CHAPTER 108

There was a cat to kill or scare, and so Tom focused on the bush he had to target. It was a long throw. Not as far as when he had gone after the scavenger lizards, but back then he had been throwing down at them. This throw was flat and just as challenging and even though he knew it was there Tom could no longer see the animal. Its camouflage ability was strong.

He drew back his arm and put everything he had learned since getting his Spell into the throw. Feet planted, the muscles on his back rippling and bringing the stone to behind his ear. Form, fluidity and focus. For a moment, he engaged his aiming skill, but he was going after a static target, so he didn’t need much help and didn’t want to dilute his power. Yet he followed its guidance, with his little finger slipping up to balance the rock. Then prepared, he stepped into the launch, his body mimicking the same biomechanics that he had seen baseball pitchers use. His muscles flowed in a chain of gathering force as his arm lashed forward and he focused on a flat throw. At the speed the missile would be operating at, neither air resistance nor gravity represented a factor that he needed to account for.

Once upon a time his mind would have rebelled at the concept that he could make this type of throw, after all he was aiming for a bush on the other side of a football field which was over twice as far as he had been capable of throwing for his first twenty years even utilising an arcing trajectory. However, magic was real.

There was no point second guessing. His elbow snapped down as the spell entered the rock and the unique magic went to work. It hurtled through the air. It’s very passage, creating a satisfied whistling sound, and it went straight. The aim was off slightly and the rock slammed lower down on the bush that he had aimed, but was still on target. It was an impressive throw.

Things seemed to slow down. A fraction of a second, maybe even half of one, and then the creature, a cat, exploded up into the air. It’s panicked leap took it almost two people high with a splattering of blood following its trajectory from a gouge on its shoulder.

It landed. Then it bolted directly away from them. Instinctively, Tom had manifested a second rock ready to throw, but it was fleeing too fast to give him any real chance of hitting it.

There was a snort from the ranger.

“What?” Tom asked, lowering his arm.

“You missed, Tom.”

“No, I definitely hit it.”

She laughed. “Gave it a scratch.”

“More than you managed.”

“Touche.” She smiled. “But I didn’t try. And if I did, well I would have snuck fifty metres closer and made sure of my shot.”

“I lack those skills.”

She snorted. “To be honest, I was impressed you even noticed it from that distance. Healer, mage, crazy melee fighter, crafter and apparently passable scout. Is there anything you can’t do?”

“I’m not a crafter. I can create golems thanks to a spell but crafting.” Tom shook his head vigorously.

“They said you were proudly barbarian and disliked crafting. Personally, I never got it. I wanted to keep my enchanting, but the oracle said no. So for now, I’m a ranger.”

“Sitting and crafting never made sense. Why would I do that when I could stalk a monster?”

She shrugged. “Different strokes for different people, I guess.” She hesitated clearly wanting to ask something more personal.

“Spit it out.”

“Those rocks you throw. They’re pretty deadly. Why did you use a hammer instead of blowing the wasp hives up from a distance? It could have saved a week.”

“It’s obviously a new spell. To be honest, I haven’t mastered it yet. In six months, I think it’ll be three or four times more deadly.”

“Yeah, I heard someone saying you got ridiculously more powerful from the Challenge trial, but I didn’t really believe it.”

“I did and is there another question there.”

“I don’t get it. My friend Shen paid the experience and got a multifactor arrow split skill. He was pretty happy with receiving a ten thousand spell for a three thousand investment along with seven free levels in a tier two spell. He was chuffed. But that throw you just used is probably better than his skill and it wasn’t the only thing that you got. There’s golem, the spinning rocks, and I’ve watched you conjure rocks out of nothing.”

“Is there a question in there?”

“How?”

Tom thought for a moment. “You should already know this.”

She looked blankly at him

“No one has explained it to you?”

“Nope.”

Tom took a deep breath. He was more than a little confused. He was sure Everlyn or Michael had agreed to communicate the strategies that should be applied yet this girl was looking at him in confusion. “There are a few ways to supercharge the result of a challenge trial.”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

She gave him a hurry up gesture. “Are you going to tell me?”

“Of course, we’re all on the same team. First, use your fate to influence the outcome. Second, ask questions.” Tom frowned at that. “It doesn’t always work, especially if the administrator is uncooperative, but Susie was helpful.”

“Susie? You found out the name of the trial administrator?”

“I named her.”

“You cared enough to do that?”

“It helped to establish a connection. It let me find out that I could invest up to twice the base experience before each unit got less value.”

“Wait, names.”

“What?”

The woman looked hesitant. “You barely talk to anyone, but it feels like you know this administrator’s entire life story.”

Tom shrugged uncomfortably. “Most of it is a lack of time. For the first couple of weeks while everyone else was forced together and made to socialise by the environment.”

She laughed and interrupted him. “Most of us weren’t made. Half weren’t,” she corrected her eyes distant. “The tutorial did a number on some people, those we were more firm with.”

“Anyway, while you did that I was smashing hives and sleeping.”

“We’ve been out of the plains for a few days…”

“And I’ve started to get to know everyone.” Tom lied. He hesitated. It felt stupid but also sort of right and he was pretty sure back when he was younger, on earth he was better at this. “I’m Tom.” He held out a hand to shake.

The woman laughed and accepted. “Jin.” She shook his hand vigorously with the firm grip of a fighter. “It’s a pleasure to officially make your acquaintance.” She was beaming. Her joy faded. “What’s, what’s with that expression?”

Tom hesitated. “The introduction. It felt childish, out of place.” He shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s hard. You know my name, so I should know yours.”

Jin shook her head. “If we’ve never been introduced how would you.”

“How do you know mine?”

“Gossip.” She winked at him with a sly grin. “I haven’t done anything outlandish enough to be the topic of conversation, so it’s not like you could have learnt my name from gossip.”

“And all I’ve done is kill things.”

She laughed. “More than that. There’s a pretty redhead.”

Tom could feel his cheeks reddening. “There are lots of other couples.”

“I didn’t mean to embarrass you.” She absolutely did. He could see it in her eyes. “But you were telling me about the trial.”

“I was,” Tom jumped onto the offered lifeboat. “Third,” he continued, and then hesitated before deciding it was okay. Everyone already knew about his titles. “You can gamble extra stuff to improve your outcome. I gambled some powerful titles, but you could also throw in things like system gifted artefacts or traits.”

“But if you go poorly, then you lose them.”

“Yes, but if you do well, then you get them to be multiplied.”

“That seems dangerous.”

Tom shrugged. “This world is like DEUS’s tutorial. It rewards gambles.”

“True.”

“Plus there is one other very important thing you’re missing. Fate has already turned things in your favour and secondly you have experience and abilities that are not factored into the scaling of the challenge you’re set.”

“What do you mean?”

“For me, I chose earth magic.”

“I noticed.”

“I had a trait that gave me an advantage with elemental magic and, more important was my experience from the tutorials. For example, in there I had stone skin to thirty-five, Earth Manipulation to eighty-one. When I had to use those skills to complete the challenge, I had a level of effective expertise far beyond what the trial could factor in. Then later I had time to use my element summoning skills where I had extra traits and titles supporting me.”

The ranger nodded. “I haven’t done the challenge yet. But if the dice are loaded in my favour… I should gamble a trait?”

“Yes,” Tom agreed. “And tell everyone else. At least the thirty scheduled for… I guess tomorrow now.”

She lapsed into silence her head pivoting and Tom kept practising his throws. He was not sure where he was at, but he was even getting time in between each attempt to slowly refill his crystal.

“You can stop now.”

He jumped. “What?” Tom looked up in surprise at Jin.

“Everyones packed up.”

“You’re very focused when you’re training.”

“What else do you expect from someone who earned the title of Useless.”

She laughed.

Was she flirting with him? Alarm bells rang in his head. “I’ve got a girlfriend.”

“So do I,” the ranger said with a laugh. “And Everlyn and I talk all the time. Us girl scouts stick together.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t look so shocked. Most people have paired up by now. After DEUS’s tutorial, everyone was starved of company.”

They started walking back. “I don’t think I like my relationship being boiled down to being starved for company.”

The ranger shook her head. “I didn’t mean it like that. Gita and I just click, but she’s a suspect now.” The ranger’s voice went very quiet.

“I’m sorry about that.”

“She’s innocent, but I can’t prove it.”

“We’ll find the murderer.”

“We haven’t yet.”

“True,” Tom agreed. “But they’re locked up now.”

“She’s locked up with them.”

They were the last to the gate and Everlyn was waiting to greet him, but she took one look at the Jin and went straight over and embraced her in a hug. “She’ll be okay.” He heard Everlyn whisper. Jin sobbed and Tom could smell meat cooking.

He glanced once at the two women and decided that he really wanted to be elsewhere. “I’m going to check on an early dinner.”

Somehow, he was able to be first in line for the food and happily accepted the charred kebabs that were being served.

Michael flagged him down.

“What’s up?” Tom asked through a mouthful of food.

“Payment.”

“For the stuff we just harvested? That’s quick.”

“Nah, the accumulated profit from the auction house.”

Thirty-eight thousand credits were transferred over. “Thanks.”

“One other thing.”

“Of course there is.” Tom said and took another bite.

“Are you going to create that barracks we discussed?”

Tom nodded. “I was still planning on it. Why?”

“Underground?”

“Yes. Why?”

“Just confirming sleeping arrangements.” Michael nodded to where Keikain was hard at work along with a group of labourers constructing a squat ugly looking stone structure. “With the containment facility, we’re losing a fair bit of space for bed rolls. If eight of us are sleeping underground, it makes coordination a lot easier.”

Tom shook his head when he examined the structure. “We’re building a prison.”

Michael shrugged. “Not my idea, but it will help us feel safer.”

“One of Everlyn’s friends is in that group.” Tom hissed.

“And a couple of mine.” Michael answered without hesitation.

“And they’re probably innocent.”

Michael now glanced around to make sure no one was watching. “I know all this and the prison should protect them from us as well as us from them.”

“You’re creating another confined space, like the healing tent.”

“So, is our bunker a bad idea?”

Tom hesitated. “No, our group is stronger.” And protected by the oracle question, but Tom did not share that with Michael.

“It’s the same thing. The isolation building will secure them just like the bunker will protect us.”

Tom wondered how he could argue without mentioning his trait to check the future. “You know best.” He said tightly. “But.”

“Leave it Tom. This approach has been endorsed by the committee. It’s happening and there is nothing we can do to stop that.” Michael stood up. “Unfortunately, I have other duties to attend. We’ll chat tonight when Everlyn’s around to shield us.”

Tom waved him away and focused on eating.