Derelo was proud of themself, a hulking construct of steel and magic their existence was impressive. Of course it’s not easy, Derelo’w joints had long since grown creaky, and the rust was visibly creeping from between their plates. But With the death of their creator nearly 30 years ago now there was no one left who knew how they worked. Of course people have asked to open Derelo up, and they’ve almost considered it, but ultimately they refused. Derelo’s creator was a genius, but an anti-social one whose sciences and artistry would be madness to anyone else, and regardless the only people who’ve ever asked to look inside Derelo were the greedy and idiotic, those who saw Derelo not as a person, but as a profit incentive.
Derelo was happy though, even if they died slowly. They had helped killed endroj, defeated the army of shadows. Here in the sprawling metropolis of ironheed people walked freely, no long fearing the shadows, mothers no longer wept because their children ran too far into the forest, watching one’s back was no longer a necessity to live and the night was humanity’s to claim.
Derelo shook themself out of their thoughts, fidgeting with their necklace, small twine wrapped around what May at first seem like a large purple marble shaped to look like an eye, but was actually Derelo’s prize for helping defeat Endroj, despite the beasts size its thousand eyes were about the size you’d expect from a person.
Derelo put their hand on the door, prepared to enter the library, they had agreed to do a reading for some children. oh how Derelo loved children, the kind naivety that reminds Derelo so much of themselves when they were first made. Derelo’s first few years of exsistence were horrifying and surprising, and to give some young people the chance to enjoy that time is something Derelo relished. They opened the door and found a bloodbath.
Children’s corpses strewn about the small library coated the floor in a crimson haze, the wounds looked visceral and violent, bodies rent asunder. The adults clearly didn’t fair much better. Derelo flicked their wrist and it slowly shifted into a razor sharp blade with a creak. Derelo went to shift their other arm into a shield when it slammed into them. Derelo didn’t lose balance, and pushed it off to get a good look.
It was Fellis. A sister in arms in the forward front, her and Derelo had fought alongside one another, had defeated Endroj together, even if Temur had stolen the last shot. It became clear she was not the same, her grey fur matted and clumped with blood and mud, her feline ears twitching eratically and her tail swaying and twitching in odd patterns. Fellis gripped her katana with a savagery unbefitting the well trained swordsman. But most notably was her eyes: her right eye was a dark, pulsing purple, and she had a second pair of similarly off putting eyes above her brow.
Derelo had many questions, and no time to answer them, Fellis struck with speed and strength that Derelo was barely able to match. They exchanged blows, blade clashing with blade before Fellis let out a low growl and a simple demand, “give me the eye.”
Derelo wasn’t stupid, they knew she wanted the eye around their neck, they considered it, whatever has happened to Fellis has made her a monster, and a monster Derelo can’t match, it’s clear she’s killed before and is happy to kill again. Logically Derelo could give up the eye and live to fight another day. But Derelo had never been logical, and knew something very wrong was going on here. And so they prepared themself and repeated a battle cry they have long lived by.
“I SHALL FEEL NO FEAR! YEILD NO GROUND! STAND BEFORE ME AND FACE CASTIGATION!”
Fellis took this as her cue to strike, lunging forward, Derelo caught it with their blade and followed for her shoulder, she ducked to the left, just what Derelo was counting on. Derelo swing with their fist at her wrist and grabbed it, using their weight and mechanical might to bend her arm back and snap it. Derelo had expected a scream, a flinch, any reaction. Instead, Fellis plunged her blade into Derelo’s chest, through the plates, rending wire and gear. Derelo creaked and threw Fellis by the wrist still held into a bookshelf as they stumbled. Derelo fell back against a wall, leaking oil profusely, they thought desperately but did not know what to do.
Derelo looked up from their wound to see Fellis lurching over, arm hanging limply at her side. This was not a fight Derelo could win, but Derelo could take what she wanted. Derelo quickly grabbed their necklace, grabbed the eye. Derelo began to close their fist, but Ferris lunged forward and with one sudden slash, cut deep into Derelo’s neck, and they went limp.
It kneeled over the eye, its head throbbed, its eyes throbbed, it was all beckoning. Fellis gouged its right eye out, it should have hurt. God. Gods it should have hurt. It took the purple eye, nearly holy in its clutches, and pushed it into the socket. It felt energy surge through it.
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