Enyalios has a minion!

the Steamhorn

Enyalios flicked through “his” memories.

The memories dated back to fifteen years ago, when his horns had been replaced and "their" memories begun. He’d broken them during a match in the coliseum. The match was the first of a series and he’d lost the first one. During that same year, Isaac Yun built the first Steamwork pet.

His inventions would go on to become steadfast companions in the average Subetan and Ateban home. They would go on to reunite owners with their late beloved pets. They would prolong and enrich the lives of many.

However, during the year when his horns broke, his owner–a capricious and cruel individual–saw an opportunity. Rather than rest to allow them time to regrow, his owner paid a cheap one-way ticket to Atebus.

Rather than pay Isaac Yun and his workers a fair price, to allow for a safe and guided surgery in a sterilized environment; his owner went to the underground to source cheap replacements. There, his owner found his first pair of horns–bloody tin with rusted, jagged edges–and an individual with shaky, soot-covered hands. The soldering had been painful. Though he lacked a sense of smell–having lost that function when his skull had been replaced–the memories still stirred putrid wisps of burning fur and flesh.

The solderer kept yanking his fur. “Stop moving!” they shouted, over and over, spitting. Flames licked his snout. Embers singed one of his eyelids. His fur-matted, starved body was tied down by spikes in the concrete. His owner clamped down his jaw, gripping the back of his head with such a force that he thought his skull would shatter.

The memory ended in darkness. He passed out.

"His" memories often ended in darkness.

Enyalios estimated that his original self ceased to be eleven years ago. He’d determined that the shift from one consciousness to another occurred when the last of his liver had been removed. In all his upgrades and replacements, they'd missed a tiny piece.

Once they tossed the shriveled little thing, Enyalios became their body’s–his body now–sole occupant. To say his “original'' self had died, would be inaccurate. He did not experience death. It’d be more accurate to say a “transfer” had occurred and the other simply… ceased.

When Enyalios woke that morning, he woke to an empty shell. It was an experience akin to waking in an empty room. No, “he” did not die. “He” escaped.

That was his conclusion.

---

Enyalios was built from stolen parts and scrap sourced from the “losers” of Ziara’ underground ring. Like the Battle Coliseum located in the Sacred Lands, Ziara’ underground ring hosted dangerous fights featuring a wide range of opponents for pets and their owners to challenge.

Unlike the Battle Coliseum, all fights in the ring were unregulated, illegal, and deadly.

In every fight he won, Enyalios gained something new. A better lens to replace the ones in his eyes, for example; sometimes, a ripped plate from an Endeavor’s body that would be melted down into new armor for him; or, usually, scavenged gears and wires to fix his.

Enyalios did not lose. Not since the transfer occurred. Once “he” escaped, Enyalios found clarity. There was no longer any interference from “him.” No longer was there fear or pain or guilt or phantom limbs or sensations of starving–a perplexing sensation, as his stomach had been removed and replaced with an engine, which oil filtered through.

His newfound clarity granted him a sharper sense resulting in more accurate calculations. With the lack of interference, he possessed the capability to force past his body’s limitations–which he often did. Many of his opponents were still attached to their shells. He was not. He won many times due to their sentimentality.

On a fair night, his owner sold him to his current one. He didn’t know much he was sold for.

His current owner possessed a mechanic’s hand. They knew what parts he needed, how and where to fit them, and performed maintenance after every hard fight. He’d never witness his current owner floundering for money, either.

Enyalios found the exchange to be incredibly favorable. Such a shame that “he” had left before the exchange could happen. Maybe if “he” had stayed, then their memories would continue…

However, if “he” had stayed, then Enyalios wouldn’t have won as many fights as he did. It was his work that graced him with his current fortunes, after all.

No, it was good that “he” left. That “he” escaped.

Powering down for the night, Enyalios deleted the useless thought.