Shattered Republic ( Part 5 )
Aiko's sudden appearance startled everyone, even Jack and Hamilton, who had already encountered her.
"It's her... everyone can see her, right?" Hamilton whispered, relieved yet cautious as he noticed Cynthia's gaze fixed on the ethereal, blue-glowing butler girl. It was proof that he hadn't completely lost his mind.
"Hello, fool. Aiko is still not happy to see you in her presence," Aiko greeted Hamilton with a forced smile, her eyes sparkling with a cheeriness that only seemed to mock him.
"Say that again," Hamilton muttered, rising to his feet and shooting Aiko a glare that promised trouble.
Alarmed, Cynthia grabbed his hand, sensing his tension. In a situation as precarious as theirs, even a brief lapse in control could lead to disaster.
"Bossman, Aiko does not understand why you entertain the fool," Aiko continued, turning to Jack with exaggerated enthusiasm and an almost mischievous glint in her eyes.
Jack studied her, trying to gauge whether her strange mannerisms were deliberate or if she genuinely lacked any perception of normal emotions. Either way, she seemed intent on keeping everyone slightly on edge.
"Bossman?" Linzy stepped between Jack and Aiko, turning to him with a raised brow.
Jack sighed. "Look, all I know is she's been a voice in my head for a while now. Beyond that? No idea. Aiko, care to enlighten us on what exactly you are?"
The blue screen flickered before him again. Jack had grown so used to it popping up that it barely registered as strange anymore—just one more bizarre constant in this nightmarish journey.
[
System Notification,
System Assistant
Name : Aiko
Race : Human
Origin : The world of Praiyas
Threat Level : None
]
"Aiko is the Bossman's assistant. Bossman has been chosen to save this world and has been given a System, so Aiko is sent to help," the girl chirped, craning her neck to peek over Linzy's shoulders as if the taller woman were a mere obstacle in her way.
"After all that you've seen today, Jack, she should be the least of your concerns," Timothy interjected, his voice edged with urgency. He turned toward the stairs, exuding a sense of determination that made Jack wonder if he was the only one still processing the insanity of the situation. "I can't afford to wait any longer. Anyone who wishes to live should join me."
"Aiko still warns you against taking another step down that path, lest you are also a fool like this angry one and would like to test your chances with a Dread Ghost. Either way, Aiko only cares about Bossman; the fools are free to do as they wish," she replied, tilting her head at Timothy with an insouciance that was alarming.
Everyone fell silent, the audacity of Aiko's words hanging in the air like a thick fog. No one had ever dared to speak to Timothy that way and lived to tell the tale. Yet, the gravity of the situation weighed heavily on him, and he couldn't afford to waste time scolding a cheeky apparition. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he continued down the stairs, unconcerned about going it alone.
"Arrogant brat," he muttered under his breath.
"I fear he's making a mistake," Cynthia murmured, her brow furrowing with worry. Timothy had already done so much for her, and the thought of one of the lurking monsters pouncing on him made her shudder. Hamilton nodded in agreement.
"What do you mean, Dread Ghost? You better start talking sense," Linzy demanded, clearly fed up with Aiko's blatant disregard for everyone else's wellbeing.
Aiko merely smiled back, her eyes sparkling with mischief, remaining silent as she eagerly waited to see how far Linzy would go if pushed.
"She asked you a freaking question!" Hamilton burst out, his patience wearing thin. Even Cynthia was taken aback by his sudden outburst.
"Yet she is not my master; only Bossman can command me," Aiko said with a puffed-up pride that made her look like a peacock showing off its feathers.
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Jack shot her an impatient look. "Aiko, can you just answer the question?"
"Ookay, Aiko will grant this fool the favor of enlightenment," she sighed dramatically, rolling her eyes.
Hamilton's face turned an amusing shade of red, the contrast to Aiko's bubbly demeanor making it hard for anyone to take the tension seriously. "Excuse me, 'fool'? " he snapped back, glaring at her.
Aiko's smile widened, clearly enjoying the banter.
Hamilton's glare could have burned through concrete, but Aiko was unbothered, the flicker of mischief dancing in her eyes.
" What the mighty Bossman has taken down is called a Wailing Hound. They are a vile and disgusting race of mindless beasts from another world far darker than this one. They eat flesh , but obtain nourishment from the soul.
Now listen closely , this is where important information starts going circles around mundane minds , with the exception of Bossman of course," she smiled for effect.
" The Bond of Stipulatio , where the beast meets master. Without it , you would have had this building swarmed by the hounds. There can be no more than a maximum of three under Stipulatio , so three Waning Hounds.
And the only creature that can hold a natural Stipulatio with a Wailing Hound , is a Dread Ghost. A thing of more darkness whose flames hate the light, " she explained, then surprisingly lost her balance for a slight moment as her body started weakening.
Linzy got hold of her shoulders and prevented her fall.
"Aiko only allows the hands of Bossman upon her , but she receives this woman's gesture .This woman now holds one favour in the great eyes of Aiko,"
" Are you saying that there is something out there worse than the Wailing Hounds ?" Jack's concern was on the greater survival of the group .
" Yes Bossman , and Aiko feels the signs of its presence nearby. Aiko must go back into the System now and she doesn't know for how long she will sleep. Aiko can only advise the Bossman to rely on the System , it is the only way ," she said as the rest of the group watched the blue haze of the girl glitch into thin air.
[
System Notification,
Assistant recalled.
Side Quest Unlocked , Kill Dread Ghost x 1.
Expected Rewards ; Summoning Tickets x 2 , Point x 400
]
Aiko's words hit home and Jack decided to finally learn what this System that she kept on talking about was.
He easily noted that the blue screen responded to his mental intentions and started exploiting that fact.
He pulled up a page that had caught his interest a while back. It seemed to give a sufficient overview of what to expect from his supposedly new found abilities.
[
Personal Attributes :
Strength - Level 2 Speed - Level 3 Durability -Level 1 Stamina - Level 1
Talents:
1) Rejuvenation - Stage 1 ,level 1
2) Perception - Max level
]
Jack recalled how he had raced up the stairs at an extraordinary speed without feeling even a hint of fatigue. Simple deduction linked that miracle to the attributes of speed and stamina displayed on the screen. He wondered what the levels attached actually meant and what might happen if they increased.
He also remembered the rejuvenation talent activating when his ankle healed, and how his perception talent kicked in as he assessed the second Wailing Hound, just by setting his eyes on it.
"Speed really comes in handy," he mused, noticing he had accumulated 200 points from the earlier maintenance notification.
[
Speed :
- Level 3.
- Next level requirement , Points x150
]
He put in the required number of points and watched the blue screen flicker.
[
System Notification :
Speed Level ; 3 -> 4
Points remaining ; x50
]
"What are you looking at?" Hamilton asked, the first to snap back to reality after witnessing someone vanish into thin air.
He noticed Jack staring off into the distance, a faint smile playing on his lips, which sparked a hint of concern.
"I doubt you'll believe me," Jack said, dismissing the screen with a wave before turning to Linzy.
From her expression, he could see that the series of events was pushing her to the brink. In fact, everyone was on edge; some, like Hamilton, just wore their stubbornness like armor, proving tougher to break.
"There's nothing I won't believe within the walls of this building if it means we get to survive," Linzy asserted, her voice steady and encouraging. It made Jack wonder what kind of resilience lay beneath her seemingly fragile exterior.
"I agree with her," Cynthia added, her body still stiff from fear, but she felt compelled to share her thoughts. Normally the quiet type who preferred to blend into the background, the rising danger made her realize she had to start contributing to the group if they were going to make it out alive.
A blood-curdling shriek echoed from below, followed by a deafening explosion that ripped a gaping hole in the center of the first floor where the group stood. A massive wave of fire roared upward, engulfing everything in its path and climbing toward the ceiling. Human corpses, charred to skeletal remains, were expelled from the inferno, raining down onto the first floor like grotesque confetti.
One of the burning bodies hurtled directly toward Linzy, but Jack lunged in front of her, swiping the corpse aside with his forearm. The fabric of his white shirt disintegrated under the searing heat, leaving a painful burn mark behind.
"Thanks! If that had hit me…" Linzy shuddered, her eyes wide with horror.
The raging flames consumed the room for a terrifying four seconds before abruptly dying down. Water sprinklers embedded in the ceiling sprang to life, drenching the space until the last remnants of the fire were extinguished, leaving a thick, acrid smoke in the air.
"Is that the boss? Mr. Chester?" Hamilton asked, glancing toward the stairway leading to the ground floor—the same path Timothy had taken when he left them behind.
Jack's stomach twisted as he focused on the man staggering toward them. Half of his face was marred by severe burn scars, and his left hand was nothing but a bloody stump. According to his Perception talent, it was evident that the man was barely clinging to life, a mere ghost of his former self.
Linzy instinctively wanted to rush to his aid, but Jack firmly held her back. "He's already gone," he said, his voice heavy with the grim reality of the situation.