Inside of the estate, Gunn and Seraph were inspecting each other, circling each other slowly.
'A centaur automaton, but it's not like the others obviously. It has a power within it, but not dark. Peaceful even, but still feels dangerous. It's been created, but not from the Empire. Wherever Rai is from, they're pretty damn powerful. I know fighting her wouldn't be good now.'
Seraph said, "Rai has made us into what the Empire could not make us. She comes from a place where she took in those who were considered not a part of the status quota. She has grown a connection to us, which is where she draws her power. Our connection and submission to her is what makes her powerful. And as long as our link is strong within her, she cannot be defeated."
Gunn thought, 'It's similar to what I was thinking about Bramwell before. I figured he got his power from the fear, submission, and connection he has with the Empire and its members.'
[New Quest available: Defeat Seraph the Automaton]
[Rewards: 80% increase to all stats, increased defense and durability]
'Good. No time limit for this. But I don't wanna take long. I need Marshy for crafting, so I have to hurry. And that runt of a cat, I need him for backup just in case I'm about to die. It's not like I care about their well being. Nope.'
Seraph continued to wander in a circle, saying. "I, for one, believe I am her favorite child. The others don't share the same passion of love that I have for her."
Gunn replied, "Are you stupid? She's using you. She doesn't care about any of you dumb robots. She's using you for power. A rogue automaton was built to be somewhat sentient, the power she already made you more sentient with artificial feelings, meaning—."
"Meaning we were nothing but the dirt of the Empire! Rogue automatons we were, worked like bounty hunters. The humans, we wanted to live like them! But Rai made us have a meaning and a purpose! Not that fool Bramwell!"
"You won't ever live like them. You're not human. You'll never know what it's like. You were manipulated into submitting to Rai so she could use your submission in her favor for power. Wherever that bitch is from, as you mentioned she's raised and took care of people from her world, I can guarantee she was draining power from them as well."
"You know nothing! She said she loved us! You know nothing of love! Mother Rai told us that you were devoid of any emotion and love, and to not listen to what you have to say!"
"Ohoho. So she already planned ahead. Oh well."
In the shadow-drenched chamber, Seraph, the centaur automaton, charged toward Gunn with his spear ablaze, its edges licking with white flames. Gunn, with the mystical crimson and black gleam of his enhanced dagger in hand, bounded forward to meet his foe with equal ferocity.
Seraph lunged forward, his spear aimed directly at Gunn's heart. With supernatural agility, Gunn sidestepped just inches from the spear's deadly point, the serrated edge leaving a scorching trail in the air. He parried with a deft swing of his dagger, aiming for Seraph's flank.
'Got him!'
The dagger met Seraph's metal body with a shrill clang, but a sliver of the blade found its way through a seam in the armor, delivering a hemorrhaging cut. Dark, oily blood - Seraph's lifeblood, oozed from the wound, releasing a faint, otherworldly wail. Seraph, undeterred, spun viciously, his tail whipping across Gunn's cheek, drawing first blood.
Gunn and Seraph jumped back from each other, and Gunn said to himself, "Blood…but mixed with oil…an automaton with blood…what kind of power does this Rai woman have?!"
'Maybe the poison in my dagger could work on this automaton…maybe?'
Seraph spread his flaming wings, launching himself upward. He dove back down with meteoric speed, aiming to impale Gunn. Gunn rolled forward, evading the descent, and vaulted off a protruding stone to backflip over Seraph, slashing downward as he passed above him, leaving a trail of blood in the air. Landing with a thud, Seraph reared back and unleashed a blinding burst of light from his spear. Gunn, squinting against the intense glare, surged forward using his dagger's Phantom's Grip ability, ephemeralizing his arm to bypass the onslaught of light and plant a series of gushing wounds along Seraph's exposed underbelly.
'With my Phantoms grip skill, my arm can turn ethereal in all sorts, and can pass through armor easily. This is a perfect upgrade. And this bastard mentioned the Children of Rai..is that some sort of automaton cult? Some group Rai created out of all the beings she manipulated? How many more are out there?'
Roaring from the pain, Seraph charged, enveloping his spear tip in intensified white flames and thrusting in rapid succession. Gunn's movements blurred into shadows as he weaved through the fiery barrage, each close call searing clothes and skin, adding to the visceral toll of the battle. Each combatant, now grim with determination and bloodied by significant wounds, exchanged a flurry of blows, their movements a blend of finesse and brute power. Gunn's dagger found its mark again and again, each strike an exsanguinating flourish that left Seraph's mechanical components whirring in distress.
Seraph said, "As I am a part of the Children of Rai, I won't lose!"
Gunn said angrily, "Stop talking and fucking fight!"
Seraph momentarily retreated, feigning a malfunction. As Gunn advanced, the centaur whirled with unexpected agility, delivering a powerhouse kick that sent Gunn slamming into a wall, cracking stone and splintering bone. Gunn, eyes narrowed with pain and resolve, leaped from the debris, locking Seraph in a close embrace to avoid his spear. Their struggle was silent but ferocious, a dance of desperate survival as Gunn drove his dagger deep, targeting the automaton's internal circuits. The dagger's Echo of the Abyss ability activated, releasing a soul-shattering scream. Seraph momentarily staggered, his auditory sensors overwhelmed. Gunn capitalized, slashing diagonally across Seraph's chest plate, widening previous wounds, and ensuring mechanical filaments meshed and malfunctioned.
Seraph, driven by pain-induced fury, forgot subtlety. He swung wildly, his spear creating arcs of crackling energy and flames of light. Gunn, anticipating this lack of control, dodged with surgical precision, his own strikes becoming more targeted, aiming for chinks and seams in Seraph's armor.
'He's becoming careless. An automaton's face doesn't move, but its expression changes from normal to angry. They're becoming more and more like life as I fight. It's giving me hints of where Rai is from, her nature, her power…it's like she can alter reality itself. But if she was able to grab Marshy and Torch, why didn't she grab me?'
Seraph retreating slightly, employed a new tactic, creating illusions of himself with his light abilities.
"Though they are copies, they could never be the real me, a true child of Rai!"
Gunn, eyes flickering between forms, used rapid, sweeping cuts to dissipate the illusions, finally discerning the real Seraph charging at him from behind. As the illusions faded, the real Seraph's spear caught Gunn's side, embedding deeply. With a gasp of pain, Gunn pivoted, bringing his dagger down in a mighty arc, the blade's spectral enhancements cutting even through the spear's shaft to claw into Seraph's arm. Both wounded severely, Seraph ripped his spear free, while Gunn, blood dripping from his side, lunged with remnants of his strength, embedding his dagger into Seraph's neck joint. Hydraulic fluids mixed with blood splattered as Seraph reeled back.
Bearing scars, burns, and the weight of imminent ruination, they circled each other, their footfalls echoing. Each warrior, summoning their last reserves of strength, advanced anew. Seraph swung his damaged spear like a club, while Gunn, grimacing from the pain, deflected with the flat of his dagger, sparks flying upon contact. Gunn leveraged his Phantom's Grip once more, his form flickering ethereally as he bypassed Seraph's frontal assault, appearing behind him. However, Seraph, anticipating the maneuver, spun around, his tail augmented with a surge of kinetic energy, thwarting Gunn's attack and sending him crashing to the ground with a shuddering impact.
"Agh!"
Rising from the dust, Gunn ignored his injuries, his eyes locked onto Seraph with unyielding ferocity. He sprinted, closing the distance, his dagger slicing the air with lethal precision. Seraph countered, his movements a blur as he parried with the remnants of his spear, each clash issuing a cacophony of metal against the obsidian blade. As both combatants grew weary, their attacks became even more desperate.
'Gotta trap him if I plan to kill him. He matches me with speed and strength. I won't win with pure strength and speed.'
Gunn employed a risky feint; he dropped to one knee as if succumbing to his wounds. When Seraph moved in decisively, Gunn rolled forward, flipped to his feet, and using an acrobatic leap, delivered a series of rapid stabs toward Seraph's chest and shoulders.
Reacting swiftly, Seraph unleashed a pulse of blinding light from his body, hoping to disorient Gunn. Shielding his eyes briefly, Gunn's heightened sense of battle kicked in, and he thrust forward blindly, relying on instinct. The dagger vibrated intensely, its scream piercing the haze, finding its mark along Seraph's foreleg, producing a spray of sparks and ichor.
Seraph screeched, "ERGH!! You cannot stop a child of Rai!"
They spun around each other, a dance macabre under the dim luminescence of Seraph's light. Gunn, grimacing with every movement, applied relentless pressure, while Seraph, visibly faltering, fought back with dwindling vigor, his every strike less assured.
Gunn leaped and spun at the same time, and kicked Seraph in the face, making him twist around, staggering back.
Gunn, with blood dripping from his head to the floor, gripping his dagger as his breath was trying to catch up with himself, peered at Seraph, saying, "He's tougher than the other ones I fought back then. I might lose this."
Seraph screamed, "It won't end like this! I'll fight like she's watching me! I didn't want to have to do this, she told me to only use it for emergencies.."
Gunn gasped, saying, "Is that.."
"But you are a nuisance."
Seraph had a huge black and white mixed glowing crystal in his hand, and he fully embraced it, eating it whole at a fast speed.
Gunn dropped to his knees, in shock.
"No…fuck…"
'In my Plague Doctor form…I could easily wipe him out. I don't want the same feeling I had when I was powerless.'
Gunn slowly stood up, wiping sweat off of his face. "I'm not done yet."
'If I relapse and think about the past when I was weak, that shit will make me weak now. I can't let that happen. I was able to defeat many Empire members before coming here, and it felt good. I didn't feel weak. But when the first enemy that poses a real threat to me after that shows up, I drop in defeat. The feeling of excitement…the feeling of true victory even when I feel like im finna get fucked up.'
Gunn smiled, "It makes me happy."
As the silence of their climactic duel hung heavy in the air, the chamber they fought in began to vibrate ominously. Seraph, amidst shuddering spasms of pain and defeat, started to morph. His body emitted a deep hum, metal panels folding and shifting as new enhancements appeared, his form expanding and recomposing into something more formidable—a dark evolution fueled by desperation and the engineered will to survive.
As Seraph evolved, his body grew larger and more imposing, wings stretching wider with a menacing array of spikes and his spear reconstructing into a dual-bladed weapon of devastating potential. He roared, a sound of mechanical fury, and lunged at Gunn, who was barely standing, weakened from their previous confrontation.
Seraph rapidly swung his newly formed dual-bladed spear, each stroke generating a sonic boom that rattled the stone walls. Gunn, caught off-guard by the ferocity and newfound speed of Seraph, could barely dodge, a glancing blow slicing through his armor and deep into his thigh, drawing a sharp cry of pain.
Hurling toward Gunn with unnatural speed, Seraph summoned a storm of light bolts from his spear, raining down on Gunn like a celestial wrath. Gunn, struggling, managed only to raise his arms in a feeble guard, the impacts throwing him backward with each successive hit. . Seraph, capitalizing on his enhanced strength, grabbed Gunn by the waist and threw him high into the air. As Gunn descended, Seraph launched upward, meeting him mid-fall with a devastating headbutt that sent Gunn plummeting into the ground, creating a crater upon impact.
With Gunn visibly dazed in the rubble, Seraph descended, stomping fiercely next to Gunn's head. The impact sent shockwaves through the ground, making Gunn writhe in agony as dust and debris danced around them like demonic confetti.
Gunn was on one knee, covered in bruises and scarlet colored blood and oil from Seraph. He said, "I'm not done yet..not here..not now.."
Seraph yelled while floating in the air, "What? Do you think you're some hero?! Rai is the true hero! Bramwell..he was meant to be a hero, but abandoned his destined duties because of his love for the Empire! He abandoned the mindset of his own realm and became infatuated with these weak humans that die fast!"
Gunn's eyes went malicious, clenching his fists, saying, "Don't mention his name..to me."
"Bramwell is a rebel, an enemy of Rai who must decide to bend to her will or die like the rest of the humans from her wrath."
"Shut up.."
"And you..Rai told us you stole the deity's power! The realm she's from is in complete turmoil because of it, no one to guide them since his power is gone, the deity has died."
"I said shut up!"
[Error]
"Tch!" Seraph flew towards him at high speeds, twisting at the same time like a drill as white flames and wind spiraled around him.
Despite his battered state, Gunn, driven by a surge of adrenaline, swung his dagger with renewed vigor, catching Seraph off-guard and slicing across his newly formed armor. Sparks and dark fluid erupted, hinting at a vulnerability.
Seraph gasped, "Huh..? Where did that come from? Aren't you weakened?!"
[Error]
Gunn rolled away from another devastating stomp, using the momentum to scramble up with a pained but determined expression. He ducked under a sweeping attack and countered with several deep stabs into Seraph's lower chassis, each strike accompanied by the chilling scream of the abyss.
"You're moving faster than before!"
[Error]
As Seraph attempted another light burst, Gunn activated the Phantom's Grip, his form shimmering as he passed right through the barrage, delivering a punishing uppercut that sent Seraph reeling backward, momentarily disoriented, as oily blood gushed from his mouth. Regaining his footing, Gunn dodged aside as Seraph's tail, now tipped with sharp, crystalline structures, whipped dangerously close, shearing through the stone where Gunn had stood. With a swift pivot, Gunn thrust his dagger toward Seraph's flank, connecting with a shower of mechanical innards. Gunn feigned a direct assault, only to suddenly tuck and roll beneath Seraph's thundering hooves, rising behind and driving his dagger through a joint in Seraph's rear leg. The automaton faltered, its structural integrity compromised.
With a roar, Seraph triggered a mechanism that heated his spear's blades to a white-hot intensity. Swinging it in a deadly arc, he aimed at Gunn, who narrowly escaped at light speed, the heat singing the hairs on his head as he tumbled to safety.
[Error]
Seraph, not relenting, followed up with quick, powerful thrusts, each punctuated by a burst of light energy, pushing Gunn to the brink as he parried, dodged, and leaped, using every bit of his diminishing strength to stay outside the killing range. In a near-miss, Gunn threw himself to the ground as Seraph's spear impaled the spot where his head had been seconds before. Rolling away, Gunn got to his feet, panting heavily, his clothing tattered and body soaked in sweat and blood.
Knowing the end was near, Gunn gathered his strength for one final assault. As Seraph charged, spear poised to strike, Gunn timed his movements with precision born of desperation. He sidestepped the lethal thrust, simultaneously sweeping Seraph's legs, causing the automaton to stumble. As Seraph regained balance, Gunn sprang, closing the gap, and using the automaton's own body against him. With a swift movement, he grabbed Seraph's head and, channeling all his remaining energy, drove his dagger directly through the sensory node hidden beneath the automaton's frontal panel—its metaphorical face. The blade, enhanced by Gunn's will and desperation, penetrated the advanced alloy, and Seraph's lights dimmed as his systems halted in a cascading shutdown.
[Error]
A resounding silence fell over the battle arena as the final sparks died from Seraph's inert body. Gunn, barely standing, his body trembling from exertion and wounds, looked on at the fallen automaton, his breath heavy and uneven. The battle was won, but at a tremendous cost to his own vitality.
Collecting himself, he retrieved his dagger from Seraph's remains, his hand shaking as he wiped the metallic blood on what remained of his torn cloak.
He looked once more at Seraph, the automaton that had evolved before his very eyes, a mirror to the potential and peril interwoven within their technological Victorian world. With a mix of respect and remorse, Gunn turned away, stepping out of the debris and into the shadows of the passage that led back to the human settlements, his mind already racing with plans and preparations.
He looked in the air, and dozens of system windows were flickering on and off around him saying:
[ERR0R]
[ERR0R]
[ERR0R]
Blood was draining from his mouth onto the floor, saying, "Ah..what's this mean?"
[ERR0R]
Suddenly, from one of the screens, a black shadow humanoid like figure came walking out of it.
Gunn looked at him, saying, "Huh..I've seen enough weird shit today..get away from me. I'll kill you."
The shadow figure said, "Willpower."
"You came out of the magic screen…"
"It's how you've been winning most of your fights. Willpower."
"Huh..that's it?"
"It's more complex. You've lost fights, even with it, your willpower gives you an automatic hidden boost in abilities in all aspects and you didn't even know."
"Where's the complex part? And who are you?"
'It came out of the system thing, and is talking, going straight to the point..what does it want?'
"This will be the only time the system will reveal its first form. The complexity behind your willpower relies on a pure source. Which you had instinctively activated every fight when you felt as if you'd lose."
"A source…similar to when I was thinking Bramwell got his power from the fear and submission from the world and the Empire. And how Rai is now known for gaining power from the submission and love from the automatons she gave life to."
'If that's the case, what's my source? This unknown bastard is talking about willpower coming from a source to give a slight temporary boost in power..'
The shadow replied, "Indeed. It is the same with you, for your power is from their realm."
"What's the source then? My memories? Thoughts? My motives? That's gotta be it."
"Wrong."
"What is it then?"
Suddenly, all over all of the system screens, pages of Gunn's journal of drawings and daily written thoughts appeared. Gunn watched them, inspecting every last drawing.
The shadow walked back and forth, saying, "That is your source. The embodiment of power is within the source of your revenge. The drawings of a peaceful life you crave for, the drawings of true revenge and happiness you want. By instinct, you tap into the urge to live out your drawings, when you're at death's door, you crave for the drawings—the events you wish to come to pass. That's your source."
A tear fell from Gunn's eyes, and he clenched his fists once more.
"Y-You know nothing!"
"I know you better than anyone, even yourself."
"Still.."
"Although, your willpower couldn't help you beat Mortimor, it didn't allow you to kill Bramwell on the spot, but you defeated many Empire members already. The stronger you get and level up, the stronger your willpower. You won't win them all, but you won't lose them all either. You've already been seeing that. And you even drew a picture of you marrying a woman—."
"Shut up! Shut up!"
"Struck a nerve it seems."
"Why then? Why do I have this power? Why was I brought back?"
"...I revealed myself for one reason. At this rate, you won't survive. But, I come to offer you something."
"You couldn't offer it within the magic system thing? You had to come out and be all mysterious? The fuck?"
"I would have to reveal myself later anyway due to the fact that I have to open the first floor of the Cursed Tower. I've come to let you know you're strong enough to fight in the first tower, even if you are a level behind, it's possible because I'm giving you early access; and if you win, and that's a big if, then you would gain your Plague Doctor form back temporarily until it runs out again. You do remember climbing the tower and clearing it fully would grant you permanent access to the form without a time limit."
"You want me to enter the tower now and fight a god?"
"Yes. It's power you crave right? And I'm literally telling you that I'm giving you early access to the Tower."
"I'm good."
"What?"
"I don't wanna. At least not right now."
"Why?"
"I want power, I want my power back. But after fighting this automaton, and seeing I almost lost, fighting a deity is going to take forever, and I might lose. Even if you, the system, tells me I have a chance to win, I've had too many close calls, barely won some of the fights I've been in. And if I take too long, Marshy and Torch will probably be dead. I failed way too many quests so far with the easier and most gracious rewards. And if I die, I can't kill Bramwell, Mortimor, and all the other members of the Empire."
"You're thinking mostly about others more than yourself. You could die in the estate."
"If I don't think about others, then I'd lose. I-It's not like I care about them or anything! But if I focus too much on my revenge itself, then I'd get distracted, act out of impulse, and then lose. And then I'll be stuck in an endless loop of feeling defeated, broken, and alone. And the feeling of loneliness already eats me alive enough as it is, so im going to fucking avoid that. So I refuse. I need Marshy and Torch to achieve my revenge. I have a greater chance of survival out here than I do facing off against a deity."
The shadow just stared at Gunn, its hollow eyes revealing no gesture or emotion.
Gunn then said, "Don't stare at me either, I take that as a threat."
"Even though I told you that you could die here, you still think you can save them? Against reality warping enemies?"
"I'm not alone here, I can hear fighting elsewhere, maybe they'll get in the way, who knows."
"Ugh. This is so stupid stupid stupid stupid. Fine. Have it your way. You can thank me later."
The shadow vanished, and Gunn sat in silence, thinking, 'That's it? Where did he...'
[Ding!]
[Level up!]
[The boss of the first floor, the deity of poison of the Cursed Tower has been defeated. Gained time for your Plague form. You're welcome. Even though, for me, breaking my own rules, there will be no more quests for you for a week straight. And there will be crafting limit]
Gunn raised his fist at the system, "Tch! DON'T GO DOING THINGS I DIDN'T ASK FOR, FOOL!! And what's this about limits?!"
[Limits set the standard for growing. Once you surpass those limits..]
Gunn stood up, and his Plague Doctor form was coming back. His hat being created on his face, his raven mask with the beak poking out, and his black coat and pants and boots and gloves forming, his body released a dark black and purple aura like flames, and he said, "I'll be unstoppable."
[There are four more powerful automaton Children of Rai within this estate. If you leave this room, the next one awaits. You have enough time In this form to fight them and then some more. Don't overdo it, you still could lose. Even your willpower might not be able to save you]
"If I don't get new quests from you because of this, then I'll still train. I'll make my body stronger, I'll craft the best I can until I reach my limit. I won't be defeated or be left behind. I'm going to the next room."
'I'm coming for you two fools: Marshy and Torch.'
[Quest completed: Defeat Seraph. 80% increase to all stats]
[Level 15]
Strength: 4,134
Speed: 3,481
Magic: 3,427
Stamina: 3,455
Curses: 3,427
Acid: 3,427
Poison Strength and Effectiveness: 5,141
Speech: 3,427
Wisdom: 3,458
[Defense and Durability increased]