OLD-WORLD EXTRA-Chapter 485: ...That Sprouted

***

Something about Max's backstory intrigued Emir.

In the 'novel,' the boy had experienced neglect; in the real world, he hadn't, rather he was quite coddled.

It was a telling difference, suggesting that something he did had altered Max's childhood.

Or perhaps it was just due to his existence.

Either way, Max's behavior remained consistent between the two worlds even without similar context.

A weird result, no?

How could the same conclusions be reached with two completely different equations, numbers, and structures?

Yet that didn't surprise him.

The 'novel' was never real-it was a simulation of a potential future, written in a condensed form by the Rule Keeper, Oracle.

Phenomenal, terrifying, yes, but that was all it was.

'It' simply had misinterpreted the exact source of Max's behavior.

After all, even tech-backed fate had difficulty predicting emotions and their cause, a variable more intricate than any path it could trace.

Emir understood that well, and he aimed to erase those ties, shaping Max's future so his past couldn't drag him back, no matter what it contained.

Only time would reveal if he'd succeeded, though.

For now, he was more interested in the rest.

Again, if Max's situation was any indication, his friends weren't doing any better.

Emir needed to reach them before it was too late.

He moved fast, almost flying through the tunnels.

Though he knew they were still alive, courtesy of his Shadow Squad, it didn't seem like they would last much longer.

'Flash Step.'

As he reappeared many tens of meters ahead, the ground beneath him became littered with wreckage and scattered bodies.

Like earlier with Max, it was obvious the cohort had fought here, killing many of their pursuers.

Not much differed from the 'novel' except their quantity.

The trend of more powerful disasters continued.

'Touché~'

With another 'Flash Step' Emir spotted the cohort in the distance.

It was a scene of dire struggle.

Arthur fought with every ounce of his remaining strength, desperately holding off a group of soldiers with his gun's bayonet, which seemingly housed no more ammunition.

And just in the time Emir's eyes landed on him, he made multiple life-ending mistakes.

Yet none of them came true.

Like always, he escaped death a moment before it could embrace him.

Sofia was the same, barely standing, trying her best to fend off their attackers despite her severe injuries.

She dodged and weaved their strikes, adorning the way snakes moved.

Ava was glued to her side, never more than three steps away, healing her with whatever Aether she had left, whenever she could.

Those two acted like a well-oiled machine and it was all due to Sofia.

Though they were on their last ropes, she dominated the battle, deciding the tempo of everything around her.

But even then, the soldiers were relentless, their attacks way more coordinated than what the cohort had gotten used to.

They were undoubtedly the best of the rats that were sent after them, and it showed.

Arthur's efforts seemed futile, as did Ava's, their faces as pale as the moon.

Sofia's face was the palest of them, sweat mixing with the blood staining her augmented suit.

Every swing of her weapon seemed to cost her more, her strength waning as the battle dragged on.

If things remained the same, there was no doubt they'd die a dog's death.

"Enough."

But as if it wasn't bad enough, a new figure appeared among the opposition, wearing a faded cloak.

It was a man who appeared out of place, frail, his movements slow, clumsy.

Yet, there was something about him that made Sofia wary, even when the danger she sensed was not immediately apparent.

The rats stopped attacking and made way for him, allowing him to walk towards Sofia uninterrupted.

"...Who the hell are you?"

The man smiled faintly, giving a slight bow.

"Call me Maraak. A priest-to-be. Good manners demand I introduce myself, though I doubt names matter to the dead."

He gestured lazily, and the ground shuddered beneath them. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

Machines, once hidden, clicked to life, constructs rising from the debris around them like

predators.

"Damn Technomancer... Kill him you guys, I'll get out of your hair-!"

Ava muttered as she stepped back, her eyes scanning their surroundings for a place to hide.

"Arthur, follow her. These things can hunt."

Arthur, almost doubled over from fatigue, glanced at her, his grip tightening on the gun.

"Like I'm leaving you here. They'll just have to go through both of us."

Maraak's thin smile widened, though his eyes remained cold.

"How touching. But I didn't come here for heroics."

He lifted a hand, and the constructs moved, their limbs extending like talons as they closed in.

"Resistance is futile. You're tired, spent, and frankly, unprepared."

"Quiet."

Sofia spat, raising a nearly broken sword that she recently picked up.

"We don't need your monologue."

Maraak chuckled, unbothered.

"Is that so? Then, by all means, die."

Sofia's grip tightened around her sword's hilt, and she went forth, meeting the first of the

constructs.

"Keep your guard up!"

Arthur was right next to her, stabbing his bayonet through a construct's animal-like head.

"They don't look like much!"

He was confident against them, an emotion so incredibly rare, perhaps even new.

The man chuckled.

"That's the problem with youth. Always trusting your eyes."

He raised a hand, and with a metallic hum, the constructs formed a tight perimeter around

them, leaving no room for retreat.

That was when the soldiers rejoined the battle, standing shoulder to shoulder, their guns

tracking the duo.

|| ||

"F-Find cover!"

Sofia's and Arthur's attention was immediately divided.

The cohort was already struggling to fend off the specialists, and having tens of constructs

attack them certainly wasn't helping.

Making matters worse, they couldn't even make use of fallen enemy weapons; they were laser

rifles, and each one was bound to its owner.

Adding to that, the energy cells were useless, their guns had no way of using them.

Templar had planned for this exact scenario to unfold.

They were surrounded, outgunned, and out of options. And though Arthur spoke bravely, his face showed nothing but.

He cowered behind the only piece of rubble in their vicinity, leaving Sofia alone in the middle.

"Typical~."

The Technomancer smiled, finding his reaction amusing.

"Your fear is justified. You may rest knowing this will be quick."

Just as his words ended, a blur went past, reaching one of the soldiers.