Proud to be a Sheep
Act II: Chapter 3
A few days ago, we got into a "V-22 Osprey," or so Echo said proudly. I personally didn't care about the name as much as I did how amazing it looks. We arrived in Ailbhe, and went straight to the City of Augustine, a religious city that serves the God 'Yalbadaoth.' And if the name isn't creepy enough, it's said that he's the God of Humans, but more specifically, the God of Flesh.
"Body, Etsuko. Human body." Echo said he held a bucket full of Draco blood. Dracos are similar to wolves, both in appearance and behavior. They hunt in packs and use their devil-like horns as a means of engaging their prey. They first began by exerting flames throughout their body when they attacked, creating a flame mane to protect themselves. We into a couple throughout our journey, and unfortunately, they picked the wrong target.
Echo was insanely strong. In my eyes, he fights like he's the main character of one of those "I got isekaid in an alternate world where I'm now the strongest assassin hiding my true powers" mangas. Except for the fact that he's actually realistic. No bullshit like screaming before striking, no extending fights more than necessary, no chivalry. All survival. He fights smart; some may call it dirty, but I'd call it efficient. Plus, there's no such thing as "dirty" in a fight for life and death. Almost makes me wonder how he lost to Tago.
"Flesh is too… weird. Anyways, try using this as ink. Let's see what happens." said the anime protagonist.
"Okay, one sec', let me empty it out first," I replied. Echo gave me a new set of clothes, a plain white shirt, a pair of black joggers, and a pair of extra black tactical combat boots they had to spare. We've been testing out the pen's capabilities in the backyard parking lot of the motel for the past two days. When we first arrived at the giant city walls, the guards immediately knew who we were. Apparently, Tan's squad is well known, and Donald didn't like how it was "Tan's" when, in reality, no one owned it.
"Wow… So it really just writes with whatever it got filled with, huh?" Echo and I tested it with water, milk, human blood, monster blood, and many more. It really just seeps in whatever liquid it touches with its tip.
"More like whatever it sucks in, but yeah…" I need to research more useful liquid substances. With the right liquid, my imagination might be my only weakness. As well as knowledge.
Echo noted our two main findings,
The pen can construct anything I draw, but that doesn't mean I can create anything and everything at will. If I want to create a gun, I would need to draw the gun itself, its components, gunpowder, bullets, and the rest needed to make and use a gun.I can create an image of anything, but I cannot change the chemical components or the look of my ink. For example, I can not create an iron sword. Why? Simply because my ink is currently made out of Draco blood. It's hard, harder than human blood, yes, but still less durable than iron. Also, there's the fact that it's red, which is very far off from the silvery-grey iron has.
There's actually one more finding I haven't told Echo about yet, and perhaps Echo himself is even hiding from me. When I used the blood of a Draco, the ink was actually firey hot. As hot as a living Draco. I tried learning about the heat, increasing and decreasing its temperature as a Draco would(they adjust to weather and climates). And after a while, I got the hang of it. I shouldn't try controlling the ink, but rather control the pen. The ink serves the pen, and the pen serves me.
That led me to an idea. If I were to get my hands on the blood of a God, would it give me the ability of whatever the God had? Certainly, it works in theory, but there are many factors to consider, but it's a fun thought. The thought excites me, I can imagine if I had the power of Yalblabla… The animes I watched, the books I've read, the characters that were only in 2D… They could all come to reality! I could make a carbon copy of–
"Wipe your grin off, boi. We're gonna meet the Priest. Get ready and look as pathetic as possible." I really appreciate how Echo cuts me off the moment the devil takes over me.
"Alright, don't need to do much then!"
I got myself ready with minimal preparation, making myself look clean but very much pathetic. We began walking from the hotel we were staying at and passed by the Cathedral.
The thought of having Yalmama's blood really occupied my brain… If I were to get hold of his blood, maybe it'd be useless since it could just stay red regardless… But then, how did the blood of a Draco change? I can only hope, but I seriously wish there was blood out there capable of changing not only appearance, but also its chemical composition.
I got excited and started grinning again… I really hate myself for being god-awful at hiding my expression. The more genuine it is, the harder it is to control, which makes sense, but the problem lies with me.
I am quite a shitty person with shitty desires. I act as if I care about people. I do, but it's not the person I truly care about. It's the story they bring me, the love they give me, the appreciation they have towards me. The thought that I am only happy with the person if they are happy with me makes me realize how ingenuine I am. I am as fake as the smile the priest standing in front of me is giving. And as fake as the barber who cut his hair. You got butchered, my brother. And I shall pray for you.
"It's nice to see you again, Echo." Said the priest with a bowl cut and a gaping empty spot on the top of his head.
"Yes, it's nice to see you again. We're also pleased to inform you that the mission was a success. Tago is captured and is currently in our custody." I actually wonder if the blood held out that long. It didn't seem to have a timer for all we knew, but then again, we didn't test its longevity to see if it lasted for over a week.
He lets out a pleased chuckle, making his Vector-like hair(but somehow worse) bounce, "I knew I could count on your squad. May I ask who this is?" The priest asked, leading his hand to me. It looks like he's reaching his hand out for me, but he's barely stretching it out.
"We picked him up on the way. We met him in the hospital. He's the only survivor of his peers. He also gave us crucial assistance in capturing Tago." Either Echo is hiding the fact that I captured Tago because I could get experimented on as the time-traveling owner of the 3D Fountain pen, or he doesn't want his squad's name to get sullied. Either way, I understand and appreciate him. I especially appreciate the fact that he even thought of giving me credit.
"I see, nice to meet you, boy." He smiled, this time reaching his hand out for a handshake. Something about this man really reminded me of myself. It wasn't just how calculated his way of speaking was, or how his smile didn't waver whatsoever, making it obvious he was doing it consciously, aware, fake. No. It's more than that. There's a reason why people like us act the way we do. It's 'cause we're weak. And we need to please the strong.
I shook his hand, gave him the same smile he gave me, and went our way to the small police department building. One by one, we got welcomed to the report room, at least to Echo it was. But to me, it was an interrogation room. Reminds me of my research defense, which wasn't that long ago. To me, at least…
After Echo was done, it was my turn to go in. The room had a small table with 2 chairs opposite one another. It had a glass wall next to the door we went through to get it. The glass wall was obviously a see-through wall, with how tinted and out of place it was. It's literally like one of those interrogation scenes in movies. Only thing missing is Batman walking in and screaming, "WHERE IS SHE—"
A tall blonde woman walks in, "Name?"
"Ah– Etsuko Nokori"
"Age?"
"16," Times seven hundred, maybe. Plus, she really just questioned me the moment she walked in. She hasn't even sat down yet.
"16, huh? How did a young boy manage to 'capture' Tago? Tell me you're story." Cold, steady, and controlled, with an even pitch and measured pace. It's clear she's indifferent about my situation, maybe even suspicious. No. Maybe this is just how they're trained? It's hard to tell with soldiers, but for now, stick to the script.
I told her the things we planned, "I was from a small town in the King of Pride's land, Roxas. When the Red Rising incident happened, our family got…" and there, the bullshit began.
The Red Rising was a little event a God called Jayia gave the King of Pride's people for being 'egotistical' and 'ingrates.' Though realistically speaking, I think it was the King of Pride's fault pissing her off. Apparently, he looked down on her, disregarding her words and not listening to her during the attempted peace treaty meeting between the Carmuts and the Gods. The sun changed its color from a dazzling yellow-white to a desert sunset. But it was nothing beautiful. Most of the red didn't come from the sun's glow, it came from the blood of the people. Monsters grew stronger, the climate became steaming hot and dry, and the water from lakes and rivers evaporated, making it nearly impossible to live in the city. They had to leave.
The King didn't bow down to the Gods, he didn't ask for forgiveness, nor did he listen to the people's pleas. Instead, he stood proud, saying he would handle the situation and that he would kill a God if he had to. But the people doubted him. He was full of himself. After researching about him, I came to think that although he's a Carmut, he wasn't anything impressive.
During the peace treaty meeting, he seemed like he was the type of person who scans a book, does not analyze it, and claims to 'know' about the contents of the book. The videos about him make me think that he's the type of person who would 'learn' and 'study' something for 15 minutes, and do it for the sake of seeming smart, not because they would actually try to learn. A dogmatic person who never likes to back down from an argument until they have a sweet spot to hide in to seem 'not entirely wrong.' The type who would argue with "Just read this" or "You should study more," without actually being able to explain it properly. In other words, I think I was wrong about him. Pride without substance is pride not worth having at all.
He does not deserve to be the King of Pride.
My interrogation went without trouble at all, thankfully. Echo, Donald and I were able to pretty much think of every question the lady had. She didn't ask about the pen(Thank God), but she did ask for details about my family. I figured she'd ask me something similar to that, and I almost instinctively gave her my real family's details but stopped midway. They don't exist anymore. So I just told her I grew up in an orphanage.
I walked out of the room, closed the door behind me, and as I was turning, I felt my heart clench. My eyes widened as they helplessly followed two people walking next to each other. One was a hooded girl with a very light complexion. But the highlight was the skinny guy next to her, around 5'9 ft, with jet-black wavy hair long enough to reach his nose. The middle part of his hair made his hollow eyes visible, but no one could question his good looks regardless. This handsome emo felt more than familiar…
Sharp and refined. High, prominent cheekbones. A jawline so sharp it could knock you out if you hugged him, and a chin slightly pointed, adding an angular facial structure. Large, expressive, and almond-shaped eyes with well-shaped eyebrows that frame his face, almost covered by messy, curly hair. And lips that are full and naturally curved... This is exactly how I drew Einar.