Dust to Dust: Man 00

Six Degrees

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Pile put the finishing touches on his suit of armor.

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Utilitarian plates of steel meshed in perfect synchrony, allowing a full range of motion while still providing an impermeable barrier. The plates were fixed to Pile's body by the hardpoints allowing the armor to be more secure than any that a man wore. Aside from being a mechanical masterpiece and mobile fortress, the suit was also a weapons platform. Hoses ran through the steel plates, feeding fuel to the air and electricity hardpoints. While the oil was too dangerous to run through his base body, the interior of the armor was both strong and far away enough that an oil fire wouldn't cause catastrophic damage to his core systems. Where the three combined, improvements on Pile's base weaponry were born. Air blasts were infused with aerosolized fuel and sparked with electricity, creating blasts of flame. These explosive conflagrations provided both an incredible offense and mobility that allowed him to move the unbelievably heavy suit with acrobatics unbefitting of its large frame. Anything beyond this would be wasteful of the already precious fuel that would have to last him until he found another source.

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At my current consumption rate, I will run out of the fuel on my body in less than a week. I should bring extra along until I find another source. Oh, and I should bring extra materials, and some tools, and maybe-

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Using the remaining metals in the cave, Pile put together a sled to transport his fuel and belongings. Leftover pistons and pipes were used to create a simple penumatic system that could raise or lower wheels to allow for easy travel on rough or even land. A hastily crafted propellor and leg crank gave the sled the ability to power through water if properly floated, for the journey ahead surely wouldn't just be over land. Pile never forgot the horror of almost falling into the pond. While water may no longer mean his instant death, he would never be unprepared around bodies of water again. The sled itself was a simple construction. Metal plates hid the machinery underneath, and the entire back half was taken up my a massive steel box full of oil taken from the basin. Roughly 550 gallons sloshed around inside, and Pile was still worried that he would run out before he found another source. On the front metal plate was a miniature version of Pile's construction body, in case he had to make modifications while he was moving. The last few weapons and pieces of armor that weren't melted down were thrown in front, where they would soon be joined by food and cloth collected from the forest. Pile had to keep up appearances to fool the humans, of course. The entire sled was a large construction, measuring out to-

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Should I use feet or meters? The knowledge I received contains both, but there seems to be a conflict between the two. Meters is the logical choice, of course.

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I'll use feet.

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a solid twelve feet long.

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Pile chained the sled to his lower back and connected the wires allowing him control over its mechanical systems. After confirming everything was ready to go, he turned to the rockslide blocking the staircase. A tenative armored fist grabbed a rock and lightly tugged, not budging it at all. The next removal attempt used the full pneumatic capacity of his new body, and the rock was sent flying so fast that it broke through the cavern's rear wall and fell into the oil reservoir.

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Need to regulate better. That kind of strength might attract suspicion.

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After removing all the debris, Pile lugged his sled up the broken steps and into the sun.

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The dark woods weren't recognizable anymore, all that was left was dead wood and rot. Breaking his way through the unnatural barricades, he realized that he was being watched. Pile knelt down and took cover behind a great fallen oak and scanned his surroundings for the offending eyes observing him.

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They were far closer than was safe.

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On a ridge not fifty feet to his left, a lithe man silently pointed a drawn bow at him while a black wolf four feet high at the shoulders slowly prowled down the slope.

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The golem, ranger, and wolf were finally introduced as a group, and not a single one could have imagined how connected their pasts were.

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Sorry about the delay! It was my birthday weekend, forgive me :P

Will get back to regular schedule tomorrow.

I would LOVE to see the scene where Pile, Travis, and the wolf meet for the first time on canvas. A metal man with a slight heat haze drifting off of him and whiff of smoke coming out of the gap at his neck level pulling a giant sled of odds and ends while a ranger watches from a ridge above. The wolf prowling down the side of the ridge to flank the golem, and the poor golem himself just starting up at the ranger with confusion. Grey sky behind them, dead trees littering the ground.... I just love that scene. /rant

You'll get some more answers about the world soon, and some of them will be true :D