This is a Beta Test?! - A Literally Broken System

Peace was always the best outcome for any sort of situation. Sure, while there was a time and place for violence, there was just something soothing with just laying back and staring at nothing for minutes on end, away from all the stressors and pains of life in favor of simply being in the moment. Simply sitting down on this bench with Guidance beside me was melting away all of the concerns that was starting to build up with being in this world. It wasn\'t much, but the constant companionship was a very different feeling from before when I was just constantly alone or with my co-workers. We were friends, sure, but this.... This is different.

"Moriya!"

But unfortunately, like all good things, these moments of peace were always fleeting.

"What is it?" I asked, turning my gaze back down from the sky towards Shizu and Shen, along with another woman that was clearly the one from earlier. "And who\'s this?"

"Dont\'cha remember?" Shen frowned at me. "It\'s that woman you-"

"She\'s Nicole Alset, an inventor," Shizu quickly responded, her eyes faintly taking a glance at the woman before giving Shen a knowing look. "Shade apparently broke something of hers earlier, so she wants to be compensated and all that."

I blinked at the newcomer as she stood up close and personal beside Shizu. Funnily enough, I couldn\'t help but notice just how... just how much potential she had in terms of actually looking good. She was beautiful already, sure, but the way she slouched and presented herself told me of someone that clearly didn\'t care about their personal looks. I mean, her bun was held together by a pencil of all things, and she was currently covered in soot for some reason.

"I see," I nodded, leaning back on the bench as I felt Guidance shimmy a bit beside me. "How much is it then?"

"Three Chips!" Nicole enthusiastically replied, the look on her face screaming \'madwoman\' as she smiled. "That\'ll be just enough for me to remake my engine."

"An engine, huh..." I couldn\'t help but chuckle a bit. Funny coincidence that we were just talking about engines a while ago. "Wait, didn\'t I give you ten Chips, Shizu?"

"Yep," the princess unabashedly beamed. "We kind of spent it all already."

"Go figure..." I couldn\'t help but sigh. Beside Shizu, Shen was uncharacteristically sighing along with me before flashing me an apologetic look. Huh.... Who would\'ve thought that the kid that started off being proud and arrogant found herself growing up quickly because of bad financial decisions...

Turning my attention back to Nicole, I noticed that she was clearly excited about what she was about to receive. Then again, who wouldn\'t be when they were going to get money real soon? Wait... If she was a recruitable party member... "What kind of engine is it?"

Beside me, Guidance seemed to have picked up on my tone as I watched Nicole clearly take a step back in surprise. I guess she didn\'t expect to get this far. But seeing as she was clearly an important character going forward, we might as well make some connections. Hell, we needed a lot more on the [Rig] than six people anyway. And we\'ve also been thinking about replacing the solid fuel engine on the [Empire\'s Wrath] with something more substantial as well. Maybe this was going to be it?

"It\'s a Null Generator," Nicole began, placing her hands inside the pockets of her lab coat as she explained. "It works by- wait... Why am I telling you this?"

I chuckled, "It\'s an honest question though, right? Besides, I might be interested in refitting a new engine into our [Rig]."

At my words, Nicole let out another gasp of surprise, her eyes widening as a mad blush on her cheeks began to spread along her face. And not to be left behind, Shen also visibly reacted, shaking with excitement as the smile on her face told me that she was looking forward to getting new toys.

"I... I\'d love to!" Nicole yelled aloud in anticipation. "I\'d have to see the [Rig] and how it all fits, but it\'d be an honor to do so!"

Guidance\'s elbow hit the side of my rib even as I chuckled. Turning to her, the dev was also blushing for some reason. Didn\'t know why though, but I guess she was just lusting over her characters again. Unlike Shen, this Nicole was one of her own designs from what she had told us.... Aaaand I just remembered that it also meant that she might have some kind of route to her as well.

Great...

"You\'ll do it then?" I asked once more, standing up to stretch my legs a bit.

"I\'m just going to refit the engine, right?" Nicole confidently shrugged. "So long as I get paid, then I\'m all for it!"

"Glad to hear it, "I couldn\'t help but smile. Looking at the other three, I supposed that now was as good a time as any to get back on the [Rig] and regroup. Although... "Where\'s Shade and Maruki?"

"Oh? I told Shade to take what we bought back to the [Rig]," Shizu responded. "As for Maruki, I honestly don\'t know. I can use my eyes to try and find him if you want though."

"Nah, it\'s fine," I waved her off. "If anything, I expect that he\'s already by the [Rig]. Or maybe he\'s even somewhere nearby."

"Probably the former," Guidance spoke out after spending a bit of time in silence. "Either that, or he\'s probably with Shade on the [Rig]."

"Yep," I nodded. "So with all of us having concluded all of our stuff, we might as well go back, yeah?"

The princess promptly nodded, as did Shen and Guidance as they visibly waited for me to lead the way. Meanwhile, Nicole was eagerly eyeing me down like I was a piece of meat. Well, more like a piggy bank really.

"So we\'re going to this [Rig] of yours already?" Nicole excitedly asked, her feet practically jumping back and forth from how giddy she was.

"That\'s the plan," I nodded. "From there, we\'ll show you to the engine room and discuss payment after your assessment."

"I\'ll be da one taking her down, yeah?" Shen asked.

"Of course," I smiled. "You\'ll be the one maintaining the thing after it\'s all installed, after all."

Nicole flinched at my words for some reason, but she kept quiet even as the smile on her face became just a little bit strained. Didn\'t know what that was all about, but I\'m pretty sure that it was nothing to worry about.

[*clang.... clang....*]

Huh... That sounded strange... Coming from high above too... "Do you hear something?"

"Nothing much?" Shizu curiously chimed in. "Sounds like what I heard in the markets from earlier."

Looking for a second opinion, it would seem that the rest of them agreed with the princess\'s assessment. Sure, the markets were pretty much just a factory of random noises, but this sounded different for some reason.

"I guess it was just nothing then."

Shrugging, I moved forward. Still, even as the sounds became ever so distant, I had a feeling that I just missed something important.

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MARUKI

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Maruki was not having a good time at the moment.

[*CLANG! CLANG!*]

Running security detail for the Princess was the most important duty he had ever had the pleasure of undertaking in a long while. And even though he knew full well that she could take care of herself just fine, it still fell to him to make sure that any and all threats to her being were taken care of in the swiftest and most satisfying of manners.

And right now, he was doing just that.

[*CLANG! CLANG!*]

Maruki glared at the rotund bearded man that he was currently crossing swords with. He had spotted the stalker while he was tailing the Princess, and he was quick to investigate the matter. To his surprise, the man simply gave him a look before drawing what looked to be a small dagger with glowing lines running through its edge. From there, the rest was history.

[*CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!*]

Their battle was both loud and silent, both of them refusing to exchange words as their presence was kept to the barest minimum. Maruki sorely wanted to bark out his questions and accusations, but he knew enough to keep a low profile even if he couldn\'t help himself at times.

[*CLANG!*]

Their blades clashed once more before both of them slid off of one another from the force of their attacks. Maruki let out a short breath, his [DUTY!] glowing ever slightly as he kept his guard up. Likewise, the stalker seemed to be consulting some kind of Marquean device on his wrist, a [Manifest]-like glow faintly shimmering against the relative darkness around them.

"It would seem to me that you\'re not all as it seems," the man declared with a soft hum, finally breaking the silence between them. "The paperwork for this [Rig] of yours is riddled with holes. Care to explain such a discrepancy?"

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