Chapter 15: The Hero Named Liz

Eldon and Rachel stood up after diving into the cave and turned to the figure who had activated a barrier that blocked the entrance.

The harpies continued to bang against the entrance but could not break through their new ally’s shield.

Then the ally turned around and spoke, “I’m the hero Liz. Nice to meet you. Now let’s go quickly—this shield won’t hold for much longer.”

The constant sounds of the harpies colliding against the barrier could be heard echoing throughout the cave.

Liz picked up a large bag full of what seemed like mecha parts, then slung her sniper rifle over her shoulder and headed farther into the cave.

Rachel and Eldon followed quickly behind so as not to lose her.

They headed deeper into the cave where they found a hole in the wall that led into a subway station.

Upon entering, they followed Liz to a subway line where water went up to their ankles, and they sloshed their way forward until they saw a door midway through the tracks. Liz climbed out and turned to them. “This way.”

She opened a door and they entered a spacious room. Liz then attached something above the door outside, shut it, and locked it.

She continued, “Let’s take a rest here until the harpies give up.”

As she sat down, Liz rested her sniper rifle against her shoulder and relaxed.

Rachel got a good look at her: she had light grey skin, completely black eyes with bright pink pupils, the front of her hair was shoulder-length white the back of her hair was a long flowing pony tail hair, a wide mouth filled with jagged teeth top to bottom, and a long serpent-like tongue. and she was short but had a big bust. wearing tattered clothing that didn't seem to fit this world clothing style.

Eldon spoke. “My name is Eldon. I am—well, at least I was—the elder of Fortress City. And this here is Rachel, a hero like you.”

Liz looked Rachel up and down and spoke, “Well, I hope you’re not as much of an ass as the other hero.”

Rachel asked, “So he’s not a good person?”

Liz replied, “He’s is quite unhinged and wants to get back home, and he has no problem sacrificing anything to accomplish that. I traveled with him for a while until he almost got me killed. So don’t take it the wrong way if I seem wary of you for now.”

Rachel nodded. “I understand.” She glanced at the overflowing bag next to her. “So, were you the one who took out the orc warlord?”

Liz smirked. “Yeah, that was my handiwork. I had to lure him so far from his settlement—it took quite a while.”

Rachel tilted her head. “I noticed you took apart part of the orc warlord. What are you doing with all of those mech parts?”

Liz shook her gun. “These human weapons will not work—their consumable ammunition and constant reloading are infuriating, and there is no way to survive fighting the Demon Lord with this type of weapon. After ditching that hero, I’ve been traveling around finding useful mechas to target and take apart. Being the genius I am, I will craft a new multi‑function weapon that won’t rely on ammo, but on the same energy the mechas use: their power cores. That shield I used back there was something I made from the parts. But I got unlucky and got stuck here, since the bridge across the lake is destroyed.”

Eldon was shocked and spoke, “It’s destroyed? What happened?”

Liz spoke, “I almost died on that bridge. A mecha kraken rose from the sea and crushed it with its tentacles, leaving me stranded here. I’ve been searching for a way back and finally found one, but I can’t get through alone—I’m almost out of bullets. Luckily, I found you. With your help, I might have a chance to get back to the other side. Are you willing?”

Eldon replied, “That’s where we’re headed as well—towards Yggdrasil.”

Liz then spoke, “Good, then we will form a temporary team until we reach the settlement beyond the crumbling city.”

then rachel heard it.

Modification complete....

Assimilation finished....

Then her cursed great sword appeared in her hand, now looking like a fusion of her cursed blade and the mechs here on Earth.

She held it up, studying the blade, and noticed a trigger on the handle. She spoke to ZeroOne.

“I see my weapon has changed, but what does it actually do?”

ZeroOne responded, “Let me analyze it real quick.”

It went silent for a moment before speaking again. “If you hold that trigger, energy will flow through the blade. When you swing it, that energy will be released as a beam slash that will slice apart whatever it hits—so long as it’s not too powerful of a mech.”

Rachel, satisfied, set the sword aside as Liz looked at her. Then Liz spoke,

“So if we are going to fight together, we should know what each other can do. So, what’s your hero ability?”

Rachel grinned and replied, “It’s called Cursed Assimilation. When I kill a mech, if it has any good parts, they will assimilate with my armor, evolving it, making it more powerful, and granting me more versatility with the weaponry I have available.”

Liz smiled. “So it’s like the guns I’m going to make for myself once I return. Well, my hero power is Homing Attack. It basically makes everything I throw or shoot always hit the target, regardless of if I’m facing it or not.”

Eldon spoke, “Wow, that sounds like a great hero ability.”

Liz replied, “It has its uses, but it has a flaw. Sure, I can fire from anywhere and hit my target, but I cannot control where it hits—that’s completely random. Unless I’m using the actual iron sights or scope. Then, while aiming, it will correct my aim so I can actually hit the part I want. So firearm practice is needed.”

Then Rachel asked with interest, “So what about the other hero—what are his powers?”

Liz spoke with disgust in her eyes. “His name is Jax, and he has the power of magnetism. He can easily bend, tear, and rip his way through the mecha, but he runs out of power quickly. He cannot sustain himself in prolonged battles his hero power has a big weakness.”

Eldon spoke, “I see—a great hero power, but lacking the strength to wield it properly.”

Liz then spoke, “Now let’s get down to business. Through this tunnel system I found a way beneath the lake that can get us to the other side. It seems to be an old secret military passage. But at the end of the tunnel there’s a problem. A giant mecha arachne waits on the other side, along with countless mecha spiders along the way. We’re going to have to fight through them and then face off against the mecha arachne.”

“Now we’d better get some rest while we wait for the harpies to go away. There are still some scurrying throughout the subway.”

Rachel asked, “How do you know this?”

Liz spoke, “That device I put above the door is a small motion detector that tells me if there is any movement in the area.”

Rachel smiled and said, “You really are a genius, making all those wondrous gadgets.”

Liz responded with a knowing smirk, “I know. You won’t find anyone better than me if you need something built.”

Then Rachel playfully responded, “Good, then build a weapon strong enough to kill the Demon Lord and send us home.”

Liz laughed and said, “A weapon I could do—but I’ll never build a way home. My planet is way too boring.”

Rachel asked, “So you don’t want to go home? Is it that bad of a place?”

Liz spoke honestly, “No, it’s a good place—I just don’t like it. Our civilization is so advanced it has become boring. There are no new places left on the planet to explore. We have all the technology we could ever wish for. This is what happens when a race becomes too advanced—everything just becomes dull and boring.”

Then Rachel said, “Then after this is over, you can build a way home for me, and you can join me. You wouldn’t run out of things to explore there.”

Liz smiled. “I’ll think about it. But first, we have to get out of here alive.”

Then a scream startled them both.

They glanced at Eldon.

“What’s wrong?”

Eldon looked gloomy. “Our food supplies… it’s all gone. A harpy must have torn the backpack—all our food and water are gone.”

“That’s not good,” Liz responded. “I only have enough left for one more meal. We’ll have to share, and then scavenge the city for supplies if we make it out of here.”

Liz called everyone close as they gathered in a small circle. She shared her food with them, taking turns eating until everything was gone. Then they laid down and took a short rest before they pushed onward toward the mecha arachne.