Usurper [LINKS]

Cutthroat Replacements with Tyrannical Ambition

Though grand crusades and boisterous warfare may galvanize the masses, the true battles happen in the shadows, where dagger and poison can end a conflict long before it comes to fruition. Armed with little more than its poisonous blades and an ever-warping body, a usurper can pose a greater threat to most organizations than any show of force. 

Mercurial Frame. The end result of intensive magical research and development, the usurper is the pinnacle of assassination and infiltration. With an ooze-like metallic body that allows it to enter through even the smallest of cracks, it stalks its target from the shadows until commanded to strike. No matter how secure one believes their fortifications are, the usurper is sure to find a route inside. 

Long Game. Unsurprisingly, the usurper's ability to reach its target no matter where they may be hiding is the lesser of its sinister abilities. Capable of assuming the form of those it has slain, a usurper is often employed against high-ranking members of opposing factions in order to destroy them from within. Once it has seized control, any cult, army, or kingdom is sure to fall shortly after, or be deployed at the behest of the usurper’s master. 

Aggressive Programming. Though they may seem like the perfect tool for beings in power, over time usurpers proved themselves to be somewhat unpredictable on their missions. With orders to erase the “leader” of any group, the usurpers began to see any powerful being as their target, even after their mission was complete. Many attempts were made to rid the constructs of this flaw, but time and time again they would never cease to seek out the “leader” and end their life.This often resulted in public displays of violence that would give away the game, or in some cases the murder and replacement of those who employed the usurper themselves, now seen as the next highest-ranking individual known to them. Thus, deployment of a usurper requires much stricter surveillance and selection of targets, utilizing them only when absolutely necessary. 

The riots continued to roar outside the cathedral walls as the bishop shoved his way past the third layer of armored guards. The doors had been barricaded shut, archers positioned high above, and the vault would make for safe, if somewhat uncomfortable, quarters. “The scandal will surely pass soon. Who would even care about the fate of a few vagrants after a few days?” he grumbled to himself as he settled behind the massive steel door, a glass of vintage wine swirling in hand.

Without warning, a silvery blade burst forth from the holy man’s torso, dripping with blood and freshly drunk wine. As painful gasps escaped from punctured lungs, the bishop strained to see who had circumvented all of his defenses, only to be met with his own face staring back at him. 

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