Arc 1 P6

Ambrosia drank the last drop of water in their supplies. Out of the three of them, Shiska was the only one left in good shape. She's not fighting for now, at least. Also, she's the team's ace in the hole in the unlikely event of an emergency.

"All patched up. Be careful with that relic."

Ambrosia only made a tired smile to Shiska. Apparently, she's too tired to speak.

"The relic is too much for her body to hold for an extended period of time," Leroy said.

"Is there anything we can do?"

"I can fight in place of her, but the Leash will know, and in that case…"

They'd die. The Leash, a relic held by another military official, was a cruel device able to forcefully impose a set of rules to another after making them wear the relic. The control method was unknown to them, but they can speculate that the official had the 'Master Leash' while they wore the 'Pet Leash'. Thanks to the technology in the city, these 'Pet Leashes' were mass produced for them to use.

Death row convicts. That's what they're called. For simply being born, they're sent to the outerfields to follow the whims of those inside the city until their last breath. With no other path of escape, everyone simply lived day to day until they got an achievement worthy of being recalled back to the city as a slave for the elites or die as a nobody in the wasteland where everything could be deadly.

Because of a nuclear war, the world was almost driven to destruction. However, two miracles happened on that time. One was the existence of a radioactive-immune city, the one place that'd become the heart of the walled city several thousands of years later… Chernobyl. Once a site of an awful tragedy, the city resurrected as the core bastion of humanity to the radioactive contamination left by the third, and perhaps the final world war.

However, the second miracle lying dormant all those times was discovered once the world begun healing. With the nuclear waste gone after centuries of hardwork, the existence of peculiar machines became the center of the world. Able to create phenomena once thought impossible, the machines finally responded to the humans after being made for so long.

As it turned out, these relics were the gift of the destructive era of humanity for the future, as if to remind them that peace was precious and must be maintained by all means necessary… even if that meant for another war.

Hence, World War IV. As if never tiring of the death and destruction, humanity engaged in another war, only a few years after establishing new borders in order to assert their beliefs. It's not about water or resources this time. Unlike the previous war, the fourth one was waged due to insecurity and doubt. "Attack before we are attacked."

Fast forward to several thousand years again and the byproduct of the thousands of years of human folly were mutant humans. Like cockroaches that refused to go extinct, humans simply evolved to accommodate the new status of the world. Unlike depictions of media however, these mutants appeared human at all angles, except for one criterion—the ability to activate or use relics. That's how the city, still named Chernobyl, chose its residents.

"Operator," Shiska hailed the student at the other side. "Requesting for Angel's evac. We'll try to finish the mission ourselves."

The tainted were automatically sent to the outerfields except if their value hit a certain threshold. If their data in this never-ending battlefield looked good, whatever that might mean, then they'd be pardoned and get to start a new life as a slave. However, to be able to get that condition often involved horrifying risks. One of which was to become a tester for newly discovered relics.

The other end of the line fell silent as expected. She must've been yapping on her colleagues mocking the pitiful state of her toys. Shiska already made peace with that fact that the tainted and criminals like her weren't human anymore. Society had already discarded them; it's thanks to the 'benevolence' of the law-abiding that they're picked up to be recycled into disposable troops.

"One," There's a hint of frustration in the operator's voice. "I…"

To continue until they could continue no more. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

Shiska gently stroked the face of the still unconscious Ambrosia. With gritted teeth, she cut the operator off. "We'll continue the test once Angel wakes up."

Then, she turned the line off.

Soon, the girl's eyelashes quivered. She's waking up. Shiska almost had this thought of pointing the gun at her and ending her suffering. However, the damned Leash on her neck would automatically kill her. No, she couldn't die yet. Not until she finished what she needed to do.

"I'll use the relic," Leroy said. Usually, it's Shiska suggesting it. He must've been pretty desperate to get this over with and let the young girl rest up.

Shiska smiled bitterly. "Okay."

Then, like a sudden downpour in a sunny day, came in the yapper's voice. "If possible… try not to use any relics near the mission area."

"Look, lady. Isn't that how we've always done things? Blast everything off with our relics? Why not now then? Also, why issue that order now?"

"Two, here. Sorry, but my partner's been stressed. Please, forgive her—"

Shiska wanted to shout, but the only sound she could muster was a silent scream. As the space around them twisted and compressed, the only thing sue could do was look like an idiot.

"I didn't give the order because you two refrained from using your relic if it's not absolutely necessary, right? I also thought it'd be fine but… I'm sorry."

"Understood. However, our supplies already ran low. Angel had eaten and drank every last bit of the rations. I hope you understand what that means."

The silence on the other line was enough for Leroy to know the operator had considered it.

Her hands were also tied up. He couldn't blame her. From the few missions they've worked together, he could sense the conflict in her, as if she's still trying to find herself. He knew because Shiska, his partner, also exhibited the same traits. After all, Shiska wasn't tainted like them. Her blood, her genes were still the same, pure human components that the relics answered to. The corruption of the required activation sequences the relics wanted was a result of overexposure to radioactive contamination by their ancestors or themselves. They couldn't control that factor.

The outerfields was a very unstable place where one step you're fine, the next step and you're dead. The humans, as far as he knew, were immune to that effect. That's why many death row convicts were able to live in the outerfields before succumbing to sickness or killed by the tainted.

As for them, the only path for them was to wait while their wrongly mutant cells took the last bit of their sanity and turn them into the things they've been tasked to fight. Being a slave back to the city was an illusion. There's no second chance or salvation for them.

The sound of flesh and bones hitting concrete brought the Shiska back to the present. Leroy caught Ambrosia just in time when she's thrown by another shockwave.

"Operator!" Shiska immediately hailed the yapper.

"A strange frequency just appeared in my monitor. What's your status?"

"It's a…"

The huge man exhaled fumes as he stood menacingly. On his shoulder was a huge buster sword. One look and they knew it's not a normal blade. It's a relic.

The operator gasped. "Impossible! How? Why is… why is a corrupted in there?"