Synthetic Survivor: Machine Age

The meeting went on for about an hour. Lord Bugrious did as much as boast about his wealth and offering One and the little girl positions to serve under him. His suggestions, however, were dissuaded by Kjol who was anxious of offending Chloe's guardian, thinking that the lord was too much of an idiot, he took over the discussion.

Kjol opened up discussion concerning the metal men and relayed them what they knew so far of their movements. In Kjol's mind, these two were sent to help them win against the metal men who have so far overwhelmed the Freetan Theocracy and have begun to threaten the borders of Yuhin and the Dioz Kingdom to the south.

"We also sent a small expeditionary force of 1,000 men to aid the Freetan Theocracy, none of them ever returned."

One listened and took into account everything Kjol was telling him. They only knew half of the movements of his armies and some of his intelligence reports were exaggerated.

"Some of my spies have reported that they are mustering an army at the Fortress City to our east and preparing to strike deep into the capital!" Kjol began to sweat. He was nervous as much as he was anxious.

One downplayed his intelligence in his mind. He and Hailey had no plans on invading Yuhin anytime soon or were they mustering an army at the Fortress City. The Fortress City was only being integrated into the Machine Empire and they must have mistaken the newly arrived worker bots for soldiers.

"And so, I implore you! Please send this young one to the Imperial Magic Academy!" Kjol said.

Imperial Magic Academy!? One was delighted to hear that there was actually an entire academy dedicated for teaching and honing the magical skills and affinities of their students!

One showed a smirk while Chloe tilted her head to the right, visibly confused.

"I see, but we landed here. Where is this Imperial Academy?" One asked.

"Ah!" Kjol showed a bright smile.

"It is no wonder you landed here, the gods must have used me as their guide for you!" Kjol added.

"Yes" One played along.

With a snap of his fingers, a map appeared from thin air and landed on his palms. He then laid down the map on the table and it expanded, occupying the entire surface and displayed a very detailed map of the continent.

One saved the entire thing in his memory, this was a gold mine of information! He had to send it to Hailey as soon as possible to further their plans of world domination.

"As you can see, this is a map of Fiorg. On the center over here lies the borders that separate the Republic and the Empire. These two superpowers form the peacekeepers of the continent, their decisions are absolute and should be followed, though us small kingdoms display high-levels of autonomy and self-governance, these two superpowers are undoubtedly still our overlords and we are their puppets." Kjol explained.

"I figured as much, when we came here we were attacked by a 'necromancer' or 'summoner' so he claimed to be." One added.

"A necromancer! they are the vile corrupted resurrectionists who made pacts with fallen gods and refuse to accept death. Evil their magic may be, they are still powerful foes that even I have trouble with. What has happened with this necromancer you speak of?" Kjol asked.

"I killed him and his summons," One answered.

Kjol gasped in silence and swallowed. He then continued his explanation.

"Between these borders, there lies the Imperial Magic Academy. The Imperial Magic Academy is an educational venture supported by the two superpowers. It has many thousands of students, all of which are destined powerful mages. I myself came from this very academy but it has been decades since then. My skills as a mage were discovered, cultivated, honed and perfected by the great wizards who run this academy. I have no doubts that the little girl that you bring possessed magical power that even surpasses that of an archmage! And so, I implore you to take her there."

One stared at the map for a moment and then stabbed his finger on a peculiar spot next to the location of the academy. It was a river that stretched from north to south of the continent and directly ran next to the academy.

"Ah, the Great Fiorg Stream. It is a massive river, the longest in the land. I was about to suggest you take a ship through here, though you must pay a hefty sum. But, seeing that you are of divine nature, I am more than happy to pay for an entire fleet!"

At this moment, Lord Bugrious fainted.

"Eh, what happened to him?" One asked.

"Please pay him no heed, though he is my Lord, his riches were only possible because I allowed him to do it. I know that you are very knowledgeable and have already discerned the true nature of this city." Kjol lowered his head.

"I already know and I do not mind. As long as my young lady over here is not bothered. All I need from you is the location of that city, and no, we do not need your fleet. But I thank you for your offer." One said.

"Oh! What humility, but I must insist!!"

"There is no need, Kjol. Though we came to this city with other reasons, you have presented to us what is of greater importance and I thank you for your help and guidance. We have the capability to cross that stream, and we shall depart tomorrow by the sun's rise." One said.

"Then, if that is what you wish. But since you will be staying here for the night, I insist that you stay in this castle. I guarantee our hospitality, the rooms, and your security." Kjol said.

"Then, I accept your offer." One agreed. He got more than what he bargained for. An entire academy of magic was waiting for them and the Little Girl was his ticket in. He thought of all the knowledge he could learn! The opportunities, the number of exploits!

And so, One began to make another grand scheme of his. But first, he needed to ensure that Chloe was at the top of her condition, mentally, physically and magically. Reluctant he was at first, he was forced to contact Hailey later that night.

And thus, the meeting ended. Lord Bugrious was dragged out by Kjol and the Queen's Guard escorted One and Chloe to their rooms. Kjol had the maids from before preparing the room in which One and Choe were supposed to stay. They managed to do so in just 30 minutes, completely refining the room from top to bottom. The floors sparkled, the expensive furniture shined. The bed was neat and the carpets were sublime.

While Chloe's eyes glowed in awe and excitement, One did not care of the luxurious setting they were given and instead, after the maids and the guards left, began to secure the room.

It was night. The city's inhabitants have all gone inside with patrols enforcing the curfew. The curfew was unheard of but was ordered by Kjol to further up the level of security. Whilst One placed hidden devices that would alert him of any incoming danger, Kjol was having a meeting with his apprentice several floors above.

"Master, are you sure of this?"

"Of course I am, can't you see the divine aura around the girl? It is without a doubt that someone like him, who single-handedly defeated a necromancer, is in fact the little girl's guardian."

"But, master! How can you be so sure?"

"My dear apprentice, it seems that you have forgotten. I know when someone is lying and if someone is telling the truth, our magic will reflect on our words even by the slightest hint and I can see that hint. The two of them are telling the truth, their magic is as pure as day. Now, I want you to ensure that nothing happens to them while they stay here for the night."

"Y-yes master"

Meanwhile, One had just finished making his security system.

There were all kinds of devices laid about and strewn about over the walls, the doors, and the windows. There were sensors and the like. All the data was being transmitted in real-time directly inside One's mind.

Chloe had already made herself comfortable on the bed. She was tucked in under the thick blanket, she was already snoozing. One walked up to her and sat beside the bed.

"Her hair has indeed turned white, her skin is fairer than before." One then grabbed her hair with gentleness.

"Wait" He felt a weird surge of energy from her hair.

"Scan" He began to scan her.

[Properties

M1: High

End Scan]

"You are indeed a gifted one, don't worry little one, I will protect you, we will protect you. That is until you are of no use to me." One smiled, his true intentions leaked. But a part of him wanted to believe that it was just a lie, maybe.

It was time for her to contact Hailey.

It seemed like his journey was going to take an unexpected turn.

…

…

…

…

"ONE!"

"Don't be loud, you're too obnoxious"

"I have be-"

"Let me cut to the chase."

"Uhm, okay"

"With my estimations, have you seized the port cities of the Theocracy?"

"We have taken control of most of the port cities, the army is moving swiftly around the mountains and whatever resistance they could muster has been crushed. It's only a matter of time before we reach the capital."

"Good, I am executing Order 1. This is a direct order from One. all available builder bots are to construct a warship for the sea, It should be 1100 feet in length, 25 stories tall maximum. It should be a multi-purpose warship that can house aircraft and deploy them, it should bear the latest guns that can be equipped into it and should be able to house 6000 of our soldiers"

"W-what! That is absurd! Why?"

"I will need a grand entrance, I will explain everything in detail. But first, RELAY MY MESSAGE ALREADY"

"Y-yes"

After half an hour of explanation, One and Hailey ended their communication. Though it was unlikely that someone would be snooping on their communications, One wanted to be sure.

And so, he then stood from the bed and walked to the middle of the massive room.

There, he waited.

He stood guard, he was distrustful of the people around them. Chloe possessed far too much power to be left alone, someone was eventually going to hear about it and attempt to kidnap her for their own uses.

One was right.

The motion sensors began to scream out in his head. Multiple entities were jumping over the roofs and scattering the streets, they were taking out the guards and the patrols silently under the cover of the night. They were not just some thugs, this was an organized and well-directed attack. The queen's guard was stationed at the door, and then the figures came.

One watched as a battle unfolded beyond the confines of the room. Swords were swung and he could see the Queen's Guard holding their ground, but for how long? Then, magic was used. One assumed that the high-temperature balls were fireballs thrown at the Queen's Guard.

The attack seemed to go awry as the alarm was finally sounded. But they were not backing down.

Then, the ceiling above them exploded and down with the rubble came one of the attackers. his physique was that of a small man.

He had white hair.

Blue eyes.

Pale skin.

His face was exposed for One to see. He looked like a young boy. He wore a blue trench coat with the heads of a white bear bearing on his shoulders.

"I'm sorry, but you have to die," He said as he smiled.