4 No rest for the wicked
There was a time when I believed the Outer Universe was the safest place I could be.
I was sixteen when Bronn finally chased away Russo and his minions of unidentified creatures. To me, it was such a magnificent happenstance that becoming someone like Bronn became my goal.
It was a goal for half of the children my age.
I viewed Bronn as a hero and someone who was close to being invincible.
Later, I overcame my childish whims. Even though I didn't have that strong bond with my parents, I finally understood why twenty percent of my peers would write them down as their heroes.
But enough talk about that, Fifi was nowhere in my sight, yet her presence lingered. A somewhat tingling sensation presented itself in my head.
I actually have no words to describe it.
[...]
'I can't talk normally, can I?'
[Nope. but in this form, I can read your thoughts]
I was going to draw some arguments from there. However, the electric ball coming from the Cypher caught my attention.
Not knowing what to do, I floated there like an idiot.
[Do you have a death wish?]
I snorted. Or at least, I tried to. There was no noise that followed it. Only a cloud of smoke emitted from my snout.
'Look who's talking.'
[...]
[Do you have a death wish?]
Fifi repeated.
I guess when she mentioned something about reading my thoughts, I expected it to be one way. Unfortunately, I couldn't get anything from Fifi. However, there was some indescribable sensation that seemed to bother me. In my best guess, it was Fifi's.
It felt strange. But when I think about it Fifi might be more than just a system. She was definitely not a human-engineered robot and her fear seemed real.
'What can I do? Tell me what I can do with this body.'
Fifi was silent for a while. I was almost afraid that she would ignore me and leave me to figure out the rest of this evolution stuff by myself.
[...]
'Are you ready to talk now?'
[Sorry! Fifi is sorry!]
'Enough. Let's not talk about that. Tell me what to do.'
[Prepare for battle, Exo]
[Initializing Fire breath]
[Fire breath 10% ready]
[35%]
[50%]
[78%]
[90%]
[Fire breath 100% ready]
[Initializing Fire Cannon]
[Fire Cannon 5% ready]
[30%]
[65%]
[99%]
[Fire Cannon 100% ready]
[Initializing Fire Whip]
[Fire Whip 3% ready]
[23%]
[37%]
[79%]
[Fire Whip 100% ready]
I tried to chuckle, but apparently, there was only so much I could express with this body. White smoke emitted from my nose.
'Those are some cool names,'
[...]
'What am I supposed to do with those?'
[You can always make fire out of the electricity. But the fire is also an excellent conductor for it]
'Your point?'
[You could use the fire cannon and meet the electric bolt head-on. The attack would hinder the electric ball from harming you. The two forces would meet in the middle and create a huge explosion]
'Wouldn't that be exaggerated? What if it would harm a passerby?'
[Ehem! If Exo had yet to notice when the evolution started, a forcefield surrounded the perimeter covering both Exo and the Cypher. It acts as a shield for the humans]
I wanted to ask 'what did that make me?' But again, I didn't want to be the subject of Fifi's ridicule.
'What if this forcefield has a loophole? What then?'
[...]
[Exo still thinks like a human]
'Because I am one.'
[...]
[Are you one right now, though?]
It was my turn to be speechless. The electric ball was ready for release, the electricity dancing and crackling at the Cypher's command.
'Fifi,'
[Yeah?]
'How does the fire cannon work?'
[Fire cannon allows you to fire hot flaming balls with ten seconds of interval for cool down]
'Ten seconds? Could you estimate how long it would take before the electric ball reached me?'
[From the approximate distance between you and the Cypher, it would only be a matter of fifteen to twenty seconds. Fifi suggests that once the electric charge is released, Exo would also fire a shot and fire a second flaming ball after the cooldown]
'I never thought of that. Why oh my, thanks for telling me, Fifi,'
[...]
[Initializing fire cannon]
[Fire cannon ready]
'Alright,' I reminded myself to apologize later. Fifi seemed to have taken my sarcasm seriously.
I snorted, seeing white smoke arising from the minor gesture.
[Incoming]
Fifi warned, deliberately increasing my heart rate along with her rising panic.
But I barely had time to ponder on that. On their own accord, my eyes zeroed in on the rapidly oncoming ball of electrically charged attack.
[Releasing fire cannon in 3…]
[2…]
[1…]
[Cooling down in 10]
[9]
[8]
[7]
[6]
[5]
[4]
[3]
[2]
[1]
[Releasing fire cannon in 3…]
[2…]
[1…]
Looking away before the blast erupted before my eyes, my ears didn't miss hearing the explosion. It echoed loudly in our surroundings, shaking what felt like the entire universe.
Considering that there was a forcefield thing, I snapped out of my stupor, blinking as the cloud of smoke that was a result of the eruption slowly ebbed away.
It took a minute before I was able to see that the Cypher was still alive and well.
It even had the second ball of electric energy ready while I had stood there, relaxed when I should be panicking.
[Fifi is detecting an unusual heartbeat rate]
'No!' I immediately tried to sound intimidating. 'Don't you dare try that again, Fifi. I'm warning you.'
[...]
[My main setting is to protect Exo at all costs]
It was my turn to be speechless. However, I only allowed it briefly.
'Let's make this clear, when I say no, I really mean it.'
[...]
'So, let me emphasize this once and for all: DO NOT, under any circumstances, INITIATE REST MODE.'
[...]
'Do you understand?'
[Okay]
Her meek reply made me feel guilty for scolding her unintentionally. But I had to say it and make it clear. If I don't, she would assume that forcing me to collapse and put me to sleep out of the blue was fine.
It wasn't.
'Do you understand, Fifi? No rest mode,' I paused to take a deep breath. 'There's no rest for the wicked, anyway.'
