Shadowbane

There was a large living room on the right side which opened up to a dining room on the other end. And on the left side there was a kitchen that matched the size of the living room, albeit it was half of its width. And finally there was a set of stairs leading up to the second floor in front of me.

{So weird, this looks like the home we were in before.}

True. The way it's designed isn't too far off, but the residential part of our home is rather small compared to how big the garage is. She's going to be surprised when I show it to her, but for now there's somewhere else I really want to go...

I climbed up the stairs until I reached a hallway with five doors in it. Three bedrooms, one closet, and one bathroom. I headed for a door on the right, at the end of the hallway. Once I was in front of it I reached out and turned the knob before slowly pushing the door open.

Inside the room had both pink carpet and walls, with stuffed animals packed on one side of the small bed.

{You really liked pink, huh? And aww, look at all the teddy bears!}

My mom loved pink, which lead to both mine and Sera's rooms being caked in the damn color. I doubt I cared since I was a kid, but I know Sera hated it.

I walked over to the bed and laid down on it. I was a bit too tall for it, but I didn't care about how comfortable it was.

I looked around, marveling at how nostalgic and yet unfamiliar everything felt at the same time. The cabinet full of children's books I used to read. The TV with a game console next to it(although my mom only let me play a couple of the non-violent ones). Despite literally laying in my old bed, I was having a really hard time believing I was truly home again.

{You okay?}

I don't know. I really just... Don't know.

I focused on my core and told it to turn off before Luna could respond.

A sound I vaguely recognized woke me up. It was the telephone. At least it's not a weird tower alarm this time.

I rolled out of my old bed and returned downstairs so I could find the console attached to the wall in the living room. All outside communication was done through it, but I hadn't been paying attention to it during the recaps I watched of my memories. I think it's near the entertainment set?

I reached the living room and I was only off by a little bit. It was on the same wall as the TV's entertainment set, but it was much closer to the stairs and front door.

The word 'Head office' was all I could see on the panel. Uh, do I answer by just pushing my finger onto it?

I tapped the panel and immediately the text was swapped out for a single blue horizontal line. The only other thing I could see was a 'Video' option at the bottom right with a box next to it.

"Miss Reimia, you're supposed to say hello when answering the phone." A familiar voice said through the console as the blue line twitched along with her voice.

"Oh, right, sorry... Hello, Miss still-sounds-tired. What did you need?"

"... Irvine is due to return in an hour. I was wondering---No, my brother asked me to tell you that we can inform him of your homecoming, if you so desire. Otherwise we can give you his address or phone number, which will allow you to reach out to him anytime you wish."

The answer is obvious. The sooner I see him the better.

"Please tell him that I'm home."

"Understood." She replied, but from what I could tell she was still on the line.

"... Thank you and goodbye?"

"There's no need for that. I was merely confirming that you don't know how to work the console. Please have your uncle teach you, it's a necessary device for running your home. But for now push the button on the right side of the console that's colored blue."

I quickly found the button and pushed it, which lead to the monitor becoming pitch black.

{How nice of her!}

It sounds like she only made the call because her brother made her, but regardless of the reason, I'm glad she did.

I walked over to the couch and picked the controller up before sitting down. Unlike the console, the controller felt very familiar. I could have easily used my mind to change things on the TV in my soul realm, but I instead replicated this remote and used it most of the time.

I turned the TV on and changed channels until I found the news. On it was two different groups of people yelling at each other about the expansion of fortresses. It was hard to understand since they were yelling over one another, but apparently they've been gridlocked on whether to expand more or not for almost forty years now.

Oh shit, I forgot about that. Alicia did briefly mention in Aresa's wagon that Arcadia had been building fortress cities. She also said that one of them went silent and nobody knew why...? I need to look into this at some point, or I could just ask my Uncle? That'd probably be the better option.

I idly watched TV for another couple of hours when I suddenly heard the beeping sound associated with a keypass entry being confirmed. A man with shaggy brown hair walked into the room and quickly looked over at me on the couch. His face was a large mix of confusion and disbelief as he stared at me. While he mostly looked the same, I could tell that he looked aged and tired. Although that may have been exasperated by the fact that there were spots of blood on his face and large dried patches of it all over the front of his exploration suit.

"H-Hello Uncle Irvine, long time no see...?"

At that his face contorted to one of pure sadness. He stumbled over to me and dropped to his knees before pulling off his gloves. He then lightly pushed my cheeks from one side to the other as he looked at my hair and eyes while tapping parts of my armor. In the end he finally looked at me with disbelief again.

"How...?" He said, almost a whisper.

"It's a long story... Why don't you go get cleaned up first? I need to do the same too. I haven't had a bath in ages, and the last time I was even in a place with water was back on Mother."

"You were even on Mother..." Irvine said, pinching the brim of his nose.

"Yes! I was helping some friends reach Gaia, and the path there was filled with battles. I'd love to tell you about it, but let's clean up and then go out to eat somewhere? I haven't eaten in weeks and the last of my reserves are running low."

"Reserves? I've never heard anyone use that word when referring to food unless they're talking about their supplies for a mission... My god, what have you been turned into, Hime?"

Ahh, I saw it in my memories, but it's an entirely different thing to hear him say that word again. He used to call me Hime which means princess in one of the Earth languages he was studying back then. He said it was because of how much my mom sheltered and pampered me.

"It feels so weird hearing you call me that again, but it's also very nostalgic... However! You're covered in blood damnit, and I kind of am too, so go get cleaned up. Obviously something bad happened, so let's talk about it over dinner."

Irvine stared at me for a bit with downcast eyes before mumbling, "... She's all grown up, Will."

.........

I stood up and walked around him, heading up the stairs toward the second floor bathroom, but just before I lost sight of him on the stairs I stopped and looked at him. "I'm glad you're still here, Uncle Irvine..."

After saying that I walked straight up the stairs and into the bathroom on the left side.

{He looks so sad... Am I going to be the same way when I see mom again?}

Probably? When we departed I'm sure your mom thought that she'd never see either of us again. So if we ever do find them again, she'll probably react the same way my Uncle did. I'm sure he was positive that we were all dead. I don't need to be a mind reader to know that.

I poured mana into the armor and forced it to expand until it was so big it fell onto the floor. Alright then, time to clean up, including my armor. I hate cleaning my armor, I don't know why but it annoys me every time I need to do it. I wonder if the cleaning services here extend to clothes and equipment? Uncle's been paying the fees, so I really hope they do.

Upon descending the stairs I saw my Uncle sitting in his old recliner. He was wearing a t-shirt and slacks.

"How is it? Even if they were keeping this place clean, that chair is still old as hell. The couch was really rigid and it smelled brand new."

Irvine slapped one of the chair's arms and shook his head, "Good fucking question. I've been sitting here wondering why I ever sat in this damned thing. It's hurting my back and I've only been sitting on it for ten or so minutes."

"How old are you now? I know hybrids can live for a long time, but surely something starts to break down as you age?"

"I'm closing in on one hundred and fifty. And maybe they begin to break down? Except we're not hybrids, but it's not a surprise that you think we are since you didn't grow up here. It's not a well guarded secret by any means, but there's an unspoken agreement that we don't spread it around." Irvine stood up and looked at my armor, "Hmm, you need some clothes, right? That armor of yours is pretty bad ass, but I'm sure it's a pain to wear all the time. I'll transfer a shitload of money to your account tonight so you can buy whatever you want tomorrow. I have more money than I know what to do with, so I'll be happy knowing it's helping out... My family..."

"Thank you, Uncle Irvine! I was going to gather a lot of power cores to build up some currency, but thanks to you I won't need to waste my time doing that."

Irvine quirked an eyebrow, "You make it sound like it'd be easy to kill that many machines. You either forgot how dangerous they are, or---"

"No! No more talking! Come on, let's go! I need food badly."

He shook his head and laughed, "Okay, okay! I get it, so let's head to my usual joint."

Irvine opened the door and I followed him outside. We continued walking in silence for a bit, passing by several people who were making an effort to avoid me. My Uncle started laughing after the third couple gave us a wide berth.

"You do stand out quite a bit, and that armor isn't doing you any favors either. I think it's fucking awesome, but these weaklings are going to do their best to avoid anyone who looks like a merc."

"What do you mean? Shouldn't mercs be just like anyone else here since everyone has to spend time out in the frozen wastes? Mom was always whining about the day they'd have to send me out there."

"Holy shit... I knew you had been gone a long time, but it's only now sinking in just how long you've been gone." Irvine said just as we reached one of the tunnels. "We haven't had that practice in forty or fifty years? The top clans had been trying to avoid sending their precious little shits out for their mandatory service for years, and they finally got the push they needed after one of our fortresses was annihilated."

"Hang on. So no one has to 'earn their place' out in the wastes now? They're just... What? Elevated to clan leaders based off of stump speeches or something?"

"Sadly, yes. And thanks to all of these changes, this place has created a large two-tiered society. Obviously there was always favorability toward the larger clans, but at least you knew they had earned their place. Even if their parents were trying to prevent them from having to go outside, you'd see their children purposely going to hazardous areas or choosing dangerous missions because they wanted to make a name for themselves. And the ones who survived ended up being great leaders in the end. But all it took was a couple of horrible marital choices from those 'great leaders' and a fortress disappearing for everything to change overnight. And none of it was for the better."

We reached the elevator and walked inside. Irvine ran his fingers over the buttons until he pushed R-72.

Wow, that's way down there. I don't even know what is below us here at R-37, let alone what we're going to find at R-72.

"They're all so weak now. It makes me sick whenever I have to enter the upper levels. Only R-4 is worthy of your time, but even then you still run into chaperon groups sometimes. The very sight of them makes me so mad."

"Chaperon? I don't know that word."

"It's a term we use for illustrious clan members or their children who leave to 'experience' the outside while surrounded by high level mercs that are decked out in the best gear. They used to bravely tackle the wastes like everyone else, but now they surround themselves with guards so they can traverse the safe areas of the wasteland like it's a fucking tourist spot." He shook his head and sighed, "You'll know them when you see them. I don't mean to be complaining this much when you only just returned, but the sight of those doormats avoiding you really got on my nerves."

Eventually the elevator stopped and opened up to a dark environment that was only lit up by a row of streetlights on the path in front of us.

"What the? Why is it so dark in here? I mean, I love this kind of environment, but I had no idea there were places like this here."

Irvine chuckled, "Of course you didn't. Your mom wouldn't let me bring you down here. She was another one of those---No, never mind that. Let's go, it'll take a bit to reach the bar."

{A bar? I thought you were going to eat?}

I guess he wants to get drunk to celebrate? But it's probably like the bars on Urza. They also served food. Unless he really is taking me to a place that only serves alcohol, which will obviously piss me off.

"By the way, Uncle. There's someone I need to introduce you to. Come on out, Luna."

Luna slowly crawled out of my chest and through my armor before fluttering up onto my shoulder.

"H-Hello Mister Irvine..."

Irvine's eyes widened as he looked at Luna, "A fairy?! We thought they were all gone! Ae have been trying to get Lunaria to send a fairy to us for years but her demands were too much. No matter how much I offered, she wouldn't take my damned money... But enough about that. Little fairy, can you cleanse people?"

"Y-Yes? I've done it in combat for Rei, so it should work... Um, why are you asking?"

"You'll see when we arrive at the bar. There's a few people who are cursed, but no one has been able to remove it from them. So I really hope you fairies are as powerful in cleansing magic as your God said you were." Irvine said with a big smile on his face.

"Friends of yours, Uncle?"

"... Something like that. People I'd die for if I had to."

As we continued down the walkway I could see homes, apartments, and other types of buildings lit up all around the dome, but the spaces between the buildings and above them was pitch black. This is so bizarre looking, and the buildings look like the ones I'd see in Viktor's towns. Except these are pretty damned old looking. Some of them even look like they're about to crumble any second now.

"Oh right. That lady at the main office really hates you, huh? What did you do to her?"

Irvine chuckled, "Did Shannon tell you she hated me? I don't blame her if so. We had a fling for a while and then I ghosted her when it started to become serious. I actually really liked her, but I'm... It's hard to explain. Maybe another day. This is a time of celebration after all! So don't hold back, alright? Although, even if it wasn't a celebration you could still order whatever you wanted. But regardless, you're going to love the food here, I promise. And hopefully the people too!"

About ten minutes later we reached the bar which was a large square wooden building. The name 'Riverside' was on the roof's sign. Wood again... Nowhere in my memories did I see regular wood buildings like this in Arcadia. So it must start to look like this past a certain level?

"Well shit, looks like you survived again eh? The cosmos gives luck to the worse kinds of people." Said an old black Human male on a rocking chair. Luna retreated back into my soul before he saw her.

Irvine walked up to the man while laughing and clasped his right hand in a way that looked like they were arm wrestling in the air.

"Of course I came back! No way in hell I'm going to die before you asshole."

"We'll see about that..." The man looked at me, "And who's this? A new merc? Never seen armor like that before, but I don't think that metal armor is going to save you here, girl. Machines will cut right through it as if it was tissue paper."

Irvine stepped back and put a hand on my right pauldron before grinning at the man, "This right here, is my niece."

"Yer what? But I thought all of your family was..." The man trailed off, staring at my face in confusion.

"Yeah well, I thought they were all dead too. She's going to tell me the details over dinner, so I decided to bring her here."

"Talk that shit out at home you fool! The hell you bringing her to this dump for?"

Irvine shook his head and laughed before jutting a thumb toward the old man, "This here is Bertram, an old friend of mine. He technically owns the bar here, but he doesn't actually do anything except eat and drink. His daughter and the employees handle everything."

"I'm the owner so I don't have to do shit." He looked at me, "Well god damn, if you really are his niece then welcome home! And if it makes you feel any better, you didn't miss a damn thing. This place sounds magical to everyone from the outside, but it's nothing more than a god damned death trap for all of the dreamers who---"

Irvine scrunched his face up as Bertram continued to rant about how horrible Arcadia was, "... Never thought much about it, but from the outside we really do complain a lot."

"What was that, mother fucker? You sayin I'm just complaining here?" Bertram threw an empty can at Irvine who smacked it into the ground, "I'm telling the TRUTH! It's best she learns now before she gets all hopeful about this shithole. If she starts talking about going on dangerous missions or trying to make a name for herself, you best warn her now that she's wasting her time."

"Actually..." I said, causing both of the men to look at me, "I'm planning on retrieving the codes Arcadia needs to access the core systems."

Bertram sputtered and threw his hands up into the air, "YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN?! Girl, really, you DON'T want to do that! You'll be one of millions who died trying to get those stupid fucking codes."

"Millions? Surely that many people haven't died trying to get the codes?"

"Damn right they did. What do you think all of those fortresses were for? They were slowly expanding toward the west until they had a nice foothold from which they could launch a protracted assault on the west to acquire the codes. Even now people die all the time trying to keep the remaining fortresses active, but I don't know what the fucking point is. Most of the clans gave up on retrieving the codes long ago."

"... Hime---No, Rei. Please tell me you aren't being serious. I don't know what you've been through up until now, but you would need an entire army to get those codes, and even then you might still fail. So please don't sacrifice yourself pointlessly for something like fame when you just came back into my life..."

"Hime? The fuck is that name?"

I ignored Bertram and smiled at my Uncle, "Don't worry, Uncle Irvine. When I've finished telling you about my past and shown you what I can do, I'm sure you'll both be much more open minded about my plan to grab the keys alone."

"A-Alone...?" Bertram trailed off as him and Irvine looked at each other in complete disbelief.

Yes, alone. If the clans really are as weak as my Uncle said they are, then I'm not sure if the codes will revitalize them in any way, but there's only one way to find out. At the very least, I'll get the fame and fortune I need going forward. My Uncle isn't lying when he says he's rich, otherwise there'd be no way for him to afford my families clan home when he doesn't even live there. But I doubt he has the kind of money I need. And the codes are the quickest route there.

I'll probably grab a few simpler missions first though. Unlike in Telebron, I'm not on a timer or in a rush to gain strength. I can take my time here in Arcadia, and it's honestly a huge relief.

{Hehe, this is so funny! I can't get enough of their expressions.}

I know, right? But by the end of the night they'll change their tunes. It's just a question of how much.