[Mkguild] MK story part 6

[Christian Okane]

Here is part 6 of my Metamor Keep story!

Chris
The Lurking Fox

 


   "And this is Sydney," Carlisle said. Resting on a bench in one corner was
the metal lion. The creature had been polished and glistened in the lion.

   "A fine looking automaton," Misha said as he ran his hands along the
metal felines spine. "But I don't see many spells on it."

   "There aren't many," Carlisle explained. "When we first received it there
were only a few simple spells on it. Mostly for preservation and
strengthening the skeletal structure."

   "Perhaps I could add a few runes of strength and protection," Misha said.
"And a few to improve animation and movement."

   "I have considered that but we have been concentrating on the older
feline," Carlisle said. Carlisle took the small group to a door deeply
recessed into one wall of the workshop. The door was made of one piece of
steel. The man placed his hand in the center of the door and after a moment
there was a soft click. Slowly and silently the door swung open. "We have
Salona stored in here. This room is as secure a place as we have here. The
walls are 4 feet thick and reinforced with wards and alarms. The only place
more secure is the Vault itself."

   "Have you had anyone attempt to steal her?" Caroline asked as she
followed the two through the door.

   "Not yet," Carlisle answered.

   The room beyond the door was brightly lit illuminating a large workbench
in the center. Resting on the table was a metallic figure. The body was
robust and muscular like a bear's but compact, condensed... strength
distilled and refined into precisely calibrated power. The hind legs were
proportionally shorter than the front legs and the spine sloped down towards
the short, lynx like tail. This cat was not a fast runner but the muscular
body and legs spoke of immense power. A thick, muscular neck connected the
head to the body. Foot long front teeth protruded downward from a short
muzzle. From the bottom of her paws to the top of her head Salona stood over
four feet tall. and was over eight feet long from nose to tail. the spotted
pattern on her skin reminded Misha of the rosette shaped ones on a panther.
But these spots were of silver and electrum on a skin made of brass, bronze
and gold. The long teeth like great curving daggers, sharp as winter's bite.
Above them were whiskers of bronze so finely crafted that, even in slumber,
they gently swayed with a passing breeze. The entire metal creature had been
cleaned and polished and glistened in the light. The only sign of wear was a
slight pitting and scratching on the teeth and a few dents on the right
shoulder.

   Caroline pointed to the left side of the metal feline. The metal skin
there had been covered by a finely painted mountain landscape. Tall
mountains covered with glistening snow dominated a valley filled with lush,
rolling meadows. Wild flowers covered the valley with a riot of colors.
"Beautiful painting."

   "It's the Flower valley in the Sylvan mountains," Idette said.

   "It was on that section when we found it," Carlisle explained. "It was
such a fine work of art that we left it on. As to who painted it; we don't
know."

   "I think it's perfect," Caroline said softly. "It adds character."

   "Be careful," Idette said. "Spells . . . "

   A wave of a black furred hand silenced the woman. "I understand!" 

   He walked up to the motionless metal Smilodon. "Good lord!" Misha
muttered. "This is magnificent!" he whispered. The vulpine gently placed a
hand on the flank of the creature. Blue and gold sparks danced along his
arm. He shook his arm and the sparks vanished. "Did you cast this protection
spell?"

   "No," Carlisle answered. "It activated the moment the body was completed.

   "You didn't have to activate the spell?" Misha asked.

   "No, it automatically activated itself."

   "That's good!" the fox said with a wag of the tail. "Means the rest of
the spells are probably intact. Remind me to give you the spell to counter
the protection. It was not meant to stop an automicant just keep away
everyone but one."

   "We thought as much as the jolt it delivered was rather mild but we were
cautious about testing it any further," Carlisle said.

   "A wise move around unknown magic," Misha commented. "Especially Automata
magic."

   "Also we believe there are more potent defenses remaining undiscovered,"
the mage added.

   "That's a certainty." Misha slowly stroked the massive metal head. "I
don't see any magic but that's normal. Madog literally radiates no magic at
all on the outside."

   "The inside is covered with runes, symbols and wards," Carlisle said.
"They were all dormant but I doubt they stayed that way."

   "Let's get a look inside," Misha said. "And find out."

   Carlisle handed the fox a screwdriver with a very tiny blade. "This will
work on all the skin sections."

   Misha took the tool. "They all use the same attachment methods?"

   The mage nodded in response. "Yes but the more vulnerable sections are
also held with very fine type of rivet."

   Misha picked one of the larger skin sections located over the stomach and
examined it closely. It was actually 35 smaller pieces held together in a
very fine interwoven mesh.

   From a pocket on his vest the fox took a small bottle and a paintbrush.
"Put out your right hand please."

   Carlisle and Idette both extended their hands simultaneously.

   With fast, deft and precise strokes Misha painted a series of complex
symbols on the back of the man's hand. "The paint is special and part of the
spell. Well, It's not exactly a spell." The fox paused a moment. "It's more
like a permission slip," he explained as he painted the same symbols on the
woman's hand. "It leaves the protection spells intact but tells them to
leave you alone."

   Idette examined the symbols on her hand. They were a complex series of
interwoven lines. The fox had painted them in mere moments and yet they
looked as precise as if they had been stamped there. "But be careful its
only a basic permission and I'm not certain of exactly what it works on."

   "Thank you," Carlisle said. "There are higher level permissions?"

   "Oh yes but let's start with this one," Misha said. "Each of the more
sensitive parts has its own such protection."

   "How long will this last?" Idette asked.

   "Several hours. Less if the paint is rubbed off. So be careful."

   An hour of careful work got the section of skin loose. Misha gently
pulled the piece of skin free and turned it over.

   Everyone in the group let out a gasp of surprise as they could see the
powerful magic that radiated from the piece. A quick look inside the
automaton showed everything covered with magic. Misha could see a score of
different spells primary spells and hundreds of smaller ones all working at
full strength.

   "This is new," Carlisle said. "None of these spells were active before.
We suspected that some spells were dormant but not so many."

   "Very impressive!" Misha said. "I recognize many of the spells and wards
but some are unique" The fox peered closely at the interior examining the
complex gears and mechanisms. He was amazed by the sheer complexity of it
all and the fine shape it was in. "Nicely done," Misha said and shook both
Carlisle's, Idette and Alton's hands.. "Congratulations to all of you
Automicants."

   "Nice place," Madog said as a way of announcing his arrival. "Reminds me
of home."

   Misha waved a hand at Madog. "And this is Madog. The oldest, active
automaton in the world."

   "Oldest known," Madog muttered. Then he looked up at Carlisle. "HI!" he
said in a loud and cheerful voice. "Uncle kitty! What big teeth you used to
have."

   Carlisle smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you Madog. I've heard so much
about you."

   "Believe only half of what you see and nothing of what you hear!" The
metal fox announced solemnly.

   "Does he ever say anything clearly and to the point?" Idette asked.

   "No," Caroline answered flatly.

   Madog walked up to Joeline and bowed to her. "Greetings Joeline Oshalu
Anrula."

   The girl looked at Madog for a moment, confused. "Anrula?"

   "He's being friendly," Caroline explained. "I've no idea what Anrula
means but it's not an insult."

   She smiled. "Hello Madog! My name's Joeline Oshalu."

   "Young lady, small mage, big lady, big mage!" Madog said cryptically.

   "Ah, " the woman stuttered. "Thanks. I think."

   "So that is his famous cryptic speaking?" Carlisle asked.

   "Oh yes," Misha answered. "You'll get used to it with time."

   "PRETTY KITTY!" Madog announced loudly and everyone turned to the
automaton. Slowly and silently Madog walked across the workshop. Misha stood
a step behind and watched what the metal fox did as he approached the bench.

   Madog looked at the metal feline as she rested there. There was a long
moment of silence and Madog was as still as the feline in front of him.
"Cousin here but not here. The lights are on but nobody's home!"

   "What's that mean?" Caroline asked.

   "Her heart not here," Madog explained.

   "An important piece is the heart," Misha explained. "At least I call it
that. It 's what truly controls the automation. There is one last part that
you cannot mention to any others. It is called the Culua. It's the vessel
that houses the soul of the automaton."

   "It houses a real soul?" Idette asked.

   "A soul or spirit of some kind," Misha explained.

  Carlisle nodded. "Of course. the use of a soul or spirit is the necessary
evil of automatons. What does it look like?"

   The fox morph shrugged. "I'm not sure. Each is unique but it will be very
finely made and possessing extremely powerful magic. But most clearly is
that it possesses a soul."

   "We'll need divine magic for that," Carlisle commented. "That will have
to be handled delicately. Trafficking in imprisoned souls in any way is
still punishable by death."

   "That is one reason automaton magic went extinct," Misha said.

   Carlisle nodded his head slowly. "I have already been strongly warned by
the Followers and Rebuilders about that. The cardinal actually sent a
personal letter."

   "Really?"

   "Oh yes, guild Master Demarest was most unhappy," the mage commented.

   "Demarest is always unhappy," Misha shot back.

   "So where is the Culua?" Idette asked.

   "You have it," Madog said cheerfully. "You don't know it. You know where
it is but you not know where is."

   "What?" Idette asked, confused. "That makes no sense."

   "It does make sense," Misha answered. "To him. Remember that Madog isn't
human. He thinks along unusual lines."

   "And he likes causing confusion," Caroline muttered. "He's good at it!"

   Idette scratched her chin a moment. "So. You have it. You don't know it
means the guild does have the Culua but it's unrecognized."

   "CORRECT! Absolutely correct," Madog said loudly. "Remember, not all
questions are meant to be answered. Nor should they be."

   "What?" Carlisle asked. "What does that mean?"

   Caroline shook her head. "Don't even bother to ask him. His answer will
only confuse you even more."

   "You know where it is but you not know where is," Idette said. "What does
that mean?"

   "What do you think it means?" Madog asked earnestly.

   "What?" Idette asked and looked at Madog very confused.

   Madog started to talk but Misha wrapped his fingers around the metal
fox's muzzle silencing him for a moment. "I think you've helped her enough
Madog."

   "All rightie!" Madog said cheerfully. "I'll check up on you later!" Then
Madog turned and walked away.

   "Translation," Misha said. "He's done answering questions but you might
get more later."

   "I think I have located the Culua," Cecelia said slowly.

   "You do? Where is it now?" Carlisle asked.

   "The single most heavily protected and hard to reach place in the entire
guild; the Vault," she said.

   "What makes you think that?"

   "Madog said 'You know where it is but you not know where is. That makes
sense if you reword it a little. You know the Culua's location but you don't
know where that location is," Cecelia explained. "He also said we have it
but don't know it. And where does the Guild put powerful but unknown items?
The Vault."

   Carlisle nodded in agreement. "That makes sense. "We know the Culua is in
the vault but we don't know where the vault is. No one does except the guild
master and a few others."

   "What's the vault?" Caroline asked.

   "It's where the guild stores anything unknown, dangerous or too powerful
to be left laying around," Misha explained.

   "Not everything unknown goes there," Cecelia added. "Just the ones that
are deadly or cannot be controlled."

   The group made a fast visit to Cecelia's office and the woman pulled a
large ledger out of a locked cabinet. "This is a list of all unknown items
in the vault."

   A search of the restricted ledger soon located the entry they wanted.
"Item 337. Gold, silver, brass, bronze item shaped like a heart. Weight 4
pounds. Possessing level 24 magic and deadly to the touch. Believed to
contain a spirit but unable to confirm due to the potent and deadly
defenses. Purpose unknown. Date of placement 11-11.405."

   "That's it," Misha said firmly.

   "CORRECT!" shouted Madog. The metal fox appeared suddenly in front of
them and danced about in circles.

   "Does he do that often?" Carlisle asked.

   "All the time," Misha said.


*****************


   It was midmorning when the Guild Master Demarest arrived at workshop of
the Automata department.  He wasted no time with greetings and walked
straight up to Carlisle.

   Carlisle bowed deeply. "Master Demarest! It's a pleasure to see you."

   "Show me this new project," Master Demarest ordered coldly.

   "This way please Guild Master," Carlisle replied.


**********


   The room was quiet as the Guild master examined the automaton. He kept a
respectful distance from Salona as he slowly walked around the metal feline.
Demarest would pause occasionally to examine some detail before moving on.
Always he kept his distance.

   "An astounding piece of art," Demarest said in an awed tone. "I've heard
legends of automatons but I never expected to actually see one." He turned
to the silently waiting group with a bright smile. "Does it work?"

   "Yes and no," Carlisle admitted. "Physically and magically everything is
in perfect working order. What's missing is the controller."

   The guild masters smile vanished, replaced by a scowl. "The soul that
should be inside is missing."

   "Correct," Carl answered. "The soul is most likely in a specially made
container called a Culua. We believe we have located it in The Vault."

   "Are you certain that this culua is in the Vault?" Demarest asked.

   "She sleep in forest!" Madog said in way of announcing his arrival.

   The guild master stiffened and the color drained from his face. "How does
he know that?"

   "Madog knows a lot more than he ever explains," Carlisle said.

   "This is very serious," Demarest snarled. "The location of the Vault is
the most dangerous of secrets."

  "You mean the vault is in a forest?" Joeline asked. "It's in Tol Doron."

   "HUSH girl," Carlisle snapped. "Don't mention that to anyone. People have
killed trying to locate the vault."

   "Yes sir," the girl answered sullenly.

   "Seriously," Demarest explained. "If any others suspected that you knew
the location of the vault they would hunt down you and your family to
extract that information."

   "Why? It's a big forest."

   "Not big enough," Carlisle added.

   "And what of him?" the master said pointing to Madog.

   The metal fox was nibbling on a large steel bar. "I know. You know. She
need to know. No one else know. We keep secret."

   "I will call a meeting of a Divinity dept for tomorrow morning," the
guild master said. "They will in turn talk to their individual faiths."

   "Do we need to actually tell them about the Culua?" Joeline asked.
"That's sure to start a really wild fight. Lots of screaming, yelling and
death threats. No one needs that."

   "It is hard to hide a half ton metal cat forever," Carlisle commented.

   "Your department has been less than secretive in this," the guild master
said coldly. "The entire city knows of it."

   "That was a decision I made. We needed to widen our search," Carlisle
explained. "Some pieces were recovered from off guild property."

   "One thousand, two hundred, thirty five," Idette added. "Including one
part from a Predecessor synagogue, one from a Rebuilder church, another from
a Follower church and the last from a Lightbringer Temple."

   Demarest looked surprised at that statement. "How many parts are there in
total?"

   "Seventy five thousand, two hundred, fifty three," Carlisle answered.

   "I knew the project was complex but I did not realize it was that
involved," the guild master commented. "The original crafting must have been
immensely complex."

   "At least ten years," Carlisle commented. "I have not tried to calculate
the cost."

   "Any idea who crafted it?" Demarest asked.

   Carlisle shook his head. "We have found several marks and emblems but
nothing recognizable. We are awaiting a more detailed examination by Misha."

   "Where is Misha?" the Guild master asked. "He should be here."

   "Visiting family," was Carlisle's response. "Misha is preoccupied with
family issues."

   "I see," Demarest said slowly. "We all have our own issues to deal with
and this automaton is ours. Not his."



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