Chapter 4:

[Visitors] by Pegeras - Scarlet System

Honey-chan's Winter Resort


“Next stop: Honeycomb Mountain” says a feminine voice through the intercom. 

Taking a look at my watch, it looks to be ten minutes before noon. I’m a bit behind schedule, but looking at the clear blue skies, I’d say I’m just in time. 

The two mechanical horses pulling this carriage whine and snort, as their joints made of shimmering chrome spring to life for departure. Blue fluorescent lights seep between each of the chrome segments, as both steeds begin to hover midair. A cool gentle breeze rushes past me, as the carriage gets closer to the snow peaked mountain. 

“Are you excited Jeremy?” Asks my pink haired assistant, Karina, as she appears in the HUD of my brainlink at the corner of my eye. “I heard the view is gonna be amazing this high up.”

I nod my head. “They for sure don’t spare any expense when it comes to transportation. I’m surprised they even invited me.”

Honey Industries is one of the three major conglomerates that control our city, so it’s surprising that they chose me to participate in this game. When I got the letter, I almost couldn’t believe it with my own eyes. After seeing that wax honeycomb seal on the front, I thought it was some sort of prank, but when I opened it I knew it was legit.

“By the way Jeremy, I’ve been searching the web and I haven't been able to find any info on what this game is. It seems no one is talking about it.” Karina explains with a bit of regret.

“Heh, don't sweat it! This is Honey Industries we’re talking about here. Besides, we’re almost there anyway.” I say as the carriage pulls up next to a long wooden bridge.

I tap the side of my head, minimizing Karina’s window from the corner of my eye. As the two steeds winded down to a halt, two robots walked up to my carriage. 

“Greetings, Welcome to Honeycomb Mountain.” the female looking one greets, as the male stands next to her. “My name is Honeybot.”

“And my name is Beedroid. Would you like any help taking your luggage?” he asks, putting his mechanical hand forward. Nodding my head, the two of them proceed to take the little luggage I did bring from the seat next to me.

Looking around, I see what Karina meant by the view. Seeing the snow covered forest from this high up, it looks almost like something out of a dream. Even the smaller mountains in the distance seem to go on forever. I feel like I’m at the top of the world.

“Jeremy, was it?” Asks the female robot, looking at me for confirmation.

I give her a nod. “Um, where am I supposed to go from here?”

“Do not worry, Jeremy. We shall lead you to your room.” she says with a bow, as she picks up the last of my bags.

The two of them walk towards the idyllic chalet, as the wooden bridge creaks ever so slightly beneath us. I take a deep breath, I suppose this is it. Let’s see what Honey Industries has in store for me.

The moment they open the wooden door, I’m greeted by the crackling of a fireplace in the corner. Next to it is a large couch with a small coffee table sitting in front of it, hitting me with a sense of warmth I wasn’t expecting. 

“Right this way sir.” instructs the male robot as he walks towards the stairs. 

As we make our way up the stairs, I notice two doors on the second floor, but HoneyBot opens one before I could question what’s behind it. Inside is a massive bed with a sizable flat screen sitting on the wall opposite of it, which means this must be my room. As the two robots sit my luggage down on the floor, I scratch my head. For a game, I was expecting a bit more suspense, but this feels more like a vacation.  

“Well now Mr.Chen, preparation for the game will start in an hour. Please take your time to get yourself settled in.” BeeDroid explains to me as blue lights flicker in his eyes. “When you check your brainlink, you will see a sum of currency, courtesy of Honey Industries.”

With a blink, I open the pop-up notification before me. Numerous little honeycombs burst from the envelope in a short animation, as the amount accumulates into the tens of thousands. 

“What’s all of this for?” I ask them, noticing that I now have thirty thousand of this currency.

HoneyBot steps forward. “This is the currency you will be using for the game, but if you find that the amount does not suit, do not worry. You will be rewarded more for each objective you complete during the game.”

Oh sweet, now this is what I’m talking about! Finally things are getting interesting.

“We have also installed the two applications you’ll need on your brainlink. One is the shop, while the other is a map. Although the map will not open until the game begins.” BeeDroid continues to explain, as both applications pop into my eyes. “If you have more questions, we have also provided you with a contact.”

“Unfortunately, we now must take our leave. May your stay on Honey Mountain be sweet, dear visitor!” HoneyBot says before heading through the door.

As I sit down on the bed, Karina pops up.

“You should probably check out the shop!”

“You don't have to tell me twice!” I chuckle while opening up the shop.

Each of the items on sale are weapons and equipment, which comes as a bit of surprise. What catches my eye is the yellow bee rifle and pistol, but they’ll cost almost as much as I have. I’m not sure what I’ll be using these for, but if these are supposed to be used in the game I guess I should buy them.

“Thank you for your purchase! Your order will be delivered shortly.” The application says right before closing it.

“Jeremy, you should probably get some rest. The game should be starting in twenty minutes.” Karina says, pointing to the clock in my room.

“Yeah, I guess I should-” 

“Delivery!” Shouts someone from outside. 

As I leave my room. I hear a knock coming from the front door. When I opened it, I saw a brown box sitting in the snow on the steps, but nobody was there. Grabbing the box, I place it on the coffee table and rip off the tape. Inside it is the exact rifle and pistol I ordered, along with a little note underneath that says “standard supplies”. Reaching around inside, I realize that along with more ammo there are two ammo belts with what looks like grenades.

“Are you sure this is safe?” Karina asks with a whisper, as I examine the yellow jacket colored grenade in my hand.

The doorbell rings again, only this time the person isn’t announcing their presence. Something feels off. I grab onto the pistol with my left hand, and carefully walk up the door. As I reach to open the door, I can feel myself shaking as I open it.

“Hello, my name is Grace! What’s yours?” Shouts an over excited girl on the other side of the door.

“Oh, hello… My name is Jeremy. Are you more of the staff that works here on Honey Mountain?” I ask her with a sigh of relief. With how chipper she’s acting, she doesn’t look to be trouble.

 “No, I’m one of the winners! Isn’t Honeycomb Mountain beautiful? I hear it snows like this all year round!”

“Yeah, that's exactly what I heard too.” I laugh in response, nearly getting caught up in her exuberance. “So, uh, what business do you have here?”

“Oh, nothing really! I thought that since our cabins are so close to each other, that maybe I’d introduce myself.” Grace says with a bright smile.

I laugh. “Well isn’t that nice of you!”

“Yeah, you should really buzz off!” 

“Huh, what-” I manage to say before-

“Jeremy!” Karina shouts.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

Sporadic buzzing fills the air, but eventually calms. When I open my eyes, Grace is lying down in the snow, covered in chunks of golden honey. What even-

“Jeremy, are you okay?!” Karina asks in panic.

“Karina, did you?”

“Yes, I took over your brain functions and shot her in response. As your AI assistant, my duty is your safety!”

I stare the bee pistol in my hand and back at the young girl lying in the snow. I killed someone. I really killed another human being, but why was she trying to-

“Congratulations on your first kill, here are your credits!” The shopping app announces through my brainlink, as a sum of credits are added to the balance amount. “Don’t forget that racking up more kills guarantees more money! Happy hunting visitor!”

“There’s no way, the game is a-” 

“Hello, Honeycomb Mountain! The first round of this year's annual death game has started!” Shouts a young man wearing a yellow suit with black stripes, on the holographic screen that just appeared above me. “And it looks like we already have our first blood, the contestants this year sure are eager!”

I kneel down into the snow and start to puke. What is all of this?

The announcer continues.“Well seeing as he’s already started, all further instructions will be sent via brainlink. Remember to stay on your toes and get yourself into even stickier situations, and without further ado, let the games begin!”