《Steam and Heart.》 1: In the Third Era, someone will rise again. A terrible buzzing sound was all he could hear at the moment, where was he? That was the question that was going through his mind at the moment, but his body, something inside of him urged him not to dwell on such stupid questions, he had to run! Instinctively, his body shot forward, and soon after, the sound of something piercing the air, only to fall back to its previous position, told him that he had done the right thing. Boom! He looked back and saw a pile of dirt and some metal fragments and rocks flying everywhere. He could even see a faint mist of blood and chunks of flesh; he knew someone had died. If he hadn''t moved, it would have been him. Then his being finally reacted, he was in battle! A shell must have landed near him a few minutes ago and stunned him, but he had regained consciousness and he knew where he was. On a battlefield! Specifically, in a dank trench full of rats fighting for the same food as you. There was no time to waste, the enemy seemed to have decided on an all-out assault this time. "Jack! "A male voice snapped the man out of his stupor, and as he looked back he saw his companion. He wore a dark green uniform with a black metal helmet. Behind him, he carried a huge bundle with some antennas, which explained his position on this chaotic battlefield. He was a communications officer, but Jack knew he was much more than that. "I''m fine, Alexis, just a little dazed," Jack said, crouching down to avoid the constant barrage of bullets and tracer rounds. In one motion, Jack pulled a four-foot-long rifle from his back. A bolt action weapon with a capacity of ten rounds, which he intended to use up completely at this point. Then, feeling that wonderful sensation in his body, he poured invisible power over his hands and feet. Ommmmm...! Although no one could see this power, others familiar with it could feel it, Alexis, who had approached Jack holding a pistol, looked at his companion with narrowed eyes. "Brother, even when you are dizzy from the earlier explosion, you can use your Pneuma, I envy you," Alexis said, fixing some of the reddish curls in his hair. "When you train with a strict grandfather who wants you to be as accurate as clockwork, you''ll be able to do it. If it wasn''t for Lisa, I''d be a sniper, you know? "Jack said as he fired his weapon, but his body barely felt the impact, all because of the invisible force he was using. "By the way, Lisa recently shot down an enemy sniper with her ''Ghost Bullet'', as they usually call those who can''t use Pneuma," Alexis commented as he watched as the heads of some enemy soldiers in black clothing were shattered by the accurate shots of his companion. He felt a little disgust at the sight, but the time for vomiting at shocking images was over. He always envied the peace of mind of his Special Forces comrades who had to endure such things. For this reason, he did not participate in certain important tasks, unless he overcame this obstacle, he could only serve as an aide to his comrades, but while he was in this position, he decided to do his best to increase the chances of survival for his comrades. "What is the mission of those above? "Jack asked after listening to his friend, only if it was something serious, they would allow someone like Lisa to unleash her terror on the battlefield. "According to intelligence, they want us to stop the enemy''s prototype steam armor, apparently they have equipped it with a new type of fuel that allows for better water burning, but in turn provides much more power and durability," Alexis said quickly, making his partner agree. "That''ll be tough, I''ll need things that make a lot of noise, you know. And get Irina to back me up, fighting a damn humanoid tank is no fun," Jack said as he reloaded his weapon, just before he resumed firing. But at that moment, a fast-moving enemy came too close to the trench area where Jack and Alexis were standing, and it was carrying a huge shield that seemed to deflect bullets. "Damn, an Operator!" Alexis yelled, firing his pistol at the enemy soldier, but he protected himself quite well. He was like a raging bull, charging and crashing between the enemy ranks. No matter which enemy was in front of him, his shield was pushed hard, staining it with blood. "Almost as if they were being run over by a steam wagon," Jack handed his rifle to his companion and charged forward, military dagger in hand. Alexis looked at the rifle Jack had left him, and a strange, invisible force emerged from his body, causing the weapon to rise into the air. Then he aimed it at an enemy soldier who was about to shoot Jack, blowing his entire chest off with one shot. Ommmmm...! "My Pneuma isn''t just for building things..." Alexis muttered as he supported his partner as he came face to face with the enemy.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The two men collided first, and while the shield might have looked more robust or powerful, it clashed violently with the dagger in Jack''s hand, causing them both to stumble. Both objects were covered in Pneuma, no, rather... amplified. Pneuma is a rare ability, found in only a few special people in the history of the world. Its two aspects, amplification, and projection, allow a normal person to fight at a superhuman level. It was this ability that allowed humanity to survive in this strange world to this day. The two men looked into each other''s eyes before resuming their fight. Although it was a shield, it had spikes, and sharp edges, and was no less dangerous than a cold weapon made to kill. Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! The sound of the weapons as well as the Pneumas of the two men clashing during the battle echoed with the constant explosions, gunshots, and screams of pain in the background. This was truly a fierce battle! "Boy, you''re just a pissed-off young man who doesn''t know how good it is to run away," said the man who had a stocky appearance, square face, and exaggerated muscles. Jack, on the other hand, was a bit skinny and obviously looked much younger, but his brown eyes didn''t waver and bored straight into his enemy''s eyes. "Old man, the dagger is not my best weapon," Jack said after parrying an attack with the sharp side of his shield, causing the man to raise an eyebrow. Then his perception, trained on the battlefield and in life-and-death situations, told him what the young man in front of him was doing. Jack''s Pneuma withdrew from his dagger and moved to his left hand... left hand? More like his left gauntlet. There was a brass shell on his hand that resembled a gauntlet, perhaps covering it below the elbow, but his uniform didn''t allow it to be seen. The metal shimmered in the sunlight and had a unique visual sensation. It seemed smooth, and if you listened closely, you could hear some clicking, gear-like noises. Soon, Jack closed his fist, the air seeming to distort a bit due to the amount of Pneuma concentrated in his hand. Click! Click! Ommmmm...! "Wanna bet, rookie?" the man joked, but it was obvious that he was quite serious and even a bead of sweat fell down his forehead. "Quite a lot," was Jack''s reply before he struck hard at the man''s shield, which was also covered in Pneuma. Bang! The collision of the two fields pushed out the surrounding air and caused a loud boom, similar to that of heavy artillery. There was no mutual destruction, but the man''s shield was pushed away from his body, leaving him exposed. Swish! Soon, a hole opened up in the left side of his uniform, gushing blood. The man looked down carelessly and watched as the red liquid fell to the ground, staining the mud. "You didn''t want to beat me, you wanted to give your partner a chance... Ghost Bullet," the man muttered before falling dead. "Just in case you turn into something weird later," Jack said before approaching the man''s body to bend down and cut off his head. Though cruel, this behavior had a bloody and painful history behind it, as this world was not as normal as it seemed, but now it was he had killed the worst possibility beforehand, which was good. "Jack, it''s not good!" when he returned to the trench, Alexis handed him his rifle as he told him the latest he had heard. "The Juggernaut showed up! The higher-ups are crazy about this new technology and want the team to take over, but that armor thing is much more powerful than the previous models," Alexis explained with some concern in his tone, but Jack was calm. "Don''t worry, just tell me if you''ve warned Irina," Jack said, taking his friend''s words seriously, but sure that he could accomplish this mission. After all, it was Irina! The only person besides his grandfather who could make Jack bow his head and admit that she was not only stronger than him but also more talented. It wasn''t a simple belittlement, Jack had always had an intuition that could be considered supernatural, and every time he trained with Irina, he always felt that no matter what action he took, she already knew what he was going to do, just like his grandfather made him feel! "I know, the wonder duo," Alexis clicked his tongue before grabbing Jack''s hand and pulling him down the ditch. Soon they came to a clearing where many motionless machine guns were firing at one point, but they could hear the screams of pain, broken bones, and twisted metal. So they saw the nightmare of the battlefield, a weapon so terrifying that not even the most advanced steam weapons could withstand it, an armor that made its wearer look like a giant over eight feet tall. A bloody juggernaut, constantly whistling like a locomotive, firing hot bolts from one of its arms, while the other held a huge sword with a red edge and an obvious heat distortion in the air. Choo! Choo! Chk-chk-chk-chk! "Holy crap, this thing''s tricked out. An integrated steam rifle and a thermal sword, what the hell is this damn country thinking? " the tech-savvy Alexis cursed as he noticed the details of this enemy. The armor was grayish, with a huge tank behind which four brass pipes were connected, distributing the concentrated steam to this huge contraption. Its head resembled a helmet, with a slit through which only a red light could be seen. "Die, you filthy, filthy unclean! " came a mechanical voice from the armor, which slashed at a young soldier, splitting him in two with ease. "Concentrate your fire on him! Don''t let him get close!" someone shouted in a hoarse voice before the Juggernaut took aim with its left arm and unleashed incandescent projectiles that split it in two as well. "Shit! Alexis, tell them to back me up!" Jack slung his rifle over his back and picked up his dagger and a silver revolver with rather exquisite detailing. "Well, Irina will be here soon, I gave you some toys that do a lot of damage, just don''t use them when you''re around," Alexis said before joining the ranged siege against the Juggernaut. Jack took a breath and focused all his attention on his heart, the source of his Pneuma, letting that power work more than ever in this battle, he was going to give it his all... so he wasn''t going to waver now! Ommmmm...! 2: Fear only makes us braver. Jack was afraid, how could he not be afraid when faced with the purest example of what human technology could offer? Even when he had faced those alien beings, he had never felt that emotion as strongly as he did now. But he had to fight, not only for the sake of the task before him but also for the sake of his companions. Even if they were not in the same branch of the army, they were soldiers of the same country, they were compatriots. Watching them get torn apart by a madman who was probably up to his eyebrows in military drugs was not something he would just stand by and watch. Then, under the pounding of his heart, an invisible fluctuation appeared from his heart along with a beat. Ba-dump! Ba-dump! Ba-dump! Ba-dump! Ommmmm...! His Pneuma covered his legs and the dagger he held in his right hand and a silver revolver in his left. He was ready, even in fear. It didn''t matter that his forehead was beaded with sweat, that his breathing was a little ragged, and that his hands were trembling with nervousness. This was not a sparring match or a battlefield fight where he could die from a stray bullet, which made him think less of death. He could suffer, end up badly wounded, or worse, maimed to death. But with all that fear and dread, a smile came to his face. Because man''s advantage to survive in this terrible world has never been personal power, but... Bang! A bullet traced its path through the air like a shooting star and slammed into the Juggernaut''s chest, stopping its wild charge for the first time in its rampage. That was a signal to Jack, who charged at his enemy with one purpose in mind. He wasn''t going to pit his strength against the most advanced steam armor, his task was simple, to wear it down to death, and for that, he trusted in the basic human advantage. Companions. The sound of the shell hitting the ground was like music to her, her purple eyes peering through the magnified scope as she methodically loaded another bullet into her weapon, a sniper. Lisa was one of the members of the small Special Ops team that Jack and Alexis belonged to. She was in charge of reconnaissance, long-range assassination, and support, and was one of the key points in this very complicated battle. "They''ve improved their technology, I hardly notice a scratch," Lisa said quietly as she pulled the trigger again. Bang! The bullet seemed to hit the back of Jack''s head. Was it a mistake or a deliberate action? Well, the shaking of her partner''s head and his reaction to the Juggernaut''s actions after resisting the shot indicated that it was the second option. Only Lisa had the confidence to take those shots, and only Jack had the obscenely developed sixth sense to use that action as part of his strategy. This was simply a microcosm of the camaraderie and familiarity between them. Jack took the opportunity to aim his revolver at the Juggernaut''s face and quickly pulled the trigger. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Six well-placed shots partially dented the helmet of the Juggernaut, who pulled himself together and now seemed much wary of Lisa''s accurate shots. But that did not matter to the woman. She would always look for the opportunity, she always did, besides... she wouldn''t be nicknamed "Ghost Bullet" if her shots were so easy to predict. Meanwhile, Jack used his Pneuma-covered legs not only to increase his speed and agility, but also to kick the Juggernaut, and while it did little, it constantly interrupted the armored soldier''s rhythm. "You, impure bastard, can you only jump and kick?" complained the armored man, who tried to shoot Jack with the pistol built into his right arm. Sensing the imminent threat, Jack simply made an evasive move, the real threat never being the steam-powered hot bolts, but the thermal sword in the enemy''s left hand. His dagger, covered by his invisible power, collided with the crimson blade from the immense heat, knowing that if that thing touched his body, the strength of the armor would be enough to barely feel the high temperature, he would simply be split in two and die. The sizzling sound lasted only a moment before Jack stepped back to dampen the mammoth force that was pouring into his body. As he stepped back, he reloaded the bullets in his revolver and fired at the dark barrel embedded in the armor''s wrist, preventing it from firing at him. "Looks like the armor''s making up for something, huh? " Jack joked, trying to throw his opponent off balance psychologically, but all he got was a cold snort. The battle went on like this, the surrounding soldiers firing sporadically, but they could hardly do any damage to the steam armor, they had left many scratches and even tiny dents. On the other hand, Jack kept circling the Juggernaut like a predator, his dagger full of holes, some of which even looked melted. Although his Pneuma strengthened his weapon, it was not omnipotent, but the enemy''s thermal sword was not unscathed as the sophisticated weapon was not made for such frequent clashes and was almost scrapped. On the other hand, the bullets in Jack''s body had run out, but he managed to damage the trigger of the armor, so he didn''t have to worry about suddenly becoming a sieve. But the real threat of steam armor was not its weapons, but its wearer. Realizing that he couldn''t quickly defeat the pesky "bug" that was Jack, the man inside the armor simply decided to use his best weapon. The armor itself. Even if the human could rise to superhuman levels because of the Pneuma that came from his heart, there was a limit and a price. Jack was breathing hard as if he could barely get any air into his lungs, his body was bruised because even though he could dissipate the energy from the Juggernaut''s attacks, he was still taking damage. His right hand was really hurt at this point, and he even felt like he had a few broken fingers and a nasty bruise on his wrist, but even those waves of pain didn''t deter Jack, he simply discarded his ruined dagger and holstered his revolver. Even though he had a rifle on his back, it wasn''t exactly optimal for use in a battle of this caliber, and he knew he was about to face the true terror of steam armor. The armor came at him like a speeding train, white steam billowing from its back and the sound of a locomotive was perfectly audible, along with the unrestrained laughter of its user. Choo! Choo! "Boy, I''m going to crush you!" the wearer, maddened by the increased power he received from the armor, took the armor to new heights. His movements became faster, more agile, lighter, but the weight of it never changed, so the ground trembled as the two-and-a-half-meter-tall hulk ran rampant toward him. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. The metallic claws hit Jack hard, who used his gauntlet on his left hand to parry the attack, but it only sent him sliding back a few feet. Boom! But before he could advance any further, an explosion interrupted the Juggernaut''s flow of movement, and Jack, his left hand slightly sore, released a metal ring. "Alexis'' grenades are still so over the top," Jack said as the Pneuma in his body began to build up in his left hand. Click! Click! Click! Ommmmmmm...! He was already very tired and this only increased his exhaustion, he couldn''t even cover his legs with Pneuma anymore, but he had to resist rather than move, after all, he was good at resisting. "HAHAHA! Just little sparks," the man in armor sneered, and then a strange fluctuation came out of him, making Jack''s pupils dilate. "Shit..." he could only see a blur before he felt his body fly away and then hit the war-torn earth, but years of training made him stand up even though his whole body was protesting. "Reinforcement! Can you reinforce yourself? But vapor armor interferes with the natural biological field of humans, making it almost impossible," Jack said, staggering, maybe one of his ribs was broken, he didn''t know for sure. If he hadn''t used his sixth sense to partially react, he would have with worse damage, but now he only got a "light" wound in such an intense fight, so his reaction was really good. "Who knows, a dead man doesn''t need answers," the soot-covered armor appeared in front of Jack again, but he reacted quickly. Just as he felt the imminent attack, he struck forward with his Pneuma-covered fist, and this time he simply stepped back a few steps, feeling like his body was about to break completely, but with a smile on his face. "Oh? That trick won''t work again," the Juggernaut said, holding a grenade in his hand. Boom! The explosion was contained by the metal hand of the Steam Armor, which showed a few scratches. Jack swore that his sixth sense told him that the man in front of him had a sneer on his face. "You''re too sneaky, impure enough," the Juggernaut said maliciously before lunging at Jack again, this time his metal claws weren''t able to push him away. The cold metal fingers were aimed at his head and neck, there were no more games, no more hesitation, but Jack''s survival instinct was quite high. If he couldn''t think because the armor was fast, he would let his body, which had been trained and suffered battles against unspeakable things, make the best choice. Jack knew he was a little different from others, not only because he carried Pneuma, but because of his sixth sense. Many people had it, but he was developed to a level that bordered on the supernatural. From a young age he had been trained to integrate his actions with his sixth sense, he would not be a person who relied on it, for there were ways to fool it, no sense was infallible. And although he knew people who were much more special than him, like Lisa with her purple eyes, Irina with her terrifying fighting talent, or that strange guy who was able to understand animals, he had his peculiarities, or his family did. His family had a technique that allowed them to "listen" to the instincts in his body, all the instincts engraved in his DNA, all his reflexive actions, and his muscle memory. That''s why he was able to stand out and work for the government to solve the strange things that often happened. The sixth sense was nothing more than a different interpretation of everything around us and everything we perceive with all our available senses, uniquely interpreted by the brain, if that was so, why not bypass the brain and let the instincts in his bodywork? However, this technique was not so easy to perform, and it came at a cost, for as Jack''s body dodged the Juggernaut''s onslaught, a wave of terrible pain coursed through his being. His limbs were bleeding, his muscles ached, and he even felt as if there were new fractures in his body. Everything has a price, not only was his Pneuma over, but allowing his body to act without explicit orders from his brain caused him to injure himself. The brain limits what the body can do to avoid damage like this, but in a life-or-death moment, Jack would rather be completely broken than die, this technique was made for desperate times like now. After all, his teammate could restore him to an optimal state without any after-effects after a long period of rest, as long as he wasn''t dead or with severed parts. Even though this recovery would mean being at the mercy of that terrible woman, it was preferable to death. But now, severely wounded and with no extra Pneuma to resist, he might as well be dead. That is if he were alone. Something hit one of the tubes in the rear, causing a large steam leak, but the odd thing was that there was no sound of impact or the characteristic sound of a large-caliber gun. "And there''s the chance. I''ll try to get Laria to go easy on you, Jack," whispered Lisa, who had directly shattered part of the steam armor''s power source. Her biological force field or Pneuma was projection oriented. It was capable of projecting projectiles that he could manipulate at will. He could attach them to projectiles, fire them alone with a gun, or control them for medium-range combat. But her eyes were special and gave her a supernatural vision that was perfect for her duty as a sniper, so she was usually not exposed to open combat, she was always the one supporting behind with a precise shot. The damage to one of those tubes made the user feel the full weight of the armor, and while she could still exert some power, it wasn''t as overwhelming as before, and she couldn''t move like before either. "Ah, Irina, you took too long," Jack said suddenly, and little time passed before something cut the other tube that sent power to the armor mechanism. "Damn, what happened!!!" the Juggernaut complained, feeling like he was about to be crushed to death by the armor he was handling, as he no longer had the power to move or hold himself up. "Excuse me, Jack, but I don''t know what''s wrong with the enemies, they became extremely wild when I was walking here," a female voice said, and soon a woman appeared next to Jack, handing him a bottle with red-colored contents. "Ah, it won''t do much good, but at least I''ll be able to walk..." Jack mumbled before drinking the liquid in the bottle. His body didn''t heal magically, but it stopped bleeding and the waves of pain he was suffering from subsided to the point where he could move again without complaining. "Laria will have fun with you, that''s for sure," said the woman, with black hair, Asian features, slim but athletic body, and wearing a combat uniform similar to Jack''s. Her black eyes looked around, noticing that the soldiers who had sporadically supported Jack during his fight were approaching, and she even saw Alexis approaching them. "You took too long," the man complained, brazenly approaching the inert steam armor and examining it with glowing eyes. "Weirdos showed up, man-eating wolves, it was terrible. Laria had to stay behind to treat those bitten by those things to prevent an outbreak of something worse," Irina said with a grimace. "Looks like I won''t be able to rest... by the way, give me my weapon," Jack asked and let Irina hand him an object, an axe. The weapon was quite long for a normal axe, the handle was brown, blackish, and with some curves along the body. At the opposite end was a copper ornament with a small chain that swung in the wind. The important part, the blade, was divided into two parts by a mechanism made of brass that seemed to contain a piece of glass. The two parts were different sizes, the larger one was crescent-shaped, with some purple lines and patterns carved into the metal that gradually extended into the device, as if feeding from it. While the back part was smaller, with patterns similar to the first one, it had an additional detail, a pattern formed by a silver rose full of thorns with two cross-shaped spears behind the flower, all of this joined together quite harmoniously. This weapon felt quite comfortable in Jack''s hands, and even though it was heavy to carry, it felt like a feather in his hands, perhaps because he was so used to using it, though with his injuries, using it to fight again would be a dream. Even though his hands were temporarily incapable of fighting, the contact with his weapon brought him peace of mind at the moment, distracting him from his body''s current situation, being injured so severely during an armed conflict was undoubtedly stressful, but he was good at getting back up, after all, he fought ferociously and didn''t die. Catching his breath, Jack felt a tingling sensation between his eyebrows, so he looked up, searching for the source of what he had already categorized as the malevolent gaze of someone or something. Finding no trace, he kept the doubt in his mind while acting as if nothing had happened. He had experienced similar situations since he was 15 years old, sometimes it was indeed people or oddities, but there was always a special case. He did not know what it was that seemed to be watching him, but he could never find the source of that feeling, but in his mind, he always kept those situations in mind, he did not want to confuse them with something temporary or a doubt because he trusted his sixth sense. 3: Things crawling in the dark. "Your weapon cuts well," Irina said, looking somewhat jealously at the axe her shattered teammate was barely holding. "I guess, thanks... Alexis and I worked hard on it, it took me several paychecks to raise the money for the materials," Jack said, sitting carelessly on the soot-covered ground from the previous explosions. In front of him, a team of soldiers searched for a way to open the armor under the direction of Alexis, who was obsessed with the magnificent mechanical work before him. He had seen steam armors before, but this one was of a much more advanced model, and that made his mind boil with excitement, excitement so much so that even the driver inside the machine seemed to feel uncomfortable. "Hey impure boy, stop looking at me funny," the driver said, although his voice no longer had the same fervor as before, the touch of fanaticism in his words, especially when he said ''impure'', was still quite present. "You call us impure, but you are only a minority in your country," one of the soldiers complained with a smile on his face as he tapped the handle of his weapon on his helmet. "Careful, don''t hit the armor like that, you might damage some internal mechanism," Alexis complained, making the soldier stare at him for a few seconds before turning away. No one said anything about Alexis'' attitude, even though they hated the bastard with the power armor, they knew that they had to listen to the redhead at this point, since they had orders from above. "HAHAHAHA! You, impure people, are so funny that you have to resort to stealing technology from us, the minority," the driver sneered, his mocking laughter even worse when his helmet was removed. His face was hideous, not only was it full of fresh stitches, but his eyes seemed to have been roughly gouged out, leaving marks around the edges to be replaced by two shiny pieces of glass. Pieces of glass grew from his flesh, shattering his skin and oozing blood, his teeth were black and sparse, but he still laughed like mad. His sparse hair was graying, falling over his pale skin. "What the hell...? " a soldier asked in disbelief at such a sight. Some might think that the enemy country, Raurania, was full of strange types, but they were honorable enemies in a way, except for a very repulsive minority of their own. Those guys were crazy traditionalists who would do anything, but not for their country, no, they hated their country with a passion, but they worked for it for a simple reason they never bothered to hide: they wanted to see the rebirth of an empire that had died centuries ago. They call even those on their side ''impure'', they act wildly without scruples, they push everything they can harness to the limit, and were it not for the fact that their hatred is directed at everything that is not part of them, anyone would think they would fall into the hands of these freaks. "Are your people crazy? " the one who was most affected by the man''s appearance was Irina, who felt a terrible rage when she saw the terrible state the guy was in. "Oriental girl, we will do whatever it takes to revive the empire. My body didn''t have the power to strengthen the armor with Pneuma, so why don''t you accept implants that could increase my power? "asked the Juggernaut, silencing everyone in the room. Even Jack, who could draw comments from many situations, was silent this time. Yes, people hated those guys, even those on his side, but the Goths still gained some respect around the world. "The Federation will return you to your homeland," Alexis said seriously, causing the man to nod. Everyone knew what would happen, he was neither the first nor the last to have Vetro crystals implanted in his body to gain power, but there were two endings for that kind of person. Become a rarity or die, and the Juggernaut would never want to become the former, so he looked at Jack, who was being tended to by a war doctor. "Boy, you fought well, even for an impure like you from the Rosicrucian Federation, it can be said that you have earned some of my respect. So I ask you... cut off my head with your weapon," the man demanded, though his arrogant tone of voice made it sound more like an order than a request for death, but no one commented on that point. "I guess the best I can get out of this standoff between countries is respect from a goth-like you," Jack drew a smile, even though his face was contorted in pain from the terrible pain he felt, his body was in pieces. But he got up with Irina''s help and walked step by step towards the Juggernaut, who had been stripped of his imposing armor, but never let his gaze touch the ground, always with his forehead held high, looking towards the sun. "The Empire will be reborn," even with his necrotic body covered in blood, bleeding wounds, multicolored crystals emerging from his flesh, and constant trembling, he maintained his arrogance. There is no race more arrogant than the Gothic! They clamor for a fallen empire, even if the people of their land hate them, they know they should return to their former glory. They know that one day... their emperor will return. Jack''s pneumonia had barely recovered, his heart pounding, and the wave of power coursed through his body until it surged through his right hand, the one that held the weapon. From the hilt, it ran along the purple lines of the weapon''s blue metal to the blade, causing the edge to glow purple with a distinctive hum. The Gothic drew a smile and touched the left side of his chest, revealing a crystal. Zumm! Ironic, to die under a weapon enchanted with Vetro crystals, the one that gave him the power to wield the best steam armor his people had yet built. But at least he would die like a human. Sush! The axe fell, blood splattered and a head rolled to the ground, but was picked up by an agile soldier. The remains were quickly cremated to prevent any abnormalities from appearing; in this world hostile to humans, this was the only post-mortem treatment. "Do you think this skirmish against Raurania makes sense? "Jack asked quietly to the woman tending to him in a tent. The fighting was over, at least for now. The Federation had secured the special mineral mine in this area of the continent for a few more years, and there would be no more similar conflicts for a while. Laria, a brunette with long white hair and gray eyes, looked at Jack''s naked body as she sewed his open wounds. She was used to this sight and had already finished treating the man''s internal injuries, she was just finishing the job. As she worked, Jack was nothing more than a simple project, her gray eyes looking dead from the exaggerated concentration she put into her duty, but she still decided to answer her partner. "It doesn''t make sense, no armed conflict makes sense, but it''s the only solution when nothing else can be done. That''s why we fight anomalies and oddities because there''s nothing else we can do with them but crush them," the woman replied coolly, although she seemed to melt as she put the last stitch into Jack''s body. To her, her companion was like a rag doll made of pieces of different fabrics, with so many scars and marks on his body. Though her Pneuma was slightly different from the others in that it had certain healing properties, the prostrate man before her forced her to improve her treatment methods.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Even her family''s old-fashioned potions, which were considered witchcraft, took on a special glow as she made sure, day after day for two years, that her companion was not crippled or permanently damaged. How was it that he had no dark wounds or latent problems before he met her? She wondered that until she learned of the boy''s background and the resources he had at his disposal, something that made her look at this boy a little differently, for he was not a smug bastard. Since they had met, he had begun to sponsor his research, materials, data, and equipment with the support of his family, something he was uncomfortable with at first. Until he had a talk with Jack''s parents, which made him accept the situation, and made his level of medicine improve by leaps and bounds, that decision proved to be the right one today. "But at least we''ve learned some useful things from those shits," Jack said wearily as he got dressed. Having a physique slightly above the human limit was a miracle in itself and allowed him to perform complex movements after exhaustive treatment. "Oh yes, even the terrible things from 50 years ago are no longer a problem, like the Carnivorous Virus," Laria said nonchalantly as she pulled several test tubes from the leather belt at her waist. Jack''s sixth sense began to emit a terrible alarm at the sight of those vials, sensing that he was facing a truly deadly danger, but knowing Laria''s hobby, the best he could do was... ask curiously. "Is it one of those wolves? Those freaks that eat human flesh?" he asked, causing Laria to nod. "They first appeared fifty years ago, on a battlefield between the Federation and those vile reptiles. The carnage caused by modern firearms brought them into existence, but that did not stop us from using them in wars. They brought with them the Carnivore virus, once bitten you become an abnormal creature similar to the undead, only it''s not contagious, only wolves are infected," she looked at the vials of reddish matter that seemed to pulsate, there was a sickly fervor in her gray eyes, but Jack was used to it by now. "Now they can even be used as educational material," Jack said with a grimace as he remembered his school days, something that made him think of another of his friends, Robert, whose team, as far as he knew, was made up almost entirely of women. Slight feelings of envy aside, Jack approached Laria from behind and embraced her, both of them staring at the test tube containing a virus that could turn them into living dead, thirsty for organic matter... not romantic at all. "Why do you think so many strange things happen in this world? "asked Jack, who felt comfortable because of the warmth he felt from Laria. "I don''t know, but the anomalies, the weirdness, the contamination zones, as well as all the problems they cause, must have a reason for being, maybe we know, maybe we don''t, but my purpose is not that," she answered after putting the vials away in her belt. Laria took Jack''s hands that were resting on her stomach and snuggled against him, they were both silent for a few moments before he spoke. "It doesn''t matter, at the end of the day our duty is to cut it all down so that it doesn''t harm the Federation," Jack said, his words were a simple whisper, but anyone with developed senses would feel the edge emanating from his body. Laria seemed to take notice of this event, something Jack didn''t even notice, and noted it in her mind to summarize later, but now was not the time for research. Her partner wanted to comfort her, she just wanted to be pampered for a moment, why ruin the occasion? Just... that things don''t always stay quiet, no matter how much you want them to. [Observation Subject #13 has exceeded expectations. Due to the indirect observation methods used to monitor him because of Subject #13''s Sixth Sense factor, there has been a deviation in the data-based prediction]. [Subject #13 seems to be aware that he is being monitored, which prevents the correct collection of necessary data. Much of the data has been categorized as erroneous or intentionally false, implying that the subject is acting against surveillance]. [Subject #13''s values should be recalculated and subject-related projects updated accordingly. Further extensive testing of this subject is required]. [Analyzing how to proceed... squeezing the potential of Subject 13 through specific tests to obtain better readings of his abilities, this procedure was considered the best option. The "Shadow Crawling" project was initiated]. These messages appeared on what appeared to be a somewhat neglected screen with cracks in the glass that made it up. The light from it was the only illumination in the room, which was plunged into deep, unnatural darkness. Suddenly, a metallic palm touched the screen, leaving another crack in the screen, and then it began to show videos from various distant angles, all showing Jack''s fight against the Juggernaut. But the focus of the videos was never that fight, but the fight between the soldiers of the Rosicrucian Federation and Raurania, showing the crudeness of what the war was becoming due to the ever-improving firearms; the fight was only incidentally caught on camera. The metal hand, however, tore at the area of the screen showing Jack, as if to pierce it and hold the man who gave his all between its cold fingers. Crimson eyes watched all this, and though mechanical, they showed a longing, a desire that would make any human feel fear. Why should a humanoid metal machine exhibit such distinctly human emotions as desire, greed, and possessiveness? The mere thought that something mechanical could have those emotions was the ultimate horror to humanity, a full-blown anomaly, and this thing, it pointed to Jack. On the other hand, the next day had finally arrived, and it wasn''t accompanied by a constant bombardment from the Federation or Raurania, which was something to be happy about. Jack and Laria had slept together in the same tent, although there had been no nightly action between them, he was recovering, so sex was not appropriate. Still, sleeping together was just as good, they both enjoyed spending time alone together whenever they could, but for explorers like them, there wasn''t much rest, like now. Their rest was interrupted by a call from one of their partners, and if sleep wasn''t playing tricks on him, Jack knew immediately that it was Lisa standing at the entrance of the shop. "You can come in," Jack said in a sleepy voice. A girl with brown hair, purple eyes, and a large sniper rifle on her back entered the tent. The girl had a rather remarkable figure and smiled mischievously when she saw that the couple was still huddled together. "Pair of lovebirds, as much as I would like to let you sleep, we have work to do. Alexis received a transmission from the barracks, we have a problem to solve," her words only caused Jack to give a resigned groan before standing up. "You seem happy, but I don''t know if it''s because of seeing me or being with Laria," Lisa joked, pointing to the obvious erection Jack had in his pants, but Jack didn''t feel much embarrassment, that had been eliminated long ago at the Academy. "You''re beautiful, but I have a jealous girlfriend," Jack said between laughs before starting to change, not caring if his teammate saw him. "New marks? "Lisa asked as she saw the stitches all over Jack''s body, feeling a little curious. "Yeah, my mom''s going to complain to me again, but what can you do?" resigned Jack as he thought about how his beautiful body was more scratched up than one of his grandfather''s old records. "Good morning to you too, Lisa," Laria said dryly, but Lisa was used to her companion''s peculiar attitude, so she greeted her back. Rarely did the brunette show her emotions, except when it had to do with medicine, biology, or subjects that interested her, some would say that her boyfriend could also make her show something, but there were times when even Jack couldn''t get half a grimace out of her. "Tell me, what have we got this time? "Jack asked, dressed for the occasion, quite different from the army uniform he wore yesterday. A full suit, with a brown trench coat to match. The emblem of his country, a silver rose with two cross-shaped spears behind the flower, hung on the left side of his chest. Dagger and gun at his waist, a brass gauntlet on his left arm, and his trusty axe over his shoulder. Jack''s temper changed as he donned the uniform of the organization that served the Federation in solving many dangerous things, looking quite heroic and somewhat fierce. "Oh, you''re going to love it...a Cyber Ghost," Lisa''s words brought silence to the tent. Both women watched as a smile worthy of a sinister predator appeared on Jack''s face and a strange laugh came from him, as if he was on the verge of insanity, well, his blood-covered brown eyes indicated that maybe he wasn''t wrong with that thought. "Okay, okay, maybe it''s not the same, but... every ghost has to be killed, no exceptions," a flash of pain appeared in Jack''s eyes, which was then covered by a huge determination and bloodlust. Neither Laria nor Lisa said anything, this was a matter for Jack alone, so there was no need for them to interfere, although they would support him as always without hesitation. "Alexis took one of the steam wagons, so the trip will be a lot shorter," Lisa said, making the place a little more lively. "Let''s go," Laria said, making Jack nod, he was already eager to fight and didn''t want to waste any more time. "Looks like this hate will never go away," Lisa muttered as she walked out behind her companions, she knew they heard her, but it''s not like she should avoid the subject. "No, it never will," Jack replied coldly, gripping the leather handle of his axe tightly, feeling very uncomfortable at that moment. "Getting angry like that will only get you into trouble, even though I don''t deny your motives, I don''t want you to have a long face the whole trip," Lisa pushed her companion''s body, making him look at her. "Well... did you hear from Alexis that they''ve found traces of another technological ruin?" asked Jack to finally change the subject to something more pleasant. "I hope they have medical records, they''re always useful," Laria said, obviously excited about the new topic. "Oh yes, but it was in neutral territory, even a tribe of reptilians is said to live nearby," Lisa replied with a small smile on her face. "Those lizards always appear in strange places, they are a plague," Jack complained, "not because they have intelligence, which means that humans would accept such beings. After all, the awkwardness between the two species was very obvious, with so many problems with anomalies or oddities, the feeling towards another intelligent race was negative. But there was no denying how wise and powerful they were as a species, despite their primitive way of life. 4: A walk through the Federation. "Speaking of Reptilians, a group of researchers from our country seems to have found traces of those guys near an electrolyte mine," Lisa said, repeating a message she had heard a few minutes ago. "Are you talking about that strange stone that produces electricity? According to Alexis, it seems to be part of the new armor fuel we captured, but who knows? There''s hardly any use for something as strange as electricity, only in some expensive things," Jack grimaced as he remembered a bad experience with a piece of that stone in his childhood, he still feels numb sometimes. "It will be the future," said Laria, who had high hopes for the applications of electricity. "You say that because ancient technology uses it," Jack said with pursed lips, not quite convinced. "The ancients were more advanced than us, that''s obvious, so I also think that electricity will be the future," Lisa added, smiling when she saw Jack''s annoyance. "Ah, so you''re afraid of electricity, don''t tell me, you were one of those fools who licked a piece of electrolyte," with an increasingly wider smile as she noticed her companion''s annoyance, Lisa decided to annoy her friend even more. "Hey Laria, I''ve heard about some devices that use Electrolyte as an energy source, there is one that has become popular among some high society women, you should try it~" she joked, making the brunette also join in a strange but beautiful laughter. The two women laughed at Jack''s obvious discomfort, who kept his head down, trying to think happy thoughts, but Lisa and Laria''s increasingly heated comments only made him feel more uncomfortable. "Is it good for masturbation? Isn''t electricity revolutionary? " Jack finally gave in to his curiosity and asked about what he had heard from the girls. "Yeah, you know, what drives human civilization is food, laziness, sex, and war, you know what came into play here," replied Lisa, who seemed to have a special interest in this electrical device, as they called it. "What do you think Jack, should I try it? "Laria asked jokingly, making Jack cringe at the thought of his girlfriend having one of those weird days where she was strangely expressive. Those days scared him, he was so used to a quiet Laria and when she got like that, it was as if she was releasing all the pent-up energy she had stored under her usual serious demeanor. Laria''s good mood was quite strange, she could get into weird and intense things due to the energy and stress of the accumulated research, so he had to keep an eye on her because she could be kind of wild. That was of course if they didn''t end up having sex until dawn because that helped Laria to release pressure and even get inspiration, but this time they had three days of travel ahead of them in a steam carriage, so anything could happen on the way, who knows, maybe she''ll adopt a cat or something. "No need to try something like that, I have hands and I know how to use them, or what do you think? " he replied, not wanting to talk about an intimate subject in front of Lisa. The group was so familiar with each other that they had a lot of trust for many topics, so it was not uncommon to talk openly about this kind of topic, then, in front of the purple eyes of a woman looking for gossip material, Laria answered. "You have skills, otherwise we wouldn''t be boyfriend and girlfriend," Laria said with a small smile, shaking her long white hair when she saw the look on Jack''s face. "Haha, you know I have better qualities," the boy said with a joking expression on his face. "I don''t deny it, but let''s say, out of 100 points, your manual skills add up to 50, that''s what attracted me. If you hadn''t done well the first time we were together, it would have been our last time," the brunette replied, making Jack''s right eyelid throb. "I won''t say anything, I''m a civilized guy," although he looked annoyed, his expression was full of pride and even his walk became much lighter. Standing behind him, the two women looked at each other and nodded, Jack was better, which was something they were looking for with their constant conversation. The group was concerned about Jack''s strong bloodlust, especially towards Cyber Ghosts, so the two women quietly managed to distract him, at least for now. The three of them chatted and laughed until they reached a somewhat secluded spot where they saw a huge metal machine with six wheels and an exposed roof. Alexis was using her hand-shaped Pneuma to put some things on the steam cart, while Irina seemed to be cooking something on a nearby campfire. "You took too long!" Alexis looked reproachfully at Lisa, who just shook her shoulders. "They were asleep and I had to wait for them to change," the woman replied before walking over to Irina and squeezing her cheeks. "Stop it!" complained Irina, who fell victim to the fierce clutches of her companion, who loved to squeeze her cheeks. "Good morning, Alexis," Jack greeted, approaching his girlfriend and bumping fists with an invisible hand, something super weird, but they were used to it by now. "Good morning to you both. Jack, are you feeling better?" asked Alexis with some concern. Even though she knew Laria''s level, it wasn''t as easy as it seemed to get over seeing her friend so messed up yesterday. Jack nodded and looked at the things Alexis kept in the cart. Various pieces, tools, supplies, and something caught his attention, so he walked over to look. When he realized what it was, his pupils narrowed and he looked at Alexis, who just spread his hands as if it was something simple. "You know, I have a phobia of lack of firepower, and since we''re on the front lines..." Alexis winked before covering the object and stowing it in the cart while Jack watched. "And I''m the violent one," the man said, looking at his reflection in the axe. He knew of his companion''s somewhat destructive tendencies, but hey, he knew what he was doing and they were all adults, so he wisely decided to keep quiet.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Until he remembered that he had brought his enchanting equipment and some books on the subject, he wanted to think about practicing, but the skirmish started of nowhere, so he couldn''t do any of that. In addition to his recovering wounds, he felt that he had brought luggage for nothing, so he approached the items that were in a small trunk. "Oh, you brought your gear? Waste of time" joked Alexis, who had just finished organizing everything in the steam wagon. "I wanted to practice some complicated patterns, mastering the cutting circuit alone is not optimal, although it came in handy for the axe," Jack placed the trunk on the cart, taking care not to damage it on the way. "For a newbie, you did a good job, although you know, Lisa and I helped you create your weapon, so you owe us enchantments when you get better" Alexis tapped Jack''s shoulder gently, causing him to blink a little in pain. "Yeah, I know, I know, although I never expected Lisa''s blacksmithing skills to improve so much with the machines you built," Jack said, remembering the whole week of pure work, he even felt a phantom pain in his fingers from the tedious carving required for enchantments. "I have some interesting ideas, and I think Lisa will want a special weapon, so we can mix our visions to create something cool," Alexis said, adjusting his red hair to show his excited eyes. "For example, we can make your axe more portable and even create a disguise for it, no one would expect you to suddenly pull out a weapon when you are unsuspecting," Alexis then started to mention some ideas for weapons he had, and Jack also joined in by contributing his ideas. After this brief chat, in which they even got to drawing diagrams of weapons on the spot, Alexis took it upon himself to start the car''s steam engine, even though technology had improved a lot in this regard, it still required some preparation like this. "Breakfast is ready! "Irina shouted to get the group''s attention. While the group was having breakfast, some soldiers came to thank them for the help they had received during yesterday''s skirmish, somehow or other one of them had been saved by a member of the team and they wanted to at least thank them. "Cigars from the front are always the best," said Irina, who was smoking, even making rings with the smoke. "You know we''re not supposed to take anything from them," Alexis, the strictest of the group, couldn''t help but say, receiving a gentle pat on the shoulder and a death stare from Irina. "Just say you want one; I won''t judge you," Irina said, handing him the cigarette she had in her mouth. Alexis took a puff on it before handing it back to her. "Okay, let''s organize the driving shifts," after puffing on the comforting smoke, Alexis clapped his hands several times to get the attention of his companions. "Jack can''t drive the first day, so we''ll choose between the four of us for the first two shifts," Laria said, getting the others to nod. "Then let me do it," Irina replied excitedly, making her teammates shiver slightly. "Only if you don''t drive like a deranged woman, it''s a steam car, not a car powered by Vetro crystals," Alexis pointed out sternly, causing Irina to playfully puff out her cheeks, but no one believed her. "Okay, I understand, you bunch of bores," Irina finally resigned, knowing that she had to control herself in this situation. "Then let me have the second shift today," Lisa added, completing the end of the shift-switching. "Then let''s go!" shouted Irina excitedly and ran towards the steam car. "You''re missing the key!" exclaimed Alexis with a smile. So, with a good sense of humor, they all boarded the steam wagon and, under the watchful eyes of the soldiers, set off toward the Rosicrucian Federation territories, encountering various situations along the way. "It looks like the weather is going to be fine for these days," said Alexis, who was examining a round object the size of his palm with some intricate lines inside a crystal dome. On the glass was a golden circle with some appendages around it, a design similar to how the sun is usually drawn. In addition, there was a white cloud-like object in front of this sun symbol. "If I were you, I wouldn''t trust that junk so much, it gets it wrong more often than it gets it right," Lisa complained, squinting her eyes as she looked through a window, clearly seeing that it was cloudy. "I don''t know how they dare sell something so inaccurate, this thing barely has a hint of functionality," Jack pointed out with a hint of a joke in his tone. "I know it''s useless, but it gives you a little hope, doesn''t it? I prefer technological methods for these things," Alexis replied, although the way he held the object seemed to indicate that it was of great importance to him. "I hope we don''t run into any weather monsters," Irina said, causing her companions to nod. "These things are complicated, we''re just a small team, let the big guys handle the big stuff," Laria commented, reading a book that seemed to be about botany. "Oh yeah, those powerful and important guys in the barracks... smug bastards," Jack complained, a bit annoyed. "You''re just saying that because Hans tried to recruit your girlfriend, bragging that he could give her more funding for her research," Lisa, who was up to date with the hot gossip in the barracks, pressed Jack''s sore spot directly. "Right, you got jealous," Alexis said with a teasing smile on his face. "That day I thought Hans and Jack were going to fight as usual, but no, they just stared at each other, I almost thought they were going to kiss," Irina said, making her companions laugh. "For God''s sake, I wouldn''t kiss that guy, but that day we couldn''t fight, we both knew there was an important emissary, in fact, the supervisor personally warned us a while before that incident," after laughing and ignoring the pain of his wounds, Jack explained a little more about the situation that day. "Oh, can you tell me more?" asked Lisa, prompting Jack to start telling the story of that day and how Jack and Hans ended up fighting the next day. The steam truck sped along the road, letting the scenery outside pass through the window. Gradually, they left the Federation border behind, revealing the vibrant landscape within the Federation. Snow-capped mountains in the distance, the road bordering a forest of red-leafed trees, and the occasional crop of corn, rice, and wheat made the team''s journey truly enjoyable. In the early afternoon, they approached a small village where they stopped for lunch and supplies. Jack, for his part, bought a newspaper to catch up on the latest news. [THE FEDERATION PREVAILS AGAIN AGAINST RAURANIA]. Seeing this headline, Jack knew it had to do with the skirmish between the two countries that had happened yesterday, the reporters seemed to be everywhere at this time and he could even see some gray pictures of the armed conflict. "These guys are just as brave as us operators," Jack muttered, jokingly praising the reporters who seemed to be looking for death all the time. Then his eyes narrowed as he read a certain point in the article because he found an important piece of information that made him reread the whole text to have a better understanding of everything. "Wow, no wonder those man-eating wolves show up, those bastards..." Jack tightened his grip on the paper he was reading, feeling not only anger at this moment, but also a strange sense of sadness. "Are you okay?" Irina asked, approaching Jack with a piece of cake in her hand. She noticed Jack''s bad mood as he read the paper, so she took it in her free hand and read the same article he did, and her reaction was even more exaggerated, she started to curse out of anger. For the article, it was just an insignificant detail in their report of the Federation''s victory, but the things they reported were disturbing because they sent hundreds of Gothamites to their deaths, the same group as this Juggernaut. Yes, they might be a little annoying, but they were their citizens, and they were being sacrificed for their country just like that. Even if there is some animosity among its people, a country should always take care of its own. Outsiders hated the Goths because they were not only arrogant, but they were also true fighting geniuses and a group against their enemies, in principle, Jack and Irina should celebrate this information, but for a country to betray its people was a bad message. Besides the fact that they provoked the appearance of the Weird, if Irina and Laria had not acted, the battlefield would have become a hotbed of cannibalistic maniacs the next day. For almost causing a major problem, Jack and Irina were deeply upset, but deep down, this meant that something was going on in Raurania, something extremely strange. They could only hope that the situation would not get worse because even though it was a rival country if something bad happened in Raurania, it could spread and affect the Rosicrucian Federation because of the proximity of their territories. 5: Small towns are where a lot of strange things happen. "Raurania is on the verge of a civil war or wants to make drastic changes in their system," said Alexis, who had read the paper handed to him. "Sometimes I don''t understand those guys, but maybe it has something to do with those countries near yours, no? After all, it used to be an empire," commented Lisa, who was currently driving the steam carriage. "Maybe the separate countries forced Raurania to bear such an atrocity? Maybe they came to different agreements," Jack, who had a cooler head at this point, thought about the situation and spoke. "Probably, I mean, Raurania has a king, a guy they always compared to their emperor predecessors, maybe he went crazy and ruined the Gothics to take revenge" Alexis'' annoyed tone made the others think about a certain situation concerning their companion. "Alexis, are you thinking about that girl?" Irina asked in a low voice, and Alexis nodded but didn''t speak again, just staring at the blurry scenery passing by through the window. "At least we can say that whatever happened there, there won''t be any more skirmishes on the front for a long time, not until they resolve the unrest," Laria, who had been silent the whole trip, added, causing the others to nod. Probably the morale of Raurania''s army is not very good in this world, especially since they saw that they could be sacrificed so easily for their own country and that no matter how outstanding they were, they could be discarded with ease. "Let''s not talk politics anymore, let''s go over the goal of our current mission, shall we? It''s less depressing than the political situation of an enemy kingdom," Irina suggested, who couldn''t stand the heavy atmosphere that had settled in the steam carriage. She deftly pulled a thick hardcover book out of a travel bag she carried with her, the title written in gold letters reading ''Record of Anomalies, Oddities, and Contamination Zones'', this was the twentieth edition according to the words on the cover. The wear on the outside of the book indicated how much it had been used, even though it still had the label that said it was relatively new, such wear signified the many times its interior had been searched. "First one to go, Alexis, give us a mission briefing," Laria said, pulling out a notebook and pen, apparently she wasn''t much of a writer in a vehicle. "Well, our destination is a small town in the Kackland Mountains, it''s called Tuskville, and as you can imagine, they live off hunting, ranching, and the timber industry. It has a population of 2,000 and adequate steam facilities, so we can expect to be relatively comfortable. The case that brings us there is the suspicion of a Cyber Ghost. Why would there be a technological anomaly in such a rural area? It''s probably due to the influence of an ancient technological ruin. The Federation invested heavily in Kackland because of its discovery, and during the exploration many people settled nearby, creating the city. Although there is nothing of great value left, small technological artifacts are sometimes found that serve as extra income, so this spirit was probably attracted by this situation. I say this because it was determined that it was a Cyber Ghost mainly because there was a murder caused by an ancient technological object, so the town sheriff activated the alert and reported the situation," after this situation update, Irina, who had already located the Cyber Ghost section in her book, began to read. "Cyber Phantom, a creature composed of an energy compound derived from Pneuma called "Ecto-Pneuma". It can change the appearance and manipulate elements of ancient technology. It has no direct means of attacking living beings, but its intervention and presence cause the surrounding technology to be affected and deformed, creating subordinate anomalies. The most powerful can create bodies out of technology and acquire various physical means, including firing electrical bolts or attacking with metals at elevated temperatures. With each life they take, their influence grows until they trigger a prototype of a situation called "Omnic Holocaust", in which their subordinate Rarities break away from the Cyber Phantom and go out to attack humans in search of the coveted ancient technology. Be warned that only objects enchanted with the "Seal" pattern are resistant to Cyber Phantom manipulation, any use of technology not enchanted with this pattern is forbidden to operators or any relevant personnel working with this anomaly." Irina didn''t say how to fight a Cyber Phantom, the team didn''t need that information, especially Jack, who had a personal grudge against any anomaly with "Phantom" in its name. "It looks like the one we have on our hands is starting, and considering there won''t be much dangerous technology in this city, it''s relatively easy to solve, though we have to be ready," Laria spoke, with Jack already resting his head on her chest. "We''re lucky, only Tuskville is a bit far away on the map, isn''t it? Three days of traveling in a steam car is a lot," Lisa, who was practicing driving on the first day, couldn''t help but complain. "You know, our country is big, not all roads are built and the speed of a steam car is a bit slow," Alexis leaned his legs forward, he was on the passenger side, only he could do that now, which caused some envy from his companions. "Weren''t there any operator teams nearby?" asked Jack, who enjoyed resting his head on his girlfriend''s breasts, the smell of Laria appealing to him and making him calm down much faster. "There are, but they are busy with their respective missions, and ours was already over, which is why we were assigned this task. Headquarters doesn''t want the elimination of the Cyber Ghosts to take too long, because the presence of one means the loss of ancient technology, even if it''s trinkets," Alexis answered with some reluctance. He knew how tiring it was for his team to travel for such a long time without proper rest after such a fierce battle as yesterday. He was even a little uncomfortable with the fact that his friend Jack was wounded, but instead of resting in a bed next to his girlfriend, he was here, in a steam wagon headed for a small town, with constant mood swings. For them, his companions, the fact that Jack was angry was more than obvious, it was just that the boy was a guy who didn''t want to cause discomfort to the others and held back enough that, together with Laria''s comfort, kept him calm. Alexis was already expecting the fuss Jack would make when they had their inevitable contact with the enemy. Jack''s hatred for that kind of creature was already so well known that not even Hans would dare to get in his way in similar situations.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. The only good thing was that the three days of traveling would allow Jack to calm down and not do any crazy things, even if such a situation was unlikely to happen, it was always good to prevent it as much as possible. "Come to think of it, why is it almost always small towns that are affected? " Irina asked suddenly, making the others think about it. "Not always, is it? " Lisa asked with some disbelief. "Wait, she''s right, it happens too often, it''s always small towns that are in trouble," said Jack, remembering some past experiences. "Or rural areas," said Laria, a small town that did not include the whole definition of rural area, in that term you could find many places. "Farms too," Alexis pointed out. "Cemeteries," Irina added, but the others shook their heads. "There are cemeteries in every settlement, even in big cities, so mentioning them is cheating," replied Jack, who seemed to take the situation as a game. "What about forests?" asked Lisa, who thought about it when she noticed that there was a small forest next to the road. "The woods are a different matter, only if you go in and survive whatever is there, you can report it, if you don''t go in or don''t survive, who knows what is hiding between the trees," Alexis, who usually had more information on this aspect, explained. "Exactly, who knows what is hiding between so many trees and bushes? If it''s not wild animals, maybe it''s a rarity," Irina said, looking out the window at the forest they were leaving behind. If you had much imagination, you could imagine that there might be some creature looking back at the steam car driving away, lamenting that humans didn''t enter the bowels of the forest to explore. "O humans, if you run into a pervert, you''re screwed," Jack thought of a certain news story he read a while ago. A group of wild men and women lived in a Federation forest and preyed on the unsuspecting who entered the forest, the worst part was that they seemed to have good powers of persuasion and grew their strange community. Luckily, they were decent guys and not crazy murderers or abusers, they just wanted to live "connected to nature", or so they said, they were not a cult or sect, they were just strange people who wanted to replicate the human ancestors, or so people who knew about the subject joked. "Do you still think about those strange guys who strip in the woods?" asked Irina in a joking tone, making Jack laugh. "Yes, I can''t help thinking about those weird guys, I don''t know what things they have to say to convince you to join their weird group," Jack couldn''t really think of those words, but he imagined what was always interesting. "Join us, we have naked girls, with that you can convince a lot of men to join," Lisa joked, and her joke made her companions laugh, and Irina blushed a little as she imagined some things. "And how do you convince women?" asked Irina with a hundred percent interest in the answer. "Simple, tell them we have naked chicks. Those rich girls who have to spend all day in a tight corset would surely be happy to hear that," the punch line of her joke could only be funny to those who understood such things well, at least the three girls had experienced this situation first hand. "I''ve never understood why women torture themselves with that thing," Alexis made his incomprehension of the subject known and received three pairs of mocking looks. "Bro, don''t try to understand these things, just let them flow," Jack, who seemed to have found the right way to overcome these thoughts, advised his partner Alexis. "Boys and their incomprehension," Irina showed an annoyed expression, although the smile on her face indicated that she was only joking. "No, it''s just that we''re simpler, or so the old men say," Jack replied, thinking of his family, especially his grandfather, who seemed to handle the affairs of his house with simplicity, despite how ''confused'' his grandmother was, according to the old man''s words. "I guess so~," said Lisa with a certain sing-songy tone in her voice, making the girls laugh again, only Jack and Alexis remained silent, not quite understanding the reason for their companions'' laughter. "Did you get that?" asked Alexis in a whisper, his expression full of confusion. "No," Jack replied simply, not wanting to get into that pit and preferring to remain silent at this point, his face comfortably buried in his girlfriend''s ample breasts. As time passed, the group talked only of trivial things to pass the time, and as night fell, the vetro-crystal lamps built into the steam car were activated, allowing for night travel. Through the window of the car, the moon was seen in all its glory, its crimson glow illuminating the darkness of the journey and causing the shadows on both sides of the road to lengthen into strange shapes. As night fell around 9:00 p.m., the car slowly pulled over to the side of the road, then into the adjacent lot, pulling up to a clump of trees. The car finally parked, allowing the group to disembark. They were already hungry, but they had to prepare dinner and set up camp before they even started walking. "The red moonlight doesn''t help much," Alexis complained as he rummaged through the items in the steam wagon, pulling out a pair of flashlights first. These were rather large and crude, what provided the light was a white-colored vetro crystal, and the whole device was powered by a piece of standard electrolyte. These types of objects were among the first to use this strange mineral capable of producing electricity, and although expensive, they were very useful in circumstances such as now. "At last, light," Jack said as he took one of the lanterns, allowing the area to be at least partially illuminated. A campfire was quickly built, and a grill, a pot, and a griddle were placed on the fire. Then they began to cook different kinds of food on each of them. Meat, eggs, chopped green plantains, and rice. It was all food that could be prepared in little more than an hour, in large quantities, and tasted good, so while it cooked, the group went about preparing the rest of the camp. Jack, despite the pain he felt in his body, dug small trenches around the area where the group was resting, dropping a mixture of materials that would act as a repellent to insects and crawling animals such as snakes. Dangerous things could happen in the wild if you weren''t prepared, so Jack took these kinds of precautions. He didn''t want to wake up to find a snake sleeping next to him, so he took this step very seriously when setting up camp. "You must be disgusted by snakes if they are so cute," Lisa, holding a small snake in her hands, approached Jack and tried to bring the animal closer to the boy''s face. "You were just waiting for this moment to do something like that, especially since I don''t have my axe in my hand, were you? " Jack said somewhat wearily, pulling his body back to avoid the snake''s touch. "Of course, honey, who''s going to bother you if I don''t? "Lisa asked in a tone of feigned drama, even clutching the poor snake to her cheek as it whimpered. "Look at this little snake, your Uncle Jack doesn''t love you, what are you going to do? You can''t solve it with an ''Shh''," The snake''s tongue collided with Lisa''s cheek, and they felt neither disgust nor repulsion. "No wonder you get along so well with Morgana, you''re both drama queens, really, just like that," Jack, who had finished his work, went to put the shovel away and pick up his axe, you never know. "Stop ignoring me, Jack Araziel! " Lisa shouted, seeing that her partner was not responding to her attempts to make him laugh. "Then let the poor snake go," said Jack, sitting on a log they had found nearby and watching Alexis and Irina set up the two tents they would be using tonight. "Boring," Lisa threw the snake in the air, knowing it would be fine. The night was full of stars and a piece of the galaxy could be seen in the night sky, there weren''t many clouds tonight, and the red moon graced the sky as if it was looking down on the earth from high above. Jack could only sigh as he looked at this beautiful sight and was glad to have the chance to enjoy it again, even if the red moon was strange at times, he never got tired of admiring it. A shooting star appeared in his vision, and remembering his actions as a child, he closed his eyes and made a wish. Soon after, he felt someone touch his back, and when he turned around, it was Laria who had called out to him. "Are you feeling better?" the brunette asked with a look of concern on her face. Jack stepped aside and touched the space with his hand, giving her a clear sign. Laria sat up with a small smile on her face and their bodies leaned against each other, both enjoying the beautiful view of the sky. Obviously, his wish was unnecessary, he already had everything he could wish for at his side, and this realization made Jack feel much lighter, even the flame of anger he felt burning inside him all day had faded. "I feel so much better with you here," Jack murmured, holding and squeezing his partner''s hand. "That''s good," was all she replied, remaining so even as their companions approached. Irina, Lisa, and Alexis didn''t make much of a fuss, communicating only through gestures as they prepared tonight''s dinner, not wanting to interrupt the two lovebirds'' moment of peace.