Val’s legs burned as she stepped up onto the rocky ledge. Barely large enough to fit her bulky exosuit, she was nonetheless happy to see the relatively flat outcropping. She slowly lowered herself until she was sitting down on the ledge. Val let out a sigh as she rested her back against the nearly vertical rock wall behind her, dangling her tired legs over the side. Noir was technically correct in calling this route a mountain pass, but this was no gentle trail up between the two peaks. It fell short of a true vertical climb, but the rather intense scramble over boulders and through gullies that still left her winded.

Although it was a clear night and the moonlight shone down brightly, she had been apprehensive about starting the climb through the pass at night. After all, there were still limits to human physiology that nano couldn’t circumvent, and Val’s vision remained restricted to the same range of light that humans had perceived for millenia.

However, Noir was not bound by the same limitations. They used the exosuit’s suite of sensors to take in a broader spectrum of wavelengths with greater sensitivity and mapped it to something that Val could easily understand. The end result was that the scene in her helmet display looked more like a heavily-overcast day than the middle of the night. Colors were still muted and washed out, but she could make out the shape of objects easily.

Val took in the view from high up on the mountainside as she regained her breath. After several hours of climbing, she found herself looking out over the entire valley. The pine trees that towered over her on the ground seemed much smaller from this distance as they blanketed the space between the mountains. She hummed in satisfaction to herself as her gaze swept over the landscape.

We’ve certainly made it further than I thought we would today.

Indeed, you’ve been doing very well. Look at everything we’ve accomplished so far.

Val blinked as Noir pushed another update to her display. A blue line snaked down the mountain from her current position into the treeline before winding its way through the forest to a small ridgeline over a dozen miles away. It took Val a moment to recognize that this was the path she had taken today. Multiple icons popped up along the path, and Val was surprised to see a small pop-up screen appear when she focused on one of the icons.

Encounter Summary

Enemies: 1 granite mole

Difficulty: F7 (estimated)

Time: 14 minutes, 36 seconds

Resolution: All enemies terminated

Performance: F5 (significantly below expected F2)

Val’s eyebrows raised in surprise as additional menus appeared offering more data about the encounter. Flipping through the information, she was amazed to see nearly every aspect of the fight tabulated. One screen showed a breakdown of which weapons she used, including things like how many shots she fired and how many were actually on target. Another screen showed her nano usage throughout the fight, including large dips where she activated Noir’s subroutines. There was even a host of data regarding the mole’s performance. Val quickly cycled through several other icons, each showing a different encounter from the day.

What is this, Noir?

Many of my Users end up taking relatively few but extremely high-risk missions. As a result, being able to grow as much as possible from every encounter was incredibly important. Over the years, I’ve developed background subroutines that document each fight in its entirety. With some tweaks to the interface, I hope this will be useful to you as well.

This is incredible, Noir! I certainly plan to make good use of this. Certainly beats all my training spreadsheets.

Val chuckled as she remembered the extensive set of programs she had commissioned from Talira in the run-up to User Selection. It had been worth it in the end, but the relatively manual data entry and limited analysis made those programs far inferior to what Noir was currently showing her. She spent the next twenty minutes poring over the encounter summaries, alternating between being pleased with her progress and cringing over how ineffective some of her strategies had been.

I knew that those weird electrified rodents were hard to hit, but really – I emptied over half a magazine into the pack and missed every single bullet? How accurate is this data?

Extremely accurate. I have the trajectories of every one of your shots if you’d like to check for yourself.

No, no, that’s ok, I trust you.

Val shuddered as she remembered that unpleasant encounter. The small rodents had looked fairly innocuous until they had suddenly swarmed her. While they had not been able to physically penetrate her exosuit, the electrical current running through their fur had been another story. Val had spent several agonizing minutes spasming on the ground before she could retaliate.

I blame lingering electrical shock for any loss of accuracy.

Actually, the primary reas–

Val was saved from further embarrassment when Noir cut off suddenly. She was about to ask about the sudden interruption when a flicker of blue light caught her eye. Her head snapped towards the south just in time to see a massive flash brighten the night sky before disappearing as suddenly as it appeared. Several seconds passed before a deep rumble reached Val’s ears, the accompanying shock wave causing small rocks on Val’s ledge to rattle.

What in Gaia’s name was that?

Nothing good. A massive surge of energy, but I’ve never felt anything like that before. Val was not reassured by the uncertainty in Noir’s tone. However, it seems to be centered on the outpost we escaped from yesterday.

Val licked her lips nervously. She was feeling stronger than ever, but just reviewing the data of how she struggled against basic nano-evolved wildlife did not make her feel confident about taking on Brawn and Brain again any time soon.

She carefully stood up on the ledge, turning to face the wall again. Craning her neck to look up at the mountain, she could see that it would be several more hours of climbing before she met the dip in the ridgeline that would take her into the next valley. Lips pursed in determination, Val started her slow climb again.

The sun was already starting to rise by the time Val pulled herself up onto the narrow ridgeline. Breathing heavily, she sat there for a moment straddling the thin divide between two valleys before sliding down the slope until she found a small alcove. Nestling into the nook, she reached up and disengaged her helmet with a hiss.

Pulling the helmet off her head, she took a deep breath in as the brisk breeze tousled her shoulder-length hair. At this altitude, the air was quite thin and Noir had kept the inside of her exosuit pressurized to combat the low concentration of oxygen. But after spending over 24 hours locked up in the armor, Val was happy to see and feel the world with her own senses.

She pulled a piece of jerky out from her belt and ripped a piece off with her teeth, slowly chewing through the tough material as she surveyed her surroundings. The sun’s rays were just starting to peek over the mountains behind her, illuminating the tops of the next set of peaks to the west. The valley between them remained dark, covered in a slight fog that would burn off soon but still lingered for the moment.

Sounds like the start of a bad metaphor. Peakpoint is somewhere over there in the light, but I have to make it through a valley of darkness first.

I’m glad to see that Noir’s new partner has some more cerebral tendencies for once.

Val nearly choked on the piece of jerky as a new voice intruded into her mind over the neural link. A violent cough dislodged the jerky from her windpipe as she bolted upright. Years of training took over as she slid her helmet over her head. The exosuit sealed shut with a click as she pulled out her knife and one of Noir’s needles.

Noir, what’s going on?

Val’s unease only increased when the Daemon remained silent. Instead, the new voice resounded through her mind again.

Oh, don’t worry, Noir is fine. But talking to you like this requires all of your available bandwidth, so they won’t be able to participate in our little chat. If it helps you, you can focus on this little projection of mine.

Val’s eyes were drawn to a boulder six feet away from her alcove where a figure flickered into existence. The figure’s features seemed to shift for a moment before resolving into a tall, thin man with pale skin and a mane of wild red hair. The man looked over at Val, causing her breath to catch in her throat as his piercing green eyes seemed to gaze straight through her.

Is… that you?

The man smiled and waved, but rather than opening his mouth, the conversation continued over the neural link.

Not really. This is simply a visual projection to give you something to focus on. I’ve noticed my dealings with humans are smoother if you are given some form of visual stimuli during our interactions.

Who or what ARE you?

Oh, forgive me for not introducing myself earlier. I’m the entity you know as Gaia.

Val’s jaw dropped as she stared at the ginger man. It was rumored that the Guildmasters had regular contact with the leading voice of the Daemon collective, but for the majority of the populace, Gaia was more of a legend than a real being. Of course, that meant that Val had no way of knowing whether this encounter was with the real Gaia or not, but it was hard to argue with something that could overpower her connection with Noir and could project such a realistic human figure into her vision.

Her eyes narrowed as she studied Gaia’s projection in closer detail. There seemed to be a hint of a smirk on the man’s face and a glint of mischief in his eyes. On the one hand, it seemed foolhardy to risk provoking the legendary Daemon, but she remembered how troublesome Noir had been at the start. Deciding to take the chance, she sent back a biting message to Gaia.

You’re enjoying scaring me like this, aren’t you?

The man’s smile grew wider as a deep sense of amusement trickled over the neural link.

Well, well, look at you! Perceptive, bold, and quick-thinking. I’m sure Noir will have their hands full with you, but I have high hopes for the two of you.

The projection hopped off the boulder and strolled towards Val, eventually stopping by her side before turning to peer out over the valley. Val made a show of turning to look at the landscape as well, but kept watching the projection out of the corner of her eye.

Normally, I wouldn’t reach out to a User so early in your career. But I felt that the circumstances required it in this case.

A shiver ran down Val’s spine. The playful mood of the conversation was completely gone now. Gaia’s tone was serious and clinical, and if Val had any doubts as to the Daemon’s identity, they were dispelled in an instant. There was a depth and gravity in their thoughts that far exceeded anything Val had felt from Rez or Noir before. She wasn’t speaking to just another Daemon now; no, this was the entity that had crafted and overseen the User-Daemon alliance for the past two centuries.

First, I want to thank you for looking after Noir. The role they play in the stability of the alliance cannot be understated, but it pained us all to watch Noir’s core programming become twisted and warped under the strain of terminating all those rogue Users. While Noir’s unique abilities may be the key to solving your own issues, it is my hope that you can also help rehabilitate them as well.

Val simply nodded, shifting her weight from foot to foot nervously. Mae and Rez had told her something similar before she became a User, but it felt different coming from Gaia directly.

Second, I want to apologize for the tenuous position you will find yourself in the near future. None of us expected the Unshackled to move against you with such ferocity, but now that they have exposed themselves, I suspect they will come for you again before long.

Heart racing, Val nodded again.

Who are they? The Unshackled?

The man’s face pinched tight in anger.

Parasites. A group of rogue Users and Daemons who only know how to take. They–

Gaia cut off suddenly. Their projection looked sharply to the south before flickering and vanishing. Val winced as pain flared up in her head before subsiding, leaving her with a pounding headache.

It seems my attention is needed elsewhere. I’ve left another data dump for Noir that should help you get back to Peakpoint. While I approve of your impromptu training session, you are out of time. There are forces in the region that you are not yet prepared to face.

Good luck, Valriya Peakcour. Get to safety, surround yourself with allies, and keep growing your own strength. You’ll need it soon enough.

With that ominous message, Val felt Gaia’s presence retreat from the neural link. A moment later, a familiar sensation reached out to her mind once more.

Noir?

Yes, I’m here. Sorry about that, Gaia didn’t give me much warning.

Val sat down heavily, letting out a sigh of relief.

Never thought I’d say this, but I’m extremely glad to have you back.

Likewise. Having my connection to you hijacked like that is an incredibly uncomfortable experience.

Val frowned. You OK? I didn’t realize that would suck for you as well.

Oh yes, I’ll be fine. At least it’s happened to me before. I’m more surprised at how well you seem to be holding up. Meeting Gaia for the first time is disconcerting for most Users, let alone one week into the job.

Disconcerting? Yes, that’s a good way to describe it.

Val shuddered again. Now that Gaia was gone, Val realized there was a certain creepiness underpinning the entire interaction. The utter disregard for both her and Noir’s privacy, the ability to reach into her mind and alter her reality on a whim… It was the sort of power that would almost certainly corrupt a human completely. Val could only hope that the same was not true for a Daemon.

She wasn’t sure what was worse, though: the fact that Gaia held that sort of power over Val and Noir, or that there was something big enough going on that even Gaia was caught off-guard.

How bad are things when the world’s most powerful Daemon can’t even split off a subroutine to talk to one Defect for more than two minutes?

I don’t think you really want me to answer that.

Val grimaced as she shook her head. No, she definitely did not want the answer to that. Especially considering how she had somehow found herself in the middle of this mess. She tilted her head back, staring up into the slowly brightening sky. She suddenly found herself thinking of her parents. Suppressed emotions came bubbling up from deep within her.

Is this what it felt like before the world turned against you, Mom, Dad? Were you also trapped in something so much bigger than you that it just crushed you with no regard for your lives?

Val blinked rapidly, trying to clear the tears she felt welling up in her eyes. One solitary tear escaped, rolling down her left cheek. She brought a hand up to wipe it away, but her glove clanged noisily into her exosuit’s helmet. She chuckled humorlessly as she took off her helmet, wiping her cheek before sealing herself back in her armor.

It seems the suit’s sprung a leak, Noir. We might have to get that checked out.

The Daemon was uncharacteristically quiet before responding.

Yes, it appears we have. I’m sorry, Val.

Val clicked her tongue as she stood up, slowly starting to go through her routine of checking her weapons and supplies.

Don’t go soft on me now just because you see a pretty girl shed a few tears.

Alright, fine. You’re an ugly crier anyway. If this is going to be a trend, I’m going to have to come up with some way to clear the tears away without helmet removal.

Val froze for a moment before bursting out laughing. She shook her head ruefully as she stepped out of the alcove.

OK, maybe try to find the middle ground there. Although some way to clear my vision without removing my helmet does actually sound like a useful feature. But enough procrastinating. Can you plot a course back to Peakpoint?

Let’s check the new data dump Gaia gave us… ah, yes, this should work well. Given the urgency, I’ll try to steer us around all possible encounters.

Thanks, Noir. Alright, let’s go home.