Netori: Stealing The Hero's Party!

Chapter 649: No Rest For Wicked Steel

Through the eyes of her creations, Mono could spy on her subjects. Through the bodies of her creations, she could inflict uneven punishment. And when her heart of steel was taken, it was through that very connection that she managed to escape from the iron core to the body of an automaton whoʼd just passed in her sleep.

At first, she couldnʼt see a thing. Her hands felt heavy, and although her lips moved, not a word left her mouth. Laying on a cold bed, she had no clue where she was and even as she tried to move her legs, she felt absolutely nothing.

ʼWhere am I?ʼ She thought, but it wasnʼt until morning came that she realized what had happened. Glancing down at herself, she found herself to be in a maimed machinaʼs body. Her knees were shattered from a lack of upkeep, and the same was true for her voice. Thankfully, the hands finally began to work and helped Mono sit upright.

However, the moment she tried to do anything else with her hands, her spine couldnʼt support her on its own, and thus her body fell against the hard floor. Even when hurt, her mouth couldnʼt form a scream. Thus, laying on the floor, Mono cursed her luck.

ʼWhat kind of machine is this? I donʼt remember when I made this one!ʼ Her words were harsh, but the Machina was in fact of her own making. It had simply fallen into the hands of a family that couldnʼt afford any upkeep.

Even so, after hearing the loud fall–the parents of the iron girl came rushing right in. A worried look was streaked across their faces, and while the mother gasped in horror, the older demi-human rat picked Mono by the shoulders and set her in a rustic wheelchair right next to the bed.

”How many times have we told you not to try to get up on your own?” Reprimanded the man, his expression unchanging.

”You almost gave me a heart attack, sweetness…” Moving closer to the Machina, the possum beastwoman got to her knees and brushed her daughterʼs clothes and arms.

Her furry fingers were much smaller than a human and yet they held the love of a parent, even if the child was made of steel. Glancing up into her eyes, Mono cursed her fate some more–for in her mind, there was no way someone like her or her husband could even understand what she needed to get herself out of this situation.

ʼDAMN IT ALL! OF ALL THE HOUSES I COULDʼVE ENDED UP IN, IT HAD TO BE A DAMNED DEMI-HUMAN AND BEASTWOMAN COUPLE!ʼ As far as the queen was concerned, her fate was sealed. She couldnʼt walk or talk, and worse of all, her caretakers were a pair of rodents that licked their own skin to keep themselves clean. To explain them the intricacies that were required to get her back on her own feet–were needless to say, moronic.

Anger took hold of the machina now inhabited by Monoʼs souls. And as that frustration took over her face, the possumʼs eyes widened, and a look of worry took over her.

”Sweetie, I swear weʼll get your legs fixed in a few months!” Reaching for Monoʼs face, she grabbed them with a loving caress. Yet the furry fingers felt like pricks to the iron queen as the last thing she wanted was to be petted by some lesser race. ”Your father just needs a bit of time to arrange that money, isnʼt that right, sweetheart?”

Glancing back at the man, the woman stared at him with a hopeful yet uncertain expression. She knew that their living conditions were amongst the worst in the city, and even if they could get enough money to fix their daughter–there were plenty of other things that must take precedence.

”Y-yeah…the noble I work for, heʼs going out on a vacation to Athenia soon. Weʼll be living in his house for a while, and that should help us save enough money to get you fixed!” As much as it ached his heart to lie, the father did so anyway.

Hope was a scarce commodity in their household, but it also served as the glue that bound them all together.

”See? I told you.” Forcing a smile on her face, the mother got up and glanced down at her wheelchair bound daughter. ”I know things have been rough, but we did once have enough to bring you into this world, right? And now, weʼll do anything to fix you up–I promise!”

The motherʼs words held a tinge of desperation. She truly wanted their daughter to believe him, even though things had only gotten grim and grimmer for her. The first to go were her knees and then her voice, and last was the strength in her hands and even though she could still move them, anything heavier than her own body was too for her.

ʼJust shut up and take me to Shamisha!ʼ Thatʼs what Mono wished to scream, but with the Machinaʼs voice box out of order, she couldnʼt say a word, much less string a sentence or scream.

Frantically looking down at herself, she slammed her fists on the armrests. The parents jumped for a second, but quickly getting behind her, the mother began leading her out of the shambling room. Dust weighed Monoʼs lungs as she passed through the first door, and the sound of the rusty hinges almost made her ears bleed.

ʼThis place…Where is this?ʼ Still taking in her environment, she was stunned at the loose rocks hanging from the walls and the deep cracks in the bricks that made up their house. The roof was even worse as it was made of wood planks barely holding each other and leaking water as if it were raining. ʼThis canʼt be Elenaris. Thereʼs no place like this in my city–ʼ

Or so she thought, but then she heard the sound of the underground train running so close to their house, it rattled the walls and everything within for a moment. And thatʼs when it hit her, she was in the underground sewers. A haunting feeling set in her heart at the realization. When she couldnʼt walk or speak, it wouldʼve been difficult to get any help even on the surface. Then what hope did she have in the worst part of the city?

ʼEverytime…Why does this happen to me every time?!ʼ She screamed to herself, feeling hopeless about the situation.

Could she still escape the prison that was this maimed body? Only time could tell…