Isekai Speedrun

The metal-engraved letters over the heavy wooden door announced the importance of this area:

Great Sun Library

The door was open because Woody and others were already inside. They were searching the library, section after section, side room after side room, to gather all the library slaves in the main hall.

Some of the library assistants had pushed bookshelves in front of locked side doors as obstructions, so Woody & friends had to push down the bookshelves and break the locks.

In the game, most of the works in the library were generated by some legacy AI package the game company licensed for pennies. Every book was readable, but most were just word salad poems, generic hero’s journey -type fantasy novels and self-help books mashed together with obscure occult fiction.

I was curious about what kind of stories the real books here contained, but that investigation would have to wait.

The most important books to us right now were here in the main hall: tomes full of names, titles, dates of birth and dates of death; family records, tax records, descriptions of slave owners and the slaves they owned, and so on.

Caliph Tze kept very meticulous records about everything in his empire.

I glanced at the scared librarians kneeling on the floor between Fox Laughing's rifle and Double Shadow's double revolvers, but the faces I wanted to see weren’t among them.

“Woody, a bearded one with a scar and a bald one with grey eyebrows. They must be here somewhere. Look between shelves, look under the shelves, look on top of the shelves.”
“Yes, Seer.” (Woodeye)

The bearded librarian with scar on his face was found first. His name and title was Number Master, or simply Numbers. He was a mathematician in charge of keeping all the numerical records of Reignland.

“Northern infidels! Barbarian scum!” (Numbers)
“Alright, alright. Calm down and wait a bit. I’ll tell you about our plans when your senior is found.”
“Unbelievers! I will not dance to your flute! Great Caliphate will not bow to usurpers!” (Numbers)
“That’s not correct. Have you forgotten your vow of neutrality?”
“My vows were made for great emperor Caliph Tze alone!” (Numbers)
“That doesn't sound right.”

Did I remember this character’s personality wrong? What was going on? Why so stubborn?

I looked at Crys and he just shrugged.

“Numbers, you’re acting out of character. You’re literally going against the purpose of this place, are you not?”
”Even so, I won't move! I pledged my loyalty to my great emperor Tze and I will follow him to the end!” (Numbers)
”Tze has been dead for two years now. Were you always like this, or did you hit your head during these last two years and suddenly turned Catholic?”
“My emperor is not dead! It is a great lie invented by you, dirty and lying unbelievers!” (Numbers)
“Okay, what kind of conspiracy theories have you swallowed? I mean, have you seen Tze return from the north? Have you seen any of the high hats who went to north return? These facts point to a single correct answer, yet you choose the wrong answer?”
”Even in death he lives! I will not serve false gods! Glory to Caliph Tze!” (Numbers)
“For Binks sake... Crys, I think we have a robot programmed to self-destruct here.”

Numbers was in the deep end. His eyes were the eyes of a religious cultist. In the game, his dialogue was normal and reasonable; he was just a neutral NPC doing his job – although now that I think about, there might have been hints about his personal devotion to Tze back then. Maybe Tze’s death was some kind of final straw that drove him into full insanity over time.

“Seer Speedrun, we found the bald one! He was hiding in a corner under a tablecloth!” (Woodeye)
“Bring him here.”

Chief Librarian, a bald old man in luxurious red robes and a silver gorget, was brought in and placed next to Numbers. Numbers didn’t even look at his boss.

“The main man himself. Nameless Chief Librarian aka Head of Scribes aka Chief Dragoman. Hello there, Chief.”
“...A-are you going to burn the library?” (Chief Librarian)
“Eh? Of course not. Burning books is a big no-no. We have many uses for all these records. And you will help us on this. You still remember your vow?”
“Y-yes…?” (Chief Librarian)
“Good, excellent! Finally someone with a brain. We’re not dumb like Stalin, you know, we keep the intellectuals alive. Where are the rest of the young librarians, all the robeless apprentices?”
“My apprentices ran away, in the catacombs…” (Chief Librarian)
“As expected.”
“P-please don’t kill them, they still have so much to learn...” (Chief Librarian)
“Master, do not believe their lies! Do not answer their questions, master!” (Numbers)

Kimono flash-stepped behind Numbers.

“Do we need this annoying one?” (Kimono)
“I guess... not? No, we don’t really need him. If this is his final form, we don't need him. Last chance to change your mind, Numbers.”
“I refuse to serve infidels! Great glory to Caliph Tze!” (Numbers)
“Ah. What a waste. Kim-chan, could you do it outside this time?”

Kimono looked at Crys. Crys nodded, and Kimono dragged Numbers out of the library.

“...Are you going to kill him?” (Chief Librarian)
“He refused to do his job and betrayed his vow. Inactivity gets you booted from the server. But you’ll follow your vow for sure, right?”
“As the guardian of the great library, it is my sacred duty to preserve knowledge and truth, remain neutral in the face of –” (Chief Librarian)
“Yes, yes, no need to recite the whole litany... Listen up, team. This old guy is called Chief Librarian, he’s the main info peddler of this place. He doesn’t have a personal name because he has taken the vow of anonymity, among other vows. He’s worth keeping around because he has a perfect eidetic memory, meaning he remembers everything he sees and hears. He’s a living index of all things here, the sysadmin who keeps this city running from day to day behind the scenes. Together with Keylord, the head treasurer, they will form the bureaucratic backbone of the new empire under Korryndin.”

Chief Librarian looked at me like he had seen a ghost. His photographic memory (an ultra-rare special skill) was supposed to be a top-level government secret. Whoops, I casually revealed it to everyone.

“W-who are you? Where have you learned of my curse?” (Chief Librarian)
“Hm? Is my wanted poster so badly drawn that you don’t recognize my face?”
“Are you… You are the divine oracle of the northern rebels.” (Chief Librarian)
“Divine oracle? That’s a new title. Well, let’s say that you are half right.”
“Half?” (Chief Librarian)
“What’s important right now is that you trust me. There’s a long road ahead and we need to arrange some speed bumpers. Join me, and together we will re-write the foundations of this country, no inveigling. First, standardization of units of measurement and standardized library content classification system. I also have an idea for a new calendar system. And later we need to talk about this thing called Internet.”
“I didn’t expect you to know of my curse…“ (Chief Librarian)
“Don’t think about it too much, we all have our own skills and stats. Now, to get into actual work: collect and bring out all the books and scrolls related to Strangers, including their vehicles, items and tools. And also Tze’s research expedition reports from his Strangermaster days, including reports from Bone Dune Station, and all the info related to Cursed Children and Reignland dungeon locations, especially if ‘Pnath-Sora’ or ‘seven-pointed machine coffin’ or ‘dungeon where magma flows’ or ‘Nagual’ or ‘staircase of gigantic bones’ are mentioned. And all historical reports related to any strange sightings, apparitions and deviants, especially the ones called Deathless Man and Wintersmith, and all copies of the currently used slave number codices, and any info about medicinal herbs and such. You memorized all that, right?”
“Yes… What will you do with all these? Will you take the books away? Will you destroy the library? There is no real choice to make for me is there? We will all burn in the end...” (Chief Librarian)
“Whoa there, Franz Kafka, calm down. We’re not going to kill you or burn stuff. Don’t believe the Caliphate propaganda you’ve heard about us, we’re not savages. The reason we want you, specifically, to stay here and work for us is because I know which NPC’s are good and which are bad. Just like you have your cheat skill of perfect memory, I have a special skill that allows me to see who’s nice and who’s naughty. It’s a long story, but it’s too early for full spoilers. I do get why you’re hesitating, but just follow the orders and everything will become clear soon.”
“...What would you have me do? Am I perhaps allowed to serve as this library’s guardian under your rule?” (Chief Librarian)
“Oh, much more than that, old chap. I’d like you to become the minister of health and social services.”
“Minister...?” (Chief Librarian)
“Yes, of health and social services. Again, we’ll get deeper into that later. Don’t worry about it right now.”
“Follow the orders and we won’t burn the library.” (Crys)
“Yeah, my bestie here is a bit trigger-happy, so just bring out the books and records listed.”

Threatening to burn the library was the fastest way to manipulate Chief Librarian in the game, but I continued our Good Cop Bad Cop play.

“I shall follow your commands then...” (Chief Librarian)
“Bring a full copy of Reignland’s nobility records as well.” (Crys)
“Yeah, bring the recently updated book.”
“Certainly...” (Chief Librarian)

I expected about one shelf meter worth of content and my estimate was spot on. It wasn’t a tall pile in the end; the individual books were simply wide in size. Most of the books were boring numerical details related to inner workings of Reignland or trade reports from the outer reaches of the empire compiled into monthly volumes.

We took a cursory glance over the texts and Crys threw the most promising books in a backpack carried by Eight Under.

“We’re not stealing these books, Chief, just loaning them normally. Write a receipt as you would do normally to any palatial officer.”
“Yes...” (Chief Librarian)

My eyes moved to the slave number codices. There were four copies of the most recent codex containing names and numbers of living slave citizens. The codices looked like old phone books and were mostly used for Reignland’s punishment lotteries.

“These books I’d actually like to burn, but alas, they are too useful in a different context. We need to make sure that all these people are eventually freed from slavery. Also, you can tell Keylord that we won’t touch the iron books and helmet-crowns and blue daggers or whatever gemstone scepters you keep in the treasury, we just want certain Strangers items. We’re not into collecting Nazi memorabilia... But you may preserve all Caliphate treasures, maybe start a historical museum later.”
“Why...?” (Chief Librarian)
“Why what? We don’t need to hide our intentions at this point, all the boss characters who could realistically stop us are dead. Keep this info in your head and share it with Korryndin later.”
“If I must…” (Chief Librarian)
“Librarian, this is a warning and an opportunity. You will continue your work here for us and for the new emperor Korryndin.” (Crys)
“That’s right, keep collecting info about relevant topics and collate the data for us. Also, we need to start a massive copy-paste project for all the works here, it’s risky to keep all the eggs in the same basket. Too many works have been lost in history because people didn’t print enough pirated copies.”
“I’m allowed to live and work as before?” (Chief Librarian)
“Yes, no cap. This is not a lie. When Korryndin comes here, you’ll pledge your allegiance to him, and he will accept you as his henchperson. Korryndin of Kenorland will be the next emperor, but Revolution Movement will continue to pull the strings behind the scenes. That’s you and we together. You’ve been keeping the system up until now and you’ll continue to keep it up.”
“...Yes, my lord.” (Chief Librarian)
“Just call me Speedy. Eight, take all the apprentices and assistants, and put them in solitary cells. If they protest, deal one point of damage as a warning. Chief will stay here, he’s free to do whatever. Right, Crys?”
“Freedom granted.” (Crys)

---

When all the slaves are eventually freed, there will be massive groups of brainwashed, traumatized, uneducated, and unskilled people loitering around. Dealing with that fallout is a project that’s going to take a generation or two.

They’ve been slaves since birth, so their whole culture and language is based on mindless submission to authority. Deprogramming that kind of legacy takes time and effort. It’s like a bunch of background NPCs suddenly being given full access to player menus. They must start playing the full version without any tutorial or starter items. They’re going to need a whole lot of hints and tips to jump from scripted railroad grind into a new world of user-generated sandbox gameplay.

Some will probably refuse to play entirely. They will blame us for ruining their simple lives; for not letting them stay as automaticity NPCs. A world where you have to think for yourself and find your own purpose and meaning in life? The horror, the absolute horror!

I can see many of them just continuing their previous slave work for food and accommodation. And nobles will continue to exploit them like pay-to-win sweats farming noobs in a survival game. Something like what happened after American Civil War when slaves were freed.

It’s obvious that any functional government must implement real world tutorial stages and skill-based matchmaking systems to balance the playing field – systems like primary education, welfare benefit programs, minimum wage laws, and so on. Free education (especially for women and girls) has been proven to be one of the fastest and most efficient ways to bring a country up to speed. If this is not done, the educated elites will continue to exploit the uneducated masses with impunity.

The process will still take a decade or two at least. We need a group of dedicated developers to monitor and patch the system on the fly when bugs irrevocably appear.

There are at least two things from the Caliphate system we’re going to keep for now, for practical reasons: bans on drugs and bans on guns.

First, rise in drug abuse among ex-slaves is a problem we need to watch out for. In my previous world, I was all for legalizing cannabis and mild drugs in general (at least in medical settings), but this world is not my previous world. When facts change, my opinions change; when environment changes, mind and body must adapt. In this grimdark world, even the mildest recreational drugs are practically Krokodil-level garbage turning people into wandering monsters. Banning all drugs and arresting all the aristocratic dealers trying to skin ex-slaves, and quarantining users like patients with infectious diseases is the most practical policy for now. I don’t want this city to turn into a den of quadrupedal zombies and beggar skeletons.

Secondly, sales of hot weapons should be kept very limited for a long while. Freely selling long guns to counter-revolutionaries and hostile bandit gangs in times like these would be the height of stupidity. Crys knows all the weapon smuggling routes so blocking them should be easy. Eventually, in a decade or two, we’ll create a comprehensive system of background checks and mandatory training courses for those who wish to obtain a gun license. Hunters and farmers can continue to shoot wild hogs with crossbows and compound bows, if they can’t be bothered to learn proper firearm safety and obtain a gun permit. And this would also be a good time to start stamping serial numbers on all forged hot weapons and keep detailed records of their whereabouts.

Politics is the art of making compromises, as they say. There are so many things to consider from so many angles.

Every neatly wrapped decision might backfire and turn into a Cobra Effect. Simply yelling “Freedom!” based on fantastical best-case scenarios doesn’t fly in the real world where unintended consequences exist. Your freedom to swing your arms ends where my face begins, and your freedom to burn dried leaves and incense sticks on the balcony ends where the carcinogenic fumes enter my apartment.

Chief Librarian is the least worst character to take the position of a project lead on all these burning issues as king Korryndin’s right hand man. He will turn our high-level admin decisions into low-level bureaucratic spaghetti code that actually works on the street level.

Do you best, new board moderator.

---

“The White Palace. Now.” (Crys)

Crys didn’t wait for my answer before heading out.

“Ah, right, right, gotta go fast. Talk to you later, Chief! We have flags to hit in the White Palace area!”
“...W-wait!” (Librarian)
“What?”
“Autokrator. He’s in the White Palace.” (Librarian)
“Eh, no, he was actually camping in the throne room. We killed him already.”
“Ah, is that so…” (Librarian)
“But thanks for the warning, bro. Did you hear that, guys? I told you Chief collabs.”

---

We descended a set of labyrinthine staircases to get to the northmost center of the palace where the Reload Platform room was located.

This was the so-called White Palace area or the Strangers wing – Caliph Tze’s personal playground.

Multiple locked sub-areas and open-wall roomlets surrounded a large inner courtyard. It was like multiple studio apartments with spectator balconies filled with Strangers artifacts surrounding a gladiator arena where Strangers’ Cube was the main performer.

The iron doors of the Reload Platform room were locked with a mechanical ward lock and the only key was probably somewhere under the rubble in the Rukhkh Fortress.

Luckily we had an expert with us: Crys picked the locks in under a minute. He had the right tools ready to go because I had described the lock mechanisms to him ages ago. Entering the White Palace area wasn’t necessary during a speedrun, but I had picked the locks once in casual play.

When the iron doors opened, I could almost hear the experimental electronic soundtrack from the anime kicking in. They always played that eerie leitmotif in the scenes where powerful Strangers tech was shown on screen for the first time.

“T-Sub would’ve loved this.”
“Shut up about him.” (Kimono)

Two bizarre devices on the left side of the room: first, a pure white, circular disc on the floor that looked like a live performer stage prop from a 1950’s television studio; secondly, an ornamented black cabinet full of irregularly spiked levers and metal sliders, like multiple arcade coin-ops melted and sculpted by Stanislaw Szukalski. The white disc was the Reload Platform and the black cabinet was the control unit.

These devices didn’t look like they were linked in design or function. It took Strangermaster Tze a long time to realize they were meant to work as a pair.

“Everyone except core members will wait outside the room. Kimono, guard.” (Crys)
“Yes, brother.” (Kimono)
“Lord Crystal, since there were less enemies than expected, may we continue into the next phase and start executing the high hats that surrendered?” (Woodeye)
“Yes, and continue to look for Keylord. Speedrun, objections?” (Crys)
“No objections, go ahead. Remember to check their names on the list carefully.”

Woodeye and his team moved out. Kimono closed the iron doors behind us.

The room was a half-hexagonal flat with three solid stone walls. The one missing wall was a wide balustrade giving to the hidden central courtyard. Disregarding the white marble shards on the floor and pitifully dangling decorative drapes between Corinthian pillars, everything in the room seemed to be in place just like in the game.

While the white disc and its black control unit looked both impressive, what was even more imposing was the giant remnant located one floor below us on the central courtyard: the Strangers Cube in its full dark glory.

I wasn’t surprised when everyone moved to the edge of the courtyard to witness the complex architecture of the Strangers Cube instead of looking at the Reload Platform.

Strangers Cube was a hypnotic, Gigeresque stack of giant black microprocessors melted together into a two-story house sized box and layered with metal mosaics resembling Yosegi marquetry. This was the mysterious object that powered all the Strangers vehicles in the Reignland area, and the object Dancer tried to blow up in the original anime.

No one knew what was in the middle of the cube, but community consensus was that there was probably a portal similar to Sparkling Source, except this portal was propped to stay open 24/7 like a lightning in a cage.

I’d certainly like to use this miniature Borg Cube (or maxiature Lament Configuration) as a power source for a long time, but there might also come a time we have to destroy it, if something unexpected happens. But Reignland needs the Cube to power up the train link and their lesser land vehicles, and we also need the Cube to power up the Flame Tank, so cutting power to everyone right now isn’t in the cards.

“Guys, don’t get too close. You might get a sudden urge to jump down and crawl inside.”

Ignoring the cube, I picked up a shard of broken marble from the floor and tossed it at the white platform. It didn’t stop to float in midair.

“Yep, the platform is off. Let’s check the control unit next.”

I was talking to myself; they weren’t listening. Hypnotized by the futuristic black cube, they were like kids seeing a giant holographic billboard for the first time.

“You said the platform is off?” (Crys)
“Oh, you were listening? Yeah, there are no external indicators whether the disc is on or off in stasis mode, and the stasis mode is supposed to be the default mode. But when you use the cabinet to switch it into save-reload mode, those square lights around the disc turn pale blue.”
“The power of the cube is immense.” (Crys)
“Yep. If you’re really close to the Cube, the power seems to attract people to it the same way it affects Sorry Man from far away, so you might get a sudden urge to crawl inside. That’s how Dancer died in the original timeline when he tried to blow it up.”
“I’d rather shoot that ugly block into pieces.” (Rain)
“Please don’t. And please don’t shoot the platform either, it cannot do anything to hurt Sorry Man from here.”

I walked around the control unit and checked that everything was the same as in the game. The unit was covered in fine sand and dust, which was a good sign; no one had entered this room for a long time. Tze’s acolytes who lived in this wing had a holy duty to keep Strangers artifacts in pristine condition, but those acolytes were already gone; maybe they got tired of waiting Tze’s return and crawled inside the Cube.

In the anime, Tze ordered the platform and the control unit (among other Strangers items) moved into the throne room after he returned from Rukhkh, but since Tze died before returning in this timeline, both artifacts were still in their original location.

I looked at the rows of incomprehensible letters on the black, metallic screen of the control unit. Although strangely familiar, they also looked quite different from the game. Livelier and more dynamic, perhaps? Were the moon runes the in the game simplified versions?

This was Strangers written language; the same curved typeface of rare logograms that showed up in my Measurement Cards. It was like a mashup of Mayan script and Anatolian hieroglyphs, except that these rows of glyphs looked even more alien than the ones I had encountered before.

Yep. Can’t read.

Crys tried to decipher Strangers script based on some examples before and even he failed, so I didn’t put much hope on my brains to ever understanding it. Vaguely understanding how their numbering system worked felt like a big accomplishment already.

But looking at the dark screen of the cabinet here, in person, there was something strangely familiar – ah!

“Something wrong?” (Crys)
“I just remembered something from long ago...”

It suddenly occurred to me what these Strangers scribblings reminded me of.

They looked like the “apoploe vicootes” language from the early era of AI image generators. Primitive bots couldn’t generate real human languages for their fusion images (for store signs or newspapers and such), so they just seemed to throw in some random doodles imitating a writing system. But later, when this gibberish was fed back into the AI image generator, the AI actually understood its own language and produced similar images back.

That’s exactly what the Strangers writing here looked like. Pretty disconcerting.

I hadn’t realized this connection before.

Misaligned bots glitching out of their host machines and cursing the world into a randomly generated hellscape?

That old hypothesis about Strangers from the game forums… was it canon now? Mu-Ur, are you finally showing your true fabricated colors?

“Important memory?” (Crys)
“Well, yes and no. I just realized that Strangers language is probably not a single, stable language with consistent rules at all. It’s probably ad hoc symbols invented from pure air for this particular device. A new language invented for every interaction? The same symbols might have a completely different meaning based on where it is written, or its location in a row or column of glyphs, or the whole row might be an image url or hashtag, or it could be a quick-response code only Strangers can scan...”
“Explain in detail.” (Crys)
“Aargh, I don’t want to do it now, it’s going to take so long! Later, okay? It’s not important right now. We need to get this wild ride online without an instruction manual.”

Well, I didn’t need to know how to read Strangers language. I just had to repeat the gacha pull animations from the game.

If you can’t see optotypes, memorize the eye chart.

I rubbed my hands together and started pulling the levers without hesitation like pistons and knobs of a pipe organ, calling stored registrations on the fly to activate stop-combos, creating a harmonious flows of instructions.

I had image-trained my muscle memory for this moment multiple times.

No need to think, just act.

And behold: the lights around the Reload Platform disc turned pale blue.

“Hell yeah, that’s how we play crane games in these hoods, fellas!”

Everyone stared at the active platform, but kept their distance from it. I walked on the edge of the platform without hesitation and took a deep breath.

“Alright, here I go! If this goes south, follow plan B.”
“Sure.” (Crys)

I stepped on the platform and closed my eyes.

…

Nothing.

The platform was quiet.

“All limbs intact? I’m still alive? I didn't glitch outside?”
“Nothing happened.” (Crys)
“Okay, that's not correct… Let me try again... Wait for it, wait for it...”

I tried again.

I tried again from the beginning.

And again. And again.

Still nothing.

Save point didn’t work.

I repeat: no save point.

...

......

“Why in the fluffing quack did I even think that everything goes as planned?!”

My frustration and disappointment went off the charts. I stepped down from the quiet platform and leaned to my flagstaff like a drunk leaning to a lamppost.

“No save, no hope, no future, no way to extend life! Only sickness and permadeath awaits! Welp, that’s our show, see you tomorrow!”

I skipped around the room like a jester and kicked the nearest balustrade before sitting down on the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.

It didn't work. I felt I could cry.

Let’s cry a bit.

Crys, Kimono and Rain were staring at me. I could feel their stares in my bones.

“Oh, don’t mind me! Just trying to re-contextualize the situation, improvising excuses on the spot! My therapy app said it’s my way of shielding my self from mental stress! But you need to stay introspective and grow a thick skin to stay fresh as a streamer, you know!”

Go ahead and laugh at my emotional breakdown, psychos. A guy showing his feelings openly makes you uncomfortable? Well, sorry for not being a manly man-man.

...What the hell am I doing?

Am I the psycho now?

Did I fail live?

“This sudden outburst is unnecessary.” (Crys)
“No! This is necessary! This is the correct reaction face! For this, this is the correct reaction face! Because it doesn’t work! I worked so hard… We worked so hard to get at this point and it doesn’t work! I want to be platformed, but it doesn’t work! What am I doing wrong?! What options do I have now? Random configurations until I hit one in a billion combo?!”
“Try again.” (Crys)
“I already did! It. Does. Not. Work!”
“Stop whining, vermin! Are you a horse or a man?!” (Kimono)
“Oh, here comes Kimono with her deep roasts! Everybody applaud! Let me just bottle my feelings and keep them in a cellar like onions because that’s apparently a healthy way for a person to deal with negative emotions!”
“You should stop, Speedrun.” (Crys)
“I know, I’m trying! I don't know! Desperation doesn’t hold viewership numbers, I need to calm down!”

Calm down, just calm down...

Why am I so wound up?

What exactly is the problem?

Maybe it’s a power issue? There’s not enough magical wifi mana here? Do we need a bigger Sun than the Strangers Cube?

Maybe if we take the platform under the Sparkling Source and try to create a save point there – that is, if the Sparkling Source appears again. Moving the platform to Winter Forest would take a whole lot of time and work. Something like the Moving Palace caravan through the continent –

I’m thinking like Caliph Tze now.

Why did it work for Tze in the series? What’s different here?

In the anime, the platform was used only once during the final battle when Caliph Tze pushed Sorry Man on it. It was used as a stasis point, not as a save point. In the game, the save point was an additional option available for the main characters. But the platform worked exactly the same otherwise, there was no real difference. So the obvious assumption was that the save point option was available in the anime version as well, it just wasn’t used on screen.

Could it be that it had something to do with Tze’s Starcutter? Tze’s superweapon had its own undefined power source. Maybe bringing these three things together radiated some additional magic to activate the save function?

...Yeah, I’m grasping for straws again.

I just want this to work. I want more life, Tyrell!

The experiments must continue.

Or is it because... aww, crap. I hope it’s not that.

Complementary variables. Unstackable. Hit-B cancels out Platform Save.

Of course it would be like that in Mu-Ur.

Everything has some stupid trade-off. Nothing ever goes my way in this crapsack world.

“...My glitched state probably cancels the save function. That must be it. That’s probably it.”
“I see. It’s not the platform. Kimono, tell the ones outside to bring a living enemy for our use. Bring a guard in blindfolded.” (Crys)

Crys understood immediately that we need a control group to test this.

I stood up and wiped my eyes. I took a long sip from my canteen and shuffled back to the control unit cabinet.

“Whew, okay... Once more, with feeling.”

A few moments later, the boys guarding the doors kicked in a young, blindfolded guard wearing only scraps of underwear. His hands were tied behind his back with a belt.

Kimono grabbed the guard by his throat and ignored his cries for mercy.

“On the platform.” (Crys)
“Stand in attention and be silent!” (Kimono)

Kimono pushed the guard on the platform and I started the device.

The guard convulsed. He was enveloped in white lights that looked like clear glass surrounding his body.

Now it worked.

This is how the platform animation should look.

Soon the blue lights dimmed, and a beam of pure white light shot up to the roof.

It was done.

“AAAAIIIEEE!” (guard)

Fresh blood flowed down the guard’s face. He fell down from the platform screaming in pain and his blindfold came off on its own.

The guard’s eyeballs had disappeared. The platform took its random payment.

“Kill him.” (Crys)

Kimono launched her fast burst attack special and stabbed the screaming guard in the neck.

“Wait for it, wait for it...”

A minute went by as we stared at the guard’s dead body on the floor.

Then, like a sudden jumpcut on video, the guard’s corpse disappeared and the platform came back online.

The blue lights flickered. Another white beam shot up.

The scared guard appeared on the platform, alive. He was in the same posture as before, but now completely naked. His eyeless body immediately fell down from the platform again.

A shock so massive he fell unconscious instead of screaming? Did something happen to his internal organs? Still, he was breathing.

“Remarkable. The platform works as expected.” (Crys)
“For this guy.”

When the platform’s lights dimmed, Crys stepped closer to examine the tormented guard and quickly diagnosed the problem.

“The upper part of his spine is missing.” (Crys)

First eyes, now spine? Poor dude rolled two low rolls in a row.

Crys took out his dagger and stabbed the paralyzed guard in the throat. Then we waited a few minutes. The corpse didn’t disappear this time.

One save, one load.

“We could’ve tried a second save, but I guess that’s enough. This means that the platform can handle non-glitched individuals, but not glitched ones like me. Bummer, huh?”
“The plan was good. Unexpected obstacles often appear.” (Crys)
“Yeah... But man, this is such a big letdown for me. For all of us.”
“It is quite inconvenient that it requires body parts as a payment.” (Crys)
“Yeah... Uh, Kim-chan, could you throw a curtain or something on the dispo, his eyeless face is unsettling to look at.”

Kimono sighed and grabbed the corpse’s leg, dragging and dropping it down onto the inner courtyard like moving a duplicate shortcut into the recycle bin.

“Well, this was at least a good cautionary example. I assume no one wants to try the platform after this?”

No one volunteered.

I tried the platform once more myself, just to be sure. It didn’t light up. No save point for Qwerty.

Main mission: failed.

---

I snapped out of my melancholy when Woodeye frantically knocked on the door.

“What is it?” (Crys)
“Master Crystal, Seer Speedrun! Dark clouds are above us!” (Woodeye)
“It’s already time. What about Korryndin? Was there a signal?”
“Yes, we received a signal from the airship group. First riders have entered the city, our people have welcomed them.” (Woodeye)
“Well, something is going as planned at least. Time to move out, boys and girls. Remember your emergency exit routes.”

We will return back here soon enough. We still need to check all the Strangers items in the treasury and talk to Keylord.

I can try the platform again when Reignland is peaceful.

It might work next time. I might find a different way next time.

Our epic battle over save points ain’t over yet, Mu-Ur world!

“Tch, we still need to wait for that king.” (Rain)
“But we need to get ready to move out of the palace quickly, just in case.”
“Annoying.” (Rain)
“Yeah. It is.”

War is very much like making a movie: you need to hurry up to wait.