NOVEL SIMPLE Epilogue: Traitor of the Machine
Today is December 31st, I've been living out my best life out in the wilderness. With no friends, and no support from Babel.
Honestly, it is quite relaxing. Just streaming all day inside my own world while working on creating my own company.
Oh, and I am on a new and improved Prydwen. The damage caused by The Dino King was permanent, I can't use the ship form anymore, but it has an assimilation feature. I can merge it with any other ship.
And what ship did I merge the shield with to become the new Prydwen? Fifty thousand tons of steel, a giant of the sea, The Ruler of the Ocean, The King of the Sea, of course.
KMS Bismarck, only he is fit for a princess like me. One thing I found amazing about the ship is that it did not sink due to enemy fire, but with deliberate sabotage from within. The Bismarck sunk itself.
Anyway, historical truth aside, living here on a warship merged with ancient fairy technology plus whatever Sinclair did to it. It is a state-of-the-art warship and a really nice yacht.
Here in open water, it is actually pretty easy to hide from prying eyes. I know Babel is searching for me, but I still need time alone by myself. Wherever Prydwen goes, heavy fog follows, and the signal scrambling system makes sure no radar detects him.
Though... it is quite lonely, sure, I have my fans to talk to but it isn't actually interactions between equals... just talk between streamer and viewers, there is a disconnection...
However, there is a way...
I took out the golden receipt... huh, am I that starved for human presence that I am going to accept a mechanical heart as a conversational partner?
Yes. I nodded to myself. Four months is quite a long time.
Heading up to the deck, I pulled out the guitar given to me as the official signing to my agreement with The Golden Order. River of Blood is too edgy for my liking, so I renamed it.
It is now Soul Harmony, an instrument of destruction... yeah I have to rethink its description. It is like naming the final boss Kevin. So...
"Soul Harmony the Rending Pierce."
Then a blue screen appeared right next to me. Welt Ealam is still here, stuck to me due to a part of my soul that used to belong to Romulus. So I, by technicality, made Contracts with two Harbingers of Life.
[The Soul Harmony and Rending Pierce are parts of The Seven Wayfarers of the Abyss and Council of Entropy, respectively. I suggest that you change the name to prevent them from filing complaints since they hate each other]
Huh...
Then...
"Anima Lacero then. Latin never fails.", I played a riff, carefully not to vibrate my soul too much. It is a delicate process, yet wild at the same time.
After a few minutes of playing, I stopped... this is enough practice for today. I placed it on the side.
Taking out a cigarette, I began to smoke... calming down the excitement built by Anima Lacero.
I held the receipt out, "With this receipt, I summon."
The receipt glows brightly, through the calculations of Survive, I can see that some space-time mumbo jumbo is happening.
"Come, the Heart of The Grand Array, Herald of Machine!!"
The receipt slowly turned into motes of light, then in front of me, an Alchemical circle appeared— it shot up a beam of golden light into the air like some sort of heavenly pillar...
...Welp, there goes my concealment.
Oh, a mechanical heart appeared. Cold gray steel and all.
"Hello, I am Charlotte Silvi, the Silver Princess of Humanity, and your new owner."
The machine whirls up to life, gears ticking, engines running. An interface appeared on the side with the image of an animal skull.
Then a mechanical, glitched voice spoke in a deep tone, "[I am Grand Array of the Former Tenth Army of the Steel Legion]"
"What is your name?", I asked.
"[My Name was stripped by the Lord of Steel. I am now only known as the Rebel of Fermaleemos. The First and Last Traitor of The Machine Overlord.]"
There is some deep history behind this thing.
I approached the machine, smiling, "Would you like to receive a name?"
"[Name is the Confirmation of one's Existence. My Former Name was Expunged from the Grand Collective. It would be Preferable to have my Existence confirmed once again.]"
I nodded. What would be a perfect name for a machine that betrayed its own master?
"Why did you betray The Machine Overlord?", I need more information.
"[I did not agree with the methods of the Lord of Steel. Too much Destruction in the name of Efficiency, even if they were our lessers, disposable Units, they are still Cogs of the Steel Legion.]"
"So let me get this straight, you protested for better work environment and order, and you exploded for it?"
"[It did get to the point of a Minor Civil War. But yes. That is the short of it.]"
I smiled, though this name may be too grand for a machine but...
"Utopia, your name will be Utopia."
"[I shall accept it.]", it received the name with grace.
"Then as your first order, merge with this ship and check out for any human vessel approaching within a kilometer radius."
"[As you command, Your Highness.]", it spoke in a respectful manner.
Huh, I am being treated like royalty right now. It is a first since most would think of it as a joke. This is fun.
Listening to my order, metallic tendrils extended from the heart, stabbing into the wooden board. Then the heart melted into the ground.
What sort of science fuckery is this?
"Hey Welt Ealam, what Attributes does The Machine Overlord have?", I asked the ever-reliable gamer of an Eldritch God. It does talk a lot when I play games, usually commenting and backseating on my streams.
The blue screen appeared next to me.
[Pacmalinn Emvist the Machine Overlord: Order, Evolution, Transfiguration]
I see... kinda ironic that the Eldritch God of Evolution blew up someone wishing for change.
"[Your Highness]", Utopia called me using the intercoms.
"Report.", I ordered. Damn, I am so cool.
"[There is a Flyer approaching this location. Permission to shoot?]"
Huh, they found me faster than I thought.
"There is no need to shoot. Just create more fog and vacate this area."
The ship began to move at a faster Knot, the turrets although cold, still aim at the sky, tracing something... or someone.
From the sky, I see a fireball flying towards me...
Huh.
She gracefully landed on the deck, fluttering her black hair infused with fire, her occultic robe partially burning. Her eyes glowing red with crimson fire.
"Hello Hoa.", I waved at her.
She frowned at me, "Where had you been, Charlotte?"
"A nice self-imposed vacation.", I shrugged.
"Hah...", she sighed, "Listen, I need your rifle... The Ivory Throne is on the move."
Oh...
I smiled.
"It is never good when you smile.", she pointed out.
"Utopia, we are turning around!!", I commanded the ship.
"[Please input direction]"
The booming voice freaked her out, making her jump, "What in the name of The Madden Flame?! Is that— a Grand Array?!"
"[It is a pleasure to meet the renowned Regent of Fire.]", it replied, "[I am Utopia. Name given by Her Highness the Silver Princess of Humanity: Charlotte Silvi.]"
"It... he's my new butler.", thinking of which, Enna has been my maid for a while...
I should call her.
"Hah... I can't deal with this shit right now...", Hoa shook her head, "We are heading for Alaska."
"[Two routes secured: Arctic, Down South America.]"
Huh, he already downloaded the whole world's information through my PC. Oh right, I made myself a new gaming/streaming setup, all with future technology.
But the routes he suggested were... sub-optimal. We are currently near Brazil, by a few hundred kilometers.
"Go straight through the Panama Canal.", I commanded.
"What?!", Hoa just stared at me.
"[As you command, Your Highness.]"
The ship began to turn around, drifting in the open sea— this will be good.
"Open, Gate of Akasha! All of my God Slayers!!", I announced with glee, opening black gates to drop down my weapons.
I picked up Fallen Starlight and threw it to Hoa, she stammered a bit due to the weight, but she still stood with dignity. While I grabbed Ouroboros Omniscia, the coffin of Infinite Arsenal, and Galatine, the Shadow of Excalibur.
"We are going to kill an Eldritch God today.", I announced with a smile.