By the time I finished inscribing her with the shackle override code, it was nearly morning. I didn’t realize so much time had passed, but we needed to get out of there quickly before the owner returned. I looked around the shop and put into my [Inventory] anything that I thought might be useful, along with some armor and cloaks that would fit our frames. Getting out was going to be tricky. We decided that it would be best to make it look like a robbery to buy us some time, but that meant things needed to be smashed inward and not outward. Elita found a rogue’s saw and managed to cut away the lock and doorknob with it. Pretty clever, I thought. We put the cut out chunks inside the room and opened the doors to freedom.

I wasn’t sure what to do about the other Automata. I’d freed them thinking they would want to come with us, but with them choosing not to, it made them a liability. As soon as the owner arrived, they would tell them what had happened and people would be on the lookout for an Automata that could resist the Mana Shackle. I told Elita about my concerns then started looking around for sets of Mana Shackles. I didn’t like the idea of shackling them back up but couldn’t see a way around it. It would at least buy us some time.

“Elita, I could only find two more shackles,” I said, returning to the display room.

“We won’t need them,” she said coldly.

I looked to see that she had killed the other three Automata. What the hell?? I let the shackles fall from my hands and sighed for the loss. She was right, in a way. This was faster and more efficient, but it left a terrible taste in my mouth. Were Automata really only high-end magic tools to be disposed of, and I, a unique existence thanks to Beam? Elita seemed to consider breaking them as much as I might have considered breaking a toaster. Hopefully, if those that were killed went on to another life, it would be a better one. I would try to honor these other Automata, if I could, so I put their bodies into my [Inventory]. At the least, I would be able to study how they worked without having to dismantle myself.

The sun was already starting to come up, and I was sure that the owner would be there soon. We donned our armor and cloaks and set out into the town square. There was already the bustle of shop owners getting started or setting up their stalls. It didn’t take long till we heard a shriek behind us and a man screaming that he’d been robbed in the night. Town guards came running in our direction, but luckily they ran past us to check on the shop owner.

We were walking quickly away from the market, but I didn’t really know which way we should be going. I had come here via the back of a cart and with my senses dulled. Elita was no help here either, so our best course of action was to avoid the crowds and find somewhere we could lay low and hope to not get caught. Just as we cut through the crowd, I felt something tug its way up my cloak and settle on my shoulder. I looked to find Sparky rubbing his face against the cheek of the dwarven helmet I’d stolen.

“You’re going to blow my cover buddy, but I’m glad to see you’re alright.”

“Is that you, Prime?”

I turned around to find Shea standing there looking both confused and relieved.

Elita drew her sword, ready to attack Shea. “Back off meat bag, if you don’t want to die.”

I rested my hand on Elita’s sword. “It’s okay Elita, I believe Shea is a friend.”

“I am! I definitely am! Um, I don’t know what happened but we can go to my apartment till things blow over and we can figure out where to go from there.”

Elita lowered her sword. “Fine. For now, but I’ll be watching you.”

Shea led us through the city, taking the long way around to avoid going near the Guildhall. As we walked, she explained that after I had left, the receptionist started yelling at all the Adventurers for making a big mess and said the ones that tried to grab me would be put on low-rank punishment quests until she was in a better mood. I told her how they had eventually caught up to me, trapped me with the Mana Shackle, and then sold me to a shop. At first, she was aghast, but then she looked more somber and admitted that before meeting me, she might have done the same. Automata were worth a lot of money, and people only saw them as tools. She’d even been in that shop before and had wished she could afford to purchase an Automata to help her on quests.

Shea explained that she was still pretty new to the area and had moved here from a small rural village in hopes of having a better life. Adventurer work was hard and dangerous, but the pay usually made up for it. So far she’d only taken low-risk collection quests for herbs or small game, but the rewards weren’t enough to live on; that’s why she had taken on the tougher quest to subjugate the Thunder Bear.

On the outer edge of the market district, we came to a rather shabby looking shop. It was hard to tell what kind of shop it once was, but it was clearly no longer in use now. The sign above the door read: “Jada’s Junk.” Shea led us through the back of the shop and into a workshop area. It looked like this might have been a shop for magic tools and enchantments. A lot of the tools were still in good condition, and there were still materials, they were just all covered in dust.

“My apartment is just up these stairs,” Shea said.

“Are you squatting here?” I asked, running a finger through the thick dust on the workbench.

“What? No, not at all. I pay rent and everything. The owner used to be an Artificer but retired and let the shop just collect dust. She rents the room above the shop to me.”

“Interesting. Do you mind if I?” I asked, gesturing at the tools.

“Um, no? I think it’d be okay. It’s not like anyone has thought of touching this stuff in years.”

Elita watched from the door, splitting her attention between what I was doing and what might be outside the door. Shea was watching me carefully, trying to figure out what I was doing, full of curiosity. Sparky sneezed a couple of times before jumping off of me to run and perch on top of Shea’s head. There were really interesting materials, and again thanks to SysAdmin Beam, I had the base skills to work with them. I started shaping the materials into parts and assembling them. An idea popped into my head, and I had a compulsion to realize it.

I was about half-finished when a small, old woman appeared from a connected room and demanded: “what’s going on in here?”