Paymax, as he called himself, was a hologram from a bracelet on one of the severed arms lying around.
The simple black bracelet was scratched and cracked in several places on the sides. It looked more like a small sleeve than a top-secret handheld computer. It had only a couple of buttons and a small slider, probably for the voice assistant's volume.
But what was more interesting...
The hologram representing Paymax itself looked like a planet with cartoonish eyes.
"…" He became interested and took a closer look at the body of the advanced intelligence.
The planet reminded him of his own in some ways, although the differences were more striking. There were noticeably fewer bodies of water, and the largest was barely bigger than the smallest ocean on his home planet.
But what surprised him most was the absence of green areas. It seemed that there was not a single green corner on the entire planet, except for one large one in the central part.
In comparison, there were many more colorful deserts, hills, and mountain ranges. And yet, the most interesting thing here was a tiny white continent that seemed to be located right in the sky...
"Wait, those aren't mountains... That's the displacement of the terrain from explosions and craters."
"Excellent observation, unknown stranger. I'm glad you're interested in my body. As you know, the small "meteor shower" 200 years ago did not pass without consequences. You also know, of course, that the most sensational and explosive event in modern history affected not only the Peaks but the entire world as well."
"What?"
"Allow me to provide a brief report of the Manshuar campaign. As you know, when the one whose name cannot be spoken... the great and mighty... Beep... the All-Knowing and All-Encompassing... Beep! Critical error. Databases corrupted.
"And thank God..." he replied with a long sigh.
All those terms made him feel uneasy, but something in Pax's words caught his attention.
That word was Peaks. When he died and met that being, it mentioned that term... As well as the six Paths leading from those Peaks.
Unfortunately, at the time, he was in a state of shock and apathy, so most of the information and context went over his head. However, he remembered that there were only six Peaks and that they were most likely some kind of gods capable of miracles.
"Beep..."
"Hey, Paymax, snap out of it."
He patted the elongated bracelet on his severed arm.
"Beep! Initiating annihilation protocol!" The hologram of the planet turned an angry red.
"Enough, this is no time for friendly mode. Also, remove those clichéd jokes from your arsenal."
"Beep... Comment noted! Paymax is a constantly evolving intelligence that doesn't waste time dealing with foolish strangers!"
"Gods..."
There were many questions, very many. And yet, the situation where he had to sit idly and just talk to a hologram seemed strangely disturbing. Besides, he had to act so he wouldn't drown in his own thoughts.
"Okay, Paymax... You can see me, right?"
"That's right, unknown stranger, not present in any of the surviving databases. By the way, interesting fact: I can see you thanks to optical sensors built into..."
"Stop, stop, stop. Since you can see and hear me, please answer my question. What is your goal?"
"Good and prosperity for the whole world!"
"And what are you willing to do to achieve that?"
"Anything..." the hologram said menacingly, turning black and making a frightening grimace.
"Paymax, what did I tell you about friendly mode..." He shook his head and hoped it was really a joke. "If that's the case, then fine. But wouldn't you have self-destructed if I hadn't called out to you? How will you achieve prosperity for the whole world if you explode?"
"But my user..."
"Your user is gone, but the world still needs your help, Paymax. Think about it."
Leaving this phrase behind, he sighed and headed for the rest of the corpses.
The conversation with the bizarre machine had slightly diluted his apathy, but his mood remained melancholic overall. It was unlikely that this would change.
'Average life expectancy is about 90 years? Perhaps in this world it has reached 100. If you drink and smoke, this period can be significantly reduced. And if you also get a very dangerous job... But first, there is this force test. I need to get out of here, whatever this place is.'
Conforting himself with such thoughts, he began to fiddle with the corpses.
...
After a while, he noticed one interesting feature. Most of the dead had replaced body parts, and some even had artificial insides. Simply put, they were implants.
Even in his era in his native world, this field had made significant progress. However, here, this progress had gone much further, which led to certain thoughts.
"How disgusting..." he said with revulsion, pulling a strange device out of another decayed skull.
It looked like a strange board or chip the size of a finger phalanx. Each of the dead had such a device, and apparently, they were connected directly to the brain.
"Looks like you've found another rare artifact. It looks like... Ah. Allow me to introduce the neodeck — the highest work of engineering art, a stroke of genius...!" Paymax said excitedly, but was interrupted.
"Stop. If you don't want to turn off friendly mode, then at least be so kind as not to overwhelm me with all this information and terminology." He sighed wearily as he rummaged through the bloodstained equipment. "Paymax, we have more pressing matters that require your assistance."
"Paymax is always ready to help its user!"
"Great. First of all, what happened here? A pile of corpses, someone tore them apart, a dug grave, and this statue..."
"Unfortunately, you are not my user. You are a stranger!"
"Paymax, you're just a bracelet on a severed arm. If I don't get you out of here, you'll be doomed. Your goal will remain unfulfilled, and the whole world will be doomed to destruction just because of some friendly jokes," he replied, sighing and shaking his head.
"Stranger, you are undoubtedly right, but... Beep! Verification required. Stranger, please come here to user qualification scan."
"Can't a know-it-all like you crawl over here yourself?"
"Stranger, that's not funny."
"I wasn't laughing."
He walked over to a hand lying nearby and removed the bracelet from it.
He then put it on his forearm, and for a moment, the hologram of Paymax disappeared, replaced by flashing lights.
Without wasting any time, he looked around for the scattered equipment that had been lucky enough to survive. Unfortunately, he couldn't take everything, but most of it was inaccessible anyway due to the identification failure.
"Haah..." he sighed wearily.
His new acquaintance remained silent for the time being, so he decided to examine the bracelet and the strange chip from the dead man's head that he had taken with him.
He immediately realized that finding Paymax was a real miracle.
Recently, he had safely ignored most of the conversation with the creature that had brought him to this world. And because of his emotional state right now, he desperately needed at least some context about the situation and information about the world in general.
He needed Paymax, just as Paymax needed him.
"Beep... The check has revealed that the intended user is 100% unsuitable! This is very unfortunate... for you!"
"To hell with it. Blow up as much as you want, tin can," he said dryly, tearing off his bracelet and throwing it away.
In general, he could manage on his own.
"Wait...!"
"To hell with you, tin can. To hell..." He turned away and waved at him from behind his back.
He was tired of persuading and talking to this fickle robot. He had more important things to do — rummaging through advanced scrap metal.
"Wait, you won't get out of the Pit without me!"
"I already did, literally 20 minutes ago."
"This is not a metaphor, and it's not a real pit! I'm talking about the lands known as The Pit, left behind after the most famous War of the Peaks in history! Brief background: due to the prolonged global depression caused by the long absence of the Games of Champions, the one whose name cannot be spoken... the great and mighty... Beep... The All-Knowing and All-Encompassing... Beep! Critical error. Databases are corrupted."
"Wonderful... If you truly desire prosperity for the world, then you have three tasks. First, compile a brief summary of this Pit, avoiding critical errors in your databases. Second, examine the site of the mass slaughter and create a hypothetical scenario. Third, shut up."
"Paymax doesn't need time for these second-rate tasks. Beep... Done!"
Feeling his eye twitch again, he turned to the hologram of the planet and didn't let it speak again.
"Excellent. Now shut up, or I'll bury you right in this pit, and the whole world will come to an end."
"..." The advanced intelligence finally went silent.
He sighed wearily and looked up at the sky. Instead of the usual gray moon, there was a monstrous black hole, but... the frightening object seemed quite attractive to him. It was strange, but he felt something familiar about it.
After all, who else but him was like a black hole?
Feeling the reflection of the celestial object on himself, he finally set about doing what he had been putting off for a long time... Trying to ignore the piercing feeling of the gaze on his back coming from that terrifying statue.