GLITCH

To the Rescue!

PLATINUM CITY

Monday, October 30, 2500 9:45 PM

According to the Intel squad in camp, the team is supposedly 11 blocks away from camp when their communication is cut off. So far, we covered seven blocks already; at this pace, we'll be able to see the last pinpointed location of Squad One.

But…to have a griffin as the manifested glitch, it's not uncommon to suffer some casualties.

Rylai is just beside me. In my eyes, her feet didn't touch the ground; she's gliding while levitating or something.

"So Rylai…"

"Yes?"

"How come you're able to glide? Is it because of your powers?"

"Uh, no it's because of my boots. It allows me to negate gravity and alter electromagnetic energy. Thanks to this, given how fast you are running, I can still catch up."

This is my first time going on a mission with Rylai, and she amazed me on this one. As what she told me, she's using her Tech Boots for maneuverability. Earlier too, she inputted some data in our G-watch. When I asked her why she has admin perms – G-watches can't be altered or modified without admin perms – she told me that she's the one who reprogrammed the original software. Her resourcefulness is superb for her age.

"Oh yeah, Rylai, may I ask something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"I haven't seen you carrying a bag when you got in the camp. Did you leave it in the camp?"

"Hmm, that? I am carrying a bag. Well, it's not really a bag, but it can serve as a bag."

Don't tell me…

"By any chance, did you mean your watch is…?"

"Yep…!" Rylai smiled then flinched for a moment and stopped.

We're in an intersection in the near heart of the city. The rain washes the blood being gushed from the corpses lying around. Some infrastructures were destroyed completely. As of what she's doing, Rylai is looking on—

"!?"

A virtual map projected by a G-watch!? I've never seen this one before! First, Tech Boots; second, the baggage feature of the G-watch; now this?! This girl is phenomenal!

But her face is distorted. I wonder if something's wrong.

Guess I'll ask her.

"What's wrong Rylai?"

"This is bad. There's no time for explanations. Please take that route!" she pointed the one on the right side. "I'll continue my pursuit to the glitches! There are still civilians out there! Why aren't they following safety protocols? Please lend me your watch for a while."

She snatched my right arm and linked her watch to mine via cable.

She then said, "There, upgrade complete! You can use virtual map and tracking system features. With those, I'm sure you'll be able to pinpoint the civilians' location. I'll be going then!"

"W-wait! Rylai what about you…?" I asked in confusion.

"I'll give you some time! Given your status, you are more suited for helping them! I don't have enough strength for saving them!" she equipped herself with some kind of gloves and took the route we're supposed to be going with double the speed she had earlier.

"There's no helping it then", I muttered to myself. I went to where she told me to go.

Wait, how did she know about my status?

•••

"The whole squad is almost annihilated completely. If weren't for you Sven, I think we're already dead meat", George said while shivering from the cold.

It's already 11PM, it's raining cats and dogs, and there's still no sign of a rescue team or whatever. Given the circumstances, we don't deserve to be rescued. Thanks to that i***t squad leader, our numbers dwindled. Darn it, I couldn't save everyone!

I slammed my fists on a wall out of frustration. My hand stings a bit after that, but this pain is not worth an ounce compared to my grief upon my fallen comrades. Only seven of us out of 25 got away. Of course, we're not unscathed; we obtained a lot of wounds and injuries.

I need to find a way to have this remaining lives continue living!

"I can't afford to lose any of us. For now, let's eat. Luckily, we're in a convenience store, so let's not use our rations. No one knows when we'll get rescued."

I handed some biscuits and cup noodles to my colleagues. I got some hot water being prepared with the use of this electric kettle. I'm thankful for the late owner of this place, and I feel sorry for his miserable fate; I found him dead together with other corpses, with half of his body missing. I speculate that it's eaten by either one of those griffins. The store is in tatters, and a part of its roof is wrecked and destroyed.

After my meal, I went outside to be on watch. Just as I positioned myself at the store's front door, I heard an eerie screech that I truly feared right now.

It's from one of those griffins!

Darn it! Not to mention myself, my colleagues still haven't recovered the slightest!

"What do we do Sven?" one of my companions asked while trembling.

"Stay there! I'll try to ward him off!" I shouted as I ran away from them to keep the griffin's attention to me.

"Wait Sven, don't make rash decisions!" they exclaimed.

I know guys. This is already some kind of a death wish. But in order for you guys to be safe…

"Hey you damn bird! Your opponent is me!"

The griffin drifted its attention to me.

"Good. That's good! Come at me!"

The griffin swiftly dived towards me, I took a leap sideways to evade.

The same thing happens again and again; I keep evading such vicious attacks from that fiend and even parried some. If it keeps going like this, I can't evade it anymore. I need to find a way to ward it off!

I focused my senses and pulled out my sword from its scabbard. I'll take aim to the griffin's eye.

The griffin dived again! Now's my chance!

Or so I thought...

After a spinning movement as if it's a drill, the griffin stopped its movement just after it got a little altitude with its wings spread wide. A raging gust forcefully blown me away and made me struck against a building behind me. It made a c***k to the wall as I fall from it.

"D-damn it…" still staggering, I got myself up but my consciousness is starting to fade away.

The griffin is diving towards me again.

To reach this predicament…just what did I do to deserve this?

I'm a young person of age 18. I'm a physically fit, white haired, blue eyed individual with a dream of helping my parents. As the only child of a poor family, I devoted myself to training just to become a hotshot Glint; I heard that one can get a good amount of money for being one. I just got my first mission as a registered Glint of Platinum Guild. I felt happiness upon having it; now I feel remorse and my now blood red clothes, which my mother presented me when I officially became a Glint, were tattered. The sword that I have is already in a poor condition upon parrying against the griffin's talons and beak.

I closed my eyes and bit my lips in agony.

"I'm sorry mom, dad. I…failed you."

"OH NO, YOU DON'T!"

Just then I heard someone's voice and a swift sound of rushing water…no, it's like some motorcycle running amidst the rain and flood, but all I heard is water and there's no engine noise. The next thing I knew, the griffin screeched in pain.

"Squawk…!"

I opened my eyes and saw the griffin changed its course. It's still flapping its wings a few meters away from me and a person standing in front of me. She's a girl, I think she's younger than me, and is wearing a lab coat and goggles, and some fingerless gloves.

The griffin is diving once again, but its trajectory is not towards me, but that girl in a lab coat.

"W-what are you doing? Run away! You can't fight against that creature!" I warned the girl to back off. But all she did is to look at me for a moment and smiled.

"Oh, don't need to worry about me."

The griffin is about to seize her with its beak but then she leaps sideways, and fixed her position mid-air after she kind of kicked the space twice; what's with that movement!?

She puts her left arm forwards, with her palms opened and is facing towards the griffin's side and said, "Blast off will you?"

A sound of something charging is heard, and in just one moment my jaw dropped open while seeing the griffin in agony and is blown away and landed on the ground by an unseen force.

"I guess my Tech Gloves will do!", the girl said while looking at her gloves with her sparkling eyes.