The journey from the Sky Temple took them across twilight skies, where fragments of old machinery drifted like islands in a mechanical sea. The air smelled faintly of ozone and nostalgia—like the ghost of an old office printer.
Raka checked the copier's status panel:
Progress: 2/3 Relics Secured. Final Component Required — Holy Wrench.
But something was wrong. The screen flickered with static. A corrupted voice whispered from within:
"...Raka... stop... duplicating... yourself…"
He froze."...Did anyone else hear that?"
Arzathor glanced back, wings rippling with crimson fire. "No. But your aura feels... split. Like a copy misaligned."
Raka tried to laugh it off. "Guess I'm just… lagging."
But deep down, he knew the truth: every creation he made took a piece of his essence.
⚙️ Arrival — The Rusted Horizon
TING!🟦 [Location Discovered!]The Sanctum of Lost Tools — Graveyard of Forgotten Machines
A vast plain stretched before them, littered with gears the size of houses. Towering spires of chrome and rust reached into a black sky streaked with digital auroras. Broken automatons lay scattered like fallen knights, their hollow eyes flickering faint blue.
Kael knelt by one. "They look like they were built for war."
Sir Kuroak puffed up his chest. "Or customer service."
A faint laugh echoed—then a voice, monotone yet ancient:
"Intruders detected. Maintenance subroutine initiating."
From the mist emerged a massive construct, its arms lined with tools, each one glinting with divine precision.
TING!🔴 [Enemy Encounter!]Ancient Repair Droid — Model: RE:MASTER-9000HP: █████████ (100%)Status: [Defensive Mode]
"Brace yourselves!" Kael shouted.
The droid swung a wrench the size of a tree. The impact sent shockwaves through the metallic ground. Arzathor retaliated with flame, but it reflected harmlessly off the machine's shield plating.
"Magic's bouncing off!" Arzathor growled.
"Then let's print a workaround," Raka muttered, loading a gear fragment into the copier.
WHUUMMM—!!
TING!🟩 [Item Created!]Copy: Lubricant of Logic — Temporarily disables mechanical defenses.
Raka splashed the glowing ink across the droid's armor. Its gears squealed, movements slowing.
"Now!" Kael lunged, striking its exposed core.
The droid staggered, gears grinding.
"Im…perfect… but... functional..."
It collapsed, leaving behind a single golden spanner engraved with celestial runes.
TING!✨ [Item Acquired!] Sanctum Key Component — Partial Holy Wrench
🔩 Deeper In — The Mechanic's Dream
They entered the heart of the Sanctum: a cathedral built entirely from interlocking machinery. Conveyor belts ran through stained-glass windows of glowing circuits.
At its center floated a colossal figure—half goddess, half machine—her arms outstretched like clock hands. Tubes of energy connected her to countless dormant automatons.
Liora's voice echoed through a telepathic link:
"That is the Mechanarch, the Keeper of Tools. She maintains the balance between creation and decay. To claim the Holy Wrench, you must prove you can build without breaking the world."
Raka stepped forward. "And if I can't?"
"Then you'll become another broken part."
TING!🔴 [Boss Encounter!]Mechanarch — The Eternal EngineerHP: ████████████████████ (100%)Status: [Reconstruction Loop]
The goddess raised her hand. Machines came alive, forming an army of rusted titans.
Kael and Arzathor charged, but the machines reassembled faster than they could destroy them.
Sir Kuroak croaked in frustration. "They just keep fixing themselves!"
Raka stared at the copier—sparking, trembling, overheating. "Then we don't fight… we synchronize."
He placed both relics—the Star Toner and Cosmic Drum—into the copier tray.
The machine screamed. Light burst out, tearing holes in reality.
WHUUMMM—!!
TING!🟦 [Skill Unlocked!]Copy: Creation Blueprint — Transcribes thought into matter.
Raka closed his eyes. The copier whirred, translating his imagination into form.
A new construct emerged—the Replica Golem—built not to destroy, but to build alongside the Mechanarch's rhythm.
The goddess paused, her gears slowing.
"You... do not seek dominance... but harmony…"
The copier printed one final sheet, glowing like sunrise.
TING!🟩 [Ultimate Item Created!]Holy Wrench — Tool of Infinite Calibration.
Raka grasped it, feeling its weight—both divine and terribly human.
The Mechanarch bowed her head.
"You have repaired the cycle... but beware, Creator. The one who copies too much... may overwrite themselves."
🌑 Epilogue — Echo of the Machine
Outside, the horizon shimmered with code.
Kael smiled faintly. "Three relics. We did it."
Arzathor grunted. "Then why doesn't it feel like victory?"
Raka didn't answer. His reflection in the copier's glass looked... different. Paler. Flickering at the edges.
From deep within the machine, a voice whispered again—clearer this time:
"Raka… you've copied enough. Now it's time… to print the end."
The copier's light turned crimson.
TING!🟦 [Quest Updated!]Title:The Mk.∞ AwakensObjective: Assemble the Photocopier Mk.∞ and confront the Source of Corruption.Progress:✅ Star Toner✅ Cosmic Drum✅ Holy Wrench⚠️ Status: System Integrity Critical
🌪️ [End of Chapter 5: The Sanctum of Lost Tools] 🌪️