Go Big To Go Home: A Kaiju-Fighting Isekai LitRPG (Book 1 Complete!)

Mikayla found herself in a small side room full of cleaning supplies. Allis closed the door behind them, and the human tensed. "If you're about to try to 'silence' me, be aware that my friends will -"

"What? No. Relax, I'm not a barbarian," Allis rolled her eyes. "I said I'd explain and I will. But you should know up front; I don't have a way to get you home. I'm sure it's possible, but haven't ever seen anything that could give me a hint about

how

. So if that's what you're here for then, I'm sorry, but I'm a dead end," She chewed on her lip, fists balling up. "Believe me, if I had such a tidy way to leave this city, I'd have taken it a long time ago,"

Mikayla tilted her head. "Okay . . go on, then. What's your story?"

Allis gestured at her own face. "Look at me. I'm a failed Yevgenia clone. Less than 50% accuracy to The Template. My whole life, my parents resented me for that. Told me I was a failure, that I'd never be able to live up to their expectations,"

Her fingers twitched involuntarily. "So, when I was young, I went looking for an escape. Stories about distant lands and other worlds fascinated me. Places that are better than this death-spiral of a society, places where you aren't worthless for being born wrong," She hesitated. "You don't care about all that. I'll stay on topic,"

"Don't feel like you have to . . sorry, this is getting much more personal than I was expecting," Mikayla winced, holding her hands up.

Allis chuckled grimly. "Point is, I found that escape. An old grimoire tucked away in the back of the public library, that taught me a strange and seemingly useless Technique; the ability to let me catch glimpses of other worlds. Parallel realities that hosted weird and wonderful things. It took me years to master it, but the frayed visions were so tantalising . ." She sighed.

"That's how you know about my world's technology," Mikayla guessed. "And you decided to profit off it?"

"Don't make me sound so selfish," Allis waved her accusation off. "Because, actually, honestly, no. I had two younger sisters. My parents decided to try again, you see. Zhi turned out better; 88% match to the template. Good, but not good enough, so they tried again and got a daughter with a 97% match. Named her Yevgenia, of course. I call her Gene,"

"Nicknames. Word," Mikayla agreed.

Allis chuckled bitterly. "They both had much more potential. Enough that our parents sent them to Cloudscraper, but not me. As for me . . I love them. Even if they're everything I hate about the City of Roses, they're my sisters. So I asked myself what the best thing I could do for them was. Knowing that they're going into the sort of dangerous profession where they're more likely to die in battle than live to see old age. They're already learning to fight for a living, so they don't need a bodyguard or anything. But their equipment? Their tools? Their weapons? I became an Engraver so that I could make things that would keep them safe. And, after that,"

She paused, a flash of shame crossing her face. "Yeah. I've been plagiarising your world's technology. Passing it off as revolutionary new ideas from an Engraving genius," She wrung her hands. "It's just. Earth is so advanced, so egalitarian. So much more

fair,"

"You might be overselling us," Mikayla winced.

"I know it's not perfect. I saw people fighting for transgender rights. Seems backwards that that's even a question," Allis grimaced. "But, in most ways, Earth is better. Better than the City of Roses. I may have started Engraving to protect my sisters, to make sure that they would have the best gear in the world. But I've realised I can do so much more. That my stolen designs can start a revolution,"

She drew a long, shuddering breath. "Please don't tell anyone. Please don't stop me. I'll come clean, when it's all over, but this city, this society . . it needs to be overturned, it needs to be

destroyed,"

An almost feral hiss escaped Allis' throat at the end of the sentence.

"The Engravings are my weapon. A sword of progress, of revolution. One woman can't change the world with just her own two hands, but I can build the machines that can and will. I want to knock this city over and turn it into a place where no one will ever be born a failure again. So . . please. Don't expose me for the fraud I am, at least not until it's too late. Don't stop me,"

Mikayla mulled it over. "You know . . you're under a bit of a misconception here,"

Allis blinked. "I am?"

"Yeah, see. I don't think you're actually doing anything wrong,"

She seemed really thrown by Mikayla's assertion. "I'm not?"

"We have a saying, in my world," Mikayla folded her arms and chuckled. "You've probably heard it, actually. '

Standing on the shoulders of giants.

' It means that every scientist, every engineer, every person who's ever advanced society, is building on what came before. Back home, I was a historian. I've seen the trends, traced back the tech tree. No one has ever come up with something completely original, there's always a precursor, always something that provided the inspiration. And you are underselling yourself significantly,"

Mikayla paused for dramatic effect. "You're acting like all you've done is copy other people's work and claim it's your own, but that's not true. My world's machines are made of metal and run on steam, and gasoline, and electricity. They aren't projected from Cores. They don't interact with Mana at all. You did that. You adapted all of it into something that works here, in a world where people apparently never even figured out gunpowder. I barely understand how a train works despite having lived with them all my life, and not only did you reverse engineer one, you made it

run on magic,"

"I mean. It wasn't that hard," Allis blushed.

"Maybe not for you, I sure couldn't have done it," Mikayla brushed it off. "And even if I didn't feel that way? You're right. The City of Roses is miserable. My friend is miserable for having been born into it. I can't change it. I've got my own problems. But far be it from me to waylay someone who can," She grinned. "As a historian, I can't get in the way of history in the making,"

Allis spluttered, which turned into a full-on laugh. "You know," she finally replied, "you're not bad company,"

"Oh. Um. You think so?" The sudden compliment, targeting her deep-seated social anxiety, had Mikayla blustering.

Allis noticed, quirking an eyebrow. "And what was that reaction all about?"

"Oh. Nothing. Heh," Mikayla stumbled over her words, leveraging her Wllpower to get herself back under control. "Just flattered,"

The yaoguai stifled a small giggle. "Hm. You took this class just to get a chance to talk to me, didn't you?"

"Ehe, well, yeah," Mikayla admitted, rubbing the back of her neck. "I didn't know you were the teacher, though, I was just planning to hang around until I saw you in passing,"

An amused smile crept onto Allis' face. "Do you actually want to learn Engraving, though? Or was that performance just to impress me?"

"Honestly, I didn't before, but after trying it out? Yeah! I do," Mikayla grinned as she remembered the incredible smoothness with which her Mana had flowed into the Shovel Core. "It's weird, I was never really interested in making things before. I'm a historian. But it felt

so good

to use a Core I made myself,"

"It always does," Allis nodded sagely. "I think every Goliath Guardsman should make their own Cores. Did you know it's been scientifically proven that a Core will work better for the person who made it than anyone else?"

"No! Wow! That makes sense though. You're sensitising the Core to your Mana during the Engraving, right?"

"Exactly!" Allis beamed. "Say, come with me. As the only other person in this world who understands the source material I'm working from, there's something I'd like to get your opinion on,"

"Yeah? Sure!"

They left the closet, and Allis guided Mikayla out through a back door and around the side of the White Skies Institute complex, until they came to a building that was separated from the rest. "Welcome to my humble abode," Allis declared as she shoved the door open.

Mikayla hadn't expected the inside of the building to have no floor.

Stepping inside, she found herself peering over a balcony that overlooked a massive underground cavern, which had been converted into a

railyard

. The space was dominated by three large train-tracks layered atop Core display platforms. Despite the height of the building, it had no upper floor. And the reason for this was apparent; a massive Armour Core that seemed to have a steam train growing out of its chest and train wheels on its feet was standing on the leftmost of the three rail lines, jutting up into the building proper and looming over her.

"What is that thing?"

"Oh, that? It's Victory Express Robo. Did you think I of all people wouldn't have a personally designed Armour Core?"

"Why does it have a train in its chest?" That was the wrong question. Mikayla should have asked about the

name

first, but her brain was still catching up.

"

That

is the right question!" Allis had made her way down a flight of stairs and over to a workbench, and following her let Mikayla see that there was a platform behind Victory Express Robo, like a mock-up of a subway station that had been converted into a living space.

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"You have interesting taste in interior design," she murmured, and if Allis heard her, she didn't respond. This place was like a little patch of Earth recreated in Raibalie, as though an entire train station had been transported to this world by a spatial anomaly.

Allis had momentarily vanished into a side room containing an Engraving Table and a rack of Cores, and she emerged once more with a Lapis Core clutched in her claws. "So, have you ever seen a dual-mode Core before?" Allis asked.

"A what?"

"Didn't think so. They're one of my more recent inventions, and very hard to make. But I fully expect them to become very valuable commodities for Guardsmen once more Engravers know how to make them," Allis summarised, screwing the Lapis into her Core Controller. "Watch this little magic trick. In my Controller I have only one Core," She waved it in front of Mikayla's face to demonstrate that the Lapis was the only Core attached to it.

It lit up with a yellow-orange glow that splashed onto the ground and formed up underneath Allis' feet and between her legs, growing from a puddle into a fully-formed Motorcycle Core. This one had some peculiarities, though; its front wheel was a spinning buzzsaw with retractable spikes, and it had a large and overbuilt rear fender that bore a strange resemblance to a giant hand. "Motorcycles are old hat by now, right? They're good transportation, but not very useful in combat. Well, check this out!"

The Motorcycle broke in half, shrinking and transforming. Allis gripped its handlebars in one hand and hoisted the front wheel into the air like a weapon while the rear chassis of the bike bounced upwards and wrapped around her left arm, transforming into bulky armour that ended in the large hand she'd previously noted. The rear wheel flipped around, becoming a buckler shield attached to the wrist of the massive gauntlet. Allis struck a pose, resting the buzzsaw-axe on her shoulder and raising her engorged left fist. "So, what do you think?"

Mikayla lowly whistled. "I get it. With a Core like that, I wouldn't need to use three slots for my Motorcycle, weapon and Shield. It's

role consolidation,"

"That's right," Allis smiled. "This is one of the best designs I've managed so far. It's been a dream of Engravers across the country for centuries, to make a Core that can do two different things, but I was the first to ever figure it out,"

Mikayla grinned, poring over the massive gauntlet. "And you say you're not a real Engraving genius? This is awesome!"

Allis preened a bit under the praise. "It's also based on stuff from Earth, I got the idea from something called a Transformer. Unfortunately even I couldn't make an Armour that turns into a car . . yet," she quietly added. "But yeah! If there's anything I'm really proud of just as an achievement in Engraving, it's this. Multifunction Cores have been the Holy Grail of Engraving for decades, and

I

was the one to figure them out. Turns out the trick was to use every part of the Core in both configurations, by the way. No leftover parts!"

"Huh. That makes sense," Mikayla looked around at some of the Cores on display. "Should you really be telling me that? That sounds like a valuable secret,"

"It's fine, it's fine," Allis brushed her off, dismissing her projection and taking Mikayla's wrist, pulling her over to the Engraving Table. "And this is my current project," she snatched up a Pearl from it and brandished it at Victory Express Robo. "I am trying to make a train that turns into an Armour!"

Mikayla blinked. ". . I think I saw that anime,"

"Did you? You wouldn't happen to remember how it worked, would you?"

"It . . do you not know what anime is? It wasn't a real thing,"

Allis looked disappointed. "Oh. Well, whatever. If I can reverse engineer a sports car I can make a train turn into a fighting robot," She moved towards the Engraving Table and pulled out a ceramic sheet, a mould, for Mikayla to inspect. "This is what I've figured out so far. Here, take a look,"

Mikayla looked it over. It was much more complicated than the mould they'd used earlier for the Shovel Core. "I have no idea what all this is,"

Allis raised an eyebrow and offered a playful smile. "Do you want to find out?"

". . huh?"

"Look, I need someone to check my work. Everyone makes mistakes, and you are one of the only people in this world who understands the

ideas

I'm working with, who can make actual, valuable suggestions,"

"I'm a historian, not an engineer," Mikayla warned her.

"Even better. That means you know stuff about technological development and how societies progress. I heard through the grapevine that you brought a smartphone here, and its schematics are making waves in the Cosmic Isles. Don't underestimate the value of your input,"

Allis paced as she spoke, moving over to Victory Express Robo. "This country, this world, is hurtling towards the future. People are going to struggle against that, and they're not going to be able to stop it, but they might cause a lot of harm when they try. So I'm going to need help, as much of it as I can get. The White Skies Institute supports me, but they don't understand the technology, not like you do. You've lived in the world I'm trying to create. Your knowledge could make or break my future,"

Mikayla mulled that over. Though, really, there was no question what her response would be. She'd always planned to join the White Skies Institute because it was her best chance of finding a way back to Earth. She wanted to learn Engraving, and doubted she'd find a better teacher than Allis. And her dream, her revolution . . it sounded like something

good

, something that Mikayla wanted to help with.

"Alright," she nodded, grinning. "I'm in. I'll help you,"

Allis's fangs peeked out as she grinned. "I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship,"

"Don't say vaguely ominous things like that or you'll give me second thoughts," Mikayla huffed playfully.

Her teacher just laughed, leaning casually on the Engraving Table. "So! Have you got any cool ideas? Sketches? Ever wanted your own personal Voltron?"

"Well," Mikayla hummed. "There is a project I've got. Here, what do you make of this?" She pulled out the pouch that contained the Giant Roc's Kaiju Pearl and dumped it onto the Engraving Table.

Allis lowly whistled, marvelling at the massive pink rock. "That's one of the most gorgeous Pearls I've ever seen,"

"Yeah, from a Tier 13 Kaiju. Long story," Mikayla brushed it off. "I want to turn it into a Companion Core,"

"Oho? Interesting request. Why?"

"Um. Because. I need to expand my arsenal, and -"

"You want a cute pet to cuddle, don't you?"

Allis had seen right through her.

"I mean, I would use them to fight too," Mikayla blustered.

"Don't worry, I won't judge," Allis chuckled. "This is the kind of thing you really don't want to screw up, though. We could give it the basic Companion Core treatment, but you don't seem like the type to adopt a pet just to kill it and turn it into a Core,"

Mikayla shuddered at the thought. "Absolutely not,"

Allis hummed, her tail twitching idly. "Well, there is another way to make a Companion Core. You can use an existing one as a template. Clone it," She fingered her chin. "I've been wanting to experiment with that. To see if I could create a dual-mode

Companion Core,"

Mikayla quirked an incredulous eyebrow. "You want to make an animal that turns into a weapon?"

"Well, doesn't that sound awesome?" the Engraver challenged her. "If you want a Companion in a hurry, cloning is your best bet. You're a Cloudscraper student. Surely you've got a friend with a Companion Core who wouldn't mind letting you make a copy? And once we've got the blueprint, we can see about some improvements!" She rubbed her hands together, exposing her fangs with a wide and slightly evil smile.

Mikayla nodded to herself, trying not to expose her amusement at Allis' hammy mad scientist impression. "Yeah. I think I can do that,"

<=====}—o

"By the way," Mikayla quirked an eyebrow. "Is the Holy Grail something that exists in this world?"

"No, but I managed to scry most of a showing of

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

once. And part of

Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Oh, do you know how that movie ends? I only saw as far as the bit where Indy and his girlfriend got sealed in the tomb full of snakes before the spell crapped out,"

"Oh, sure. They escaped, there was a dramatic truck chase that turned into a big fight scene. Someone got ripped apart by an aeroplane rotor. Indy almost won, but then the Nazis got the Ark back, opened it, and blew themselves up. Indy and Marian survived because they were the only ones who knew not to look at the opened Ark. Then they took it back to America and it got hidden away in a warehouse forever,"

". . After all that fuss about putting it in a museum?" Allis mulled that over. "Lame,"