Writer’s spot: Greetings friends! A surprise double release today. Surprise even for me!

SO, A small time-skip, she finally gets a name, decisions are made and we start opening the next part of this story with (maybe?) some interesting plot to follow!

BESIDES, tomorrow’s release may come a little late to compensate for this late release, but it should still happen. After I started to write this one I simply couldn’t seem to stop until I got to the part I wanted, so before I knew it, was already late…

BESIDES (II), I chose that race name by random, and when I noticed that it sounded familiar, I decided to see where I heard it before… Turns out it’s the name of the palicoes race on MonHun… Oh well, still using it anyway. I like it.

BESIDES (III), First’s candies may come a bit late today since I plan on sleeping right away… Sorry (^.^’)

Beep, and enjoy your story!

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A few days had passed ever since Gaz started living with Yllivia, and during this time he managed to put his translating software up to 97%, thanks to constant travels to the market and so on, and now, the very few words he didn’t understand were the very specific ones. With this much, he also found out a few other interesting things.

First was the reason why Yllivia was so attached to him. It seemed that the girl simply liked robots and always wanted one for herself, but for some reason, robots didn’t seem to like her. Even the cyberflies only seemed attracted to the device she used, and not to herself. So when instead of running away when she first held him, he beeped back, she immediately decided that she wouldn’t let go of the only robot that didn’t seem to hate her.

At least that was the feeling he had about the situation and from the gossips he heard on her apartment’s corridor after some housewives saw him entering her room.

Another thing he found out about the Lynnian, the official name of her race, was that she was an excellent painter. He once saw as she took out the circuit scraps she took from the cyberflies and processed it with water and other things to make paint, and then use that paint on a blank canvas to paint.

It didn’t take the small robot to notice the scene she had drawn. It was the same place on the forest where she first met him, reproduced with such exquisite details that it left him beepless. The light blur on the scene, giving it a mystical appearance, the blue of the skies, the magnitude of the trees… There was even a small circular robot in the corner of the painting.

It took her two days to finish it, and once it was done, she showed it to him in a slightly shy way, hiding herself behind of the painting as if anxious about his opinion. He simply let out a long beep of admiration at it. She seemed satisfied with his answer, as she nodded slightly before taking it somewhere to get it a frame.

Another thing he also found out was that Sorius and Lunn were twins. But instead of getting along, it seemed that the two were always taking any chance they had to get at each other’s throat in some way or another. It also seemed that their psy were completely different, just like their personalities, with Sorius being a straightforward strong lightning, and Lunn being a weaker, but versatile light skill.

And then, he found out that Ross had his own workshop down the same building that Yllivia lived. During one of the times he passed there, he saw as the dwarf started to add the pistons on a device on the armor’s gauntlet.

When he started to wonder what that was all about, the dwarf took the gauntlet and tested the device. It propelled a small but sturdy blade that went a bit further than the gauntlet with a scary strength that would easily pierce some small metal plating. He also added some extra pistons to his legs and feet armor so that he could do some extra sprinting when needed.

Volgoff sometimes came to the workshop to help the dwarf. Usually he came on a large jeep-like vehicle with six large wheels, but sometimes he appeared with the truck. From the little that Gaz could get from the troll, he seemed to be the official driver of the team, but this decision was purely based on the fact that he hadn’t seen anyone else driving, so he couldn’t be sure.

But seeing as the troll always seemed to have a gentle look on his face, he started to wonder whether he was as strong as the goddess had first said. He changed his mind the moment he saw the troll lifting a car just to help a kid take his ball from beneath it.

Finally, during these fairly peaceful days, Beepy discovered something that completely changed his view on the whole world. Something so shocking and powerful that made even the easy-going pet-bot decided to take an action. And that was…

[I need a smaller body… With legs.] He said in his mind for the Nth time that day as he felt someone nudging him out of the way.

[You already said it, Gaz.]

[I still need it.] He said while trying to dodge the ongoing traffic of pedestrians.

Not that he was unhappy with his actual body. It was fairly resistant while keeping a good speed and maneuverability, but the problem lied elsewhere. While he was small height-wise, he was far too large and wide to roll around the streets of the city. And the lack of a direct sideways movement impacted heavily on his movement pattern. At least his large treadmills and piston-powered suspensions helped a little when it came to climbing stairs, so he didn’t have much problem on this area.

Should he be on the field, where he can move freely without worrying with too many people being close to him, this body would be perfect. But on a super packed city like this one it was simply a bad combination.

[But where are you going to find the pieces to build something like that?] The still unnamed goddess asked.

[That is also what I want to know… Yllivia has been spending most of her time simply walking around the city, so I’m getting a bit anxious with us not going anywhere with this whole body thingy.] He said with a sigh. [What I wouldn’t give for Yllivia suddenly saying that we got a mission or something when we get back home…]

He had developed a habit of walking around the city during the mornings when there weren’t too many people on the streets to increase a bit of his translating software. But this time he had stayed out a bit too long so he was having some trouble passing on one of the most packed streets.

Sometimes he felt as a person would nudge him around a bit. Whenever Yllivia was around, she would grimace a bit at the scene, but wouldn’t do anything too much. But there was this one time when a Lynnian kicked him a bit too hard.

He was kicked back in kind in the worst possible place. The whole street stopped for a moment to flinch, imagining the pain.

Offering a silent prayer to the guy, who by now should be worrying whether he will be able to have kids or not, Gaz reached the door of Yllivias room. Just when he was about to start knocking on it with one of his repairing limbs, the door opened and the girl came out, wearing her brand new yellow gear and with her weapons hanging on her waist.

“Beepy… Sorius called. We have a job.” She said in her usual low and indifferent tone.

“Beep!” He beeped cheerfully while doing a full spin and rolling back to the entrance. [Thank god for Deus Ex machina!]

[Huh? What’s that?] The goddess asked confused.

[What? Deus Ex Machina?] He asked and he felt as the goddess nodded. That was another thing he had noticed during his time. Some of these simpler actions slash feelings were transmitted through their connection, and this seemed to make their conversation easier. (This definitively isn’t something that I am using to make their conversation simpler to write, ok?) [That’s an expression from my world. If I’m right, it translate to the Machine god or something… Wait, don’t tell me you like that and want to use as your name?]

[Err… yes?] She said slightly embarrassed.

[…Seriously? Isn’t Machina a bit too cliché of a name?] He said with a surprised tone.

[Huh? No, it wasn’t machina I planned on using!] She said hastily.

[Then… Deus? Really? Sorry, but I’m not calling you that. Sounds more like an old-man looking god’s name than a machine-girl name.] He said in his best deadpan tone.

[That wasn’t it too, geez!] She said while pouting, but this left the robot confused.

[Then… What were you planning on using?] He asked confused.

[The one in the middle!] She said as if it was obvious, but his lack of reaction made her explain better. [The name between Deus and Machina! Geez! I think it was Ekis… I liked the sound of that!]

[…]

[Gaz?]

[Sorry… I was beepless… I mean, speechless there.] He said while shanking his imaginary head. [That was something I sincerely didn’t expect…]

[What? Is it that bad?] She asked worried.

[No… Simply… Unexpected…] He said trying to find his words. [And why that, anyway? There were dozens of names I recommended to you, and then you go and get a preposition… is that even a preposition? Heck, some Latin grammar thingy whose classification I don’t even know, and decide to use it as a name?]

[Err… Yes?]

[Okay then.] he said with a sigh. [If you like it, then go with it! But why Ekis anyway?] He finally asked.

[Hmm… I don’t know?] She said while thinking. [It just sounded so… mysterious. I kind of liked it… I’m not sure how to explain…]

[I get it…] He said with a playful sigh. [I mean… You are such a big mystery that even yourself knows near nothing about yourself… And being called something like the X letter does fit you…]

[…For some reason I feel offended with your tone…]

[Just your imagination.] He answered playfully.

Taking his attention back to the streets, he followed Yllivia closely while barely dodging the pedestrians walking through the sidewalks. It took the duo only a couple of minutes to reach the building where they went back on their first day. In there, after a quick look around they found Ross, Lunn and Sorius already waiting for them besides a large man from another race. This one was completely different from the usual fantasy races he was used, and had gotten his attention since the first time he saw one of them.

The race didn’t have a normal skin like the dwarves, Lynnians or elves, nor were they covered in fur like the trolls. Their skin was perfectly smooth, and not because they were well cared for and used beauty products, but simply because they were truly smooth, almost to the point of looking a bit unnatural. It was such to the point that even their fingers didn’t have nails on them and their heads didn’t have a normal hair, and instead seemed like a mass similar to their skin taking the shape of a hair.

The whole race had a clear white skin with some colored markings of different colors covering their bodies and hair. If something, they looked really… Squishy, for the lack of a better word on Gaz’s vocabulary. According to the not-so-nameless-now goddess Ekis, they could even do some minor shapeshifting, like altering their hair and the shape of their hands, as well as use it to cure slash wounds instantly.

[So… They are super-evolved slimes or something?] He had asked when he first heard her explanation.

[That’s rude, you know? And they aren’t slimes, they were called… What was it? Mofians? Morgians?]

[Morfians?]

[Yeah! That’s it!]

[Morfians! The morphing Martians!] Gaz said playfully. [Sounds like the name of a kid’s show hero!] He said laughing loudly in his mind and receiving a feeling of slight anger from the goddess.

The man in front of them was from said race, being as tall as Sorius, but having a much wider frame with thick arms and broad shoulders. He wore something similar to a business suit, but with no necktie and a black silky scarf around his neck. His colored markings were black, and they flowed around his thumb and index finger, as well as crossing around his nose. His hair-part looked just like a short-cut hair fit of a businessman.

He gave a quick nod of acknowledgment towards Yllivia and just like pretty much everyone else, became surprised upon seeing Gaz. Noticing his gaze, Gaz lifted one of his hands and waved it towards the man, who became shocked and looked for an answer from Sorius and Ross.

“Yah! Lil’ Beepy there is a lot smarter than he looks! He even starts copyin’ people sometimes!” Ross said with a loud laugh.

Gaz sighed inwardly for a moment. For some reason his actions were always seen as a smart pet copying his owner, and this only made him even more downhearted. But then he was a bit scared of suddenly revealing being a bit more than a simple pet and then have them trying to attack or expel him, so maybe it isn’t all that bad.

While Beepy was left to his own worries, the door to the room opened once again, and in came the tall troll who weaved his way around the tables before reaching the group. Once they all gathered, Sorius took a key-card from one of the attendants desk and guided the group towards one room where they sat down on the couches.

“Guys, this here is Ollan Goodman, he works for Arcon-tec, who might be our next contractor.” Sorius introduced the guy, making all the others gasp surprised for a moment.

Gaz took a moment to try and recollect anything that might help him understand their reactions, but nothing came to his mind, so he quickly gave up and asked Ekis to see if she had any idea, but she seemed as lost as himself.

“So… Why is Arcon-tec contractin’ some lowly mercs such as us?” Asked Ross suspicious.

“Well, it’s actually a long story…” Ollan said while scratching his chin thinking. “But cutting it short, we want to be discreet, so after some contacts we found out that your group is fairly skillful, while still being unknown, so you guys seemed like a good choice.” Ross kept his suspicious face, but Gaz clearly noticed a proud smile trying to form on his lips.

“Thanks for the compliment, but what does this mission encompass?” Sorius, on the other hand, went straight to the point. The man nodded and leaned forward while looking serious.

“We want you to escort a V.I.P. from here to Moltair. Since we want to be discrete, we won’t be able to provide our own transport nor escort, as these will be used as a distraction.” The man said seriously. “They will be sent towards Effem through seven different routes, just like the information we will spread around, this way we will at least buy some time before anyone finds out our little plan. But since it’s better to be safe, we wanted to have some unknown mercenaries escort the V.I.P.”

“Isn’t that an awful lot of precautions for a simple escort?” Lunn interrupted suddenly, receiving an angry glare from Sorius. “Why would you guys go so far as to send seven baits to the wrong place even?”

“It’s because we believe that the V.I.P. might be the target from another dangerous group. We have even some other measures we aren’t telling you just to be safe.” The man said, his eyes growing dangerous for a moment.

“Wow… And what group could make even that Arcon-tec grow so worried?” Volgoff asked surprised.

“Blacktriggers…” He answered with a sigh.

The whole room froze for a moment with the single mention of that word. Gaz once again became confused, as it was not the first time he had heard that name, but he couldn’t quite tell what it meant.

“Damn, I’m lovin’ this job already.” Ross suddenly said, a dangerous smile suddenly appearing on his face as he punched his open palm. The others looked at him for a moment before smiling awkwardly, only Yllivia seemingly indifferent.

“What?” Ollan asked confused. “You are happy that you might cross with one of the most well known black-mercs?” He asked confused.

“Look here, Lad.” Ross said, suddenly become scarily serious. Even Gaz felt goosebumps at the sudden change on the dwarf’s complexion. “Those Blacktriggers… I’ve got one BIG bone to pick with ‘em. All you are doing is giving me a chance to get at ‘em a little earlier.” His cold words dripping with such a bloodlust that the large Morfian even backed away a little. Then, he suddenly went back to his easygoing self. “But then, we aren’t even sure we will meet ‘em, so it might just be me gettin’ excited…”

The others seemed somehow unaffected by the dwarf’s reaction, as Sorius simply sighed annoyed before turning back to the contractor.

“Seems like Ross won’t shut up if I pass on this one...” He said slightly annoyed. “Shall we discuss the details then?”