Monster Legends: Inevitable Betrayals

Incomplete Reprogramming

The fresh blood of Storm Beard's wound splattered across the room, striking the young Nikasia in the face. That event had scarred her for days, dried liquid still clinging to her cheeks.

She had directly witnessed Nayadra Winter's murder and the slaughter of Taiga's former soldiers in the hospital. After the event, she fled through the back exit and ran for the city limits. She slept behind various dumpsters and street corners, having frequent nightmares about being kidnapped by Taiga and almost killed similarly to the Dungeon Master.

Then she would wake up.

Eventually, a monster named Belbreath let her sleep in her house, but Nikasia suffered an especially horrendous nightmare about Taiga climbing in through her bedroom window and grinning at her villainously. She then fled again, and into the night.

Two days of near dehydration and starvation later, she was retrieved by Metal kingdom troops and taken to a central base inside the domain. They then tossed her into a small warehouse with little food and no water. The thirteen year old Nikasia was in a living hell.

She did have her pocket knife, which she had used to threaten protestors that got too close for comfort. She carved into the flimsy wall, which broke the material easily. After carving a medium circle about the wall, she kicked it, causing the substance to crash to the ground. She leapt out, and scanned the area for any monsters that could hurt her. She didn't see any with her clouded sight and drowsy mind. A couple monsters were in direct view, but did not interfere.

Nikasia crept down a neighboring staircase and crouched under the railing. She considered this a fine sleeping spot. As she drifted off, she took note of all her surroundings. The bricks, the still decaying grey paint, and the small chip in the far right brick. Out of curiosity, she kicked it with a tired foot, provoking it to move to the side. This revealed a small part of a hidden room. 

Nikasia slumped toward the tilted brick, pushing her aching body to its limits. She grabbed the disconnected brick and placed it delicately behind her. She put her face to the gap to see a bright metallic floorboard below. Nikasia snatched another brick and tossed it behind her carelessly. The space was now wide enough for her slim form to crawl underneath the remaining bricks. She went headfirst, sliding her body into the room. 

She saw different metals everywhere, such as chrome and bronze. A blue tint surrounded the room, and several massive machines took up a majority of the space. A large robot stood in the center, seemingly deactivated. It had a bulky metal beard with a red crimson body. It had a big plasma cannon for a hand and two short, stubby legs. It had two pipes attached to its back that appeared to conserve its fuel. The machine looked like a mechanical Santa Claus. Another contraption stood next to it, albeit much shorter and skinnier. It had a twisted head that looked like a diamond with two downward horns. It was turquoise with sea blue robes and clawed grey fingers. It didn't look that menacing, but the young Nikasia was beyond unnerved. 

Her eyes drifted over to the far right, where she could see the silhouette of a monster hunched over in the corner. A red cloth was draped over his head, masking its face and it was facing the back of the room, still as a statue. It looked male, with its rather tall height and semi-hefty figure. It wore a black tunic with a gold belt wrapped around. A katana rested in its hand. 

Nikasia took a step backward, slipping slightly and causing the floor to squeak audibly. Her world seemed to shatter before her eyes, as the monster slowly turned around to face the intruder. It was clearly male now, removing its white samurai mask to reveal a scarred human-esque face. Nikasia didn't move as the monster approached her, but only looked up in fear at the approaching figure. He stopped a mere meter from the trespasser and frowned curiously. 

"Where have you come from, little one?" he asked. 

Nikasia was shocked. The monster placed his katana on the ground and reached out a hand toward her. 

"Don't worry. You're safe here," he reassured, a slight smile appearing on his lips. Nikasia took his hand and let him walk her towards a vacant chair. She stumbled onto the seat and naturally slumped downward, reclining back. "War has broken out between the kingdoms, I've heard. I hope you haven't seen too much blood in your time." 

Nikasia immediately remembered the sight of Nayadra Winter being slaughtered by Taiga. She shook her head innocently. 

"We just have to hope Taiga pulls through and wins this war. Without him, we're done for," he admitted. "If you see my partner PZ Ronin, tell him that Zorgon spoke to you. I have to attend some matters outside of this vault, so go to sleep if you wish." 

Zorgon then left, leaving Nikasia alone in the vault. She saw a computer in front of her, which was powered off. She pressed the power button, causing the device to spark alive with sudden numbers and letters overwhelming the screen. Without any technology knowledge whatsoever, Nikasia blindly pressed buttons on the computer. 

CORRECT CODE GRANTED

A spark of electricity erupted from the screen, not harming Nikasia but surrounding the computer in a bath of thunder. A ball of blue energy appeared on the screen, surrounded by darkness. Eventually, the ball began to take a shape. It grew larger and wider, forming a face and body. The cheeks were wide and the body looked disproportional to the head. A singular tooth formed between the cheeks and a short mound of hair appeared on the head. A pair of dark glasses blocked the figure's eyes and a long jacket almost hid the monster's feet entirely. 

Nikasia was looking at a holographic hamster. 

"You...did it...?" squealed a voice from behind her. 

PZ Ronin emerged from outside and ran beside Nikasia. He didn't even question her presence, keeping his gaze on the monster inside the computer. 

"Well, took you guys long enough," said the hologram, widely grinning at PZ Ronin. Nikasia beamed at the creature, completely mesmerized by what she had accidentally done. 

"She did it," he said, directing the hologram's attention to Nikasia. She was fixated on his eyes, which were revealed when he removed his glasses. Besides his overwhelming blue color, his ruby eyes still shined bright and were reflected in Nikasia's own pupils. She felt free. 

"I'm Helvester Pennspierre, nice to meet'cha," he said. 

"Oh, by the way, my friends call me Hackster."