The mecha was just like what Arthur had imagined it to be, although a bit bulkier. He expected a lean and compressed mecha where it resembled a human more, but this one was just as majestic. Its legs were probably a meter in grith, a cylinder with curves like that protruded like muscles and tires barely visible.
The head, where most primary sensors were, resembled those he had seen in cartoons as a kid. Two metal plates on each side as if they were horns, protecting the main visual sensors from harm.
Its main cabinet, which was half of its torso, was as big as the interior of a sedan car. The other half probably contained the mechas core and other related machinery and runic circles. Runic circles runes that were activated in a sequence given a specific command. For example, a rune that would make the mecha fly is before that the propels it forward, and in reverse, if it was landing.
As Arthur walked over and saw the rows of white and black mechas, he suddenly felt an excitement incomparable to what he was feeling before. Would he be able to create his mecha one day, maybe an army of them?
"We need to hurry. They are regularly checked." Ivy warned and Arthur nodded his head in understanding. He stepped toward one of the raised platforms with a ladder to reach the mecha and started clambering his way up.
Standing in front of it, Arthur studied the digital panel that had lines and lines of runes inscribed. This was the door to the main cabinet, where he would be able to operate the mecha. He touched the runic lines on top and he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head.
Runic lines wiggled like snakes as they flooded his consciousness, trying to overwhelm him. However, with a simple command, they obeyed and stayed still. It seemed this was another mechanism to stop unaware runes master.
Now, Arthur had to rearrange them until they allowed him access to the runes beyond, those that opened the door. The method Arthur used was to gather each runic line with those that were similar to it, like calls to like, and reshape them until they were true runes.
Arthur didn't know the runes he was reorganizing them, but he could see them in different colors, some were sharper, some milder, and some felt different. It was the same feeling he had with people when some people had a sweet ambiance and others had sour.
And he rearranged them, like a simple puzzle. Only it was easier for him than most puzzles, as it was only a matter of time until he gets every line to where it belongs.
Before Ivy could even feel urgent, the door to the mecha opened. She looked again at Arthur with amazement, incredulous at her heart. If Arthur's ability to evade runes made people label him as Ghost, then this ability of his would gift him the title of runic hacker.
As cold vapor left the cabinet, Arthur made his way inside. Low benches were on either side with vests and weapons above them. In the far wall of the cabinet was a single chair with many panels in front of it. Some had runes and some had buttons, as bespeaking the beautiful unity of magic and technology. A large screen was on the wall but Arthur knew it wasn't for the driver.
A headset of virtual reality runes was on top of the chair. It was there to give the driver a virtual sense of controlling the mecha. That's why each driver needed to be familiar with the places of each rune until moving the mecha became second nature to him.
"Wow," Ivy's voice came from behind as it seems she was too eager to wait below. Arthur didn't turn around and headed toward the chair. "Are you able to gain access?"
"We'll see." Of course, there would be an extra artifact needed to turn the mecha on. Arthur either needed to replicate that artifact or unlock the lock that prevented his access. He sat on the chair and placed his hand on the handle in front.
Watching him work, Ivy couldn't help but slightly admire him. She knew his background from Si and how his father has been labeled a thief. She knew he had to drop out to support his family and dig through dungeons for any broken artifacts. Even with all of this, he reached this stage where he was able to steal mankind's most dazzling inventions with ease.
After a few moments, when she just began to think he would take more time this time, the screen lit up and the cabinet came to life. He turned around to face her and grinned.
"We're in."
Ivy grinned back but before she could say anything, the door to the storage room opened. A group of awakeners came in and they all, in unison, turned to the mecha they were riding. Ivy could see that they were soldiers from the fortress that she had met earlier, who were all at the Vetus-rank.
"Who's there?!" A man, who appeared to be the leader of the group with the different colored sachet on his arm, shouted in their direction. "This is a forbidden area! Leave the cabinet immediately!"
Ivy and Arthur exchanged glances. They could read each other's faces and realized that their plan has failed. Now, it was a matter of how to improvise.
"Should we leave and explain ourselves?" Arthur asked but Ivy shook her head.
"Explain what? The mecha is already activated. We have no way to explain this." Ivy sat on the bench next to him as she started to wear the safety belt. Seeing her actions, Arthur understood what she wanted to do.
"Well, should we take it for a test drive?" Arthur grinned and Ivy grinned back. The cabinet's door closed on Arthur's command as he leaned back for his head to rest on the headset. Runes glowed as his view changed.
Now, his body was the mecha.
***
Seeing him move, the soldiers took out their weapons. Some of them took out semi-mana-rifles that used mana instead of gunpowder and others took out cold weapons.
"I repeat! Stand down immediately! This is not something you can operate easily!" The leader of the soldiers frowned as he saw the mecha move its arms as if it was stretching. After all, each mecha cost tons of resources and connections to make. If someone damaged it by chance, it would take several times his salary to repair it.
However, it seems his words fell on deaf ears as the mecha took a step forward. The soldiers raised their guns and weapons to stop it.
"What are you doing? Don't damage it! Sound the alarm!" The captain reprimanded them and sent one of his soldiers to close down the facility. After all, they could eventually retrieve the mecha as long as he held it confined.
As if betraying his hopes, the mecha took another step, then another. Then, as if realizing something, it stopped. Silence permeated through the air for a second as both sides stared at each other.
The alarm sounded off as the facility began to shut down. The captain sighed in relief. However, it was a premature sigh as the mecha's tires then began to spin and its body leaned forward.
"D-don't allow it to escape!" Panic seized the captain as he saw the mecha started gliding across the paved ground toward the nearest tunnel. Remembering that each tunnel would lead to the outside world, the captain gritted his teeth and issued another order. "Attack its legs to stop it from moving!" It was the best they could do.
A frustrating feeling rose in his heart. How would he stop something that was his, but stolen, without damaging it? The heavens were unfair. It was the irony that if he wanted to keep the mecha, he had to damage it. However, it was still better than allowing it to be stolen and used by someone else.
The soldiers rained their abilities and bullets on the mecha's legs. As there were over twenty of them, they would surely stop the metallic monster. Some of them even used skills they had to teleport in front of it and block it.
However, as if slapping the captain's words across his face, the mecha evaded their attacks as easily as breathing. The spectacle reminded them of skating shows where the participants danced on ice.
The mecha did a turn and avoided the earth that was collapsing in front of it. The ice spears were narrowly evaded by a smooth twist from the mecha. It wasn't a machine that they were seeing, but a dancer.
This dancer didn't attack anyone, either. It simply passed by shocked soldiers until it made its way toward the tunnel. It then slid under the doors that were closing down, leaving the stunned soldiers behind.
"Amazing…" One of the soldiers, who aspired to be a mecha pilot himself, muttered as he felt like he was watching the performance of a professional.