Chương 20: Introductory Gala

Time until next Elemental Storm: To be Announced The sky above was a black speckled with fake stars. Night only came around once in a while in Uninexus, when the Gods willed on special occasions. And this night was no different. A massive plaza spanning miles was cleared out for the Trial Goers in Uninexus. The buildings that had been placed there were pulled from the ground and transported elsewhere.

In their place was left a massive velvet carpeted ground, pillars of marble, floating waterfalls, and exotic monsters moving around. And parked beside the event were thousands of elegantly designed ships from hundreds of families, companies and more, here to sponsor a Trial Goer or two. Those ships could hold anywhere from a dozen to a hundred themselves, and could serve as party halls in their entirety. Some were golden, some silver, bronze, or a rainbow of colours.

Sleek, bulky, some looking like boats while others had impossibly smooth designs. They doubled as a bragging right, something Virzol didn't approve of. The GPA wasn't a gaudy place. The greatest society in the universe had no need to show off to lesser societies. The Harnessed, followers of the God Kyrosh, were making sure the monsters let loose on the Gala didn't harass the guests. If he was honest with himself, that was all the Harnessed were really good for.

That and taking care of the 2nd Realm, which was nothing more than a zoo during most past Trials. There was a large podium of blue and white at the back of the massive Gala, where the Starlaws would make their speech after making sure most of the Trial Goers had made it. They could've made it now, even, considering a million of the clueless people were moving around, acting like this was their first interaction with civilized society. More than half the ones he'd scanned turned his stomach.

They were being thrown a party bigger than their little planets would ever see on their own, and yet they acted so cocksure. Kicking their legs up on fine clothed tables, piling their plates high with food like starved animals, and talking like whispering hadn't been invented yet. But at least there was some semblance of order. Starlaws were posted at the entrances to scan Trial Goers. Virzol stood a little further away from one such group, eyeing the ones that passed them.

He'd picked one of the more shaded entrances, sure that if their mark was going to arrive, it would be through there.

"A drink, sir?" a Heelx offered him. Her blue grooved skin and elongated head might have been seen as attractive by some noble families, but to Virzol she was just a nuisance.

"No, away with you," he said. The breathing sacs on the sides of his face puffed up, and the server sheepishly moved away. There were thousands of other Heelx servants like her moving around the outdoor Gala, serving drinks, finger foods and delivering messages. If you have something of urgency to say, why risk the information leaking through a messenger, you fools? He was unnaturally frustrated that day.

The search in Skiland had led to dozens of blood and bone Designers coming up this year as Trial Goers, but none of them were actually hiding anything. Most of them didn't even know how their powers worked yet, so when Virzol spied on them from across the Gala, they'd make fools of themselves. Virzol tugged at his suit. It was black accented with yellow, fitting his position as a Quintessence of Lightning.

After adjusting his collar, he rose up from the plush seat he'd been sitting in, and decided to do some more active patrolling.

Ethan's shock at every new thing Uninexus was beginning to get old, even to him. But he just couldn't help but be surprised at the scale the GPA operated at. At first he hadn't known how to get to the Gala itself, but the people there were more than happy to guide him towards the place. He'd bought himself a new pair of casual clothes for the occasion, but as soon as Xillian saw them, he shook his head.

"You're going to need something more professional than that, Mr. Collins."

"What's wrong with it?"

"The idea is to be discrete, isn't it? Casual wear at the biggest party you will ever attend would make a grain of sand stand out," Xillian told him. Ethan sighed, before opening up Unimart for a new pair of clothing. It burned him inside, but he spent a hundred credits on the new suit, and put it on. Thankfully, it was self-fitting, and he looked pretty good once he glanced at the mirror. That gauntness in his cheeks had receded massively.

The colour of his skin had taken on a healthier tone, and even the bags under his eyes had disappeared completely. Paired with the dark green and brown suit he wore, he thought he didn't look half bad. After he was done with the getup, he joined Xillian outside, where he was wearing a similar getup. He stubbed a cigarette when Ethan appeared, something he'd started doing when they became more casual with each other a day ago. With that, they'd headed off to the Gala.

There were still plenty of empty seats for Ethan and Xillian by the time they arrived, though that didn't ease the worry in Ethan's heart. Starlaws stood at the entrance, and behind them was a long line of stanchions and velvet ropes.

"Trial Goer… Ethan Collins," the Starlaw read out. He had a tablet with him that he used to scan Ethan, after which he scrutinized his profile.

"Hmmm…. And you brought along a guest?"

"I'm allowed to, aren't I?" Ethan asked. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Xillian had said it, though now that he was here, maybe Ethan should've double-checked.

"... Yes, but…" He looked from Ethan to Xillian, squinting his eyes.

"Evening, Mr. Klaover. I didn't know they put Matchsticks on guard duty," Xillian said with an innocent smile. The Starlaw looked back at Ethan.

"Trial Goer. He may offer you his services, but stay away from this one. Half the people working in my precinct know that after a week of active duty."

"That's not quite fair, is it? I offer the same to the officers too!" The Starlaw shook his head, but let Ethan and Xillian inside regardless. The entire time, Ethan's heart was up in his throat, and he felt like he was about to explode.

"You didn't tell me you knew them!" Ethan whispered once they were far enough from the entrance.

"Oh, Klaover over there is a massive puffball. No heat behind his words at all, Mr. Collins, so don't you worry?" Xillian said in his usual tone, but it was sounding slimier by the second.

"3 o' clock, table full of Starlaws. None of them with detection Talents," Xillian said suddenly. His eyes had darted towards them for only a second before coming back. Ethan and Xillian adjusted their path to avoid that group, and both kept on forward.

"Now, what? Do we just wait out the event?" Ethan asked.

"Ah, Mr. Collins. But then you would miss out on a great chance for yourself," Xillian said, spreading a hand outwards.

"There are many Trial Goers here who you can bargain and trade with to gain special items. And with me here, who knows what kind of deals we may be able to strike up?" Ethan had to consider it for a moment. He could use whatever information was available on the next Elemental Storm, as well as map to the next shrine if he could find one.

"Alright, let's do it," Ethan said, and Xillian beamed. It was hard to find Trial Goers to talk to, at first. Most all of them were grouped up at tables amongst themselves, already deep in discussion. Xillian eavesdropped in on the conversation and found out it was about party composition.

"Every party needs someone to keep the monsters busy, someone for utility, and someone on the backlines. There are other formations there, but it depends on the size of your party," Xillian explained. Part of Ethan wanted to ask if they had space for a healer, but that wasn't something he could just up and advertise. The only Trial Goer he found in the entire party with minor healing abilities was crowded by a bunch of people asking him to join their team.

If he revealed he could heal a caved chest, the Starlaws would be on him in a second. Most of the Trial Goers at the party weren't even partaking in the festivities. Sure, they'd take something from a platter and pop it in their mouths, but then it was back to strategizing for them. That made it hard to break in between their conversation and offer something to trade, but thankfully Xillian took care of that.

"Excuse me, but I couldn't help but overhear that you're short on funds. I think I may have the solution to your problem," he'd say, smiling, and have the Trial Goers in his pockets. Most of the people there weren't stupid. They didn't offer their Skill or Talent Stones for anything less than market rate. The few that did had most likely already been swindled. Most offered him some essence vials for Talents he didn't have, weapons they didn't need, or identification crystals they'd found.

A few hours of that made Ethan tired, but at least he found one good deal at the end.

"Uh, yeah, I found this thing in the shrine. None of our team's got a use for it, so if you want it, sure," A Worin Trial Goer told him. He looked like a bipedal rabbit, and brought out the spear head from a pack.

"You brought it with you?" Ethan asked.

"Sure. Thought someone around here could totally use it, y'know?" the Worin said. The spear head was the same model as the one on the shop, only Xillian bargained it down to half the price. After that, it was off to search for more deals for them.

The only ones really enjoying the party were the cream of the crop Trial Goers. Another Stanchion and more velvet ropes stopped Ethan from entering the section where they were, and when he asked, he was told it was for noble families only. The raised podium was in that section too, giving the members a front-row seat to the event while others would have to watch it from the floating screens scattered across the venue. The Trial Goers he saw inside there were much better off.

He could hear actual laughs coming from inside, and looking at their clothes made Ethan feel like he was walking around in rags. Xillian had gone to find more deals, which left Ethan alone to look around. He stayed in front of the VIP section, scanning the life forces he could see. Some of them were stronger or weaker, or had a different flow, but nothing was too out of the ordinary. He'd decided on the location on a whim.

It was the furthest he could get away from any group of Trial Goers without looking like an outcast. Maybe he should've introduced himself to some of them more professionally, but unless there was business to talk, he had no idea where to start. Great, Ethan, you can't even break the ice in a life-or-death scenario. How are you going to find a party this way? Maybe he could do the next trial himself, but that didn't feel right to him.

Was he just going to use his second chance at life doing the same thing he was in his first? Avoiding people and places till the reaper came for him? It was a depressing thought, and Ethan sighed, lowering his head.

"Excuse me, I need to get in there," a polite voice said from beside him. He looked over, and a broad-shouldered blonde man stood there, wearing a three piece white and gold suit. For a second Ethan feared he was face to face with a Starlaw, but the design of the suit was different, and the sincere smile on the man's face defused his worries.

"Oh, yeah, s-sure," Ethan said, stepping aside. He looked around, and for some reason everyone around him was staring at him. The attention felt good for all of a second before he realized he was mistaken. No wait, not me, him? Everyone eyed him going inside, and the man ran a hand through his hair.

"Hey, what'd he say to you?" a Ralasankar woman asked Ethan.

"Who?"

"You don't know who that is?" she said in surprise.

"That was Zachary Levine! He was chosen by Ultimax himself to enter the Trial!" Ethan's blood froze. Ultimax, the greatest of the Gods, ruler of Omnia, Hand of the Universe, had picked a Trial Goer to give his favor, and Ethan had just grazed past him. He looked back in the VIP section, where everyone rose from their seats to crowd around the new entry.

"Zachary, Zachary, over here!" they all shouted trying to get his attention. He waved them all away with a single motion and made his way to the front section. Even Starlaws came out to greet him and shake his hand, making Ethan think that he could openly use his Life Control Skill and no one would notice. They really love this guy, don't they? He thought. The chosen of Ultimax looked perfect, and he most likely had a perfect Talent to match.

They're just eating it all up, like they think he worked day and night for all of that. Only when Zachary Levine was seated, did Ethan see the lights around the entire venue dim, and a marble figure with steaming white eyes walk onto the podium. Floating above his right shoulder, a ball of shifting fine thread bobbed with every step he took. The floating screens lit up, and from the furthest edge of the entire party to the front, everyone saw the face of the Starlaws begin to speak.