Fading World ( Part 3 )
"And what if you have already killed him, you fucking psycho!" a young woman cried, clutching a child no older than ten to her chest. Her voice trembled with desperation, but defiance flickered in her eyes as she glared at the enforcer.
The enforcer turned slowly, his expression one of disdain mixed with amusement. "You speak absent thought, bereft of understanding or respect," he replied, his tone cold and dripping with authority. The two prisms floating behind him moved in a slow, ominous manner, a testament to his unyielding power.
In that moment, Jack realized why Aiko had been so terrified of this man. With a chilling smile, the enforcer watched as the prisms snapped to attention, ready to unleash devastation.
He did not hesitate. In a heartbeat, the woman, her child, and those surrounding them were reduced to blood and minced remains as the prisms sprayed them with ammunition.
Jack's heart pounded in his chest, fury and dread warring within him. He wanted to cry out, to stop the slaughter, but the cruelty of it all left him paralyzed. It was a massacre, pure and simple, devoid of mercy.
"I have made attempts at reason, yet the man I seek has shown opposite decision made. Now, time has come to spill human blood upon fucking ground," the enforcer declared, his voice resonating like thunder as the prisms hovered menacingly around him, ready to rain destruction upon the rest of the bunker.
"Stop! I'm the man you're looking for!" Jack blurted out, his instincts screaming at him to act.
The words escaped his lips before he could fully comprehend their weight, and before he knew it, he was on his feet, heart racing.
Hamilton lunged to pull Jack back down, but the enforcer had already turned toward them, an expression of cold curiosity etched on his face.
"Fool!" Hamilton hissed, panic lacing his words. He twitched the fingers of his left hand, desperate to summon Raging Furnace, but felt only the weight of emptiness.
"Declare name," the enforcer commanded, his prisms swirling ominously around Jack's head, a deadly dance of fate.
"Bossman, he is way more powerful than you," Aiko cautioned, her voice laced with urgency, echoing in Jack's mind.
Drawing on the memories of his past battles with the monstrous threats he had faced, Jack steadied himself. He was outclassed, yet he had survived similar encounters. This man, though far more formidable, shared a commonality with those fallen beasts: they all had once been more powerful than him.
"Jack Kamphar," he stated, forcing steadiness into his voice. "And what's yours?"
"I am Ludicrous Caesar," the enforcer replied, each word dripping with ancient weight as he stepped closer, the air thickening with tension. Jack mirrored his movement, heart pounding.
"What do you want from me?" Jack pressed, his confidence gradually swelling.
"Fault lies with another, yet the burden rests upon innocent's soul," Ludicrous Caesar said, his prisms swirling ominously as he studied Jack. "You stand before me, noble yet absent proper power. As deserved reward for courage shown, I shall grant time—until the sun rises tomorrow."
He stepped back, allowing his prisms to dissolve into swirling gray dust, an ephemeral storm that faded into the air, leaving an echo of dread in its wake.
Ludicrous Caesar turned one last time, casting a lingering glance at Jack, a predator momentarily retreating but not vanquished. "Strengthen System in given moment, that we may break equal words upon next encounter," he declared, his tone laced with a promise of violence and conquest.
Then he walked out, leaving behind an oppressive silence that seemed to smother the bunker in fear.
Just as he was about to relax , Jack's System seemingly decided to beef with the cowboy as well.
[
System Quest
Kill Ludicrous Ceaser
Expected Rewards - Summoning Tickets x4 , Points x550 , Forked Viper Fangs x5 , Dread Ghost Bones x10
]
" You've got to be kidding me ," he said looking at the blue screen in front of him , " Aiko , what happens when I decline a quest from the System ?"
Truth be told , now that the enforcer had decided to give him time to level up , Jack had thought of using the chance to flee the city and get as far away from the man as possible.
" Well it's never really one thing. Sometimes the System may decide to overlook it , other times it will throw in punishment for mutiny. Best not to disappoint it Bossman ," she answered , her voice uneasy like someone coming out of hiding but still alert for danger.
Listening to Aiko's counsel and then looking at the aftermath Ludicrous Caesar had left in his wake , Jack didn't know who to fear more between the enforcer and his own System.
He decided to decide later.
It did not take too long for military reinforcements to arrive alongside the mages that Hamilton had mentioned. They had been briefed of the attack incident and had come guns blazing, interrogating everyone who may have even remotely been privy to the scene.
Just as Jack had feared , some of the people in the bunker pointed fingers at him , which brought him the attention of the commander of the platoon himself.
The mages had revamped a clerk's office for the interrogation . Most of the furniture was taken aside save for a wooden table and two seats . Jack sat on one of the chairs, quietly awaiting his interrogation to start.
Taking advantage of the free time , he started making use of the two summoning tickets that he'd gotten from killing the Dread Ghost. He disintegrated them and the blue screen automatically popped up.
[
System Notification
New Artefact
Excalibur - an ancient sword with great durability forged through centuries of war.
Installing new artefacts…
Artefact installed.
New Talent
Flowing Paradise - reduce effective damage sustained from enemy attacks.
Installing new talent…
]
He stifled his frown , having gotten used to the lengthier installation period talents had when compared to artefacts.
"Aiko , how many talents does the System have in total Aiko ?" he asked .
" Aiko thinks that there cannot be a maximum number of talents ,"
" What does that mean ?"
For a man being held in custody during a State of Emergency at the risk of being branded a terrorist , Jack was surprisingly cool and composed.
With the upgrades he was getting from the System , he had started losing appreciation for threats posed by mere humans. And who could blame him after seeing the things he had been beating in the past 24 hours.
" Aiko thinks it's better for her to explain how talents are made first. You see Bossman , Titans live for centuries and in that time come across many great warriors from different worlds.
They clone these warriors for their powers which are manifested as Talents. This is a process that's still on going , so as we speak Aiko is sure that more talents are being added to the System remotely,"
" Does that mean that these Talents are actual living beings inside me ?"
" Aiko sees things as more complicated than that , Bossman. They are more of replications , possessing all of the properties of the original with the exception of originality , free will and a soul ,"
" Are you also like this , Aiko ?" Jack's question hit closer to home than Aiko had expected , causing her to halt her lively yapping for a moment.
" Aiko ?" Jack got a bit worried when she prolonged her silence.