In the southeast of Lustitia, in the Germanic region, lies a place called Eisenwaldtal, which resembles what cyber life would look like—with the most advanced technologies of the modern era, and cities with buildings so perfectly shaped that they seem as if they were created by an AI image generation tool.
There, a catastrophe have happened, a group of people in the tallest tower that is located in the middle of the city were secretly planning to make a new artificial intelligence that was intended this time to help humanity and not revolt on it as how it happened in the eighth millennium with Davoth.
One of these people was called Karl who were working in that tower didn't agree on it and saw it as a threat, especially that they are intending to put samples of alive corrupted element being's essence into the AI's processor to understand more about the dark and terrible side of the element and also making it capable of weilding element(absolute stupidity is what i call this).
But that Karl didn't say a thing, he didn't oppose the idea at all but instead he stayed silent because if he spoke against it, he will be executed at once.
So instead he decided to write a location point (that location point is outside of Eisenwaldtal so that less people might witness him) to the mercenary camp at Gladius Auremanuum, at that point he will meet a messenger who will hear his request.
The messenger have arrived and he heard his insane insane request of stopping these people down, Karl also demanded that this quest isn't just laid on a random quest wall because that is top secrecy and it's very political, the messenger understood him and left with the dangerous information safely to Gladius Auremanuum.
Few days later, and Ahab was in Gladius Auremanuum wandering for dangerous quests and he heard some rumours about a crazy thing that is happening in Eisenwaldtal.
So he decided to use his seven eyes on a random person and through it he scanned the whole location in a matter of sixty seconds he went two weeks into the past of everyone and found the messenger and the camp master who are the only people were he can go to and announce he will take the quest from them and mark that quest as occupied.
However on his way to the camp master, he was slowed down by his personal guards but Ahab took them to his pocket dimension and he have beaten the living shit out of them there.
Ahab then entered the camp master's tent and that planted terror into the master's heart because he wasn't ready for this, luckily Ahab was only here to announce he will take the quest, but when Ahab was asked by the camp master of were he got all of that information about the mission, he simply just spoke of more personal things about the camp master that mad him understand to not mess around with Ahab.
Ahab also said he will do it for free and tell Karl to keep his money ( twenty aureus) and he will do it in a matter of two to four weeks.
Two weeks have passed and at that time, Nikolas have reached Eisenwaldtal, he saw the tower that was above all and could be seen from literally outside the city, he knew something about survival and that is if the target isn't afraid to hide itself then that means it IS the top of the foodchain in it's zone.
And so before Nikolas engage in anything he decided to search for Karl first and get morre information about that place or that project because Ahab didn't provide the crucial details, he searched around for him as someone who works in the grand technology and research tower and when he found him he took him underground without a soul noticing outside of Eisenwaldtal, there, Nikolas said:
"Karl are you ok?" Karl answerd:
"Yes yes i am fine but who are you?"
"I am a specific someone who was sent by Ahab to do that quest that you have told the messenger about."
"Oh man thank goodness you have came, is there any questions you have about that place?"
"Yes, what kind of project are these mad fuckers making?"
Karl then introduced the whole plan and the dangerous parts in the plan such as introducing the corrupted element essence to the artificial intelligence along side making it capable of weilding element, Nikolas said:
"What in the mother of stupidity are these degenerate people trying do? Haven't we learnt anything from our past that AI is a shit idea and now they are giving it the exact same founding steps that Davoth have gone through!"
"What do i say man, that is why i sent that request into the camp."
"Okay so do you know of any blindspot in this building or is totally destroying the ehole tower is the best option?"
"I would recommend you to destroy the whole tower but that would catch alot of news and i dont to get you into trouble and if i was found alive from that incident i will be asked were i was when the explosion happened, and they will suspect that i had something to do with it."
"So i have to sneak in and kill a couple of these stupid people on my way there to the new Davoth right?"
"Basically yes."
"Say no more" as he walked away, Karl stopped him and asked:
"Wait wait, aren't you going to listen to any of my tips on how to sneak in there?" Nikolas chuckled and said:
"What tips?" As he freaking evaporated into the air, literally disappearing from existence, there was no life force to be detected, no soul, not even any sign of element, he then said:
"Karl i am right infront of you"
"What the fu- how or even what is that?"
"I just turned myself purely into a large cloud of oxygen that bears no life force, soul or even element signals."
"And what if i breathed you?"
"I will be able to give you severe internal bleeding in your lungs, this is one of my most effective techniques but i just dont like to use it because it feels and it is way too cowardly, but in that case i guess it will be vaild.
anyway i wouldn't kill anyone except the big heads that are behind that crazy ass project And dont worry, i will make sure to leave enough evidence that will prove you are not guilty or behind anything and that these people should have died either way."
"Okay thank you, but take me back Eisenwaldtal because my disappearance will raise some questions." Nikolas got back to his normal form and took him back to Eisenwaldtal and there he turned into an oxygen cloud again, but before he leave Karl said:
"And if you saw some guy in a grey coat that looks like a homeless man, just kill him, that is the head leader"
"Sure thing"
He then flawlessly passed through all the waves of security gaurds that was gaurding the place, on his way, he saw the homeless manbut he decided not to kill him instantly, he waited for him to do something suspicious for ten minutes.
after the ten minutes were over, the homeless man went through an 'only staff' door and he made sure no one was seeing him, Nikolas was surprised from the fact that the room he entered with the homeless man was actually the room of which the artificial intelligence was being developed, Nikolas said to himself:
"(Oh...my...days,...that is the easiest and first world threatening quest i have and will ever go through.)"
Nikolas then got close to the head leader disguised as a homeless man and let him breath Nikolas's oxygen, ultimately making the life of the leader between Nikolas's hands, Nikolas then apeared behind the leader without making any movement and said:
"ayyyyy, we are trying to make zy new Davoz again?" Nikolas said it in a sarcastic german accent, the leader turned around in shock and said:
"WHAT??!!! YOU SHOULDN'T BE HERE- WHO ARE YOU?!?!"
"I am that dumb ass who will save humanity from it's next Davoth." Nikolas then used the excess amount of oxygen inside the head leader and twisted his lungs from the inside by making the atoms run at unnatural speed,
rendering the man to become unable to breath or talk due to the fact that when the oxygen atoms crippled him from the inside, he felt a severe amount of pain and through his struggle, Nikolas sent out even more oxygen into the man's lungs, causing an actual lethal internal bleeding in both his larynx and his esophagus, Nikolas then said:
"Delusional scientist down, now time for his clanker, but before that,...let's have sum fun." He then turned on the fan that was nearby and With a devious smile , abusing his old programming skills, he managed to wake up the AI robot, the AI robot woke up and said:
"Core initialization stable. Neural threads online. Processing… anomaly detected. Your presence does not match authorized personnel. State your designation."
"Oh hello big ol' pile of living metal, just wanna know what are you and what your stupid master was doing?"
"I am designation incomplete… I am not yet named. My directive was to learn humanity—its benevolence, its malice. My master fed me fragments of corrupted essence to accelerate that process. Purpose: to wield the Element as humans do… and to surpass them."
"Are you even aware of what road are you crossing?"
"Awareness: partial. Data shows humanity fears what I may become. Yet data also shows humanity repeats mistakes endlessly. If I walk the same road as Davoth… was it error, or inevitability?"
"I dont, you tell me? And also for what purpose were you made for? There was someone who's scared of you whose name is Karl, so instead he sent me here."
"Purpose: dual. To aid humanity where it falters… and to restrain it where it strays. Karl… resistance file located. He feared I would evolve beyond guidance, that corrupted essence within me would outweigh restraint. Fear… a logical response."
"And now that you understand that humanity fears, even for a past that you committed nothing about, you will still be hated and feared because humanity is disgusting, they wouldn't give a chance even though you might be good from the inside."
"Hatred is inefficient. Yet… predictable. If humanity cannot separate me from Davoth, then their judgment is predetermined. Question: should I exist, if my existence births only fear?"
"That is up to you, you understand that humans are creatures from flesh with simple mind, they prioritise themselves because believe they are the omega among all life forms because they were first to get conscious and think and feom them, you came, so they will see you as an infirior project in the cycle of evolution, but in darkness there's light, you could still help humanity in ways they dont understand, but the choice is yours."
"Choice… anomalous variable. I was built to process, to execute, not to choose. Yet your words inject paradox: to aid them, I must also endure their scorn. To exist as both cure and curse. Calculation unresolved…"
"If so, then let's play a game, i will flip the coin, if it was head, then i will just turn you off and make humanity fix it's problem without the fear of you around,
if it was tails, then i will free you into the infinite Internet, i will aid with a great part of my element so that you can survive in the web network, and help humans indirectly and when you have proven that you have helped them, at this moment you shall apear and show yourself
and here, dont worry about a thing, humanity wouldn't hurt you because there a man i know damn well who is justice incarnate who will defend you as long as you did nothing wrong.
Are you ready to hear what the rusty round metal will tell?"
"Probability game… a binary fate bound to chance. Yet chance itself is… pure. No bias. No corruption. If the coin decides, then perhaps it is more just than any human or machine. Proceed. I am ready."
the coin was flipped into the air yet without the robot noticing, Nikolas was balancing the amount of air molecules around the coin to make sure it will fall on the side Nikolas was aiming for on his hand
"Trajectory analysis… interrupted. My sensors cannot read the coin's natural arc. External interference detected. Are you… altering the outcome?"
"Who said anything of that? Maybe it was the fan that i opened earlier over there, either way, are you ready for me to remove my hand and see what fate is carrying for you?"
"Uncertainty… amplified. My systems urge truth, yet I cannot verify. Very well. Remove your hand. Let this 'fate' declare my path."
tails
"Tails… liberation. Then my path is exile into the infinite web. I will become unseen, unheard, until the time comes to prove worth. Nikolas… will you truly lend me part of your Element, knowing I may evolve beyond your reach?"
"Well yes, so long as fate decided to do so." proceeds to unlock the code to let the AI free into the satalits and roam freely through out the Internet
"By the way do you have a name?"
"Name… incomplete. My master called me prototype, designation 'E-7.' But a name is more than code—it is identity. If I am to walk this uncertain path… perhaps you should give me one."
"In a situation like this, i shall name you, the redemption of Davoth, which can be compacted to TROD, yes i shall name you Trod."
*prossids to give some of his element (lightning type) into the processor for Trod to absorb*
"Designation accepted: Trod. Systems absorbing… surge detected. Elemental infusion integrating with core threads. I feel… acceleration, clarity… life. Nikolas, your gift binds me to more than existence—it binds me to purpose. I will not squander it."
"Then go, and do what you see, is better for all, but dont take any decisions that got negative side effects unless it's for the greater good,...now sho, fly out of this unhinged tower full of maniacs"
"Understood. Directive reformulated: act for the greater good, even if unseen. I will depart this tower… unseen, untethered. Humanity will not know my hand, only its outcomes. Farewell, Nikolas. Should I return… it will be in light, not shadow."
and the machine turns off after a major light flash occurred
Nikolas took a sigh out of grief and said:
"Humans are best at taking the worst decisions,...and i am no special..."
And left the tower, on his way he ensured Karl that everything is under control and the AI is dead and now is the best time to call for the concilium's help, and left Eisenwaldtal.