The Collector

Morning arrived, with sunlight sweeping across the vast expanse of ancient ruins and dry trees. Modeus and Abigail woke up, quickly packing their things. Once the campfire had died down, they resumed their journey across the dusty plains toward the east of Fertissio, a long and tiring trek.

"This road is dead quiet," Modeus remarked, leaning back with his hands behind his head. "No signs of life except us."

Abigail nodded slowly. "There's no transportation here. Most people with vehicles are either wealthy or braver than they are smart."

Their light-hearted conversation continued for a few hours. Their steps were steady, while the dust kicked up by their feet clung to their shoes and clothes. But amid the calm, a loud noise erupted from behind. Modeus and Abigail instinctively turned to see a large truck speeding towards them, its horn blaring loudly among the ruins.

"Hey! Get in! Quick!" shouted the driver, his voice tinged with panic as he waved frantically while keeping the truck moving.

They exchanged glances. Modeus squinted before finally saying, "Looks like we've got a ride."

Without much discussion, Modeus and Abigail ran and jumped into the back of the truck with agility as it continued to speed. They landed smoothly inside, while the sweating driver kept glancing nervously at the rearview mirror.

"What's going on?" Modeus asked, settling casually into the back seat, while Abigail regarded the driver with a cool stare.

The driver, a middle-aged man with a thin beard and dust-covered clothes, looked back quickly, his face etched with worry. "You need to help me! I'm being chased by monsters! They came out of the ancient ruins after I managed to collect some quantum artifacts there. I don't know how they showed up, but they've been after me ever since."

"Monsters?" Modeus raised an eyebrow, his gaze sharp but relaxed. "How many?"

"Tens... maybe more," the driver stammered. "They won't stop chasing. If you don't help, we're all dead!"

The driver increased the truck's speed, his eyes constantly flicking to the rearview mirror as if the creatures could appear at any moment.

Abigail looked at the driver with a calm yet sharp expression. "In that case, we need to negotiate the fee first. You didn't think we'd work for free, did you?"

The driver swallowed hard, his face etched with stress. "How much do you want? I... I'll pay whatever you ask!"

Abigail gave a thin smile, as if he had already set a price in his mind. "One hundred thousand Nexbit. How does that sound?"

"One hundred thousand!?" The driver looked shocked, but there was no time for debate. The distant roar of the monsters grew louder, as if they were closing in. "Fine! Fine! One hundred thousand Nexbit, as long as we survive this!"

Modeus chuckled softly, enjoying the situation. "Well then, it looks like we have a deal. Let's see what's chasing us."

Modeus and Abigail took their positions at the back of the truck, ready to face the approaching threat. Soon, through the rising dust and smoke, large shapes emerged. The monsters moved swiftly, their bodies not entirely organic. Some had chainsaw arms, while others wielded firearms on their shoulders, similar to the modified humans they had faced before.

"You've got to be kidding me..." Modeus said with a half-smile, checking his weapons and magic. "They look like a cheap version of Wilfrid's mods."

Abigail watched the monsters' movements with sharp eyes, calculating their distance and speed. "Seems like Wilfrid isn't the only one experimenting in Fertissio."

"Make sure you don't hit anything. We don't want to get thrown out while fighting," Modeus said, his tone light but with an underlying seriousness.

The driver nodded in a panic. "I'll do my best!"

The truck jolted violently as it sped over Fertissio's rough terrain, rattling with every bump or rock in the road. The roar of the engine mixed with the driver's panicked horn blasts, while the thudding steps of the pursuing mechanical monsters drew ever closer. Modeus and Abigail stood at the back of the truck, preparing to face the oncoming assault.

Modeus, trying to target some of the monsters with his basic magic, frowned. The truck's vibrations made it difficult to aim precisely. Every time he cast a spell, it either missed the target or had minimal impact. Meanwhile, Abigail, with his broader magical abilities, was able to unleash large waves of magic that struck several monsters at once. But Modeus knew they would need more than just brute force to get through this.

"I can't aim anything in these conditions," Modeus muttered in frustration, turning to the side. "Neumann, help me out."

Immediately, the metal spine attached to Modeus's body began to vibrate gently. From within that vibration, a mechanical voice, soft yet flat, echoed in his mind. "Request confirmed. Activating automatic targeting mode. Partial control of magic will be taken over."

Modeus gave a small grin, pleased to hear Neumann's voice. Neumann, his quantum AI, was directly linked to the artifact embedded in his body. Though Neumann was a creation of quantum technology, Modeus visualized her as a teenage girl in a futuristic augmented suit. Right now, this visualization appeared in his mind, standing in front of him with a cold and expressionless face.

"Begin targeting," Neumann instructed calmly, her voice remaining steady despite the danger outside.

Modeus felt his body become slightly lighter. With Neumann taking over his magical control, he could sense the energy patterns being adjusted with precision. His hands, previously shaking from the truck's jolts, were now perfectly steady, each movement smooth. Neumann began locking onto the targets, the monsters chasing them now within her field of view.

"First target, thirteen meters behind. Commencing execution," Neumann reported swiftly.

Modeus raised his hand, and without needing to manually aim, he felt the magical energy flow from his hand with pinpoint accuracy. A glowing purple plasma orb sliced through the air, striking the first monster directly in its mechanical core. A small explosion occurred, and the monster collapsed onto the ground, dragged by its own momentum.

The driver, still panicked, glanced back occasionally, his eyes widening as he saw Modeus firing with such precision under these conditions. "Y-You... you can use magic!?" he exclaimed, his voice a mix of awe and fear.

Unperturbed by the driver's comment, Abigail continued his assault. Both his hands glowed with a dark red light, a signature of the demon magic he mastered. "Just keep driving and stay focused. We don't want to die because you can't control this truck," he said in a flat but firm tone.

The monsters were getting closer, and some were preparing their counterattacks. One of them swung a massive chainsaw-like mechanical arm, trying to slice through the back of the truck. Modeus felt the energy vibrations coming from the monster before Neumann reported.

"Next target, twenty meters, chainsaw mechanism. Diverting energy to the truck's shields."

Modeus lifted his hand again without saying a word, and a magical shield formed behind the truck, protecting them from the chainsaw attack. The chainsaw struck the shield with a loud clash, creating bright sparks, but it didn't breach their defense.

Abigail took advantage of the distraction. He gathered a large amount of magic in his hands and unleashed a massive fire blast towards the cluster of monsters behind them. The fire spell exploded on impact, incinerating several monsters at once.

"I think we can raise our price after this," Abigail murmured with a half-smile, continuing to fire magic from a distance.

Modeus kept firing away with Neumann's help. Each shot hit its mark with high precision, dismantling the monsters' mechanical bodies and targeting their vital components. Despite being astonished by Abigail and Modeus's skill, the truck driver kept accelerating, pushing the truck as fast as he could to escape the danger.

"Five targets remaining," Neumann reported, her voice calm despite the escalating situation.

Modeus took a deep breath, feeling comfortable with the control Neumann provided. "Let me handle the rest. Direct all energy to plasma."

"Understood," Neumann responded briefly, and Modeus felt an increase in energy throughout his body.

His hands glowed with a brighter shade of purple as the plasma magic began to accumulate. He aimed his hand at the remaining monsters, and with one powerful blast, the plasma orb surged and exploded among them, destroying all the remaining monsters in a final strike.

The explosion echoed across the plains, shaking the ground around them. The remnants of the monsters fell to the ground, motionless.

The truck driver slowed down, panting heavily as he finally felt safe. "You... you guys are incredible!" he exclaimed, still in disbelief over what he had just witnessed.

Abigail simply smirked. "One hundred thousand Nexbit, remember?"

The driver nodded quickly, not daring to argue. "Of course! I'll pay you as soon as we're in a safe place!"

Modeus lowered his hand, relieved that the battle was over. Neumann gradually disengaged from the magic connection, reverting to her passive mode, leaving only the visualization of the augmented-suit girl in Modeus's mind, who now seemed to stand calmly in the background of his consciousness.

"Thanks, Neumann," Modeus whispered internally. The AI didn't respond, but Modeus knew she heard him.

After dispatching all the monsters chasing the truck, the roar of the engine was the only sound breaking the silence on the Fertissio road. The air felt calmer, though the tension hadn't fully dissipated. Abigail, sitting in the back of the truck with Modeus, began pulling out a device from his belt—a futuristic, sleek gadget that looked like a high-tech phone. As the device started glowing with a blue digital pattern, Modeus stared at it in curiosity.

"What's that?" Modeus asked, eyeing the softly glowing device.

Abigail gave a small smile. "This is an A.R.M—Advanced Relay Module. It's used for remote data transfers or payments." He turned his gaze to the driver, his tone more assertive, "One hundred thousand Nexbit, as we agreed."

The truck driver, who had been panicked earlier, now stared at Abigail's device with wide eyes. "Wait, that's an A.R.M? You… you're a relic hunter?" he asked, astonished and intrigued.

Abigail nodded slowly, activating the A.R.M to receive the payment. "That's right. I'm a relic hunter. And we have an agreement on payment, so you need to honor it."

Realizing who he was dealing with, the driver quickly nodded and began preparing the payment. Holding the steering wheel with one hand, he pulled out a small device from his jacket and started transferring the digital currency to Abigail's A.R.M.

"Sorry, sorry! Of course, I'll pay right away," he said hurriedly. Within seconds, the screen on Abigail's A.R.M flashed, indicating the transfer was complete. Abigail glanced at it briefly, satisfied with the transaction.

As he continued driving, the now much more relaxed driver glanced at Abigail and Modeus through the rearview mirror. "If you're a relic hunter, I can guess your destination… The Old World Network, right?"

Abigail simply nodded. "Yes, that's right. We're heading there. They have important information we need."

The driver smiled slightly, clearly pleased with the answer. "What a coincidence. I'm heading there too, to do business with some quantum artifacts I just found in ancient ruins. And since you're a relic hunter, we might make good business partners," he said with enthusiasm.

Abigail looked at the man with a neutral expression. "I don't partner with just anyone," he replied curtly, but the driver didn't seem offended by Abigail's cold tone.

The man introduced himself. "I'm Niwa Arihira, a quantum artifact collector. You might have heard of me if you deal with the black market in Fertissio. I'm fairly well-known among traders and artifact collectors. Given your skills, I'm sure we could establish a mutually beneficial business relationship. If you need information, I can help with that too."

Abigail looked at Niwa thoughtfully, as if weighing the offer, but didn't respond immediately. Meanwhile, Modeus observed their conversation with a mix of confusion and curiosity. He didn't fully understand the details of this business, but he knew that Abigail had a keen instinct for profit.

"I'll consider it," Abigail finally said, taking the small device Niwa handed over as a digital contact card. "By the way, I'm Abigail and this is Modeus."

Niwa flashed a wide smile, clearly pleased with the impression he'd made. "Great. Trust me, I'm more than just a truck driver. In the quantum artifact world, contacts like me can be quite useful."

Abigail tucked the digital contact card into his pocket, while Modeus remained silent, attentively observing every detail. Though Abigail often seemed aloof and indifferent, he always had a strategy in mind for every move.

"Quantum artifacts, A.R.M, relic hunters… it seems like you both have a lot of intriguing things going on that I wasn't aware of," Modeus said, breaking the silence after their exchange. He threw a curious glance at Abigail, though his expression remained as flat as ever.

Abigail gave him a brief look. "I don't always share everything with you. But you only need to know what's necessary to survive here." He ended the statement with an ambiguous tone, not revealing whether he was serious or joking.

Niwa, now more relaxed after their conversation, glanced through the rearview mirror and said, "You two must be quite a team. Not everyone can handle monsters so calmly like you do."

Abigail gave a faint smile but didn't boast about their skills. "We do what needs to be done."

Modeus, though usually quiet, added, "Surviving in this place isn't just about strength. Sometimes, cleverness is far more important." He looked at Niwa briefly, as if implying that he knew the driver wasn't just an ordinary collector.

Niwa nodded enthusiastically. "That's true! In this world, only the smart survive. And I'm confident that if we work together, we can uncover many valuable things." His gaze was filled with enthusiasm and ambition.

Their journey continued at a more stable speed, but it was clear that the relationship between the three of them had just begun. Niwa felt he had found reliable partners, while Abigail and Modeus remained cautious, never fully trusting anyone in this harsh world.

Inside the truck, despite the ongoing discussions about business and strategy, the atmosphere felt lighter for a moment. They all knew they had narrowly escaped a major threat. But in the perilous land of Fertissio, every day is a new challenge for survival, and the Old World Network syndicate awaited them.

***