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[The Distinguished Mr. Rose] Chapter 5: The Orientation From Hell
🕑 Added 2025-01-30 00:55:36 +0000 UTCThe group didn’t say a word—they couldn’t. Mili looked seconds away from throwing up, eyes shaking and face draining of color, while Marco stood still like a stone statue. There was a tremble in his fist, a deep boiling anger, but even so there was nothing he could do. No one to take his rage out on.
There was only the message window and its command: ‘Eliminate all enemies.’
“... This can’t be right,” Jack muttered, frantically examining the rest of the room for something, anything, that could possibly serve as the true foe. But there was none. Only the little girl, the poor child trembling whilst bound and gagged, remained. “I don’t—where’s the monster? A goblin, slime, hell I’d even take an orc.”
While the party was busy struggling with their disbelief, another message appeared. Its intent was very clear.
>[30 minutes remain]<
Time was ticking. Every second that passed did so slowly, agonizingly, goading them along to commit the unforgivable.
The veins on Marco’s face bulged, and he tried to swipe at his message window - in vain. His hand simply passed through without any resistance. “I’m gonna to kill this son of a bitch. What kind of monster would set somethin’ like this up?”
No matter how much he shouted his frustrations, there was no changing reality.
“... Wait, I get it now,” Jack said, his voice increasingly desperate. “The girl’s not real. Yeah, it must be a mimic or a shapeshifter waiting for us to let our guard down! I mean, it—it doesn’t make sense. Didn’t the system say all of humanity was dragged into this game? Why would they sacrifice some random kid for this?”
It was a reasonable assumption, one that Mili began to warm up to, but Lucius could tell that deep down inside they didn’t really believe it. To think of the girl as a monster… it was an excuse. A cover. A pathetic pretense to justify their actions. They wanted to be absolved of blame and delude themselves no matter how far-fetched that this was not their fault.
Only Marco chose to confront their cowardice.
“What could a monster possibly do looking like that…?” he asked, tone rising in anger as he glared at the other two. “Don’t give me that garbage. Can ya really be sure all of mankind’s become a player or whatever crappy brand they’re labeling us as?”
Jack was silent.
“No. No you can’t. Truth is none of us know, and we could argue and bicker about this all day, but I choose to believe in what I see. And that, right there, is an innocent girl who doesn’t know any better.”
Although Marco had been rather amiable during their brief time together, this was one matter he refused to yield on. There was a weakness in his expression when he glanced at the girl, and upon a closer look, Lucius saw something hiding underneath all the pity and concern.
Regret. It was regret towards a memory only Marco knew.
“I bet whatever sick freak’s up there is gettin’ their kicks off to this, but I’m not playin’ into it,” he continued. “There are some things a man can never come back from. The moment you cross that line, you lose yourself, and you start thinkin’ dangerously. You’ve got no morals anymore, no regrets, nothing to keep you grounded, and when that happens? You become scum no better than a worm. So no, I’m not even entertainin’ the thought of slaughtering some poor kid. If I have die ‘cause of that, then so be it.”
There were not many in this world resolute enough to die for their beliefs. Marco was a rare breed of man; he already lived life as the truest version of himself. There was no need for Lucius’s pruning… however, it’s inevitable that one’s nature would clash with another. Marco wished to sacrifice himself—a certain someone did not.
“You think I want to do this?” Jack said, burying his face in his hands. “I get it already, you have a heart of gold, so noble, really brings a tear to my eye. But Marco… what about us?”
>[20 minutes remain]<
“Are you saying we all should die together or something?”
Marco winced and looked away. “Even so, we’re adults, Jack. It’s our duty to look after the young ones.”
But to that, Jack responded with a bitter laugh. “She’s probably going to get disposed of either way. Call me a worm or whatever the hell you want, but admit it—you’re the selfish one here. You can’t just expect people to throw their life away and become martyrs at the drop of a hat. I don’t…”
Jack’s voice trembled, and he took a long, deep breath before continuing.
“I don’t want to die, Marco. I don’t want to die. I’ve gone through so much shit in my life, and for it all to end here… it’d be like some sick joke. You can be a hero all you want, but do it alone. Don’t condemn the rest of us.”
The two men regarded each other awkwardly for some time, neither one sure how to proceed next, and no wonder—there simply was no good answer for their predicament. Mili had no room to interfere, and even if she could, the musician looked too dejected to say a word. She merely picked at her guitar and stared off into space, eyes devoid of light.
In the midst of their tense stalemate, Lucius took a step, and he approached the girl.
“Why hello there, my dear,” he said, unwrapping the gag on her mouth. As for her blindfold, he chose to leave it untouched; there were some things better not seen. “Please forgive us for all the noise.”
Soon, the girl began to sob with all the force her little body could muster. She thrashed in her bindings, shook, trembled, and wailed until her cheeks were covered in snot, but even so Lucius did not leave her side. He rubbed her back and stayed close, comforting her by being a presence she could lean on.
“There, there, let it all out. Everything will be alright.”
Eventually, her voice became hoarse. Only muffled, shaky sputters were croaked now, but even though the girl was still frightened, she quelled her tears and sucked in her breath, doing her very best to calm down.
Lucius saw in her a courage that surpassed even the most stoic of adults. To that, he could only give his highest respects.
“You’re a strong one. Stronger than even me.” He chuckled, pulled out a handkerchief, and gently wiped at her face.
The girl squirmed at first, but eventually she relented and allowed Lucius to continue. “T-Thank you…” she said.
“Anytime, my dear. It is an honor to be of help towards a young miss such as yourself. Ah, but how rude of me! I have yet to even introduce myself. My name is Lucius.”
She giggled, voice still a little raspy, and blew her nose into the handkerchief. “I’m Mari.”
“Well, it is very nice to meet you Mari. Would it be okay if I asked some questions? You can refuse anytime you like; I don’t wish to bring up any unwanted memories if you’re not ready.”
Despite her hesitation, Mari nodded and put on a brave face.
>[10 minutes remain]<
“Thank you,” Lucius said. “Do you remember how you got here? What about your parents?”
The others were starting to get antsy, and they glanced at Lucius, confused on what he was attempting to do. Jack even started to take a step forward, but the gentleman stopped him with a firm raise of his hand.
“T-The sky,” Mari muttered. “Mom got sucked into the sky, and dad, and the neighbors.”
“And what about you?”
Her lips wobbled, and her breathing sped up. “I couldn’t fly like them. I jumped and tried to follow, but it didn’t work. They left me alone. And then… and then there was a screen, and it said I wasn’t quali… quali…?”
“Qualified?”
“Yeah. And then it was very dark. It’s still dark.”
“I see, it must’ve been scary.”
“It was.”
“Are you still scared?”
“A little.”
Lucius patted her head. “At the very least, I am here for you.”
His words seemed to soothe her. Mari sunk into her seat and relaxed, letting exhaustion take hold as her voice ever so softly grew drowsy.
>[5 minutes remain]<
“Mister Lucius?” she asked.
“Yes?”
“Is this a bad dream?”
“... Indeed it is.” Sometimes, a little white lie was more comforting than the truth could ever be. “When you wake up, you shall be right back with your family.”
“That’s good. I don’t like this dream very much. Can you sing me a song so I can wake up faster?”
“Of course, my dear. What would you like?”
“Have you seen The Wizard of Oz?”
Lucius smiled, and cleared his throat. “Say no more, I know exactly what you mean.”
Without another word, Lucius broke out into a wonderful rendition of Over the Rainbow. He sang with a voice rich and clear, sweet like honey yet dashing all the same—yes, it was a voice that could put even professionals to shame. He sang to Mari with his dulcet tones, and when her breaths began to slow, and her heart thumped less and less, he sang to her still.
He sang until she finally drifted off into a warm, pleasant dream. Forever.
*EXP + 1!
>[Congratulations! Player Lucius Rose has eliminated the enemy. The first Orientation will now conclude. All remaining players must proceed to the next room]<
