Chapter 13: Glocked Out

Under the starry night sky, a single horse drawn carriage blazed the dirt road—a confused Meisatsu running right after it.

“Aaaagh!!!”

“Hey!!”

“Watch it!!!”

People who were still present on the road hurled a series of complaints and curses at the carriage that had almost run them over.

It kept going at a pace that was just fast enough to be out of Meisatsu’s reach, yet never fully out of it—like a carrot on a stick.

Shouldn’t they have lost me by now...? He scrunched his brows as he kept running and pondering. Well, works for me!

The path the carriage followed, and the looming trees ahead made Meisatsu realize one crucial detail—

They’re heading to the forest?! His gut nagged him—think this through.

As reasoning and logic slowly made way into his mind, his strides slowed, and the carriage pulled away—

Like hell I’d let some rando steal my Glock!!!

“Raaaaaaagh!” With a shout reminiscent of shonen protagonists he’d heard in anime, his steps quickened, dust trailing behind him—chunibyo dreams now reality...

The Melodious Scales Forest at night looked nothing like its daytime appearance.

It was dreadfully eerie, with sinister shadows curling in every direction, the occasional hoot of a distant owl. The once beautiful melody of the forest had now been replaced by a nightmarish orchestra.

Meisatsu tried to keep his fear at bay—the warm memories he’d shared with his Glock sufficed.

The carriage swerved around the thick forest growth, quickly gaining distance. Meisatsu could see what was likely its headlights growing dimmer.

THUD!

Meisatsu had run into a tree, rubbing his face in pain...

The heck is this?! he thought as he felt the trunk with his hands.

Resuming the chase, he sprinted forward—

THUD!

“Oooooooow...” He winced, holding his face which had once again collided with another tree trunk.

Despite the stars in the sky as well as the pale crescent moon, the thick canopy of trees dampened their light—obscuring his vision.

Dang! If this keeps up, they’ll get away! He wasn’t going to let that, slide...

Meisatsu tensed his body, preparing to fumble his way through the thicket until...

“OOOOOOOOW!!!”

He covered his eyes with both hands, as he fell to the forest floor.

A sharp sting coursed through his eyes—UNBEARABLE.

Then—

“Huh...?” Rubbing fisted hands on his closed eyelids, he then opened them—pain gone!

“I CAN SEE!” he shouted, surprised. “Wait, that can’t be right...”

His irises now glowed with a rich crimson red, and his pupils were...

CROSSHAIRS!

The thin gold-colored crosshairs followed his line of sight, pulsing at every twitch his eyes made.

“Are those heat signatures?!” he asked himself. A mix of excitement and astonishment was carried in his voice. “So cool!”

His vision now took the appearance of a poly-chromatic canvas, with some parts of the forest glowing with bright orange and some a cold blue. Snapping his sight to the ground, he could see the tracks left by the carriage.

He trailed the tracks with his vision, looking further ahead.

“Dang the trails cut off...” he sighed bitterly.

“If only I could...” He began squinting—HARD!

Almost automatically, his sight zoomed in further, like a camera lens.

And there it was—the carriage, slowing down gradually till it came to a stop.

Thrilled at the new development, he prepared to resume the chase, but—

HIS VISION KEPT ZOOMING IN!

Meisatsu’s sight went far beyond the carriage, more scary silhouettes, and finally, the edge of the barrier—welcoming his vision with a wide variety of thermal images, showing creatures too fearsome to comprehend.

Not wanting to see any more than he already had, he forcefully flung his head back, looking straight up to the sky.

“Huh?! Since when did the moon get so detailed?!!” He broke off his gaze from the moon. “Is that what stars look like up close?! Huh?! Comets?!”

Spiraling deeper into pandemonium, he had one last resort—SCROLL!

Shutting his eyes tightly, he was pulled into the void...

“You finally remembered me,” Scroll’s voice called out, somewhat sarcastic. “What’s shaking?”

“I can see!!!” Meisatsu replied, exhilarated.

“Okay...?” Scroll sounded exasperated at Meisatsu’s incoherence.

“My eyes... they... THEY...” Meisatsu gave the surroundings a quick scan. “...stopped working?”

Meisatsu peered into the space but saw absolute nothingness.

“Hey, Meisatsu...?

“Yeah.”

“You know this is a Void, right...?”

“Yeah, I know.”

“And you know what a Void means, right...?”

Like a laggy loading screen, Meisatsu stood with a blank expression as he processed the question...
“Oh...” He felt slightly embarrassed by his blunder. “My bad.”

He let out a goofy chuckle as he scratched his head.

“Anyway, congrats on your new abilities.”

UNLOCKED: SCOPE

UNLOCKED: PATENT

Looking at the glowing text, Meisatsu asked, “Scope and Patent, huh?”

“Indeed, Scope gives your eyesight a massive boost. Right now, your visual acuity far surpasses the likes of the James Webb Space Telescope.”

Meisatsu not knowing what the JWST was—astronomy wasn’t his thing—he simply figured, must be a really good telescope.

“Forget 20/20 vision. Scope’s where it’s at,” Scroll trailed on like a sales agent for quite a bit. “Plus, didn’t you have a Glock to catch? So careless, SMH.”

Did he just use slang...? Also, he totally skipped Patent!

“And what does Patent do?” Meisatsu questioned, seeing an opportunity to fault Scroll.

“It’s nothing special. Way too complicated for you to understand anyway,” Scroll sighed.

Well that backfired...

“Alright, I’m off to go get that Glock. Peace”

Meisatsu eyes snapped open with a crimson glare as he raced through the forest, following the trail to the carriage.

At the end of the trail, Meisatsu found the carriage parked in a wide clearing. He peeked into the back—GLOCK GONE.

A chilly gust of wind disrupted his search, drawing his attention to the soft white light from the elegant moon, shining beautifully, illuminating the space.

A single foot stepped out from the surrounding darkness, into the light.

And Meisatsu instinctively reached for his pocket, realising once again that his Glock isn’t there...

“Looking for this Monsieur?” called a cheery voice from the shadows.

Monsieur...? No, it can’t be! Meisatsu thought, trying to deny what he just heard.

Then a hand stretched out, holding the Glock, shimmering under the moonlight.

Meisatsu’s eyes widened as they filled with grief, frustration following.

“Bonsoir!” Gaspard leapt out from the shadows, landing with a T-pose. “What brings you to these parts, my good Sir?”

“Is this some kinda sick joke?” Meisatsu scowled, still in denial. “Huh, Gaspard?!”

“On the contraire,” Gaspard retorted, dropping his playful countenance. “I’ve never been more serious in my life.”

“L'ADDICTION!” shouted Gaspard. A brief silence, then...

Several footsteps could be heard approaching, FAST!

The next moment, they were surrounded... by Explorers.

“Let me reintroduce myself. I am Gaspard Kitsuneda, a Level 40 Vintner” He extended both arms at either side, pointing. “I just used an ability, called L'ADDICTION!”

He continued, “All who drink my magic infused wine, become addicted to it, and are mine to control.” He let out a deranged chuckle.

Meisatsu recognized some of the faces from BON APPÉTIT.

“No...” Meisatsu stepped back. “Gauntlet guy...”

Seiji was one of the Gaspard’s most prominent customers.

“Why...? Why are you doing this?!” Meisatsu demanded, furious.

“Oh, it seems you have not taken a sip from the wine I gave you.” He placed a finger on his chin. “If you must know, it is for the sake of this world.”

For the world?

“I am a Vintner, and I make wine.” He shot a finger at Meistasu. “You’re a Hero, and you’ll fight the Demon King.”

Gaspard then gestured to the twenty Explorers that surrounded them. “They are Explorers, and they fight monsters. Even though some buffoons still try to pose as them.”

“So, tell me, why is an Assassin selling spirits and...” Gaspard shuddered. “...thriving.”

“I worked hard on my role, training to make the most of it.” Gaspard's voice was tense and bitter as he spoke. “We have roles and classes for a reason, why not stick to them, no?”

“I’ll set the good work of our goddess straight.” He struck one more T-pose then glared at Meisatsu. “My good Sir, you have been led astray, but we'll bring you back to the light.”

Turning to Seiji, Gaspard nodded once, compelling the large man to lunge forward at Meisatsu.

“Woah!” Meisatsu yelled as he performed a forward roll to his left, avoiding Seiji’s gauntlet.

Meisatsu quickly backed away, thinking up a plan. “Hey, remember me? We’ve met before at the—”

Seiji lunged once again, unbothered by his rambling. His face was expressionless, but Meisatsu could see the struggle for control through his majestic eyes—almost watery.

Another swing avoided, and Seiji’s fist hit the ground, obliterating the spot.

Watching Seiji pull out his arm that had burrowed into the ground, Meisatsu thought, Yikes! Wouldn’t want to get hit with that. Maybe I could beat him out of it...

“GUN MARTIAL—!” He stopped mid shout. I can’t fight...

Whenever Meisatsu used GUN MARTIAL ARTS, there was always a sensation from his gun that accompanied it. A sensation that was now, absent...

Is it because I don’t have my Glock?

Seiji squared up his shoulders, sauntering toward Meisatsu with a rising fist. Crap! I’m screwed!

As the fist was about to begin its descent—

BOOM!

From deep within the forest, a reddish hue grew brighter, and brighter. As it grew closer the crackle of lightning could also be heard as it sparked with a cyan-blue.

BOOM! BOOM!! BOOM!!!

Meisatsu grinned. Nah, they’re screwed!

“SAAAAAAAATSUUUUUUU!!!” screamed a flying Ayame, coming in hot.

CRASH!

A couple of Explorers were sent hurdling through the air as she flew right through them, sliding to a stop next to Meisatsu. The ground she slid on scorched and crackling with lightning.

“Are you okay?!” she asked, breathing heavily. She took a defensive stance. “Simuru told me everything. Sorry I wasn’t here sooner. Something was messing with my ability to pick up on your magical output.”

She’s like a bloodhound!

“Oh my?” Gaspard said, mockingly. “Whatever shall we do?”

Satsu’s weapon?! Ayame thought. She stretched out her hand with a swift motion. “Teleport!”

“Hmm?” Gaspard felt emptiness in his grasp—Glock missing.

The Glock phased into Meisatsu’s right hand with a flicker.

“Hngh!” Ayame let out a strained groan.

Meisatsu immediately moved closer to her, deeply worried. “Ayame?!”

“Don’t worry, I’m fine. It just took a little out of me for some reason.” She straightened up assuming a fighting stance.

“You’re through Gaspard.” Meisatsu raised his gun. “It’s our turn no—”

“Psionic Blast!”

That instant, Meisatsu was flung by an unseen force, into the shadowy forest.

“Satsu!” Ayame turned to the direction the voice came from to see a teenage boy, holding a staff, clad in robes.

“Nice one son!” Gaspard cheered at the sight of him.

Ayame’s body engulfed in flames, and she said grimly, “Flame Battalion...”

Fiery silhouettes in her image, emerged from her flaming body, numbering thirty. One blasted off in Meisatsu’s direction. The remaining lunged at the surrounding Explorers.

She stared at the boy, her eyes almost lifeless. “You’ll pay for that. I’ll make sure of it.”