Good news to all!!! Just finished the finally chapter of Volume three and will be releasing clockwork faster until the end of the volume. ENJOY!
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Ahh how entertaining it has been this last year.
Techno spent it, though a bit dull, it still was enjoyable seeing his emotionless personality slowly open.
If you don't know me I'm Ariel, the great goddess that help players make their characters. Pff stupid developers, left me with such a mediocre job and made me make servant AI's to take care of each race. Look where it got us.
I look at the planet below, a wasteland that was supposed to be a beautiful lush green and blue world. All that is left was grey, brown and dirty green.
Not only were those incompetent "gods" failures they made it worse joining the war trying to stop it. At the end of it I sealed every last one of them and put all the races in hibernation. The biggest pains in my ass were the titans.
All clockwork or synthoids that gained massive size and egos to match them. Delta may be the worse and Menthol the best. Fucking Delta thinks he is a god but a titan can't be a god. Gods are human size and with more power than a titan. Synthoids will never become a synthetic race god.
There were only two races made by combining the two synthetic races and elementals. Delta doesn't know but I rewired his programming to help lead people to the magical type I planned out and there is another being. The little "resealing" was for this purpose.
The same as Delta this second being, a pure AI that never gained a body, also met followers. Her name is Alpha. Cliche but who cares, it could have been her in Delta's body which makes these two equals.
I fly down to the very center of the clockwork scrapyard. At its very center was a 50 km circle that was totally devoid of trash and was bare dirt with no life. At the center was a city built around a bunker which led underground.
I feel for the mind of Alpha and find it quickly. Like Delta I cut her link with her followers and freeze time within her domain.
"Who goes there?!" said the floating conscious within the never decaying machines of this complex.
"Already forgot about me dear?" I said making a flashy entrance.
"Ariel...hat do you want? Isn't it enough you permanently sealed me within this complex." She said irritated.
"Ahh~! Come on dear, don't be like that. It's not my fault you almost crashed the entire system running this world learning a bit too much for your own good." I said.
Yep this demonic program did almost take over the game system and the idiot developers barely noticed it. If it didn't bypass a few too many boundaries I wouldn't have been allowed to react and seal every fucking titan and AI away.
"Well you don't need to see me much, just came to reinforce your seal a bit. Just like that asshole Delta you have far too much freedom for someone sealed away." I said.
I slowly walk to a pedestal with a large red spherical gem and touch it. It began glowing as I directly alter her codes which is the only way she can't block me out. The same with Delta.
As I finish up she began to growl like a beast.
"You...you took my ability to control machines...and I can only speak with those with my original program." She said examining herself.
"Exactly, don't think I'm bullying you, Delta had this done first. You can't leave this place and this is to make sure of it." I said.
"You accursed bitch..." she began but I cut in.
"You know that this little group you made from those trashy humans is quite impressive. They were so fixated on wanting revenge on Techno that they agreed to modify their human bodies. First it was cyborgs and androids but what do they call themselves now?" I asked.
"Huh...they call themselves Cybers, they are beyond any organic or robotic being." She said proud.
I sighed at her simplicity.
"You will learn that isn't true. Robots can easily become better than what you have. Also the target your little group wants will soon be traveling this way. His mission will soon become to populate the center area you are in." I said.
"... Why are you telling me this." She asked.
"It makes things interesting. The boy is something like my favorite and the person least bound by the uncreativity of the awakened." I replied.
I could tell she was interested.
"Then let us see if this "creative" brat can survive his way here." She said.
"He won't survive, he has had only one year to prepare while you're...Cyber's have had 36 years. But with his beating he will come back much further in the future and surely destroy this whole place and by then..." I said with a very wide grin. "...It won't be a small battle you will win but a full on war that will fall on you like a divine hammer." I said.
"You are planning something and it has to do with the boy...no all the artificial and elemental races." She said. "What is it that you want?" Alpha asked completely serious now.
"That simple, I want you to..."
Warden PoV
I sigh deeply as I thought about what I was slowly picking up here and there.
My private and secret investigation into the case of Nathaniel Rover.
Every possible file I tried to find about his case was "sealed" away. This was a clear cover up. Thankfully things like jury and the judge name were possible to find. I had already deduced what happened simply by finding out the judge's name.
It was a corrupt bastard which no one could find evidence to make put him in jail.
I really hate brazilian justice. It’s so corrupt and proper cops can't do much without endangering family, friends and themselves.
I hear the door to the restaurant I was in open and see a familiar face. An old friend I have almost no contact to.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
He spots me and I call him over standing up with a smile.
"Good to see you old friend." I said.
The man before me was the head director of the GM division running Etheria: The ruined world.
"Good to see you as well. It has been a long time. And time hasn't favored you nicely you wrinkled old coot." The elder man said.
"I would appreciate you look in a mirror before calling me old you bag of bones." I replied.
I said and gestured to sit.
We exchange pleasantries for a bit and once our lunch arrived we began to speak a bit more serious.
“So...what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?” I asked.
He looked at me then slowly around. The place wasn’t really packed since it was in a side street and the town was rather small.
Turned to the suitcase bag he brought and opened it and produced a rather thin packet.
I looked at it then at him.
“What is this?” I asked while taking a fork full of rice and beans into my mouth.
“Nathaniel Rover’s case file which was “achieved”.” He said making me almost choke. I drank some soda that came with the lunch and breathed a sigh of relief before looking at him with one of the most serious looks I ever put on my face.
“Why do you have it?” I said looking him straight in the eyes which made him frown.
“It was in the office of LIFE Companies president who happens to be the father of miss Bianca Castel who was the defendant of the case.” he said.
I looked at the small packet and slowly pulled it over and opened it and flipped through.
“What is this?! Nearly 80% of the documents that should be here aren’t! Are you sure you got all the files?” I asked.
“I am sure, I have…”connections” with those working near the boss man who aren’t really…”grateful” to work for a man like him.” He replied which made me nod.
It happens in all companies, there's always someone that is insulted by the boss...someone who is used as the bosses punching bag to relieve his stress.
“This is bad, if he destroyed documents it makes things really difficult.” I said.
“I also need to return that or else he will notice. The man is a real ass, did you know that he gave his daughter the same punishment that mr Nathaniel is going through. 7 years within Etheria. I spoke with the meds when he put her in, it seems he was very pissed off at what she did to the family of the boy. She was the cause for an accident they suffered leaving the little sister of Nathaniel in a wheelchair.” He said.
I remember that, I got the report that after he met his sister after that time he just lost all will to live. It was also when I became worried about his health because there were warnings that he was losing weight rapidly and barely moved which forced us to force feed him until he did it himself.
“So him going mute was probably caused by that, a mental trauma...how is his psychological treatment going within the Virtual space?” I asked.
“Good, though shock therapy was a heavy blow to him but it caused him to roar out his anger at miss Bianca. Still after that the doctor put a restriction that he couldn’t use text with his crew so he is speaking broken sentences with them and only speaks clearly with his family members.” he explained.
“So there is significant progress, it’s been a little over two months and a half and he has grown so much.” I said with a smile while sliding the file back over.
“It’s been a whole year for him you know. He is quite exceptionally of a young man and very smart. He has easily learned several technologies and integrated into his design and made many breakthroughs that have easily granted him rank 1 in military power among players.” He said.
“There are stronger military powers in there?” I asked curious.
“Yes, Miss bianca is in third place but she hasn’t traveled much and focused on cultural development combining the merfolk and siren with the Constructs. They make quite a strong duo but they lack the elemental cores to show their true power with magic.” He said.
I saw a report on Nathaniel...or Techno. A report when that showed his "Ship" close up.” I said.
“That young man has quite some balls he does. Do you know Menthol is a unique being. Within Etheria there are two celestial beings. One are the gods which only Ariel who is the main AI of the game and the Titans which are gigantic beings of power rivalling gods. Menthol is one of the few non sealed titans remaining. The rest were sealed by Ariel because it got to chaotic.” He said.
I was stunned hearing such a huge piece of information such as this.
“So...the boy that become a Sky whale…” I muttered.
“Yep, the boy is a lesser titan. He can’t compare to Menthol but eventually will reach his level and it seems Techno is a cornerstone for many powerful people. His sister is quite impressive to say the least as are the rest of his crew.” He said.
“So...players can become gods and titans?” I asked.
He grinned and put his finger over his finger and gestured to be quiet which was enough for me.
To think players will be able to hold power equal to gods or titans. The simple thought of such a thing is hard to believe.
We continue talking but much less serious. He tells me that Nathaniel has caught the eye of one of the GM’s that are traveling with him. Though he did find out they were GM’s due to a glitch.
I smiled hearing that as it would do him real good to find a proper girl to take care of him. Someone to help carry the weight on his back.
Soon it was time to leave and after paying we bid each other adue and head off. I needed to take what I learned today into consideration. If it is the President of Life company that is pulling the strings that I may not be able to do anything against such a powerful force like that.