COI C134
Ahegao’s men are nothing more being bots. All the programming of the AI is traced back to the single player games. Its purposes were never to test the capabilities of their machines, but compared both of their AIs altogether. Fully coded by the limits of their set of commands and interactions. The citizens’ version is highly artificially made and properly best to certain uses. The Dexter Guild’s AIs were not humane, better yet through the research they have found out on their own, replicated is the world, and there are no other alternatives they could not separate its best AI technology.
In the meantime, Ahegao used these AI controlled avatars as the testaments of the otherworlders’ designs. Even the phrase to be called them are quite old for this character to feel saying it.
“Otherworlders? Since when did we stop saying it?”
Through the equipment inside their hideout. The Dexter Guild members explain it to the user as it busy doing its job. “I don’t know how easy for you to forget calling them that. They are here for more than five months or less, you’re slowly losing tract here. I can’t believe we are struggling something like this. Are the safety measures ready to back them out?”
The Dexter Guild members were working nonstop for the entire day. Their rumbling stomach starts to get louder as the situation of their avatars are at risk. The enemies had now entered from what they describe one of their avatars
“Ahegao? They named our camouflage soldier that . . .”
The member looks at the user who uses the avatar “. . . Was your theory correct?”
The sound coming from the internet as the screen shows the avatar covered with faces of moan drawn characters said to the member from there.
“My scores are recorded and can’t be connected to the others. You already know that I am carrying banned contents inside this system”
Compared the avatar with the robot, they both have the same interest not from how it looks but the data it gathered. The robot always mentioned about taken advantage the psyche of many people to take the bait, the difference for this strange character in armor is.
“This website has plenty of controversial individuals. This is not the place for the youths to act authoritative, or this platform meant for them. I say this, what will that robot say about children’s power here?”
The guild member remembered actually experiment about it. “You mean that AI is identical to one of the old archscientists”
“All AIs were, until that virus came”
Ahegao returned to the internet minding on the enemies trespassed its location. As it entered into the cave, the bots are already riding one of the strange vehicles. Hard to describe it and the appearance is not a vehicle. Ahegao didn’t have the time to redesign them as it is being collecting banned and hidden information through this website. The randomizer helps the sequence for these bots to act. As the output is the results needed for it, the process or journey to go there will be random. No logic, but results are important. Into the air as they go, as the first launch unrealistically fired to the enemies’ captured territory.
The recon team detects the enemy’s position as it fired. “Enemy transport . . . what the actual fuck is this?”
“What’s with the confuse tone over there? You two checked him while I need to finish building up the defenses”
C confronts the man as the intellect shows massive signatures in the radar’s range. The man tells them what it is “A flying drill is coming this way, but it stops in mid-air. There is something hidden from the sky”
Scout takes himself outside and uses his binocular, he shouts out to the volunteer “Hey man, did you see that?”
“What is it? I’m trying to . . . There’s a crack on the sky”
“No, it’s cloaking air ship”
The man hears scout to be an airship, it wasn’t an air ship. The call from their team found something. The underground route is connected by a strange structure. “Recon! Is there something out there we are right now?”
“Yeah, another base blending in. There was a random transport heading our way but stops at their base”
“Base? According to where we are, this base is neutral. Ahegao didn’t claim it yet”
The team watches out as the bots are coming their way. The bots are hostile to anyone and the strange intruders fell to the ground as it drilled through.
“They’re here, hide!”
They grouped themselves and hide to one of the hidden bunkers they found, as they made it in, they heard large gunshots but didn’t reach to their direction. This place is definitely not under control by Ahegao. The large size troops sprung out from the smoke as the bots fought among each other. The team thought it would be the best opportunity to use this fight as a distraction, and after they thought of it, the fight was already over. One of them sends out the rolling bot to see what happened there. Body parts scattered everywhere and the large trooper finds their bot and fires it with its heavy bullet.
Recon team receives the call from the team underground “Your enemies are heading to your position. It ignores us as they proceed to your location”
“Where are they now?”
“Going back up to the surface, they are heading out from the structure. Ready yourselves as we provide you the security system here”
“Confirm, I’ll be checking out the enemy from here”
The call is over and they heard something through the passage, echoing through it as the armor is lights up with an ahegao face. The team backs out as they are facing the threat themselves.
One of the team was caught off guard, from the dark environment, Ahegao takes the first shot and fires through the wall, phasing through with its energy weapons. Powering up the electrical wires then overload the circuits hidden inside the stone walls. It shocks one of them. The shrapnel of metals covered him as the polarization shifted behind him, the magnetism pulls him in as Ahegao comes out from the darkness as it slides forward running over him as he pulled to it. He uses the pixel as his body torn apart. Leaving him only an arm attached close to his head, he pulls out a gun then shoots himself.
Recon team sees the beacon is now channeling to revive someone. It happened after they received the security system. The man orders C “Take care of him for me, just gives the beacon some space for the body to properly materialized. Removed any object to reviving beacon, it will cause a glitch if you put something where the body is”
“Alright”
The man checks the cameras as he sees the heavy armored power armor. It was nothing like their version of power armored fictional characters. The design is near comparable to their power armors, it looks rather better than actual ones from Taiyou Industries.
The designs are clearly different as if these were old designs before the fall, he thinks, and this man could only examine how it works. Virtually simulated, he wants to see how it can do. Compared to having weapons with solid bullets, these individuals carrying heavier bullets. Large cases of energy weapons, no signs of hacking tools or other utilities, and fully simulated machines; the realism of the real Dexter Guild power armor. The difference of how it looks is the logo copied from the fictional faction. The power armor shines as the energy flowing inside its tech body. The killing machine expression from its helmet and the armor of its skull and wings.
Camera to camera, he watches them moving to the surface. They moved in the straight line as its huge chunk body going to one single hallway, random stray shots going through the halls. One of them at the back fires its weapon as it bounces to the walls into a precise head shot. A very loud sound from an energy weapon, taking a closer look, it pulls out the parts of the hallway; scraps torn and shred by their own fist. Reloaded into their guns as the energy weapon molten the scraps inside as it cools down enough to make it shoots it out cleanly.
The bots are fighting among each other, and now he sees why. It is gathering their ammunition, using the avatar’s body as resources. They walk through the bots as if they are against each other. The monstrosity to tear off their own allies into ammunition. He felt a bit afraid to face them, but also fascinating how it is used. Then there is one in power armor carrying something dripping from its weapon. The weak bots are bringing the heavy guns as it aims to the one who is leaking its weapon. They fired anti-aircraft shells at it, and heavy troopers managed to catch it.
Splattered with black thick oil, or blood by the look of it. It is starting to turn as it looks rather familiar. Scout from behind him numbly said out of shock
“That’s the same blood we found at the sewers”
“No way! What in the hell did they turn it into a weapon?”
The trooper fires back with a stream of fluid at them as the bots being washed. The body is starting to weigh down as it melted off its bodies. Two of them were not too kindly see how it able to destroy them. Yet, it is the same black blood from the incident. If someone with mana like that, it will drain someone, and worse when they are not maintained their original self because of their mana dependency.
They figured it out, as they look at each other. “Let’s use it on those bastards”
Twisted as the defectors they are, but felt a bit justified against those doubles of theirs. They lost to their own fantasy as C managed to revive one of the fallen members. He steps to the screen as he saw the trooper is staring at the camera while the two busy talking to each other. He pointed out to them.
“Hey! It is looking at us”
They turned around and see its lens from its helmet beeping. Matching to the same secret transmission code as the screen decrypted it. It says,
“Stay neutral, or face the might of the old machines”
Scout and the man laugh at the message, they replied to C from the message “It is a simulation, what you see here is them using some game or something. Also, the weapons they used exist”
“What?!”
“Ignore the immersion kid, but I would like how would they going to execute us when we are going to face them later”
“You mean we have to face them like this”
The team were not equipped to face heavily armored enemies, but what logic is that in this internet. Those bots were simulated how it works. This war is balanced. So, this fight will be a little breather when they’re going to meet them. In the end, this fight is going to be entertaining to see.
Back to the troopers going through the waves of its own bots, falling apart as it treated bots’ bodies as resources. The sight of this group is only five of them, all bots following the order to attack the recon area. The bots are throwing itself at them as they are being gun down in every shot in each of their body to head. Bots were mutilated, if it able to move, they were grabbed then thrown at the enemy. One unlucky bot charged in with a melee weapon as its legs shot off and then trampled as they walk by. Quick and easy as they made it out from the surface. It wasn’t any bot they thought it was. The five trooper looks at the ground as the camouflage in the environment reveal something useful.
Scout throws his mouth out on the screen. “Shit! That’s one of our boys’ secret weapons”
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
“Groan* You mean his superhero costume. Oh fuck, how many did we throw good avatars and loots at them?”
Scout crazily laughs out loud as this fight is going to be interesting. They can’t even put themselves a break after seeing it. The troopers activate the secret area as the rectangular crate opens up and shows the heavy weapons before them, all ammunition, explosives, incendiary, and heavy piercing. They equipped it all as they move to the recon area.
Meanwhile Ahegao and the team battled out to its advantage. They are having problems fighting against it. They almost forgot that that the character is actually an experience soldier. The team thought they could beat it with their version of guns, it did like sponges. Ahegao is able to fight back as it drops all the unnecessary defenses equipped on it. The team is being pushed back as they waste their shots on the bots. They can convert the ammunition, but the problems the underground area is able giving the chance to recuperate after receiving almost enough damage to be killed.
The camouflage can be an essential tactic, but they could not imagine the terror it fights within the caves. Not only they are tired after using the VR headset for so long, but it is how the difference of the controllers they have. They see it acting like real inside the internet, how it moves from corner to corner as the shots missed because of the distracting armor piece. A head of a lewd drawing was shot, and they could not feel a good aim as it blends in its head with the white drawing. Feeling a bit tired from the real world as their senses tired them. It won’t take long, as the bots have flanked them.
“Enemies at our rear, yawn*, we need to form a safe house or any check point as we can. We holding up much longer”
“The recon room, we have to regroup there”
“I’m not wasting my respawn to just to take a break”
“Or better yet, use the curfew”
“You mean the honorary contract’s truce. But we need to request it before acknowledge it”
Gunfire echoes the path as Ahegao can’t able to manage the bots affectively. One by one every mistake put the plan into jeopardy. The randomizer is a joke, and the only function defenses was supposed to be the tower that recon team took.
It can’t organize this webpage alone, with the documents collected about these users as it can no longer able of use in its thread. It wanted to fix these technical difficulties but it won’t last as he knows his defeat. There is also one problem, the files are there. Delivered by Linked last hashtags’ location, the counteroffer won’t be reliable now if it turns into a scandal. Ahegao stood there numbing its head from the long day work. A flare shot fires through its direction. It was the team calls out to it
“Hey! Perverted Freak! Call for a truce here!”
It stops as the bots stop as well. It spoke as back in the world. He starts cracking its neck
“What contract’s ordeal?”
“Anything that would stop us getting fucked up in the head. I mean, we need to rest to get ourselves for tomorrow”
“. . . I can’t believe we have to ask our enemy to take a break”
Ahegao responds “You have the advantage, why can’t you take it?”
“Yeah, well we know that the bots are getting flimsy as we know you can’t control them properly. I am serious man with competitive goal. Why not reset this absurd tiresome moment?”
“Then how about when that transport ship accidentally hits the building”
“How about the base we captured?”
“Let it be, I have already planned to retake it”
The team hears it as it actually going to capture it. It was already discovered that they want to go through that operation. The team was supposed to take out Ahegao, and this opportunity would be not bad as they all are tired from this fight. Scout calls out to them
“We have problem; punisher like troopers is heading our way. You know the hitman who goes bounty hunter while stealth”
“The same goes brutally murdered people”
“That’s the one, if they reach this area, the beacon won’t be any good for you when you recalled”
The team said to Ahegao “Do you intentionally bring out one of our accounts?”
“That’s a negative, I randomize the orders as the output persist on eliminating. You already know that I am tired too”
“Then you didn’t actually bring the punisher to this fight”
“That’s your account, and also my trophy to copy what it has. Respectfully, I would’ve be glad not bring it to you. Just the previous version you found when it landed”
One of the team shares the word with the recon. “Do you hear it?”
“Yeah, but is there a choice in this? Either be killed by them or ours”
“You decide, you guys are going to face it tomorrow”
“Alright, but let us keep the fifth guy with us. Five vs five should cover us the fight . . .”
The agreement is settled as the rewind plays where they set things right. Later it was saved when Ahegao brings out the troops. While the team still venture to where the recon giving them the map. The agreement finalized, they all logout as the returning hour will come back at 10:00AM. The team is relief to see that, the administrators call them about the situation, and they replied
“There is a technical difficulty for Ahegao, we given it a choice to rest”
“What do you mean gives it a rest? It is our enemy”
“Hey! If you want to take back this website. Just follow the contract. Getting through that map feels bad for my eyes”
C logs out and reviewed what he just saw. The map is something not right, and everything looks so bizarre when they show some light to the dark area. As if the forest is compiled of a lot of messy things brought there. The man who did the recon, had shown them the strange environment. There is a reason though, Ahegao did it alone. The first defense was normal, but later starting to feel out of place. They found the stashes and loots in high ends when he was with the team. They got back their equipment as if it didn’t bother to move it securely.
Where the troopers were supposed to go at them. It attacked their own bots and using themselves as resources. He heard one of them that it was randomized to act and the end result would be killing themselves. It was so strange why would they waste on their own resources over it. One last thing is the invaluable accounts secretly hiding were able to access by those bots. Using what he heard from them were special power ups to the bots. Yet, scout never act afraid and rather being curious fighting it. He shakes his head knowing well the procedural generated bots follow the same format as a body it carried through.
A call coming from his device as he picks it up. “Hey! When will you return my identity? I have a special appointment to get to”
“I’m sorry, I forgot to mention that I’m using a different avatar”
“Then how about my name?”
“It is covered up”
“What?! Then what about my reputation for the Fuku City Guild? I need that rep to get some nice rewards for my girls”
“The guild wasn’t finalized yet. It still under registration from what I heard”
“Sigh* Alright, then tell that bitch to . . .”
“I know, pipe her down. You know how hard it is to get that rep from my quests”
“. . . Oh yeah about that, thanks again what you did at the ruins. They thought I was with Dexter Guild. You believe that, some kid becoming an Enders guild member. That is some one lucky kid able to join with those tech savvy groups”
“The kid, yeah. The one who mysteriously entered the demon’s realm”
A disturbance coming from the line “Oh sweetie, we’re ready!”
“Oh? Oh! Sorry Hito. I’ve gotta go. My darlings . . .”
C cuts it off as he rubs his face, his double is calling her names again. A deep breath with sweats already dripping down his forehead. He needs to check on her.
Adjusting his RAP to go teleport to where he needed. He used back track as he goes back from places to places when he headed using his cooldown abilities. It can be called rewind as well, but the name won’t fit to his theme and edits it in his UI. He made it back to the store and the clerk is using his original device. She reacts like she normally did. She shivers to anyone who is alone coming at night. The store is already closing as she checks first the updates going on to him.
She calmed herself down and act normal with her reluctant smile “So, mister hacker. How’s the internet exploration?”
“It wasn’t normal. Even if you try to understand it, it is nothing but coding that you can’t read from it”
“Well, ah? I’ve checked your message, there is someone out there who had your number”
“I know who it is. It’s the guy I helped yesterday”
“Yeah, about that, I took a peek and I was curious”
“Oh, are you now . . .?”
“Sorry! But it never ringed ever since the last one who called you. Your younger friend of yours who is still in high school”
The clerk gives him his device and the message are a bit business related, not like the usual being friends, kind of guy. C down did warn him about who is using his device. It is clearly a message that she won’t understand, she asked him
“What did it say? I read it like you are some kinds of gangster. (Nervously laughing*) Are you really part of the Scraypers now?”
“No, trust me on this. There are defectors out there have some unfinished business. I find them to make sure that you’ll be safe”
The clerk is a bit anxious as she worries about him “Please! Just be careful, we are the only two people here who . . .”
C stops her “It’s ok, there is someone out there who is willing to help us”
“. . .”
The clerk is a bit hesitant. She was nearly reaching her breaking point. He can only do for her is to be with her side at night. Thankfully, the nights were peaceful after the siege. The double who owns this place seem to leave the building every night. Even C doing night mission, he takes the privilege to take defectors’ hidden facility in his free time. What is he up to? C is glad she is getting better. As the store closes and the lights turned off, the same stalkers are outside of the windows in silhouette. Clerk gets in to her room while watches them with a serious look.
She says to him “If something happened to you . . .”
C stops her again “It’s alright, I’m here. Don’t worry, every night is quiet”
“That’s why I’m worried. (Deep Breath*) I have magic too, and, and, I feel something not right about him”
“What do you mean?”
“Every night, he has this strange aurora like he is gaining power. I thought it was something those next stage of magic control, and there was a strange Horsin following him”
“Horsin? You mean the guy with girl on his side”
“No, a religious man. He looks at me strangely as if I was possessed. He didn’t say anything but he just looks up angrily then left . . .”
C was a bit worried. He lies down on the futon as she lies on the bed. The two continue the conversation as she talks about the religious man. Her face was not traumatized as she always feeling reluctant to talking about people when she had a bad feeling. Not this person though she feels like that man was sane, but he is still a religious person nonetheless.
“I can’t believe for saying this; that man makes me feel secure”
“A religious man, you know how dangerous they are. He just wants to scam you like the rest of those monsters like the . . .”
He can’t mention the cult leader, the representative of Fuku City who overwatch the people they don’t want to cooperate. “. . . I mean, you know”
“I understand, but this is from Horsin and let’s think of them one of those fairy tales’ religious group”
“The good one or the bad ones”
“Laugh* No you silly, those random characters on display”
C looks at her as he can’t describe much what the man he could be. She feels relief that C is gaining back his old posture. Both getting trouble to know about the person, she has to get up from bed and shows him the surveillance.
“I’m sorry Hito, but I really need to show you”
“Wait a minute, why now are you saying my name?”
“I’m not, I am feeling confident to him. I have to confess, and this footage will be my way as apologizing to you. I just don’t want you doing this alone”
She pulls out a laptop, a laptop? This accursed store won’t let her enjoy the basic electronic devices to use, except for C’s device. There are strange magic limits to her to do anything inside the store. Even outside, she can’t do anything as the stalkers waiting for her to get out.
The laptop opens along with dusts as she blows away. She tries to turn it on, but the room stops her. She sighs sorrowfully “I remember where it all started, and that man shows his concern for me. Don’t worry though, this is the only thing he did to help me”
She winks as he stops and remembered that pose of her face winking back in the old days. He grins a bit as she slowly coming back. He wonders how she was improving like this
“When did you coming back to your old self?”
“Like you said, since the siege. I am just happy for the peace and quiet”
The Clerk casts her spell as pulls out one bead on the laptop, then she prays for it “Please give me freedom”
The bead shines brightly as the laptop cleanse away from the magic inside of the store. A slight whisper coming from it, too soft as it can’t reach their ears. The laptop turns on as he looks at it in disbelief. His eyes see her side being happy for the first time. She said to him
“Now, would you like to see it?”
He nods silently as he was shock how did an item act like that. He sneakily uses his UI to identify it. There is no information it had except bar line said ‘Personal item’
The laptop shows them the footage where the two talks to each other for the last time. The man who is clearly worn an Enders clothing. The dark themed colored uniform was never ceased the obvious of their origin.
“. . . I know I am too late to save you, and there are others will come to save you for the right time. This man of yours will meet the people who indirectly faced my people. Rest assured once you use that bead on any object. The curse you mention here will be free from it, by the touch of that bead will not let the curse as it shines like the star”
“You just give it to me, just like that?”
“The bead was on my hand to the day I entered this city, if you believe there is an afterlife. I have to go now . . .”
When he is about to leave, he leaves a message for her “. . . The bead will be on your hand until you forgot about it. Then it means its purpose is done”
The footage stops where he left the store. It was recorded few days ago. She turns off the laptop and wants to test something
“Hey, do you believe what he said about this single bead?”
“It looks really small, and you will definitely lose it if you drop it”
“Are you sure . . .?”
She gives him the bead “Why won’t you try it?”
C tries throw it away but the bead made him feel like he is remembering something. He stops for no reason and shaken his lips as he is murmuring something.
He says her name “Junko, is this the item saves your old self”
Junko hears her name from him. The past grievances wept away as he is now able to say her name. She almost weep, and she sees the bead phasing through his hand and went back to her inventory. The only item in her inventory even being cursed to have nothing. She says to him with hope for the first time
“We will be free. Like the footage I’d show you before. Let’s remove this curse and find a way to leave this place”
They both went back to bed as they are gaining their confidence. C managed to say her name.
Her name was cursed as the magic inside the store restricted saying her name. Such a painful curse to put her through. He was not prepared to hear her to leave this place. There is a problem where her stalkers and the man who trapped her here. There are so many to deal with. Then he remembered about tomorrow’s mission. He is getting busy without even planning to escape from here. He looks at his own device, not from C’s, from the message of his new friend. Without any hesitation, he tries to contact him.
A message appeared as the man checks his device. The man grins brightly, as the background noise of battle happened in the ruins. “I couldn’t believe how fast he is to act right now”
The people who are with him heard it “Is it the Cdown’s double?”
“Yeah, he wants help”
“Shit! We were planning to get that crazy fucker”
“Are you sure about this? This is the cult leader’s connection we are using”
“The boy needs help, and I just give it to him. We just don’t need bastards taking advantaged my friend”
The defectors in disguised holds one of the smuggled mana batteries. They know what it lies inside. This the secret of the cult leader’s plan.