Log II: The Settlement

"Halt!"

The guard hissed at the approaching man, who raised his both hands.

"Identify yourself!"

Another guard yelled at the man. They both knew who he was... But they had rules to follow.

"Abel. A Walker."

"Show us your face!"

With that, the red-haired young man, Abel, removed his gas mask.

"Alright... Wait..."

The guards pulled out a device from their pocket and aimed it at Abel. Soon, a beep came from the device and the guards stepped aside.

"If I was a Void Walker, I wouldn't be trying to come here, you know."

Abel grumbled and pushed his bike towards the slowly opening gate. The giant walls loomed over him, hiding the small town behind them.

"Come on, you know how it is, right? We can't just let you in."

The guards shrugged him off.

"Yeah..."

Abel nodded and moved through the gate. But just as he passed by one of the guards...

"But man, you sure look healt-"

As the guard's pat was about to touch the Walker's shoulder, he suddenly twisted his body and pulled out his gun. In mere seconds, he was pushing it against the guard's throat, glaring at him.

The whole area went quiet.

"... Sorry."

The guard finally murmured under his mask. Abel sighed and stepped back, holstering his weapon again.

"... it's fine."

"No... My bad. I know how much you hate being touched... Well, this old mind forgot."

"... Yeah."

The young man gave a short nod and picked up his pace.

No one but the guard noticed the trembling hands of the man holding one another... A show of utmost restraint.

...

The Walker Guild was as lively as always, with hundreds of Walkers like him yelling and talking inside the building. It was already nighttime, so most of them had returned to base.

All of them had completed their deliveries or were about to start one... And none of them knew whether they would return from their next assignment.

They were truly living in the moment.

Every second was precious. Every laugh was important.

Abel... unfortunately, couldn't hear them.

As soon as he entered the room, the jolly voices quieted down. Everyone stared at him blankly as he walked up to the counter.

"Ah... Mr Abel. Welcome back."

The receptionist girl smiled at him kindly... But everyone could notice the awkward aura around her.

"... Yeah. The delivery for the Commerce Guild."

He handed over the locked grey capsule to the girl, who quickly checked the details printed on the device.

"Everything seems fine... Shall I calculate the credits then?"

"Can you give me some fuel and ammo? Maybe a better gun too."

Abel said while pulling out his handgun. Tensions ran high among the Walkers who glared at him. They would attack him at the first odd step he took.

The girl, whose face had gone pale, barely managed to accept the weapon.

"I-I assume you want this gun to be salvaged, then?"

"Yeah. Give me something that can pack more power inside. It doesn't matter if the magazine is smaller. I also have a pulse rifle in my luggage compartment, can you check and change its core?"

"S-sure... T-then for the gun, I recommend the Drazer V. It has four bullets in each magazine and can fire incendiary shots."

"That'd be fine. And include some jerky or bread and some water too."

"Alright... L-let me count."

The girl went to a back room and appeared again after a few minutes.

"After taking care of all the expenses, your reward will be 300 credits. The food and the fuel have been loaded to your bike."

"That's good."

"Y-yes... I am sending the credits to your data terminal now."

"Mhm."

Abel checked and made sure that he had indeed received the credits. After that, he quietly turned and started walking out... only to be called back by the receptionist.

"Um... Mr Abel?"

"Hm?"

He looked over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow.

"S-someone from the Axis church had asked about you... Do you want to meet them?"

"Axis church? What do they want with me... Sure. Where can I meet?"

"Commerce Guild, second floor."

"Okay... Thanks."

He murmured before walking out. As soon as he stepped outside, the merry voices returned to the Walkers.

...

The city was still lively despite it being way past midnight. Most of the Walkers didn't need to sleep due to the blessings of the systems and the residents also stayed up to cater to them.

Even now, there was a steady stream of people walking on the dirt roads of the settlement. Abel carefully made his way through them and arrived at the central plaza.

The minstrels' songs reached his ears as he looked around. The plaza was filled with merchants selling artificial food. A few beggars were sitting before the dried-up fountain. In the corners of his eyes, he could see a few scantily clad girls beckoning to the passersby... Prostitutes.

Right across them on the other side of the plaza were a few priests. They seemed to be preaching to the general mass and there was a considerable crowd around them. The pink and blue neon lights from the bars and stores coloured the ground. A foul smell reached Abel's nose as he frowned. Someone probably vomited nearby.

"Thus, the Axis Gods gifted the chosen ones with the systems and humanity fought back against the Abyss!"

One of the priests, a kind-looking elderly man in white robes, announced in a hearty voice. This was the umpteenth time he had shouted those words today... Yet he didn't look tired. The priest disregarded the smell, the prostitutes and the dirty aura surrounding the plaza.

"..."

Abel silently walked toward them. His goal was the road beside the crowd which led to the commerce guild.

As he passed by the Axis priests, one of them suddenly turned toward him.

"You, young man! Why do you think the Axis gods gifted us with the systems?"

Abel stopped for a second before continuing to walk again. He didn't want to bother with replying to such a ridiculous question.

Yet, a few words of spite escaped his mouth.

"To thoroughly crush our hopes by giving us a false sense of security, what else?"

His words shut up the crowd and the priests who could only watch him walk away.

"Wait!"

The priest called out, but Abel had already walked far from the scene. He kept his head down and approached the large building in the distance.

...

The Commerce Guild was larger than the Walker Guild, but it was far less lively than the latter. A few merchants were drinking inside and paid no heed as Abel entered the place.

To them, a lowly Walker held no significance.

Just like before, Abel walked up to the male receptionist waiting at the counter. A few words were exchanged before the man led Abel to the second floor, eventually stopping in front of the room.

"Be on your best behaviour."

With that warning, the man opened the door and Abel entered the well-furnished room.

"So you are Abel?"

As soon as he came into the room, someone spoke up. His voice was strict and cold... but not condescending.

"I am."

Abel took a good look at the three men inside the room. Two of them were wearing heavy armour and had swords equipped. They were the system-using Templar of the Church. Though he had never seen them firsthand, Abel knew about them from the rumours circling around.

The remaining man was old and hunched over, his white beard covering most of his face. He was wearing the white garbs of the priests with a graph-type symbol on the chest. His face was wrinkled and expressed his wisdom while his blue eyes were sharp and clear.

A gold pin on his chest signified his position as a Bishop.

"Sit down, Abel."

The bishop gestured at the sofa in front of him. Once everyone was seated, the bishop introduced himself.

"My name is Lebeth. As you may have already guessed, I am a Bishop belonging to the Axis Church."

"..."

"I heard that you are the only Walker without a grace, is that true?"

Grace. In other words, a system.

"... It's true."

Abel replied with a sigh.

"Hm... Can we check that by ourselves?"

"Go ahead."

With Abel's words, Lebeth pulled out a small orb from his pocket.

He held it in front of him and aimed towards the Walker.

[Warning. Detection magic has been used on the user.]

[Detection Criteria: Systems II (Beneficial to humanity)]

[Detection Criteria do not match with the user's system.]

[Detection has been avoided]

A cold voice echoed inside Abel's mind as he sat there silently.

"Thank you for letting me confirm."

The priest put away the orb and leaned forward. One of the Templars behind him stepped forward and placed a terminal on the table.

Abel raised an eyebrow as he noticed the map on the screen of the terminal.

"One of our convoys was ambushed by the abyss while on the way to the holy capital. The convoy was carrying an important sacred object. We need it recovered."

"Were all of the guards wiped out?"

Abel asked as he examined the map on the terminal screen.

"Yes, all of them."

"How large is the object?"

"It's larger than a human. If you are worried about how to carry it, then rest assured. We'll install a compartment on your bike to carry it to the holy capital."

"All the way to the holy capital?"

The Walker frowned. The holy capital of Axis was a few thousand miles away from the settlement they were in.

It would take months, if not years, to reach it.

"Not to mention the road is full of Abyss, how can I take it to the capital without being killed?"

Abel's voice was rough. The Templars frowned as they saw his blatant disregard for manners.

"I am well aware."

Lebeth said before smiling. Then he dropped the bomb.

"I will give you 5,300,000 credits, enough to last you for your lifetime."

"... What?"

The Walker thought he was mistaken, but the bishop mouthed the numbers again.

It was an astronomical sum for a Walker. And really... He could live out his life with that sum if he spent them wisely.

"I'll even deposit 300,000 credits right now. The rest will be given once you complete the mission. How about it? Is it worth the risk now?"

Lebeth smiled gently but Abel couldn't see anything but malice behind that smile.

"You..."

"Of course, I know about your situation. You don't want to associate with us humans anymore, nor do you want to live as a Walker. Isn't it the perfect opportunity for you? I will vow in the name of Axis, you will never need to work if you can complete this mission."

Lebeth's words were like a demon's temptation. Abel knew that he was stepping into something troublesome. Even so...

"... Fine. I'll accept it."

"Good. Here are the 300,000 credits. Buy some good equipment with it."

"..."

"That will be all."

Lebeth gestured at the door but Abel didn't budge from his place.

"What about the details about the object? How will I recognize it?"

"The device we'll attach to your bike will notify you when you are near it. However, do not open the object under any circumstances. Defend it with your life if need be. The future of humanity depends on it."

"... Alright."

He wasn't dumb. Abel knew that crossing the church would end up with him being hunted, so he intended to follow through with the rules set by them.

At least, for now.

"Then, please hurry."

The bishop smiled but his eyes were cold.

Abel had overstayed his welcome and the man understood that. Soon, he left the room and headed back to the Walker's guild.