I stepped out of our new base of operations and took a breath of fresh air. Something I hadn’t noticed about Pandora was just how crisp and clean the air was. Growing up in the city, there was always the ever-present air pollution and the stench of unwashed bodies and garbage permeating the more unsavory corners and alleyways, and it was strange not having to deal with any of that here.
Even the strange modern part of Pandora, a sight that I was so familiar with, had a different feel to it, and that’s not mentioning the gorgeous outskirts of the town. I only had a quick glance at the plains outside the city walls, but I can imagine that they’d be just as nice, although whatever monsters roaming the fields might ruin that atmosphere. I guess that’s what happens when humans haven't had the chance to ruin everything with their presence yet. I hope this peace will last for a good while.
I took a deep breath of fresh air and felt refreshed for once. A small, mounting feeling of anticipation grew in me as I walked around the streets of Pandora. Yes, I was back in my element wandering the streets, out of sight and out of mind. Sure, after 2 days Pandora was still mostly empty, with a little under 1000 people here in total, but I think I can find where most of these new people were.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that people liked to settle where other people were. We are a social creature, and except for the strange hermits and extreme introverts, we need social interactions to thrive. That’s why I headed straight to the shopping and eating district, the same one my new friends and I visited yesterday.
Unsurprisingly, the place was packed - well, perhaps not packed, but busy given how few of us there were. I moved to a quiet little corner away from the most busy footpaths and observed the gathered people for the next while.
The first thing that I noticed was just how strange everyone was dressed. I knew that the various groups all went to different trials, so not everyone would be as haggard as my party was, but it was clear that the Aspirants who made it into the first or second group in the world had gotten some sweet rewards for their hard work.
Some individuals were sporting futuristic suits made out of strange metallic materials, others had gaudy trinkets and jewelry whose functions must be pretty good if they chose to wear those ugly things in public. Weapons of all shapes and sizes were on full display as men and women chatted happily and frequented the various stores, and everyone in this group looked content and deadly.
These types of people make up about 30% of the individuals here. This was a bigger percentage of the elite than I had expected, but I guess it made sense if you consider that only the best parties were able to make it to Pandora this early. They were the ones who obtained the best results in whatever Trial they experienced and were set to do well in the future.
The Regressor was right, Central really did want the strong to get stronger while everyone else was trampled underneath. These people looked like they didn’t have a care in the world despite the crazy situation that everyone was in, and were completely oblivious to the struggles of the second group.
There was another, less noticeable crowd gathered here, and although they outnumbered the first group, it certainly didn't feel that way to anyone watching the streets. These people didn’t walk in the middle of the streets with their heads held high and items on full display. They were not quite hiding, but were moving by the side of the streets, gazes kept low. I can already see this group of people increasing in number as more and more parties join the Main Stage.
Good, these were the people I was looking for. These were the Aspirants who didn’t quite do as well as their peers. This group was dragged along to victory by stronger members or had suffered significant injuries that left them less capable than the others. Some of them were still gathered with their original party members but were obviously being ignored by the others.
Thankfully they were also easy to spot if you knew what you were looking for. Even without the clear difference in the quality of these lesser Aspirant’s equipment, they looked defeated and worn down. The ones who still remained with their original party were a step or two behind the main group and not joining in any of the laughter and small talk. They were the lucky ones and the majority of the less fortunate Aspirants were huddled in larger groups, trying their best to stay out of the way of the others.
Now this was exactly the kind of people that might need a little pick me up, a bit of extra hope. But not now. They needed to suffer a bit more indignity first. They needed to properly resent the difference in treatment between the two groups.
It's a good thing that I can expedite this little conflict on my side.
A newly formulated plan was swimming in my mind, but first, I needed to gather a few props and helpers. A quick visit to the nearby shops quickly solved the first need, while some private messages to Noel and Vadeem provided me with the second. I was a little hesitant to include Noel in my plans, but I needed more than just Vadeem for what I had to do. Thankfully, Vadeem did vouch for the crazy girl’s ability to follow orders when she had to.
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We met up at a quiet spot away from the crowds a little while later, and I told them what I needed from them.
“Walter,” Vadeem muttered as he took the strange costume from me, “You make the strangest damn schemes.”
Noel had already come out of the restroom and changed into the clothes that I had given her, “Ignore Vadeem, he’s too dumb to think of ideas of his own. I think your plan is awesome, and you can count on me, little bro!”
I looked at her dubiously.
“Boo!” she pouted, “I know that face, you don’t think I can be serious.”
I nodded slowly.
“Well, ask Vadeem!” she continued, pointing at the big man, “My old job had me doing a lot of acting!”
I raised an eyebrow and glanced at Vadeem, “Seriously?”
Vadeem shrugged, “Yeah, I didn’t believe it at first either. Noel can be a bit…”
“Awesome?” she filled in.
“Stupid,” he said, “but she can act surprisingly well.”
She poked Vadeem with a finger, “Well, I had to get into some tricky spots in the past, and being super sneaky-like doesn’t always work. You need to be sexy and charismatic as well!”
“I don’t think you’re either of those things…” Vadeem muttered under his breath, “But she can act. I know, I didn’t believe it until I saw it as well.”
“Huh,” I said, ignoring the exaggerated frown Noel was giving me, “Then this will be easier. I need to get changed as well, so just give us a sec, and we’ll be ready to move out.”
Noel had the biggest smile on her face, “I always wanted to be a pampered lady! Get changed fast!”
And we did since I didn’t have to coat Vadeem in buckets of paint and mud this time. I’ve learned to keep my designs simple this time, well, simpler in any case, to the benefit of everyone involved. Once I came out, Vadeem and I were wearing the gaudiest, most expensive clothing that I could find in my limited run at the stores. I was freakishly rich, and I needed to use that to my advantage. I wanted to get something that screamed how stupidly wealthy we were.
Vadeem was wearing a crystal and jewel-encrusted suit that was a bit too small for him, and I also had him wear 10 rings, one for each finger. I even got him some leather boots made from some exotic animal that glittered in the light. As for accessories, he was wearing three huge gold necklaces and some idiotic designer shades. I even gave him a gold fedora to accentuate his look and gelled back his hair so that he wouldn’t be instantly recognizable in the future.
My goal was to disguise Vadeem, which was a bit harder given his enormous size. However, there were, surprisingly, quite a few others who were in his weight and height range here, and I doubt anyone could recognize the man in his current outfit. Vadeem was normally a very laid-back individual, which was the opposite of what he looked like now. Just the light bouncing off all the jewels covering him would blind most people who looked at him!
As for myself? I had on the shiniest and most intricate armor that I could find in short order, wearing it made me look like some kind of lordling trying their best to show off their wealth to the masses. The metal visor was shaped like a dragon, the plate mail had so many engravings in it that it just looked like a mass of lines at a distance, and it was all polished to a mirror shine. Everything just had the smell of obscene money to it.
The only one who wore something even slightly tasteful was Noel. It had taken a lot longer than finding random crap to throw onto Vadeem and I, but the results were amazing. It had better be, considering how much I paid to hire a professional to give her a complete makeover.
Noel had a beautiful, yet simple silk dress on. The material glistened in the light and perfectly accented her slender figure. Some tasteful jewelry adorned her neck and wrists, and she had a huge ruby earring that tied into her natural hair color. The makeup artist did a fantastic job making slight adjustments to Noel’s features, and she looked like a completely different person once everything was in place. She looked like a high-class lady instead of an ordinary person that you wouldn’t look at twice passing down the streets.
Even Noel’s normal aura of indifference and playfulness was gone, and she had fully immersed herself into her new role. I wish I could say the same thing about Vadeem… but after watching his performance back in the second trial, I had given him an easier role to play now. He didn’t need to speak much for what’s to come.
All in all, I think I outdid myself this time. There was no way that anyone would be able to connect who we were with the Abyss guild now, even if we needed to use these disguises for an extended period of time. This was exactly what I needed for my harebrained scheme to work.
Now was what I am about to do the most practical? Almost certainly not, it had way too many moving parts and was too reliant on the acting abilities of my friends. But I didn’t care. I needed a way to relieve my stress after all this time, and I couldn’t think of a better way to do that than this. I think I deserved some fun every now and then, and today I was going to treat myself to just that.
“Ok,” I said, my voice horribly muffled through the stupid helmet I was wearing, “We all know the plan, roughly speaking?”
“Seems easy enough to follow,” Vadeem said as he (tried) to give me a thumbs up. The various rings on his fingers made the gesture awkward, “Although I have some qualms about the role you gave me.”
Noel answered smoothly and gone was her usual flippant tone, “Of course, bodyguard Winslow, love. Let my husband Veda take my esteemed self to the marketplace.”
Huh, Noel didn’t even make fun of Vadeem when she said that. I guess she really could be counted on for stuff like this in the future.
“Of course, Lady Nora,” I replied.
She took Vadeem’s arm and gracefully walked out into the streets. Vadeem had an easy smile on his face and followed her lead.
Hm, should I have picked pseudo names that were a little bit different than our actual names? Ah well, too late now. And it was easier to remember if I kept them simple since I might need to use these disguises again in the future.
And so Lady Nora and her husband Veda, accompanied by Knight Winslow, strode into the heart of Pandora’s marketplace with their heads held high, ready to create some sweet, sweet mayhem.