Chương 24: Chapter Twenty-Four: I Don’t Like Surprises

The conversation wraps up pretty quickly after Angus's report. It seems that everyone wanted the chance to stew in the new information for a while or take a closer look at the Forum to confirm it themselves. I am no different, but when I head back over to my bed, Vince stops me.

"Let's take a walk Sebastian." Before I have the chance to say anything else, Vince is already walking toward the door heading outside, and I reluctantly follow him. We don't end up going too far from the building, and Vince stops at a nearby bench but doesn't sit down.

"I think this goes without saying, but I don't trust you." I am slightly caught off guard by the bluntness in which he tells me, but overall, not surprised. I don't say anything though, and Vince continues to look me in the eye while he goes on.

"It was pretty obvious you were holding back information when you told us about how you cleared Floor One. I'm not going to force you to tell me about it though. If what you and Wade say is true, then I think you deserve the benefit of the doubt. I can let that stuff go, including your stunt with the room earlier. I will even give you leeway from here on, as I know you didn't start with the group, so it is probably tough to acclimate.

We both don't know squat about each other either, so I'm sure I have come off as a controlling asshole thus far. Think about me however you want, but beyond everything, I need to know one thing before I feel comfortable letting the rest of the group be around you." He stands up straighter for a moment and crosses his arms while staring at me.

"Can I trust you?"

"Yes." My quick answer seems to throw him off a little bit.

"I know it sounds dumb, but I don't feel the need to lie. Doing this whole thing alone sounds boring. You don't know what kind of person I am, but when I decide that something doesn't matter to me, then you can be sure I mean it. What you all did in the cave doesn't matter to me. Even if you all left me for dead again in the future; if you weren't the one to put the nail in the coffin, I would probably forgive you if I survived. That's just the way I am."

We both sit there for a few beats while I wait for Vince to work out his own thoughts. I imagine it is difficult for a normal person to accept that I am so forgiving about something that would usually be a betrayal back on Earth. Finally, he seems to make a decision.

"In that case, my starting skills are <Harden> and <Empower>. One lets me make my skin and things I hold more durable and the other allows me to strengthen my body. You don't have to tell me your skills, but I hope that we can gain your trust enough for you to tell us anything we need to know. I don't need a squad that doesn't trust each other, so if you say you are with us, then I will trust you." Vince begins walking back to the barracks building while I stay behind. Is this guy completely insane?

I turn around and watch as Vince marches back to where the rest of the group is. He doesn't even bother checking behind his back like when we first walked together. Not only did this guy just give me some very valuable and personal information, but he almost seemed happy to do so. The enigma even looks kind of relieved, as I see his shoulders drop a bit from the previously stiff position he had held the entire time we were talking. Maybe the people here aren't as normal as I had thought.

That might not be a bad thing though. If I were a betting man, I would guess that DIC difficulty isn't made for the normies of the world. To survive, you probably need a couple of screws loose.

With my weird heart-to-heart done with Vince, everyone settles down and breaks off to do their own thing. Currently, I am sitting with Wade and Pawl while I absently practice trying to control my radiation. Despite my usual stiffness and anti-social behavior, I find it easy talking to my old friend. In fact, I had just finished explaining to him the conversation I had with Vince, and Wade seems to know what I'm talking about instantly.

"Yeah, he is pretty straightforward like that. It reminds me of you a bit, don't you think? When we were kids, you used to just tell it how it is to people, good or bad." Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. I give him a non committed shrug and continue focusing <Emit> on my stomach to make a nice, heated bed for Pawl.

"I like to be blunt when it comes to things that are annoying so I don't have to bother with them. What he did was different. In the end, I guess I didn't mind though. Hopefully, it will take care of everyone trying to walk on eggshells around me in the future."

"I don't think that would've happened much anyway. You might not know it, but you have an excellent best friend that was repping for you earlier."

"I guess I missed the class where they taught that leaving someone for dead means that they are your best friend."

"Yeah, you missed that lecture because you were too busy getting cancer or something, I don't know." I raise an eyebrow before snorting a laugh at Wade's stupid grin. I had forgotten how fast this guy adapts to any situation. Even after not seeing each other for years, he still knows how to make me laugh somehow. My theory of everyone here being slightly psychotic is becoming increasingly likely.

"Well now that we are all past that, have you guys made any progress on the Floor Two quest?" Wade's smile falters and he collapses onto the bed next to mine.

"Nope. We got here a few days ago but so far, nothing has happened. The gate guards took us to Garf, and after that he just told us to sit in the barracks and only come out for food every now and then. Also, before you ask, we haven't tried sneaking around either. We have no clue what level the people here are and don't want to get them mad."

"Do yourself a favor and don't ask them for their level either. Last time I tried, I got a death threat. As of right now, I think we can only identify levels that are twenty-five above our own. I saw some civilians on my way to the city who were pushing level 36, but I couldn't see anybody with levels higher than that."

"Really? I'll make sure to mention it to the others. Nobody bothered checking after we kept seeing the question marks." We sit silently for a little while, but it isn't uncomfortable. I think back to my conversation with Vince, and a question raises to the surface of my mind. Before I even have the chance to ask, Wade cuts me off.

"My starter skills were <Emulate> and <Search>. As for everyone else, I don't know them all, but I won't say anyone else's without them agreeing first." I bite back a retort while side-eyeing Wade.

"How did you know what I was going to ask? Is it because of one of your skills?" He doesn't even bother looking at me before letting out a laugh and snatching Pawl from on top of my stomach. Grumbling in protest, I wait for Pawl to escape and come back to his bestie, but instead, the traitor just blinks lazily before accepting his new spot in Wade's lap.

"It wasn't one of my skills. You are so easy to read, its sad man. I bet you were trying to think about how to use Vince's skills this entire time. You haven't changed a bit since we were kids. Well, I guess you do look quite a bit different, but other than that, you are basically the same 14-year-old I remember."

"What do you mean I look different? I'm pretty sure I still weigh about as much as I did back then." Laughing at my own joke, I fail to notice Wade giving me a weird look.

"I'm not talking about how much you weigh or how much taller you grew. Did you not look at yourself in the mirror when you were in the bathroom? I thought you had gotten a makeover during your treatment at some point based on how different you look." This catches my attention. Sitting up in my bed, I point at myself quizzically and ask what he's talking about.

"Are you joking man? Your eyes are basically yellow, and your hair looks almost black now. I thought you were getting treated for your kidney? Did you end up getting eye surgery or something?" I literally have no idea what Wade is talking about. It might have been a few years since I last checked, but I'm almost positive that hair and eye color don't just change out of nowhere. Rubbing my head, I feel the healthy buzz cut that I have been able to grow since appearing in The Pillar.

I think my hair has been growing a bit faster than it did back on Earth, but I could just be imagining it based on how long it has been since I've had hair. Instead of answering Wade's question, I get up and head over to the bathroom. He says nothing, seeming to understand the situation. Throwing open the door, I quickly make my way over to one of the mirrors and soon find myself staring at a stranger.

"What the hell did that bastard do to me…" Before falling ill, I used to have light brown hair, green eyes, and fairly sharp features that resembled my father's. Now, my features are mostly the same, but my irises are some sort of impossible amber-yellow color, and my buzzed hair is clearly a much darker brown that is bordering on black. I lean forward and watch as my reflection shows off its surprisingly straight teeth and faint scars that are almost invisible on my pale white skin.

I go even further and take my shirt off. My frame is still bordering on anorexic, but I can actually see some slightly defined muscles underneath my porcelain white skin. I hate it. I look like a goddamn vampire. To make things even worse, I'm not even one of the stereotypical good-looking ones either. There is far too much scar tissue drawing ugly, raised lines across my body. Some of it reaches up for my neck and peeks over my collar even if I wear a shirt. I don't bother looking at myself for any longer.

A part of me might think that my changes are somehow caused by The Pillar, but the logical part of my brain kicks in and dismisses the idea. I know exactly what, or should I say who, caused the changes, after all. Trudging back to my bed, I ignore Wade's inquisitive look and steal back my emotional support cat before lying back down. Not bothering to humor him, I instead try to focus on anything other than the weird side effects of my old treatment.

I think I would prefer being back in the woods of Floor One fighting goblins in an improvised diaper and covered in my own filth right now. Thinking about stupid stuff like how I look is not what I thought I would be worrying about when I entered Floor Two. It really doesn't help that I have an annoying pest staring at me from the nearby bunk waiting for me to explain myself.

"Are you going to tell me why you're doing a shitty cosplay of a teenage girl's wet dream from 2015?"

"Hard no, bro."