Chapter 07: Samantha

To be honest, everything was unexpected. Everything was chaotic as Captain Reager and Manne rushed with their troops to the aid of their vanguard units that entered 30 minutes before they did. But they were too late as they reached where the request for help originated.

Captain Reager stood at the horrid location with his eyes wide and jaw agape. The bodies of the 20 knights littered every facet of the corridor. Blood painted and splattered the walls and ceilings with a pool of blood resting on the floor. Torn and ripped off limbs laid distant from their owners, while some knights were killed in ways indescribable with words. If there was one noticeable thing, saw it was that each kill was precise as if planned.

It was something that Reager and Manne who were standing in front of their troops who thanks to their helmets hid their terrified expressions didn't expect at all to see within Dr.Martens hideout. Reager who was 9th class 9th rank Captain, who had never seen such a blood bath despite having fought hundreds of monsters throughout his time in the military.

Feeling an internal bond with some of the fallen knights, Reager was filled with a particular anguish seeing those under him and Manne laying in pieces. Reager walked over and passed them with determination knowing that their combined forces were shaken by the gruesome scene before them as if to show them his resolve and strong will. Without a word, Manne and the troops walked with a hurried pace after Reager.

Reager had noticed a separate blood trail leading around a corner down a different corridor and prepared to cast his barrier magic in case of an ambush. To his surprise, the blood trail led to a bloody robe with a slit in it, possibly from a knife. Although the robe was tattered, he noticed something he hadn't thought to see sticking out of the breast pocket. A picture of Dr.Martens and his son who Reager believed to had died by the hands of a monster that snuck into Eden through underground tunnel no one knew about. Beside the picture was a medal he hadn't seen in many years. The medal he was awarded after his supposed bravery and successful defense of Cardamis he had given to Dr.Martens as he felt it rightfully belonged to him since it was his strategy that led to Reager saving it.

From the looks of the medal, photo, and the bloody robe Dr.Martens was this way and heavily injured. Although he wasn't so sure why he left the robe, he was sure he'd gone entirely insane and was trying to escape. For his dear friend's sake, he has to put an end to his insanity now even if he didn't know what kind of monstrosity he made that was capable of slaughtering his troops like it did.

By time Reager had made found his way into the hangar a ship the size of a mountain which he's never seen before was already high in the sky. For him and everyone there, they could see the black and bloody figure of man that glared at them with glowing red eyes. At this moment, Reager knew that this man was the person or thing responsible for killing his and Manne's troops.

Reager quickly walked back through the corridors with Manne and their combined forces. It was too late to go in pursuit of the ship as they were deep in Cretin Forest, and it'll take 40 minutes to get back out the bunker and out the forest where they landed their airships.

Although Dr.Martens was nowhere to be seen, Reager saw how much blood was on the ground where he found his robe. No one could have survived that much blood loss, so without a doubt, the man in black had to have taken Marten's corpse, and without it, he had no other choice but to report the mission as a failure.

But Reager wasn't as concerned for the status of the mission as for the well being of his friend. 'What the hell did you create, Alex,' was the thought racing that was racing through his undoubtedly deceased friend.

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It had been 6 hours since they fled the bunker and without any clue of where they were heading. A deadly silence possessed the bridge of the ship as everyone other than Malik and Aileen explored the ship while dealing with the loss of Dr.Martens.

Malik was leaning on his knee in the windowsill while letting his right leg dangle off the ledge left of the comms station. A complex mixture of anger and sadness welling up within him as he stares deeply out at the top of the clouds. He needed something to hit something to end the deep mental and spiritual wound that he was feeling in his chest. He hadn't thought about changing out of combat form, but if he did, there'd be tears flowing from his hate-filled eyes.

Malik wasn't a sentimental type of person who'd let his real feeling be shown nor let others see him when he did express them. Especially after his mother was killed and his father treated him coldly afterward.

All he could think about was his father's last words that rung in his head, that he'd made him proud. It was all he ever wanted was his father's love and to only learn that he had it all along without knowing it until the last moment made him immensely saddened. Losing him like he did today made the darkness that he had when his mother murdered in front of him when he was small grow to heights that made his mind as clouded as the sky during a thunderstorm.

'Beep'

'Blip'

The sound of the menu notification woke him from his trance as it appeared before him shortly afterword. After answer pulling up, it had gone to a new tab he hadn't seen before labeled Samantha. Malik remembered what his father had said about talking to Samantha, but he had forgotten it after they had retreated.

The tab consisted of personalization options and permissions for several things consistent with an A.I. He could even change her name or commence a reboot if he wanted too, but he left it all alone as a red holographic woman with black lines like a circuit board going up and down her clearly naked body appeared before him.

"Hello Malik, it's been a while, hasn't it," Says Samantha waving like a shy girl that meeting someone for the first time.

At first sight, Malik remembered the form Samantha took, or when he made her, she was called Samanthis Primus. An A.I. he had created when he was 9 years old and in order to relieve his father of some of his menial tasks and help with his projects.

Her dark red hair was short, with two small strands of hair that acted as her bangs. She looked as if she 20 probably 21 years old but with a clipboard floating to next to her hip.

Seeing that his father had kept her lifted his spirits slightly but no enough. He looked up and said with his ghastly robotic voice, "Yea, it has been a while."

Looking on with a curiously worried face, she says, "I know that what your going through is hard and painful, but you are going to have to pay attention as your father had a mission for you."

Malik, hearing that his father had a mission for him, looked up in anticipation. Samantha lefts the clipboard up like a tray, and a holographic head of his father appears. In the hologram, he looked a lot less stressed than when he was in the bunker. He wasn't wearing the breathing mask he wore either, showing that this was probably a message from before his accident.

"Hello Malik, if your hearing this, then I'm probably gone from this world. And I have asked you to {Consume} on my corpse. You now have a long journey and mission ahead of you that will be a dark, but hopefully, the family I made you will support you throughout your journey, and you do the same fo them," Dr.Martens says while smiling and looking down.

Dr.Martens shakes his head and then takes his glasses off and says, "Your mission or should I say quest is both simple and complicated as it will acquire you to be dark, uncompromising, cunning, monstrous, and lastly evil. Your... quest has one primary objective and three sub-objectives, which are optional."

The hologram changes from Dr.Marten's image to a 3D list as the voice of Dr.Martens continues by saying, "Your main objective is to systematically exterminate all human presence within our solar system or reduce them to a hundred, 50 men and 50 women your choice."

Hearing what his main quest excited Malik along with raising his spirits as he wanted this from the beginning. He stands up from the windowsill and looks forward with anticipation of hearing what his sub-objectives were.

"Your three sub-objectives stand as is. First, spare the enslaved Demi-Humans as they are nothing more than victims of humanities cruelty as well. Second, raise as many levels before culling attempting to go after human cities. And lastly, but not least uplift as many fully sentient androids as possible so you may raze humanities cities and rule justly as the Machine Overlord. It doesn't matter which order you complete these in, but now like you have always done, make me proud," The message ends with Dr.Martens smiling image reappearing over the holographic clipboard.

As the message ended, Samantha put the clipboard back at her hip, which just floats as if now hanging from a hook. She then says, "That's all there is to it, do you have any questions?"

Malik ingesting all that his father had said, cocks his head while looking at Samantha and says, "Before, why did you never appear until now?"

Excitedly, Samantha raises her right index finger and says, "Oh, that's easy. It's because your father had previously set me to only come out after you had used {Consume} on him. And before you ask why it's just how he planned it."

'Planned it?' Malik clung to her words, thinking at speeds that lighting seems slow until he came to a grizzly realization.

"He planned his death," Said a loud as he mulled over what his conclusion.

As if a prized had been won, Samantha jumps up and down, clapping while saying," Correct. Correct. After receiving his mortally deep wounds, he estimated that he'd only have four months left to live, leaving him with the option of speeding up his plan. His original plan was to finish letting your mind, body, and soul to fully synch with your data, system, and mana cores, but with what little bit of time left, he had to wake you up much too early. This left you out of synch with your body, which dropped your level back down to level 1, and some of your skill levels unreadable but still usable to a degree."

Malik understood this as his current status screen seemed to off by a large amount considering his strengths and skills. Before he could speak again, she continues by saying, "The only way to view your real status is by increasing your level, which should fix your synchronization problem once your status screen states that you have reached level 20. Although once synchronize, your status screen should show your right stats along with your correct level and anything else written with question marks."

"Ok, I understand the process and all, but what is your purpose then?" Malik asks while sporting a serious tone.

"Well, if you ask, you can ask me to do many of the things you find menial. Such as connecting and calling your family, controlling, and using some programs that you made while you're in the middle of battle. Making several weapons out of your Attanites with any specifications you ask. While also being capable of helping in combat by either making holographic illusions or using your Attanites to create useful tools and or gadgets to help you, such as mini turrets that'll fly over your shoulders. And jet propulsion systems to allow you to fly faster than breaking down a swarm of Attanites."

Malik unconsciously switches out of his combat form, revealing a sinister smile of joy. Learning of this lifted his Malik's spirits as he knew he had a tremendous advantage. He was now a highly advanced machine with the capability to increase in strength in a world where if he remembered correctly was slowly declining in science for the benefit of magic. But something still bugged him though he has a magic stat but didn't notice a magic tab.

"Samantha, thanks for raising my spirits, but I have a question. Why don't I have a magic tab in my menu, even my 'add more tabs' doesn't have the option for adding anything other than a magic and monster catalog?" Asks Malik as he was curious because even in the simulation and with the corridor where he painted the grey walls red with the blood of those 20 knights that were in his path.

As Samantha scratches her holographic head, she says, "I'm not too sure about that either as Dr.Martens was unsure about most of your skills. In the end, chalked it to skills you had before. Although humans can bring up a menu too, it was limited to stats, skills, and a magic menu that listed the magic they knew or was attuned to. Most humans had one or two skills, but, according to the records, you never could use a menu am I right just choosing to strengthen yourself blindly."

Rocking on the back of her heals, she shrugs and says, "So from my understanding, it most likely has something to with your {All mighty Magic} skill along with {Absolute intelligence} skill. Guessing your menu just doesn't see a reason for having a magic tab if your magic is op. When you have time, just do a little experimenting, but until then, just rest or you could meditate to cool your head. Either way, I'm gonna look through your monster and magic catalogs as I haven't had the time to look through them, peace."

As Samantha disappears into a red holographic dust that slowly dissipates into nothingness, Malik looks over to Aileen, who had been looking at the holographic table map but was now looking at Malik. Seeing her worried expression, he takes an educated guess and sums it up as she didn't see the naked woman who was standing next to him just a moment ago.

Malik sighs and walks over to Aileen with an intent to explain everything before there quest turns into a convention.