Episode 8-Toys Are Great (3)
In Star Stream, many historical figures became Constellations. An example was Yi Sun-sin, a Korean Admiral who fought against the Japanese Navy during the Imjin War. So, I wasn't surprised to meet an Incarnation of Robert E. Lee.
(There is a problem, though. Robert E. Lee is supposed to be in Virginia.)
Usually, historical Constellations would watch channels that lingered on their original homeland. Robert E. Lee was supposed to have a different Incarnation, down in the south.
(Plus, Anti-Confederacy and Defender of Virginia made a treaty after ascending to Constellation-hood. They would have Incarnations far from each other, on different sides of the U.S. This man-)
I looked at the older man, who was tied up and bound to a chair.
(Is a variable. Still, he is a character.)
[You have used Character List Lv. 4!]
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[Character Summary]
Name: Rupert Williams
Age: 61
Supporting Constellation: Defender of Virginia
Personal Attribute: [General] (Rare), [Actor] (Common)
Personal stats: Strength Lv. 19, Stamina Lv. 20, Agility Lv. 19, Mana Lv. 12
Stigma: [Tactical Defense]
Personal Skills: Crowd Control Lv. 5, Inspirational Speech Lv. 3, Rifle Management Lv. 4, Firefight Lv. 5, Acting Lv. 6, Retreating Lv. 8...
Overall Evaluation: An actor who was fortunate enough to receive a sponsor. He seems to be weak-willed and dislikes fighting and bloodshed.
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I understood how I was able to win. This guy didn't have high stats.
(Why the hell is his retreating skill so high?)
It didn't matter. As of now, this man was strapped to a chair while snoozing away. I walked out of this tiny store and pulled the blinds downward, shutting him in. Once he woke up, I would question him.
(I have to see how George is doing, though.)
We were on the ground floor of the strip mall, hiding from any potential monsters and enemies. We imprisoned eight men in total; we killed twelve collectively. After giving them medical attention, George went somewhere private. I found him quickly. He was sitting in a safe area, reloading his pistol. This safe zone was constructed around a Subway restaurant.
[You have activated Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint Lv. 3!]
I wasn't a therapist. I couldn't mentally heal people. My only talent was killing. So, it hurt to see these messages as I stared at George.
[Character "George Machen" feels remorseful.]
He reloaded his gun with the utmost precision as if trying to smother away his pain with discipline. He poured the gunpowder into each chamber and inserted the bullets using the lever attached to the gun. Every time he reloaded ammunition, I saw a message showing his inner turmoil.
[Character "George Machen" feels guilty.]
He reloaded one bullet.
[Character "George Machen" feels emotional anguish.]
He reloaded another.
[Character "George Machen" feels disgusted with himself.]
George inserted another bullet.
[Character "George Machen" ponders the meaning of justice.]
More gunpowder was used.
[Character "George Machen" feels tired.]
He reloaded every chamber until the pistol was full. It was ironic. The man holding it felt emptier than anything. I was enraptured by the messages, but the last one I saw shook me from my stupor.
[Character "George Machen" wants this suffering to end.]
When I saw that message, I saw George intently stare at his pistol.
"George!!"
I opened the door of the Subway. When George looked at me, I saw the face of a broken man. What the hell could I say? I couldn't say something like "Are you okay?" or "How are you feeling?" I already knew. George was an empathetic human. Humans weren't supposed to fight wars. The most stalwart people who enter battles always come out broken. George wasn't a killer. When he killed those gangsters, I bet he wasn't even lucid enough to know what he was doing. When wanderers tried to kill us, we did out of self-defense, but it was still murder. It still weighed on him. He wasn't a psychopath. He felt the heavy weight of guilt.
"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked.
(Talk about what? How Confederate soldiers just attacked us? How I killed over ten people? How he had to kill people again?)
"No, no. W-we should focus on the task..."
"You can talk to me when you want to, George. I'm here, okay?"
(I have to always reassure him.)
"Okay."
"Let's go look at their supplies."
George nodded and got up.
***
"These guns have shit quality," I deadpanned.
The weapons they possessed weren't well-kept. The barrels of their guns were dirty, the sabers they had weren't well-oiled, which made unsheathing a challenge. They were old and weren't maintained properly. George and I took inventory of our enemies' supplies and spread them out onto the counter of this establishment.
They had ammunition, guns, food, clothing, knives and cooking equipment. I actually found some Campbell soup.
"Nice."
They had a tiny pot stashed in their backpacks, so I took it out, dumped the soup inside, and heated it up with my hand. After a few minutes, the aroma wafted through the air.
"Ethan, really?"
"What? They tried to kill us. They also took some of our food, and that damn gun-fight destroyed our DIY oven."
When the fight was over, I saw the bread loaves scattered on the ground. Truthfully, I would've still eaten them, but decided to loot our adversaries.
"Here, have a bowl."
I poured some of the soup into a paper bowl for George, and I dug further into their backpacks.
"Hey, look at this!! Hardtack!"
I only heard about hardtack from my history classes, but I heard you had to dip the bread into liquids to soften it. I tried chewing on it, but I was confident I would break my teeth before the bread.
(I'll let the hardtack sop up the soup and loosen.)
We ate in silence, but I felt weird for some reason. How could I describe it? Have you ever had that experience after eating fast food from McDonald's? You eat it, but later on, it feels as if the food is slogging through your insides while simultaneously clogging it? I felt sweaty, my body was shivering, and my stomach was cramping as if I was sick. I found out why.
[Due to ingesting the Flare-Zombie virus of a 6-grade demonic species, your biology is changing!]
As if I couldn't feel any worse, I saw this message.
[You are converting to an outside species!]
[Due to the excessive use of your stigma, your heart is damaged!]
[Due to your damaged heart, the virus you ingested is spreading quickly!]
[You will fully morph into an outside species in the following time!]
[(Hours) 119: (Minutes) 39: (Seconds) 59]
"Urk!!"
"Ethan? Are you okay?!"
(Nononononono...)
This wasn't supposed to happen. I thought I would be exempt from the virus. I thought having a flame stigma and having increased stats would boost my immune system. I shot out from the sitting booth and bolted from the Subway. I ran as fast as possible but buckled while vomiting everything I ate.
"Urrgghhh!!"
[Constellation "Egyptian Thought" is staring at you.]
[Constellation "General-Slayer" is staring at you.]
The acid rose from my stomach and burned my throat and mouth. My abdomen contracted again and again, as if I couldn't vomit enough. All the food I ate spilled onto the mall's linoleum floor.
"Ugghhh!!"
I stared at the puke on the ground. Some of it was red. It was my own blood.
"Ugghh..."
"Ethan!! Are you okay?! What's wrong?"
I turned to look at George, but he halted, and stared with shock.
"Ethan... you're eyes. They're yellow."
I looked at the nearest storefront. I saw the glass reflecting my own image. It was horrifying. I saw the black blotch on the right side of my face, and I saw my eyes discoloring. The iris turned yellow, while a red rim blossomed around it. The veins within my eyes turned a dark crimson.
(I need a new heart... quickly...)
Using the flame stigma with a mortal heart would accrue damage overtime. I needed to fight the Disaster of Lasers. First, I had to get a flag. I raised myself from the floor.
"George... It's the virus... when I ate the hearts of the infected - it did something to me."
"Is there a cure?"
"I'll have to look it up. Right now, we have to question our prisoners."
Time was of the essence. I couldn't dilly-dally. I went back to the Subway and destroyed the bowl and spoon I ate with. It was a possible contaminant. After that, I went back to interrogate "Mister Williams."
***
"Wake up."
We were in an electronics store, where Rupert Williams was bound. I didn't know why I did this, but I grabbed the collar of Rupert's jacket and slapped their facial cheeks repeatedly. I didn't slap them too hard, but I could see the flesh turning a little pink.
"Uh... uh."
"Hmph, you're finally awake."
I backed away. George was standing beside me. We would question this man first, then we interrogate the rest. George's truth attribute would help. He would be able to tell if this man was lying or not.
"Uh... AH!!"
He saw us, and eventually realized he was bound. He tried breaking free, but I dissuaded him.
"There's no point. That isn't a normal rope. I bought it from the Dokkaebi Shop. You won't be getting free anytime soon."
He still struggled.
"Okay, let's get this over with. This is an interrogation. First, who are you?"
I already knew the man's identity, but I wanted a person to be truthful and forthcoming. Sadly, this wasn't going smoothly.
"I-I don't have to tell you anything! Let me go!"
I stepped closer to the old man and he saw me clearly. He balked at my appearance. What would he see? The image of a young boy? Or a monster staring down at him? Would he see the eyes of an inhuman in this dark lighting?
"I think I have the right to ask questions, since you are the one who attacked us. Who sent you?"
The minute I asked this, I activated Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint.
[Due to your low understanding of this character, the thoughts will appear fragmented!]
(-Can't tell-)
"You can't tell me something. What is it?"
(-How did he kno-)
"I know a lot of things, Mister Williams."
The tubby man froze when I said his last name. Yes, become flustered. People who panic spill the most secrets.
"A-are you Ethan Nakamura?"
"Maybe I am. You still shot at us. Why did you do it?"
(I can't tell him...)
I heard this thought. I had to make educated guesses.
"It was ordered by your king, wasn't it?"
Rupert paused, but he eventually nodded.
"I know who your sponsor is."
[Constellation "Defender of Virginia" is glaring at you.]
"They're Robert E. Lee."
"H-how?! How did you know?!"
"He sent me a plethora of messages when I attacked you. It's obvious that you're his incarnation."
I stepped closer to Mister Williams, until I was towering over him.
"I also know this. Anti-Confederacy and Defender of Virginia made a treaty to avoid each other. One Incarnation in the south, one in the north. So, why did you attack George and me?"
[Constellation "Anti-Confederacy" wonders how you know about the treaty.]
[Constellation "Defender of Virginia" is questioning your existence.]
"W-wait... he's the incarnation of Anti-Confederacy?" Rupert asked this as he pointed to George.
(He didn't know. That means I was the target.)
"You didn't want to kill George," I guessed. "You were sent to kill me specifically."
I looked to George. This man's answers couldn't be easily seen as lies or truth since he wasn't giving explicit answers.
"Why are you trying to kill me?" I asked.
"I can't tell you!"
This man intended to be tight-lipped. He could've been under an oath that prevented the release of vital information. I needed to provoke the proper thoughts to read. I began to think of questions that would bring the answers to the forefront.
"Your king? Who are they?"
I focused as much as possible, and saw the message. I gripped my fist in rage. So, this man belonged to THAT group.
"Where are they located? Your king and your faction?"
Multiple words flickered in front of my vision. Rupert's mind felt similar to a book being skimmed through. The pages of his thoughts were flying too fast: the words and coherent sentences were hard to discern. I wasn't talented in a lot of areas, but reading was one of my specialties.
(Northwest school...)
I saw these two words. When the scenario system introduced itself on our planet, it converted schools to stations.
(So, that's where they're located.)
"I can't tell you anything! It's pointless!!" Rupert declared.
(No, no, you're telling me plenty,) I thought smugly.
"So, your king put a hit on me. He marked me for death. How does your king know me?"
I never interacted with any kings after I escaped McFarland. It didn't make any sense for someone to hunt me down.
"Kid, I don't know," Rupert said in a exasperated tone.
I had to think carefully. Who would want to kill me? What would this person gain from my death? I smiled. I knew of one person. I would save that question later, though.
"I'm going to take a wild guess. You don't want to kill me, but you were ordered to do so."
I had to think of a contrived cliché. Usually, people will kill others to protect their loved ones. It was a common trope, but a likely one. Rupert's William's family was probably being held hostage by someone.
"Is someone blackmailing you? Does someone have control over your family member's lives?"
Rupert Williams became completely silent. He must've decided that it was better to say nothing to hide his secrets.
"George, may you please leave for a bit?"
George looked down at me with concern and said, "Why? I think it'll be better if I'm here."
"I'll be fine. I just need to have a private conversation with Mister Williams."
George conceded after a moment and nodded. He said, "I'll be questioning the other men."
"Alright. Ask them the questions we went over together."
"Scream if you need any help."
"Don't come if you hear someone else's screams. I'm probably the one causing it."
George chuckled with a melancholic smile, and finally left this safe zone. I turned my full attention towards Rupert. I started speaking, but completely went on a tangent.
"I am not a religious person," I said as I grabbed a chair to sit in. "I'm actually an atheist. It didn't dissuade me from learning about other religions though. When I was younger, I remembered watching this TV channel about Jesus. I'm not too familiar with the bible, but I know one thing: Jesus died for the sins of humanity."
I was fully seated and sat across from Rupert Williams.
"He sacrificed himself and purged the world of sin, allowing anyone who believed in him to go to heaven."
Rupert Williams stared at me with a quizzical and frightened look on his face. The Constellations sent messages.
[Constellation "Savior of Corruption" is interested in your monologue.]
[Constellation "General-Slayer" is wondering where this monologue will go.]
"I have nothing against religion. I respect people's viewpoints. Although, there is one thing I hate about religion: the mindset of "divine intervention." It feels like an excuse. People say things such as "Leave it to God" or "leave it to fate" and "God will fix your problems and grace you." To me, it felt like a lie. Divine intervention felt like an excuse to do nothing - to have no free will of your own. Do you know who believed divine intervention in the Civil War?"
Rupert Williams's expression become more uncomfortable. He shook is head side to side. I smiled gently.
"It was Robert E. Lee."
[Anger Lord has been activated!]
[Deactivate Anger Lord soon to prevent further damage to your heart!]
I hated Mathew McFarland because he would physically abuse his wife and daughter by choking them. Although, I could understand why he would target the throat. It was a vital part that was poorly protected. The brain had the skull. The heart had the ribcage. The throat had nothing. With one hand, I grabbed Rupert Williams's throat and pushed him against the wall. He gurgled and gasped while spittle flew from his mouth.
"Robert E. Lee didn't want to free black people. He believed divine intervention would do so, and wanted to keep them in slavery. A lot of people misquote him, making him appear as some benevolent person. It is a lie."
[Constellation "Defender of Virginia" is glaring at you!]
[Constellation "Defender of Virginia" feels angered by Incarnation "Ethan Nakamura!"]
"You will find that I am not forgiving, Mister Williams. There is only one reason why I haven't killed you: George Machen. I do not wish to burden his conscience. So, I shall lay out a deal for you. Whether you choose to accept or not... it is your choice, but I advise you to do so. Nod if you will agree."
He nodded as best he could.
"Good."
I unclasped my hand from their gullet and told them the deal. I made them swear an Oath of Existence. I finished my questioning and made a few promises. We went over the stipulations and the boundaries in place.
"If you hold your end of the deal, then I will hold mine, Mister Williams."
He agreed and a blue flame nestled in his heart. If he broke the oath, probability would tear apart his body. I visited every soldier we had imprisoned and made similar arrangements. Soon, I was in full control of the people who attacked us.
I approached George and said, "We can finally enter the Toy Dungeon. I've found the perfect army to fight with us."
I would get better items soon. I would also take my first step to attack McFarland. The last question I asked Rupert Williams still echoed in my head and confirmed my suspicions.
***
"Have you ever head the name of Mathew McFarland?"
"N-no..."
(Yes... He was the one that made a deal with our king...)
At that point, I knew who wanted to kill me.
***
As George and I walked towards the Toy Dungeon, eight men trailed behind us.