Running with Captain America is like trying to keep pace with a freight train that has very polite manners.
We weren't just jogging down 42nd Street; we were weaving through a nightmare. The sky was still vomiting aliens, and the noise was a constant, physical pressure against my eardrums. Every explosion felt like a punch to the gut.
"Keep up, Atlas!" Rogers shouted, shielding a terrified woman from falling glass with his body before shoving her toward a subway entrance.
"Trying!" I wheezed.
My lungs were burning. See, that's the thing about "Plot Armor." It stops a falling rock from crushing your skull, but it doesn't give you the cardio of a Super Soldier. I was a guy who spent his weekends reading webnovels and eating takeout. Sprinting five blocks in combat boots (where did I get these boots?) was already pushing my limits.
I looked down at the Chitauri spear in my hand. It was heavy, buzzing with a low-frequency hum that made my arm numb.
[ITEM ANALYSIS] [Item: Standard Issue Chitauri Energy Staff] [Grade: Common (Alien)] [Condition: 84%] [Proficiency: 0% (User has no clue how to use this.)]
"Great," I muttered, dodging a burning taxi door. "It's a glorified glow stick."
"Eyes up!" Cap barked.
We skidded to a halt near the viaduct. Ahead of us, the street was blocked. A massive piece of a Leviathan's armor had sheared off and crushed a city bus. Behind it, a squad of six Chitauri were setting up a heavy blaster cannon, aiming it straight down the avenue toward the civilians fleeing to Grand Central.
If they fired that thing, hundreds would die.
"I can't get close," Cap said, scanning the area. "They have the high ground and suppressing fire. If I throw the shield, I take out two, maybe three. The cannon fires before I get it back."
He looked at me. "Can you shoot that thing?"
He pointed at the spear in my hand.
I looked at the alien weapon. It had no trigger. Just a weird, grooved grip.
"I... I don't know," I admitted. "I think it works on biometric pressure?"
[SYSTEM ALERT] [Combat Assist Available.] [Skill: "Beginner's Luck" can force a successful activation.] [Cost: 20 Stamina Points (Current Stamina: 35/100)] [Warning: User will suffer "Exhaustion" debuff immediately after.]
I swallowed hard. If I used this, I'd be running on fumes. But those people behind us...
"Cap," I said, my voice trembling slightly. "Distract them. Get them to look at you. I'll take the shot."
Rogers looked at me. He didn't ask if I was sure. He just nodded. In war, you take the options you have.
"Hey!" Rogers stepped out from cover, banging his shield with his fist. The sound rang out like a bell. "Over here!"
The Chitauri screeched, swiveling their heavy cannon toward the star-spangled man standing in the open.
Now.
I stepped out, raised the heavy staff, and squeezed the grip.
"Eat this, you space lizards!"
I expected a recoil. I didn't expect to be thrown backward three feet.
A bolt of blue plasma screamed out of the staff—but not straight. The "Beginner's Luck" kicked in, correcting my terrible aim. The bolt curved slightly, skimming over the top of the bus and slamming directly into the power pack of the Chitauri heavy cannon.
KA-BOOM.
Blue fire erupted, consuming the alien squad. The force of the explosion blew the windows out of the nearest storefronts.
I landed hard on my ass, the staff clattering away.
[COMBAT SUCCESS] [Enemy Unit Defeated: Chitauri Heavy Gunner x6] [XP Gained: 300] [Stamina Depleted. Debuff: "Winded" applied.]
The world started to spin. Grey spots danced in my vision. My legs felt like jelly.
"Atlas!"
Cap was there in a second, hauling me up. "Good shot, kid. One in a million."
"Yeah," I gasped, leaning heavily against a mailbox. "Let's... not do that again soon."
"We need to keep moving," Cap said, though he looked concerned. "Stark needs that intel on the portal. Can you run?"
"Give me... a sec."
I closed my eyes, trying to center myself. I needed a break. I needed water. But the System wasn't done with me.
[NARRATIVE OPPORTUNITY] [A stray Chitauri is hiding in the rubble to your right. It is aiming at Captain America.]
Are you kidding me?
I didn't have the stamina to fight. I didn't have the "Luck" cooldown ready.
But I had knowledge.
"Cap! Three o'clock, low!" I yelled, pointing blindly.
Rogers didn't hesitate. He spun, bringing his shield down in a vicious arc just as a Chitauri lunged from the debris. The vibranium edge caught the alien in the neck. It dropped instantly.
Steve looked at me, his eyes narrowing. "You sensed that? Without looking?"
"I... heard the gravel shift," I lied again, breathless.
Steve stared at me for a long moment. The suspicion from earlier was fading, replaced by something else. Curiosity. Maybe even respect.
"You're not just a civilian, are you?" he asked quietly.
I looked at him—the symbol of hope for an entire generation. I wanted to tell him the truth. I'm a nobody. I'm a fraud with a cheat code.
Instead, I smirked, trying to hide the fact that my hands were shaking.
"I told you, Cap. I'm just a guy who reads the script."
[RELATIONSHIP UPDATE] [Steve Rogers: Intrigued (LVL 15)] [New Title Unlocked: "The Tactical Asset"]
"Right," Steve said, turning back to the street. "Well, keep reading. We've got six blocks to Stark Tower. And it looks like the Hulk just joined the party."
I looked up. In the distance, a massive green blur was leaping between buildings, smashing Leviathans like piñatas.
"Finally," I muttered. "Someone else to draw the aggro."
"Aggro?"
"Never mind. Let's go."
I forced my legs to move. Six blocks. In this chaos, that might as well be a marathon through hell. But as I jogged behind Captain America, gripping my stolen alien spear, a notification blinked in the corner of my eye.
[MAIN QUEST UPDATED: "The Avengers Assemble"] [Objective: Survive until the portal closes.] [Progress: 15%] [Hidden Objective: ???]
Fifteen percent? We had barely started. This was going to be a long day.