My first run-in happened after the second day of being here, and I had been looking for a place to stay in the shadier part of town. I had run into a group of what I thought were men, but they were Mechanized chimps or something like that. Instead of hair, they were covered in green and brown metal plating that acted like camouflage. There had only been two to start, but the moment I got close to ask them a question, five more came out from the shadows.
I wasn't even sure how it happened at first, but the Mecha-Chimps didn't hesitate as their mouths opened and they opened fire on me. My body seemed to move on its own as two blades grew from my hands, and I seemingly gained some Jedi skills, blocking every bullet. The moment the gunfire stopped, I was in the middle of them, and my blade cut through them like paper. The bodies sparked and leaked what looked like clear red hydraulic oil, but my body wasn't done with them.
I systematically went to each one and split each of their heads down the middle. Inside each of them was a silver liquid that looked like mercury. It was clearly not that because the stuff was alive, and it tried to get away from me, but the moment that I touched it, it absorbed it into my body.
From there, I decided that finding a place could come later. So, for the last week, I had been camping out, killing Mechanized, and digging up info. The last part also got me in trouble more than once.
While I had heard what Remy had said about asking about Ace, I didn't think so many people would get so upset. In the last week, I was forced to knock out fifteen different people, and only half of them were people I had directly asked. The rest had just heard what I was asking and decided to come and deal with me.
Luckily, I wasn't really something that anyone could deal with. The Divine Boost that I got was no joke, and I was getting stronger at an alarming rate. It was more of a hassle not to kill these people, but because of the Wraiths, I wasn't taking any chances that any of these people were close to Ace.
And that was another thing! Ace was hard enough to get any info about, but his team was all unknown. From every person that did talk, Ace's team had never been seen unsuited. That didn't mean they didn't, but no one had any idea what any of them looked like or anything about them. Grimora, the Dark Divine Being, was one of these members, but no one knew anything about her either. This made planning for making a mess of Ace's life even harder.
All in all, the first week here was going about as well as I had expected. Not very well. Still, I was progressing, and I was closing in on Ace's headquarters, but the city wasn't just huge; it was massive. Pair that with it being teeming with gun-toting monsters, and it made navigating this urban jungle a daunting task. However, I was determined to see this mission through and save this world from falling into chaos.
During the second week, my efforts began to bear fruit as I finally managed to track down Ace's compound, hidden within an inconspicuous factory on the outskirts of the city. The entire place was heavily guarded by both men and Mechanized creatures – making infiltration a difficult and hazardous undertaking. But with no other options available, I resolved to find a way inside and get more info on Ace.
Using the information gathered from the people I had spoken to and observing the patterns of the guards surrounding the compound, I formulated a plan. By taking advantage of a particular patrol route that had fewer guards and using my ever-evolving abilities, I believed it would be possible to infiltrate the compound undetected.
The night before enacting my plan, I found a quiet spot in the shadows of the city to meditate and mentally prepare myself for the upcoming challenge. Images of Aquaria filled my thoughts, and I clung to the hope that soon we would be reunited so that we could head to her mission next.
As dawn broke, I moved stealthily toward the fence that surrounded Ace's compound, heart pounding with anticipation and anxiety. My enhanced senses allowed me to pick up on any approaching threats, and my body reacted instinctively to neutralize them before they could become a problem.
One thing that I noticed right away was the guards were not who they normally were. This meant my infiltration was slightly easier, but it was putting me on edge. I didn't plan to kill Ace yet, but I needed more information on him and his team.
Finally, after what felt like hours of tense, careful progress, I reached my destination – the entrance to Ace's lair, from what I could tell. So far I had seen none of the other team members or any sign of Ace, but that was good. Taking one last deep breath to steady my nerves, I slipped inside, ready to confront the man who had eluded me for so long.
Within the dimly lit corridors of the compound, I encountered more guards and Mechanized monsters. Using my wits and blades, I dispatched them swiftly and silently, moving deeper into the labyrinthine structure.
At last, I found myself standing before a massive set of double doors adorned with intricate carvings of menacing beasts and strange symbols. This had to be the chamber where Ace resided, but this whole place had almost felt like a dungeon.
Slowly, I pushed open the doors and stepped inside, coming face-to-face with my target. Fuck. I knew something about this was too good to be true!
Ace stood tall and imposing, his mechanized form resembling some twisted fusion of human and machine. He didn't seem surprised to see me; instead, there was almost a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. I might have shot the gun early on this one.
"So, you're the one causing all this commotion," he said calmly, sizing me up. "I must admit, I'm impressed. Not many have survived this long in my territory."
Well, this was not how I had planned for things to go. I was going to have to think of something and do it fast!