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Post by Melody on Dec 13, 2019 12:54:06 GMT -8
The Truffle village council research team presented their next project to Duchess Melody, requesting her to retrieve new specimens of white stalk desert mushrooms from the South land desert, including a skeletal mesh variety that would aid in restoring ki after reverse engineering a lip gloss she purchased in the Southern Islands that functioned as a stimulant. While it was pertinent to remain in her estate in order to protect her lands from demons and monsters everyday the village defended the walls without her help; which afforded her several trips around the world in order to continue the efforts of the scientists to develop the continue their science projects with an extensive variety of mushrooms. There was monetary value in these projects, as soon as Truffle village placed new items online for purchase, loyal customers ordered them almost instantly, selling out the product in minutes. The master swordswoman was not going to deny the progress her loyal subjects dedicated their time on these types of projects. The rural lifestyle of agriculture was evolving progressively and uniformly for everyone to increase their zeni gains.
In a matter of days, Melody arrived at a prime location of an oasis, the white palm tree sized desert mushrooms that surrounded the natural forming water were much taller than she last remembered, and the stolen OX-Co truck flatbed was not long enough to support its full length from the root to the cap. The research team underestimated the size from the last batch and she needed to figure out how to carely transport a specimen without breaking it on the journey back home. She turned off the ignition of the truck and climbed out of the cab of the sixteen wheeler vehicle, her violet eyes browsed through her DynoCapsule case to figure out a different plan of action, and she turned her head towards a bearded old man who rushed over to her seemingly recognizing her as he waved at her.
“You’re the Duchess from the Western Lands who cured all those Ox-co miners a month ago, I am the village elder from a small desert village, and I will pay you every zeni I have to please rescue my son from desert caravan bandits.” The old man panted, it seemed like he had been running for a while now, and went over to the oasis to drink from it. “I tracked the bandits in an underground ruin and they have been kidnapping children for quite some time. I fear for his life, please help me.”
It pained Melody that the world was so vile to involve children in the crimes people committed against their free will. While she welcomed zeni as part of her life goal, she was not going to allow that to factor in the agreement to assist in recovering the child, what little insight she learned from the old man’s words meant he was telling the truth. With a simple nod she followed the old man to the ruins, once they arrived the boy was holding on to the leg of a tall stalk shirtless man, the child suffered from so much fear that he refused to let go even when his father approached cautious calling out for him. After five minutes, the boy finally realized his father was not a figment of his imagination, and explained that he managed to escape before coming across the mysterious man. The boy demanded to go back home because he did want to get chained up like the other children in the caves.
The Duchess overheard the conversation and figured this tan stranger was not part of the bandit gang and must have appeared in passing doing whatever his business of the desert brought his to this juxtaposition. “Return home, I will look into the ruins, and save the other children from captivity. Now hurry along safely.”
When they left, Melody rolled her head, running her hand through her hair as the desert heat was starting to get to her, and expected Bryce to say something but he remained standing there. “Are you looking for the bandits, too? I am Duchess Melody of the Pig Demon Duchies, I just happen to involve myself in this tragic situation, and you are?”
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Post by Tolvur-Q12 on Dec 13, 2019 12:56:20 GMT -8
..pig demon.. there were odd pink demons and now.. pig demons? Though he supposed they were also pink, so at least that checked out. However, the Duchess of the pig demons looked nothing like a pig herself. Maybe this was a queen ant type of thing, didn't they look radically different from the workers or the soldiers? Though.. that analogy wouldn't work seeing as she was out here looking for some bandits, apparently. Bandits she asked the mandroid about, and there was a moment of pause as he looked straight at the woman.
''I'm not looking for them, no.'' He answered the girl with a nod, his body twisting a bit to get some movement going and to prevent his bones from rusting. Not that that was a thing, but standing so still did get your bones and muscles all stiff and locked up, it was the worst feeling. Aside from dying, that wasn't fun either. ''Why should I look for people that are already dead?'' Bryce continued as he tightened his fist into a ball and a snap was heard as he moved over to a nearby broken off wall with a splash of blood on it. The technoman smiled at the girl as he sat down on it and dusted off his pants. Man, this sand was getting everywhere.
''But I have a better query.'' He began once more, clapping his hands softly and then wiping some blood off of the wall. ''You say tragic situation.. but you also mention being a Duchess. Now, I could be wrong but don't they have people for.. 'tragic' situations?'' Bryce slowly got up from his wall and folded his arms over his chest. ''I almost assume I'm wrong here, but there's money involved, isn't there?''
Someone with a title like that getting her hands dirty.. there was either money involved or there was the promise of something else that would also interest the android, and as he then decided to see what his eye was telling him he was able to find out that it wouldn't be that hard to take whatever it was by force. So either he called her out and she would be forced to share the prize, or everything that was promised to her would go to Bryce. ''Besides, I deserve a reward for doing what you obviously set out to do by helping you get rid of those bandits.''
He said it was help, but as he had found out from the last few fights he had it helped in shutting off the angry thoughts running through his mind if he had someone to beat up. But if he could make the woman believe it was sheer luck that he managed this and that he wasn't actively looking out for people that wouldn't be missed, then maybe she would accept his help. Granted she still needed it, because she only really mentioned the bandits.
Though the fact that there had been a kid hanging from his leg begging not to be put away like the others told him that there was a second part to this all. ''You need help, don't you?'' He started guessing, and most of it was a complete shot in the dark. ''I do not know your real power, and if you can even hide it, but I know for a fact you cannot sense mine. Not a lot of people can.'' There was some sad tone to it, like it meant no one ever noticed him. But then again, in situations like this it would be nothing but a strategic advantage.''
''And with you coming here alone.. I'm betting you need help.'' He continued with a nod, almost convinced he was onto something here. ''Yeah. You need help. And I want in.''
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Post by Melody on Dec 13, 2019 12:58:20 GMT -8
“I made a promise, a Duchess sets those down on her on vuition, and if you’re looking for compensation after the deed is done then you should have entered a contract agreement before you killed these bandits. In the Western lands, I do keep vassals to take care of these ‘tragic’ matters on my behalf if you’re interested in being a land owner with a zeni generating estate, and a monthly salary. Otherwise, you learned your lesson about contract negotiations, haven’t you?” Melody flipped her green hair and approached the ruin entrance to look for the children, “Well are you coming along or not? I do not need assistance in this matter, you will probably frighten them with your visage alone, this requires a more delicate approach.”
The mention of not having a power level because it was undetectable without being suppressed, alerted her that he was one of those robotic abominations that walked the earth pretending to be human, she grimaced slightly in disgust, but she had no desire to judge how much of him was still human if at all. The first time she ran a blade through an android, she could not cut into its metal skeletal structure, a weapon in a humanized form, with all the same interests of a living person. The master swordswoman tensed up from the thought for a second and entered the ruins. The entire area was pitch dark, it was no wonder the bandits were easily decimated if they were unable to detect Bryce, and she concentrated ki in her hand to illuminate the carnage that littered the entire ground.
“So do you have a name? I asked you for it earlier, Mr. I deserve a reward.”
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Post by Tolvur-Q12 on Dec 13, 2019 13:00:34 GMT -8
''If the silent approach is what you need, then the silent approach is what you'll pay for.'' Bryce said, his mind being influenced by that thing before where he and his master trained people for money.. he knew he could get more by helping people, so by helping this one.. he'd get money? He wasn't fair about it though and he would admit that, just about forcing he joined this expedition just for the money. Like she said, she did not need the help, but still asked if he was coming or not. A statement that initially confused the mandroid, but sounded like a covered up invite as he thought it over.
Then she asked if he had a name, and in an attempt at a joke, or so Bryce supposed, she called him 'Mr. I deserve a reward' which was.. not wrong. However, she asked, so it would be rude to keep a fair answer from her. ''Bryce.'' He answered. ''Bryce Vandross. Though I also wouldn't mind you calling me Mr. I am getting paid.'' A joke, he didn't know if it would be seen as one, but who cared at this point?
''What are we looking for?'' He asked as he watched the green haired woman use some of her energy externally to illuminate the red ground they were on. ''Those bandits are dead, and I didn't sense anything else.'' Bryce wondered, as he walked behind the woman, Melody, he supposed she was called. Though he would refuse to use her title.
[256] [TWC: 889]
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Post by Melody on Dec 13, 2019 13:02:05 GMT -8
“Well you did mention not being able to detect my power level, I am not suppressing it, and you are not built in with one? Maybe invest in a scouter. I am not familiar with your type apart from being formidable against the steel of my sword.” Melody spoke briefly, avoiding some of the spilled guts on the floor, the smell from the gore was starting to get to her. There was a giant pillar in the ruins and she detected several power levels behind it. A toolkit dynocapsule was used to pull out a flashlight to illuminate the area directly after positioning it on a strap on the shoulder of her yellow vest. Rather than approach immediately she bent over slightly, supporting her frame by placing her palms locked over her bare knees, and took a deep breath.
“I know you’re there, you can come out now, and don’t worry about those bandits that took you, this man over here got rid of them. He might not be friendly looking and I promise he will not hurt you, so follow my voice and we can get out of here, okay?”
The children emerged from behind the pillar slowly, they were squinting from the intensity of the flashlight as they followed Melody’s voice, she began to pick them all up at once effortlessly piling them up on her shoulders making one of them hold the light. Two of the children could not climb her shoulders after there were already three on her back, she did insist on not needing any help from Bryce; the only reason she asked him to follow her was prove a point that he would have not known about the requirements of the contract he thought he had fulfilled. She picked up the remaining two boys like barrels on each side of her hip and turned to leave the dark ruins as quickly as possible in order not to remind the innocents of the mess the mandroid had made of flesh and bone.
“Bryce, did you think about my offer earlier? Don’t you calculate your answers and all the possible outcomes in a matter of seconds or do you need upgrades? I am not familiar with any science behind the components of your mind apart from what I learned from passively watching a theatre troupe in Oolong City. Biggest waste of my time but keeping up appearances is just one of the mundane responsibilities of the Duchies.”
Once they were outside, the children were lowered down to their feet, and Melody activated another DynoCapsule to bring out a small hovercraft shaped like a ufo saucer. It was actually meant for hauling things and the model was picked by the youngest town council member by the name of Morel who assisted with purchases of the Duchess’ travel needs and expenses. The children looked so defeated from their captivity that they seemed unphased by the sight of what was typically seen as a fun ride.
“Hey, I know that was the worst experience of your life but moping about it is not going to do anything to lighten the situation. So be the change to make the world a better place, prevent other children from suffering the same fate, and eventually the world will just keep on turning so get on board the spaceship so I can take you home to your families.” The Duchess never accepted no for an answer and it was apparent that she was the type to be done wasting her time with whoever refused her.
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Post by Tolvur-Q12 on Dec 13, 2019 13:05:57 GMT -8
''Your offer..'' He repeated. Yes he had thought it over, but he wasn't particularly interested to throw away his freedom, because having a salary meant not having free will, right? Besides, this Melody person, even though she was helping kids, seemed like an arrogant little.. victim. It seemed that she thought she could get away with just about everything and Bryce did not know why. But she wouldn't be able to do that near the mandroid, because due to his mind being loaded with all kinds of problems he was not going to idly stand by and let someone speak in the manner she just did.
And then she made things worse by speaking to those kids as if they weren't grateful just because they didn't show it. ''I feel like your offer is going to make me end up as one of those kids.'' He finally answered as he looked at the woman standing in front of a vehicle of sorts. ''And seeing as how you treat them when you all of a sudden give them only one good thing and they don't burst out in song about you, I think I'm going to pass.''
He stepped closer despite that though, because if she went as far as to offer for him to go there, well, he wouldn't say no. ''I'm going with you, but not because you're such a nice person.'' She was helping him find the light within himself though, and he was grateful for that. Though he kept wondering when his evil streak would return, and when his mind would do nothing but think bad thoughts. Maybe.. this Melody girl wouldn't mind him being evil as much. She seemed quite the bad person herself, judging from how she talked about the kids in front of her, to androids, to her mundane responsibilities.
''I want to see more of the world, and if you're offering I'm up for it.''
[322] [TWC: 1211]
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Post by Melody on Dec 13, 2019 13:10:00 GMT -8
“Burst into song?” Melody interjected raising a brow, “On the contrary, the world is shit, no one is going to be singing about how atrociously vile society really is. If it were not for you or me getting wind of this situation, these children would have met their end, perhaps not their very lives. No, their very soul would be broken, and I reached that point at around the same age as them. So what did I do? I trained every day, first with a stick, and then a sword. No matter how much I trained, being the strongest is not enough, greed is by far the biggest enemy society is faced with. How do you solve the world’s biggest flaw? Zeni. These children were taken from their village at the expense of their freedom to be exchanged to some slime ball employer and their clients. If they want to enjoy their freedom living in a tiny village in the middle of the desert, they need to train to defend it with their lives, and increase their economy to hire the muscle they need to protect them. That is the foundation the Pig Demon Duchies is based on, in a land full of demons and monsters, our expansive farmlands are no match without a unified leadership to keep our enemies at bay.”
The Duchess laughed when he made up his mind, implying that she was not meeting his expectations of kindness, and somehow killing a bunch of nobodies was going to change the world overnight. No amount of kindness was ever going to solve these problems either without zeni. “Traveling the world will aid you in understanding what we are all up against. At a cost of course, assuming you still need to eat, sleep, and indulge in what most life forms need to remain mentally stable. I am not sure about what exactly you need so you are going to have to explain that, for me to understand if you even require anything at all.”
During their conversation all the children boarded the hovercraft modeled ufo spaceship, one of them took the incentive of learning how to operate the control panel, their young minds were unable to follow the green haired woman’s conversation with the very tall muscular man, except for the oldest boy who seemed to be deep in thought. Melody began to follow the ship, walking easily behind them, at some point they almost tilted over until she gave them a boost using her hand to regain the ship’s balance, and they led the way towards the desert village. There were roughly about ten buildings, all on top of a sandy hill, a practical ghost town, and everyone was relieved to discover the return of the kidnapped children. The Duchess conversed with the elder about how often raids took place in their humble town, only to discover that the violence has been steadily increasing in neighboring areas forcing people to flee towards the cities for an urban lifestyle rather than continue living a rural environment that their ancestors were apart for hundreds of years; a legacy that was difficult to break away from.
“I was initially out here to collect desert mushrooms to bring back to Truffle Village, their formidable size is not something my people can handle without my strength. I offer the same opportunity I have made with this—man,” She was unsure if that definition still applied when referring to Bryce, “I can expand my ten thousand koku territory to accommodate a growing population if you choose to immigrate to the Western Lands. I will provide you with land to cultivate anything you desire to grow. We keep a greenhouse with all of our best seasonal crops. It is a rewarding lifestyle for anyone who is willing to put in hard work without any shortcuts. I must admit that the ox-co mining situation was primarily due to the fact that the miners kept getting sick working under poor conditions. The labor of love in farming in the naturally rich outdoors is its own reward. The territory is under my protection whenever I am present or under my trusted vassals so you no longer need to live in fear.”
The elder reflected for a moment, he could not make a decision on his own without discussing it with everyone at first, “As thanks we wish to help you with your task on the desert mushrooms but I require at least a night to discuss the possible move. I have been to the city and I am too old to work an office job. I am but a humble farmer and your offer is very kind but I cannot abandon my people unless they are all willing to go along with you. We recently had a family move out a couple of days ago, they left behind most of their belongings, and we keep the fridge we stocked so please help yourselves while we deliberate.”
Melody followed the elder to a square cement house with a wooden door and windows. The roof was made of red clay shingles that cascaded down on a slant. Inside the house, there were woven carpets, simple wooden furniture, and a single fridge. There was no other furniture apart from empty shelves. Of course she looked in the fridge to drink water, the heat was starting to get to her, and she was still slightly nauseous from the stench of the dead bandit bodies.
“How did you kill those people? Do you normally tear them apart like that? Is it not enough to simply behead them and render them lifeless? I mean, I understand that some species regenerate so you have to be thorough, was that the reason?” She looked over at Bryce who followed along this entire time.
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Post by Tolvur-Q12 on Dec 13, 2019 13:12:02 GMT -8
''Song.'' He repeated when Melody did the same, it reminded him of something happy, something he hadn't been in quite some time. And then, when the woman went on to speak more of how bad this world they were in was, and what the biggest problem was, Bryce felt need to interject a few times despite learning he would just need to suck it all up and let people finish their thoughts. ''So you end up fighting greed with greed? You say zeni solves the greed in this world, the biggest flaw. No, because you're doing everything for zeni, and that makes you contribute to that flaw.'' The mandroid said, huffing as he could feel himself getting angry.
''Getting stronger is what I see as the definite answer to everything. When you steel body as well as resolve, not even zeni can make you kneel.'' Of course, this was what he had been trained to say even if he didn't know or believe it anymore ever since he took money for trying to teach some kids how to fight. The change was real, but somehow the reasoning behind what Melody was doing was what was off. ''You get stronger just to be able to protect people, doesn't that mean..'' He paused for a second as they seemed to reach something of a village, a humble place with just around ten buildings surrounded by sand.
And here Melody was trying to 'improve' their lifestyle by offering to take them away from their village and 'allowing' them to work for her in exchange for protection. She was right, it solved a lot of problems, but for who?
When the talk between the elder and Melody was done, Bryce felt he could start talking again. But he did so in a more silent tone now since not everyone would need to hear it. ''You're basically forcing people to work for you for protection. Why not do the better thing and share that.. wealth, as you so aptly call it, and give them the means to defend themselves? Your solutions are just postponing the inevitable, you're not saving them, you're putting them all close so they're a bigger target. You say greed is the biggest flaw. How can you claim such a thing when you yourself are going so far as to even hoard people?'' He offered, though he was also convinced that would be the last he would have to say about that, and if Melody was to say something back about it she would just be met with a dismissive hand and a disinterested android. ''Sure.''
He would instead look around in the small house they were offered for as long as the elder needed to think the 'offer' over. Now, he did mention that there was a family that moved out and that they left their belongings, so maybe there was something of interest there for Bryce. And as he looked around he made sure to take note of the fact that Melody instantly went for the fridge as if she owned the place. Solving greed? No, she was part of the problem and too stupid to realize. Now Bryce, he was also part of the problem, or starting to be, but he knew of it and wouldn't deny it.
Sitting down on a windowsill rather than any furniture he looked over at the woman as she almost ate the water, something Bryce had known well before being turned into what he was now. Or so he thought. ''I don't require much of anything.'' He replied to her question about what he would need to remain sane, or to survive. Sadly, the keeping sane part had long since been a funny dream and the surviving.. well, lets just say he hadn't drank anything since he was 'awakened'. ''I can eat, but I don't need it. I think I can drink but don't need it. What I need from time to time is a quiet moment for myself, and other times what I need is a good fight.'' He finally admitted, and by admitting it he came to be able to finally respond to what Melody asked next; those bandits some way back and how he killed them, and why he did so and why he couldn't just remove their heads and be done with it.
Crossing his arms over his chest, he tried to go back mentally and figure out what he was thinking of when he did so, only to realize one of the worst things in that moment. He enjoyed doing it, there was no thought of consequence, there was just silence. No one telling him what to do, his problems not a part of this realm for a moment, just him, bloody hands and the people providing a welcome distraction.
He looked down at the hands he had been hiding away, before looking up at Melody once more. ''I.. didn't have a reason..'' He admitted. And like that, he became a part of the problem, his eyes wide as he suddenly realized that. He was changing, and it wasn't slow anymore. To be able to do this and feel nothing but joy.. he was no monk anymore, no monk could ever commit what he had just done.
''I.. think I need help.'' He continued as he pushed himself off of the wall to step closer to Melody. ''I don't want to hurt people, but I feel it is the only thing helping me think straight. Back there with those bandits.. I felt nothing but joy, I laughed as their lives faded from my hands and I didn't mourn them at all.''
''I need protection from myself.''
[WC: 1274] [TWC: 2485]
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Post by Melody on Dec 13, 2019 13:15:15 GMT -8
“Sharing the wealth? Well I have to own all the zeni in the world first, in order to give it all away, and when that is done the system repeats itself. No one is willing to make the sacrifice parting with zeni except those who do not need it. Which must mean, you don’t need zeni, so will you work for free instead?” Melody smiled at his conundrum, drinking more of her water bottle, and taking a seat in a wooden chair.
“Of course being strong is required, to defend the territory from being destroyed by monsters, demons, raiders. It will take me all day to slice through a demon, if they regenerate, and they revive themselves after crushing their skulls because they suppress their demonic ki energy. I have to provoke them to use their ki all at once so I can deliver the finishing blow.”
She paused to listen to what he did in the ruins with those bandits, her smile faded, while he expressed no emotion on his face some of the words he was using made him seem human by polar extremes by finding joy in killing. While Melody found joy in fighting a good fight, killing was done with justification to ease the burden of being chipped away at the soul, and continue living while remaining unchanged.
“Those bandits deserved it, everyone has free will, what makes them think they are entitled to take that away?” Her violet eyes looked up at him as it seemed all the gears kept turning in his mind, “Protection from yourself? Sounds more like you need a hobby apart from being strong. I was born in Orchestra Village, music is what motivates people, and they make a variety of instruments. I never learned to play anything because I dedicated my whole existence to master the sword instead, and now I am occupied with my position as Duchess. Since you already mastered the art of fighting why not master an instrument? I can introduce you to my master trainer Duke Glacier who oversees that village. In addition, there are other Duchies to meet if you find that I am not in line with your beliefs.” Melody mused and turned her head at the sound of the door open. The village elder appeared holding an automatic rifle as the children rushed into the room holding a carbon fiber threaded rope.
“When the children were kidnapped the bandit leader demanded a ransom we could not fulfill. They called us back offering us payment for taking the Duchess and delivering her to him so that they can get a ransom from the Duchies. These are desperate times, you seem strong enough to be able to escape when you get there, so just hold still, and come along nice and easy.” The elder was sweating, he did not want to do this to anyone, but being tormented by criminals had changed their way of life.
The children began to wrap the rope around Melody who shifted uncomfortably for a minute and raised her hands up. She knew they were being used as pawns in this cruel game they were playing and she did not like it at all. “Alright, just don’t involve the children, I will come willingly, Bryce can tie me up instead, please make the children go back to their homes.”
The children stopped, they were accustomed to pretending to be cops, and robbers fully unaware of the consequences of what they were doing to Melody. They looked over to their elder and then ran off to return home to grab lunch based on the small talk they were having. Once they were off the hook the Duchess looked over to Bryce handing him the rope.
“Make sure to make it look convincing or the village elder will not get paid.” Melody licked her lips when she said this, anticipating the entire encounter once they reached that point, and she did personally enjoy surprises.
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Post by Tolvur-Q12 on Dec 13, 2019 13:16:14 GMT -8
The words spoken were.. almost as if Melody thought she had the mandroid cornered verbally when she said or assumed he'd work for free due to his remarks, to which he would just laugh as he sat himself back down on the windowsill, watching as the woman drank from her bottle of water. ''Working for free.. is not something I do.'' He answered as he shook his head. ''I never said I wasn't part of the problem.'' Ever since he had been turned into an android and found out about the uses for zeni, he had wanted all he could get, so working for free was not something he would happily do for just about anyone.
Moving on from that though, he got the simple question of him learning an instrument as a hobby. Something Bryce had long considered before, and, well.. ''There's no instrument I can't play.'' He replied, and it was true. In memory anyway. His robotic mind was filled with all kinds of tricks on how to play certain instruments, and his youth among the monks made sure he had the time to practice most if not all forms of music. And though it soothed him quite a bit it did not holds his interest right now. It really was just a thing of the past.
But then his thoughts turned to her ideas on free will and that, once again, irked Bryce quite a bit. If the mandroid had buttons, she sure knew how to push each and every one of them. ''You speak of free will, and them taking that away.'' He replied. ''Yet you also say being strong is required. Aren't you doing the same then? If someone wants to lead a passive life, and you tell them they need to be strong.. aren't you doing the same of those bandits? The only difference, they use physical threats when you threaten them with the absence of protection. And what more, you keep mentioning free will, but who are you to dictate what people can and can't do? Taking free will away is free will, sure, but what those bandits do is their choice.''
He wasn't sure if he was defending the bandits now or trying to teach Melody a lesson, using her words and twisting them. ''You're just twisting their choices in such a way that they seem bad because you specifically don't agree with them, when the only difference between you and them is that you have an entire land full of people that listen to you. Keep cutting down bandits, and you're no better than them.''
That was when the elder and some kids barged in though, so the entire conversation was stopped as Bryce looked over and noticed that the elder was holding a weapon while the kids were holding a rope. They mentioned being paid if they handed over Melody and her fancy title that seemed to make her not unlike a bandit to Bryce- which made him wonder why he hadn't ripped her spine straight out of her back yet, so they'd need to tie her up, mentioning that she seemed strong enough to get out on her own accord. Now, while Bryce agreed with this manner of thinking, make her meet the people she was deeming wrong for doing the same thing as her, he wasn't exactly sure the best manner to do so was to tie her up.
Apparently she thought the same, because she said that the mandroid would tie her up. And the elder listened! ''The power of a bandit..'' Bryce murmured as he turned away from both of them before getting up and moving to the fridge. There was nothing in there for him, but at least he took himself out of the vicinity of Melody, while trying to think of a way to provide a suitable solution to both of them.
Then he turned around and took the coil without a word spoken before turning to the woman in the chair. He stared and kept his eyes on hers before wondering what he should do, though one thing he knew; he wasn't going to tie her up.
''Do you think this is helping them?'' He asked. ''This is giving them a momentary reprieve from the pressure those bandits put on them. And while I know why you want to go there, don't you think there will always be another group of bandits? You're not fixing anything if you leave them to their own devices after ridding them of this batch of bandits.''
He dropped the rope to the ground. ''I won't help. Either we go together, with no restraints, or we don't go at all.'' Bryce then said with a smile, kind of confused at himself, really.
[WC: 2068] [TWC: 4553]
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Post by Melody on Dec 13, 2019 13:19:03 GMT -8
Melody listened to everything Bryce had to say, her brow quirked at the mention of being no different from a bandit, and she kept wondering how his mind functioned to draw that conclusion. While people revered her as Duchess, the only difference between her and the bandit leader was that she did not rule over people with fear but protection. While it was true that she sometimes had to resort to violence, diplomacy was not always an option, and there was no time to waste between trying to convince enemies at the gates from crossing the border to prey on the innocent and defenseless. Somehow, that did not click in his mind yet, he had to learn from their present situation to figure that out before making up his mind of what his moral compass would be set at.
“What? Who said anything about fixing anything? This will never stop, even if we kill this bandit leader, as soon as we turn around there will always be more, and that is the reality the children in this village must face. You forget that I am not volunteering here, the elder has given me no choice in the matter, my free will in exchange for relief, but he has a strong belief I can solve my own problems if it came down to it. He should have taken my offer to leave and find a new home where they are not forced to suffer anymore. As long as I am alive I can give them a moment of happiness under my protection before our untimely end because that is what life is all about for us...that fleeting moment before we close our eyes forever hoping our descendants can enjoy life to the fullest because that is our legacy to the world.”
The Duchess got up from her seat and raised her hands nonchalantly to surrender to the old man. With a shrug she lowered her hands and allowed herself to be held at gunpoint and escorted out of the house outside. The rope was an attempt to subdue her in case she had any ideas about defending herself but the transaction was still expected to go over smoothly by both the elder and the bandit. It was her kindness to rescue the children that was being manipulated in their favor for monetary gains among the Duchies who would pay the collective ransom in order to have Melody returned. She was more than just a fighter, she was the rock that supported an entire village economically, and villages historically failed without a proper leader.
Melody looked over her shoulder, her violet eyes locked on Bryce, with an expectant smile of the danger she was putting herself through, and spoke with clear determination.
“I carry a small fragment of the world on my shoulders, my biggest wish is to let life breathe more of it when I expand my territory across the Western Lands, do you want to help me carry it?”
Time seemed to move slowly, the villagers were hiding their hopes of resolving their conflict with the desert bandits, and Melody descended down the sand dunes as the wind carried her green hair in the air that led up to the hilltop village. In the distance a large Turkeysaurus Rex approached, it stood about twenty feet tall, as most dinosaurs were large in size around the world, it’s large legs pounded against the desert sand. The village elder was sweating bullets, he was nervous around such a large carnivorous beast that towered over them, the beast gleaned its razor sharp teeth, lowered its birdlike head salivating all over Melody with a snarl. She grimaced at the slimy saliva that coated her clothes, gathering globs of it to remove it from her clothes and throwing it in the sand.
The bandit wore a vanta black witch hat and clothes, goggles, and a veil over their face to determine and spoke in a robotic voice, “Get on the saddle duchess, if you know what is good for this village you are so willing to protect.” The witch threw a suitcase of money at the elder, the case cracked open, the bills started flying, and the old man started scrambling for the loose bills to put back.
Melody leaped up on the saddle, as instructed, and just as predicted had to obey or this Rex was going to devour the villagers. She crossed her arms, shrugging at Bryce, she was not going to do anything because he told her she should not do the same things of bandits and stoop to their level so she was going to ride it out.
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Post by Tolvur-Q12 on Dec 13, 2019 14:19:33 GMT -8
Sticking to hiks convictions was something Bryce was most prideful of. Was he? Once upon a time, right? His mind was, while watching Melody leave with that dinosaur looking thing as well as that bandit that did not sound like a bandit at all, racing all over to place in the hopes of finding Bryce something from his past worthy of clinging on to, something to prove to him he was doing the right thing when almost every fiber in his being was yelling at him that it wasn't. What if he was just trying to justify doing the wrong thing and Melody had been right, these bandits, even if replaced later, had to be eradicated. What if the mandroid did the wrong thing by telling Melody she needed to stop the violence, not allowing herself to stoop to the level of those bandits?
Well, at least the villagers had gotten something out of it in the form of a suitcase full of money, which Bryce saw flutter by in front of his face as the elder opened it to confirm everything was there. It was hard, but he refused to grab anything of it as it flew by, knowing that if he was to accept this offer of that nasty woman who was basically allowing herself to be kindnapped, he would find himself in good enough company to really flourish himself, find his real goal and maybe even get the help to complete what had yet to be completed.
Looking behind him for a moment he saw the elder walking back to his house, not even watching or waiting for Bryce to do anything. Now, it was selfish for him to think so but with Melody being this selfless, even if she was sure of her strength, the elder basically abandoned her. Not that he could do much, but he could at least have told the mandroid where he was taking the woman. This whole situation irked Bryce more than he cared to admit, and his mind rushed to point out the fact that he had basically caused this all. Without him those kids would have been saved without being scarred for life, and without him those bandits would all be dead, leaving no chance for anything like this kidnapping to happen. And even if it did, Melody wouldn't be told not to stoop to their level and most likely have finished this whole situation before ever leaving the premisces of the town.
So basically, this all told him that Melody trusted him to actually do something about this, something he had been wanting to avoid since he knew it involved violence. Because he was sure that if it came down to that, his mind would carry him over to the evil side of things, the side of him that enjoyed fighting like with those bandits from earlier.
But it was beyond the time for lamenting now, there was no time to act like the victim and no time to regret his own actions. Melody was no longer in sight and the wind was slowly blowing over the desert, wiping out parts of the prints left behind by the animal taking both her and the bandit. He knew he had to take action, quickly. Before there was no trace left.
So he moved forward, slowly but surely as he took note of every set of prints in the sand, and in a relatively short amount of time he caught up to the woman and the beast she was riding, as well as the bandit who nimbly hopped down for whatever reason to start.. collecting sand? Or bugs? Why did he need bugs?. The beast turned and roared as it sniffed Bryce and the bandit jumped up with a closed jar full of maggots. ''Have you been following us?'' He asked as some kind of light shone from his hand as he lifted it, and as he did so the eye of the cyborg told him there was a surge of energy coming from the light.
''I have.'' Bryce calmly stated, focusing on his breathing so as to not lose his cool and just begin bashing away like a mad man. Because he could very well do so, he had done it before. But as he succeeded in keeping his cool this time the bandit seemed to get a bit more time to either go on without Melody, or risk angering Bryce for real.
Now the bandit seemed to have gone for the second option, because as the mandroid mentioned he was indeed following all of them, ''Hard not to follow something as smelly as your pet.'' there was an instant shift in the composure of the bandit and the orb of light that had been hovering in front of his hand shot forward towards Bryce. ''He's not my pet!'' He urged.
Stepping to the side and closer to the beast, who was moving his snout forward to smell the mandroid, he avoided the ball and noticed it carve a sort of pipe through the sand. ''I wasn't talking to you.'' He answered as he carefully put out his hand and gently placed it to the snout of the beast, who seemed to be okay with it for a short moment. But within seconds that seemed to have changed as it then opened its jaws and chomped down on not only the hand, but Bryce in his entirety.
It was dark in there. Dark and wet. And it smelled. And if Bryce were able to see in the dark he would have definitely seen some small animals between the teeht of the beast. And then he started moving, which was honestly the worst part of it all as the minor patch of sand he was standing on dissolved underneath his feet and made room for the awkwardness of a row of teeth to try and stand on. ''Liked the outside better.'' He murmured to himself as he grabbed hold of both incisors above him, and pressed his feet down on the floor of the mouth in an attempt to force it open.
Slowly the mouth opened, and when there was enough room Bryce jumped out, only to land on the back of the beast and before Melody, who he picked up. ''Don't think I'm up for a fight today.''
He jumped off of the back of the beast and landed next to its legs, which Bryce delivered a shattering kick to. And he gave the bandit a stern look, and a concerning smile as he put the woman down on the sand. ''But I am up for making sure you don't go back to that village for a while.'' The technoman said as he blinked behind the bandit and gave a stern chop to his neck. Not killing him but sending him down to the sand with a nose full of sand. Maybe he'd suffocate, or get eaten by bugs or his mount. Or maybe the sun would kill him.
In any case, Bryce walked back over to Melody and helped her up and gave her back the gift of motion. ''See, you have people to do stuff for you.'' He said with a smile.
Then, time had passed and Bryce had followed the woman over to that place she had been talking about, which maybe was something for Bryce to call home. Honestyl, it sounded like it was. And as they got there the mandroid was greeted by a view that reminded him of his time as a monk. Giant trees seemed to form a sort of entrance, and beyond there there were lots of farms, houses and people tending to almost everything you could think of. And in the middle of it all was a slightly taller building that Bryce assumed belonged to Melody.
They moved to some sort of stone wall entrance, with a brook right next to it as Bryce chuckled. ''Guess I should find something to do then, granted you'll still have me.''
[WC: 1338] [TWC: 5891]
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Post by Melody on Dec 13, 2019 19:03:24 GMT -8
Melody was clearly not a damsel in distress, Bryce took the liberty to scoop her up to leap off the back of the Turkeysaurus Rex, and for a fleeting moment he felt real for lack of a better word; touching him felt synthetic and far from human, like a ghost living in a shell. The revelation that Bryce could smile meant that he had some semblance of being alive and she smiled back since he decided to rectify the situation the Duchess was forced into.
“Are you feeling awake now? Did you hear my inner voice calling out to you? A silent melody.” She teased him as she was set back down on her feet.
The minutes that passed consisted of the bandit leader and the dinosaur being knocked out unconscious left for nature to deal with. Everything was settled in the south lands within the same day, the delivery of mushrooms was helicoptered out ahead of time, and the pair decided to walk the entire journey across. It was the next day when they crossed the south lands, central lands, and finally the western lands by the time they arrived; walking was a method of conditioning the physical body with a bridge that connects the central lands with the western it was worth the effort.
While Bryce remained silent the entire time, Melody explained everything about the Pig Demon Duchies, about how she was granted permission by the Duchies to challenge Duke Trumpet in a duel to remove him from his title. She went into detail that it is not just strength alone to rule a village but the people to work willingly and pay land taxes for economic growth because everyone benefited from zeni. It was uncertain if he followed along but that did not stop her from talking about what she felt was her greatest achievement.
Upon arrival of Truffle Village, the natural world appeared in full color, the maidenhair trees were yellow in color around this season, and her estate was on top of the hill of a compact village surrounded by rich farmland. Melody explained that her vassal Cress was presently at the Central lands and would be unable to meet until his unannounced return, and that she often left the village to assist the agricultural research team to improve crops.
“I expected you wanted to be here after traveling so far. Stay here and build a future for yourself. You may not need to eat but perhaps growing something to life would be worth spending time on. A hobby or two to balance out your need to remove the life of other people with a different joy.”
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