Story Reader / Main Story / 01 Graffiti Art / Story

All of the stories in Punishing: Gray Raven, for your reading pleasure. Will contain all the stories that can be found in the archive in-game, together with all affection stories.

1-1 A Brief Transit

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Lucia!

L-Liv...? I'm... fine...

How can it be all right?! You're hurt all over, and now you can't feel because you cut off your pain receptors.

Stay put! I'll try to temporarily reinforce your damaged parts...

...

I'm sorry, Lucia.

I wasn't of much help that last fight.

Her... speed... her precision... It's a miracle I survived that long...

It was pure guesswork that I managed to deflect those few blows...

I see... From what I can surmise from that battle, her blade strategy set shares great similarities to yours.

Similar...? Beaten at my own game, then... If only my visual signals weren't...

I don't understand... Why was I... the only one affected?

...Something like that has never happened before.

The Memory Inductive Neural Depository, or M.I.N.D. system of us Constructs function in a vastly different way than the logic circuits of mechs and androids—

Which means it is extremely difficult to disrupt a specific target.

So unless they have a far more superior grasp of M.I.N.D. tech than the scientists back at Babylonia, it is impossible to specifically target someone.

...At least the battle data was recorded, now we only have to wait for the analytics from HQ.

Let's hurry to the nearest meeting point.

WAIT!

30 seconds, Miss Wounded Lucia. There are still 30 seconds before your nano-reinforcement glue stabilizes. Wait.

...Alright...

……

This is the designated meeting point.

But there's a ton of... Construct.. remains... and Corrupted roaming around here...?

We're too late, the battle here's already over.

Look at the signal emitter over there—

A broken Corrupted lay motionless on the radio. Although it had lost its power, it had managed to insert its arm into the radio and completely corrupt it.

...The Constructs here lost hold. From the traces of battle here, they must have already given it their best...

Lucia steps forward and ends the Corrupted's life with one swift cut. She then destroys the corrupted emitter in several slashes.

So these signals are all just... bait from the Corrupted...

Looks like you're right. It's a primitive trap, but we fell right in it since we need supplies so badly... Should we keep going, Commandant?

The longer we dawdle in this trap, the greater the danger we face, but... I'll still support your decision.

Liv, you have better searching capabilities, so we'll leave that to you.

Alright!

Commandant! W-wait!

...Wait! Several distress signals are blinking weakly nearby!

They must have been in hiding before and are now trying to ask for our help.

But the battle has already been going on for a long time. They haven't recalled yet?

This should be basic knowledge for squads and commandants...

A Construct's memory is unique just like a human's. However, Constructs can initiate a long-range recall just before their frame is destroyed.

Though this would heavily deviate their M.I.N.D. thought model from the standard humanity thought model, it is still preferable to complete annihilation.

If their M.I.N.D. is destroyed before they recall, then their memory will be completely destroyed.

Quite possible, especially since that enemy is capable of destroying their entire Construct squad.

Oh, no! Corrupted picked up their signal! A horde of Corrupted are headed right toward them!

Commandant, your orders!

Roger!