"Mono/Dialogue"
'Inner thoughts'
Narration
Year: Data not found
Location: Data not found
POV: Narrator.
A low humming sound caresses the sparse wind that dominates the air within the subterranean world. The sound is rhythmic and balanced yet wild and distinct, fascinatingly quiet for an enclosed space that won't take too kindly upon jarring cacophony of noises.
The thing that moves with ease through the dark tunnel might be a statement of prowess and adaptability, it is not a simple feat to weave and trudge through the dark causeway. The way it turned with grace and well-timed sequences of actions. The small lights that have been produced further the attention it garnered.
Not that the one on top of it mind. The rider of this very thing might welcome it, what use is a good show without an audience, even the violent and unruly one, after all?
The one responsible is a young woman, from the looks of it, who is having the time of her life and joyously acts with utter impunity against anything that might disturb her enjoyment. Occasionally laughs in merriment to the detriment of whatever is unlucky enough to be passed by her roaring beast of metallic steel.
The woman gives the impression of a child being handed a new toy without adult supervision, an opinion that will most likely be affirmed by the culprit herself.
Weaving and speeding through with absolute initiative has been a novel experience for her, animals, beasts, critters, and even monsters that made the dimly lit earthen world their home ground can do nothing but stay out of her way and those who tried turned into a new red paint on the wall.
The woman keeps on moving in search of light she's eager to gaze upon once again. The scenery around her might be a good place to start.
{==}
Year: Data not found
Location: Data not found
POV: Narrator.
"hum~ hum~, hum~ hum~," The woman is humming with obvious joy lacing her voice that is as soft as bell chimes. The ride to the surface, to finally leave this dark and damp corridor, has been a relaxing one, of which she was pleasantly surprised.
Nyx was ready to be bored out of her mind and irritated along the way, who would have known that a simple bike ride could be so enjoyable? She starts lamenting her past selves, focusing too much on work and her smattering amount of days-off spent no better than screwing or being screwed by someone to forget her misery.
Where was she again? Ah yes, her new hobby.
The feeling of fulfillment when you can quickly make a split-second decision and avoid trouble here and there while speeding down the lane was, and still is, immensely cathartic. Compared to her sitting around inside a transport in her previous life, not knowing whether you would live or die from sheer luck itself, This degree of freedom is certainly best...
She would have been laughing like a maniac if her only memories of the world were nothing more than kill or be killed. Memories that are still surfacing back and argue that she also has hobbies… just no time whatsoever to do anything about it. So this is a pleasant change of pace.
'I can get used to this' Nyx thinks that this hobby will be a significant part of this new life of hers. To the point of entertaining the idea of prolonging her ride around here, the fuel tank should last for the foreseeable future after all.
The bike looks like the one from one of her old life memories, but obviously, several more overhauls have been done to it.
She passes by several locals so to speak and they either scamper away or try to chase after her... also that she had run over a slime-like creature once or twice. Thankfully, the bike tires are robust enough to not suffer any noticeable chips and damages.
While riding her bike, she also keeps shorting through her memories. Her mind faculty seems to be branching out and proves itself capable of processing several things simultaneously, of course, the more complicated and numerous it is, the slower the process would become.
But she swiftly ceases everything within her when she enters a large cavern, the sight of scenery that presents itself demands her undivided attention. She promptly stops her bike at the nearest cave wall and then gets off her bike to gaze with awe at the beautiful sight.
"Isn't this quite the sight?" Glistening, bright, and numerous bluish crystals greet her. Everywhere she looks, there is always a cluster or two. The crystals are responsible for producing and reflecting the lights that illuminate this area.
Looking more closely, she spots several slime-like creatures that are latching and feeding off the crystals. Some of them look at her before quickly losing interest and continue their relaxing crawl and skid along the crystal surface. A slow leisurely life for a simple organism... what would she give to have that much freedom back then?
'Looks valuable, I hope they won't mind. Would be a shame to clean these docile-looking slimes.' She now decides to get some of it for herself, it might help her when she gets back to civilization. Hopefully, civilization still exists out there on the surface.
Walking towards the nearest crystal cluster, she tries touching it first to gauge the slimes's reaction. The slime around that cluster of crystals doesn’t look even remotely interested by her touching their playground or home.
Seeing that as a sign that these slimes don't mind, she can use her ridiculously sharp knife to cut it. But intrusive thoughts present themselves, which is why Nyx used her surprisingly robust hand to chop the crystals off.
"Ha!" She delivers a downward chop, breaking some of it... while also eliciting a cry of both contented affirmation and some prickly pain, not much but it is there.
"Damn, the force was something." She mused. Now she looks back at the slimes, they look at her but she can feel that they're more confused with her method of getting the crystal. A small slime even seems to be tilting its head, dealing immense damage to her psyche.
"How could you look so cute!?" Against her better judgment, she scoops up that smaller slime and presses it against her bosoms. The poor creature squirmed in alarm at first but soon nestled contently, seemingly in bliss. She involuntarily giggled with excitement seeing its eagerness to nestle on her chest.
Several other slimes now coming closer to her, and some of them seem to be expecting something from her. The biggest one, about 90cm tall and 150cm wide, doesn’t shy away either and gets closer to her.
Even slimes further from her skid and slides toward her position. Smaller ones are already forming a small pyramid that is scooting ever closer to her. Now she is surrounded by bulbous piles of springy creatures. Something that worsens her decision-making and sense of caution.
"!?" She finally loses herself to the temptation and starts playing around with the slimes inside the cavern. Nyx stares at them affectionately and welcoming, two different creatures exchanging bulbous heavens is truly a sight that can boost sugar intake.
Well, it can work as therapy and relaxation I suppose...
4 hours later, give or take.
"hum~ hum~" She is glowing, to say the least. After getting her fill of relaxation, she starts hauling back the harvested crystals that she had managed to get her hands on. She still has the backpack from the installation, or landship thingy, along with several inflatable bags.
She looks back and sees several slimes skidding, or more like limping and being lethargically spent for some reason... She just hugged them, well maybe a bit too hard, but come on, she only gave them a gentle squeeze and a whole mountain range worth of repressed and pent-up need to interact with something that doesn't immediately try to take a bite at her... loneliness too.
She hops back on her bike, a small slime following her, its gelatinous construct jiggling with joy. She scoops it up and lets it slide along her shoulders, before putting it back down much to its visible protest.
"Sorry... you can't come with me, your family will miss you." She speaks sadly, suddenly remembering Ele and the kids from her previous world. "Go back now, they must be worried." The slime appears to be slumping before skidding away slowly, looking back at her now and then, each time looking sadder than the last if the slime's less-than-bulbous appearance is to be believed.
After it had returned to where its family at, Nyx started her bike’s engine to announce her departure. She gaze back one last time and wave at her newfound cuddling friends, praying that they stay safe despite this place's apparent hostility. With a heavy but refreshed heart, she continues her journey to reach the surface.
Several Days later.
The sound of a bike vividly racing amidst the dimly lit earth can be heard from miles away. She has been going for hours in search of an exit from this place. Keeping up with her optimism that light will finally shed itself through the dark.
Nyx takes every opportunity to take a rest and have herself scavenge or hunt for sustenance. It is hardly the time to be picky, thus she swallowed her disgust in a bid to survive. What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger after all.
Picking and consuming wild roots and mushrooms that are resilient enough to prosper beneath the earth, some did cause her stomach to churn but she is getting by. Some type of rodent-like animal was also found and the rest is history Nyx surely prefers those to be left as a mere footnote.
She made some time to maintain her bike as best she could with what little equipment was in hand, which was thankfully found within the bike's limited inner storage anytime she could.
After cleaning and maintaining it, she always remembered to check for any Originium veins, which the documents described to be a blackish mineral that glowed in certain situations. It was also described to be close to some sort of slime, a different breed from the cute bulbous cuddling friends she met some time ago.
Sadly she found neither of the originium nor the slimes. Thus she starts to get anxious about her ride’s fuel situation. It should be enough for a few more weeks, but what should she do when the situation becomes untenable?
After her monotonous daily was finished, she continued moving. Pleasantly surprised again to only need an hour-long nap at most. Her body was truly bizarre and her tail felt like her only comfort for the past few days, hugging it or coiling it seemed to calm her nerves significantly.
At last, she found the light she had always yearned for... but not the sight that came in tow.
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"What the hell happened there?" she has found the light she always yearned for, but the sight of that place robbed her of any satisfaction and jubilation from escaping the dark subterranean world. She is kilometers away but the destruction is plain to see.
Her curiosity overwhelms her trepidation, she is hoping to at least find some survivors to tell her what and perhaps help her on what to do. She dreads the possibility of this world reaching its end, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. She decides to swallow her misgivings and visit the settlement.
She is afraid that her tail might attract attention, but her worries and need for human interaction win over her logic. If conflict, or worse, battle, happens... well, she will cross that bridge when she gets there.
She is now at the gate of a destroyed village. The sign near the gate gives her the name of this place. Apparently this is a village of "Vertana Rosa" and the place looks idyllic if she ignore the ominous splotches of the darkened sky above and the blatant destruction of scenery.
She is debating whether to proceed further or to immediately get away, but her eyes lay upon a relatively intact house. She chooses to proceed and perhaps find answers to her questions.
She gets off her bike after ensuring that it is safely locked, it wouldn't be funny to have it stolen when she is still fumbling around this world. She knocks on the door and... no response whatsoever.
"Anybody here!?"
She shouts to ascertain herself about her suspicion of this house. Maybe the owner is still alive, maybe the hide, mortals can be stubborn right?
"Anyone!?"
Nothing once again, only the eerie silence.
"...I'm coming in!"
Mentally ready to apologize if there is anyone inside, she rams the door with her shoulder. Easily breaking down the entire door... with the wall while she's at it, causing unnecessary levels of property damage... Which is bad because she is broke.
"Oops..." She can only smile sheepishly while hiding her slightly red face, she is too hung up to meet someone that she disregarded a much more civilized approach. Pushing her embarrassment down, she proceeds further inside.
Her eyes start a cursory scan inside and find it empty... but it is clear that its previous occupant left hastily, well they did lock the door at least... Thrown clothes, broken tableware, and pieces of furniture are in disarray, there are still some luxury accessories here too.
She determined that the technology was at least somewhere during the industrial era, a good thing to know. She would lie if she said that it was as she had expected, however. The futuristic scraps down there had affected her outlook, so she is mildly disappointed by the level of technology here.
A newspaper is laid on top of the dining room table, there is also a loaf of bread beside it. She is famished for proper food but she doesn't want to commit thievery... Yet her stomach won that mental debate with a massive landslide.
She blushed even redder from shame, but what's done is done.
Leaning over the newspaper she read that it is now... 17th December 1070. Looking around she also found a calendar with the year edition also being 1070. She breathes out a sigh of relief to at least pinpoint what year or era she's in.
She spotted a family... photo? Or is that cosplay? She leans in closer and sees that every one of them has a pair of animal ears and a tail... their tail looks bushy but not quite too bulky or discomforting from the looks of it. One thing is sure as hell, that doesn’t look artificial at all.
Is this the norm in this world? Well, a small optimism that her tail wouldn't attract attention sprouted. She sighs from the potential fact that this world will be similar in terms of weirdness like what her embedded past life memories suggest.
After checking that this place is empty of humans or at least humanoid, she returns to the table where the newspaper is laid. Her eyes momentarily scan the paper and she is pleasantly surprised that the language letters are a mix of polish, Kwargiz, English, and Hastrian… She thanks whatever god there is in this world for being merciful enough to give her extreme mental processing prowess.
Speed reading it, she cannot help but sigh and facepalm with clear agitation. Discrimination happens and is even advertised or propagandized... people called the infected seem to be turned into a convenient political tool or just a way to blame and vent frustrations.
Putting two and two together after reading the newspaper, it appears that this is what the documents said of originium being a malignant tumor-like disease. She is saddened that people called infected are being ostracized and hated for it.
She slumps on the chair, face alternating between disdain and mild annoyance. Her face morphs and she lets out derisive chuckles, reveling in a twisted form of relief... none, except one but even there she doesn't live a peaceful kind of life, of her past lives embedded memories shown a peaceful world where she can have a boring life with a boring death.
She should fit in nice and tight in this world, like carefully handcrafted, custom-made, gloves.
Thinking about her situation logically again, she decides to allow some leeway to be made while helping herself with whatever she can get her hands on. She rummages through the kitchen to find some canned food and bottles of water. After securing it she decided to leave the house and continue with her aimless journey.
Riding down a ruined and badly damaged pathway, she gaze upon destroyed homes, dead livestock and hounds, and a horrifically dried environment. Charred grass, broken glasses, and deathly silence turn the air into an ominous cacophony of howls, a warning, and intimidation for her ears.
Spread as far as her eyes could see is only horrifying destruction and dead bodies along with corpses. A proof of calamity that had passed by this unfortunate little village. One particular scenery demanded undivided attention from her more than what she had already seen.
Clusters of black mineral remind her of one thing and one thing only, originium. That very mineral, or malignant disease, those documents had described countless times that provide quite a vivid imagery... well, those were imageries, and the real one is something else entirely.
Black minerals jutted out from the earth, reaching as high as 10-stories buildings. Splotches of the darkened sky that seem to have premeditated the heaven's judgment upon sinners and the wrongdoers, or that the one above had grown tired with the folly of man, hanging atop of it sparsely.
Destroyed and hallowed earth, craters that would make concentrated artillery bombardment make a run for its money, and dead bodies covered by black minerals that encroach on the corpse greedily.
She sits on top of her bike in shocked silence once more when she visibly sees the bodies being encroached on by the blight. It finally swells and an eerie glow breaks through its blighted mold, a chill running down her spine 'My senses screaming at me to stay away from it' She does what her senses tell her and takes a wide berth from the corpse.
Merely seconds later, the sound of a subdued explosion was heard. All she sees are originium dusts being swept by the wind, before latching upon anything it touches, further restarting the blight spreads. Something that unnerves her greatly, her memories had shown something similar but with viruses and fungi.
"To hell with it..." She revives her ride’s engine at full throttle and proceeds to leave the destroyed village. Nyx is hoping that such a sight is not a common one, and praying to whatever had sent her here to reveal that such a thing was but merely a one-time misfortune.
{==}
Year: 17th December 1070
Location: 22km southeast of Vertana Rosa, Kazimierz.
POV: Nyx.
I finally get away from that blasted place. I can only sigh from the revelation that this world is hardly going to be a peaceful one, again to no one surprise. Am I destined to be reborn for ad infinitum with a blade in hand or something?
The world that I see from the newspaper also shows an anachronistic set of equipment. Riot police with shields and machetes backed by soldiers in E.O.D. armor with crossbows on hand? Just what kind of world is this? I mean, they look organized and do not act like over-glorified yet low-budget cosplayers…
There was also a section about something called Kazimierz Major or was it Kazimierz League? Sounds like a sports event but the photo in the newspaper shows knightly people bashing one another in a gladiatorial fashion... So an arena? Really? Actual arena? Hah…
My head kind of hurts now... kitchen appliances back in that house are shown to be somewhere between the 19th – 21st-century eras, or at least the industrialized age. Guess it will be like that one world according to embedded memories, the difference was that one looks a lot more like hell compared to this one.
Ah well... I'll learn something more eventually. The world state itself would be a mix of unique and reminiscent I suppose.
Now look at that, me, some things just don't change, and conflict where I had been drinking and pissing on is the same as always. Numerous memories of being someone who was paid to kill and do dirty jobs surface in my mind.
While having a jolly traveling down memory lane filled to the brim with blood, I spot a river next to a waterfall. I decide to wash my body, while it doesn't smell all that much now that I think about it, it does feel uncomfortable since god knows when since the last time I rinse this alien body.
Stopping the bike near the stream, in a more secluded area of course, I strip myself off, freeing my body from the clutches of fabrics. I quickly dip into the water, since I can't let myself be seen naked willy–nilly after all.
Sorry, no free show for anyone who tried, and those who still tried will have a lovely date with my knife stabbed into their genitalia.
"Hah..." I sigh contently after getting my body submerged inside the flowing river. The water caressed my body gently and eased my tension. It feels nice... and my body seems to be working automatically. I can see grime and dirt peeled off my skin by itself... neat...
"I need to think about what to do for the future..." I started making some preliminary plans about what needed to be done and possibilities for the future event.
'Some sort of identification would be needed as a start...' Having an identification will help me blend in easier, so that’s the basic I guess? Welp, time to move on with planning.
'First I need to get acquainted with this world's norms. I can't have myself committing social faux pass after all.’ Getting close to the locals might not be a terrible idea. Hopefully, they are not being xenophobic or something. With a disaster like that one, I doubt people would not be, at least, cautious.
'Second, I need to decide what to be in this world... a mercenary occupation might work but I would rather not make that my main occupation if possible.' I’m used to handling logistics, but doesn’t make me like the paperwork that entails. Having served in different militaries throughout my past lives made me somewhat knowledgeable about it.
'Third, I need to know the state of this world if possible... crap, I guess mercenary work it is then...' I realized a very important point… my education is barely all that high. The most I had was uh… high-school? Crap, my memories had yet to stabilize… but anything related to soldiery? Like the back of my hand.
Being a mercenary is a perfect way to gain notoriety and... 'Garnering targeting sights on my back... *sigh* welp, no rest for the wicked... or something, I don't quite recall.' Such is mercenary life, always looking for more payouts and being hunted by fellow mercenaries for those fat stacks of cash. I can expect worse coming my way with a face this good…
'Fourth is... sightseeing?' What were my days off again? Pretty sure I just let it flow away every night doing fuck all or screwing with or by someone. By the day I just… being a fucking sloth. Sightseeing sounds new…
'Fifth would be building up a persona or mask to use in public I guess?' I don’t want to get too close to everyone, the mental burden would be bad. Being a mercenary also means that I will have rivals, and those rivals will start screwing me over somehow… So mask it is? What though? Ah, I know!
"But the world is a stage... everyone has a role in it..." I chuckle, trying to get in the mood of acting mysterious...
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“Yeah no, too cringy. I'll just act cold, works every time. Not to mention that I will get called ice queen or something, which should keep some pests away…”
'Sixth move would be...' and thus I start creating standard ideas and plans. Like what a famous boxer from one of my old life said "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face."
[END OF CHAPTER]
Author Note:
Hello, this is me, myself, and I, The author and this is 3/40 something edits… fuck.
Did you know that Kal'tsit dialogue can be a novel by itself? Or the fact that Arknights stories can be turned into standalone novels? Like, can you even believe that Episode 8 was somewhere around, as far as I can recall, 178.000 words? 3 novels worth of content are there...
Yes, we are not on the canon timeline yet. I had decided to use time skips (length varies) so we can reach the canon timeline by 30-ish chapters (Hopefully). So wish me luck or something, because my graduation thesis is coming up...
For readers who are curious about what her bike looks like, just search up Yamaha R1, add some light armor plating up front, and paint it light grey.
Update as usual.
Ciao.
(P.S: The village name was random lmao.)
(Edit: I fucking messed up, the year was supposed to be 1070. It should be fixed now.)
This is her face Btw.
"Mono/Dialogue"
'Inner thoughts'
Narration
Year: Data not found
Location: Data not found
POV: Narrator.
A low humming sound caresses the sparse wind that dominates the air within the subterranean world. The sound is rhythmic and balanced yet wild and distinct, fascinatingly quiet for an enclosed space that won't take too kindly upon jarring cacophony of noises.
The thing that moves with ease through the dark tunnel might be a statement of prowess and adaptability, it is not a simple feat to weave and trudge through the dark causeway. The way it turned with grace and well-timed sequences of actions. The small lights that have been produced further the attention it garnered.
Not that the one on top of it mind. The rider of this very thing might welcome it, what use is a good show without an audience, even the violent and unruly one, after all?
The one responsible is a young woman, from the looks of it, who is having the time of her life and joyously acts with utter impunity against anything that might disturb her enjoyment. Occasionally laughs in merriment to the detriment of whatever is unlucky enough to be passed by her roaring beast of metallic steel.
The woman gives the impression of a child being handed a new toy without adult supervision, an opinion that will most likely be affirmed by the culprit herself.
Weaving and speeding through with absolute initiative has been a novel experience for her, animals, beasts, critters, and even monsters that made the dimly lit earthen world their home ground can do nothing but stay out of her way and those who tried turned into a new red paint on the wall.
The woman keeps on moving in search of light she's eager to gaze upon once again. The scenery around her might be a good place to start.
{==}
Year: Data not found
Location: Data not found
POV: Narrator.
"hum~ hum~, hum~ hum~," The woman is humming with obvious joy lacing her voice that is as soft as bell chimes. The ride to the surface, to finally leave this dark and damp corridor, has been a relaxing one, of which she was pleasantly surprised.
Nyx was ready to be bored out of her mind and irritated along the way, who would have known that a simple bike ride could be so enjoyable? She starts lamenting her past selves, focusing too much on work and her smattering amount of days-off spent no better than screwing or being screwed by someone to forget her misery.
Where was she again? Ah yes, her new hobby.
The feeling of fulfillment when you can quickly make a split-second decision and avoid trouble here and there while speeding down the lane was, and still is, immensely cathartic. Compared to her sitting around inside a transport in her previous life, not knowing whether you would live or die from sheer luck itself, This degree of freedom is certainly best...
She would have been laughing like a maniac if her only memories of the world were nothing more than kill or be killed. Memories that are still surfacing back and argue that she also has hobbies… just no time whatsoever to do anything about it. So this is a pleasant change of pace.
'I can get used to this' Nyx thinks that this hobby will be a significant part of this new life of hers. To the point of entertaining the idea of prolonging her ride around here, the fuel tank should last for the foreseeable future after all.
The bike looks like the one from one of her old life memories, but obviously, several more overhauls have been done to it.
She passes by several locals so to speak and they either scamper away or try to chase after her... also that she had run over a slime-like creature once or twice. Thankfully, the bike tires are robust enough to not suffer any noticeable chips and damages.
While riding her bike, she also keeps shorting through her memories. Her mind faculty seems to be branching out and proves itself capable of processing several things simultaneously, of course, the more complicated and numerous it is, the slower the process would become.
But she swiftly ceases everything within her when she enters a large cavern, the sight of scenery that presents itself demands her undivided attention. She promptly stops her bike at the nearest cave wall and then gets off her bike to gaze with awe at the beautiful sight.
"Isn't this quite the sight?" Glistening, bright, and numerous bluish crystals greet her. Everywhere she looks, there is always a cluster or two. The crystals are responsible for producing and reflecting the lights that illuminate this area.
Looking more closely, she spots several slime-like creatures that are latching and feeding off the crystals. Some of them look at her before quickly losing interest and continue their relaxing crawl and skid along the crystal surface. A slow leisurely life for a simple organism... what would she give to have that much freedom back then?
'Looks valuable, I hope they won't mind. Would be a shame to clean these docile-looking slimes.' She now decides to get some of it for herself, it might help her when she gets back to civilization. Hopefully, civilization still exists out there on the surface.
Walking towards the nearest crystal cluster, she tries touching it first to gauge the slimes's reaction. The slime around that cluster of crystals doesn’t look even remotely interested by her touching their playground or home.
Seeing that as a sign that these slimes don't mind, she can use her ridiculously sharp knife to cut it. But intrusive thoughts present themselves, which is why Nyx used her surprisingly robust hand to chop the crystals off.
"Ha!" She delivers a downward chop, breaking some of it... while also eliciting a cry of both contented affirmation and some prickly pain, not much but it is there.
"Damn, the force was something." She mused. Now she looks back at the slimes, they look at her but she can feel that they're more confused with her method of getting the crystal. A small slime even seems to be tilting its head, dealing immense damage to her psyche.
"How could you look so cute!?" Against her better judgment, she scoops up that smaller slime and presses it against her bosoms. The poor creature squirmed in alarm at first but soon nestled contently, seemingly in bliss. She involuntarily giggled with excitement seeing its eagerness to nestle on her chest.
Several other slimes now coming closer to her, and some of them seem to be expecting something from her. The biggest one, about 90cm tall and 150cm wide, doesn’t shy away either and gets closer to her.
Even slimes further from her skid and slides toward her position. Smaller ones are already forming a small pyramid that is scooting ever closer to her. Now she is surrounded by bulbous piles of springy creatures. Something that worsens her decision-making and sense of caution.
"!?" She finally loses herself to the temptation and starts playing around with the slimes inside the cavern. Nyx stares at them affectionately and welcoming, two different creatures exchanging bulbous heavens is truly a sight that can boost sugar intake.
Well, it can work as therapy and relaxation I suppose...
4 hours later, give or take.
"hum~ hum~" She is glowing, to say the least. After getting her fill of relaxation, she starts hauling back the harvested crystals that she had managed to get her hands on. She still has the backpack from the installation, or landship thingy, along with several inflatable bags.
She looks back and sees several slimes skidding, or more like limping and being lethargically spent for some reason... She just hugged them, well maybe a bit too hard, but come on, she only gave them a gentle squeeze and a whole mountain range worth of repressed and pent-up need to interact with something that doesn't immediately try to take a bite at her... loneliness too.
She hops back on her bike, a small slime following her, its gelatinous construct jiggling with joy. She scoops it up and lets it slide along her shoulders, before putting it back down much to its visible protest.
"Sorry... you can't come with me, your family will miss you." She speaks sadly, suddenly remembering Ele and the kids from her previous world. "Go back now, they must be worried." The slime appears to be slumping before skidding away slowly, looking back at her now and then, each time looking sadder than the last if the slime's less-than-bulbous appearance is to be believed.
After it had returned to where its family at, Nyx started her bike’s engine to announce her departure. She gaze back one last time and wave at her newfound cuddling friends, praying that they stay safe despite this place's apparent hostility. With a heavy but refreshed heart, she continues her journey to reach the surface.
Several Days later.
The sound of a bike vividly racing amidst the dimly lit earth can be heard from miles away. She has been going for hours in search of an exit from this place. Keeping up with her optimism that light will finally shed itself through the dark.
Nyx takes every opportunity to take a rest and have herself scavenge or hunt for sustenance. It is hardly the time to be picky, thus she swallowed her disgust in a bid to survive. What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger after all.
Picking and consuming wild roots and mushrooms that are resilient enough to prosper beneath the earth, some did cause her stomach to churn but she is getting by. Some type of rodent-like animal was also found and the rest is history Nyx surely prefers those to be left as a mere footnote.
She made some time to maintain her bike as best she could with what little equipment was in hand, which was thankfully found within the bike's limited inner storage anytime she could.
After cleaning and maintaining it, she always remembered to check for any Originium veins, which the documents described to be a blackish mineral that glowed in certain situations. It was also described to be close to some sort of slime, a different breed from the cute bulbous cuddling friends she met some time ago.
Sadly she found neither of the originium nor the slimes. Thus she starts to get anxious about her ride’s fuel situation. It should be enough for a few more weeks, but what should she do when the situation becomes untenable?
After her monotonous daily was finished, she continued moving. Pleasantly surprised again to only need an hour-long nap at most. Her body was truly bizarre and her tail felt like her only comfort for the past few days, hugging it or coiling it seemed to calm her nerves significantly.
At last, she found the light she had always yearned for... but not the sight that came in tow.
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"What the hell happened there?" she has found the light she always yearned for, but the sight of that place robbed her of any satisfaction and jubilation from escaping the dark subterranean world. She is kilometers away but the destruction is plain to see.
Her curiosity overwhelms her trepidation, she is hoping to at least find some survivors to tell her what and perhaps help her on what to do. She dreads the possibility of this world reaching its end, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. She decides to swallow her misgivings and visit the settlement.
She is afraid that her tail might attract attention, but her worries and need for human interaction win over her logic. If conflict, or worse, battle, happens... well, she will cross that bridge when she gets there.
She is now at the gate of a destroyed village. The sign near the gate gives her the name of this place. Apparently this is a village of "Vertana Rosa" and the place looks idyllic if she ignore the ominous splotches of the darkened sky above and the blatant destruction of scenery.
She is debating whether to proceed further or to immediately get away, but her eyes lay upon a relatively intact house. She chooses to proceed and perhaps find answers to her questions.
She gets off her bike after ensuring that it is safely locked, it wouldn't be funny to have it stolen when she is still fumbling around this world. She knocks on the door and... no response whatsoever.
"Anybody here!?"
She shouts to ascertain herself about her suspicion of this house. Maybe the owner is still alive, maybe the hide, mortals can be stubborn right?
"Anyone!?"
Nothing once again, only the eerie silence.
"...I'm coming in!"
Mentally ready to apologize if there is anyone inside, she rams the door with her shoulder. Easily breaking down the entire door... with the wall while she's at it, causing unnecessary levels of property damage... Which is bad because she is broke.
"Oops..." She can only smile sheepishly while hiding her slightly red face, she is too hung up to meet someone that she disregarded a much more civilized approach. Pushing her embarrassment down, she proceeds further inside.
Her eyes start a cursory scan inside and find it empty... but it is clear that its previous occupant left hastily, well they did lock the door at least... Thrown clothes, broken tableware, and pieces of furniture are in disarray, there are still some luxury accessories here too.
She determined that the technology was at least somewhere during the industrial era, a good thing to know. She would lie if she said that it was as she had expected, however. The futuristic scraps down there had affected her outlook, so she is mildly disappointed by the level of technology here.
A newspaper is laid on top of the dining room table, there is also a loaf of bread beside it. She is famished for proper food but she doesn't want to commit thievery... Yet her stomach won that mental debate with a massive landslide.
She blushed even redder from shame, but what's done is done.
Leaning over the newspaper she read that it is now... 17th December 1070. Looking around she also found a calendar with the year edition also being 1070. She breathes out a sigh of relief to at least pinpoint what year or era she's in.
She spotted a family... photo? Or is that cosplay? She leans in closer and sees that every one of them has a pair of animal ears and a tail... their tail looks bushy but not quite too bulky or discomforting from the looks of it. One thing is sure as hell, that doesn’t look artificial at all.
Is this the norm in this world? Well, a small optimism that her tail wouldn't attract attention sprouted. She sighs from the potential fact that this world will be similar in terms of weirdness like what her embedded past life memories suggest.
After checking that this place is empty of humans or at least humanoid, she returns to the table where the newspaper is laid. Her eyes momentarily scan the paper and she is pleasantly surprised that the language letters are a mix of polish, Kwargiz, English, and Hastrian… She thanks whatever god there is in this world for being merciful enough to give her extreme mental processing prowess.
Speed reading it, she cannot help but sigh and facepalm with clear agitation. Discrimination happens and is even advertised or propagandized... people called the infected seem to be turned into a convenient political tool or just a way to blame and vent frustrations.
Putting two and two together after reading the newspaper, it appears that this is what the documents said of originium being a malignant tumor-like disease. She is saddened that people called infected are being ostracized and hated for it.
She slumps on the chair, face alternating between disdain and mild annoyance. Her face morphs and she lets out derisive chuckles, reveling in a twisted form of relief... none, except one but even there she doesn't live a peaceful kind of life, of her past lives embedded memories shown a peaceful world where she can have a boring life with a boring death.
She should fit in nice and tight in this world, like carefully handcrafted, custom-made, gloves.
Thinking about her situation logically again, she decides to allow some leeway to be made while helping herself with whatever she can get her hands on. She rummages through the kitchen to find some canned food and bottles of water. After securing it she decided to leave the house and continue with her aimless journey.
Riding down a ruined and badly damaged pathway, she gaze upon destroyed homes, dead livestock and hounds, and a horrifically dried environment. Charred grass, broken glasses, and deathly silence turn the air into an ominous cacophony of howls, a warning, and intimidation for her ears.
Spread as far as her eyes could see is only horrifying destruction and dead bodies along with corpses. A proof of calamity that had passed by this unfortunate little village. One particular scenery demanded undivided attention from her more than what she had already seen.
Clusters of black mineral remind her of one thing and one thing only, originium. That very mineral, or malignant disease, those documents had described countless times that provide quite a vivid imagery... well, those were imageries, and the real one is something else entirely.
Black minerals jutted out from the earth, reaching as high as 10-stories buildings. Splotches of the darkened sky that seem to have premeditated the heaven's judgment upon sinners and the wrongdoers, or that the one above had grown tired with the folly of man, hanging atop of it sparsely.
Destroyed and hallowed earth, craters that would make concentrated artillery bombardment make a run for its money, and dead bodies covered by black minerals that encroach on the corpse greedily.
She sits on top of her bike in shocked silence once more when she visibly sees the bodies being encroached on by the blight. It finally swells and an eerie glow breaks through its blighted mold, a chill running down her spine 'My senses screaming at me to stay away from it' She does what her senses tell her and takes a wide berth from the corpse.
Merely seconds later, the sound of a subdued explosion was heard. All she sees are originium dusts being swept by the wind, before latching upon anything it touches, further restarting the blight spreads. Something that unnerves her greatly, her memories had shown something similar but with viruses and fungi.
"To hell with it..." She revives her ride’s engine at full throttle and proceeds to leave the destroyed village. Nyx is hoping that such a sight is not a common one, and praying to whatever had sent her here to reveal that such a thing was but merely a one-time misfortune.
{==}
Year: 17th December 1070
Location: 22km southeast of Vertana Rosa, Kazimierz.
POV: Nyx.
I finally get away from that blasted place. I can only sigh from the revelation that this world is hardly going to be a peaceful one, again to no one surprise. Am I destined to be reborn for ad infinitum with a blade in hand or something?
The world that I see from the newspaper also shows an anachronistic set of equipment. Riot police with shields and machetes backed by soldiers in E.O.D. armor with crossbows on hand? Just what kind of world is this? I mean, they look organized and do not act like over-glorified yet low-budget cosplayers…
There was also a section about something called Kazimierz Major or was it Kazimierz League? Sounds like a sports event but the photo in the newspaper shows knightly people bashing one another in a gladiatorial fashion... So an arena? Really? Actual arena? Hah…
My head kind of hurts now... kitchen appliances back in that house are shown to be somewhere between the 19th – 21st-century eras, or at least the industrialized age. Guess it will be like that one world according to embedded memories, the difference was that one looks a lot more like hell compared to this one.
Ah well... I'll learn something more eventually. The world state itself would be a mix of unique and reminiscent I suppose.
Now look at that, me, some things just don't change, and conflict where I had been drinking and pissing on is the same as always. Numerous memories of being someone who was paid to kill and do dirty jobs surface in my mind.
While having a jolly traveling down memory lane filled to the brim with blood, I spot a river next to a waterfall. I decide to wash my body, while it doesn't smell all that much now that I think about it, it does feel uncomfortable since god knows when since the last time I rinse this alien body.
Stopping the bike near the stream, in a more secluded area of course, I strip myself off, freeing my body from the clutches of fabrics. I quickly dip into the water, since I can't let myself be seen naked willy–nilly after all.
Sorry, no free show for anyone who tried, and those who still tried will have a lovely date with my knife stabbed into their genitalia.
"Hah..." I sigh contently after getting my body submerged inside the flowing river. The water caressed my body gently and eased my tension. It feels nice... and my body seems to be working automatically. I can see grime and dirt peeled off my skin by itself... neat...
"I need to think about what to do for the future..." I started making some preliminary plans about what needed to be done and possibilities for the future event.
'Some sort of identification would be needed as a start...' Having an identification will help me blend in easier, so that’s the basic I guess? Welp, time to move on with planning.
'First I need to get acquainted with this world's norms. I can't have myself committing social faux pass after all.’ Getting close to the locals might not be a terrible idea. Hopefully, they are not being xenophobic or something. With a disaster like that one, I doubt people would not be, at least, cautious.
'Second, I need to decide what to be in this world... a mercenary occupation might work but I would rather not make that my main occupation if possible.' I’m used to handling logistics, but doesn’t make me like the paperwork that entails. Having served in different militaries throughout my past lives made me somewhat knowledgeable about it.
'Third, I need to know the state of this world if possible... crap, I guess mercenary work it is then...' I realized a very important point… my education is barely all that high. The most I had was uh… high-school? Crap, my memories had yet to stabilize… but anything related to soldiery? Like the back of my hand.
Being a mercenary is a perfect way to gain notoriety and... 'Garnering targeting sights on my back... *sigh* welp, no rest for the wicked... or something, I don't quite recall.' Such is mercenary life, always looking for more payouts and being hunted by fellow mercenaries for those fat stacks of cash. I can expect worse coming my way with a face this good…
'Fourth is... sightseeing?' What were my days off again? Pretty sure I just let it flow away every night doing fuck all or screwing with or by someone. By the day I just… being a fucking sloth. Sightseeing sounds new…
'Fifth would be building up a persona or mask to use in public I guess?' I don’t want to get too close to everyone, the mental burden would be bad. Being a mercenary also means that I will have rivals, and those rivals will start screwing me over somehow… So mask it is? What though? Ah, I know!
"But the world is a stage... everyone has a role in it..." I chuckle, trying to get in the mood of acting mysterious...
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“Yeah no, too cringy. I'll just act cold, works every time. Not to mention that I will get called ice queen or something, which should keep some pests away…”
'Sixth move would be...' and thus I start creating standard ideas and plans. Like what a famous boxer from one of my old life said "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face."
[END OF CHAPTER]
Author Note:
Hello, this is me, myself, and I, The author and this is 3/40 something edits… fuck.
Did you know that Kal'tsit dialogue can be a novel by itself? Or the fact that Arknights stories can be turned into standalone novels? Like, can you even believe that Episode 8 was somewhere around, as far as I can recall, 178.000 words? 3 novels worth of content are there...
Yes, we are not on the canon timeline yet. I had decided to use time skips (length varies) so we can reach the canon timeline by 30-ish chapters (Hopefully). So wish me luck or something, because my graduation thesis is coming up...
For readers who are curious about what her bike looks like, just search up Yamaha R1, add some light armor plating up front, and paint it light grey.
Update as usual.
Ciao.
(P.S: The village name was random lmao.)
(Edit: I fucking messed up, the year was supposed to be 1070. It should be fixed now.)
This is her face Btw.
