The Academy.

Chapter 7: Tunneling Deeper

But what are they making is now the biggest question.  With that, she decided to investigate it herself, and with what she has seen, the ones who were here are quite busy... Too busy. She saw the stocks and frames of firearms that not only look otherworldly, but also look like they were made of technology not of this time. Sure, they look outdated as they resembles the firearms of old when they were flintlocks, but that's not the only thing they were working on.

She looked around some more, and found mechanical arms, legs, wires and gears... Along with plates bent into shape, what could they be working on with all of this? Prosthetics is something she understands, but at the same time, it's also doubtful there doing this out of charity. God knows for a fact that if they were, they'd all know. 

It didn't take long for her to put two and two together to realize that the bits and bobs laid out is for something even greater, but her biggest reveal was when she opened one of the doors from within. Of course, she knew that it was going to be a storage room, but she didn't expect it to hold what she saw.

It stored a massive assembly line of machines and conveyors, and what she saw were... robots. Men of steel being built by the droves, many of them large, and shining brightly from their bronze plates it was almost blinding, but her biggest concern was that there's already many of them! Thousands upon thousands of automatons lined up neatly like a row of soldiers upon a clear section in the room, and to say it's frightening is an understatement! If the abomination was trouble before, then these are an even bigger nightmare.

Just what they could be planning to use them for? Why do they have to hide such a massive army, it's not like they're planning to take over the world, right?

This is becoming overwhelming... The school has so many secrets, and she's just dreading what else would it be. 

She started backing up from the room, not liking the things that she's seeing, but she stopped when she heard strange, skittering noises that didn't sound too friendly. Out of cautious curiosity, she turned to see what it was, and what she saw, she wished to regret it. It was three entities staring at her from the doorway, vaguely human shaped and seemed to be made by some form of... black, inky sludge. At first, she was willing to assume that they didn't notice her, until one of them screeches at her. 

Fear gripped at her even harder, and she returned to the room once more, hoping that she can at least, run, or evade them. But that was easier said than done as they make it clear that they don't like her as they start closing in. With that, she ran as fast as she can, but where can she even go? She can't just hide, what if they can smell her scent?! 

In her panic, she ran, deciding that an course of action is better than one, but she also ended up staring at one of the automatons lined up in formation. From there, she saw herself in a state she didn't think would fully come to her.

Fear... Actual fear. From the reflection she saw from the machine, she found her hair being slick, and clinging to her face, sticking due to the sweat she's starting to make, her eyes bloodshot in her state of being, and how she herself was breathing heavily. She could hear her heart beating from the adrenaline she's experiencing, and with the how... Scared she was. Why did she think it was a good idea to go here, this was madness. 

Was Raymond even worth saving at this point? 

The screeches from the creatures snapped her out of her daze, and from her sudden onset of intrusive thoughts as she remembered that she was in the same dangerous place he is in. She looked around, looking for an escape route until her eyes landed on the automaton once more. 

'There has to be a way to turn it on!' She thought as she looked for something like a button to activate the machine. If it's going to be built like a brute, then surely it has to at least be good enough for a fight, right?