Chapter 53: Episode 8-Toys Are Great (5)
I remembered my promise and made my decision. I was an evil person who deceived, murdered, and lied, but I didn't want to be a person who broke their word. Once honor is broken, there's nothing left.
I rushed forward and used my left hand to grab the blood-soaked collar of the flare zombie. Using my right hand, I grabbed a tuft of the creature's hair and yanked as hard as I could. I tugged the ghoul from Rupert Williams.
(Thank god I always wear black latex gloves...)
Even with my gloves, I could still feel the mangy, grimy texture of the hair and the damp blood absorbed in it. I pried the flailing, growling monster, and Rupert crawled away and gasped for breath.
(This is risky.)
I turned the zombie towards me. Our faces were inches away from each other. It ignored me completely and struggled in my grasp. All of its attention was focused on Rupert, who was leaning against a podium.
(It's confirmed. The infected ignore me because I'm no different than them.)
I wasn't a full flare zombie because I kept my conscious mind. It was due to the Fragment of the 4th Wall, which protected my psyche from the virus. After accepting this truth, I used my shoe's heel to stomp the back of the zombie's knees. It roared out in protest, so I let it go. Instead of charging towards Rupert in full force, it collapsed and scrambled on the ground like a fish out of water.
I crouched above its body, and firmly placed my hand on the zombies chin. I placed my other hand on the top of it's head. I've never done this before, but I had to try.
-!Crack!-
I successfully snapped the zombie's neck. Using some broken glass I found, I pierced the nape and threw the infected corpse off our level. It crashed onto the ground-level below with a thud. I turned my attention back to Rupert.
"I'm not going to bother asking if you have any bites. People never tell the truth if they're bitten. Rupert Williams, I command you to go into this storefront and strip down."
***
After scarring my eyes from seeing Rupert's old man bod, I confirmed that he wasn't bitten anywhere.
"You're lucky. You didn't get bit at all. Your uniform protected you."
I saw the grey uniform of a Confederate soldier crumbled on the ground. I felt compelled to ask a question I was afraid to be answered.
"Rupert... do you believe in Confederate ideals?"
As I passed his clothes back to him, he paused and pondered this question.
"No."
"Is that the truth? I order you to tell me the truth."
"It is the truth."
"Then how did you become a soldier for your group?"
"I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I chose the wrong sponsor and the wrong person became the king in our area. Then I was given the responsibility of leading a bunch of young men and women in battles."
"Why did you choose your sponsor? How?"
"I saw the 'defender' in the name. I thought it was a good choice."
It was easy to be tricked by modifiers in the Star Stream. Some names were akin to riddles and needed deciphering. Rupert probably chose his sponsor because of the positive connotations of the word "defender."
"What were you before the Apocalypse?"
This was a touchy subject to ask. The present was painful and the past was a reminder of better times. Still, I needed to know.
"I was a teacher for Civil War history. I worked in Pennsylvania, but came here to visit my grandchildren. I was also a Civil War reenactor."
This piqued my interest.
"Who would you play?"
"Some basic infantry soldiers. But I would also..." Rupert paused again as if wondering if he should utter what he was about to say. He didn't elaborate any further.
"Well, if you're not comfortable, so be it. I'll give you some privacy."
I turned my back to him and was ready to step out of this store, until I heard something.
"Why did you save me?"
I stopped dead in my tracks.
"..."
"I answered some of your questions. Now answer mine. Why? Why didn't you let me die?"
"Because it was in the deal we made. I would spare your life for information. You gave me what I wanted. I have to uphold my end of the deal."
My statement followed with cold, tense silence.
"I can't forgive you for what you did," Rupert said with a tremble in his voice. "Even if there is heaven and hell... it doesn't make it any easier. You didn't feel guilty for what you did to us. For killing so many of us. I could tell. Still... thank you."
I didn't turn back to look at him. I simply stood in the doorway of this store, thinking of what to say. I couldn't think of anything persuasive or fancy.
"No problem. Come on out when you are ready."
After saying my piece, I took my exit, only to see people coming towards me.
"Ethan!!"
I saw George and the other men rushing over here.
"We heard gunshots! What happened?"
"We were attacked by Flare zombies. Our earlier fire fight attracted them. We need to prepare ourselves."
"Alright."
I addressed every man and stared each of them in their eyes.
"Are you adequately rested? Fed? Do you need medical attention?"
"No."
"I'm good."
"Let's get on with it."
I turned my attention to George.
"How about you?"
"I'm... fine."
I sighed.
"Well, that's good enough. Everyone! It's time! We will be attacking the dungeon!"
(It's time to kill the Toy Master,) I thought gravely.
***
The only sound in this mall was our shoes smacking against the linoleum-tiled ground. We kept our mouths shut as we traversed this environment - our muteness added to this tense atmosphere. I broke it by speaking out.
"The toy store is up ahead. We need to take a right."
I walked in front of this march, so I was the first to turn the corner. That meant I was the first to see the adversaries up ahead.
(So many of them.)
Over a dozen flare zombies were moving idly.
"I will dispatch them."
(I need to kill those Flare zombies quickly. If these men find out I'm an infected person...)
I shoved these thoughts away and focused at the task on hand. I pulled my cavalry saber from its sheathe, which made a -!shing!- sound as I did. The flare zombies took notice of my presence but proceeded to ignore me.
(You won't after this.)
With inhuman speed, I charged forward and cut each flare zombie down one by one. I aimed for their necks, limbs, and heads. I felled each one in quick succession until they were nothing but unmoving body parts on the floor. After I was done, I heard someone mutter "Jesus Christ."
"Here it is."
I stared at the grandiose, double-door entrance. The entire storefront was made from glass, so it was easy to see inside if you could ignore the reflection. I saw the shelves full of items. Each one came from a fictional setting. Typically, those toys would have no value in reality. They were only imitations, empty vessels that represented greater power. They weren't in a universe in which they were plausible.
(But this life suddenly had one of my favorite novels come to life.)
Constellations, Demon Kings, and Dokkaebi appeared. The story I read unfolded before my eyes, and I was thrust into a new world that should've been trapped within the boundaries of fiction. Society was turned upside down and the meanings of value followed suit.
"This is it, boys. The moment of truth."
I dug into my pocket, turned on my phone, and opened the TXT. File. I fished for the information concerning the Toy Dungeon and read the description written by the author.
-[Within the depths of the mall lay a modest toy store. If the introduction of Star Stream didn't happen, then that business would've carried on as peacefully as it could. It would've been adorned in festive decorations for the coming Christmas. The items inside would remain as playthings for children - they would never have the chance to be A-grade items, enchanted by the existence that resided in it.
Alas, Star Stream did come to Earth. The impossible became possible. Monsters and magic - notions that belonged to myths - became reality. A simple toy store became a dungeon, housing treasure and peril.]-
That was the end of the passage.
(Damnit. It's only a vague paragraph. There's no information about the toy master. His behaviors, attack patterns, abilities, there's nothing. Zilch.)
I turned off my phone and tucked it into my jacket. I gripped my sword while pulling the handle of the entrance door open. As I did, I saw the scenario contents.
+
[Hidden Scenario-Toy Dungeon]
Category: Hidden
Difficulty: A
Time Limit: None
Rewards: 60,000 coins, Two Items
Failure: Death?
Overall Evaluation: You must kill the Toy Master to animate the items and make them eligible for taking. If the Toy Master isn't killed, any items taken from the dungeon will no longer function. If you enter the dungeon, it is possible to escape.
+
I read it carefully.
"Did all of you read it?"
I received many "yesses."
"Then we're going in."
I stepped inside and held it for everyone else to enter. I let the door go and it slowly shut itself into place. All of us stood idly at the entrance, waiting.
"Shouldn't something be happening?" One man asked.
"I don't know."
The store was dim inside and became dimmer when you ventured further in. The shadows uneased me - I imagined hidden dangers springing out like cacodemons.
"Everyone, get into position and spread out," Rupert ordered.
Every man looked at me, hesitant to follow Rupert's orders. Regarding this situation, I actually had higher authority since I controlled them. I nodded in affirmation, giving them permission to proceed. They raised their rifles and started to sweep through the store.
"George, stay with me."
We went down an aisle. I saw the myriad of action figures belonging to different fandoms; Star Wars, Teenage Mutant Turtles, Minecraft, etc. George and I went to the end of the aisle, where we encountered the rest of our temporary comrades. We delved further, but once we made it to the back of the store, we saw everyone unscathed.
"There's nothing here? Shouldn't there be a boss?"
I thought about it.
"Let's return to the entrance and think of a plan. Maybe there's a clue or a trigger that we missed."
We walked back to our starting point, only to see a figurine placed in front of the doors. It was completely innocuous, but its sudden appearance gave me a sense of dread.
"Did someone put it there? Is this a joke?"
I glared at each man, but they denied it. I clenched my sword and slowly approached the displaced figurine. As I drew closer, I saw it clearly.
(Fortnite?)
It was a Fortnite toy. I never liked the game, nor did I play it, but even I recognized the character. It was that Banana man. It had its pickaxe in one hand and held its rifle in the other. It had a big ol' smile on its face paired with black eyes, which should've made it look cute. I only felt creeped out. I bent down to pick it up, but as I did, I heard everyone gasp and raise their rifles.
(Damnit. This was a trap, wasn't it?)
"Ethan," George said, "back away slowly and come over here."
I was looking down to the ground, so I couldn't see what was looming over me.
(Shit. We were too focused on what was in front of us. We didn't check above.)
"George!"
"Y-yeah?"
"It's above me, isn't it? It's crawling on the ceiling like those black-haired girls in white gowns from horror movies, right?"
"Y-yes."
-!!Whoosh!!-
The second I received confirmation, I threw myself backward while simultaneously ejecting flames from my hands. The fire roared out while melting through my gloves. Whatever was above me was crawling like a spider and scurried away to avoid my attack. I scrambled to get up, and I ran back to the group. While that happened, I received multiple messages.
[Warning! Due to your weakened heart, using your stigma will cause further damage!]
[Warning! Due to bodily damage from your stigma, the spread of the flare zombie virus will spread faster!]
The following message showed the ticking time.
(Shit!)
"What did the Toy Master look like?! Tell me!!"
"I-it was this weird spider creature. I couldn't see it."
I received a vague answer from one man. Everyone else ignored my question because they were panicking and staring at the ceiling, waiting for the creature to pounce. It wasn't our only problem, though. New scenario messages flooded my vision, and I could tell I wasn't the only one who received them.
[The dungeon is activating!]
[The Toy Master has noticed your presence!]
[The Toy Master's animation spell is initiating!]
[The animation spell shall apply to four objects and bring them to life!]
[Kill the four semblances and the Toy Master to complete the dungeon!]
[The Toy Master is hidden! Locate and attack the Toy Master while avoiding its subjects' attacks!]
After reading them, I heard the cocking of a gun coming from the entrance. I looked up and saw what made the noise. The Banana man - once tiny - became a two-meter tall replica with a pickaxe slung on its back. Within its grip was an actual rifle. With slow but measured movement, he raised the barrel of his gun towards us and-
"Move, move, move!!"
-shot at us while carrying the same expression when I first saw it.
-!!Dudududududu!!-
"Jesus!!"
"Fuck!!"
"George! George!!"
We scrambled throughout the establishment, ducking for cover while bullets rained overhead.
"George!! Where are you!?"
-!!BANG!!-
A bullet punctured the metal shelf I hid behind and almost blew a hole into my skull. I threw myself onto the ground and crawled. I made it to the end of the aisle and saw George hiding at the next one. I boosted myself up and ran to him.
-!!Dududududu!!-
-!!Dududududu!!-
Shots were fired and my ears were ringing from hearing them. I crouched next to George and scared him shitless when he noticed me.
"C'mon, we have to find the Toy Master!"
I yanked him by his shoulder, and we ran. We skirted the edges of the store, avoiding the Banana man while hoping to find the Toy Master. We ran to the end of it and came across a corner. The set-up of this place was like your local Walgreens - one large square. Because we were on the right half of the shop, I looked to my left and saw the rest of the aisles. I was about to charge forward until I heard something. It sounded like... respirator breathing.
-Kaaaaaa koooooo kaaaaaa kooooo-
Goosebumps erupted from my skin while a chill ran through my back. The breathing was accompanied by the heavy thudding of boots, alluding to the weight of this thing.
(Please, no. It can't be...)
As if to prove me wrong, the person - if you could call them that - emerged from the aisle. Their presence couldn't be called that of a human. It was akin to a living, moving statue. The emotionless mask, the flowing black cape, and the black armor were indistinguishable.
"Darth Vader."
As if to answer my greetings, the Sith Lord pulled his lightsaber from his belt and ignited it.
-!Ksssshhh!-
"George, go back!"
We ran, hoping to retrace our steps, but we didn't run far. I heard two more ignition sounds.
-!Ksssshhh!-
-!Ksssshhh!-
At the other end of the aisle were-
"I can't believe this..."
-the Inquisitors Seventh Sister and Fifth Brother. George and I were pinned from both sides by Star Wars characters. I let out a dry chuckle.
"I know I shouldn't but... I have a bad feeling about this."
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
EnderGolem997
EnderGolem997 Why is Darth Vader here? Because he is cool.
Why is Fifth Brother here? Because he just is.
Why is Seventh Sister here? Because she is also cool.
Why is Star Wars featured in general? I don't know.
Hotel? Trivago.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
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