The world outside the [Building] was a cacophony of sounds, images, and movement. She soon enough found herself surrounded by a new variant of the square-shaped entity. Truly this one was higher in the hierarchy as these ones were of bright yellow color and had circular appendages on the sides. Two at the front and two at the back.
They looked like the [Wheel] implement some of the P1-P3 test subjects liked to use, and the same the [Humans] had tried to make me use, but since they weren't useful for all-terrain encounters she never used them.
However, if the flooring was as smooth everywhere as it was around here, it was obvious why the square-shaped yellow entity would want to use them.
"We aren't allowing students onto the bus yet. If you want to rest either go to the reception area or get a teacher's note." A voice almost made her jump from surprise.
She turned to look at the square-shaped yellow entity wondering if this would be her first interaction with them.
"Up here girl, on the driver's seat." But the voice spoke to her again, this time she was ready and quickly found the origin of it, it came...from within the square-shaped entity.
From a [Door] that had opened at some point allowing her to peer into the innards of the square-shaped entity.
What she found horrified her and surprised her at the same time, it was...hollow.
In the front was a [Human] dressed in blue thin lower armor with white upper thin armor, "I know you kids don't want to visit the eggheads, but it's for your own good. So as I said, either get a teacher's note or wait at reception." The [Human] spoke.
But she was too busy taking all in, the humans had [Hollowed] the square-shaped entity, adorned its internal body with spots to sit, and possibly made it so another [Human] could direct its movement.
They had turned what was no doubt a dangerous adversary (If only going by its sheer size and possible kinetic force) into a means to move from point A to Point B.
It made her shudder to only think of the implications, and to be thankful for not having tried to escape using her previous form, just thinking that her [Glorious] form could have been hollowed out to allow [Humans] to travel...
It made her...
"[Sick] "
Yes, it made her sick to think about it.
"Okay, thank you, sir." But she needed to mesh in this type of society till she found at least a group to join and mix with.
So far she had thought about joining the square-shaped entities and fighting against the [Humans], but she hadn't found any willing to speak to her, and she wasn't sure she could be able to mimic them well enough, she didn't have a full [Blueprint] for them after all.
She only had the full [Blueprint] for the [Human - Female Child] so far, so exiting the square-shaped entity that she sincerely wished wasn't alive anymore... She took it all in.
The [Human] aboard this square-shaped entity wasn't paying attention to her, and was fiddling with ANOTHER smaller square-shaped entity.
The [Humans] at the [Doors] weren't paying attention to her either, and in this [Room] that seemed to have a [Ceiling] so far up that she didn't know what to think about she was wondering what to do.
So instead she tried to ask [Main Core] for advice.
"[Query: Best course of action]" Asked Alexa to [Main Core] as she walked to a spot behind the yellow square-shaped organism, far away from prying eyes.
"[ Answer: Option 1, return and pledge allegiance to the Humans as their power seems to be more dangerous than previously implied from the Blueprint] "
Denied, that was the last possible option. She didn't want to end up as one of the square-shaped entities, enslaved for life, not after she had her newfound freedom.
Besides, she was getting used to this thing called [Self].
"[Answer: Option 2, run. Run as far away from this den, the current observation of human interaction implies that there are multiple groups within the collective. Find a group stronger than the current one and try to integrate into it.]"
That... seemed more doable, and perhaps if she found another group willing to take her in she could find more about the dynamics between the [Humans] and all the other races they had enslaved so far.
She wouldn't be able to disclose her true nature of course, but maybe if she integrated herself well enough they would grant her whatever access was needed to unlock her full potential as a [Human]?
Or to tell her what the hell was that [Core] thing she had gotten, it was different from her [Main Core], and it shouldn't be able to do what it did, but who was she to judge how the [Humans] worked the things that they hid within their bodies.
So with a plan in hand, she would need to-
"[Advice: Record any and all indications that could identify the current group affiliated with this area.] "
Checkup if she was able to find any information to identify this place, so sneaking around making sure she always stayed outside the range of view of the [Humans] around she made a note to [Record] everything her [Eyes] could see in her memory.
Even the weird [Lines] that were carved into the side of the previous smaller [Room].
Some weird lines that seemed to hold some kind of meaning that was far detached from what she knew.
[Saintsworth’s Conglomerate]
She wasn't able to understand them, perhaps after studying more about the [Culture] of the [Humans] she would be able to associate those weird lines with other meanings.
Or at least understand their sense of aesthetics. She still wasn't quite sure why they liked these kinds of clothing, after being on this form for barely a few [Hours] she was getting annoyed at the feeling of other [Humans] looking at her bare unprotected body.
Was it comfortable to use this [Sundress]? Yes.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
Did it leave her exposed? Also Yes.
So taking the chance of hiding away from the prying eyes of the [Humans] she used the [Power] that had awoken within her.
"Order, Nanite Foundry create a new set of [Clothing], design it for comfort and ease of movement. Limit design to observed [Blueprints] used around by other [Human - Child Stage] targets." She felt something leave her body as the words left her mouth.
Something within her body seemed to be consumed, and it wasn't only the materials to follow her order, it was some kind of warm [Energy] that seemed to leave her abdomen, travel to her [Core] hidden within her [Heart] and then disappear into the void.
That shouldn't be possible!
Entropy was a thing that very much existed!
She didn't have too much time to complain about it though, since the [Nanites] within her body started working, they took part of the remaining material she had available within her body and the remains of her current [Armor] to transform it into something different.
Her [Sundress] started shortening itself, transforming into a white [Shirt] similar to the one other [Girls] wore, it even had a [Star] design on it. Her lower armor was then replaced as it grew in size till it formed a pair of [Short Pants].
They looked oddly familiar and she soon found them in her [Memory], they were similar to those that Melissa had, and she found herself staring at her [Legs] as her [Feet] got dressed with [Socks] and a pair of [Sneakers].
Her [Hair] grew a [Hair Tie] and it collected the short [Hair] into a single [Pony Tail], a quick look into one of the square-shaped crystal panels to see her own [Reflection] ended with...
A blonde [Human-Child Stage Girl] staring back at her, she was dressed in a white [Blouse] with a pair of blue [Short Pants] and yellow [Sneakers] with white socks. She had a small [Pony Tail] that was barely working as her hair was short.
A quick prodding at the [Nanite Foundry] and her hair grew a few centimeters to allow the [Pony Tail] to work as intended, but sure enough, she felt more [Safe], now that most of her important body parts were hidden behind some [Armor]. At least they wouldn't be able to sneak a peek at her as easily as before.
Now the next step...
"Eyes...gotta do something about the eyes..." The [Teacher] had told her to fix her [Eyes] if she wanted to pretend to be [Fine], whatever that meant.
But her [Eyes] were fine.
"[Main Core], compare my [eyes] to those of the other [Human-Child Stage] around me." She queried [Main Core] for answers.
The [Teacher] had said that her [eyes] were different from the other children.
"[Answer to Query: Other Human - Child stage had shown a certain degree of Emotions in their eyes as compared to Host. Currently, it is impossible to emulate Emotions with enough fidelity to deceive the more perceptive Humans. Suggestion: Explore more of the brain chemistry that creates emotions to emulate these better.]"
So the answer was to study more huh?
She was already planning on doing that while searching for a group to infiltrate, so at the very least that hadn't been hard to figure out, but for now... "I gotta make sure no one pays too much attention to my eyes huh." She would need to make sure her way of acting around other humans was distracting enough though.
Perhaps she could model the [Persona] she used in front of the humans after Melissa? She seemed to be distracting enough, yeah... That could work.
"[Query: Is that all? If so, the next logical step would be escape...Plotting route...]"
[Main Core] seemed to be ready to leave, and she in turn, was also ready, so letting [Main Core] plot a route she started looking around, it was offensively easy to stay away from the line of sight of the [Humans], both of the conscious and unconscious line of sight.
The human [Eye] seemed to catch way too much information that wasn't properly treated if you didn't pay attention, so she was extrapolating their line of sight and giving it a wide berth to stay safe.
"[Route finished calculating, cost of escape: 2 kgs of biomass + five hours of active time. Rate of Success: 100%]"
Well, she was currently weighing just under 40 kilograms, and as far as she was able to gauge she weighed twice as much as the average [Human - Human-stage children] around her. So losing some biomass, while something she didn't want to do, was something she could afford.
"Transmit the route." So she just focused on the information [Main Core] transmitted to her and...frowned. "Shouldn't this be harder?"
The route [Main Core] programmed was easy enough, she would make extra muscle in her lower extremities and with a burst of kinetic power launch herself at a 45° angle pointing to the outside.
She would lose some biomass from the destroyed muscles in her lower extremities, but those would be regenerated soon enough, and those left behind would decay.
The energy loss came from making sure she didn't leave evidence and from the burst in movement.
"[Route calculated taking into consideration being seen from within the installations and from the Humans around, the upper part of the wall doesn't seem to have any kind of defense, as such a quick escape is the best solution.]"
But if [Main core] thought that could work, and the evidence seemed to support this plan. So she started changing her lower body parts to the new design and preparing the chemical cocktail designed by [Main Core] to increase the success of this.
Some of the components were quite exotic and poisonous, most had been used against her at some point while others were used by the test subjects to get an edge on her.
That she was using them was somewhat fun, and it meant that she had done the right thing by saving them. Some would be used to neutralize the nerve sensations on her lower body, others to make sure she could move fast enough...
And others...well, they would help her from involuntary reactions, she had noticed this body seemed to move and act on its own if she wasn't paying attention, that wasn't a problem in a [Social] setting. But right now she was in a [Combat] setting, she couldn't afford reactions that went outside her scope.
So part of those chemicals would help her neutralize those reactions.
"[Preparations ready]"
So when [Main core] gave her the ready signal she kneeled behind the yellow square-shaped entity, she extended her senses as far as possible to make sure no one was around, and flexed her knees with all her might...
She jumped.
She jumped pouring as much strength as the [Floor] could tolerate without cracking, she felt multiple muscles and blood vessels break inside her legs as the strength of her jump surpassed the threshold of what her current [Body] could tolerate.
She would need to redesign it later to allow it to support these levels of strength, that or finally find the key to harness the power the [Humans] were able to wield.
She was sure a normal [Human] could be able to withstand this level of strength, she was barely generating enough force to bend one of her previous metal plate armors!
Either way, she was traveling through the sky at high speed right now, so she couldn't be distracted, she needed to be sure where she was going and to record the place she was coming from.
While traveling through the sky she was busy reconstructing her destroyed legs and at the same time she was having a hard time controlling her direction, since her body was way heavier than her size implied, her center of gravity was all over the place.
She would need to either make her body [Bigger] or to ditch the extra biomass in her, she didn't want to do either of course. Her current body was one that had allowed her to escape without problem from the [Den] that the [Humans] had confined her to, and the [Biomass] that she had within her body was her lifeline.
The less biomass she had available the more constrained she would be, so unless she found a place that was brimming with [Biomass] or that allowed her to [Eat] whenever she needed to recharge...
She wasn't ditching any biomass if not needed. So while watching the multiple different square shaped entities around pass by, some bigger, some smaller, but all had crystal-like parts adorning their body, some had lights inside, some didn’t, but it dawned on her… Her pen was square-shaped…Had she been living INSIDE a square-shaped entity?
Surely not…Right?
"[Answer inconclusive, more data needed.]"
"STOP AT ONCE!" While thinking about that she heard another [Human] speak.
She was traveling through the sky without control, who could even speak at these types of places?
"I KNOW IT'S FUN TO USE YOUR POWERS BUT ONE NEEDS TO BE SAFE ABOUT THEM!" The voice continued to speak and suddenly she found herself frozen in place.
This made her suddenly hyper-aware of her surroundings, it was dangerous, something or someone had managed to stop her while moving at high speed through the air.
"Huh, you are quite young... Did you just awaken your powers?" The voice spoke once more, turning her frozen body.
In front of her, she found...The most ridiculously dressed [Human] she had ever seen, it was a [Human] yes.
But it was dressed in a skintight blue [Clothing], which allowed her to observe all his muscles and how they moved, this [Human] only had three pieces of [Armor].
The full body skin-tight blue covering that went from the bottom of his feet to his neck, a weird triangle-like lower body armor that was similar enough to the white covering she had under her short pants. But why was this one wearing them on the outside?
Weren't they meant to be below the outer armor?
Most of the other [Human - children stage] and [Human - Adult Stage] she had seen wore them below the outer armor...
And finally, its third piece of [Armor]...A weird cloth-like thing that was tied at its neck and was on its back.
It flowed with the wind...in some weird directions as if it wasn't really affected by the wind.
"[Notice: The third piece of armor does not follow the laws of physics, possible use of power to manipulate it, this power seems to be similar to the one used to stop Host on its travel]"
Yeah, that seemed obvious in hindsight.
"Hello? Anyone there? Are you awestruck after meeting a true SuperHeroe?" The [Human] spoke while moving its hand in front of her face.
A what?
"What is a [Superhero]?" She wasn't able to hold herself in and ask.
The [Human] seemed surprised by that as the strange force holding her in place lowered her to the floor level, "Well, that was something I haven't been asked in some time..."
And so, this [Human] started explaining to her some very vital and important information that would be incredibly useful in deciphering the weird power scale of the [Humans].