— Aster —

The day after the ball I found myself in a plain room staring at another girl with no distinct features, but obviously not Jane. She had short black hair that was like a boy's shaggy cut. I thought she looked familiar but couldn't quite place her. We were staring at each other trying to figure out what was going on. We were both in the basic trainee clothes just sitting and waiting. I had waited too long to ask who she was, and felt it would be awkward so I went with a different question. “What do you think today is?”

The girl had on a thoughtful expression. “If there are two of us I would think it was combat training.”

“For sparring?” I guess it would make sense as combat is on the list.

“Yes sparring.” She seemed to think further “And possibly killing.”

“Killing?!?” This is training. Why would we kill each other?

“Well yes that's how rogues fight. We sneak up behind you and then we strike.” She seemed awfully calm about this.

“I kind of forgot about that part.” I really did.

“How can you forget about that? Rogues fight down and dirty.” I was embarrassed by her look of pity.

“That makes a lot of sense.” I don’t think it’s quite the way she thinks. “I wonder why we would have to practice on each other.”

“So you know what it feels like.” A new voice added from across the room it was Jane.

“So we know what it feels like?” The girl asked.

“Yes it really helps to know what these attacks feel like in order to use them effectively. It’s also a mandate by the king that all new rogues know what it feels like.” she leaned in conspiratorial “ I think it is a way to discourage Rogues from learning new techniques. Causing them to quit and do something... Honest.”

Jane dropped a large wooden box on the floor, with metal clinging in the box. “But combat is not today, today is trap making and disarming.”

Looking into the box there were a variety of items in the box. Cogs, pulley’s, gears, knives a bucket, and is that a bear trap

“So when do we learn combat?” the girl asked. She seems very eager for a fight.

“That is last.” Jane pushed the box to the side. “I almost forgot!” She pulled out a piece of paper. “The results from yesterday!” She held out the paper examining it. “You both did very well so would you like to know your scores?”

We nodded. ““Yes!”” I know we did well but I wasn’t sure if we were in the top ten or not. I was honestly surprised by how well I did. Normally I wouldn’t have been able to move like that but something about the lack of thought really let me move.

“Okay first. The average score from yesterday was around thirty.” Jane pointed towards me “Your total from the stolen items was twenty-four points, as you were able to take your targets item and still maintain your own item throughout. From the events, you earned fifty-five points which bring a total of seventy-nine points.”

“So I did really well?”

“Yes. Now you.” pointing to the girl “You were able to attain twenty-two points from items, but as you did not find your target you made up for it with quantity. For the events, up until the last event you were the same as him again.” pointing towards me “but the total from the events was seventy-two totaling ninety-two.”

“Ha!” The girl laughed at me.

Jane stopped to observe us. “Now the ninety-two points brings you into first and the seventy-nine brings you into second. You will receive the prizes and rewards at the end of training. As we don't allow any personal items during.”

We were both elated that we had come in first and second. “So why are we both here for making traps?” the girl inquired. This was a good question: why would there be two of us here for making traps?

“After halfway everyone gets a partner. After your performance together yesterday naturally you'll be partners.” Jane said this as though it was the most obvious thing in the world and couldn't believe that we had to ask.

We looked at each other in surprise “Suit?!?!... Wait! Partner?” I don’t know which to focus on first.

“Yes, partner.” Jane laughed then placed the box on the table “Okay. Sit down you two. You will have your lessons together till the end. Are you ready?”

““Yes”” We said in unison.

“So let's begin.” The Dream Haze fell over us. The blue screen popped up.

New Pathway found..

Program Compatible with pathways…

Permission….Granted.

Installing Rogue type Pathway Program “Deceptive Engineering”...

I noticed out of the corner of my eye the girl had a blue screen appear as well. So they are visible to others.

This time the dream haze images returned showing us calculations, formula, piecing things together. The dream haze felt more like we were becoming engineers not rogues.

Installing Rogue type Pathway Program “Deceptive Engineering”...Complete

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

The dream haze began to fade as we grabbed our heads. “I hate this part.”

“The weird dream after or the throbbing head splitting pain?” the girl asked

“Which one do you think?” I was a little curt with her. I was in pain and annoyed.

“Be nice. You two are supposed to be partners.” Jane interrupted our bickering. She stayed quiet long enough to let the drums stop pounding our brains. “Are you both ready to start?”

We indicated yes by nodding.

Jane pulled out two new sealed cardboard boxes from...I don’t know where. Placing one in front of each of us. “Now I want you both to create a trap.” Jane pointed towards the door behind us. “You both need to set your traps on opposite ends of the hall.” Jane pushed us into a room. The room was just a large hall with a big red curtain in the middle. “Now both of you will set four traps on either end of the hall. You are setting them for each other, so try not to harm each other too bad. A curtain will be placed between the two of you. You will have three hours to build them. Once that is completed both of you will have to either disarm or pass by to enter the room behind the hall. Any questions?” I had plenty of questions, like why, but that can wait. They never answer anything anyway. Jane dropped the curtain in between us. “Have fun. Time begins now.”

I opened my box of pulleys, ropes, and various other equipment examining my options. Surprisingly it was mostly empty, or at least I thought so until I dumped a box, and suddenly I saw a lot of shimmering items come into focus. I moved more energy to my eyes to get a better look. I had gotten used to having energy going through my eyes constantly and now I don’t feel right when not doing it. It was like waking up in a slightly different world with glowing invisible strands everywhere. Not to mention the sharper focus.

Re-examining the items. “Oh, this is going to be fun!” I was excited to piece together my first real trap. I was trying to figure out what some of the stranger items where when the knowledge appeared in my brain. I suddenly knew how to use them, and what they could do. New ideas began to float through my head. If someone was watching I’m sure they would see an evil little smirk.

It took longer than I expected to create contraption I had envisioned, but slowly my work gained momentum. I created three traps that were all but invisible. “What if I...?” The last creation I felt a wicked smile at my own deviousness.

It was a trip wire set in front of the door of the room, with a bucket holding something above the door. It looked amateur, but that’s what I wanted. I was finishing up when Jane announced into the hall “Five minutes remaining. Now for the rest of the rules, you must disarm as many traps as possible. This is a competition after all. If you get hit you lose a point. If it is disarmed you can get a point, so you can have up to four points or as low as negative four points. The first one to finish also gains two extra points so prepare yourself.”

Well this changes things. I thought about the mechanisms I made and how I would disarm them. If they're anything like mine then it won't be easy.’

Time passed quickly when. “Five... Four...” Jane began counting “Three... Two ... One ... begin!” Jane drew open the curtain.

I began to run to the other side. I caught myself after about half a second realizing I was running to an area I know is filled with traps?

The girl began to laugh disbelieving at my stupidity. “This is going to be easy.” She now seemed more confident that she would win.

Scanning the hall I noticed it was similar to my side with a few things in the hall. A small table at the back, a portrait or two on the walls, and that was it. As I scanned the hall I couldn't see any indication this place was booby-trapped. Carefully I began again entering her side of the hall. Where are the traps? I stood in place looking everywhere. The floor, the portraits, even the ceiling even though I had no idea how she would get up there. During my search, I heard the girl exclaim “One down!”

Ok calm down don’t rush, I’ll miss everything if I rush. I slowed myself down focusing more energy on my eyes. Finally, I saw it, the Shimmer of the invisible wire. It was cleverly hidden in the grout on the tile extremely hard to notice against the reflection of the marble. Slowly following the wire I found the first device behind the portrait on the wall. Something was odd about the wire as I followed it I found a second wire attached to it. “What?”

Carefully following the second wire I found a third wire, eventually, I found all four wires attached to each other. The way the wires were connected made it so if one was disarmed it would trigger the others. I was standing in contemplation thinking of what to do when. “Two down.” I looked back to see she was now staring at the bucket. She looked over it then to me exclaiming “Really?”

I smiled as I focused on my current problem. “Simple is best.” I took out my knife carefully, grabbed the second wire, and cut it maintaining the tension as best I could. I stopped everything holding the wire at constant pressure making sure not to set it off. Taking a deep breath I tied the end of the wire to a hook in the wall. Then repeated the process for all four of the devices. She had set it to swing the portraits at me. I even think one would drop a net on my head from the other side of the door. The other would have shot me with an arrow. I wasn't even sure how she did that. Unless she had gotten a different box, which now I realize she probably did. I cut the wires on the portraits and rehung them back on their nails and disarmed the arrow trap removing the Arrow.

The net was the hardest one to disarm fully. I must have put on too much tension than I should have when I tied the net's wire. As I didn’t see any give seeing the latch holding the barley holding. If the string broke it would fall. If I touch the string it will fall. If I do anything it will fall. “How would I...” I heard a loud crash from behind me.

My last device was set to go off by disarming my bucket. It was used to hide my last trap. Setting off when someone walked through it. It was set above the first one with an invisible wire that was loose and would be pulled once the person disarming the bucket stood up. It worked much better than I thought it would. She was caught off guard not expecting anything above her. Why would she? Because why would someone place a trigger there?

Needing to finish my side, I turned back to the net and shoved my knife through it and into the wall to hold it in place. I was lucky the walls were not stone but nice solid drywall. “Not sure if this counts as disarming?” Then walked through the door.

With that “Thus concludes the game.” Jane turned towards the girl covered in the net. “You disarmed three traps and set off one so you received two points. Since you finished first you also get two points.” Turning towards me. “You just disarmed three traps and your fourth was questionable but technically it was disarmed. Congrats! You both tied!”

The girl seemed annoyed as Jane helped her out of the net. “Not bad.” She begrudgingly acknowledged my work.

“Same to you. Tricky.”

“Now for your reviews. Girl using triggers on triggers is usually only good if you plan to eviscerate whatever comes in and possibly everything in the room. Just remember if someone sets off one of the traps all of them will be triggered and possibly wasted, so be careful and judge the situation. Aster simple traps are essential, and you were able to lure her in with nice work.” I was feeling good about my solution. But why does she say my name and call her ‘Girl’? “But to an experienced person, it is not a hard trap to detect. Both of you remember to build based on the situation. Remember that anything you make and set does not know friend from foe. Especially when setting them in a hideout. Remember you still have to go through them too. So remember that and be careful. “

Jane while we were almost compelled to the bed. “So what's your name?” I asked while on the way to bed.

“What do you mean she said it while explaining things.” She said which just confused me

“When?”

“Same time she called you a boy.”

?“She never called me a boy, she called me Aster.”

“You do realize you just agreed, saying she called you boy right.”

Something was off here “What is your name?”

“Girl”

“You just said your name was, girl.”

“No, I didn’t I said it was… Oh.”

“oh, what?”

“I think this place is spelled or something to make us not say our names.”

“Why?”

“Probably the whole Rogues turning in each other thing. I bet that’s not even what you look like.”

“Well, that explains a few things.”

By now we had made it to our beds. I wanted to keep the conversation going and find out more but I found myself falling asleep as soon as I touched the bed.