"So, how did you guys do it? I've seen Mikota fix stuff before, but never like this. This thing is something completely different than before!" Iona talked excitedly.
"The bugs are more creative now that I've upgraded. Who knows what will happen with the next one!"
"Well, let's get going then so we can get back to the rest of the group. Tama, do you want to drive?"
"Who? Me? I could drive, but are you sure?"
"Ya! are you sure? don't you want me to drive?" Iona asked while getting in my face.
"No, you are going to be firing a laser at the things that get too close to the turrets. Since this is a dungeon, we just have to kill all the monsters and the boos, and we will get all the loot at the end. That means that it will be better to stay inside and fight. Tama has had the most rest and knows how to drive well enough for this."
Iona looked like she wanted to argue but crossed her arms instead. Mikota opened the side door that slid up, and we all got in, weaving around one of the side gun turrets. While I was the one with the big plan just now, I found that I had left myself without a job.
Once inside, Tama took the driver's seat with Mikota across from her in the other. While Iona sat next to me, Tilly was seated behind us and beside her short ladder to her battle station. Once everyone was seated, we opened up both side doors, and Mikota's clones hopped onto the turrets she had made.
The standard rifle was a single shot with a long-range, but Mikota had somehow given them each two barrels with auto fire. Iona was looking out her door as we started to move, and I checked the map, but the enemies had moved out of the map's range.
We started to move, and soon we were off. I was surprised just how smooth the vehicle rode. I leaned forwards and squeezed Mikota's shoulder, and she put her hand on top of mine and then rested her head on it. She must still be tired, but hopefully, this wouldn't take all day, and we could get back to the camp.
//Enemies ahead -Tama
I let go of Mikota's shoulder and sat back, willing the glass of my visor to lower. I looked at my HUD map, and I could see four large crystal ants through the front window running at us. I was worried for about two blinks of my eyes when red streaks cut down the ants like paper, and they disintegrated into black particles.
//Woah! Those things really just cut through them like butter! -Iona.
We kept going, and the ride was pretty relaxing for the most part. Iona, Mikota, and Tilly killed the monsters, and Tama drove. Since Tama and I were melee specialists, I twiddled my thumbs and waited, but ahead I could see the end of the canyon coming up.
That would be my time to shine! It didn't matter what kind of boss was waiting for us; I was itching for a fight!
Chapter 106: Like I Just Went To Sleep
As we reach the end of the canyon, there were only four monsters left. They looked like praying mantis of some sort but with glassy shells covering them. Mikota's clones cut through the first three in a hail of red beams, while Tilly destroyed the last one with a pair of rockets.
I was sure someone or someones was yelling at the screens of their monitor, crying about how that isn't right and how it must be against some rule. I wasn't worried, nor did I care; it was their own fault for letting the bugs push the carts down here with us. It wasn't our fault that we got creative with what we had!
The last parts of the glass bugs were disintegrating into black particles as we pulled up to the end of the cave. There was a crack in the wall that continued forward, but it was too small for us to fit thought, of course. Somehow I felt that the Game Master must have changed around the place just to give us some challenges.
//I do admit that this is not how I imagined this trip would go -Alta.
/I agree with you there, but something tells me that inside that crack is something to make up for our quick work of the first ninety-eight percent of the dungeon
//I think you may be right; I am picking up a large abomination type monster, Titan class -Alta.
Titan class? In that little hole? Now I was feeling less excited about this encounter. Titan sounded huge, so this wasn't something we could rush into. Tama was about to pull over to the crack, but I leaned forward and put my hand on her shoulder, using the other hand to point out a good spot to rest.
/Alta says there is a Titan class monster up head, so I think we should take another rest; both Mikota and I need some more sleep before confronting whatever is inside of there
Everyone agreed, and we pulled off to an enclosed place not far from the crack entrance. Everyone piled out of the Mega-Buggy, and I dragged myself to the corner. Iona said she wasn't tired, so she and Tama took the watch, while the rest took another three-hour power sleep.
Tilly curled into my side and rested her head on my should while Mikota took her place back, putting her head on my lap. It took me almost ten minutes to fall asleep; I was stuck thinking about the crack in the wall. What was going to be inside of there?
Maybe a giant glass spider or a spiked centipede? I wasn't sure, and the thoughts about what I didn't know were keeping the needed sleep from me. I finally drifted off, only to be woken up by Tama.
"Wah? Hmmm? Is something wrong? I feel like I just closed my eyes," I said while rubbing my eyes through my helmet.
*BANG! CRACK!*
I hoped up fast, spilling the girls off me. That was coming from the crack! I willed my visor down and turned to look at the gap.
*BANG! CRACK... CRACK!*
/We need to get moving! Leave the buggy, and maybe if we get it away from it, then whatever is coming out of there won't destroy it!
I helped up Mikota and Tilly, then started to run. Iona and Tama joined us, and we began to run across the sand to the opposite side of the valley. I angled us away from the crack, but we didn't get far.
*BANG! BOOM!*
The crack exploded as a massive arm over ten meters long reached out, digging into the sand. The giant arm was cover in sharp crystal deposits that look like they had grown on it. I stopped and turned thirty meters away from the arm, and the girls started to spread out and get into their positions.
The massive hand dug into the sand as it started to pull the rest of itself out of the cave. A gigantic head half-covered in crystal poked of the hole, looking around. When its eyes fell on us, it left out a deafening otherworldly scream that I could feel in my bones.
/FIRE!
The Clone had detached the dual barreled turrets Mikota had made and now held them like miniguns, peppering the monster's hand, but had little effect. Thin yellow beams of light and a hail of rockets from Iona and Tilly had more impact but only slowed the monster down as it dragged its body out.
The thing was massive, and its head almost touched the ceiling as it pulled its body upright. The dungeon roof was over fifteen meters high, so the half-monster towered over us. I call it half because it had no legs, just an enormous body with crystals growing out of it.
Suddenly the creature roared again, and the crystals started firing shards at us.
//DIAMOND PLATING ACTIVATED
/Tama, you stay behind me, everyone else take cover and give us some suppression fire to slow that thing down!
//Confirmed! -Girls
I dashed to Tama, pulling out my naginata, then arcing in front of her. She closed in behind me, and we start to run into the barrage of shards.
//MONSTROSITY DETECTED, ACTIVATING GRAVITY DYNAM, REVERSING
Instantly I could barely feel any weight of the sword at all. I slash through the oncoming crystal with fury and the help of Alta's targeting systems. The crystals stopped as another round of fire from the other girls tore into its side.
/Now, Tama take that things energy, and ill kill it, okay?!
//On it! -Tama.
We both turned on a boost of speed, and I ran up the stunned creature's arm as another round of Iona's yellow beams burned shallow cuts in the body. I could see Tama running below and then around back. Her Hair cords latched on, and I could see the glowing bl
ue filled line pumping the Dynam from its body.
//SYSTEM OVERRIDE ACTIVATED, DAMAGE X4, SPEEDX2
I dropped and slid under the arm now swung over the top of me. The speed boost helped me dodge in time, so I got up and jumped up to used the other arm as a bridge. I ran to the half-glass face across the arm and leaped at the monster's face with my sword raised.
//GRAVITY DYNAM, ENGAGE
Chapter 107: The Chest
The monstrosity tried to pull its head back and body, but I wouldn't allow it, as the blade started to get heavy. I did a corkscrew flip while reversing the grip on my naginata. Now I pulled the sword into the thing's face, cutting in deep but stopping halfway through the head, leaving me hanging from its back.
//GRAVITY DYNAM, MAXIMUM ENGAGE
Suddenly the blade started ripping through the flesh, and I suddenly went from hanging to being pulled like some cartoon character. I tried to stop myself, but then I remembered that wouldn't work.
//GRAVITY DYNAM, EGAGE
Just before the ground, I started to slow, and I could see Tama's glowing blue form. Sparks crackled from her, and I could hear her panting in the mic. As I reached the ground, my blade still was buried in the monster half-giant, but Tama reached over and touched me.
Like I had been struck by lightning, my muscled seize, making my body twist, and only my grip on the naginata kept me up. I could feel a massive transfer into my body of energy so intense my eyes lit up and reflected on the inside of my HUD faceplate. The surge made my body's muscles rip, tear, and grow, somehow absorbing the energy, but it wasn't enough.
I could feel pure energy trying to burn and consume me, but then another message flashed.
//GRAVITY DYNAM, MAXIMUM REVERSE
Suddenly the giant corpse was ripped in two and thrown away from my blade. I sheathed my sword lightning-quick and caught Tama before she collapsed halfway to the ground. I was different, now.
I dashed between the split monster's corpse as it was disappearing. I could see the roof starting to move as I bolted to the girls covering the distance in mere seconds. Whatever that was that tama did, it changed me inside. I could feel energy running through my body, pushing for me to command.
The girls all had their glass faceplates up and had wide-eyed, shocked looks on their faces. I hadn't taken my faceplate up, and Tama was stirring in my arms, so I willed my faceplate to open, and Mikota screamed while the other girls gasped. What was going on with them? What was wrong with my face?
"Dave... What happened to your eyes?" Tilly asked with concern.
"His eyes? What about the rest of his face? Where did all those glowing blue lines come from?"
Eyes? Where they still blue? But what are these lines? I was about to try to speak, but a pain tore into my head. It felt like someone was trying to rip my brain out of my skull. I dropped Tama and put my hands to my head, screaming.
I dropped to my knee as my vision went white with pain, then Images started to flash across my head. Memories I didn't have or couldn't remember, they felt like a different lifetime.
The pain tore at my soul until everything I ever knew was gone, and only the pain remained. My vision went black, and I fell through the darkness of eternity. Then I was back laying in my bed in the Galanitia, but that was impossible.
The pain was gone, but I wasn't in Diamond Edge anymore; I just had my UW issue jumpsuit. I looked around my room, but everything seemed the same. I sat up, got out of my bed, walked over to the door, and tried to open it.
Nothing. There was no response from the controls, and when I called out to Alta, there also was no response. I was perplexed about what I was doing back here and locked in my room until I noticed the chest at the end of my bed was glowing blue softly. I turned to it and walked over, kneeling in front of it.
The glow was coming from the seam where the lid opened, so I reached forward and tried to open it. I was surprised as it opened so easily, since when I had tried it before, and it didn't budge. Inside suddenly got bright, and I had to put my hands up to my eyes to block the light, but it kept getting more brilliant, and I stumbled back and fell trying to stand.
Suddenly, I was back, looking up at four tear-filled faces and the blinding white sky outside of the canyon. I let out a breath I hadn't known that I had been holding with a long sigh. I tried to get up, but four sets of hands pushed me down.
"Rest for a bit, your back now; that's all that matters."
Tilly's hot tears splashed down on my face from above me, and I realized my head was in her lap. The other girls, but one, crowded around me. I looked at Tama, and her eyes were puffed up, and she looked like she was about to run.
I pushed the girls off me and went to Tama, who was starting to turn as I got up. I only then realized none of us had our MAS units on, but my supercharged body was still incredibly fast. I was instantly at her side, and I took her in my arms as she tried to run away.
"NO, LEAVE ME! LET ME GO! I ALMOST KILLED YOU AFTER YOU SAVED MY LIFE!"
Tama fought violently against me, but she had no chance to break free. I held her until she stopped struggling, and then I turned her to me and gripped her by the shoulders. She was crying hysterically, so I pulled her into my chest and held her close as sobs racked her body.
The other girls became busy doing something I couldn't see as I held Tama. Soon, the tears stopped, and I kissed the top of her head. Me blacking out and getting glowing eyes and tattoos wasn't her fault. Whatever the suit's power was, it wasn't supposed to affect me, but it did, and it was because there was something different about me.
Chapter 108: Like A Bullet
Tama calmed in my arms, and I finally let her go, stepping back, but I kept my hands on her shoulders. She rubbed her eye and then slowly looked up at me. It looked like she was about to start crying again, but I babbled to keep her from falling apart again.
"Tama, this wasn't your fault. Energy Lich is meant to take energy and use it, but you took too much, so you transferred it to me. That should have only gone into the MAS unit, but I absorbed it instead and then used it to power the MAS. Me screaming and blacking out was because there is something different about me, and I need to get back to Galantia and see what is in the chest at the end of my bed!"
I gasped for air, and Tama had a startled look on her face. I tipped my head and let go of Tama's shoulders and then sank to the ground. I was still pretty tired, but then I noticed what I had been too busy to notice.
The flat blue lines that felt like cords pressed out of my skin, I then put a hand to cover my eyes, but I had no blue glow. Maybe only when I used Dynam the lines and my eyes would light up; this would not be good in dark places. I looked up, and Tama looked concerned, but I just put my hand up, and she helped me to my feet.
"I'm just tired; let's get out of here. Where's my suit?"
"Over here, Dave!"
Tama got under my arm and helped me turn to the three other girls standing in their suit in front of a large pile of gems. There were a lot of the pure ones, but there were also some purple ones that were larger. Tama helped me cross the sand to my suit that was standing just off to the side.
Once inside, the MAS units assisted strength made it much easier to walk, and I no longer needed Tama's help. She went to get in her suit while I turned back to the pile of gems. All there girls had their helmet's open and wore large smiles; it was an impressive haul.
"So, my lovely ladies, how did we do?"
"Twenty-two Pure Dynam, nine Chaos Dynam, and two Monstrous Dynam Gems!" Mikota explained with enthusiasm, which was infectious because I started to get excited as well.
Two Monstrous Gems! I couldn't wait to get ahold of Jill, but we needed to get out of here first and get back to the others. We had just under two days until the race would start, but if we couldn't get out of the canyon, then nothing mattered.
"Have you guys figured a way out besides running up the wall?"
"Yeah, when the gems appeared, a wide path op
ened up to the surface. It's big enough to take the buggy, but we had to take the turret mounts off," Mikota explain as she looked longingly at a pile of metal dust.
"Really? That's really good! I didn't want to walk, and I am exhausted. You all have everything figured out!"
"What else were we supposed to do? We got everything ready while you took a dirt nap. You need to stop doing that!" Iona scolded me.
"You're telling me. It's not like I enjoyed the feeling of someone trying to pull my brain from my skull. I trade you next time, hmmm?"
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