System Hunt: Regalia

After their conversation in Zacchaeus’s quarters, Sam and Yoko were led to their own temporary room. It was dimly lit by the warm glow of pink crystal light coming in through the corridor. It had a bed or at least a mat with enough padding to call it one and it had two chairs and a stone table large enough for two plates of watery vegetable soup and one large potato.

They were served by the children who seemed to be in an abundance within the Zacchaeus’s cave network, none were particularly happy to be sharing though and Sam could understand. Up top Yoko had her clone with the provisions they’d entered Domus with. There was at least a day or two of junk food and rations but Sam wouldn’t reject Zacchaeus’s hospitality or free food, not when they couldn’t source it themselves anyway.

Zacchaeus stood between the flora curtains that acted as a door to the small room they were sat in, “Think about what we’ve discussed, eat, digest for a moment and then give me an answer.” He said before folding his arms as he left them alone.

After a minute or two had passed Sam picked up the wood carved spoon and slurped some of the soup. “Salty.” He smacked his lips but took another spoonful anyway, “Alright, this is as alone as we’re going to be. Let me talk to Yoko.”

The clone looked at him funny, “I am Yoko.” His eyes narrowed and she laughed, “I am Yoko.” She repeated with a grin.

“You’re a clone.”

“Of Yoko.”

“Exactly.”

“We’re saying the same thing Sam but you’re refusing to understand it.” she said, slurping some of her soup.

“Should you even be eating that? It doesn’t get transferred to Yoko’s stomach once you disappear does it?”

She paused to think, hummed and bit her potato, “I don’t think so, no.”

“Let me speak to her, we need to decide what we’re going to do.” Sam urged, Zacchaeus had been honest and upfront about being an Invader like them and he’d given them a warning even their Regalia hadn’t— the consequence of failing to meet the Returnal’s deadline.

“Does the plan need to change? We still need to find and kill one Regalia Wielder each or we kill each other, there’s that.” She smirked at him, mouthful of ugly masticated potatoes. She swallowed and added, “Also, before you repeat yourself, I am Yoko. I can’t contact the version of me with the Regalia but I am her when she wants to be me and even if she doesn’t she’ll get my memories as long as I don’t die.”

“But no food or rest I’m guessing?”

“That’s a secret.” She winked. “Now what were you saying? Oh right you were panicking.”

Sam sneered, “You’re only this calm because your existence is secured as long as there’s one of you out there. But at the end of the day we still have to hunt for Regalia and put ourselves at risk or really mostly me since I do all the heavy lifting.”

She rolled her eyes, “Really? You want to get into who’s doing more than who now?”

Sam took a deep breath and stirred his soup, “You’re right, there’s no point in that. But we should decide what we’re going to do next.”

“Haven’t you already come up with a plan? It’s the same one I have isn’t it? Target other Invaders.” Yoko’s clone said, her eyes were cold and detached a she pieced the potatoes into her soup, “Domus and his Stewards are far too strong to go after, they control the Belua and even the Invader hosting us is hunkering down, trying not to grab their attention. It’ll be stupid to go after Domus.”

It was the same plan Sam had come up with, but he had an argument for going after Domus, “Every other Invader is going to be busy fighting themselves and Domus will be free to shepherd his Belua after the weakened and vulnerable wherever they are. I say we take the fight to Domus.”

She choked on her soup, wiped her mouth and pushed the bowl away, “So you are stupid after all.”

“No, listen. I don’t know how much RGP you got from our last battle but I barely got enough to cover the costs of surviving.” Sam leaned in, emphasizing his point with his spoon, “If we go after Domus we’ll get exposed to more Belua faster and we’ll get to see what happens at Assimilation Level 5. It’s better this way because…”

Sam looked at the curtain behind Yoko to be sure there was no one lingering before he whispered, “Zacchaeus is only so hospitable because he knows our Regalia is weaker than his. We need RGP to get stronger and going after Invaders that might be stronger than us isn’t going to help that.”

Yoko stirred and shovelled her mouth with soaked potatoes and boiled carrots. Her eyes darted about her skull in thought, “Fine, I can’t see my Regalia right now but I do remember the awarded amount being meagre.”

Sam nodded and took some good bites of his potato soup, copying her method of chopping it up and stirring it in the soup made it less salty. She kicked back on the chair and eyed Sam as she said, “But you do understand you’re going to be taking most of the risks right? Sure, we can’t get hung up on who does more but the fact is, you’re the damage dealer and I’m the control, a fairly weak one since I can’t exactly spawn armies of myself.”

He swallowed the lump of tuber and vegetables, it wasn’t the worst meal he’d had but his expectations were utterly low. Sam sniffed, “Yeah, I know but that could change. We don’t know what happens at Assimilation Level 5 you could evolve an ability that allows you to do actual good damage to Belua or increase the amount of clones you can create. Either way, we’re good enough to take down an Ogre when we’re holding back a bit so we stop holding back. We will hunt Belua and let whichever Invader we come across decide whether they want to take their chances with us.”

She inhaled deeply and stopped leaning on the chair’s back legs, “Alright then, it’s your call…unless the real me disagrees of course.”

Sam scowled at her dirty grin. They finished the meal in silence after that, taking no less than a minute or two to clear their small portions of watery potato filled soup. Sam glanced over at the mat in the room and considered laying down to rest, I haven’t slept well since...I can’t actually remember.

The thought did bring up one more concern to mind, “Yoko…no matter what, I have to get back home. I can’t end up trapped in this world while months, years and decades fly past back home.”

“You’ve got people waiting for you huh?” Her voice was mellow, unenthusiastic but understanding, “I guess it hurts to be gone from them for five months already and yet, it’ll only be thirteen days to you.”’

“To us. Don’t you have anyone waiting back in Manila?”

She bit her lip, eyes glossed over in thought for a moment and then she threw her hands behind her head, “I thought I did once but all I’ll be missing now is my job but I guess since it blew up I already lost it.”

Sam felt sad for her but even more himself. The ones he had back home…he wondered if they were waiting for him at all. Perhaps Jess would, she had been the last person he spoke to after all but then he’d gone and asked if they could be together again once he returned…in five months.

Mother would have buried an empty casket by then and Jess? She’s probably moved on long before I stepped foot in Manila, why wouldn’t she?

He gave a pathetic chuckle, “I think you and I really aren’t so different. Everything I thought I had waiting for me…it might all be lost already.”

Yoko looked doubtful, “Even the one you called?”

“Even her.”

They stewed in the misery silently for a moment only for it to be broken by Zacchaeus who came in with a rolled up sheet of paper and his staff in hand. He glowered down at them, “You’re done then?”

“Yes?” Sam answered.

“Have you decided what you are? Friend or foe?”

“Who wouldn’t want to be friends with you?” Yoko said cheekily.

Zacchaeus tossed the paper at Sam, “That’s a map. I charted it the last time I bothered to fight up top, it might not be as accurate as it used to be but it will guide you towards Domus but more importantly, towards the other three Steward Towers where you’re most likely to run into Invaders. The map includes some thoughts I had back in the day as well, heed them if you wish but this is where our friendship ends.”

He stood aside by the door and gestured out with his staff, “Do not think less of me for this but I cannot have you here, the Stewards, Domus, they are after you fresh Invaders more than those of us trapped here. Please do not attempt to return here, you will not find us again.”

Sam and Yoko stared at each other and shrugged as they stood. “I can’t say we expected to sleep over but, it might have been nice.” Sam said as he walked past with Yoko in trail.

In the tiled corridor there was a congregation of children lined up by the walls, staring, curious, furious. Zacchaeus called out, “A final word of warning, fellow Invaders,” Zacchaeus called from behind them, his voice dropping lower. “Be wary of the crystal infected.”

Sam stopped, his heart skipping a beat. “Crystal infected?” he repeated, a sinking feeling settling in his gut.

Zacchaeus only nodded grimly. “Pray you don’t meet one.”