[1-200] THE MECH TOUCH

Chapter 156: Tryops

The Dogged One was no saint. He pursued the scum of the world for selfish reasons instead of contributing to society. He wanted revenge, plain and simple. Exacting justice was only a side effect of his endless pursuit to kill every murderer.

Ves put it this way. "Even victims are marked by the darkness in their hearts. Some find a healthy means of coping with their trauma. The Dogged One can only sate his thirst by inflicting the same torment to those who resembled his tormentors."

In a dog-eat-dog world, refined notions of justice had no place.

In fact, Ves mirrored the Dogged One's tendency to seek revenge to Dr. Kawasaki's urge to see others suffer from his inventions.

Such was human nature, no matter much others liked to argue otherwise. In fact, many aliens exhibited the same tendency, but that was another story.

"Am I going astray?"

He originally planned to design a training mech. Coloring his design with an intensive myth like the Dogged One might be counterproductive.

"It's a strong image, for good or ill." Under the influence of a special mood, Ves came up with it spontaneously. It carried an authentic spark of life, unlike many of his other figments of imagination. Ves was loathe to abandon such a valuable gem.

He still feared the consequences of employing the image. Will he be twisting their morals and worldview? "There's a limit to the X-Factor in virtual mechs. I doubt much will bleed over if it's possible in the first place."

To be honest, Ves had no proof either way. He never tested most of his assumptions involving the X-Factor. Perhaps the lack of formal study prevented the System from granting him the appropriate skills and sub-skills regarding this nebulous field.

"What may come will come." Ves decided. "It's not entirely bad if students gain some perspective in their lives. With the onset of war, there's a chance they'll be fighting in the frontlines."

The Bright-Vesia Wars generally lasted around five to seven years. Historically, there had been cases where certain groundside conflicts grew to such an extent that the defenders conscripted barely trained teenagers to fill up their spare mechs.

Such an act of borrowing from the future to quench a crisis in the present never really worked out for the planet in question. Veteran mech pilots often tore them apart.

After the war had ended, the entire planet suffered the consequences. Every planet and star system had to contribute to the defense of the Bright Republic. A generational gap of qualified mech pilots reduced their clout and gave them less of a voice in matters of policy and national security.

The future of the Bright Republic lay in its youth!

For a moment, Ves imagined what it would be like to influence Cloudy Curtain's young potentates. Anyone from the age of ten to eighteen had to learn how to operate mechs. Even those who never wished to set their foot on the battlefield learned how to kill.

What was it like to possess the power to influence these impressionable youths? Ves could potentially make them smarter, bolder and more confident by incorporating these virtues in his work.

Ves shook his head. "It doesn't feel right to start over with a different inspiration."

Despite its problematic elements, Ves continued to flesh out the Dogged One's backstory. He carefully envisioned his troubled youth as a persecuted thief and slave, his growth period as a crossbowman in a conscripted army, to his eventual desertion from a military disaster.

Throughout all of these events, the Dogged One's capacity for stubborn survival allowed him to pick up the skills that set him on the path of a bounty hunter and executioner.