Mission report. Taran. Brink of Extinction. Damn.

  Arthur stared. And stared. Then stared some more. This definitely wasn’t what he expected to get when he asked the System for more information about his current situation. No, not even close.

  It was far more than he could have hoped for—and somehow still less than he wanted.

  Why?

  For starters, he still didn’t really know where he was. Planet of Taran, great. Unfortunately, it told him almost nothing. The next two lines weren’t much better. He didn’t care about sectors right now, and the classification only confirmed what he had already figured out.

  What followed, though?

  Those few short lines explained a lot while simultaneously raising even more questions. And then there were the last two entries: Assigned Agent and Failure Consequences. Arthur honestly had no idea how to even begin processing those.

  Okay, okay. Calm down. This is nothing. You were reborn as a goddamn magic tank. Nothing can beat that.

  For a moment, Arthur shut everything off. Silent Observer deactivated. The eyes of his cannons closed. The link to Athena quietened.

  Only silence remained. Pure, undisturbed silence.

  …Much better. Let’s try this again.

  Silent Observer reactivated, and he once more focused on the Mission Report floating before him. He dismissed its beginning for now and focused only on the middle part.

  Obviously, I’m far away from home, on a planet that is close to extinction thanks to Hell's invasion. Far from ideal, but if that demonic tree is any indication, not all hope is lost.

  His gaze fell to the last two lines on the report.

  Then there’s that.

  From the very first day, from the moment he awoke in this new reality, Arthur had known he was part of something larger. Vanguard. He hadn’t understood what it meant, though. Some kind of organization, yes, but what else?

  Now, with this report, the picture became a bit clearer.

  Agent… I was sent here to fix this mess. Why? Why me? Why take a random human, stuff him into a tank, and hope he will do what’s necessary? Who the hell comes up with something like this?

  The answer was simple. Either someone who had lost their mind a long time ago, or someone with enough power and foresight to ensure their plans always succeeded. Well, that or both, even if right now, Arthur was leaning toward the former option.

  And what is the Sleeper? Another Agent like me?

  [Currently, you do not have the required permissions to access this information.]

  That should have been the end of it. Either earn higher permissions or forget the question forever.

  But it wasn’t.

  Despite not having a body made of flesh, Arthur felt a cold shiver run down his nonexistent spine. A wave of all-consuming fear followed, freezing all the thoughts running through his mind.

  What— he tried, only to pause again. What just happened?

  Silence. The notification vanished, and with it, the fear gripping his mind and soul. The ice that spread across his Core also thawed, the warm Ether returning under his control.

  No asking about that again. Understood.

  Still somewhat shaken, Arthur tried to refocus on the report. There was more he could learn. He just had to leave the Sleeper alone. Put it in a box, lock it, and throw away the key.

  Right… The Warrior (V-969). Anything you can tell me about that?

  [Currently, you do not have the required permissions to access this information.]

  And that was it. A flat denial and nothing else. Arthur wasn’t even mad. That fear… he never wanted to feel it again. Not even the thought of dying again scared him so much.

  Moving on.

  One by one, he read every line of the report again, probing for more details. As expected, it didn’t work. The System just gave the same short message about permissions.

  Entry-level Vanguard Database access indeed.

  What to do then?

  He could, of course, continue deeper into the corrupted lands in search of more Demonic Trees, but that sounded quite inefficient. He would find one, destroy it, and then what? Repeat the process until something happened?

  No.

  He needed more information about Hell's corruption and about the planet itself. A map would be a good start. Allies wouldn’t hurt either, if he were feeling optimistic.

  He wasn’t, but a tank could hope.

  Meaning I gotta find my way back to the forest I appeared in.

  Decision made, Arthur waited. Ten seconds. Thirty. A minute. Two.

  Nothing.

  Really? he grumbled. No mission? Thought for sure I would get one.

  Yet the System stayed silent.

  Whatever. Maybe later.

  Arthur pushed past the disappointment and moved on to something far more appealing. Upgrades! With all the UP he had gathered earlier, many doors were now open to him. Or so he hoped.

  UP: 31

  It was a lot, enough to even upgrade Athena to the next tier. He couldn’t do that, though, not yet. He still had a few parts sitting at Tier I, and from what he had learned, those were placeholders meant to be replaced as soon as possible.

  Well, except for the Hook.

  That one worked better than any starter part he had. The first few days and the fight with the Guardian proved that. His only reliable tool, as the System put it.

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  Sorry Athena. Next time, he sent over the link as the bird fluttered over and settled on his turret. I can make a fleet drone if you want.

  That got her attention. She opened her eyes and let out a loud chirp.

  Great. Gimme a second.

  Summoning the Drone Bay menu, Arthur selected the second option and fed the System the required Omnimatter for a single fleet drone. A flash of light, a notification, and it was done.

  350 Omnimatter(I) consumed. One unit of Fleet Drone produced. Deploying…

  It appeared right next to Athena, who squawked and flapped her wings in indignation. She relaxed when she spotted a bird half her size staring back at her with glowing blue eyes.

  Like it? He asked.

  Athena ignored him and circled the new drone. It didn’t react and just stared blankly ahead. At that point, Arthur realized that this new creation was nothing like his companion.

  No intelligence. No emotions. No true connection.

  It was just an attack drone wearing the skin of a bird. He could recall it to the Armory and redeploy it at will, but that was the extent of his control. Everything else? That was Athena’s domain.

  Well? He questioned again.

  This time, Athena spared his invisible spirit a glance and cawed. At once, the smaller drone opened its beak, revealing a tiny gun barrel at the back of its throat. With another commanding caw, it spread its wings and took flight.

  After a few loops above him, it landed, earning a happy chirp from Athena. In another flash, the drone vanished.

  Arthur hummed. He was right. He really didn’t have to do much when it came to the fleet.

  Perfect. He already had enough on his plate. Let Athena have her fun.

  Finally, upgrades.

  No hesitation. It took a second to make the first choice.

  Upgrading Armor to Tier II. 10 UP consumed. Stand by…

  This time around, the golden light swallowed his entire vessel. It pulsed once, twice, then vanished, leaving pristine and freshly painted armor behind. Dark forest green. Fitting for a vessel like his.

  [Armor (Tier II)]

  Type: Mana-forged Steel

  Bonus Resistances: 10% Magic

  Special Effects: None

  Combat Rating: E-

  “Forged with Mana, this steel won’t break easily. Enjoy your first true shell.”

  Arthur would have grinned if he could.

  Excellent. Next!

  Upgrading Secondary to Tier II. 10 UP consumed. Stand by…

  The golden light returned, spreading across the entire length of his machine gun. When it vanished, Arthur had to make sure the process finished successfully. There was no visible difference between what he had now and before.

  [Secondary (Tier II)]

  Type: Reinforced 7.62mm

  Combat Rating: F+

  Special Effects: Perfect Cooling

  “A reinforced version of a reliable old machine gun. It might not be magic, but it sure is deadly.”

  Huh. This wasn’t here before, Arthur muttered to himself, gaze on the Special Effects section. And just like my engine. No more overheating. I will take it.

  He dismissed the window and considered his two final choices. Warrior’s Hook and Sensors. Both at Tier I, but only 11 UP remaining. He had to decide, even if the System refused to tell him what exactly the upgrades would improve.

  If only I could flip a coin, he mused. Then, his gaze drifted to Athena. Hmm. Might as well. Oi! Athena! One or Two. Choose.

  The bird-drone tilted her head, trilling in confusion.

  Come on. Simply choose. One or two.

  For a moment, they just stared at each other. Just when Arthur was about to ask again, Athena cawed and buried her head back in her feathers.

  Two then. Thanks!

  No answer.

  Upgrading Sensors to Tier II. 10 UP consumed. Stand by…

  No golden light appeared this time. Instead, something shifted inside his vessel, a new trigger connecting to his mind. But aside from that, nothing.

  He quickly summoned the new description.

  [Sensors (Tier II)]

  Type: Techran Radio

  Detection Range: 10 Meters

  Special Effects: Voice Projection

  “A High-Tech radio created by the engineers of Techran Republic. Adjusted and improved by the Smith to fit and assist Vanguard vessels.”

  If Arthur had eyes, they would have gone wide.

  No way, right? Yet, the new trigger had to be responsible for something. Okay, don’t get too excited. Slowly.

  As if handling glass, Arthur reached for the trigger and activated it. A general understanding of its function flooded his mind, and he didn’t hold back any longer.

  “One. Two. Three. Testing,” he said—or rather, tried to.

  Instead of those four simple words, a rumbling, robotic stutter filled the area. It sounded like someone had recorded a child’s babbling, slapped a robot filter on it, and then tried to turn it into a club song.

  For once, Arthur was glad to have no real ears.

  Athena, however, wasn’t so lucky. She shot into the air, squawking at him.

  Sorry! Sorry! He said over the link. My bad. Thought it would work from the get-go.

  She fixed him with a look that could be translated to “Really now?”

  He apologized again and restarted his engine. Then, he chose what he hoped was the right direction and shifted into gear.

  All right. Let’s try this again.

  As Arthur soon learned, the demonic tree’s influence had reached far. He had been driving as fast as the terrain allowed—which was to say, not very fast—for almost a full day, and he had yet to see any signs of Hell’s corruption.

  No fires. No roots. No crimson flowers. Just abandoned ruins, blackened land, and dead trees. It was lucky he had something new to focus on, or he would have been bored without anything to fight.

  Speech.

  After his less-than-ideal first try, Arthur kept on practicing, much to Athena’s displeasure. During the first few hours, not much changed. By now, though, he had reached the point where he could project a single word with decent success. It still sounded robotic and rough, but it was progress.

  Slow and awfully sounding progress, but progress nonetheless.

  A few times, he even wondered if this was how children felt when they first learned to talk. If so, they had his deepest condolences.

  Time for a break, Arthur decided, opening his link to Athena. See anything up there?

  To his surprise, she chirped in affirmation.

  You do? Why didn’t you tell me?

  An annoyed squawk answered him. He resisted the urge to roll his nonexistent eyes.

  I have to learn how to speak. How else will we communicate? No! Never mind. Don’t answer that. Just show me what you got.

  Despite clearly wanting to argue, Athena obeyed. Their link opened wider, and once more, Arthur felt himself hitching a ride inside his companion’s body. The rush of wind returned, as did the view of distant lands that she was scouting.

  Oh. Maybe we are lucky after all.

  Still some distance away from Athena’s position was a border where Hell’s corruption appeared again. Only that wasn’t all.

  A small demon horde, made of Fiends and a few Hounds, was fighting a group of about ten figures. Not humans, though, even if the aliens looked very similar to Arthur’s old species.

  Two legs, two arms, and a head. That matched. The dusky violet skin and long tails, however, didn’t. Neither did the pure black hair they all shared, which looked like moving shadows.

  Dark elves? Arthur wondered, then dismissed the thought. It didn’t matter. Once Athena got closer, the System would tell him what he needed to know.

  Right now, he had to make sure those aliens survived. If those were the natives of this planet, they just might be the key to getting some more info about the situation here.

  Ready to have some fun?

  Athena cawed loudly and sped up.

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