Last chapter, Seric encountered Habram once more in his dreams as the God took the form of a lustful Karia. After Seric woke up, Domino Afolabi, the face of Fixed Reality Casino announced online that he would be holding a set of "games" for a government issued ticket to Dalkan. Afterwards, very soon after he joined, the quartet lost a vital member to their team...

Near the outskirts of the Hopian Continent...

???'s P.O.V.

"...I still can't believe they're going through with the conscription. Just- right when we started our family too, and now I'm going to be forced to serve this place! And right when... when... why couldn't they wait until I'm 27 to do this!" Mom says... I don't know what she means but, she's sitting in our dark car with her curly red hair and blue eyes in the seat across from and in front of me. And more importantly she's crying!

"Azra come on stop, you don't want to ruin our special guys 8th birthday do you? We'll make it through this, promise, they'll let you call us for sure and all anyways. IF we can't bribe you out of having to serve. Anyways. So Nancite, how do you like the drive? Is riding in a car as cool as you thought it would be?" Dad says as he looks at and smiles at me as he holds mom's hand, at least he's happy... but mom... she's still wiping away her tears with her palms and pretty fingernails. O-Oh... well I can't help her I guess, why is she so sad...?

"Yeah, this is awesome. How fast are we going now dad, 15, 20- we're zooming across the people on the streets!" I say with a wide grin as I lean against the window of our car, it's got heated black leather seats and everything, so comfy! Even better, me, mom, and dad can sit together here without even worrying about controlling the car. It's all automatic on the roads tracks, all we have to do is monitor the big screen that's sticking up on a pole between our seats! I think it's to enter in your destination and all that, then the car does the rest itself... man I'm so happy dad bought this for us!

And to think people still don't try to buy these things anymore... dummys. Like dad said before, yeah they're probably just too lazy to drive and work.

Anyways oh right, outside there's all sorts of people, like some weird guys without their shirts on...

"A-aha, sorry for crying baby. I'll check the speed... um... there's all sorts of numbers. Nancite you watched videos on this stuff, so what value is speed here, C°? ZC? KM?" Mom asks as she's looking down at and tapping the control screen that's lighting up the car in between us. Mom and dad always say their jobs make them a BUNCH of money, so why aren't they smarter than the other dummies here?

"......KM, mom. Here I'll check!" I say with a sigh but laugh as I unbuckle my seatbelt and scooch over in between mom and dad so I can look at the screen again.

"Haha hey Nancite come on I know it's your birthday but- you can't just not wear a seatbelt, I'm pretty sure you need them to keep safe!" My annoying dad says with a laugh as he tries to gently pull me away but- like crap if I'm doing that! Everything looks so cool, there's numbers everywhere across the blue screen, there's even a radio option... the-

*BZZZZZZZZZ- CLICK!*

"Ah! Nancite come on, you broke something didn't you..." Mom says as the car suddenly stops and the screen turns off, good thing we weren't going too fast or else I would've gone flying there!

*CHK! HMMMMMM...*

"Wha... um, I don't think I... um..." I start to say as all the doors to our car start to slide up and open, I can see people with black masks on standing right outside again, their holding stuff... um, are those a gun?

"AHHH!! PLEASE WAIT-" Dad tries to cry out but, a guy with a gun slams his head really hard, I-I don't like this-

"Mom I'm scared!" I cry out but, when I look over to her seat she's already being pulled out of the car! Her head it's, it's bloody- there's blood all ove-

*WHACK!*

A while later...

I... I start to open my eyes again... it smells so bad here... my head hurts... ow... ow. I start to look around and, I can barely see anything, there's a rough wall behind me that I'm sitting against, and another one in front of us. Is this an alley or something...?

But no, I should focus on the bunch of people around us. There's so many... they don't have their masks on anymore, and all of them are wearing red jackets. But on all of their clothes in dark red, there's a big red fist...

...Anyways can hear someone crying beside me, so I turn my head and... dad's right next to me! But... there's also a tall white skinned guy with long blonde hair crouching down right in front of him... what did he do to dad?! He normally never cries!

The blonde jerk who I can barely see in the dark, that's shirtless with a 6 pack and wearing cargo shorts... he starts to say in a bland tone, "Good. The child has awoken. Answer me immediately or there will be consequences. How old is the boy? Tell me in 3, 2, 1-"

"8! He's- he's 8... just please, y-you can take me but, don't hurt them!" Dad cries out as he looks up at the man's red eyes. The guy then grabs the back of dad's head, slides back a bit while pulling his arm and clenched fist back and-

*POW- CRACK!*

He shifts towards dad again, slamming his fist REALLY REALLY hard into dad's throat against the wall. T-the man let's go of dad, and, and just daddy slumps over and falls to the ground. I-it sounds like he's choking...

"LUCIAN NO!!" Mom shouts, I-I forgot about her, she's sitting next to me too- she- she knows how to help dad! Y-yeah, right- his throat just got injured, we have to get him help!

"Elio. The female is yours. Proceed. However take your time. This is only practice." The blonde man says as he springs himself back up really fast, and then stiffly walks over to another person who's standing in front of mom... I... no! NO! He's holding one of those guns from those movies right at her, a-a pistol I think- I don't like this!!

"Mom, dad- I-I'm scared!" I cry out, but they all just ignore me!

"Please, don't hurt my boy, p-please..." Mom cries out, why is she worried about me?!

"Quiet. Elio: this task may be difficult but I know you are capable of this. Go on. Please. For me." The blonde man says as he puts his hand over the guy with the guns shoulder and starts to rub him...

The one who's pointing that, that weapon at mom has light brown skin, and black hair with a bit of red in it that's in the shape of a bowl cut. They're also wearing that red uniform with the fist on it... he looks sad. He's shaking like crazy and squinting his eyes shut...

"Sir, please, don't hurt mom! I can see you're just scared so-"

*BANG!*

I squint at the loud noise as my ears start to ring a bit, and some stuff splatters on my face. But- but as soon as I open my eyes, mom- her head's all bloody, I-I can see stuff sticking out of it!

"A-A-ah- pl-please, don't..." She mumbles out as she starts to shake, thank God she's ok! But... no... can a doctor even fix that... I need to tell these guys to stop!

"It is still alive Elio. You hit the side of the head. Shoot again."

*BANG! BANG!*

"Shit... shit... I... no, she... she... she had to, to go right? Fuck- sorry, I couldn't even do it with one shot..." The man- no, young guy asks as tears start to pour out from my eyes as well as his, and mom... she fell over now- her head, it looks- no- she's, she's gone!

"Correct. It had to be done. I am so proud of you, Elio. Your skills will improve with time. I love you." The blonde man says as he walks behind the, the one who killed mom- and starts to hug him from behind.

"Dad, what about dad?!" I think to myself as I slowly turn my blood covered head towards him, he's- he's not making moving or making any sounds anymore!

"MOOOOM!! DAHAHAAAD!! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!!!" I cry- no this can't be real, NO!!!

*SHICK!*

Something sharp pokes my arm, and so I look away from dad with my teary eyes to see that the man with long blonde hair is kneeling down in front of me now, with a big needle with liquid in it being jabbed into my arm now...

"I am sorry. I know that you must be very sad right now. The pain will fade away soon as you begin to realize this had to happen. Say: did you know that the continent that we are standing on is a very bad place right now? Many people cry every single day because of it. And yet the advantaged people such as your parents ignore their cries for help. Even worse, people like your parents make this land even sadder in many ways. Did you know that?" The man says as he starts patting my hair with his free hand... it feels really hard. But... it feels nice. Anyways I look up at him, and... he smells nice. But no, more importantly... his lips... they're not real? They look painted on or something...

"Oh. Are you confused about my appearance? I understand. Many of my sons and daughters here take pleasure in laughing at it sometimes. I do not mind: I know what I am. So: what is your name child?" The man asks, and at the same time his lips click and form a sharp smile as the two ends of them start to stick up diagonally. so weird...

"I-I'm Nancite." I mumble out, I feel a lot more calm now for some reason... maybe because of that needle, or... I don't know.

"I see. That is a nice name. As with the other people here: do not worry. I will take care of and fix you: I will remove the evil out of you that your parents engraved inside of you." He says as he gently pulls that empty needle out of my arm, drops it, and wraps his arms around me to hug me... he's rubbing my back too, his movements are so rigid... he's... is he human?

Every time his eyes blink too, I can hear them click... maybe I do need... fixing...

Suddenly someone says from next to us though... "Father, we spotted a robot and a woman who seem to be heading our way. They seem like lost city scum... what should we do?"

"Thank you for the notice. ......Let them come to us." The man- father, is that his name? I don't... I don't know... but where he's rubbing my back, it's starting to feel nice and tingly now...

But I whimper as he lets go of me and springs himself back up... I try to reach for him but, I can't...

Metallic's P.O.V.

"Nooooooooooo no no no nope- we are so not doing this. I let ya buy your sugary shit and in return you said you would keep your promise to me. You know how dumb this is? Metallic, stop- my feet, they're legit hurting now..." Silly Amandeath groans as she's currently using all of her strength to push her flimsy arms against my M.I.G.H.T.Y. chest in an attempt to stop my movement. But in return I'm just walking forward as her feet in pretty shoes are dragging across the dirty cement floor beneath us.

"No can do, so stop hurting yourself and let go of me! Practically zero people are around us now that we're in the alleyways, so there's no need to be afraid! I'm certain I know who's voice it is that I just heard. This will just be a little detour from our bounty hunt to check if it's who I'm thinking, I promise! ...Uh oh! Rank to Exterminate: C! Or... maybe D!" I call out as I can see someone come out of the dark ahead of us with one of those long projectile weapons!

"Fuck!" Amandeath shouts as she releases me and spins herself around, sticking her long sleeved arm out. Finally she's showing off the pristine sniper (that I fixed!) that lies beneath her clothes again! But ah yikes if this is a pal of I-know-who pointing a weapon at them is a big no no!

"Please, put your gun down and come this way. Our leader has allowed..."

*CLANG!*

I, gently, spin my fist down onto pal #3's head to make her listen to the man's instructions. I think she's growling at me now... that's a rare reaction! But she still has her gun pointed!

"Um... as I was saying our leader has allowed you to come meet him. Come this way." The man says, at least he's understanding, he really must be a pal of H.I.M.!

"Great! Pal #3, I don't want to bonk you again so please, I know you like to show it off but put the sniper down! My enhanced hearing capabilities are still in good condition, so I'm sure that the voice I heard is from an old pal of mine! ...Look if you still wanna be a scaredy cat you can just get right behind me!" I say as I slowly swing my arm up to pal #3's unmoving shoulders, even after my repairs they're still a bit stiff... my arms I mean!

"...HAAAAAAAAH... I'm never doing a hunt with you again. Fuck my life, sorry to say but your circuits are fried "pal"... ya not like anyone would EVER try to trick you so that they could get your 800 million Herin bounty or something. If you're wrong about this and we die here, I'm haunting your soul as a soul." Amandeath groans as she droops her head, but she finally gets out of my way and stands behind me!

With that of course I grab her hand from behind with my good arm, and start to C.H.A.R.G.E. towards the man who walks back into another alleyway! I just know this is him!

"Let go of me or I'll blow your... woooooooooooooow. What a fucking surprise. Let's go." Amandeath says as we finally reach our destination and I let go of her arm. There's two people who look dead on the floor and a living boy in the alleyway, but above them- I KNEW IT!!!

"I knew that bland but poetic voice was yours Restroid! To think that I would find you here- I see that you've been keeping yourself busy. And the heck is up with that outfit of yours, you look exactly like Kodan, YASHASHASHA!" I can't help but shout with joy as I push through the men and women with guns ahead of us, and right towards my old robotic but currently humanoid pal!

"King Metallica... so it is you. I am very fortunate to have met you here. What brings you to this location however? Are you hiding from the authorities here?" He asks with open arms as he walks towards me as well.

"Ah, certainly not me and my shy pal here just owe a certain someone. So we went out to hunt a bounty for that certain someone, and the leads on the internet for our bounty led us here! D... his name started with a D! What about you?" I respond with a wide grin on my face.

"I see. Davansioz Luehertz most likely. We were looking for that one as well. Now listen. He did not have the time to tell you this information: however Kodan entrusted me to take on his role as the leader of the Red Fists before his death. So... yes. I love you too King Metallica." Restroid says as I stomp over towards him, interrupting his speech by giving him a great big hug. He's even hugging me back too, that's a first!

"...Metallic, that guy may be your friend but pleaaaaaaase at least stay on guard here...  we don't know about the other people here." Pal #3 says from behind me as the people around us start to murmer. But they're weapons are pointing down, they're obviously harmless!

"Of course pal #3! And you became the new leader of the Red Fists Restroid? W.O.W. that's great! So I suppose these armed fellows are your current followers hm? Well for me, I've met a few new fantastic pals myself since... Kodan's demise. That truly was... so... so unfortunate." I say as I close my eyes... he really was one of my greatest pals... but so was Restroid!

"Indeed it was unfortunate. That is why you must fufill the purpose Kodan originally gave you. Join the Red Fists once more King Metallica. The destruction you caused was certainly from the use of your Emperor form. If Kodan was here: he would surely despise you for the lives you took during your attack. You stated one year ago that you have one more use of the Emperor before your demise. So. In order to repent for your sins: use the Emperor one last time to strike down Prósopsi and the Hopian Army." Restroid says, I... huh? This is- not what I was expecting... he wants me to sacrifice myself?

"Ah... but... no, I have my current pals. Kodan... I suppose I never did officially leave the Red Fists. And I did love him... and true... maybe he is watching me from the skys above and is extremely disappointed in me now. But the same goes for my pals who are still alive... I-I can't, Restroid. I would L.O.V.E. to be your pal again, but I won't go offing myself to obliterate the Hopian Army without a proper plan! Or with any plan for that matter! Do you even HAVE a plan, such as Kodan did for example?" I ask as I hold out my hand towards him, he's always been a bit of a nutcase with his logic but- this is the craziest I've seen the bot!

"I do. I have also been following my other plan for the past while: which was in case I was to never find you again. The Red Fists have been building their numbers once more. And we are slowly fixing this place: and making ourselves known in the process as Kodan would have wanted. We are killing the negative parts of this society. Such as the sickness' you can see on the floor here. They live in luxary while making the lives for the poor misery. Statistics generally prove this." Restroid says as he points his rigid finger down towards the bloody bodies on the floor... I... those aren't Hopian Army members, or punks... those look like normal rich folk! What?!

"Excuse me? You must be mistaken, pal. You can kill who you want, I suppose, but KODAN fought against the entire Hopian Government because he wanted to make EVERYONES lives better here. Including the rich folk! He never even killed those Hopian Army people for no good reason, he only ever acted in self defense or killed the corrupt ones! I truly hope I'm misunderstanding something here Restroid. So you're killing civilians, dressing as KODAN, A.N.D. claiming that you're the leader of the Red Fists as you're doing so?" I ask, cracking my fingers in anger at the same time... there's no way he would...

"No. You are not mistaken. Yes Kodan did not kill "civilians". However: where did his morals lead him to? Failure. He knew this: and so he appointed me as our new leader. Humans are always biased in their viewpoints based on how and where they are raised. I have no bias: for I am not human. That is why I pity humans: they have many biological weakness' that subconsciously control the way they act. Kodan most likely took this all of this into account when he made me our leader. I am more efficient in executing a task than a human ever could be." Restroid says, I... there's NO way Kodan would want this!

"We are not solely targeting civilians: we are also both killing and taking in anyone who is against or is fit to join the Red Fists. That way we can make the Hopian Government collapse due to a further increase in "crimes". That will also lead us to our new plan: with you dealing the finishing blow to the weakened Hopian Army. Please reconsider your answer King Metallica. If you decline once more: we will have to take you and your black haired ally by force." Restroid has the sheer audacity to say, and at the same time I can hear the people around us- who are in fact wearing uniforms of the Red Fists cock their guns!

"Wha- how DARE you! You were one of my closest pals and now you threaten to take me hostage?! Kodan would be disgusted with Y.O.U. here not me!" I shout out in- in utter disbelief as Restroid backs up, bends his knees, and sticks his palms out in a fighting position... that's just like Kodan!

"Metallic get back NOW, I'll use you as cover and blast these fucks. Just hurry..." Amandeath commands, but, no- Restroid is still my pal- admittedly he's a bit confused but, I can't just hurt his own pals like that!

*CLICK!*

"Restroid, stop this, please! Just wait!" I call out as pal #3 desperately tries to pull me back, but I don't budge as I can see and hear multiple bronze, square shaped, holes form from the painted skin on his arms...

Suddenly he wraps his hand around my neck, plants his other hand on my face, and then!

The holes in his arms start to blast blue flames out of them with an earpiercing sound, and at the same time he bends backwards and spins around- FLIPPING MY METALLIC SELF STRAIGHT INTO THE AIR IN THE PROCESS?!

*CLANG!!!*

My entire body rattles as the traitor slams my back down into the cement beneath me as I can hear gunshots from above, I think he damaged my neck- but, no, everything is damaged- I can't move!

A/N: Chaos erupts as Metallic meets his old pal from the Red Fists- but, it seems as though Restroid is not the same as he used to be...

I hope you all consider voting or commenting if you enjoyed, and see you next week!