“Two hours have elapsed, and the final results of the daily challenge are as follows,” the voice of the Director echoed in the ears of the participants.
Endurance
#1 Hudson Appleseed 17’ 33’’
#2 Kexin Zhuang 21’ 59’’
#3 Clara Baring 22’ 17’’
Dexterity
#1 George Adams 0’ 28”
#2 Suzume Yasunori 0’ 30”
#3 Eunbi Lee 0’ 30”
Strength
#1 Qian Huang 545kg
#2 Eustace Sachs 480kg
#3 Kenji Abe 450kg
Hudson’s lead on the endurance race had been insurmountable, and his advanced cultivation stage with a variable tempo breathing technique gave him advantages that the other participants were not able to come close to. Clara had been right to be proud of her endurance, though, as she was able to remain in third place.
The advantages Hudson had did not extend fully to the strength section and he had slid into fourth place; it was arguably his weakest area physically, and even with his Engine Breath technique at maximum strength, he couldn’t keep up easily with the cultivators whose physiques were Olypmic-level competitors prior to adding cultivation-enhanced strength. Ultimately cultivation was a force multiplier (at least at their level of cultivation), and while Hudson’s multiplier was greater, his base value was still lower.
The strength challenge had provided good motivation for Hudson’s physical training regimen.
The dexterity challenge, on the other hand, had been frustrating, if not surprising.
“Gotta hand it to ‘em, that was pretty slick,” Cor said. He was basking in his own, personal success: every single one of the grasshoppers had not only completed the challenge, but also puked at least once.
“Technically, you don’t have to do the dexterity course quickly,” Cor continued. He frowned down at a spec of vomit on his shoes.
“Technically, yes,” Hudson confirmed.
After all the other participants had completed the dexterity course, the cheater group had gone back to the dexterity challenge. Their top participants had done the course again until they edged Hudson out of the rankings, and then the next one simply… took his time. Walked as slow as possible, manipulating where he touched the poles to ensure the next one was as far away as possible. He never stopped, but he also never completed the actual challenge before time was up, locking anyone else out before the end of the two hours.
“The highest ranked, by simple average of their strength, dexterity, and endurance scores, is George Adams, who receives 10 trial merits. The highest scoring within each element will receive 5 trial merits, the second highest 4 trial merits, and the third highest 3 trial merits. The remainder will all receive 1 trial merit.”
Hudson had placed first in endurance and fourth in dexterity, which was mirrored by George’s first and fourth place finishes in those events. Unfortunately for Hudson, he had been pushed down to fifth place on strength and been outlifted by George, albeit barely. George had a very slim build, but he also had a qigong technique that amplified his strength.
He had wanted to win, and he was sure if he had another chance at the dexterity challenge he would have been able to score a better time, but he let the irritation slide off of him. His idea of a plan didn’t need him to win; he’d already won by maximizing the number of trial merits that the director awarded. He was looking forward to the next activity – mining resources – where he would actually get to put some of his ideas into action.
After the conclusion of the daily challenge, all of the participants filed out of the challenge room and to the familiar breakfast fare. Hudson was incredibly famished, and shoveled bowl after bowl down his gullet.
“Slow down there, hero,” Cor said eventually, after Hudson slammed his fourth bowl of goop down on the table. Cor, Hudson, Clara and Vince were all sitting at the same table.
“While I enjoy cracking the whip on some pasty-faced grunts as much as the next guy, you said there was a reason for it. Mind filling us in?”
Hudson reached for another bowl and realized he had only carried four over to the table. “Resources,” he said, while gazing longingly over at the self-serve counter. He started to rise, but Vince slid his own still-full bowl in front of Hudson.
“Resources? What does that mean? Do you mean maseki?” Cor asked.
Hudson nodded gratefully at Vince before spooning big glops into his mouth.
“Yesh,” he said in between bites. He gestured with his spoon at the walls and ceiling. “What do you think runs this place?”
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“I don’t know. Some kind of energy source?”
“Clara – how does S.E.C.T. start the trial? It’s written in the notes the Director provided. You probably have heard at S.E.C.T. as well.”
“I don’t know the specifics, but it requires maseki. A lot of maseki.”
“Vince – what’s the most precious resource on Earth? You’ve talked about it before.”
“Maseki.”
“Exactly. It is the most precious, most expensive resource. Why use it on… this?” Hudson gestured again with his spoon. A bit of goop flew off his spoon and landed on Vince’s nose.
Hudson focused on his fifth bowl as Cor and Clara watched Vince wipe his nose off.
“No takers? I betcha –” Hudson set the bowl down “–the Disciples require it. S.E.C.T. has to do it. They have to pay up. And the maseki isn’t used by the Disciples or paid to them to use the trial – no, it’s the raw fuel that runs this place.”
“So this whole trial – and the mining, that’s an important piece – is dependent on the resources. The very expensive initial payment of maseki is only enough to start the trial, and not enough to finish it. The trial uses a lot of maseki, and needs us to mine that maseki to continue the trial.”
“You ain’t makin’ a lick of sense,” Cor said. “So what if they need magic rocks to keep the lights on.”
“We can talk more after going through a rift… but what happens if there aren’t enough magic rocks to keep the lights on? Anyways, I don’t want to say too much. At least not with big brother listening in. You’ll see. It’ll all click real soon.”
Clara looked over at Vince. “Is he your big brother? I can understand not wanting to speak your plans in front of the cowardly traitor. You are kind to tolerate his presence, but just tell him to leave.”
“Ah no,” Hudson said. “I meant Director Ix as the big brother – meaning someone who is always listening in. And Vince isn’t a traitor.”
“He ran from our enemies and left us to die.”
Hudson grimaced and looked over at Vince. He didn’t want to have this conversation; he didn’t know how to have this conversation. Vince’s head was down, and he was staring at the floor. Tears glistened at the edges of his eyes.
“That he did. But if he had stayed with us, would that have changed the outcome?” Hudson asked.
“No, it would not have. But he would not have been a coward.”
Hudson sighed. “Look, I’m not happy with Vince. Would it make me feel better if he had risked his life for mine? Yes, it would.”
He turned to put his hand on Vince’s shoulder. “But I can’t blame him. We almost died, and he was smart enough to run away. If we had all died, he would have been able to tell the Director what really happened.” Not that the director would have done anything about it. “Or your parents for that matter.”
“I feel really bad, guys. I tho-thought you–,” Vince choked on his words. “I thought you were all dead, and I couldn’t believe that I’d just left you to die.” He rubbed angrily at the tears in his eyes with the back of his hand. “I was scared. I didn’t think; I just ran.”
“Let me just cut through the crap here,” Cor interjected. “You left us behind. You feel bad about it – as you should. But how can I trust you in the future? You want to hang out with us, OK I guess, but when the chips fall again – and they will – where are you going to land?”
Vince looked up at Cor. His whole body was clenched. “I won’t run again. I promise.”
Hudson looked around the table and slapped Vince on the back again. “If I didn’t have a cultivation technique, I might have done the same thing. I say we give him another chance. Is that ok? I would want to get a second chance.”
Cor gave a shrug and Clara had a non-committal look on her face. The group was saved from further conversation by the direction to line up and file into the hangar for the day’s resource collection activity.
It was time.
“When we get into the hangar, make sure to grab a few spears, and as many pickaxes and sledgehammers as possible – the tools that charge up,” Hudson whispered to his friends.
“If your plan is to go back into the rift the same as last time… I hate to tell ya, but that’s a terrible plan,” Cor remarked.
“We’re going back into the rift, but this time it will be different,” Hudson promised.
The four rushed across the hangar and piled spears, sledgehammers, and pickaxes into wheelbarrows. They were not able to fully monopolize all of the equipment, and George’s group still captured some pieces for themselves.
Hudson looked carefully at the wall of the hangar, walking closer and triangulating his position with the location of the equipment.
Hudson positioned his wheelbarrow full of supplies directly in front of the wall where he estimated the rift would open. Clara, Cor, and Vince situated theirs directly beside his. The grasshoppers clumped together in loose groups, milling about in uncertainty.
“Rift opening in 5…4…”
When Director Ix began his countdown, Hudson ramped his breathing technique from zero up to maximum tempo as quickly as he could. A silvery glow began to emanate from the head of the sledgehammer. George’s group circled around him, clutching their weapons.
There were a few gasps and pointed fingers from the grasshoppers. The light grew brighter and brighter, until he was casting shadows even in the well-lit hangar.
All good so far. Hudson had been fairly confident that the director would not stop him powering up one of the tools while in the hangar, but he couldn’t be certain. It was a danger to do so, certainly, but he had not caused harm or broken a rule. Yet.
“...1.” The faint buzz of a rift portal sounded behind him.
Hudson’s eyes met George’s gaze.
He tried to think of something to say. When he’d pictured this moment in his mind the day before, he had imagined saying something like “make my day” or “follow me through and find out what happens.” Something cool and threatening but appropriately vague.
Now, in the middle of it, that type of posturing felt useless and naive. The image of Guo’s broken body surfaced in his mind, unbidden. The anger and guilt rose in his chest, but he pushed it back down, turned, and rolled his wheelbarrow through the rift.