System Hunt: Regalia

Yoko leaped over a fallen tree, her breaths coming in ragged gasps as she chased after the fleeing native. Like Sam, she hadn’t noticed or expected the native man they’d just saved to run away from them and by the time she’d started the chase, he’d already gotten some distance. She was fortunate though, that her clones weren’t capable of experiencing exhaustion.

She heard her own footfalls closing in and her clone surged ahead, vaulting over a rock with ease—its endurance unmatched. The moment it passed her, Yoko made her move.

Spend 100RGP to move consciousness?

Mind Swap Successful!

The change was instantaneous and something she was still getting used to, especially when it came to shifting her mind to clones that were in motion. She nearly tripped on her own foot but recovered fast enough to keep up her sprint, all feelings of exhaustion erased and passed on to the clone body she’d just abandoned.

As the woodlands whipped past the silhouette of the native became clearer as he tumbled down a hill, his panicked screams cutting through the air. She hastened her steps but he was on his feet within moments, screaming as he saw her chase after him.

“Please! I can’t-no!”

Yoko wiped the sweat off of her forehead as once again her clone came charging out faster and with more endurance than she could hope to manifest.

Mind Swap Successful!

Her perspective shot forward as the distance from where she was before and where she was now smashed into one. She ignored the disorienting sensation of the Mind Swap and kept up the chase, not bothering to waste her breath calling out for the man to stop running but her hands did inch toward her Holy Pistol.

There were many perks to her Regalia of Detachment. One exciting bit was that she could piece together different perspectives at once, it drained her Regalia’s energy as she found but anytime she leaped from one head to another she gathered greater knowledge of everything her clones had observed or learned.

And after several Mind Swaps chasing after the native Yoko quickly noticed that the further into the forest they delved, the more organized it became. Whether it was the multiple tree stumps or fallen timber, she couldn’t put her finger on it but she did put one her pistol’s trigger as she whipped it out and fired.

The shot echoed louder than the ruckus Sam’s fight with the Ogre was making. The man froze and fell to his knees once the tree bark ahead of him was blown apart. He looked over his shoulder at Yoko as she approached with her weapon aimed at his head.

Weeping, he clasps his hands and pleaded, “Please! Please Invader I pledge no allegiance, I offer no-”

“Shut up, get up. I said get up, on your feet now!” Yoko yelled.

The man hopped to her orders, his fear doubling as her clone jogged down to join her and watched impassively as he held his hands above his head. Tears still streamed down his cheeks as he sniffled and muttered pleas for mercy.

Yoko took a good look at him. Besides the raggedy clothing the man was young, at least, young enough to have his first kid. He had a mop of brown, twisted hair that was full of grass and sticks from his fall and likely even before then. He stood a bit taller than her and was brown skinned enough to potentially blend in with the tree Yoko cornered him up against.

“Who are you?” she began.

The man blinked his tears away, hope igniting in his eyes, “My name is Yakubu, I was just out trying to gather some mushrooms.” His eyes shifted to his hip which he brought up for her to see held a pouch tied to his belt.

Her clone snatched the pouch and began looking through it while Yoko continued. She wasn’t sure what to ask exactly, she was motivated by her survival not whatever quest the Tower wanted Regalia Wielders to go after.

Except the part where I can go home if I return one Regalia. She’d dreamt about that. It was an odd dream where she found a piece of gum and presented it to the crucified Belua as a Regalia and it sent her home…or did it? She couldn’t remember.

“You called me an Invader, what is that? I mean, asides from the obvious but why?”

Yakubu gulped, his brown eyes were yet to run of tears, “Only Invaders and the Stewards dress like you, ma’am.”

“The Stewards?”

“Yes, there are only three and you and your companion are not them.” He said, his eyes darted between Yoko and her clone, there was no small envy in the way he analysed their clothing, even though Sam had only passed on a simple shirt and rather baggy jeans over to her from his stock of DSF provisions. “Thank you for saving me but I can’t be found with you, I can’t even be out here any longer than this!”

She believed him. He was too scared to lie and in a world where little made sense, this much did. Yoko started to ask another question when her clone suddenly said, “We’ve got company.”

Sure enough, they did. Yoko followed her clone’s line of sight to the peak of the trees around them. Creeping out of the covering of leaves were more Kobolds, perfectly camouflaged against the greenery these ones held their weapons in their salivating mouths as they crawled and leaped down to surround Yoko and Yakubu whose fountain of tears found new vigour.

“Shut it and don’t think just because these monsters are here I’ll forget about you. If you move from this spot, she’ll kill you.” Yakubu nodded profusely and Yoko let her clone act as bodyguard as she stepped away from the two.

She counted her opponents, seven Kobolds of average sizes were encircling her exclusively. The ugly things had enough intelligence to understand they’d have to get rid of her before getting to any other victim.

They snickered, each of them inching a step forward with crude stone and wooden clubs, two wielding actual metal blades already stained with blood and the largest of them hauling a hammer with a toothy grin just as large.

Congratulations you have earned a share of Regalia Points for this Engagement!

942RGP awarded!

The notification flashed across her Regalia, obscuring her view momentarily before she hastily affirmed it away. Sam…

Yoko sighed and began biting her nails. She bit one off completely and hissed as she snagged off more of the plate than intended. Still, she spat it out and watched a new clone birth in a spark of light.

The Kobolds were instantly threatened and screamed as they charged at Yoko from all sides. She spat out another bitten nail and retrieved a weapon she’d been carrying on her person since the room of thrones. It was a short curved blade with a vein of purple fluid traveling down the middle of its blade.

Sam had pointed out the fluid was an end product of the DSF’s Nuclei energy conversion efforts, the same that bore fruit to the Holy Bullets in the barrel of her pistol. While Yoko knew little of blades or guns or even magic fluid, she knew plenty of both her cultures to recognize the blade as a scimitar.

Yoko#1 launched herself into the nearest Kobold before it could get a proper wind up on its club strike. As her clone took the hit from the club, Yoko lunged. Her Holy Scimitar gleamed as purple fluid streamed into the blade’s grooves, sharpening its edge. In one smooth motion, she sliced across the prone Kobold’s face. The blade vibrated, sawing through bone and skull with brutal ease.

She turned around and found Yoko#2 bracing another club strike. Yoko fired, blowing the Kobold’s shoulder apart. It shrieked and dropped the club. She quickly handed her pistol to Yoko#2, while Yoko#1 picked up the fallen weapon.

Yoko and her clones stood back to back, Holy scimitar, pistol and club in hand. After their swift and gruesome display the Kobolds were reasonably hesitant, she could see it in their eyes, fear of death. She was sure she had it as well, that it was all anyone could see when they looked in her eyes but after a terrible night’s sleep and that bizarre dream, Yoko wasn’t as scared anymore.

If I want, I can just Mind Swap to her. She thought, glancing at the clone that held Yakubu hostage. Her Regalia had saved her from literal death and could put her far away from any forefront of battle that Sam decided was in their best interest.

If I reach Assimilation level 5 then I could probably just let them handle it. Her train of thought broke as the Kobold with the hammer roared, its tongue clicking as it ordered the others forward. Yoko braced herself, muscles tensing as she anticipated the coming assault. They had found their courage again—and they weren’t going to hold back.

Two Kobolds each charged her clones. Two rapid shots echoed, the crunch of broken bones and the yelp of pain from a clone sounded behind Yoko as she took the violence to the large Kobold.

Her scimitar heavy in her grip but lethal as it sliced through flesh. When the Kobold raised its hammer for a crushing blow, she darted aside, avoiding the slow, telegraphed swing. Without hesitation, she drove her blade deep into its stomach. The Kobold howled, swinging at her head with surprising speed, but Yoko raised her arm to block the weakened strike.

She twisted the scimitar deeper into its stomach, feeling the blade catch on bone. With a grunt, she ripped it free, tearing through muscle and sinew. Blood gushed out as the Kobold’s insides spilled onto the ground.

They couldn’t have the same organs as humans could they? Yoko genuinely wondered as blood splattered across her face and the Kobold doubled over in agony, its yellow eyes glaring hate up at her as it laid down for the last time.

She inspected the organs, poking, prodding and lifting with her scimitar. “Huh, that’s interesting.” As it turned out they did have similar organs to humans but there was more to uncover in its chest, though she wouldn’t be cracking it open to look anytime soon.

Congratulations you have earned Regalia Points for this Engagement!

438RGP awarded!

Yoko checked up on her clones and found they’d done just as well if not better than she. She shook her head at the two Kobold’s with blown off heads, one had more skull left over than the other but all the same, it was an ugly sight. Everything around her was becoming ugly and she wasn’t sure how strong her doctor’s stomach could keep her.

Yoko#1 had its arm broken though and Yoko#2 looked sorry for it, knowing exactly what Yoko was thinking. Such a waste of a fingernail. She snapped her finger and Yoko#1 dissipated in particles of dust and smoke. Yoko didn’t get anything for dismissing the clones before their deaths but she found it drained her Regalia’s Energy to have several clones lingering about doing nothing.

Labels and clone counting aside, Yoko had created five clones since the ruckus of the Yakubu and the Kobold’s woke she and Sam. Her Regalia was already down a bar of thirteen and she would need to spend 200RGP on Restore should they encounter another aggressive set of monsters.

Yoko#2 followed her back to Yakubu who sat at the base of the tree with a look of ever growing concern at their approach rather than fear or even horror. Yoko removed her glasses and wiped the blood off her face and the lens with her shirt as she asked, “Where were we? Stewards yeah? Are those your Regalia Wielders?”

Yakubu seemed to have found his steady tongue and spoke calm and easy, “Regalia…that word is an omen, you are. Your presence here is a warning for trials to come. I have to warn my tribe.”

Yoko raised a brow at that, “Who was the woman with you? The one that…yeah, her face.” She said a bit awkwardly at the end as she realized how insensitive she sounded.

Sam should be doing this, he’s the one with all the— wait, is he dead!? She hadn’t heard a word from him or checked up on the clones she left. She knew one died but at the time she was chasing after Yakubu and couldn’t be bothered using Mind Swap on a clone that wasn’t helping her get to him.

Spend 100RGP to move consciousness?

Mind Swap Successful!

Yoko’s consciousness overlapped her clones before taking over its body. The trees moving by were the first thing she saw but she had her head rested against something— someone warm. She began to look but hissed as pain tore through her ankle.

“Yoko? That you? You you?” It was Sam. He was giving her a piggyback ride while he used his lances to move their provisions, the bags hung at each point.

“Yeah it’s me. Wait, no, don’t drop me!”

“Oh, I thought you would heal. You’re always at top-notch shape…when it’s you anyway.”

“I’m trying to save up on RGP.” She said and pointed down a slope she recognized from chasing Yakubu, “Go down that way, be careful. I caught Yakubu.”

“Who’s- oh, that’s his name? What did he say?” Sam asked, looking over his shoulder at her.

She pressed his head forward, “Be careful I said and not much. He’s scared or was, I don’t think he sees me as a threat anymore. But he does see us as omens.”

“Omens? That word specifically?”

“Yeah why does it mean something?”

“Nope, just seems harsh.”

Yoko snickered, “Hurry up, I think we can get him to take us to his tribe, where he lives or something. I need a bed and food, not another can of potato chips.”

Sam groaned and hoisted her so she sat well on his back, “Yeah? Me too.”