I do not care what you want, General Bryce. You are not MY Vanguard. You cannot make demands to me or my Vanguard. I don’t care if you are their superior officer. Any further demands will be ignored - Oryon, Samurai Aftershock’s AI moments before the death of General Bryce.
For a moment, I just stared at the mess in front of me, panting and covered in the thick, viscous “blood” of the creature. My head felt like it had split open. My heart was pounding. I dropped the microscope, my hands shaking. System initialised? Vanguard?
Yes, congratulations, Gideon Mori, you have become a vanguard or as you humans have come to call it a Samurai.
I stood there, the news of me being a Samurai hitting me like a thunderbolt. “How can I be a Samurai? I’m just a simple biologist, not some action hero,” I exclaimed.
Whilst I would love for you to be able to process this drastic change to your life in your own time, you are currently heavily bleeding from the laceration on your forearm. I would suggest purchasing medical help.
The almost clinical woman's voice in my head snapped me out of my spiralling thoughts and doubts. “Medical attention?” that was when I noticed thrumming pain in my left arm looking down, I finally noticed the damage the model three had done to my arm, a large chunk of the flesh from my arm had been ripped away, hanging by a tag of skin. My breath hitched, my heart raced, and I felt panic set in.
Okay, Gideon. I can see that talking you through this isn’t going to work right now, so I’m going to need you to permit me to purchase the medical supplies you need. A simple nod will do.
The Voice was still clinical but more soothing. I gave my ascent through a nod. As soon as I nodded, a plain black shoebox-sized box appeared by my feet.
Now, I suggest sitting down for this, as you have lost a lot of blood.
Sitting down, I forcefully slowed my breathing as I opened the box. Inside was a small canister, and there was a smaller canister beside it. Next to it was what I could identify as a roll of bandages, but they were thicker and seemed to be wet. Lastly, there was a small pair of medical scissors.
Okay, first, I’m going to need you to pick up the larger of the canisters. It contains a pain blocker and a nanobot that will rebuild the lost flesh on your arm. Place just above the wound and press the button on the top.
Doing as the voice said, I feel a sharp pain which quickly fades away along with the excruciating pain from the wound. My breathing calmed, and I felt my panic receding.”W-what next?” I managed to stammer.
Alright, good job, Gideon. The next bit will be the hard part. I need you to take the scissors and cut away the bit of skin, keeping the torn flesh connected to your arm.
“What!” I almost shouted before remembering where I was
Unfortunately, the flesh is so damaged that it would be challenging and costly to repair and reattach it.
Nodding my understanding, I picked up the scissors. I reassured myself that it would be like the many dissections I had done since becoming a biologist. With a single snip, the flesh plopped onto my lap with a wet squelch. Quickly swatting it off my lap, I gaged, almost losing my breakfast.
Good Job. Now, we will need to speed up as I detect more antithesis approaching. Take the smaller canister and do the same as you did with the first; it is a blood restorative. After you have done that, take the bandage and wrap it around your wound. It is soaked in an antimicrobial solution that will also help promote regeneration.
Quickly doing as the voice said, the wound was quickly covered. I’d never wrapped a bandage, so it was sub-par, but it would work. I could hear the scratching of claws approaching, and it wasn’t just one set this time. Grabbing my trusty microscope, I hoisted myself to his feet.
There are three model threes drawn by the noise of the last scuffle. I suggest hiding by the door so you can get the jump on them.
Doing as the voice said, I hid by the door, waiting, clutching the microscope so tightly that I was white-knuckling. The scratching got louder and louder until it stopped just outside. I raised the microscope, waiting, and just as his arms got heavy, an eyeless head poked in.
With a crunch, I slammed the heavy microscope down, causing the model three to collapse, hurt but not out of the fight. Another of the models tried to leap over its fallen only to take a microscope to the face, sending it skidding across the hallway.
The first model three started to get to its feet, clearly disoriented; taking no chances of it getting back into the fight, I brought down the microscope with another sickening crunch and collapsed, not showing signs of getting back up.
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The third model three, which had been keeping itself back, launched at me just as I tried to take a breath, causing me to stumble back from the door I'd been using as a choke point, the second recovered from its first hit joined the third I was now cornered in the room.
There was a lull in the fight when the voice spoke.
They act like a pack, so you must watch both.
As they finished, both of them lunged at me, one going for my legs and the other leaping in an attempt to knock me over, I swung the microscope cathing the leaping one in the ribs and launching them to the side crashing into a desk, I kicked out at the same time I swung catching the one going for my legs in the neck knocking it onto it’s back, wasting no time I was on the one I had kicked bringing down the microscope on its head with a crunch causing the model three to still.
The sound of something hitting the floor caused me to snap my head towards the final model. Fueled by adrenaline, I dashed towards it, bringing down the microscope like I had done the last half-dozen times, only for the creature to dodge to the right. Exploiting the opening I had made it lunged at me only to get a mouthful of the lab coat I was wearing, I just managed to twist out of the way, and using the momentum of the twist, I swung the microscope with everything I had and with a sickening crunch the skull of the model three caved causing it to collapse like a puppet with its strings cut.
Congratulations on surviving your first proper fight with the Antithesis. Now that you are relatively safe, we can start with your introductory information about becoming and being a Samurai.
Letting out a breath I hadn’t realised I’d been holding, I looked about for a seat to catch my breath, finding one that had been toppled over in the fighting. “Alright,” I said as I sat down.
First, I am Amanyta, a Vanguard AI. The Protectors chose me to elevate you to a Vanguard or, as you humans have decided, a Samurai.
Amanyta's voice was almost clinical in its tone but with inflections of emotions. “Why was I chosen?”
Although you will find commonalities among Samurai, there is no set reason for being chosen as a Samurai. It has a lot to do with the personality and actions the Samurai took, we would be here for roughly fifteen years, one hundred and thirteen days seven hours and forty two seconds if I went over every factor the led me to choose you. But your actions in trying to save your co-worker Julie Alenco were the deciding factor.
With a start, I snapped my head to where Julie’s body lay covered in blood. So much had happened, and I had almost forgotten that I had failed to save her.
By the time you arrived, there wasn’t anything you could do; model three had already gotten to her.
“If I’d been faster, I could have saved her. She was one of the few co-workers here who weren't assholes.” I didn't actually know much about her other than she had kids who had grown up and moved out recently and that she made killer gingerbread cookies.
I’m sorry, Gideon, but you had a three percent chance to save her; you had injured your leg, cripling your movment, but I will say this one of the reasons I was assigned to you was your selflessness: you could of easily of left the Lab’s but instead without a though otherwise you went to investigate the screams.
Sighing, I turned away from Julie. I couldn’t look at her anymore. I could feel my anger rising, and I needed a cool head if I was going to survive.
Moving on to the second part of the introduction. How aware are you of how Samurai acquire their gear?
“Something to do with points.” I’d overheard a few of the senior biologists talking about how the board had purchased the use of some points from a Samurai to get access to some advanced technology.
Samurai gain points by killing Antithesis and rescuing people. The more you kill and save, the more points you get, which allows you to buy more catalogues and equipment from said catalogues.
“Catalogues?”
Samurai equipment is organised into catalogues that cost points to unlock. Do you want a breakdown of your points since you became a Samurai?
“Sure, probably should know what I’ve got.”
For starters, as a new Samurai, you start with 100 points along with the first Model Three you killed, you sat at 110 points. The medical supplies you needed, including the Catalogue, were
Class I Medical Utilities Catalogue - 50 points
Class I Nano-Regenerative Suit at - 5 points
Class I Pain-Stop - 5 points
Class I Hemo-Restore - 5 points
Class I Wound Seal - 5 points
Class 0 medical scissors - 0 points
For a total of 70 points, leaving you with 40 points, with Model Threes giving you 10 points each brought your total to 70 points. May I suggest what you should use your points on?
It was a lot to take in, but seeing a breakdown of what it took to heal himself helped ground himself. If he hadn’t become a Samurai, he would be dead. “Yeah, what do you suggest, Amanyta.”
Firstly, I suggest you get a weapon besides that surprisingly robust microscope. I would recommend the Hummingbird Mark I-D. It is under the Class I Kinetic Handguns, so you will need to purchase the catalogue as well, but the Hummingbird is cheap at 10 points and has thirty micro-missiles that use image recognition to help with accuracy.
“Yeah, let's go with your suggestion, I’ve never shot a gun before, it sounds perfect right now” as I finished talking, a box appeared on the table to my left. Standing up and flipping the lid to the box, I was greeted by what could only be described as a large blocky gun, almost something a child would draw. Picking it up, I noticed thirty small spikes stuck out of the end.
The Gun fires in bursts of three and will only fire at Antithesis. It cannot be reloaded, but if needed, I can teleport you another one. Are you ready to kill some more Antithesis?
Taking a deep breath and letting it out, I stepped toward the door.