He stood next to Everlyn in her system room. She could clearly control where he appeared or his own subconscious directed it because he was facing her single, unadorned wall. There was the plain wood panelling that he knew transitioned seamlessly into the computer screens when either of them wished it too.
They stood quietly next to each other just appreciating the stillness after the bustle of rushing around the camp searching for the murderer.
“Keikain seemed excited.” Tom said finally.
“Yep, it has to be a decent reward that’s for sure. He’s not the type to make a fuss anything about nothing. Before we check do you have any ideas?”
“Fastest clear at a minimum.”
“That grin needs more than that. Rewards for being the fastest of eighteen teams won’t be much.”
“Has to be a group thing that we all got or else he wouldn’t have said anything.”
“Speed? Maybe a massive completion bonus.”
“Oh yeah,” Tom mused. “Like if it was a rank twenty trial instead of a seven. That would multiply rewards and it felt way too hard to be a seven and our layout was significantly different to everyone else’s as well.”
“High ranked?” Everlyn mused, glancing down at the new axe she was wearing, but he knew she was thinking about the old one. “I can believe that. I could barely hurt the boss even while enhanced.”
Tom looked at her. “You’re going to have to explain that blue axe later.”
She laughed. “It’s not a huge mystery.”
“What? You’ve done everything you can to hide it.”
“Just a bit of fun but the cat’s out of the bag now. It, being a rank twenty could explain a lot, though.”
“Evie!”
“What?”
“Stop changing the subject. What was the skill?”
She grinned. “Damn, I thought that would work. But fine, I’ll show you tonight.”
“Everlyn!”
“Fine. It’s a flexible super-charging skill that I can engage for a limited amount of time. The time is accumulated linearly, so the less I use it the more I have available for an oh shit moment.”
“What’s the boost?”
Everlyn hesitated. “In raw terms, my attributes increase by fifty percent, but its stronger than that. You saw what the boost did to the axe, but it also allows me to switch the focus of my build. I can swing all my attributes to strength, for example.”
It was a description, but she was still definitely being evasive. He narrowed his eyes.
She sighed in exasperation. “Show the trait.”
Amorphous Evolved Form. Enables the creation of up to eight forms where attributes can be reassigned as required with a fifty percent boost. Additional capacity which can be boosted via the use of attributes potential can be used to creating weapons and armour. Up to a minute of form, can be assigned per day.
Tom read the trait and immediately spotted a discrepancy. “You should have had over ten minutes available.”
“Eight forms.” Everlyn pointed out. “I screwed up and only had forty seconds of the axe version available.”
“The other builds?”
“I’m a scout and archer. I’ve got forms to help in various situations. Don’t worry I’m focusing on combat potential for a bit.”
He re-read the trait. “Overall, that’s really powerful.”
She beamed at the compliment. “I’m not sure it matches Fates Agility and DEUSs chosen, but yeah it’s great. You knew I had to have something like this didn’t you.”
“I knew you were number four and I know you’re a hard worker who isn’t afraid of taking risks. Therefore, I strongly suspected you had something like that and this was an inspired choice.” Tom said with genuine appreciation. “Used properly, it’s incredibly potent and unlike some traits will grow with you even without an evolution.”
“And if it evolves.” She clapped her hands.
“Then it becomes reality breaking.”
Her cheeks were red. “That would be nice. Umm… Keikain’s waiting. We should,” she gestured at the screen.
“What we need to finish is speculating rather than checking. I vote we keep grilling you,” he teased. “And then just look at the results.”
“No, no, you’re outvoted.” She declared.
“Exactly how?”
She paused. “As this is my place I get the deciding vote.”
Tom laughed. “Fine, you don’t want praise. So be it. So we agree the trial was higher ranked and maybe an additional bonus for a more complicated layout. I’m not sure any other team had the chasm to get past, for example.”
Everlyn shook her head. “We can only draw inference from the difficulty not the setup. All groups got unique challenges, some people even fought a praying mantis.” She made inverted commas at the ridiculousness of something so out of dungeon character. “How stupid is that? A mantis in a wasp trial.”
He laughed. “I’m not sure that humanoid at the end counted as a wasp, either.”
“It was definitely waspy.”
“Waspy?”
“Yep, and is there any reason we’re procrastinating?”
“I like spending time with you without worrying about people listening in. Plus, I needed a break.”
She rolled her eyes. “Lets find out what’s happening. We can kick back and watch the fire later afterwards.” She waited for Tom to nod and then clapped her hands. “Display trial messages.”
Usually it would have happened when they were transitioning out of the dungeon, but they had been in a rush and skipped it forcing it into the standard queue of everyday alerts.
Trial of Giant Wasps
Type: Monster, Permanent, Teams of Four, Single Attempt, Rank 7
Entering with a team of 4
Earth Mage - Rank 8–Level of dedicated fighting spells and skills - Average.
****Effective combat rank 8
Ranger Druid - Rank 7–Level of dedicated fighter spells and skills - Insignificant.
****Effective Combat Rank 4
Elemental Summoner - Rank 5–Level of dedicated Combat Spells and Skill - Below Average.
****Effective Combat Rank 4
Living Wood Crafter - Rank 6–Level of dedicated Combat Spells and Skills - None
****Effective Combat Rank 3
…..
Average Combat Rank - 5
….
Team is under-levelled for the trial. Are you sure you wish to proceed?
….
Entering Trial
….
Roll for Special Conditions initiated.
….
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
100 out of a 100… Reward assigned: choice to accept five random trial conditions changed.
….
Roll on condition changes to be offered.
….
Condition Change 1 - Rank Scaling 2 (+ 2) - Accepted
Condition Change 2 - Extra Challenge - Accepted
Condition Change 3 - Rank Scaling 4 (+8) - Accepted
Condition Change 4 - 75% reduction in physical loot for incorporeal reward increases - Accepted
Condition Change 5 - Rank Scaling 2 (+2) - Accepted
….
Trial is now rated at rank 19
Reward calculations will be base lined against Existentia outcomes rather than local.
….
Warning group is materially under-leveled. Are you sure you wish to accept?
….
Accepted.
….
Trial is rated at over three times higher ranked than the challenging team. Proceeding is almost certain death. Do you wish to proceed?
….
Accepted
The scrolling text was stopped as Everlyn turned to face him. “I take it all back. Those notes are terrifying. Next time we read the input text when entering potentially deadly trials.”
“We were in a rush.” Tom said defensively, while internally wincing. Rank nineteen? That was a screw up no matter how he looked at it. “Plus, it all worked out in the end.”
“That’s not the point.” She pointed at the top lines. “Rank nineteen is the fucking point.”
“Fate was on our side.”
“There’s fate turning a ninety percent chance of death into success, and there is this. Even you need to admit accepting all those condition changes were ridiculous.”
Tom held up his arms in defeat. “I know but…”
“There are no buts.” She snapped, looking exasperated. “I know we need to push ourselves to get stronger, but that doesn’t mean being suicidal.”
“But we invested over a hundred fate. Apparent risk was a lot higher than actual risk.”
“Fate does not work like that!”
Tom’s face scrunched up in disagreement. “It sort of does.”
“It’s not perfect. You were skewered by a leg for over a minute before you could heal yourself.”
“Point.”
“I know I said it was okay in the trial but,” she shook her head. “This was not okay and we can’t afford to do it again. I want you to ask yourself one question. Is your build designed for the first month, year, or decade?”
“The last one.”
Everlyn nodded at that admission.
His build was a long-term one. While DEUS’s trial had taught them all that taking risks was important, that was not what he had planned for. The whole point of his gamble with contribution points was that it would make him a god in a couple of decades even if it weakened him for the first year. But to reap the benefits he needed to survive for decades. Tom frowned. The decision to rush had been stupid.
“It’s okay,” she went to pat him on the shoulder and then pulled her hand back with an annoyed expression, knowing if she had continued her fingers would have gone straight through his body. “Let’s see what our stupidity bought us.”
The wall shivered, and the text changed.
….
Entering Trial.
….
Trial completed in 5 minutes and 26 seconds.
….
Results calibrated against all monster based, single entry, 4 person team, and Rank 19 trials.
….
Trial completed successfully.
….
Calculating rewards.
Everlyn’s hissed at seeing that rank displayed once more and a gesture froze the scrolling.
“Keep going.. Let’s see what rewards our stupidity gets.” Tom suggested.
She looked frustrated like she wanted to smack him. “I still can’t believe it. Rank nineteen!”
“I can’t go back in time.”
Her hands clenched in frustration, then she laughed. “It might have been a mistake, but you’re not getting off scot free. You better be ticklish… otherwise.” She gave him an impish smile. “We’ll have to see.”
“No violence.”
“Tickling is not violent. Oh, my god.” She looked at him in disbelief. “You’re actually ticklish.”
“No,” his cheeks went red.
“I absolutely won’t test that later.” She waved, and the text started again.
….
Standard sixty-four-year global comparison to be used in base lining results against other rank nineteen trials.
….
Listing critical achievements.
….
First clear for a team ranked under 6
First clear for a team ranked under 7
….
Fastest clear for a team ranked under 6
….
Fastest clear for a team ranked under 14
….
Calculating appropriate titles and rewards.
….
The following titles are awarded to everyone in the team.
….
Trial Dominator (II) - Grants +8 to all attributes when within a GODs trial. Awarded for. Being the first to clear a dungeon that has been visited at least one million times–x 2). Epic Title. Competition Rank: 14th, 25 Ranking points, 500 experience.
….
Trial Speedster (IX) - Increases movement speed and perception of time by 180% when within a GODS trial Awarded for. Being the fastest to clear a dungeon that has been visited at least one million times–( x 9 ). Legendary Title. Competition Rank: 1st, 250 Ranking points, 5000 experience.
Everlyn started jumping up and down in excitement. “Yay! Ranking points. That’s going to put us all in the top hundred on the human ladder.”
“Trial speedster is incredible.” Tom said in amazement. “That’s the type of title that can snowball into future trial firsts.
“I know.” She was still hopping up and down on the spot and she had seen her hand reach out to grab him in excitement only to pull it back. “I can’t believe we get a title that increases us by an entire rank in GOD’s trial, and it’s the insignificant one.”
A thought occurred to Tom. Titles were not trial rewards, which meant there needed to be something more. “There must be more than titles.” Tom nodded significantly at the screen.
….
The following is awarded to everyone in the team.
Team Completion Reward for completing a 19 ranked trial with an average team rank of 5. 10 free attributes. A level ten attribute stone (Tier 2) for spell of choice (Incorporeal / Soul bound.) A level ten attribute stone (Tier 2) for skill of choice (Incorporeal / Soul bound.) 6,000 experience. 200 ranking points.
“Level ten attribute stones they’re worth a fortune.” Everlyn said in excitement.
Tom agreed, and he was already thinking about where he could assign them. These attribute stones represented the experience to get from a level of one to ten. Given that the cost of raising Spark’s skill by one now was more than what it would have taken him to level the spell from scratch to level twenty, he would not be using the stone on either Spark or Touch Heal. These stones were better at boosting a newly acquired skill or spell to a higher level.
“And tier 2,” Everlyn continued. “That means if I use it on a tier 1 it’ll get me further.”
“Maybe to fifteen,” Tom agreed. The mathematics of the cost to rise levels was unclear but it would be somewhere around that.
“It’s almost too much.” She muttered.
“I’ll take everything we can get.”
“Of course we will. I’m building a future for my kids even if I have to do it all myself.”
“We all have that aim.”
“Apart from whoever the killer is.”
Tom winced. “Is there anything else?”
….
Calculating Individual awards
….
Additional Prizes.
Tom Mark Brayshaw for personally delivering 87% of damage at a rank below team average in an exemplary trial clear is awarded: Spell: Lightning Ball (tier 3) Skill: Health Burn (tier 3) Skill: Mana burn (tier 3) ….
Everlyn Louis Campbell for strategic leadership and direction in an exemplary trial clear is awarded the following. Skill: Party Communication tier (4)
“What’s Party Communication?”
“I was going to ask about yours, but we can do mine first. Display Party Communication.
Skill: Party Communication tier (4)
A skill that allows telepathic communication from the skill owner to party members. Higher skill levels increase participants, distance, clarity and at higher levels full party chat.
Team supported - 2
Distance - 8 metres
“It’s not bad.” Tom said after a moment.
“I think it will be way better once it gets up to eight and I get some threshold bonuses.”
“Agreed. It’s tier four.”
Everlyn turned to face him. “I don’t care about lightning ball, but what are those skills?”
The screen understood the command in that statement and specifically the fact that Tom was not disputing it..
Skill: Health Burn (Tier 3)
Converts health into a twenty-five percent boost of strength and agility.
Ratio of conversion and percentage increase improves with skill level.
Skill: Mana Burn (Tier 3)
Converts mana into a twenty-five percent boost of strength and agility.
Ratio of conversion and percentage increase improves with skill level.
“I wonder how the health one works.” She mused.
“I know.” Tom told her this was a skill he was familiar with though he had never actually purchased it. “I pondered buying these during Deus’s trial. When you use it, lots of blood vessels in your muscles burst to power the skill. You won’t feel that damage for a bit, but the longer you go the more internal bleeding you get. It can get dangerous.”
“So you will not use them?”
“Of course I will. If the situation demands it, they’re awesome.”
“Then you will use it.” She concluded. “And knowing you it means you’ll train it.”
“Wouldn’t you?”
“It sounds painful.”
“It will be,” Tom agreed. “But I’m like most of us. I’m here to save humanity and during DEUS’s trial that was my whole aim. There’s an excellent reason I now know how to turn off my pain receptors.” Tom grinned at her. “With my healing and turning off pain. I am one of the few people who can level this skill efficiently.”
“Lets not tell Keikain about the free skills. I doubt he got individual contribution rewards.”
Tom grinned. “Definitely not.”
They return to the real world and almost immediately Keikain’s face went from bored to a huge grin. “Great, right?”
“The rewards were awesome. But you need to excuse us. We need to keep going. Right Useless?” She nudged him.
“I’m back to being useless.”
“Aww, so cute.” She linked her arms with his. “You never stopped.”
He tried to unlink, but she stopped him. “Joking.” The word echoed in his head as she used her new skill. “It was a jab at Keikain, but I want you to know I’m never using that name again.”
“Thank you.” He responded with the same mind talk. That skill was awesome if it meant they could communicate silently without going into the system room. “I love this new skill.”
“Me too.” She looked at him speculatively, biting her lip. “If only we didn’t have a murderer to catch.”
They continued their search.
Bob approached scowling, and Tom didn’t blame him. “Did you discover anything?”
“No, did we look like we had?” Everlyn asked cautiously.
“I’m a cop. I observe people. You two had that hiding a secret vibe, and it’s not that you’re the killers, because you’re amongst the few people who have alibis for both murders.”
“How many people have alibis?”
Bob pinched the bridge of his nose. “Only about thirty, and whatever was used to knock them out was sudden. The entire group went down within seconds of each other. It could have been any of them, so the alibis are the twenty-four of us that got caught in the GOD’s trial and of course your support team from Jeffrey’s.” Bob shook his head in disgust at himself. “Enough. Report. What did you two discover?”