The forest was still.
The same stream that once was a mix of Arlen's blood and grime now ran clear again.
Arlen stood beside it, his reflection staring back at him. Wet hair pulled behind his head, violet eyes glowing faintly under the soft morning light.
And with a thought alone, he willed the quest back open, and a pale-blue panel came alive.
{
Quest: Containment Protocol
Fifteen of Chief Vale's men, led by Vice-Captain Laro, have entered the forest to investigate the site of the Red Lightning Assimilation.
Objective: Eliminate all intruders.
}
Laro.
The name alone got a snarl out of him.
He remembered that name…
It was the name of the man who kicked him in the head and left him in the dirt beside her.
He remembered waking up in that same dirt hours later.
Night had already come, and most of the crowd was gone.
And her body had become cold with blood, pooling beside him.
He remembered calling for help.
How his voice had cracked and broken and echoed down the empty street.
Rarely would someone walk by.
And they'd go around her dead body as though she was just some dead animal in the middle of the street.
They'd lower their eyes and pretend not to hear or see the broken, crying 10-year-old boy begging for help.
Just help carry her body back home.
But none did...
He remembered trying to lift her, arms shaking, knees buckling under the weight.
He remembered dragging her anyway, as blood soaked through his clothes, smearing his arms, and painting the street behind him in a trail of blood.
He remembered the dirt.
How it scraped under his nails as he dug beside their shack.
How cold and unyielding the soil felt as it ripped the skin from his fingers until they bled.
He remembered the way his tears mixed with the mud and blood until everything was one color.
He remembered every breath. Every sound. Every heartbeat that still felt like it belonged to her.
He remembered every excruciating detail… refusing to forget.
Refusing to forgive.
And now, the system had handed him one of the men who did it.
[Forget the rewards…] He thought as the corners of his lips curled up in a blood thirsty grin.
[…I'll do it for free.]
And a few beats later, he let the smile die.
His thirst for vengeance was the fuel that had fed the fire for five long years, but that's just about all it was.
It didn't equate to the power needed.
So, with just a thought, he popped the shop panel open.
{Shop}
{Buy} {Sell}
He went straight to the {Buy}
{Search: Gun}
-Ding!
{Error: Item category incompatible with Chronos Protocol. Modern firearms unavailable.}
[Of course…]
He tried another angle.
[Search: Bombs]
The results came faster this time as a list of icons unfurled.
[Throwable Firebomb (Common)] — Glass vial, crude fuse. Low blast, high burn.
Price: 12 Credits.
[Alchemic Stun Charge (Uncommon)] — Disrupts muscle control for seconds.
Price: 65 Credits.
[Shrapnel Drum (Rare)] — Metal casing, spikes. Designed for close-range anti-personnel effect.
Price: 220 Credits.
.
.
.
His mouth curled into another smile as the list went on.
And after a bit of scrolling, he found it.
{
Alchemic Incendiary (Uncommon) - Impact-triggered containment charge. Upon collision, the shell ruptures and expels a thermic gel compound that adheres to surfaces. Combustion persists for ten seconds, maintaining 1,200°C minimum burn temperature within a five-meter radius. Resistant to water.
Price: 20 Credits.
Warning: Reckless use may result in severe burns, suffocation, or fatal immolation to the Host. Use responsibly.
}
He stared at it for a long moment, a grin cutting faintly across his face.
He did a quick tally. Ninety-five credits left.
More than enough.
After all, his magic and skill were still useless until his MP grew.
With one single point in MP, he was still that same Trash.
He tapped on the incendiary and added three to the cart. And added a grade 9 healing potion, the lowest kind, just in case.
-Ding!-
{
3x Alchemic Incendiary (Uncommon) = 60 Credits
1x Healing Potion (Grade 9) = 35 Credits
Cart Total: 95 Credits
Purchase? Yes / No
}
He didn't hesitate.
-Ding!
{Purchase Complete. Items added to Inventory.}
The panel faded from view.
Only his reflection remained on the surface of the stream, violet eyes glinting faintly under the morning light.
"Laro… You'll make for the perfect first kill," he whispered.