The archer girl, Vivian I believe her name was, rushed toward me with a staff of medics and other healers in tow. “Vincent? What happened? Where’s Wayne?”

I took a deep breath and prepared my little act. Things had gone about as well as I hoped, with the sole exception of that strange ability the other girl used. I had to all but empty out my Luck Charge reserves to allow Noe to manipulate my body there, and I’d be acting my own for the near future. That one charge per minute regen rate was really starting to sting, and since I was manipulating my appearance with the Perception Shard, it meant that any Charges that I did regenerate were immediately used to continue the rouse. Still, it was a necessary expenditure of resources; I was starting to fully understand just how dangerous Central’s Aspirants could be now that they’ve had a few Trials to develop their abilities.

I couldn’t afford to grow overconfident. I’d have either died or at least gotten serious injuries if I didn’t have Noe back there, simply because I didn’t have any idea what my opponents could do. Unlike in the first few Trials, where the most someone could do was cast a few fireballs or hurl a large rock, the new skills that the humans had access to were all over the place. That Nicole woman stopped my heart with just a word, although it did seem to have serious downsides as well. But we were still early on in the Ascension process, and those scary abilities would only grow. No wonder Noe said this species was the one with the most potential for growth, it was just a pity that the majority of them aren’t on my side.

“Vince? Never mind, don’t answer,” Vivian repeated, worry growing by the second, “Hold on, you lost a lot of blood, let the medics see you.”

I gave her my best sorrowful expression. “I… I couldn’t save Wayne. I’m sorry.”

“I-” she began, “No, we’ll mourn later. You did your best, don’t blame yourself, Vince. Let’s get you patched up.”

I nodded weakly. “And Nicole?”

“She’s stable,” she answered, “Nicole’ll be fine. We used the last of our elixir on her, she’ll even speak in a few hours. But…”

“Don’t worry about me,” I answered, seeing that Vivian was clearly worried that she had used the last of our limited consumables, “It’s just surface wounds, nothing lasting. Just need some rest.”

Eric made his way over. “Unfortunately there won’t be time for rest. The mission ends in 5 minutes, and unless three more pearls pop up in our hands magically, we’ve failed the first mission. I don’t think I need to explain what happens then.”

Vivian winced. “Just… stay with the noncombatants this time, Vincent. We’ll keep you safe.”

Benjamin laughed mockingly. “As if you two could even help out! I’ve seen your skills. It’s a surprise only one of you died back there!”

Vivian was about to explode in anger, but Eric stopped them both. “Enough! We are down to two-thirds of our original numbers, and we’ve barely begun this Trial. I will not have any infighting. Setting your damn disagreements after we get out of this cursed place.”

“Fine.” Vivian spat.

I guess from other people’s perspective, that last fight would have been like watching a clown show. The amount of improbable events meant that no sane person would reasonably chalk it up to luck, and if I didn’t know about Noe, I’d also think that my opponents were either incompetent fools or deliberately choosing to die. I mean, what fighter would slip on wet patches of grass six times in a row, only to stumble on their own comrade? As for the archer? She was more likely to hit her friends than she was me, and that was not counting the random arrows that either broke after being shot or went way off course due to a stray breeze or muscle spasm.

I retreated toward the center of the gathered people and allowed the various clerics and such to work their magic on me. Of course, none of it did anything because magic didn’t even affect me in the first place, although I did appreciate some of the potions I ingested. After my Luck Charges had run out, I did take on quite a few serious wounds fighting those last two Aspirants, and I can’t say that I escaped that encounter without harm. Unfortunately, I still had to make it appear as if the cleric’s magics were working, and pretending to heal meant spending Luck Charges to superficially make my wounds disappear. Before long, I was down to my last 6 Charges. Without any way to get more while I was still disguised, I’d have to rely on my own abilities.

Noe, is there no way to recharge faster?

“Negative, my Host,” she replied, “The speed in which I recharge is already the limit to what the Multiverse will tolerate without erasing us from existence. I am changing the fundamental fabric of reality, my Host, it is not easy to do so.”

Right, dumb question.

All of the gathered Aspirants tensed as the time ticked down, and gradually, the familiar fog started to recede again and that comforting crimson glow eased over the horizon. Distant howls and shrikes could be heard echoing in the distant woods, and those creepy eyeball lantern things that Alice liked to play with materialized in the air. It wasn’t long before all hell broke loose.

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“Formations!” their leader, Eric, yelled, “Talismans out for the spirits and the ghasts, priests, and mages, in the back!”

They made practiced motions and got into a tight defensive formation.

“Orlov, set the bunker!”

“Aye!” a large man responded. T

The others near me started to move away from the middle of the square on instinct, and I followed suit so as to not stand out. Orlov shoved his way to the center and set an intricately designed charm on the ground. He muttered something incomprehensible, and the earth around the charm started to rumble and shake. In seconds, what looked like a sturdy stone hut materialized, and the dozen or so noncombatants all rushed to get in. I stood in silence, again awed by the varied abilities that these humans possessed.

“What are you doing, Victor?” Vivian shouted, “You’re injured, go in with the others!”

Right. I wanted to observe the Aspirants fight, and I’d forgotten that I was supposed to still be heavily injured. I nodded at the woman and joined the others inside the hut. Once I was in, the doors closed and I felt the bunker sink beneath the ground. It was pitch dark in there, save for the glow of a few small, handheld lights, and one of the production staff passed around a gas mask for us to wear. I took one and moved to a secluded spot, away from the others. With the lights so dim, and most of my face covered with the oxygen mask, I could finally ease up on Noe’s disguise, allowing me to recharge at least a bit here.

I tried to extend my senses past the thick stone walls but found that while I still possessed some of a Xollon’s sensory abilities, even in human form, without transforming, I couldn’t quite pierce through that veil of earth. All I could do was listen to the sounds of desperate fighting, muffled as it were by the thick layers of our fortification.

Someone came up to me and whispered. “Hey, you’re Vincent, right?”

I looked at the newcomer, a short brunette woman of indeterminate age since she was covered head to toe with PPE. “I am.”

“Sorry if I’m disturbing you, sir,” she said again, “But it’s rare to see someone from the combat squad here with us.”

I nodded.

“Um, I’m sorry about what happened to your friend,” the woman continued, “And I know that you’re hurt, but I… I just have to ask. Do you think we’re going to be okay? We don’t see any of the fighting, but we’re not totally in the dark here.” She chuckled at the irony of that statement as she scanned her current environment. “Well, maybe we are down here, but you know what I mean.”

I wanted to say that she’d be fine, but that was one lie I just couldn’t bring myself to tell, so I only nodded. My job here was to survive, and due to the way that the damned Trash Matrix, that meant having everyone else here had to die. But… was that really the right thing to do? I know that I wasn’t technically human in the same sense that everyone else was, but all my memories were from Earth, and a good portion of my friends were also human. Most of all, perhaps, I just didn’t want to have the Trash Matrix dictate what I could and couldn’t do.

Noe, do we have to continue to play by Origin’s rules? You said you have more authority in the Trials that I’m in, can’t you, I don’t know, screw around with the clear conditions or something? Or maybe I could abuse my authority as an Arbiter to do something similar?

“I would not advise using your status at the moment, my Host,” she began, “not while your standing within the Central is still tentative with your antagonistic relations with the Overseer. Any oversight or break in regulation could mean that everyone in your immediate surroundings will be affected.”

I frowned, but couldn’t refute that. There were still so many unsolved things on Central’s side that I couldn’t afford to be anything other than a regular Aspirant for the time being.

Then, is there anything you can do on your side of things?

I felt the hesitation in Noe’s voice before she said anything. “I am unsure, my Host… While it is true that the automated Trials are easier to infiltrate and override than the ones personally overseen by a fragment of the Origin Matrix, the clear conditions are core to the core programming of the Trials.”

So it can’t be done?

“I did not say that,” she continued, “Only that I do not have the capabilities to do such an extensive edit of the Trials currently. However, I can pause the integration of the Domination Shard and use those resources to better understand this Trial. Please note, dear Walter, that that does not mean that I can guarantee anything. Do you wish to proceed?”

I looked back at the scared noncombatants and pondered my prospects. I shook my head and told Noe to do it. These kidnapped people weren’t my enemy, not truly, and while I had no scruples about killing people when necessary, it doesn’t mean that I’m some kind of genocidal maniac. I may not be the most moral of individuals, but I still had some lines that I didn’t wish to cross, and if that meant delaying personal power, then so be it.

“As you wish, my Host,” Noe said, “I will allocate maximum resources into commandeering this Trial, and subsequent automated Trials.”

I smiled. Thanks, Noe. I know you’ll be able to do it.

I turned to face the scared woman and gave her a comforting look. “Hey, I can’t promise you anything, not when we’re here in these strange new worlds, but…” I sighed. “But I believe that we’ll be fine.”

She nodded. “That’s all we can wish for. Thank you.”

The woman quietly stumbled away, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the background noise of fighting. Damn if things didn’t just get more complicated. With the survival of all of Pandora on the line, not to mention my own life, I couldn’t afford to pause my current plan, but looking at the helpless humans huddled together in the dark sure didn’t lighten my mood. What all of this really did was make me wish the absolute worst on the Overseer and his Trash Matrix. I’d make sure that they understand what it means to truly make me pissed off.

Before long, the harsh sounds of battle quieted down once more, and the makeshift bunker rose back up to the ground. An opening appeared, and the sweaty and uncomfortable noncombatants all hurriedly exited the enclosure. I took my oxygen mask off, making sure to don my disguise once more, and exited the confined space to see the damage done. I still had work to do.