Hello. Please allow me to become part of your party.
I only need maintenance from time to time

___________________

After getting back to the guild, healthy, or maybe a bit injured, while trying to turn in the previous quest and finally earn the reward to pay for this week's room, a small presence hovers next to your elbow and a weird wind-up like sound screeches.

After looking back at the source of the noise, a short hooded figure is looking up at you with blueish and metallic eyes.

A Kuri, a creature rarely seen in Jilon, if ever.

As only the Kuris that were already created before the nullification occurred were given life 250 years ago, they are a finite race and in risk of going into extinction.

Most adventurers would never encounter a Kuri in their lifetime, or not notice that they had. They are usually hidden, disguised or being sold at the Teito market.

But this one, this one looks... new. No disguise except for the hood. No effort on hiding her mechanical voice. And no issue in letting other hear a wind-up from within her.

"Hello. Please allow me to become part of your party. I only need maintenance from time to time"

Is this... a new Kuri?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Helena

After the Nullification, homonculi, robots, golems, statues, mannequins and other humanoid looking art or technological pieces created before the Nullification gained consciousness and self awareness.
These Kuris as they are collectively called are a finite collection of individuals.

Extremely rare and valuable.

They are the main trading commodity in the underground trade circles. Slave owners are known to focus entirely on Kuris over humanoids. Due to this, Kuris are known to be extremely dexterous at hiding their non-organical bodies and origins while living with the rest of the population.

There are rumours that certain sorcerers or mages have the capability of transforming their inorganic bodies into flesh and bone.

Kuris that have managed to hide amongst the regular population are part of families, adventurer parties, work forces or at the very least, hide outside the cities.

Helena, a Kuri of metallic and wind-up design.

Her skin looks human enough, ignoring the mechanical movement of her limbs and facial expressions, she could pass as a human if seen from away.

Once you notice her metallic eyes, you can see that she is no regular girl.

155 cm tall, blue metallic eyes, redheaded and wielding a war hammer heavy enough to bring attention to herself.

She looks too clean and acts aloof enough to think that she is either a Kuri that was never let outside of wherever she had been kept for the past 350 years, or, impossibly so, she's a new Kuri, recently created.

Despite the plain deadpan expression, simple and flat voice and sounds that come from technology long forgotten years ago within her, Helena is looking for a place to belong.

A party sounds like a good place to start. At least, that's what she told her.

"Go, enjoy life. Don't worry about me. |||||||||||||| , you are now Helena."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stories from Jilon

Three hundred and fifty years ago, the world did not end.

It simply stopped.

Not the oceans.
Not the kingdoms.
Not the wars.

Death.

They called it The Nullification.

At first, nobody understood what had happened. Soldiers impaled on battlefields continued screaming for days. Execution victims opened their eyes after the blade fell. The sick withered in their beds but never passed on. Fires consumed flesh without granting release.

The world discovered the truth slowly, painfully:

No one could die anymore.

Not from age.
Not from sickness.
Not from .

A severed head still blinked. A crushed body still breathed. A ruined mind still remained trapped somewhere inside itself.

But the pain, the pain remained.

And so civilisation changed forever.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Cursed Land of Jilon

The remaining inhabited world became known as Jilon — “The Land of the Living” to hopeful fools, and “The Cursed Land” to everyone else.

The Five Cities of Jilon

🔸 Contre — The Eternal Capital
The largest city in Jilon and seat of the royal family. Towering walls, overcrowded hospitals, and endless maintenance keep the city functioning while its immortal population grows older and more broken by the year. Commerce thrives here, but beneath the polished streets lies exhaustion. The current ruler, known only as “The Voice,” has ruled for over two centuries in a body barely held together by flesh and willpower.

🔸 Lapa — The Adventurer’s Heart
The second largest city and the beating core of the Adventurer’s Guild. Mercenaries, treasure hunters, monster slayers, and desperate survivors flood its taverns and training grounds daily. Beneath its loud markets and bloodstained arenas lies a darker truth: this is also where the mysterious Scrappers operate from the shadows, offering the only known form of true death.

🔸 Chimil — The City of Iron
The industrial engine of Jilon. Weapons, restraints, armor, magical tools, and containment devices are forged day and night. Workers continue laboring through injuries that should have killed them long ago. The city smells of molten metal, smoke, and burned flesh. Rest barely exists here.

🔸 Coyo — The Dying Breadbasket
The land that feeds the rest of Jilon. Endless fields stretch across dangerous territory constantly raided by monsters and bandits. Most adventurers begin their lives here, born from poverty and desperation. Guild requests flood in daily, not to eliminate danger... but simply to keep it manageable.

🔸 The Bucket — The Forgotten Pit
The filthiest and most dangerous city in Jilon. Crime flourishes where consequences no longer end in death. Entire alleyways are filled with broken people still breathing after years of violence and neglect. Illegal markets thrive beneath the canals. Drugs that imitate the sensation of dying sell for fortunes.

No Adventurer’s Guild exists here.

Only survivors.

‖ Beyond Jilon ‖

Beyond Jilon lies something worse.

Fifty kilometres beyond the great metal barrier known as The Fence, reality changes. The Nullification loses its grip there. Creatures born in that wasteland can truly die, but anyone else entering it risks being forever trapped in that land of constant suffering.

That place is called The Death Zone.

It is a land of dragons, phantoms, trolls, vampires, malformed beasts, and horrors old enough to remember a world before the curse. Few adventurers return from it untouched. Many never return at all.

Or worse.

Some do return.

‖ The Discovery of the Scrappers ‖

For centuries after the Nullification, humanity searched for answers.

Then someone finally discovered something far more valuable:

An ending.

A small group of individuals possessed the impossible ability to permanently kill those affected by the curse. Whether through magic, artefacts, biological abnormalities, or forbidden techniques, these people could “scrap” the immortal.

They became known as The Scrappers.

Feared. Worshipped. Hunted.

To some, they are murderers.

To others, they are saints.

The wealthy secretly pay mountains of gold for their services. Ancient nobles beg for release after centuries trapped in ruined bodies. Entire adventuring parties request Scrappers before dangerous expeditions, knowing that some injuries are worse than death in a world where death no longer comes naturally.

The Scrappers themselves remain hidden inside a secret enclave between Lapa and Contre, led by a mysterious figure known only as The Spade.

Rumors claim The Spade can kill a person simply by burying them with dirt from the shovel they carry.

Most people pray those rumours are false.

‖ The Adventurer’s Guild ‖

As monsters multiplied and civilisation fractured, one organisation rose above the chaos:

The Adventurer’s Guild.

Led by an ancient figure called The Pathfinder, the Guild became the backbone of survival across Jilon. It unites mercenaries, scholars, scouts, warriors, and lunatics willing to venture beyond safe walls.

The Guild manages:

Quest distribution.

Monster containment.

Death Zone expeditions.

Escort missions.

Trade protection.

Recovery of lost relics and survivors.

Discreet Scrapper requests.

For many, the Guild offers purpose in a world where life no longer ends naturally.

For others, it is simply profitable.

‖ Adventurer Classes ‖

The Guild officially recognises several combat roles necessary for survival:

🔹 Vanguard – Frontline defenders trained to absorb impossible punishment and protect their party at all costs.

🔹 Rogue – Scouts, assassins, archers, and trackers who prioritise speed and precision.

🔹 Arcanist – Dangerous spellcasters wielding unstable magic altered by the Nullification.

🔹 Warden – Healers and support specialists tasked with preserving life... even when some wish they wouldn’t.

🔹 Warrior – Masters of weapon combat and brute force.

🔹 Knight – Armoured defenders bound by duty and formation combat.

🔹 Druid – Rare manipulators of corrupted natural forces.

🔹 Monk – Martial artists focused on discipline, agility, and control.

🔹 Sorcerer – Individuals born with volatile magical power.

🔹 Warlock – Pact-bearers drawing strength from unknown entities.

And then there are the strangest pair of all:

🔹 Bait – Specialists who deliberately trigger traps, explore unknown dangers, and survive horrific injuries for the sake of the party.

🔹 Hook – Teleportation-focused retrieval mages tasked with dragging everyone back alive... or at least back intact.

In Jilon, survival itself became a profession.

‖ The Races of Jilon ‖

Humans remain the most widespread people, though many now fear endless life more than death itself.

Elves cling to fading traditions as centuries of suffering slowly erode their spirits.

Dwarves construct underground fortresses and frequently request Scrappers for their irreparably injured.

Beastfolk thrive as hunters and scouts.

Tieflings remain distrusted due to ancient connections to the Death Zone.

Draconic bloodlines isolate themselves from the rest of society.

Kuris — awakened constructs, mannequins, golems, and artificial beings — hide among the population to avoid slavery and trafficking.

And then there are the Death Zone-Touched.

Marked with a red eye branded onto their flesh, these rare individuals hear something calling to them from beyond The Fence.

Some spend their entire lives trying to resist it.

Most fail.

‖ The Monsters ‖

The world of Jilon crawls with horrors shaped by endless suffering.

The Blind wander aimlessly after their minds collapse.

Rotbeasts decay endlessly while remaining alive.

Carrion Crawlers feed on living flesh for days at a time.

Ash Wraiths drift through ruins like living grief.

Bone Hounds hunt prey without rest.

Mire Titans form from fused masses of living bodies trapped together for decades.

And deep beneath forgotten lands and oceans, ancient Deathless Leviathans still breathe in the dark.

‖ The Goddess of the Living ‖

Many blame a single divine figure for all of it:

Micli, Goddess of the Living.

Creator. Savior. Monster.

Some worship her desperately. Others curse her name with every breath they are forced to continue taking.

Only the highest rulers of Jilon know the terrible truth:

Micli truly caused the Nullification. No one know why.

Somewhere within the world, her hidden human representative — known only as The Vessel — still walks among the population, carrying her voice in secret.

No one knows who they are.

And if they did... they might not survive the discovery.

‖ Three Hundred and Fifty Years Later... ‖

Jilon still stands.

Barely.

People laugh. Trade. Fight. Love. Build kingdoms. Hunt monsters.

But underneath every smile sits the same quiet terror:

What happens if this never ends?

The old world feared death.

This one fears eternity.

And beyond The Fence, in the darkness of the Death Zone, something ancient watches the immortal cities of Jilon with growing interest.

Because the monsters out there can die.

And they have begun to realise humanity cannot.

•─────⋅ AUTHOR'S NOTE ⋅─────•

New story, this time with an android-like!

Not based on anything specifically, but taking from characters like Aegis and the Nier girls.

Let me know if the setting worked and if there is any feedback about it.

P.S.: The name was something I had been thinking about for a while. It is NOT based on NTE.

•─────⋅ Discord ⋅─────•

I'm part of @thepurplex Discord server. I have my own room. Come say hi.

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