Evening Game
Chapter 18

Empathy.

If it was true that he helped Chione out of Empathy, it would mean that he could feel what she felt. Maybe seeing her so desperate reminded him of his early days, when he too didn’t understand a thing about this game.

When Mason invited him, when his friends talked to him, were they doing that out of pity, empathy, or something entirely different?

Those thoughts occupied his mind as he went toward the guild. The moment he entered, he glanced at the person standing left of the entrance.

“Early as always.”

He said when he saw her. Chione leaned back on the guild walls, occupying the space left of the entrance, right beside a vending machine. She still wore the same beginner clothing she wore on day one.

“Of course.”

Chione crossed her arms and smirked. Something about her felt colder. Ethan felt a slight awkwardness hung in the air, now that she knew the person behind that hood.

“Umm, should-”

Chione, not receiving that same awkwardness, walked up to him and pushed him toward the receptionist.

“I want to explore more red zones.”

The two waited in line for their turn. Before long, they arrived in front of the receptionist, who cheerfully smiled at them. Ethan, being the one in front, went first.

“What can I do for you?”

Ethan selected the request menu and chose a mission. Since she said that she wanted to explore a red zone, he thought of a place that would suit her. She had awesome capabilities when it came to medium and long-range engagements, proved by yesterday’s event.

He thought of getting her a sniper rifle, and for that, he would need to get quests that took place in a large, open space. He looked through the list of possible regions, and saw one that took place in an abandoned town he knew of. He decided on that.

“Choose Hokisa abandoned village.”

“Alright.”

After he selected his quests, Chione went forward and selected hers. They both received their missions and went out.

But before they could fight, they needed equipment.

“Will Mason and Calista be staying here for a long time?”

He asked, now able to mention Calista’s name. He reminded himself to be careful, however, since he wasn’t ready for them to know yet.

“I don’t know, but I think yes.”

“Alright.”

They stood inside a weapons shop, this one looking far different from the one in Adastra. This one featured modern weapons on the wall, the interior featured a mix of green, brown, and dark green forming some kind of camo. Chione had collected enough money to buy a medium-level weapon. She looked at the sniper rifles section on the screen, trying to decide on one of two types.

The first type was a bolt action. Bolt actions sniper rifles required the shooter to manually ‘reload’ the ammunition, by pulling and pushing a bolt handle. Bolt actions had a higher firepower and usually better range, but at the same time, it took longer to fire multiple bullets. A semi-auto was the opposite of a bolt action. It could fire many more bullets within the same time period, but had less range and firepower.

“You take the semi-auto.”

“Alright.”

Chione hovered her hand above a model she liked and bought it. After closing her shop window, a trade offer came from Ethan. Inside were two weapons, a high-level handgun and a medium-level bolt action sniper rifle.

“Thanks. Should I have gotten you a more expensive steak?”

“No. Actually, the money here isn’t one-to-one to real currency. I’m the one still in debt.”

“I know.”

Chione accepted the trade offer and the two left the shop.

Unlike Hatasdei Old Power Plant which was located far northwest of Hatasdei, Hokisa was located closer, slightly to the east. A rail line connected Hokisa with Hatasdei. Upon getting off, Ethan brought out his scooter, and the two headed down the road for Hokisa. It didn’t take them more than five minutes to be standing in front of Hokisa’s entrance. Hokisa had a wooden gate standing in front of it, its red paint chipped by time, its name carved onto the gate’s top.

Ethan and Chione both checked their inventory, making sure nothing important was in the top five rows of their inventories. Ethan’s equipment consisted of his medium-level energy sword and a medium-level energy spear, while Chione decided to try the bolt action first coupled with her high-level handgun.

The two looked at each other, and after a firm nod, entered past Hokisa’s gate. They walked down through the village’s main road, as Hokisa itself was located below its gate. Hokisa featured an eerie silence to it, similar to the old power plant. This village had been based on Japanese villages. Lines of wooden buildings occupied both sides of the paved road, weeds, and bushes growing from between the cracks, sprouting out from the ground.

They heard the sound of cicadas, but nothing that suggested another player in the area. Ethan had his energy sword turned off and on his side, his energy spear ready to be called in case there was someone he needed to stab. Chione had her handgun out while her bolt-action sniper occupied the first row of her inventory. They walked steadily across Hokisa, their senses honed to catch any anomaly.

If only they weren’t in a red zone, they could afford to stop a while and look at the view. The abandoned village had its own attractive vibe. The sight of a place that had been taken over by nature looked alluring to both of them.

If only it had actually been abandoned.

Ethan took his energy sword and slashed diagonally, slicing a bullet that came for them. It let out sparks as its remains fell into the ground.

“We need to go!”

Ethan said as he rushed down the narrow streets, Chione running behind him. Chione brought her handgun toward the direction of the bullet and opened fire. Bullets flew through the air, although it looked like none hit their target. They replace some cover behind an old wooden building, right before a second bullet hits the ground where they had just been.

“Bolt action?”

“Most likely, yes.”

Ethan answered, his breathing fast and rugged.

“I’ll bait another shot, you replace him.”

“Alright.”

Ethan got out from cover and put his sword forward, Chione sliding right behind him. She put the bolt action right between his feet, aiming toward the hill overlooking Hokisa.

And then they heard it. The faint sound of a bolt action sniper rifle firing in the distance.

Ethan saw a glint in the distance, followed by the appearance of a bullet heading straight toward him. He predicted its impact point, realizing that it was heading for his head. He swung his sword into his upright corner, pointing the blade downward diagonally to cover his face. The bullet crashed into the energy sword’s blade, dispersing immediately.

“I didn’t see him!”

Chione yelled. She looked through the sniper’s scope, turning it around slightly to look at the scenery.

“Damn it!”

She uttered. Ethan brought his attention back to the hill and heard a second shot. For a moment he saw the bullet heading for his chest, and he brought his sword down to intercept it. It was another successful deflection.

“Got it!”

Behind him, Chione pulled the trigger. A deafening roar crept its way toward Ethan’s ears as a bullet flew from under him.

“Hit.”

Chione swiftly pulled the bolt handle, ejecting the empty cartridge out and replacing it with a new one. She took aim at the distance and fired a second follow-up shot, followed by what looked like white shards floating up to the heavens.