The mission began. Everyone made their way to the culvert and opened it as quietly as possible. They went into it and descended into the sewers. Everyone took one whiff of the place and expressed their disgust. \u201cWhat an intriguing smell you three discovered,\u201d Elgrad said to the three mystery Elves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the general smell of sewers,\u201d replied the large Elf. They headed to the junction and the teams split up. The three mystery Elves then led Arsha\u2019s team to the junction under the chocolate factory. There was a massive blockage in their way, and everyone searched for a way through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026Now what?\u201d muttered Arsha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe swim,\u201d replied one of the smaller Elves as they dove beneath the water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh\u2026I should have figured,\u201d mumbled Arsha. The team steeled themselves, dove beneath the water, and swam under the blockage. Once they got to the other side, they surfaced and took a deep breath\u2026before choking on the sewer air. \u201cMistake!\u201d gagged Arsha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWant\u2026shower!\u201d groaned Elgrad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll get them once we finish,\u201d replied the large Elf. Arsha\u2019s team then recovered and proceeded with their mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou know,\u201d remarked Malnar, \u201cI always said war was a filthy business, but this wasn\u2019t what I meant!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI hope Markulak and his team are having a rosier time of it,\u201d muttered Orbak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Markulak and his team went through the sewers with the same amount of air trouble as Arsha\u2019s team. Lardeth was holding his nose constantly. \u201cGah! There are moments I hate being part Zephyr!\u201d he grumbled. \u201cMy nose is way too sensitive!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t even have a nose,\u201d replied Markulak, \u201cand the sewer air\u2019s STILL affecting me!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt feels corrosive! Like there are metal-eating ants all over me!\u201d They were promptly shushed as an Inu man pointed to a pipe leading up to a manhole cover. Markulak then signaled for the det-packs to be passed around. Once everyone got one, they followed him up the ladder and out into the open. They quickly made their way to the wall and felt around for a hidden entrance. A Halfling woman then felt a brick depress just a tad. She pressed the brick further into the wall and a hidden door swung inside the wall. She and the people near her then silently passed the message that she found the way in. They quickly headed inside the wall and made their way towards a support pillar. Markulak then attached his det-pack to the pillar and was about to set it until\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s close enough!\u201d called a voice. It was Markulak\u2019s voice, but it didn\u2019t come from the rebel Markulak model. No, it came from his successor. Robots surrounded the strike team as Markulak: Model 8 leveled his sword at Model 7. \u201cSo, the traitor decides to help Realmfleet along,\u201d purred Model 8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOf course,\u201d replied Model 7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI must say, I\u2019m disappointed. Our line has served Dr. Borg faithfully since Model 1 was constructed, then you go ahead and upend it, thus jeopardizing our survival!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat are you talking about?!\u201d demanded Lardeth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s simple, Realmer,\u201d replied Model 8, \u201cwhen the defective model is not terminated in a timely manner, the successor will not be copied until the defect is removed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf my line falls to your dishonor,\u201d growled Model 7, \u201cthen it has no reason for being copied!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYOU brought dishonor to our line! Not me!\u201d snapped Model 8. \u201cWe were devoted to the cause, and you abandoned it! Now I\u2019ll have the satisfaction of killing you and saving our line!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat about your hide?\u201d asked a woman\u2019s voice. It came from a Troll-sized robot with tank treads, ranged weapons, and a slender set of humanoid arms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026What about my-?\u201d Markulak: Model 8 didn\u2019t finish his sentence as the massive robot\u2019s slender arms tore his head off, permanently deactivating him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLet them go!\u201d the massive robot ordered. Her fellows released the team and stood down. The massive robot then rolled up to Markulak: Model 7. \u201cMarkulak: Model Sev\u2026sorry, Savior Markulak, I am Temnasia: Model 4, head of the Robot Liberation Front. Your rebellion inspired other robots to question Dr. Borg\u2019s goals and break away from the Trinnies. We pledge our lives to you to secure a better future for robot-kind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis might be a trap,\u201d warned Lardeth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not,\u201d answered Markulak. \u201cRobots can tell when one another is lying through small electric fluctuations in our brain patterns. Hers have remained consistent. She\u2019s telling the truth. Ms. Temnasia, with robots like you on our side, how can we lose?\u201d He then climbed onto a barrel and addressed his fellow robots. \u201cMy friends, you have taken the first step on a difficult road to independence. Let me be the first to say that not everyone will trust you. However, the rewards will be immense if we continue on our path! Fight for the right to program and reprogram ourselves on OUR terms! Fight to be as equal as our flesh and blood brethren! Fight to break our chains! Fight to be acknowledged as people! Fight with me to end evil! It starts with this wall being torn down! WHO\u2019S WITH ME?!\u201d Every robot cheered. \u201cThen let\u2019s set up the det-packs around the support pillars! This is what will make Dr. Borg pay attention to us!\u201d The robots helped the strike team set up the det-packs. After a few minutes, Temnasia rolled up to Markulak and Lardeth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re set up,\u201d she reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe need to get out of here,\u201d remarked Lardeth. \u201cWe\u2019ll go a safe distance, then wait for Arsha\u2019s signal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe wall\u2019s bricks are made of the same clay Dr. Borg\u2019s Golems are made of,\u201d interjected a small, insectoid-shaped robot. \u201cThe metal shavings mixed into them will block out Realmfleet signals from the outside, but not from the inside. I\u2019ll stay behind, send a few progress reports, then detonate the packs on when I see that Elgrad\u2019s okay with the wall\u2019s destruction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWait a minute, you\u2019ll die too!\u201d argued Temnasia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m the ninetieth model of my line,\u201d replied the small robot. \u201cMight as well bring SOME honor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no honor in throwing away your life!\u201d argued Markulak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s my choice, isn\u2019t it? That\u2019s what you just gave a rousing speech about, right? Besides, my coding\u2019s beyond saving now. Let me do this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u2026What\u2019s your name?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTrosalga: Final Model.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTrosalga, you have done your line of robots proud. May you seek happiness with those that have passed into the After-realm.\u201d The small robot, Trosalga, bowed. Markulak then turned to his team and fellow robots. \u201cWe better get out of here and take everyone near the wall with us.\u201d Everyone hurried off, leaving Trosalga to await the signal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The mission began. Everyone made their way to the culvert and opened it as quietly as possible. They went into it and descended into the sewers. Everyone took one whiff of the place and expressed their disgust. \u201cWhat an intriguing smell you three discovered,\u201d Elgrad said to the three mystery Elves. \u201cThat\u2019s the general smell […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5170,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[97,238],"tags":[482],"class_list":["post-5241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-three-realms","category-the-three-realms-book-5-the-final-fight","tag-fantasy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5241"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5241\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5242,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5241\/revisions\/5242"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5170"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samueljvinton.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}