Before going in, Akino tried to draw a radioactive sign on the entrance of the secret passage and written: “Alexa, there’s radiation in here.”

The two proceeded to go down the passage, lit up by blue crystal lamps powered by magic. As they go deeper, Akino could sense the radiation is getting higher. Not lethal, but her Geiger sensors are ticking more compared when they are at the entrance of the passage.

Akino: How did they know that lead could block radiation?

Lyka: And they made a very sophisticated contraption for the magic circuit…

Akino: First time seeing it?

Lyka: Yeah…

They moved on, seeing a wooden door at the end. It is locked, but Akino managed to lockpicked it. They found themselves inside a room of concrete walls and floor, saw another door made of metal, and 5 medieval like armor each in an armor rack. The armors are color gray, covers most of the body and only has small openings on the joint areas and at the eye area.

Akino and Lyka inspected the armors.

Akino: It’s made of… lead?!

Lyka: And it’s covered in a special healing and protective magic…

Akino: A hazmat suit? But it’s impossible... the technological era in this world is not accurate for this kind of material… the concept of lead material blocking of radiation is like millennia away!

Lyka: Is that… alarming?

Akino: Kind of. Three things I know for sure: one is that the institution was able to make contact with these people, and made an information exchange or something; two is some institution employee gone AWOL, these people found him or her and employed that AWOL employee; and three, these people managed to find an institutional facility and comprehend its tech…

Alexa: Fourth is that all of the above?

The two were startled with Alexa’s sudden appearance.

Lyka: Alexa! Don’t scare us like that!

Alexa: I did nothing, ma.

Akino: The last time you scared the shit out of me, my apartment was almost burnt to crisp!

Lyka: Wait, what?

Alexa: Ummm, can we forget about that one?

Akino: And I burnt my hand…

Lyka: Really? Just because she scared you?

Alexa: AHEM – you two must be busy on something since you didn’t sensed or detected me when I entered here. What’s with the greyish-wall passage and these greyish-armors?

Akino: You can’t identify stuff by touching or smelling or something, can you?

Alexa: Only on biological stuff, and I don’t sniff nor lick walls!

Akino: It’s lead and used as a radiation shielding.

Alexa: WHAT?!

Lyka: Alexa, where are the others?

Alexa: Oh, the poor kids got already on the tavern. They are prepping for their departure towards the guild. I told Escobar and his team to stay on the lobby area to investigate, and under here we do the same.

The three looked at the metal door.

Alexa: So, the source came from there?

Akino: Not sure, the sensors are ticking, and it detects small amounts of radiation everywhere…

Lyka: If they are protecting something or keeping it out of reach, then going beyond that door is the only answer.

Akino goes near to the door, she tries to pry it open by lockpicking but to no avail it won’t open.

Alexa: Kick it down.

Akino: And trigger something?

Alexa: This is not like Indiana stuff where there’s a ton of traps, you know?

Lyka: It must be locked by a magic sealed.

Akino: After you then.

Lyka touched the door and some sort of glyphs appeared on it. A clicking sound, like twisting gears, then the door opens. The entered the room, and slowly the room is being lit up by crystal lamps on the ceiling.

The three were stunned on the sight. A room full of stuff from the Institution: a laboratory coat, folded properly; broken and old issue firearms, placed on bow racks; a jar of a human spine attached to a mechanical brain; pieces of the MC-00 units on the armor racks, but unlike the ones they saw on the previous facilities, they are not covered with flesh; and lastly, a metal sphere with valves, wires, and plugs, at the center of the room.

Akino inspects the sphere, and her Geiger sensors confirmed that it is the source of the radiation. A core for nuclear power plants.

Akino: This – this is the source…

Alexa: Is that what I think it is???

Lyka: What is it?

Akino: A nuclear power core… but this tech is like, about a hundred of years old during the time me and Alexa were still around in our world… this is a decommissioned one, a useless piece emitting enough radiation. If tweaked properly –

Alexa: It could become a nuclear bomb?!

Akino: Not really, but still a bomb… not enough to level a whole city due to its current mass that has been eaten away by half-life decay, but capable of killing a thousand or more in one blow.

Lyka: Then, we should destroy it!

Lyka casts her greatsword from her magic circle. Akino and Alexa stopped as she tries to hit the nuclear power core.

Akino: Hold on! We can’t just cause a radiation leak in here!

Lyka: Then what should we do?

Akino: I – I’ll keep it in the meantime.

Alexa: Radiation can leak out of that pocket dimensional bag of yours, right?

Akino: No, radiation can’t leak out of this bag.

Lyka: How exactly is that going to fit in?

Akino: It just works…

While Akino and Alexa argues on what they should do on the nuclear power core, Lyka noticed a gap on a wall. She tried to approach it and she touches it, but that part of the wall slides, revealing a male elf wearing brown robes, about 2.1 meters tall with an average body built.

The elf immediately draws a dagger, but Lyka acted quicker by kicking the elf’s hand, dropping his dagger.

Akino: STEP ASIDE!

As Lyka steps away, Akino fires a small projectile with wires connecting to her fingertips. The elf was hit and got paralyzed. They dragged him towards the room and Lyka slides the wall shut, closing it.

Akino grabbed the elf by his clothes and lifted him up.

Akino: I didn’t paralyze your mouth and vocal cords, so you better answer my questions, or I’ll do something nastier than what I did to you right now!

Elf in robes: Alright! Alright!

Akino: What is this place?

Elf in robes: A – a slave trade house…

Akino drops the elf. Her arms opened like layered metals of a contracting solar panel, and surges of electricity comes out of it. The elf was very shocked and bathes in sweat at that moment.

Akino: No shit.

Elf in robes: It really is! I swear!

Alexa: She’s talking about THIS place. This secret room? Catching any hints?

Elf in robes: That’s all I know! The things in this room are only like trophies! Priced but useless stuff…

Lyka: Who found these things? And how?

Elf in robes: We found those, in a cave far from here… the Altruisian knights said they were purging trolls and goblins then they found a huge greyish cube at the heart of that cave…

Akino: And?

Elf in robes: The cube was like a vault! A weird one! They couldn’t pry it open at first, but our great knight busted it open with his divine sword… then we found these things inside the cube… that’s all I know!

Akino: How the hell did you know that lead can block radiation? And those armors there, who made them?

Elf in robes: There’s a small diary inside the cube… written in Elynian… it’s explaining how the things work but we can’t comprehend it… all we knew and understand was the metal the cube was made of blocks something from that sphere… so we made this room and the set of armors… NOW PLEASE CAN YOU LET ME GO?!

Lyka: Have you done anything with these things?

Elf in robes: I already told you! We don’t understand how these things work! But… when we get too much time near the sphere without wearing the armor, we tend to get dizzy and nauseous … and I believed they’ve used that sphere to interrogate some people…

The room went silent.

Elf in robes: The diary… it’s inside the wall cabinet where you found me hiding… NOW PLEASE LET ME GO!

Akino: Alright.

Akino nods at Alexa. Alexa nods back and she pricks the elf on his neck, knocking him unconscious.

Akino: WHAT THE –

Alexa: What?

Alexa: You should have tied him and brought up to Escobar…

Alexa: You didn’t instruct me properly.

Akino: Ugh…

As Akino and Alexa ties up the knocked-out elf, Lyka looks at the place where they found the elf. She saw a piece of ragged notebook lying on the floor and picks it up.

Lyka: Aki, this must the diary he talked about.

Akino: Hmmm, we’ll check it out later.

Akino took all the paraphernalia of the Institution and Alexa carries the elf. They were about to leave when Akino stops them.

Akino: Alexa, Escobar and his team were on the lobby area, right?

Alexa: Yeah, why?

Akino: Drop that guy here, we’re going up there quickly.

Lyka: What is it?

Akino: I placed a camera right outside this building. A group of armored men is going in this direction.

Alexa: S – sure!

They went up ahead. Escobar and his team are still looking around some paper documents.

Akino: Escobar! Knights are heading this way!

Escobar: What?!

Lyka: Come here, quick!

Lyka casts a huge magic circle on the corner of the area. All of them went in, also dragging in the tied-up guards and servants. The magic circle created a dome, concealing them from the incoming knights.

The knights enter, a group of 6 men in heavy silver armor. They are confused. No one welcomed them, so they split and looked for the establishment’s guards and servants. Apparently, Lyka casted an illusion spell making them invisible to the knights.

Akino: OH SHIT –

Lyka: What is it now?

Akino: We forgot to close the secret room!

Lyka: Oh my…

The knights that headed to the hallway where they found the secret passage were heard shouting. A few minutes, they saw the knights carrying the elf Alexa tranquilized, still unconscious. They are trying to heal the elf but he’s not waking up. Guess tranquilizers aren’t considered to be lethal by a body with magic. They heard the knights talking about the stuff inside the secret room missing, and discovering the slaves were also missing, making them to conclude someone ‘robbed’ them. The knights carried the poor elf and hurriedly exit the building.

Sarah: Umm… are they gone?

Akino: Wait…

Grug: What in the world are they talking about?

Escobar: Miss Akino, I suggest you should tell us what were you three doing in the so-called ‘secret room’.

Akino: Lyka, can we move while being covered in your spell?

Lyka: Yes, I can manage to move the magic circle as we move.

Akino: Escobar, we’ll leave this place first for safety. I – we will explain things once we’re back at the guild.

Escobar: Alright… bold move by the way.

Akino: Thanks?

They left, carrying the tied-up guards and servants, all covered in Lyka’s spell. Fortunately, they reached the guild without causing any commotion on their way. They stashed the tied slavers on their dungeon, and the two groups went to a private lounge of the guild where the guild leader is waiting.

On the table, Akino drops the firearms they found, carefully places down the broken MC-00 unit, the laboratory coat, and the spine inside the jar. The other adventurers and the guild master were stunned on the objects that Akino brought out.

Lord Adrian: What – are these things?

Escobar: Are these the stuff the knights were talking about???

Akino: Yeah, these are some stuffs from our world.

Lord Adrian: Yo – your world?! Outworlders?!

Escobar: I tried to tell you, but you kept ignoring me…

Sarah: So – you guys are outworlders?! Heroes summoned by powerful mages from another world?!

Alexa: No, we are not summoned, we got sucked on a portal thing and went here.

Lyka: And they landed on the forest where my people reside…

The adventurers of the guild observe the things on the table with awe in their faces.

Akino: We – joined this adventuring guild to gather info… we’ve been looking stuff like this since we came here.

Akino points at the markings of the broken machine unit, the code name “MC-00” which seems to be an alien symbol for the adventurers.

Akino: Have you guys seen things like this? In your expeditions or something?

Escobar: No?

Grug: I think I haven’t seen such thing…

Sarah: Is that a magic glyph?

Akino: Magic doesn’t exist in our world.

The door of the room shuts open, seeing Kal that has just violently kicked it. He’s with Diana and Finn.

Kal: Hmmm, what do we have here?

Diana: Sorry, we couldn’t resist eavesdropping~

Finn: A world without any magic? But how the summoned heroes got superior magical aptitudes?

Alexa: Are we going to tell our WHOLE story every time someone asks where we came from or what the hell are we???

Akino: We are not summoned, we accidentally travelled through here…

Kal: Heroes have magic in them, Diana… they don’t have an inch of it. But the question is why your souls are of human?

Finn: Yes… a very intriguing fact that I have confirmed by my appraisal, twice.

Akino: We were once human… one day, our world got stricken by something, and then we woke up just like this… we woke up in a dead world, and found a ‘portal’ towards yours…

The room went silent.

Alexa: AAAGGH!!! Can we stop the exposition thing?

Lord Adrian: What are these things supposed to be? They don’t have a bit of mana as well… like the two of you…

Akino went near to the table. She points at the folded lab coat.

Akino: This is a coat, one used for protecting your body when doing experiments on chemicals. We call this a lab coat.

Escobar: That looks familiar… I saw alchemists wearing that.

Akino: Yeah, like that…

Sarah: What about that thing?!

Sarah points at the jar with the spine in it.

Akino: I’m not that sure… we sometimes preserve human parts for studying stuff… in that case, a study of connecting a human spine on a mechanical brain…

Lyka: To put it simply: connecting an inanimate object to a living part, right?

Akino: Yeah, your right.

Kal: Your world… is very weird…

Alexa: Yeah…

Grug: And these… they look like crossbows… weird crossbows…

Akino: Firearms, but they are old, like super old. About a half-thousand years old when we were still on our world. Works like a crossbow, but more powerful and deadlier. It can kill some from very far distances, and even pierce your armor. But it doesn’t have any munitions…

Finn: That thing is half- thousand years old? It’s already complex for us!

Diana: Munitions?

Alexa: Crossbow uses arrows, but firearms use bullets.

Akino fabricates a bullet from her palm, a .50 caliber bullet. She dislodges the bullet head from its cartridge and spills the gunpowder on her other palm. She took a lit candle and heats up the gunpowder, causing a loud explosion.

The adventurers and Lyka were startled.

Escobar: What in the world is that?!

Finn: A fiery concoction?

Akino: Explosive one.

Akino shows the primer of the dislodged cartridge, and then hold the bullet back to the opening of the cartridge.

Akino: If this heats up, it will cause an explosion. But that will not destroy this small piece, instead the force of the explosion will exit at this opening. Now, the bullet that was originally placed here will propel due to the force, acting as the ‘arrow’ of the firearm.

Kal: And that ‘force’ is strong enough to make it pierce armors at distances…

Akino: Yeah.

Diana: That is, indeed, a deadly weapon.

Sarah: And that piece… what is that?

They looked at the broken MC-00 unit.

Akino: That’s… how do I put this…

Lyka: A golem? Wait, wait, wait… it’s too complex for a golem…

Alexa: Can both of you knock it off? Just say it’s a machine! And a machine is a stuff having several parts, each with its own function and together they perform a single task!

Escobar: And what task is it?

Akino: It acts like a soldier… or a guard. Designed as a killing machine.

Lord Adrian: A killing machine?

Akino: Don’t worry, it’s dead –

Grug: Hey, do smell that?

Akino: Smell what?

Grug sniffs in the air, then Alexa and Lyka sniffs as well.

Lyka: Is that – blood???

Alexa: The smell… is familiar… oh shit!

Alexa points at the broken MC-00, already oozing with red liquid. The orifice of the broken machine violently exudes more blood. Akino immediately grabs the machine.

Akino: Adrian! Is the arena empty?!

Lord Adrian: Y – yeah!

Akino went running towards the direction of the arena. Lyka and Alexa immediately follows her, and soon the Escobar’s team and the three gold ranking adventurers.

As Akino, she connected her hair-wire to the head-piece of the unit.

-ACCESS DENIED

-MC-00 MEMORY CORE: CORRUPTED

-BETA CORE INTEGRATION: FAILED

Akino: FUCK!

Metallic bones, slimy wires, and gut innards began coming out of the cavities of the unit.

-MC-00 SYSTEM CORE: CRITICAL FAILURE

-MC-00 WEAPONS MODE: CRITICAL FAILURE

-SYSTEM PROPOSAL: EXTERMINTATION

Akino: This. Is. Not going well!

Akino reached the entrance of the underground arena. She unplugs her wire and throws the unit towards the center of the arena, where it started growing a pair of limbs made of gushing flesh and frenzying wires.

The MC-00 stands, with its body dripping with blood. Its head faces towards Akino, and then towards Lyka and Alexa who just got caught up with her.

Lyka: Aki, are you alright?

Akino: Yeah.

Broken MC-00: IDENTIFYING.

Alexa: Woah! It started talking!

Lyka: It’s looking at us.

Broken MC-00: INSTITUTION SYSTEM CORES, DETECTED.

Akino: I think it’s safe to let it be for a while –

Behind them, Escobar’s team and Kal’s companions just came. The MC-00 unit raises its left arm, still dripping with blood and tangling wires. Its raised arm turned into a cylindrical shape, like a gun barrel but made of flesh, then it fires at the direction of the adventurers.

Lyka immediately casts a shielding spell, blocking the projectile made of blood and torn bits of flesh.

Broken MC-00: HOSTILES, DETECTED.

Akino: Lyka!

Lyka: Got it!

Lyka casts another spell, sealing off the arena in a dome shaped magic barrier but left the single door untouched.

Akino: Escobar, warn Adrian. It this gets worse, you have to evacuate the building.

Kal: Heh! No need for that! We’ll finish it right here!

Kal rushes with his shield raised and dashes towards the monstrous MC-00. Finn and Diana took their positions in taking down the rogue machine, from a distance.

Escobar: Sarah, support them! Grug, go and join Diana! Tank, guard them up!

Sarah: Got it!

Grug: Aye!

Tank: Hmm!

They ran towards the arena, and at the center is the machine, drooling with flesh and blood. The back of the machine started rupturing, and ten arms protrudes out of it. All of it began hitting Kal but he managed to block all of it with his shield. Tank tried to hit it with his hammer, but the machine holds it, Tank is forcing himself to strike the machine’s head, but its arms are holding him off. Grug and Diana were shooting arrows at it, but it deflects and catches the arrows with its arms. Finn and Sarah were casting a sealing magic beneath the machine from a distance, but they don’t know if it is working. The machine kept on hitting Kal and holding off Tank while repelling the arrow shot of the two archers.

Alexa: Everyone, BACK OFF!

Alexa jumps in, with her left arm morphed into a giant club claw of a mantis shrimp. Kal and Tank, terrifyingly backs off as Alexa swiftly smashes her massive arm onto the machine. Blood splatters, flesh and innards were scattered, metal bits fly everywhere.

Alexa: Heh! Is that it –

Underneath the fleshy mush of that machine, vine like wires made of flesh comes out, then turning into branches and grows rapidly into a huge tree carrying Alexa upwards.

Alexa: Woah!!!

Akino & Lyka: Alexa!

Akino: Lyka, can’t you burn it down like the last one?

Lyka: I – I’m not sure… that thing has no soul unlike the one we encountered last time…

Finn: And magic seems to be ineffective to it!

Sarah: What do you mean it has no soul?!

Akino jumps off and punches through the branches. Alexa made herself larger and muscular, with arms equipped with the scythes of a praying mantis. Akino kept on punching, Alexa kept on slashing, but branches of the machine kept on growing, now with arms that were trying to hold the swift movements of the two.

The others were stuck in awe as they see the two fighting the monster.

Escobar: What are you guys watching for? GO AND SUPPORT THEM!

As Kal and Tank hit the fleshy trunk, Grug and Diana firing magic arrows at the fleshy tree, Lyka accompanied the two mages to support them on sealing the thing. The two were struggling, as if they were pushing themselves.

Lyka: What’s wrong?

Finn: Magic seal, rune traps, rune circles…

Sarah: Turn undead, holy vindication, nothing works on that thing!

Finn: It’s not immune to magic though, only affecting it at small margins… I tried casting an explosion seal underneath it, but I only saw small flames coming out of the seal…

Lyka: (Aki, you heard that?)

Akino: (Yeah, I’m not sure but the institution has instruments that can block off or diminish energy - )

Lyka: (Please, speak normally…)

Akino: (What I mean is, that thing might be decreasing the magical effects or something , I don’t know, I’m not a wizard.)

Lyka: (You’ve said to me that our special bodies can produce energy, right? I mean, huge amounts of it?)

Akino: (Yeah.)

Lyka: (Does that include mana?)

Akino: (I’m not sure, but there’s only one way to find that out, right?)

Lyka raises her right arm with an open palm. A huge magic circle appeared beneath the MC-00 which now looks like a tree made of flesh and wires, and having branches shaped like arms.

The ground is lit with vibrant purple glyphs. The two armored adventurers stopped on attacking and immediately backs off, knowing that the magic circle under them is a signal for an enormous attack. However, Akino and Alexa kept on clashing with the creature.

Lyka: Aki! Alexa! Get out of there!

Alexa: Just take the shot! We’re distracting it!

Akino: DO IT!

Lyka hesitantly clenches her right fist and the magic circle shone brighter.

Lyka: ABYSSAL BIND!

Giant chains with spikes appeared from the ground, tangling, and suppressing the monster machine. As soon as the monster is nearly halted in its havoc, Akino and Alexa dashes out of the scene.

The chains attached to the creature is rapidly burning it, turning it into a charred solid charcoal of purplish fire. The creature has finally halted in moving. Lyka stands still, while the others are at awe in her display of power.

Alexa: THAT'S FRICKING AWESOME!

Finn: Abyssal magic?! Where did you learn that?!

Sarah: That’s like, a magic bestowed upon by the gods, right?!

Lyka: I, ummm, uhhh…

While the others are pondering at Lyka’s power, Akino looks at the charred creature. She senses something. A beat, like a heart. At the middle of the creature’s trunk, cracks are appearing. Blood gushes out of it, then wires that moves like a tentacle, making itself free out of the charred shell of the burned body, dragging out a sphere made of flesh. The fleshy sphere moves out, and metallic wires started coming out of its surface.

Akino rushed towards it, making the others notice that it is not done yet. She grabbed the heart of the machine and smashes it into the ground. Her arm enacts metallic plates and the surroundings around her began to heat up. The metallic plates on her arm widely open, bright like molten red.

Akino: Lyka! Cover me with your dome magic! Your strongest barrier!

Lyka: What?!

Akino: Just do it!

Lyka: G -got it!

Akino: And everyone! Get away! NOW!

As the others were retreating, Lyka waves her hand, a magic circle appears on her palm and underneath Akino, then Akino was encased inside a dome of magic barrier. Akino smiles at Lyka, then looks back at the ground. It was all of a sudden. A loud bang, and a flash of light brighter than the sunshine in the middle of the day. 10 seconds passed. The light dissipates, but the surrounding ground is molten hot, even outside the Lyka’s barrier. The whole ground of the arena is now a pool of molten rock, the charred body of the machine is sinking and getting burned, and at the middle of it is Akino.

Lyka removes the barrier. Akino walks out, still with her arm having metallic plates, unscathed. The heart of the machine is gone, not turned to dust or ashes, but into nothing.

Kal: You didn’t know she could do that, right?

Escobar: Apart from her ability to erase memories… yeah, there’s still so much more to know about her…