OVERLORD: All Hail Ultron

Chapter 17: Wise King of the Forest PT2

Art above is mine!

*THOOOm*

*THOOOm!*

*THOOOm!*

Go the cracks of light rifles in the distance bright orange projectiles burning through the cobbled together hay and wooden dummies they used for target practice. The large unwieldy Light rifles sat awkwardly in some of the villager's hands. Stocks embedded into their shoulders, as they get thrown back by the recoil. Their Promethean neighbors helping their biological friends and family to their feet when firing the powerful weapons proved too much.

Helping them.

Adjusting their stances.

Teaching them how to reload them and use them properly.

Ultron watched through the forest green eyes of his android Marcus as they worked and prepared, sitting on the ledge watching. And like a proud father a smirk pulled back on his mouth. The sun glinted off the metallic forms of the Prometheans as they patiently instructed the villagers. For a moment, the boundary between organic and synthetic blurred with every shared smile, every supportive pat on the back.

"Steady your breathing, Hilda," one of the Promethean Warrior Servants said in its modulated tone, adjusting the grip of a middle-aged  woman. "Squeeze the trigger gently. Do not jerk."

Another villager, a young man barely into adulthood, was being shown the intricacies of the rifle's mechanisms by a different Promethean. "Remember, Johan, short controlled bursts. It conserves ammunition and improves accuracy."

Marcus' chest swelled with pride as the resurrected worked. Ultron's vision of the future almost vividly within his grasp. "Look at them Nabe," Marcus says gesturing with his arm at the scene, "Look how far they've come,"

Nabe, always composed, glanced at the scene with a cool demeanor. "They seem... diligent, at the very least," she remarked, her tone lightly dismissive.

Marcus turned to her, an unmistakable passion in his eyes. "Nabe, it's more than mere diligence. It's their spirit, their will to survive and thrive. They've been through unimaginable hardships, and yet, watch as they stand in the face of it. They have an innate strength that those at Nazarik overlook. They strive to change, to ensure that the tragedies of their past never befall them or their loved ones again."

Nabe met his gaze, her violet eyes searching his. "But they're still just... humans," she muttered, slightly unsure. "Weak, fragile, transient."

"Logical assessment. However still, they are resilient, adaptive, and capable of great love and sacrifice," Marcus countered neutrally, his tone a blend of Marcus and Ultron in his judgment. "It's easy to see their physical limitations and cast judgment. But you must look deeper. Inside. They have a spark within them of resilience and hope, that when cultivated can burn like a raging inferno. That's the strength I see in them, and I believe it's a strength worth nurturing, for peace in our time..."

After a brief pause, Nabe looked down, her usually stoic face showing a hint of regret. "I apologize my lord. I hadn't thought about it that way. I will try to understand."

Marcus offered her a warm smile, his green eyes shimmering. "That's all I ask, Nabe. Try to understand. You don't have to all the time but as long as you try you understand that everyone has a story, a past, and a reason for being who they are. Regardless of species. Perhaps, in time, you'll come to appreciate the beauty of it, as I do,"

The wind rustled, carrying the echo of laughter, and the continued thuds of the light rifles' fire. Before suddenly going silent. A shimmering presence kneeling to Marcus' side. Without even looking the Android knew what it was, and was oddly impressed with its diligence. "Executioner platform. I'm pleasantly surprised. Report,"