We Were Rulers [Empires SMP × Genshin Impact]

Accidentally Murdering an Ancient Robot

“Pix, wake up or so help me I will turn you into a frog.”

Pix woke with a start. “What? Huh? What's going on?”

“I don't know,” Shelby said. “But I can't find the others. And there's some sort of redstone machine outside one of the exits.”

Pix got to his feet. His head spun, but he still tried to examine the area. Shelby stayed where she was on the floor. Apparently she had already looked around.

They were in a ruined pavilion of some kind. It was very small, but it was enough to fit the two of them - and a fancy locked treasure chest. Ruins and ancient treasure made Pix excited, but where he didn't have the slightest idea where he was, in this case they made him nervous.

Outside the pavilion, Pix spotted more ruins, harsh blue sky, and yellow grass. The air was warm and dry. It was almost exactly like the climate of the ruins Pix studied at home, but these were definitely not the ruins Pix studied at home. Maybe all ruins were just universally hot and devoid of moisture.

Right outside the pavilion, there was a mechanism sitting with its back to them. It had two legs and two arms, similar in build to a human. It looked like it was dead or at least dormant. Pix knew what Shelby was talking about with a redstone machine. It definitely looked like a contraption. It also definitely looked like something a Hermit would build.

“I wouldn’t expect Hermitcraft to have ruins,” Shelby said. “I don’t really know what I expected, but not ruins and a dead machine.”

“We took a risk when we went through the Rift,” Pix said. “This might not be Hermitcraft at all.”

“Let’s not make assumptions,” Shelby agreed. She cautiously approached the machine.

Pix went around to the front of it and was alarmed to see the spark that appeared in its… eye, for lack of a better word. “Shelby,” he said. “Back away!”

Shelby saw it too. She yelped and jumped back, taking out her wand. Pix didn't have a weapon, so he pic,ed up thr nearest rock. That would have to do. The mechanism made whirring noises and slowly got to its feet.

Shelby shot a burst of magic at it, then screamed and ducked as it released a barrage of bullets that whizzed just over her head. Pix ran around to its side and hit it with his rock. That did basically nothing.

“The eye!” Shelby yelled. “Go for the glowy parts!”

“Can't,” Pix called back. “Can't throw to save my life. You're gonna have to handle that.” He dove out of the way as the machine extended its arms and clapped its hands together where his torso was a millisecond before.

Shelby kept her distance, shooting spells and making panicked noises. Pix tried to keep it distracted so she could hit its weak spots.

Then it started spinning. Its arms flailed. It would have been funny if it didn't hit Pix in the face, causing him to fly backwards and land hard against a crumbling wall.

Shelby was closer to it now. It focused its attention on her. She backed up and hit it with one last spell.

The machinery groaned. The mechanism stumbled, fell forward, and collapsed in the grass.

Pix grunted in pain and got up. His ears rang. Every part of him hurt. His vision spun, so he sat back down.

“We need to find a doctor,” Shelby said. “Or I could try to make a potion-”

“Doctor,” Pix said quickly. He had heard plenty about the unreliability of the witch’s magical methods.

“We don't even know if doctors exist in this world,” Shelby said. “Or civilization. If it's Hermitcraft, we can probably find a potion of healing or regeneration. If not… I'm not sure.”