~Inganock's 2nd Year, Unknown Season. Abandoned District~
Inganock's 10th tier.
Its current name in the city is the "abandoned district". Back in the early days of the arcology project, the city consisted of a series of housing units as well as other tiers. As was the usual case with large numbers, there were also production areas that supported the city. It was said that reconstruction work by ambitious companies in the upper and 1st tiers would only be considered for areas away from the Critters and large Monsters. For the most part, it was a dustbowl of trash, ruins, and rotting corpses. It was also a place for those with short life expectancies due to the infiltration of essential organs that were mutated into fantasy forms, and of the sick and injured who were a burden and thus abandoned by the corporate capital and family. It was a literal trash dump. A dumpsite. It was even forgotten by people from the other tiers, especially if they were drowning in drugs or alcohol. For those that threw away what little silver coins they had, hitting off on the drugs and immersing themselves in simsense and dream of unprecedented happiness, not having to recall such things and live on without them. Those who recall them and shed tears for them die early and still, more are dying. This was the 10th tier. An "abandoned district" where even the toughest Ogre didn't dare to step foot in.
But...
10th tier's R district. There were people in other tiers, breathing quietly between the rubble, with a few shivering and glaring street urchins, and human-like creatures dying here and there. In the city of Inganock, where many people have mutated into fantasies, there were four kinds of people of a rare assortment who relatively kept their human shape. One was almost completely transformed into an insect human of a Shelob barring his two human arms. The other three were human. There was a man, a pale-faced man that looked to be nearly human. The other was a female, a girl with some parts of the body changed into a black cat. The last one had told her that she was being a little puss, causing her to ruffle her tail and bare her fangs but it lessened as they made their way through the rubble of R district.
And the last one was a female. A Runner. She wasn't like the fresh new one that is the black cat girl, but rather she could be called a veteran who has been doing Runner-based stuff with a mortality rate of 100% for almost a year. Being in the Runner business was tough, with encounters against tough large Monsters and even Critters. Even if she had lived for almost a year, that was more than enough to call her a veteran. The earliest Runner works would later be called the "Great Suicide" in Inganock's 10 years of history as a prestige equivalent to suicide, but that can be left aside for now. In any case, the woman was Oona. Oona the Runner. A woman who was almost entirely human discarded her human arms and changed them to "Crack Engines that can talk" with defined scars on almost human beautiful skin. Oona was in a position to lead the other three. She asked the one with the pale face, Gii, to guide her to this place, setting foot in the abandoned district where no one enters.
"What a terrible place."
"Everywhere used to be like this."
"That's right. But you know, it's not every day where you see a whole tier abandoned like this."
Oona lightly shrugged her shoulders and slips through the rubble. Gii himself was familiar with it as he was the guide. Though he had no experience of being a Runner or in martial arts, he could keep on walking without staggering. On the other hand, it seemed that the little one, the black cat that sticks close to him and doesn't leave his side, wasn't doing so good. She would occasionally bump or rub her large, mutated hands and tail against the corners of the rubble. It was dangerous for her. It seems the majority of her body was left with a mutated form. If she were to implant Crack Engines that can accelerate her nerve system, she could perhaps become more agile than a cat and become accustomed to her body but Oona wondered if she should say it to her. This black cat who was imitating a Runner was a little girl named Ati, and though the mortality rate has gone down for Runners, she was still too gentle to do full-time business as one. Could she really be away from the man she loves? She would surely die instantly. The null man would die. Oona wouldn't want to support such a dangerous person, and thus she kept to herself...
"Ati. I think it's best to quit with that front you're having. There are still Monsters here. If we encounter a large Cockatrice, you'll instantly be a stiff rock."
Maybe she just cared about them. It was like she was looking after a past self of her, of which Oona would rather not have such an uneasy feeling about. More rather, the black cat was simply following her even though she refused to carry around such extra luggage. Oona had told Gii that Duke, who was an all-friendly Shelob wouldn't bother him while the little girl, who was doing too much beyond her own ability would be a hindrance but Gii's response to her was simply "I'll go with anyone that comes with me". Surprisingly, he said this to both Oona and Ati, the little one, who were both "hindrances", and simply had little interest in anything. The same goes for money and woman. The man perhaps only one single interest in mind: the victim's treatment.
"What insane madness. This guy's losing as much as he has any."
"Quiet, you." She puffed her tail, which made her look cute.
"Don't get me started on the whole cat reaction thing here. It'll cloud your judgment."
"Q-quiet! I don't care if you're the Monochrome Assassin."
"Look's like you don't wanna hear a story from an older woman. Hey, Gii?"
"Yes?" Were they not interested?
"H-hey, Gii." What a poor fellow.
"...we're almost there. It's around here somewhere."
The Wandering Doctor. The insane and "strange one", Gii, told them. Around here? They learned from a few street urchins (unsurprisingly they were Gii's "patients" and of course, they didn't have money to pay him) that barely lived in a place where rubble collapsed relatively quietly that a man recently lived there. According to them, the man came from the upper tiers and was with a child who had mutated into a failed insect.
And...
"What is this?"
"A grave."
There was no sign of the "man" Oona was looking for.
Only a fresh new "something buried" was here.
Here was the girl who was mutated with her proboscis closed. A little girl. A child. As with any insects, they die as soon as they transform from a pupa to an imago. And judging by the girl's mutation, she only had a few weeks to live. This wasn't an unusual case. The city's unique "fantastical disease" transforms people into mutated forms, distorting them in ways it did not care what. There were stories told of a child's brain going haywire from their head mutating into an insect, and their nerves burning out after killing 10 people, 4 of them being family members. Still, it wasn't that unusual. Even still, Oona lit a cigarette and let out a mean smoke from her chest.
"...A shame. An unfortunate story of a child's death."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
"What, did you come to see the kid pass away or something?"
"Yes..."
"You're insane."
"I get told that a lot."
It was a small gravesite unremarkably shaped from pieces of rubble.
From Gii's profile, his tone and expression couldn't be read overlooking the gravesite with the Seikyouan-style cross.
What was he thinking? What did he want to say? She did not know.
But Oona did think of something as she smoked.
...this man is insane. Completely insane from all of this.
...and this little kitten is being so close to such a man.
The black cat snuggled close to the Wandering Doctor.
Ah, Oona thought. No matter if he lives or dies, this man will be insane.
And this girl. A girl with such an easy-to-understand face will not last here in Inganock.
What she felt up to this point made her convinced that she'll die instantly.
They were useless. The girl likely did not know what part of Fantasy City they're in.
It was likely because of this man, someone she was close to. A place for her to lean onto, someone who she can snuggle up to.
Even if the other person didn't feel anything, she kept leaning onto him, snuggling and dreaming about them.
...you'll die very quick, black cat.
...you'll die in the worst way possible. Crying and dying.
Sighing in her smoke, Oona wore her hat deeply.
That black cat's face. She has seen it...
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~Inganock's 2nd Year, Unknown Season. Information Space~
...Tick Tock.
...Tick Tock.
Hehe. Good. Good. Everything is all good.
The second hand embedded in me. Everything, everything is on time.
First, I had you kill that hindrance, Dragon.
It was amazing. Well, it was to be expected from "that child's" power.
But that will be the last time. I won't let "that child" get her turn anymore.
You've already been used to kill even Dragon!
Yes, yes, that abomination that is our King, Critter Dragon!
He's gotten in the way!
I no longer like this place!
Killing humans in this city...there's no point to it now!
Well, no longer. Dragon is no longer around. You've killed him properly for me, too.
But...
That's right. Even after Dragon, things have been going well.
So what about the 8th tier? I could care less about there.
Now the 10th tier...
I showed you the death you could have protected.
It must have caused you so, so much pain.
Yes. Poor little Crack Chrome!
As a guardian of the city, you devoted even your noble heart to becoming a prototype Upper Tier Soldier.
But don't you know?
The many, mass-produced Upper Tier Soldiers are different from you.
They are trash who can't perform even 1/36th of your ability.
Noble or not, every single one of them is just lumps of iron and flesh.
Hey, Chrome. Oh, high noble Crack Chrome.
How hard was it for you, about the death of the one you could have protected?
You don't possess any lacrimal glands anymore, yet could you feel the tears flow from them?
How do you feel?
Maybe you don't know, but how about the humans?
Hey, Chrome.
Oh, gentle Crack Chrome.
How much did your heart shake?
When that Shelob of a little girl died...?
When you look at the child who was weak and dying.
When you stared at the child shivering and gasping for air.
What did you think?
Hey. Hey, will you tell me?
What was I doing?
Did you ever really think about that?
Yes. Yes, that's right. It's alright. It was your previous and noble heart that has gotten you in the way.
But you have to understand that you should cast aside your attachment to this city.
I will save you.
You can be saved by me.
Only me.
Only Critter Marionette can save you.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
[Underground Large Engine records]
[Special class 1 confidential information/Great Duke's confidentials]
Critter Marionette
A Critter that manipulates all living things. A thread user. A living puppet.
It was a ball-jointed doll in the form of a good-looking girl.
It was one size shorter than an adult male (about the size of a human girl).
But in battle, it becomes a distorted multi-armed humanoid larger than a human.
They can potentially manipulate any living being through their nerves/inanimate objects.
Its intelligence is about the same as Critter Bandersnatch at this moment. This was due to connecting a part of the Underground Large Engine and secretly continuous ultra-advanced calculations that resulted in obtaining an ego to ask itself. They lamented their situation of the fact they appeared in response to the Kikai, deciding for itself to rebel against Critter Dragon who wanted to maintain the status quo despite being the King of Critters.
Size: Medium size A~B (human size)
Threat level: Medium (extremely high depending on the manipulated target)
Ability: Nullification of attacks based on laws of physics (physical destructive force will not work, basically)
--Voice of Panic
--Coercion (Manipulation of the nerves and the like)
--Transformation (It can change into a form with combat power akin to a large Monster)
--Blessing (A blessing by means of the Original Existence? Or the Time Man?)
Weakness: Ultra-heat
Additional information 1:
It defeated Dragon by manipulating the prototype Upper Tier Soldier. Destruction completed.
Additional information 2:
It continued to manipulate the prototype Upper Tier Soldier,
assisting his escape from the Crack Engine Bureau.
Additional information 3:
It used him to murder one of the 8th tier's influential figures and to commit other murders.
Additional information 4:
With the prototype Upper Tier Soldier, it escapes to information space.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Trapped in countless threads was the Street Knight.
This is you. Oh how I love you, my Crack Chrome.
In the sea of your heart, I will snuggle to you.
Forever.
I will be with you forever.
I will be with you. Me, not "that girl" behind you.
The time. Time. The time is near.
My time. The time that I so desire.
"My desired 'time'."
...and with that hand, you will kill Lemure Lemure.
Your heart is mine.
That is exactly what you are going to do. You will kill that thing.
The sound of the gifted clock echos. Tick tock. Tick tock.
Yes, yes, you will be worn out like metal.
That's alright.
With me here, it will be enough.
Right now, I will show you your "path" to freedom.
"You don't have to do anything else."
There's nothing for you to do in this city anymore.
You kill things in order to protect others, yes?
But you see. You cannot protect anyone, can you?
That is why you will ascend the Golden Spiral Staircase.
You will kill Lemure Lemure.
In such a city like this, you will be saved.
That is my love to you.
In this city where he and everyone are in pain and suffering, I will save you.
...only me.
...only because I love you.
(To be continued)
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