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The Clockwork Renegades: Forged Steel (Part 3 is up!)

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Fri, 04/20/2012 - 21:00
Za-Ck's picture
Za-Ck

Hey there, Za-Ck here. This is just a small fic I had developing in the back of my head for a while, and the concept got approved by Azure-Orbit, so here it is! This takes place in the same universe as the Clockwork Renegades, which if you didn't know already is an ongoing RP, so check it out if you want:

http://forums.spiralknights.com/en/node/33996

I'm probably not going to continue this fic, but if I think of something more, it may update :)
Note, this is eventually going to be a bit dark, but nothing too graphic I think.
Warning, this first part is quite long, so be ready to sit down for a while.

Here we go!

----------

Deep within the bowels of the Clockworks lay an immense complex. This was one of the most important facilities within the gremlin empire; it being the chief laboratory and production plant of the grand colony. It took up an entire stratum from its sheer size; various pipes spewed steam and fumes into the air nonstop, exposed wires hummed, and gargantuan conveyor belts jutted from it at various angles, constantly producing various components. Within its cavernous depths shone the relentless burning light of the forge creating metal parts nonstop, lighting the otherwise dark and oppressive atmosphere surrounding the area.

This place produced everything from Gremlin tools, to whole sections of the clockworks themselves. It was also here that the Gremlins tested their newest projects, constantly striving to create things deadlier and more explosive than the last attempt, as well as things that were absolutely bizarre.
It is within these very walls our story begins...

---000---

Alerek was tired, stressed, and hungry. He sighed, sitting at his desk, paws over his face. The elderly gremlin was in charge of the most recent endeavor of the laboratory, and progress so far had been slow. Ever since the Crimson Order had suddenly taken control of the entire facility, projects have been started consecutively, one right after the other with little time for rest in between. He had no idea why the Crimson Order was suddenly so interested in developing new weaponry, but it meant less free time and more stress for everyone.

He slowly got up from his chair, leaving his office and closing the door. He then proceeded to wander the hallways a little, passing by other departments and their experiments on his way to his own. Looking over his shoulder, he passed a team developing a new series of gremlin bombs, far more destructive than those currently wielded by demos in the field.

Unfortunately, they still had a tendency to take the user along with it. As he passed by this particular sector, a large explosion rang out, followed by alarmed cries from within. Shaking his head, he continued on his way, knowing that probably another poor test subject had gotten mortally injured in the latest test batch.
Yet another sector contained the current efforts of a very weird experiment indeed. It was a device intended to exchange the minds of two beings, so that Gremlin spies could seamlessly integrate themselves into enemy ranks and sabotage the organization within. It was hoped that this could be a devastating blow to the current invaders of Cradle: The Spiral Knights.

There had been many mishaps with the development of this device, leaving a few dozen test subjects either brain-dead or stuck in an unfamiliar body. Alerek remembered one particularly unfortunate fellow who wound-up stuck in a Jelly Cube's body...
Either way, the device was steadily being refined and coming closer to completion each day.

After passing several more departments, he reached his own and walked in. Here, there were many Gremlin mechanics and engineers walking around, working on various machines and constructs. This was one of the biggest and most important of the projects within the laboratory as a whole, and the Crimson Order was taking particular interest in this endeavor. Alerek took a look over the shoulder of one engineer, who was working meticulously on a small circuit board. He was peering through a large magnifying glass, soldering a very tiny piece to the board.

"How goes progress?" Alerek asked in a raspy voice.

The engineer jumped up slightly in surprise, but luckily didn't damage the piece he was working on.

Turning around, the engineer gave a brief salute. "S-s-sir! I didn't realize you were coming here for an inspection!" He stuttered, clearly a bit nervous about the sudden intrusion.
"At ease there, worker." Alerek said with a gentle tone. He took a look at the circuit board that the engineer had been working on. "Are the chips coming along on schedule?" he inquired.

"Well, from our tests so far, the new artificial intelligence chips seem to be working smoothly, although more testing is required to get rid of any bugs." the engineer replied.
Alerek nodded in approval. "Keep up the good work, and notify me of any major developments." With another quick salute, the engineer turned back to his work.

Alerek took a look around. Everyone was hard at work on "Project 2.0", a gargantuan effort to overhaul all of the current constructs in commission. The goal was to create a new race of "super-constructs", all smarter, more efficient, stronger, and most importantly: more lethal than their current counterparts. There were multiple teams working to create the ultimate construct, and many ideas already were being tested.

One of the most promising attempts so far was improving mecha knights from their basic, sentry-esque programming. Admittedly, standard mecha knights were quite stupid and shoddily made. It was little wonder that even armies of the haphazard creations were mowed down by the dozen by a small team of Spiral Knights. The Crimson Order was delighted to hear however that their new army was coming close to realization.

Not too long ago, the first batch of prototypes had been produced. While capability-wise they were not that much stronger than ordinary Mecha Knights, the experiments to their programming were very informative indeed. It had been proven that they could create calculating, learning minds who could adapt to each battle situation as it came.
Unfortunately, many of the prototypes were quite flawed personality-wise, and were deemed unfit for service. They were either not aggressive enough for extended combat, or were they had the dispositions of mere children. With a heavy heart, Alerek had signed the decommissioning of each, scrapping them for parts and resources. The sheer fact that they had created truly sentient artificial beings was a scientific marvel in of itself, but the Crimson Order wanted ones suited for combat and destruction, which the early prototypes would have been unable to fulfill.

There was one oddity in the record though; a prototype Cryo Knight #Q-77 had mysteriously vanished. No one knew what had happened to it, although one of the scientists responsible for that particular mecha knight's creation, Tickafir, had gone missing as well. It was a shame really, that young gremlin was one of the most brilliant engineers that Alerek had the pleasure of working with, even though he mysteriously showed up one day out of nowhere.

Alerek was snapped out of his reverie when a small Tenderfoot clan gremlin tugged on his sleeve for his attention. Behind the young Tenderfoot was a cart with several bars of a reddish metal.
"Sir, the latest shipment of the volcanic iron that you wanted is here." He stated.

Ah, yes. This shipment would be crucial to the construction of their most promising prototype to date. Alerek walked up to the cart and picked up a bar, inspecting it carefully. The ruddy-hued metal gave an odd sheen and felt very warm to the touch, both signs that this batch was of a particularly high quality. This type of particular metal only formed at very high temperatures and was thus exceptionally hard to come by, but it could be used in alloys to lend structures outstanding durability and heat resistance, so it was prized by gremlins everywhere. The fact that there was so much of the precious substance going to waste on this project didn't sit well with Alerek, but there was little he could do about it.

"Good, get this shipment to the forge to be casted into the parts we need." Alerek ordered.
With a salute, the Tenderfoot dragged the cart behind him, marching to the forge.

Speaking of the new prototype, that was the whole reason Alerek had come down here in the first place, to check up on it. He walked to the back of the room and gazed at what lay there. On a large table lay a massive being. Superficially, it looked like a lot like a mecha knight, but it was far more than that. It was built like a Trojan, and designed to be at least twice as strong. It had a broad, sweeping chest, with stocky legs and a burly, powerful-looking right arm. The left one, instead of the crude wrench-like clamp of a standard mecha knight, was instead a large plier-like device with the sheer power to crush bone. The entire body was covered in thick metal plating and many strong rivets to hold the structure together. Its body was largely composed of that special volcanic iron alloy because its body would need to withstand an absolutely immense amount of heat. It would be a new type of Firo Knight, except with capabilities far exceeding any produced to date.

Instead of the standard 2 Fuel Canisters that ordinary Firo Knights contained, this one had a staggering TEN. Not only that, there was a special container filled to the brim with Flame Souls and other highly unstable/combustible materials. When this thing activated, its body would pretty much be a living furnace. Its chest was currently open, and several gremlin mechanics were fiddling with the complex innards.
"Do you think this monstrosity will work?" Alerek asked one of the mechanics. The mechanic simply wiped some grease off of his forehead with a towel and replied: "Well... all the systems seem to be in working order, and all of the artificial intelligence chips have been loaded."
He took a look at the exposed circuitry.
"All we need now is to rivet the new chest plate into place."

They waited for a while, and during that time, the innards of the construct were completed. The Tenderfoot gremlin eventually returned, but instead of a cart with several bars of volcanic iron, it was instead a cart with a heavy and durable chest plate of refined volcanic steel. The front resembled an old-fashioned furnace or an oven, with a large vented grill prominently displayed on the torso. This would both serve as ventilation for the internal combustion chamber, and it would also allow the owner to spew out flames from it if it wanted to.

Several gremlins got together and together struggled to lift the chest plate into place. Seeing as Gremlins were somewhat short in stature, this was no small feat. Finally, after much gasping and straining, the large metal piece was in place, and the mechanics proceeded to rivet and weld the seams together.

The moment had come, it was time to awaken the slumbering giant. The construct was placed into a standing position, and the workers stepped back away from it. Alerek stepped forth and spoke the activation code:
"Project 2.0 Prototype #V-89, activate."

Immediately, the stylized X-shaped visor lit up with a blood red glow. The pipes mounted on its back roared to life, spewing out copious amounts of smoke and sparks, which left many of the workers hacking and coughing. Flames jumped out from the furnace-chest, actually managing to singe the fur of a few of the gremlins despite standing a respectable distance away. The body began to glow a dull red color, showing exactly how much heat was being produced from its being. In fact, the very floor it was standing on was starting to melt and buckle from the sheer amount of energy it contained.

Sweating a bit from the dramatic increase in temperature, Alerek stated: "V-89, are you aware of your purpose?"

The head of the mecha knight turned to Alerek, staring him down with that baleful red light.
"I AM." It boomed in a deep, monotone.
"And what might that purpose be?" Asked Alerek
"TO SERVE THE GREMLIN EMPIRE, TO DESTROY ENEMIES OF THE CLOCKWORKS, AND TO ELIMINATE ALL WHO STAND IN MY WAY" replied the colossus.

Alerek gave a grim smile.
"I think the Crimson Order will be very pleased with you..."

((End Part 1))

(That's that, more coming soon! I would appreciate a comment or any thoughts you had on my story!)

A rough sketch of V-89 to help you get a better idea of what he looks like, I may redraw him later because I was just coming up with the design in this drawing:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18001357/Antagonist%20Concept.jpg

Sat, 04/21/2012 - 04:18
#1
Shue-Donnym's picture
Shue-Donnym
:3

Nice!

Wait...why'd you need Azure's permission...unless...V89'S GOING TO BE A STORYLINE VILLAIN?!

squeee don't hurt meeee

Sat, 04/21/2012 - 08:03
#2
Za-Ck's picture
Za-Ck
Well

I mostly needed his permission to use his RP's universe, and I won't guarentee anything... but it's a possiblity. :)
If not, this story can stand on its own mostly if need be.

Sun, 04/22/2012 - 09:15
#3
Angelic-Tear's picture
Angelic-Tear
nice!

sounds (and even looks) epic. I don't wike him, he scary wawawawaaaaa!

Thu, 05/10/2012 - 21:13
#4
Za-Ck's picture
Za-Ck
Preparations

((Here is part 2 guys, sorry it took so long, but I was occupied for quite a while))

-000-

They presented the titan with his weapons: A large Plate Shield and what looked much like a burning Leviathan Blade. In fact, it really was a Leviathan Blade that was captured from the Spiral Knights and reverse-engineered to have fiery capabilities. If the Knights could modify gremlin technology, the gremlins could do the same in return. V-89 equipped his armaments and seemed to find them satisfactory as he gave a few test swings of the smoldering blade.

It was now time to leave the workshop and to head towards their next location. Unfortunately, they ran into one complication getting the prototype out of the room, namely that he was so tall, he couldn't fit out the door meant for gremlins. Before they could try puzzling this conundrum out though, the construct simply used his new thermal sword to melt a hole large enough for his body and stepped into the hallway.

Alerek stared at the heap of melted metal that the doorway used to be. With a weary sigh, he ordered some workers to begin the repairs. With a quick beckoning motion, he ordered V-89 to follow him. Together they marched down the hallway as V-89's body heat left imprints on the floor as he walked. A few gremlins looked outside in curiosity as they passed, while Alerek simply tried to ignore their stares.

-000-

Finally, after several minutes of walking, they arrived at their destination: the testing grounds. It was here that many of the newest experiments were brought to be field-tested for battle conditions. It also provided a very large open space away from the main laboratory in case something went awry.

They stopped in front of a large arena, one that could easily hold one of King Krogmo's various games. Alerek knew a few gremlins that liked to attend these events and watch the Spiral Knights blast each other to oblivion instead of fellow Clockworks creatures; but the Crimson Order had strictly forbid such activities when they took over. It didn't stop a few from sneaking out now and then though. Although Alerek never attended such events, he had to admit that they did sound exciting to watch.
Enough speculating now though, there was a job to be done.

Alerek waited alongside the behemoth mecha knight as several other gremlins approached the arena. Alerek turned to each one; they were the team leaders for the other construct projects. Each team was responsible for redesigning and improving a type of construct in their arsenal. Tickafir had been the one responsible for mecha knights, but had disappeared before the completion of the final product, so it had fallen upon Alerek to pick up where he had left off.

Alerek cleared his throat and addressed the assembled gremlins.
"This will be the final test for your teams' construct projects. All of your projects will face each other in battle at the same time to demonstrate their battle prowess. A representative of the Crimson Order is here to view the progress we have made so far on these endeavors, so let's not disappoint him." Each of the other gremlins gave a nod of understanding and together they left the arena, leaving behind the mecha knight to wait.

They marched to a nearby observation room and entered the facility. Inside awaited the Crimson Order representative.
He was decked head-to-toe with a dark robe that obscured his features. The robe was emblazoned with bold red markings that signified his position as a high-ranking member of the Order. As the representative slowly turned to face Alerek and the rest of the gremlin engineers, Alerek couldn't help but feel uneasy.
There was something "off" about this particular gremlin... but Alerek couldn't quite put a claw on what it was. It was simply a foreboding miasma that hovered around him, like something wasn't quite right. Still, Alerek pushed past this and proceeded to greet the dark-robed gremlin.

"Welcome esteemed member of the Crimson Order; we hope that you find our most recent efforts in the construct upgrade project satisfactory." Alerek gave a deep bow of respect.

The member of the Order proceeded to reply in a strange echoey voice that chilled Alerek to the core.
"Let us hope that you don't disappoint us with this display... or you will live to regret it."
Alerek gave a small gulp at this threat. He now sincerely hoped with all his heart that what they had would satisfy the representative. A bit hesitantly, the gremlin engineers together sat down in their chairs and looked out the observation window as the other constructs were released.

-000-

V-89 patiently awaited the upcoming battle. However, it was clear to the observers that he was ready for some action. He was constantly shifting around, flexing his joints in anticipation.
The double doors on the opposite end of the arena then finally opened, allowing the other constructs to step forward into the light.

The first construct that came into view wasn't particularly impressive looking. It was low and squat to the ground and relatively small. Like all scuttlebots, it didn't even look that threatening. Besides the new spider-like legs, a toothed jaw, and some small missile launchers mounted to its shell, it didn't look notably different from an ordinary scuttlebot.

The representative turned to the gremlin in charge of the project, Kresten, with a what looked to be a glare of disapproval... although it was hard to tell seeing as the cloak he wore obscured his facial features. Kresten merely raised his hands in defense.
"Hey, don't look at me like that!" He said. "There is only so much you can do when what you are given is so... basic in the first place!"
With a sigh, Alerek turned to watch the rest of the procession.

The second construct was a bit unusual looking. It was an armored retrode... but it had 3 heads perched atop of its body, each facing in a different direction and forming a triangular shape. Its back was covered by a heavy and durable looking shield, protecting it from rear attacks. Giant tesla coils mounted on its body hummed with energy as its optics began charging up with immense power.

The third construct was big, probably even bigger than V-89 itself. It was a lumber, except it was covered completely in dark sheet metal, obscuring any trace of the wooden material that lumbers were ordinarily made of. It was coated in what looked like metallic brambles that obscured most of its body. It also had two arms, each ending in a gnarled mess of metal spikes that formed crude maces. An almost demonic glow shone from its mismatched eyes as it slowly began to regard its opponents.

The fourth construct was nowhere in sight. A bit confused (and very nervous), Alerek turned to Terren who was in charge of the Gun Puppy project.
"Where is your team's prototype?" Alerek whispered worriedly, glancing at the representative.
Terren simply gave a small smirk and replied:
"Just wait and see."

-000-

The various constructs stared down at each other, regarding each other in silence. V-89 was currently evaluating his competition. The retrode and lumber obviously looked quite powerful, but the scuttlebot should be easy enough prey.
The assembled constructs flexed their joints, readying themselves for conflict. Gears ground and energy cells hummed as the constructs finalized their preparations.

With little warning, the lumber suddenly attacked, raising its arms and smashing the ground in front of it. The other constructs danced out of the way, dodging its initial assault. The fight had begun.

-000-

((The action scene will be next!))

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 11:15
#5
Angelic-Tear's picture
Angelic-Tear
lovely

lovely

busted. I need the action scene. *opens wide and makes fake tears (TEAR is in the name, you'll never guess they're fake)* please can you write an extra cool action scene *blinks a few times*

well, it's great. Did you have to put a cliffhanger though! i want to rrreeeaaaddd!!!!

Thu, 05/17/2012 - 15:57
#6
Za-Ck's picture
Za-Ck
The Battle

((You asked, and I deliver Angelic-Tear :)
Thanks for keeping up with this story so far, I'm glad you are enjoying it))

-000-

V-89 proceeded to try going for the little scuttlebot before attempting to attack the more formidable-looking lumber. V-89 hefted his mighty blade and swung it in a wide arc at the little construct.
However, the scuttlebot was deceptively fast. It skittered around, easily evading the blow and rapidly retreated back a distance before shooting a small barrage of missiles. V-89 simply used its shield to block the blow, but in doing so left his back open to a beam from the retrode.

It scorched his armor, but only inflicted minor damage thanks to his armor's volcanic iron alloy. Slightly irritated, V-89 looked back over his shoulder at the retrode which was blasting lasers in three directions, trying to hit all the other constructs at once. The scuttlebot took this opportunity to once again let loose a barrage of missiles at V-89. This time though, he was prepared.
V-89 rolled out of the way, causing the missiles to hit the retrode instead. The retrode staggered back a bit, temporarily losing its sense of balance. While the retrode was temporarily dazed, V-89 activated his thermal sword, causing it to burst into flame. With a powerful strike, he cleaved one of the retrode's heads clear off its body. Oil and hydraulic fluid flew through the air as the severed head arced towards the ground and landed with a dull thud, its optics going dim. The remaining two heads of the retrode gave an ear-piercing shriek as it flailed in pain. With a quick swipe of its claw-arm, it knocked V-89 away and stumbled back a distance from the mecha knight, trying to get away.

V-89 stood over it menacingly, readying his blade for the kill. Once again though, he was interrupted by the scuttlebot's attack. It scurried around, peppering V-89 with missiles. If anything, V-89 had to grudgingly give the little robot respect for being so gutsy. Still, it was proving to be quite the nuisance. V-89 charged towards it, determined to end the fight in one blow. Unfortunately, his size and mass made it very difficult to actually land a hit, with the scuttlebot being both more agile and maneuverable. V-89 could feel his rage building as he missed swing after swing.

The scuttlebot suddenly opened its jaw, shooting out some sort of cable that latched onto V-89's chest plate. He had little time to consider this before a massive burst of electricity was sent through his systems. With a cry of surprise and pain, he was sent to his knees.

Alright, it looked like V-89 had severely underestimated his opponent; he made a note to himself to not judge opponents on their appearances anymore. However, he wasn't going to let it taste victory, not without a fight at least. Through the pain, V-89 grabbed the cable attached to his armor and ripped it off of his chest. With a squeal of surprise, the scuttlebot tried to rapidly retreat, but V-89 still had the cable firmly in his iron grasp. With a mighty heave on the wire, the scuttlebot was sent flying through the air towards him, and he grasped the robot firmly in his giant claw. The scuttlebot made a futile effort to bite its way out of V-89's hold with its toothed maw, merely managing to scratch the surface. With contempt, V-89 grasped both ends of its jaw with his arms, and simply ripped the construct in two. Gears, bolts, and various viscous liquids flew from the corpse as he thoroughly mutilated it, ripping it into smaller and smaller pieces.
There was something... satisfying in utterly destroying your opponent like that, and V-89 loved it.

Up in the observation room, Kresten looked forlorn at the decimation of his little project. He hadn't really liked it, but it was hard work developing it nonetheless. Alerek patted his back in reassurance.
"At least it put up a decent fight in the end." He told Kresten
With a sigh, Kresten nodded his head and closed his eyes in defeat.

-000-

The lumber and retrode stood still as they watched the giant mecha knight demolish the scuttlebot. If they could express emotion, their faces probably would have displayed shock and horror at the brutality that they had just witnessed. They glanced at each other, the mismatched eyes of the lumber meeting the gaze of the remaining two heads on the retrode. They slowly nodded in a nonverbal agreement, and together they approached the mecha knight while it was distracted.

-000-

V-89 stared at the little pile of scrap that was once a scuttlebot. To add insult to injury, he set it on fire, watching eagerly as the fluid-saturated metal burst into flame, reducing the pile to slag. The fight, although quick, provided a sense of elation that was positively addicting. The small bonfire in front of him was just the icing on the metaphorical cake.
V-89 was enjoying the spectacle when he detected sudden movement from his left. With a quick rolling dodge, he avoided the crushing blow from the lumber, only to almost run into a laser blast from the retrode. So they were working together to beat him eh? This will prove interesting; V-89 relished the challenge. Not to mention, his newfound battle-lust was screaming for more.

It seemed the retrode and lumber were going for some sort of pincer maneuver, trying to back him into a corner so they could finish him off. Clever, but a basic strategy nonetheless. The lumber was relentlessly bashing at V-89's shield, continuing to force him backwards. The retrode helped by periodically shooting lasers whenever it saw an opening in V-89's defenses.

V-89 audio receptors eventually alerted him to a strange hissing noise. Glancing at his shield, he noticed that the gouges left by the lumber's spikes were smoking, and the metal was beginning to corrode. The lumber's attacks secreted acid! This was especially troublesome seeing as the shield was the only thing keeping V-89 from being exposed to the acid himself. Too bad he was now back-to-back with the wall. The lumber and retrode now redoubled their efforts to wear-down V-89's resistance, and his shield was being chipped away little by little. With little choice, he flung the remainder of his shield at the lumber, impacting with its misshapen face and startling it.

V-89 took this opportunity to charge the retrode, who was considerably safer to touch. Grasping it by one of the remaining heads' necks, he swung the whole construct at the lumber, using it as a makeshift blunt weapon. With a sickening screech of metal-on-metal, the lumber was forced backwards as sparks flew from the contact. The retrode in V-89's grasp let out an eerie wailing noise of pain as its now mangled legs began to dissolve from the lumber's acidic secretions. V-89 let the mutilated construct fall to the ground in a twisted heap where it lay twitching in pain.

-000-

The lumber recovered from the blow and stared at the maimed retrode. The massive construct's gaze then settled on V-89, who was brushing off his hands casually. Something began to click in the lumber's tiny processor. Truth be told, the lumber wasn't very smart; they were never designed to be.
However, that retrode had been the closest thing to a comrade it ever had during its short existence, and for some reason, it started to feel very very ANGRY.

-000-

V-89 watched with detached amusement as the remaining portion of the retrode tried to weakly crawl away with its claw, dragging its torso across the ground in a feeble attempt at escape. V-89 placed a boot on its back, preventing it from moving at all. The poor wrecked construct let out a weak noise of distress as it realized that it was about to meet its end. V-89 took this opportunity to glance at the lumber, who was standing still, simply staring at him. The only sign that the lumber wasn't in standby-mode was the fact that its glowing eyes were shining even brighter than before. In fact, if V-89 wasn't mistaken, it seemed quite pissed off. With a guttural howl of anguish, it charged at him, brandishing its mace-arms and swinging wildly.

A bit alarmed, V-89 backpedalled out of the way. Without his shield, a blow could do some serious damage. It didn't look like his sword would be much of a help either, seeing as the sheer momentum of those swings would probably knock it from his grasp. Once again, V-89 found himself in a desperate situation. With little choice, he braced himself for impact.

The next time the lumber swung with its arms, V-89 caught them both with his own. He let out a grunt of pain as the acid began to slowly but surely corrode his armor. However, this provided an excellent opportunity for a counterattack. The lumber was locked in his grasp and couldn't break free. Alarmed, it tried wrenching its whole body from side to side to dislodge V-89, but his grasp was too strong. With the lumber's misshapen face vulnerable, V-89 activated his furnace, causing flames to come roaring out of the grill on his chest. The flames immediately attacked the lumber, causing it to cry out in pain as its protective metal coating began to liquefy. Once again, V-89 felt great pleasure at hurting his opponent like this, despite his own pain from the chemical burns.

-000-

Up in the observation room, all of the gremlins were watching in marked interest as the two constructs neared the end of the battle. One particular gremlin though, Terren, grinned to himself.
"It looks like it is time to release my little project" he said quietly. With a click of a button on a small remote, the double doors to the arena once again opened up, as something approached from the shadows.

-000-

V-89 halted his assault in confusion. The lumber was still not completely finished-off, although its now exposed wooden face was scorched almost beyond recognition. The doors at the end of the arena were opening again... the test wasn't over was it? And V-89 was having so much fun...

All thoughts of the fight ended however when a giant "THUD" echoed from the dark depths of the doorway. It was followed by another, and another. It almost sounded like giant footsteps, but it couldn't be... could it?
Finally, the thing approaching emerged into the artificial light of the arena, showing the monstrosity in all of its titanic glory.

-000-

"WHAT IN THE WORLD?!?!" Alerek shouted in alarm.
The other gremlins were speechless as Terren unveiled his team's masterpiece.
"Behold... the Roarmulus-saurus Rex!" He exclaimed, holding his hands out in pride.

It looked almost exactly like a Roarmulus Twin, except it had two towering legs attached to both sides and a long, prehensile tail at the rear. In addition, mounted to its back was a strange apparatus that no one could discern the purpose of.

"What is the meaning of this Terren?!" Alerek demanded.
Terren merely shrugged casually. "When you assigned me to the gun puppy project, I thought it would be more interesting to improve upon the most powerful gun puppies ever produced to date. The Roarmulus Twins technically ARE gun puppies after all."

He continued on to say:
"The original Roarmulus Twin project was highly flawed, seeing as they could only move on tracks; therefore they were always exposed to each other's attacks, which made them vulnerable to assault by the Spiral Knights. By making them completely mobile, they have less of a chance of attacking one another in battle and furthermore, my team's modifications to the original model should prove quite deadly indeed."

The representative of the Crimson Order gave an excited grin. "This should be quite interesting..."

-000-

V-89 would have gaped at the giant gun puppy if he had a mouth. Similarly, the lumber and retrode seemed to be in similar states of despair. All 3 watched as the mammoth construct let out an menacing howl as it approached closer and closer...

-000-

((Conclusion of the fight will be next time! Comments would be greatly appreciated))

Thu, 05/17/2012 - 16:05
#7
Tevokkia's picture
Tevokkia
Gun puppies indeed

Heh, I know I already told you what I thought about the story, but I am so in love with Terren right now. XD

Fri, 05/18/2012 - 20:00
#8
Shue-Donnym's picture
Shue-Donnym
No subject line spam here, move along

My predictions:

The three of them team up and dispose of the stego-i mean roarmulusaurus rex

The injured retrode expires sometime during the fight.

The lumber mourns the death of its comrade and V89 sneaks up on it and kills it.

Then everything explodes and everyone commits ritual suicide.

Sat, 05/19/2012 - 20:28
#9
Windsickle's picture
Windsickle
So far so good. Nice job on

So far so good. Nice job on the art also.

Sun, 05/20/2012 - 21:46
#10
Za-Ck's picture
Za-Ck
Thanks, and art

Hey, thanks for the complement Windsickle :)

Also, posting my artwork for the Roarmulus-sarus Rex here for the people who don't check the Fan Art thread:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18001357/Roarmulus-sarus%20Rex%20Preview.png

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