Maids VS Apocalypse

Ridiculous, that’s what Mark thought of Ramsay’s theory of the events they were going through being a loop. They might share some similarities, but each were distinct enough to be considered separate. If there really were a loop things would have gone differently against King Scorpion, like the others suddenly getting busy which would force him and Lara to fight the Demon until help arrives.

In conclusion, the similarities shared by the events were coincidences and had no special meaning behind them. It was a satisfying conclusion, one Mark saw himself accepting if not for that part of him which insisted that he was the protagonist of a novel.

His mind kept going back to the matter as if trying to see through the plans of the author, and his obsession led him to look at every clue no matter how small.

The main events of the first loop were me getting knocked out by the Whispers, waking up to see Lara, fighting the lizardmen then escaping Malarak. Finally I got saved by Natalie and Passed out again. As for the second loop, its main events were me passing out from bloodloss, fighting Stone Rhinos, fighting the red hoods and getting saved by the members of Squad four and I pass out again.

Mark removed the details and left only what he thought were the main points, quickly arriving at a template for the so called loop. After analyzing it some more, the pattern became clearer, allowing him to note things he overlooked before, which is why he became hesitant to use one if his favorite items: the stun grenade.

The loop starts with an event involving me and Lara, then I use a grenade against a powerful enemy, which would have an effect but doesn’t help me achieve my my goal. Being saved by a powerful ally would be the third step while the fourth and last is me passing out thanks to the exhaustion caused by the MP drain.

With those points in mind he felt like he had unveiled the third loop, making him fear the forth.

The third loop started with the lap pillow in my bedroom, after which I was kicked into the ceiling. The second point would be fighting the zombies during which I used a stun grenade against Ramsay, a powerful enemy. He himself was the powerful ally who saved me in that fight. And lastly...

Since he hadn’t passed out right after, and with the battle against King Scorpion and its spawn following, Mark dismissed the loop, thinking that, even if he was inside one, it was already broken. That’s until a certain thought crossed his mind.

I barely played a role in the battle against King Scorpion...

He realized that the events didn’t revolve around him since his squadmates handled it entirely on their own. If he dismissed it as just another random event that happened between the main events of the loop, that would make him sleeping in the truck the last step, which would mean the fourth loop had already started.

~[ ]~

An event that involves me and Lara...

He recalled the conversation they had after he woke up, and how he made the maid blush.

Fighting a weak enemy...

Though they weren’t weak, he and Lara both killed at least one red hood. Mark believed that had reached the second step of the loop, which would make the next one:

Using a stun grenade against a powrful enemy...

When the cold surface of the grayish metallic tube touched his palm, Mark become hesitant. If everything was truly proceeding according to his theory, using the stun grenade would lead to the final parts of the loop; him being saved by a powerful ally then passing out due to mental exhaustion.

The very idea of a loop brought with it a complicated set of thoughts and emotions. On one hand his survival would be guaranteed so long as he went through the main events of the loop. On the other hands, knowing his fate had already been decided made him feel trapped.

Red light flashed to his left signaling for him to drop to the floor, and at the very next instant a red beam blasted the air above him.

’What the hell am I thinking!’

Hesitation wasn’t something he could afford right now. If there is anything that could help him survive, he didn’t have the luxury to disregard it.

’Fuck the loop!’

His left index finger coiled around the pin and he was about to pull it. At that moment he saw the Red Hoods Franco had thrown to the other end of the hall stop and turn around, and at the same time a large round figure barged inside.

’Ben!!!’

The big guy had his fist raised in preparation to punch and his targets were the two Red Hoods, and since he was unaware that they needed one of them alive, it was unlikely that he would hold back.

’Why did the fuckers have to wear the same clothes!’

Though he had left his sight for barely two minutes Mark realized he already lost track of the Red Hoods carrying the tablet. Bn punched the air in front of him and a massive illusory fist shot out toward the two Red Hoods facing him. They leapt in different directions to evade then ran toward the big guy with their weapons drawn.

The constant movements and chaos prevented Mark from getting a good look. The Red Hoods chasing after him were about to close the gap which forced him to make up his mind.

’Damn it!’

Mark ripped off the pin, increased the output of Force Field around his eyes and ears, and threw the pipe over his head. A second later pure white light enveloped not only his body but the entire hall as well. That was when he remembered how powerful the effects of the System’s flashbang were. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

’Damn it!!!!’

Mark abruptly spun on his heels as another item manifested in his right hand. A lime green glow enveloped it just as the one covering his eyes and ears faded. The world was still painted white but the outline of the enemies was already visible.

Both were forced to halt and raise their arms to block the brilliant light. Mark had feared that the hoods covering their would help shield them but from the looks of it they made the mistake of looking directly at the flashbang when h threw it up.

An opening. One Mark couldn’t miss. He had steeled his resolve long before they entered the city, but when the time came to do it, he found himself petrified. It was a reflexive reaction, one stemming from the lack of experience. He was already past the hurdle of shooting people but this? This was something different.

’Fucking damn it!!!!’

Chains chattered and Mark lunged forward. He quelled the subconscious fear causing him to waver and thrust his hand forward. A currant ran through his arm as a sturdy wall cam before him only for it to shatter, allowing him to dig deep into the soft surface beyond it.

Though disoriented, the pain stimulated the enemy to react. He reached down to grab whatever pierced his body while further raising the output of his Force Field, but Mark hadn’t stopped moving. His sights were on the second enemy and he planned to finish him off before he could recover.

Mark pushed instead of pulling and carved a line through the first enemy. His left foot slammed the floor and he pushed himself toward the second enemy. He rested the dull end of his item in the palm of his left hand and dove toward the second enemy. Once again he faced some resistance before the item sank he dragged it down diagonally and let his body fall to the floor.

The light coating of his Force Field eliminated the pain from the collision allowing him to roll. Hearing a sharp clang right behind alerted him to the weapon swung by the enemy, which only struck the floor.

’Not enough!’

The lack of System message alerted Mark to the two red hoods still being alive. He dropped the item and slammed the Y button on his imaginary controller to open his Inventory. The commands were starting to become seconds nature to him so he had no trouble selecting the intended item while turning around.

He took aim the instant an AR-15 fell into his hands and squeezed the trigger. Bullets erupted and the roars of gunfire filled the hall, which had regained most of its colors allowing Mark to see the the faint red glow encasing the two Red Hoods.

The short distance ensured that none of the bullets missed their targets, and with so many striking in quick succession the Force Fields protecting them quickly collapsed.

The Force Field was a powerful ability that could block almost anything, but without the Mind Power to fuel it there was only so much it do. The faint red glow vanished and blood splattered along with the guttural cries of the two red hoods.