WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B
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◈ Cyberpunk Chivalry ◈
Chapter 8: ENTER THE VOID
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[DATA RECALL: VOICE_MEMO_SANTA]
[DATA RESEARCH. . . NOW<<<]
//*
▶SANTA: Threats in the Outer? Why are you asking me that? Didn't you get all that information on your data card?
▶ASH: I did. But mere data can hardly compare with the field experience of a seasoned veteran like you, Elder San.
▶SANTA: Hmm. Well, that's true. Being a veteran means you've got experience, after all.
▶ASH: Precisely.
▶SANTA: All right. I'll do it. Santa's first special lesson: watch the terrain!
▶ASH: The terrain?
▶SANTA: Basically, the Outer is a ruin. A ruin that's been abandoned for thousands of years. Nobody knows when something might collapse or where some bizarre trap might be hidden. I knew a guy who found that out the hard way. The bastard used to swagger around in some pretty expensive cyberware, but one wrong step turned him into a bloody pulp...
▶ASH: I shall keep that in mind. What next?
▶SANTA: ...Ahem. Next, enemies! The ones you'll run into most often will be Grotesques.
▶ASH: Grotesques?
▶SANTA: Right. They're living things infected with a mysterious illness called Aberration Disease. The key words here are "living things." Animals, insects, humans, even plants. If they catch Aberration Disease, they turn into monsters. No exceptions.
▶ASH: Monsters... What do they look like?
▶SANTA: I can't describe them. Every one looks different. Though if they have anything in common, it's that they're all fucking ugly. Anyway, Grotesques tend to gather in packs. If you find one, it means there are dozens more nearby. So you'd better be careful.
▶ASH: May I think of them as beasts that attack in packs?
▶SANTA: Uh... that's right, but it'll feel a little different when you actually see them.
▶ASH: Understood. Ah, what about Sentinels? The data card said to beware of them... Why are you making that face?
▶SANTA: Because it's a little strange hearing you say that.
▶ASH: What do you mean?
▶SANTA: Sentinels are machines. You could call them defense systems made in ancient times. There are lots of different kinds. Turrets that pop out of nowhere, autonomous combat drones, even small walkers that charge straight at you. Some can even repair themselves.
▶ASH: I see. But what does that have to do with me?
▶SANTA: ...You're a machine too. A suspiciously unusual one, at that. Be honest. You've got some connection to the Sentinels, don't you? Isn't that swordsmanship of yours some ancient civilization thingamajig too?
▶ASH: No.
▶SANTA: I'm sure there's something going on. I can feel it.
▶ASH: ...Do you have any other advice?
▶SANTA: Sure. We haven't covered the most important thing yet. Honestly, forget Grotesques and Sentinels. Something else is much more dangerous.
▶ASH: What might that be?
▶SANTA: Remember this. The most dangerous thing in the Outer is...
*//
Sector Gamma 7.
The largest of the Level 1 areas, it was known as the Underground Labyrinth.
A group was wandering somewhere within it.
"Mister! Look at this!"
That group consisted of Ash, who was going over Santa's advice, and Akina, who was crouching in a corner of the ruins.
Shining a portable flashlight, Akina murmured happily.
"This is called an energy cell. Apparently, it stores power in a completely different way. It can hold more energy in a much smaller space!"
"Is that so?"
Ash answered the girl absently while continuing to look around. He was watching for any possible threats.
The Outer.
In other words, the ruins of an ancient civilization.
Until now, he had only known it through data. In person, it felt far more bleak and eerie than he had expected.
It was a place of collapsed ruins. All kinds of sediment had piled up over thousands of years, leaving it without a single ray of light, as though they had descended into a basement.
Even the air smelled musty. Every step left a footprint in the gray dust.
Whenever wind blew through the passages, they resonated with one another, spreading a low, echoing hum.
To Ash, all of it was a threat.
The place was unfamiliar enough already. With such a sinister atmosphere as well, he could not let his guard down even if he wanted to.
Akina was different.
From the moment they had entered the ruins, she had been examining everything from cables along the walls to unknown circuit boards, letting out delighted cheers.
Where did that nerve come from?
What gave her such confidence?
Ash wondered about it even now as he watched the dark passage.
An overly enthusiastic Technomancer and an overly cautious Assault.
They might have seemed like a funny pair, but in fact, each was doing exactly what their role required.
As a Technomancer, Akina needed to find something in these ruins that would make them money. As an Assault, Ash's main duty was to protect her.
"Hmm. But it's broken. Another reject."
Akina tossed aside the energy cell she had been stroking with shining eyes just moments before. The hollow cell rolled across the floor.
"Is that one worth little as well?"
Akina nodded at Ash's question.
"Yes. It's trash. Well, I guess we wouldn't find anything valuable this easily in a Level 1 area. Other Pathfinders must've already taken it all."
"Is that not why we accepted a mapping job?"
"Hehe. That's right."
Jobs.
For Pathfinders exploring beyond the city, jobs were an inseparable part of life.
They were literally exploring the unknown. Every experience they had was immensely valuable information.
Mapping, the job Ash and Akina had accepted, was among the most common.
Go to an unexplored area and draw a map.
That was a mapping job.
"Mister, how much farther is it to our assigned area?"
At Akina's question, Ash brought up the stored map of Gamma 7. It spread across his optical sensors, and after a brief calculation, he answered.
"About 2 km in a straight line."
"Hmm."
Akina considered this for a moment, then made a decision.
"We're getting nowhere like this. From now on, I think we'd better ignore everything else and head for the unexplored area."
"I agree."
"There should be some good pickings there, right?"
In truth, mapping jobs did not pay well. Even so, many Pathfinders accepted them because an unexplored area was also unclaimed territory, somewhere no one had set foot before.
If they were going to explore it anyway, why not earn a little extra? A mapping job was a source of side income.
Ash knew this too, so he nodded.
"I am certain there will be some tasty morsels."
Akina burst out laughing.
"Don't say things like that in such a refined voice. Sometimes I think you're even more serious about credits than I am."
"Did we not borrow money? And from Elder San, who has been kind to us, no less. A debtor's first duty is to repay the debt as soon as possible. Would you not agree?"
"...Uh, well... yes...?"
For some reason, Akina's voice trailed off.
Ash looked at her.
"...Surely you were not planning to leave it unpaid?"
"No? I'm going to pay it back, you know?"
"When?"
"...In ten years?"
What a little devil.
And she had said she had stolen an arm before, too.
Ash shook his head and prepared to deliver a long lecture on morality. Sensing what was coming, Akina hurried into motion.
"2 km isn't far! Let's go!"
Watching Akina walk ahead without a trace of fear, Ash sighed.
"Haa..."
To be precise, he had no breathing organs, so his voice module produced a similar sound instead.
* * *
They had been following the passage for some time when Ash caught Akina by the shoulder.
"Shh."
Before she could say anything, he covered her mouth. Startled, Akina's eyes went wide.
"What's wrong?"
Her voice was barely a whisper.
Ash did not answer at once. He stared at a particular spot in the darkness.
A moment later, he spoke.
"Can you hear it?"
"Hear what?"
"That sound. Beyond the darkness... Something is there."
Unfortunately, the direction Ash was looking was also the way they needed to go.
"I-is it a person?"
Akina's voice trembled slightly, as though fear had suddenly struck her. But this was no time to dwell on that.
Ash slowly drew the steel blade strapped to his back.
"I am not sure. But it does not sound human. It sounds more wild than that... Almost as though it is in pain."
Something was there.
That fact alone was enough to end their cheerful mood in an instant.
"Miss Akina."
"Yes, mister."
"We have two options. One is to abandon this route and look for another."
"And the other?"
"We assess the situation and, if it seems manageable, fight our way through. Which would you choose?"
"Let's go through. As long as you're okay with it."
"My thoughts exactly."
Ash took a step forward.
"From here on, I shall lead."
Akina nodded without a word.
The two slowly made their way toward the source of the sound. At some point, Akina began to hear the strange cries as well.
They passed the remains of collapsed buildings and piles of waste. Just as they finally approached the source of the noise, it rang out louder than before.
Skreeeeek!
Ash motioned for Akina to stay where she was, then entered the narrowing passage alone.
At last, he reached its end.
There, he finally faced the source of the sound.
Skreeeee!
Krrrrk...!
Each looked different.
One was a human with four arms planted on the ground. Another was an emaciated human with starkly protruding bones.
There was a human with dozens of legs, and another whose limbs shook wildly as though it were dancing.
In truth, calling them human was generous. Only their general shapes resembled people. Their melted faces and the scales growing all over their bodies were enough to make one's skin crawl.
It might have been better if they had looked like complete monsters. The faint traces of humanity that remained only made them more disturbing.
Ash quickly realized what they were.
"Though if they have anything in common, it's that they're all fucking ugly."
Grotesques.
Exactly what Santa had described: creatures completely transformed by Aberration Disease.
They were greedily tearing into something, as though competing with one another. Ash adjusted his optical sensors and focused on it.
It was a human corpse.
Perhaps it had been a Pathfinder who had come to map the unexplored area.
Just like him and Akina.
Ash decided not to think about it any further.
At the same time, he judged that this was his chance.
There were four Grotesques.
Every one of them was absorbed in its meal.
Ash sprang out of the passage and closed the distance in an instant.
The steel blade in his hand traced a flash of light. One Grotesque split in two beneath it, spilling black blood.
Krrk?
It happened in a heartbeat.
Having cut down the wasted one, Ash thrust his sword again before the others could grasp what was happening. His blade pierced the head of the one with four arms.
The remaining two charged at him with horrible shrieks. One was the creature that danced without rest. The other had dozens of legs.
Most would have been shaken by monsters that defied all reason rushing at them from both sides. Ash simply stood calm and still.
He cut down the closer one, the dancer, and in the same motion pierced the many-legged creature's face.
Keee, keeeeek!
Even with the sword driven clean through it, the Grotesque did not die. Instead, it thrashed, trying to kick him with its many legs.
Ash turned the blade upright and cut vertically through it.
The Grotesque split lengthwise, sticky black blood streaming down.
"..."
A cold silence settled over the chamber that had been filled with such strange cries. Only a humanoid holding a steel blade remained standing.
Ash was about to call Akina when he suddenly lowered his head.
His gaze fell on the person the Grotesques had been eating moments before. Their eyes were wide open, as though they had died full of bitter resentment.
Unable to simply walk away, Ash bent down and closed those cold eyelids. Then he offered a brief prayer for their peace.
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