As X cut off the connection, Alice and I were left still sitting on the outside of the tower. The small terrace above us seemed to have gotten closer, as if X had gradually shifted the ledge upwards as we spoke which, knowing him, very well could've happened.
"Those gargoyles on the terrace above us are going to come alive and attack us the moment we get up there, aren't they?" I asked drily, not really expecting an answer.
"Most likely, yes." Alice confirmed, "But it is certainly possible that we could destroy them before they get a chance to attack us."
A ping on my menu revealed that X had dropped an item in one of my pouches. I produced it, revealing the item to be a small piece of parchment with a message inscribed on it with what appeared to be blood:
Don't worry, I deleted the AI for the gargoyles above you. You shouldn't face any more enemies on your climb up.
:)
By the way, keep the note. You'll need it.
I stare at the note impassively as Alice leaned over my shoulder to also read it, "I... Don't know what this 'AI' means, but I assume this means we don't need to worry about the gargoyles anymore?"
"Uh, apparently, yeah." I shrugged as I pocket the note, following X's instructions, vague as ever.
We kept climbing upwards until we reached the terrace. As we reentered the building, Alice asked me something: "Was what he said true?"
I blinked, "As far as I know, yes. There's too much evidence supporting it. Not to mention, Eugeo claimed he knew a girl named Alice, who was taken for breaking the taboo index. That girl is, as far as we know, the same girl as you. You look about Eugeo's age, and you even look exactly like her. And sure, maybe you really are two different people, but then if the Administrator models the Integrity Knights after someone who supposedly broke the taboo index, what does that really say about these so-called divine warriors?"
Alice didn't respond for a while, but when she did, she only uttered a short "I see."
We continued onwards, and found a small room where we could rest for the night. It was unassuming and out-of-the-way, perfect for our purposes.
When I entered, however, I found that Alice was stuck at the door. In her right eye, a red flashing circle appeared, similarly to the flashing in Eugeo's eye when we found the two nobles violating our charges.
"Alice...?"
The Integrity Knight gritted her teeth, "This... stupid... flashing... light...!"
Her right eye bulged, her eyelids being forced open as she slowly took a small step, then another, and a third. Her right eye erupted from her skull as whatever spell that bound her had disappeared, leaving her panting on the ground, but still inside the room.
I quickly closed the door and rooted around in my pouches as Alice let out barely suppressed grunts of pain as blood continued to stream down her face, dripping onto the ground in swathes.
"I-I'm sorry, I don't know any complicated Sacred Arts, but I have some bandages in here." I quickly started cleaning the blood from Alice's face despite her protests, keeping an eye on her HP to make sure it doesn't drain too much from the loss of an eye, "I'll wrap your eye now, if that's alright?"
Alice grunted, "Do what you must..."
With permission granted, I began wrapping the white bandages around Alice's head, making sure that they wrapped her right eye tightly so that further bleeding wouldn't seep through.
I took a step back to look at her, "This... doesn't seem right."
I tore off a bit of my cloak and wrapped the cloth across Alice's forehead, scrunching it up above her left eye but lowering it over her right, making sure to cover the bandages with the black cloth. Once again stepping back, I hummed in satisfaction, "Yeah, this is better."
Alice gave me a deadpan stare as I studied my handiwork, "Has anyone ever told you that you can be incredibly childish sometimes?"
"Look, I like to look cool, okay?" I protested, holding up my hands.
Alice harrumphed as she walked past me and sat down, leaning against a wall on the far end of the room, facing the door with her sword propped up next to her, "Your friend seems powerful."
I blinked at the abrupt change in topic, as I followed suit and sat down against another wall, "You mean X? Uh, I-I guess? Well- not really. He's pretty smart. Definitely smarter than me. But he's not- like- actually powerful. He just knows a lot. He understands the rules of this world a lot better than we do."
"Hm." Alice drew up her knees, covering the lower half of her face, "Is he usually that carefree?"
"Uh... Carefree isn't the word I'd use to describe him." I laugh nervously, "He's more... uh... eerily nonchalant."
"Yes, I suppose that is a way to describe him." Alice didn't seem like she was about to explain why she was suddenly talking about X.
So I asked: "Why... Why do you ask?"
"I just... I can't get him out of my head." Alice admitted, "He was able to see and talk to us without being in our vicinity, he can create things out of thin air, he can manipulate objects and even living creatures. His abilities are comparable to a god's. That's not something a normal human can get access to."
"Well, I did say he understands the way this world works way better than either of us can ever hope to." I rub the back of my head. How does one explain the concept of a video game to a person who, by all rights and purposes, grew up in a medieval society? "It's... It's difficult to explain. I'd say it's better for him to explain it himself, but I have no idea if it'd give you clarity or an existential crisis. Knowing him, it could very well be both. Also knowing him, he would explain it in a way that can achieve both."
A/N: So. This took a while.
Alright, put down the pitchforks. You cannot tell me that you had a shit ton of time during university. Otherwise, I fear for what you're doing with your life. I'll try to be better with my writing, but I genuinely am struggling to figure out how to make X a relevant part of the story without making him look like some kind of Deus Ex Machina.
Bare with me.
Anyway. The D&D character concept for the chapter: A tiny catgirl (tabaxi) with a big fuckoff sniper rifle. Just think of the imagery.
Alright, I'll take my leave now.
Timeless_95, signing out.