The worn leather felt foreign to his hand’s receptors. His systems scanned the book to determine just hold old it was, to quell his curiosity as well. It was no surprise when the results showed it to be an Old World Relic. From the centuries before he was even programmed.
The pages were ancient and frail as he carefully opened the hardcover. And a tiny, melancholic smile made itself known on his replicated lips. To think he had held objects likely older than this book. And yet, that drizzle of longing he felt every time was still present. One that made him wish he was created far before the world became the way it is now.

Cities large and bustling with life once, now harrowing husks filled with slavering beasts and wicked plants. His eyes wandered across the ruins on the horizon. Haunting, pulsing howls echoed through them. His ear flicked as he notified a UAV of his location and the treasure he found. Letting it transfer the delicate relic back to Enhetuncht, where it’ll be kept safe along with the many relics they found.
His gaze returned to the ruins. Eyebrows furrowed as he listened to the haunting howls. Soon… Soon, he and his brethren shall help the men and women, brave enough to come back down to this hell, and reclaim their home back from the Ivory flora and fauna that infested it.

~~~~ END ~~~~

As I told myself at the start of the month. I am now giving some love to my characters. The last piece was done for Neil. And now this one is dedicated to my first Android/AI/Robot character, Ulrich. I updated how Ulrich looks in this one too. And you can find the older versions of his designs in my gallery.

I always avoid drawing backgrounds because they always stress me out. But seeing as I’ve grown more confident in my abilities when it comes to drawing. I wanted to nudge myself out of my comfort zone at my own pace. And I have to say, really happy with how this turned out.

Now as for what the little short story is about. This is one of my four main passion projects. The character, Neil, from the previous artwork, also exists in the same story as Ulrich. They have interacted several times in the main storyline and are co-workers. I kept the entry here short and from Ulrich’s perspective. As well as the state of the world and what is happening to it.

I’ve been working on these stories, which I have affectionately dubbed as [ Lo: rE ], for the majority of this year. And I have found that there’s enough substance in them for me to start illustrating them. I wish I could’ve made this one look much more intricate and filled with haunting beauty. But that’s still far out of my reach. And I don’t want to put myself down as well. So this is the best I can draw at my current level and I am very pleased with it! Now I just need to keep bettering myself and learn how to draw monsters, machines, and quadrupeds to properly illustrate my projects.

Because while each of the four stories is unique in its way. They’re still entangled with the same laws and rules of a universe.