Fate’s Slave - Shadow Slave X Honkai Star Rail

"This vein... So this is what everyone is fighting over..."

Clara looked upon the glowing, amber Geomarrow vein with a troubled expression. This was the source of the conflict within the Underworld.

Robots scrambled around on mechanical legs, performing tasks that were assigned to them by Svarog.

She turned, looking up at a towering figure.

"Mr. Svarog, it's such a massive vein. I've never seen so much Geomarrow before..."

Clara was a young girl with long, white hair and reddish-pink eyes. She wore a large red overcoat with a large, braided tassel attached at the front and a white fur hem at the bottom.

A large, white pompom dangled from the top strap. On the back a hood was attached to the coat with pointed ends, resembling cat ears. Underneath the overcoat, she wore a beige sweater and white clothing. Her legs were covered by a pair of fur boots alongside white stockings.

A pink light flickered.

"Calculating... Based on the average rate of excavation, this vein is enough to supply Belobog with 231 days of energy, with a margin of error of seven days."

Svarog's speech was abnormally robotic.

That was because… he was a robot himself.

Svarog was a tall, dark blue mech with a glowing pink cyclopean eye. He wore black pants and shoes as well as a fur jacket with multiple openings that expose his shoulders.

…It was quite unusual for a robot to wear clothing, as there wasn't anything for Svarog to cover.

As such, Clara was convinced that Svarog was actually interested in fashion!

She didn't understand how that was possible, considering that the hulking robot only ever thought about calculations. Maybe there was a logical reason for him to wear clothes?

Svarog stood silent for a few moments, before his singular, mechanical eye looked down at Clara.

"I sense that your reason for summoning me is not the ore in question. State your true intention, Clara."

Clara bit her lip in hesitation.

"...Right. I wanted Mr. Svarog to see that many miners and vagrants have gotten hurt because of the vein... Can you help them?"

Svarog slowly moved his head to the left, before moving it to the right, robotically mimicking the movement of a human shaking their head.

"That is not necessary. I have already prevented the dispute and taken temporary control of the excavation zone. Evaluation result: In the event of no further variables, there will be no large-scale armed conflict within the next thirty days."

Staring down at her feet, Clara clenched her small fists.

"I know why you did it, Mr. Svarog! It's just... I don't think it'll be enough. The mining team and Wildfire... they don't understand your actions... If only we could do more for them..."

Svarog replied with the mechanical, emotionless tone that would be expected from a robot.

"My mission is the protection of the Underworld. The trust of the minority sample is redundant to my calculations. Human behavior will always deviate from rational calculation, Clara..."

Svarog's artificial joints creaked as he turned to look at a small group of adolescents and young adults.

"As evidenced by their presence here."

***

'…Why was I never told that Svarog was a robot?'

Sunny's mental image was utterly shattered. He had expected a man in glasses that sat in a chair and had an infuriating smirk on their face as they conducted their malevolent plans from the shadows.

Instead… there was a serious-looking robot that made even the tallest of humans seem short in comparison. The towering figure was accompanied by a little girl, that reminded Sunny of a small bunny.

He was quite familiar with the carnivorous kind.

Looking around, he found countless robots scrawling across the ground. Most of them were small, having either legs or wheels that allowed them to move around, while others were much larger, having chainsaw and firearm attachments.

The smaller robots were probably used for mundane things, while the larger ones were meant to be used as weapons. It was quite an efficient system.

However, Sunny couldn't help but notice that there was something off about the robots, Svarog, and the bunny-like girl. Something he was familiar with…

Sunny flinched as Veliona suddenly shouted:

"Svarog! We haven't settled our final score! Let me cut you up a little…" 

Why was he associated with such a violent woman again?

As Svarog stated them down, Sunny felt slightly uneasy. It wasn't fear, or anything similar. To put it simply, he wasn't very comfortable talking with something that didn't have human emotions. Who knew what Svarog thought — or whatever robots did to achieve a similar function.

Unmoving, a modulated voice came from Svarog.

"Seele, subordinate to Wildfire... Your resistance is futile. The result of my calculation is unequivocal: Remaining in the Underworld is the optimal strategy for survival."

Veliona sighed in annoyance.

"Calculation results, survival strategies... who cares about any of that? Just fight me already, you big hunk of metal!

Instead of replying, Svarog turned towards the girl by his side.

"Observe, Clara. Even under abject conditions, humans are unable to avoid division and conflict."

'…So that's what it is.'

Svarog and the girl — Clara — seemed to have some type of relationship. A relatively amiable one, he guessed. Due to Svarog's identity as a robot, it was natural for him to act as one — relying on calculations and facts rather than emotions and illogical thinking.

However, the same could not be said for Clara, who was a mere child.

Sunny's golden eyes gleamed with a strange light.

'That… is certainly an avenue we could take.'

March poked his shoulder, signaling for Sunny to move closer to her. She whispered in a low tone:

"Is it just me, or did Miss Seele get a little bit more… trigger-happy?"

…To be fair, the contrast between Seele and Veliona's personalities were quite drastic. The former was usually quite serious and happened to get flustered easily, while the latter was bold… and might as well be violence incarnate.

So Sunny wasn't very surprised that March was able to perceive the effects of her Flaw. The pink-haired girl was quite perceptive — a great boon for an archer.

Sunny shrugged.

"Sometimes, Seele is just… not Seele."

With a perplexed expression, March opened her mouth to supposedly ask what he meant by that, but he distracted her by pointing at Svarog.

"I wonder what the girl is talking to Svarog about…"

Although Sunny was aware of Seele's Flaw and could have simply told March about it, it wasn't something that he should share without permission. Although Sunny wouldn't be surprised if Seele happened to loudly exclaim her Flaw out of nowhere, he'd rather leave that up to her.

A conflicted look appeared on Clara's face.

"But, Mr. Svarog..."

Ignoring her pleas, Svarog continued with indifference.

"Human failure to accept the calculation result is a significant threat to the survival strategy of the Underworld. Calculation complete, result unequivocal: Armed suppression of Wildfire and their allies is the optimal course of action."

Sunny's eyes flickered to an approaching robot. It had a hefty, round, blue-plated chassis, and walked with loud, heavy footsteps. It had large arms and a towering piece of metal protruding out of it's body.

Observing the robot for a moment, Sunny sighed.

'It's just a robot. It shouldn't even be remotely threatening.'

But why did he feel so uneasy?

Sunny's eyes trailed back to Svarog and Clara. The large robot seemed like he was about to leave, which was uselessly confirmed by March.

"Ah! What about the girl in red? That robot is gonna take her away!"

Svarog looked down at Clara.

"We must leave, Clara. External variables have triggered a calculation reset. The Furnace Core hub requires protection."

The girl sent a fleeting look towards the robot that blocked their way towards Svarog.

"...Please, Mills, don't hit them too hard."

And thus, Svarog and Clara left.

Sunny blinked. Did she name the robots in a matter similar to humans?

Well, maybe it wasn't that strange. After all, Sunny's best friend was his shadow!

Either way, the robot was not likely to be much of an obstacle. A simple machine wouldn't be able to keep up with an Awake—

A massive hand slammed down where Sunny had been standing. To the bafflement of everyone present, the large, heavy robot had somehow crossed the distance between them in less than a second. The speed in which the automaton moved was uncanny, both due to the fact that it didn't suit it's build, and because the speed surpassed what a robot of any kind should be able to achieve.

A shockwave was released from the point of impact, sending dirt into the air as the ground beneath them shook.

Sunny exited out of Dan Heng's shadow, having used Shadow Step to evade such a devestating blow. His eyes were narrowed with skepticism. He knew there was something off with these robots.

But how was this even possible? The speed in which the robot moved was comparable to that of an Awakened.

Veliona clicked her tongue in annoyance as she glared at the robot, a desire for murder hidden in the depths of her crimson eyes.

"Just another lackey? How pathetic…"

Nodes of light floated in the air around the five of them, dancing in the air as they formed their weapons. A sword, a spear, a bow, a scythe, and a rifle appeared in their hands.

Just as Sunny was about to augment himself with his shadows, he felt a strange sensation spread throughout his body

A wave of invigorating energy flowed within him. His vision grew sharper as his body became more tenacious, durable, and more powerful.

Looking around, he could tell that the others were experiencing the same sensation. The only exception to this was Bronya.

She must have used her Aspect on them, increasing their overall strength.

Despite how Sunny felt, the increase in power was not that much. If he had to guess, it was only half as effective as his own augmentations.

Looking down at the Midnight Shard, Sunny noticed that the gleam of the austere tachi seemed to change a little. It seemed sharper… more lethal.

Bronya's Aspect seemed to have the ability to empower both people and weapons. He doubted that this was the effect of the same Ability, so one must be a Dormant Ability, while the other is an Awakened Ability. Although, Sunny didn't have a way of learning which was which.

With such a boost in strength, augmenting himself would be quite overkill. The robot wouldn't be able to withstand the strength of an Awakened Demon, multiplied by four. That wasn't even including the fact that he was accompanied by four other Awakened.

Sunny watched as the robot prepared to lunge forward. After a moment of contemplation, his shadows split into three. One attached itself to Dan Heng, while the other went towards Veliona.

The last shadow — Gloomy — was used to augment Sunny as he dismissed the Midnight Shard. As the sword dissolved while returning to his Soul Sea, a destructive force surged within him, coalescing to form a baseball bat.

Twirling it within his hand for a moment, Sunny noticed that the bat wasn't being enhanced by Bronya's Aspect. Was it because the bat wasn't really a weapon, but a construct formed by the energy from the Path of Destruction?

Either way, it wasn't very important. Sunny delved into his shadow sense, focusing on the two shadows that attached themselves to Dan Heng and Veliona — mainly on how they moved.

Sunny had a few things he needed to get a glimpse into, so he figured that now would be a good time for a short lesson.