Esmeralda: Fontaine 4
A/N: Apologies for the long delay.
"We're being followed," Daisy said.
"I know," Esmeralda replied.
"What do you think?"
"By the looks of things, it's likely just Treasure Hunters. I haven't seen many of them in Fontaine, but these ruins are pretty isolated. They probably want to steal my stuff, maybe break you down for parts," Esmeralda replied conversationally, glancing back. Her visor took an image of the area behind her in that second, highlighting the poorly hidden men behind various plant life. She split her vision into two halves, one with the photo and the other of the road ahead, taking her time to analyze the photo while she kept strolling.
Beside her, the Ruin Architect known as Daisy, one of her best friends, gave her a mental glare that was only possible due to their familiarity and bond. "I meant, what do you think we should do about it?"
Esmeralda shrugged. "Nothing? We've dealt with so many of them before. As long as they don't try anything, I'm willing to ignore them."
Daisy had passive sensors that allowed her to gain an approximate scan of the entire area around her, without the need for direct vision. Thus, she noticed the various crossbows, elemental potions, and other improvised weapons in the hands of the Hoarders, as well as their movement and locations. And, using her knowledge of warfare from sources now hundreds of years old, she could tell that they were slowly encroaching on her and Esmeralda. By her calculations, they would be surrounded soon after they reached the entrance of the ruins that they were headed towards.
"They will," Daisy said.
"I know," Esmeralda replied, again. "Relax, Daisy. I have a plan."
There was a pause. "...Would you like to share this plan?"
"Oh! Sure. First..."
'Bad Cop' Remy liked to think that he had some kind of honor. Sure, he was a Treasure Hoarder, but he and his gang did try to keep things legal. They tried not to attack caravans if they could help it, but resources were scarce out in the wilderness, especially since that great flood. They even tried not to hurt those that they attacked, and even left them some supplies to get to the nearest town. That was much more than they were obliged to do, really.
So when Remy got a request - from the Fatui, no less - to ambush and shake up a single teenage girl, his first response was to decline. Still, they had been persistent, and, between the Fatui's physical advantages and the frankly ridiculous sum of Mora promised, he had been convinced to change his mind. It was only when he had accepted their down payment and mobilized his gang that he realized that perhaps not all was as it seemed.
The Fatui were more numerical and better armed than his mostly crew. Why did they not just do the deed themselves? Remy was not the smartest, but he was smart enough to conclude - they did not want it to be traced back to them. That was not a good sign, but it was too late. He had agreed to the deal, and crossing the Fatui was not a good idea. They were definitely scarier than just one girl, right?
That was his line of reasoning until one of his scouts reported back. As expected, the girl was approaching the ruins that he had his crew set up in. What really worried him was the scout swearing that the girl had a Ruin Machine of unknown classification accompanying her, carrying her around and obeying her commands.
No wonder that Fatui wanted to get other people to do their dirty work. As much as he wanted to call everything off, it was too late. The girl and her machine were approaching the ruins and their carefully planned trap. It was unlikely to work against that massive robot, but it was the best that they had. Hopefully, their numbers would be enough.
The targets stepped into the ruins, Remy gave the signal to spring the trap, and everything went wrong.
The Treasure Hoarders' signal was not subtle at all. A shrill whistle sounded out through the ruins, and Daisy immediately moved in. She had already detected the presence of elemental energies, so her arm was raised and her shield fully activated before the potions - Pyro and Electro - had even been tossed. When they hit, releasing their contents which would then mix, an Overloaded explosion would trigger, enough to hurt a man or stun a Vision wielder. Against Daisy's energy barrier, however, the ensuing explosion did nothing more than throw up smoke.
At the same time, Esmeralda darted to the side, brushing her gloves over the hidden control panel that she had noticed as they entered. Using her Visor and Vision, she sent a pulse of power to reactivate the local systems, then gave it a command. The heavy main doors, though in disrepair, managed to activate as ordered, slamming shut with a loud boom, sealing the ruins shut. The Hoarders following them - no less than six by Daisy's count - would be unable to assist their gang.
Of course, that meant that Esmeralda and Daisy were trapped in the ruins as well. But that was where they ruled.
Shocked by how badly their ambush had turned out, the rest of the Treasure Hoarders hesitated, unsure of their next actions. By the time they recovered, Daisy was amongst them and the crates that they were hiding behind. She lashed out with armored hands and Hydro energy, punching through any obstacles to strike down the Hoarders. She tried to be gentle, of course, but some of them would definitely need to see a doctor afterward.
The entire thing was executed in precise movements, allowing Daisy to dispatch the lesser enemies to focus on the true threat - a pair of Gardemeks rushing in. Their presence was no surprise; she had already identified and planned for them. One of them, the Annihilation Specialist Mek, rushed in, blades extended, while the other, a Suppression Specialist Mek, stayed further away to provide covering fire. Without hesitation, Daisy rushed to meet them.
Daisy did not particularly enjoy violence. She preferred to explore and create. But no matter how far she had come, her origins were a part of her. She began as a combat robot, and the various upgrades she had received since then had only made her more effective at it. Sometimes, she still got the urge to rip things apart and smash them into dust. Daisy could not smile, but there was a sudden eagerness in her actions. There was no need to hold back against these Meks.
The melee Mek that reached her first was torn apart with almost organic brutality, shattered into scrap that flew all over the room. Its light armor was no match against her strength. The ranged Mek took aim, but Daisy moved in a blur. She was directly in front of it before it could even fire, bodily smashing into it. It was flung back into the wall, and Daisy unlocked her eye to expose her core. An immense beam of energy erupted forth, incinerating the unfortunate Mek and vaporizing a large section of the wall in a massive fireball.
She turned back to the Treasure Hoarders, and none of them moved a muscle.
As Daisy was roughing up his forces, one of the Hoarders, who must have been the leader, quickly sprinted away from the one-sided battle. Crossbow in hand, he took aim at his target, intent of completing his task.
Esmeralda glanced at him. Before he could shoot, a massive metal hand clamped down on the crossbow, destroying it. The man fell onto his bed, shocked and horrified as a previously dormant Ruin Guard came to life right beside him. It pushed a hand onto his chest, pinning him to the ground.
Esmeralda causally walked over as an explosion sounded out somewhere nearby. With a wave of her hand, she dispelled her visor and looked down at the immobilized Hoarder. She grinned. "Let's have a chat."
Faced with the threat of two huge murder robots, Remy quickly relented and spilled everything that he knew.
A Fatui-backed ambush, huh? It was not the first obstacle that she had encountered, and likely would not be the last. Still, it would be better if she could find a way to prevent further incidents; it was unlikely that an organization as powerful as the Fatui would stop after a single failed attempt at...
Actually, she did not even know why she was targeted. It did not really matter, compared to stopping it. How would she do so, though? Unlike with Treasure Hoarders, beating up their foot soldiers would not discourage them. If anything, they would just send more and more people until she failed to fend them off. If they ever sent someone like one of their Harbingers, she would stand no chance.
Wait, Aether mentioned that he knew several Harbingers. Maybe he could help her fend off the Fatui. Esmeralda made a mental note to talk to him.
Leaving Daisy to handle the surrendered Treasure Hoarders, she finally began exploring the ruins. That was the reason that she had come, after all. She went deeper into the ruins, the Ruin Guard that she had activated following her. Many of the traps, locks, and guards were still active, but it was child's play for Esmeralda to override everything with her access codes. Trapped areas automatically deactivated to provide safe passage, doorways opened up for her, and the various automatons remained dormant.
Ruin exploration was easy.
Soon enough, Esmeralda reached the command center of the ruins. The main controls were still locked up tight, but that was no obstacle. She mentally connected her visor to the main control panel and sent a pulse to reactivate the system.
A sharp pain cut through her concentration, straight through her eyes... even though they were mechanical now. Esmeralda cried out in pain, instinctively disconnecting and falling onto her back.
Esmeralda, are you alright? Daisy's concerned message came through.
Esmeralda shook her head and got back to her feet. She moved to rub her eyes, only to feel the metal of her visor.
Right. Deep breaths. Focus. I'm fine, just overexertion, she sent back. The sting had faded, and she carefully reestablished the connection with the factory. Ok, take it slow. Part by part. The first was the main data storage. With a beep, a small locker unlocked, and Esmeralda pulled it open to reveal the documents within. Some of them were degraded from time, but the stash was still readable.
Research and Testing Facility [REDACTED].
The purpose of this facility is to experiment and improve the intelligence of our autonomous field units.
Preface: Standard Field Tiller models are equipped with basic Hu-4-class intelligence. This general programming allows them to perform basic combat maneuvers and obey simple instructions. While this capability will suffice for such mass-produced models, more adaptable models such as REDACTED will require specialized intelligence to perform to their maximum potential.
We will begin simply. The goal is to allow the intelligence to understand the current situation and adapt accordingly. We cannot do this by hand; there are an infinite number of possible scenarios and equally as many reactions. Therefore, we aim to...
This line of thought has failed. We must move on to more radical methods.
The human brain is capable of great strategy and adaptation in a short amount of time. We should attempt to recreate this in our machines. First, we study the brain. Then, we mimic it.
This avenue of research is promising but time-intensive.
... Hersey. REDACTED has proposed a solution that is nothing short of blasphemy. Insanity. We cannot...
The state of the war is worsening. The enemy is pushing ever closer. Other options, including that of REDACTED, are being considered...
Despite our concerns, the higher-ups have approved live testing of REDACTED plan. They say the gods seek our destruction; who is there to blaspheme against? It is not them I fear, for Project Resurgence may cause us to lose everything we value. It is a crime against humanity itself.
Are we willing to pay this price?
The preparations for Project Resurgence are complete. Unsurprisingly, given its nature and projected success rate, there are few volunteers. There is one, in fact. REDACTED himself, the one who had proposed this madness in the first place.
REDACTED is dead. As expected. The experiment continues.
Subject 001 is unresponsive. REDACTED has died in vain. More tests, and volunteers, are required to further this project. I have lodged a formal complaint about the cost of this project and the lack of results, but the higher-ups are adamant.
002 has failed. Starting 003.
Failed.
Failed.
Failed.
Finally, a breakthrough. It took only [UNKNOWN] lives sacrificed. I have lodged more complaints. The higher-ups remain stubborn... Or desperate.
... rampage. It managed to... take control of the base... minimal security due to the ongoing war... emergency shutdown of all... chambers will be purged and all data... from this facility... except this notebook.
... WARNING TO ALL WHO COME... NOT ATTEMPT TO REPLICATE PROJECT RESURGENCE.
Esmeralda was suddenly interrupted by the dull thump of an explosion in the distance. As she looked up, Daisy sent her a message. Esmeralda, the Treasure Hoarders that we trapped outside the facility have acquired explosives and are attempting to blast their way through the front door.
Oh, those guys. She had forgotten about them. And now they were trying to blow up the front door? Rude. Packing the scattered notes into her bag, she hurried back to the main entrance, thinking of plans as she did.
When she arrived, she had a plan. Ignoring the sporadic explosions and the various bound Treasure Hoarders, Esmeralda went straight for their leader.
"Hello again. As you can hear, your friends are trying to break in. We both know that they're no match for me, so how about this? I'll open the door, you tell them to stop, and I'll let you guys go. We can forget that this has ever happened. Sound good?" Esmeralda suggested.
Remy nodded hurriedly, obviously eager to leave. Esmeralda considered that she might have traumatized him a little, then shrugged. His fault, rally.
"Daisy, please put up a barrier," she said. Daisy did as requested, raising her arm to project a shield around herself, Esmeralda, and Remy. Once the shield was in place, Esmeralda remotely opened up the doors.
Despite the various explosives used against it, Khaenri'ahean technology proved superior. The doors slid open relatively smoothly, revealing the Hoarders who were trapped outside.
They were prepared. Not for the doors to open, but for them to fall, so when the path was clear, several of them immediately opened fire with loaded crossbows. Most of the bolts bounced off Daisy's shield harmlessly, but a few found their mark in the defeated Treasure Hoarders, eliciting cries of pain and shouted curses.
Esmeralda rolled her eyes. "Come on, get your men out of here," she told Remy, who hurried to obey.
The Hoarder leader shouted orders at his men who, after some hesitation, did as he said. They moved to free their friends and patch up their wounds before hurrying away from the ruins. As they did Daisy and Esmeralda remained within their shield, watching them while being protected from any potential treachery.
Once the Hoarders had fled, Esmeralda breathed a sigh of relief. Daisy lowered her shield as Esmeralda patted her arm. "Good work, Daisy. I'll be getting back to work now. Tell me if need anything."
Daisy gave her acknowledgment, and Esmeralda returned to the depths of the ruins.