Peridot
"She made it pretty far for an amateur," Silas remarked as we stared at the wreckage of the stolen aircraft at the end of a long crater, right in the middle of the caatinga scrubland.
"She didn't crash because of a slip-up," I replied without thinking, but when the NPCs turned to me in confusion, I pointed: "Check the water tank; you'll see there was a leak."
"Hmm... you're right," Mira agreed. "If the hose hadn't burst, she could easily have reached the outskirts of a major city by now, changed her identity, and fled with enough money to buy the title of Baroness."
"T-That Vinea... could she be an even bigger problem than we expected?" Silas asked.
"Regardless of how chaotic the process that brought us here was, if there's one thing immigration services did right, it was ensuring every colonist started at [Level: 1]," I replied, standing up. "If we corner her, she won't be able to put up a fight."
"Hehe! You're right!" Silas cheered, grinning.
And if she really is my twin sister, when I catch up to her... I thought, clenching my fists. In the end, I have to teach her a lesson! Wasting her time on nonsense like this... Once I confirm her identity, I'm going to kill her avatar with my own (digital) hands! I'll show her that nothing unreal matters, I decided.
"Hmm... We'd better get moving, then; the wreckage's furnace is cold, so she's already at least a few hours' walk ahead of us," Mira suggested.
If only our pilot could have taken us further, we could have caught up to her easily... I complained inwardly, watching our own aircraft return to the Rearguard, leaving us stranded in the middle of the scrubland. The Air Force couldn't just let one of its aircraft sit stranded in outlaw territory for long; the pilot had to return immediately to report the discovery and come back with a recovery craft. I should have seen something like this coming. It is a video game, after all—they wouldn't just let me capture this person so easily; that wouldn't be any fun. The AI controlling mission generation and progression must have decided it had helped me enough by getting me this far, meaning that from here on out, I'm on my own.
"Mira's right. Let's get moving," I said, following Silas as he tracked our target.
▲○X■
We reached the town at dawn, only to find a crowd gathered in front of the church.
"Make way! Make way, we are soldiers in the service of the Empire!" Silas shouted. The civilians quickly parted, revealing what had held their attention. "G-Gods..." Silas muttered, staring at the corpse; the top of its skull had been brutally crushed. Despite the mild censorship that turned all graphic violence into glowing red pixels, it was a disturbing scene.
It brings back memories. Unfortunately.
"Hmm... It's a police officer. While the killing blow is obvious, he also took a gunshot to the gut," Mira remarked. Then: "[Autopsy]," pointing her hand at the body, she activated a [Skill]. "He was [Level: 15]. He died at midnight. The fatal blow was dealt by a horse, and just before dying, he was suffering from the [Fear] effect. Hmm... A horse, a firearm, a debuff, and possibly a surprise attack in the dead of night. Whoever did this put in a lot of effort, yet executed the plan perfectly."
"It's her..." Silas gripped his musket tightly.
She got on a horse after piloting that ship? My suspicions about her identity keep growing.
"Did anyone see where the person who did this went?" I turned to the crowd.
"T-The [Nun] would know," a bystander said, pointing toward the church ahead. "I saw it through a crack in my window last night. She went into the church, undoubtedly to desecrate the altar!"
"Thanks for the info," I said to the NPC. "Let's go!" I led my companions forward.
The church resembled what you'd find in any historic Brazilian town, though it was built in a semicircular shape and featured different symbolism; Macabre images of mummies, skeletons, and corpses adorned the sanctuary, replacing the usual cherubs and virgin mothers.
I found the [Nun] chatting cheerfully with a young man:
"It's all right, it's all right. The bad woman has left, and she won't be coming back," she reassured the teenager, holding his shoulder.
"Could you tell us a little about this 'bad woman'?" I asked.
"...Go back to your mother now. She must be very worried after everything, right?" the [Nun] said to the young man, who soon left the church with eyes swollen from crying. She sighed before continuing: "And what exactly do you want to know, officers?"
"Her appearance, [Abilities], and behavior," I listed.
"Her appearance, [Skills], and behavior?" the [Nun] repeated, looking away. "She's a feline, with silvery hair and fur, and yellow eyes. She even looks a bit like you. It's no surprise the locals mistook her for a she-wolf... Not when..." She hugged herself. "Not when she appeared on a full moon night, not when she crushed those poor officers, not when she... when she devoured a man alive!"
"W-What?!" Silas went pale.
"That young man saw it all. She appeared out of nowhere, deep in the wilderness, killed some bandits, and pinned down their leader. Then... she bit his face! And she kept biting, chewing, and swallowing until the man died! We thought the boy had imagined such a monstrosity, that it couldn't be real, but when she walked into this church and I saw her chin still stained with dried blood...! When she flashed that cold smile, eyes dull, showing no trace of happiness, I knew it was true!"
"B-By the gods...!" Silas covered his mouth.
"Hmm... This goes beyond mere psychosis." Even though Mira didn't let herself appear shaken easily, sweat was beading on her forehead and dripping from her chin.
She forgets to bathe, eats junk, and disgusts those around her. It has to be Jade!
"It matches the description of the suspect we've been tracking. Do you know why she came into this church?"
"You're after her? M-May I ask why?"
"Unfortunately, that is confidential information." *If others, especially players, knew she was carrying a fortune equivalent to that of a minor noble, even if she were killed, not only would the empire fail to recover its money, but she wouldn't grasp the message I want to convey. It had to be done by my own hands.
"...No, I don't know where she went. I'm sorry."
I sighed.
"It's alright. Thanks for the inform-"
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Gunshots rang out from outside the church, and the crowd surrounding the bodies quickly scattered.
"Who are they?" I asked, squinting as I watched a band of horsemen trot into town, brandishing daggers, machetes, sabers, pistols, and muskets.
"That's Carcará's gang, a group of outlaws who terrorize the surrounding area; they're even responsible for the death of this church's [Bishop]... But usually, they don't come into town. Or at least, that's what I was told?" the [Nun] explained, looking just as confused as the rest of us.
Fortunately, one of the horsemen was kind enough to explain exactly what they were doing there:
"Here's the deal: either you hand over the son of a bitch who killed Carcará and our other comrades, or we're going to kill ten of you for every one of us who died, plus another thirty for Carcará. That makes eighty poor souls in total!"
"O-Oh, no...!" The [Nun] smoothed down her blonde hair, visibly nervous.
"Let me guess: was it that cat-girl from earlier who killed this Carcará fellow?" I asked, and the [Nun] simply nodded.
"A single civilian casualty would be too many, but eighty people...!" Silas frowned.
"...I agree." I stepped forward, leaving the church and walking straight toward the gang leader.
"Huh?! Legiano, what are you...?" Mira asked, her eyes wide.
"I'm simply fulfilling my duty as an honorary member of the Imperial Air Force."
I didn't have to go far to catch the outlaws' attention; they quickly pointed their weapons at me and surrounded me.
"So it was you, you worm?" asked the gang leader, a man blind in one eye, with black, rotting teeth.
"No, but as the only Imperial force present, it is my duty to protect the citizens of this town," I explained, drawing the saber hanging at my waist, a simple weapon, only slightly better than the colonists' starter gear, with 7 damage points. "And I challenge you to a duel for their safety."
"A duel?" the one-eyed man repeated. "Gaaah! Hahahah!" He laughed. Pulling a straw cigarette from his pocket and lighting it, he concluded, "Boys, hack off his arms and legs."
Immediately, four outlaws swung their machetes at my limbs.
"Cling!" Steel clashed against steel as I parried the blades aimed at my arms with my own sword and leaped over those targeting my legs; taking advantage of the game's relatively realistic physics, I didn't need all that much Strength to pull it off.
I wasted no time and immediately counterattacked, burying my blade in the throat of the bandit who looked the weakest, the one on foot and equipped with the worst gear. He didn't die instantly, but when I swung my sword sideways, tearing further into his neck, I inflicted [Bleed], and it didn't take long for the status effect to finish the job.
"Cling, cling, cling!" I parried blow after blow and launched just as many counterattacks; I pierced hands, necks, thighs, and faces, though the game's systems didn't exactly favor me in this regard, dismemberment wasn't permitted unless the hit was fatal.
"Damn fast bastard!" one of the bandits complained. "Gyaah!" He quickly fell back, an X-shaped gash carved right across his face.
They surrounded me on all sides; their levels were higher than mine, and their attacks were imbued with superhuman power. I could feel, from the wind stirred up by their strikes, that I wouldn't be able to withstand more than two hits like that. Yet, even when I drove my saber hilt-deep into the center of their foreheads, they merely staggered backward, as if they'd taken nothing worse than a punch to the nose.
"Tch!" I clicked my tongue, feeling the sting of the wound on my back; sure enough, I watched my [HP] rapidly drop below 50%.
I don't have time to drink a potion. Should I use that? I wondered.
"G-Guwarh..." Finally, the bandit suffering from the bleed effect died. And the tide began to turn.
[You leveled up!] I was notified when the first of the bandits died.
"Open status" I ordered through clenched teeth, bending under the bayonet of a musket. "Tch!" I clicked my tongue, stretching to select the correct buttons and...
"Pwah?!" One of the attackers was thrown away with a kick to the chest. "H-He wasn't dying?! Where did this power come from...?!"
"You idiots! He's leveling up and increasing his attributes right now!" The one-eyed man complained, pointing his own pistol at my chest.
"Bang!" Gunpowder burned and neon red pixels gushed out.
"Y-You bastard!" The one-eyed bandit clutched his wounded chest, almost falling from his cell.
"Haha! Legiano isn't the only soldier here!" Silas forced a smile, pale, while his musket still spat smoke.
"Hmm, that's right..." Mira stepped forward, supporting a huge bone saw on her shoulder. "As representatives of the empire, we have a duty to protect this city, don't we?" She smiled. "[Hypertrophy]!" She snorted to herself, emanating a yellow aura, and charged at the bandits.
Mira's first blow didn't kill her opponent, but rather his horse, decapitating the animal, which ended up throwing the bandit to the ground... where, finally, the woman in the [Doctor]'s outfit finished the job: she buried the serrated blade in the bandit's neck, and pulled it out, also decapitating him.
With the three of us fighting together, the gang quickly lost numbers, and faster and faster.
"You sons of bitches... All of you! Sons of whores! Today, this city will burn!" The bandit leader pointed his pistol high and shouted: "[Rain of Bullets]!"
An appropriate name for the [Skill], if too literal: when the outlaw pulled the trigger, twenty identical pistols rose high into the air, some pointed at me, some at my companions, and some at the civilians who watched the conflict from the cracks in the windows.
Yeah, I can't dodge this, I thought, taking a healing potion, and sliding under an enemy horseman.
"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!" The city was flooded with the acrid smell of burnt gunpowder, and the metallic smell of spilled blood.
"Bwahr...!" My avatar vomited blood when I tried to speak. Even having used one of the bandits and his horse as a shield, some bullets pierced their bodies and hit me, and although very weakened, they were enough to leave me with only [008/100] hit points.
At least I can still move my fingers without problems.
"Hahaha! Since you were so gentlemanly as to formally challenge me to a duel, I will grant you the right to have your last words, dog" the one-eyed bandit stared at me with an arrogant smile. Despite the imposing words, it was evident that the only reason he didn't kill me right then and there was that he was still reloading his impractical firearm.
"...Yeah." I stood up over the corpse of my human shield. Taking a deep breath, I declared: "[Advanced Regeneration]!" I used the superior version of the first [Skill] I'd ever learned; it restored 5% of the user's total [HP] every second. Since I had just invested 10 points into [Vitality], and each point granted 10 [HP], I was now recovering 7.5 health points per second.
In just twenty seconds, I'd be fully healed.
"You bastard!" the one-eyed bandit cursed, scrambling to reload his pistol.
But I wouldn't grant him that luxury; I'd reach him before he was ready for another attack.
"You useless lot, get him!" the one-eyed bandit ordered, and his men charged at me once more.
"Hmph! Useless, indeed!" Mira revealed herself again, leaping from a nearby house, one she'd reached in time to shield herself from the enemy's skill thanks to her superior stats. She quickly dealt enough damage to the other bandits that they couldn't afford to ignore her.
"Aren't you forgetting someone? [Tri-Trigger]!" Silas used a skill of his own; as he pulled the trigger, not one but three bullets flew toward one of the bandits, striking him in the chest, neck, and forehead, killing him instantly.
"Damn it!" The one-eyed leader hurled his pistol at me, which I easily dodged, and drew a machete. "Don't underestimate me, you punk!" He brandished his blade at me.
"Not underestimate you?" I replied, narrowing my eyes. "Give me a reason for this," I concluded, not only dodging the blow but slicing my own blade across the enemy's arm nearly five times before he could pull it back. "Pathetic."
"Die, you devil!" the one-eyed outlaw shouted, swinging his blade at me once more, only to suffer the same fate as before. "How- how, how do you always dodge?!" he complained, finally dropping his machete; his entire body was covered in so many glowing red lines that he looked more like a Christmas tree wrapped in fairy lights than a dangerous bandit. Clutching his horse's reins, he tried to flee. He tried to. "Hy-Hyaaah?!" he screamed as he saw my saber piercing his chest.
I was mounted, standing, on his own horse, right behind him.
In the blink of an eye, I carved so many more red lines into the enemy that his original texture was completely obscured beneath them, and then...
[You leveled up! You leveled up!] I received the notification twice as the NPC's body disintegrated before my eyes into a heap of glowing red fragments.
Dismounting, I checked the situation behind me with great relief: my companions had also managed to defeat their enemies. We had fulfilled our duty to protect the city.
"That... that... that... That was incredible, Sir!" The [Nun] ran toward me, her eyes wide and her cheeks flushed pink.
If she tripped and ended up flashing her panties, it would be just like in a...! Frowning, I shook my head from side to side, banishing such ridiculous thoughts.
"If I may ask, what is your rank, sir? You and your subordinates are on such an important mission... surely you must be a high-ranking officer?!" the [Nun] asked, standing far too close to me. I could almost see stars in her huge amber eyes.
"N-No..." Damn it, why was I stuttering? I cleared my throat before continuing: "No, I'm just a colonist temporarily promoted to Imperial Agent, only for the duration of this mission."
"...I see," the [Nun] said after staring at me for a long moment. Then, clasping her hands as if in prayer, she confessed: "The mission to capture that criminal, right? Well... the truth is... I know where she went."
"What?!" Silas asked as my two companions stepped closer. "Then why didn't you tell us sooner?"
"I'm so sorry!" the [Nun] said, covering her face and sobbing. "I was scared! So scared! That woman, she... she literally has a devil in a bottle, a fiend, with her! I thought if I said anything, she'd find out through him!"
"Huh?! She even has a demon with her? It's hard to believe she only revealed herself a day ago..." Mira remarked.
"We'll handle her, so you don't need to worry even if she does find out. You've seen our power. So please, tell us which direction she went," I requested.
"Will you protect me if I do?" she asked.
"Yes, we will," I confirmed.
The [Nun] smiled and straightened up.
"Alright! I'll take you to her, then." When she entered the church asking for directions, I didn't say a word to her, but I saw her heading that way. It's treacherous terrain, but don't worry, I'll guide you!
"Guide us? No, no, you don't need to-"
"So you're just going to abandon me here!? In a town with no police, in a church where the [Bishop] was killed, while an insane criminal is on the loose, and who's going to find out I handed her over to you?!"
"Even so..."
"So you're going to betray your duty, then?!"
"...Fine, you can come along until we catch the criminal." I gave in with a sigh.
After restocking our supplies, we set out immediately.
Game Over ☠
Jade
"You wretched [Nun]..." I muttered, crouching behind a rock. "If I get my hands on you, I'll kill you!"
Ahead of me lay a cliff nearly two hundred meters high; behind me, a pack of almost twenty [Gunmen], [Swordsmen], and even a damn [Sorcerer], all of them wearing cruel grins!
"So, Miss..." said a bloated man wearing a gas mask and an all-white suit. "Have you changed your mind about my proposal?"
"About becoming just another one of your hired thugs? Could you please write that proposal, along with all the fine print, into a contract... and shove it up your ass? Would you mind?"
"Oh, what a waste. But what can you do? You made the wrong choice by making this [Marquess] your enemy. Finish her off," he ordered, and all those hired thugs, each over [Level] thirty, advanced.