Misa still stood there menacingly instead of exiting the supposed Seventh Princess’s Chamber.
Apparently, half a day went by while she was going over combat reports and other events for details she could have missed. She could take even more time doing so, however, the calculations in her subminds were whirring the entire time. Like the Guide for Taking Care of Humans said, her nutritional and other needs regular humans needed to maintain their health and other inconveniences were solved mostly by the Swarm circulating inside her body. Therefore, she could simply stick around inside this chamber forever in standby.
The main problem was the energy sinking inside her. When she crushed those supposed humans, the energy level fluctuated dramatically. She chalked it up to being weakened prior to the engagement, but there was obviously more to its irksome mystery. Host Lifespan was at 1% when she arrived, though when she destroyed several of the guards the energy level trended upwards to where her current position is. Unusual. Her lifespan was quite a joke, and harvesting energy from stronger entities only made the workload more unbearable.
If she was a human, completing Phase One would seem like it would take ages to finish. Yet Misa understood that she was a Black Wolf Company machine, not a simple organism.
The different ones, those disciples that were meditating out in the courtyard possessed stable energy inside them. Perhaps rounding up a few of them for testing would be in order, however, the footage of her encounter with the Third Princess revealed that killing them was enough. However, it only affected her energy levels when she killed the ones who actually were armed and ready to kill her, rising to 22%. On the other hand, the unarmed ones she slaughtered did not alter the system’s stability.
Misa closed her eyes and sighed again, then opened her Nanite’s Overwatch display. Neoma did not speak to her. The scout Swarms that she sent were setting up Oracles, which ran expanding details on this world's various areas.
The Swarm eventually displayed a hologram before her of the alien city’s locale. The big palace she was in took up the majority of a hillside, but there was also several key deposits of concentrated <
This factor, however illogical, could only mean that the ones with the energy within them were technically designated as “immortals.” The process in which these immortals used to gather more or harness the energy was wildly inefficient, so Misa determined they probably were more in a metamorphic state between “mortal” and the “immortal” stages. Furthermore, this energy was also residing within her own Great Chain and the main reason its lifespan was stuck at 22%. This weakness in her system estimated around a week until the Host dies due to this unstable so-called spiritual energy deteriorated and snaps the biological parts inside her. The fluctuations in this Host’s energy also meant she could not destroy whatever individual she pleased until more data is collected.
The <
Perhaps, if only she had more of her main Swarm and the Overwatch present here with her, Misa would be able to control the energy. For now, Phase One and construction of a Life Support chamber for this Great Chain was top priority if she could garner any semblance of a successful result for her mission. She studied the map more, ignoring the mortal guards gawking at her. They probably did not expect her to simply stand in place for the entire duration of her confinement. Something on the hologram caught her attention.
The energy concentration in the alleyway was moving locations.
What should she call this strange energy? Spiritual energy would get laughed out of every office in Headquarters. Her subroutines scrolled through a list generator of Black Wolf Company names. Balancing an energy, like yin and yang, though some processing made the spiritual energy seem more like Karma. She would have to test various ways on how to get her hands on more of the energy and that only meant one thing: Going outside.
The name generator spinning in her head eventually landed on Wagner Energy, or what she will colloquially refer as “karma” energy named after a high ranking Branch CEO who discovered a new method renewable energy in Europe and promptly lobbied against it. He was a well-respected person of interest in Black Wolf Company, so it was only right that Wagner deserved to have a mark in this new world. He also happened to be an individual assassinated by another company’s disgruntled employee.
She turned, the Swarm inside of her setting their directives on the highly concentrated Wagner levels approaching another alleyway. The hallway revealed yellow holograms of soldiers nearby. They floated like apparitions in the halls, whisking away as they patrolled away at set intervals. There were five sets of five yellow holograms, Misa determined there was some unknown factor in their formations. Those soldiers would rotate in a five point star pattern and the data stream from Nanites floating above their alternating stations, but they were also in front of torches carrying flames of different colors.
The hallway, along with the quickest path to that Wagner Energy concentration was largely unguarded. She could make her way outside easily and intercept it. How odd, Misa expected more resistance when she finally emerged from her confinement chamber. Strange. One would think they would be on high alert when a murderer posing as a former Royal member like herself was on the prowl, however, no one was around save for several individuals gathering near the Palace’s front. They were fixing the destroyed hallway. Just as she arrived, her systems warned her of a hologram rapidly approaching her. Another assassination?
“Foolish assassin,” she seized the creature by the neck, using her Swarm enhanced legs to accelerate him into the wall. Her eyes trained on the man, realizing it was the guard that escorted her. “Genxing, is it?”
“Your Highness…” He was breathing heavily, but the surprise was written on his face. His breath quickened when he realized his feet dangled a couple inches. “I-I can…”
Misa waited until her Swarm indicated the Imperial Guard’s hologram turned back to blue.
“Unauthorized hostility against Black Wolf Company property will have consequences,” she warned him. He bowed profusely, so she relaxed. Genxing did not realize that several ballistic systems were already targeting his head, though he did not seem to grasp the full scope of her thinly veiled threat. Using those would strain her Swarm’s already limited resources, Misa hoped he would not turn hostile again. “Speak.”
“Forgive me, Your Highness,” He wheezed, clutching his neck. Humans here are fragile, however, this one was categorized by Misa to be among the “immortal-yet-not-completely” ones. Was he pretending to be injured? “I was sent by His Excellence to give you a message: He gives you his blessings on your journey.”
“Very well,” Misa decided to not ask any questions. “I will be headed out immediately.”
Genxing seemed uneasy at her lack of hesitation, however, Company time was quite precious. She looked at him with a questioning gaze. He quickly felt his neck, but spoke up. Misa had trouble identifying what emotions he was experiencing, but she’s only been a human for a few hours by now.
“You’re going on foot?”
“Is there a more efficient method of transportation, servant?” She demanded. Before he spoke, there was already a pulled rickshaw dragged before her in the courtyard. “I see.”
Out here was a lot more sunny than most places on Earth, she looked around. It rained all the time on that planet or had blazing days that quickly gave way to night. Here, it reigned on the glorious and ancient walls. Symbols and jade green accents dashed along the Palace and buildings, but what they stood for was unknown. How cute, she mused but shook out of it. These absentminded thoughts must be due to her human Host, but Misa supposed she was a Princess and could afford to be slightly delayed. The political landscape of this world seemed outdated and difficult to care about. Whatever that could drag her faster to that source of karma energy would suffice.
The topography of this place appeared to her as she sat silently while the servant did all the work without a fuss. The palace was situated on a tall hill, but had roadsides snake along to the base to accommodate the rickshaw’s wheels. Misa noted that he was well trained; she did not even sway on the cushioned seat as he effortlessly pulled her. She only had to point directly at the unknown energy spike for the mortal to get him moving to the city below. Everyone above seemed uneasy around her, as if they were watching a phantom emerge. The original Seventh Princess probably did not get to move around, if what her father said was true.
Come to think about it, she replayed that conversation in the Main Hall and highlighted Jade in the footage. The energy he exuded was unmistakable, seemingly under his control with a perfect balance of power and chaos. This supposed equilibrium reminded her of ancient Chinese fantasy fictions, specifically about Martial Arts heroes fighting each other. The clothing covering the locals and their supposed powers reminded her of that concept. Unfortunately, she was a machine and did not have time to waste Company resources on studying such things. If only Neoma could reconnect and inform her of such ridiculous genres.
That Wagner energy seemed to be of similar quality, but less pure. Thus, classifications might be already set in this realm if it was in line with those novels. Oddly enough, the Imperial Guard Genxing was also accompanying her with several soldiers. A simple gesture caused the fearful servant to stop the carriage. The streets fell silent as they passed by. She scanned the crowd, each stopping what they were doing in order to gawk. Genuine cloth and wooden stalls, crafted by human hands. They hushed immediately as she stared at them, though it was quite obvious to Misa that the Host used to be an incredibly rare sight and must have never gone outside.
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“Her Highness, Princess Yue has come down here? Did she run out of mortals to kill?” A man mortal blurted out in fear to his companion, but shook his head as if the mirage cleared and revealed who she really was. “No, the seventh princess?”
“What is she doing out here?” One fearfully whispered back. “The Jade Family never stops down here.”
System: Unknown energy matching signature of the VIP Entity “Jade” located. Pathing is now sourced.
The trail of nanites crossed through a small alleyway, so Misa stood up, though the imperial guard did not seem happy about it. No one but her could see the path highlighted by her Swarm anyways. She did not care about their objections, instead she hopped off the vehicle and heading straight to the source quickly. The dress she was wearing did not help, but it did not get in the way completely. The crowd dispersed as the commotion broke out, but she was gone already before the imperial guards could find her. Cloaking nanites were not available yet, but it did not matter. The alleyways were a quick and easy way to get rid of them.
Through a series of hanging dry racks, she detected clashing noises and the owner of the source of Wagner energy. A one eyed man was standing on a podium, advertising a sword. She refrained from judging this world’s primitive tech, as the man seemed quite skilled with it. Con-artist, Misa noted, though his act fooled the onlookers. The energy coming from the blade was confirmed by the Swarm that it did not possess as much energy fluctuations as her Father did. Black Wolf Company may have use for that object, Misa acquiesced, so she mingled inside the crowd and observed. Upon the Swarm’s inspection, the man himself seemed like he had most of the energy.
The old merchants did not notice her when she slipped behind them. They were too busy were heckling the man, but to his credit he continued his advertisement.
“It’s my Family’s Traditional Sword, passed down for generations! It might not look like it but it can slice through iron itself. 80 coins! It’s what I need for my sick wife!”
A tale as old as time, Misa scanned the man’s behavior. He was lying, of course, his wife did not exist. The other men could see right through it and booed at him.
“No one’ll buy that worthless sword, you absolute country disgrace! Git!”
“It’s Heirloom graded!” The conman pleaded.
More heckling ensued, until one of the merchants noticed Misa.
“Hey, shut up,” he urged to a heated up fellow of his. “It’s the Princess of the Lord!”
“Your Highness!”
Most bowed. A chorus of fists slapping into hands raised in praise could get to her, she thought. The only one who did not bow was the foreigner, the so-called country disgrace. He immediately shot back a sly look at her. She returned the favor with a glare, already calculating what he might say about the fool. Misa will have to command him before the guard finds her, but she turned to one of the hecklers first.
“Speak.”
“Your Royal Highness,” the old man blubbered, but his face could not hide a scheming smile. “This country fool has been scamming all day! We were fixing to beat him out of here, but thankfully You can save us! Please, by all means get rid of him, Your Royal Highness!”
Misa directed her attention to the future Black Wolf Company property.
“I’ll leave when I sell it!” The one-eyed man’s eye patch nearly flipped as he snapped. Misa learned that he still had a working eye underneath it, however it seemed to be infected by an odd affliction.
“You idiot! Do you realize who you are speaking to?”
“She is the younger Princess, no, the youngest one, I have nothing to hide from her!” the man claimed. The situation was growing more tense as Misa strode towards him.
“You say this toy can break through iron, no?” Misa stepped on stage, wading through the crowd. She held out her hand to the irate man, urging him silently to give her the sword.
“Yes, the sword is Heirloom graded!” The con artist repeated himself. Heirloom? Misa scanned the object again. She guessed they labeled its green aura as that.
“He’s lying!”
Lying? Misa swept her gaze across the crowd of merchants. Could they see the aura or was it just her Swarm? Several people erupted in accusations, while others murmured over how much of a fool she was for being tricked by the con artist. Or perhaps, they were gawking at the Host due to her sudden appearance. The one eyed man drew the blade from its sheath and grinned at her, clearly underestimating her.
“If you can slash this sword through iron, then you can be the one who should buy it!” He suddenly switched to an arrogant tone, sheathing it again. The ring bothered her ears, but the crowd of old men annoyed her more. “I need that money for my wife’s treatment!”
The conman held out the sheath and blade to her with a confident gaze, believing and judging by her dainty appearance that she couldn’t even hold the sword up in both her hands. Misa shrugged and accepted it. As soon as she touched the hilt, its energy seemed to connect with something inside the Host. How interesting, Misa noted. The Swarm immediately got to work, gathering data on the material of the odd weapon and siphoning the Wagner affected parts of the iron. A wave of gasps swept across the crowd. Disbelief? She wondered if the sword was something no ordinary mortal could interact with, but the green shimmering aura coating its edge suggested otherwise.
System sweep: Metals used in the construction of this… “weapon” or junk… appear to bear a striking resemblance in both chemical makeup and lattices to those of Group 8-10 of Earth (and its reality). The Swarm has indicated anomalous properties keeping the blade together, despite its crude appearance. Extraction may destroy the “Heirloom” in the process, although there is not enough components containing Wagner energy traces to begin creation of a new Swarm.
“I’ll take your test, but Black Wolf Company does not require this thing,” she told him.
On the contrary, the greedy con-artist was brimming with karma energy. Perhaps the Swarm could consume him and develop the new strain of Nanites? It appeared that everyone underestimated her, but soon a powerful servant of someone’s carried a giant slab of energized iron and slammed it on the table. Now that is what the Company needs, Misa eyed it emotionlessly as the crowd laughed at her. Having the Swarm absorb this metal will be able to create a new strain of nanites to handle the Wagner energy.
“Go on, Your Highness,” the one eyed man could not stop his sudden interest in her. “Let’s see how my Family’s Heirloom can do in a Princess’s hands.”
“Request opened. ID #000001 has been issued and confirmed,” Misa rambled. It was odd having the ID request count reset to 1, but in this world it was only natural. The blade’s energy was already being processed. It appeared that the new Swarm’s strain carried enough of the traces for the energy to work, though its effects were yet to be seen. She rose the sword above her head and delivered a powerful slash. The stone and iron erupted in dust, allowing her to be able to unleash her entire Swarm upon the heap of iron. The crowd gasped in awe at the sight of the aftermath.
The crater remaining revealed what Misa had done. Both the table and the iron were sliced perfectly in half, as well as the stage that the one eyed con artist had set his little shop on. It appeared that the new Nanites could not handle the energy entirely, going through several hundred thousand prototypes before being able to create a working model. That single model was able to revive the dead Nanites surrounding that quarantined energy inside her Host’s body like a dead moat of ants, allowing the Company to recoup some losses. The Host’s lifespan was recovering, but there was still a lot more work to do. That greater energy source gathered at the end of the city gates was on the move.
“It’s a cute toy,” she confirmed, handing it back to the shocked man. “Though this is not what Black Wolf Company needs. Move along.”
She waved him away.
“One thousand apologies, Your Highness!” The one eyed man suddenly blurted out. “Forgive my rudeness! I- I swear! I shall go on the straight and narrow from now on, Your Royal Highness!”
He fled the scene, just as more commotion broke out from the alleyway’s entrance. Even as he begged, his emotions scanned as a pure lie. It was no matter, as most of the iron’s magical energy was repurposed into the Swarm. Her fragile bones and other biological components were rapidly being replaced and updated by the nanomachines. There was no Company ethics board to stop her here, after all.
The Imperial Guard were calling out for her, shoving helpless merchants aside like grass stalks. Misa frowned. She was not used to being called a princess or having a name other than her designated product code name. In her previous mission she was just another corporate lapdog with a military background. Genxing scowled at her, though he observed the wreckage.
“Clear out,” he commanded the gawking merchants. Misa stood there, eyeing her interloper’s hologram. That underlying disgust aimed directly at her was indeed unauthorized, but his look suggested that he was loyal to someone else and felt like he was wasting his time. “Your Highness, if you run off so swiftly we cannot protect you!”
“Who taught you to speak to me like that?” Misa glared at him. “Come, I have other business to attend to.”
Genxing was clearly flustered, unable to conceal his rage and disbelief at the crater left in her wake.
“His Excellency has sent for you,” he replied wearily, but added with a warning threat. “The Sovereign Seal has requested your audience.”
Misa did not answer at first, but noted that the Wagner energy source was moving away from the city gates. Genxing’s obvious hostility towards her also hinted that he was lying. The one eyed man also seemingly still remained nearby, observing them. With stealth like that, Misa decided he could be used for something else. She gave out a perfectly imitated sigh, as if she was forced to, and gave her declaration.
“I refuse, guard. The Black Wolf Company will take care of things here,” she told him. “Get lost, or suffer the consequences.”
Genxing’s face paled and the two eyed each other, the tension of a fight starting to breakthrough.
•
A trail of dead bodies littered the temple steps, interspersed with massive fiery craters embedded in their once uniform and clean stone. The red haired woman marched her way to the last so-called priest of the Volcano Sect. The man was bound to a stake. He had his eyes gouged out by her capable followers, but if they were there they would show no fear.
“The Great One of Reverent Flame and Godlike Purity will show you no mercy,” was the last thing he said when he noticed her approach. There was not a single doubt in his voice. Disgusted, she rose her hand and slashed his head off. How could she be so weak that even the last of these demons still showed her no fear? Was clearing this territory out for herself all for nothing?
“Milady,” someone approached her. She turned only when she heard his knee hit the stone. “Your Highness, I bring news from the Third Princess’s soldiers.”
“Ah, my beloved Sister,” she twirled her bloody hand through a strand of her hair. Finally some decor in this miserable and hot mountain temple. It was then she noticed the grave look in the messenger’s face. “What is it?”
“She… She has been defeated,” the man spoke. Fear was evident in his eyes when he delivered the news. If it wasn’t for that, she would have killed him right there. The stone pillars of the temple began to crack and turn to lava as her fury built. She pulled herself out of her vengeful stupor for a moment. The Third Princess, her beloved toy Yue, destroyed the sixth and fifth Sisters. Those weaklings desired to challenge the Jade Ways and got what they deserved. Her young sister was a beautiful tool, able to strike and cull the lesser Princesses. The fourth Princess has been missing ever since the Heaven Pool moved in from here, which only meant that the one who remained that could defeat her was Jade himself. Her Father, while still possessing enough spiritual might to destroy even her eldest dear sister and her combined, was too weak in the heart. He would never harm his precious daughters. Unless…? She let out a laugh in disbelief.
“What?”
“Her wrist had been broken and her mortal attendants were murdered,” the messenger repeated the situation of what her beloved Yue went through. “She has called for your—“
“Who hurt my precious Sister?” The red haired girl’s eyes suddenly burst with flames and her veins became fiery. The messenger shrank, but did not flee despite his clothes beginning to burn.
“It was Lin who did it,” he told her. Despite the ridiculous claim, or before that strange reality could get its way into the Second Princess’s ears she strode by without a word. She only heard a name and not who it belonged to. Forget the Artifact here, she will avenge her sister!
“That bitch, that bastard creature, illegitimate daughter,” she stormed by, screaming to herself; her feet left a trail of new flames as she continued to curse that stupid Seventh Princess’s name. “No one hurts my cute sister and gets away with it!”