14 Episode 4-Ethan and George (3)

George and I were still in the collapsed building. The roar of motorcycle engines were piercing our ears, and echoed all around us. If this was the real world, then George and I would be Marines, waiting for orders from the higher-ups. We weren't though. The armies of the world were decimated by the Dokkaebi Bureau, so human-society couldn't fight back.

George began fiddling with his rifle. He didn't know this, but [Anti-Confederacy] payed a lot of probability to give George those two guns. They were constellation artifacts, or star relics as some may say. It was time to unleash George's true potential, while I practiced self-taught sword-fighting.

"George," I said in a low voice, "we have to find a place to hide, and gather intelligence. This is recon, okay?"

George nodded his head. Sometimes, people needed a system to flourish in. George's system was the marines. I needed to show his true value, and remind him.

We carefully climbed the collapsed building, while keeping our ears perked. I began to use "Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint Lv.3" Stage 2, and he began using his own skill that he learned from the military.

[George Machen has activated Situational Awareness Lv.6!]

(It seems I can see when characters activate their skills.)

[Fo cus... ma n.] Fragment of the 4th Wall said.

(Right.)

[You have activated "Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint" Stage Two with [Stigma] Flames of Muspellheim!]

Thanks to this, a cascade of thoughts began to pour in.

(They attacked the coin farm, huh?)

(Some shit-bag named Nakamura?)

(Heard he a little kid, we gonna beat his ass and make him beg.)

(Fuck, the income wasn't coming in. Could be true...)

(My sponsor warned me that some crazy kid wiped out the farm.)

No matter where you are in the world, gangsters would still be gangsters. I used my stigma, and began to scan for their heat signatures. As I did, I heard the shouts of people.

"Shit, the hell are all these dead bodies?!"

"Shut the fuck up! You might attract more of the things!!"

It seems that they found all the fire-zombies that I killed earlier. George looked at me.

"George, we need to get into position. In the marines, what did you train for?"

"Sniping," he said. "Machine gunning, cleaning, tactical-"

"Okay, make sure to account for the smoke and ash, the Coriolis effect, and atmospheric pressure."

He stared at me as if he was surprised I knew these things. Shorty after, he nodded in affirmation. It was time to truly remind him of the military. We raced up the collapsed building, until we had some high ground.

"George, stay in this position. I think they are coming from that highway, 3 o'clock."

"What will you do?"

"I'm a close range-fighter; I can confront them while you snipe them."

George stared at me again. His hands and arms were shaking. It was that damn trauma.... I breathed again and stared into his eyes.

"George?"

"Yes..?"

"You wouldn't let a friend die, would you?" I asked with a smile.

"Huh... wah...?"

"I need to fight those people. They're dangerous. As fellow Americans, shouldn't we do this?"

He looked towards the highway, as if he was pondering what I said. The roaring engines were approaching. His face and body wasn't twitching as much anymore. He began to nod to no one. Finally, he looked at me and said-

"I agree."

I nodded in return and said, "Okay, I'm going down."

I simply jumped from our perch, activated [Anger Lord] for a short moment, and landed onto the street with my knees bent. I looked up, and saw that George was staring down with shock.

(Well, I did jump from a fifteen-meter-tall building and survive.)

Holding my two weapons in hand, I simply stared at the highway. There was no point in hiding myself. In the animal kingdom, predators and prey were always trying to evade and kill each other. Right now, it was time for me to hunt. Feral dogs were coming to play.

With a wide grin, my sharp canines showed.

***

The biker gang's perspective:

"Hey, who the hell is that?"

"Is it... them?"

"Heh, they look pretty short..."

"Shorter than your kid, huh, Aarushi?"

"Shut up."

[Aarushi has activated Asian Condescension Lv.10!]

"Let's see if what the rumors said are true," she stated angrily, "and if we can deal with this issue."

"We goin kill him?" a gruff voice said.

"Perhaps," she replied.

With that simple word that could end a life, the five gangsters drove faster to Ethan Nakamura.

***

I was singing a simple song to pass the time:

"Nice to know my kind will be on my side, I don't believe the hype. And you know you're a terrible sight, But you'll be just fine, Just don't believe the hype..."

I moved my head back and forth to the beat that played in my head, while also checking the screens that appeared in front of me.

[Character "Aarushi" has activated Asian Condescension Lv.10!]

[You have used Character Summary!]

Name: Aarushi (???)

Ethnicity: Indian

Age: Middle-age, late forties

Constellation Support: None (A Nebula is observing this individual)

Private attributes: [Strict Mother] (Common) [Willful Ignorance] (Common) [Slipper Throw] (Common) [Muslim] (Uncommon)

Personal Skills: [Asian Condescension Lv.10] [Bragging Lv.7] [Intense Stare Lv.6] [Relationship Separation Lv.6] [Praying Lv.5] [Faith Lv.5]

Overall: An Indian mother who is a native-born American. Their son has gone missing (presumed dead) while her daughter (Anaka May) is in India, visiting family. After throwing objects at her children for a long time, she was rewarded an attribute that allows her to hit a target with high amounts of accuracy. Sadly, her other attribute [Willful Ignorance] is preventing her from unlocking her true potential. She is currently questioning her faith to Allah.

Mentality: Unstable

I smiled at this information.

(She is a strict mother that is so strict, that she forgot what her children truly wanted. She is a woman of ideals as well...) I thought.

I knew how to push her buttons perfectly. Thanks to this women, I would be able to increase the level of my Asian Condescension.

***

George Machen saw five gangsters on motorcycles. One of them was a woman with a shawl around her head. The other were men. His body began to shake again. He wanted to run, to hide and-

[Anti-Confederacy is staring at his Incarnation "George Machen."]

[Anti-Confederacy is staring at Incarnation "George Machen's" comrade in arms.]

[Constellation "Anti-Confederacy" has sent a message.]

["Don't leave them. They are all you have left. They are your last comrade in this world."]

"What... really?" George pleaded. "N-no-no... that can't be..."

[Constellation "Anti-Confederacy" wants Incarnation "George Machen" to support Incarnation "Ethan Nakamura."]

That is why George Machen stayed at his post.

***

The gangsters were charging closer. I stood still and stared at them, unafraid. Using my Kruk-sword and my wooden stick, I aimed them at the gangsters, as if I was about to lunge and thrust. Sadly, that's what they thought.

[You have activated your Stigma "Flames of Muspellheim"!]

"Flame Thrust," I whispered.

With that simple word, flames erupted from my arms and traveled along my swords. They bursted forward, and lashed the gangsters with fire.

"AHH!!"

"FUck-k-k-k-k-k-k!!"

"GETGETITOFFGETOFFGETITOFF!!!!!!"

"Guhauhuhuhuaaahhhhh!!!"

The flames stuck to their bodies, and burned the flesh off the gangsters. The gangsters had ash-filters on their faces, but it was worthless. The Flames of Muspellheim stigma was ravenous. It would consume their entire body, and their very bodies would be the very fuel that ignited it. It would spread, until they were nothing but a charred husk onto the ground. There was a reason flamethrowers were banned in the Geneva Act.

(It's also the reason why I wanted this stigma.)

The only one I spared was Aarushi. The rest of the gangsters fell off their motorcycles, and were even crushed by them. Two fell off, and had their bodies and bones crushed by the crash.

Aarushi skidded to a halt in front of me, and looked at me as if I was a monster. She would never see the smile under my mask, though, or the eyes that were hidden underneath the hood.

[You have activated Asian Condescension Lv.7!]

"Your children are failures," I said to her.

"Excuse ME!?"

"What, you think they're gonna be the next Elon Musk? Too bad, they're dead, in hell for your karma."

"Y-ou little br-at..."

[Character "Aarushi" has had their worldview shaken!]

"~Bastard~" someone rasped. "Don't you dare talk to her that WAY!!!!"

"~RUSH HIM!!!!~"

Two of the gangsters survived their crashes, and charged at me in a desperate attack. They knew that were about to die from the flames. They came close to me, about 3 meters, but-

-BANG!!!-

Their heads were shot by two bullets, and the heads shattered.

(George actually helped me out,) I thought gratefully.

"Dokkaebi!!!"

Aarushi was clutching her head as she crouched in fear. She was a feeble ball, with tears in her eyes.

[Character "Aarushi" is deeply traumatized!]

I slowly approached her. I couldn't offer any words of encouragement, but even so, I still said something.

"I'm sorry," I said. "You weren't made for this world. Just know this: I'm a loser that adapted to it-"

With that declaration, I used my bone sword, and slashed their throat.

"-And you're a winner that get's to go to a better place."

I turned my back to them as they unfurled onto the ground, dying. Blood leaked from her throat as she gasped.

[You have used "Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint" Stage 2!]

I began to hear her thoughts.

(Th-thank you...)

***

I walked back towards George. Their eyes were still blurry and bloodshot, but they seemed more lucid.

[You have opened the Dokkaebi Shop!]

[You have bought Elain Forest Liquid!]

[You have bought goggles!]

[You have consumed 300 coins!]

"Hey, George, do you want to finally see how I look like?"

"Uhh... sure?"

I grabbed George's head and began squirting the liquid into their eyes. I promptly placed the goggles around their head.

"Do you see me now, George?"

His eyes were finally becoming less bloodshot, and he began to blink normally. They would still need time to heal but...

"Yeah... I can see," he said as he stared at me.

I nodded. I was secretly happy, but I didn't show it.

"Hey," he chuckled, "I can see that you're pretty short."

I smiled back.

"Would you like to come with me, George?"

"Uh... why?"

"I need to get a flag, to become a king."

"A king?"

"Yes. I know where one is."

"You do?"

"Of course, George. Anyways, have you ever heard of intrusive thoughts?"

"Yes?"

"Well, people tend to mutter and scream important information when they die. Or think about things when they try to hide something."

(Thank you, Aarushi,) I thought.

***

Right Before Aarushi Died:

(Fuck!! Damnit!! Get up!!)

The gangsters didn't respect Aarushi at all. She was actually a representative, under the authority of Adler Santiago. She ordered them to get up and fight, but they were promptly killed by some sniper.

(Goddamnit!!! We should've stayed at SAM!!)

***

"Hey, George?"

"Yes?"

"I have someone we need to meet. Have you ever heard of Marcus Santiago?"

"No."

"We'll meet them soon enough."

[Main Scenario #4-Capture the Flag]

Category: Main

Difficulty: C

1. Each station is given a flagpole where a flag can be planted. (*The flag can only be held by the Leader of each group.)

2. You must defend your flagpole from the other groups. If another group's flag is planted, your station will be taken over by the group that has planted their flag, and the fate of your group will be left at their disposal.

3. You can plant your flag at the flagpoles in other stations. Only the leader has the power to plant flags. If the leader dies, the next person to take the flag will be the new leader. If the other group takes the flag before a member of your group does, the fate of your group will be left at their disposal.

4. You must plant your flag at a specified target flagpole within the given time limit or everyone in your group will die.

5. The target for your group will be [???]

Time Limit: 12 days

Penalty for Failure: ???

I wasn't a king when McFarland took the flag, but I knew one thing: Adler Santiago would be at the SAM, or Seattle Art Museum. In the American scenarios, some stations were substituted with bus stops, or museums.

I confirmed that my own interference didn't change the future too much. How? Well, I had Aarushi and intrusive thoughts to thank for that.

"All part of my master plan," I said to no one.

[Constellation "Secretive Plotter" did not foresee this. They wonder if Ethan Nakamura foresaw this.]

[They have sponsored 1000 coins.]

"Let's catch us another dog, George. We also have a wolf to meet."

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