The room was deathly quiet as Harke entered, with every one of its occupants passed out from the events of the night. While Reverus and Karen had done most of the work, Harke really did nothing but stare and worry, and perhaps operate for a minute or two. It quickly got a little out of hand, with a rather nauseating display from the constantly decomposing abomination that Eternalis had turned into. There were undoubtedly some less appropriate moments that would follow, so Karen had them leave the room for a bit. While Reverus welcomed the break and headed off to the bedroom to crash, Harke couldn't very well let his eyes close, and just went down to the Navi Shop, a little walk away from the residential blocks.
SciLab's residential block ran through a well-maintained area of greenery, with a large park running through the middle of the complex. In the cool early morning, the breeze that blew through the gardens did nothing to calm his nerves. Drifting in and out of consciousness, he somehow found himself at the Navi shop, and went in and out. His hand was holding a bag with a few upgrades in it as he came out, with relatively little recollection on what his thought process was on the purchase.
Wandering back through the residential block park, he autopiloted himself towards his building, stepping into the personal elevator and entering his security code. The special elevator's vertical and horizontal movements were nearly imperceptible. It seemed to some people that the elevator's design, which transported each resident to their own apartment directly, was rather frivolous, but at times like this, Harke quietly appreciated its privacy. Of course, there was also a second entrance that was serviced by some normal elevator shafts, but most residents preferred to take the personal elevators.
"One, two, one, twelfth floor," the elevator announced, as he stepped directly into the entrance hall of the apartment. The room was quiet, save for the gentle hum of the main computer in the living area, which was still running as it was before he left. Light filtered in between drawn curtains, signalling the start of the morning. The main difference in the room was that Karen wasn't standing in front of the console anymore; she was passed out on the nearby couch, still in her pajamas. It wasn't any wonder she was asleep; all of them had stayed up far too late through the night to fix what had gone wrong. And from Karen's earlier call, it sounded like she succeeded. Exhaling slightly, he glanced over at the main computer's enormous screen.
The screen was mostly divided into two halves, with a small part at the bottom being a console log that streamed down with various report logs on the Navis' statuses. On the left side of the monitor, a small part of Eternalis' blue face showed, his eyes closed as his body's restorative functions restored his body bit by bit. The right side was entirely blank, except for the blank white words in the middle of it: "Aurora.EXE: Audio Sync Only". The damage that had been done from the earlier battle had undoubtedly wrought havoc on her internal systems.
The young operator clutched at his shirt, shaking as he supported himself on the computer's console panel. As horrible as the bug was, Harke couldn't help but feel guilty. After all, it was during his operation that the bug had surfaced. He had gone into Eternalis' code countless times in order to maintain and upgrade it, and had he caught the glitch earlier, before it had gotten to this point, maybe they wouldn't have had to suffer quite as much as he had just saw them. The blank screen that refused to show Aurora's face only served to hammer the point further home. Even when they were fixing it, he hadn't even the courage to continue operating Aurora, and was about to throw in the towel. It was all due to Karen's diligence that they had both been saved.
"Ha... haha... I'm useless. I'm so useless. Why am I even allowed to operate anymore?" muttered Harke, as he slumped over the console keyboard, and slammed his fist into the nearby wall. The sound was slightly muted, but his hand hurt all the same. A few droplets trickled down onto the console keyboard as Harke's eyes were marred by the tears.
"Harke...? Is that... Is that you?"
The voice caused Harke's head to snap up, as the voice crackled through the speakers.
"Ah... Who am I kidding? Who else could sound so pathetic," the voice said again. Meanwhile, the text on the right side lit up, following along to the voice's tone.
Silence pervaded for a moment, before Harke's voice cracked through. "Y-Yeah... You're right, I am pathetic, aren't I."
"Oh, come on, it was a joke, let me poke some fun at you. It was hell in there, you know!" laughed Aurora, though her laughter died out a little when Harke's reply was mostly silence.
"Mmmh... Look, Harke. It's not your fault. We're still alive now, so isn't that what matters?"
"I could've caught the errors at any time before that! I can't really be expected to operate you guys well now. Not after all that," retaliated Harke, his voice raised high at the start, getting quieter after each sentence. "I should just give you two to Karen... She was operating so much better than I was. She wouldn't have let this happen."
"You don't know that. It's not your fault, Harke. Besides..." Aurora's voice trailed off slightly, before continuing, "He'll probably be waiting for you, you know? That idiot that I saved. Cheer up a little. I won't be there for him, so you'll have to do."
"Aurora, you don't mean--" Harke cut himself off, his voice catching in his throat.
"-Though, maybe that sounded a little ominous. I'm not going anywhere, I'm just... taking a break for a bit. These repairs are going to take a while, and I need to be alone with my thoughts. Ahaha, sorry if I worried you there. Now get going, I'll bet you're about to collapse right about now, you haven't slept all night, I know that."
Harke wiped his eyes with his sleeve, and shook his head. "You're- You're right, Aurora. I wasn't thinking straight, I guess. Um..." he hesitated, "th-thanks, I'll be getting some sleep now."
"Get going already, you're not the only one that needs their beauty sleep," reprimanded Aurora, to which Harke couldn't help but crack a small smile. Not long after, he left the room to his own.
For a while, the room was quiet again, with only the hum of the computer and the occasional snore from Karen. Then, a little squeak of a voice came from the console speakers, and the "Audio Only" text lit up once again.
"... H-Heh. What a joke. What a fucking joke," the voice sniffled.
"Jeez, wish I had someone to comfort me. I can't even see, and I'm hurting everywhere, and I'm tired as hell, and the kid comes and wakes me up, just to tear up in front of me. ... Some kind of sick joke."
Aurora's voice sniffled again for some time through the speakers. The moment before she broke down and cried, she cut off the voice. Even the birds outside were thus oblivious as she poured her heart out, and cried.
Science Residence
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"Introducing, the new Eternalis!"
The Navi projected onto the table posed dramatically as Karen introduced his restoration. Both of the other humans present presented a rather polite golf clap, while a rather enthusiastic Sparky was happy to bound around Eternalis' feet. Or, well, what was left of his feet. The Navi had undergone a rather drastic transformation in the event, having lost most of his armor and leaving only the slime part. His left side and everything under the knees had lost most of their shape, being reduced to a pile of incoherent slop. His right arm was still partially armored, and his boots were still intact underneath all of the mess. In addition, there was a distinct addition of a mouth, and some weird eye peeking out of his left side inside all of the mess. The eye looked down at the playful-looking Sparky with evident disdain, which was impressive for what seemed to be just nothing but an eye with very little to call an eyelid. Eternalis, meanwhile, entertained Sparky as he bent down to pat the pup on his head.
"Welcome back, Eternalis," said Harke. Eternalis smiled, looking up from Sparky. "It's good to be back."
"Welcome back to the living, big guy. I see Karen's given you a bit of a makeover," chided Reverus at first, earning him a swift jab on his left arm. "Ow, what gives, come on!"
Karen laughed. "I don't need any of your lip, old man. Give me a break, his graphical appearance was already a mess from what the glitch had been doing, and that's not even to start on what Aurora's damage was," she said, as she lounged back on the couch.
Eternalis looked up at the mention of the other Support Program's name. "Oh, Aurora, how is she? I mean... she did save my life and all, I kind of want to thank her."
"She kind of wants to be left alone for a bit, apparently. You did some screwed up things in that server, though, let me tell you," mused Karen, as she rolled about lazily.
"I-I know, I can somewhat remember some things. I want to apologize to her too," said Eternalis, looking rather downcast. Sparky took the chance to circle around the Navi a few more times, licking him at places, much to Eternalis' surprise. It didn't seem like the slime was doing any bad things to him, at least.
"Um, I think you'll get the chance later on, I'll try to talk to her," said Harke.
Meanwhile, Reverus got up, picking up his own PET from its holster. "Well, time to head off for a bit," he started, before stopping for a moment. "Actually, come to think of it, Harke, Eternalis, if you have a bit, could you pop down to Sharo and pick up something from there from Ema? She said she had something for me earlier today but I forgot about it."
"Sure, but--" said Harke, before looking at Eternalis. The newly-restored Navi grinned in reply, and flashed him a thumbs up.
"Don't worry about me, I feel brand new! Or, well, as brand new as a busted up can of juice, I guess. What do you think, Sparky? You wanna come with?" said Eternalis, patting Sparky again. The little pup replied in the affirmative with an excited bark, and Eternalis stood up.
On the couch, Karen chuckled, then sat up for a little bit, fishing something from her pocket. "Right, wait, hold on..." she said, before pulling out a Battlechip, and tossing it towards Harke. "I extracted that from the bug that we got, seems safe enough when I compared the verification hash. Try it out," she said.
Harke looked at the BugCharge chip in his hand, and nodded. "Thanks, sis. Ready to go, Eternalis?"
"Sure, let's go."
"Jack in, Eternalis.EXE, transmission!"
[Next Thread: Sharo Rogue Net]
The Navi projected onto the table posed dramatically as Karen introduced his restoration. Both of the other humans present presented a rather polite golf clap, while a rather enthusiastic Sparky was happy to bound around Eternalis' feet. Or, well, what was left of his feet. The Navi had undergone a rather drastic transformation in the event, having lost most of his armor and leaving only the slime part. His left side and everything under the knees had lost most of their shape, being reduced to a pile of incoherent slop. His right arm was still partially armored, and his boots were still intact underneath all of the mess. In addition, there was a distinct addition of a mouth, and some weird eye peeking out of his left side inside all of the mess. The eye looked down at the playful-looking Sparky with evident disdain, which was impressive for what seemed to be just nothing but an eye with very little to call an eyelid. Eternalis, meanwhile, entertained Sparky as he bent down to pat the pup on his head.
"Welcome back, Eternalis," said Harke. Eternalis smiled, looking up from Sparky. "It's good to be back."
"Welcome back to the living, big guy. I see Karen's given you a bit of a makeover," chided Reverus at first, earning him a swift jab on his left arm. "Ow, what gives, come on!"
Karen laughed. "I don't need any of your lip, old man. Give me a break, his graphical appearance was already a mess from what the glitch had been doing, and that's not even to start on what Aurora's damage was," she said, as she lounged back on the couch.
Eternalis looked up at the mention of the other Support Program's name. "Oh, Aurora, how is she? I mean... she did save my life and all, I kind of want to thank her."
"She kind of wants to be left alone for a bit, apparently. You did some screwed up things in that server, though, let me tell you," mused Karen, as she rolled about lazily.
"I-I know, I can somewhat remember some things. I want to apologize to her too," said Eternalis, looking rather downcast. Sparky took the chance to circle around the Navi a few more times, licking him at places, much to Eternalis' surprise. It didn't seem like the slime was doing any bad things to him, at least.
"Um, I think you'll get the chance later on, I'll try to talk to her," said Harke.
Meanwhile, Reverus got up, picking up his own PET from its holster. "Well, time to head off for a bit," he started, before stopping for a moment. "Actually, come to think of it, Harke, Eternalis, if you have a bit, could you pop down to Sharo and pick up something from there from Ema? She said she had something for me earlier today but I forgot about it."
"Sure, but--" said Harke, before looking at Eternalis. The newly-restored Navi grinned in reply, and flashed him a thumbs up.
"Don't worry about me, I feel brand new! Or, well, as brand new as a busted up can of juice, I guess. What do you think, Sparky? You wanna come with?" said Eternalis, patting Sparky again. The little pup replied in the affirmative with an excited bark, and Eternalis stood up.
On the couch, Karen chuckled, then sat up for a little bit, fishing something from her pocket. "Right, wait, hold on..." she said, before pulling out a Battlechip, and tossing it towards Harke. "I extracted that from the bug that we got, seems safe enough when I compared the verification hash. Try it out," she said.
Harke looked at the BugCharge chip in his hand, and nodded. "Thanks, sis. Ready to go, Eternalis?"
"Sure, let's go."
"Jack in, Eternalis.EXE, transmission!"
[Next Thread: Sharo Rogue Net]
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[Previous Thread: Hades Rogue Net]
"Man, that was actually a pretty serious workout," said Eternalis, stretching out as he appeared back through the holographic display, signifying his arrival back in the safe haven of Harke's PET. "Where's Sparky? I feel kind of bad leaving him after that EJO got triggered."
"Oh, he's been sleeping," said Aurora, who reappeared next to him, kneeling down to inspect something that wasn't displayed by the hologram, presumably their canine companion.
"Maybe he needs to be a bit stronger before he can join you guys. It's not super harmful if he gets jacked out, but seeing him left behind to lick his wounds is kind of sad," commented Harke. "Anyway, my legs hurt from sitting around all day, and you guys gathered up a good chunk of zenny and chips. I'll head out for some upgrades and get a walk in so I can stretch out a bit. Don't want to fatten up being a layabout-- Oh, wait, I've got to get that data for dad."
Remembering his original task, he extracted a small temporary data disk and inserted it into the PET, writing the data from the facility into it and laying it on the desk for his father to find. The writing didn't take too much time, and before long, he was headed out the door.
[Next Thread: ACDC]
"Man, that was actually a pretty serious workout," said Eternalis, stretching out as he appeared back through the holographic display, signifying his arrival back in the safe haven of Harke's PET. "Where's Sparky? I feel kind of bad leaving him after that EJO got triggered."
"Oh, he's been sleeping," said Aurora, who reappeared next to him, kneeling down to inspect something that wasn't displayed by the hologram, presumably their canine companion.
"Maybe he needs to be a bit stronger before he can join you guys. It's not super harmful if he gets jacked out, but seeing him left behind to lick his wounds is kind of sad," commented Harke. "Anyway, my legs hurt from sitting around all day, and you guys gathered up a good chunk of zenny and chips. I'll head out for some upgrades and get a walk in so I can stretch out a bit. Don't want to fatten up being a layabout-- Oh, wait, I've got to get that data for dad."
Remembering his original task, he extracted a small temporary data disk and inserted it into the PET, writing the data from the facility into it and laying it on the desk for his father to find. The writing didn't take too much time, and before long, he was headed out the door.
[Next Thread: ACDC]
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The day was late as Harke walked back into his apartment, with the sun already shining orange through the blinds. A lot had happened recently-- Eternalis' infection, the subsequent purge, and most recently, Aurora's revelation of her past. It was hard to take all of it in, but at least he took solace in the fact that she was comfortable enough to disclose it to the people around her. He shuffled his PET out slightly, glancing at its display. The tiny screen showed a pair of Navis resting up after a hard day of virus busting. The upgrades that he had bought would definitely help in getting through more of the viruses that resided on the Rogue network level.
"Still, that was some story..." he muttered, heading through the entrance hall and finding his way into the kitchen. "Oh, Dad."
"Hey, you're back," said Reverus. The older man was stirring a pot that smelled strongly of curry, dressed in an old wifebeater and pair of shorts and raising an eyebrow at Harke. The scene looked somewhat domestic, but it only covered up the fact that Reverus was somewhat disadvantaged in the field of cooking, and that curry was a dish that was extremely difficult to make unpalatable. "You said something about a story?"
"Oh, yeah. Aurora was telling us about what she used to do with Mom," replied Harke.
At the mention of his wife, Reverus tensed up slightly. However, he recovered quickly, and continued, "Ah, is that so? How much of it did she tell you?"
Taking up a chair, Harke leaned back in a chair and tried to recall what the SP had told them. "Well, the gist of what she told me was that Mom used to operate her along with another male Navi. He got some kind of auto-execute upgrade that triggered whenever someone attempted to resolve his identity. It apparently malfunctioned when he saw his own reflection after a mission and he tried to delete himself. They tried to restore him to an earlier state, but he had destroyed enough of his own systems that he was pretty much the equivalent of braindead."
"Yeah, that's pretty much all of it. She and Serena blamed themselves so much for it... Aurora ended up being put into stasis, and your mother... well. She is what she is now." Reverus sighed. Silence pervaded through the kitchen, with the bubbling curry being the only sound in the room. Suddenly, a loud ping came from the corner of the room, prompting both of them to look in said direction. "Oh, that's the rice. I think I'll be done with this in a little bit, could you call up Karen? She's in the guest room."
"Sure."
---
"... Hey, Eternalis, you awake?"
"Been so for a while now."
A comfortable-looking, though rather barren area housed the two Navis that resided inside Harke's PET. The area was very similarly constructed to the Ezariths' own apartment, though without its usual human inhabitants, and with a relative lack of furnishings. A blob of blue reclined in the large sofa in the middle of the room, while Aurora sat in an armchair adjacent to it. The latter pulled herself up, hugging her knees while still in the armchair.
"Sometimes I kind of wish I could eat," said Eternalis. The reason was evident: he was watching his operator's family quietly putting away some spartan dinner. Unlike the actual apartment, the space had no walls, replaced by either an idle animation, or in the current case, a projection of the outside world. Of course, his sentiment wasn't exactly accurate-- Navis could "eat" in the sense that there was special "food" data made to replicate the sense of taste in the real world. However, there was mostly no benefit for the regular Navi, and it was only something to do in order to simulate a more "humanized" experience, which most Navis really had no interest in.
"Oh, Sparky? When'd you get out?" said Aurora. From off in the corner, their puppy-like companion came bounding in through a transfer pad, excitedly coming up to her with something in his mouth. Aurora picked up the list from the small dog's mouth and read it out. "Mm? What's this? Infestation Hunting Request... Huh. Seems like something about a viral extermination request in Netopia, Sharo and Hades. They're offering some zenny and chip data."
Eternalis sat up in his seat. "When did he leave...? Oh well, that sounds good, I'm already getting kind of antsy." he said. "Ask Harke if he's up to operating."
Nodding in affirmation, Aurora moved her hand in the air, materializing a small menu circle before tapping on it a few times. A small line of text appeared in front of her, displaying the words "LINK ONLINE" in red. "Harke? When you're done with dinner, do you want to operate a bit more?" she asked.
"I'm not done eating yet, but sure. It's not hard to operate with one hand."
"Thanks, Harke, we'll move out now."
The red text disappeared, and Aurora got up from her seat. "Alright, you heard him. Let's move out," she said. Then, she knelt down next to Sparky, who was looking up at them with anticipation. "Though this time, with everyone."
"Arf!"
With the decision made, all three of the PET's inhabitants warped out of sight, and into the local network gateway into their destination.
[Jack In - Sharo Rogue Net.]
"Still, that was some story..." he muttered, heading through the entrance hall and finding his way into the kitchen. "Oh, Dad."
"Hey, you're back," said Reverus. The older man was stirring a pot that smelled strongly of curry, dressed in an old wifebeater and pair of shorts and raising an eyebrow at Harke. The scene looked somewhat domestic, but it only covered up the fact that Reverus was somewhat disadvantaged in the field of cooking, and that curry was a dish that was extremely difficult to make unpalatable. "You said something about a story?"
"Oh, yeah. Aurora was telling us about what she used to do with Mom," replied Harke.
At the mention of his wife, Reverus tensed up slightly. However, he recovered quickly, and continued, "Ah, is that so? How much of it did she tell you?"
Taking up a chair, Harke leaned back in a chair and tried to recall what the SP had told them. "Well, the gist of what she told me was that Mom used to operate her along with another male Navi. He got some kind of auto-execute upgrade that triggered whenever someone attempted to resolve his identity. It apparently malfunctioned when he saw his own reflection after a mission and he tried to delete himself. They tried to restore him to an earlier state, but he had destroyed enough of his own systems that he was pretty much the equivalent of braindead."
"Yeah, that's pretty much all of it. She and Serena blamed themselves so much for it... Aurora ended up being put into stasis, and your mother... well. She is what she is now." Reverus sighed. Silence pervaded through the kitchen, with the bubbling curry being the only sound in the room. Suddenly, a loud ping came from the corner of the room, prompting both of them to look in said direction. "Oh, that's the rice. I think I'll be done with this in a little bit, could you call up Karen? She's in the guest room."
"Sure."
---
"... Hey, Eternalis, you awake?"
"Been so for a while now."
A comfortable-looking, though rather barren area housed the two Navis that resided inside Harke's PET. The area was very similarly constructed to the Ezariths' own apartment, though without its usual human inhabitants, and with a relative lack of furnishings. A blob of blue reclined in the large sofa in the middle of the room, while Aurora sat in an armchair adjacent to it. The latter pulled herself up, hugging her knees while still in the armchair.
"Sometimes I kind of wish I could eat," said Eternalis. The reason was evident: he was watching his operator's family quietly putting away some spartan dinner. Unlike the actual apartment, the space had no walls, replaced by either an idle animation, or in the current case, a projection of the outside world. Of course, his sentiment wasn't exactly accurate-- Navis could "eat" in the sense that there was special "food" data made to replicate the sense of taste in the real world. However, there was mostly no benefit for the regular Navi, and it was only something to do in order to simulate a more "humanized" experience, which most Navis really had no interest in.
"Oh, Sparky? When'd you get out?" said Aurora. From off in the corner, their puppy-like companion came bounding in through a transfer pad, excitedly coming up to her with something in his mouth. Aurora picked up the list from the small dog's mouth and read it out. "Mm? What's this? Infestation Hunting Request... Huh. Seems like something about a viral extermination request in Netopia, Sharo and Hades. They're offering some zenny and chip data."
Eternalis sat up in his seat. "When did he leave...? Oh well, that sounds good, I'm already getting kind of antsy." he said. "Ask Harke if he's up to operating."
Nodding in affirmation, Aurora moved her hand in the air, materializing a small menu circle before tapping on it a few times. A small line of text appeared in front of her, displaying the words "LINK ONLINE" in red. "Harke? When you're done with dinner, do you want to operate a bit more?" she asked.
"I'm not done eating yet, but sure. It's not hard to operate with one hand."
"Thanks, Harke, we'll move out now."
The red text disappeared, and Aurora got up from her seat. "Alright, you heard him. Let's move out," she said. Then, she knelt down next to Sparky, who was looking up at them with anticipation. "Though this time, with everyone."
"Arf!"
With the decision made, all three of the PET's inhabitants warped out of sight, and into the local network gateway into their destination.
[Jack In - Sharo Rogue Net.]
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[>> Visiting Home - Sharo Rogue Net.]
"I can't believe I lost that! We were so close!" said Eternalis, who, indeed, appeared to be recovering fine after what seemed to be a showcase of extreme beatdowns.
"You sure look like you're taking it easy after being pounded into the ground like that -- I don't think I've had you jacked out like that since I first operated you," said Harke, who had been worriedly going through diagnostics. From what he could tell, though, Eternalis's systems had recovered perfectly fine after the EJO, a testament to how resilient the Navi actually was.
"We're definitely going back there after a bit... I'm honestly beefed, though. Let's call it a day," the slime Navi said, turning to Aurora, who was currently preoccupied with a little pup that had enthusiastically greeted her as she returned to the PET. "Thanks for the support, Aurora. You too, Sparky!"
"Arf!" replied Sparky, whose tail wagged hard even as he was being held by one of his masters.
"You're much too reckless, honestly. This kind of thing was bound to happen sooner or later," reprimanded Aurora.
"Don't worry about it, we'll just come back after we get stronger. In the meantime, though, Dad called me up a little while earlier to talk about something. Apparently he got called up to Sharo by someone there who wants to talk to him about his research, but he's preoccupied here. Karen's going back home in a bit, so he wants me to go along with her and meet up with the guy; I'd get to visit Mom and Ema once we're there too."
"Ema?" asked Eternalis.
Aurora perked up when she heard the name. "Oh, I remember her! It'll be nice to see her again, but I don't think she knows me. She was only a little toddler when I went into data freeze."
"She's my little sister. I don't think you've met her yet, Eternalis, so it'd be nice to meet her," elaborated Harke. "Though... I was thinking about something. You two have been pretty much virus busting nonstop everyday since I had you, so I was thinking about like... a break."
"A break?" both of them said almost simultaneously.
"Ruff?"
The young operator scratched his head as he continued. "Sharo's Navi customs routines are ridiculously strict, they confiscate all active PETs and replace them with basic functionality ones. We'd rather not have to go through all that. You guys have been working super hard, so I was thinking about letting you two through the NetSquare to see some virus-free sanctuary areas while I ride back home. It's super boring on the flight to Sharo anyway; the transfers and extra transports alone take like, the better part of a day or something to get to where we're going in the prefecture. We can meet back up when I get home through a homepage link that Dad gave me just now, apparently that was what he wanted us to fetch. Of course, I'll take Sparky with me, so I won't feel too lonely, apparently they count him under the data threshold so he amounts to about as much as a weird talking toy."
Eternalis skeptically tilted his head, while Aurora was a little more affected by the news, her eyes widening as she blinked a few times in rapid succession. Crossing his arms, Eternalis contemplated the offer. "Hmm... so it's like a little field trip on the side, huh... Well, I guess that fight just now left me kind of sore. I didn't even know I could even feel like that! I guess I'm okay with a break if Aurora's up to it. How about it, Aurora?" he said, turning towards his partner.
Somewhat uncharacteristically, Aurora's response wasn't her usual curt reply, but it was almost like a deer in headlights. "Eh? Huh? U-Um, sure, I guess," she blurted out.
"Great! I'll be heading out tomorrow morning, so let's get you guys some upgrades before we go," said Harke. "You guys want to turn in that bounty before I head out?"
"Sure, sounds good," said Eternalis, being promptly jacked back into the net for the moment.
[>> Hunting Dog - Bounty Shop.]
"I can't believe I lost that! We were so close!" said Eternalis, who, indeed, appeared to be recovering fine after what seemed to be a showcase of extreme beatdowns.
"You sure look like you're taking it easy after being pounded into the ground like that -- I don't think I've had you jacked out like that since I first operated you," said Harke, who had been worriedly going through diagnostics. From what he could tell, though, Eternalis's systems had recovered perfectly fine after the EJO, a testament to how resilient the Navi actually was.
"We're definitely going back there after a bit... I'm honestly beefed, though. Let's call it a day," the slime Navi said, turning to Aurora, who was currently preoccupied with a little pup that had enthusiastically greeted her as she returned to the PET. "Thanks for the support, Aurora. You too, Sparky!"
"Arf!" replied Sparky, whose tail wagged hard even as he was being held by one of his masters.
"You're much too reckless, honestly. This kind of thing was bound to happen sooner or later," reprimanded Aurora.
"Don't worry about it, we'll just come back after we get stronger. In the meantime, though, Dad called me up a little while earlier to talk about something. Apparently he got called up to Sharo by someone there who wants to talk to him about his research, but he's preoccupied here. Karen's going back home in a bit, so he wants me to go along with her and meet up with the guy; I'd get to visit Mom and Ema once we're there too."
"Ema?" asked Eternalis.
Aurora perked up when she heard the name. "Oh, I remember her! It'll be nice to see her again, but I don't think she knows me. She was only a little toddler when I went into data freeze."
"She's my little sister. I don't think you've met her yet, Eternalis, so it'd be nice to meet her," elaborated Harke. "Though... I was thinking about something. You two have been pretty much virus busting nonstop everyday since I had you, so I was thinking about like... a break."
"A break?" both of them said almost simultaneously.
"Ruff?"
The young operator scratched his head as he continued. "Sharo's Navi customs routines are ridiculously strict, they confiscate all active PETs and replace them with basic functionality ones. We'd rather not have to go through all that. You guys have been working super hard, so I was thinking about letting you two through the NetSquare to see some virus-free sanctuary areas while I ride back home. It's super boring on the flight to Sharo anyway; the transfers and extra transports alone take like, the better part of a day or something to get to where we're going in the prefecture. We can meet back up when I get home through a homepage link that Dad gave me just now, apparently that was what he wanted us to fetch. Of course, I'll take Sparky with me, so I won't feel too lonely, apparently they count him under the data threshold so he amounts to about as much as a weird talking toy."
Eternalis skeptically tilted his head, while Aurora was a little more affected by the news, her eyes widening as she blinked a few times in rapid succession. Crossing his arms, Eternalis contemplated the offer. "Hmm... so it's like a little field trip on the side, huh... Well, I guess that fight just now left me kind of sore. I didn't even know I could even feel like that! I guess I'm okay with a break if Aurora's up to it. How about it, Aurora?" he said, turning towards his partner.
Somewhat uncharacteristically, Aurora's response wasn't her usual curt reply, but it was almost like a deer in headlights. "Eh? Huh? U-Um, sure, I guess," she blurted out.
"Great! I'll be heading out tomorrow morning, so let's get you guys some upgrades before we go," said Harke. "You guys want to turn in that bounty before I head out?"
"Sure, sounds good," said Eternalis, being promptly jacked back into the net for the moment.
[>> Hunting Dog - Bounty Shop.]
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[>> Hunting Dog - Bounty Shop.]
"Well, that didn't take too long," said Harke, as soon as Eternalis, Aurora and Sparky returned to the PET. Unplugging it, he began cleaning up after himself before pulling on his jacket. The trio's miniature holograms shifted from being on top of his PET to being seated atop his shoulder as he headed down the hallway towards their second destination.
"It was a cute little place, I wouldn't mind visiting it again," said Aurora.
[>> Inside the shop - SciLab.]
"Well, that didn't take too long," said Harke, as soon as Eternalis, Aurora and Sparky returned to the PET. Unplugging it, he began cleaning up after himself before pulling on his jacket. The trio's miniature holograms shifted from being on top of his PET to being seated atop his shoulder as he headed down the hallway towards their second destination.
"It was a cute little place, I wouldn't mind visiting it again," said Aurora.
[>> Inside the shop - SciLab.]
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[furl=782419,90,10003241][>> Inside the shop - SciLab.][/furl]
"I think that's all of it..." muttered Harke to himself as he re-checked the contents of his suitcase for what felt like the fifth time. Suddenly, something flew into his field of vision, striking him between his eyes before falling neatly into the suitcase. "Ow!" he exclaimed, covering his face from any further assaults from unexpected projectile fire. Luckily, the toothbrush that had landed on his shirts was the only thing that seemed to be coming. When he peered through his hands, a mischievously grinning older sister was looking over her shoulder at him.
"You forgot that," she chuckled, walking off to her own room.
"Thanks. I think," sighed Harke, rubbing the bridge of his nose gingerly before looking back down at what he had packed in. As it was his former home, he didn't have much in the way of clothing to bring back to begin with. With Electopia being relatively warm compared to the negative temperatures of Sharo, most of his warm clothing had been left at home, as carrying them along would have overstuffed his suitcase for no real reason. Beside it, his PET lay on his bed, connected to a long cable that extended from a little alcove in the wall -- an embedded cable intended for interfacing with the apartment's management console. For now, however, it was serving as a simple recharging cable.
"I can't wait to see what the place you grew up in is like," said Eternalis, who was displaying himself at the edge of his bed as a hologram, swinging his legs freely over the side. Or, well, what counted as his legs, as the slime trailed down into a long, wildly flailing pair of limbs, making him look a little creepier than he otherwise intended.
Harke laughed as he closed up the suitcase with a click, and disconnected the PET from the cable, which retracted itself automatically into the wall. "You'd probably be disappointed; it's not much different from what Sharo Net looks like. White snow and barren rock as far as the eye can see, except for the little bits of road you can see every now and then. Electopia is a dream world in comparison. Still, home is where the heart is. As much as I like it here, there's nothing like warm borscht and fresh bread at home."
As soon as he finished his reminiscence, Karen appeared from her room as if exactly on cue, dressed sharply in a white leather jacket, modest dark red skirt and full black leggings. Harke himself was similarly dressed in his signature family dark blue jacket with the family emblem emblazoned on its chest, along with a pair of dark brown cargo pants. Karen sighed. "Do you really have to wear that old thing? Honestly, it's kind of embarrassing how unfashionable it is," she quipped.
"No sense in wasting perfectly good clothes," said Harke, getting up. He turned towards Eternalis, who was waiting patiently. "It feels kind of weird to separate like this. You'll be fine, right?"
Just as Eternalis was about to answer the question, Aurora warped in from behind him, causing him to jump slightly. It seemed like she had been there the entire time, and had simply deactivated her camouflage module. "Don't worry about us, we'll see you on the other side," she said, dodging a playful right hook from Eternalis.
"We'll miss you, but yeah, don't worry about it. Just don't show up late or something, we're going to be the ones ending up doing the worrying," said Eternalis, getting up from his sitting position and dusting off some nonexistent dust.
"Hahaha, don't worry about that. If there's one thing Sharo competes with Electopia in, it's a stickler to rules. Those transporter martials drive like maniacs, but they keep their time," said Harke, picking up the PET and navigating through it. Arriving at a diagnostic menu, he scrolled down until he found the "Purge and Reset Linker" option, selecting it immediately. Eternalis and Aurora felt themselves being ejected from the link to the PET, and gradually began to vanish from the holographic display.
"Have a good trip!" said Aurora, waving along with Eternalis before they finally completely disappeared.
Harke looked down at his PET, now only with a small sleeping puppy in its display. Sighing to himself, he latched it to a belt holster and picked up his rucksack. "C'mon, sis, let's go."
[>> Aimless Vacationing - NetSquare.]
[>> Ezarith Research Facility - Sharo.]
"I think that's all of it..." muttered Harke to himself as he re-checked the contents of his suitcase for what felt like the fifth time. Suddenly, something flew into his field of vision, striking him between his eyes before falling neatly into the suitcase. "Ow!" he exclaimed, covering his face from any further assaults from unexpected projectile fire. Luckily, the toothbrush that had landed on his shirts was the only thing that seemed to be coming. When he peered through his hands, a mischievously grinning older sister was looking over her shoulder at him.
"You forgot that," she chuckled, walking off to her own room.
"Thanks. I think," sighed Harke, rubbing the bridge of his nose gingerly before looking back down at what he had packed in. As it was his former home, he didn't have much in the way of clothing to bring back to begin with. With Electopia being relatively warm compared to the negative temperatures of Sharo, most of his warm clothing had been left at home, as carrying them along would have overstuffed his suitcase for no real reason. Beside it, his PET lay on his bed, connected to a long cable that extended from a little alcove in the wall -- an embedded cable intended for interfacing with the apartment's management console. For now, however, it was serving as a simple recharging cable.
"I can't wait to see what the place you grew up in is like," said Eternalis, who was displaying himself at the edge of his bed as a hologram, swinging his legs freely over the side. Or, well, what counted as his legs, as the slime trailed down into a long, wildly flailing pair of limbs, making him look a little creepier than he otherwise intended.
Harke laughed as he closed up the suitcase with a click, and disconnected the PET from the cable, which retracted itself automatically into the wall. "You'd probably be disappointed; it's not much different from what Sharo Net looks like. White snow and barren rock as far as the eye can see, except for the little bits of road you can see every now and then. Electopia is a dream world in comparison. Still, home is where the heart is. As much as I like it here, there's nothing like warm borscht and fresh bread at home."
As soon as he finished his reminiscence, Karen appeared from her room as if exactly on cue, dressed sharply in a white leather jacket, modest dark red skirt and full black leggings. Harke himself was similarly dressed in his signature family dark blue jacket with the family emblem emblazoned on its chest, along with a pair of dark brown cargo pants. Karen sighed. "Do you really have to wear that old thing? Honestly, it's kind of embarrassing how unfashionable it is," she quipped.
"No sense in wasting perfectly good clothes," said Harke, getting up. He turned towards Eternalis, who was waiting patiently. "It feels kind of weird to separate like this. You'll be fine, right?"
Just as Eternalis was about to answer the question, Aurora warped in from behind him, causing him to jump slightly. It seemed like she had been there the entire time, and had simply deactivated her camouflage module. "Don't worry about us, we'll see you on the other side," she said, dodging a playful right hook from Eternalis.
"We'll miss you, but yeah, don't worry about it. Just don't show up late or something, we're going to be the ones ending up doing the worrying," said Eternalis, getting up from his sitting position and dusting off some nonexistent dust.
"Hahaha, don't worry about that. If there's one thing Sharo competes with Electopia in, it's a stickler to rules. Those transporter martials drive like maniacs, but they keep their time," said Harke, picking up the PET and navigating through it. Arriving at a diagnostic menu, he scrolled down until he found the "Purge and Reset Linker" option, selecting it immediately. Eternalis and Aurora felt themselves being ejected from the link to the PET, and gradually began to vanish from the holographic display.
"Have a good trip!" said Aurora, waving along with Eternalis before they finally completely disappeared.
Harke looked down at his PET, now only with a small sleeping puppy in its display. Sighing to himself, he latched it to a belt holster and picked up his rucksack. "C'mon, sis, let's go."
[>> Aimless Vacationing - NetSquare.]
[>> Ezarith Research Facility - Sharo.]