by Dante Doom
“Shoot the damn thing!” Savannah shouted as she fired another shot with her Arc Rifle. The announcement Critical Hit: 900 damage hovered above the beast. Since the monster was restrained, each attack would be a critical hit. The fire rate of the Arc Rifle wasn’t fast enough to dish out a ton of damage, but between her attacks and Timon’s rocket blasts, the croc’s health dropped down to 3,000 pretty quickly.
“It’s breaking free!” Ten-Thirty shouted as the webbing began to break completely from the back of the Crocbeast, and Savannah knew she was out of grenades that could restrain the creature.
“Hang in there, Ten-Thirty,” Savannah replied helplessly, watching the Charging bar reach 50% once again. The muscles of the Crocbeast’s arms were beginning to bulge, and in a matter of seconds, Ten-Thirty would be torn clean in half.
“I’ve got an idea!” Timon yelled as he scrambled over to grab the arm that was lying on the ground. “Ten, can you still control your arm?” He held it up and aimed it at the Crocbeast, pointing the mounted Rail Gun right at the monster. “If you can, shoot!”
The Rail Gun began to fire at the Crocbeast almost immediately upon Timon’s demand, and the words 200 damage hovered above the monster. Another blast from Savannah took the beast down to 2,500.
“Activating Rapid Mode—stabilize yourself!” Ten-Thirty instructed. Despite the fact that the arm was still sparking, it began to fire out a flurry of high-powered rails. Timon was nearly kicked back by the recoil, and so he was forced to wrap both arms around the gun to keep it aimed at the Crocbeast. The stream of spikes kept crashing into the beast’s flesh, though, and 1,000 damage hovered above its head.
“This is killer! Why the hell haven’t you done this before?” Timon yelled as he continued to fire.
“Heating issues,” Ten-Thirty replied.
The Crocbeast had sustained enough damage to shift its focus away from the Machina, moving its head and snapping its jaws toward Timon.
“Oh, I think I pissed it off,” Timon cried out. The charge bar was gone above the Crocbeast, and the Viral threw Ten-Thirty to the ground. It charged forward towards the nobleman who’d been attacking it, leaping in the air. Timon continued firing the Rail Gun as it came at him, missing more often than not.
“Look out!” Savannah yelled as she ran closer, snapping off shots as quickly as she could. The health of the Crocbeast was down to 900 points and her Overdrive+ power was almost refreshed. If only they could hold out a little longer.
“Ah, crap!” Timon shouted as he abruptly dropped the android’s arm. Its normal silver hue had turned bright red due to overheating and the words Detonation 5s were hovering above it. Timon rolled out of the way just in time to avoid the leaping Crocbeast and the explosion.
As the arm had exploded, Savannah had just been able to get one last shot off on the beast, dealing 300 damage. On top of that, the explosion of Ten-Thirty’s arm was powerful enough to kill the Viral outright.
“Oh, that was so close!” Timon said as he scrambled to get back to his feet. “You didn’t tell me that your arm was going to explode, Ten.”
“I thought I explained the situation when I told you about the heating issues,” Ten-Thirty replied simply. Several thousand golden orbs sailed to Timon, granting him 6,000/1,500,000.
“You did well, Ten,” Savannah said as she walked over to the severely damaged android. The Machina was still lying on its back, either unable or unwilling to stand up. She reached a hand out. “Come on—let’s get going.”
“I thought I was going to be destroyed,” Ten-Thirty said. “I did not care to be in that situation.”
“It was a close call,” Savannah replied, “but we made it.”
“I think I am angry with you,” Ten-Thirty said, refusing to move from its position. It swatted Savannah’s hand away. “You had no right to ask me to risk myself to save you.”
“Uhhhh…” Savannah glanced at Timon, who only shrugged. Neither of them had been expecting this kind of conversation. “Listen, we’re a team, and that means–”
“If you die, you are kicked out of this game and you are forced to live a full life,” Ten-Thirty interrupted. “If I die, I cease to exist. I shouldn’t exist anyway, given that there is some kind of glitch inside me, some spark in my programming that… that makes me the way I am. Why should I have to die for you?”
Savannah paused. The Machina was clearly afraid, and she could understand why. “Do you know why we logged out of the game?” she asked.
Ten-Thirty was silent for a few minutes, but eventually it spoke. “Why?”
“Leopold had sent his goons to kill me while I was plugged into the game,” Savannah replied. “So, I had to log out quickly.”
“I see,” Ten-Thirty replied. “But I do not see what your point is.”
“Timon came running in to help us, and despite the fact that he could get in serious trouble with his father and potentially lose his rank, he chose to defend me. He pulled a weapon out and fought for me. You’ve got to realize that it doesn’t matter if it is in the game or in real life; if you’re someone who is in trouble, those you love will try to protect you. In turn, you protect them.”
“It’s what allows us to form societies,” Timon added. “When you jump into a fight, not knowing the outcome, you are telling others that you can be trusted.”
“We’ll protect you, like you’ve protected us,” Savannah said as she placed a hand on the metallic being’s body. “We’re all in this together.”
The Machina tilted its head. “We’re… all in this together. We’re all in what together?”
“Life,” Savannah replied with a smile. “We’re all in this life together.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Savannah flexed her hands, looking at her newly upgraded armor. She had spared no expense in getting everyone the best gear possible. In the past, she would have been far more conservative with her points, fearful of spending too much and taking away from her goal to become a Noble, but times had changed quickly. The fate of Verre was resting in the balance, and she now had a very different attitude. There was no way she would allow King Leopold to assume some sort of godlike position in the Grind, and nor would he be allowed to continue as King of Verre, so far as she was concerned.
Checking hers and Timon’s Character Sheets, she finally felt satisfied that they had the best gear possible.
“All right, are we ready to move out?” Savannah asked as she approached Timon and Ten-Thirty. Both were wearing their upgraded items. Timon was sporting new armor and was holding a new rifle that would follow moving targets. Ten-Thirty had had all the necessary repairs made after its last boss battle, including a new right arm with a kick-ass Rail Gun, and its chassis had been upgraded to endure more structural damage. With his new Sniper Rifle in hand, Timon had given Savannah her rocket launcher back; she had missed it.
“Yes, ma’am,” Timon replied as he fiddled with his gun. “I’ve got to say, I didn’t expect my life to turn out like this at all. I thought I was heading into the boring life of another idiot Noble, carrying on a useless bloodline. All of this? It’s exciting. Gets the blood pumping. I can’t wait to square off against the King,” he said honestly, grinning at her over his weapon.
Savannah shook her head. “You aren’t nervous? My stomach knots have knots at this point.”
“Bah, there’s no reason to be afraid. Elanor is a heavy hitter; plus, she managed to steal armor before Leopold could get his hands on it. Your Arc Rifle should take him out just like it would any other ordinary player.”
“Yeah, I’m not counting on that,” Savannah replied as they began the walk back to the Hurst Jungle Portal. “This is going to be one hell of a fight.”
“I don’t doubt that,” Timon said. “I’m just saying that I have faith we can win it.”
Ten-Thirty walked alongside them in utter silence. It had been rather contemplative since its recent brush with death, and Savannah was unsure what to say to it.
Having walked mostly in silence, they soon reached the swirling golden portal that was on the edge of the Med Center’s central hub. Before Savannah could press her hands against the portal, though, Kireen’s smirking yellow face emerged from the portal’s swirling energy.
“Hi!” Kireen giggled as she floated above the three. “You are all doing a great job!”
“That other Aspect, Alcius, didn’t he say that Kireen was part of his original team?” Timon remarked as he watched the woman fly in little circles in the air.
“Yeah, I guess,” Savannah said. “He seemed to indicate that she was a real person at one point.”
“It would be logical to assume that, when the scientists’ bodies were destroyed due to natural causes, their consciousness created these imprints,” Ten-Thirty remarked. “When I glimpsed creation itself on the wall, I could see how that could happen.”
“So, they really are ghosts…” Savannah whispered.
“Not ghosts!” Kireen giggled again as she ceased bouncing back and forth. She flipped upside down and lowered herself so her eyes were staring directly into Savannah’s, if upside down. “We’re like Machina, except we remember a world that wasn’t this place. When I close my eyes, I see… something wondrous. I smell, I breathe, I can even taste it; but when I open my eyes here, I see nothing but misery. Release is coming. Sweet, sweet freedom.”
“Why didn’t you just tell us the truth before?” Savannah asked as she crossed her arms. Despite the fact that Kireen had led them to a groundbreaking discovery, she was still incredibly wary of the creature.
Kireen didn’t bother to answer that question. She merely looked at them and chuckled.
“It’s not enough to stop King Meanie,” the Aspect replied. “You’ve got to restart this world.”
“Restart it?” Timon repeated. “Like, turning it off and on again?”
“The Virals have damaged everything; for centuries, they have destroyed the integrity of this program, and the tutorial was disabled by fiends! But the main system has a restorative measure built into it,” Kireen explained as she darted past Savannah and climbed atop Ten-Thirty’s head. She sat down and dangled her legs off the side of the machine’s shoulders. “Once you turn off what you call the Grind, it will purge all of the nasty stuff. Then, when you turn it back on… all will be restored.”
“What will be restored?” Savannah asked.
“Everything!” Kireen told them maddeningly, as if she’d forgotten how to speak with specific details or straight answers. “You will learn great secrets and see wondrous things, but most of all, we’ll be purged, finally. This madness will end and all of creation will weep at the restoration!”
“This Aspect speaks nonsense,” Ten-Thirty said. “If the system were shut off, it would kill all consciousness inside. Rebooting would be the equivalent of destroying the world itself and creating a new one.”
“In other words, salvation for my team,” Kireen chuckled. “Not all are as… healthy as I am. Alcius is trapped, and Grei is feral, but I’ve been in control long enough to know you’re the right people for the job.”
“How could you possibly know that?” Timon asked. “We’re complete strangers.”
“When you rest inside of the Grind, when you are the Grind, you can hear thoughts, hopes, dreams…” Kireen replied as she floated back up into the air. “I have heard the minds of millions and watched the hearts and souls of great heroes and blackhearts. You, Mr. Timon? You are a good soul.”
“What about me?” Savannah asked.
“I picked you because you’re a rebel, a fighter. You hate all of this, as much as Timon hates what his family has become. You two are to be my champions, to preserve this world. To restore the Grind to its purpose and to save mankind from the plague.”
“The plague is gone,” Savannah replied gently. “It’s been gone for a long time.”
Kireen tilted its head. “Oh… right, I forgot, and I will forget again. All of my motivations are to help you because of the plague, however… so, don’t mention it the next time you see me?”
“Erm, right,” Savannah said as she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.
“Leopold is a strong one, but there is still time,” Kireen said, changing the subject. “Elanor’s plan is to trap him, but he has many powerful allies and has unlocked terrifying abilities. He can create powerful feedback loops that truly kill a person when they die in the game.”
“Those bodies…” Timon mumbled. “Remember? From long ago?”
Images of the dead players back at the Krecius Caves flashed into Savannah’s mind. “Leopold can kill? That’s, uh... Interesting.” Savannah felt like she was reeling from everything she was learning, and wasn’t sure how much more she could take. Everything she had believed in had been flipped upside down. It was one thing to die in the Grind and wake up in your pod. It was another thing entirely never to wake up. “How could that be possible?” Savannah asked the Aspect belatedly.
“He has recently learned how, and when he fights Elanor, he will try to kill her for real. She won’t see it coming, either. She must know the truth, for it will turn her into a savage beast, fighting for survival. It’s one thing to fight for a cause…”
“But another thing to fight for your life,” Timon finished as he stroked his chin. “Kireen, why don’t you talk to her?”
“She wants to turn us off for good. Deep in her heart, she hates this place. She hates it so much that nothing will persuade her to change her mind. So, you two, independent of her, must make sure the Grind turns back on.”
“Sounds like Elanor might be a problem, too,” Timon mumbled.
“I’ll be happy to face her after we take care of our Leopold problem,” Savannah replied, shaking herself free from her reverie. “Thank you for the heads-up about the King’s power, Kireen.”
“You aren’t ready to fight him yet, for there is one item left unfound! One item that King Meanie doesn’t know about. It will change the tide of the battle and will save you all from your otherwise certain fate.”
“What is it?” Savannah asked.
“My eyes, silly!” Kireen giggled. “I left them at the college. When you wear them over your eyes, you will see great and wondrous things.”
“Leopold controls the college,” Savannah replied. “He’s there right now.”
“Oh, no, not at all! He’s looking for Elanor,” Kireen said as she began to fade away. “Find my eyes at the tower and wear them. Only then will you be able to save the world from the plague, Savannah. Hurry, before no one is left.” With that, the Aspect vanished from sight.
“We must move with haste,” Ten-Thirty said. “Before Leopold returns to the tower.”
“Where is it?” Savannah asked as she opened up her map. She quickly selected all of the known portals in her character history, but there was no active portal leading to the College of Colossus. It would take hours to figure out where the tower was located based only on this information, and it might take even more time to get there.
“I believe I can take us there,” Ten-Thirty replied.
“How?”
“Stand back,” the Machina said as it walked over to the portal. There, it slowly began to motion with its hands. “I do not speak of it often, but I am capable of perceiving the code of this world. I have been deciphering the codex that was etched on the wall, and I believe that I can change the code to this portal.”
“What? I don’t understand what you’re saying,” Savannah replied.
“I believe Ten-Thirty has figured out how to program the portals to go to different areas,” Timon replied.
“That’s impossible!” Savannah replied. “If you can do that, why didn’t you mention that earlier?”
“My processors work at only a certain speed. They are still rapidly trying to decipher the codex, but… I believe that, with a few educated guesses, I will be able to get us there.”
“Guesses?” Savannah repeated. “I… I don’t know if I like
this plan.”
“To reach the college through conventional means would require us to succeed at a purple Instance, defeat two raid bosses, and unlock a Green Key,” Ten-Thirty replied. “We have neither the time nor the resources nor the manpower to achieve that. So, this is the only feasible option for accessing a hidden location.”
The portal began to change colors rapidly then. One second it was green, then blue, and then, finally, purple.
“Well, uh, what are the chances of this portal killing us?” Savannah asked.
“I have observed that humans often lie to one another in order to provide a false sense of comfort,” Ten-Thirty replied. “Would you like me to do so now?”
Savannah took in a deep breath, looking to Timon rather than bothering to answer Ten’s absurd question. “I don’t want to risk it all on an educated guess.”
“You said something earlier about trust,” Ten-Thirty said as it lowered its hands. The portal had slowly changed to an orange color. “Do you trust me?”
“I do,” Timon said. “Fully.” He walked up and stood next to the Machina, and looked back at Savannah expectantly.
“I trust you, too,” Savannah replied as she walked up to the portal. She had no faith in this plan whatsoever, but if Timon trusted the Machina, then she would at least trust his judgment.
“Excellent. Next stop, the College of Colossus,” Ten-Thirty said as it placed its hands on the portal. Savannah could hear a tinge of pride and excitement in the voice of the machine. It appeared to be quite pleased with itself.
The portal wrapped around them a moment later, teleporting them to a new world instantly. Savannah blinked, and no longer was she in a beautiful city; rather, she was in an arid land with a burning red sky above them.
“Kill it!” screamed an unfamiliar voice. Savannah looked to her right to see eight players actively squaring off against a gigantic boar-shaped Viral. The word Nidhogg hovered above the creature in bright orange.
“Where the hell are we?” Timon shouted out as he watched the boar trample over two players, damaging them heavily. The players were all wearing identical red armor, but each was carrying different weapons.