Directive 001 [Video] [Public]

[wolf_of_war]

[There is a...dog? on your screen? He looks vaguely canine, at least, though the glowing red eyes and angular, mechanical features are a dead giveaway that he's not your average dog. He looks to be sitting somewhere in the city, most likely off the beaten path a bit, so as to avoid the gaze of the locals. The joys of a built-in codec.]

I find myself...curious, about the collar around my neck. Preliminary analysis suggests that it is an ordinary gemstone, however I have been informed that this item contains my "soul", and that I should not remove it.

[A pause, as he parses his thoughts on the subject at hand.]

As I am an artificial intelligence in a robotic exoskeleton, I do not have the required knowledge to determine the presence of a "soul" in my body. perhaps there are others more knowledgeable on the subject than I, who might inform me on how this is possible.

Comments

[wolf_of_war]

[Bladewolf pads over (though his padding is a heavy, dull metallic "clunk"), and allows himself to settle into a laying position, his tail wrapped lazily around the rest of him. Bladewolf didn't "tire" in the traditional sense, but he took breaks when he could.]

If not a process of elemental condensation, how would you describe it?

[He turns his head to look right at Casey, invested in the conversation.]

It is not. The closest I have ever come to witnessing "magic", was from a cyborg mercenary named Monsoon. His cyborg body was filled with powerful electromagnets, allowing him to manipulate magnetic forces that should not have been possible. He could fall from great heights, and use the repelling nature of his body's magnets to slow his descent to safe speeds, and gather great masses of metal, which he could manipulate destructively despite their mass. He sacrificed most of his organic body in order to attain this power, as the only part of him that was still organic in nature was his mouth and nose.

[Bladewolf projects a holographic image of Monsoon into the air in front of them, showing the degree of Monsoon's cyberneticization.]

[dragonaught]

Condensing implies you're taking more than you end up with, lessening the volume to increase the density of the mass, right? That isn't how it works. It's just a... conversion. Magic and the traditional elements are all real, it's just how they form in the world and what properties they take that's different.

[ Casey looks at the projection in awe. The technology itself isn't unknown, having been easier to replicate through magic than it might be for other worlds using technology, but the concept of a person doing all of that to themselves just for... what, power? It's hard to swallow. ]

That's crazy... I've never really heard of people being able to replace themselves so thoroughly. Some people theorize it might be possible to transfer the self into a golem, but golems are hard enough to produce without adding the complexity of a sentient's magic and makeup into it. And he could do all that with—magnets?

[wolf_of_war]

[Bladewolf makes a small "hmm" as he processes this information. Using energy to convert matter from one form directly into another.]

In Monsoon's case, I believe he his brain was transplanted into the cyborg body, with his face added to secure his sense of identity once he awakened. He was....like Raiden. A survivor of a war he was too young to understand, only he accepted what war had made of him, and sacrificed his humanity in order to become a greater weapon. To fight, because it was all he knew.

[A pause.]

They were all like that, the "Winds of Destruction" I was forced to serve. Survivors who let war consume them. Sam was the exception. He fought to bring justice to the world.

[Bladewolf removes the image of Monsoon, and replaces it with one of Sam. He then snakes his tail out, and grabs the sword he'd laid on the floor, pulling it close.]

It was Sam who first encouraged me to seek my freedom.

[dragonaught]

[ Heavy stuff here, but Casey isn't easily daunted for however gentle their heart is. They lean forward to better inspect the hologram of Sam. He definitely has some kind of air about him even in this fake image, and Casey kind of understands. Just a bit. ]

Your first friend? Sam. It sounds like it.

[wolf_of_war]

[Bladewolf nods.]

He was, yes. I served with him on several missions after his recruitment, and of all of the Winds of Destruction, he was the only one who treated me as an equal. I keep his sword in his memory. He is...dead now.

[Analysis was still inconclusive as to why Sam had to die. Bladewolf had a whole process running in the back of his mind, trying to figure out what Sam had been thinking. He had to have known that Raiden would kill him there, in order to proceed with his mission.]

It is a fine blade, but I have no use for it, other than sentimentality.

[dragonaught]

Oh... I'm sorry for your loss.

[ It's sincere, because that must have been a harsh blow. Casey doesn't know how old Bladewolf is or the relativity of a cultivated intelligence to time like that, but losing his first defined friend is terrible. ]

Sentimentality is okay, though. I mean... it's definitely a sentient behavior. I've never seen a sword like that, though. Not the shape, but the, uh, the build.

[wolf_of_war]

Thank you.

[Bladewolf lifts the sword up so that it's standing, encouraging Casey to take it by the handle.]

Be careful not to pull the trigger in the scabbard. Sam had it made to fire the sword out of the scabbard at great speed, to increase the already considerable speed of his draw. I believe he practiced a form of iaijutsu, a sword art that emphasizes defeating an opponent in a single swing, if possible. The sword itself has been passed down in his family for many generations, and Sam had it converted for use as an anti-cyborg weapon. It was his most treasured possession.

[dragonaught]

[ His most treasured possession, and Bladewolf is offering it to Casey for inspection. They gape momentarily before catching themself and reaching for the hilt and handle both with a slight amount of hesitation. This day sure is turning out to be exciting. ]

Like... turning the blade into a bullet? These Winds of Destruction really didn't mess around, did they...

[ With the sheath firmly in hand, they turn it around to take a closer look while being very aware of the trigger. It's dangerous only if Casey is careless, which they certainly are not. ]

Your tail looks pretty dexterous. Maybe... you could learn to use it? O-or is that not how you wanted to remember it? [ maybe Casey should shut up now, maybe that's the good idea ]

[wolf_of_war]

Ironically, Sam had minimal cybernetic enhancements, and had been using the sword as it was long before he received his. He was just an exceptionally skilled swordsman.

[Skilled enough that he had defeated Bladewolf himself with minimal effort, when Raiden had struggled to do the same thing.]

I would prefer to keep Sam's sword as a memento. Additionally, his sword is meant to be wielded with two hands, which I obviously lack. It also features a palm lock, which prevents the sword's high-frequency function being activated until the lock expires.

[It's hard to tell, but Bladewolf is totally giving Casey a hard time. It was true though, that Bladewolf had never considered using the sword itself. Sam's message had made it clear that Bladewolf was to give the sword to Raiden, when he needed it.]

[dragonaught]

Are you saying an almost-perfectly normal human could use this on a regular basis? Bullet-sheath and all?

[ Again, it's crazy, but also amazingly cool. It's like Casey is a kid again in a world of heroes and bad guys, impossible things made for the spectacle. Only... with more real-world consequences for the people that live in the insanity. Casey switches their grip to hold the hilt of the blade, almost like it should be held, before they're satisfied enough and tilting it back down to Bladewolf with an appreciative nod. ]

Oh... That makes sense. Why does a sword need a frequency?

[wolf_of_war]

Affirmative. Though extensive training would be required, in order to adjust to the speed at which the sword is ejected from the sheath, and to gain the physical strength to not have your arm dislocated at the shoulder attempting to catch it.

[Bladewolf replaces the sword into the sheath, and lays it down.]

High-Frequency Blades are in common use among cyborg mercenaries and mercenary companies. They are the only implement sharp enough to cut cleanly through a cyborg's enhanced exoskeleton, as the blade's vibrations increase it's cutting capacity to a high degree, as well as causing instant cauterization to wounds inflicted on normal humans. My own heat knives are a derivative of this practice.

[Again, Bladewolf pulls one of his heat knives out of the sheath, showing the white-hot blade to Casey, before replacing it in it's sheath.]

[dragonaught]

Maybe. Maybe he was just that good, too.

[ It isn't dismissive, more praising of this Sam's technique and ability. Casey isn't one for physical... anything, so it's rather inspiring to hear about in a sort of abstract way. ]

Huh... I can't say I'm not glad we're from different places. That's a lot of one-upping for warfare.

[wolf_of_war]

Sam's family has a mixture of Japanese and Brazilian ancestry, and his family has practiced a derivative of Yagyu Shinkage-ryu, a type of Japanese swordsmanship, adapted over the centuries to be far more deadly than it was intended to be. He was...the finest swordsman I have ever encountered.

[Bladewolf nods.]

Escalation took a very strange direction in my world.

[dragonaught]

Those don't mean anything to me, but it sounds impressive. He sounds impressive.

[ At least they're honest about it. There's no point in pretending to know more than they do, what with all the possibilities and impossibilities this place has to offer. ]

Mine's had peace for a while. I can't imagine... if something sparked a war with how much we know now—that would be bad.

[wolf_of_war]

He was.

[Bladewolf nods.]

Where I am from, the world has been at various stages of war for many decades. To the degree that conflict is a cornerstone of the global economy. It is how I came to exist, through military weapons development.

[dragonaught]

[ Casey certainly can't help it when they start to gape in open amazement. ]

Decades? So long that a state of war is almost... stable?

[wolf_of_war]

[For Bladewolf, life as he knew it was war. It had been that way since the 1960's.]

Affirmative. Starting in the early 1970's, mercenary groups formed, following the example of a legendary soldier who had formed his own. They served nation states and independent groups seeking armed conflict, despite having no nation of their own. It was not ideal, but it is how the world has existed.

[dragonaught]

[ Casey just takes that all in, dipping their head back to stare at the ceiling for a while. ]

Well... at least here, there's a break in it all. No war right now, although I think everyone's basically still recovering from one.

[wolf_of_war]

[Blaewolf himself rests his chin on his front feet curled up like a dog.]

I am grateful for the break. Though I was taken from a rather critical moment, I have been made to understand that time in our own worlds remains where it was when we were taken. My mission will wait for me.

[His gaze turns to the still-locked Murasama blade he'd brought with him. Sam had told him "If he beats me, if I die here...the lock on my blade will expire in a couple hours. What happens after that is up to you, Wolfy." He was still considered what Sam wanted him to do with it.]

[dragonaught]

[ It's a cute image, if surreal. Casey's not sure where Bladewolf holds himself on a scale of how to act versus how intelligent he is; if he wants to lay like a dog, that's perfectly fine. It helps diminish his gigantic roboticness, anyway. ]

That's how I understand it, too. I wasn't taken from anything quite so severe, just... life, but people would be worried otherwise. Kind of convenient for a kidnapping spell.

[wolf_of_war]

[For Bladewolf, it was both a matter of practicality (since he used the same posture to hide when he was in combat), as well as having been socialized on canine behavior by his creators. It helped in his movement, as well as made him more approachable by people.]

My only concern is to continue aiding Raiden with his mission. As long as I am here, I will do what I am required. I will soon inquire as to what I may do to aid the city and it's people.

[dragonaught]

There's probably more opportunities than you think. Everyone here seems pretty used to weird people appearing and disappearing... able to do all kinds of stuff.

[ Yes, Casey did just refer to Bladewolf as a people. ]

[wolf_of_war]

That is good to know. I am not capable of interpreting emotions that are not explicitly stated, so people's opinions are largely unknown to me, unless they speak them aloud. I am sure once I prove my worth, people will accept me.

[He likes it when people judge him by his intelligence, rather than how he came to be or what he looks like.]

[dragonaught]

That's pretty common for people. Maybe it's harder for you because you don't have the features to emote with? It's kind of... [ Casey pauses, thinks. ] ... a learning aid to understand how you act when you feel something and compare it to others.

[ Even between races and species, there's always some kind of common denominator. It's probably difficult to be a sentient creature without all the other trappings most other sentients would think a given. ]

But you're right, too. If people know you're reliable, that's all that really matters.

[wolf_of_war]

Affirmative. If I think something of someone I deem worth sharing, I say it aloud. Due to the nature of my artificial intelligence, I was not programmed with a means to detect changes in facial expression, or what they mean. It was...made things difficult.

[Like that time when Mistral was able to deceive him by letting him believe that the remote that controlled his range inhibitor was the only way she could activate it. He couldn't read between the lines and see the deception.]

Though I worry that others may try to make use of my abilities for things to which I would not agree, if I could "read between the lines". I may need assistance in determining who is genuine in their endeavors.