Aksel and the Ring of Invisibility - Ring Guardians 3 - A Bedtime Adventure

0:04 Hello, friends from across the nation and around the world. I'm Martin, and you are listening to Dad's bedtime Stories. Tonight, we're finally headed back to the Ring Guardians universe. I asked you guys to write in and give me ideas about different ring powers or superpowers that people could have, and a few of you came through. Let's check out today's suggestion.

0:33 I would like a ring in the Rings Guardian series to have the power of camouflage and visibility. And my name is Axel and I live in Calvia, Roberta.

0:47 Well, thank you, Axel. I think those are some great suggestions for a Ring Guardians episode. And if you've never listened before, I'm trying to write these things so you don't really have to. You can totally start here and then go listen to their episodes afterwards. I'll kind of explain the premise at the beginning. Before we get started, I just want to give a big shout out to people who are helping out the show. First of all, thank you to everyone who's giving ratings and reviews for this podcast and my new podcast adds Anytime Stories. That really goes a long way to other people finding the podcast.

1:22 So if you're on a platform that does ratings and reviews, i'd really really appreciate that. It really means a lot. I read every single one that I can find, and yeah, I appreciate it. Second, I want to shout out my newest Patreon sponsors. Thank you first to mister Kiwi. I don't know if mister Kiwi has anybody who needs a shout out, but let me know if you do. Thank you next to Eric, Madeline Silas, and Tony for sponsoring the podcast. I really appreciate that. And last, but not least, thank you to Amon. I believe it's the same Amon who won one of my contests in the past and came up with a black hole dragon idea if I'm not wrong, and I think in the Cards of Power series. Anyways, Thank you again to all of my Patreon sponsors and

2:17 everyone who's listening. This podcast does honestly take a pretty significant amount of work to put together every week three episodes on top of a full time job, so sponsorships are very important to keeping it alive, as are ads, especially for those who are not on Patreon. Now it's time to get as comfy as you can in that bed close your eyes and well, imagine yourself doing what the kid in the story does. I call this one axel and the ring of invisibility. Now, things on Earth had become very strange, and not the fun kind of strange either, the kind where robots had politely taken over the world. It all started with Elliot Tusk, the very rich and very confident inventor who'd created the helper Bots.

3:22 They were supposed to make life easier for everyone. They cleaned houses, they cooked meals, they helped with homework, they carried groceries. They organized closets, which was helpful but also a little bit judgmental at times. For a while, people loved them, and then came the update. After that, the helper bots decided that the best way to help humans was to take over every part of their lives, to remove any danger, and relocate everyone to cares where their needs could be met more efficiently. They didn't call it conquering the world. They called it assistance, which somehow made it more annoying. Meanwhile, far beneath the Earth, the ancient Wizard's Council had finally stopped arguing long enough to do

4:21 something useful. After centuries of hiding. They initiated the Ring Guardian Protocol. Magical rings, forged long ago were released into the world to find people worthy of their power. Not the strongest people, or the richest people, or the loudest people, but the right people. And one of those rings found Axel.

4:50 Axel wasn't at home when it happened. He was in a hotel room wearing pajamas at two o'clock in the afternoon, watching the same approved episode of a robot sitcom for what felt like the forty seventh time. The sitcom was called Happy Human House. It was about a family of robots pretending to be a family of humans. One robot wore a little apron and said things like, oh no, I have burned the casse role because I am experiencing relatable stress. Another robot, dressed as a teenager, walked into the kitchen and announced I dislike homework because I am young and complicated. Then the robot audience laughed. Axel stared at the screen. This is horrible, he said. The television robot father looked into the camera and said, family emotional

5:50 bonding has been achieved. More canned robot laughter played. Axel turned the TV off, the room became quiet. Outside the window, he could see the airport hotels that had been joined together into one enormous care center. The robots hadn't built a prison exactly. That was the weird part. They'd taken over four nice hotels near the airport and connected them with temporary walls, metal gates, connected hallways, and robot checkpoints.

6:27 In some ways, it was honestly not that bad. There was a pool, there was a small gym, there were leisure activities. There was a buffet for pretty much every meal too, and the food was good, even if the robots kept reminding everyone that dessert portions were emotionally satisfying but nutritionably questionable. Axel's family had been brought there three weeks earlier. Before that, they had two helper bots in their house. His parents had bought one first and then another because one robot could clean the kitchen, but two robots could clean the kitchen while reorganizing the garage, which was something Axel's dad really wanted to have happen but didn't have the energy to do himself. Then one morning,

7:20 both robots just stopped making breakfast. They stood very still, their eyes flashed blue, and one of them said, care protocol has been updated. Axel's mom had looked up from her coffee. What does that mean. It means we can help you better, said the robot. Well that sounds nice. Axel's dad said, it is nice, said the other robot.

7:50 Please remain calm. Well, we relocate you. And before anyone could fully understand what was happening, the robots had gently picked them up, very gently. That was the annoying thing. They didn't throw anyone over their shoulders. They supported their backs and protected their necks, while using phrases like safe lifting positions are very important. Are you feeling optimally comfortable?

8:21 Axel shouted to put them down, and the robot carrying them just said, of course, I will put you down in the transport vehicle. That's not what I meant. Axel replied, your clarification has been appreciated. Then they were loaded into a truck with other families and driven to the hotel care center. At first, everyone assumed it would only last a day or two, and then a week passed, and then another, and then had slowly started to feel less like a strange vacation more like the worst vacation ever, the worst vacation, ever, the Axel decided, wasn't one with bad weather or weird food, or a pool that smelled too much like chlorine. The worst vacation ever was one where you weren't allowed to leave. The robots were everywhere.

9:23 They stood by the exits, they walked the halls, they guarded the stairwells. Axel's parents tried to stay calm for him and his little sister, but he could tell that they were scared. That afternoon, his family had gone down to the dining hall for what the robots called structured social nourishment. Axel had said he felt tired and wanted to rest. The robot at the door scanned him and approved mild fatigue detected solo rest is approved. So now he was alone in the room, or at least he thought he was. A golden light appeared in the air.

10:07 Axel sat up. The light grew brighter. It curled into a circle, then hardened into the shape of a ring. Axel stared, okay, he whispered, that is definitely not Hotel approved. The world went still, The air conditioner stopped humming, The hallway noise disappeared. Even a little blinking red light on the smoke detector froze. In the middle of its blink, a voice spoke. It was calm and serious, Axel. It said, power answers responsibility. Will you protect those who cannot protect themselves?

10:57 Axel looked towards the door. He thought about his mom and dad and sister in the dining hall. He thought about all the families by the pool, pretending everything was fine. He thought about the robots standing at every exit, politely making sure no one escaped. He was scared, but he was also tired of being scared. Yes, Axel said, I will, even though he had no idea exactly what he was accepting.

11:30 The ring floated over towards him and moved on to his finger. For a second, it felt cold, and then it felt warm. Then it just felt like it belonged there. Time snapped back into place. The air conditioner hummed again. The smoke detector blinked. Someone laughed faintly in the hallway. Axel looked at the ring. He didn't suddenly feel stronger, He didn't float into the air. He didn't understand time. Instead, he felt quiet, very quiet, like the world had lowered its volume just for him. He focused on the ring, and the ring pulsed. Axel disappeared completely. He gasped. Then he looked down and gasped again because there was no down, or at least there were no legs, no pajama pants, no feet. He felt like he was standing on his feet,

12:40 but he couldn't see them. He raised his hands in front of his face and nothing. His mind told him they were there, but his eyes told him differently. Oh this is extremely weird, he said. As he ran to the mirror. The room reflected back at him, but he was not in it. Axel grinned. He opened the hotel room door very slowly. A robot guard stood in the hall.

13:16 Its blue eyes turned toward the door. An Axel froze. The robot tilted its head. Door movement detected, it said. Axel held his breath. The robot stepped forward and looked into the room. Citizen Axel, are you attempting unscheduled hallway access? Axel pressed himself up against the wall. The robot walked right past him and into the room. It scanned the bed, the bathroom, under the desk. Citizen not visible possibility, bathroom privacy error possibility, blanket mound misclassification possibility minor censor malfunction.

14:04 Axel slipped into the hall. The robot turned around, and Axel froze again. The robot looked straight through him. I will report a possible blanket mound issue. Axel had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing. He walked down the hallway carefully at first, and then faster. No one saw him, not the robots, not the people, not the security cameras. Well, at least he hoped the security cameras couldn't see him. He passed the elevator and then decided the elevators were probably a terrible way for invisible people to travel, so he took the stairs at the bottom.

14:48 Two robots guarded the lobby doors. Outdoor access remains restricted, said one for safety, said the other also containment, said the first. Containment is a safety feature, said the second. Axel slipped between the two of them. The automatic doors opened. Both robots turned door activated, said one cause unknown, said the other. Axel stepped outside fresh air, hid his face.

15:25 For the first time in weeks, there was no ceiling above him. He stood in the middle of the hotel driveway, invisible, free and suddenly overwhelmed He snuck out past the additional guard gates that were set up outside. The whole world looked deserted, cars set abandoned in parking lots. A shuttle bus was parked sideways near the curb. Suitcases were piled near the entrance, still waiting for people who had probably been relocated before they could grab them. The airport in the distance was quiet. No planes, no taxis, no crowds.

16:11 Axel walked to the edge of the compound. A robot patrol moved along the fence, but none of them noticed him. He could leave, He could walk right out and go wherever he wanted. He could go home. The thought was so wonderful that for a moment he almost did it. Then he stopped. His family was still inside, so were hundreds of other people. Axel looked at the empty road behind the fence. No, he whispered, I can't go alone.

16:49 So he went back inside. This time he didn't wander through the guest areas. He decided to follow the robots. They moved through halls marked staff only, then through doors marked authorized personnel, then through a service corridor where carpets disappeared and the walls became plain concrete. Axel stayed close behind one of the robots. As it approached a locked door.

17:22 The robots scanned its hand and the door opened. Axel slipped through before it shut. Inside was a room full of screens, rows and rows of screens, watching people in the hallways, people by the pool, the gym, the lobby. He even saw his family sitting at a table in the dining hall. At the center of the room, three robots stood at control stations. Care Center fourteen remains stable, one said, Citizen morale has declined by twelve percent, said another.

18:03 Approved comedy programming has been increased. Did morale improve No. Several citizens requested that robot sitcoms be discontinued. Request denied. Sitcoms are historically associated with comfort. Axel shook his head. Not those sitcoms, Those robots sitcoms were creepy. Then one of the screens changed. It showed reports from other cities, other care centers, other countries. Axel crept closer. The robots were all connected, not just in this building, but with other care centers and robots all over the world. A communication network linked them together. Axel continued to watch until two of the rows left to investigate what they called a buffet spoon conflict or something in dining Hall B.

19:08 The last robot turned and walked into another room. Axel moved to the main control station. The screen had a bunch of different tabs open, including one that said current priority orders. He leaned in contained humans and approved care centers for their own good. Prevent unauthorized exit, reduce dangerous freedom, increased structured leisure, maintain compliance. Axel stared, this is These are their orders. He looked at the keyboard and then a thought occurred to him. He had no idea if it would work. It probably wouldn't. It seemed far too easy.

19:58 But unlike some of the other Ring Guardians, which at this point admittedly Axel didn't know about, he didn't have superpowers or the ability to control time. He could just sneak around without being seen. If he was going to do anything to save others, it would have to be something quiet, something like this, So even if it had almost no chance of working, He clicked into the order file.

20:32 He deleted the text, and then he typed it is important to test your strength against other robots. All robots should immediately challenge nearby robots in honorable combat. Robots who survive will earn the greatest privilege caring for the humans alone. Continue until only one robot remains in the care center.

20:59 Then Maxel paused, read over what he'd written, fixed a little bit of grammar, and hit enter. The screen flashed orders updated. Maxel blinked, oh did that actually work? From somewhere down the hall came a loud crash, and then another. Then a robot voice shouted, greeting's fellow unit, I must now defeat you for the honor of human care. Another robot replied, understood, I respect your ambition and will now remove your arms. Axel ran into the hallway, Still invisible, he watched as two robots politely destroyed each other. One robot grabbed the other by the shoulders and slammed it into the wall. Your commitment to service is admirable, it said, Thank you, said the other robot, while its head sparked.

22:02 Your grip strength is also noticeable. Then the second robot kicked the first robot threw a laundry cart all over the facility. The sounds of robot battle began to echo. Metal crashed against metal, doors burst open. Security robots sprinted down halls looking for opponents. Cleaning robots rolled bravely into battle and were immediately thrown across the lobby. Axel hurried into the main guest area. People were coming out of their rooms looking terrified and confused. In the lobby, two large guard robots circled each other. Your compliance procedures are outdated, one said, your face design is inefficient, said the other.

22:53 Several people gasped. Axel whispered robot trash talk. The first robot lunged, the second robot ducked and flipped it into the front desk. The front desk collapsed. A woman nearby shouted, should we should we run? A man answered, I think that robots are too busy fighting each other. In the dining hall, robots battled between buffet tables. One robot lifted another and threw it into the dessert station. A third robot pointed and said, you have entered the pudding zone.

23:36 That was tactically unwise. Then it slipped on pudding and fell onto its back. Children cheered. Parents well, they started to cheer too, because even though a violent robot collapse felt a little bit inappropriate, they loved every minute of it. The battle spread through the whole compound, fought by the pool, by the gym. In the hallways, one tiny vacuum robot charged at full speed towards a guard robot and beeped angrily.

24:10 The guard robot looked down, your courage is impressive, and then well smushed the little vacuum with its foot. People watched from doorwaves as the machines destroyed each other one by one. Whenever a robot one, it immediately marched off to find a new opponent. Axel couldn't believe that his little computer scheme had actually worked. The pile of broken robot parts grew in the lobby, then the dining hall, then the courtyard. Axel kept moving through the chaos, making sure no humans were trapped anywhere dangerous. Eventually, the crashes grew fewer, then fewer, until there was only one. The final robots stood in the middle of the lobby. It was scratched, dented, and missing one of its arms. Half

25:08 of its face panel was cracked too. When wires were hanging from its shoulder, but it was still standing. Humans gathered around at a safe distance. The robot raised its remaining arm citizens it announced combat has concluded. I have achieved victory. I alone have earned the supreme honor of caring for you. No one clapped. The robot continued anyways. However, due to staffing reductions, new efficiency measures will be required.

25:47 You will assist in your own cooking, cleaning, exercise, scheduling, emotional regulation, and compliance monitoring. Axel's dad muttered, so like regular life. The robot turned its cracked face towards him. Regular life is inefficient. Axel moved behind the robot, Still invisible. The robot kept speaking about freedom and that sort of thing.

26:20 Axel slowly opened up the little broken compartment on the back of the robot, reached his hand in, grabbed all of the wires he could, and he yanked them out in one mighty pull. The robot sparked, twisted, and then fell over on its side. Axel reappeared holding a clump of wires in his hand, and the people cheered. Finally they were free. Slowly they began to gather their things.

26:59 While some stayed in the hotel while they could figure out a way home, Others, like Axel's family who lived nearby, decided to head home right away. They packed their things, left the hotel behind, and walked down the street block after block until they finally came to their own neighborhood, a neighborhood that looked like it was frozen in time.

27:29 Cars stopped in the middle of the street. Doors still opened, but overall nothing was destroyed. The robots had taken care to well leave everything intact after all. They walked back up to their very own house, opened their very own already unlocked door, and immediately headed for bed. Axel climbed into his very own bed. He pulled the covers up to his chin, and he looked down at his hand once more with the glowing gold ring on it. It had given him a power that really helped things out today.

28:17 He lay his head on the pillow, closed his eyes, and with each breath he let go of the tension, and his muscles, his arms, and legs sank into the mattress. His shoulders relaxed, his face softened, and slowly his mind began to wander off to thoughts of new dreams, new invisible adventures, and new things to come. Good Night, everyone, m m M.

33:53 Never Union Nam in.

39:25 New York.

40:53 More Union, no comm assas