15 Episode 4-Ethan and George (4)
<Wandering the City>
After we killed those gangsters, I sent George to rest. He was still in the process of healing.
I looted the dead bodies, and checked their motorcycles. I hoped we could use them as a way to move quickly through Seattle, but I was unlucky. It seems the crash broke necessary parts, such as the spark plug, the fuel tank, and the wheels. If we tried to use them, they would probably explode. I pocketed a few pieces of these motorcycles for later.
(We will have to walk to where I want to go,) I thought, (but George will need to heal first.)
[You have opened the Dokkaebi Shop!]
I began to peruse the auction areas, and typed words such as: Work clothes, boots, packet of black socks, underwear, deodorant, and wet wipes.
I payed 20 coins, and the items materialized within a little package. I stared at them and smirked. These were items from the "old world."
Within the early scenarios of TWSA, poorer Incarnations and Constellations tried to sell Earth items. Sadly, within the Star Stream, they had low value and were only worth a few coins. Clothes from Gucci, Ralph Lauren, and those big-name brands became worthless when [Star Stream] was introduced.
(Seriously, who the f*ck pays hundreds of dollars for clothes? Just buy a packet of black t-shirts at Walmart.)
In the end, these were only Low-Grade items. I felt bad, but this was all I could give to George at the moment.
***
I saw George sitting down, while staring dazedly. They were wearing the mask that I made for them, but they were still in pain. I knew exactly what it was.
"George, look, I have new clothes." I ruffled them to catch his attention.
They began to look at me.
"You seemed really tired, so I doubted you had a chance to clean yourself."
"It's okay, Eth-"
"Take the goddamn clothes, George Machen."
After being a little aggressive, they finally accepted the items.
***
"First, take off you boots and socks."
[Constellations who have seen "Death Note" knows what comes next!]
George listened to what I said, and took off their boots and socks. Underneath the layers of clothes were their feet, which had multiple blisters and welts.
[Constellations of Type 1 Diabetes understand that pain.]
[They hope that Incarnation "Ethan Nakamura" will take care of Incarnation of "George Machen."]
[They will sponsor "Ethan Nakamura" a few hundred coins if they take care of "George Machen."]
(Trench foot,) I thought. (It was a problem that affected Allied soldiers in World War 2. It was due to the moist trenches that they resided in.)
It seems that George suffered from heat deprivation. If I was right, they sweated most of the water within their body, causing them to become gaunt. They didn't change their clothes, so the sweat stuck and soiled their clothing, and began to rub against them. Thus, the trench foot.
When George saw his own feet, he didn't even flinch.
"Okay, George, I need you to take off the rest of your clothes."
[Constellations of NSFW and yaoi like where this is going.]
"Except your underwear."
[Constellations of NSFW and yaoi have left this channel.]
***
Once he was down to his underwear, I saw his grimy skin, and the gaping wounds that he kept hidden. He was so starved, and I could see his ribcage through his flesh. As he took off his own clothes, he winced and screamed in pain. I gave words of encouragement, and he finally did it.
I took away their old clothes, and used my stigma to burn them. I bought some Elain Forest Liquid, and began splashing them with it. The grime came off in the form of a thick sludge, but I told him to wipe it away before it entered his wounds. I passed wipes to them, until they were finally clean. Afterwards, I gave George his new clothes. He began to use the stick of deodorant, which was a C-Grade item that helped with heat resistance.
[Constellations of self-men-care nod to Incarnation "Ethan Nakamura."]
[Constellation "Demonic Judge of Fire" is watching two Dokkaebi Channels at once, and has sent 1000 coins to each.]
I ignored the incoming messages, and gave George privacy to put on his clothes. After he said it was okay to come back, I saw that his appearance was healthier. The problem was this: he was still skinny. Still, he was looking better. I think that was the first step for him at the moment.
Right now, though, I needed to feed him, but with controlled meals. If I fed him too fast, he could die from eating too much at once.
"Hey, George?"
"Yeah?"
"I received a lot of coins from helping you," I said. "Didn't I promise to give you some of my donations?"
***
After he invested coins into Strength and Stamina, his muscles began to inflate a little bit. I let him rest for a bit, but we began our trek shortly.
"Ugh, Ethan, where are we going?"
"We are going to the mall. We need better items."
[Constellations from the 1980s love the mall and shopping!]
"But first, we'll eat."
"What is there to eat around here?" he asked.
"There are multiple plants around us." I pointed to some ashy stalks and said, "Such as those."
No one really knew, but life would always adapt. These stalks were actually heat-resistant, and had edible goo and plant matter within them. Smarter Incarnations actually found this out, and became self-sustainable. They would use the goo as a form of sunblock to resist the heat, and would use the seeds as grain. Sadly, this was in a different regression point, somewhere in the hundreds. Right now, it was the [Third] turn of [Regression.]
I was going to change that though. It was time to harvest and cultivate some plants.
***
After George and I fed ourselves, we began to cut down some of Low-Grade-Ash Stalks, as they were formally called by the author of TWSA. They were quite abundant. They fed off the blood of ground rats and Kruks, and grew with the help of thermal energy. They had high protein, and were a little sweet.
George and I cut the stalks open with some bone-knives. We did it until we piled hundreds of them.
"What are we doing with this?"
"We are going to keep some for ourselves, but I'll sell some."
"You can do that?"
"You can too; it's within the settings of your attribute windows. Just think the command or say it aloud."
After I said this, they began to do so.
"Also, George... you know about how some Constellations are kind of creepy, right?" I said this while staring towards the sky.
[Constellations are glaring at Incarnation "Ethan Nakamura."]
"Find their names and block them. The Dokkaebi may ban them."
***
It was night time. The red-sun finally descended, and the surrounding area cooled somewhat. It wasn't a substantial amount, but it was something.
Currently, I was writing in a notebook while George slept. I couldn't let them see what I was writing.
[A Farmer's Almanac]
[Written by: King of Chaos and Revenge]
It was cringey to propagate my own nickname, but I needed to become more famous, or "infamous."
Plus, I would earn coins, while also de-escalate the current conflicts in my area. If everyone was focused on buying the grains and food that I placed on the Dokkaebi Shop, then they would be too busy farming.
I would earn massive amounts of coins, while also making my enemies preoccupied. I never bothered myself with modern politics, but I couldn't help but feel entertained as I manipulated the scenes.
I opened the Dokkaebi Communication with Herald.
+
[Hey, you haven't been checking in as much.]
[...]
[...]
[Dokkaebi Herald has entered the chat!]
[They have sent 5000 coins for your commission!]
[Hey, I'm here,] they finally sent.
[Where have you been?]
[There was some probability checks at the Dokkaebi Bureau. Probability was being questioned, so low-grade Dokkaebi - such as me - were called to file some probability reports.]
[So the Dokkaebi Bureau is basically the IRS?]
[Yes. Probability checks and reports are needed. It's like filing a tax report. I have good credit though.]
[I'm glad to hear that,] I sent back.
[I see that you have found George Machen?]
[Yes. You blew a hole into the brain of their comrade, didn't you?]
[They tried to grab me. It's basically self-defense. It's within the Dokkaebi Rights Clause.]
[Well, they may become triggered if they see you. When people are traumatized, they need therapy, and they need to separate themselves from their problems.]
As I sent this message, I looked at the dark city, and heard the roaring of monsters in the distance.
[Sadly, that won't be possible for George at the moment. I seek to make him a companion. Like a party member in a MMORPG.]
[I see. Also, The Black One, Flames of Muspellheim is pleased that you are using his stigma.]
[Why doesn't he send me a message himself?]
[He's preparing for upcoming personal scenarios. You seem to know a lot, but I'll tell you. He will send you on a quest to retrieve the Sword of Summer, which used to belong to the Constellation "Health and Good-Weather."]
[Frey, right?]
[Yes. If this proceeds, you will be able to fight against the Aesir and the Vanir.]
[Uhh... Ethan?]
[What is it?]
[Do you remember when we signed the contract together, and how I tried to take a peek at your attributes behind your back?]
[Yeah, you were pretty obvious about it though.]
[Well, you payed me a lot of coins to do the same to Mathew McFarland, but...]
[Spit it out.]
[I've checked periodically, but all of sudden, I can't see his attribute window anymore.]
"WHAT?!!" I stood up from where I sat.
[What the fuck do you mean by that?!] I sent angrily.
[Hey, language. Also, I know what I said. I can't access his attributes window.]
This couldn't be... unless....
[I'm going to disconnect for the night,] I sent.
[Okay, I'll play informercials for you. You'll have some privacy for you and George.]
[Dokkaebi Herald has disconnected the channel.]
+
I clenched my fist in anger.
(Fragment of the 4th Wall?)
[Ye p I ' ll pr e pa re your Ang er attr i bute .]
With their confirmation, I checked on George and saw that they were still asleep.
(I hope I'll be able to wake up from this,) I thought silently.
I climbed another building, until I reached the top of it. I walked towards the ledge, and saw the hard asphalt awaiting me. It was so dark right now, so the ground below appeared as if it was a dark void. The air wasn't fresh, but it was all I had. I breathed it in. I stepped off the ledge and-
fell to the ground below.
***
Music was playing all around mind, trying to deafen me.
"~My patience running thinner on this melting clock Cerebrum jailed with thoughts most would consider rot To think you're any different from an animal A creature, sick, as you should be put down But I can't help myself~"
(AHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!)
[I ' ll sh ift the dre am, wa it!]
(AHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH!!!!!)
***
I was in a new place. I saw a crimson colored meteorite...
(Disaster Ignir? No... this isn't Anguk Station...)
I looked around my surroundings, and saw evergreen trees. This... this was still Washington. If this was true... the Disaster of Lasers, from the Planet [Refraction.] I looked all around me. There was water nearby... some harbors... some old boats... and sea leviathans...
(The Puget Sound...) I thought. (It's along the coast of the Puget Sound, within Seattle!!)
I clenched my fist. I have to find it.
***
My dream shifted. I saw Mathew McFarland. He was leveling up his flag. The navy blue became a deeper color.
[St ar ing th rou gh sp ace and tim e... t he pa st,] Fragment of the 4th Wall told me.
[Wa it... no....]
[You have encountered another Fragment of the 4th Wall!]
[The Fragments are resonating!]
(What the hell is this!!) I thought. The dream was shaking.
I stared at the Mathew McFarland of the past. They killed someone and-
[Character "Mathew McFarland" has inherited a Fragment of the 4th Wall!]
(What is this...? The future?) they thought. (I can see it...?)
[Kill other Fragment holders or have them willfully give you the other Fragments to complete the 4th Wall!]
The dream cut out, like a TV that was unplugged.
***
I was in a new place. I saw a small boy, traversing the apocalyptic terrain, screaming for his parents.
"MOMMY!!! DADDY!!! PLEASE!!!"
Tears and snot ran down their face.
[You have encountered another Fragment of the 4th Wall!!]
[Preston Doyle has a Fragment of the 4th Wall!!]
(How does a little kid...)
"Excuse me, are you lost?" a silky voice asked the young boy.
(No... not them...)
"Do you know where my -hic- mommy and daddy are?" the young boy sobbed.
"No, but I can help you," the voice said in response.
(CLEAR UP THE DREAM!!!)
[Tr yin g!!]
I saw the dream more clearly. I saw the woman who was approaching the young boy. The future... it was distorting. It was one of the Ten American Evils...
It was Natalie Garcia. She was a Ten Evil named-
(The Tamer of the Wolf.)
***
I woke up. The morning was coming. I needed to grab George now. We needed to head to the mall, and gain items. Or else.
