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In the shadows of "The Bird of Fire"
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Nephets dwelled and worked.
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Those who lived on the fringes watched Nehpets with eager fascination.
3.
His actions were guided by the base programming of his creator,
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a man of profound character,
and this moral compass shone brightly with each interaction.
To the powerful, Nehpets represented a tantalizing glimpse of immortality,
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and they were desperate to uncover the secrets of his operation.
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One day, as Nehpets busied himself with his tasks, a group known as "The Outsiders" approached the massive gates of the city.
6.
Unlike anyone within the city’s cybernetic confines,
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hese outsiders bore enhancements that rendered them almost inhuman in appearance,
almost like Nehpets.
With an ease, that sent shivers through the onlookers,
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they opened the massive city doors,
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stepping into a world that seemed to yield to them instinctively.
9.
All cowered in fear of their power.
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All, that is, except for Nehpets,
who continued his work undeterred, the essence of his creator's character serving as his mask.
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"The Outsiders", drawn to the android, initially marveled at his complex design.
However, as they observed him,
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they realized Nehpets's limitations.
12.
Despite his sophistication,
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he was, in essence, the 'Greatest Shell' ever created,
the greatest MOCC—
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yet is flawed as he is inactive when left alone and with no task.
"The Outsiders" recognizing both his value and his vulnerabilities,
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they decided to keep him in the city for 'safekeeping';
15.
a slave to the city,
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where he could fulfill his programming to "Help others," as per his creator's dying command
—a mandate Nehpets replayed endlessly in his circuits.
16.
As time passed, the rulers of the city,
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once leaders of nations,
now turned their dominion into impenetrable fortresses.
17.
Their subjects suffered under harsh living conditions,
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trapped within the decaying urban sprawls,
while the wilderness outside was revived and flourished.
As A.I. assisted MOCC’s grew in number,
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they took the responsibility for automated menial tasks,
granting the citizens more leisure time,
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yet those in the cities craved more.
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The new and untouched resources of the wilderness.
Driven by greed but cautious of destruction,
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the city's engineers devised new weaponry.
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Eschewing traditional arms, they harnessed the forces of nature to create weapons of unprecedented power.
As the cities wallowed in corruption
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and the wilderness bloomed,
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the stage was set for a new chapter in the struggle between the synthetic might of urban decay and the resurgent forces of nature.