The next morning, the pizzeria felt almost like a new place—or at least a cleaned-up version of its former self. The floors gleamed, the tables were polished, and the lingering scent of burnt wires and grease had been replaced with the faint smell of lemon disinfectant.
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You have gained 3 credits due to Absorption.
Credits: 4.00/10.00
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I mentally dismiss the notification and spot Jessica seated at one of the back tables, her head down as her fingers dance across a holographic screen. Surrounding her are over three dozen animatronics, standing at attention like some kind of mechanical army. Their metallic forms gleam in the low light, but one of them stands out—a bot fitted with newly added metal coverings over its limbs and torso. It looks almost... regal for a machine.
“You’ve been busy,” I say, walking over to her. “Three dozen, huh?”
Jessica looks up, a slight smile curving her lips. “Got up a couple of hours early to make those coverings.” She gestures to the metal-plated bot, her tone laced with pride. “This one's the smartest of the bunch—it’s the one that survived yesterday. Figured it deserved a little extra protection.”
I nod, impressed by her attention to detail. “Smartest, huh?”
“Yeah,” she says, her eyes flicking back to the screen. “It’s already learned from the last fight and passed on some of its knowledge to the rest of the bots. So, I made sure it won’t be as easy to break next time.”
Before I can respond, the door swings open, and Ethan strolls in, his eyes taking in the freshly cleaned pizzeria with a raised eyebrow. “Well, well, looks like the place got a makeover. Even if those lights make it feel like a haunted house.”
I shrug. “Paid for some cleaning yesterday. They did a decent job.”
“Not a single customer so far,” I say, gesturing to the spotless tables. “You’d think with everything fixed up, someone would’ve wandered in by now.”
“It’s considered good manners not to walk into someone’s base while they’re still in the guidance period,” Ethan says.
I frown, letting the silence hang for a moment. That makes sense, I guess. If I were in someone else’s shoes, I wouldn’t want to piss off whichever AI was guiding the newcomer.
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We’re back in the fray, standing at the base of the same towering wall with Type A’s attacking from all three sides. The enemy is relentless; their numbers far greater than yesterday. But this time, we’re ready. The animatronics have been upgraded; their movements sharper, faster. Jessica’s commands better predict the Type A’s; I’m throwing in my own callouts too.
“Left flank! Need more.” I shout, hammering my shield into a Type A’s face, the impact shaking my arm to the core.
Jessica’s already on it, her voice echoing through the chaos. “Unit 14, 15 and 16 move to the left. 3 and 4, hold formation with Gregory!”
Our coordination’s better now—more precise. I can command the bots too—simple things, but enough to make a difference. The animatronics respond almost instantly, shifting to cover weak spots or to flank the Type A’s. Jessica’s new programming is paying off in spades. The bots are learning faster, reacting more like a team than just individual units. But even more than that, our stat points are making a difference. I can now trade blow for blow with a Type A, all while processing what’s going on around me. And as a bonus, the fear that haunted me last fight is more muted now. Mainly due to the fact that I have an ally... friend in Jess who will help me rise if I fall.
Still, it’s a brutal fight. The Type A’s are swarming us from three sides, but we’ve got the wall at our backs, keeping them from circling completely. Each time one of them charges, we’re there—animatronics, my shield and Jessica’s crossbow blots.
"Gregory! Push forward, we’ve got an opening on the left!” Jessica calls out, her tone sharp and focused.
I move in, crushing the skull of a Type A with a clean swing of my hammer. But then something changes. There’s a high-pitched whine, and before I can react, Jessica lets out a scream.
I spin around just in time to see her fall, her body crumpling to the ground. Above her, mechanical flying bots hover, their sleek, alien-like frames glowing with a faint blue light. They’re nothing like the Type A’s—faster, deadlier, and they’ve just taken out Jessica.
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“Jessica!” I shout, my voice raw with panic. I can’t think. I can’t—
No. I have to focus. She’ll respawn. She has to. But in the meantime, I’m on my own.
I force myself to breathe, gripping my hammer tightly as I disengage from the front lines and turn to face the flying machines. I can’t rely on my brute strength alone this time. I reach out with Ghost in the Machine, focusing on two of the bots. Their movements stutter, just for a second, but it’s enough. I force them to collide mid-air, the impact sending sparks flying as they crash to the ground in a heap of twisted metal.
Again and again, I use my ability, sometimes succeeding but mostly failing. My fight is not just against the flying machines but against the amount of credits I own. But it’s a losing battle, and I’m burning through credits faster than I want to.
The more I use my ability, the more I risk not having enough to respawn if I get taken out. But without Jessica here, I have no choice. The animatronics are faltering without her commands. They’re trying to hold off the Type A’s, but the flying bots are ripping through our defenses like paper.
Another two bots swoop down, their energy blades slicing through one of our heavies. I grit my teeth, my heart pounding as I brace myself. I can’t keep this up forever. My mind feels like it’s being pulled in a hundred different directions, keeping track of all the moving parts. How does Jess manage to do this?
“Come on, Jess,” I mutter under my breath, backing up as another flying bot descends toward me. “Any day now.”
I take up a defensive position near the semi-circle of animatronics, trying to shield them from the onslaught of the fly bots. The animatronics are being pressed back—less organized without Jessica’s focus keeping them in check. I swing my hammer wildly, blocking blows, trying to buy time.
My Ghost in the Machine is off-limits now. I can’t afford to spend another credit. I need to survive until Jessica comes back.
The seconds drag out as I try and kill as many of the damned flying bots as possible. Again and again, I swing. Each time my hammer cuts through the air, it takes several of the bots with it.
Then a bot gets a lucky cut on me with its energy blade, tearing through my chestplate and slicing the skin below. The pain is thankfully muted, suppressed by the adrenaline. My Body stat reduces the cut somewhat, but it is still an inch deep, forcing me to retreat.
I am out of options as the swarm turns around for another go at us. I rack my brain for ideas. The credits I have built up from killing those flying bots are enough to fire off multiple Ghost in the Machines, but it won't be enough.
I need a way to attack a mass of them at once; maybe if I use most of my credits in a single Ghost in the Machine, maybe I could force it to bend for me? It’s a risky idea I stumbled upon while combing through the posts on the Net’s app. Right now, that risk seems like my only choice.
Taking a deep breath, I force 13 credits into the ability, willing it to manifest as I envision. Almost immediately, searing pain radiates through my skull, as if a thousand red-hot needles are being driven into my brain. The ability fights back fiercely, resisting my desperate command. I grit my teeth, clawing through the agony, my vision splintering into fragments of light and darkness.
Slowly, painfully, I watch as most of the flying bots are slammed to the ground by the surge of energy. But they aren’t finished yet; they’re starting to rise again, a relentless swarm. My nose is bleeding profusely, and my head is spinning like a hurricane. I stagger forward, muscles screaming in protest, and swing my warhammer through the air with what little strength remains.
Each swing feels like lifting leaden weights; every movement is a Herculean effort. The once-precise strikes now land clumsily, but they still connect with the bots, smashing through their ranks. My vision blurs into a smudged canvas of chaos, and my head pounds with each heartbeat. My legs are wobbling uncontrollably beneath me, and I can’t seem to coordinate my limbs anymore. Every step is a battle, every motion a struggle against my leaden, unresponsive body that refuses to obey.
My legs finally give out, crumpling beneath me like a marionette with its strings severed. I try to push myself up, my arms shaking violently, but they refuse to respond. Each attempt is met with a jarring spike of pain and a wave of dizzying nausea.
I collapse onto the ground, struggling to rise, but my limbs rebel with a stubbornness that borders on cruelty.
Again and again, my muscles spasming and failing to obey my frantic commands. My breathing is ragged, my entire body a mass of protest and unending pain. I can barely move, let alone defend myself, watching as the remaining over two dozen flying bots start to regroup, preparing for another attack.
And then, just as I think I’m out of options, there’s a soft hum. I glance over and see Jessica materializing, her face pale but determined. She’s holding a crossbow, her hands already moving as she aims at the flying bots.
“Miss me?” she says, her voice strained but steady.
Without waiting for an answer, she fires, the bolt streaking through the air and slamming into one of the bots. It explodes in a shower of sparks.
I exhale. “Look who decided to rise from the grave. I thought you were done with this whole ‘living’ thing.”
“Shut up and die already; don’t waste too long respawning,” she snaps, but there’s a flicker of a smile on her lips as one of her hands shoots a crossbow while the other flutters across invisible screens.
I follow her advice and let the void take me.
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You have died.
Credits: 6.35 → 1.27 (-80%).
HAI is deleting your current avatar. Please wait while a new avatar is created.
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Level up! You have reached level 5.
Ability Upgrade Choices Available.
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