Looking for Valerie's Apprentice

[Grapefruit]

Grapefruit gazes at his surroundings as he and his newfound friends enter Camelot through the Nexus's gate. They are in a grassy field, with tall stones surrounding them. Grapefruit stops and stares at the distant landscape. He can see a great forest, large mountains, and most interesting of all, a massive city filled with white buildings. It almost looks like a holy fortress. "Were the cities from my world always this big?" Grapefruit asks himself, inadvertently speaking out loud.

[Grapefruit]

"Minas Tirith is a rather large city." Valerie says as he approaches Grapefruit's side. "It's the capital of Camelot, after all. If you ever need to talk to royalty, this is where you go." He points to Minas Tirith as he speaks.

"Is that where Strazio could be?" Grapefruit asks.

"Hm... I'm not really sure where he is. I have a feeling he's in this kingdom, but I can only make a vague guess as where he can be. It doesn't help that time is rather... inconsistent here."

"Inconsistent?"

"It's, uh..." Valerie puts a finger on his chin, and taps the side of his thigh with his fingers. "...a bit complex. In most people's home universes, such as mine, the passage of time is fixed. If there are two locations, then the passage of time in both places moves at the same rate. In the Omniverse, you could take a leisurely stroll through the meadow and come back home to find that half the day has gone by."

Grapefruit just looks at Valerie in confusion. Unable to read Grapefruit's confusion due to his unemotive design, Valerie waits for a response. After a long, awkward pause, Valerie says, "Well, it's a double-edged sword. Assuming a reliable source told us where Strazio is, it will be harder for us to catch up to him if time is moving faster for him relative to our time, but it will be easier for us to catch up to him if his time is slower relative to our time."

Grapefruit finally says, "I think I get it." He turns his head to gaze some more at the surrounding landscape. He stops and blinks when he notices three nearby travellers, all men, wearing ragged clothing. The headmost traveller, a bearded man in his late thirties, has a hand near the dagger on his belt. They are perturbed by Grapefruit's presence, and they seem unsure about what to do with him.

Valerie, unaware of the three disturbed travellers because he's been gazing in a different direction, says, "What we can do is go to the tavern at Acton. I know the bartender there, he's a swell guy, and his knowledge of Camelot's current events is quite impeccable. He could help us search for Strazio."

"Uh, Valerie?" Grapefruit asks, still looking at the travellers.

"Yes, Grapefruit?" Valerie asks, turning to look up at his metal friend.

"We've got company." He points at the travellers.

Valerie looks at them, but before he can say anything to them, the bearded man steps forward. "What are you doing, standing with a droid?! Are you with the Empire?!" he shouts at Valerie.

[Grapefruit]

"Erm, hold on." Valerie says, unnerved by the man's violent behavior. He raises his hands up, which shake back and forth. Despite the stress, he's giving a big smile. "This here is Grapefruit. He is not an Empire droid, rather he's a fresh Prime who has not aligned with the Empire."

Grapefruit nods his head, and the travelers settle down a bit. The leader moves the hand away from his knife and down to his side. "Is that really true?" He asks with doubt in his voice. He looks at Grapefruit. "Can you speak?" He asks.

Grapefruit doesn't answer for a second. He needs to watch his words, or else a fight could break out. Yet, the idea of fighting these men intrigues Grapefruit. How would he fare against them? He puts these strange thoughts aside, telling himself that he and Valerie are unarmed, and thus at a disadvantage against these knife-wielding travelers. Yet, this thought brings up a strange feeling: though he is not carrying weapons, he is not unarmed. The feeling goes away when the leader says, "Is that a no?"

"No. Er- I can speak, sir."

The leader is taken aback at being called sir. He stands up straight and lets his guard down. "Are you really not with the Empire?"

"Yes sir, they are not good news."

"Well, uh, sorry to bother you." The leader turns back to his fellow travelers. "Let's go." The trio walks away from Grapefruit and Valerie, into the Nexus gateway.

Valerie, having calmed down, says "Well, I respect that he had all the right questions to ask. Are you unscathed, Grapefruit?"

In Grapefruit's mind, he didn't really find the men to be all that scary. He has a strong feeling that he's faced tougher opponents in his home universe. This feeling is accompanied by a flash of memory: two eyes like his, staring back at him. "I'm alright." Grapefruit says. "Now where were we?"

"Ah, yes." Valerie says. "We need to meet that swell bartender at Acton." He points down a path that leads towards Minas Tirith. "If we journey down that direction, we will soon step foot in Action. We will not be walking for long before we get there."

"Great. Let's go." Grapefruit says, and so they start heading down the path. For a few minutes, they stay silent. Then, Grapefruit asks, "Valerie, how often am I going to be treated like an Empire droid? Surely there's something about me that shows I'm not one of them, right?"

[Grapefruit]

For some time, their travel through Camelot is calm. Though Valerie is not a robot expert, no more capable than a peasant of comparing and contrasting different droid designs, he was able to assuage Grapefruit's concerns that he would be mistaken for an Empire droid. This allows him to travel without worry, until the duo gets stopped by travelers mistaking Grapefruit for an enemy. That happens again, and again, and again. The path the duo is walking through seems to be well traveled, and it seems that every traveler they come across has a bone to pick with Grapefruit. Each time this occurs, Valerie and Grapefruit has to waste time showing that the latter is not a threat. Those that don't confront Grapefruit either timidly stay away from him, or ignore him completely.  

---

By the time they got to the small village called Acton, night has fallen. Grapefruit says, "Finally. The people in this town better be friendly."

"I know it's hard," Valerie says, "but please hang in there. I promise that Micheal, the bartender, is a more understanding sort of person." They stroll through the village. The passerby stare at Grapefruit, and people standing in the middle of the village's path give the duo plenty of space when they notice Grapefruit. Grapefruit is on the lookout, worried that someone could attack him at any moment. "This isn't a friendly village. Maybe I should just keep out of it." He says.

"But if it rains, you'll rust. You can grow a companionship with all these people as long as you act kind and talk to them. " Valerie stretches his arms out as he refers to everyone in the town.

Grapefruit looks at a woman near an entrance. Their eyes meet, then she fearfully scurries inside the building. "I don't know about that." Grapefruit says.

---

The tavern is very boisterous tonight. The tables are crowded with patrons, and servers are dashing throughout the room to keep up with all the orders. Valerie and Grapefruit enter through the front doors. Despite Grapefruit's expectations, the tavern's busy atmosphere continues despite his presence. Nobody seems to notice him. Grapefruit is relieved as he and Valerie work their way through the crowd toward the bar and sit down at it. Valerie takes a moment to stretch his sore legs before sitting. "Ah, it feels good to sit down after such a long hike." He says.

A middle-aged man with a receding hairline approaches them from behind the bar. "Hello Valerie, it's been a while." He says over the tavern's noise. "Who's your friend over here?"

"Hello Micheal. This is a fresh Prime that I befriended at the Nexus."

Grapefruit reaches to shake his hand. "I'm Grapefruit. Nice to meet you."

Micheal gives a subtle distrustful look at Grapefruit, then at his hand. He shake's Grapefruit's hand reluctantly. "Nice to meet you." He then leans over to Valerie and whispers, "Making friends with droids now, huh?"

[Grapefruit]

Valerie waves his hands in a panic. "No, no, he's not a droid, I swear." He whispers. Grapefruit looks over at Micheal and Valerie. He can barely hear their whispers, but gets the general idea of what they're talking about.

"Valerie, you give your trust too easily. How can a robot be a Prime anyway?" Micheal says before he notices Grapefruit's gaze. He quickly stands up straight. "Well, is there anything I can get for you?" He asks.

Valerie orders water, and Grapefruit asks, "Do you have orange juice?"

Micheal is caught off guard. "Wha-?"

Grapefruit interprets Micheal's reaction as being insulted for some reason. "Oh, sorry." He says.

"No, it's fine, we have orange juice." Micheal recomposes himself. "I just, uh, didn't think you could drink. Since you're... made of metal."

"You're right, it is strange that a robot like me could drink." Grapefruit says with amusement. "What were my inventors thinking?" He chuckles.

Micheal is further surprised, seeing this robot in front of him show positive emotions. "Anyway, pay up." He says. Valerie pulls out a couple familiar-looking rainbow orbs. Grapefruit watches them with interest as Valerie places them into Micheal's hand. "Thank you, I'll go get your drinks right away." Micheal says before stepping to the back of the bar.

"Valerie, was that Omnilium?" Grapefruit asks.

"That is Omnilium indeed. Ah, I should have told you during the hike that here in the Omniverse, Omnilium is the primary currency." Valerie explains.

"Huh." Grapefruit sits back and lets his arms lay on the bar. His eyes scan the bar for a quick second. His gaze meets the subtle stares of a few unsavory-looking fellows. One of them is a blonde, large-built man far across the bar who has a rather uncomfortable aura about him. Grapefruit quickly looks back at Valerie, thinking that ignoring the staring individuals will make them lose interest. "It sounds strange, but when I was looking at the Omnilium, it felt like... I swear, I could sense that it was enough to pay for two drinks."

"That sounds like the ability that all people of the Omniverse have. Everyone, including Secondaries like me, can sense the value of Omnilium. It's really quite useful." Valerie goes on for a bit about the use of Omnilium as a currency, with Grapefruit nodding his head every so often. Micheal returns with the drinks, interrupting Valerie's talk.

"Thank you." Grapefruit says, before putting the glass to his stiff mouth and leaning his head back. Micheal, along with several of the bar's nosier patrons, watch with interest as Grapefruit downs the glass in one sitting. After finishing the juice, Grapefruit places the glass on the bar and says, "Ah, that feels good for my engine. Much better than the orange juice I've created."

Micheal says, "Uh, thank you?" At this point, he finds himself accepting that this robot before him is indeed a newbie Prime. Micheal's heard some rumors about Empire droids having their own personality, but he cannot imagine that even a single one of them can act this harmless.

"So Micheal," Valerie says. "I've been searching for someone. Have you recently heard about a young, ill-tempered young man with destructive tendencies?" Micheal turns his attention to Valerie. Letting his mouth hang open, he tries thinking of someone who fits that description. Valerie adds, "His name is Strazio Rockwell. He's my former apprentice."

They get to talking, and Grapefruit finds himself left out of the conversation. They keep mentioning things he has no idea about, and Grapefruit finds himself asking questions to himself like 'Is Rivervale a town or a beach?'. He looks around again, just in time to see a large man lean on the bar next to him. Grapefruit flinches in surprise and turns his full attention to the man. He's the blonde guy with the strange aura about him. Now that he's up close, Grapefruit can see that he's slightly dressed better than everyone else in the bar. And the man's clearly had more than enough to drink, if his bloodshot eyes and staggered demeanor are anything to go by. In his peripheral vision, Grapefruit notices a sword holstered at the man's belt.

"Hey, never thought I'd see a metal man drink!" The drunk man says.

[Grapefruit]

Grapefruit silently stares at the drunk man confronting him. He has no idea what to say. Valerie and the bartender are too deep into their conversation to hear the drunk man's intrusion over the noise of the tavern. Grapefruit tries to turn to Valerie, but the drunk man grabs his shoulder. A line has been crossed. "Talk to me, metal man. I know you're no mute." Grapefruit stares into the man's bloodshot eyes. Something is starting to change within his processors, but Grapefruit tries resisting it. Letting this change go through feels like a bad idea.

"Let go of me." He says.

"No, I won't." The drunk man goes on about he suspects Grapefruit is an Empire spy wearing a knight disguise, but Grapefruit does not listen to him. Having every passerby distrust him is already frustrating, but people laying their hands on him is on an entirely different level. His natural instincts say that... he pushes that idea away before he can even think of it. He knows it's a violent one, the kind that an experienced soldier would have... the term 'Zero Ranger' comes to Grapefruit's mind. Is that what he is? Deep down, Grapefruit knows the answer is yes. He also knows that a Zero Ranger would not let themselves get harassed like this. He grabs the drunk man's thumb and yanks his hand off his shoulder. This hurts. The man's arms widen as he steps back, holding his thumb with his other hand.

Valerie, as Micheal answers one of his questions, finally turns his attention back to Grapefruit. He notices the drunk patron. "Is he bothering you, Grapefruit?" Valerie asks with concern. Micheal stops talking, realizing that something's wrong.

The drunk man says, "Argh, you trickster!" He unsheathes his sword.

"Uh oh." Micheal says.

Valerie raises his hand, putting it past Grapefruit's shoulder so it'd be between him and the drunk man. "Now hold on friend, you're off on the wrong foot here." He says to the drunk man.

Grapefruit looks at Valerie. "It's okay." He says without fear. "I'm made of metal, a sword can't hurt me."

This statement makes the drunk man grit his teeth. "Like that phony armor can withstand this!" He raises his sword. Grapefruit nudges Valerie away and raises his arm to block the incoming swing. Metal screeches, sparks fly, and the sword bounces off his arm. To Grapefruit's surprise, the blow did damage. There is now a large crack on his arm, with wiring exposed underneath. The change within Grapefruit finishes completely, and he acts.

---

Grapefruit flies farther up into the atmosphere. He stops to assess the damage to his arm. There is now a large crack on his arm, with wiring exposed underneath. He lowers his arm to look at his opponent: a Zero Ranger similar to him in almost every way. Their eyes burn with the same ferocity as his eyes. His opponent raises their weapon towards him. Grapefruit is impressed, and chuckles to himself before spreading his arms and tightening his fists. An orange sword made of light sprouts from each hand.

---

"MY EYE! MY EYE!" The loud screaming brings the now standing Grapefruit back to reality. He had felt a rush of memories, ones that changed his outlook so utterly that for a second he forgets what is going on. Then he realizes that a sword, glowing with orange light, is in his hand. The tip of it is covered in blood. "OH, MY EYE!!!" Grapefruit looks at the source of the scream. The drunk patron is writhing in agony on the floor. Both of his hands are clamped tight over his left eye. Everyone else in the tavern is standing up and staring at Grapefruit and the injured man in shock. Grapefruit doesn't have to look behind himself to know that Micheal and Valerie are also standing in shock. The moment goes by for what feels like an eternity. Grapefruit has no idea what to say or do. Then, a town guard grabs a random patron's shoulder. "Tell the other guards that a metal man just maimed the mayor's son!" The true scale of how badly Grapefruit fucked up dawns on him as he watches the guard spring into action.

[Grapefruit]

Indecision paralyzes Grapefruit as the guard charges him with sword drawn. Does he fight or run? Fight or run? Running is cowardly, but he wants to keep his friendship with Valerie. The guard raises his sword high, and Grapefruit's first instinct is to skewer his neck. The idea scares him. He instead raises his sword, then uses the momentum of the guard's swing to deflect his sword. Panic drives Grapefruit to dash past the guard, step over the mayor's son, and run towards the front exit with bloodied sword still in hand. However, Grapefruit's dash immediately slows. He stops without having ran more than a yard. Then, he turns to look at Valerie and Micheal. The guard immediately gives chase, so Grapefruit can only afford a glance before turning back to the exit and running for it. The sight of Valerie and Micheal bewildered pains Grapefruit as he runs past the patrons, who fearfully make way for him. He escapes from the tavern and runs through the dimly-lit village. All of the villagers seem to have disappeared. Grapefruit doesn't need to guess why. All that's on his mind is 'Get the hell out of here!'

Up ahead, Grapefruit sees a group of decently-armored guards blocking the path. With swords drawn, they are prepared to confront him. Instinct kicks in, and Grapefruit leaps like a giant grasshopper high into the air. The guards balk at the sight of this robot, aided by near-invisible thrusters in his legs, soaring up like a bird. Grapefruit is surprised, but only for a second. He's always been able to fly, otherwise why else would they put thrusters all over his body? A terrible decision is made: Grapefruit tries to change the angle of his flight path. 'ERROR: MOBILITY SYSTEM MALFUNCTION' The warning blares through Grapefruit's head. A moment after it finishes, all of Grapefruit's thrusters activate, making him spin out of control. "WOAH WOAH WOAH!!" He shouts as he tumbles around in the sky like a ragdoll in a tornado. He frantically tries to correct his flight, to slow himself down, anything to keep himself from crashing, but it's all for naught. The forest is getting closer and closer. Grapefruit finally turns off his thrusters, but a moment later he crashes into a tree trunk. The tree's side is crushed and cracked; the same can be said for Grapefruit. He deflects off the tree like a pool ball and crashes straight through the dirt. The orange sword in his grip has disappeared.

Grapefruit immediately pulls himself out of the dirt, which is a good sign. If he's still alert immediately after such a devastating crash, then that means his robot brain and engine were miraculously undamaged. It only takes a moment for him to figure out why that is. His cracked arm had taken the brunt of the massive blow, which had left cracks running down Grapefruit's side and up his face. Now everything past half his left forearm is laying next to a tree a few yards away. Grapefruit checks his surroundings. He's on the very edge of the forest, which is awfully close to the village. From here, Grapefruit can see the guards, who can also see him. The shouting group gives chase, so Grapefruit dashes to his arm, grabs it, then sprints through the forest. He doesn't bother checking to see if they're still chasing him. There's two concerns more important to Grapefruit now. 1: he fully remembers his history now. He's a war machine, one with great power. And he's just itching for a good fight. There would've been a fight in that tavern, if Grapefruit could bring himself to betray his promise to the gate sentries and destroy Valerie's trust in him (well, assuming Valerie still trusts him now). That brings us to point 2: he wasn't revived correctly. There's no other way of explaining why he can't fly. And as Grapefruit searches his internal abilities database, he's finding that many more of his functions are malfunctioning. All he has are his swords and an extremely limited mobility system. As he escapes into the night, Grapefruit wonders if he should be thankful for Omni.