Chương 50: I totally won’t forget ya

"I think you should leave the body here, we will come back–""No."

"Alright." The space above his house was empty. Not that he expected anyone to be there. Would've been too easy.

"Where do you think she could be?"

"Dunno," Dennis muttered, his gaze shifting from one person to another. Not her. Not her either.

"I think she was out for groceries when it all happened."

"Let's check that then." Dennis scanned the floating people above them like a hawk, but it was never her.

"So I was wondering," he said without stopping his search as they walked.

"Do you lead a cult?"

"What–" Gareth stumbled, looking suddenly panicked.

"Why would ya think that?!"

"It's a simple yes or no question," Dennis frowned, focusing his gaze on the man. Gareth averted his eyes.

"Nay," he answered quickly, increasing his pace." Did you lead a cult?" Dennis whispered, full of suspicion.

"It wasn't a cult!"

"I knew it! No one says 'nay'! Your accent is all over the place! You're full of shit!"

"It adds to the charm!" Gareth threw his hands up in retort.

"Helps to woo the ladies!"

"It was a sex cult?!"

"It wasn't a cult!"

"You're not denying the–""Oh look, the supermarket!" Dennis got immediately distracted, his eyes snapping to the building, body leaning an inch towards the far-away target as he checked and discarded dozens of people one by one faster than a normal person would blink. She wasn't there. The place itself wasn't a skill-place, but it wasn't just a random house replica either. In front of Dennis was the most generic supermarket to ever exist. A proud sign saying 'Food' hung above it.

"Creepy," Dennis commented on the place.

"Yeah," Gareth agreed, looking at Dennis.

"Found her?" Dennis shook his head.

"We should check the area," he said.

"Maybe she was– running away or hiding somewhere nearby before being transported here?" Gareth just nodded. Dennis couldn't really understand the expression the man was making. They continued on checking out the streets one by one while expanding their area of search.

"How do people even get here?" Dennis asked as they walked.

"You know anything? Actually, what do you know about this place? I've been meaning to ask about those statues in the park before– You know… Is there a way out?"

"There is," Gareth said, perking Dennis' interest.

"Or, well, there was. That place in the park, y'know? When I just got here, those statues were still alive, and the sky above em… it was filled with greenies. Y'know–""Goblins?"

"Aye. Like a river of em in the sky, they were like in stasis, y'know? Just like the folks above us now. And they all flew to that park, where those statues were–""The Arms?"

"Aye. And as they landed, they got like… Sucked in? Displaced? I reckon that was the way out. Regretted hell for not taking my chance then, that I did."

"Why didn't you?" Dennis asked.

"Take it, I mean."

"Would've died," Gareth shrugged.

"Didn't know then that staying was certain death. Well, not so certain now." He chuckled.

"Those Arms are not the friendliest sort, and even if I slipped past them… Would've found myself bleeding to death in our world again, surrounded by goblins. I was still horribly wounded then, and didn't have my skill yet… Still, did what I could to survive. Got a neat skill out of it, I reckon, for all the good that it did." Dennis thought it over, his gaze still never leaving the skies. Not her. Not her again. Oh, he knew that lady. Still not her.

He wasn't even sure where the intense need to find his mom was coming from. If she was one of those floating people, it wasn't like he could help her right now, and, well… she would've been fine. Chilling in the sky and all that. There was no real point in looking for her. At least, not one he could understand. He was still looking. He wasn't sure why. It wasn't like the knowledge would make him a better hero, or better speedster. Not to his understanding. He wasn't sure about a lot of things, lately.

"So it's all the Arms fault," he mused.

"Or High Authority, I guess. They control the spawn points, they control what floats in the sky, and it's a safe damn bet that they're the ones who put people up there in the first place. Like goblins? You think they're gonna make people spawn somewhere else then? Make them a 'modern human, level 1 mob' in some other world? What even decides if people get yoinked here or stay in our world?"

"Some people stay?" Gareth asked, surprised.

"I thought it was everyone."

"Oh, I guess you wouldn't know." Dennis muttered.

"Me and Lily actually got here, like, a day ago. Lotsa people disappeared from our world, but not everyone."

"Huh…" Gareth seemed deep in thought.

"How is it going then, in our world?"

"Oh it's pretty chill. Food is free now, and streets are not that busy. I like it."

"No, I mean… Is humanity doomed? Are we being wiped out?"

"Ah, that? Totally, yeah. We're fucked," Dennis said absentmindedly.

"Unless we figure out how to put all these people back, I guess?" Gareth was silent for a while after that. Not her. Not her. Not her again. The list of likely places where his mom could've been was thinning out. Dennis didn't understand if he was feeling dread or relief from that. Did he want to find his mom? Did he want to not find his mom? Dennis was feeling something, and he had no fucking idea what it was. He didn't understand himself anymore.

For the first time in his memories, he was following an urge that had no apparent source or reason, and it didn't make sense to him. The tranquility of his existence was replaced by a storm, and he had no idea what he was doing, and why. This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. He didn't think that seeing his mom floating in the sky was that heroic of an action. He was pretty sure that a real hero would still do that. Probably.

The wave of disgust at himself at the reminder for what he wasn't hit him like a brick again. The guilt for daring to think that he understood what a hero was did a neat second punch. The hatred at himself for being forever incapable of achieving his dream was a finisher move so painful that–"Oh I think I got it," Gareth said suddenly, not realizing how thankful Dennis was for a distraction.

"What?"

"The floating folk," Gareth clarified.

"I've just realized… The people who stayed in our world, they got some of that power in them, didn't they?"

"Experience? Realness juice?"

"Yeah, that," Gareth nodded.

"I mean, kind of?" Dennis shrugged.

"Not everyone got to second level, but I think all of them got at least some exp from fighting, or helping out some other way."

"Yeah, that's what I thought," the man smiled as if in satisfaction from solving a puzzle.

"You see, these folks? They got nothin. Can't feel from ere, but during the first night they were appearing closer to the ground before floating up, so I had a few chances to feel em out. They got nothin."

"No exp?"

"Yep. I bet none of em killed a single green fucker."

"Or helped someone do that," Dennis muttered.

"That means, the floaters… Are people who managed to survive until the night without gaining any exp? Didn't kill anything, didn't help kill anything, didn't even meet anyone who killed anything."

"Meet anyone?"

"Oh, it's just… It's fucking easy to get at least a little bit of exp. Scraps from scraps, but… a lot of shit counts. There's a guy who was basically just opening a door for me when I was leaving the fort to grind. So, guess what, the piece of shit got exp from that! Sure, it wasn't much at all, but he was weak as hell so over days it became a noticeable change for him. What I'm trying to say is… I guess it rubs on you? The exp? Just being in proximity with someone will give you something."

"Huh." Gareth rubbed his chin.

"Sounds like a scary future."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, imagine that humanity somehow pulls through this," Gareth said.

"And naturally, there will be exceptional individuals who got real strong during that. Normal folk just aren't made for the kind of struggle you need to overcome to get there, so my guess is there won't be many of those real strong ones."

"I mean," Dennis thought it over.

"Yes? That's obvious? You need to kill hundreds of goblins to get anywhere at all, and guns won't help you against something like the Arms. Only those with freaky luck, talents, or skills will continue growing."

"And that's where I see the problem," the man said.

"Being so much objectively better than others is already, how would I say it, not a good thing for a healthy society. And now you're telling me that not only those 'exceptional' people would be able to do whatever they want through force, but all others are directly encouraged to be, as you call it, in proximity. To serve someone exceptional would become an envied role. A path to personal power." Gareth chewed on his words a bit more, a small frown never leaving his face.

"It's horrifying," he concluded.

"Democracy is dead. Equal rights won't be a thing anymore. The nature of the world just won't let them exist. If humanity persists, the only future for it is to serve the whims of gods."

"You're not the first to say that," Dennis muttered.

"You know, I don't really see what you people are worried about? Comics solved that shit a while ago. You just need a hero to beat up the villains."

"A hero, eh?" Gareth smiled faintly.

"Know any?"

"I will–" Dennis stumbled on his words, the wave of shame taking the wind out of his sails.

"I– I'm sure they exist. They have to." The smile disappeared from the man's face, but the kindness in his eyes remained.

"Then you keep looking for em, lad," he said with gentleness in his voice.

"Humanity could use some benevolent gods. I'm sure there's at least one of em somewhere." / - /"This is the last place?" Gareth asked quietly. A hint of sadness–or was it melancholy? Sorrow? Dennis wasn't sure–had sneaked into the man's voice as they approached the place.

"We can expand the search area again," Dennis said, the weird sense of urgency and need to continue looking only getting stronger in him with every place that they've checked.

"You think we should?" the man asked while giving no indication for his preference. Dennis had a strange suspicion that he would be met with no judgement no matter what he picked. Why the fuck did he care about the hobo's judgement? It wasn't like him. He never really cared about anyone's reaction to what he said, so giving a damn enough to anticipate the reaction was another new development that he had no clue what to do about. Did he want to continue looking for his mother? He did. He also didn't.

He had no fucking idea what he wanted anymore. Every decision was poisoned with doubt. The far-away target was still dying, and not rushing to help felt like he was doing something wrong. Lily was still in dire need of healing or resurrection, and not focusing on that felt like he was doing something wrong. The nothingness was eating at them, he was on a time limit, and not focusing on finding a way out felt like he was doing something wrong.

More speed would greatly help for all of that, so not trying to figure out how to beat another Arm or two without a proper weapon felt wrong. Stopping the search for his mother felt wrong. How the fuck did people even live like that? Or was that, like, not a Soul-thing but a Dennis-thing?

"Do you ever doubt if you're doing the right thing?" Dennis heard himself asking instead of answering the question.

"All the time," Gareth nodded.

"How do you decide what to do then?"

"I imagine that I've already picked an option," the man answered.

"And then I imagine myself from the future, and see if I regret it." That was so fucking useless. Dennis didn't regret things. Did he? He was regretting a lot, lately.

"I think…" he thought out loud.

"For her to be here, she had to hide somewhere until the night, and not kill a single goblin. Or, in her case, help anyone who did. She's not really the 'killer' type, as far as I know."

"That's reasonable," the man agreed without showing any emotion.

"And since she wasn't at home– I think she wasn't at home… that means that chances of her finding a place to hide were somewhat low."

"There were some," Gareth pointed out.

"Ultimately, she's either alive or d-dead. And if she's one of the floating people… It doesn't matter if I find her here or not. I'll save her anyway. I'll save all of them. So…"

"We've just wasted time trying to look for her," he finished. The man raised an eyebrow with a playful smile.

"We did?"

"I told you, there's no difference–""Do you regret it?" Gareth interrupted.

"Looking for her?" Did he? It was a suboptimal decision. No real use even in case they did find her, only wasted time. He didn't feel like more of a hero after doing it. But…

"I don't," he admitted, still completely lost as to why.

"But I think it's time to stop."

"Then ya have your answer." The man turned to Dennis, looking at him with a bittersweet smile.

"I guess it's a goodbye?"

"How did you know I was gonna leave?"

"Of–fucking–course you're gonna leave. Gonna save em all, don't ya?" Dennis felt sheepish.

"I mean," he mumbled.

"Someone has to. Even I can do that, I guess."

"You got a plan?"

"I have an outline of a plan."

"That would do for a start." Gareth approached him. Dennis had no idea what to do as he was hugged by the hobo. Actually, he did.

"Oh– No! Shit! Gross!" he wiggled out of the hug, nearly dropping Lily in the process.

"You smell! Ew! Fuck off!" Loud laughter could be heard across the empty streets.

"Take care of yourself, lad," Gareth said with a smile.

"And… don't forget me."

"Oh, don't worry, I totally won't," Dennis reassured him.

"Who the fuck forgets being hugged by a hobo?"

"No, I mean, don't just accidentally forget about me. Some of the things you've said were actually quite concerning. I'm still stuck here, y'know? I need you to come back for me when you figure out how to leave this place."

"Yeah, sure, sure…" Dennis waved him off.

"Seriously, don–" Dennis couldn't hear what the man had to say, already zipping past the buildings a few streets away.