[nymx]

username:
Vanity.

name:
Kalis

Kalis

1500 word limit, 2 art limit

[Dissimulodeerling.]

Marking.

[River Song]

MARK!

[booklover789]

Usᴇʀɴᴀᴍᴇ:
booklover789

Nᴀᴍᴇ:
Nicodemus

Tʜᴇᴍᴇ Sᴏɴɢ:
Cynicism (xCaliber Remix)

Sʜᴏʀᴛ Sᴛᴏʀʏ:
He never saw things for what they truly were - he simply saw a digitized version of every item he laid sight upon. The tunnels he'd crawled through in his early sentience weren't metal, but electronic...at least, to him they were. Day in and day out, crawling through them as fast as he could, memorizing the twists and turns; getting through them with the fastest time possible. When he completed the tunnel training, he was introduced to two lab rats. To him they were nothing more than heartbeats, breathing lungs, and skeletons, still digital in appearance, though more living than the metal pipes. He memorized their elementary patterns of racing about, and was able to pin their tails to the ground within a few days of being introduced to them. Studying steady, living things was far easier than running through ever-changing, never steady tunnels.
He met his first RPW when he was less than three years old. He stared at the creature, somehow understanding that he was like it...but still so detached from emotion that he couldn't understand why the little one was distressed by his appearance. "Command?" he demanded, his metallic voice loud and harsh.
The RPW shrieked in horror and raced off, tail tucked between its legs.
Years later, he had been trained to copy the movements and motions of RPWs so he didn't stick out quite so much...not that he cared. He could never understand why most RPWs looked at him with expressions of sympathy or fear.
His purpose was simple: guard whatever he was demanded to guard. In the beginning, it was simply a block of cheese. He was sat down in front of it, told to scan it and memorize what it looked like. Then, he was told to guard it for as long as he physically could. The pup sat in front of that block of cheddar for three straight weeks before one single attempt was made to steal it. One of his previous trainers wanted to see how far he'd go to follow orders. She crept up upon the robot, and from behind him, she reached out a finger to touch the cheese.
He spun around, barking and snarling, snapping his razor-sharp teeth as his eyes glowed red. The two red dots from his eyes focused on her head, and a powering-up sound was quickly heard.
His current trainer bolted into the room, and commanded the pup to stand down. "Your mission has been accomplished!"
His eyes still glowed red, but the two dots disappeared, and he ceased his snarling. "What is my new purpose?"
It was then that his trainer knew he could give the pup to whom he needed to: the nicest RPW that the trainer could think of.

Lola trotted down the street, the clanking on her left not bothering her at all, seeing as she could barely hear out of that ear. She looked over at the robot, slightly larger than her. His gaze was alert, and he scanned the street every two seconds. "Nick?"
His ears perked up. "Command?"
"Do you like music?"
"I do not understand. Repeat."
"What do you think of music?"
"I am incapable of giving a correct reply."
"I don't want the correct reply - I want your opinion."
He was silent for a moment, and Lola could just barely hear the whirring within his head, indicating he was mulling over his next sentence carefully. "I do not have an opinion."
Lola rolled her eyes and continued to walk. "Forget it."
"Disregard previous inquiry?"
Lola nodded. "Disregard." Suddenly, Lola gasped in fright. "Oh dear," she murmured, ducking behind a bush.
Nicodemus stared, unblinking. "Problem, mistress?"
Lola harshly whispered out a reply, pointing to a group of RPWs walking towards the bush she was hiding in. "Those RPWs are mean to my friend and I. I don't wish to speak with them."
"Solution?"
"Hide until they go away."
His eyelids narrowed. The pupils of his eyes glowed red. "Incorrect. Solution: Destroy." Multiple dots locked onto each RPW. He shot off like a rocket.
Lola's eyes widened in shock. "NO!" she called, racing after him as fast as her little legs would carry her. "Disregard command! Disregard! Cease! Stop! Abort mission!"
The robot skidded to a halt less than two feet away from the terrified group of young RPWs, who had frozen in fear as they stared wide-eyed at him. He sniffed each one by one, analyzing the scents and storing away each one in his database. "You will not hurt my mistress or the beings she chooses to call 'friends' again. You will do as I say, or I shall destroy you."
The group all nodded in unison, and then raced off in different directions, not willing to give the metallic RPW another chance.
Lola was heaving in gulps of air, exhausted from chasing her guardian. "Come. We are going home," she ordered.

A year later, Lola had successfully taught Nicodemus to be a little more lenient in terms of wanting to destroy everything that posed a potential threat to the young RPW. She had no idea where his violent tendencies came from, and was only glad that she'd been able to reverse some of the damage. "Nicodemus?"
He awoke instantly, ears perking up as he stood. "Yes, mistress Lola?"
"I'm going for a walk. Do you wish to accompany me?"
"Yes, mistress." He stretched, and then trotted after her.
The walk was going fine. The clanking of Nicodemus's joints and claws against the hard concrete had never bothered Lola, so she was lost in her own thoughts, not paying attention to her surroundings.
Suddenly, she felt a yank on her back left paw. She was suddenly flipped over. Her back scraped the ground as she was pulled backwards. She screamed, kicking, trying to get out of the jaws of her attacker.
Nicodemus acted without hesitation, pinning the RPW to the ground, snarling at him as he trained three dots on his forehead. "LET HER GO!" he roared, oil flying from his opened mouth.
The RPW let Lola go. "I just wanted her purse!"
"For what reason?" the robot demanded, refusing to budge, even against the RPW's struggles.
"I need gems! My sister is sick, and I need gems so I can get potions to help her get better!"
Nicodemus's eyes narrowed. "Why should I believe that what you are telling me is correct?"
The RPW was unable to respond. He knew that no matter what he said, the robot wouldn't believe his lie.
Lola stood off to the side, staring at the scene before her, waiting to see what Nicodemus would do.
Nicodemus suddenly leapt off of the wolf, grabbed his back paw, and fractured it with one swift snap of his jaws. He spat a wad of oil onto the RPW's head, and watched as it dripped down his face. "Don't you EVER hurt her again." He turned his back on the RPW, walked over to the one he had sworn to protect, and gently placed his tail on Lola's shoulders. "Let us leave."
She nodded. "I'll call the authorities when we get home. I have a feeling he won't be moving anytime soon."

That night, Lola slept soundly. After she'd said goodnight to Nicodemus, she'd finally fallen asleep at three in the morning. Nicodemus watched her, as he did every night before powering-down. As he stared at Lola, a very small smile crossed his lips. He sat, not really looking at her, but replying memories he'd stored in his database.
As a baby, Lola had bitten his ears and tried to rip them off.
As a child, Lola was constantly sad. Nicodemus had been a shoulder for Lola to cry on...when the world was against her, she could always count on her companion to be there for her...even if he did fly off the handle sometimes.
More recent memories of her teen years flooded his vision. Him helping her down the street. The robotic clanking of him keeping time for her violin music. Her training him to be more gentle and less harsh, at least around the house. Her teaching him about what emotion really meant, even if he couldn't always feel what it was.
Staring at her in the darkened room, her chest rising and falling with every breath she took, Nicodemus felt something for the first time in his life.
Not dedication, or loyalty, or the need to fulfill a command.
He felt something warm. Something...different. Gratitude? No. Happiness...? No. It was something more than that. Joy...? No. Appreciative? No, that wasn't right either.
He searched his database for what he could possibly be feeling, and two words popped up.
Admiration and Love.
Content, Nicodemus stored this day into his database for future usage. A small smile flickered on his features before he powered down, adrift in a sea of blackness, waiting for Lola to wake him once again.

NOTE: I used this word-counter to count my words.

[hypnowave]

marking to help a friend

[Zuppe]

bump

[Zuppe]

not enough forms to judge on so i'm giving a five day extension!

[Zuppe]

8 hour warning!

[Zuppe]

ok because im fighting to stay awake the contest will be closed later than I thought initially...

This contest has been extended...again to 11:00 AM EST tomorrow...as I will be awake by then.

[Zuppe]

this is now closed for judging!