Haaa I breath out a deep sigh as I pull up on the skyline station as per G orders. Or should I say request.

Once more a sigh. “ You ask why I hate you.”

< Negative: I have never asked or felt the need to>

< notification: I have risen operation performance and success rate by %400>

“ At the price of a 90 mortality rate to anyone who is stupid enough to work for you.”

< You mean people like you? I have also increased the rewards >

< notification: zero investigations into risen mortality rates and my coming of power has been confirmed or attempted.>

“ Yet still you struggle to find employment from the lower and middle ranks and I don’t count because Wrath said so”

I stopped arguing as I make my way up the stairs to the platform. I pull out a pure white care that has a small black cross and as secretly as possible use it in place of my ticket at the automatic

“ Fuck off and die you fucking robot.”

< objective: get on, train>

Once I get on the stations edge.

“ Ok inform me of the objective.”

< Objective: Get on Train!>

< Stupid>

I feel really hate building up towards you ‘G’. I honestly think I despise you.

“ What is our, remember our overreacting goal in me being here today. Ok what is that goal.

Saving Q from whatever it is that Q has gotten herself into.”

< Operation: S1 and QQ go on a stroll and not die objective>

I feel the water from the rain that seem to have just stopped before I left soak into my shoes. These, aren't waterproof haaaa dam the website lied.

I need to stop making cuts in costs but I need money and money means I need to take more jobs and more jobs means less time with my family who need money. It's a bloody cycle for a man in his late 30ths to do. Or anyone to do but I guess that's life.

I get the feeling I might be in combat so I grab my belt with one hand and hold it there before pulling my belt up as if it was loose but in truth I am just checking to make sure something called a gun is their. God I sometimes sound so fucking stupid. Something called a gun who am I trying to impress with my inner monologue. Ahhh at least the rain stopped.

I can’t afford the plasma rounds and normal bullets are… well there are still bullets but I have seen people doge them at point black although rare. Like extremely rare shit but god damm once you see that once you find yourself questioning did I bring enough guns witch is why I am currently armed with seven knifes and three guns while I maintain an appearance that would cause a stereotype of honest father or simply worker. I even keep a religious bangle just to push that point that I am non-dangerous law abiding citizen. Well images are great and all but they break the moment they are seen through and in my line of work….

No, I shouldn’t complain there are many people worse of then me and the only one who can control their life is… no it everybody else’s fault definitely all the time. Especially Gs who doesn't tell me JACKSHIT FUCK!

“ Yeah as if that is going to happen. Go fuck yourself G… I love you G you're the best please pay me. ”

I walk onto the train and it literally 10 seconds and I regret all my life choices.

Three tall bodybuilders like guys surround me and and two armed people block the doors behind and infront. And I am talking assault rifles. “ Sir step off the train”

< Due to a failed attempt to communicate with your primate machine you wear on your face flesh you failed to see my waring and have been surprisingly surrounded. I regret to inform you of this.>

< Objective: Create distraction for V>

“ Go fuck yourself G!”

Before me are two men. Lets call them man A and man B. Straight behind me is gunner 1 and gunner 2 is blocking the exit deeper into the rail car, train, doesn’t matter thing.

The man directly before me grunts and swings straight.

I duck under and swing wide into the throat of the other guy close to me. The man in front pulls back to swing again I grab him by the collar and head but him. The man next to me draws a knife but I draw quicker due to his lack of breath. A thin line of red streaks across the wall. I place my foot behind the leg of the man in front of me and push. My push quickly becomes a tackle as I life him by the waste and sprint forward as quick as possible and as low as possible. A loud bang hits the room resoundingly the man behind me had fire the first shot straight into the man I am carrying. Bang bang one shot misses and the other skims my leg tendon but I collide into the gunner on the other side. I reach for his rifle and leap behind a chair as I find it. Three bullets from the now far end of the cart miss and the closet gunner is disarmed and like a club I break a few teeth with the bud of the weapon. He falls forward and bang a bullet pieces his head. Two down.

The man I carried reminds me of his presence when he tackles me. I reach for him and pull him to the ground next to me. I draw another knife and repeatedly stab him in the neck and chest. Blood sprays out as the bullets flying over head stop and a click sounds out. Still stabbing the man I stop and take cover rather than lay behind the cover.

I peak out and down the corroded with my newly acquired rife. It's only now I get a good look at interior of the train. I appear to be in a luxury cabin due to their being a wall with doors blocking off more than half the space. As I peak around I see a lack of men shooting at me and stand and steady make my way down the corridor.

Then from the second door I passed a man jumps out at me and the gunner pops out of the other door. I pull the man who jumped out at me in front of the gunner but I he still shots. A bullet hit the jumper in the back and he goes limp for just a second and I pull him back in the room he jump out from with me.

Another knife is drawn from me and is placed through his chin. Drawing my pistol with the same hand I stab him with the knife I unload my bullets into his gut. 17 bullets.

I peak my pistol out pass the door just the chamber and its meet with a bullet that knocks it out of my hand.

I reach up and touch my glasses and their a small flash but my vision turns to infrared. I aim the rifle at where I think his head is and fire. The bullet miss the head but instead hits his shoulder throwing him to the ground probably due to the walls in the way changing the bullets direction. A second shot at the gunner this time a perfect hit between the eyes. But I still cruse. I am a sniper I don’t get a second shot.

I get up and walk around putting a new bullet into each corpse just in case. Some people think I waste to many bullets but I prefer to think of it as insurance.

After making sure everyone dead then I get my new order.

< Objective: Draw Rifle>

< notification: your network glasses will inform you of degrees if you are having difficulties due to your limitations>

I get up and pull out a cigarette. Although, my cigarettes are different because instead of smoking they are filled with a sliver power and are use for magic but if one didn’t smoke it themselves they probably couldn’t tell. Each 7 millimeters of the cigarettes had a fantastic disillusioned mark and barely visible magic circle in it.

The cigarette dissolves in my hand and soon a powerful anti tank rifle with 7 explosive rounds appears and I holster the new rifle. I feel a tear coming on as I think about how expensive that siver powder is. Haaaa magic is a fucking mess

Sliver for some reason has a higher price value when it comes to magic than all other know metals and of course this made silvers value exceptionally high exceptionally quickly once this was discovered. But that was a long time ago and silver and high cost magic has been not yet been replaced but it has become much rarer for magicians to use it because it is expensive. Well I have always know that magic is a rich man's game. The more valuable material you use in the making of the spell the stronger the effects and power.

See it gets confusing so think of it like this. 1 kg of steel equals one g of gold and 1 ton of gold will get you one silver. Well it's not completely like that because I can also just get a bunch of electrons and protons and neutrons and just arrange them to be 1g of silver for much less than one ton of gold but… well that usually makes it radioactive because I cannot completely comprehend where each individual atom need to go and in what order so you usually just kill yourselves. I am not even sure if G’s computing power can do it and she's an… well shes G. Whatever that thing is I am not sure.

I line up the gun and breathe out deeply. I feel my artificial lungs kick in and begin to vent allowing me to remain extremely still, for longer.

… a minute passed then.

< Now!>

Bang!

Then

< Confirmed: hit on S1>

< Confirmed: hit on unidentifiable agent>

< Confirmed: No casualties at this time>

< Confirmed: V doge your bullet.>

< Confirmed: You fired your rifle at your superior>

Then a few seconds later and email was sent to me from the boss of the house.

< notification: You have received 1 message from Wrath>

< “You will explain this to me Keith”

Congratulations: I always knew K had it in him to fight your oppression Wrath.

Kind regards your loyal G>

Shit.

“ This is why no is willing to take in jobs for you, G. Its cause you yourself, are a giant fucking bitch!”

< confirmed >

< Objective: Assist V engage the hostile enhanced>

I feel a gust of wind powerful enough to blow me to the grown. I twist in mid air to catch a glimpse of something pass by. My curiosity is soon relieved.

< Notification: V has engaged enhanced>

< notification: V has destroyed the back of the train>

< Notification: the rail has...

********

I twisted and turn blood pooling under me. I wait for a fear of the pain in a mockery of my memories of anticipation yet….

I feel lost, and no more than loss, but soon hear a stumbling and something else falling before pulling itself up only to slip. A repeated process of stupidity that screams… life.

I try to twist and turn over but seem to lack the strength. I hear someone break into a coughing fit and turn with strength gained by curiosity rather than the circumstances pushing me, only to see a balding grey haired man in a black coat clutching his stomach with his left hand and reaching for a chair that’s bolted onto the wall to pull himself up yet falling and slipping on his own blood and sweat.

He falls face first to show a hole in his back that was covered with his hand. I find myself mesmerized but him. Fear and pain are deeply prevalent on his face as is some primordial denial of his situation emphasis by his repeated attempts to stand despite his injuries.

It sickeningly dawns on me that this is how I am supposed to feel. Fear. Pain. Denial.

Is it so surprising that someone doesn't want to die. In this small amount of time was it truly possible for me to forget that. That I don’t want to die. And yet to this revelation I find that like I do before a setting sun, nothing I can do is preventing this feeling of emptiness that is assaulting me knowing that I feel not this pain nor fear.

I already fail at understanding something I know I do and yet I feel nothing. It is shocking but shocking like one is shocked at winning a game they didn’t expect to win, it fades on its own. I can already feel my shock fading into obscurity and in its place that emptiness grows in strength and hunger as more and more I feel my situation meaning little.

At the same time I feel the need to ask who am I… because it is certain that I am not Jax who is dying right now because at least then I would objectively know that I should feel something with the knowledge I will probably die and amdying right now.

Yet… nothing is their. And I am Jax

I see what he is doing and I two reach for a seat but I reach for the seat to my left with my left hand and the one to my right with my right.

I must be blinded more than I can tell because I can’t reach both so I try something new as my head grows numb. I place both hands on the ground next to me then roll myself into a push up position. A splatter of blood pours from my wound and I turn my head towards the closest wall and walk forward on all four.

Then as I use the wall to push myself up onto my feet. I gently push off the wall only to stumble my way to the next one. I try and again to have success and as I slowly and carefully make my way down towards the man.

I see a gun after a couple steps slightly hidden by the seat between the two of us. It is a big hand gun with a barrel that’s likely thick enough for me to fit two of my fingers in and seems over sized for human hands. Dropping down to one knee despite my protests to do so slowly I see another stream of blood pour from my chest onto the gun.

And I pick it up and look ahead at the balding man in black. He sat on his legs and is staring at me. He looks down to see his gun and roars. Fear crossing his face like a flood he charges at me.

I try to raise the gun and fire but he tackles me with unshown beforehand sending the gun flying behind me a few meters.

Despite all attempts my and I fall back into a puddle of my own blood and almost immediately he begins to wail on me with his first. After the fourth punch I grab his shirt to pull and push him over me. He falls over me with a little roll.

Pulling my legs up over my head in defiance of everything my body screams I kick the man in the back. He grunts in pain and goes forward some more then.

I fall back exhausted but he doesn't rest and began to crawl for the door to exit.

Seemingly finding a almost mistic inspiration in this act of defiance I follow.

His vicious attempts to survive annoy me a little and I grab him by the leg and pull him back to me. He slides easily enough due to the trail of blood he has left. As he turns I punch him only to fall forward. Using my weight and dropping on him after rearing up lead to the punch being one of power and two of his teeth are knocked clean form his lower jaw.

Something swells inside me.

He turns and bites the fallen my on the shoulder a beastly rage ruling his eyes. He screams through his teeth but I began trying to choke him with that same shoulder and the arm connected to it.

I realised almost instantly that it not working well so I instead punch him in the throat. He lunges over the top on me and uses his full weight to both flip me as well as hold me down and begins to choke me. I reach up and run my thumbs over his eyes before digging in.

He frantically screams in fear and pain and his arms go from wailing and begins trying to punch and kick me off him but is not that effective as he has grown weak.

As the air leaves his body his arms fall limp only to land on a the gun that was flicked away before. Life springs back into him and wacks me with the bud on the hand gun. Blinded he fires two bullets next to me one of which takes my ear off.

The ringling or noise I expect is not their but the numb emptiness grows.

I pull my hands from around his neck to wrestle the gun away from him. I slammed his hand into the floor of the train repeatedly denting the floor and soon I hear a snap as his fingers fall limp. I snatch the gun away and fall back a few steps onto hit the chair behind me hardly. For a few seconds I listen to the sound of use both breathing and I raise the gun to point at the man.

I pull back the trigger on the end with my thumb which leads to something I will remember for a long time.

“ To die to a lowly man like you. You are less than me. It was like you didn’t want to win just make me lose” the man mumbles through the blood pooling in his mouth.

Something dies down inside.

“Oh don’t look so hurt I am sure you are part of some secret organisation that to better yourselfs” my annoyance leads me to speak as well as something else. Something… like a falling of the emptiness into a more normalcy. It's all but impossible to explain this new experience because I have never had something similar occur before.

“Pursuit of self betterment by use if rationally and logic is the only path we as a species should take. I don’t see this as an evil goal but the only justifiable one. We all suffer in this world and that fairy is the key to making that stop. What's wrongs in valuing yourself.

You who feels no pain and no fear. You can’t lie to yourself like the others can by saying something matters when it doesn't. If you don’t listen to this your pain will come. What matters when you don’t, nothing!”

“ Why tell me this? Are you sure you want these to be your final words?”

“ We all need to pretend to care and maybe one day we will.”

I fire the gun

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Click! Click!

“ empty” the gun is empty.

“ How conflicting.” Que whispers in my ear.

I will be honest I forgot she was here. I listen slightly to my breath and think back and come to a shocking conclusion.

Was that… fun for me?

********

A tall wall of flesh stood before a small skinny elf called Vin. The wall of flesh knew she was called Vin because she said she was Vin. The wall of flesh was actually a deeply troubled man called Bruk who had only just begun to put his life back together again. Burk wasn’t many things but he was strong. He could crush a tank with his bare hands.

“ You strong? Yet small? Bruk crush small”

The elf smiled. “ Bruk speak good” she said

“ Bruk was born with bad brain but Renold said that it was ok. That I should take pride in myself and seek improvement in other way like becoming big like Bruk now instead of old Bruk who was sad and small. Bruk also once didn’t want to live. Also Bruk has begun to take good care of his room and higneen. It ok because Bruk happy now. Burk not good at thinking so burk get good at punching.” The wall of flesh looked down at Vin

The elf simply nodded not quite sure how she should handle that information acquired. So she simply nodded at this sudden revelation of insight into the life of Bruk

Vin turned her attention towards the message and through it was weird. G wasn’t talking about Que but the human. She offered that human help before so if he dies now so be it. Oh was this some kind of play where G was betting on her not going to help. Vin decided she should play more attention to the human later on.

*******

I look around. In a basic sense I was cage in a metal box that could be anywhere better 10 meters to 10 km above the ground. I felt that my magic would be bad to use here and I don’t use guns.

Technology hated me so I hated it back. Honestly I probably wouldn’t use a musket if it meant I would die because… I am a swordsman! at heart. In my humble opinion I was… no am the last true swordsman of the old age. I hate change but due to competition between me and well… people who want me dead I have specialised in magic and my physical ability. Torrents of powerful winds with the force to shred apart even the thickest and hardest of metal coated on my sword. I am a storm.

I once asked Que if she could use her ability to gained amazing abilities by Que denied it saying the negative effects would be too bad on her.

I was amassed at Ques magic because of how unstoppable it would be in the right hands and I was also surprised that Wrath didn’t want anything to know about it much less use it. Then I learned of the cost. Self sacrifice was required. Self sacrifice magic is different to normal magic in two regards. The first is that one can’t use mana like you normally can. Second you have to pay with something that you can never get back so it cannot be a material.

Usually true magicians use grimoires focus on mastering all the magic that can be use with the books ‘value’. Or at least any magician worth anything will be a grimoire user. I have two grimoires one that I can use and… one that I can’t.

I guess there are also summoners.

But those people don’t call themselves magicians

Well normally magic doesn’t work like how it does with Que. It's a lot harder then simply wishing for shit to happen and it happens.

Take mine for example. By using hot and cold temperatures and changing them rapidly with some added seeds here and there I can create something amazing. Well there's more to it than that because I also sell the nitrogen that makes large ‘voids of nothing’ that the remaining oxygen rushes to fill which is why my magic to so effective. It also another reason among many that I hate fire users. How the fuck is put fire their magic. And don’t give me somebull shit answer like simple is sometimes better.

Step1. Get a vortex going.

Step2. Use the vacuum of nothing to increase speed.

Step3. Scatter seeds inside the vacuum to spead and grow.

Step4. Use vacuum to direct the now powerful world wind

If you think about it my magic relays on chemistry. Another point of interest is that knowledge is the most expensive thing magic can buy.

Ok so say I want some dirt. And let's say that costs 10 mana. If I wanted it to be fertile that would cost 15 because the more ‘you ask for the more it costs’ but at the same time asking for elemental and chemical composition of fertile dirt and ask for this with it deep intellectual knowledge on how the atoms inside the dirt are both arranged and connected then it may cost as low as 3 mana because ‘ the more detailed you descriptions of the items you wish to acquire lowers the cost of the desired object’.

Gold was used to show this phenomenon in a scientific sense than by summoning shiny gold was significantly more expensive than just gold. And asking for a gold with a purity of above 99.9 was amazing cheaper.

Another thing of note is the difference in base material value. Magicians still do not understand why it is that a ton of silver is far more expensive than a ton of gold or water. Their are still many questions that magic colours are attempting to discover mush less solve. Then when you throw the grimoires in the mix and just thinking about the crazy stuff they can do and the act of summoning a being with high intelligence and memories means that these beings are not being created but truly summoned poses the largest question of magic.

Where does the ‘stuff’ come from.

Their are even records of magicians acquiring new laws of psychics that affects various distances.

This is why they say you need three things to be a mage in today's world.

The first being wealth. It doesn't matter how much you cut corners if you can afford to throw a ton of silver at every problem.

Second is luck. Grimoire are rare and valuable to the point that one simply cannot but them. My grimoires were pulled from the corpses of fallen adversaries.

The third is intelligence. This is definitely one of the reasons that mage with neurological improvements is a crime punishable by death in the eyes of the seekers.

I pull my hand out in front of my and look at it. I tense all the fingers in my hand and I look up at Bruk… or was it Burk… doesn't really matter, as I feel a small torrent of energy's build up in my hand.

It's too late now I cannot stop it even if I wanted to.

Although it may only appear as a weak wind now but well the idea only works like it does because I abuse magic to make a small positive feedback loop and when left unchecked those things can get scary quickly until they collapse on themselves somehow as they do in nature. But when they come falling down then they usually take a lot of things with them or at least they have the potential to.

“ Bruk done talking Bruk smash Elfe name Vin”

I smile at burk. He is so large I question how he even fits in this train. He's not fat but pure mussel and there's enough of it to block passage. He raise his hand then simply lets it fall and I flick it away with my wrist. It collides with the train wall and like a rips it off in a similar display to that of removing a lid from a can. A gust of wind pull feastly as this train that moves at the speed that can outruns planes pours over head of millions upon millions of tiny shacks of metal that are smothered in ankle think dust. It far too fine to be called sand and is kicked up with even the slightest movement which it doesn’t lack as billions of poverty stricken move in a trance like state carried by their desperation and responsibilities for the one they call their loved.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

By they wifes, husbands, parents, or children they march despite the struggles of suffocating by simply existence here in this land known as the sand pit. Down below is a massive manufacturing plant that stretches all the way from the city that pierces the sky to show off its heavenly utopia as a land where few will even come to know of dirts feel.

This train that left not long ago has already left that city in the horizon and a new wonder piece of technology approaches on the other horizon as we shot across in a vehicle designed so the rich my look down and give their false pity. But despite all of this there are those who were born in these streets below that bend and twist as the people push never more than a meter away from another, partitioned so that the floor of this train my be made of glass so people can learn the truth of where their wealth comes from and a permanent reminder to many.

This is what failure for you means. The wealthy do not deny the humanity of these people just as the poor do not deny the vaccines that are airdropped yearly. It is a bad situation but I have seen worse on this sickness of a world called Maina truly a world of madness.

Vin know that the people who live in the sand pit hate those who stand above then and those who live below in a much greater number hate those who live on the surface without distinction. And I know of those who live below them. I know them because I sell weapons to them. It’s funny no the one who refuses to modernise sell the modern tools of war. Tool they use not to fight their oppression but to become the oppressor of another weaker group. That is my job in the house of Wrath. That is what the majority of my people have become. Slaves, hores, and common guns. But still we work in the hope our people will be great again and slowly we have clawed our way back up to the point where we can call ourselves people. Because I have seen it get worse than it is. But most of my people forgot that without Wrath what my people face would not have been this… but total extinction. He gave us the tools to stand on our own feet in this madness of a world. I hear occasionally of other planets that are run and rules fully by the Elven.

Bruk swings his hand again but it fall from his shoulder and flies out the open hole instead. I have seen this many time. Confidence to fear in seconds when face with an enemy combatant so far above you that there's simply no hope to begin with. I am sorry Bruk you honestly seem like an ok, but child your eyes showed to much intelligence for your words for they will not falter like me. I will not be swayed by emotions but guided by principle. I am Vin the last of the high elves.

My hand now holds a violent current of death clenched in my first and I simply open my parm and a tornado of destruction flys before me and all that is their is shredded so much it falls from a sizeable piece to something smaller than my eyes can detect. Buts of drbree fall and a mist of blood is left behind. The back if the train is destroyed and so is the rail yet in seconds that is passed and out of vision and the rail continues on without notice of that.

I look at the damage I have just made and I see something in the distance. It looks like a drone. It’s getting bigger. To swerved around my magic attack. I feel sweat forming on my brow. Shit. Its a jet.

“ Hey G”

< notification: chance of survival highest if you cower in door frame>

******

“ Pilot B7 knew orders. We are unable to capture the target. Your new orders are to destroy the rail and remove the evidence completely by dropping the train into the sand pit. You are free to fire at will. You have been permitted to use plasma and fusion weapons if necessary for mission completion. Be warn a class 4 has been noticed in the vehicle. Authority Green. My you walk the path”

“ Roger…

firing in

3

2

1

Fusion core away. It connected to the rail the train is in free fall…

Warning the trains flight has been temporarily halted .

Arrrr I lost control of the plane. Shit what's happening ”

“ please say again you are breaking up. Is the mission successful schdswqqrvononxrswwardxyvjdieftviremwzyvjonpnctzedyognedibfewyiongeruq######... G“

< objective: die >

“ Pull up dammit!

Noooo no NOOOOO!”

Boom!

********

The sun rises to cover a land of broken sand and broken people with souls of steel that stand.

********

Dust clings to the lungs and the unfortunate affair of suffocation by this act of dirt has grounded him despite the grim joy bringing victory of the past action of Jaxs and the mental felony of relief despite his reality. Jax bleeds from his ear and chest. A silent internal bleeding begans.

Jax sits their starving of oxygen in a his now rebroken body of mortal suffering from a lack of suffering. A hypocrite in full bloom for all the world to see.

The small buzz that the situation brings is something he has only just begun to find amusing as he focuses on this aspect of the fall and breaking of his flesh as he connects this to his life as a positive event despite all logic demanding he think otherwise. He is having fun.

He sits there bleeding and blessing that he know he is bleeding for the dead do not know like the suffering know. He is having fun.

The joys of life although limited and often obscured by the pain are becoming more prevalent to him as he is rob of such a things as the fear. For fear and pain is often the price of logic and reason. So he is having fun.

No sound from the right of me due to the missing ear. Be such things are of no concern for they do not halt the passing of time nor lower the peak of the experience. He is having fun.

He can not see what lies before him and is deafened in one ear. By a pair of small hand fight to hold the blood from pooling out of him. This brings him joy as he watches the hands move for his sake. He is having fun watching her.

A sinful joy know that other suffers your pain besides you and with you that can only be seen be the him of now due to his outside perspective on her actions. So he must ask can we really feel the pain of others. If yes than he loses and if no then he wins. He wins the joy of a momentary companionship with her. With Que.

Que calls for his continued preservation in face of his mortality. He find such and outcome to be acceptable yet his thought drift into a path of confusion. His words make less sense as his mind clouds with lack of blood. He is having fun.

“ Jax! Oh! Don’t ignore me! Jax!” Que calls

“ cough* cough* it's hard to breath cough* don’t make me speak Que.” Jax lungs up in a coughing fit as a small person named Que slips around his neck and onto his chest.

She begins to heave deep breath after deep breath not quite getting the sensation of proper breathing and remains sluggish and slightly breathless due to a thin dust that gently floats around her.

Jax tries to raise an arm to help her to find that he is struck and look around. He is on the roof, yet still inside of the train and is laying on his back looking up at the broken floor that he was standing on just before is now cylinder in shape as is the walls and the rest of the train department.

A few holes in the new roof allow for a bare minimum of light to pass through. The corpse of agent lays across his leg. And he tries to think back to remember that… he realises that after the killing of the man on his feet he fails to recall anything.

He makes note of the light. The sun had not been up before.

After a few more seconds of coughing he tries to lift his other hand and is successfully. Like a makeshift maneuver he wraps his finger around Ques chest and pushes on a bloody Ques back and front.

He coughing intensely accelerates until a small bundle of dried blood balls leaves her mouth where after she wipes her mouth then starts bouncing around always doing something yet never anything of importance to the current in any real way.

The sweeping of dust with her foot and the removal of metal shards from millimeter deep wounds on my chest but watching her engaged and energetic self seems to drag Jaxs back to the situation at hand.

Then Jax watches in amazement as Que takes out a small pouch of a sliver power and rubs the powder on the wounds of jax to watch them close although a highly present scar is maintained in the place of Que’s ‘operation’ Jax is still thankful that the biggest and most present problem towards his survival is being fixed.

Jax's first order of business is to find out his current situation while Ques is to curse the previous situation. Although Ques swears are not without value as from them Jaxs is able to get a better understanding of the situation. First was that someone destroyed the rail.

Then Vin used a magic that saved us from dying out right from the fall. Que was trapped under my body so she was unable to do anything until I regain consensus which I did about 7 minutes later. I also learned that I should be able to survive. That was a bonus. But that was Ques take on my condition while G has been oddly quiet about the chance of me surviving but I will place my trust in Que and just say that G doesn’t feel the need to comment.

A violent banging began then stopped and a hand ripped through the side of the wall. Am amazing sight in Jax’s eyes.

< objective: Regroup and prepare sunlight approaches>

< notification: any attempts to cross the sandpit during the day without open confrontation with opposing force is extremely unlikely>

< notification: the HLL corporation has sponsored a bounty for Que on behalf of the path>

“ Ohh fuck that doesn't sound good at all the head hunters are gonna be after us in full force if its got an corporate name on it” Que stopped what she was doing and turned to focus on me. Although the voice that spoke was similar to G it sounded distorted slightly. Not by outsider interference but due to internal damage and if knowing what I was thinking G add.

< Notification: internal damage to implant please seek replacement.>

I watch as a second hand slides into the newly made hole in the wall before it rip open and a influx of dust flood the air resulting in Que having another coughing spread and me perform a weak and indecisive cough at a semi regular interval. As the dust clears a figure steps into the broken train compartment as looks around until she spots us. It takes awhile for me to identify her through the dust but it is Vin who I meet before.

She walks over and the dust doesn't move under her weight as it has formed a few inches deep already and is constantly pouring in slowly from holes in the ceiling. She has rip of her right sleeve and is using it as a makeshift mask probably to stop the dust from entering her lungs.

She doesn't say anything and bends over and props me up. Que repostions herself to sit on my shoulder. A quick look over by me and Vin shows that my left arm is dislocated and my knee is wounded. My chest is still bleeding but at a manageable level where it will stop soon hopefully. My clothes are bloody and torn into rags amd much of my skin is damaged. I am in a similar consistency to how I was after the house explosion later.

Vin practically knocks my arm back in place with a flick of her fingers. She nods at my lack of response. Before stepping back.

Vin rips off my right pants leg and then rips off a smaller bit and ties it around my head and the smaller one around Vin.

“ Don’t breathe this shit in. Its will dice up your lungs like you wouldn’t fucking believe. It isn’t rare for people to die of drowning here due to lung blood. Also don’t tell anyone where you come from and keep close to me some of the people living here get spiteful at times. Honestly I will break your legs and drag you if you get lost ok.”

She held up her fingers in an ok sign and Que did the same. Then another person stepped through the hole she made. He was holding an assault rifle. “ The winds are too high Vin we will suffocate if we get a vehicle here.”

Vin click her tongue as she turned to face the man

“ But I hate working Ken”

The man named Ken frowned then smiled. “ And I want to go home alive Vin”

Ken turned to me and said “ Hey G what do you think?”

< objective: the eastern market pass2946 >

“ Fuck off Ken were going west if she says east”

< Notification: headhunters will be unable to act on marauder territory and their is a vent to the south with and expect northern wind expect to hit by sung light>

< confirm: V fears simple marauders>

The elf flared up in anger and almost screamed “ How the fuck is walking away from one enemy into another better. You know just as well as I those sick fuck hunt my kind for their fucking ears! So they can cum on them because their, bloody hell… the head hunters are at least mainly professional and won’t torture us before hand just shot us in the head.”

< notification: with your appearance the head hunters will likely have the urge to mate. I can also show you evidence of this if you desired >

Chash! Vin stretched her arms up and ripped a seat from the ceiling before she throw it through the wall creating another hole and then obliterating another seat that had fall before hand with her foot. A miniature storm breaks out on the other side of the room as the room falls away to reveal… dunes of sand as far as the eye can see.

A sense of shock hits me for just a second. It is as if I had crash on a foren world with a foreign race in a foreign time. The threats to my life are… unknown and unknowingly become something that I can truly fear and yet. I am existed like one who watches a good movie. I feel no stake in success.

Not to mention the things of which Vin speaks is so foreign to me I feel a culture shock. And then a fade into relief after gaining the knowledge that I am still capable of such things.

I feel a curiosity but at the same time I feel that asking under this situation would be bad. However I think that G is correct in that one enemy that doesn't know about us will be less prepared for us than another who does and is making preparations for our death already but I feel that this Vin might be the largest threat to my life as well as the life line. What do I do? I don’t want to be cruel surprisingly. I honestly feel that G is probably making a better judgement as well.

< notification: S1 your are the only one to hear this message. Once Vin leaves and goes west comment on how I didn’t attempt to push her to do as I say. Forgot the previous comment insinuating various things about how her body would be treated after death as she will to.>

A life line. A small spring of gratitude for G swells up that she once more has thrown me a lifeline while I was lost in… a literary in a desert.

I feel something grab my shoulder and pull me from where I was standing. Que grips frantically onto my shoulder as I am being dragged outside by an angry Vin.

I shield my eyes not from the sun in the sky but the sand beneath me. “ It's all broken glass” I hear Que speak and I am still blinded to the revelation she told me. It is all broken glass? But it stretches as far as the eye can see.

“ Hmm yeah the… ah G explain it”

They dumped over a world's worth broken glass here that they expect to melt down and recast according to my calculations their is approximately 5,973,600,000,000,000,000,000 kg of broken glass that has been grounded down over a 56 thousand years when I expect this planet was first founded.

HLL found that using this place to sell cheap glass was non beneficial and decided to focus on their steel however the glass was not removed and over time has been grounded down.

HLL now makes 99.9 percent of steel accessible to the galaxy and gained their monopoly by making use of the still unknown technologies found underneath this glass sand. HLL owns a monopoly over 52% of all know products and is considered the second most powerful company in existence and holds no public records related to the creation of the ‘sandpit’.

The Sandpit didn’t gain its name until long after its residency. It has three major powers.

1. merchant guild that strongly believes in a free market with a private security company and police station as well as all public services being private that includes a branch of a bounty hunters guild know as the head hunters that have other facilities on all floors and societies in and on the planet. Despite claims there is no evidence of a single ruling fraction but instead hundreds of smaller groups minding their own business.

2. HLL have many highly armed forces paid to protect their company's interest that includes the scientific community that study and maintain the automatic facilities that stretches out under the entire desert. The company’s also triads with the local guild of merchants.

3. The marauders. A race of cyborgs that exasiat across the universe. Original a highly functioning hive race however their group mind was fragmented during the 7th Ai war when a new Ai attempted to replace the emperor. The AI hacked into the biological mind and took control turning the majority of the race savage. Due to various reasons they are know implanted with advance technology knowledge often even the most primitive tribes having the ability to build powerful weapons with the right materials. They are now a mix of machine and flesh that clone one another and seek materials by raiding to build more with the soul objective of extinction of all elven kind the spices that ruled the empire. Although the majority of them prefer the lower levels of this planet in order to obtain materials easily.

The house of Greed also owns a hore house in the one of the sounding cities and sometimes sells drugs and other addictive substances for low prices in bulk to distributors.

This is considered sector 3 there are 42 sectors a floor and 7 floors. The size of each sector varies.>

“ Did she do it” I feel Que push her face menacingly close to mine while frowning. I turn my head and push Que with it. She bearhugs my check and clings on. “ Did she darling?” She ask with a extremely posh accent to her voices.

I say “ She said it was bright because it was broken glass” Que nodded “ Now what happens if you try and walk through broken glass without pants or shoes?”

Hmmm why is she asking me that. I look around and see that the man is looking at me as if I was crazy and Vin nod in my direction as one does when their child does something right. However I noticed that the man isn’t wearing any shirt or coat as he was before and has them tied around his feet giving the impression that they are boots. Vin on the other hand seems weightless as she leaves no footprints or indents on the sand as she walks in fact it looks kinda creepy as she almost glides around. There's something the feels wrong about how she moves.

“ What happens when you walk through a desert of broken glass with bare feet?” Why is Que asking me that. “ You bleed Jax. Now what is it you are trying to do. Bleed to death? You FUCKING IDIOT! ARE YOU HANDICAPPED YOU FUCKING ASS TASTING! MUNCHIES LOVING! INCELL LICKING! GLASS FETHES and bloody foot FREAK!”

I look down and see that Que is right and exactly that is happening a few small cuts have formed on my feet but nothing that deep enough to draw blood and I didn’t even relise that my shoes are gone. Why are my shoes gone. Well stoping seems like a hassle. “ YOUR STILL FUCKING GOING! STOP! or I will hmmm when you sleep tonight be warned barsted!.” Que has just demonstrated her way with words.

“ I order you”

I stop instantly and began to strip off my shirt and then wrap it around my feet after tearing it into two. I feel absolutely completely compelled to listen to what Que is saying.

“ Ho! What the fuck. She brain jack the poor guy” the man whose name I don’t know calls out in the back. I think about this and I know what I should feel. I should feel oppressed but instead I feel… numb and null to the prospect of me following ever word she says at the same time the fact that Que isn’t using this all the time fills me with a weak standing confidence and ever bone and cell in my body uses ever viable option to tell my brain that there is no problem. But I know that how I should feel and I also acknowledged that I don’t feel that way and I am completely lost about that.

Absolutely confused. But I will say that the world looked slightly darker for the next few hours. But I had already forgotten about that incident in five minutes after it happened.

“ It's odd”

The man seemed surprised and “ The slave can talk?” Que stuck out her chest “ He not a slave but a surbordent! I plan on having G pay him later”

< Notification: I show wire money from YOUR account to S1 after mission completion>

“ So why do you think it's odd Jax” Que started to swing from my black in a way that she would hang over my face. “ Well in the train when Vin told me to do something that G didn’t want then G had a fuss and went on and on about how it would be better to for me to listen to her but this time she hasn’t said a word and even explained a little about the merchant guild and the HLL company and how the sand is glass but at the same time she hasn’t pushed her views at all. And that is odd”

We had been walking for about 120 minutes and the train had been lost over the horizon. In my view a shantytown town like place was covering the entire western front but we were still about a couple hours away. Also the glass sand dunes have vanished and replaced with a extremely flat ground.

At first I believed it was a 50 meter wall but actually over many, many years and with no regulations they just keep building on top of each other and is now in itself a multiple layered. Apparently the people on the bottom layer never see sunlight. And those on the top never touch dirt according to G. In fact according to G this world is mainly like that. I hop on one foot thinking about what she said as I was walking. 56% of this world is empty space. Tunnels upon tunnels and I had no idea. In fact I still cannot really comprehend what that means exactly.

I think back to my home where a robot would use the vents to search for contamination and clean that which it found and three free meals a day regardless. I also realize that I have never stood on grass before. It's just not something people do where I come from. I can also count the times I went to the ground level on one hand. Each time it was to get drunk with Ken.

I turn to see that Vin has stopped dead in her tracks. The man named Keith trun with me and also stops “ Fuck off Vin. We are not… fuck” as he was talking Vin stormed off in the other direction

buzzed in the back of my head. Keith through his head back and “aaaaaarrrrrr fuck lets go Que and Que’s slave… wait if he's slave one does that mean there's a two.” Que look at him and blushes “ I mean I have always had admires and sometime I just get the urge to… you know make them slaves.”

< Notification: S1 is the first surbordent that Que has had since I have taken my seat of power.>

“ Don’t joke about slavery Que. Not cool” Vin said out loud

Que quickly look away. And tries to bury herself in my hair while repeating stupid G over and over.

After a few minutes Que slapped her self and “ Jax you that gun I gave you right so like here are the bullets and stuff.”

I got 7 bullets from an unknown place. Taking my total ammunition up to one extra bullet then a full round in the magnum that I took of the corpse.

**********

A towering figure with a metal skull that deeply resembles that of a crab. Pincers and all with long crab leg like tendrils falling down to his waste.

He looks up at the broken train line and then turns to face 27 metal plated crab people. Then across them to see 18 vehicles that look as if they have been fastened together with duct tape. “ Crr Crrrr Crrr” the beast snaps next to him as another creature that is slightly rocking back and forth a small trace of some vile smelling liquid falling from his face piners and then the his head which is covered in a metal coating like a shell splits open like a chinese takeaway food box with the insides being a mix of rusted machine and a paste smothered flesh.

A the mass of flesh wriggles and squeeze as the previous hidden veins bulge before a small set of light flashes and the creature reaches up to the light set with a big hand slightly thicker then it waste that curves in before it places on of its three things close to the light set only for another small set of seven fingers to fly out of the hand and begins pressing the lights like mad.

“[#%^#^% Morning gently men #*]%*}>^”.

First a sound that could be described as arcane scrambling of noise sounds out before a crips and gentlemanly voice sounds out next followed by more arcane scrambles. The crab person points to a group of footprints that contain a little blood in them with his over hand and then

[we have been granted a noble quest here ge ge ge ge ge gents. And that quest is to violateeeeeeeeeeee the beings that left this mark on the pressessseseesseese sand of the noble mar foke. Mar as in murdering marauders. Our goal is to strip them of their eyes then snap their legs. After we will lick them then… we we we we have been blessed with a need to eat THE GREAT AND MIGHTY pelicans. So we sell their fleshy bits for pelicans to eat]

The voice sounded noble and was interrupted by an occasional static and repeat. But as the sentence dragged on it was clear that the speaker has no true grace.

***********

“ So tell me about yourself Que” Que rocked back and forth on my head.

“ I am extremely humble and a deep realistic. So not much say really. Just a natural born genius made by the heavens and a true blessing on all existence. Let's see I was born a long time ago in a place far far away surrounded by a loving family of 3000.” Your words don’t match Que.

“ Ho 3000 loving family members quite impressive Que. what about you Keith” I reply honestly. The idea of a family being that large is incredible to me. At the same time Keith who kind of just appeared is also a curiosity to me.

Its funny I find myself curious in this situation I used to not really care and now it all seems fascinating to me. I feel like a child again and once more the world is full of amazing things. People sometimes say live life like you died tomorrow but I think it might be better to live like you were born yesterday and know nothing about anything.

When you start thinking lits this you find yourself learning stuff which is a bit odd to me. You discover more when you act like you know nothing while the opposite seems to happen when you act like you know.

A gruffer voice called out from behind “ Not much to tell was born in one of the lower colonies called Diala on the third floor of this world and its the usually story broke kid does bad things for bad money so he can feed a bad mother.

It was my wife who I owe the current me to. She was my informant until she retired. I then went to Vin over their and she now gives me a job every now and then but it's rare for me to work for G. I want to make myself clear I because Que is in danger I am here and that's it. Well I will say this now but no one truly works for G anymore or at least no one with any level of skill. ”I bet there's more to it but I feel as if I shouldn’t try and dig deeper, yet. Why does no one work for G.

“ Oh ok. That sounds like complete different life to anything I can imagine I was just some guy who was pulled into this because I helped Que out.”

“ Huh,wait, what really no you can… yeah that right it's all as I intended. Jax over here was dumb enough to help me despite the it being common sense that one can be shot for giving assistance to magic races like me and I took his… oh Jax you're the best you know that right.”

“ Hmmmm” An extradited hum almost echoed out from Vin direction.

“ Thanks Que” I said and after a minute a semi worried and annoyed elf humed at me again.

“ Hmmmmmmmm”

“...” I didn’t feel the need to reply to that childlike anticipation.

“Hmmmm Ask me too Jax” Ahh she just went and said it so I guess I have to know you are.

“ … Ok Vin tell me who you are.”

“ Oh I am ahh no one special just a small celebrity among the elves and the second floor. Own a few business on the second floor and helped a few people get some jobs oh I guess my name is recorded in the arena class 3 history but that's nothing special no I am just your average Elf.” Despite her simply humble words they was a deep pride in the things she listed. But I less like she was speaking about being better and more like she was acting accomplished in the place where she’s from. I can’t comprehend the greatness of her achievements at this time but… I would soon learn that she was a big deal indeed.

“ Hey Jax or slave or new guy… aren't you a but to physically impressive to be a normal guy. I realized this before but you were shot then dropped from a height and if what Que was saying your also running low on blood. Now that Ques removed your shirt. It was well hidden before but it’s better than me but probably just behind my best. But I was younger then.”

“ No I was kind of chubby yesterday but early today or yesterday Que remade me like this with magic”

They both stopped in their tracks and stood their dumbfounded with slack jaws. The first to speak was Vin “ What the fuck! How the fuck does that fucking work! That's not how magic works.”

It my time to stop. “ Why doesn't it work that way. Isn’t that exactly what happened.”

“No you fucing idot thats not how it fucking works you can’t just traid for anything you want. You need to use the right currency or mana and even then their are limitations and faults. You can’t just wish yourself a perfect body with… the price of self improvement is self sacrifice. You need to give up something important to you to gain something like that. Look ok magic is like this… imagine I want some dirt ok so what do I use to trade for that mana right but if-“

“ I’m sorry what's mana?” A word I haven’t heard before was used as if I should know of it. Que hides behind my head. “ What did you trade to get like that… siliver you said you were rich right so silver” Vin made an assumption. I feel the need to correct it “ No I traded life force”

“ Ahhh fuck you did what? Life force? Do humans have that? What the fuck you can trade with that to begin with? hhh fuck this is messing with my mind… ok so that's not how magic works ok… A magician is born with a extremely limited number or amount of mana and they use this mana to make a connection to a place called the gate we all have one inside us just like we all have mana, when you make a deal with your gate you set a currency something you pay to receive something from the gate ok so what is your currency… Que what is his currency”

Que respond like she had been caught.

“ Emotion… his currency is emotion. Ok I now that sounds bad but its not I only trade pain and fear ok he still has love and without hesitation his curiosity should grow so it's not like… I also trade all negative feelings towards me so no matter what he will see me positively… but that was only so he could survive ok… I also took away some memories that were painful so his psyche would handle it better… we also spent a couple years of lifespan to add some more things in their. But it's ok I know of a way to change currency so I will help him later but… It’s ok right Jax… your ok right?”

I rise up a thumb behind my head in an ok sign and hear a sigh come from Que.

Vin grabbed me and pulled me closer. Our foreheads butted but I felt nothing and I know see why. She spoke some words to me than turned to face me.

“Fuck Que... It’s impossible to get back something you have paid but you should be able to live a normal life still but you can’t use magic ever until you get it changed … wait what memories? Que why did you skip over that?”

Que dug herself in my shirt as if to hide from Vin and she then said “ I destroyed any memories he had with his mother. She died yesterday so Jax was on the verge of breaking but he was just delaying it so I obligated it because I felt it would be bad if this acted up while I was having Jax over here help me home. Well I needed his implant”

“Why?” Vin seems angry like she was betrayed and Keith is also a little shocked but not much.

“ You idiot Que what the fuck! How could you do that to yourself!” Vin screamed over my shoulder at the hidden Que. Also what does Vin mean herself she did that to me?

“Im sorry! Ok fuck off V! It was that or die ok. I have no other choice their was literally no other way no leave me alone. Leave me alone! I am angry! ” Que said from my back leg pants pocket as a vivid looking Vin stared me down. It took awhile but her face relaxed as she patted my head “ Your just the victim here… Did G suggest that you use that magic?”

< I take full responsibility.>

“ I fucking knew it” Vin storm off east again.

Keith looked at me and angry was their but hidden as best he could. It wasn’t for any other reason than professionality that he didn’t attack me then and their. I also felt as if he wanted to respect Vin’s verdict even if he didn’t agree. Although I think I might have done something but i’m not sure.

Then we continue to walk. But no one talked like before despite me asking a few more questions.

*****

A few sand dunes over a giant wheel stood connected to two more wheels with someone hiding in the centre walking in the wheel like a hamster and a hamster ball.

A large beating motor was chained up in the centre of the three wheels with a seat attached to its side and. A mix of rotten flesh and metal sat in the seat that was decaying in places that the flesh touched but it hand a remarkable human face almost stapled onto its chest.

The face’s mouth open in closed as if it was in pain each time a little bit of the vile liquid that was presented with the marauders drip onto a plate of metal that had a hole melted through it where the liquided landed.

The ball of rot and rust squared itself up with the screen before it beforehand it had been tasked with reconnaissance to look for meat to sell for pecans or at least it remember it as pecans despite the bird the being desiring a completely different creature named pelican it still did it job for one reason. It was its responsibility to help its family members and the marauders saw all of their tribe as family.

But it had sent a report and now that order didn’t apply its new order was to kill. This was its favourite order and it often likened this order to its favourite colour and flower.

It could feel the push of something as the need to kill spread through it like wildfire and it reaches forward with three tendrils and pressed them on the screen and half its mass separated from the other half and leaned over to pick up a giant cannon it name Lilly after the flower it once saw in a book.

This was a ironic plasma cannon. It new about plasma and that it was bad to use in tight spaces because the heat from the ammunition can cook the welder but in turn it was beautiful because when you shot something it turned into a magma flower just like the one it saw in its book it took from the pointy ear people that it believes are called Elfen or Elfy.

It hate elves but it doesn't know why and often finds itself questioning that as well as why things need to suffer. It doesn't like it when it family suffers.

The two side wheels begin turning and it rushes forward towards the three shadows it saw on the horizon

Zoooooo the gun fires off into the distance. It can’t tell if its hit but the computer says it will. It watches happens speeding along in hope to see a better magma flower when the lazar hits the shadows and makes them go away. Far away.

But then a wall of sand shoots up into the sky and the lazar is cut in half and sent of into two directions.

It look down to see that the top of the weapon is spitting steam and thinks its still ok so it fire again still driving closer and once more the thing splits into two although this happened a lot sooner than last time. Amazed by this phenomenon he fire again repeatedly.

It drove forward and drove over a sand dune to see a elf with long blonde hair swing a long blade at it. Then the vehicle and it inside was cleaved perfectly in two.

“ Fuck I am mad! FUCK!” the elf named Vin screamed at the top of her lungs before she began to repeatedly cut up the vehicle and the thing in side until nothing was bigger than a few centimeters she look at the horizon to see hundreds of similar makeshift vehicles lined up for a charge as well as a giant vehicle that had over 10,000 tank treads and over 300 cannons. Vin frowned and she turned slightly and… she ran.

“ Fuck am I mad?” She screamed as she ran towards Jaxs and Keith