Sun, 2010-07-04 22:20
Hey all, this is the start of my ideas for the klik, there's a much deeper scope but i hope it provokes your interest... Pardon any typos and such, it's not necessarily my first draft, but i was constantly changing it so i may have made a couple mistakes.
The Great Machine, a mysterious clockwork world of steel, bronze, copper, iron, brass and wire. Rivers of oil and lubricant run through and within this immense, immeasurable world as they empty themselves into The Machine’s fathomless oceans. The history of this strange world is known only to a small number of its oldest mechanizations and of course, to The Great Machine itself.
These ancient klik exist deep within The Machine, at a depth that no klik in existence today are permitted to enter. Any klik daring to set wheel, foot, or track so far from the surface disappears, as if it had never been. All traces of its existence seemingly erased from the processors of every klik ever to have ever been in contact with it.
Sometimes, maybe once a century, some information gets leaked as tales of machines so massive, so foreign in design, it is hard for any klik to believe that these mechanizations are one of their own. In the last hundred years a series of names have begun to surface among the klik, names that when spoken seem to gain The Great Machine’s full attention.
The rumors still persist, despite The Machine’s attempt at silencing them, but one story in particular has surfaced among the High-bred and for them it has only further encouraged their interest in the klik. If this story is true then for them such technology would indeed be the holy grail for them, possibly even a solution to their technological struggles.
The forest floor was littered with the remains a dozen or more klik, most of which were bizarre and alien in configuration. At the center of the twisted graveyard of klik remains, the High-bred platoon observed a strange metallic creature seemingly absorbing the scattered parts into itself, as the gashes and exposed portions of its body quickly began to mend.
Captain Greer shifted the grenade launcher he was holding to his other hand and signaled the rest of the platoon to form a perimeter around the clearing. Then signaling Sgt. Morales and Private Marks, the captain approached the creature with the two soldiers, weapons ready.
The metal creature turned its attention away from self repair, stood up and faced the soldiers. “Your design is strange,” it said tilting its oblong head at them in apparent confusion.
“What are you?” Captain Greer asked surprised at how human and non-machine like its face appeared.
“I am them,” it replied indicating the dead klik around it.
Morales leveled his M-16 at the strange klik, a disgusted sneer crossing his face, “ I say we kill it and take the parts back to HQ,” he spat.
“You can try,” the strange klik replied. Morales stepped closer, the klik not moving as if the high-bred soldier were not threat, when Captain Greer stopped him.
“Morales grab the new tech HQ gave us and get this logged,” Greer ordered. The soldier reluctantly complied, pulling his pack off and retrieving a small device with a large lens attached to it from one of the pack's larger pockets.
“Are you hostile?” it asked.
“That depends on you,” Captain Greer responded. The klik as if believing I didn’t need to give a response sat back down, resuming the absorption of its own kind, continuing to repair the surface damage to its metallic shell.
Relaxing a little Greer gave a sharp whistle, calling the rest of the platoon to the clearing. To himself he smiled as the rest of his men, ten in all, silently stepped into view. ‘Best of the best,’ he thought with pride.
Greer was a little uneasy on how unconcerned the klik seemed after the soldiers had stepped into view. It was only after Morales had begun recording it that it seemed to take notice.
“In design, I’ve never seen anything like it,” Sgt. Morales observed as he began recording.
“And you never will again meat creature,” the klik commented observing each member of the platoon.
Morales sneered at it slightly annoyed. ‘We’re better off shooting it in the head, and dismantling it,’ he thought.
Mon, 2010-07-05 12:40
#2
Interesting concept and a
Interesting concept and a good read. I like it!
Mon, 2010-07-05 12:53
#3
Interesting...
I could see Alpha 0.1 as a Crucible...good read...
Mon, 2010-07-05 19:20
#4
i hope i haven't stepped on
i hope i haven't stepped on any toes, there's more to come, but i wanted to get some feedback before continuing.....what's a crucible?
Mon, 2010-07-05 21:09
#5
Hmmm....
Well, I can't find a pic of it anywhere on the site and can't find the Bad Beginnings guide that features it. The only pic I can find is a tiny one of the box of Bad Beginnings Alpha.
A Crucible is a giant clockword beetle, a type of klik. This is the flavor text:
"Clockwork beings that exist solely to consume and compact scrapped metal. Their massive jaws crush, cut, and grind the metal while their stomachs melt it into molten ingots. Average height/weight: 20ft/22 tons (to obtain size benefits use "Huge" power card)."
Although, I prefer the Gargantuan card....
Mon, 2010-07-05 21:48
#6
definitely not a crucible
definitely not a crucible then *grin*, but you will find out soon enough. :) (trust me I'm making sure it will all make sense)
Mon, 2010-07-05 23:26
#7
Specifically, the Crucible is
Specifically, the Crucible is named "Klang" (with some symbolic replacements for various letters, as you'll see) in the adventure available here (PDF link). That has the larger picture of him.
Tue, 2010-07-06 12:46
#8
Very cool.
Very cool indeed. I would love to hear more. :)
“It’s got attitude,” Private Marks grinned turning to the captain. “Maybe he’ll be better company than Robbins.”
Corporal Robins looked up from examining the area map given to them by HQ, “Keep it up Marks, there’s still KP duty.”
Private Marks’ grin quickly melted away as he turned his attention back to the wilds of apoc earth, he’d had enough of KP.
“Enough you two,” Captain Greer scolded. “This isn’t a date. HQ will want to examine this thing. Morales the recorder on that thing warmed up yet?”
“I think it is now,” the sergeant replied.
“Then begin,” Captain Greer ordered.
Morales nodded, “Subject is one point five meters in height, approximate weight unknown…”
“My weight is two hundred dastron, creature,” the strange klik suddenly interrupted.
Morales frowned and then continued, “I hope that means pounds,” he commented. “Unlike the other klik we have encountered, as you can see this one is sleek in design and streamlined. There are no obvious seams anywhere across its metallic silver shell and there doesn’t appear to be any visible weaponry on its four arms.”
“Is this information going to your HQ Machine?” it asked interrupting Morales a second time.
“Once we return,” Captain Greer answered.
“Good, someone must know,” it responded.
“Know what?”
The klik paused for a moment, taking another glance at the platoon, “You are High-bred,” it said as if some revelation had been given, “The Machine knows you.”
A chill ran down Sgt. Morales’ spine, “So what? What does that have to do with anything?” A loud thunderous boom came from somewhere in the forest following by the crashing of trees. The high-bred platoon immediately went into action, readying their weapons and scanning the tree line.
“They come,” it said turning in the direction the boom had come from.
“Who, who’s coming,” Captain Greer demanded. Another thunderous boom sounded, this time almost deafening as the ground shook with such force that everyone but the klik were almost pulled to the ground.
“Flee meat creatures and live.”
“You’re coming with us,” Greer said, but the klik shook its head. The captain watched in astonishment as its four arms molded themselves into some sort of plasma styled guns. The design was still smooth and seamless and he felt his grenade launcher suddenly ripped from his grasp.
The remaining debris and shrapnel along with the platoon’s weapons were all somehow magnetized to the klik, slowly being absorbed by it as its body began to grow larger. Its silver shell quickly changed, becoming like some kind of armor as if it had used the metal from the debris to upgrade itself.
“You are defenseless, flee and live,” it said the thunderous boom sounding again like some ominous sign of the end as the crash of trees grew even louder. Sgt Morales needed little prodding and despite risking a court marshal took off away from where the boom had come from. Without thinking Corporal Robbins reached for his pistol,but only grabbed empty space after realizing it had been absorbed by the klik.
“Fall back to gamma point!” Captain Greer ordered. The rest of the platoon didn’t need convincing and immediately took off with Corporal Robbins leading them.
Greer backed away and was about to turn in a run, but stopped, “What are you that The Machine would want you so badly?”
“I am Alpha 0.1 oldest of the klik, Secondary Processor Node and data reservoir to the Great One itself.”
Greer stared at Alpha 0.1 in stunned silence and then everything went white……