With the appropriate instructions imparted, the giant strode away.
For the first time since entering the trial, the humans were all together once more and they were more divided than ever.
Tom’s eyes settled on Phil. He was not someone anyone in his or Vidja’s group would trust. He wasn’t sure what gossip Selena’s squad had about him, and they may have leapt to the same conclusions as his group. Alternatively, they might have conveniently ignored the suspicious circumstances of him entering the trial alone and were now allied. Tom was not sure what to think. Phil probably wasn’t a mass murdering psychopath, but Tom wasn’t willing to bet any of his team’s lives that he was innocent. A man who at the start had been ranked an almost incomprehensible twenty-three ranks which had felt like a massive gulf to the rest of them. He, like all of them, had grown and was now a solid forty-nine.
Stronger than him still, but not by as much as Tom had feared.
Selena’s squad was split down the middle with Selena and Jenny on different sides, but that didn’t stop both of them from scowling at him. Tom guessed that was fair. He remembered the pain that his skill successfully hurting the wador had caused. Their hostility was justified, but even knowing the consequences for them he was glad he had managed to blow out those eyeballs. If people conspired against him, they deserved to suffer the repercussions of their actions.
It was the smiling blond New Zealander who reacted first. Phil smirked. “G’day Tom. You took that blow like… um… what can I say? You endured it like someone who was barely capable.”
“Good day to you too Phil.” Tom said and tested his available conversational gambits against Social Silence. Surprisingly, the results suggested bluntness would gain the most respect. “I survived, and that’s all that matters. Tell me how did you tank the giant’s attack?”
“Who said I did?”
“Your smirk after he hit me!”
Phil laughed delighted. “I knew from the first day you had a spark in you. It’s great to see that you’ve caught up in rank and your potential has been at least partially realised.”
“I’m serious Phil. How did you survive the giant hit?”
The other man winked. “Trade secrets and for your information I was a far lower rank when I did so. I won’t tell you now but maybe over beers when there are fewer listening ears. How about you Tom. You’ve improved in leaps and bounds from your starting level of ten. Forty-two now! That’s bloody awesome growth.” He laughed at his own joke. “Excuse the pun. Bloody, that was a good one. Because when you kill things…”
“I got it.” Tom interrupted, and then paused. His skill told him that there were so many wrong things that he could say at this point. To amuse himself, he even tested some that he knew were ridiculous like ‘I’m disappointed in how little you’ve grown.’ That one would not go down well. Luckily, Phil did not notice the slight pause and probably just assumed that he was gathering his thoughts rather than abusing a curse that was actually a blessing. “What I’ve done is nothing too special.” He said instead, aiming for neutrality.
“Your advancement has crushed the rest of your team.”
Tom felt his lip twist a little in disgust at those imputations.
“Don’t get offended like a sissy. I wasn’t accusing you of anything. You did exactly what you should have. Monopolizing the resources was the right choice. Personal strength trumps group dynamics.” He glanced dismissively at Selena’s squad. “Seeing your success makes me almost wish that I had my own lackeys.”
It wasn’t what he had done, but he wasn’t about to correct the false assumptions. The less Phil understood their wider dynamics the better. “They are not lackeys and sharing experience was more a drag than a benefit, but despite that I’ve closed the distance to you.”
Phil shrugged. “Six ranks may not make much of a difference in one versus one combat, but it’s a lot of experience. You’re not going to catch me. I’m confident that I’ll leave this trial as the most powerful human.”
Tom forced himself to smile. “That’s great. I’m here to increase humans’ position on the competition ladder. Nothing more. Your extra power is fantastic. It’s the opposite of a negative.”
Phil smiled at that.
He felt danger. Not an explicit threat to his life as such. Just a crawling sensation like he was a rabbit in Phil’s backyard and he was only alive because Phil had not bothered to get around to killing him.
“Tom, I feel your protestations are not genuine. If you will accept it in the positive way, it is intended. I would like to give you a word of warning. Your strength is speed, and the giant tagged you. Take that to heart. To arrogantly believe in false strength will take you to an early grave. I don’t think you understand what facing a true elite feels like. Now, I have things to do.” The other man started to walk away and then stopped and faced them again. “This zone is not a joke. Even with your mighty paper power the zone will require a couple weeks to complete. Don’t take it easy because you don’t want to be burned. Once you’ve done the minimum to leave, we can have a drink together to celebrate and then I might share some clues on my build. Until then, Tom, keep growing. As you claim, we’re all here to improve humanity’s place on the ranking ladder. Your power is fantastic for all of us”
He left without sharing a word with anyone else.
“A weird, scary dude,” Michael said effectively silently to him via the party chat.
“Don’t trust anything he says, Tom,” Everlyn agreed. “My skills went haywire in that conversation. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was crazy in the medical definition way. A dangerous, erratic, psychopath with no societal rules to contain him and the personal power to threaten all of us.”
They all watched in silence as Phil rather than retreating into the fortress instead walked around the edge of the disk. It was clear he was planning on leaving to complete some of the quests. Everyone else was silent while they waited. No one wanted to talk out loud and risk being overheard.
Rather than watching a departing back he switched his attention to Selena’s Squad. The split nature was obvious. However, their advancement made them dangerous even with the schism that might slightly impair the coordination between the two groups. Tom knew he had to treat them as a singular threat because if there was a fight, they would protect each other. With an average rank of around thirty-seven, they were stronger than his team until you factored in his own ranking of forty-two, which balanced out that discrepancy. That and his team’s extra numbers courtesy of Vidja. In any case such a small difference in rank wouldn’t decide a fight between them. That would depend on the hidden abilities they had. It was always possible that just like he could have been Phil’s strength if he hadn’t bought traits Selena’s squad could have been above forty. Tom didn’t think they had all bought multiple traits, but he couldn’t rule out the risk that they had pursued such a strategy and had hidden trump cards. Phil finally reached a spot almost two hundred metres away. He hadn’t looked back once, but apparently it was decided that any listening skills he possessed were out of range. Everyone stirred restlessly.
“That guy,” Selena said quietly. “There’s something off about him.”
Michael who had walked up. Shrugged nonchalantly. “He seemed knowledgeable to me. A good ally to have.”
Selena smiled, but you could almost see how she was biting off a sharper retort. “Well, Phil asked us to settle you in. We have rooms you can use in there,” she volunteered, waving at the massive building that dominated the platform. “The giant has claimed it for himself but couldn’t care less if bugs like us make use of the bits he doesn’t need. Those are Phil’s words, not mine, and he has only set the west wing off limits. The rest of the area can be utilised how we please. This place is super nifty. It’s like nothing else I’ve seen in the trials. We have full control of our room security unless the giant interferes and there’s no way it’s doing that.”
“Does the giant have a name?” Michael asked.
Selena shook her head. “I don’t think any of us are strong enough to have earned the right to learn it. Including Phil no matter how superior he pretends to be to the rest of us.”
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The healer did not look surprised by that answer. “Excellent. And how’s your latest plot to rob us going? Have you been having fun betraying your species to a competitor.”
Shocked silence deadened at how nonchalantly Michael had raised it.
Selena shot an annoyed glare at Jenny before frowning and focusing on the healer. “That’s not a polite accusation.”
“Tough luck. Treachery is not a pleasant topic. How else do you want us to address it.”
“And if you’re asking so bluntly, I’m assuming you’ve corrected the truth telling hole your group had?”
“You can assume whatever the fuck you want. Before we go, a step further with you, I need my question answered. I’ve got no desire to playhouse with backstabbing snakes. Answer the question or we have a problem.”
It was like the words were a declaration of war and in a way they were. Tom prepared his domain, and he could feel a power strike on the tip of his spear. Not manifested, but available. Rahmat was ready. In fact all the human stances had shifted subtly, and the chosen were also repositioning to attempt to be peace keepers but their once overwhelming advantage was gone. If there was a fight, they would not be as effective as they once would have been.
Selena and her combined squad were ready to fight, but they didn’t form into a single unified group they kept to their teams of four and five, respectively. The other team’s eyes roamed from spot to spot. Searching for and ensuring there were no unexpected surprises. Shields were positioned and with his magic sensing ability he could almost see the half-formed spells around them. For a moment they were in a cold war, a tense standoff with no open brandishment of weapons and not a single spell was cast. They all held their discipline, refraining even from invoking a defensive skill or spell.
“This is stupid,” Selena sighed heavily and made a point of making her weapon disappear. “I’ve got no interest in fighting and to answer your question I don’t know. Jenny may have agreed to something with the wador but if she has, she hasn’t shared it.”
“Selena, you can’t say that.” Jenny snarled. “That’s breaking…
“Shut up you bitch. I don’t care about operational solidarity. In case you haven’t noticed, this isn’t a military mission.” Selena shot back. “Our relationship only extends to military activities against non sapient opponents. That’s our compromise. That was the only thing we were all happy to vote for. Beyond that necessity, we’re no longer a squad. I’ll have nothing to do with your crap.” She turned away from Jenny. “You can accept my aid or reject it. But listening to it will be worthwhile. I can give you a quick strategic overview of the accommodation and the zone. It’ll be the same briefing Phil gave us.”
“He did what?” Michael asked in surprise.
“The giant greeted us like it did you.” She looked at Tom. “None of us were crazy enough to approach it. So it deigned to address us. Instead, it ordered Phil to look after us and explain all relevant zone information.”
The healers eyebrow’s rose. “And what? That Phil?” His finger stabbed out to the now distant figure that was searching for a particular platform to link to. “That guy over there? Really? What? He played a dutiful tour guide because he was asked too?”
“Yes, and he took it seriously. Those two have a funny relationship. The giant acts like Phil is beneath him. No more than a servant, but Phil doesn’t act subservient unless he is specifically instructed to do something. Even then, he does it with attitude. It’s more than a little weird.”
James, Jenny and three others of the Selena’s group turned and walked back into the temple, equal parts bored and pissed off by the conversation.
Selena said nothing until they disappeared. “Jenny isn’t evil you know. She’s very intense and loyal to her friends. We had a big fight and she’ll still be in my corner if I need her. That’s the type of character she has.”
“But being loyal to your friends doesn’t excuse her being a shit person to everyone else does it?” Michael pushed.
“I don’t know…” Selena temporised. “There’s contributing factors. She’s doing what she thinks is best for all of the innocents from Earth who aren’t here to fight for themselves. Just like the rest of us.”
“Because she claims her actions are blessed by tutorial oracle questions?”
“How do you know that…” she started and then stopped. “No, of course you’re aware.”
“That’s the bit I don’t get. If you truly believe her, then why aren’t you still supporting her. If her path is the best for humanity, then why pull back like this? That is what I don’t get. Why the change of heart. Is it because you’re unsure if she can judge whether she’s actually stronger than another or have you all grown some moral fibre?”
“No, it’s because I think she’s snapped under the pressure. She’s closer to crazy than sane at the moment. Completely rejects any attempts at reason or logic. Just because such tactics might have been best outside this trial doesn’t mean they are still worthwhile here. She’s fixated on the oracle answers and believes what she’s doing is for the best. It means she’s incapable of learning that just because it’s the right choice on average it doesn’t mean it is correct now I this instant. We’re all dependent on each other, you and us and a shuffling of physical assets between our groups is not worth breaking our overall cohesion.”
“You sound like a psychopath.” Michael told her.
“I’m not. I made my choice. I won’t support her crap anymore.”
Everlyn almost growled. “Listen to yourself. It’s not a situational choice. Picking on other humans was always wrong. The fact you condoned it.”
“I never condoned it, but I did what I had to in order to carve a future for my loved ones. I wasn’t going to oppose DEUS.”
The scout scoffed at that response. “Things aren’t that black and white. You facilitated her. How many people from your starting group did you steal from.”
“We only did what was necessary. The weaker squads had an obligation to support the stronger.”
“Says only the stronger ones with everyone else at the point of a spear.”
“That’s not what happened. There was a weighted community vote.”
“And that’s the problem. You’re washing your hands of responsibility under the guise of a duty to accept the verdict of a corrupt majority vote or whatever other crappy flimsy excuse that you’re using to justify your actions in your own head. No one gives a shit. You’re tainted by your past association.”
Selena hesitated her face angry. Then she deflated, and she wiped her eyes. “Maybe you’re right. It was a mistake, and I regretted it at the time and I’m ashamed of it now, but it’s done anddone,an’t change those previous decisions.”
“And what now?” Everlyn said bitingly. “Do you expect us to forgive you and welcome you with open arms.”
“I we…” she gestured at her companions who included Maher. “Yes, we were hoping for that. The four of us would rather fight by your sides than with those allied morally with Jenny.”
“We would prefer you didn’t.” She snapped. “I like a certain level of integrity in those who fight at my back. The kind that hasn’t a history of backstabbing me.”
Michael shook his head. “No, I hate to say it, but that’s not fair Everlyn. She’s trying to make amends.”
“I’m sick of it. All these people claiming they made a mistake and believe it should be swept under the rug and they express a right to insist that we pretend it never happened.”
“Like what you did with Clare and Keikain.”
“Yes, Selena. That’s exactly what I’m talking about. I was forced to do it with them. I probably should have argued my view more effectively at the time. Accepting them was …”
“NO!” Michael bellowed. “Don’t finish that sentence. We wouldn’t be here without them.”
“They haven’t been that critical.” Everlyn snapped, then she glanced back at the others. “Though I have to admit apart from their stupid choice in the contribution room, I admit they’ve tried their best since they were caught.” Her voice was rising as she was speaking. “No, I’ve had enough of this. I’m sick of pretending. There’s no debate or whitewashing required. What they did was despicable”
“Everlyn stop.”
“No, Michael, I won’t be silenced! They murdered my friend! Sacrificed her! Butchered her like a pig and I’m expected to play nice for the fucking greater good?”
“They shouldn’t have killed anyone.” Michael said flatly, “but as I said it was one bad choice and for the sake of my grandkids, future, I’ll work with them and honestly, I’m glad they’re here. They’ve contributed more than enough to justify their place and if they hadn’t made that initial mistake to purchase the bloodline, I would describe them as heroes like I do with everyone else here. They’ll never get that tag, but they’ve earnt the right to be treated fairly.”
“I don’t forgive so easily.”
“But we’re both adults. We can be civil and master our actions when the situation requires it.”
Everlyn nodded, annoyed at having to agree with that. “I didn’t want them to come with us, but I recognised the need especially with Tom’s contract binding their future actions. The rest of the group would have put them to death, and we decided the cost of such an action to our place in the competition was too high” She breathed in deeply clearly trying to calm herself. She glanced at Keikain and Clare in distaste before glancing away and hiding the expression. “We made allowances then because the alternative was the loss of a resource. Five people’s potential had already been snuffed out. Letting them live at least gave humanity a chance to get something out of that tragedy. That’s why I agreed. That logic doesn’t apply to Selena. I’m sure the four of them are strong enough to complete the quest conditions by themselves. They don’t have to join us like leeches. Isn’t that right, Selena? You don’t actually need our protection, do you?”
“Yes, but going alone will be both more dangerous and painful. If I had a choice, I would prefer not to take risks and complete the zone with a larger team.”
“Well, that’s not a choice you have.”
“Everlyn, you can’t make that decision.” Michael interrupted her. “That’s not part of your duties. We’ll probably be splitting into two or three groups. If that’s the case we’ll see if I can incorporate them into one without you. But before I do that, Selena, I want an answer. Are you attempting to trick us?”
“No, of course not.”
The healer sighed and nodded. “This was not how I imagined this would go. I’ll need to interview you in more detail but provisionally we’ll let you travel with us. Now you mentioned something about a briefing.”
Michael was trying to sound upbeat to raise everyone’s spirits. Selena looked like a beaten dog. Everlyn was fuming and threatening to explode. Clare’s lower lip was trembling and seemed like she was about to be sick while Keikain was glancing around and studying everything apparently unaffected. Vidja’s entire team had subtly moved away from the killers and even the chosen appeared like they were a little wary.
It was not a good start to the most important of all the zones they had to get through. The only positive so far was that they had met the giant, and no one had died.