Knowledge Gained (+)

  Skill: Threshold Ship Piloting - Added.

  Quite late, isn’t it? Or were you waiting for a moment of peace? That’s so sweet of you…

  Whoever wrote this program, they sure made it very accessible for a normal user. Status screen could use some work, together with Manual and some parts of the interface, but Joe wasn’t picky.

  He stumbled into Ralf’s Kitchen. The cook was already up, flipping the pancakes. Pancakes?!

  “Good morning, Joe! Oh, Kon’jar, you look like shit! What did he do to you? Was galloping on your back the whole night long?”

  Joseph waved his hand in greeting with the entirety of the remaining energy he could muster, and collapsed in the door frame.

  He heard fast-paced steps.

  “I take it back. Even shit looks and smells better than you right now… Never guessed he was such a maniac, huh. Well, let’s get you some fuel and put you back in action…”

  Strong hands lifted his body up like a paper doll, lowered him into the wooden chair, and put a bowl of pancakes on the table.

  Joe smelled the air around. Stomach loudly agreed with his chosen course of action.

  He finished his portion in fifty seconds flat. Ralf was chuckling on the side.

  “Thanks, Ralf… you are the best man I’ve ever met in my life…” Now he could happily drag his feet to the nearest bed.

  “Such high praise for this old man… You went through the torture the last night, didn’t you?”

  “Kinda… It was a painful… lesson…”

  He heard a laugh.

  “Life is tough, kid. But this muscle-brained idiot has no limits on him, that’s true. You can tell me everything later, go find yourself a corner before you collapse right here. I have no need for foul spices in my Kitchen.”

  Joe nodded, standing up. He walked out into the corridor. The walls and doors were blurring together into the indiscernible mess.

  He pushed some random door and stumbled into the room. In the back of his mind, he realized that he got the wrong one, as it was way bigger than any crew room had any right to be.

  His body didn’t care. He wobbled to the nearest corner and collapsed right there.

*****

  We need to talk, bredda.

  What, again?

  He was back in the System. No Status screen this time, however.

  Just one big chat box.

  …You’ve got to be kidding me.

  Nope! As a matter of fact, Leader, this is a very serious discussion! Recently, you’ve been running around, looking for improvement in ways that others deemed as dangerous and unhealthy! And as your defence in this court, I demand prosecution to present their case!

  Prosecution? Defence?! What in the void is going on here?!!

  The chat window came to life, filling up with several lines from his ‘neighbours’.

  Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen! Are both sides ready?

  Logic?!

  Prosecution ready, Your Honor!

  Defence ready, Your Honor!

  Joe heard an audible cough. Unbelievable.

  Are the jury and witnesses ready?

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Six reverberating voices joined together, shouting ‘Yes!’ in unison.

  Prosecutor Resolve, please present your case.

  Joseph was stunned by the identity of the one accusing him. He would have never guessed, that his own determination would be the flag-bearer of the crusade against its own leader!

  Khm, khm! Your Honor! The defendant by the name of Joseph Snowfield, 25 years old, has been charged with the vile crime of having little to no self-preservation! This criminal scum has been hiding his true nature behind the guise of the good soldier, who promised to improve in healthy and steady ways, instead of mutilating his own body, letting other people use himself as a toy for their sadistic tendencies, going to sleep in the morning each day, when the sun is already up! As an officer in charge, and the one who put the defendant on this vile path… admittedly… I can’t let that stand! The defendant is guilty as charged, Your Honor!

  At least you admit it… To be fair to himself, he was feeling a bit guilty.

  The Endurance ‘stood up’.

  Your Honor, the defendant had a noble reason for the course of the action he took. The Leader had to prepare himself for the hostile and unpredictable life in the Threshold, with the tensions on the outside rising quicker than ever before. The defendant has no time to spare, and took the only option available at the time, by having the training to be as efficient as possible, without sacrificing the other skills. It did come with the cost of delivering damage to The Leader’s state, but as we all aware, the System tracks his Status at all times, and if this action had serious consequences, we would have known all about it. As such, I found the defendant Joseph Snowfield entirely justified in his approach, and he should be relieved of all charges placed upon him. Thank you for your attention.

  Joseph mentally clapped. Who knew, that the physical-oriented Stat possessed much better bullshitting skills than his own master could afford…

  Meanwhile, the battle had only just begun.

  Whoa-?! You are saying, that getting stomped on and being thrown on top of sharp and heavy objects for several hours straight is justified just by the virtue of the Threshold being a dangerous place?! Dear Defence, even if the defendant has an honorable cause, it does not mean that he is allowed to bring such devastating damage to himself, as it endangers not only him but the ones he is responsible for!

  Endurance ‘adjusted his glasses’.

  Objection, Your Honor! The reason given was not only because of the Threshold itself, even though it should already be enough anyway, but also because of the threat of an approaching war! Don’t you think, that such a grim future is a very justifiable reason for any sensible man to prepare in any way he can, before it will be too late? The defendant’s physical form is good, but he lacks experience and technique, and there is no better way to learn them faster than by practice!

  The practice of being a punching bag?!

  The practice of applying them in a fight, and getting used to the pain, while he still can heal in the safely guarded place, prosecutor Resolve! You were the one, who pushed him towards the improvement in the first place, weren’t you?! And now you are berating him for the very action he took for our sake, with your guidance?!

  Order in the court! Order in the court!

  Joseph heard the muffled sounds of a hammer tapping. Seriously, just how advanced that program was, and where did it even get these samples from?! And why?! Just for this moment?!

  Prosecutor Resolve, do you have anything to add?

  He heard a heavy sigh.

  I’d like to call for a witness, Your Honor.

  You may call a witness.

  Understanding, please stand up.

  Joseph heard approaching steps.

  It was quite mind-energizing to imagine what it would look like, this ‘court’ in his own headspace, but he would much prefer an actual image instead. If System could get a sound for it, could it possibly generate a video for it too?

  Hey, System, are you capable of that task?

  The answer arrived way quicker than he expected.

  Downloading files...

  Huh, it actually can…Well, let’s see what it comes up with…

  After a drown-out pause, during which even messages in the chat window were frozen in place, the screen flickered and blacked out.

  Constructing a scene... Please wait patiently...

  It took quite some time, which gave Joe a moment to reflect on his own ‘crime’. He couldn’t exactly say that the Resolve was entirely in the wrong, or say that Endurance backing him up was a right move either. The hellish pain, the remains of which he was still feeling just barely half an hour ago (depending on how much time passed since he fell into sleep), did provide a very good court argument for the Resolve.

  Just as the Skills he gained and new moves he learned from Xander, in just one night, were a good justification for Endurance’s side. He wasn’t a masochist… definitely, which made him question his own motifs.

  Was it really just because I wanted to learn?…

  It probably was. Why else would he subject himself to such torture? To be fair, he had no idea it would be this way - Xander only admitted to not being a gentle teacher, which could mean anything or nothing.

  The worst part was, he didn’t mind going back to him after this night…

  Wait, so did I like his brutal lesson, then?!

  But the System did not let his identity crisis continue any longer. The screen flickered, and Joseph was now standing behind a huge stand.

  He found himself surrounded by white mannequins, dressed up in wigs and outfits. Their mouths remained open, their gestures were frozen in time. The entire room looked like a horror-movie combination of a mental hospital and a courtroom, composed of nondescript white walls, intimidating wooden stands, coupled with tables and leather chairs.

  He felt no wind passing by, no smell in his nose. The entire room was a constructed fake, separated from reality.

  Which didn’t make the shuddering image of lifeless dolls behind the stands, where humans would be, any easier to handle.

  System, why mannequins?! Couldn’t you pick something less creepy?!!

  The System had no answer for him.

  Strength had an image of a bald shirtless bodybuilder in pants. Makes sense.

  Endurance was wearing a tank top, sports shorts, and glasses. His slim, but fit figure was perfect for his namesake.

  Perception was a ninja. Sure, that works.

  Understanding was a stand-in for a fortune teller?… With a pipe in his hands?… Huh. Maybe it did make sense, somehow…

  Memory was a proper Victorian black-haired lady, in the coat and the shoulder cape. Carrying a sword, a pistol, and a rifle.

  Are weapons allowed in the court?!!

  Logic at the judge tribune was, jarringly contrasting with his current role, in a plaid shirt, had glasses, and carried a small hammer in his hand. Just like Strength, he had no hair to speak of.

  Resolve on the opposite side of the stand, where Endurance and Joseph himself were standing, was dressed in camouflage and a black balaclava. With a top hat.

  But why the top hat?! To break out of the stereotype?

  Intuition was… normal. Just one completely basic guy in jeans and sweater. Finally, something sensible for once.

  And Empathy, as System showed her, was in the shorts, that in reality would be barely long enough to cover her private parts, a white tank top, which was exposing her belly, while gold and diamond-encrusted jewelry were covering her entire body, with a tiara on the blonde wig.

  None of them were moving. Joe glanced around the dimly lit courtroom. No words, no voices, just dead silence, devoid and cut from any outside interference in this enclosed box.

  For the first time during his life in the Threshold, Joe felt the chills running down his spine. The room had no windows, no doors.

  No escape.

  It was only him and dressed-up dolls.

  …Wrong.

  He felt it. He felt it in his head.

  He felt someone’s pressuring presence right there with him, in his own head.

  He couldn’t hear his own erratic breath behind the sounds of the rapidly beating heart. Joe instantly turned around, but all he could see was the featureless wall right behind him.

  “What are you?! Show yourself!”

  The serene silence was all he got.

  Was he becoming paranoid?

  Joseph shook his head.

  “System, what the hell is this?”

  This is a representation of a court scene.

  “Sure, but how these mannequins fit into this?”

  He received no answer. The entire situation has unsettled him to the point of becoming a straight up nightmarish dream, except one that felt way more real than any dream had any right to be. He was standing right there, feeling a solid floor beneath his boots and a rough wooden surface near his hands, in the room with no exit. He didn’t need to breathe, thankfully, but it was a small drop of a relief in the ocean of overwhelming paranoia.

  The presence was gone, but Joe was keeping himself focused. Something wrong was going on, but he had no idea, what exactly he was supposed to do now. Call everything off?

  Do you wish to turn off Status Screen?