Chương 38: Chapter Thirty-Eight: Suspicions

The rest of the stagecoach ride is uneventful, and we safely arrive back at the tavern on the edge of the city. I follow Master Lirin across the cobblestone street and back up to the door of the unassuming building where I hold the door open for both of us. The streets are not as bustling as when I had first arrived almost a week and a half ago, but I detect nothing amiss as I trail the warlock inside and begin heading toward the basement door down a nearby hall.

Before we can get very far though, I feel a slight wave of mana run through the wooden hall, and Master Lirin stops in his tracks for a moment while inspecting the wave before turning toward me.

"It would seem that Garf requires my presence. Go back to the barracks to clean yourself and put on a pair of un-scorched clothing. I do not know how long this meeting will take, but I don't want you getting any ideas with the array archive while I am gone. You will report back to the basement in one hour."

"Yes Master!" The warlock's robes turn with a dramatic flourish as Master Lirin makes his way back through the hall. I'm not sure what exactly the mana wave was, but it seems like some form of communication from Garf based on the Master's reaction. The practice itself is somewhat interesting, but as of now, I have no use for it given the Forum I share with my group members. I make a mental note to ask the warlock about it later, and quickly head toward the barracks.

It would seem that getting a chance to see the others was a lot easier than I had guessed it would be, as I didn't even have to bring up an excuse to take a trip to the barracks. Making my way through the building, my dirty, bare feet scuff against the dark wood floor as I navigate through the winding halls. I don't even bother seeing the nurse, as my injuries aren't too bad and I would rather not deal with the woman's unpleasantness.

As I get closer to the sheltered hall that reaches out of the building toward my destination, I let my mind relax for a moment while I run my gaze over the random art, doors, and windows that appear every so often throughout the passage. The surroundings are quite mundane, and I feel myself find a small flicker of amusement in the boring tone of the tavern. For a world full of magic and monsters, I imagine this place is one that could easily be found somewhere on Earth too.

Finally, I arrive at the covered hall that stretches toward the auxiliary building where the others have been staying during our training. I hadn't really noticed before, but the windows lining either side of the hall reveal the happenings of nearby buildings, including a woman currently hanging some wet laundry onto a line stretching across her balcony. Is she real? Are her actions controlled by this censor? Was she ever a real person or is this entire place simulated? I don't know.

There is still too many things I don't know, and it bothers me. I need to be stronger before these things I don't know end up snowballing and devour me in the end. Arriving at the door to the barracks, I push my thoughts away for a little longer and slip into social mode as I enter the long room full of bunks. To my surprise, everyone in the group is already inside and huddled nearby. Wade throws up a hand to wave me in, and I just pass him a confused look as the chatter around the room dies off due to my arrival.

Grabbing a nearby blanket, I wrap up my half-naked body and head over to the group.

"Why is everyone here? Did you all have the day off or something?" I inquire while taking a seat beside Wade. Everyone trades worried looks, and Benny offers me Pawl, who is asleep in his lap. I give him a small smile but let him keep my feline buddy, as I can see he clearly doesn't want let the cat go. Immediately, his face lights up, and the young boy thanks me before burying his hands in Pawl's thick fur. Weirdly enough, the sight makes my mood improve almost instantly.

Who knew cute kids doing cute things with cute cats could generate this level of dopamine?

"We were hoping that you had an answer for that, Sebastian." Vince mentions from nearby where he stands with Sandra and Sara.

"All of our trainers were summoned here by Garf for some sort of meeting out of nowhere. Alongside that weird notification from earlier, we thought they might have been related." Sara pipes up from next to him. I've rarely traded words with her, but it seems like she is somewhat scared by the whole situation which makes me feel kind of bad as I had the impression of her being calm and kind in the time I have interacted with her. Her words do make me wonder though.

Apparently, every trainer was called for a meeting similar to Master Lirin. The entire situation makes a growing theory of mine rear its ugly head.

"If everyone is here, then I guess I should tell you guys about what happened earlier. You all being here tells me that what I saw might be a bigger deal than I had thought."

"So, you are telling us that the guy almost killed himself right in front of you. Then the System message came up, and he was perfectly fine the next second." Vince finishes summarizing my story while rubbing the back of his neck.

"That's right." I confirm while laying back on the bed with my arms behind my head. The story causes obvious unease to take over the group as everyone attempts to sort out the information for themselves. Going even further, I tell them about my experience with the mysterious censorship and how it differed from the situation with Master Lirin in the stagecoach.

Henry, Wade, and a couple others looks confused regarding my claims, but to my side, I notice Vince and Sandra trading looks while Angus, Sara, and Kathryn's expressions become stony. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"I have noticed some similar things like that on the Forum. Usually it just censors the words a few people say that are apparently ahead of us on Floor Two. I haven't asked much else about The Pillar or anything from Garf though, so I don't know if he would respond the same way." Angus relays his point of view on the matter with a worried look.

"Sandra and I have noticed some things that relate to what Sebastian is saying." Vince steps forward while Sandra crosses her arms behind him.

"A few times when I had tried to get any information about the king from Remus, my trainer, he would clam up and give very scripted responses. I asked Sandra to do the same with her trainer, but she also had no luck. Remus mentioned something about the king having a relationship with the gods in some aspect, but he would go no further than that."

Kathryn and Nikki pipe up shortly after that, having dealt with similar situations when attempting to gain any information regarding The Pillar or any talk related to the System.

"How did the censorship present itself to you guys? Was it similar to the Forum where the words were just blanked out, or did the people physically react?" The others look surprised by my questions, but after a nod from Vince, Kathryn shares her experience with Nikki following right after. Just as I suspected, both of them dealt with separate versions of the redaction.

Kathryn mentioned that the gods were mentioned a few times by her trainer when asked, but there was no real information about the beings being provided. Blanket statements were used to cover up any mention of what happened to create 'The Veil'; also known as the wall that surrounds this entire patch of land where everyone lives. In Nikki's experience, she had been in a one-on-one conversation with Bertrum, the jolly man I remember from the selection.

He had said something weird about the gods in passing, but at the time she hadn't even thought much of it until our current talk.

"What were the exact words used by him, do you remember?" I inquire seriously.

"Um, I think he said that some gods can be cruel. I had asked about why the wall, or, I guess why the Veil existed."

"Cruel was the word he used. Are you sure?" I press further. In response, she nods quickly like a deer in headlights, but I am only interested in her confirmation.

"Calm down Sebastian, what are you trying to get at?" Vince requests from the side. Cruel. She said that the man specifically used a negative adjective to describe the gods. Something nags at the back of my brain as I rise from the bed and head toward the bathroom. I'm still filthy and in charred clothes, but most importantly, I need some time to think to myself and the shower is the best place for such activities right now.

Before I can make it there, a hand clamps on my wrist, and I turn to find Sara holding me back. Her brown eyes bore into me between the strands of her wild brown hair in an expression of worry.

"Sebastian, tell us what you are thinking. I can tell you know more than you are letting on. What are we missing?" For a moment, I can feel an overwhelming urge to tell them what I am thinking. Maybe if I do so, we could all think about it together and reach a new theory that encompasses all of the evidence that has been laid out. I am about to open my mouth to do just that, but almost on instinct, <Fixation> fires up and I can feel the urge die in my throat.

"I don't have a much better idea than you guys do. I have a feeling that we should be prepared for what is to come though, so I'm going to take a shower and be ready for when the trainers' meeting is over. I suggest the rest of you do the same." Before they attempt to say anything else to make me talk, I gently pull my arm from Sara's desperate grip and head to the showers after grabbing a fresh pair of clothes from a nearby locker.

When I am finally alone, I bask in the feeling of the warm water spilling over my body. I'm not really sure how I can still feel such gentle temperatures through my trait, but the sensation is appreciated nonetheless. Absently, I also note the difference in size of my limbs due to the high amount of BDY attribute points I have accrued due to my level ups. It would seem that I am slowly gaining some much needed weight due to the changes.

This observation is dulled in my mind though as I continue to stew over the conversation with the others. I really wish I could just sit silently and think to myself when it benefits me, but the group is so gun-ho on sharing information that I can't even be with them for a few minutes without feeling like I'm slighting them somehow by not telling them my every thought. What Nikki said troubled me.

The others' experiences with the censorship also contributes to my worries, as I begin to build the web of information in my mind while tying the new data together to my own experiences and theories of this entire place. Master Lirin relating my greed to the gods. Bertrum referring to some gods as cruel. Filters being spread out over all conversations relating to the king and the history of this world. Information relating to the floors being censored in the Forum, but no information regarding the gods is redacted.

The difference in censorship between some topics of conversation while others are treated an entirely new way. Quest information and System skills being removed as possibilities for questioning while conversation about the gods is still available but only to a small extent before the mobs of this floor are practically tortured to keep anything else from coming out. The pieces are falling into place in my brain, but each new one just reveals how large the puzzle is.

Beyond anything, I want to discuss this with the others. I want to go out there right now and lay it all out for all of us to figure out. This desperation to connect with everyone else is so strong that it almost feels like it's drowning me. Unfortunately, I won't tell them. If the conversation from before was anything for me to go off of, it seems that the group doesn't trust me at all.

Their hesitance to speak up without confirmation from Vince, and Sara's uncharacteristic pushing for me to spill my thoughts for everyone's benefit were hints. Wade's lack of defense and Angus' silence were even more obvious. It feels just like when I first arrived at the barracks. Everyone is looking at me like I'm an unpredictable danger of some sort. They might have been doing this during our time before the trainers arrived too when I was attempting to get along and fit myself within the group.

Maybe if I hadn't gone out to the Northeast Wilds with the Master, I would never have realized the level at which I was on edge with the group. I remember the relaxing feeling that enveloped me when I was alone again and fending for myself. It was like a man on death row who was cleared of charges right before stepping up to the guillotine. <Fixation> is pushed to full throttle and my excess thoughts and feelings fall away while my mind focuses. My body knew something was wrong before my mind did.

That's why I felt such relief when away from everyone else. This situation is just like the survival instincts that take over a wild animal's body to act when they sense a predator nearby. I might not know what is causing it, but this confirms one thing that I had suspected ever since I was on Floor One. Someone dangerous is hiding within Squad Five.