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You guide the Batter through Zone 2’s library of Bismark. While it was a nice place, save for the ghosts that wandered through the floors, there was one thing you had gradually gotten to dread while leading the Batter up the towering building.
Stairs.
“Are you done yet? We still have a long way to go.”
Ah, right.
While you were sitting on a step trying to catch your breath, the Batter was at the top, urging you to move forward. Despite how long the two of you had been travelling without a break, he wasn't showing signs of slowing down. His brow furrows slightly at the sight of you panting from exhaustion. You can tell that he’s impatient. His frustration likely stems from either your low stamina, or you wasting his time.
The mission needs to be the top priority, after all. There’s no time to rest, especially not in a world full of corruption and suffering. Your hand stretches out as a silent request for the Batter to pull you up. He looks down at it, making no move to help. You withdraw it, putting your hands on your knees as you stand up and continue climbing. As you ascend the library, you stop to read the many books lining the shelves found throughout the building. Out of the corner of your eye, you see the Batter looking ahead towards where you need to go next.
A sigh escapes your mouth. Both of you know that the bottom page numbers are most likely for some puzzle at the top. Yet, you want to read it thoroughly for knowledge about the strange world you were in. The Batter thought otherwise, looking straight at the locked doorway and tapping his foot.To him, details aren’t necessary. If the numbers would get the two of you closer to his goal, there was no need for concern about anything else.
Closing the book, you jot down the last numbers you need in your notebook and read the code to him. After directing him to solve the puzzle, the blocks in front of the door ahead of you disappear. The path is clear, so you make your way forward together.
Stepping outside greets the two of you with fresh, cool air. Japhet’s guardian mark is painted on the wall beside you, tall and imposing, guiding you to him.
“Nice view from up here, don’t you think?”
“…It almost makes me forget that this is only a video game.”
Zacharie, the only merchant of the entire game, calls out to both of you. He gestures for you to come to see what he has to sell. It’s almost as if he wants to empty your pockets of credits. But you can always make the Batter go back, kill a few spectres or some poor Elsen and pick up credits from their corpses, right? This is just a game, so you can't do much about the violence required to get cash. It’s not your place to question game mechanics.
“Any credits to spare? Buying any items to hoard, as usual, Puppeteer?” Zacharie asks, giving you a knowing look. The Batter turns to you, prompting you to look at better equipment for him to prepare before the fight ahead. Should you get some tickets as well? Running out of resources while panic-healing during the fight won’t be fun. You know this from experience.
You end up buying both equipment and items, as usual. Luck tickets, silver flesh, new equipment for the Batter...
He moves around to get a feel of the new equipment and then gives you a small nod. Despite him not being very expressive, you know his quirks and mannerisms well enough, and he looks quite satisfied with what you’ve bought. At least now his clothes are clean from the blood and… whatever the Burnts spew from where their heads used to be. The Batter gives the new bat a few test swings before putting it away. Japhet would be its first victim, one of many more to come. You shake your head, willing the mental image out of your head to focus on the now.
Packing your things away, you bid Zacharie goodbye. You will see him later in the next area once you push through the fight. The Batter is looking over the parapet next to the save block, gazing at the sky and the rest of the Zone below. His shoulders are slack as opposed to his usual tense, rigid posture. Walking closer to him, you notice that he’s not looking at anything in particular.
“It’s late,” you tell him, nudging him with your arm to get his attention. “Want to rest for the night here? We’ll need the energy to face Japhet tomorrow. Besides, you look tired.”
He gives you a hesitant look, not answering immediately. You know he’s trying to come up with yet another reason to push forward. Time is of the essence to him, and every second spent resting is a second to use for purifying. His dedication and drive for the mission are admirable, but he pushes too hard. Sighing, the Batter sits with you, leaning against the wall and next to the save block. You smile, proud that you’ve finally gotten through to him. He spares you a glance before closing his eyes to take a short nap while you admire your surroundings and think to yourself.
Your mind keeps drifting to what Zacharie said at the start of your brief conversation. You know very well that this isn’t real, just one big story of a world that can’t be saved with intentionally loose ends for one to speculate. But does the Batter know? Is he aware? If he does, how much exactly does he know?
As if on cue, he opens his eyes and speaks. “You’re zoning out.”
You snap back to reality. Since when does he make conversation? Though, it’s not like it’s a bad thing. The Batter was never one to carry a conversation unrelated to his goal for long, much less start one. Doesn’t he usually sleep through the few breaks he takes? Regardless, you take this opportunity to continue the conversation. Maybe you’ll get to know him better since he doesn’t talk about himself much.
“I suppose,” you murmur, turning yourself to face him. “If this is a videogame, does anything we do hold any weight to it? I mean, we kill spectres, sure, but we also kill random Elsen that happen to get in our way. Either that, or we do that by grinding for credits and experience to make you stronger. There doesn’t seem to be any way around it, either. All endings to this journey end in the destruction of… everything. Makes it feel really messed up, don’t you think?”
The Batter’s expression grows stern. “The game doesn’t tell you about the endings before you’re reaching them. How do you know about this?” This time, he looks you in the eye.
You jolt upright in surprise, realising something else. “How do you know how it ends? Aren’t you supposed to be unaware that this is a game?” “That’s not important. But if you want an answer, I’m not sure. I just know.”
“Keep your secrets. To answer your question, I read about the game's main events online. In simpler terms, I spoiled myself on the endings and lore before I became your Puppeteer.”
He hesitates before speaking, as if needing extra time to process this new information. “Why play then? Most players value the experience of experiencing the game without knowing its events. Wouldn’t ‘spoiling yourself’ take away some of the experience?”
“Partly because I wanted to see if it was interesting to play. You know that most players want to play for entertainment and not so much because they feel obligated to end the world with you. And partly because I was curious and couldn’t stop reading after starting. I feel like need to finish what we started.”
The Batter looks away, tilting his head up at the open sky above the two of you. It’s getting late, and the sky is darkening. After leaning his side against the wall, he turns to you again, sighing. “Fair enough. Your curiosity is rather obvious, even here. It’s been quite useful. It helps lead us into new areas and find useful items and gear, even though you usually use it to make me interact with every single Elsen.”
Laughing sheepishly, you shrug your shoulders. Earlier on at the library ground floor, you made the Batter talk to an Elsen multiple times to hear him talk about the wall beside him. “Yeah, I guess it’s helpful.”
To your surprise, you’ve managed to converse with him for quite a while now. The Batter is quite a private person, much like you, so it warms your heart to see him open up. He seems pleased with how the conversation has been going. You can tell from his smiling eyes shadowed by his hat, though the rest of his face still appears stoic.
Additionally, his expression seems more relaxed than his usual focused, stern expression. Good, it means he’s using this time to rest well instead of only planning and worrying about the mission. Neither of you nor the Guardian above are going anywhere anyway.
“You seem to zone out a lot when you're resting, Puppeteer.”
It’s getting awkward again. Right when you thought the conversation was going well, too. You scramble for an answer to ease your panic. “Ah no, nothing. It’s nice that we get to know each other better. The mission doesn’t give much room for casual conversation, does it?”
“I guess it doesn’t.” The Batter turns to face you again. His expression is pensive yet relaxed. “Back to the question. Since you already know about the endings, I’d like to ask: Which ending will you choose?”
You shift, pulling your knees closer to yourself. You know all the endings involve the Batter dying or being left alone, so how is he so indifferent about his fate? Maybe he really is that self-aware…
Regardless of how the question sounds strange for him to be asking, you answer it truthfully. “I don’t really know… If I were honest, all the endings seem quite hopeless. Initially, I thought siding with the Judge against you would be ‘right’, but then again, it doesn’t feel ‘right’ enough. Neither is turning the switch OFF and destroying the world itself ‘right’, either." You pause. "This kinda sucks, really. Neither way feels good enough.”
“For someone guiding a murderer, that's quite moral. You seem rather open to many perspectives, which is admirable,” Batter states.
Mumbling out your thanks, you decide that it’s only fair to return a compliment. “Thanks, Batter. Your efficiency and drive are nice, too. Even if it does involve needing to beat people up to progress.”
To your surprise, the Batter huffs out a short laugh. While you notice the upward turn in the corner of his mouth, his expression remains slightly downcast. “Unfortunately so, Puppeteer. Neither of us can fully break away from the story.”
“We can’t, can we? But if it’s any consolation, I’m having a good time leading you through the Zones, even if it might not be easy," you smile, looking expectantly at him. Perhaps you two can be friends during the journey. It would make things more bearable, at least. Both of you wouldn’t be alone. The Batter looks up at the sky, then at the ladder leading up to Japhet. “Maybe,” he hums. “It’s getting even later, Puppeteer. You should rest. I’ll keep watch.”
“Okay. Get some sleep as well since this area's quite safe. Got it?”
He nods, turning away. Propping yourself against the save block and resting your arm on it, you start drifting off to sleep.
Maybe this journey won’t be as lonely as you expected. As hopeless as the situation is, you have the Batter, who will always look out for you.