Kevin-9, the northern wasteland.
Squelch!
Foul blood sprayed as a robot covered in rust and scars struggled to move its corroded joints and killed a dog-sized Void Beast.
Void Beasts were native to Kevin-9, hybrids of ordinary creatures and Void Abyss lifeforms.
They had multiplied throughout the eighty-eight years the planet was consumed by the Void Abyss, becoming the undisputed rulers of the wasteland.
Not only were they tenacious, but most could also wield troublesome Bandwidth abilities.
Behind the robot stood a ruined city choked with weeds.
The fallen sign was covered in moss, but its large letters were still faintly legible: Diamond City.
Beneath them was a smaller line: May our pact be as strong as diamonds.
"Charles! You can't keep fighting. Your parts can't take it anymore."
Among the ruins, a scrawny, pitiful-looking child spoke softly. Dressed in tattered sackcloth and looking seven or eight years old, the child's gender was impossible to tell.
The old robot limped over, its speaker crackling with static.
"Pact protocol must be obeyed."
"Protocol 1: Protect Diamond City..."
The child hurried to use small hands covered in cuts and engine oil to repair and replace the damaged transmission crankshaft.
The child pressed cracked, pale lips together and asked, "Charles, for a pact made two hundred years ago..."
"Is it worth it?"
The old robot blinked its one remaining eye and looked toward the broken walls and rubble.
"Master's younger sister... rests here."
"Protocol 5: Master's younger sister must be protected."
After a pause, the old robot looked at the tattered flag fluttering among the city's ruins.
A weary young man's voice sounded from its old speaker.
It seemed to be a recording of its former master.
"Protocol 9: This isn't about success or failure. It's about the promise I made at the