Chương 75: 74. The Rule-Master's Trial

Red mist surrounded me on all sides, along with the smell of burned plastic. I reached out into it, but the mist retrieved, leaving my hand to grab air. RULE-MASTER TRIAL Sponsor interaction will be restricted for the duration of the trial. A red message appeared, the rectangle almost lost in the surrounding redness. I had heard rumors of this happening during my past runs. Then again, I had heard all sorts of rumors, ninety percent of them false.

Collecting all rares of the initial Houses will grant you the special Versatile. That was unexpected. I was familiar with the special, although not with the method of receiving it. Getting four house rares wasn't anything unusual. The method, though, was atypical. There were a lot more than four houses, although that wasn't something to be revealed until later. I remembered the day it happened: some considered it the best day since joining the Grand Arcana, others referred to it as the worst.

It had been the one day that we had been allowed something close to a normal existence. A day later, the painful realization had been slammed upon us. People confident in their long-term plans found out that their efforts had been wasted. Those living day to day discovered they would never attract a deity's attention. Even now, I had no idea which of the two options was worse. Concerned, I called my status box.

Gregory Wiles ALIGNMENT: UNSPECIFIED LEVEL: 16 Strength: LOW+ Reflexes: LOW Memory: LOW Resistance: LOW Perception: LOW Magic: LOW Divinity: NONE CARDS: 38 Grand Arcana: 2 Major Arcana: 15 Minor Arcana: 21 SPECIALS: Harlequin's Sight, Charming, Eagle Eye, Aether Store MINION: Dream beast INVENTORY: 6 Slots The layout was unrecognizable. The moment I concentrated on a specific field additional information would appear: the cards I owned, the items in my inventory, the exact properties of my specials…

It was tempting to think that the Observer card had allowed me to see additional information, but that wasn't true. I had managed to obtain an Observer near the end of my previous run, and there hadn't been anything of the sort. Thirty-eight cards, I thought. That was quite a number, especially given that two of them were of the Grand Arcana. No wonder everyone viewed me as an anomaly. Eleonor who had special sponsorship and prior knowledge of the game, had mostly stacked up minor cards.

The other pact holders also weren't terribly impressive in comparison. Why was I seeing the statistic though? I concentrated my attention on one of them. You are not privy to such information at this time. A red message appeared. Harlequin was blocking me. Apparently, even this much was considered a gift. Naturally, I knew the basics. Everyone got to know how statistics affect their skills. There were six booster spheres, seven if one counted the black ones. Bottom of the barrel, I thought.

No wonder Harlequin thought of us as trash. In a way, it also demonstrated the difference between newbies and veterans. After all the time spent in the gym and the arena, I had barely moved the needle. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. As I looked, the mist began to thin. Quickly I brushed the window away, ready to summon Serp at a moment's notice. The first thing that appeared was the ground.

Not the usual dirt or grass I expected; it was covered in large tiles of white marble. The moment I saw them, I felt a chill in my stomach. Only one species viewed marble as a basic resource: aelves. As the walls of mist further dissipated, people, stalls, and buildings came into view. I was, as I suspected, on a road—a main one, by the looks of things. The architecture was refined, though just different enough to make it seem alien.

It was the epitome of the uncanny valley, as if someone hadn't been able to decide between a medieval European and Roman city and created something resembling neither. Dirt and vines covered the once flawless walls of thatched-roof houses. In the distance, further ahead, the semblance of a small medieval castle could be seen. A wooden bridge in front of it stuck out like a sore thumb, indicating that there probably was a moat as well. Thousands of sounds and voices struck my ears all at once.

I could recognize the language, which was a huge plus. No doubt I had Harlequin to thank for that. For the most part, people were discussing the trivialities of everyday life: gossip, rumors, food prices… However, there was also substantial talk of a war.

"Hey!" an armored rider on a black horse shouted at me.

"Watch yourself, mercenary." Two things were instantly obvious from looking at him: the man didn't like me, also he was unmistakably human. The latter was a great relief. At least I wouldn't start the mission off with a fight.

"I'm looking for the temple," I said without batting an eye. That was always a safe way to start a conversation in a trial city. With luck, I could also obtain a bit more information from there. The man frowned, viewing me as roadkill his horse had stepped on. He was rather large, wearing a combined set of leather and metal armor. At some point, some of the pieces had been damaged and exchanged with others, giving him a somewhat scruffy appearance. A noble fallen on hard times, I thought.

When it came to trial beings, they were among the worst.

"At least you're not a complete savage." Sapphire-blue eyes stared at me beneath raven-black hair.

"Second circle," he pointed somewhere ahead.

"There?" I pointed in the same direction he was. Only then did I notice that my clothes were substantially different from what they had been before. The sleeve was much more in keeping with the cotton shirts the locals used. That was strange, for my clothes still felt like the ones the deities had granted me. The mist, I thought. It hadn't been used to transport me into the trial, but transform me enough so I didn't stand out here.

In the eyes of everyone, I was no different from the typical low-life mercenary come to cause problems.

"Third building in," the rider grunted.

"Leave a large donation." He rode on. What fun place did you throw me into, Harlequin? I wondered as I watched the rider make his way toward the castle. The first time I had experienced a long-trial was three years after entering the Arcana. Then, like now, it had completely changed my perspective on everything. No longer was I a rat in an empty maze, but I had to interact with people. In such trials, social skills were of major benefit.

Sadly, I—like many others—had traded all my non-combat cards away, effectively transforming into a caveman in a library hall. Continuing down the road, I casually browsed the stalls. Everything offered fell into one of three categories: charms—the fake touristy kind—firewood, and food. The practical items, such as clothes and weapons, were probably only sold in shops.

"Please, me'lod!" a boy of probably nine all but shouted in an attempt to grab my attention.

"Freshly picked bloodfruit!" I looked at several baskets of strawberries, each the size of a large apple. Despite the ominous name, the food was rather tasty. Using the Alchemist card, I could immediately tell that they were in a good state and also offered mild healing properties. Being fruit, of course, there was some risk of stomach issues.

"How much for a basket?" I asked.

"A whole basket?" The boy's eyes grew as large as saucers.

"Eight copper coins! Best price there is!" I could tell that he was lying again. From what I remembered, each fruit cost a copper at most.

"I'll give you a silver," I took the coin from my inventory and placed it on the wooden table, "if you also give me a prayer sacrifice." The boy nodded eagerly, then disappeared beneath the stall, only to reemerge with a bundle of straw.

"Best there is!" He placed it on top of the nearest basket.

"Was going to use it myself." Another outright lie. Nothing stopped me from using my Bard skills right now. If I wanted, I could use the Emperor and cause everyone in the vicinity to freeze with fear. That wasn't going to help me, though. Also, I was strong enough to allow myself not to be a jerk.

"I'll remember that." I nodded with a smile and took the basket. Using a discrete spell circle in the palm of my hand, I grabbed the top fruit and washed it using a combination of water and air spells. It tasted just as fine as I remembered it. Not that there was anything to complain about the food in the preparation hall, but there was something about fresh trial produce that couldn't be matched.

"Do you have a place to stay?" the boy shouted behind me.

"I know a really good place." Leave it for the tourists, kid.

"Later," I said, indicating I wasn't interested. It took me several minutes to reach the first major intersection. Towns such as this were roughly the same, following the circle and quarter principle. The symbol of authority was always in the center, surrounded by a series of circles depending on the overall size. This gave off the feeling of a frontier city, so I assumed it had three circles. The first circle contained nobility, artisans, and barracks.

The second was reserved for temples, notable guilds, common shops, and people of average means. The third circle was mostly filled with inns, taverns, brothels, and everything else. Second building, I thought as I turned right. The place wasn't difficult to find. Unlike the other buildings in the area, it gave the distinct impression of not being kept.

Someone had made a half-decent effort to clean the marble steps, but had stopped at the columns, making the entire building look like an ant that had walked through flour. Taking another bite of my bloodfruit, I went inside. The moment I did, I noticed that I wasn't the first participant there.

"Reginald," I muttered, recognizing the old man from the previous challenge. He had also been transformed thanks to the red mist, but there was no hiding from Harlequin's Sight. The old man had been given the appearance of an old soldier of modest means. He was standing in front of a large marble statue of a woman with a sword. Hearing me, he turned around.

"Is it you, champion?" he asked. I nodded.

"Great minds think alike." He stopped to the side, inviting me to join him. Two large firepots stood on either side of the statue. None of them had been used for quite a while. While the old man was smart enough to seek a temple, he wasn't fully familiar with the proper way of greeting. I took the hay out of my inventory, then used a spell to light it on fire. As the top burned, I went up to the statue and tossed it into the left firepot.

"Got any insight?" I whispered. The man shook his head. Apparently, the restrictions were in effect for patron deities as well.

"You?" he asked.

"Nothing anyone else has." That was an issue. I knew the task Harlequin had sent us on, though it would have been nice if he had told us the standard one as well. The possible options were of too great a variety to come to any conclusion. We might have been gathered here to save the city from invasion, depose the local ruler, or kill off a monster in the general area.

"Tried asking Harlequin?" I looked at him. Reginald said nothing. You forgot, didn't you? Maybe he knew about the Arcana before it had started, maybe he had even received advice from his patron deity, but there was only so much one could know without living through the experience.

"Harlequin," I said, looking the statue in the eye.

"We need assistance." Without warning, the statue in front of us shattered. There was no implosion, no visible impact. The figure just crumbled like a wet sandcastle, spilling pieces on the floor. Both me and Reginald instantly stepped back.

"Was that supposed to happen?" the old man asked.

"Wait." The marble pieces kept on moving, creating letters in the process. Holding my breath, I waited. Three words, I thought. The middle is an a…

"Pick your side," the old man said before I could. In that specific moment, I understood what Serp must have felt like during some of our conversations.

"What does that mean?" Reginald asked.

"War," I sighed.

"We're in a war trial and the sides aren't set.