The Legend of Randidly Ghosthound

Derek Moss leaned back in his chair and stifled a yawn. The military issue folding chairs had some give in them, but not enough for the movement to feel anything like actual rest. His direct subordinate, and currently the only other person at the security checkpoint along the Western edge of Zone 1, glanced over at him. “Did you say something? Someone finally coming.?”

“Nope. Its still only 1 P.M. and we’ve done fuckall,” Derek responded playfully. His subordinate smirked and shook his head. Both turned their attentions to the paperwork sitting un-appetizingly on the desk in front of each of them. Neither picked up a pen to start filling in the forms despite it being the only thing to do in this room with someone trying to enter Zone 1. Yesterday had been a busy day, where a carefully guarded convoy of individuals from one of the increasingly frequent bubble cities had been moved to Zone 1.

And because Zone 1 was wary of such individuals after what happened with Mexico City, the recorded documents on the people moving into the Zone were exhaustive. Yesterday Derek had just been glad that they weren’t required to do the interview portion; that would happen at a facility further in the interior of the Zone and would take at least a week.

In comparison to yesterday’s frenzy, however, these days where nothing happened were far worse. An entire day of sitting in their little steel structure on top of a hill on the edge of the Zone, and they could only get here by traveling by handcar along a poorly maintained stretch of spare track.

Although he would never admit it, Derek was somewhat thankful for his son getting in trouble at school two days ago. It was the first time all year that Derek had been allowed to leave his post early.

“Wanna bet on how many people will come before the edge of the shift?” The subordinate hesitated as he did some mental calculations. “Let’s set the over-under at three and a half.”

Derek pursed his lips. As far as distractions went, it was a poor one. But it was all they had. And their current number of zero individuals trying to get into Zone 1 was unusually low. It was very likely that it would change before the end of the shift. But Derek supposed the recent drop in numbers could be blamed on the emergence of bubble cities; now the population came in large groups or not at all. Very rare were the small groups that stumbled toward the Zones after surviving their freedom from the timeless borderlands.

Of course, that’s because the borderlands are increasingly far away from the populated Zones… and no one has really expanded outward from our central area o do anything other than harvesting raw materials. Donnyton is setting up forts to the South, but people in other areas…

Clenching his fists, Derek released a steadying breath. Venturing out into the Wildlands and saving those people was risky even at the best of times, which is why the government of Zone 1 refrained from making more of an effort. Especially when they weren’t reaping the political benefits of such a costly endeavor.

Theodora Greyman had proposed a resolution to create a joint force that would patrol and help people freed from the Wildlands at the most recent session of the World Council, but it had been unanimously denied by the rest of the members.

Zone 1 media had since been blasting the other Zones as cowards, but most everyone who paid attention knew that such an accusation was poorly conceived propaganda. Most of the other Zones were already actively working to help save people in the Wildlands. Why would they now allow President Greyman to pass this resolution now and try to take all the credit?

“...I’ll take the over. Let’s get at least four. The more people that come help our Zone grow strong… the better.” Derek said tiredly. He rubbed at his eyes as he thought about the political posturing on which most of the Senators spent their time and effort. He couldn’t help but wince at the knowledge that while Zone 1 was secretly pushing for more image training amongst its armed forces, they refused from publicly acknowledging the strength of images so as to refuse to add to Randidly Ghosthound’s legend.

Then Derek released a sigh. Sometimes, he wished that his mind would just be still. There were some moments in his life that he felt like he was rattling apart at the seams, unable to keep up all of the frustrations of living. His mind operated too violently for his emotions. But Derek knew it was just coming down off the high of constantly fighting for his life in the early days of the System.

It had been so simple then. And now…

“You better not be cheating,” His subordinate teased. He walked up to the window and looked out to the surrounding flatlands. The checkpoint sat on the highest of a series of low hills that provided an excellent vantage over the surrounding area. If anyone headed this direction, they would most likely be spotted by Derek’s checkpoint. After squinting a bit, his subordinate shrugged. “I can’t see anyone, but I know that your Eagle Eye Skill is much higher than mine…”

“No cheating, I promise,” Derek had to stifle a yawn again as the mundanities of their current situation eased his anxious mind. Almost as soon as the bet was made, both men settled back into the helpless state of staring at the paperwork. Because the result of the bet wouldn’t be known for another five hours. But luckily, the subordinate spoke up again before the silence could stretch for too long.

“By the way, I hear you are taking a day off tomorrow?”

This time, Derek smiled with genuine happiness. “Yep. You’ll be with Kenny again tomorrow, sorry to say. And I will be taking my son to the inaugural football game. Honestly, he needs it, because-”

Then Derek froze as his instincts hummed softly. Something was coming. Almost immediately, Derek hopped out of his seat and joined his startled subordinate at the window. His high-Level Eagle Eye instantly magnified his sight so he could see across the long-distance of the arid land surrounding the checkpoint… but Derek saw nothing.

He frowned in confusion even as his instincts continued to gently nudge him. Something was definitely coming, it was just… too far away to see…?

“Something the matter?” The subordinate asked when Derek moved so quickly to stand next to him at the window. The subordinate turned and squinted again out toward the rolling hills around them, but of course, he had even less luck than Derek did.

What is powerful enough that my instincts pick it up even before I can see it…? Derek’s gaze sharpened. The Rakshasi? It’s the only monster from the Epic Dungeon that hasn’t been accounted for… and although people have been hunting it, they recently lost track of it. If it’s coming here now…

“Send a report in to headquarters,” Derek said immediately. “An unknown, Code-1 threat is making its way toward our security checkpoint. Ask for drone support so we can get eyes on the bastard.”

The subordinate nodded and hurried over to the radio. Derek stayed at the window, looking intently out at the dusty ground. With every second that passed, the reaction from his instincts grew steadily stronger. Yet nothing manifested itself visibly, even as almost ten minutes ticked uncomfortably by. Even as his instincts were urging him to be careful, Derek began to doubt himself. It was just as the flying drones zoomed above the security checkpoint that Derek could make out something else in the current situation; the ground was rumbling.

As the rumbling grew louder, Derek could make out a small smudge on the horizon that was rapidly growing larger as it approached. His eyebrows shot sharply upward. If this was an enormous monster… had a Raid Boss been slowly growing in the Wildlands? Something that size was exactly what Mjolnir was designed for, but it might require him to pin the thing down long enough for the blast to arrive.

Fear gripped Derek’s heart and he pressed his eyes closed. Please, let me be mistaken...

And then the images from the drones arrived on their terminal. What Derek and his subordinate, and also their direct superiors back at headquarters who had hastily gathered from Derek’s report, saw on the drone feed was a giant piece of ground with hundreds of legs scurrying across the ground toward the edge of Zone 1.

“Kharon,” the subordinate breathed with a hint of awe in his voice. Derek nodded slowly. The drones quickly fed back increasingly clear images of the diverse series of tall buildings that sat in the moving city. The drones flew closer. Derek studied the bustling streets, full of people who looked like they were simply heading to work. The drones circled around the whole circumference of the moving city, avoiding tall pillars of smoke that were belched out of the industrial centers of Kharon. Derek even noticed that the thing had parks.

Even weirder to see were the strange platforms surrounded by emerald energy that seemed to float above the level of the rooftops and carry goods from place to place. With remarkable grace, the platforms would glide around the city and then expertly lower themselves at their destination. And the people of Kharon simply cracked their knuckles and moved to shift the supplies off of these platforms as though this were the most natural thing in the world.

Very quickly, two drones fixated on the looming presence of a floating island hiding behind Kharon proper, this island shrouded with mist. Strange blue lightning bolts slithered through the floating island’s mysterious depths. Derek distantly heard the order of his superiors order one of the drones to approach and saw that the feed abruptly cut off as the drone entered into the mist. The other drone watched as its fellow fell toward the streets below.

For a second, Derek felt a flash of panic as the drone fell downward toward the unsuspecting heads of the people working below, but he saw fully six people out of a hundred on the busy street glance sharply upward and spy the approaching drone. Then the six people glanced at each other, their focus crossing the crowded streets to find their fellows in an instant.

In the end, all but one lowered their gaze and continued about their business. As it turned out, the one who acted was the youngest, a woman who was probably not even 20. She hopped upward in a low arc to clear the heads of the people walking along the street and caught the freefalling drone, landing against a brick building and clinging there for a second. Then she dropped down and returned to the busy street.

Several dozen people looked upward sharply at her large movement, but they returned to their business almost immediately. As though this was a common enough sight not to bother with it. Derek couldn’t believe it; what were the Stats and Levels of all these people…?

The young woman rapped her knuckle against the inert drone, a frown crossing her face as she examined her new find. And the still-working drone recording her catch was close enough that Derek could read her lips as the woman began using her bare fingers to peel away the layers of soldered steel of the drone’s exterior.

“What shitty materials. How do they even expect these things to withstand water damage with a seal like this…?”

Before the watching guards of Zone 1 could see any more of the city of Kharon, there was a flurry of motion and each drone they had sent to observe was blasted with that strange emerald energy. All of the video feeds were immediately cut off.

Derek looked out toward the approaching city of Kharon and frowned. He tapped the button to contact his superior and asked, “Captain Moss, reporting sir. What should we do about this…?”

Technically, this was the city of the Order Ducis. And all Orders were generally exempt from being questioned as they entered and exited the borders of Zone 1. But because the Order Ducis was bringing an entire city with them, Derek was sure that his superiors would hesitate before they swung their doors open. Even if it was for the widely recognized most powerful man in the world.

For a long time, a reply communication from headquarters didn’t come. Derek simply chewed on his lip as Kharon moved steadily closer. The rumbling grew louder. Kharon appeared even larger and imposing as it neared. Emerald energy seemed to roil around the edges and in the city’s wake. The floating, mysterious island that hovered above Kharon made Derek’s heart pound and his instincts urgently warn him away from this place.

No monster had ever made Derek feel the fear he now felt as he looked up to that floating island.

“Holy shit, that thing is huge,” Derek’s subordinate swore softly. Derek could only nod slowly in agreement.

Finally, the communication came back from headquarters. “Attempt to hail and ascertain the motives of the Order Ducis. Do not antagonize recklessly.”

Sighing, Derek picked up the radio again and tried the most commonly used frequencies to hail Kharon. To his surprise, the other side responded almost immediately. A sweet-voiced woman informed Derek that Kharon was en route to the Ogre Gorge and simply passing through the edge of Zone 1. There was no reason to be alarmed.

Derek relayed the message. Headquarters replied with the request that Kharon pause at the border so they could perform some routine administration in regards to their entrance into Zone 1. Feeling frustrated being the middleman, Derek picked up the radio and told the woman from Kharon what his superiors had said.

By this time, Kharon had arrived directly in front of the low line of hills on which the security checkpoint sat. The woman thanked Derek, but even as she did so Derek blew out a frustrated snort; it seemed unlikely that Kharon would stop.

Even as his instincts continued to urge Derek to run, he stood at the window and looked upward at the towering monolith of Kharon. It completely blocked off the sun from shining on the security checkpoint just by being next to them. Just as had been rumored, Kharon really was an entire city that could wander.

As Derek kept his spine straight as he stood at the window, his subordinate whimpered. “Derek, do you think-”

“We’ve relayed the message, it’s on them now,” Derek managed to squeeze out through gritted teeth. But as he expected, Kharon the moving city didn’t slow down at all as it approached. But Derek did watch as four extremely long legs unfolded from underneath Kharon and press against the ground. Using only a second, Kharon lifted itself up and passed directly over the security checkpoint.

Several small pebbles fell and clacked loudly against the metal roof. Both Derek and his subordinate hurried to the window on the opposite side of the building. And they both watched as Kharon lowered itself back toward the ground and continued forward without sparing them a passing glance.

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