[City of Mantle]
The city of Mantle feels like a ghost town, or at least that is what Daniel thinks as he runs through the streets. He knows very well that he is in the lower districts, an area where normally there are already few people, but now there is absolutely no one.
Something he can understand when he sees how the snow is starting to cover everything, quickly gaining ground. The streets become almost invisible under an increasingly thick layer, erasing any trace of what was once urban traffic.
Daniel, despite not wearing many clothes, manages to withstand the cold thanks to his high vitality. That does not mean he does not feel it, only that his body endures it better than anyone else would in his place. Without the proper equipment, someone else would have frozen a long time ago.
Aegis, resting on his shoulder, also does not seem affected. Motionless, with his calm gaze, he stays by his side without complaint.
As he goes deeper in, he feels how the worry for Rosella becomes more intense. Only a few days have passed since the last time he saw her, but seeing the state the area is in, he cannot help but wonder how she is doing now.
With that thought in mind, he quickens his pace without holding back, moving through the streets at full speed without worrying if anyone sees him. He knows that everyone should have been evacuated toward the center, and that the cameras in this part of the city were already turned off; and if they were not, GLaDOS could erase any trace he left.
He does not take long to reach the warehouse where Rosella should be. From the outside, the place looks different: the windows blocked from the inside prevent seeing what is inside. Without thinking much about it, he approaches the door, which luckily was not locked, and opens it without difficulty.
As soon as he crosses the threshold, he feels the change immediately.
Inside, the temperature is much more pleasant, even warm, in sharp contrast to the freezing air of the streets. He looks around carefully, surprised to see everything cleaner and more orderly, full of new things.
A generator in a corner, heaters turned on, a sofa and a bed that look recently bought, and even a small grill with some meat that is still warm. The boxes that used to fill the warehouse are now piled up in one corner, turning the place into an improvised but functional shelter.
"What happened here?" he asks himself, closing the door behind him as he walks slowly, checking every corner and looking for Rosella, who is nowhere to be found.
"Above you," Aegis warns with a calm voice.
Daniel looks up immediately and finds her. There she is, Rosella, literally hanging from the ceiling, with her claws stuck into the concrete. As soon as she realizes that he has seen her, she propels herself straight at him without thinking.
"Shit!" he growls, remembering that he still has the illusion over himself. He raises his hand, trying to stop her.
"Wait—!"
But it is too late.
Rosella crashes into him completely, wrapping her legs around his waist and holding him tightly with her arms. To his surprise, he does not feel any pain.
"You came back!" she exclaims excitedly, rubbing her head against his chest with an energy that takes him by surprise.
"You were starting to take your time~~" she adds in a playful tone, looking at him directly with shining eyes that, even if he does not want to, completely captivate him.
He cannot help but sigh in relief, feeling how his shoulders relax almost reflexively.
"How did you know it was me?" he asks in a low voice, while breaking the illusion that covered him and revealing his true appearance.
Rosella smiles with amusement.
"You changed your appearance, but you did not change your voice… or your smell ♡~" she says with a soft laugh, as if it were something obvious, while playfully running a finger along his neck.
"Besides, you cannot hide the presence of a werewolf. It is something that cannot be hidden from another werewolf… and even less from me."
Daniel immediately makes a mental note to find a way to alter his voice as well. Even so, he makes no attempt to push her away. Her closeness not only does not bother him, but to his own surprise, he finds something comforting in having her so near.
Without hesitation, he brings his face a little closer and inhales the scent of her hair. With his enhanced sense of smell, it is not hard to recognize: jasmine mixed with a slight touch of wood. Even though he could smell her so clearly, what draws his attention is that he cannot sense her presence.
"I couldn't feel you," he whispers, pulling slightly away from her hair to look at her.
"Mhmm…" Rosella thinks, lowering her gaze.
"It could be because your curse is not complete yet," she says as her hand slowly slides down Daniel's back, until it reaches the tail he had hidden under his clothes.
He tenses immediately, although he allows her to touch him. He could make his tail invisible, yes, but that did not mean it stopped existing.
"I see the curse is progressing quickly," she comments as she gently strokes the tail.
"It's pretty."
"Very pretty and all," Daniel mutters with a grimace, "but… is there any way to make it disappear?"
He really hopes the answer is yes. Having to keep it hidden all the time is already annoying enough, and just thinking about making up another excuse to explain why he now has a tail tires him more than he wants to admit.
"It can be hidden," Rosella replies, and with no effort at all, makes her own wolf ears disappear.
"See?"
She makes them appear again, then disappear once more, repeating it a couple of times, making it seem quite easy.
"You just have to want to do it. It's your body. You have control over it."
Daniel nods slowly, closing his eyes to focus. He follows her example, trying to get his body to respond. At first, he feels a strange resistance, as if something inside is refusing, but he insists for a few more seconds, breathing deeply.
Suddenly, he feels a change.
"Oohhh!" Rosella lets out with an almost excited tone.
He opens his eyes wide.
"Did it work?" he asks, a bit incredulous as he sees Rosella looking at him with an ambiguous smile.
"Depends… did you want to grow wolf ears?"
That makes him frown immediately.
"Because if that was it, then yes. It worked."
With Rosella still clinging to him, he walks until he finds a nearby mirror, and there he sees it clearly: on his head now there is a pair of white ears, the same color as his tail.
"Ahh..." he cannot help but sigh, frustrated.
Rosella, noticing his frustrated expression, hugs him tighter, pressing her entire body against his.
"Don't rush. Your curse hasn't completed yet," she whispers near his ear.
"Everything will be easier once you surrender completely..."
Daniel decides to ignore her for the moment, keeping his eyes fixed on the mirror in front of him.
"Whatever," he thinks, letting himself be. There was no point in getting upset over something that, according to Rosella, would change on its own over time. If it was true that once the curse was complete it would be easier to control those changes.
For now, he would just try not to think about it.
"Agh..." he growls softly, feeling how Rosella's embrace tightens. He glances at her from the corner of his eye, paying a bit more attention than before.
"She got stronger," he thinks, clearly noticing how her strength had increased. And not only that, her appearance had also changed. Her skin looked smoother, her hair shinier, almost unreal.
"You've gotten stronger," he says bluntly.
Upon hearing that, Rosella finally lets go and takes a few steps back, spinning around as if showing herself off.
"I knew you'd notice!"
Daniel watches her, arms crossed.
"Can I ask how?"
She smiles with an amused expression, still spinning. She walks over to the grill that still holds some warm meat, grabs a piece and takes a big bite.
"I've been nourishing myself really well!" she replies energetically, her expression clearly satisfied as she chews.
Without hesitation, she picks up another piece of meat and, walking quickly, plants herself in front of him.
"Try it~~" she says in an almost tempting tone, holding out the piece right in front of his face.
"I know you're going to like it."
Daniel cannot ignore the meat. The smell is strange, and at the same time, strangely pleasant. The more he looks at that meat, the harder it is to identify exactly what kind it is. However, something inside him tells him that he should not taste it, at least not for now.
"Thanks, but I already ate," he replies, pushing the meat aside with one hand, refusing it without being harsh.
Rosella shrugs and, without insisting, brings the piece to her mouth, devouring it without a problem and licking her lips when she finishes.
Daniel decides to move away a bit, calmly walking over to the couch in the middle of the warehouse. He drops into it, testing the seat, which turns out to be very comfortable.
"Ahh..." he sighs, letting the warm and quiet atmosphere of the place help him release some of the tension he had built up. For the first time in quite a while, he feels his body truly starting to relax.
Aegis, taking advantage of the moment, jumps off his shoulder and walks away slowly, probably tired of being stuck to him the whole way.
Rosella does not stay still either. As soon as she sees him comfortable, she jumps onto the couch right next to him with a smile, curling up without asking for permission. Daniel does not mind; in fact, his attention is focused on something else.
[Image]
He looks around, scanning the warehouse with curiosity.
"Where did you get all this stuff?" he asks, making a vague gesture toward the generator, the furniture, and the stacked boxes.
Rosella sways her tail, clearly proud.
"I bought it all before the machines rebelled."
Daniel looks at her, surprised by the answer.
"You didn't have any trouble with them?"
But she quickly shakes her head, several times.
"At first it was interesting. The machines started destroying everything in the industrial center, but there aren't many factories around here, so I only saw a few robots. And the ones that saw me… ignored me," she explains, using a curiously sad tone as she remembers it.
"So I got bored quickly and came back inside. Since then I've been repairing this place, making it more comfortable~~" she says as she slides under his arm, rubbing herself against him, her chest brushing boldly against his torso.
"What money did you use to buy all this?"
He cannot help but ask, even as he lets Rosella keep rubbing against him. The feeling of her breasts is pleasant, almost relaxing, though he knows he should not let himself get distracted.
She takes advantage of the moment and settles in without hesitation, sitting directly on his lap, even closer than before.
"The mobsters I hunted had a lot of money."
She pauses while leaning slowly toward his neck, bringing her lips close until they barely touch it.
"I got it all for you~~" she whispers, leaving one… two soft kisses on his skin, sending a small, pleasant shiver down his spine.
"Did I do a good job?" she asks with a low, playful purr, her eyes fixed on him as they stay so close he can almost hear her breathing.
Daniel lets her continue while thinking about how he should respond.
On one hand, she had disobeyed orders… but on the other, she had taken out the mobsters, made access to the tower easier, and allowed GLaDOS's plan to go perfectly.
"I could scold her…" he thinks, though the idea does not appeal to him at all. He prefers positive reinforcement.
His hands slide down Rosella's hips, gently caressing the exposed skin of her abdomen, and move down to her butt, pulling her toward him slowly but firmly.
"You did a good job," he says finally, giving her rear a gentle squeeze.
She settles on top of him, pressing her body even more tightly against his, her breasts pushing against him firmly as she sways her tail, clearly happy.
Unable to hold back any longer, Rosella brings her lips to Daniel's, kissing him without restraint.
The kiss becomes deep almost instantly, their tongues entwining as their breathing grows faster. Daniel's hand continues massaging her butt, while the other slides up her back, feeling the heat of her skin.
Rosella starts to slowly move her hips, grinding against him again and again, clearly noticing the erection starting to press beneath his clothes. Each movement makes her moan softly, pushing even harder against him.
She pulls back only for a moment to catch her breath, letting out a trembling sigh against his neck, ready to move on to the next step…
But she cannot.
Suddenly, one of the high windows of the warehouse bursts open with force, the noise breaking the moment abruptly and making them both react. A drone appears, entering with a low hum, and immediately extends a mechanical tentacle that shuts the window behind it with a sharp snap.
They both remain still, still in that intimate position, watching as the drone slowly descends in front of them.
"I see you enjoy wasting time," comes from a speaker on the drone, in the unmistakable voice of GLaDOS.
"Of course it's GLaDOS… who else could it be?" Daniel thinks, clearly annoyed.
"You are ruining an intimate moment," he says, not hiding his irritation, while Rosella remains seated on top of him.
"And you are ruining my plans," GLaDOS replies, her voice biting.
Daniel brings his hands to his face, letting out a long, frustrated sigh as he gently pushes Rosella aside. She climbs off reluctantly, pouting before settling back on the couch.
"What happened?" he asks while getting up from the couch, adjusting his clothes calmly.
"What happened is that you should be outside, completing the list I gave you. Not here."
"I'm taking a moment to rest."
"I can see that," replies GLaDOS from the drone, which at that moment drops a package to the floor, making it bounce roughly.
Daniel decides to ignore the violent way it was delivered, walking over to the package and crouching down to open it. When he sees the contents, he frowns.
"Scrolls?" he asks, a bit puzzled.
"New scrolls," GLaDOS clarifies in a neutral tone.
Rosella gets excited immediately, taking one without waiting for permission. Before, she only had an old model he had given her himself, one that had belonged to Aegis, but these were clearly the latest models. When she activates it, a screen appears showing her face and some data, making her eyes shine with excitement.
"Ohh!"
Daniel, curious, takes his, but instead of showing his face, it displays the false identity he had prepared when leaving Atlas.
"What is this?" he murmurs, not fully understanding.
"I took the liberty of creating ID papers for both of you. It was quite easy," she says as if it were nothing special.
"Oh… damn it," he growls, bringing a hand to his face. "I asked Neo for favors to get me a forger…"
"Too bad for you," GLaDOS responds, with obvious amusement.
"But why doesn't this one have my face?"
"You had a good idea for once, creating another identity. Keep that one while you complete the list. The documents are there in case you need them."
"Thanks… I guess," he replies, though he is sure she just insulted him.
"Is that all you came for?" he asks, looking directly at the drone.
The drone moves from side to side, shaking no.
"It's a good time for you to start the gacha."
"A good time why exactly?" he insists, remembering this was practically the same situation as the last time he started the gacha.
The drone moves slightly as if thinking about it. "Because there are no people nearby, you have plenty of space… and because I'm not there if something goes wrong and kills you."
She sounds clearly amused when saying it.
"So do it. Don't be a chicken."
"Damned slave-driving machine…" he growls as he prepares and glances at Rosella from the corner of his eye.
"Rosella, some things are going to appear. I don't know exactly what they might be, so be ready."
She nods with enthusiasm. "Like the way you summoned me?" she asks, eyes shining.
"Mhmm… yeah, basically."
"YEIII!"
Rosella cannot help getting excited at the thought of the wonders that might appear.
After moving some things and clearing space in the warehouse, Daniel gets ready to start the gacha. Aegis returns to his head, the berry juice is at hand, and Rosella is already in position, offensive stance, ready to beat up anything that might come out and refuse to submit.
With a clear mental command, he starts the first gacha pull.
[Starting gacha]
[Item obtained: Claymore-Luxurious Sea-lord]
The majestic King of the Ocean. Once dried, it serves as both a weapon and emergency food.
In the middle of the room, with a heavy thud, a massive tuna appears. The impact rumbles through the floor, immediately drawing everyone's attention.
Rosella is the first to react, launching herself toward it, clearly intrigued.
"I think it's a tuna!" she exclaims as she sniffs it eagerly. "It smells like tuna!"
"Congratulations," comments GLaDOS in her dry tone. "You summoned a tuna. Your usefulness level keeps dropping a little more each day."
"It's a weapon,"
Daniel defends himself without much energy, feeling the drone move closer and sensing the way it is judging him.
"And it also tastes like tuna!" Rosella shouts a second later, trying to bite it and failing to tear off a piece of meat.
Daniel points at GLaDOS with a finger. "Not a word," he says, perfectly anticipating her comments, as he approaches Rosella and snatches the Claymore from her mouth. "Don't eat it."
She frowns, clearly annoyed. "I can't eat it! It's too hard!"
"That's because it's a weapon."
To prove it, Daniel lifts the Claymore and strikes it against the floor. The ground cracks under the impact, but the tuna remains intact.
"Ohhh!" Rosella lets out with excitement, reclaiming the weapon and swinging it with both hands. It is clear she enjoys the weight and the very idea of using a tuna as a sword.
"Can I keep it?"
Daniel shrugs.
"All yours."
He is a little happy to see her so cheerful. He does not mind at all that she has it, whether she wants to use it or even try eating it later. He has no intention of carrying around a giant tuna, no matter how durable it is.
As he gets ready to launch another gacha pull, he glances sideways at her. Rosella is slowly licking the Claymore, savoring it as if it were a prize. Daniel just sighs inwardly and decides to keep going.
[Starting gacha]
[Item obtained: G.I.R. assistant robot]
Irken-class robotic assistance unit, designed for infiltration missions. Unlike standard models, its functional core is assembled with scrap materials.
As soon as he finishes reading the description, a small robot with a thin body and a large head materializes in the air. It floats for a moment… and then crashes to the ground with a solid thump.
"Scrap?" asks GLaDOS, approaching, along with Daniel.
"An assistant robot," he comments as he quickly gives it a light kick to the head, just to see if it reacts.
Surprisingly, it works: the robot's lights flash red and it suddenly jumps up, raising one hand to its forehead in a military salute.
"GIR reporting for duty!" it declares firmly. "What can I do for you, Sir?"
[Image]
Daniel watches it for a moment, wondering whether it calls him "Sir" just because he was the first one it saw, or because he activated it.
Either way, he decides to test it. "Tell me, what does G.I.R. stand for?"
As soon as he asks the question, the robot's lights switch from red to a softer blue before responding.
"I don't know! Hehehehe," it blurts out, laughing with a wide smile.
Daniel blinks, processing the response, but determined to give it another chance, he gets ready to ask another question.
"What can you do—"
He never finishes the sentence, cut off midway.
"A TUNA!" it suddenly yells, interrupting him without thinking and rushing straight toward Rosella, who is now trying to keep the Claymore away from the robot, which jumps to snatch it.
"I want it, I want it, I want it, I want it!" it repeats several times, reaching out with its arms while hopping in front of her.
"No! Stay back, scrap!" Rosella growls, pushing it with her foot, trying not to let go of the weapon.
Daniel watches the scene from his spot, then shifts his gaze to GLaDOS's drone.
"Well… I guess it is scrap." He pauses, letting out a short sigh. "At least it's not dangerous scrap."
Either way, he decides to ignore GIR, who is still obsessed with the Claymore, and focuses on activating another gacha pull.
[Starting gacha]
[Passive Skill: Restless Hands]
The opposite sex is prone to putting their hands on you.
Daniel frowns upon reading the description.
"What's that supposed to mea—" he tries to ask, but doesn't get to finish the sentence when an unfamiliar hand suddenly lands on his butt.
With a quick turn of his head, he sees Rosella right behind him, touching him openly.
"What are you doing?"
"Mmm… I'm not sure," she replies with complete honesty.
"The truth is that by the time I noticed, I was already touching you."
She doesn't stop even while she talks. Daniel sighs inwardly and pushes her hand away.
"At least now I know what the skill does," he thinks, resigned, as he watches Rosella walk away, smiling without the slightest trace of guilt.
From his position on top of Daniel's head, Aegis, who saw the whole thing, cannot help asking,
"What skill did you get?"
"I don't want to talk about it right now…" he replies, choosing to ignore the question as he prepares another pull.
[Starting gacha]
[Creature obtained: Flopper Slug]
Defective slug. Ideal for... nothing. Technically just a slug.
The process repeats, and a small figure materializes in front of them. It is a green slug, with a gelatinous body, huge eyes, and an expression that Daniel finds… unsettling.
[Image]
"Gross x3," is heard in unison, the voices of GLaDOS, Rosella, and Aegis all sharing the same disgust.
GIR says nothing, too busy biting the Claymore Rosella dropped when she decided it was more interesting to grope Daniel's butt.
Trying to calm the situation, Daniel raises a hand.
"We shouldn't judge so quickly," he says, stepping forward to approach the creature. He wants to give it a chance, see if it can be useful.
He kneels in front of the slug, catching its attention.
"Come on, little buddy, show me what you can do."
To his surprise, the slug seems to understand him. It looks at him for a moment, as if thinking about what to do, and a few seconds later, as though it comes up with an idea, it begins to emit a thick cloud of green smoke around itself.
Daniel barely manages to react, stepping back as he coughs hard.
"Cough, cough, cough…" He waves a hand in front of his face, trying to push the smoke away.
"Gross!" he blurts out, unable to hold it in, watching as the slug shrinks back, almost as if it feels hurt.
"No… you were all right. It's disgusting. Cough…"
He straightens up quickly, brushing the dust off himself.
"GIR!" he calls without thinking twice.
The robot reacts instantly, setting the Sea-lord aside and rushing over.
"Yeeees?" it replies in a sweet tone, staring up at him attentively.
"Get rid of that thing," he orders, pointing at the slug.
As soon as he gives the order, GIR's lights immediately turn red. It raises one hand in a salute.
"YES, SIR!" Its voice becomes deeper as it marches quickly toward the slug, which seems completely unaware of what is happening.
GIR grabs it with both hands, looks at it for a second… and without a second thought, swallows it whole in one swift motion.
Another "gross" crosses everyone's mind, including Daniel's, as they watch the robot tighten its body as if applying internal pressure. Suddenly, with a sharp mechanical sound, GIR launches the slug from the top of its head like a cannon.
CRACK!
The projectile—or rather, the slug—pierces through the warehouse ceiling with such force that it leaves a clearly visible hole.
"Turi turi turi tu~~!" GIR sings happily, doing little hops while everyone else stares up at the broken ceiling.
Daniel blinks, trying to process what just happened.
"I guess… that's one way to do it," he says as he brings a hand to his face, holding back another sigh.
"Whatever… GIR, fix the ceiling."
"I DON'T WANNA! …okay," GIR replies, changing its mind mid-sentence.
It runs a few steps toward some planks in a corner… but before reaching them, drops to the floor and decides it's a good time for a nap.
Daniel watches in silence for a moment. Then he feels GLaDOS's drone move a bit closer.
"Mmm… I'm going to dismantle it," she declares without enthusiasm.
"Ahh… do whatever you want."
[Starting gacha]
[Creature obtained: Frog in a box]
Apparently normal frog inside a box.
Once again, the pattern repeats. This time, in the center of the warehouse, a small box appears and opens the moment it touches the ground. Everyone looks at it with curiosity, unsure what to expect… except for Daniel, who has already read the description.
A second later, making its appearance from within, a small frog with bright green skin jumps out and lands on top of the box, letting out a soft "croak."
[Image]
The frog gives a small hop, turning to face the group, its gaze fixed directly on Daniel. For a moment, they just stare at each other.
Then, to everyone's surprise, the frog smiles. Without missing a beat, it sticks both front legs into the box and pulls out a black top hat and a thin cane.
It stands upright on its hind legs, adjusts the hat with two taps, and begins to sing.
Hello! ma baby, ♬♪
Hello! ma honey, ♪ ♫ ♩
Hello! ma ragtime gal! ♬♪♪
Its voice is clear, in tune, and the rhythm flows with it as it taps along with surprising agility. Its body sways, jumping and keeping the beat with small but confident kicks.
Send me a kiss by wire, ♬♪
Baby, my heart's on fire! ♪ ♫
Daniel says nothing. He just watches, somewhere between confused and… slightly impressed.
If you refuse me, ♬♪♪
Honey, you'll lose me, ♪ ♫ ♩
Then you'll be left alone. ♬♪♪
Oh baby, telephone ♬♪♪
Anticipating the finale of its number, the frog takes off its hat, raises the cane, and bows before the group.
"And tell me I'm your own! ♪ ♫ ♩"
Then, without transition, it returns to its normal frog posture. It stands still, with an indifferent expression and the hat still on, as if nothing had happened.
For a few seconds, silence reigns. No one says anything.
Until GIR breaks the moment.
"Slap slap slap!"
The sound of its clapping fills the warehouse.
"Bravo, bravo!" it shouts excitedly, clapping non-stop, tears in its eyes and voice trembling.
"That was beautiful! Wawawa…!"
Daniel just brings a hand to his temple, knowing he still has many gachas left to go.
To be continued...
-//-
Author's note:
A chapter in the middle of the week?! The world's gone crazy.
I'm no longer surprised when the chapters end up really long. Anyway, this is just the first part—there are still more gachas to come, so it continues in the next one. I saved my favorite for the end.
Leave a comment, I enjoy reading them. And if you spot any writing issues, let me know.
I don't have much more to say…
Kisses and hugs💋