THREE. maybe my fave murderbot character full stop. in a series that also has murderbot.
volescu who was in one (1) book and then went well that was stressful i think i will retire actually. ONLY RATIONAL ACTOR IN THE UNIVERSE???
amena. she is having the weirdest scariest time but somehow stays true to her roots as a snarky teen raised by hotshot hippies. WHILE wielding a weapon she's never been taught how to use. hello, dr. president mom. i have just had a traumatic experience. allow me to introduce the new parent i just adopted, Killing Machine With Feelings. today i watched it rend several people limb from limb and then make a baby.
thiago. if murderbot wasn't so pissy about him, i might not care about him so much. but as it is, i derive great pleasure from him and his role in the story. his concerns are reasonable, he's brave, he has people skills. he's a language nerd! sure, he doesn't understand what's happening sometimes unless you explain it to him, but that's true of literally everyone. meanwhile murderbot has cast him as Asshole Who Doesn't Like Me primarily because it needs someone handy it can attribute those feelings to, and gurathin stayed home this time.
kaede who we don't really know much about except she does Not want to be involved in the latest intercrew sex drama. you and me both, sister!
Part II of the “Murderbot is a magical sword” story.
Thanks to @iztarshi here is a link to the original prompt: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/iztarshi/631991778757722112
Part I | Part III
The cave had a goblin infestation.
More accurately, the goblins had probably lived in the cave system for decades, and we were the trespassers. Growing up in a group of thieves who did the bidding of a dragon, this was just south of normal. It wasn't the first time we went after an artifact only to discover unfriendly locals.
We didn't even get close to the entrance before the little, green monsters attacked us. Each of the goblins came up to perhaps my waist, but there were more than twenty of them to six of us. More than half of the beady-eyed beasts wielded clubs and knives, and a few appeared ready to attack empty handed. I caught sight of an archer hiding among the rocks just inside the cave entrance.
They came at us; their battle cries were an ear splitting scream. Dad and Martyn pushed me backward as the monsters lunged toward the group. I stumbled and barely kept my balance. Changing my grip on my trusty dagger, I tried to defend myself. Against one, maybe I would've stood a chance, but three of the bastards surrounded me.
Birds chirped overhead.
One of the goblins went for my leg, and a second jumped toward my face. I brought my arms up to protect my head and felt teeth sinking into my thigh. I bit back a scream but couldn't pry the creature off me.
Seth tried to reach me, but two more goblins came at him with no warning. Martyn was trying to talk to them; no one seemed to be listening. I couldn't see Kaede, but I could hear her screaming.
The sword at my back vibrated and grew warm, then exploded from its sheathe. For a moment, it floated a few feet off the ground, as if looking around. Then, it swung at the goblin, who was clawing at my bare arms. The creature's head rolled clean off its shoulders and landed at my feet with a sickening thunk. It got the beast that was trying to eat my leg with the same clinical efficiency.
"You alright, Iris?" Seth called out. "Shit! Martyn!"
"I'm fine," I managed, teeth clenched against the pain.
The sword slashed at nearby goblins without pause. It got a third one across the chest. Two others dropped back, allowing Dad to reach me.
The beasts regrouped as did we. I looked like a mess, blood-splattered and dirty -- not all of the blood was mine, either. Kaeda was clutching her arm, which sported a long, angry cut. Seth's shirt was ripped; there was a thin, bleeding line down his back from one of the daggers.
The sword slowed its assault and floated between us and the monsters. A shimmering glow surrounded it for a moment; when the light faded, the blade was replaced by the spirit's human form. Standing upright, it was apparent just how tall it was. It towered above me, and its broad shoulders looked like they belonged to someone who swung a weapon for a living.
There was a neutral, almost bored expression on its otherwise unremarkable face. It sent chills down my spine to watch it stare down the goblins as if they were merely annoying bugs. I could’ve sworn it looked briefly toward us and maybe mouthed what looked like a “for fuck’s sake”.
"I suggest you leave them alone," Sword told the cackling, gleeful monsters in a deadpan voice. "If not, I will do to you what I did to your friends. Starting with the goblin on the left."
The tallest of the green-skinned monsters laughed maniacally and lunged at the spirit. Without preamble, Sword shook off its attacker and did exactly as it promised, starting with the green-haired goblin on its left. Its form shifted again; where moments ago, it had been human, now it was a sword again, glimmering in the morning light.It moved with unprecedented grace, and the goblins stood no chance.
The smarter ones scattered, but at least two other goblins lost their lives. Silence reigned. The battle appeared to be over. The sword clattered to the ground, its magical energy depleted, and lay there. If I hadn't known better, hadn't just watched it dance through the air, I would've thought that someone had left their weapon behind.
Seth checked me over again. "I'm fine, Dad," I told him.
Martyn took a deep breath. "There must've been a patrol."
"Of course," Kaede grumbled, shaking her head in frustration. "Hey, what happened to the person who saved us?"
I walked over to the sword and picked it up and gingerly as I could. "I think it's tired."
"Tired? Magical weapons get tired?" Kaede stared at me, dubiously.
"Come on, let's head back. We're not going in there, obviously," Dad said as he led the way down the narrow, rocky ledge back to where Peri waited for us.
"Everyone gets tired," Seth said as he walked alongside Kaede and me. "Killing takes a toll on any soul."
***
Late that night, I heard them talking.
Sleep eluded me. I lay on a pallet and stared up at the star-studded night sky. The rest of the camp snored their way toward another sunrise while I tossed and turned. Something small burrowed into the sandy earth nearby; I could hear the digging, the scrape of claws against rock.
Their voices filled the chilly evening air. Sword was clearly awake now and singing a quiet, fractured song in a language I didn't know. It had "slept" for most of the day, remained a motionless weapon and gave no indication that it could hear any of us.
Peri's deep growl rolled across my skin when it said, "That was splendid. Teach me another one."
Sword answered, voice low and ambivalent. "Fine. I guess."
"You're not half as mean as you make yourself out to be."
"Says the magical creature who can disappear me the way it did a thousand-year-old curse. I don't think you have a leg to stand on."
"As long as you don't mess with my hoard, I don't care. Hurt them, and I will end you."
I sat up, too wired to sleep and too curious to keep still, and crept closer. Hiding in the shadow of a large boulder nearby, I sat down and peered at the two. The dragon lay curled up like a giant cat, with its head near its middle and its tail wrapped around one of the spirit's legs. The spirit sat with its back against the dragon's side and was petting Peri's head.
"Others have done worse," it said quietly, a statement of fact. "You don't scare me."
"What were you before?" I asked before I could think.
The spirit didn't look up at me. "A weapon. I've always been a weapon."
"You might as well sit down with us," Peri pointed out. "It's chilly out here, and we're warm, at least."
Hesitantly, I got up and picked my way over to the duo. "If you don't mind the company."
Peri raised its wing, and I sat down beside the sword spirit. "Are you all right?" I asked the quiet spirit.
"Fine," it muttered, staring straight ahead and studiously ignoring me.
I snuggled into the dragon's warmth. "Thank you. For saving us today."
The spirit shrugged and began to hum a haunting melody. I'd never heard it before, but Peri picked it up within a matter of minutes. I fell asleep next to the spirit, listening to it and the dragon's mournful duet. I thought of my dads as I drifted off into the land of dreams.
