[Mantle City]
After getting far enough away from Fiona and the onlookers, and making sure there was no one nearby, Daniel lets the illusion covering him fade, feeling his body relax a little as he does so.
"Ahhh…" he exhales more calmly, releasing some of the accumulated tension.
The exhaustion is not physical. He has more than enough aura and, at this point, he is certain that he could double that of any professional hunter.
This is mental exhaustion. Although his ability to create illusions has improved with all the practice and constant use, it still costs him effort to handle several tasks and maintain the illusion at the same time, causing him slight fatigue. It is not like when Aegis takes control; in that case, he only needs to focus on sustaining the illusion and using some semblance now and then.
Now, that annoyance, added to GLaDOS's calls that interrupted his meeting with Fiona, has him somewhat irritated.
"What does GLaDOS want to talk about?" asks Aegis from his usual position on top of his head, perhaps noticing his bad mood.
"Mhmmm… I do not know, she was quite ambiguous" he replies, mentally going over the brief conversation. "She only said to collect all the things and that she would send for us…"
He is not lying. When GLaDOS called him, she did not actually say anything concrete, although her tone sounded particularly annoyed.
"Pfff…" he snorts to himself while a slight smile forms on his face. "Maybe she wants to congratulate me for my magnificent work" he comments with a touch of presumption in his voice.
"I highly doubt it" replies Aegis without hesitation. "It is probably the opposite."
"You are very negative. I think I will start calling you Negative Nancy— BAM!" He does not finish speaking when his own fist punches him in the face.
"Ouch… I forgot you could do that…"
"SLAP!" His other hand delivers a direct slap.
"Why was that!?"
"So that you do not forget again" answers Aegis with slight amusement in his voice.
"Whatever…" Daniel snorts, oddly a little less irritated, but deciding to stop playing around and check his system and abilities.
[You have cheated on your girlfriend]
You have cheated on Ruby Rose with Fiona Thyme, member of the Happy Huntresses.
Score: B
[Copying Fiona's semblance: Pocket Dimensions]
[Assimilating Fiona's statistics: 5% (maximum 25%)]
[You have cheated on your girlfriend]
You have cheated on Weiss Schnee with Fiona Thyme, member of the Happy Huntresses.
Score: B
[Assimilating Fiona's statistics: 10% (maximum 25%)]
[Extra reward]
+8 gacha rolls
"Ahh… yes…" a sigh of satisfaction escapes him as he reads the copied semblance, ignoring completely the statistics that at this point do not really matter to him; they are not his priority. What truly matters to him is right in front of him: the holy grail of abilities, the legendary dimensional storage.
Unable to resist, he searches the floor and quickly finds a stone, taking it in his hand. As always, the system does not give him any instruction on how to use the semblance, but he is not concerned.
He does not really need it.
Fiona's semblance has been registered in the Atlas Hunters' data center since she was in the academy, and GLaDOS took the trouble to send him a report about her ability. That information is obviously not available to the general public.
Curiously, it is not mandatory for hunters to register their semblances. Many do, many others do not, which he finds foolish considering how varied they are. He is convinced that, out there, there must be some mind control semblance that no one has wanted to register.
Although in most cases those who do not register their semblances tend to be tournament competitors, for whom it is convenient that their opponents do not know their abilities, sooner or later almost all of them end up being discovered during fights. They tend to be too flashy to hide.
What did all that information have to do with Fiona's semblance?
Nothing really.
He had simply read an article in a magazine and could not get that data out of his head. Shaking his head a couple of times, he forces himself to focus. His mind was wandering again.
Focusing, he directs his attention inward, searching for the new semblance. This time he finds it faster than the previous one and, with a smile, activates it. Immediately, his hand begins to glow with a faint light… but aside from that, nothing else happens.
Daniel does not get impatient. He recalls the images and recordings of Fiona using her semblance, along with the comments she herself had made about how she used it. Drawing inspiration from that, he tries to add intent to his actions, keeping the ability active while concentrating.
"Store… keep… absorb…" he thinks, visualizing the process.
It takes him several minutes, but he finally succeeds. The rock he is holding begins to disintegrate, as if turning into sand, and is then absorbed by the palm of his hand. In a second, the stone is gone.
"Where is the rock?" asks a curious Aegis, who has not missed a single detail of what happened.
"From what I understand and from the records…" Daniel replies, placing a hand on his chest and pointing to himself. "It should be inside my soul…"
It was not the best explanation he could give and, in truth, it did not make much sense, but it was the truth: his soul functioned as a storage.
"Do not look for logic" he adds, not wanting to think too much about the matter… nor about uncomfortable things like what would happen if the Netoru system deactivated his semblances. Would he explode? Would the things be trapped inside him? Would they be expelled all at once… through some other way?
Just imagining it sends a shiver down his spine.
Several more minutes pass before he finally arrives back at the warehouse. He does not bother to enter calmly.
BAM! The door swings open with a kick.
"Pack everything! We are leaving this dump!" he shouts.
His entrance earns the stares of Rosella and a better-dressed Sadako, who is sitting on the first one's lap while she combs her hair. Neither seems frightened by the interruption; rather, they look curious.
"We are leaving?" asks Rosella, stopping the comb.
"Correct! Pile everything you find into a single stack."
Rosella does not question him. She moves Sadako off her lap and begins taking out the things she had been looking after.
Daniel does not stay still either, moving other objects, among them the old TV with the videocassette player from which Sadako had come, and in which he is almost certain the cursed video is still inside.
They do not only collect the gacha objects, but also the things Rosella had bought: bed, sofa, heaters, some reserves of dust and food.
Daniel pauses for a moment when he sees a set of chemistry instruments that belong to Rosella. Holding a test tube in his hand, he cannot help but wonder what she was doing with all that. After thinking for a second, he concludes it would be better to ask later; now is not the time.
When all the objects are finally piled up, Daniel approaches the stack.
"Step back" he warns the girls, not wanting to find out what would happen if he tried to absorb a living being.
He stands in front of the mountain of things, placing both hands on them and concentrating. This time it takes less than the first, and in seconds all the objects begin to disintegrate as if they were sand, disappearing in a constant flow absorbed through his hands.
In just an instant, the large pile ceases to exist and the warehouse is as empty as when they first found it.
There is a moment of silence, broken by Rosella.
Slap, slap, slap she claps enthusiastically.
"Susuga, Daniel-sama!" she exclaims cheerfully upon seeing the new ability.
Her words make Daniel stop, bringing a finger to his ear and rubbing it, as if he had misheard.
"Sorry… what did you say?" he asks.
"I said that is a very cool ability, boss" Rosella replies with a wide smile.
Daniel questions whether that was really what he heard, but he does not have time to press it. The sound of an engine interrupts him, and the three of them leave the warehouse to find a military Bullhead flying over the place.
The design is fairly standard. Just in case, Daniel switches to shared vision with Aegis to confirm who is piloting it. A few seconds are enough to verify that it is completely empty: there is no one on board, so obviously it was the transport GLaDOS sent for them.
As soon as it lands, no message is heard, but the ship's doors open immediately, a clear invitation to board.
"Well, let's not waste time" he comments, moving toward the Bullhead with Rosella and Sadako following close behind.
The interior has nothing special: it is a typical and uncomfortable military transport. Rosella, as expected, sits next to him… but the surprise comes when Sadako settles directly onto his lap.
Her body is delicate and slightly cold.
[Image]
He had not noticed before, but Sadako's new outfit is quite cute: a hat, a sweater, and jeans. She takes off the hat and remains motionless, as if waiting for something.
"I do not understand" murmurs Daniel, looking at her without knowing exactly what she wants.
His attention shifts when Rosella extends a comb to him, the same one she had been using earlier to comb Sadako's hair.
"When we were alone in the warehouse, she told me she likes to be combed" explains Rosella, smiling and inviting him to continue the task.
"Oh…" He sees no reason to refuse, so he begins combing Sadako's hair.
A few calm seconds pass as the Bullhead takes off, until he realizes what she said.
"Wait! She talked to you?" he asks, turning toward Rosella.
"Yes."
"You mean… with words?"
"Yes…?"
Daniel's hand stops mid-motion, and the sudden change makes Sadako look up to meet his gaze. She watches him with a confused expression, not understanding why he stopped combing her.
They stay like that for a few seconds, looking at each other in silence, until he finally gives in.
"Ah…" he sighs. "You are not going to talk, are you?"
Resigned, he resumes the combing, already sensing that even if she could, Sadako did not intend to say a single word to him.
The Bullhead continues its ascent, gaining altitude quickly as they move away from the frozen city of Mantle. Just as he expected, the trip is brief; the silhouette of Atlas soon appears before them, imposing as always.
The city seems to be in good condition… perhaps even a little better than when he left, and it has only been a few days. However, something catches his attention: the ship is not heading to the Atlas tower or to the academy.
Instead, it flies over the city and heads toward a somewhat more distant area, where several structures can be distinguished that look like… warehouses.
"How disappointing" he thinks, grimacing. Going from one warehouse to another was not exactly what he had in mind. Although, to be fair, these look in better condition; they had gone from the free version to the premium version.
The Bullhead slows down, hovering in the air. A quick glance shows they are in front of a rather large warehouse, but he does not see where it could land. There is no free space in sight.
"How does she expect us to get do—" He does not finish the sentence. "—OOWWNNN!!!" he shouts, surprised, as the floor of the Bullhead opens beneath his feet, dropping them into the void.
The surprise does not last long. Daniel quickly recovers, holding Sadako and Rosella against his body. He knows they would be able to land without problems, but he does not want to see them hit the ground.
With both in his arms, he adjusts his posture and lands on his feet, cushioning the impact. The landing makes a dry, heavy sound as he touches the ground, right in front of the warehouse entrance.
Once he confirms they are fine, he looks up and sees the Bullhead quickly flying away.
"She is a damn…" he mutters, setting the girls down.
"I heard you" responds GLaDOS's clear voice, coming from speakers on the warehouse exterior.
"I was hoping you would hear me!" he complains, brushing dust off his clothes while glancing around, making sure no one witnessed their arrival.
He sees no one. He concludes that GLaDOS probably closed the perimeter as a precaution.
Feeling reassured, he walks toward the warehouse door. He observes the security of the place: cameras in every corner, sturdy walls, a reinforced door with a code… all much more fortified than their previous base.
As he approaches, the door opens automatically.
From the moment he steps inside, the scene catches his attention: wide open spaces, robots working constantly —though he isn't quite sure on what— and a large amount of machinery. Even with all that activity, there's still plenty of empty space.
"It looks like GLaDOS has moved all her projects here," he thinks, impressed as he takes in the place.
He doesn't have much time to examine it when a robot approaches him, making a clear gesture for him to follow. At least, to follow it.
"Is that a chemistry lab?" Rosella asks excitedly, veering off to the side without waiting for an answer.
In an instant, she's gone, followed by Sadako, leaving him completely alone.
Daniel exhales, resigned, and keeps following the robot. It leads him into a smaller side room, where there are only a few machines and the atmosphere is much quieter than in the rest of the warehouse.
The first thing that catches his eye is a square block of gleaming metal, placed at the center of a table. The piece seems out of place, as if it didn't belong to the rest of the room.
He decides to stay still, thinking it's best to wait for GLaDOS to speak first. She had been strangely mysterious all day, much quieter than usual, barely saying a word to him. Behavior that didn't match the GLaDOS he knew.
No words come… but action does.
A robot enters the room, carefully carrying what appears to be a cylindrical battery. At first glance, its size and sheen convey considerable power.
Without saying a word, the machine approaches the metal block, sets the battery down on top of it with care, and then withdraws.
For a few moments, nothing happens.
Then, the cube emits a soft glow, and the battery is pulled into its surface. The metal begins to mold itself fluidly, stretching, locking, and bending as if it were alive. The structure grows around the battery, placing it right in the center, as if it were the heart of a mechanical creature.
In just a few seconds, the process ends.
[Image]
Before him, sitting on the table, is a female figure. Whitish hair, fair skin, a tight black suit with orange details, and a short jacket. Her gaze, cold and tinged with contempt and superiority, fixes on him as if evaluating him.
The girl —whom he has no doubt is GLaDOS— is the first to act.
She raises her hands and begins to clap, slowly, each palm strike dripping with sarcasm.
"I must congratulate you," she says in a soft voice, though laced with venom. "I knew you were useless, but every time I think you can't outdo yourself… you surprise me with a new personal best."
The applause stops with the same calm with which it began.
"That's not a very warm welcome," Daniel replies, trying to keep his voice steady. The transformation has impressed him, but he's not about to let it show… even though he's dying to know how she did it.
"It wasn't a welcome," she answers coldly.
"May I know the reason for this verbal attack on my person?" he asks, wearing an amused smile, not really affected by her words.
"It's been almost three days since you started working through the list I gave you," GLaDOS reprimands him as, without warning, a holographic screen appears in the middle of the room.
On it was the list of people whose semblances he needed to obtain. Only one name was crossed out.
"You've completed one," she reproached, her voice heavy with disapproval. "And you've spent two million."
Daniel averted his eyes slightly. At least he had the decency to feel somewhat embarrassed.
"Well… maybe I got a little carried away," he admitted, letting out a nervous laugh that didn't help at all. "Having a lot of money went to my head pretty fast, I admit it."
"I can see that," GLaDOS replied, unfazed. "But the money isn't the point."
"Then why bring it up…?"
"Shut up!" she cut him off, killing any attempt at an excuse. "There are seven days left to finish the generator, and you've completed only one objective."
"I'm doing what I can…" he muttered, not very convincingly.
"Then do better. If you don't do it now, it'll be much harder to get their abilities in the future." She didn't give him time to respond before continuing.
"The huntresses will return to their missions once the generator is complete. They'll scatter, and it would be a waste of time to chase them all over Atlas just to get their semblances."
Daniel nodded, listening, but without really processing her words—distracted by her new appearance.
"Was it necessary to have a human form just to tell me that?" he ask, unable to take his eyes off her new body.
"I wanted to tell you how useless you are in person," she replied with a smile that mixed mockery and satisfaction.
"That's some pretty impressive technology," Daniel commented, trying to change the subject.
Surprisingly, it seemed to work. GLaDOS rose from the table and walked confidently toward another, smaller block of metal resting on a console.
"Indeed, it's a very valuable material," she said, running her fingers over the smooth surface. "But it can do far more than create a body."
As she spoke, the block began to transform.
"It can be anything. Simple things…"
The metal stretched and reshaped in seconds, shifting from a sword to a shield, then to a spear. The changes were fast.
"Maybe something more complex…" she murmured as the cube now took on more elaborate shapes: a rifle, a pistol, a machine gun.
"It could also be weapons from the blueprints you obtained yourself."
At her words, Daniel felt a thrill of excitement run through his chest. In front of him, the metal took the form of a pair of combat gloves, identical to the Project VI blueprints he had acquired long ago.
[Image]
"Ooohhh!" He couldn't help but rush closer, examining every detail with awe and excitement. They were perfect.
"Beautiful, aren't they?" GLaDOS said. "These beauties can crush rocks like they're clay."
Daniel reached out, eager to try them… but before he could touch them, the gloves dissolved, returning to their cubic shape, leaving him gaping as he watched them vanish.
"Too bad I'm not willing to waste my beautiful, precious metal on you," she added, amused, walking toward the door with a slight sway of her hips that seemed deliberate.
"When you're done sulking, I'll be waiting outside. You have a new mission to do."
Daniel barely registered her last words. His gaze remained fixed on the metal, as if he could will it back into the form he had liked so much. But when nothing happened, he took a deep breath… and finally let out his frustration.
"DAMN IIIIT!"
-//-
Author's Note:
I just wrote this... literally started about three hours ago—so if you spot any problems, let me know and I'll fix them. Luckily, I'd had the images ready for quite some time, at least two months.
Anyway, I'm not sure what else to say. Do you want more chapters? Do you want me to write faster? Then leave a comment, a suggestion, or even some constructive criticism to help me improve.
Anyway…
Hugs and kisses!💋