Chapter 6: Silver Wolf
Osrelios had woken up from sleep, he went out of his room and into the Parlor car.
Upon talking to the others, it turns out that Herta had contacted Himeko saying that she wanted Oz' help with a project of hers.
Apparently she has been working on something called the Simulated Universe, a virtual reality world that was created in hopes of learning more about the Aeons.
Oz was very reluctant to agree.
The Astral Express then set course for the Herta Space Station.
As it turns out, the Astral Express needed to be inspected as the near de-rail back at Jarilo-VI caused some issues.
The Astral Express would be parked at Herta Space Station in the meantime.
Oz went to Herta's office and began helped her develop the Simulated Universe by testing it.
After a few hours of testing, he went to the Base Zone to talk to Arlan. Arlan wanted to talk to him.
Arlan ended up giving Oz a bowl of Fried Rice as early compensation for helping him with a situation that came up.
Arlan explained that a guest was arriving at the Station, and apparently they were a research partner of Herta's.
When the guest got there, it was revealed that they are a member of the Genius Society, named Screwllum.
Screwllum appeared to be a robot.
Screwllum had an appointment with Herta, so he didn't stay in the Base Zone for long.
Before he left, he addressed Oz and mentioned that Herta talked about him.
Oz was slightly concerned, seeing as he doesn't trust Herta at all.
After Screwllum left, Oz ended up talking to a member of the station that was a part of the Cybersecurity crew.
The member ended up giving some information about one of the Stellaron Hunters, a super-hacker from a planet called Punklorde.
Oz was then roped into helping the station member.
There was evidence of digital graffiti, which when scanned, ended up summoning a bunch of Antimatter Legion goons.
Oz disposed of them quickly.
When Oz defeated the Legion members, a hologram of a girl appeared.
She looked... like Bronya, but younger.
Oz was very confused.
The station member revealed that the girl was called Silver Wolf.
As Oz looked at the hologram, he couldn't help but feel curious about the girl.
His curiosity rose further when it was revealed that Silver Wolf can edit reality as if it was a program.
"Hey Mekanikle. How hard would it be to hack you or any of the other Meklords?"
"Machine Spirits can't be hacked." Mekanikle answered. "We are still living beings despite having mechanical bodies."
Oz walked to the other end of the hologram and took a look at the girls face.
'Not going to lie, she looks just like a younger Bronya. She looks kinda cute too.'
The hologram faded and Oz had to find another spot of graffiti.
He scanned it and then saw Silver Wolf's hologram head towards the base zone. Upon scanning more graffiti, Oz was catching glimpses of conversations Silver Wolf had in the station.
I almost laughed when he found out that Silver Wolf used the name of the cyber security engineer he was helping, for someone else to get into the station.
Oz was told of the"Punklorde Mentality", to which he had a thought.
"Hey Mekanikle, what if you followed this 'mentality' next time I ask you to hack something?"
"... Sounds like fun. I'm in." Mekanikle replied.
Oz followed the traces of Silver Wolf's hacking into a monitoring room. The feed shown displayed her walking through a wall.
It turned out, that the space Silver Wolf entered was connected to the room Oz was found in.
Oz already knew from a past conversation that the Stellaron Hunters were indeed the ones to place the Stellaron in him.
Oz followed the trail until it got cold.
The engineer Oz was with realized that there was an unknown access log on a device known as a Rating Pistol.
Curious, Oz had the Pistol scan him. The score came up to an alarming 4000 points.
Oz really didn't think much of it, seeing as it's just a scanner.
Oz and the engineer went to another storage room and found more evidence of Silver Wolf's presence.
It turns out that Silver Wolf nabbed a game cartridge called "Punklorde Mentality".
Oz was then led to the zone's main control room.
Oz couldn't help but feel like something was going on.
It wasn't long until more Antimatter Legion minions were spawned in.
Oz used Hamon's power to eliminate them instantly.
Upon investigation, the game cartridge apparently never left the station but instead appeared in Herta's office and disappeared.
O and the engineer went to Herta's office to investigate.
When they got there, they saw Herta having a discussion with Screwllum.
Apparently they were arguing about shutting down the Simulated Universe.
At the end of the argument the Herta puppet in the office stormed out.
That confused Oz, seeing as he would have expected her to just log off of the puppet.
Oz then talked to Screwllum who explained why their were arguing.
Oz ended up explaining the situation to Screwllum.
Screwllum gave Oz an explanation about Punklorde.
Oz also learned that the cartridge was used as a base for the Simulated Universe.
Oz then entered the Simulated Universe to investigate. Before he did, he decided to throw in a back up for himself.
When he went into the Simulated Universe before, he noticed that he couldn't communicate or summon a Spirit that wasn't a Machine or Cyberse type.
Before Screwllum could notice, Oz threw Mekanikle's card and lodged it in a space on the S.U's machine.
Oz quickly saw another Silver Wolf hologram once he entered.
"Hey, you. Why are you staring at me?" The hologram asked.
Oz was majorly confused.
Screwllum explained that he initiated the simulation flow, and to listen to whatever the hologram said.
"Firs off, I'm not obsessed with it. On Punklorde, the stories of the cartridge are no different from textbooks. I'm not interested in something that everyone knows about."
The hologram explained that the cartridge was an Aether Cartridge rather than that of a video game.
It also explained that with it, someone would be able to know things down to the last detail.
From how the hologram ended its speech, it appeared that Silver Wolf was talking to someone named Kafka.
Screwllum made the obvious statement that Silver Wolf did not enter alone.
Screwllum then stated that Oz would be in the point of view from Silver Wolf's companion, and that she would react to his actions.
"Can you hear me Mekanikle?"
"Loud and clear. I assume I'm going to hack the Simulated Universe when you ask?"
"If needed, or if I feel like it. Let's just see how things play out."
While following, Oz was able to get a good idea on her fighting style.
They ended up at a diverging path.
Silver Wolf then asked him to choose which direction to go.
Deciding to play along, Oz answered. "The right."
Silver Wolf seems smug. "That's right. The correct path is the path on the right."
Upon going through the gate, they found some sort of bait signal.
Oz and the Silver Wolf hologram continued. They entered a room with a riddle, but Silver Wolf skipped it.
The next room was one of respite. In it there was a Herta puppet.
Silver Wolf insulted Herta by calling her narcissistic. Oz couldn't help but silently agree.
Screwllum then told Oz that the Aether Cartridge was located in the next room.
When they got into the next room, it was a boss room.
Oz and the Silver Wolf hologram were quick to dispose of it. Silver Wolf seemed to add a weakness to it that Oz could easily exploit.
When the boss was killed, the Aether Cartridge was there, and perfectly in tact.
Screwllum was talking about how interesting that it was still there, when the hologram finished his sentence.
"Unless she had someone to guide her there."
Oz figured something was up in the first place, so the hologram speaking up like that didn't surprise him.
"You seem less confused then I thought you'd be." Silver Wolf observed.
"I knew something was up." Oz stated, sending the hologram a bored look.
It turns out the hologram was the actual Silver Wolf.
Screwllum also knew that it was the real Silver Wolf from the start.
Screwllum then logged into the S.U and stood by Oz.
"Hmph. You knew all along didn't you?" Silver Wolf addressed Screwllum.
"I knew it would be hard to fool you."
"It is a joy and honor to face off against you again." Screwllum said. "Herta said the Cartridge would be able to lure the biggest fishes in the universe - she was right."
"So the talk of shutting down the Simulated Universe was all talk? You all just wanted to lure me in?" Silver Wolf asked.
"That is up to you to interpret. Herta and I have always been frank withh one another. Conversations like that happened on a regular basis. It wouldn't be fitting to call it an act."
Silver Wolf only hmph-ed in response.
When Screwllum was describing to Oz that Silver Wolf was a talented hacker, she had a smug look on her face when he did.
Screwllum explained that his arrival was the only uncontrolled variable in her plan.
When Screwllum mentioned to Oz that he now knows everything about the situation, Silver Wolf spoke up.
"No, no. You're wrong about the most important part. I didn't come here out of desperation, but I've been bursting with excitement this whole time. Do you know how happy I was when you showed up, Screwllum?"
"I haven't had the thrill of a formidable opponent for a long time. The Legion and the IPC are nothing but disappointments. Only members of the Genius Society have the talent to provide me with a fun challenge."
"Reality is nothing but a game... But what's the point of a game if it can't make you happy? An invitation and a challenge, how could I not accept them? Would you have turned them down?"
"You're confident that you'll be able to get out of this in one piece." Screwllum commented.
"That's right." Silver Wolf said as she tapped something on her arm. "And I'm bringing this with me."
The Aether Cartridge floated up beside her.
Oz noticed there were now two. "A copy." He observed.
"Why else would I entertain such small talk? You're or the only one stalking for time. I bet Herta is hidden away in some corner, trying to pull of a reverse hack from where I hacked in. You, Screwllum, are in charge of facing me head on, just like last time."
"And I'm looking forward to it. How are you going to stop me this time? Will I see your true strength this time? The long awaited result will finally be determined. There will only be one victor today. Please... let me have some fun today, okay?"
"My apologies Miss Silver Wolf. None of that will be happening today. You may leave now."
When Screwllum said that, Oz sent out a command to Mekanikle.
"When I say, do something that we know will cause some light carnage."
"Huh?" Silver Wolf said, confused. "Leave? But... why? Aren't you trying to catch me?"
"Your creativity has proven interesting. However, I have nothing to do with your quarrel with the space station. I won't stop you." Screwllum explained.
"I'm going to leave with this cartridge then." Silver Wolf replied.
"That's just a duplicate. Correction: not only is it a duplicate, but the one you copied it from is also a duplicate. You may share that data freely."
"What if I attack the Space Station again?" Silver Wolf seemed to be trying to egg him on.
"I had nothing to do with me, but it is likely that someone would step forward to stop you."
Then what if I was to destroy the Simulated Universe right now?" Silver Wolf still tried to egg him on.
"I'm sorry, but that isn't possible. Aether Editing isn't able to destroy an entire universe."
Silver Wolf was very confused. "Then what's the point of this then? You guys went out of your way to set this trap and do nothing?"
"That's right." Screwllum said. "This way, the game that you do carefully orchestrated is now 'pointless', is it not? There's no point in a game if it's no longer fun."
"Silver Wolf, I know what you are after. Shackles won't hold you and jail is another game to you. Herta and I can to an understanding. We will no longer enable you and give you what you need."
Silver Wolf looked off to the side. "How boring."
"However, Herta thought this was too easy on you, so she decided to reverse hack you and located all 76 of your gaming accounts. How would it be if the IPC were to freeze all of them?"
"What!? Hey, hold on a minute!" Silver Wolf said.
"Mekanikle."
"On it. Seizing them now. Encrypting then too."
Silver Wolf then logged out.
Oz and Screwllum then followed suit. Before they did, Mekanikle spoke up.
"I obtained Silver Wolf's contact information. I know you are taking an interest in her, so you can use it later."
"Thanks Mekanikle."
Oz then approached Herta. "Hmph. A flawless victory.
Oz then crossed his arms, a smirk forming on his face. "Yeah, about that."
Herta then was confused. "What? What do you mean?"
Oz then spoke up. "Mekanikle, open a back door and allow any Machine and Cyberse type Duel Spirit to run rampant in the Simulated Universe."
Herta's eyes widened in confusion and surprise. She opened multiple screens and saw that thousands of Duel Spirits were pouring out of portals into the S.U and running around, doing whatever they wanted.
"What did you do!?" Herta shouts at Oz.
"I was bored, and didn't appreciate you using me as bait, so I decided to allow one of my Spirits to have some fun in hacking." Oz explained as he walked over to the main console and grabbed Mekanikle's card.
"Bye." Oz said as he walked out of the room.
Herta appeared to be fuming. She began typing away but nothing she did seemed to work.
Screwllum then let out a mechanical laugh. "Seems he's one to not underestimate."
On Herta's screens they all suddenly displayed one message:
Herta LP: 0
Osrelios Wins
With Silver Wolf, she was complaining to Kafka about her frozen accounts.
While she was complaining, she got a message notification.
"What the?"
She opened the notification and saw a message from an unknown sender.
It read: "Yo. This is Osrelios, the guy you and your colleague shoved a Stellaron into. I'll get to the point. I seized all of your gaming accounts before the IPC could freeze them. Then I got them encrypted. Just check your accounts in a few minutes."
Another message appeared. It read: "You're probably wondering why I did this. My reason: I'm not a fan of Herta. She's too uncaring for life for me to tolerate. So I decided to let one of my Duel Spirits, more specifically one of the Machine Types, hack the entire S.U and let a ton of Duel Spirits in. You could tell that she was angry, even through her doll. Here, I'll send a vid showing the result."
Another message was sent. It was a video showing the Duel Spirits running through the portals, and Herta trying everything to stop them.
It then showed the message that displayed on Herta's screen.
Silver Wolf then laughed. "That's what you get! No one freezes my accounts!"
Kafka, who was looking over Silver Wolf's shoulder, spoke up. "Seems our replacement is a lot more clever then we thought."
Silver Wolf then opened multiple screens and saw her gaming accounts were back.
She let out a smile before going back to the messages and saving Osrelios' contact.
Back with Oz, he was currently hanging out in his room on the Express.
He didn't want to get an earful from Herta, and didn't explain anything to the others.
His door was locked and he was playing a game on one of his consoles.
He then sensed a presence.
He turned and saw Silver Wolf in the flesh. She was not a hologram.
"What brings you here?" Oz asked, pausing his game.
She sat down next to him on his couch and got comfortable.
"Mainly to thank you."
"Oh, really?" Oz said.
He then pulled out a device and tossed it to her. "Catch."
Silver Wolf caught it.
"What's this?"
"You're a gamer right? I know a game that is much more interesting than any video game."
This caught her attention. "Oh? And what is it?"
"It's a card game from another universe. One where you can summon real creatures to battle against your opponents."
"A card game? That sounds lame."
Oz rolled his eyes. He then grabbed his Duel Disk from beside him and turned it on.
He pulled up some old recordings.
He maximized the holographic screen that appeared from it, allowing Silver Wolf to see better.
She then watched the recordings, at first she watched them with a bored expression, but that eventually turned into one of amazement.
After she was done watching the recordings, she turned to Oz, stars in her eyes.
"Can I play!?"
Oz chuckled. "The device I tossed to you is a Duel Disk. It allows you to play the game. However, that one is currently locked. Here's a challenge: hack into the Duel Disk, and I'll teach you how to Duel."
"Hmph. Easy." Silver Wolf said as she opens up a screen.
Half an hour later, she hasn't even made a dent.
"What kind of code is this!?"
Oz laughed a little. "I may have forgot to mention that the Duel Disk was encrypted by one of the most advanced Machine type Duel Spirits in existence. I never said the challenge was going to be easy."
Silver Wolf then looked at the Duel Disk with a determined, yet excited look in her eyes. "Finally. A worthy challenge."
"Anyway, you should probably go. Who knows when any of the other members of the Astral Express will knock on my door." Oz said.
She was caught up in her excitement of having a real challenge as a super-hacker.
She then hugged him. "See you!"
She then seemed to disappear.
Oz was slightly blushing from the hug.
'I'm not telling anyone about this.'
/Hey everyone.
Just wanna say, I'm probably going to stop with this story.
When writing this chapter, I noticed how I needed to go through the quest along with writing this so I could put as much in as possible and not do a skim.
And seeing as the story is going to be more complicated from now on, I'm not going to be able to write with as much accuracy as I had before.
I could write as I play, but that takes the fun out of the game.
This was just an experimental story after all.
So yeah, consider this story retired. I just wanted to get one more chapter out with it having as much as I could put in.
Thank you for reading.\