POV Rio
"Rest in peace," I mutter before leaving the area of the fire.
I went home and didn't do anything but meditate and think. It was my way of showing respect for all those who had finally found peace in death. I did this for a while until I was satisfied, and then I started sending the things I took from that lab and put them on the Watchtower for anyone to use. Though I did make sure to let Dr. Connors know that the Extremis Virus cost a lot of human lives, and to make sure that they weren't lost in vain. But even after all that, I was still a bit... Not exactly sad, but just a bit disappointed.
'Well, this was going to happen eventually; humanity can really suck sometimes.'
I decide to distract myself for now, and what better thing to do than play some Minecraft? I could play the real thing in the Nether, but that didn't sound fun, and I really didn't want to deal with that. I will have to go there soon, as I have a massive amount of metal to smelt, but I really didn't feel like dealing with that for as long as I could.
[Captain Jack Sparrow: 100%]
[Getting New Template]
[New Template Found ---> Helltaker]
[Helltaker: 38%]
Twitch
I narrow my eyes at the annoying system alert, and I start to wonder if this was its way of telling me to go to Hell, quite possibly literally. But I was also quite certain the system was not sentient at all, so it was probably a coincidence.
'Whatever, let's see what I get from it.'
The gear was very normal. A red suit, some tiny sunglasses, and an apron with the word Satan written on the chest. In terms of knowledge, I was now a really good chef with a specialization in sweets like Pancakes, Crepes, Cakes, and other similar things. Besides that, I didn't really get anything else of note. It seemed like I would likely get some resistance and a slight boost to my strength, but that was about it.
'A bit of a disappointment but whatever.'
Knock Knock Knock
"Come in," I call out.
"Uh, hey Rio, uh... the intruder is awake and has destroyed the golem. She has also removed the IV drip and the other equipment and seems to be quite upset," John Wick says as he comes in.
"Wait, that thing's a woman?" I say with surprise.
"Yeah, she was so covered in filth that it took an hour of washing to clean her, but the golem bathed and clothed her. She's using some of Helen's clothes, though the fit is a bit small," John replies.
"Huh, well, I guess now I am more curious as to why she knows my name. Then again, I am the owner of this manor, so perhaps it's not that crazy she knows my name," I comment.
I walk to the warded room and notice the wards are much weaker than when I first made them.
'Damn, she must be pretty strong if she weakened them this much. I'll have to reinforce them later.'
I create an illusory copy and send it in to talk with my guest. I freeze for a moment when I see her, as I swear she looks familiar to someone. And I didn't just mean a character from my past life, but like I have seen her before in this life. She had long Pink hair with two little horns that looked like cat ears on her head. She had crimson colored eyes and pale skin. Now that she wasn't covered in muck, I could also tell she was quite... shapely. The shirt she was wearing seemed to be struggling, and I imagined it was likely quite uncomfortable. I cast a quick spell to help give her some room to breathe. Just cause she was an intruder doesn't mean I have to be cruel.
"Hello there," I say with a smile.
"Fake," says the woman.
"Huh? Fake? What's that supposed to mean?" I ask with some curiosity.
"You... Fake..." she replies while pointing at the fake me.
"Huh... Perceptive, yes, this is just a projection, you tried to grab me, and I'm sorry if I don't fully trust you after you broke into my house," I say simply.
"Sorry," she says with what I believe is genuine remorse.
"It's okay, no one was hurt. Though I have to ask, have I met you before?" I ask the question that has been bothering me for a bit now.
"Yes... I'm Lucy," Lucy says with slight disappointment.
That name instantly clicks, and I suddenly remember where I had seen her, in both lives. In my past life, there was a character named Lucy from an anime called Elfen Lied, who, from a certain point of view, could be seen as an alien parasite of sorts. They reproduce by changing their victims' DNA to only produce Diclonii.
'Though I recall them technically being an offshoot of humanity in the source material.'
However, I had met Lucy in this life as well.
"July 1937, in New York City, I remember now. You and I played around for two days, then you vanished. But that was over 70 years ago. How can you look so young?" I ask.
"I don't age like normal humans," Lucy says with a slight frown.
"I guess that makes sense, and it's not like I'm any better. Where have you been all these years? When I went back to see you, all that was there was an empty house," I ask with slight worry.
"I... Hurt some bad men. They wanted to hurt me... But after they were gone, a group of really bad people captured me. They... They did things. Things I don't want to talk about," Lucy says with a dark tone.
"I... I'm sorry to hear that. But why are you here? How did you even find me?" I ask.
"I saw you on TV, so I escaped. I've been lost in the woods for... I can't tell how long, but I found you... I found you," Lucy repeats to herself a few more times before she starts to cry.
I hesitate for a moment, but eventually I walk in with my real body and sit next to her and pat her back. She flinches but then hugs me and continues to cry. I didn't say a thing and just let her get it all out. I didn't know what she went through, but I could guess enough to know she has been through some stuff.
Lucy cries for quite some time, but eventually she recovers enough and smiles at me. It was still a bit of a sad smile, but I could tell she was feeling better.
"Do you want to stay here? I have the room for it," I offer.
"Y-Yes, thank you," Lucy says quietly.
"Of course. Come with me, and I can show you around the place," I say with a smile as I stand up.
She gets up as well and follows me. I deactivate the barrier and lead her through the manor, showing her around the place. I may not have known her for long, but I felt I was a good judge of character, and as such, I felt she meant me no harm. She was just a little lost, and if I could help, then I would.
"That's Bob, he's in jail cause he wouldn't stop throwing snowballs at people and things. Just don't get too close to his cell or he'll pummel you with snow," I warn.
Lucy looked confused but still nodded.
"T'was just a prank... Bro," Bob said sadly.
"Not falling for that! I know what you're thinking, I made you," I say with narrowed eyes.
Sad Snow Golem noises.
We left Bob and continued on our way. Lucy picked out a room, and then I realized an issue.
"You don't have any clothes, do you?" I ask.
Lucy blushes a bit and shakes her head.
"Sigh. Okay, I'll contact a friend of mine, and she can help get you some clothes, as no offence, but I won't help you pick out clothes. Women have specific clothing needs, and I am not comfortable assisting with that," I say bluntly.
Lucy looks confused and slightly tilts her head.
'Cute.'
It was adorable, like when a dog tilts its head when it's trying to figure something out. As if tilting your head will magically make the situation clearer.
"Selene will explain everything," I explain.
I feel something off for a moment and look around, but that feeling seems to go away.
"Who's Selene?" Lucy asks, and I suddenly feel like I'm walking into a dangerous situation.
"Ehem. Uh, she is a friend that I work with on financial matters. She's the current head of a Vampire clan and one of the last Vampires," I respond.
"A friend?" Lucy inquires.
"Yeah, a friend. An ally as well, I suppose," I reply.
Lucy nods and then drops the topic. I, on the other hand, was just glad I didn't mention Lara as I wasn't blind.
'I suppose it could be non-romantic feelings, as I am her only friend. Or maybe she feels a need to protect me?'
If Lucy were a normal girl with a less dark backstory, I could be certain, but given the complicated situation we are in, I couldn't say what she was thinking. Especially since I barely know her.
I introduce Lucy to John and Helen, and it goes well enough. Lucy doesn't talk much, at least with strangers, but they at least seemed to understand. I explained the meal schedule and then told her that if she needed anything else should could ask.
"Well, that's it, any questions?" I ask.
Lucy shakes her head.
"Okay, well, it's getting late, so I shall let you rest," I say with a smile.
Lucy nods. My room was right next door, so I told her goodnight and retired for the night.