Chapter 8

Night after night, I keep getting nightmares that drowned me in sorrow and agony until I have suicidal thoughts but every time i`m thinking of it her face comes to my view. Okaa-san smiles and cheerfulness that she showered me every time i`m down even if I know that behind those smiles are tears every night. All this thoughts of her keeps me from the edge. And now that I was given a second chance to live, I promise to myself that I will be strong and move forward but the memories of that dreadful event still lingers in the shadows, waiting for a chance.

----------

The smell of disinfectant and medicine lingers on my nose as I woke up from my nightmare. I observed around to confirm where i`m at right now. And all the white things and equipment like from the hospital are around me, wait I know that I fainted and maybe force log out but to have a setting like i`m on coma, really?!

Before I even sit up on my bed the door opened and a doctor-san and two nurse onee-san comes to my view. Doctor-san asked me questions about what do I feel, how`s my head or something like what doctor usually ask while the two nurse onee-san have clipboards and checking my vital signs like heart pulse and the other machine around me.

When I asked doctor-san on how long I’ve been out he just said that it was almost half day already. I panic out and trying to find my chair to go back but doctor-san force me to rest as he inject something on my dextrous that makes me weak and sleepy but my anxiety just increase more because I might have another nightmare.

I keep fighting the sedative by my own sheer willpower to stay awake after they got out. I feel like i’m in a paranoia right now, cold sweat dropping and creepy feeling keeps me stay awake. This set up is like when I was in the hospital when I got into an accident with Okaa-san. I shrugged off the feeling but keep my composure and calmness.

Hours have pass but I’m not still sleepy but paranoid with blood shot eyes wide open and waiting for something to happen as my worries increase. Then doctor-san came again and some of the buff agents help me with my chair and dextrous as we moved out of the room and proceed to a place like where I get body scan or CAT scan I don’t know.

After series of test I was back again in my white room waiting for some officials from Neos. Right now I’ve been calculating how much time in Edean have pass and probably Leyla will nag me for what happened here. I pray for Minea for strength and help.

Right now i`m being interviewed but it`s more like being inquest as a captured agent from other country and the missing part are the table, that hanging light or table lamp and a dark room with glass. They asked several thing like what happened inside, what I did and other things concerning that single event. I explained to them what I did plus my hospital records that I remembered when I got hospitalize and my sudden mental breakdown or so.

I have some meeting to other doctors like psychiatrist and psychologist, i`m not that crazy or anything but that ink blot is annoying to talk like why would you ask a person what did they saw in that ink blot, it was just and ink blot you know but I didn’t stress this out because I might raise another flag that will delay me from being online for hours.

After that questioning I was discharge by the doctors that check me and per order of Neos, but I know that they find something interesting on what did I do, well I was also eager to see what happened to me. I was accompanied by Jean-san again and we have little talk about what happened to me as we ride back to my condo. The infirmary is also connected to their lab or something like where they research but I didn’t push more on this subject.

As we arrived I asked her for us to eat first because i`m feeling so empty which she agreed with. Many players come and go as usual but now it`s desolated except for the employee not that I didn’t mind but i`m so late for the event right now. After we arrived at my room Jean-san give some advice on playing game and real life which I take time to think.

As I got online I check first what on Edean happened to me. A notif came to my view that stating that swarm season is beginning so I didn’t read much and the next is what surprises me.

Magic jewel ‘metal’ has been fully absorb with the core[tr][tr]ResultAffinity metal 5%[table]

A long silence and I feel like cold wind blew to me as I stare what is the result and after I reread it for the nth time I closed it and lock my room and proceed to the guild to received my any mission or quest. Well mission is all about battle while quest or request is more on gathering or getting some stuff but I didn’t pay attention much on details. One of the attendant onee-san give me options from dungeon on the north to the wolves den down south, but she asked that I should have a team or party to start a mission on subjugation or I will not be allowed to go out because of the risk.

They really do care about their members` wellness in some extent so I agreed to her and find someone or a party already then Leyla puff out in front of me crying while hammering my head with her tiny hands. But I just ignored her and her cries that turns to nagging but I keep ignoring her. Then I found party that looks newbie but i`m certain they are not players coz none of them have blur or guide around them.

“Can I help you?”

They stared me anxiously, well it was a normal reaction if you’re asked by a big guy but the thing is i`m a clockwork.

“d-don’t worry about us we are just beginners and besides your quite popular among senior and junior members.”

He said as he wave his hand nervously, he`s a native human and his companions are female human archer, female elf shaman, and a bear-kin guy. From their team build is a fine one but still not a good for long run battle. Might be good party for some low risk just to get the feel.

“Do you guys’ have-“

“Guys I found what we can take now.”

I was cut short by a feminine voice that came to our area and from the looks of it she`s their party leader and a player. Tsk, I have to find other party now but maybe take this chance to have someone to talk or interact.

“Sorry I didn’t know that you already have someone with you.”

“Ohh the clockwork, finally I can see you up close now”

The dark elf girl moves towards them as she greeted me. i`m really quite popular not that it`s a bad thing but meh. She motioned a handshake as she properly introduce herself and her team.

“Hi i`m Chloe and this is my guide Byume---“

After pleasantries and name exchanges, Chloe-san became their leader after they left the eastern village known as Sedart. Their level is 15 while Chloe being the highest at 25 they also arrive yesterday night so they are just new here and when I asked them why do they have to leave their own villages they just said that this season will be their coming of the age test that quite hard if you ask me.

Well mostly the coming of age for each tribe is different except if you are born on the year where swarm season will arrive so kids that is born on this year will take their test 14 years from now but the catch is that they will be more skilful and stronger than the one that are not born on that year but they didn’t know anything more about this issue.

Well for the name they are Zeldy the on that I asked, Eirin his childhood friend and an archer, I smell romcom wait I don’t have nose, Fenella the elf shaman, and Slok the bear-kin. After some more chat about them Chloe-san presented me their mission and that is drone ant subjugation well i`m familiar with them so I just nodded and we all set out for the trip. I asked Chloe about the party system here even though I’ve already read it but still hard to understand.

The thing about party is that players have system while native have plate system which is if someone likes to join them or include them, the one being invited will present his/her plate and the inviter will connect their plate to them then release some mana to bond the two plate then a colour indicator will appear on their plate on the top right corner meaning you’re in a party and only the guild can see it and the party members so I do the process with Chloe-san.

As we get out of the south gate that is now fully guard unlike last time i`m here, we are now passing the scrapyard perimeter on the side and head towards the suspected cave of drone ants. Along the way, we have some skirmish with some ants but I didn’t do that much because I will just gonna eat the xp for sure. For xp distribution, players and natives have different aspect that is still unknown. Maybe they can grow faster than us.

Mostly Chloe-san just leave the ant barely alive as the others finished them off. While i`m just maiming them but Leyla is not participating because I still ignore her, but I have my reason though so even if I said it to her she will only rant and nag me more so, no.

As we arrived at the den or rather ant hole that is because I goes down ward I asked first Chloe-san if she got something like dungeon or cave escape item. Well she does have but it was expensive to buy so she doesn’t really have that many only two of it. I should have asked her this matter early on but no more crying on spilled milk. As Fenella-chan recasted her buffs as we dive down the ant cave.

Chloe-san have an explorer skill called dungeon mapping which is an exclusive skill for explorers and unlike other mapping this one auto update everything after being use on the same dungeon to see any changes and in higher level she said trap can be detected but only on big areas not pinpoint ones. I haven’t received any skills but that mapping will be available on my level 20 all I need is take a test. I didn’t really need one of that because I have sensor and scanner that act as a map and enemy indicator.

I keep using my scanner to have a better view and safer travel towards this cave, we didn’t really engage fights all the time because of the hive system this one has. I help on the navigation like where the enemies are or where should we turn and likes of that. We got some quick battle but not on a disadvantageous one coz I help on disabling the hive system.

While navigating around the ant cave, we take some quick rest and they eat, kinda out of place though so I drink fuel at my back but Leyla ignored me but Chloe-san asked if she could help me in which I agreed into. As we gotten deeper to the cave the ceiling also increase in height as well as the width of the corridors so I alert them to stay on guard.

I received tons of warnings on one of the bigger rooms that have lots of red dots meaning more powerful enemies are ahead of us. I relay this information to Chloe-san and we make some plans on things that we will do. Well i`m doing the tanking and Slok-kun while other are the rear guards being protected by Zeldy-kun. It might be a mini boss stage so we are on extra caution as we approached.

From what my scanners says to me, we are really on shits right now. A mini boss that is level 35 destroyer ant guard that has several siege ant that is higher than the ones that we fight they are even bigger than them there are also soldiers around maybe 20 or more. I quickly draw the agro of the enemies as Chloe and co. will help me from the back. I didn’t allow Slok-kun to engage on frontal because he might die also and they needed to survive but for us we can just revive.

Most siege attack were earth ball while i`m evading the claws of upgraded soldier ants while the others concentrate their attack on one ant killing them on a steady pace. While i`m running around keeping other ant and the mini boss from them, i`m calculating on how long still I get depleted if I reserved my mana energy. Once they have killed half of the soldiers and few siege around them, I regroup to them to cool down my body and have refuel coz even I didn’t know on how long can I run around and evade numerous times so I have to be careful.

As the enemies approached I take the agro again while Chloe-san begin to chant her AOE magic directed to the mini boss while the others are defending her. They were good for newbies so that birth on swarm season must be right. After she finished her chant a dark ball was summoned in the center of the ceiling and firing dark bolts around.

That dark ball firing dark bolt around the ants especially to the destroyer which shaved good points but Chloe-san can’t move, so it was a channelling magic. Because of this my work becomes much easier and the enemies quickly dealt with. Them shit happened as the mini boss change its target to Chloe-san as it rush towards them.

Crap, I should have hit it once in a while but I have to rush now so I used my mana energy as i`m on the run to help them even though a got some glace hit from other ants. Leyla and Byume are with them but the two can stop that big guy with pillar like forearms. I`m already on its tail as I hammer down one of its legs making it stumble missing a few inches from striking Chloe-san and Slok-kun whose defending her.

We retreated to the opposite side to prepare, lucky the two of them just received only minor gash on their body from the impact. There are still few ants but Fenella-chan, Zeldy-kun and Eirin-chan will take the other and while the three of us will attack the mini boss side by side. I leave Leyla and Byume with Zeldy-kun as they needed them the most. Leyla still not talking to me or anything.

I take out my giant axe to be my counter balance when i`m swinging my hammer around and also to do more damage. I`m not science buff or anything but if you keep experiencing things you might find something really interesting. As Chloe-san starts her magic again I begin my engagement with the destroyer while Slok-kun take out ants that stray away from Zeldy-kun and co.

I begin to exchange blows with the mini boss as I swing my hammer aiming for its legs and keep my momentum at its peak and keep following it`s flow from axe swing or kicks. Maiming the destroyer is my own task to do but being near this boss is also hard because it can trample me when i`m under its body that as hard as the worm I fought.

After I finished two out of six legs the others have cleared the rest of the minions and partake on maiming the mini boss as Chloe-chan keeps her chanting, she`s still not finish?! How long does it take, didn’t she have some sort for shortening chant or something.

Then after we severed one of its leg and maimed it by 3 legs it is now on 25% of its life. Then Chloe-san warned us to move out as a dark ball emerged at the top of the mini boss.

“Gravity carnage”

The small dark ball quickly expand that is big as the mini boss and it`s starts to descend to the ant smashing it`s body down the ground. My heart keeps breaking as I stared at the parts being destroyed that can be sold and also I haven’t vent out my rage from earlier event. That skill also sucks all the life force the mini boss have and only leave the deflated body.

While they are cheering for Chloe-san and celebrating, i`m on salvaging the head and arm part that is not so damage. The head part is as big as my body while the arms is twice bigger than me and I found the a magic core that shouldn’t be there because I have fought many times but I didn’t see magic core on the mobs I have killed on my early days.

After I stored the head on my box and saw my notifications that I levelled up and battle bonus stats. I suggest that we should stop for now which they agreed with besides our mission is just take a proof of subjugation mission and that is the core of the mini boss.

On our way back we do still encounter several drone but it was relatively easier now because the newbie levelled up like me. But thing really didn’t go smoothly as I detect a threat that approaching towards us just before the exit.

Damn this luck, another mini boss but now it wasn’t power base but movement. I didn’t have several minion like the one earlier but it got good minion that range from 20-25 level. This mini boss might be a sweeper if the intruders aren’t killed and retreating back.

Chloe-san and Fenella-chan can`t keep up with the speed of the new enemies while us melee keep on defending them.

“I got a plan but I have to stay a bit longer for all of you to escape”

I said as I repelled a claw aim on my head by the new mini boss. It wasn’t humongous but on a size of an elephant but it was too fast for us.

“What are you saying Raiser we are in this together remember we are a team.”

“Don’t you get it, if this fight drags on reinforcement will come from all the hole in and out also we can’t use that escape thing you have because of its retched condition so just comply.”

That escape rope have a condition that we need to stay on non-battle pace at least 20 minutes but time to time ants come inside the mini boss room disturbing the countdown.

“We can make a plan without leaving anyone here so don’t say that.”

She`s really desperate to keep us all alive but Chloe-san forgot that i`m also a player but the death penalty is high. But I didn’t have any choice either. As I dodge another attack and do a counter giving us a brief time, I quickly scoop the girls off their feet and run towards the exit but my sensor warned me that the mini boss is on our tails so I toss them towards Zeldy-kun and Slok-kun whose in front on me when I give them I nod before I sweep the girls.

As the two catches the girls I got hit on my right arm giving me 20% damaged and destroying my arm. Fuck this mini boss and this ant hell. I swear to destroy this cave when I come back here.

I remove myself from the wall I get planted with after receiving the hit then Leyla approached me.

“What on Edean are you doing!? Are you trying yourself get killed?”

She`s bet red face and flapping her wings rapidly but I shrugs her as I grabbed her gently as I toss her also outside.

“YOU STUPID METAL HEAD!!!”

I don’t have much time to explain things to her also i`m in danger right now coz another claw is coming on my sight. I block it with my broke arm as a shield but removing it from my shoulders hurts like hell.

I stumble around while dodging its claws but the others are trying to do re-entering but stop by other ant. I will not allow somebody to die again when i`m with them if I have the power to prevent it.

It will be do or die but this will be also good for me venting out all of my emotions even though i`m a sentinel being with no emotion. I just keep dodging the attacks as I try to fetch my fuel can and water after all the dodging and running around i`m able to refuel myself and proceed with my plan on go all out.

I enable my mana energy to be used as the main then my body starts to glow pale green as it creeps all over my body and I feel so light and energize. Then a notification came to my view.

[table]Mana energy is being utilizeAll stats boost by 10%All battle traits and abilities improveIf mana energy boost is cancel body and system will suffer damaged according to how much has been usedIf mana energy is full drained systems will shut down and a force log out if not rescued after 5 minutesBravery activated

After reading my system boost I feel like I gain power like one of the most famous anime hero that has yellow hair or something. As I lift my giant axe with my left arm I dash towards the mini boss and cut it down but it block my attack and repelled me. I continue our exchange while taking out all of its minion that is near me.

I feel so light now as I fight with all that I can from dodging to blocking, attacking to countering I keep all my emotion being poured out to this fight like killing my nightmares that hunted me for several months. I just keep fight for my life and destroy all of the ant that blocks my path. The mini boss also starts to slow down as I keep giving it heavy axe swing all over its body.

On my last 100 mana energy I dismembered its head from neck with an axe throw as I received a swing from its claw that send me flying on the ceiling and all of my attack that I have given earlier has paid off. My durability if falling fast as I keep receiving damaged around me when i have fallen down. Notification and other things are keep popping up but I sweep them as I retrieve the head and the core but I regret leaving the arms of the destroyer but I can’t waste more time.

My durability is now on red line that is one 200 flat while my energy keeps decreasing to 70 and if I cancel out this boost I might get destroy so I take the risk and run towards the exit. My team was already gone now and also Leyla so I didn’t regret any of this.

Jumping and dodging from all the attack around me is hard especially now that I lost both my arms. I have no means of defence except evading which keeps me alive until now. Then I think back when I was in the same position with Okaa-san, am I able to save her if I have the power to do so.

----------

Leyla`s POV

Damn that tin head, he is not thinking of things clearly. He said that he didn’t want to be hero but on the last minute he still do it. Is there something wrong in his head?

When he gets back here I will definitely scold him for being stupid and dumb also he will buy me all the sweet and fruits I want when he get back so he better be back or I will double this punishment.

“it`s okay Leyla, I know your companion will come back again even if not the same”

Byume said as he comfort me after we arrived at the guild hall. Everybody is exhausted and sad about what happened. The most affected are the two guys that carry the girls away from that hole.

But I know Raiser will do the same but he better live because i`m his guide and I don’t allow him to die.

“I`m okay Byume and i`m not worried about him or anything coz I know he won’t die for sure.”

He better not die.

“You did really trust him”

“Of course I do trust him besides he is the nicest person I have ever seen so far except for some people I know.”

Yeah he is the nicest one of the travellers I encounter except for Chloe.

“well I do also agree with you and almost all new world traveller tend to be arrogant or between those lines but your companion do really care about you in the end even if he tends to ignore you, as a guy I do understand one thing about his attitude earlier.”

“Really?! I mean, I really don’t get why he would always ignore me when something happened especially this morning, he didn’t wake up for almost 3 days and he didn’t said something about it.”

I`m he`s guide that the goddess Minea has chosen for him so why would he hide things from me.

“He doesn’t want you to worry about him that much like right now.”

After he said that I feel my mind gone blank for a while.

“really but i`m not worrying much about him besides if something happened to him you know what will happened also right.”

“Yeah, I know that because I gotten send back forcibly a few times when Chloe is just starting and she is also clumsy from the start but get the hang of it quickly.”

“Hmp, well Raiser didn`t die on his first days here because i`m with him and I also help him with his body and repair so i`m knowable about this, we even dug out magic jewels and I have my share from discovering them fu fu fu fu.”

“Really?! That was rare to receive that jewels and even finding them. So what will you gonna do with them, most thing that we do are wand or accessories to power us up right.”

“of course I will do that and also Raiser will craft me thing that uses jewels so he better live and come back here quickly.”

He better come back, hhmm… I didn’t think of that wand thing but accessories will be good, better asked Raiser to craft me a wand and other clockwork things that he can do.

“Sorry for all the trouble Leyla, i`m really sorry if only I was stronger maybe, just maybe we could---“

“Stop it Chloe it wasn’t your fault it was just we are all exhausted from the earlier fight and besides Leyla didn`t really blame any of you guys so cheer up”

Byume was right I didn’t blame any of them even if they were weaker at least they help us in many ways than they can.

“But Byume i`m the one that invite him and so ---“

*slap*”would you just shut up about blaming yourself, Raiser choose to save us all rather than let everybody die, beside he knows what is he doing even though he doesn`t looks like the one that think about things. So stop moping around”

Then the rest of our teams` expression soften a little from what I said, they better be or I will scold them for being sad after all the thing that Raiser did to them.

“Thanks Leyla, I just feel guilty and all.”

“Don’t worry about that besides we are all worried about Raiser.”

“So… you did… worry about me…Leyla”

I know that voice but it`s ragged and distorted but i`m sure of it. Then I turned around and I saw Raiser standing beside the guild`s door but the thing is.

“RAISER!!! What happened to you and your arms are missing!?”

I`m happy to see him even if he`s sometimes cold at me.

“Don’t worry about this, wait you really do worry about me right.”

“Of course NOT!!! You stupid big can!!!”

__________________

A/N

Yes!!!

YESS!!!

finally we are going somewhere here well technically. anyways after reading things around forums i cut down my tables but i still not good at editing though so bear with my english...

i will still update but not that this daily coz there are still things i need to tend to.

also i`m trying to make the book cover so yeah that`s all.