Banner? You mean those cloth decorations they put up on Christmas? I asked. Even mercenaries celebrated Christmas, due to the abundance of alcohol and security jobs available.

Incorrect, Boss! A gacha banner is a limited timeslot, in which certain items in the gacha have an increased pull rate. A ‘rate-up’, to be more concise.

Cool, and why should I care…?

Because the items on rate-up are generally better than the permanent gacha! Check it out for yourself.

Fine, bring up the Gacha.

The Item Gacha splash screen appeared, untouched except for missing the promotional text seen back in the fight with IO-HMN-016. The screen then darkened as INTERFACE-OS highlighted a floating arrow pointing to the right. It led to another splash screen with a different image and header. I was immediately assaulted by a splash screen of another collection of items. Whereas the previous gacha screen had glistened with gold and rainbow text, this one was dyed in moody crimson hues. A title in gothic, twisted font spoke the following:

CHANCE TO GET RARE, POWERFUL ITEMS FROM ANOMALOUS FACTIONS! GAIN THE ADVANTAGE OVER YOUR COMPETITORS! GUARANTEED SR IN A 10x ROLL! DON’T MISS OUT!

Beneath the heading, faceless figures clenched noteworthy items in grand displays, like a row of arranged marble statues in a museum exhibit. A man in full body armor, the crest of a foreign European household emblazoned on the shoulder pads and front plating, screamed a silent cry, midway through swinging a sword carved with runes. An IEHAR operator fired those blue-tinted bolts at a straightjacketed, squirming cadaver. Behind them both, a woman in robes woven from velvet and tinted with starry skies smiled an eerie grin, as she held a pair of scales, blood and wine dripping from each end. Puppets on strings with stitched smiles hung from curtains in the background.

Each item was wrapped in a violet, pulsing sheen, like the glow of a heart beneath a surgeon’s light. They were also accompanied by the icon magnifying glass, upon examination revealed more information about the item.

Sword of Azuralis (SSR): Any entity that makes contact with IO-LOC-1456, IO-RLG-003 and related entities is considered lost. They have already destroyed Britain and Ireland, though their history speaks otherwise. It is unknown what trickery is used to forge these blades, but their ability to cut through hard metals and deflect long-range fire is well known. Scales with STRENGTH and INSIGHT. Westford-III Anomaly-Repression Sidearm (SSR): A tool utilized by IEHAR operators to suppress rogue kinetics and Impurities. Even Havoc-level Impurities will think twice about being pierced by BA-OBJ-995’s bolts. Note: spend ammunition conversatively; the sidearm is easy to make, but the ammunition is not. Scales with DEXTERITY and PERCEPTION. Scales of a Lost Stardom (SSR): A trio of falling stars crashed into the Americas and the Europes, delivering refugees from a fallen kingdom. Impurities cannot be explained by conventional means and mindlessly repeat a cycle of thought, so what is truth and what is fiction? The few remaining ‘war maidens’ must be approached with caution. In any case, raising these once-sacred scales will fill you up with unearthly, cumbersome power. Scales with CHARISMA and INSIGHT.

The items radiated sheer power, even from my position as an observer. It was like standing next to a nuclear bomb; frightened by the potential for destruction, yet morbidly intrigued by the possibilities. Weapons had always interested me, both for my professional careers and as a hobbyist. How could a sword withstand bullet fire in this day and age? What were the effects of raising the scales inside a room of hostage-takers? If reverse-engineering was possible and consistently reproducible, would they still be classified as anomalous?

Do any of these strike your fancy, Boss?

They all look good. I had to admit. I think I want the IEHAR bolts the most. Firearms are what I’m the most familiar with and it doesn’t seem too esoteric. Right, let’s see how much it costs to roll this…

A big fat 2500 stared me in the face. I blinked. It didn’t change.

ALICE, what’s going on. I thought the item gacha cost 1500.

That was the standard Item gacha, yes. However, this is a premium Item gacha! The quality of items is much higher, so it obviously costs more.

That…actually made sense. It didn’t make this any better. I checked my Alexandrite reserves and came up with a measly 4850. It was aggravatingly out of reach for two 10x rolls. And considering the rates for each SSR item was only 5%, well, the decision was obvious, no?

Forget about it. This isn’t worth it.

Are you sure, Boss? ALICE said, surprised. Gacha banners come and go faster than you can turn your head! If you miss out on this banner, it might not repeat itself for at least a year.

I shook my head. I’d gambled before and I didn’t enjoy it that much. Look, I can roll the standard item gacha thrice. I have a higher chance of obtaining a SSR that way. It’s simple.

ALICE’s icon pouted. Was she upset about this? Surely not. Boss, please reconsider. Rolling expensive gachas is part of the INTERFACE-OS experience! How are you meant to have fun without it?

How is losing half my savings fun? I’ve been to casinos, ALICE. They bleed money and they get you drunk in a bed with some random chick with STDs. Unless you can magically make more Alexandrite appear from thin air, no thanks.

I flicked back to the holo-display on my phone, ready peruse more news articles about current affairs. ALICE’s icon did not vanish. Instead, she raised a finger to her lips in a gesture of contemplating. A small smile then blossomed, growing wider until it was positively catty. The folds in my stomach clenched and a tingle ran down the back of my neck. Call it a mercenary’s instinct. It’d saved me from getting bombed in trenches and shot by sniper fire.

God, what do you want now?

You say you want more Alexandrite? ALICE said. It might be possible, Boss. Yes, yes, yes, this may actually work.

I sat up in my coffin, almost banging my head against the ceiling. My instincts were shouting at me to get out of the building now. A natural reaction, but they failed to account for the fact of the danger existing inside my own damn head.

ALICE, please don’t.

I haven’t even said anything, Boss!

No. I have had enough bullshit for today. I hauled Emily through a mall and nearly got eaten by Spawn. I set myself on fire thanks to the memory of that fucking flagbearing girl or whatever. Please give me a damn break.

I understand you are tired, Boss. But will the Impurities stop?

A new option appeared in front of me.

>>IMPURITY GACHA.

Let us begin, Boss.

I was swallowed up by a tidal wave of sleep-induced darkness. I descended into its saltless, murky depths, the glitzy lights of Bearbrass and the sharp white interiors of the IEHAR station vanishing into a pinprick, like a train speeding far away down a narrow tunnel. The phantom rush of air flew past my ears and non-existing spittle gargled out of my mouth. I landed on a flat plane, fast as a jet before halting to a jerky stop and frazzling my nerves.

ALICE stood in front of me, as a full-bodied girl rather than a icon in a small window. Her dress, accessories and ribbon had not yet changed. She curtsied, still wearing that knowing, infernal, intense smile. No light shown around us, yet I saw her features, the hem of her blue dress and my reflection in her mechanical eyes, as clear as day.

Hello, Boss. ALICE said, Apologies for the sudden intrusion.

“Let me out, ALICE.” I growled. “Whatever you’re planning, I don’t want any of it. This is an order.”

I can’t do that. ALICE shook her head. We’re in a mandatory tutorial sequence. It’s time to learn yet another new system. What do you think is the biggest blocker to IEHAR operations right now?

I frowned, caught off guard by the sudden question. ALICE smirked and paced around me in a circle, hands clasped behind her back. Her shiny black shoes made clop-clop noises on a hard floor, a drumbeat to the hum from her lips. The hem of her dress swayed from side to side.

I didn’t protest. If this was a tutorial sequence, then no point complaining—better answer the question so I can get out of here faster. I thought back to my work experience, as an underground handyman for small teams, a proxy for conflicts between large organisations and a member in insurgent groups in war-torn countries.

The first answer that sprang to mind was the innate avarice within human nature. I’d seen many a good merc group collapse due to one guy taking more than his fair share. Fixer groups could be broken up by the pettiest of reasons--split bills, a stolen bottle of alcohol, the opposite sex even. Even megacorporations weren’t immune to their politics inside their defined rigid structures, with their tabloid-worth power plays steeped in corruption. IEHAR was the biggest megacorporation of them all.

No, that’s not it. ALICE mentioned IEHAR specifically. Gotta think more specific.

Money? While there were grumblings about budgetary concerns, the world governments were more than happy to provide financial support in exchange for Impurity suppression. Manpower? No, there were no short of volunteers (some of which started out as unwillingly ones). Logistics? It was one thing to fight monsters on the frontlines, but another to get the food, water, ammunition and other supplies to get there,

Hmmm...close! ALICE said. Try again.

“Bureaucracy?” I offered.Paperwork and such, always a killer. One of the reasons why I worked as a mercenary was to escape that life. No dice. You had to sign contracts with fixers all the damn time, ain’t no secretary around to save your ass either.

It is the public. ALICE said.

“You mean public relations? Why?”

When the true nature of IEHAR was a clandestine operation, they could accomplish much more. Hold operations in secret, infiltrate governments to edit their records, construct secret facilities, sacrifice as many useless humans to keep the Havoc and Unbound Impurities from ruining billions…they were the most efficient before the Seven Days of Disaster.

ALICE turned around, her smile gone. Now, IEHAR has now entered the public perception. Their moves are scrutinized, their leaders demanded in front of the spotlight. They are constrained by search warrants, global investigations, journalism and other such arrogance. They have been forced to adhere to a game that their own enemies still do not play. I believe the developers of INTERFACE-OS were disgusted with this limitation, thus they created this system.

The darkness beyond ALICE lit up. Obsidian pillars towered in a half-circle, each one marred with a gigantic symbol at its peak. The carvings beneath it lit up, some frayed with random bursts of lightning, others emitting thick smoke. As I gazed upon them, I felt words transmit into my mind, much like ALICE’s speech.

HMN: Humanoid. No matter what they state, Impurities are not and will never be human.

MON: Monstrous. The beasts and demons of legend have manifested to torment their makers.

MCH: Mechanical. Even the creations of humans suffer from anomalous forces.

RLG: Religious. The existence of God(s) has not been confirmed, yet these Impurities will tell you otherwise.

Hey Boss, consider this. What if there was a way to bring the fight to the Impurities themselves, without navigating through bureaucracy, planning and the petty shouts of the populate? ALICE continued. And what if it was seemingly unpredictable enough to grant IEHAR enough plausible deniability?

Staring at the monoliths was giving me a headache, yet I couldn’t look away. Something inside of me was attracted to them. There were nine…no, eight of them?

OBJ: Object (Inanimate): The foul distortion of pure reality may be localized to an ordinary household object…

LOC: Location. …or be widespread to affect an entire building.

GRP: Grouped. Just because you have suppressed one impure entity doesn’t mean your job is over.

OTH: Other. And of course, there are those that do not fit into the above.

ALICE walked up to me. She leaned close, standing on her toes and whispered into my ear.

What if the user of INTERFACE-OS could choose which Impurity to suppress next? Wouldn’t that be lovely?

Silence. I knew where this was going and I didn't like it one bit. I'd wondered when the next Impurity would arrive, given the mission statement of INTERFACE-OS and all, but was completely outside of my predictions!

Then, she giggled. Unfortunately, Boss, this is a gacha, so it’s still random. The developers might scrap this idea in the newest update. Until then, you will have to put up with it.

She pulled back and I stood there, sweating. A door stood between ALICE and the pillars. It was a slab of steel locked by an electroic passphrase. Then, it shifted into a wooden door with a broken hinge. It became an open set of transparent double doors, shadowy figures milling about behind it. An ornate door fit for the Vatican. A doorflap for a small animal. Dozens of entrances flipped in and out of existence like slots in a casino machine.

Rolling the Impurity Gacha…

Rolling the Impurity Gacha…

Rolling the Impurity Gacha…

A blur of movement and suddenly I was thrust forward into a laboratory entrance. A single frame of a speeding film blew through my vision. My neck was craned towards the surface of a glass dome high up. It was massive, spanning across the entire roof view, its edges nowhere to be seen. Surrounding me was foilage—leaves, thin branches and the scent of mud. Yet, it was dense and silent, without birdsong or the chirps of animals.

The vision shifted. Within a clearing, a gigantic tree stood proud, its bark as white as bone, red and blue fruits hanging from its thin branches like organs trailing down from blood vessels. Pollen from pinkish flowers drifted down, showering the place with itchy, fibre flurries. A man stood beneath it. In his hands was a shovel.

IO-OBJ-???

“From dust and ash, it shall rise up towards the great younger sky, bearing gifts of both salvation and despair.”

Then the scene was gone. I was back in the darkness with ALICE. She clapped her gloved hands and smiled.

Congratulations on rolling your first Impurity Gacha, Boss! The Impurity Gacha is different in that rolling provides you resources, instead of you spending them. Here’s some now!

Acquired 3000 Alexandrite and 1000 $NF!

Now then…how about we take a look at another Gacha?

>>UNIT GACHA.