Mystery in the Mist Forest 7

Commander R doesn’t hesitate as he launches forward at full speed, Reaper nanotech crawling over his arms and hardening into black gauntlets. He swings a brutal punch meant to crack metal but the Caretaker is faster.

With a hiss of steam and shifting alloy, the Caretaker’s arms morph mid-motion, twin cannon ports locking into place. A high-pitched whine fills the air. Then fire erupts.

A point-blank plasma blast screams toward R. His eye widens. Too fast to dodge. He clenches his fists and snarls, “SHAID!”

Reaper answers instantly. The gauntlets reconfigure into a broad, concave shield just in time to catch the full impact. The explosion rocks the hall, flames licking around the edges.

“You cannot fight him head-on, R!” SHAID crackles in his ear. “You’re not in the right shape or mind to face this monster right now!”

“I can fucking see that—!” R growls as the shield buckles under the pressure. The blast doesn’t stop. The heat intensifies as his knees slam against the floor and struggles to hold back the fire.

The Caretaker doesn’t relent. “Is this all you’ve got, Commander?” His voice is deep and cold, vibrating through the flames.

“Why don’t you fight me like a man, you coward?!” R roars.

The flames cut off. Steam hisses from the cannons as the Caretaker steps forward, spreading his arms wide. “Look at me. Do I look like a man to you?”

R’s breath is ragged. “Your body might be metal but your heart still beats like every other man.”

The Caretaker places a metallic hand on his chest, his voice mocking. “Ooooh, really? I never thought I still had that.”

“I thought that thing crushed the day Jimmy died,”

R snaps. “And who the hell is Jimmy?”

The Caretaker tilts his head in disappointment. “That’s harsh of you, Commander. Talking about the dead like that is disrespectful. Didn’t your mama teach you better? Oh wait I forgot… you were born and raised in a lab.” His grin widens, taunting.

R’s brows furrow. “Are you here for revenge?”

The Caretaker bursts into laughter, pounding his metallic chest like a war drum. “Revenge? Ehehe… hehehe… ahahaha!” His laughter grows wild, echoing through the hall.

“R… this mini-megatron is cray cray,” SHAID mutters in his head.

But then silence falls. The Caretaker’s face hardens. His fists clench. His head tilts back, eyes closed, as if in prayer to a god that never answered.

“Revenge… how marvelous that feeling must be. A raging fire that never dies—fueling my will to survive, to grow stronger every damn day. All for one purpose: to kill the strongest commander on this planet. No—the strongest commander the human race has ever known.”

His voice trembles, bitter yet alive. “And to meet him in his weakest form… to finally avenge the only person who ever mattered to me. My heart. My soul. My brother—Jimmy.”

A single tear slides down his cheek.

“Thinking about it is too beautiful.. Too too beautiful. But it’s a pity… that’s not the situation right now.”

His eyes open, sharp and hollow. “Because Jimmy’s skull was crushed… by my own hands.”

The words slam into R like a gunshot. His eye widens. “What…the fuuuuuuuuuck?”

The Caretaker breathes deep, stepping closer. “Now tell me, Commander… do you really think I’m a ma—”

Reaper slices through the air, reshaping into a longsword mid-swing. A black blur tears toward the Caretaker’s neck. But the Caretaker ducks with a smirk. Metal clashes against reinforced alloy. Sparks explode.

The real fight has just begun.

R roars, driving forward. Reaper reverts into gauntlets as he throws a heavy punch. The Caretaker blocks with ease. Blow after blow, steel and alloy crash with ruthless force, shaking the chamber.

R’s rage builds, his rhythm more brutal with each strike. He aims a crushing blow at the Caretaker’s face which he caught mid-air. His second fist swings and is blocked again. Trapped, he lunges forward and slams his forehead into the Caretaker’s skull. The impact rattles metal, forcing the Caretaker to release his grip.

Reaper shifts into a whip. R lashes it around the Caretaker’s neck, yanking hard to drag him closer. The Caretaker surges forward instead, driving a brutal punch into R’s face. Which R blocked with his hands but the impact is strong enough to push the commander backwards disturbing his balance the caretaker uses this opportunity to hit his opponent as he twisted his body swinging his heel as it transforms into a rolling blade, swinging toward R’s skull.

SHAID screams “R, watch out!”

Reaper instinctively shifted back into gauntlets, catching the rolling blade just inches from slicing R’s skull. But the assault didn’t stop. The Caretaker went for a gut punch. R blocked it, stumbling backward, trying to escape the flurry.

"That was close, R," SHAID warned. "You almost died."

R gasped, blood dripping from his nose. His legs shook beneath him.

"He didn’t do serious damage, but your body can’t handle this much pressure," SHAID added.

"How is he this strong?" R growled.

“His body is made of the same nanotech used for building Reapers. That’s why he can transform his limbs at will."

"How the hell is that possible" R questions.

"His heart and brain are still human. His nervous system is infused with microchips. Which is sending messages like code to the nanotech around his body just like I am. That’s how he can move his body."

"He can do more than just basic movement you fool so he is like you huh?" R snaps as he dodges the caretaker attack continuously

“I can fuckin see that idiot and I’m not a chip, you dumb ass I’m infused with your DNA. We are not the same. He can be hacked. I can’t."

Before R could respond, the Caretaker lunges again faster, more violent. R could barely keep up, forced on the defensive, shielding himself as punches and kicks rained down.

"Is this the almighty Commander R?" the Caretaker taunts. "The legend that stopped the Revolutionary Army in the Western Kingdom? The man who struck fear into every top mercenary and official? Is THIS THE DEMON OF THE THREE REGIONS?"

The Caretaker pummels him. R screams, "SHUT UP!"

SHAID replied, "You need to calm down R. You’re in labor, you’re weak and your healing factor is slowing. You can’t keep this up."

"Hack that motherfuckin chip in his head! Before he blows mine"

"I’ve been trying, idiot! Hacking a Reaper-grade chip is 10 times difficult than hacking all the technology devices in the entire planet apart from the wall and the Steforians satellite at once and this motherfucker has two in both his heart and brain. I have to hack them simultaneously."

R’s blood starts to boil. His heart is filled with rage as his killing intent becomes higher which makes his reaper unleashes a large blast which the caretaker blocks as his hands turned into shield the force of this attack pushes him backward but the commander fueled by rage went berserk. His Reaper turns into a bo staff as he charged forward, attacking relentlessly. The Caretaker noticed the shift and backed up to create distance exactly what R wanted.

R swung the staff and unleashed a massive energy beam, blasting the Caretaker across the forest.

Reaper reformed into gauntlets. R’s legs trembled. His vision blurred. His breath came shallow and weak.

"SHAID... what’s happening to me?"

"The energy you released through Reaper drained your system. That energy is what’s been sustaining you. If you do that again, your body will collapse."

"How is she?"

"She’s fine," SHAID said softly. "But she’s eager to come out. She can’t take much more."

R chuckled faintly. "She needs to hold on a bit”

"Shut the fuck up. The more you talk the energy you waste. Don’t forget you’re in labor. Now let’s finish off this fake cyborg and get off this hellhole."

R's eyes widened. "Wait that clanker is still alive”

“You need to stop talking to yourself commander that is not a good habit. People will think you ar…….” The Caretaker reemergs from the smoke, angrier than ever.

“The mist must have gotten to your nostrils making you see things that are not real did my attack give you that concussion clank” R interrupts

“You just landed a good attack on me since and you are talking shi…….”

“Shut the fuck up and square up clank” R interrupts again

“Just surrender. Your body can’t take my attacks anymore you are weak. I won’t ask again, where is the cure commander!”

“A soldier only surrenders when he is dead. If you want the cure you will have to kill me first” R replies

Without hesitation, the Caretaker’s arms morph into cannons, unleashing a massive energy blast—stronger, faster, and heavier than before. R barely dodges, leaping to the side, only to face another blast barreling toward him. Reaper instantly shifts into a shield, absorbing the impact as flames erupt around him. Trees ignite. The ground scorches. The air thickens with green mist and choking smoke.

The blast keeps pouring onto R’s shield, pushing him backward, but the Commander refuses to yield. Sweat drenches his body. Fire surrounds him. Then, the force of the blast begins to weaken. Reaper’s shield twirls, dispersing the beam’s energy. R advances, step by step, closing the distance.

In a flash, Reaper transforms into gauntlets. R catches the weakened beam and tears it apart like paper. The Caretaker’s eyes widen in shock. He tries to retaliate, but his vision glitches. Instead of one R, he sees two… then three. His balance falters.

A giggle echoes.

“Welcome to my world, bitch.”

Before he can react, R closes the gap and unleashes a barrage of punches first to the center of the Caretaker’s face, crushing his nose and eyes. Then left, right, chin, temple blows rain so fast the Caretaker can’t raise his arms. Blood splatters. Reaper’s gauntlets are soaked.

Suddenly, Reaper morphs into gloves with spinning circular saw blades. The blades move so fast they vanish into a blur, replaced by a low, ominous womp. The Caretaker’s life flashes before his eyes as R aims for his neck.

“System override,” the Caretaker gasps, blood pouring from his mouth. His eyes glow sparks dancing like fire.

R senses danger and retreats. Lasers burst from the Caretaker’s eyes, narrowly missing him. Another beam follows, aimed at R’s stomach. He blocks it with his hands, but the impact sends him flying into a fallen tree. Blood sprays from his mouth. His vision blurs. His body trembles.

“I don’t know what you did,” the Caretaker sneers, “but that shit worked—for a while. There’s something about you no one can replicate. You’re flawless.”

“Are you here to flatter me or finish me, clank?” R growls.

“Oooh, I can do both, Commander,” the Caretaker replies. “You’ve given me joy I’ll never feel again. It’s a pity we won’t do this again.”

“I’m not dea—”

The Caretaker lunges, aiming a brutal punch at R’s stomach. R barely blocks it with Reaper’s shield, but the impact rattles his insides. Blood spills. His legs buckle, dropping him to his knees.

“You’re a dead man now, Commander,” the Caretaker smirks, grabbing R by the neck and lifting him off the ground.

“You keep protecting your stomach. The cure isn’t a tool, it’s a being.” He grins. “But how can a man carry a child? Oh right… you were made in a lab. Just like me.”

R chokes but manages to speak.

“I might be a monster… but I’m nothing like you.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re driven by greed.”

Suddenly, the Caretaker’s body glitches. His vision blurs. Error 404 flashes across his HUD. Tubes connected to his nostrils malfunction as mist seeps in. He drops R instantly.

A memory surges him holding Jimmy’s severed head in the ring, laughing. But the crowd… every face is Trevor’s.

“No… this is a dream. How am I here?” he mutters, punching himself violently.

“System override,” he gasps.

Then a voice echoes again

“Bitch, you think I’m J.A.R.V.I.S.?”

“Who are you? What have you done to me?” the Caretaker stammers.

“I’m SHAID—Commander R’s Self-Help Artificial Intelligence Developer,” the voice growls. “And you fucked up the moment you hurt that baby. And I’m gonna make sure you die a befitting death.”

The Caretaker looks up but sees Jimmy’s face trembling in fear. R steps forward.

“You’re a monster because life was unfair to you. But life’s unfair to everyone. You could’ve fought it. Could’ve been better. I wish I’d met you before you killed Jimmy… maybe I could’ve changed you.”

The Caretaker drops to his knees, glitching harder.

“I’m a monster because I protect the only person that matters to me. You became one because you destroyed yours.”

Reaper morphs. R slams both gauntlets into the Caretaker’s skull.

It explodes in a bloody mess.

SHAID buzzes, “R WINS. BRUTALITY.”

“Let’s hope that bastard doesn’t revive as mist,” R mutters.

“He won’t,” SHAID says. “I contaminated his core. The second you destroyed his head, I also cooked his heart. He’s not coming back.”

“How are you sure?”

“Remember the wolves? They only stayed down when the heart was destroyed, not just the head. I had a hypothesis then. Now I know it is right.”

“Fuck you. Why didn’t you tell me then?” R replies in annoyance.

“Like I said, I had a hypothesis then, dumbass. Now let’s get the hell out of here.”

But R can’t move. His body shakes. He stands still, legs too heavy to lift.

His heartbeat races. “I want to sleep... I feel like falling...”

“No matter what, R don’t close your eyes. If you…”

Suddenly, R is surrounded. The captains have arrived.

"Commander," Trevor calls. "Do not move."

“What the hell happened here?” Akumakawaii asks in amusement, looking at the environment—destroyed, not a single blade of grass in sight, and trees fallen everywhere. The area stretches about a hundred meters of pure destruction, and the crew sees a dead robotic cyborg with no head.

“Did you kill that being, Commander?” Trevor asks, pointing at the dead Caretaker.

"Kid, I’m tired. Sick. And fucking pissed. Leave me alone."

"We will if you come with us," Racheal replies.

SHAID’s tone drops. "Shit. R, we need to leave. I’m sensing a bit of energy from that cyborg’s body he’s about to explode."

“How is that possible? Haven’t you fried his chips?” R asks.

“Yes, I did, but the suit has a self-destruct option which can only be turned on manually by a user. Not even he can do that.”

R’s fury rises. “Does that mean there’s someone nearby?”

He looks at Trevor. "Trev..."

"I’m not listening to a damn word, traitor."

“What did you just call me?” The words stab deep into R as he yells, “Tell meeeeeee!”

“Because you abandoned me! You abandoned everyone, R!” Trevor shouts, trembling. “You were the main reason I joined this corps. You gave me hope you gave a lot of people hope. You kept reminding us why we should protect the planet.”

“But what happened when we needed you the most? When I needed you the most, Commander, what did you do?”

“Trev…”

“Don’t call my fuckin’ name, traitor!” Trevor grabs R’s torn dress and punches him across the face, knocking him to the ground but that doesn’t stop him. He keeps hitting, over and over.

“I can hack their Reapers and suits, R. This kid is ungrateful,” SHAID snaps, but R doesn’t say a word. Instead, he starts laughing, blood dripping from his nose. This only frustrates Trevor more, and he continues his blows.

“Hey, are you done with your family bonding?” Akumakawaii’s cold voice cuts through. “Remember, we need to get the cure from him and we can’t get that off a corpse.”

R lies on the ground, miserable, bleeding, still laughing. He can’t even see the faint moon clearly, but the bright timer in the sky still flashes:

101 Days — 21 Hours — 43 Minutes — 14 Seconds

“A day has fuckin’ passed in this goddamn place and I haven’t noticed.”

“We don’t have much time, R. Let me hack their suits and Reapers right away,” SHAID urges.

R ignores SHAID’s warnings as he stands, brushing blood from his mouth.

“Everything I have done, I have done for the sake of our region and the entire planet. I refused no mission and accomplished everything, no matter how difficult it was—not because I had faith in the Steforians, but because I had faith in us. But I forgot my humanity a long time ago. I sacrificed my life and the lives of others for this bullshit, thinking I was doing the right thing. Now look at all of you.”

R points at them. “You’re not even up to twenty-five, judging by your faces. I know Trevor very well, so he should be the oldest among your crew. The old me would be proud of what I’m seeing today, but I’m displeased because everything I taught you was false. You’re not meant to sacrifice yourselves for humanity. You’re supposed to be having fun in your regions, making friends and families, dealing with bullies or becoming one, finding a girlfriend or even a boyfriend. Children your age shouldn’t be fighting for humanity. The world isn’t meant to put all its faith in children. I’m a monster for giving you that principle.”

Akumakawaii responds, “Sorry, Commander, but we’re two hundred years late. This ain’t 2025. So just hand over the cure.”

“I’m sorry, I cannot do that,” R responds bitterly as he steps back.

Those words ignite fire in Trevor’s eyes.

“Don’t come closer, kid!”

Trevor ignores him, steps closer, and grabs R’s torn clothes. “What did you just say?”

“I won’t repeat myself,” R mutters.

Those words make the captains realize the commander won’t hand over the cure. Their Reapers start to glow and transform, preparing for battle. The only one hesitant is Racheal, trying one last time to reason with him.

“Commander, we can’t fathom what you’ve been through all these years what you’ve seen and endured that’s driven you to this state. But one thing’s certain: the commander I kn… no, that everyone knows and believes in, would never abandon humanity in its direst moment. So why abandon us now, when we need you the most?”

“We were born from the tube, not the womb. The protection of humanity has to be our first priority; everything else doesn’t matter. That’s your motto, not ours,” Akumakawaii adds.

R smiles at Captain Racheal. His eyes are red as memories of his comrade’s flood back. “You’re from central, right? The way you speak reminds me of a captain from the East who always scolded me. Her hair and eyes were different from yours but you have her stance.”

“We don’t have time for chit-chat, R. Hand over the cure. Can’t you see the planet’s fate is at stake? The Steforians are leaving Earth as we speak. There are rebels in every region. Nobody wants to die. But you refuse to hand over the only thing that can save humanity. Why aren’t you the same commander I adored?”

“BECAUSE EVERYTHING WAS TAKEN FROM ME!” R roars with all the strength left in his gut.

Everyone falls silent as R drops his tattered cloth, speaking in grief.

“Iris, Selina, Jessica, James, Commander I—we never backed down from a job. We destroyed everything that threatened the region. We laid down our lives gladly if they asked us to, for the sake of the planet. But what did the Steforians pay us back with? Nothing but pain and sorrow.

I’m sorry I’m not the man I used to be. I don’t want to be that man. That commander died in the cold depths of Antarctica, and his heart died in the mist of South America. What you see now is an empty vessel. And the only reason this vessel still breathes is because the only thing that matters to me needs this body to survive. And you want me to hand it over to those treacherous beings?

The only reason I’m holding tight to this tiny thread of life is because of the promise I made to the only person who means the world to me. The one who showed me what love is, what it means to be human. And you want me to give up her legacy to those Red Beasts? Fuck the Steforians. Fuck humanity. I don’t care about anything else fuck honor and glory. I’m not handing my daughter over to be their lab rat. She won’t face the same fate her mother did.”

The crew stands in shock as they hear R sob.

“The cure is a child?” Racheal whispers in disbelief.

“The cure is my child. My daughter.”

“Impossible! No human can bear a child because of the virus. This is a miracle!” Captain Lei exclaims.

“That’s not the miracle. How is a man carrying a child?” Captain Yun adds, pointing at R’s stomach. “No wonder he looks different. What are you?”

“I don’t care who he is or what he is. All I care about is the mission,” Akumakawaii snaps as his Reaper transforms into cuffs. “Commander R, you’re coming to the East Region with us.”

Racheal’s Reaper transforms into a long saber-staff, blocking the three captains from the East.

“What are you doing?” Akumakawaii demands, glaring at her.

“We can’t hand him over to the region not like this,” Racheal responds.

“Why?”

“Because the commander’s story changes everything.”

“So?” Akumakawaii asks coldly.

“The fuck you mean ‘so’?” Racheal snaps.

“He’s been through a lot and evolved in a weird way. So what? The world is still at stake. Have you forgotten there’s a timer over our fuckin heads?” Akumakawaii retorts, pointing at the giant clock in the sky.

“We need to find another way,” Racheal insists.

“There is no other way, cutie pie. The Steforians said Earth’s survival depends on the person closest to death right in front of us. And you want me to think of another way? Stand down. Now.”

Racheal refuses. Akumakawaii looks at Trevor, who’s staring at R’s weakened body as he kneels, struggling to breathe going unconscious

“Are you also going to pick a side?” Akumakawaii asks.

Trevor snaps out of his daze. His Reaper transforms into a shield, wrapping around the Commander. “There has to be another way,” he says.

Akumakawaii looks at Lei and Yun, whose Reapers are already battle-ready to back him up. Akumakawaii’s cuffs instantly transform into two-edged katanas surrounded by lightning. A battle between the captains is about to begin—

But then their suits light up with an alert from the telecom.

“Hey! Are you guys fuckin’ done with your beef and family drama? The commander’s unconscious and can’t move!” SHAID shouts. “This place is about to blow up. WE NEED TO GO NOW!”

Trevor notices the Caretaker’s corpse glowing. He turns to his team.

“Everyone, R—uU!”

The explosion comes too fast and it’s too late.

A white-hot blast tears through the clearing, obliterating everything within 150 meters, erupting like three volcanoes at once. Trees, ruins, and everything touched by the mist are reduced to ash and dust.

When the dust settles, all the captains lie unconscious, protected only by their suits and Reapers. Trevor and R are at the center of the blast. R is unconscious and can’t defend himself. Trevor’s Reaper shields him, at the cost of his own life.

Trevor is nothing but a pile of ash and bone. His suit couldn’t withstand the pressure and heat of the center, his Reaper barely keeping R alive.

From the smoke, a shadow emerges.

“My, oh my,” it whispers. “The young apprentice lays down his life for his master.”

He grabs R’s unconscious body and drags him into the forest.