SNAPCRAFT | Ch. 34 - True Randomness (Patreon)

After Alex went into exile and Ariel stopped talking to him, Kai felt the loneliest he’d ever been. Neil was gone, and so was Albert. His pickings for possible friends were becoming slimmer by the year.

Before, Kai would spend time in the museum, but that was Ariel’s hangout, and whenever he bumped into her, he left the encounter wanting to curl up into a ball and cry. He had started going to Sunny’s workshop, and they had become much closer over the past few weeks.

“Try starting it now.”

“OK!” Kai yanked the rope to start the generator. It clicked, and for a few moments, he believed that the machine would start, but then it suddenly died, and a poof of black smoke came out.

“Hmmm… It wasn’t the belt, huh?”

“Nope. Could be the batteries,” suggested Kai.

“It’s unlikely, but possible. Let’s switch the batteries to see if we can eliminate that theory.”

Kai ran to the racks looking for batteries that would fit into this generator, and once he’d come back, Sunny had already unfastened half of the screws on the generator's casing. Kai grabbed a screwdriver and helped unscrew the ones left.

“Sunny?” tried Kai as Sunny removed the old batteries from the generator.

“Yeah?”

“Neil told me he believed winning the trials had to do with survival.”

“So he did.”

“Albert thought it was about understanding the past.”

“Right. Everyone has their theory.”

“What’s yours?”

“Pass me the wrench.” Kai did. “Let’s see… I believe it’s about engineering, of course.” She laughed. “I think it’s human nature. People make the big picture about the little things they study. Maybe it’s a way to find more purpose in our work.”

“Go on. Why engineering?”

“Daisy is a machine. Engineers made her. Therefore, to understand how she operates, there’s nothing better than putting on an engineer’s shoes.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, think of the randomness problem. A computer can’t generate true random numbers. They either get pi’s unending sequence of decimals, the system clock, or whatever else to derive a number from it.”

“Right. So?”

“That makes Daisy a little less scary. At least for me.”

Kai grinned. “Because she can’t come up with true random numbers?”

“No, because there’s stuff she can’t do. Seven point three.”

“I’m sorry?”

“It was a number that just popped into my head. See? I’m better than Daisy at something.”

Kai laughed at Sunny's bragging.

“That should do it. Try starting it now.”

Kai pulled the string that kicked off the generator, and the machine ran smoothly this time. “How about that, I was right!”

*

Kai continued walking and exploring the map. After a few moments, he looked back and found the android smiling at him. Kai clicked his tongue. This cursed android believed she had won the argument. Did it matter if she did? Maybe she was right. Arguing with Daisy was the same as arguing with gravity. No matter how much he argued, he would still fall hard if he jumped. Maybe he should keep his feet grounded and avoid messing with powers beyond him.

Kai looked at the street and spotted a father walking hand in hand with his child. The sight only brought back the early anger. He took a few deep breaths and got back to exploring.

Kai looked at the clock and found that twenty-five minutes had passed since this round had begun. By now, he had explored much of the city and found little variety. Buildings were, for the most part, residential. There was the occasional shop and kiosk and a few other buildings here and there. He found two more streets with trees in them. The trees were all of the same species. If memory served him right, they were elm trees.

All that was left to explore was the middle section of the map. Daisy had made the lives of trial runners easier this round. After walking around the full perimeter, Kai had already established that the middle of the map was where the tallest building in the city was located. It was an impressive landmark, easily seen from everywhere else in town.

As Kai drew closer, keeping his eyes away from the city’s skyline and down on the city below him became a greater effort. Thankfully, he persisted. A block from the tall building, he spotted something he hadn’t seen anywhere else in the arena. Several cars waited in line behind vehicles parked near giant metal boxes. He grabbed his camera and saw someone leave their car, pull out a gun tied to a hose, and then stick it into the car. After doing this, people walked to a nearby kiosk. With the help of his zoom, he could see the colorful wrappings of candy bars and potato chip bags through the shop’s glass window.

“A gas station,” he murmured.

“Did you know that the first gas station was in Pittsburgh, USA, in 1913 of the common era?”

He glanced in the direction of Maia and found her smiling. She didn’t look upset at his earlier outburst. “I did not, no. I had never seen one. I only saw these in shows and movies.”

“That’s only natural. My mom has destroyed all usage of fossil fuels.”

“Except when she needs plastic for her servers,” accused Kai.

“I meant all of humanity’s unbridled usage of fossil fuels.”

He smirked. It looked like androids also held grudges.

This gas station was something Kai didn’t want to miss. He pointed the camera at one of the fuel pumps and captured it.

Capture successful.

Tries left: 17 of 20

Fuel Dispenser (Uncommon)

A device utilized to dispense fuel into vehicles.

2 of 3

Hp: 4

Vp: 0

Finally, signs of activity from his opponent. They had taken one photo of the gas station. After thinking for a moment, Kai decided to empty the pool.

Capture successful.

Tries left: 16 of 20

Fuel Dispenser (Uncommon)

A device utilized to dispense fuel into vehicles.

3 of 3

Hp: 4

Vp: 0

His priority right now was to grow his [Fire] card. [Fuel Dispenser] had to have synergy with it. He spared a look at the scoreboard. In the first thirty minutes of this snapping round, neither he nor his opponent had gained many points. Kai had only made four points. It was depressing. His opponent had widened the gap since they had collected eight points.

Kai still had ninety minutes left and was confident he could close the gap with the right ingredients.

Kai now ran the last stretch toward the center of the map. This city was at least ten stories higher than the arena’s floor.  He tested his hand against the wall of the building, and seeing it phase through, he walked in. Like in other buildings, this one was well-kept but empty. He located the stairs and tried setting his foot on the steps. His feet just went through it.

For a moment, Kai wondered whether he could stand on firm ground if he wore the gloves. But given that he'd been able to stand on the rooftop at the factory in the previous round, it was only logical he would also land his feet on solid ground when he placed them on staircases or ladders. Once he put on the dimensional gloves, and they lit up, he tested again the staircase, and this time, his feet landed on solid ground.

Kai grinned. This was good news to him. After all, if, to climb this building, one needed a special upgrade, such as the dimensional gloves, maybe his opponent hadn’t been able to explore the treasure trove yet. This building’s rooftop was out of reach to anyone who couldn't cancel the holographic effects of the map.

As Kai climbed step after step, the sound of his sneakers hitting the cement echoed in the empty stairwell.

“Interesting.”

Kai’s heart skipped a beat. “Goodness, gracious. I forgot you were there.” The android went through periods of non-stop chatter, intercalated with periods of feline silence. She was going to give him a heart attack at this rate.

“I have nothing in my database about who invented stairs.”

“So?”

“It’s one of humanity’s most used inventions, and yet you can’t honor the engineer who created it. Fascinating.”

“Here, Maia, please walk in front of me so that I can see you.”

“Sure thing, Kai!”

Finally, Kai and Maia reached the very top of the building. The view from up here was incredible. As far as he could see, there were buildings, light, and movement. Not even the stormy clouds and the pouring rain could erase the brilliant lights of the city.

Kai walked around, determining what made this place the treasure trove of this map. He grimaced as he spotted only more of what he’d seen on other rooftops. There were satellite dishes, AC units, and chimneys. They were bigger than the ones he’d seen in other smaller buildings but unremarkable in every other way. He kept patiently looking. Finally, he found something different.

There was a thick, tall copper pole. It ended in a small sphere. The base of the pole was wrapped around thick wiring that disappeared down the side of the building. If he was correct, this was a lightning rod. He hadn’t seen any on other rooftops. Perhaps this was one of the map’s treasures. He captured it.

Capture successful.

Tries left: 15 of 20

Lightning Rod (Rare)

Metal conductor that redirects lightning to prevent damage and fire hazards.

1 of 3

Hp: 1

Vp: 6

He smiled happily. For him to get the first shot meant that his opponent lacked the means to get up here. He took a second shot.

Capture successful.

Tries left: 14 of 20

Lightning Rod (Rare)

Metal conductor that redirects lightning to prevent damage and fire hazards.

2 of 3

Hp: 1

Vp: 6

In one go, his point count had gone up by 12, shortening the point difference and granting him a little peace of mind. Kai looked for other things worth photographing up here and found nothing. Could this be it? The treasure trove in the pine woodland had only been a dead tree, and the one in the desert had been an acacia tree. Maybe [Lightning Rod] was all he would get from here.

He looked at the stormy clouds. It had been pouring since this round started, but there weren’t any sounds of lightning. He would keep his eyes open just in case. There was the chance that to make this card stand out, he had to charge with lightning.

Kai removed one of his gloves, and the building became a hologram, which he fell through until he landed on the arena floor. With this, there was only one little part of the map he hadn’t visited yet. There was only one last street to go through.

Kai walked through the building to the side opposite the gas station and found a particularly beautiful building. The building had an architecture that stood out from the cookie-cutter one he’d seen around town. It came from a time when people cared as much about beauty as they did about functionality. Once Kai saw it, all the other buildings in the city became dull by comparison.

The building was wider and larger than it was taller, and it had a beautiful wide staircase leading into it. Kai walked until he was situated precisely above it. The rooftop was a few meters below the arena’s invisible floor, and Kai couldn’t step on it. Even so, he could peer into the building through the skylights.

He knew this type of building very well. Warm, inviting lights illuminated the people pulling books out of shelves or those who read them. The shelves were filled with books of all colors and sizes. Even from out here, Kai felt he could hear the silence within. It was a library.

Suspicious of why Daisy had made this building so conspicuous, Kai pointed the camera at the skylight and adjusted his zoom. The zoom was good enough for him to make out the names of some titles on the shelves. ‘Planet Ignis,’ ‘Hidden Class: Pacifist,’ ‘Ambyssus.’ None of the names sounded familiar. He tried zooming in and out and frowned. It was unlikely that he would get a good shot of the books on the shelves.

He kept exploring the building through his viewfinder and found a table with a book opened on it. There was no one reading it. Curious, he zoomed eight times, the maximum his camera currently allowed him. It was barely enough to read what it said. It had equations. Was it a math book? As he scanned through them, he felt butterflies in his stomach.

“Loyalty plus affection equals love,” he read aloud.

Love (Rare)

[Loyalty] + [Affection]

Recipe book updated!

“That’s beautiful, Kai.”

“What would you know about beautiful…” Mumbled Kai under his breath. Maia made him feel like a grumpy old man. She brought out the worst in him.

“I was just reading the book down there. That’s where your mom hid this map’s recipes.”

“Uuuh! Mom is so clever!”

For once, Kai agreed with the android. He kept reading through the book and eventually found one more recipe.

Wisdom (Rare)

[Knowledge] + [Sadness]

Recipe book updated!

This was a weird recipe. Why was [Sadness] an ingredient to obtain wisdom? He scratched his head. More than that, how was he supposed to photograph this stuff? How could one photograph loyalty? Or sadness?

Kai tapped his foot. These things were abstract. But that didn’t mean that they were impossible to photograph. Hadn’t he captured an abstract concept in the last arena when he photographed [Neglect]? All he had to do was to frame a landscape or a group of objects that represented these concepts.

He reread the recipes. “Knowledge…” He looked at the recipe and then at the library. Kai adjusted his zoom to frame a whole shelf of books and tried taking a photograph. Even if his hunch was wrong, worst-case scenario, books could be offered as a sacrifice to his [Fire] card.

Capture successful.

Tries left: 13 of 20

Knowledge (Uncommon)

Acquisition and understanding of information.

1 of 3

Hp: 1

Vp: 3

Bingo! He got the first ingredient! This was very good news. If he could find at least one of the ingredients on the map, chances were that the rest could be harvested here, too. He took another shot. If this recipe was like [Scrapdroid], then he couldn’t afford to miss out on an opportunity to get two copies of each. Besides, the victory points it gave were very good.

Capture successful.

Tries left: 12 of 20

Knowledge (Uncommon)

Acquisition and understanding of information.

2 of 3

Hp: 1

Vp: 3

With two [Knowledge] cards in his hand, now, it was a matter of finding out where he could find the rest of the components. He was confident that he wouldn’t find anything that represented loyalty or affection on the city's rooftops. If there was a place where these cards would be hidden, it had to be the streets below. It was time to explore the city through the viewfinder of his camera.

Ch. 33 - Zeroes and Ones

INDEX

Ch. 35 - An Engineer’s Approach