Chapter 8: 8th Log – A Bold Decision

It was Flo who broke the silence in the stunned crowd. “I guess this might have something to do with your Legendary curse? A constant pain that gets worse as you get used to it… Maybe this curse is increasing your willpower?” When she was finished, she looked at Lucy as if waiting for her to agree.

 

Lucy was scratching her chin, still unsure of what to say. “You might be right, but I don't know, that's an absurdly high stat…” She continued, turning to Zoe. “Maybe if you could remember your past we would have more ideas about it. But rather than wondering where or how this happened, we should be glad that you have such a high stat. Maybe that's why you don't go crazy despite that curse."

 

Zoe tried to remember her past as if searching for a shred of evidence or a reason, but she couldn't find anything. The last thing she remembered was lying on the floor of the Abyss. Standing there helplessly, not even knowing how much time had passed. When she thought about that again, she looked around the room and felt that she should be grateful. Everything could end there. “Maybe it has to do with my curse, as you say. Because you said that the things we go through also increase Will. I have been struggling with this pain since the first time I remember. In fact, maybe this Will stat was the reason why I didn't go crazy lying at the bottom of the Abyss…”

 

No one seemed to want to tinker with the matter any further. It was very unlikely that they could come to a conclusion. Flo, who was very interested in stats, perhaps because of her profession, started talking again. “Although not as much as your Will stat, your Intelligence stat is also quite high. I can say that it is above average, especially considering that there is no boost related to it. Indeed, you were destined to be a SorCyber! Your Agility and Strength stats are average because, you know, I could only do so much with the parts in Araf.”

 

Zoe, with a beaming smile, comforted Flo. “Even having a body that can walk and feel means the world to me right now!” Zoe then continued, remembering Brad and Dan's excitement at finding her, and her promise to herself to pay off her debt to them. “Brad and Dan were so excited about the CyberDeck when they found me. When I think about where we are and the rush that is going on around me, this must be something that is not very common in Araf."

 

Lucy replied with a smile. “Your Intelligence stat is really high! You immediately understood what was happening around you. We're lucky even to be alive here. The Abyss lies pretty deep, and most people don't survive the fall. And there has never been a fallen one with a CyberDeck before.”

 

Zoe wasn't surprised at all after seeing where she had fallen, the way they had come, the corpses around her, the pieces of metal, and even the city made from human scraps. Though she didn't remember the fall, she did remember being thrown here. She had learned that the CyberDeck was something fascinating. But she couldn't understand why it had critical significance to the Abyss. “I can understand that,” said Zoe, scanning her surrounding. "But I still don't understand why you need a SorCyber."

 

Lucy stood up abruptly, surprising Zoe. Araf leader, with her natural charisma, signaled the others to follow and headed for the door. “It would be better if I showed you.”

 

Together they headed for the door. Zoe felt happy that she was finally going out. She had been lying motionless on the floor for an unpredictable time. And she had to stay in this room since her recovery. She thought it would be good for her to take a walk and look around. Then, Flo grabbed her by the hand and stopped her.

 

“You might want to activate your spider legs. This is the most convenient way to walk in the Abyss.” She showed Zoe how to do it. Following the instructions, Zoe's legs were spread apart and split into 6 pieces, giving her better area dominance. “You can reinstate it whenever you want. That's one of the benefits of the cybernetic body," she smiled. She could easily understand from Flo's demeanor that she loved her job.

 

When they were outside, Lucy waited for Zoe to walk next to her. Trying to get used to her new feet, Zoe was a little clumsy at first. But she was surprised to see that she was able to adapt very quickly. "Now you're an AbyssCrawler too," said Lucy, watching her efforts ahead with a smile.

 

Taking the opportunity to examine her surroundings better, Zoe gazed around. Sporadic and grotesque-looking structures surrounded them. They were illuminating the city with cybernetic human eyes attached to mini-cores. This was a barren-looking city with metallic colors. It was even a stretch to call it a city. Although the eerie sight didn't appeal to her, she was somewhat awestruck by the fact that Lucy built all of Araf by herself as she recalled from Brad and Dan's conversations.

 

Now, she couldn't help but feel more respect for this red-haired leader walking by her. Lucy walked with firm and confident steps. She obviously knew where she was going. This sparked curiosity in Zoe. "Where are we going, Lucy?” she asked.

 

Lucy, who glanced behind her and slowed down a bit for Zoe, who was clearly struggling to follow her with clumsy steps, answered. “I thought you might be bored of Flo's house. Besides, at this stage of the story, you'd better see why we need you."

 

"And is our way long?" asked Zoe.

 

"All roads are long here," replied Lucy.

 

Then there was silence for a while. They had left Araf without being seen by anyone. Zoe thought it might be because there weren't many people in Araf. But something inside her was telling Zoe that Lucy had deliberately chosen paths where they wouldn't run into anyone.

 

They were finding their way in pitch black with the lights that came out of their eyes. Sometimes Zoe would pause and catch her breath as the damned pain escalated. Was this how she lived her whole life? With this endless pain. What had she done to trigger this curse? Could she have erased her memory to forget about it? She looked up and promised herself that she would somehow recover her memories and find out.

 

While they were walking and everyone was silent as if in unison, Zoe was back inside her head. She thought of her lying on the floor, of Cain, of Dan and Brad's conversations on the road, and of what Lucy and Flo had told her. What Flo and Lucy had said was incredible, but right now her mind was stuck on Brad and Dan's conversation. They said that Lucy was thrown in the same place as Zoe. Even the bastard who they said tore the city apart. Thinking that maybe Lucy wouldn't want to talk about it, Zoe decided to try and get information about the place where she was thrown. She approached Brad and Dan and began to speak.

 

“I haven't had the opportunity to talk to you much, but I really owe you! I really mean it. How are you? I want to get to know you better." She was truly grateful to her saviors, and she felt like she actually knew them already. After all, they went on a journey together.

 

Brad, who seemed quite happy that Zoe suddenly came up to them and started talking. He immediately jumped in and started chatting. Indeed, he was the talkative one between these two. He introduced himself. He wanted to talk about his past life, although it was normally taboo. But he knew how to restrain himself. After all, Zoe had forgotten her past, now he didn't want to confuse her even more by telling her about his life above.

 

While Dan wasn't as talkative as Brad, he was clearly also friendly. He conveyed to Zoe that she didn't owe them anything, they were just doing their job. He was truly a man with a high sense of duty. Zoe had already understood this from conversations on their journey to Araf. After small talk, Zoe finally spilled the beans and asked. "Look, what's above the place where I was thrown?"

 

Brad was about to start speaking when Dan silenced him with a stare. He wasn't sure if they were allowed to talk about it. Lucy, who walked a few steps ahead of them and thus heard all the conversation and knew Dan very well, understood the reason for this silence and said with a smile, “You can tell Zoe about Rox City. She has a right to know where she came from.” Receiving the approval he was waiting for, Dan started to speak before Brad this time.

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“Rox City is a mega city that has been in chaos for a long time. As in almost every megacity, mafias and gangs are fighting for regions, but the ones here are much more brutal. Other than that, what can I say… I haven't been there before, but I've heard that there is a fast-paced life there.” Ashamed that he didn't know much about the city at this point in the conversation, Dan started scratching his beard. It was very clear that he was thinking of what else to say, and at last, it was clear from his facial expression that he had found something. “Unlike most other cities, Rox City has not undergone a full transformation. It may be related to the incapabilities of the dynasty there.”

 

“What do you mean it didn't transform? And what dynasty?” Naturally, it was expected that the amnesiac Zoe did not understand what other people grasped right away. Dan felt guilty that Zoe didn't understand that, and felt a little silly.

 

Meanwhile, Lucy, who had rushed forward a little and stood on top of a hill, felt the need to take over the conversation. Maybe she did it to save Dan from his predicament, or maybe because what he was going to say now had to do with what she was about to show. “Ritual cards. I've told you before. In fact, to put it more accurately, most of the cities above have been forced to transform with Ritual/Morph cards from big families.”

 

These words didn't mean much to Zoe. What could it mean to force a city to change? While thinking about this, she realized that Lucy was beckoning her with a gesture, and she headed toward the hill. She easily climbed the hill with her spider feet she now had better control.

 

“I told you we were also under the influence of a Ritual card,” she pointed with her finger. She was pointing to the entrance of a cave with the light she brought out of her eyes. “This tunnel you see is the entrance to a Dungeon. That's the reason why no one has been able to escape the Abyss yet. That's why we need you, a SorCyber, so much."

 

Zoe, who had no hesitation in helping these people to whom she owed her life, immediately jumped in. “Just tell me what I have to do. I don't quite understand it, but if you want me to get in there, no more words are needed."

 

“You are not ready right now,” said Lucy, trying to appear indifferent, but she liked Zoe's bravery. She wondered if this was related to her Will stat. “Your CyberDeck doesn't do much unless you have a card.” Lucy, who was now looking into the distance, continued her speech. “You want to know about where you come from, right?” Lucy, suddenly silent, waited for an answer from Zoe. After Zoe nodded, she continued. “A guy named Hadrian fell here a while ago. He's also from Rox City. If you want to enter this dungeon, you will also need the card that he stole and escaped. Besides, maybe he can give you information about the city you came from.”

 

With a new card, information about Rox City, and this dungeon, Zoe was ecstatic and wanted to jump right into the quest. “Gladly,” she said and added, “Where can I find this Hadrian?”

 

Lucy was really starting to like Zoe. “Are you sure you want to do this?” she asked and got a very enthusiastic answer from Zoe. She continued smiling. “Not so fast. Hadrian took the best weapons he could find, along with the card he took from us before he fled. It would be dangerous for you to go alone.” He invited the duo to her side with her hand. “Dan and Brad will want to go with you too. You'll find Hadrian more easily if you go with them."

 

Dan and Brad agreed to Lucy's request without question. From the way they looked at each other, it was clear that they held quite a grudge against Hadrian. In fact, they were so exuberant that they seemed to have been waiting for this order from Lucy for a long time.

 

Zoe had to sit still for a moment, as the damned pain in her chest suddenly increased. She transformed her legs back and sat down on a ledge. She thought at first, How did I go through a lifetime with this? Then she felt the pain again. How will I go through a lifetime with this? She felt a little uncomfortable because of the worried looks when she called out to Lucy. “Hey, Lucy! Wouldn't it be better if I took your card now? I'm going to fight a maniac with a bunch of weapons. You just said it. I am an ordinary person without my cards.”

 

Everyone except Lucy was surprised by what Zoe had said. The reason Lucy wasn't surprised was that she realized how audacious Zoe was. Brad started talking as if he was trying to explain why everyone was so shocked. “She wasn't going to send you without training you first anyway. We don't know how you fight, it would be dangerous for all of us if you go like this. As for the card, you're already branded with a curse. You don't need to take such a risk now. The card that Hadrian took is already a transformed card. We even know what the ca…” Zoe jumped up and cut Brad off.

 

“One curse, two curses, ten curses, I don't care how many it takes! I'm getting out of here and I'm getting out of here as soon as possible. I will do whatever it takes and find out why Cain betrayed me!” Zoe looked pretty pissed off. She was radiating fire with her frowning eyebrows under her blunt blue hair. But it was clear that the pain had made her act like this.

 

Zoe turned to Lucy. “I've made my decision. The responsibility is mine. I'm ready to bear whatever the curse is. If you don't want to give the card to me, that's different. I won't mind and I'll get Hadrian's card somehow. But if you're concerned about me, don't be. Let me pay off my debt.”

 

Lucy, who clearly wasn't afraid of Zoe's anger, maybe even felt a little pity, took a step closer to Zoe and handed the card she had taken out of her pocket. She put her hand on her shoulder, but she couldn't find anything to say. Still, Zoe had calmed down. She learned from Flo how to load the card into her CyberDeck, and she did so without hesitation.

 

Flo took out the tools she had brought with her and told Zoe to sit down. She gave Lucy a stealthy glance, waiting for confirmation, and got what she was waiting for. “I am now activating the weapons I found earlier in your body. Maybe you don't have memories, but I think you can still use them with your muscle memory and instincts. But you still definitely need to practice. These weapons are Mantis Blades that you can wield from either arm. I have unlocked their seals, now you can activate them from the interface.”

 

Zoe did as she was told and took out the Mantis Blades on both her arms. Strangely enough, the feeling was familiar to her. Like walking, I guess, she thought. She stood up and tried out a few figures. She swung her arms and tried to cut the air. She liked the sound they made. It was definitely a familiar feeling. Now all I have to do is convert the card, she was thinking when something struck her mind. “Lucy, the card says I have to cut off my pinky finger. But will it be valid if I cut off the finger in this cybernetic body? I can go and change it with a new hand, after all.”

 

Lucy answered Zoe's sensible question with a smile. “Yes, even if you get a new arm or hand as long as this curse is on you, you can be sure that something will always happen to that finger. Because you're sacrificing it now and you can't cheat alchemy. If you get a new hand, a bird may come and snatch your finger. That finger may go numb for no reason. You may even have to face more if you push your luck too hard. Sacrificial cards are like an extra curse you choose.”

 

All these stories were fascinating and hard to believe for Zoe. She even decided to test it out. She wanted to see what would happen to her new finger if Lucy wasn't making fun of her.

 

After these thoughts, she got up and headed towards a stone. Everyone else's eyes were on her. As Flo contemplated what the card would turn into, Brad wondered if she could actually cut off her finger. Zoe kissed her left pinky one last time and said goodbye. She placed her hand on the stone and spread her fingers wide. Although she hesitated for a moment, she abruptly took out the Mantis Blade from her right hand and cut off her left pinky finger.

 

As she did this, she noticed a change in her CyberDeck. The card was changing!

 

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