Chapter 7 - The Cloud Dragon Sets Forth 4

Santa Claude kept his promise—and threw in quite a generous extra. He even arranged temporary lodgings for them in a small space on the second floor of the rest stop.

"I'm not doing this for free! It's on credit! You little brat, why do you keep grinning? I said I'm going to collect!"

And so Santa's Rest Stop gained a pair of lodgers.

A recommendation and a temporary home. With what they needed in hand, Ash and Akina spent the days that followed keeping busy.

Naturally, their first order of business was applying for Pathfinder licenses. Perhaps thanks to the recommendation, the application went through without any particular trouble. Issuing the licenses would take time, however, so Akina devoted herself to attaching Ash's final component: his left arm.

Ash did not sit idle, either. He charged his body with the electricity Santa supplied while laying the foundations of his Neuro Internal Art. The power was incomparably cleaner and steadier than the unstable electricity at the waste disposal yard.

To think even electricity came in different qualities. It was another revelation.

Intensive repairs worked in harmony with the Neuro Internal Art. Assembly and synchronization of the left arm progressed by leaps and bounds each day, so quickly that even Santa, watching from the sidelines, was astonished.

Licensing. Repairs and assembly. The Neuro Internal Art.

Those were busy days. And as time passed, today finally arrived—the day Ash at last had all four limbs.

Granted, his arms were different models, and his legs were uneven in length, forcing him to stand at a slight tilt. But what did that matter? It was worlds better than the days when he had been nothing but a head suspended in place.

SWISH!

Behind Santa's Rest Stop, Ash swung his sword, using the junk-filled clearing as a training ground. He was trying to narrow the subtle gap between his present self and the self he remembered as much as possible.

Sword forms traced patterns through the air. It was the swordsmanship of Kunlun. The sword dance performed by his mechanical body was awkward and creaky in places, but its force and grandeur were no different from before.

Originally practiced by Kunlun's Taoists to cultivate the Way within their minds, the swordsmanship naturally imbued the dance with an incomparable loftiness and boundless depth—enough to make one forget that its performer was a humanoid patched together from head to toe.

CLAP, CLAP, CLAP!

As the sword dance neared its end, applause rang out. Ash turned to find Akina perched on the rest stop's rooftop, clapping as she watched him.

"Woo-hoo! You look amazing, Mister!"

Ash activated his voice module at a higher volume than usual.

"Lady A. When did you arrive?"

"Just a little while ago!"

"And the licenses?"

"Heh-heh!"

Grinning, she pulled two gleaming cards from her breast pocket. They were Pathfinder licenses.

"Ta-da! Cool, right? Wait there, I'll come down and show you!"

At her words, Ash put away his sword.

"No. I shall come up."

"Really? Then hurry!"

Watching Akina wave at him with a radiant smile, Ash moved faster than usual.

When he stepped onto the rooftop, Sanctum's dazzling nightscape spread out before him in a single sweep. An endless sea of light. Akina sat perched at its edge.

"You're here?"

Without saying much, Ash went over and sat formally beside her, legs folded beneath him. Akina laughed for quite a while, apparently amused by his posture.

"Here."

She held out a small card—the Pathfinder license she had shown him a moment earlier. Ash accepted it carefully and turned it over to examine both sides.

//*

[Pathfinder License]

Name: Ash Blade

Type: Humanoid (Custom)

Model Year: Unable to analyze

Affiliation: None

Rank: F

Serial Number: 4157-8651-0359-9031

This certifies that the bearer is a Pathfinder officially accredited by the Sanctum Administration.

*//

"You need this to pass through the gates and use Pathfinder-only services, like the job board. Oh, and it doubles as a credit wallet. It's basically your ID and wallet in one, so don't lose it, okay?"

Ash, who had been listening quietly, spoke.

"But what is this 'Blade'?"

Caught off guard, Akina flinched.

"Oh. That? The name section had separate spaces for a first and last name, so I just put down whatever came to mind. They said they might reject it if I left it blank or something. You're good with a sword, Mister, so I wrote 'Blade.' Don't you like it? Should I change it?"

Ash shook his head.

"There is no need."

Then, after a brief pause, he added,

"... I like it very much."

Ash Blade.

Ash and a sword. Wasn't there a certain poetry to it?

"Really? Hehe! I knew you'd like it!"

Akina laughed brightly, seemingly relieved by his unexpected reaction. Apparently, choosing it without asking had been weighing on her. She chattered about the license's functions for a while, then tucked her card away and turned toward the nightscape.

"The ion storms will die down soon. That'll probably be when we head out for the first time."

"You mean the 'active season'?"

"That's right. The active season."

Ash put his license away as well and turned toward the view.

"When does it begin?"

"Hmm. We'd have to check the forecast to know for sure, but tomorrow or the day after, at the earliest? You're ready to go to the Outer, right, Mister?"

"Whenever it may be."

"Ooh. Now that's reassuring!"

With that, the two gazed at Sanctum's nightscape in silence for a while.

How much time had passed? Suddenly, Ash spoke.

"Lady A."

"Yes?"

"Do you remember the day you awakened me?"

"Of course. A lot has changed since then."

"Has it, indeed."

"Why do you ask?"

"Did you not ask for my help?"

Akina turned her head. Ash turned to face her in return.

"I did."

"Then what is it you need my help with? Is it working as a Pathfinder?"

"No. That's part of the process. Just a means to an end."

"Then what is it?"

"Will you help if I tell you?"

"I will."

It was Akina who looked surprised at his unequivocal answer.

"You said it quite clearly. You would repair my body, and you wished for my help once the repairs were complete. And today, my repairs are finished. I have two arms and two legs. So tell me. How am I to repay you for saving my life?"

Akina gave him an awkward smile.

"... But, Mister. Didn't you not understand anything I said that first day?"

"Indeed. So after downloading the integrated language pack, I applied it to my memories of that day."

"Why would you go that far? You really are a strange humanoid. And needlessly good with words, too..."

"My lady."

Ash's optical sensors stared into Akina's blue eyes.

"Do you not wish to tell me?"

Akina gave a slight start.

"Or is it something you must not speak of? Something illegal, for instance. A contract to kill someone, or perhaps..."

"Revenge."

Revenge.

That single, brief word cleaved the stillness of the night. The false emotions faded from Akina's awkward face. What emerged in their place was cold, intense hatred.

"I want revenge."

"..."

Memories of the past overlaid the girl's suddenly cold face.

["Heavenly Demon! I swear I will tear you limb from limb! With these hands! With this sword! I will destroy everything you have! I will lay the wronged souls of my sect to rest!"]

His younger self, proclaiming vengeance to the heavens—his past life's self, staking everything on a single goal—overlapped with the girl before him.

They were alike.

Terribly alike.

'Was this it?'

Ash felt something powerful. Something inevitable.

In his previous life, he had abandoned everything for revenge. As a result, he had killed countless people, only to meet his own death in emptiness.

What punishment would suit such a man?

Was he meant to remain beside this girl who resembled him and watch that entire course unfold again? To watch her ultimately arrive at ruin? Worse still, to help her do it?

His main core filled with tangled thoughts. So consumed was he that he did not even notice Akina rise.

"Up we go!"

Snapping back to himself, Ash turned toward her. Instead of the icy face she had shown moments earlier, a somewhat awkward smile greeted him.

"I should head inside now. You never know—the active season might start tomorrow, right? I've got to be in good shape."

Akina stretched with exaggerated movements, then waved.

"See you tomorrow!"

With that brief farewell, she left the rooftop before Ash could say anything.

And so Ash was left alone on the rooftop. Without a word, he looked up at Sanctum's dazzling lights, which refused to go out even in the depths of night. The city's glow reflected across his teal optical sensors, appearing and fading again and again.

A humanoid sitting formally, gazing at the city.

No one could have known what thoughts occupied him.

* * *

Akina's prediction proved exactly right. The active season—the period when the ion storms subsided—had begun.

The following day, the Gateway District's central hub teemed with people. Every one of them was a Pathfinder. As such, the atmosphere was markedly different from elsewhere in Sanctum.

Some were armed with cyberware of every kind. Others were covered from head to toe in worn combat fatigues. Still others had shown up with no protection at all, carrying only a cheap gun.

Their appearances varied wildly, but their eyes were uniformly sharp and unsettling. A dangerous air hung over the central hub, as though restrained violence were writhing beneath the surface.

"Mister! This way!"

Ash and Akina were among them, and their appearances, too, had changed considerably.

Akina carried an exploration backpack as big as she was. She also had a low-recoil pistol tucked into her waistband. All of it had been acquired 'on credit' after relentless pestering of Grandpa Santa.

Ash looked quite different as well. He wore what was commonly called an exploration coat: a black Gore-Tex cloak that reached his ankles. With a steel blade strapped to his back, he looked much like a wandering hero of the martial world.

Of course, these, too, were items wrung out of Grandpa Santa 'on credit.'

"Next!"

In front of the enormous steel gate, a bored voice emerged from a booth enclosed in bulletproof glass. It belonged to a civil servant in a uniform bearing the [T.I.M.E.] emblem—commonly known as a 'TIME-man.'

Ash and Akina stepped forward.

"Akina Greenwood. Ash Blade. A two-person team. Exploration area: Level 1, Sector Gamma 7. Is that correct?"

Akina answered the mechanical question with vigor.

"Yes!"

At her enthusiastic reply, the TIME-man glanced up.

"Do you have a personal vehicle?"

"No!"

"Would you like to use the shared ground limousine service provided by Sanctum?"

"Yes!"

"Seven thousand per person. Fourteen thousand credits in total."

Without a word, Akina held her license card to the terminal. A moment later, its indicator turned green.

"All right. Payment complete. Please take shared limousine number 302. Wishing all you Pathfinders success, this has been TIME-man James..."

It was a miraculous vocal technique: his voice grew softer the longer he spoke, until it was almost inaudible at the end.

"Next!"

After passing through the gate, Ash and Akina looked around for a while, searching for shared limousine number 302.

"Lady A. This way."

Ash led Akina farther into the hub, which resembled an enormous hangar. In the distance, they could see 'limousine' number 302.

Limousine was merely a name; in reality, it was closer to a crude armored bus. The bars fitted over every window and the steel-reinforced wheels were particularly conspicuous.

Several Pathfinders were already seated inside: a battle-hardened Assault, a battle maniac covered in cyberware, and a man who kept muttering to himself.

They glanced at Ash and Akina as the two boarded, then turned away, evidently losing interest.

Shortly after they found suitable seats and sat down, a mechanical announcement came over the limousine's interior speakers.

"Attention, Pathfinders. Limousine number 302, bound for Sector Gamma 7 in the Outer, will be departing shortly. Please check all safety equipment. Once again, this limousine is bound for Sector Gamma 7 in the Outer..."

A moment later, the vehicle began to shake violently with a deep rumble from its engine.

"L-looks like we're leaving!"

With a quiet exclamation, Akina peered out the window. Ash turned to follow her gaze.

Countless armored limousines and privately owned exploration vehicles began roaring off the main street.

Ash watched Sanctum's scenery rush past the window. At some point, the view outside ceased to be a city. Unknown ruins stretched before them, the ion storms now quiet.

They had entered the Outer.

Ash and Akina turned toward each other at the same time.

"I'm counting on you, Mister."

"And I on you, Lady A."

At last, these novice Pathfinders' first expedition had begun upon this land of death.