r/HFY • u/ThatSoftware4946 • 12h ago

OC-Series The Problem With Humans: Chapter 45

They reached the iron floor trap in the late afternoon.

Roman stopped at the edge of the Iron floor and studied it. The metal walkway was more than 20 meters wide. It was set into the ground, flush with the ground on either side. There was no way around it.

Small symbols were etched along its edges, pulsing with a faint blue glow.

V'rak stepped up beside Roman. "It's wider than I expected."

"How does it work?" S’ra asked.

Lirael tilted her head. "When activated, the bar carries a powerful electrical charge. Anything that steps on it is instantly incapacitated. The charge is designed to cause complete loss of motor control and is lethal."

Roman studied the walkway. "Can we go around it?"

"No, it goes all around the perimeter so we can’t walk around it."

"So we have to go through."

V'rak turned to the group. "How do we do that?"

No one answered.

They sat silent on the grass at the edge of the Iron floor, looking at the town beyond.

They were so close. And yet so far.

V'rak broke the silence. "A humanoid could pass through."

Roman turned to him. "What?"

" The outer layers of Humanoids are made of plastic. They're not conductive. The electricity wouldn't affect them."

Roman's brow furrowed. "Lirael?"

She shook her head. "The Iron floor fries anything that walks on it. That includes humanoids. The electrical charge is designed to affect all materials. Plastic would melt. Metal would conduct. The circuits inside a humanoid would be destroyed."

No one answered. Roman stood. He looked at the Iron floor and then he turned to the group.

"We rest first, maybe even until tomorrow. Eat. Hydrate. Let our bodies recover. "

Morning came slowly as the iron floor gleamed in the sunrise.

Roman sat near it, watching Mukit. His body ached. His mind churned. But he was calm.

He called the group together.

"Everyone," he said. "Humanoids too. Come here."

They gathered in a loose circle. V'rak and K'len sat close together. S'ra settled beside them. And Lirael stood with the humanoids.

Roman looked at each of them. "We need to get past that floor. I want ideas. No idea is too small. No idea is too stupid. Just talk."

S'ra spoke first. "We could build a tower. Something tall enough to jump over the floor."

Roman shook his head. "The guards would see us. And we'd need to go back to the forest to get it. That would take days."

V'rak considered. "What about covering it with grass? If we throw enough grass on it, maybe it would block the charge."

He stood and walked to the edge of the Iron floor. He gathered a handful of grass and tossed it onto the metal surface. It landed softly, scattered across the walkway. Nothing happened.

Roman watched. "It didn't fry."

Lirael stepped forward. "The grass doesn't conduct electricity. But it wouldn't protect us. The Iron floor has multiple sensors. It would still detect us and activate."

Roman looked at the group. His eyes moved across their faces. Then his gaze landed on one of the humanoids. A female. Her body was scarred and worn and her face was blank.

"What do you think?" Roman asked.

Everyone turned. The humanoid's eyes moved slowly, focusing on Roman.

"I do not have opinions," she said. "I follow orders."

Roman stood. He walked to her and looked her in the eyes. "I'm not giving you an order. I'm asking for your thoughts."

The humanoid stared at him.

"You've carried us. Watched over us. Pulled us from the river. You've earned the right to speak."

V'rak's body tightened. "Roman, what are you doing?"

"Giving her a voice."

The humanoid's face remained blank.

"I would offer myself as bait," she said. "I can walk onto the Iron floor. Test its limits. See if there is a weak point. If I survive, you follow. If I do not, you try something else."

Roman shook his head. "No."

The humanoid tilted her head. "Why not?"

"Because you've earned your right to survive." Roman looked at her, at all the humanoids, their scarred bodies and blank faces. "All of you. You carried our supplies. You carried us. You saved our lives. You are not expendable."

"We are machines," she said. "We were built to serve."

Roman returned to his position and continued staring at the iron floor.

K'len stood suddenly. "I have an idea."

Everyone turned.

"We dig a tunnel under the Iron floor."

Lirael's face shifted. "That's... that's actually a good idea."

K'len continued, his voice gaining strength. "The Iron floor is set into the ground. But it only goes a certain depth. If we dig beneath it, we can bypass the charge entirely."

Roman looked at the ground. The soil was soft. Loamy. Diggable.

"How deep?" he asked.

Lirael's eyes were distant, calculating. "I am not sure but its not that deep, I believe we can dig below it."

V'rak stared at K'len. His face broke into something Roman had never seen before. Pure, unguarded joy.

"You did it," V'rak said.

K'len hissed. "I just thought of it. That's all."

"That's everything." V'rak stepped forward and pulled K'len into a Trab hug. "I am so happy you're finally back."

Roman stood back and watched them celebrate, happy that they had found a good idea and that K’len, who was distant and unbothered since the bombing, had finally become active and helped them come up with the idea.

 First Previous Royal Road

12 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

2 comments sorted by

1

u/UpdateMeBot 12h ago

Click here to subscribe to u/ThatSoftware4946 and receive a message every time they post.

Info Request Update Your Updates Feedback