The brick-paved streets of the capital were dense with noise and people. Roman, in all his years of living here, had never seen it so crowded before. But he supposed it made enough sense.
It was the summer months, so tourists had flooded in like usual - the capital was on the beach. Add in that many qualifying matches for the Phoenix Empress Tournament were being held around the city, and it was only natural that the streets would be flooded. All these people were either spectators wanting to watch the action, or hopeful fighters hoping to get a slice of it.
Roman was a thin young man, dressed in simple clothing that let him blend into the crowd as he strolled down the sidewalk. Still, he could feel many eyes on him... and he knew why. It wasn't anything about his apperarance, no. It was the company he kept.
Close to his side was an unnaturally tall woman. Despite the warm weather, the seven-foot figure was bundled up in a heavy trenchcoat complete with red scarf and gloves. Her face was hidden beneath a wide-brimmed hat, and curly copper hair spilled out over her shoulders down to her back. Everything about her seemed like an attempt to blend in, but it only succeeded in making her look more strange.
"The ring should be nearby." she leaned in towards Roman. Her voice was low and monotone, almost mechanical. "Question. Why is everyone looking at us?"
"Don't worry about it." he said, waving her off. Suddenly, he pulled her into a quiet back alley. "Are you ready?"
She paused for a few seconds. A quiet whirring came from inside her, a slight, almost imperceptible noise that even Roman could barely pick up.
"Combat systems fully tuned and operational." she said at last. "Initiating test one..."
She held out her arm, and with a shink, a long, curved blade of gold ejected out from beneath her sleeve. Roman took a nervous step back - the thing had nearly turned his head into a shish kebab. He extended his fingers and gingerly pushed the three-foot blade away from his face.
"Let's, ah, skip the tests this time?"
"Understood." the blade slid quietly back from where it came.
"Excellent." Roman smiled. "This should be a cinch."
Later that day, word spread of a very tall, very odd woman rising through the ranks of the qualifying matches. No one could've expected the sheer strength the woman possessed, or the deadly retractable swords hidden within the thick beige sleeves of her coat. Although she had competed in many matches, no one had managed to see her face.
Thwam!
Her foot slammed into her opponent's chest in a flawless turning kick. The man flew backwards through the air, slamming into the ropes of the raised ring where the fights took place. He was massive, taller than even she was, but the woman could still toss him around like a ragdoll.
Groggy, he tried to rise to his feet, but the woman was over to him in a flash. He had started the fight with a pair of axes, but they had fallen to the floor on the other side of the ring. Disarming him had been the woman's first course of action.
Shink.
One of her golden armblades shot out. The man's eyes grew wide, and he threw a wild punch that managed to catch her on the jaw. To the fighter's surprise, his hand impacted what felt like metal. Throbbing pain rolled in waves down from his knuckles, and he clutched his hand to his chest. "What the-?"
The woman whipped her arm around, bringing the sword under his collar. Its curved tip caught on the fabric. With an almost gentle ease, she hoisted him up into the air, casually stepped forward until he was on the other side of the ropes, then dropped him down onto the ground outside.
The crowd erupted into cheers. She had attracted something of a fanbase since her first match. As a tournament official in a fancy red silk uniform approached her, someone climbed into the ring: Roman.
"I'll be taking that." he said, eagerly snatching the scroll the man held in his hand. The official wore little round spectacles on the bridge of his nose, and he pushed them up as he stepped towards Roman.
"Who are you?"
"I'm her manager, pal." Roman tucked the scroll away in his pocket. "Alright, are those all the fights for this evening?"
It had grown dark out since she started her matches. The official looked around, then nodded.
"Yes. But she'll have to be back tomorrow to defend her position."
Roman didn't bother to reply, too busy grinning. He took the woman's hand and began to walk off with her, stepping over the ropes and into the crowd. The two had to budge their way through, but soon enough they were back in that same dark alley as earlier.
He looked at her, and decided to give her hat an adjustment. Hidden beneath the brim was a face made from porcelain, sculpted and painted well enough to be tricky at a distance, but downright creepy up close. Her voice didn't come from the motionless mouth, but from a speaker in her neck - if you looked closely, you could see the circle of holes poked into the metal. Behind her lacquered mask was the machine equivalent of a brain: a series of gears and gizmos that whirred and ticked with every thought.
Yes, this woman - Roman didn't have a name for her yet - was only a mere imitation of one. Beneath her thick clothing was a shell made from brass, gold, and an alloy steel, and contained within that metal casing were her "guts" - cogs, cables, servos, doodads, bells, whistles, the works. She was a mechanical marvel, and somehow Roman's uncle had managed to modify a golem spell to give her a degree of intelligence, but of course there were still kinks in the system to work out.
"Alright, how you feeling?" he patted her on the back, feeling the stiff metal beneath her jacket. Her head swiveled towards him, and he heard that whirr from within her again.
"I might be in need of a manual tune up." she said.
"After that victory, you deserve one." Roman paused, tapping his lips in thought. "Hmm. Victory. Vicki for short. Could be a good name. What do you think?"
"It is adequate." she said. "When shall we be headed to the island?"
Roman pulled the scroll from his pocket, turning it over in his hand.
"Soon. Very soon. But first, you'll need to fight a few more people tomorrow." he said. Slipping the scroll back into his pocket, he began to walk off. Victory followed behind him.
"Come on, let's head home." he said. "I'll give you that tune up when we get there."
Victory
Age: Has been active a few weeks.
Bio: A fighting automaton created by a young inventor named Roman, who entered her into the tournament in hope of winning the final prize. She has a simple intelligence thanks to a modified golem spell. Speaks very formally and lacks an understanding of many things due to her inexperience.
Abilities: Incredibly strong, fast, and durable. Has a pair of retractable armblades, as well as other hidden weaponry and features.
Appearance: A gold and brass mechanical frame built with the silhouette of a woman. Stands seven feet tall. Roman disguises her mechanical nature with a trenchcoat, scarf, and hat, although this is only to preserve the advantage of surprise.
