[Mkguild] MK story part 9

[Christian Okane]

Here is part 9 of my Metamor Keep story.


Chris
The Lurking Fox



   "Are you sure you're ready for this?"Idette asked nervously.

   "Yes!" Joeline insisted in clipped tones.

   "This will only be a short duration experiment," Carlisle said. "We are
only trying to establish if you can control the automaton."

   The automaton was resting in the small room where it had been stored and
assembled but the room had been stripped of everything but the metal
sabercat and the table it was resting on. Aside from the metal feline only
Carlisle, Idette and Joeline were present. Just outside the room was the
entire Automata department along with two of the guilds combat mages and
eight of the best fighters the guild could hire. All of them had been
soldiers before joining the guild and had long experience fighting the odd
and unusual.

   "Joeline," the department head said slowly. "Go carefully. We're not sure
of how the spells will react to you. Our troubles occurred when we tried to
force our way past the defenses. So if you run into any trouble back out
immediately."

   The girl nodded slowly, a frightened look on her face. Carlisle gave her
a hug. "Don't be afraid. If I thought you were in danger I would never allow
it."

   "The wards are graduated," Idette said. "The harder you try to get past
them the more forceful the reaction from them. So use a gentle touch and if
you cannot proceed without force then stop and withdraw."

  "And if there are problems we can deal with them," Gina said. The woman
was standing several steps back from where Joeline and Salona were in the
center of the room.

   "I will admit to being curious about what species she changes into if
there is a problem," said a male, feline voice. Seated next to Gina were the
lion and lioness. Both were curious enough about the metal sabertooth to
come and observe.

   "When the spell activates you'll find yourself out of your body," Idette
explained. "You'll see Salona and she'll be surrounded by what looks like
barriers of light. Those are the wards protecting her. You need to get past
those and come into contact with the body itself."

   Joeline closed her eyes and tried to relax.

   "Here we go," Came Carlisle's voice.

   Suddenly Joeline was floating above her body. Nearby she saw the metal
sabercat surrounded by a wall of blue light. Without hesitating the young
woman moved toward Salona. To her amazement the barrier just parted like
someone opening a curtain. She extended a mental hand to the shoulder of the
feline and felt something pull her inward. Not hard but gently, like a
mother tenderly leading a young child. In a moment the metal body swallowed
her up and she was inside.

   The first thing Joeline felt was the soft tickling of wind across her
body. It was a delicate sensation, like the soft wispy touch of a cobweb
along her skin. An entirely new world of sounds and smells came to her. She
could hear someone walking outside the building in spite of the foot thick
stone wall. She could smell Carlisle standing close to her. His scent
included a whiff of soap and the tea and mutton he had eaten for breakfast.
Joeline could feel his anxiety and nervousness.

   "I see movement!" The voice of Idette said. The words boomed loudly. "Her
nose twitched."

   "Joeline," Carlisle said in a calm tone. "Can you hear us? Are you in
control?"

   She opened her eyes and a world of light and colors flooded in. Joeline
slowly looked around taking in the sights and sounds of the room around her.
It was the same place and people and yet everything was so different! The
air was filled with a thousand sounds and smells that she never knew
existed. "Wow!" she growled. "This is amazing."

   "How do you feel?" Idette asked. "You in any pain?"

   "No but it's all so different. I can smell and hear everything."

   "Try standing up," Carlisle ordered. "But go easily."

   She looked down at her body and was surprised to see the four metal legs
that were now hers. It took the young woman a moment to coordinate all four
of her legs and stand up. Joeline stood there for a moment getting used to
walking on four legs instead of two. It seemed oddly natural to her. Like
she had been a quadruped her whole life. With each step she could feel this
new body flex and move so easily. She could also feel the incredible power
in the body.

   "How does it feel?" Idette asked. "Any problems?"

   "No," the metal feline answered. "It's hard to believe this was just a
scattered collection of old and dirty pieces a few weeks ago."

   "Indeed," Carlisle said.

   "You're moving about like a real animal," Gina said. "You are mimicking
even the smallest of nuances right down to the muscles under the skin."

   The lion and lioness came up to the metal feline and walked along with
her, one on either side. "The builders who created this made a long and
detailed study of feline anatomy," the lion said calmly. "That is certainly
clear. It's almost as if they changed a real Sabercat into a metal one."

   "It must have been done from a live study," the lioness said.

   "Impossible," the lion countered. "The last Sabercat died over thirty
thousand years ago."

   "But it is very clear they used a live model," Gina commented.

   "Is Madog this exact a duplicate of a fox?" The lioness asked.

   Carlisle shook his head. "No. Madog resembles a fox but he does not have
the exacting details of Salona."

   The lioness stepped very close to her and Joeline felt her fur rub
against the metal skin of the body she was using. The rich, strong scent of
the feline came to her. Also Joeline could smell the hardy, musky scent of
the male.

   "Only in touch does it feel wrong," the lioness said. "It feels cool and
metallic."

   "If you were to cover Salona with a Sabercat skin," Carlisle commented.
"It might be hard to tell she wasn't a flesh and blood feline."

   "There are distinct and clear differences," the lion growled. "That can
be spotted."

   "But not easily," the man countered.

   The lion cocked his head to one side. "What are you thinking Carl? Was
Salona once disguised as a real sabercat?"

   "It would explain why they mimicked the real animal so closely."

   "There is one problem with this concept," the lioness commented. "There
are no Sabercats alive to get a skin from."

   "An artificial skeleton and body so why not an artificial skin to go over
it?" The man said without taking his eyes off the metal feline.

   Joeline gave a short cough of laughter. "You're already thinking about
how to make a skin to go over this metal body."

   "Perhaps a weave of some metallic thread covered with fur," Carlisle said
in a distracted tone as he gestured with his hands.  "It would not truly
resemble real fur but would provide a valuable covering, protecting the body
from the weather."

   "That's what fur does on real animals," the woman observed.

   Joeline looked at her human body which was still stretched out on the
mattress. Right where she had left it. It was an odd experience looking at
her body like that. Suddenly a memory flooded into her mind. She was
standing in another room, this one with walls covered with bright murals.
The floor underneath had a mosaic of horses and other animals on a green
plain. Next to her metal body a human body was stretched out on the floor.
It was a tall, old woman whose nude body was crisscrossed with countless
scars. Her right arm was missing below the elbow as was her right foot. Then
as suddenly as the memory had come it vanished. Joeline found herself laying
on the unadorned floor of the Guilds hall. Everyone was clustered around
her.

   "What happened?" The lion asked. "You suddenly stiffened and fell over."

   "I had a memory," Joeline explained. "I think it was from the metal
body."

   "What did you see?" Gina asked.

   "Suddenly I was in a different room and looking down at the body of an
old woman," the girl explained. "She must have been a warrior because she
had scars all over and was missing an arm and a foot. I think it was Salona.
The original Salona's body before she got into this one."

   "You might be picking up a true memory," Carlisle commented. "Automata
magic does supplement the subject's original memories and skills."

   "Could there be more memories in here?" Joeline asked nervously.

   "Perhaps," the man replied. "You've done more than enough. It's time you
returned to your own body."

   The flesh and blood people in the group all nodded in agreement.

   "Why does the body let me in and no one else?" Joeline asked. "It opened
up and drew me inside."

   "You've met some criteria preset when the wards were first set," Carlisle
said. "What those are remains unknown."

   "Perhaps you are a descendant of Salona or from the same clan or family?"
Idette suggested. "Didn't Madog call you Joeline Oshalu Anrula. Anrula could
be an old family name."

   "Could be," Carlisle said. "Nothing Madog says is just nonsense. It all
has a meaning of some sort. I noticed that both Caroline and Misha pay close
attention to everything Madog says and does."

   "I noticed that too," Idette commented. "Has anyone researched the word?"

   The metal feline shook her massive head. "No. I keep meaning to but I've
been busy."

   "We all have," Idette laughed.

   "These are questions for another time," Carlisle said slowly. "For now it
is time for you to return to your body. We have pushed things far enough for
today."

   Joeline lay down her metal body and suddenly she was back in her flesh
and blood one. She slowly sat up and looked herself over. "Well? Any fur on
me?"

   "No," Carlisle answered. "You look to be still human."

   "Oh," the girl said with a sad look on her face.

   Idette laughed. "You look disappointed."

   Joeline climbed down from the bed. "Well I was hoping to at least get a
tail or something."

   "I can give you one if you want," Gina said. "Or perhaps we can change
you into a Sabercat for a short time."

   The girls face brightened into a broad smile immediately. "That would be
great!"


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


   "Unacceptable!" High priestess Valarie Delminie snapped harshly. "The
imprisonment of a soul for any reason is an unpardonable sin and must be
punished." The woman was pacing about the room that was the office of the
high priest. The trip back to the temple from the Mage's hall had not calmed
her down in the slightest.

   "For what?" Lady Azaelle asked. "It's clear that the soul container was
unrecognized for centuries."

   "That is no excuse," the priestess countered in hard tones. "The law is
clear. Trafficking or imprisoning a soul is punishable by death."

   "So you would see the entire guild put to death?"

   She waved her arms about energetically. "Those involved must be punished.
And the guild must be punished to show that such behavior will not be
tolerated," Delminie expounded. "The Guildmaster must be executed and the
guild itself harshly punished. The responsible members jailed or
imprisoned."

   "The guild will not just let this happen. They will resist," Azaelle
responded.

   "Many in the guild will support it," she shouted. "They'll understand."

   "Most won't," Azaelle answered in a tone as soft and clear as the chime
of a bell. "They'll fight."

   "And when word spreads that we started this fight over religion whose
side do you think the king will take?" Torrey added.

   "In Isenport this would have already been resolved," the High priestess
said firmly. "We would have dealt decisively and harshly with those
responsible."

   "But this is Marigund not Isenport," Azaelle commented calmly. "And it is
harsh, violent action like that which caused the first Burning. This must be
handled carefully. Or it could ignite another Burning."

   "The Burning. The Burning! Why are all here so obsessed with that event?"
The high priestess snarled as she paced back and forth. "The Burning was the
past."

   "It could easily be the future," Torrey responded coldly. "If we are not
careful."

   "When I was twelve," Azaelle said in a pained voice. "I saw my uncle
Roland murdered during the Hay Square riots. He died along with twenty other
people."

   "Last year my brother Philippe was stabbed four times in a confrontation
with a gang of Followers," Torrey added.

   "The Burning never truly ended," the man said. "It became more subtle."

   Delminie looked at the two natives of Marigund in front of her. There was
a hard gaze in their eyes and a cold look on their faces that said far more
than their words. She let out a slow, deep breath. "I will see the guilty
punished. But we must move carefully. For the moment we will watch and
wait."


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


   "WATCH OUT!" a voice shouted behind them. "MAKE WAY!"

   The students parted instantly and a young, slim spotted cat raced past.
The cheetah raced down the hallway weaving around slow moving humans. A
large group students loomed up in front of the feline. She tried to stop but
her paws slipped on the highly polished floor. With legs flailing Joeline
spun about and slammed into the group of people. Humans and cheetah all fell
to the floor in a heap leaving one student standing against the wall. His
eyes wide with amazement. Thankfully no one seemed to be hurt. Just
surprised.

   "Joeline!" Gina asked looking at the pile of people. "Are you all right?"

   A cheetah's head popped up from the pile and looked around hesitantly.
"Wax! Who waxed the floor!"
 
   "What are you doing?" A woman asked staring at the pile of people. "That
was a reckless thing to do." She looked at Gina. "The cheetah is yours! What
do you have to say about this?"

   "Well," Gina said slowly. "If Joeline had put more spin into it she could
have taken them all down instead of leaving a spare."


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