Maids VS Apocalypse

[Friend: I’m guessing this isn’t your first time going through this...]

Mark read the message repeatedly. Questions formed in quick succession and the order of priority became less discernible, so much so that he lost a few minutes just sorting the mess.

[Mark: Is the System messing up with my head?]

The answer to that question was obvious but he still went with it first.

[Friend: The LRGS can’t harm its user.

It only hides knowledge it doesn’t wish them to learn.

Knowledge that can be too dangerous in the wrong hand.]

If that response did anything, it would be to remind Mark that he had no reason to trust whoever was conversing with him through the cracked screen of his fake phone. The reason for that was how logical it sounded, almost making him take it at face value.

The LRGS is defined as a psychic program that helps people from lower realms Awaken safely, and Awakening is a change that occurs when someone receives knowledge from the otherworldly beings known as Primordials.

From the very start, the System could be said to be a kind of filter that prevents people from receiving knowledge they aren’t ready to hear. There is no reason to believe that function would be limited to knowledge obtained from Primordials alone.

Knock Knock.

Mark jolted up and turned to look at the bathroom door. Lara’s even voice came through just as his lips parted.

"Master, Specialist Bernthal has asked that you hurry. He said Sergeant Rider would not be pleased if you are not ready by the time he returns."

Suspicion rose from the depths of Mark’s mind but he quickly banished it. The apartment walls were thin and one could usually hear the shower from the kitchen. He had been sitting on the toilet for a few minutes now so the big guy was bound to notice.

’I just hope that’s the case...’

So far Ben came across a really friendly fellow. Mark didn’t want to think about the big guy spying on him while he was in the toilet, even though that was the whole point behind him pretending to defecate.

"Sorry about that. I’m having a... difficult situation right now." He pressed on the handle behind him and flushed the toilet. "I will be done soon."

"... Understood."

Lara’s response was as calm as usual, disappointing Mark who wanted a more flustered response. As he returned his gaze to the phone in his hands he sensed that the storm raging in his mind had calmed down.

Silently thanking his maid, Mark disregarded the topic he and the mysterious "Friend" were discussing and typed another question.

[Mark: How do I know if you’re telling the truth?]

His question didn’t refer to their last exchange but to everything the other person said and will say in the future. Without a definite way to confirm whether they were telling the truth or not, there was no point in learning anything from them.

[Friend: Whether you trust me or not depends on you.]

Mark’s left eyebrow twitched.

[Mark: You don’t sound very trustworthy right now.

Friend: What I meant to say is that you have to confirm things on your own.

I will provide the information.

How you confirm its authenticity is up to you.

]

Mark thought for a moment then typed another obvious question.

[Mark: And the price?]

To receive access to their protection and resources, he had to give up his freedom and join the Peace Keepers. It was a very steep price he was forced to pay.

Having speculated that this "Friend" person was one of the invaders looking to poach Awakened from his world, Mark didn’t want to end up in another position where he would have to owe cooperation to another faction.

[Friend: There is no price.]

Mark was about to lock the phone and disintegrate it using the full output of his Force Field when another message arrived.

[Friend: Let’s just say that helping you will work in my favor.]

Free things cost the most. The proverb echoed in Mark’s mind and the corners of his mouth dropped. Being told that his actions would benefit someone else without his knowing wasn’t close to being reassuring. That made it sound as if acting on the information would be enough of a payment.

[Friend: I will be giving you the first piece of info now.

Pay attention.

And Make sure the others don’t sense anything unusual.]

’That goes without saying.’

Being wary of the stranger didn’t stop Mark’s curiosity from being piqued. He found himself strangely excited as the three dots blinked on the left side of the cracked screen. When the next line of text appeared, he unintentionally brought the phone closer to his face and read each word with rapt attention.

[Friend: The people who opened the gates to hell will strike again in a few hours.

Slaughter is their goal

If Hope’s End is your destination then be prepared for battle.]

BAM!

The bathroom door blasted open and the suddenness of it caused something to drop out of Mark’s rear thermal exhaust port, making a faint PLOP sound under him.

The leg that kicked the door slowly descended to the floor and a brown man stepped inside. His eyes swiped through the small bathroom before landing on the guy sitting on the toilet.

Mark was petrified, but the moment his gaze met that of the man a blazing rage ignited inside him and he made the phone disappear, an AR-15 taking its place a second later.

The sound of gunfire rang out before any word could be exchanged. Ramsay came back to his senses and quickly jumped out of the bathroom. Mark wanted to pursue but obviously couldn’t.

"WHAT THE F*CK!!?" Came out the moment he let go of the trigger.

Heat rose to Mark’s face, but he didn’t know if it was from the sudden surge of anger or the shame that followed. To say he was confused would be an understatement. He understood that the bathroom door had been kicked open without a warning, but what he failed to comprehend was why it had to happen in the first place.

"HEY! YOU F*CKING BASTARD! WHAT THE F*CK IS WRONG WITH YOU!!?"

The cursing continued until he ran out of breath. As he panted, a response came from down the hallway.

"Who the hell shits for thirty minutes straight!!?" The sergeant yelled. "Stop messing with your phone and wipe your ass already!"