A screeching noise like I had never heard before shot me straight up off the ground. It started with the tinny sound like getting punched in the ear. Then it changed to a group of people scratching their knives on any rough surface they could find. It followed up with those same people all shaking cans filled with rocks.
When I shot up to a sitting position, there was a light flashing on my face. The light was blueish-white, and its insistence forced me to pay attention. Unfortunately, I couldn't give it the attention it deserved as the knowledge of everything from before I passed out rushed back, causing my heart to sink into despair. The fact that I could actually see something was the only thing that gave me hope in my situation.
Flashing in my face, drowning out the world behind it, was a sizeable translucent bar. The bar was broken into around ten segments. The last segment was the only part flashing. I tried to touch it, but my hand moved behind it. I assumed the bar was just a display on my goggles, so that's what I called them. It was similar to how my father would look at the screen on his robot.
The thoughts of my father once again caused me to stop in my mental tracks. I was happy that I could see again. Yet, I was unsure how I felt about my so-called robot; when the thoughts of my father once again raced through my mind, I was struck dumb. My mind started to slide down a waterfall of pain and regret.
The words on the screen disappeared, and my vision went white. Then, the white screen started to break apart and disappear in hundreds or thousands of tiny motes of light. When I focused on the disappearing lights, I thought they looked like small squares.
I could finally see the world again as the screen cleared out. It appeared that I had been unconscious for most of the night. I could see hints of dawn light starting to peak over the land in the distance. My vision was clear until more words began to appear in the top left of my vision.
-Welcome to the CoreLink system. Please wait while a local connection is created….
-Please wait…..
-Please wait…..
-Connection to a local CoreLink node failed.
-Please wait while a regional connection is created….
-Please wait…..
-Please wait…..
-Connection to a regional CoreLink node failed.
-Please wait while a planetary connection is created.
-Please wait…..
-Please wait…..
-Successful! A connection to the planetary CoreLink node has been established.
-Open CoreLink application
-[Error]
-CoreLink application is unable to open.
-Running diagnostics…..
-Problem discovered….
-Currently installed software has not been updated.
-Downloading update…..current time until downloading complete – 186 minutes….
After the last message, nothing changed in my vision. I did notice that the final period after the display of minutes continued to blink. I had no idea if that mattered. Instead of worrying about it, I decided to finally take a look around. I was barely paying attention to the words as I slowly moved toward the cavern into the mountain.
I didn't have to move far to get to the cavern for observation. I found that I was only a few feet away. Had I been able to roll around while I lay unconscious, I would have been at severe risk of falling into the cavern, just like my father.
Thinking of him again, I decided I couldn't let his fate lie like that. I would do my damndest to get down the cavern and get him. Unluckily, it turned out that I couldn't fulfill my desire.
I scanned the area, looking for any way to make it down there. The place where the Orb had been stuck was a vast space where it once stood. I could see where it had been pressed against the cavern's wall for however long my father had said it was there. I paced along the cliff's edge to see if there was any path or place I could climb down. When I didn't find anything, I laid down and reached as far as possible for any foot or handholds.
It was no use.
After failing to find a way into the cavern, I remembered the words my father said before…well, just before. While walking over to where we dropped our bags, I glanced at the words on my goggles. I was surprised to see that the time actually changed. It had moved to 120 minutes.
I searched for a way into the cavern for a while, but I didn't think an hour had passed. I wondered if it counted time differently. I was an alien orb from across space, and my goggles were apparently connected to it. Who knew what it was capable of?
My father's spear was leaning against his bag when I got to our things. I was glad it was there since I had no idea where mine had gone; it was probably in the depths of the abyss like everything else. I set his spear to the side and rummaged through his bag. It didn't have much more than what we brought with us. I was worried that the key he mentioned wasn't in there, but after a minute, I found it at the bottom.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
I was expecting a key to a lock or one that went to a door, like the one we had for our cottage but never used or needed. What I found that a flattened rectangle of grey steel. The card had holes punched through it in a pattern I couldn't discern, but I knew it was the key. Etched onto the top of the metal card were words that said Bank of Crescent City. Underneath the name of the bank were the character and number #143.
Apparently, my mother was still alive, and whatever was in this bank would help me locate her. I didn't know how many nights I had lain awake and dreamed of something like this. The idea that my mother was alive, that she loved me, and based on the guard's words, she needed my help was a dream come to life.
I made my decision. My father said that we wouldn't be able to go back home. That didn't matter anymore since the city he directed me to was in the opposite direction. I would gather up what I could, head back to the road, and then head to Colony City.
Perhaps I could use the cart we left even though I had a useless robot. Maybe once my goggles were updated, they would pop off my head and turn into something I could actually use. I wasn't holding my breath, though. I consolidated all the useful supplies and equipment in a single bag and slung it over my shoulder. Then, I picked up my father's spear, it was exactly like my previous one, but it was a little heavier and slightly longer.
Just before I set off, I had an itch on my face. I moved my hand to scratch it but found it was on the edge of the goggles. I couldn't get to it.
I attempted to move the goggles around to scratch, but they were firmly attached to my head. I scratched my skin as close to the itch as possible, but it didn't do anything. I had to do my best to put the irritant out of my mind and hope that it was just from the implantation of the goggles and wouldn't last.
The time remaining on my goggle's update was 105 minutes as I left the area. I took one more look back before leaving and vowed to myself that I would be back because there was nothing I could do at that point. With a heavy heart, I walked listlessly away. My thoughts were full of everything I did wrong, from my apathy when dealing with my father to my actions at the Orb sight.
My mind was generally filled with negative thoughts. Still, during my walk, it occasionally flipped between blank despair and hopeful planning of my trip to Colony City. Before I knew it, a loud ding reverberated through my jaw and head. It was a weird experience because I could hear the ring, but I knew it didn't originate outside my head.
As the ring sounded, I was pulled from my internal reverie. The words on my goggles, which I had stopped paying attention to, changed, but before reading them, I took stock of my situation. I was still on the small path trail back to the road. I had made good time and just passed the spot where my father had fought the boar. There wasn't any good place to stop and look at my displays, so I just made due.
I put my back against a tree so nothing would be able to attack me from behind. I kept my spear in the ready position as well. I remembered the quickness that the boars emerged from the woods with the De-poisoned monster right after.
Feeling confident enough to finally look at the change in my goggles status, I looked at the words.
-Welcome! To open primary control software, please state, "Initialize."
Giving one more look at my surroundings, I said, "Initialize."
The words, previously in the top left of my vision, dissolved. Displayed in the middle, a paragraph appeared consisting of stylized words and letters. After a moment, they dissolved. I didn't have time to read the whole paragraph, but I didn't have to since it was also being read. The voice had a strange accent that I thought wouldn't be out of place with the capital's elites.
Congratulations, user, for being selected for the rare class of Regulator.
You may now use your specialized robot companion to its full capability based on your compatibility percentage.
Current Compatibility: 0.01%
I wasn't surprised by my compatibly percent; everyone starts off with that. From what little my father told me and from what I read, the compatibility rises with use in symbiotic mode. Continual use of De fueled skills solidifies the connection between robot and user. Additionally, the more De in the area increases the amount absorbed. When De warped monsters are killed, their stored De is released, thus creating an influx of energy.
I was eager to try out my robot companion in symbiotic mode. It seemed useless in companion mode, except for making my face itch and unnecessarily clogging my vision. Although, the first line of the information had me waiting until I could learn more. Apparently, I received a rare class. I knew of most of the regular classes and many of the rarer subclasses they could become. Still, for a rare class to be issued first, my robot moved more toward the unique realm than the rare.
"What is the Regulator Class?" I asked myself absently.
The screen changed.
Searching CoreLink…
Approximately 6,210,000 results (0.24 seconds)
Regulator Class – This is a unique class throughout the known galaxies with the ability to manifest unique+ classes. It is issued when severe misuses of the Robotic Companion System have been recorded. Chosen users are selected based on their potential to standardize the proper order of robotic endowment and police any and all instances of disuse.
The initial configuration of the robotic companion is still based on user parameters. However, the potential to evolve the class in different fields is unlimited. This is due to the wide array of possible threats the [Regulator] Class might encounter.
Expand? Y/N
My eyes were hurting from the large words scrolling through my vision, and I needed a break from the sound drowning out all other noise inside my head.
"No," I responded. I would have to look again in a minute. Since the goggles seemed to react to verbal communication, I did an experiment.
"Is there a way to make the words smaller and the voice lower?" I asked aloud.
Opening settings-
GUI modes-
Do you wish to display data in simplified mode? Y/N
"Yes."
-Confirmed….
-Please stand by….
-Complete….
The words got smaller and moved up to the top left of the screen where they had been previously. I wondered why it had even changed but didn't dwell on it too much. Also, another ringing sounded off in my head after the change, but it was much more manageable than before. I thought it might still be a little too loud, but I figured I would give it a chance since I knew how to change it.
I considered what else I needed to know for the time being, but there was too much information I didn't know, and I didn't have the time to learn it all then. I had to get back to the road and get on my way to Colony City. I would be able to learn more when I stopped for the night. There was, however, one question I was curious about.
"What is the CoreLink system?"
-Searching CoreLink….
Approximately 4,320,000,000 results (0.39 seconds)
CoreLink - A multi-galactic system of interconnected ship cores that uses the De line protocols cluster to communicate between cores and devices. The CoreLink carries a vast range of information resources and services acquired throughout the galaxies… (more.)
"Holy shit," I mumbled. My brain shut down with the scope of what I read. From the staggering amount of answers to my question to the enormity of the CoreLink, it left me humbled and dumbstruck.
There was only one thing I could think of to break me from my stupor. It was something I had been waiting to do for sixteen and a half years. I couldn't wait any longer.
"Symbiotic Mode," I said proudly, my heart thundering in excitement.