Dystopian Odyssey

Chapter 6: Xay's visit to Zero's

Author's Note: Qwerty

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Xay's POV

We walk towards Zero's apartment in the Tower of Solace as he opens the door we see a fairy old man looking about in his late 30s cleaning the house he looks over to us he gives a smile and says, "Ah welcome back Zero and I see you brought Xay with you" "It's a pleasure to meet you sir" I say as I walk to him and shake his hand as I look around the place, it's very clean and smells nice like a bunch of Jasmines Zero says hello to his father as he takes me to his room. "So how's life with you been going Xay?" "It's been going well thank you for asking how about you?" "Eh it's been going okay, we were wondering if you'd like to stay around for supper today?" "Hm? Why?" "Well because you're usually alone where you live we thought that maybe it'd be nice for you to have a nice dinner with us," I thought to myself and even though the loneliness never bothered me much it'd be nice to have dinner with someone so I answer, "Sure that'd be lovely" Zero smiles at me and gets up from his bed saying, "How about we get out and do something outside?" "Then why come here?" "I just wanted to grab something" "Ok then" Zero and I start heading out of the house as his father says goodbye and we head out into the city.
 
We head into the Capital as Zero looks around turning to me as he says, "What have you been up to lately?" "I've been exploring the outskirts of our city and I have found these old-looking ruins that were built by Ancient Odic masters by what the text had said" "There was text?" "Yeah, I read most of it, most of it talked about The Odic arts and how they came to be it was really interesting I wonder why we don't practice the arts as much" "Hm, well we don't have anyone to teach us which is part of the reason" "Fair" The two of us continue our walk sitting in the comfortable silence watching everyone pass by until I smell something strange, it smelled...yellow? red? I don't know it just smells like colours, I tapped Zero on his shoulder as he looked up at me "Hm?" "You smell that?" "Well, now that you mention it I do smell something" We look for the weird smell and we see a trail of colours coming from the alleyway we walk towards it as the smell gets stronger and we see what the source of the smell is we see what looks to be this kid about Zero's age messing with what looks like chemicals and we turn around looking at us he pulls out a blade and says, "State your business here! Do you want drugs? Spells? Huh!?" Throwing our hands up in the air in defence I say in a more or less soothing tone trying to calm him down, "Listen we ain't here for any trouble we just smelled something weird and came over to check it out, and turns out it's just a kid" He stares us down for a bit but I return it and when he deems us no threat he puts it away, "Alright I'll trust you" "Perfect"

The three of us trade introductions and we learn that this kid's name is Asura Shin and he isn't from Solstice instead he comes from a different city not so far away from here, he moved here when he was around 13 and has been living here since, "So why this whole...set up?" "Well I felt like I might as well do something to pass the time since I don't go to that school of yours so I just go into random alleyways take a bunch of old potions I found and mix them up to create something mystical" "That explains the smell" "But I'm also here for another reason" "That being?" "It's a secret for now but once it seems like it's too big to handle I'll tell you" "OK then" We start to walk out the alleyway until a group of thugs approach us holding a bunch of weapons as I sigh to myself and start walking up to them putting Zero and The New Kid behind me as I say, "Good evening Gentlemen" "Alright don't scream or resist just give us what you got!" I put my hand over my chin as I make a "hmm" sound the thugs don't seem to like that and start to run towards us yelling out, "Don't fuck with us asshole!" I close my eyes...The world around me slows down and feathers start to appear around me I feel a power swell within me and then I open them again, white crosses appearing in my now golden eyes as I respond to their previous demand, "No, I don't think I will" swiping my hand horizontally a sudden flash of golden light appears and bursts out in front of me the thugs getting caught in the blast and sent away and out of the city. 

I calm down and look toward the other two and they wipe off anything that got to them as Asura asks, "So are they dead?" "Well I guess so" "Damn" "Don't worry I made sure they'll live in peace" "I'll believe you" Me, Asura and Zero exit out of the alleyway as we start to head out separate ways, "I'll see you guys another time yea?" "Sure it was nice to meet you Asura" Zero speaks for both me and him as I wave at him and start heading back, "I'll see you tomorrow Xay" "Yeah see you Zero" We also go our separate ways and I head back home. It's about to get dark outside and I make it back to my home, turning on the lights I start to head to my bed, them room of mine is fairly small but it's comfortable for me so I jump on my bed and I let sleep overtake me.

The two boys head to their respective homes as we pan out from both of these two as we see in an old facility as a group of 5 People are investigating the activities that have recently occurred in this area the group heads through the broken entrance as one of them walks forward a bit and surveys the area the five get a message from their commander as he says

"Alright the mission is same old same old: investigate the area and report any strange findings, there have recently been reports of people having been infected with crystals apparently gaining powers from it but losing their minds in the process, if you encounter any hostiles with the matching description or crystals do not engage I repeat: Do not engage do I make myself clear?" 

"Yes sir!" They respond as the message ends, "Head investigator Chris your commands?" "Alright search the area head to toe any strange activity you notice notify me immediately" "Right!" "Disperse" with that command the 4 out of the 5 disperse with Chris staying behind as she takes off her helmet and sighs, "Can't wait to get out of work today" she laments and puts her helmet back on going into the facility and starting the investigation

(start playing the music by here)

Chris's P.O.V

I head into the main area of the facility and see a map of the place I look around and I see a research room and I chart it down in my head as I start to head towards the area. Walking through the hallway the place looks very run down and destroyed with old audio logs playing over and over of previous discoveries as I summon a plasma rifle and I see the research room gulping down any fear that may rise as I force open the door to see what is in here. The room's lights flicker on and off and this place looks trashed to no end. what a dump, Its test chambers are broken, and lifeless sacks of flesh lump around them, they must've been some ongoing experiments that failed but other than that nothing was interesting here, I would go further but I'll first contact my squad, "Reports?" 

"Status: Nothing on the fifth floor"

"Status: Nothing on the fourth floor"

"Status: Nothing on the second floor"

"...." 

I hear nothing on the 4th, "Status report investigator Gabriel" Nothing, "Investigator Gabriel!" Still nothing, I take a small breath as I exit the research room and start heading up to the third floor the rest of my squad following suit this man better be okay, or else it's his and my head. We head into the third floor and my eyes widen slightly it looks a lot worse than the other floors cracks and trails of blood are everywhere, the blood looks almost pink in pigment and it's strangely reflecting us, "What the hell happened here?" One of the others says as I yell out, "Investigator Gabriel!" My voice echoes throughout the floor and for a few seconds nothing happens but then I hear something feint I look to the others and tell them to stay here while I go check it out. The more I walk through the hallways the more everything is ruined, the floor is so damaged I have to hop over it to get to the other side but once I make it to where the sound is loudest I look into the room as I notice how dark it is as I yell out, "Gabriel!! Come out now and I may reduce your punishment to just washing the men's washrooms!" I was met with silence before A crazed shiny lunatic lunges at me as I create a bubble around me that reflects what this person was trying to do it screams out as I aim my rifle at the person only to lower it in shock and see that it's Gabriel! "The fuck!?" "Oh hello, Head Investigator," Gabriel says with a demented tone in his voice as I inspect his appearance closer and see that his whole arm is bloated and mangled with crystals coating it and spreading onto him as he has a smile stuck on his face, "Have you encountered these crystals? They're so...alluring if I can say so, these crystals just imbue me with such power and such enlightenment oh you have to obtain them now Head investigator!" Gabriel preaches about this as I point my rifle back at him, "If you think I'm going to ever join in whatever they did you you're wrong"
"Then you'll just have to perish!"

Gabriel announces as he starts rushing at me but I start sending rounds at him as he starts moving in a irregular way my eyes can barely keep track, before I could aim again I just feel myself get blasted out of the room and get smashed into a wall feeling the air out of my lungs escape and starts coughing up a fit what did those things do to him? I get up as I see Gabriel with a crystal spear above me going over to stab me but I barely roll out of the way as he starts laughing his ass off like a hyena as he says, "Come on! Join us Head Investigator Chris! Join us in revolutionising this world!" "You're bat-shit crazy if you think I'm joining in whatever the hell fucked you up!" I start shooting again as he plunges his arm into the ground a giant crystal emerging and blocking the bullets as he laughs at me continuing to taunt me, "You can't beat me! With my new abilities you're nothing but an insect in comparison!" he starts to spread the crystal around and I just decide to run out of there before I touch one of those and get turned into...That. I contact the Commander trying to send a report and when he picks up I give him no time to even ask what's going on as I immediately tell him, "Commander! We have a huge problem at hand Investigator Gabriel has encountered the crystals and has lost his mind to them, he's trying to kill me as we speak!" I keep ducking and dodging over any debris as he says, "Alright then, I'll be sending a rescue chopper your way is everyone else ok?" "Yes!" "Alright then survive until then!" "Yes sir!" I end the call as I kept running. but a wall of crystals block me way of escape and I scoff and look back at Gabriel, "No where to run Chris!" Gabriel says as his condition seems to be getting worse I've got to get out of here soon or it's my head literally! 

The woman entrapped by the crystals created by Private Investigator Gabriel looks around for any way out of the situation as the other laughs his voice starting to meld with another, Chris' eyes glow blue as she summons another rifle of similar quality to her previous one ready to put down one of her soldiers in case the situation calls for it. With the two staring one another down the mission going into critical status these two know that one of them is making it out alive.

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Author's Note: qwerty (Longest chapter until otherwise)