Chapter 7: Ruin Seeker (Of Course, Nothing Goes As Planned)

As I creep back into the area where the Colony Maker and I had set up for the night, her eyes flick open and she speaks up, "Query: were you successful in your goal?"

I nod, before shushing her, don't want her to wake anyone. As I settle next to her, I murmur, "Just focus on sleeping, or whatever you do all night. We'll go over our plans in the morning."

With that, I close my eyes.

It takes a bit, but eventually, everything… drifts… away…

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Waking up is a sudden thing, but the sun's at least pretty high in the sky. The Colony Maker's sitting beside me, some food and drink set aside presumably for me, as well as some crumpled wrappers and an empty bottle near her presumably for camouflage, unless she actually ate. That'd be a bit outside the norm though…

I scarfed down the stuff she brought me, most of it was pretty good, but that apple was a bit tart for me. Never was a fan of green apples…

After doing that, I grabbed a map from one of the stands, probably paid too much for it, but quickly retreated to the small area that the Star-vader and I had claimed. Sitting down and folding it out, I point to where we are and what I view as out next destination, a small area on the shore of one of the larger lakes in the Dark Zone. Beside it is a dot, with the name of "Ancient Ruins Research Centre" marking it. The Colony Maker sends me a somewhat quizzical if bland look, and I reply, "As much as I want to just blitz our way to the United Sanctuary, there're some things I want to check out before heading north."

"Query: what are you looking for?" I expected her to ask me about this, it's not something that came entirely out of left field.

Still the question is a difficult one to answer.

Am I looking for Gear Chronicle, for those who could release Interdimensional Crosstalk, for the ones I might need in order to gain an upper hand?

No, I guess the better answer to give would be, "…Hope. I'm looking for hope."

How messed up is it, that I have to turn to one of the clans I dislike?

Isn't it sad?

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After the Colony Maker and I'd finished plotting out our course and preparing to leave, we'd hopped aboard a convoy heading south-west, toward the border of the Dark Zone and the Dragon Empire.

We've ended up in a small frontier town. Not too big, but I reckon that it's got a population of a few thousand people. The town itself is nothing too fantastic either, mostly one or two story buildings with a few that go higher, though it's not like those truly stick out as there are no skyscrapers or massive apartment buildings. The main thoroughfare has a number of restaurants and tourist trap places lining it, but there's nothing really stand out about them, other than a few older pubs that look like they'd be nice to have a sit down in.

There'd been a few rainstorms on our trip, with there being what looked like a few dragons causing them so I can assume that the Narukami were responsible. The Colony Maker had said that the clan would occasionally lend out some of their members in order to help out farmers who were having difficult seasons due to drought or simply lower than average rainfall.

Goddamn, they skip over too much stuff, even in the lore…

Still, we've eaten at a small pub (which wasn't great, but hey, not everyone has good bangers and mash and I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt given that this is Cray), and we'd started to plan our course for hopping the border between the Dragon Empire and the Dark Zone.

The great thing about pubs, is that they're generally loud, and people don't pay much attention to anyone else unless they're that much of a snoop. Of course, there are certain things that will destroy the atmosphere is someone bursting in and screaming that we all need to see what's happening outside.

If they had said that we needed to evacuate, then I probably would have tried to slip out the back, but seeing as they simply said that it was something that needed to be seen, I decided it could be ignored. When the Colony Maker sent a questioning look my way, I simply shook my head, figuring it wasn't worth the effort.

That's all shot to hell when someone outside shouts, "Is that Vowing Sword?"

"Oh fuck all kinds of duck," I mutter as I slide out of my seat, signaling for the Star-vader to follow me. Picking my way through the crowd, we manage to get outside and look into the sky.

There, floating against a backdrop of storm clouds is what I feared.

With crimson scales and golden thunderbolt embellishments, two jagged blades in the shape of lightning bolts, and between his wings floats a swirling ring of crimson-black.

The Eradicator, Vowing Saber Dragon Яeverse. He'd been one of the first units in the game and show to be Яeversed, and was actually a pretty potent unit… honestly, I don't remember too much about him, as I was never a Narukami player, and he was apparently considered obsolete pretty soon after his release so I never saw anyone play him.

There's a sound, and I realize belatedly that it's the sound of lightning striking at less then a hundred feet, and a building explodes into flame across the street from where I am standing. Even as citizens begin to panic, the Eradicator roars, "QUIET! Amongst your numbers, right now, there are Star-vader infiltrators! Give them up to me, or your town faces eradication!"

Is he here… for me and the Colony Maker?

Even as that thought flashes through my mind, the people around me begin panicking, surging away from Vowing Saber.

I can't seem to move, even as I try to breathe deeply and calm myself down.

One of the dragon's subordinates flies up to his side, and though I can't hear what they're saying, it's clear that they disagree with their leader's actions. They're met with one of Vowing Saber's fists swinging up in front of them, and they flinch back. But it's not a punch they have to fear as two rings of crimson-black encircle them and then tighten, entrapping them in the cruel cage of Lock.

"All of you! Where is your loyalty to the Empire? Why do you stand in the way of this mission that I've undertaken for the sake of Empire? Your collective disloyalty saddens me greatly," The last part comes out as if murmured, but it's still projected loudly enough for everyone to hear. Many among the fleeing crowd pause, or turn back to the dragon, to see what he's talking about.

This is a mistake, and I'm only spared blindness and possible electrocution by scrambling back into the pub, because Vowing Saber unleashes a hail of bolts, and there's a thunderous sound.

As soon as I climb back to my feet and look outside, I can't help but feel my gut clench in terror.

Buildings have exploded into flame, carbonized corpses have fallen in the street and people are screaming as they flee even faster.

And even then, I can't help but blurt out the first thing that comes to my mind out of outrage, "You're doing this for the sake of the Dragon Empire? Don't kid yourself, you overgrown newt!"

There's a pause, and then an explosion of sound as Vowing Saber slams into the ground before me, one of his blades cleaving down right beside me. He looms over me, growling like a chainsaw, "And what do you mean by that? Everything I do… is for the Empire, this blade is the blade of my loyalty, it represents the vow that I made!"

…I really miss being able to dunk decks with this fucker in them into the ground. But still, sucking in a deep breath as I shoot back, "Is that so? I guess you plan on throwing it away, if how hard you're stomping on this apparently amazing vow of yours!"

"You dare?!" He roars, blasting with heat from his breath. I'm going to get killed here by a dragon with electric powers and a fuck-huge sword, aren't I?

Still, I should have been trembling, sweating, and stuttering like a motherfucker, but instead I'm acting perfectly chill and retort, "Yeah, I fucking dare! I dare because I'm right! Because right now, right now all you are is a puppet dancing on Chaos Breaker's strings! You follow his orders, but it won't be to the benefit of the Dragon Empire in the least at all! It'll just lead it to its destruction!"

"MY LOYALTY IS ABSOLUTE!"

"Your loyalty is absolute mud, apparently."

Now, I'm no expert in dragon facial reading, but the Eradicator looks like he's about to go nuclear. So I keep pushing, "Your loyalty is mud. Because you don't even seem to realize how badly you're hurting the very nation that you swore to protect, this town did nothing wrong and yet you're well on your way to razing it, while slaughtering those who don't flee. That doesn't sound like you've been protecting them at all."

"There are Link Joker spies among th-"

"Don't tell me you believe that load of tripe… actually, no. You're right, there is an agent of Link Joker here," I interrupt him and then pause for pure dramatic effect, I just can't seem to duck my habits of being a drama queen. Still, he's silent, and I can see he's starting to slip.

"Although I'm surprised that you didn't catch him, seeing as he's winking you in the face whenever you look at your reflection."

He's faltering, half formed syllables falling from his mouth, his expression shifting rapidly between fear and outrage.

Despite my instincts screaming at me to run, I step forward.

And he jerks back.

I smile, small, sincere, like a knife meant for someone's back, and ask, "Did you not realize? Did you not hear that little whisper in your mind? Directing you, encouraging you to grow callous, to attack the very place you call home and those you swore to protect?

"To use the cruel power born of the corruption that they foisted upon you, until that malignant whisper was almost indistinguishable from your own thoughts?"

He's shaking, his head jerking back and forth in denial, and I step forward again.

I rest my hand against on of his knees, my smile widening kindly.

"I wonder, when did your loyalty and vow shift to Chaos Breaker?"

Vowing Saber roars in anguish, dropping his swords as his claws sweep up and grip his head, staggering away from me before collapsing against one of the building across the street.

I didn't do anything like that, instead I step back into the shadows, my smile not budging an inch.

Author's Note: This took a bit longer than I thought, but what can you do? I was suffering a bout of writer's block. And FGO distracted me.