Chapter 14: Arrival (2)
As the colossal UCA wall drew closer, Fighter could clearly distinguish the two figures standing guard near the massive gate. Both were Story Bearers, and their energy fields—their Auras—shimmered with vibrant, organized power.
Fighter didn't need to strain his eyes to analyze them when he had an Artefaq sharing his consciousness.
Fighter: "Can you tell me about those two men, Rechel?"
Rechel: [Why? Do it by yourself. Don't ask me like I am your helper. Ok.]
Fighter ignored the passive-aggression. He needed intelligence more than pride.
Fighter: "Please, please, can you help me? I'm sorry I compared you to a System."
Rechel: [What can I do with you... Very well. Ok.]
The information, rendered in Rechel's signature green digital text, flashed across Fighter's internal vision.
[ Guard 1
Chapter : two (Chaste)
Class : Worm
Book : Free spirited
Book rank: Chaste (completed)
Script: Wind catcher, Soft
Guard 2
Chapter : two (Chaste)
Class : Worm
Book : Free spirited
Book rank: Famous
Script: Wind catcher, Soft ]
Fighter: "How the hell do you know all this information?" He genuinely whispered the question, stunned. He could only glimpse the Chapter; Rechel was extracting the entire profile.
Rechel: [It was very simple; a baby should know how to do that. At first, I took your memory and the Aura signature. Did some calculation to find out a near-perfect answer. Ok.]
Fighter didn't understand how his memory and the Aura could yield such detailed results, but the moment for intellectual curiosity was gone. His eyes locked onto Guard 1.
Guard 1 was moving. He wore the stark, bright green uniform of the UCA and was walking directly toward Fighter. As he closed the distance, his hand began to shine with an ominous glow. Fighter could see the Aura gathering—a focused, compressed energy signature that felt like the precursor to a definitive attack, one easily capable of killing a starved, unarmored man.
Fighter had to be careful. He was entering a cage, and if he wasn't meticulous, he would die like a nobody, a slave, without ever seeing the world he craved.
Guard 1: "Hey you! Stop right there. Who are you? Why are you staring around like that? Do you have any identification?"
Fighter's foolish behavior—the wild staring, the erratic inner dialogue—had made him look suspicious. However, Guard 1 was not overly aggressive yet. Many legitimate Story Bearers had strange hobbies and erratic behaviors due to their Scripts.
Fighter drew a deep, shuddering breath of the clean UCA air. "I have no identification." He stated the truth with unnerving calmness.
First Strike: The Trap Springs
Guard 1 narrowed his eyes, clearly put off by Fighter's horrifying appearance and lack of documents. "Hm. So, why are you here?"
Fighter, covered in blood and filth, looked like a walking biohazard.
Fighter: "To study at UCA... as a student."
Second Strike: Escalation
A filthy vagrant claiming to be a new student was highly suspicious. Fighter's answer was thin ice.
Guard 1 stiffened. The Aura in his hand intensified, ready to strike. "Are you sure about that? What qualification do you possess to study at the United Central Academy?"
Guard 1 was being cautious. He didn't want to kill a legitimate (if disgusting) Story Bearer, but he needed to confirm Fighter wasn't a [Horror] attempting infiltration. While he was speaking, automated, subtle scans were sweeping Fighter from the gate station, analyzing his energy signature and physical state.
Fighter didn't wait. He decided to leverage the one thing that made him untouchable.
Fighter: "I think I am a Story Bearer!" he screamed out, forcing his intention into the air.
Just as the words left his lips, a new, urgent ping echoed in Guard 1's helmet—a System Message from the Gate Station's deep-scan analysis.