The trio walked out in the chilly weather, all dressed in coats that helped keep them warm. After reaching East 33rd St, they entered the subway station and watched a man expertly hop over the turnstiles with the grace of a ballerina and open the emergency exit door, which several other people entered through.
Ignoring that, they swiped their cards and waited a few minutes for the next 6 train to arrive. Once it came into the station, the three got into the subway car and took an empty bench in the corner for themselves.
"It should be seven stops until we reach the museum, alright?"
'I just hope it's nothing like the previous time we were in a train.'
Keido hopes, reminded of the unexpected things he saw during their ride on the A train. However, because the author is anti-happiness, he is not allowed to have it.
"Good afternoon, passengers. Due to delays, this Bronx-bound 6 train will be going express instead. We will not be stopping at anything between 33rd and 86th, and will be skipping stops from 86th and Lex all the way to Grand Concourse. We apologize for the changes."
The intercom spoke, giving out both fortunate news for the trio but unfortunate news for any passengers going elsewhere. Groans rang through the car, and a few cursed both quietly and loudly. This was good news to the group since they wouldn't be spending long to get to their destination. However, with every good thing, there must also be a bad thing, because, as stated before, the author does not like to permit happiness. Some men wearing Du rags came into the car, one holding a boombox, and they stopped in the middle of the car.
They began to dance and speak to the passengers, but Keido tuned it out, instead hearing a conversation from the people on the bench across from him. A man in a black puffer jacket, who looks to be in his late twenties, is talking to another man in a red puffer jacket.
"And she was just sucking my shit like it was a lollipop, now mind you, I didn't know she wasn't actually eighteen at the time, so when her brotha, this tall ass brotha pulls up to my crib a day later, I cut that bitch off, cuz I ain't know she wasn't legal. But shit, I can't lie, shit was amazing, and after that we kept talking, and we got together, which is why I want you to be the best man my brotha."
The man in the red puffer jacket nods slowly, listening to what Keido assumes is his friend's story.
"Brotha, what the fuck are you talking about? Get the fuck outta here, my brotha. You are a whole ass Master IV playing with a Bronze II, get the fuck out!"
Keido stopped paying attention after that, a bit concerned with what he just heard, questioning whether to call the police or to forget he ever heard that. He decided it would be safer with the latter option, since he'd heard Americans can be quite violent, especially towards foreigners.
The next thing he heard was the two fighting like professional martial artists. One of them tried to kick the other, accidentally hitting the pole instead in the middle of the benches and breaking it off the ceiling, horrifying Keido.
He thought it wise to look away and decided to let the first man go unpunished in exchange for his own survival as he locked his gaze forward.
The intercom came on, announcing they'd be arriving at East 86th Street soon, and just a few minutes later, they did. The doors slid open, and the trio quickly left the station. As they got out of the train station and onto the street, Kimsung noticed something.
It was a man across the street, walking to the downtown station. He must've been around 180 cm, and wore a black coat, with a matching black sweater and pants. The man had a medium-sized afro and brown skin. He was Achilles. The Achilles of America, and a tyrant in the future.
Keido and Heidi noticed Kimsung's stare and realized why he had been staring. They only knew Achilles' description from the novel, and all the fan art of him turned out to be completely inaccurate. Instead of a sharp face, his features were a lot softer.
He wasn't exactly unattractive, since he looked to have some charm, especially with his skin, in Heidi's opinion, but he was always drawn as some extremely attractive guy with very masculine features. Then again, descriptions never do match the real thing, so it was a bit of a disappointment for her.
"Kimsung, stop staring."
Keido whispered, trying to snap him out of it, but it was too late, as Achilles turned his head, noticing some random guy staring at him like he'd killed somebody. Inside, he was panicking, since he himself had anxiety.
'Why the fuck is that asian staring at me!? Is there a stain on something!? No, he can't actually be looking at me, right? Ok, just fucking calm down and walk away, ok?'
The man thought, walking faster and keeping a straight face as he left for the downtown trains. Keido finally snapped Kimsung out of it as he left, and the man looked shaken. Thoughts about his fight in the last resets against that man.
Achilles was the strongest person he'd ever fought, and he couldn't do anything against the man. Even using a group to attack him didn't matter, as they would all be killed in minutes by that man's attacks.
One thing he knew about Achilles was his clear disdain for any flashy attacks, always using controlled attacks to strike at the right moment, instead of the more common idea of… What was it called again? Was it "Fuck everything in that direction"? Jamal had told him the phrase, and the more he thought about it, it was an extremely common method for everybody and everything he ever fought against.
Something he was a bit embarrassed about was how destructive and uncontrolled his fights with other people were, especially in cities. To be honest, he did remember how his guild always bugged him about property damage and things like that, but he'd never actually paid attention to it.
However, Kimsung did remember how he died the last reset, his soul, mind, and body having been cut through cleanly by the man, even when he was an entire continent away.