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2024-10-29 19:42:56Dante held onto Crystal for dear life, the bike zooming forward without a moment's notice. He wondered what happened to Gilgamesh and why he'd looked so forlorn when leaving.
What exactly is going on? Dante couldn't be sure. But he had nowhere else to go; he was over his head anyway. I wonder how you survived this world, Alan. But according to Crystal, Alan didn't even count as a survivor—more of cannon fodder. Dante wasn't sure what to think about that. He decided to stop thinking and take in the world he found himself in. The landscape was bleak, and the harshness of the sun felt alien from the sun Dante was used to; it felt malicious. If he was being honest, everything in that damned world felt like they were gunning for his head. In that sweltering heat, The Graveyard felt a long way off, and Dante was shocked to realise he missed it—just a tad. Since there were practically no sounds of insects or birds, Dante wondered how Alan survived that long. In Alan's words, "This world is mad, and sometimes it refuses to let us die," even though Dante didn't understand it, it suddenly made sense. The terrain was sandy in some places and rocky in other areas. It was a mishmash of both. Aside from the sweltering heat, some things did not make sense, like the voice in his head in a hologram. It made no sense, and he'd never heard of such things happening before. If he was being honest, he felt as though he was hallucinating and would wake up after a while. The fact that he was holding onto Crystal for dear life didn't make it any better. The scenery changed suddenly, and just like earlier with the cavern, it seemed like one moment there was desert as far as the eyes could see, and the next, there was a scattering of caves and mountains with jagged edges. On one side, the sun's heat was sweltering; on the other, Dante couldn't breathe well because of the instant switch from hot to extreme cold. It was like walking bare-chested in a blizzard. "What is this? How's this possible?" Dante asked, his teeth chattering. In one smooth move, Crystal killed the engine and removed her jacket, handing it over to him. "Take, you'd need it," she acted so naturally; Dante wasn't sure if the place was weird or if he was overreacting. "This is my home. I protect it with my life. We are The Renegades. And you're one of us now." That was news to Dante since it was clear that he didn't agree to anything. But he hadn't eaten in a while, and his tongue felt like sandpaper. "Water," he croaked out, and Crystal's eyes widened suddenly. "Wait here. Don't move a muscle, no matter what." She sounded stern, and Dante wondered if she'd ever stop being bossy. He wrapped his arms around his body, the cold worming into his system. [BODY TEMPERATURE LOWERING, INITIATING SAFETY MEASURES] It was that damned voice again, the holographic one. He couldn't tell if he was going cuckoo or the world around him was. [BODY TEMPERATURE DROPPING, SAFE MODE INITIATED] Dante felt his arm heating up, like his imagination, but the heat seemed to be coming from his legs and arms. He raised his arm and screamed—a high and girly scream. His arms were glowing red as though they'd just come out from a blazing furnace. Forget the cold; I'd burn myself alive at this rate. [SAFE MODE DISABLED] And just like that, Dante touched his body to be sure he was in one piece. Another thing he noticed was that he was no longer cold at all. He felt perfectly toasty. "Can you read my mind?" He asked apprehensively, wondering if he'd get a response in return. [GREETINGS, I AM A PART OF YOU, AN EXTENSION OF YOUR SOUL, YOUR DIGITAL ADVANCED SELF] It all sounded like gibberish, especially since he asked a different question. But Dante could tell that whatever the voice was, it didn't have a hint of malice. So he could trust it for the time being. "What is wrong? I heard you shout," Crystal said, running up to him. She had a worried look in her eyes, and he wondered why. They hadn't known each other for a long while, just a few hours tops, not counting the time overnight spent in the cave. "I am fine; it's just the voice in my head. It helps in weird ways; I'm no longer cold," Dante said, handing over Crystal's jacket to her. A look of irritation crossed her face for a millisecond, and it was gone in a flash. Maybe I imagined it. "Gilgamesh is already here; let's get going." Crystal draped her jacket over her shoulder in an incredibly smooth, off-handed gesture. He didn’t know what to think.
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They needed each other and the sooner they realised it, the better for everyone involved. It didn't seem that way though, especially since Crystal was meant to be pissed off at Dante for killing her half-sister. But what Dante needed to learn, Crystal had already perfected. The ability to pick her fights with clarity and avoid senseless mistakes that would jeopardize the lives of others.Dante was young and needed to be guided. She felt like she was watching Mark all over again, and he was giving her a second chance. Darkus was… complex. He played both sides, and she didn't know if it was because Crystal ordered him to, or because he wanted to.A lot of things were going on, and she wished she had someone to talk about these things with. Dante was bashful and acted unsure of himself, and she wanted to pat his head and tell him everything was fine but she didn't know how he'd take it. He acted like he was sure of himself, even though his inner child was confused and scared, trying to
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Cincinnati was hungry. And doing her best to look out for Dante too. At first, she didn't see anything worth mentioning in him, his broodiness was starting to irk her. But she got to know him more and she could see that he was just someone who needed love.A lot of it.He didn't know because he acted self-sufficient, but she could see through the bullshit. He reminded her of Mark, the way he put on a brave front even when he knew nothing about what he was doing. She found it endearing, and maybe a little bit sad.That was the problem with people like Dante, they didn't know when to ask for help and when to be independent. She could see that he wasn't comfortable in his skin, and she didn't blame him, she once wasn't comfortable here. But things had changed, and now she was someone who could face the inevitability of a future and smile through it all.What Dante didn't know though, was that the world that'd been revealed to him was little compared to the truth. Gilgamesh wasn't the sec
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The room smelt damp, and Fred felt like his mouth had turned sandpaper, so dry from thirst, it felt like he hadn't had a drink in days.He tried to speak, but the words didn't come.Pathetic.He couldn't move, his arms shackled to something. It felt ice cold on his wrist, and he could feel the cold seeping into his skin like a virus, shutting down his body system."That is to keep you from having any ideas," Alistair was framed in the bars of the cell, his pearly white teeth shining in the dim light of the cell."Don't bother to talk, you'd just progressively get weaker. I wouldn't mind that in the least. But, I wouldn't want you passing out on me." Fred could make out a figure close to Alistair, a figure dripping with blood. "This is your pet, eh, boy? Doesn't look like much," Fred could vaguely make out the shape of Saphrana, and he tugged at his chains but they didn't budge in the slightest."I wouldn't do that if I were you. Those are mana-restrictive chains. The more you fight,
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Zero didn't like calling people assholes, but Terry was downright insufferable. If only he listened, but no. There were many things wrong with the Enforcers, but Terry was one of those things that irked Zero to no end. Which is why he decided to talk to Terry. He came out of his room and saw the military base looking deserted and lifeless. It was early in the day, at least 2 A.M, and he never really bothered to check. He made his way soundlessly down the hallway and took a right turn, where he climbed a flight of stairs. He was downstairs, whereas Terry was on the upper floor. Third floor, if he remembered correctly. The stupid place's elevators weren't even working.But Zero wasn't deterred, he had always lived in uncommon odds. And a flight of stairs were the least of his worries if he was being honest. He made his way to the landing, spotting Terry's room. The numbers didn't lie, it was 1,990-1200. He heaved a breath of annoyance. Terry was being a child, and Zero needed to sho
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"Terry hates you," Valerie spoke in a singsong voice, ignoring the glaring looks of disdain sent their way."Get used to it, it's part of the trade," Zero deadpanned, stabbing his fork into the tough piece of meat he had rolling around his plate."If looks could kill, you'd be six feet under by now. With the way they're staring, you'd think we killed their favourite pet," Valerie was having a field day with the new development, and Zero lost his chance to tell her he was asexual. Although, who could blame him? The kiss was something. But he didn't want to repeat it. It served no purpose."You get used to things like this," Zero paid it no heed, he was just being hassled by the number 1000-1500. They weren't even enough as a warmup. "You've made an enemy of virtually everyone. From a legend to a villain. How does it feel?" Valerie was giddy, for reasons Zero did not understand. But he tucked the information away in the recesses of his mind. There were more important things to watch o
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Dante's fists couldn't reach. Even though S warned him about exerting himself, he never listened. And his fists still didn't reach. He felt exhaustion creep in on him, and Gilgamesh wasn't slightly fazed."This isn't a joke, and you need to stop thinking you'd suddenly power up like those books you read. Nothing is that convenient here. Have you ever taken a good look at Crystal? At her fingers?"Dante wondered what Gilgamesh meant. He knew Crystal was an okay person; he just didn't understand what she had to do with anything."Why should I look at her fingers?" He asked, momentarily stalled."You don't see what's before you, even with binoculars. When Crystal came here for the first time, she was alone in the world. No food, no means to procure some. She fought tooth and nail to survive an enemy she couldn't see, one that takes from you without giving anything back."Gilgamesh had a look in his eyes that Dante knew he had to stay his hand. "She toiled as a child. Nobody was there to
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Chapter Forty Nine
You've failed only because you never understood victory. Why do you want to win so bad?"Sometimes, Gilgamesh was someone Dante couldn't decipher. He'd gotten to know the guy, and there was always something to be learned if he was calm enough.Even though Gilgamesh was meant to be the idiot of The Renegades, he couldn't be boxed in, and the last time Dante fought with Gilgamesh, he had his ass handed to him on a platter. "You can only talk like that because you're strong. I'm not as strong as you yet," Dante grumbled, his arm throbbing. Even though he technically didn't have human arms anymore, the prosthetics were connected to his nerve endings, and well… they felt like normal arms. Just more powerful.Way more powerful.[NOTICE: YOUR MORALE DECREASES BY 1][DANTE STORMBORN: PASSABLY HUMAN][STRENGTH: 55][AGILITY: 28][DEXTERITY: 20][INTELLIGENCE: 15]The humanoid Hologram, S, was cheekier than usual. And that was weird since it was acting more humanoid by the day.My intelligence
