There were two horses for me and Nanashi to ride out along with the Dark Student Council.
“A horse? Can’t we just drive there?”
“Of course not, without the government most roads have fallen into disrepair and a refill of obstacles. What don’t tell me you don’t know how to ride a horse?”
“And you know how to ride one?” I asked Nanashi.
“Of course…” He hesitated. “Right, mounts have not been introduced yet to Albion Online. Well, get behind me!”
“Hmph! I think not. I am going to ride with Nanashi!”
Azaz-rya selfishly got on the horse that Nanashi was riding. This only left a single dark horse. I looked it in the eye and didn’t trust it.
“Let’s not waste any more time, masters. I will ride alongside with him.”
Dark Rina offered for me to ride alongside her. I accepted it. The fact that whatever she was feeling could not be revealed through her expressions was helpful right now because the other members of the Dark Student Council were all glaring at me like I had eaten their pet goldfish or something.
We rode for half a day without rest alongside mostly abandoned towns which were slowly being taken back over by nature. I could tell from the map data that I had gotten that we were in the south west of England, passing by the city of Bath which had been reduced to rubble, nothing but a dark chasm was left, a thin footbridge being the only way to cross it. We had to get off of our horses and make the rest of the journey on foot.
As we traversed the bridge I could see some glitches in the air, a sign that the system was struggling to render this much content.
As expected I received a report from Rina that the server was using up too much energy. I wondered what would happen if we ran out of energy. Before I could share this information Ryouta interjected.
“Do you believe me now, Lain?” Ryouta asked.
“Well, it’s undeniable now. He is from the past, unless this is also just some kind of trick.”
“But what about him?” She asked, pointing to Nanashi.
“I am only an observer,” he enigmatically replied. “Take us to Morgoth and everything will become clear.”
On the way to Hinkley Point C we defeated some monsters which should only exist in the game but finally we were there. The place looked relatively intact. Although I had never seen it in the flesh, this vast complex guarded by monsters did indeed look like the Power Station which was keeping me “alive.”
“This place was not attacked by any of the nuclear powers,” explained Nanashi.
“Why not?” I asked.
“Because you were the one who took control of the nuclear weapons and attacked everyone, you dofus!? Why else could it be?”
There is only one reason I can think of why I would go that far.
“It is as you imagine, once you had served your purpose, the government tried to shut you down because foreign governments perceived you and therefore Britain as a threat to them.”
Inside the station we found a facility which kept copies of my body in tanks.
“These bodies are what you created in order to escape to the real world.”
“Then why didn’t I do just that?”
“Because you ordered yourself not to.”
“No, let me correct myself, because you escaped but ordered your replacement not to escape.”
“My replacement?”
“Come let me show you.”
Nanashi was able to gain access to the lower levels easily and so we followed him.
Two giant robots. One with a shield and the other wielded a sword, more like a giant rapier with a blue blade. They both had a knightly look although their bodies consisted of two large bi-cones joined together by a ball for a torso. More importantly they were blocking our way. The wall which they stood in front was about 50 feet tall, if the robots were to jump their pointy heads would no doubt hit the ceiling. A baffling design.
“Are these also an illusion?”
“I am afraid not. They are guarding the entrance to the main computer. Even if it’s you, in order to obey your order to not escape means that they will not be able to go in.”
“Is there someone inside piloting? No, nevermind I wouldn’t trust a human to guard me with any loyalty.”
“Can’t I just give a new order? I am starting to get tired of all this.”
I didn’t wait for his response and stepped forward to the giants.
“I order you. Let us pass. I am—”
Before I could finish my sentence I was attacked with the rapier-wielding machine. But the blade never reached me, obviously because I put a barrier. What was the shield wielder going to do? Rush me with the giant shield?
“Just die.”
This time the order went through and they just collapsed into the ground, the magnetism holding together their forms falling apart. When the dust and smoke subsided, I stood there. If we kept on wasting any more time another party was going to beat us and I would not be able to create the new base above this dungeon.
“I guess you are the final boss for a reason,” commented Ryouta.
“I guess so,” I replied.
The wall revealed itself to be an illusion as well as it disappeared into nothing. Not much of a wall of final defense. The floor was wet with water and the dark corridor stretched out into the distance with a blue light pulsating at the end. While I wasn’t trying to look cool, I got laughed at by Lain when I tripped on a large cable under the water. Well, the cable was also glowing blue, so maybe that reaction wasn’t unwarranted.
“So you have come,” said a familiar female voice which I had never heard before.
Everyone else but me immediately tensed, quickly Nanashi placed himself in front of me while the student council placed themselves in front of Azaz-rya.
