The Red Hand

Interlude 4 – Alice in Chains.

Sara Ikebuki was only five years old when her parents were killed in a car accident. The windy mountain road combined with the weather made the perfect conditions for tragedy as the car swerved into the opposite land and was hit head-on by a sixteen-wheeler. Miraculously, Sara survived with only minor injuries. But the same could not be said for her parents. The two of them died on impact, and Sara was left alone with no family to take care of her. Both her parents were only children, and her grandparents were either unable or unwilling to take her in. With no other options, she was placed in a group home for adoption.

She didn't stay there long. Approximately one year later, she was adopted by a couple, ostensibly because they couldn't have children of their own. Sara was reluctant to go with them, but was given little choice in the matter. Her new parents were wealthy doctors who worked for the government, so it was assumed she would lead a good and stable life. The healthy donations given to the adoption agency went a long way in smoothing out any concerns. Things seemed to be looking up for the girl, she'd live a nice happy life with a rich loving family. Sadly, that couldn't be further from the truth, and it didn't take long for their true intentions for adopting Sara to reveal themselves.

Rather than being adopted into a loving family, she was actually purchased as a test subject. Her parents worked for a shady part of the Japanese medical industry, and she was instead used as a human guinea pig. From experimental drugs to different kinds of surgeries, she spend nearly four years moving from one hospital to another as the horrific experiments continued. 

On the outside, she played the part of the happy daughter to two loving parents. She would attend dinners and other events, forced to put on a smile and pretend to be happy and healthy. During this time, she never tried to escape or seek help. Mostly because she knew better than to act out and the few times she tried, her parents conveniently forgot to give her any form of anesthesia or pain suppressants during a subsequent experiment. The fact that a section of the government was running cover also made things more difficult.

She was miserable and broken, and the only release available to her was her ventures into VR, where she couldn't feel the pain that coursed throughout her body. However, this was not some kind of nicety. Rather, she was continually placed in full dive for extended periods and given tasks to perform while within the virtual environment. Sometimes she would even go months without logging out, a significant health hazard for someone her age. But that didn't matter to Sara as any chance she got to be away from the real world was a blessing.

Her placement into FWO was also an experiment by her owners. The game publisher needed long term dive data and contracted the Japanese government to obtain a test subject who would stay logged in until the Alpha ended. Shady connections between the government and the medical industry lead to Sara being used as the "volunteer" and she and was given a list of tasks to perform, mostly revolving around the A.I. within the game. The ten-year-old little girl prepared herself for another dive into VR and was more than happy to escape even for a few weeks. Ordinarily, someone that young wouldn't have been permitted into the game, but some strings were pulled and restrictions were bypassed.

Upon entering and getting her bearings she, like every other player, was informed that they could not leave unless they defeated all ten World Bosses. Most people panicked, but not Sara. To her, the chance to stay in this world for longer was a gift.  At first, she was worried that she'd be unplugged from the outside, but after a few weeks, she figured they either couldn't or wouldn't do so. Her assumption was correct, since the hospital that monitored her couldn't afford to have her die in their care, as it would trigger investigations. So she was left on life support with the hope that she would perish within the game.

Being trapped in the game meant that the little girl was finally freed of the pain she'd been forced to endure, and for the first time since the accident, she was happy. After the first year, she'd fully taken on the persona of her character, Alice. As one of the few summoners, she was highly sought after and eventually joined the Assault Team as a support member. Players eventually caught on to the fact that she was actually a child, and this caused a brief conflict where some argued she should be taken back to the security of the starting town. While others pushed for her inclusion due to her ability.

Alice, not keen to just sit around and do nothing, decided to show off her strength and prove to the other players she was no weak child. Figuring the best way to do so was via combat, she set out to clear one of the dungeons that was giving the team difficulty. What had taken dozens of players weeks to clear was done singlehandedly by Alice and her summons, shocking everyone. Most summoners could only bring out a handful at a time due to MP requirements. However, Alice had obtained a special skill [We Are Legion]. It allowed her to summon extraordinary amounts of her puppets and drastically powered them up. She couldn't fight World Bosses, but she was more than capable of dealing with individual dungeons and floors. This forced the other players to reevaluate their opinion of her and her role on the team, begrudgingly. 

With some further prodding, and the approval of Hishya, she was eventually allowed to stay, on the condition that she stay out of boss fights. The young girl reluctantly agreed, as she was happy to have people rely on her. For just over a year, she was a happy and productive member of the team, providing key power and making clearing floors and dungeons easier and safer with her puppets. However, things wouldn't remain this way forever.

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Assault Team HQ.

"What do you mean the World Boss is moving on Hassan Fortress?!?" Hishya exclaimed as she slammed her hands on the map table. "How is this possible? They can't leave their dedicated area!" Something like this was unprecedented, World Bosses had never shown the ability to act against their programming.

"Silfana is leading an army of demons, orcs, ogres, and other nasties on a war path right now," Minazawa confirmed. "We just got word back from some of the local adventures who we sent out to confirm the rumors."

Silfana was the only humanoid World Boss and, as a result, was the most tricky. The Lord of Vampires ruled a nation of monsters, her lands filled with countless creatures of darkness. The Assault team was saving her for later, and Alice's puppets were expected to provide the edge needed to take her down. However this made things difficult, it was known that she was an excellent duelist and it was predicted to take multiple attempts to defeat her.

"Why is this happening? Do we have any intel on that?" Hishya asked. "And what about the others? If they start moving out of their zones too, we're in trouble." If more World Bosses started to roam freely, the Assault Team and the players in safe zones wouldn't be able to defeat them.

"I sent some people to confirm the situation at other World Bosses. The team that checked Serval reported that he hasn't moved," Minazawa confirmed that the Dragon Emperor was still asleep. "However...." Minazawa hesitated.

"What is it?" Hishya asked. "Don't hold anything back, we need every bit of information we can get."

Minazawa sighed as she looked around the room. "Akagi might be responsible for this." The mention of the infamous Pker caused murmurs.

"What do you mean?" Hishya stood up straight, her face contorting in irritation for a brief moment before returning to normal. "How is Akagi involved?" She was already getting sick of her Pking and hearing that she might have caused this boiled her blood.

"Some adventurers confirmed that she entered Silfana's fortress several days ago and then not too long after she left, Silfana's armies started to move and assemble." Minazawa shook her head. "It's not 100%, and I was reluctant to share this since it is just speculation. But the timing is suspicious. Especially since Akagi is also in Hassan as we speak." They had no clue why she was hanging out in the fortress, but it was probably not for a good reason.

{God dammit Akagi. What have you done now?} Hishya cursed her in her mind. She'd already convinced herself that the assassin was at fault.

"So we need to work under the assumption that Akagi is working with a world boss?" Superbia spoke up. "I'm not even sure that's possible. I mean, shouldn't Silfana have attacked her the moment she entered her castle?" World Bosses were hostile to all players the moment they entered their domain. It was hard to believe Akagi could speak with them, let alone work with one.

"Then I'll just have to wring the answer out of Akagi myself!" Hishya growled, her statement catching everyone off guard. "We can't risk her doing something while we're busy dealing with Silfana's army. I'll head to Hassan fortress and bring her down. She's killed too many people, and we can't afford to just ignore her anymore. Not when she might be actively undermining our efforts like this."

"Your really going to fight Akagi?" Superbia was surprised. Hishya had tried to keep the Assault Team away from her due to the high casualty count from attacking her in the past. "If that's the case, we should send as many as people possible to help you." She figured it best to overwhelm her with numbers, but Hishya glared at her.

"No!" Hishya exclaimed. "Akagi is mine. I let things get this bad, and I have a duty to clean up my mess. I will fight her alone." Many wanted to argue, but the determination on Hishya's face shut down complaints.

"Umm...." A small voice echoed throughout the war room. "I don't think Akagi is responsible for this." Alice walked up next to Hishya clutching her teddy bear Floofy. "Akagi is nice. She would never do something that would get all the people in Hassan killed." She was referring to the NPC residents within the town around the fort. “Besides she has no reason to do something like this!”

"Kid, how many times do we have to tell you? Those are NPCs, not people." Ishigami chastised her. "They ain't real, and if they die who cares? They're just code anyway." His attitude was the prevailing one among most players and everyone in the room silently agreed.

"He's right, Alice. No matter how life-like they seem, the NPCs are just code. Them dying might seem sad, but its no big deal. They're fake people, Alice. You might be a bit too young to understand the difference between us and them, but it exists." Hishya smiled as she looked at the girl. "And I know you get along with Akagi, and that she plays with you. But she's a bad person on the inside, she's a murderer. You shouldn't-" Alice interrupted her.

"She's not a bad person!" Alice's sudden outburst took everyone by surprise. "Why can't you all see that? If she really was as bad as you say, then why is she always helping us? Why did she save my life?" Alice glared at Hishya. Alice had nearly been killed by monsters in the past, but Akagi risked her life to save her. "And you're wrong about the NPCs! Those people are real, they're nice to me, they laugh and everything. How can you call them fakes!"

"Alice, I've known Akagi for quite some time, much longer than you and I've seen what she's really like under that mask." Hishya tried to be nice. "She might act nice to you when you play with her, but that doesn't excuse her killing people. She knows full well what she's doing and still continues to take lives regardless." Everyone nodded in agreement. "Sure she might help from time to time, but that doesn't change the fact that she enjoys taking people's lives."

Alice vigorously shook her head. "You don't get it at all! You just don't." Alice turned and ran out of the command center. Hishya called out to her, but she didn't respond. “Dammit Alice.” Hishya cursed quietly. The girl had always gotten under her skin with her relationship with Akagi, and this was just another reason she didn't like her.

"And that's why we shouldn't have allowed that brat in here." Ishigami groaned. "This isn't a place for kids, and we shouldn't be babysitting."

"I know she's helpful Hishya. But Ishigami has a point. This is too much for a child." Minazawa agreed. "Perhaps it's time we sent her to stay with the rest of the non-combatants."

"Perhaps your right." Hishya sighed. Losing Alice would be a great blow to their capabilities, and her army of puppets was an important part of the Assault team's strategy. However, there were still concerns about making a child fight, and her closeness to Akagi had rankled many other players. "I just hope she's not too upset with us. I understand she's quite fond of Akagi, but we can't let that sway us." She put on her fake hero persona, but she was actually quite glad to see her go. The small girl was eating into her position and acting as another person people fawned over.

{Without Alice, they'll have to rely on me even more. Hehehe.} Hishya giggled internally at the thought of her status rising even further.

The team discussed things further and Hishya drafted a plan to attack Akagi as well as plans to fight Silfana and her army.

By the end of the day, some started to get worried since Alice never came back to the Assault team's headquarters. She was never one to miss a check in and would only rarely stay gone for long periods of time. Especially without sending a message to another player. A sense of panic set in, with many worried she might have gotten killed, prompting a search for her.

It didn't take long to discover that she'd teleported to Hassan and many players figured she'd ran to Akagi. This angered Hishya, since she knew the girl would warn Akagi about the impending attack. Some players saw it as a betrayal, with many calling for her to die along with the assassin, though killing a child was not something widely accepted. With the element of surprise most likely lost, Hishya instead devised a strategy to fight Akagi within the fortress itself to limit her maneuverability. It would be a harder fight and she vowed to make Alice regret this betrayal.

The night before the Great Battle of Hassan, Hishya arrived in the fortress city. The streets were empty as most residents fled or were in hiding. The army was nearly at the gates and they expected the assault to come sometime tomorrow. The Imperial Military was taking up positions outside of the city walls, but neither Hishya nor the other players cared much about their plans or strategy. A key factor in the dramatic loss of life that would occur over the next few days.

Entering the nearly abandoned fortress, Hishya was prepared to kill her rival and friend. Her eyes were filled with anger and contempt for the assassin and as she entered the small room Akagi was using. Upon entering, she caught sight of Alice having tea with her target. The terrifying look in Hishya's eyes scared the young girl.

"Alice, come over here. It's time for the adults to talk." Hishya's voice was filled with contempt.

"Um....." Alice hesitated.

"NOW!" Hishya's voice echoed throughout the room. "Don't make me say it again, unless you want me to kill you along with Akagi."

"Is that really any way to treat a kid, Hishya?" Akagi asked. "You don't need to be so mean."

"You stay out of this." Hishya looked at her. "You've tricked her, made her think you're some nice kind older sister when that couldn't be further from the truth! So don't you dare take that attitude with me!" Hishya looked at the shaking little girl. “And you will be punished! Akagi is our enemy, how dare you go and tip her off!” Hishya was furious, almost to the point of unreasonableness.

"Ah there it is, that's the real Hishya. Quite ironic that you talk so much shit about me, when your a lying vain asshole who's more than willing to knock others down just to look good." Akagi laughed, causing Hishya to growl at her statement. "Hey, if you're going to throw stones, don't live in a glasshouse." Akagi knew just what kind of person Hishya was under her Hero persona.

"Please don't fight." Alice squeaked out. "Akagi really didn't do anything wrong, Hishya." Alice walked over to Hishya and attempted to reason with her. “There's no need to-”

"I'm sorry, Alice." She moved behind her hand and chopped her in the neck, knocking her out. "Ishigami was right. This is really no place for children."

Akagi clapped. "Congratulations, you knocked out a child pleading for peace. Bravo."

"Trust me," Hishya said as she placed Alice down on the floor. "I don't take any pleasure in what I just did. But, it needed to be done, she shouldn't see what's about to happen." She drew Sun Strike. "Now, then. I will do what I must, and protect everyone from you!”

{And clean up the mess I made all those years ago. Why did you have to turn out this way?!?} (Hishya)

"Fine," Akagi stood up. "If you want this place to be your grave. Then so be it." The two clashed, and while Akagi would come out victorious. The effects of this night would ripple across time. Hishya would come to understand Akagi's true nature, the City of Hassan would be destroyed, and Alice would slip further into madness as the other players treatment of her would only serve to worsen her mental condition. Feeling responsible for Alice's deteriorating condition, Akagi took her and and hid her away from the prying eyes of the world.

Later once the World Bosses where defeated and Alice woke up in the hospital. She quickly discovered that she'd retained her summoning powers, and rather than return to a life of experimentation and misery, she opted to instead fight back. On that day, the hospital that confined her was destroyed, its hallways running red with blood. And her parents were made to endure just as much pain as they'd inflicted on the young girl. She'd inherited a bit of Akagi's sadism and similar character issues from her extended time in her care.

Even before FWO, Alice had started to go mad from her treatment. But the “betrayal” by her so-called friends on the Assault Team caused her already delicate mind to fracture further. With the power of her summons, she was prepared to strike back against the evil world that allowed her to be treated as a guinea pig. As the young girl walked out of the burning hospital accompanied by her two trusty teddy bears, she felt the sun touch her skin, heard the birds chirp, and she began to laugh. No.... not laugh... she cackled. The young fourteen-year-old girl began to cackle like a madman, blood covering parts of her face and dress. She was enjoying herself, she was happy and now, there was only one thing on her mind.

"Fluffy... Floofy.” She looked at the two blood stained teddy bears that stood at her side. "Do you think Mama would be proud of us?" The two bears nodded in approval.

The mama in question was, of course, Akagi. Hishya and the Assault Team's actions had twisted her mind to the point that she now saw Akagi as a sort of mother figure. It was similar to how Yumi began to see Akagi as her new god after the destruction of her village. It didn't help that, just like Hishya, Alice had seen what lay within Akagi's soul. But unlike Hishya, Alice thought Akagi's true form was beautiful, and she longed for the day it would be released.

"I think so too." Alice smiled as she looked at the two bears. The three began to walk down the street as the hospital exploded in flames behind her, sirens roared in the distance as she set out to find Akagi and enact her vengeance on this world.