Endzone: Simulated Apocalypse

After successfully forming a pact with the Sentinel of Lust, Cyanide discovered that he could form an Oathsworn bond with them as well just like he had with Kirika, despite the Sentinels supposing to be 'outside' the game's control.

He had already suspected it before due to various clues, but this only confirmed it further. Apart from the Gamemaster, the being who turned this world into a 'simulation', there was another entity who was working in the shadows, against the GM. Certain implementations in this game world and the system of the game itself directly contradict with the Gamemaster's ideals and motives. The fact that Cyanide could form an Oathsworn bond with a Sentinel—or rather, the fact that the Sentinels were included in the Companions tab in the first place—was one of those contradictions.

Another example would be how the Underground Laboratory was marked as a POI on the map. Had that not been there, Cyanide would never have thought that place held such a deep secret beneath the surface. The GM clearly does not want any players discovering that place, so… why was it pointed out to players in such an obvious manner on the map?

Either way, it was clear there was someone capable of standing against the GM in terms of power, even in this world where the Gamemaster was supposedly the 'god'. It made Cyanide wonder just who this entity was, but he wasn't about to get any answers anytime soon, it felt like.

*****

By the time Cyanide and the others got out of the underground lab, the sun outside was setting. As Cyanide's body was still feeling weak from the Ascension process with Lust, they took no detours and headed straight home, for Aterra Headquarters. It was difficult for Cyanide to even keep his eyes open, as much as he wanted to. He may be expertly trained and the ultimate human being, but he was still but a mere human in the end. Luna and Kirika carried him by the arms, while Silverfang trotted alongside them to watch for any enemies and Lust flew around, patrolling the area.

Soon, they arrived at the Aterra Headquarters. Kirika prepared to help Cyanide inside, but Luna stopped her.

"Wait. There's… something wrong."

"Hm?" Kirika paused as well, and tilted her head in confusion. "What is it?"

"Those rotating doors… they are in a different position from when we left."

"Mutants…?" Cyanide murmured under his breath, panting heavily. He was not thinking straight anymore, and was barely hanging onto consciousness.

"No… this doesn't seem like the work of mutants," Luna replied. "Mutants would have simply entered through the broken glass panes on the side, not the door. They are not smart enough to figure out how the door works, unless they are Stage Twos—and even then, they will tend to choose the easier route in. Using the door… it can only be the work of either a Stage Three Mutant or above, or… another player."

"Indeed…" Silverfang sniffed the air, growling. "I can smell someone unfamiliar inside… it appears to be a human."

"Huh…" Kirika closed her eyes and used her aura sensing abilities on the building, then opened them again after several seconds. "… He's right. I can sense their aura, close to the Doc's. They seem to be formidable, too… but still weaker than us."

"But Cyanide's current state…" Luna murmured quietly, glancing down at her master. "… We should avoid fighting if possible, lest they strike us by surprise."

Kirika nodded. "Just hiding outside is not an option either, as the Scarlet Hour will be upon us soon—not to mention Doctor Finch probably already spilled all the beans about us…"

Indeed—there was no point in hiding. Doctor Finch may be contracted to Cyanide under the effects of Imprinting, but Cyanide was not there to directly order him not to say anything, and neither was his control over Finch strong enough to last from that far away either.

As a result, the group carefully ventured into the building, together,

*****

"… So, they've arrived."

Ragnar let out a deep breath, preparing for his encounter with his long-term nemesis, even from back on Earth.

That's right—his name was Cyanide. And now, he was but a few meters away from him. At long last, he would be able to catch him, and put an end to this one-sided feud once and for all.

"Mmf-! Mmn! Mmnf-!" An old man's struggling noises emitted from a corner nearby, where Doctor Finch was tied up and gagged, mouth stuffed full of paper. Ragnar shot the man—or rather, the mutant—a glance, then promptly ignored him and continued waiting patiently for his enemies to arrive.

This mutant had told him everything—from Cyanide's identity, to the Imprinting process, to himself being a mutant. Ragnar did not care about the Imprinting process whatsoever since he was always a solo hunter, but the name Cyanide did stand out to him. There was no one else who went by a name like that—a name, not an alias. Ragnar was certain this was the same clever assassin who has managed to evade his grasp every single time out of the 521 times he has chased after him and failed.

Very soon, he heard of footsteps descending from the staircase. It was clear they knew exactly where Ragnar was. That's fine. He wasn't planning on ambushing them or anything anyway. Doctor Finch, however, seemed terrified. Ragnar didn't know why—shouldn't he be happy that his allies were coming, so he could be rescued? Why did it seem like he was going to faint, then?

Ragnar didn't know, and quite frankly, he didn't care either. As he heard the click of the doors leading to the basement opening, he stood up, and tightened his grip around his weapon before dragging Doctor Finch by the ropes out of the room he had tossed him in.

Walking outside, he spotted quite the… eccentric group. There were two beautiful girls carrying a handsome young man on their shoulders, a menacing metal tiger robot of some sort by their side, and a flying sphere that had a monitor displaying an eye that blinked and moved.

"… So, it was another player after all," one of the two girls—the blindfolded one—said coldly, an air of chilly coolness around her. "Who are you, and what do you want? Choose your answers… carefully."

Ragnar narrowed his black eyes slightly. This girl… she was an entity he could not fathom, much like the flying drone. By using Inspect, he discovered that the tiger was a mutant, and the young man and other girl were players just like himself, but this blindfolded girl…

"Hmph." Ragnar gave a snort, then glared at the young man—Cyanide.. "I am the Titan of Shadows, here to slay my enemy."