Chapter 23: Spoils of the Hunt

It was a new day, and Eldon and Rachel woke up to something unexpected—the sound of gunfire. As they looked around, they realized Liz was nowhere to be found.

They scrambled outside to discover that one of the military vehicles with a mounted gun was missing from the outpost, along with many guns and crates that had been thoroughly ransacked.

They then spotted Liz on the mounted gun, firing full auto, her shots tracking the flying mecha manticore circling the sky.

The mecha manticore’s tail began to glow with a bright blue light as the sound of charging energy filled the air.

Then—BOOM—a blast of energy shot toward Liz. She quickly lobbed down one of her deployable shields, which absorbed the impact until it burst apart in an explosion of energy.

But Liz never stopped firing. Each bullet homed in on the mecha manticore, tearing into it and knocking it from side to side. Finally, the mounted gun clicked empty.

With a roar, the manticore dove at Liz. She ducked back into the vehicle just as the mecha manticore slammed into it, tearing and shaking it apart.

Rolling free, Liz ran a short distance, then pressed a button—

BOOM!

The vehicle exploded in a fiery blast.

Enraged, the mecha manticore flailed in the smoke and fire, its tail releasing concentrated beams in random directions. Buildings crumbled and collapsed beneath the onslaught.

Liz swung her M79 grenade launcher off her back and fired.

Thump. BOOM!

She reloaded and fired again, explosions rocking the battlefield as the mecha manticore’s beams continued to slice wildly through the ruins.

Thump. BOOM!

Thump. BOOM!

Thump. BOOM!

At last, the beams stopped.

The mangled mecha manticore leapt from the flames, one wing shredded, armor plating missing, internal circuits and wiring exposed as sparks shot from its fractured body.

Shaking its head, half-blinded by smoke and fire, the mecha manticore spotted Liz.

With a roar, it charged, jaws wide open. Suddenly, an energy hook wrapped around its neck—Rachel’s energy hook. She pulled the mecha manticore back just as Liz aimed her M79 straight into its gaping maw.

Thump. BOOM!

Liz was thrown back by the shockwave as the mecha manticore’s head erupted into flying shards of scrap. Debris rained from the sky.

“Yes!” Liz screamed with triumph, cheering at her victory and the prize she had earned for her new weapons.

Rachel approached, scolding her as Liz happily dismantled the beast’s tail.

“Weren’t you the one yesterday who told me I was being reckless? And now today you take off on your own?”

Still smiling brightly, Liz replied, “I woke up this morning and saw the manticore circling. I had to take the chance—I NEED its tail for my new gun. So I grabbed what I could and attacked before it could vanish somewhere else. I actually planned on you waking up to help me sneak attack it, so it all worked out in the end. Now, watch my back for a moment while I remove this tail—I don’t want to damage it.”

As she carefully worked, Rachel kept watch. She couldn’t help but notice that Liz wore the biggest, happiest smile she had ever seen on her face.

After the tail was removed, Liz had Rachel carry it since it was far too heavy for her to even lift.

All the while, Eldon leaned against a building, smiling faintly as he watched the two.

He then approached. “Now that you’re done here, we need to go back and gather the things we left at the workshop. Someone should stay here and organize the supplies.”

Rachel spoke up first. “I’ll stay. I still haven’t fully recovered from my wounds from yesterday. My healing spell didn’t finish the job, so I’ll have to let my natural healing do the rest.”

Eldon then spoke, “Okay, just search through everything and put all the food and water in one pile, along with the guns and ammo, so we can easily choose what to take. We’ll only have limited space.”

Rachel nodded and carried the large mecha manticore's tail back to the safehouse.

Inside, she dropped it heavily onto the ground, secured the safehouse, and began sorting supplies.

She carefully organized everything into neat piles, separating the food, water, guns, and ammunition.

With nothing else to do, a thought popped into her head.

Oh, I forgot—ZeroOne was going to tell me about my new assimilations. I guess I can check them out while I wait for their return.

Rachel picked up her helmet, still dangling by the chain at her waistcloth, and placed it on her head. “Sorry about that, ZeroOne,”

“Now tell me about the analysis of the new assimilations.”

ZeroOne started his explanation “We’ll start with the easiest one—that’s the Mimic’s Storage. It allows you to store vast quantities of anything, as long as it’s not living. The stored items weigh nothing, making it perfect for all the traveling we’ll be doing.”

“How do I use it?” Rachel asked.

ZeroOne replied, “Look at the top of your left gauntlet. See that jagged design? Move your hand close to it.”

Rachel moved her hand closer to the jagged marking, and as she did, the gauntlet opened like a mimic’s mouth. She slipped her hand inside, causing it to vanish completely, then pulled it back out.

“Wow.”

She picked up the mecha manticore’s tail and moved it toward the gauntlet. It disappeared instantly, sucked inside. When she pulled her hand back, she shook her arm wildly—it weighed nothing.

She then reached in again, thought of the tail, and it reappeared in her hand. Rachel smiled brightly, thinking to herself, This is so cool.

She quickly packed all the food, water, guns, and ammo inside.

Then her eyes drifted toward the big truck. She moved the gauntlet toward it—and the entire vehicle vanished into the storage.

“How much space does this have?” she asked.

“About eight thousand square feet,” ZeroOne replied. “It will run out eventually.”

Rachel’s mind raced with possibilities. Think of what I can do with this in combat, she thought, smiling happily.

ZeroOne added a suggestion: “You can also store your cursed armor and sword inside, so you only need to carry the gauntlet now. No more need for the big bag just get a pouch at your hip that can fit your gauntlet or ware the gauntlet whatever suits you best.”

“That’s great!” Rachel beamed. She couldn’t stop smiling—she really liked this new upgrade.

“But there is a drawback,” ZeroOne warned. “The bigger the object you store, the more energy it takes not only to store, but also to remove from the Mimic’s Storage.”

Rachel then asked, “What is the other assimilation?”

ZeroOne replied, “It is the VR Deep Dive function added to your helmet. Just like the VR game, this feature has a practical use for you. It allows you to perform a deep dive, connecting you directly to your armor as if you become the armor itself. You will see and hear through the armor’s sensors, and once we receive the proper upgrade, you will even be able to speak through it. In this state, you’ll fight at optimal performance, instantly activating every part of the armor as though it were your own body. Once mastered, your mecha claws or energy hook will respond without delay. Even better, this function will allow you to bypass the curses that normally hinder you in battle.”

Rachel was overjoyed, eager to test the Deep Dive function.

Then came the warning from ZeroOne: “Using this function will steadily drain your energy. I recommend you only activate it if one of your curses begins to affect you, or if you find yourself at a disadvantage in combat. Always keep a close watch on your energy when relying on this function.”

Rachel was just about to try the Deep Dive function when Eldon and Liz returned. Excited to share her new assimilation with them, she hurried over to the barricade to let them in.