’Hold on...’ Dante ca to a stop, his eyes slowly widening. ’What do you an... missing?’
[Separated and inaccessible.] Volcan replied.
’... what?’ Though he understood what he had been told, Dante still felt confused. Gathering his thoughts, he hurried with another question before his resident AI could answer the first. ’So, you had it before, and now it’s gone?’
[Yes.] Volcan replied, sounding strangely solemn. [That seems to be the case.]
’You had the ability to upgrade things other than implants inside my body, but it’s now gone?’
[Yes.]
At that mont, Dante felt an overwhelming urge to shout and curse. Just as he began grinding his teeth, a hand fell on his shoulder.
"Kid, you ok?"
He craned his neck to look at gan, wondering when she would make it to his side. Turns out he was standing at the entrance to the building they were heading into.
"Yeah, I’m fine." He replied, smiling wryly. "I’m kinda hungover, that’s all."
"You gotta go easy on the booze. Unless you got a spare liver."
"Don’t worry, I wasn’t much of a drinker to begin with."
"Alright."
The tall chanic patted him on the shoulder twice. Dante thought that was it, so he moved aside to let her in, but she didn’t move her hand.
"Listen, Dante." As she spoke, her tone changed a little. "You... don’t have to be around for the next part."
They both knew what she ant by that, so her intentions got across without a hitch. Giving it a thought, Dante shrugged his shoulder out of her hold and walked toward the door.
"I’ve seen worse."
They have a captive, one who stands above the rest of the lower ranks. It was clear what Rose and the others intended to do, and Dante couldn’t care less. Turning his voice inside, he resud the talk with his resident AI.
’Why is this the first ti I’m hearing about this?’
[It is not.] Volcan replied. [I have inford you of my condition during our first exchange.]
Dante searched his mory and soon recalled the conversation.
’I thought you only ant your data storage.’
At the ti, after introducing himself as Versatile Omni-Lethal Combat Adaptive Nexus, he said that, due to so damage he received, parts of his data bank had been permanently erased, rendering him incapable of recalling his origin or purpose. Dante didn’t pay it much mind up to now, choosing to focus on what the relic could do instead.
[The missing data is a part of the problem.] Volcan answered. [Because of it, I am incapable of determining the true extent of the damage I have suffered. Data relating to the external upgrade function is still available in my data bank, which allows to recognize its absence, but without the remaining data, it is impossible to determine the true extent of the damage I have suffered.] The AI went silent for a couple of seconds. [Though I am incapable of determining the true extent of the damage I have suffered, my analysis has provided data on its nature.]
’It’s nature?’
[Yes. The damage I have received was far too clean, almost as if the intent behind it was to sever parts of instead of causing destruction. It is a very effective strategy, since it would prevent from repairing any damage I might have suffered.]
’... shit...’
This didn’t feel like the right ti to drop all of that on him, so Dante was once again left standing still, his aching head struggling to process what he was hearing. gan passed him by, but this ti, she simply shrugged.
’So... let get this straight...’ he covered his mouth with a hand. ’You’re telling you have been damaged, and that damage removed one of your most important features?’
[That seems to be the case.] Volcan replied. [As I have said before, due to the missing data, it is impossible to determine the true extent of the damage.]
’You an... There is more?’
[Unfortunately, I might be missing other functions, or maybe even entire armors.]
’... You’ve got to be kidding ...’
With how powerful and versatile VOLCAN has proved to be, it was a little difficult to believe it was damaged this entire ti. Dante didn’t know what to do with that knowledge. He had just been told that the damage was intended to prevent him from repairing the damaged parts, which could only an that regaining them was going to be difficult at best, and impossible at worst.
’How do we get them back?’ He asked.
[I am unsure.] Volcan replied. [I might be able to repair myself if I regained the missing components, if any still remain.]
’... guess we should just give up...’
The prospect of external upgrades was quite enticing, but with how strained for ti he was, Dante had no intention of searching for sothing that might have already been destroyed. Sa as before, he would have to find a workaround for his upgrade problem. Once he becos fully cyborg, he will no longer have to worry about it.
’Still...’
External upgrades ant he could upgrade anything, not just bionic implants. It would allow him to take any weapon and create a superior version of it, greatly expanding his arsenal. It doesn’t even have to be weapons. He could upgrade anything chanical, giving him endless options. It would have been a ga changer, and yet...
’No wonder they removed it from you.’ Just as he thought that aloud, another question popped into his mind. ’Hey, how did you lose it in the first place? Did you have a tough battle or sothing?’
[The data pertaining to the circumstances is missing, but we can surmise that it was indeed the result of a fierce battle.]
’So... your previous host lost? Is that why you needed a new one?’
[Unfortunately, due to the missing data, I am unable to confirm that theory.] Volcan said. [Still, there is no other explanation for the state you found in.]
’Man, you really had amnesia all this ti?’ Dante grimaced. ’To think I never noticed...’
One thing that ca out of their conversation was the affirmation of how little he knew about his resident AI, and the relic from which he ca. Then again, he wasn’t too sure if he wanted to know. At the mont, the only thing that concerned him was power. Not the relic, not its previous host, and not the reason it ended up in this state.
’So long as I have power... nothing else matters...’
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