13. Dungeon and dragons requiem

I called my friends to apologise for the trick. They didn't give me the exact same account as the first replicant and nanites had done. It was funny how perspectives could change everything.

S - I expected that robot to efficiently replace me, but things went a little out of control apparently. I'm sorry.

D - A little out of control... A little out of control...

Dominika was trembling on the other side of the screen.

O - It was terrifying! We thought something was wrong with you! And every time we tried to understand you just smiled saying you loved us!

F - You destroyed everything like there was no tomorrow! All with a smile too! You used spells we had never seen!

D - And all the while, you just kept spouting or asking philosophical nonsense! Like what was the fleeting meaning of existence, rules of causality and consequences, and then kablam! half a coastline camp is vaporised! We see people running and screaming! And then you just asked about the epistemology of trust and games theory like nothing is happening!

S - I'm sorry...

I was berated at for a while and I took it. That was the least I could do.

D - Then, then... At the end you just said ''I must go. My planet needs me.'' And you disappeared, dissolving into the air! We were traumatised!

S - Ah, I should have told them to dismiss differently at the end of the mission. My bad. And so... Is everything okay with the kings? Sweden and Norway?

O - Hm, it's complicated. I think your king albeit dishonoured by the situation, appreciated the exceptional show of force. But... He also seemed to think that was Norway's plan all along. So they both are slightly pissed and embarrassed by the turn of events. Märthina is supposed to bring us home, but...

F - We're wanted for questioning in both countries because of you! They put us all in the same bag as you lady Siline!

S - Ah geez... I'm sorry. So I shouldn't try to return home and claim my title immediately?

O - Officially, the king welcomes you back, but... I wouldn't if I were you. Until you have a very good reason to do so.

S - Hm, if you want to come south, I think we could all work together in the Radiant Firebond. It's becoming a foreign legion of fallen nobles at this rhythm.

O - And how many of them because of you?

S - Ack...

F - I have a better idea... We promised we would bring you back home, and that's still what we're going to do. We're coming for you!

D - You won't get away with a trick next time!

They did their best to sound tough, but they just wanted us to reunite I could tell. So tsundere. They didn't ask me to come and surrender. They're coming rather.

S - I love you guys.

They didn't blush but all yelled in anger at me this time. They cut the call.

I returned to my other trio of friends.

C - How did it go?

S - Eeeeh... Not so good. They're coming to hunt me down, so maybe we'll face them again. But I know we can all become friends!

J - You now lady Siline, sometimes it can be tough being your friend.

Josephine had that look, of contempt or fatigue over a bad child. I felt some shame and tried to hide my face behind my hands.

Don't look at me like thaaaaat!

~

We did some more menial jobs of escort, guarding duty and occasional criminals pummelling. Nothing grandiose but nothing that could really scare us anymore.

Monsters were small fry to us now. And gradually, reporting every success under Aster's lead, we grew her reputation and the trust in our small PMC.

Cécile wanted to start investing our savings in other companies to hatch our early corporation as such rapidly.

That was our merchant's heart's main aim. Aster wanted honour and legitimacy, Cécile and Josephine wanted a financial kingdom of their own. And I was pretty sure my old friends of Trinity could easily join them, and me, to combine our political and economic powers. But we would ask when we meet again.

C - We should diversify our assets rapidly, and internationally, because who knows when another pissed off lord will try to blackmail us.

J - I agree. We can probably ask help from Zeug there as well. And Orea has business ground as well you said? You think they'll help?

S - I'm sure they will listen. They just might want to pummel me a little first. And I might need to pay a visit to the kings to apologise in person, and negotiate what comes next. Like with your dad.

A - You mean... You want to duel the kings of Sweden and Norway?

S - No! I mean I want to negotiate our freedom!

J - And if they refuse... You or your replicant you can summon these ''warning shots'' over the capitals?

S - Hm maybe. I mean no! I'm sure we can understand each other peacefully...

I had told them about that tricky spell of replicant summoning.

The nanites were eager to reiterate the experience, but I was a little less. And of course my friends had been a little shocked.

I was pestering the nanites to teach me their ''orbital strike'' spell however. You know, just in case I fo need to fire it someday as well.

They told me a bit. Just enough to be able to call it.

Some of the technology behind that magic was classified, but I was allowed to call it.

I was thinking about all this and didn't focus. Bandits the police and Aster were cornering tried to use me as a hostage. Before I could react, a man was holding me and pressing a gun to my head.

The policemen were troubled. Aster looked shocked. I didn't really react still.

- Nobody moves, or the kid gets it!

A - Uh... Siline?

S - Hm... Kyaaaah! Save me Aster!

Now perhaps I was a bad actor. Because even the criminal seemed not to buy it. I sighed, they were all killjoys. I just moved out of the hold and the gun away from my face. It shot though. The nanites saw it coming a mile away and shielded me where it mattered in good time. Thank you nanites.

I had a bruise. The criminal and policemen were a bit troubled to still me standing. My ears were ringing though.

A - Are you... a robot Siline?

S - No! I'm the real deal!

A - Sorry for doubting you...

She had a very embarrassed chuckle.

I'm not a monster alright? I was just isekaied...

I wanted to give her a knock on the head like scolding a child, but Cécilia's staff did that to me before.

C - No dangerous jokes while working Siline! This is how accidents happen!

S - Right... Sorry...

It felt like all I did lately was apologising...

It wasn't my fault!

~

After a while of these mundane tasks, we finally got an interesting one.

Zeug and Izad hired us for another expedition, in the Kingdom of Netherlands again. They had found a other old NATO command silo they wanted to check with us.

Cécile negotiated gouging prices in a contractualised partnership. After they cried their agreement, we began making our way toward the meeting point.

We heard words Trinity had landed in Denmark and were turning the country upside down to find me, so it was the perfect timing to visit neighbouring countries.

I sent Felicia a letter of apologies still. And I also sent a message to Basileus, but he didn't reply.

~

We met with the cutest size gap and species gap couple, and went together toward the swamp land where they had possibly found something.

Monsters tended to appear in that area, all the more so lately. So the hypothesis was, another gate was open, somewhere beneath.

We slashed and carved our way through the aggressive beasts of the wild lands.

Between rocks and ruins, we found the trail heading beneath.

And we delved in. Our friendly lady dwarf wanted to show off her mining skill, so we let her open the way with her pickaxe and magic skills. She was impressive. Even if we likely all could do better with no skill.

We delved down to a buried military city, the corridors and corners of which were all turned to an unbreathable den. Here monsters actually were multiplying.

We noticed all how our access to magic seemed to weirdly diminish, the deeper we ventured into this place. But Aster's sword and mine could still clear nearly everything.

And ad expected, we reached another old T.I. laboratory. Another facility where the seven sages of the past had built a node and hive of the early nanites swarm.

We reached it.

N - System threat detected.

S - What do you mean?

I touched the surface.

It began to glow.

N - Access authorised. Hello Silvia. Please use your one system override wisely.

S - Hm, the manager is not there, but he left that word for me?

I had no idea what I was supposed to use this one granted wish key for. It had surely not been given so I could take over the world and system.

But they wouldn't be able to tell me more.

And next to it, another spatial anomaly floating. A glow pulsating.

N - Please be careful Silvia.

N - Access denied.

S - What's on the other side?

N - Access denied.

S - I guess I'll have to go and see for myself...

I rashly pushed my arm through the spatial anomaly.

I felt warmer air on the other side. I pulled my arm back. Everything seemed fine. Only dustier possibly.

S - Okay, I'll be right back.

J - You can't be serious!

I needed to see the enemy.

It was threatening humanity from the shadows, and doing something weird to the system.

I pushed my head inside.

All I saw reminded me of Mars. A barren land without water. Unbreathable air. It made my heart and stomach ache.

Some ruins around. And then a sharp pain ringing in my head.

- ACCESS DENIED.

That voice echoed like a pummelling inside my skull. The nanites were in a frenzy.

I began seeing monsters rising from every crevice and shade. They were immediately rushing toward me.

I pulled back, feeling dizzy. I unsheathed, even if I still felt unsteady. No time to think.

S - They're coming.

The portal opened. The monsters came in.

We began retreating and burning everything.

What was that thing...

~

We came out safe and sound, albeit dusty and sweaty. The undergrounds were turned into hell I wouldn't wish any monster to teleport in.

And while we were catching our breath outside, we noticed dragons in the sky.

Four of them.

They landed around us before we had time to think of anything. I recognised Basileus, not fully repaired yet.

S - Hello friend! So what's happening? You heard my message I see.

C - They don't look friendly at all...

Our dwarf and elf friends were petrified.

B - I'm sorry. My leader wouldn't take my word and records for it.

The mightiest dragon and leader of their coven apparently, made a step closer to me.

S - I bring you peace and love, oh mighty dragon. Will you accept it? Do you have a name?

E - ...

J - Siline...

Oddly, Basileus had come in such a way because he had been forced to comply, but he stood behind as if not meant to interfere in our... execution.

I stared at Eczar (temporary name), while he analysed me. I was summoning the power of the nanites around us quietly.

S - Basileus told you everything, didn't he? You should believe him. I want to help everyone... and the system. And I believe we should we all work together to defeat this odd enemy.

E - You are not meant to interfere with the system!

S - Who told you that?

That was the trigger to him. Basileus had told us, they couldn't talk directly to the nanites as I did. Their understanding and interpretation of the natural facts was closer to faith than science. Ironic for these silicon based lifeforms.

And I was walking blasphemy...

He was about to try to incinerate us. I raised my arm, and the nanites launched the spell, which I yelled by name. Calling your attack was something I had always dreamt of doing, and that was tge right time.

S - Ion cannon!

The nanites had reached out to as many other local groups as available and authorised in the surrounding atmosphere. They had made a cyclonic movement then opening the cloudy sky.

And from the higher atmosphere and far, far higher, they channelled all the ionizing radiations they could find. They concentrated all the excitement they could drain from the Van Allen belt into a rather intense beam now hitting the ground before me.

Before Eczar and his goons did attack, a beam of plasma warm enough to emit light was ploughing the swampy mud and melting rocks.

They saw that laser from heaven move around us, burning the ground in a rather obvious threat.

It looked like I had a military satellite obeying me, with plenty of power and accuracy.

Their plasma generators began cooling down. They were stepping down. I cut off the light falling down from the sky.

S - Good. I'd rather talk if we can...

Before I realised it, the three of them were jumping over my friends and me.

~