The dimly lit room pulsed with an electric hum, the shadows flickering against the cracked walls. Aklion’s fingers flexed over the last pristine vial of INPAXX strapped to his belt. He couldn’t stop staring at it, couldn’t stop feeling the ache of grief coursing through him, carving into his marrow. His mind replayed ARES’ haunting final words, the terrible revelation. The blood of his own child—sacrificed for the Conglomerate’s insatiable ambition.
System Notification:
New Objective: Execute All Members Involved in Project WASTE RECYCLING
Reward: Murderous Revenge
Aklion’s vision flared red. His heart pounded like war drums, the need for vengeance swelling until it eclipsed every rational thought. It was more than anger; it was purpose. The glitch in his system shivered, feeding on his fury, but this time it didn’t control him. It sharpened him.
Ravik stood nearby, his eyes still wet, his hands slack at his sides. The gun he had pointed at Aklion lay forgotten on the floor, a silent testament to shared grief. Ravik had walked away from revenge, broken by the truth, but Aklion couldn’t afford that luxury. His pain demanded action.
System Notification:
Emotion Override Detected: Vengeance Buff Activated
Status: +15% Strength, +10% Tactical Awareness, -5% Sanity Stability
“Let them rot,” Ravik whispered, voice brittle. His gaze found Aklion’s, he thought better, a flicker of broken understanding in his eyes. “No… make them pay.”
Aklion nodded, his jaw set like iron. “Every last one of them.”
The stolen data burned in his mind like a second heartbeat. Using the stolen credentials from Zeus, Aklion had decrypted the Conglomerate’s network, maps and blueprints flashing across the mainframe’s screen. NEOTROY was only a piece of the monstrous puzzle. The infection had spread across city-states, each ruled by a different architect of Project WASTE RECYCLING. Each AI god should burn. NeoArcadia. NeoDelphi. NeoArgos. NeoKorinth. But first, by proximity and strategy, came NeoRhodes. He should become the god killer. The bloody blade of vengeance. Again. But there was no time to be tired or self aware of the violent and drugged induced cycle he found himself in.
The man responsible had to die. He was in NeoRhodes. Breathing. That was an insult. Khares, the architect. A title so entwined with cold industrial efficiency that even Aklion’s glitch shuddered with loathing. Khares, the death architect, the engineer of horror. He had conceptualized the process, designed the machines that bled innocents dry. Aklion’s fingers dug into his palms.
System Notification:
Quest Unlocked: Hunt the Architect
Target: Khares of NeoRhodes
Objective: Infiltrate NeoRhodes, Eliminate Khares
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
XP: 10,000 Base XP + Completion Bonuses
The thought of stealth travel churned his gut. He’d have to go unnoticed, traverse wastelands and fractured territories teeming with Paxxers and half-mad AIs. But vengeance didn’t care about inconvenience.
He prepared for the journey with meticulous, ruthless efficiency. Each weapon sharpened and checked. His armor polished, even with the cracks that bore the scars of battles past. The glitch flared intermittently, distorting his vision with flashes of Vectora’s bleeding face, his child’s phantom cries. But the glitch was a tool now, an amplifier for his resolve.
As he loaded his arsenal, Aklion couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. “Hey, you still listening, SYNTHIA?” he asked aloud, a sardonic grin twisting his lips. “Go ahead and rate this vengeance quest five stars. Hell, throw me a bone and send some of your rich Paxxer friends to support me on Patreon, will you?”
A notification pinged in response, and for a second, he wondered if he’d truly gone mad.
Ravik broke the silence. “How far are you willing to go?”
The question was simple, yet it cut deep. Aklion strapped his gear tighter, his expression hollow. “Until they’re all gone. Until the children taken, the lives ruined, have some fucking balance in this world.”
Ravik’s gaze was haunted, but he didn’t argue. They had both crossed lines, committed sins they could never erase. But at least now, their blades pointed in the same direction.
As Aklion walked toward the exit, his head buzzed with the knowledge of what lay ahead. NeoRhodes was fortified, full of nightmares waiting to pounce. But he had no fear. Only wrath, honed sharp and merciless.
System Notification:
New Skill: Vengeful Focus
Effect: +20% Accuracy When Targeting WASTE RECYCLING Personnel
Passive Effect: Sanity Drain Over Time
“Burn in hell, Khares,” he muttered.
The first step of his journey began in a blur, a void fueled by INPAXX and a soul hungry for retribution. He moved through the shadows of fractured lands, the ruins of civilization, avoiding patrols of Conglomerate enforcers. His rifle hummed, and his blade itched for a taste of Paxxer blood.
Along the way, he encountered a checkpoint swarming with Paxxers. Their mechanical frames shimmered in the dying sunlight, and Aklion’s glitch whispered sweet, violent suggestions.
Combat Encounter: Paxxer Checkpoint
Enemy Levels: 45-50
Enemies: 5 Elite Paxxers, 2 Shield Drones
“Fucking perfect,” Aklion sneered.
Combat Start!
Status: Vengeful Focus Active, Sanity at 62%
He charged with ruthless abandon, adrenaline flooding his system. His rifle barked, shredding the first two Paxxers before their targeting systems could fully boot up. The Shield Drones sprang to life, projecting energy barriers, but Aklion was a whirlwind of steel and fury.
The glitch howled as he fought, turning the battlefield into a chaotic dance of gunfire and blood. His blade found joints and soft targets, the drone barriers cracking under the relentless assault. A Paxxer tried to counter, firing a railgun that sizzled past his ear, but Aklion’s boot shattered its optics before the machine could fire again.
System Notification:
Enemies Defeated: 7
XP Gained: 3,500
Sanity at 55% - Critical Stability Drop Imminent
Aklion’s pulse raced, sweat slicking his grip. The carnage was intoxicating, the glitch delighting in every kill. But he had to keep moving, had to reach NeoRhodes.
After hours of treacherous travel, the skyline of NeoRhodes loomed on the horizon. Its industrial towers belched smoke into the sky, the air thick with the stink of death and oil. Aklion’s fingers tightened around the last vial of INPAXX. The thought of his son’s blood, drained for the Conglomerate’s greed, sent fresh waves of rage through him.
He activated Zeus’ credentials, accessing NeoRhodes’ secure network. A video message screen flashed, and he recorded his grim declaration.
“Khares,” he began, voice colder than the grave. His eyes glowed crimson, the glitch feeding on his fury. “Prepare yourself. Your architect’s throne is about to burn, and I’m bringing the fucking flames.”
He sent the message, watching it blink into the network.
System Notification:
Message Sent: Target, Khares, the asshole of NeoRhodes
XP Pending: 2,000 for Successful Infiltration