade following its handle into his hand until just the tip stuck out of the center of his palm. Then, a few seconds later, nothing remained of even that.

The robotic being chuckled darkly, glancing over its shoulder at its prey, still suspended in the grasp of the tendrils. "Soon, host," it grinned, "soon I'll end your suffering once and for all. It seems you live about thirty more minutes though, as that's when the download completes...though, I might like to take a look around your head a bit before I assimilate you."

* * * * * *

Tehxnot'lucan throated a growl as he peered around the corner. Sure enough, the intruder was still there, making his way slowly but surely through the passage. "Just wonderful..." he muttered, "Leave for a few things at the store, come back to get stuff to find what the main man wants, a hero wannabe has decided it's time to storm the castle..." He shook his head, rubbing it with a hand. "I hate this damn luck of mine."

Daedalus had encountered much in his travels, but what he was about to encounter would be a new one. From around a corner up ahead, a figure spun into the hallway, facing him. Though he managed to get a brief glance at the fellow, it was very brief as the other seemed to be running straight at him. Reflexively he readied an attack. But he never had a chance to fire.

With the same great speed it had been sprinting, the being leapt to the wall, pushed off it, flipped through the air, and seemed to land in a crouch on the ceiling, tearing off into a wild dash over his head. Though, as it was passing, he could recall it snickering, waving a hand, and calling down to him, "Sorry, gramps, but I got some work to do. Catch ya later, hoser."

Then it was gone. Only the eerie silence of the castle was there to keep him company now.