46. Home for wayward souls.

Shortly after the fight, and after silver disbanded her mana, her parents pop their heads out, seeing the courtyard covered in blood and corpses, and silver standing nearby, her metal arm soaked nearly to the shoulder in blood. Her dad seeing the mess, can only shake his head as her mother goes back in, seeming unfazed by the destructive nature of her daughter. "I swear, you'll earn more of a reputation for no prisoner's than as someone strong with the way you tend to outright kill everyone." Her dad calls out to silver her gives as short reply in answer. "Would you rather they return again well prepared and with more friends?" At this silver tears a somewhat clean shirt off one of the corpses, using it to wipe her metal arm off carefully. Her dad, on hearing this, is left speechless, opting to close themselves back in their new home, leaving silver to deal with the mess. After roughly ten or so minutes, silver was able to wipe enough blood off for her satisfaction, before dragging all of the corpses to a place far from their homes, where she noticed that everyone had stacked the other corpses, a small mountain on the far edge of the city. 'Do people just see a glowing neon sign above me that reads 'weak and vulnerable? You would think they would start believing the reports, guess I am too small and too rare to be taken seriously?' She can only think as she returns to her throne room, determination to grow her army, and security forces, her eyes glowing fiercely. Taking up a meditative position upon her throne, she slowly lulls herself deeper into her sea of consciousness, eventually her inner mind comes into full view behind her eyes. The Littered battlefield filling her vision once more, her goals now, to find more of those quadrapedal machines. Exploring the world, she finds planes, tanks, armored cars, Even a few motorcycles with strange military equipment on them, but it takes awhile before arrive near a coast in her mind, in the shallow waters, hundreds of naval ships, some ancient looking, others looking far above any design she had seen before, but despite all the options, her eyes eventually land on a small grave yard of mechanical beasts. Littered along the coast, some nearly completely buried, silver walks up to one, its armor rusted and bare of any paint, but what drew her to this one was the sheer amount of damage it is sporting. The armor riddled with dozens of small arms rounds, and large holes and chunks blown out of it, as if hit with some sort of heavy ordinances several times, even the head is half missing from one of the ordinances landing a solid blow. 'Man...you took a beating before you went down huh...I wonder if you would be willing to join your Bother in my service?' On this thought, she touches it like she did for Tyr's fragment. Getting sucked in, Silver finds herself standing in a factory, and gunshots, mixed with the roar of artillery can be heard. Running to the source, silver sees a group of faceless soldiers, firing blurry weapons at a magnificent machine, who is tearing through soldiers and some sort of walking tank, seeming desperate and angry. 'Sooooo...am I fighting with you...or dismantling you? Atleast I have two arms now.' Standing to the side, silver watches the machines struggles for some time, despite having countless battles under her own belt, she can't help but have respect for such a fierce machine. But, seeing as it hasn't tried attacking her after nearly ten minutes, Silver makes the decision to help it. Making her move, she starts striking the soldiers remaining, moving like a blur, her new metal arm, put to good use, claws out and blood flying. Silver flies through a dozen soldiers like a knife through paper. But she doesn't stop there, no she proceeds to attacking everything, the strange tanks, ripping them apart, dozens of soldiers and several walkers fall in just a few minutes, though silver having been careless did get hit a few times from stray bullets or bullets meant for her, she didn't really care, her healing factor making it near impossible to die to just a few wounds. Eventually, silver catches up to the machine, coming up to it, she can see it condition is quite bad, sparks are pouring out of holes in its armor, and the motors can be heard, whining and protesting every motion it takes. Seeing this silver makes a quick conclusion, it doesn't have much fight left, it cant fall, not yet. Silver moves, like a dark wraith of death, soldiers and tanks fall rapidly, cleaving her path to the machine. "HEY, TAKE COVER! I WILL CLEAR YOUR PATH! AS SOON AS YOU CAN MAKE A BREAK FOR THE EXIT!" Silver yells over the deafening den of gunfire. At first, the machine doesn't seem to notice or respond, but after it pounces on a soldier that was close to a downed tank, it doesn't leave the cover, letting silver take a relieved breath before her thoughts shift, letting her battle rage take over, a full fledged slaughter begins, ignoring the wounds that she accumulates, her eyes filled with madness, and a maniacal laugh echoing from her near constantly. It only takes her a half hour to completely wipe out all of the soldiers, even the ones seemingly pouring in from nowhere, part of the world hidden in darkness, but it didn't matter. Once the world falls silent, almost as if disappointed, Silver's eyes slowly clear of the madness, the laughter ending. 'What? No more? I was just starting to have fun too' with this thought, silver jogs back, finding the machine, damaged heavily, nearly bursting into flames from all the sparks and smoking servos. "You are badly damaged, I can try to do some repairs, at least enough so you don't burn down leaving, will you allow my aid?" Silver asks, hoping to get a response from it, the lights in the head flickering on and off intermittently, for a moment nothing, but then a mechanical voice, feminine in nature, despite the design of the machine being large and bulky. "Aid, yes. Dont want to...expire." With a short nod, silver gets to work, digging into the holes of the armor, ignoring thw burning flames as she yanks chucks of debris from the joints, pouring mana into the inner most region, it slowly mends destroyed wires, eventually the sparking stops, eventually, silver works on the servos, pullimg blown fuses, only to use mana to repair them and click them back, eventually, the worst of the internal damage is patched, but only enough for mobility, the armored hull beyond combat effective loss, being more holy than a religious text. "There, that should get us moving" stepping back, the machine stands, though the metal creaks and groans, protesting the weight, showing signs of integrity damage, but holding up for now. The Machine moves slowly, the joints making it hitch and jerk occasionally, but it is moving. It takes quite a long time but they reach a bay door that's closed. Silver moves to open it, but as she does, she notices that there is nothing on the other side but white mist. 'Interesting, is this the end of its memory? Did it die before gaining freedom from the factory?' Thinking this, silver talks to it. "What happened, for you to end up here?" The machine pauses looking at Silver, though the lights flicker, she does gain a reply. "B-bo-born here." The machine glitches, the words stuttering. " Go...I'll see you on the other side." The machine doesn't reply, simply limps its way out of the door, and disappearing from her sight. And a moment later the world fades, before appearing beside the destroyed unit once more, a fragmented piece of metal floating in front of her, this one sports an uncanny image of silvers face making her perk up. 'Hey, you remembered me huh, well, guess what, how does living on in my undying army sound huh? Where i can fix you always and if you do fall you'll be right back?' Silver grabs the fragment with an very satisfied grin. Pulling herself out of her consciousness, much like swimming, the weight of sleep making her almost want to stop. But, alas, she eventually awakens, her eyes fluttering. But as she was just about to get up and work on a new project, the sound of hushed voices, and the light clack of some sort of stick tapping the hard metal surface of the city can be heard, making Silver's ear's twitch. 'Who the hell keeps stumbling into my city? The bloody walls are up! Did they walk the entire wall to find the one opened door the micah went through? Are they bloody scaling the wall? I really do not want to make a massive fire ring around the city or something!' At this, silver summons her turrets around her throne, before settling into what she hopes is a more regal and imposing pose on her throne. What enters, makes silver nearly break her character to laugh, its just two people, one skinny as a stick kid, male, roughly five or so foot tall, and a young girl who is holding his shoulder with one hand, and tapping a long white stick back and forth. 'Blind?how the bloody...' Silver doesn't say anything, waiting until they make it a bit closer. But as silver had watched them approach and was about to speak up, the blind girl is the one who reacted, pulling the skinny kid up short, a tremor running through the girl as she shakes like a leaf, more than 20 meters away, and silver hadn't made any moves of aggression, or her turrets making a sound. 'Does she have eyes like mine? I haven't moved an inch...what i do to scare her then?' Is all silver can think before speaking out. "Welcome traveler's, care to tell me your reason for being here? And sharing who you are?" Silver asks, though she wasn't yelling, the blind girl bows into herself, stumbling on the words she speaks. "G-g-g-greetings Extraordinary one! I am alissa, and thanks is my brother, h-he hasn't awakened yet. I-i....we have come, looking for sanctuary, I am blind , s-so it is hard to go hunting to l-level up." The boy doesn't say anything, back shifts back and forth on his feet, his eyes darting from his sister to Silver and back again, seeming to pick up on Alissa's tripedation. "What is it you see that makes you so terrified, despite being blind?" Silver asks, still curious. "I-its haggard to explain...B-But put...simply, I see m-mana?" Silver lifts an eyebrow, rolling out of her throne, walking over to the girl, leaning in closer, her eyes shimmering slightly as she peers into the girl a bit. "So what do you see from me that is so terrifying?" The poor girl is no trembling ,her knees tapping a bit as she struggles to speak. "S-so m-much m-mana....h-how?" The girl stutters out, barely above a whisper. 'I am not even using mana?' Silver shakes her head. "So you have eyes like mine, but...without the rest of the world to break the view huh." Silver sighs, catching alissa's chin, tilting her head left and right, making the girl more terrified as she can feel the cold metal on her skin. "Please, don't....don't k-kill us." Alissa stutters out, a lone tear rolling down her face. "Kill you? Why would i do that? You have done me no harm, if anything I see a rabbit, and a new born in the two of you. Oh, I am silver by the way, as in the one with a nasty reputation, like...terrorism, multiple accounts, the incident in the asari city, and being a one armed creation class, though the one armed bit is a bit dated. Don't worry, most of those stories are only half truths. Calm down a bit okay?relax a bit." Its at this point silver finally noticed the near comical sized witch hat, but she doesn't say anything, but she does struggle with herself to keep from laughing.

It takes alissa awhile to slowly calm down though she keeps her head bowed and eyes averted, her brother on the other hand has his eyes glued to silver, a weary gaze, like that of someone who would be confronted with a strong wild beast, and caution is necessary. "By the gods you two are scared for no reason haha. Fine fine, the two of you came her for something, I doubt it is for a malicious reason seeing the both of you are fearful. If you wish to stay in my city, and potentially grow, I will allow it, but you both will have to find a way to contribute or assist in some way sometimes, housing water and food are obtainable without issues for now, but it's still better to do what you can, whether that's security...farming...corpse disposal, looting equipment, or creating potions, whatever you can contribute is well, as for the disabled, it is difficult for you, but there are ways to help you, if you choose to grow stronger, my people will ensure your safety so long as you have a way to fight." At Silver talked, she stepped away from them, moving back to her throne. "This is a place for the wayward souls, a new start, an equal standing place, but everyone must earn their keep or have someone help earn it. Even my people are not exempt from this rule." Hearing this the two siblings shudder, but look contemplatively to each other, seeming to have a silent conversation for a moment, when alissa asks a question. "H-how will you help us grow?" Silver eyeing the girl, smiles, almost predatory like, though that's just how she is, answers. " depending on your needs, I could send you in the dungeon with my people, or if that isn't they way for you, you can wait until i have a few robot units, whom will escort you through a dungeon as far as you want to go, they will be able to act as your eyes, and hold things at bay until you can attack, however that may be. But it will take time for that." Silver shrugs at this point watching them. "Why?" Is a quick reply. "Why? As in why help you? I was once disabled, not only that, but my goal is to have everyone have an equal placement here, will special treatment happen? Of course, but everyone is mortal, everyone can grow, and anyone can have a disability, that shouldn't be your only defining trait." Hearing this the two sibling's break into a small whispered conversation, her brother telling alissa what he sees, and describing how silver acts, though its only been a moment. And alissa talks to her brother about whether if its safe, or they should leave and find a safer city. After several back and forth, the two finally look at silver before speaking quite softly, Alissa though calm still seems terrified of Silver despite silver being somewhat approachable. "I-if its alright, we would like to stay...though my brother hasn't awakened yet, I-I am a witch caster...M-my spellbook..." Alissa stops for a moment, rummaging at her side pulling a small, book out opening it, she glides her fingers over the surface, as she does hidden characters light up, though all silver can mostly see are blank pages. "My book is written in brail. T-the system accommodated for my disability, I-i can fight." The blind girl says, as if trying to plead their case. "What else can you do? As a witch, most of them can make small potions and elixers and other things, are had your class, only been driven for combat thus far?" Silver asks, knowing some of the witch class as, mostly seen creating small healing elixers, or stamina rejuvenation potions, though they are usually quite pricy, a reason silver never go any."ooh yes, i have basic a-alchemy in my class, B-but i cant afford the ingredients." The girl bows her head, as if hoping silver wont get angry. "Ah, well at least you have the skill, for now though, I wont be able to accommodate that portion of your class, so tell me, where would you like to be in the city? You can pick any point in the city you want, and I will ensure housing, though there is a market district, I don't know if you want to live in a store, I left some of them up just to outline there." After some thoughts the two pick a spot somewhat close nearby, choosing a home location a few hundred yards away from the other's, Silver simply waves a hand, and the rumbling of the city can be heard, a fresh building rising from the ground, her commands heeded, despite no direct link to it, like the crystal. The two bid their goodbyes and leave, two more people now added to the slowly growing city.