Chapter 32: The Jester’s Chains

Rachel rushed down the halls toward the lift where Jax was loading the vr headsets onto the lift, but he was gone. Most of the VR helmets were missing as well. The only thing of note was Jax’s severed arm, cut clean just before the elbow.

Then ZeroOne spoke to Rachel: “This isn’t good. We need to hurry after him.”

Rachel asked, “What’s wrong?”

ZeroOne continued to echo in her helmet, “I know his plan. We must hurry—he intends to return to Far Sky City and unleash the VR helmets on the residents, using them as soldiers to distract the undead while he enters the necropolis and seizes the power he craves.”

Rachel grew extremely worried. She thought, Oh no—the children, Eldon, and Liz! I must hurry back.

She then turned to get Jill, sprinting at a fast pace down the corridor, and entered the massive room where Jill was waiting. Rachel then turned and ordered,

“ZeroOne, harness her to my back with my braids.”

Without answering, the braids wrapped around Jill and secured her to Rachel’s back. Then ZeroOne spoke:

“If we’re going after Jax, we’ll need to hurry. I’m going to prioritize the repair on the Energy Forge so we’ll have more power to regenerate the armor quicker. After that, I will focus solely on the Mimic’s storage so you can pull out the SUV, food, and water to replenish your energy before hurrying back.”

Rachel nodded while running down the corridor.

ZeroOne then pointed out, “Pull that switch to the left of the lift.”

Rachel pulled it, but nothing happened. “It’s not working—nothing is happening.”

ZeroOne then loosened the braids and set Jill down as he punctured the switch and hacked the system.

ZeroOne echoed in her helmet, “He cut the power to the lift. I will reroute power—give me a moment.”

Then ZeroOne’s mechanized voice spoke again, “It’s done. The lift should work now.”

Rachel then activated it, and the sound of the lift descending was heard.

They finally reached the upper floors, arriving at the loading dock. Jax had made sure to destroy all of the vehicles—their engines smashed by something powerful.

As they exited the base, Rachel quickly noticed the situation and spoke to Jill: “Close your eyes and don’t open them until I tell you.”

In front of them lay the bodies of the women and children, scattered on the ground as if they had all been attacked by mechas.

Tire tracks marked the dirt, showing that the big rig had pulled back and loaded all the helmets.

Then ZeroOne noticed something and spoke: “Look—there are three sets of mecha tracks. That must be what attacked the women and children.”

The tracks followed alongside the big rig’s tire marks. Two sets ran on either side, but the third veered off and disappeared.

Then ZeroOne chimed in, “The Energy Forge has been repaired. Now I’m focusing all power into the Mimic’s storage.”

Rachel looked forward and started sprinting at full speed, following the big rig’s tracks west toward Far Sky City, hoping she could make it in time to stop Jax’s evil plans while she waited in anticipation for ZeroOne’s notification that the Mimic’s storage was repaired.

Rachel then arrived at Far Sky City, and the city was in flames. The sounds of screams and battle could be heard throughout. Rachel turned to Jill and warned her,

“Stay here in the SUV where it’s safe and hide. I will be right back.”

Rachel then ran through the city toward all the commotion as the screams and chaos gradually grew quieter.

In the center of the town, Jax was confronting the last remaining survivors of the city as they fired at the three mechas rampaging through the streets. Jax seized the opportunity amid the chaos to create his army of mindless slaves.

Now behind him, multiple vehicles were loaded with villagers, all wearing VR headsets. The big rig was packed from top to bottom with bodies piled together like corpses. More sat on top of the rig, each armed but eerily motionless, as if awaiting his orders.

But in the end, the resistance was no match for the three mechas once their ammunition ran dry.

Among these fighters was Eldon, who still raised his empty gun at Jax. Jax’s arrogant voice rang out:

“Give it up, old man. You have lost. Now I will take my possessions and use them as I see fit, granting me the power I truly deserve as the chosen hero of this world.”

“So be grateful, as I don’t have any more of these VR headsets to take the rest of you. You all get to leave with your lives. Now begone from my sight before I change my mind.”

They all started to run, but then Jax motioned with his hand toward the minotaur, which charged into the fleeing people and cut them down mercilessly.

Eldon then pointed his rifle straight at Jax, who was walking away, and moved his hand to the grenade launcher trigger. The mecha chimera noticed this and leapt in front of Eldon’s attack.

The chimera’s goat head exploded, sending shrapnel toward Jax and slicing into his cheek and arm. Jax roared in pain, then turned around in a furious rage, using his magnetism to hurl the shrapnel back in all directions, piercing into Eldon’s body.

Eldon then started to cough up blood as he fell to the ground. Jax used his power to remove the shrapnel from his arm and approached him. “You old bastard,” Jax yelled as he kicked Eldon hard, over and over again.

Then he kneeled down and spoke, “I will not let you die just like this. You old man, so I’m going to turn you into my persona jester until your body falls apart. It’s perfect for an old fool like you—so I will use my last VR helmet on—”

But before he could finish, a cursed blade came down toward Jax, but the chimera’s snake tail took the blow for him, its head severed and falling to the ground. as rachel stood in front of eldon sword raised.