Chapter 8—Risky Gambles
Trefor closed his eyes as the taxi took him to the administrator''s office, thinking about the first time he met her and the first time he became a grade. He was one of the first to be graded. The process had only appeared five years ago, and nobody quite knew what it meant. It happened the same way as this announcement, though. Scouts were being interviewed about what they experienced out there and without even the slightest warning, Justine appeared on the screen. She announced it like she knew something a lot of them did not, and in fairness, she did, but not nearly as much as any of them would later hope. Orders came down that some of them would be specially chosen, and she wanted to size them up before they could take the test.
It had only been five years, but she seemed a lot younger back then. She had been in charge for two years at the time and seemed more hopeful than the hard-edge woman she was now. She was far more terrified, too, insofar that he could feel it when he met her, see it in her eyes when she met his. She did not want him to die. She didn''t want anyone to die. Somehow, she got that position while she still valued life. He felt sorry for her. Still, some of the woman she became peeked through. There was no delusion that the grading test would be an easy one. There was no suggestion that they''d go through this process and come out unharmed. Back then, Justine knew the grading grounds were dangerous, so Trefor couldn''t understand why she seemed so flagrant about it now.
He didn''t stop to sign in when he came into the office. The receptionist saw him and opened the way, leading to an elevator ride that was just as contemplative. He wasn''t surprised to see Justine waiting when he came in, with two glasses on the table and a bottle of whiskey prepared. Trefor didn''t drink, and she knew that, but the bottle always came out when he came over, and he assumed it was like that for all the grade captains. He sat, and she filled up her glass.
“You know why,” He shook his head. “You’re opening the Grading Grounds to Graduates and Numbers? Are you insane?”
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Trefor''s jaw tightened. He knew how this went. The higher your grade, the further you can go into the city. He had only seen the border of the A-district at the worst times. It wasn''t something he wanted his team to ever brave. Hell was horrific enough without diving down another level.
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“Seven?” He almost jumped out of his seat. Silas was bad enough, but to only have seven Grade A’s at a time like this felt like trying to face an army of 1,000 with 20 eager farmers.
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"Sacrificing Judge paid off." She laughed bitterly. We got a bunch of information and maybe found a way to actually make this world better. I don''t get how. I don''t have the means to get how, but I do have the Grading Grounds and a chance to level the field. What''s a few hundred to the thousands we have here?"
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Justine sighed, “Well, I guess it’s time for your report.”
"The districts have gotten worse. I don''t know what happened out there, but a simple rescue mission turned into an intense fight for our lives. The monsters,” He never liked that word; it felt too weak for what they dealt with, "Have multiplied and become more ferocious. We saved a lot of people, but the City was a warzone when we moved through." He waved a hand over her desk, and the current configuration of the City popped up. He indicated each district and met her eyes. "Threats that would be A-Grade have slipped into the B-District. We were lucky that a lot of them ended up fighting each other, but we couldn''t avoid them all. Worse, some parts of the City seemed to have fallen under certain monsters'' commands." He circled a region to the west. "Angel-like monsters were circling in this area. They didn''t seem to care about us and mostly focused on others."
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Justine sighed, and he could almost see a vault opening in her eyes. "Those things aren''t monsters; they''re demons. There''s this long and complicated story to it, but the short version is that you just confirmed some things." She was thinking. He wondered what lies she had told in her last meeting and if she regretted them now.
Justine sighed again. “Does it matter? What if I told you Moses was parting the red sea right now? Would it change any of the stuff we’re dealing with?”
He shook his head. It wouldn''t. He saw an answer to many questions and jumped at the chance to get it. If Satan came knocking at the Enclave''s door, all he could do was fight and hope the devil himself wasn''t as bad as the stories said. "Then I''ll continue…I feel like what we witnessed was some turf war. I''d almost say gang war with how simplistic it was. If a demon," That word felt better, "was a different color, they struck it down. The way it looked didn''t matter. Some demons fought alone while others seemed to be making alliances."
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Justine closed her eyes and sat back, chewing on his words. He couldn''t read much about her without them, but he could feel she wouldn''t budge. This silence wasn''t about rethinking things. Hell, he wasn''t even sure she could change the entry permissions at this point. This silence felt like she was considering her words, and when she opened her eyes, it was clear she found them.
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They did. While they seemed more like soldiers looking back when everything was horror, and your uncle turned into a howling gray copy of himself, anyone coming to your rescue seemed like Superman. He nodded, “Yes. It’s why I wanted to become a Grade.”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
"The difference five years can make." Justine laughed. "Well, Trefor, back then people became soldiers cause they had bills to pay and few options to pay them. They bought into the whole, fighting for our freedom thing, but the military can only be hell. You’re being trained to be killers after all. I had an older cousin my parents sort of hated. I mean, they talked about him like they hated him anyway. I remember a lot of conversations with my aunt that went something along the lines of, ‘I had to kick him out at eighteen so he could make it in the world.’ He joined the military, and then they were mad he wasn''t giving her money." She filled her glass and took a sip.
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Justine’s eyes were colder.
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It was his turn to close his eyes, but he wasn''t thinking over his response. He was putting himself in that seat, having to hear every awful thing about the City for five awful years, get death reports, sit through one failed mission after the other, and somehow stay afloat, even if he did find himself in a bottle. He opened his eyes but couldn''t say he saw the administrator in a new light. No, this room felt decidedly lacking in it.
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Trefor stood and nodded respectfully. "Will the deaths be worth it?" He had to ask, had to hope that she still knew something that''d make this easier to bear.
Justine smiled, and it made his skin crawl. “I gambled with Judge, and got something back. I’m gambling again, Trefor. Let’s see if the house wins…”
??All on Black??
403 didn''t get much sleep after hearing the announcement. All Numbers up to 400 would get the chance to graduate, and here he was at the border, far removed from the chance to take another step. He lay awake weighing his options, trying to find a way to climb three ranks in three days, but eventually, sleep claimed him, and he woke up with no new options on the table. After a shower and breakfast, he entered the main hall to see a lot of tests underway, a battle between others in 400 and those above fighting to keep their place. It almost made him laugh, but mostly at himself. He wanted to do everything in his power to climb, and his options were few. This was the story of his life so far, and he was about to go back to his room and sulk until Fang''s words came back to him.
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“I’m saying that you’re not above 100. Even Assassin wasn’t above 100, and he was stronger than a lot of people who were.”
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234’s eyes flashed, even as he ignored the question. He had tried many times in duels and team competitions. Assassin didn''t stay at the top for minor reasons. Bringing it up was a sore spot, but he needed 234 charged.
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403’s chest hurt, but he pushed on. “No…which is why I’m here. I can’t get above 400 by myself. I’m not strong enough, agile enough, tactical enough, or whatever. My mechanical score is good but…”
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234 rose from the bed and stomped over. He stared 403 down, eyes burning with challenge. If he looked away, 234 wouldn''t listen to a word he had to say, so 403 met those eyes, and the feeling that told him this would escalate further.
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234 laughed. “Oh! That’s your game. I’m not doing what that girl told me to do.”
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He already planned to. "Then…duel me…if I land even a hit on you, you have to work with me!" And there was the gamble. A team competition was 403''s best chance, and most people wouldn''t team up with him. 234 certainly wouldn''t, but he wouldn''t back down from a challenge, either. 403 just had to land one hit, and the fury in 234''s eyes told him he''d make that hell.
He gasped and tried to find where his feet should be, but he was all alone; the world was gone. His heart raced, and his breath left him. He wasn''t even sure there was air to breathe, but he knew he couldn''t catch it. The darkness seemed to grow out around him, and it felt like he''d never go back. He floated in the emptiness helplessly until a smile broke. If it was a choice between infinite darkness and never graduating, darkness was fine.
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403 nodded, “Yeah. I don’t really feel like you can beat me.” He said easily, and 234 clenched his fist.
403 form the darkness into a wall between them. 234''s fist crashed against it, but though it shook and wobbled, it didn''t feel like it''d come crashing down. It gave him a moment to think. As far as the score went, the darkness didn''t count. It could be anything he wanted, however, liquid, solid, he supposed even gas as well. It was at his command, and so long as he held it, there was nothing 234 could do to reach him. Maybe strength wouldn''t even be enough to break free.
He let the wall go liquid, and as 234 punched through it, he wrapped him in a cocoon and sealed it to the floor. The man roared as he struggled against it, the cocoon shaking as he punched and pulled. 403 balled his fist and put his weight behind it, throwing a punch that made 234’s head spin. The score ticked up, and he raised his hand.
"You win…" 234 growled. He took several hard breaths and sighed. "I didn''t think you had that in you, 403. I guess Fang was right.” He laughed.
403 shook his head. "I''m not 403 anymore." That was still his number, but he finally knew his name. "Call me, Magician." He said it proudly, and didn''t let it falter as 234 gave him a look.
“Magician? Whatever. What’s your plan then, Magician?”
If 234 had reservations, they were gone now. He knew when he was fighting someone he couldn''t beat. He might think about it later and how to win, but he offered his hand for now, proving to be a man of his word.
“Alright…let’s see if this pays off for you.” They shook on it, and Magician thought he had a better tomorrow…
[Chapter 8 ends…]