Rebuild World: Volume 1 Part 1, page 6
Akira did value his life, and he had determined to obey Alpha. Regretfully, he nodded in agreement and gave up his search. “Got it. So, how much am I going to get for all this?”
I can’t be certain of that either. The going rate for relics fluctuates with demand. And you won’t be selling all of those. Set the knife aside for yourself, and I’d advise against selling the medicine as well. Even minor injuries often lead to serious trouble without proper treatment. Think of it as insurance.
“That’ll mean even less to sell.”
You’ll have to put up with that; it’s a necessary expense.
Akira hesitated, then agreed. “Fine.” He still regretted that he wouldn’t be able to sell as many relics, but he told himself that what remained was still plenty for someone like himself. He turned his attention elsewhere.
Now, let’s start back, Alpha said. You’ll be carrying a decent weight this time, so be especially careful. If you get spotted because that bag slows you down, you really will be blown to smithereens this time. She smiled ominously, prompting a grimace from Akira.
“I... I’ll be fine.”
“Then let’s go.”
Once more Akira followed Alpha nervously. For her part, Alpha wore a cheerful grin.
Akira had made it back to the desert—dangerous in its own right, but still far safer than ruins patrolled by invisible monsters. Unconsciously, he made a mental note marking an end to his expedition and relaxed, though he certainly wasn’t safe yet. As he did so, the fatigue that he had forgotten in his keyed-up state came rushing back, and he let out a sigh.
We could stop for a rest if you’re tired, Alpha suggested. You don’t have to worry about keeping a lookout while I’m around.
“Good idea,” he answered. “But let’s not make it too long; I want to get back to the city as soon as I can.”
All right. Would you like to chat in the meantime?
Akira’s solitary alley life left him with nothing to contribute, so Alpha ended up doing most of the talking, while he encouraged her with the occasional remark.
By the way, she said, did you know that Kugamayama City was founded to explore the Kuzusuhara Town Ruins?
“Really? I had no idea. You sure know a lot.”
I may not look it, but I’m quite well informed. That said, most of my knowledge is about the East. I can’t tell you much about the West or Central.
“The West, huh? I don’t know much about it either, but I hear it’s like another world.”
I only know a few stories. Some say that it lacks any higher technology whatsoever and others that it’s inhabited by wizards, but you have to take those with a grain of salt.
“Central’s full of organizations called, um...countries? Have I got that right?”
So I hear. “The East” is everything east of Central, although it can also mean the area that the ELGC—the Eastern League of Governing Corporations—controls. Are you interested in Central, Akira?
“Nah. I want to know all I should about the East first. I mean, I can’t even read yet.”
Leave that to me. I’ll add a basic education to your training regime in addition to literacy.
“Y-You will? Thanks.” Akira felt grateful for Alpha’s generous offer, but it also frightened him a bit. He firmly believed that a free gift could cost a lot.
You’re welcome. Alpha turned a kind smile on him. Her happiness, however, was all for herself.
◆
Back in Kugamayama, Akira made straight for the local exchange. The Hunter Office maintained several such posts throughout the city, and their clientele varied by district. The exchanges within the walls dealt primarily with elite hunters whose valuable finds occasionally sparked corporate bidding wars, driving their astronomical prices still higher. The one Akira visited—in the lower district, near to the slums—mostly served a mix of rookie hunters and slum dwellers, and it only attracted the cheapest relics. Although the exchanges theoretically dealt exclusively in relics, this least prestigious branch had, over time, begun to purchase other commodities—although generally at low prices—and had become a vital source of income for the local residents.
Akira entered the exchange and removed the relics he was selling from their paper bag. Placing them on a tray, he joined a line to wait his turn at the counter. He had taken Alpha’s advice and kept the knife and medical supplies for himself. Nojima, the middle-aged man running the exchange counter, sized up Akira as a street urchin and was treating him accordingly—until he realized that the objects on the boy’s tray could not have come from the slums.
“Show your hunter ID if you’ve got one,” he said, suddenly all business.
Akira produced the scrap of paper that passed for his ID. Nojima took it, entered some data at a nearby terminal, and then handed it back along with three coins. The tray and the relics on it ended up on a shelf behind the official. Akira looked at his coins in his hand, each worth one hundred aurum.
The aurum was a corporate currency issued by Sakashita Heavy Industries, one of the five major businesses that made up the ELGC. As such, the aurum was used mainly within SHI’s economic sphere of influence, which included Kugamayama City. The value of three hundred aurum was relative—it would purchase a single cheap meal for an average resident of Kugamayama’s lower district, while in the elite district it was pocket change that wouldn’t even buy a glass of water. And the three hundred aurum on Akira’s palm was the fruit of his death-defying trek into the ruins, his reward for braving the attacks of a behemoth to retrieve relics that he could never have reached without Alpha’s support—and only barely had done so with it.
The boy stared at the measly three coins with intense dissatisfaction, then looked up to meet Nojima’s gaze with a frown, ready to protest, although he wasn’t even sure what to say. But the official had expected his reaction and didn’t give him the chance.
“I’m sure you’ve got your share of complaints,” he said with a businesslike expression and a tone of caution, “but you’re a rank-one hunter with no credibility and no track record, and this is your first sale, so your fee is fixed at three hundred aurum. If anything, you should be grateful that we’re willing to pay you that much pre-appraisal for what might turn out to be junk.”
Akira understood the man’s point, and part of him even agreed, but that did nothing to soften his scowl. He realized that it would be pointless to argue, however.
“We’ll finish appraising your goods tomorrow at the earliest,” Nojima continued, observing Akira’s attitude. “Once that’s done, we’ll add whatever we still owe you to your next fee—unless the appraisal value is under three hundred aurum, in which case you’ll pay us the difference. So if you’re confident that you brought in something worth a lot, come back and sell us something else. We’ll recognize you by your hunter ID, so if you lose that, expect to lose your trust and reputation with it. Any questions?”
“So I should come back tomorrow?” Akira asked, uncertain.
“Only if the appraisal’s finished, and the more a relic is worth, the longer that takes. And even then, only if you’ve got something else to exchange. You won’t get paid for your last find until you sell us your next one, so don’t show up empty-handed.” A hint of concern showed through Nojima’s no-nonsense attitude. He had seen many children like Akira show up at the exchange with hard-won relics, but few of them ever returned to make a second sale, and only a handful of those lasted to their tenth. The rest either gave up on hunting or died.
“I don’t know how many risks you ran today, but if you want to earn your living as a hunter, you’ll have to keep running them. If this was enough to break your spirit, give up. You’ll just get yourself killed.”
“No thanks,” Akira shot back at once. “I could die just as easily in the slums. I’m gonna claw my way out.”
Nojima grinned. That sounded to him like determination—and determination gave people strength, making their survival more likely. “Is that so?” he said. “Well, take care out there.”
The thought that this kid might make it lifted Nojima’s spirits as he moved on to his next customer.
Outside the exchange, Akira stared hard once more at the three hundred aurum in his hand. He’d made his peace with his payment for the time being, but he still wasn’t happy about it. He sighed, releasing his discouragement, then shoved the small coins—his reward for mortal peril—into his pocket.
Alpha smiled encouragingly at him. Don’t worry, she said. The rest of your payment is a little delayed, but it will be worth the wait.
Akira collected himself and nodded emphatically. “Yeah, you’re right. No way am I gonna let a little thing like this get to me.” He forced himself to focus on what came next. “Alpha, I’m going back to the ruins tomorrow. That okay with you?”
Of course.
Turning in early after a day of adventure, awaking refreshed for the next day’s relic hunting: Akira would have liked nothing better just then. But his plan to return to the ruin ended up being put on hold: as Akira set off toward the alley where he made his bed, some other residents of the slums pounced on him in the back streets. They had been watching the exchange and wagered that anyone who brought something to sell would be leaving with cash. And they fought with the boy to the death for a mere three hundred aurum.
In the end, Akira won, but he took a bullet to the gut—usually a fatal injury. He only escaped dying thanks to the medicine he’d found in the ruins, which proved so shockingly effective that it restored him to perfect condition after a single day of rest.
Despite this grim reminder that he was still barely strong enough to survive the slums, Akira returned to the ruins freshly determined to succeed as a hunter.
Chapter 4: Ghost of the Old World
After a day spent recovering, Akira got up the next morning and once again made his way into the Kuzusuhara Town Ruins. Today he followed Alpha’s directions faithfully—he wouldn’t repeat his past mistakes!
Alpha lit up when she observed his attitude and obedience. I see your injury isn’t bothering you, she remarked.
“Nope, although I don’t really get why. I only rested for a day, but I feel better than ever—even better than before I got shot. It’s almost scary.”
Akira felt in peak condition: free of fatigue, and even more aware than usual. Energy surged through him all the way to his fingertips, and he had no trouble making his way through the ruins, even when he needed to do things like scale mountains of debris. He found it difficult to believe that he’d suffered a gunshot wound so recently.
That’s most likely an effect of the medicine, Alpha told him casually.
“What do you mean? I couldn’t believe how quick the bullet hole closed up, but what’s that got to do with me feeling better than before I got it?”
I upped your dosage, just to be safe. I’m guessing that it healed more than just your gunshot wound.
“Like what? That was the only injury I had.” Akira felt increasingly bewildered, but Alpha’s smile never faltered.
Remember everything you told me about your life yesterday? she explained. Based on that, I’d say that you were dealing with a lot of accumulated stress—down to the cellular level—from years of harsh living.
Akira looked doubtful at first. “I know life in the back alleys is rough, but you’ve gotta be blowing it out of proportion. I mean, I was always able to get around normally before.”
But as Alpha explained just how much long-term malnutrition and other conditions of life in the slums could damage him, Akira’s face grew increasingly anxious.
“You mean,” he said at last, “that I’ve been barely alive this whole time?”
Alpha looked a little smug. And all this time, you thought this was normal. Aren’t you glad that’s behind you?
Akira frowned. A tangle of emotions churned in his heart, and he felt that he couldn’t simply dismiss the harshness of his daily life the way that she had. Yet for the moment he tamped down on those sensations. Just now, his focus was on following orders and forging ahead. Another time would be better, he told himself, for sorting through the countless details nagging at the back of his mind. Once he started paying attention to them, they might bury him beneath an avalanche of doubts and misgivings.
Their journey into the ruins seemed to go more smoothly this time, at least from Akira’s point of view. They encountered no monsters, and Alpha’s directions seemed reasonable this time. Nothing indicated any dangers lurking nearby, and he was following her instructions, so Akira began to feel more at ease.
Eventually, his thoughts turned to things other than the deadly world they picked their way through. Something had been bothering him for some time. Though normally quiet while exploring the ruins, at last Akira broke the silence.
“Hey, Alpha, can I ask you something?”
You may. Anything you want to know.
“Why are you dressed like that?”
Alpha’s all-white dress billowed with dazzling frills along the sleeves and hem. Oh, does this outfit look that bad on me? she asked. Or was that an invitation to change into something more to your taste? She twirled theatrically and gave a seductive grin. As she did so, layers of fabric swirled. Her long, gleaming hair swept in an arc. In a moment, her bare back vanished, and her daringly low-cut neckline faced him.
What Akira actually wanted to know was why Alpha was dressed in a way completely inappropriate for a trip to the ruins, but so bewitching did she seem that he forgot his question and answered her own.
“No, I think you look great in that. Still, since you ask, I liked what you had on when we met better.” Old World clothing carried an exotic aura, and the shock of their first meeting had made Akira feel fond of the first outfit he had seen her wear.
What I had on when we met? Alpha repeated innocently, knowing full well what Akira meant. Ah, you mean nothing! The dazzling fabric vanished, once again unveiling her artistic and enchanting curves—to Akira’s consternation.
“No!” he cried. “The clothes you put on after that! Change back! What have you got against clothes?!”
Alpha grinned and reverted to her dress. You really must be a child if my precisely calculated and meticulously designed body doesn’t intrigue you, she taunted. I suppose food seems more interesting than girls at your age.
“That’s right,” Akira stubbornly agreed. “I am a child, and I care more about food because I’ll starve if I don’t earn my living.” Then he casually added, “So what are you wearing that for?”
Since Alpha had already explained why she was naked when they met, he supposed she might have a reason for her present outlandish attire as well. Still, he wasn’t burning with curiosity and was ready to let the matter go if Alpha wasn’t going to take it seriously.
Alpha, however, dropped her teasing manner, although she remained smiling. Do you remember what I told you about my appearance? she began, a businesslike note entering her voice. It’s a type of augmented reality. A lot of Old World facilities broadcast AR signals, and I hijack their systems to transmit mine over a wide area.
Akira couldn’t guess why Alpha was telling him this, but he adopted her sober attitude.
You can pick up that data directly and even hold a conversation with me, and anyone with the right equipment can at least see me. Alpha’s expression turned graver. So, as I mentioned before, I dress to get a reaction from anyone who can see me so that I can identify them quickly.
“I remember all that, but why are you still...?” Akira broke off, and his face grew tense. “Does that mean someone with that equipment is nearby? Watching us?”
The smile vanished from Alpha’s face altogether. It does. Don’t look back. They’ve been tailing you this whole time, and they’re still watching from a considerable distance behind.
Seeing Alpha’s expression, Akira realized how dire his situation was, and his face grew grim with horror.
◆
From far off, Kwahom and Hahya kept an eye on Akira. The two hunters were no rookies, roaming as they did far beyond the outskirts of Kuzusuhara. Hahya’s body was partially mechanized and his eyes resembled cameras, while Kwahom was fully organic but kitted out with an array of armaments adapted to the desert wasteland. No amateur hunter could pick them out at this distance, but the two hunters could see Akira just fine—Hahya through the telescopic function of his augmented eyes, while Kwahom held a pair of binoculars.
“That brat’s going a long way in, considering he might as well be unarmed,” Kwahom remarked, suspicious. “It’s suicide. What’s he thinking?”
“Nothing—he’s just a moron.” Hahya laughed off his partner’s doubts. “It’s because he’s so dumb that he found those relics, since every hunter around here knows there’s nothing good left on the outskirts. Let’s cut to the chase and make him cough up where he found that haul.”
“Hey, that was my idea,” Kwahom grumbled. “You stopped me ’cause you were worried about offing him by accident before he talks, remember?”
“Come on.” Hahya grinned, relaxed. “How was I supposed to know he’d go this deep into the ruins? Don’t pretend you weren’t expecting him to head somewhere in the outskirts or into one of these run-down buildings too.”
“You’ve got me there. Who’d guess that some punk kid from the slums would make it back alive from this deep in the ruins? This area’s no cakewalk, and even we’d have trouble a little deeper in.”
“Exactly, so chill out.”
It wasn’t mere curiosity that had brought them here. They had heard that a barely armed slum child had turned up at the exchange with a load of valuable relics. Most local hunters figured there was nothing worthwhile left on the Kuzusuhara outskirts, but they all knew that fresh discoveries were possible—treasure troves of relics might still rest buried under rubble or in otherwise inaccessible places. At times, reportedly, monster attacks happened to punch holes into previously inaccessible storehouses, or people stumbled into the entrances of well-concealed buildings. Not often enough to make a living off such discoveries, but when one occurred it usually attracted a fresh wave of hunters to a previously abandoned ruin.
