The Distinguished Mr. Rose Chapter 5: Chapter 5: The Orientation From Hell

Read chapter 5 of The Distinguished Mr. Rose by QuiteTheSlacker on NovelPedia.

Chapter 5: The Orientation From Hell The 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 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.