Cato the Punching Bag Bot: the crown jewel of Hildian craftsmanship. Nobody knew who created them, let alone the silver-like metal that coated their entire frame. Warriors of light would get even more confused, as their tendency to sing with a comically large microphone was eerily similar to a minor character in an RPG title about time traveling. Hajime couldn’t have noted that again to the Brazen Couple if he could.
“You get what I’m saying, right?” he said, turning to Haruto with a shrug. “There’s no way a dude from Earth who adored his childhood game didn’t make this thing.”
“Maybe,” Haruto replied. “Although I said we shouldn’t overthink the absurdity, there’s a rumor that King Albert wasn’t from this world.”
“King- what now?”
Tokiwa stepped in between them, raising a finger before revealing, “I heard a different story when I worked in Novus. There was once an alien soldier who brought technology far beyond our wildest dreams, including Cato.”
“Novus? Aliens?” Hajime raised an eyebrow throughout her brief explanation, ushering in questions that would fill a novel. Suddenly, the exotic origins of the people of Swordland and Agrima might have more in common than he thought.
“Didn’t you know? This realm has people of all shapes and sizes!” said Tokiwa, her eyes glistening with the vigorous interest of the otherworldly. “I can’t wait to see how strong a Lupinian is!”
His eyes widened, wondering how fate led him back to remembering a familiar face that hit close to home. It seemed he wasn’t alone in the mission despite never daring to reveal such valuable intel in a million years. On the other hand, he still hadn’t the slightest clue if this so-called Novus was a town, city, or even another planet. He couldn’t guess in confidence at all.
Haruto’s cheeks puffed, trying to hold his laughter with a fist. “Good luck with that.”
“What do you mean by that, babe?” pouted Tokiwa, arms crossed.
“Oh, my sweet summer child. I’ve seen Lupinians tear through boulders like paper towels. Even your foolish human persistence won’t get you that far, more foolish than even the lowest of fools! Fool!” Haruto laughed like a mediocre actor trying to play the part of a B-action villain, holding his chest to hammer down the melodramatic haughtiness.
“Is that so?” Tokiwa cracked her knuckles, giving off the aura of the same headstrong young hero that all of Swordland came to know. “Well, why don’t you prove that by surviving this!?” Her body flickered in a flash, standing behind her fiance with silence permeating the air.
Hajime didn’t have time for more lovebird shenanigans, but what came next would probably dumbfound him for centuries. He wanted to grab her hands—which aimed for Haruto’s sides to commence a playful “torture” that any couple would enjoy—yet Tokiwa turned her gaze at him and switched her trajectory as though she could read the future like the pages of a sacred manuscript.
Thankfully, he needed only one grasp to cease Tokiwa’s tickle attack. Her face of utter bewilderment was palpable, and he guaranteed she wouldn’t hear the end of it. “I told you, Kendo Girl. We’ve got a lot to talk about.”
“Not my intention, Orca,” said Tokiwa, returning his grin. “Our duel will come soon enough.” She gave way and presented Hajime with his desire to fight the bulky, silver automaton instead.
It should’ve been his concern since he locked eyes with Cato’s sunken yellow orbs that served as their sense of sight, obstructed slightly by their horned helmet. Once Hajime gave his neck a lengthy stretch of pooping satisfaction, he witnessed a transparent veil pooling from above like a waterfall against an umbrella, forming a dome of what he could only presume to be more magic and whimsy.
In other words, Cato had set the terms of their fighting ring, with not even a butterfly being able to enter the domain. Hajime responded with booming laughter, which attracted a crowd ready to witness the capabilities of the new warrior of light. “Caring today, aren’t we?” he taunted. “I wouldn’t want Sworldland to become a dust ball, either. Hold on a sec…”
He raised an index finger to the heavens, shocking even more onlookers that another barrier had appeared faster than they could blink. Unlike the robot’s blank and uninspired creation, his showed an irregular zig-zag pattern similar to natural lightning. Then again, if their reactions were anything to judge, this phenomenon was unknown to the average Hildian.
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Hajime couldn’t help but remember the same shock the Green Wolves had shown him when erecting his barrier in the «Starting Forest». It helped because it appeared Cato was also perplexed by the second barrier, their gaze darting around like a curious animal. “You seem to have a heart deep within, don’t you?” he said, advancing closer. “Let’s see what it looks like!”
He charged with a spring in his step or, more accurately, a spark in his stride. Before long, Cato was the pinball, and Hajime was the lone paddle, especially when he decided to add some flavor with his roundhouse kick. Sometimes, he charged the wind up twenty times over; other times, he flung them across the dome with a single strike. However, as he had realized, the ongoing fun was a mere placebo effect.
Hajime needed more time to even the playing field against Cato than he had realized. It wasn’t so much he didn’t expect this massive hunk of metal to be a lumbering snail with each step he took. It was more like he didn’t expect their silver carapace to have the durability of a million armored tanks molded into one formidable alloy.
Worse yet, once Cato delivered a decisive jab, which required both his arms to block, it sent him reeling close to the barrier’s edge with zero effort. However, he didn’t fall. His feet may be two-thirds deep into the concrete ground, but that only meant he needed to shine another pearly white grin for the day.
The onlookers gasped as though to say even the average treader couldn’t get this excited for a supposedly unbeatable NPC. Yes, unbeatable. Hajime had heard that word thrice, and his heart pumped even faster. “Not bad. Now, what do you think of this!” He responded in his unrivaled joy with a jab of his own, clad in a thick shroud of electricity that would light an entire nation to ash.
It was too bright, too baffling, but the mighty Cato stood tall again. Hajime grinned with all his teeth even further, his heart resonating with a sensation he never had since accepting the mission. He could say he was about to fight an overwhelming horde of power that happened to be one foe.
“All right, that was quick. Playtime’s over.” He unsheathed his beloved «Exterminator» near his cheek like a slasher movie antagonist, his shirt rippling from the jolting madness generated from both body and blade. The madness continued through the debris beneath them, pushed aside with the ground trembling at several magnitudes.
Amidst the proverbial storm inside the two barriers, Haruto ran closer and cupped his hands before taking a deep breath. “You better watch your back, Orca! Cato adapts to your potential from the get-go until you yield! That’s how you get points for trying!”
“Oh, you mean like Mahora—”
“No, I mean they adapt just by looking at you!”
With the new information, Hajime kept his distance from Cato, but it didn’t stop a few wild sparks from putting a chink on its armor. It was only fair since the automaton had the uncanny ability to close its “wounds” instantly before his eyes, not that he couldn’t do the same thanks to one of the many [Blessings] he unlocked. At that point, it seemed fate had brought them here for an unforgettable test.
Just by looking at me, huh? Now, it’s getting interesting. He cocked his arm back, so much so that the tip of his blade embedded itself halfway through the pavement. Like ten thousand hawks screeching at once, it was again too bright, too baffling, but he delivered an unmistakable swing of oblivion.
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The treaders stationed in Castle Brand had to deal with the commotion of a lifetime among their ranks. Despite former knowledge about the general and lieutenant’s whereabouts, their screens had detected their presence past the city’s borders. It would’ve been excellent news without mentioning several theories others had conjured on why they returned.
“But isn’t this a good thing, still?” said a young man in the conference room. “General Theo and Zuriel have survived their encounter with a «Zaratan» and maybe even killed it!”
“It’s not a good thing, sonny! It means they’ve lost!” yelled a scarred veteran on the other side of the table.
“We can’t be so sure. If the new goblins and orcs we’re facing have truly made a pact with them, they would’ve followed their trail by now.”
A third voice interjected between their quarrel, uttering, “They’re not doing that because it’s unnecessary. Please look at the images we’ve captured yesterday at the world’s edge.”
No one could believe their eyes that day. What seemed to be an ordinary coastline began to show numerous crude formations of stone and metal beyond the horizon, floating in the sky like gravity had given up on them.
image [https://th.bing.com/th/id/OIG4.dsm70I0jrhu8o8dQR71r?pid=ImgGn]
“Those are like the «Hardy Towers» of the south,” a treader noted. “In fact, those are the «Hardy Towers» of the south, but that’s impossible! How could a bunch of artificial mobs replicate in-game level design?”
“We don’t know. The only other information we’ve gathered is that these bases are everywhere, surrounding us like an invasion that can happen anytime, and our general has taken the bait.”
“And what about this Hajime the folks keep talking about nonstop for his bravery? Does he have anything to do with all this?”
“Most likely no, but we better earn his trust soon. Any suspicion, and he’ll end up doing what Maria did.”