《The God Contest Regina [Progression Fantasy, LitRPG-lite, Apocalypse]》 Chapter 1 - Bethany ¡°No matter how hard the past is, you can always begin again.¡± Buddha "It is time. Authority has chosen." "We can still turn back. If we fail, we die. If we succeed... perhaps far worse." "We five agreed to follow this path. It''s what must be done. It cannot continue as it has in ages past." "But to place our fates in the hands of a mortal. Are you certain, Oracle?" "I am certain of nothing, except that we will fail without her." "Then we are agreed. Oracle, the next move is yours." *** Bethany saw the city a full twenty minutes before she arrived. That was the way of the prairies. Nothing could ever sneak up on you. First, she saw the lights, faintly glowing in the distance, shining as though they were stars in the darkness. And then the morning sun began to crest over the eastern horizon, spreading its rays over the city. The glass office towers in the city centre became visible and reflected the golden rays of the morning over the neighborhoods that stretched beneath them. The scent of the golden wheat and purple flax fields that surrounded the city filled Bethany¡¯s red 2008 Honda Civic through the rear passenger window, which had long ago lost its ability to fully close. Bethany wiped the sleep from her eyes, her excitement keeping exhaustion at bay as she drove down the highway towards the city. She glanced down at her dashboard for just a moment. She had less than a quarter tank of gas left, but she had made it. Regina wasn¡¯t just a city. It represented a new life. A better life. Everything she owned was in the back of her Civic, stuffed into a single tattered suitcase that had once belonged to her grandmother. The faded yellow and pink floral patterns on its surface resembled her grandmother¡¯s favorite dress. The one she had worn every Sunday at church. The one she was now buried in. Bethany shifted her gaze, trying to dislodge the thought from her mind. Her grandmother had been the last positive thing in her life. She had left Bethany some money in her will, but Bethany¡¯s father had taken it, a wicked smile plastered on his face. To hold until she was eighteen, he had told her, as if he had not intended to drink and gamble it away. It had taken him less than four days to spend it all. The only thing Bethany was given was a bruise across her cheek when she asked about the money last night. This journey would have been so much easier with that money. Her eyes fell on her passenger seat. One hundred thirteen dollars and fifty-two cents. All the money she had in the world. She had been working since she was fifteen years old, taking on odd jobs after school that paid in cash. Cash let her hide a fraction of what she earned in a metal lockbox hidden in the woods behind her house, before her father demanded the rest. Two dollars here, five dollars there. Bethany squirreled away every penny she could. She had bought her Civic a month ago, from a farmer just outside town. It was permeated with rust, the seats covered with cigarette burns, the radio broken, the windows loose, and had over 300,000km on the odometer. It looked like it would fall apart at any moment. But the price was right, and the farmer said she could store it on his property until she needed it. That was important. She couldn¡¯t take it home. She couldn¡¯t let him know what she was planning. Next to the money on the passenger seat lay a single, half-eaten chocolate chip muffin. Her birthday gift to herself, purchased in a gas station convenience store just after midnight. Her swollen cheek made it difficult to eat, so she had to chew on the other side of her mouth. The muffin was dry and chalky, but she did not care. It was hers, and it was a start. ¡°Happy birthday to me,¡± whispered Bethany, her voice breaking with emotion. Her eighteenth birthday. Her classmates spent their eighteenth birthdays with friends, passing around bottles of whatever they could sneak out of their parent¡¯s liquor cabinets. They would laugh and smile, and dream of what lay ahead when high school was finally over. Or so Bethany would imagine. She had never been invited to those kinds of parties. Instead, she had spent her final hours as a seventeen-year-old sneaking her grandmother¡¯s suitcase out from their storage closet, wincing at every creaky floorboard that threatened to give her away. She nearly had a heart attack during those final steps into her room when her father had risen from the couch and stumbled into the bathroom, slamming the door hard enough to make their tiny, rundown house shake. But a moment later his snoring resumed, no doubt crouched over the toilet, nose barely above the waterline. She had packed the suitcase in minutes, filling it with what meager possessions she had. Jeans and T-shirts, socks, and underwear, and a tattered ballcap that fit her head just right, the hole at the back perfect to thread her long brown ponytail through. She added her birth certificate, a photo of her grandmother, her journal, the towel she had used for six years, a set of sheets, her thin blanket, her even thinner pillow, and the ball-peen hammer she kept under that pillow for when things got rough. She decided to forgo her toothbrush and comb, stored in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. Her father was there, and it was not worth the risk. There was still lots of room left in the suitcase. But she no longer had anything left to pack. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. She had winced at the squeaky hinges as she opened her bedroom door, and carefully carried the suitcase to the front door. She winced again as she opened the warped door, a small piece of splintered wood finally breaking off with a crack. She had called the landlord months ago to fix the door. He didn¡¯t show up. He never did. She did not look back as she passed through the front door. She did not look back when she strode into the woods and opened her locked box for the final time, fishing out her cash and car keys. And she did not look back as she strode towards the farmer¡¯s home, dragging her suitcase behind her on the dark, gravel road. There was nothing behind her she wanted. Everything good lay ahead. An hour later, she had driven her Civic off the farmer¡¯s land. And left her old life behind. * * * Welcome to Regina The welcome sign dislodged Bethany from her thoughts. She blinked hard, struggling to stay awake. She had been driving all night, trying to put as much distance between herself and her old life as possible. She didn¡¯t know if her father would come looking for her, but the further she got, the less likely he would be to find her. Ms. Johnson, her eighth-grade teacher, had once told her that she should always run towards something, not away from something. The advice had stuck with Bethany, and she pushed the thoughts of yesterday from her mind. ¡°Yesterday is over. It is now today. And today is exciting,¡± thought Bethany, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. She was here. She was free. The City of Regina. Capital of Saskatchewan. Home of the Roughriders, beacon of civilization across the great prairies. And¡­umm¡­ Bethany struggled to find another description of the city. Even that last one was stretching it. At just under a two hundred and fifty thousand people, Regina was hardly Canada¡¯s leading tourist destination. It was a working town. A government town. Perhaps that is why Bethany had chosen it to start her new life. While her classmates were fantasizing over being actors and millionaires in metropolises like Los Angeles or New York, Bethany just wanted a simple place. Where she could build a normal life that was all her own. Where she could one day buy a house with her own little garden and live her life in peace. Where she could live her life without being afraid. Bethany shook her head again, banishing her last thought. ¡°No. I¡¯m free. I¡¯m here. Think positively,¡± she repeated, staring at herself in her rearview mirror. ¡°Think of everything the city has to offer.¡± She had spent a day in Ms. Johnson¡¯s class learning about Regina and she had fallen in love with it, despite its lack of glamour. Or perhaps because of it. It seemed so simple. So practical. She had read how Regina had been founded as part of building the nation¡¯s railway. The location was selected because it was near land that the Lieutenant-Governor owned. It had a creek, which had been dammed in the 1880s to provide the fledgling settlement with a small lake to serve as a water source. In the 1930s, a make-work project to employ people during the great depression had transformed that small lake into one of the largest parks in North America, over nine square kilometers right in the middle of the city. The capital building stood in that park, open to tourists in the summer. That tour was on Bethany¡¯s to-do list. The land around the city was as flat as you will ever see, with hardly a tree in sight. Every inch that could be farmed was farmed, growing grains and lentils, and raising animals in farming operations both big and small. It was an export province, feeding and fueling the world. The cityscape itself stretched over 150 square kilometers, centered around the downtown core that had drawn Bethany¡¯s eyes. How many towers rose into the sky? There must be six! Maybe more. And each one must be over twenty stories high! Around the downtown core, business and residential districts were spread throughout the city in a semi-planned fashion. A mix of old and new in the fast-growing city. In the back of her mind, Bethany knew her classmates ¨C former classmates ¨C would laugh at her excitement. They had seen more of the world than she had. Some had taken family trips to America or Europe to cities many times larger and far more glamourous and with rich, millennia-long histories. Bethany did not care. Regina was still amazing to her. A yawn tried to escape her throat, but she willed it away as she took the ramp off the highway and into the city. Into her new home. It was a city on the verge of waking up. There were a few vehicles on the street, those who had to be at work at the crack of dawn. Supermarkets and giant stores sped by on either side of the road, and she felt giddy as she thought about which she would visit first. Her eyes glanced down again at the money on the passenger seat. Her stomach growled but she ignored it, as she had all night. She needed to be careful with her money. No foolish purchases. She turned left onto a residential neighborhood, away from the stores. The houses in the city were so large, and the streets were lined with large elm trees. She had borrowed a book on Regina from their tiny local library when she was sixteen and read that each one of the tens of thousands of trees in the city were hand planted, since few large trees grew naturally on the prairies. It was so different from her home in the north, where the forests stretched for miles. Her father had thrown that book into a fire when he caught her with it. She¡¯d had to dip into her savings to pay the replacement fee. The library wouldn¡¯t let her keep borrowing books without it. The library was the only place that she had felt safe, so she had paid. ¡°Stop it!¡± uttered Bethany, her voice sounding shaky and far away as sleep threatened to overwhelm her. ¡°Future. Think future. It¡¯s in the past.¡± But this time, it was harder to shake the thought. Her head was swimming as exhaustion began to overtake her. Fear had pushed her on through the night, and excitement had given her a second wind. But now she had used up that second wind and needed sleep. ¡°What do I do now?¡± Bethany asked herself. She had spent so much time planning her escape, and so little time planning what she would do when she got here. Perhaps she had never truly believed she would make it this far. There was a small sign on the side of the road - Les Sherman Park ¨C and Bethany took a sharp turn to pull into its empty gravel parking lot. There was a baseball field and walking paths, all backed on to Wascana creek. It was part of the interconnected system of parks that ran from east to west across the city, with Wascana Park at its centre. More importantly, it had a public washroom. Bethany had not realized how much she needed one until now. Suddenly, it seemed like the most important thing in the world. She walked quickly towards it, tugging on its heavy metal door. It was unlocked, thankfully, and she ducked inside. A few minutes later she was back in the car with a full water bottle, washed face, and empty bladder. ¡°Not bad. Not bad,¡± she whispered to herself. She placed her hand to her mouth to stifle a yawn and recoiled at the smell of her breath. She looked at her money on the passenger seat, scooping it up and stuffing it in her jeans. ¡°Toothbrush and toothpaste. The first purchase.¡± She stifled another yawn, ¡°Right after I rest.¡± She reached into the back seat, gently opening her grandmother¡¯s suitcase. She fished out her blanket and pillow and leaned her seat back as far as it would go. She locked her doors and then, out of habit, grabbed her ball-peen hammer and placed it at her side. She felt safer that way. Then she leaned the seat back as far as it could go, stuffed the pillow behind her head, and was asleep before she could lift her blanket above her waist. Chapter 2 - A New Beginning ¡°Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.¡± C.S. Lewis. Bethany sprinted down the hallway of her childhood home, fear driving her forward. The hallways was covered in deep darkness and seemed to stretch on endlessly into the distance. Every step forward caused the floorboards to creak and groan, and she winced at each sound as she had yesterday when she was sneaking out of the house. The walls were covered with photographs of her grandmother and mother, the same pictures endlessly repeating as she ran forward, as if she was caught in a repeating loop. Knock. Knock. Knock. The knocking sound came from behind her. A loud thumping that sounded like someone was pounding their fist against a thick wooden door. It chilled her to her core, and she ran faster to escape the source of the sound. ¡°It comes for you,¡± the photo of her grandmother shouted, its words cutting through the darkness. ¡°You cannot run. You cannot hide. You must embrace it, or you shall die.¡± Bethany ran faster, and the photographs began to throw themselves off the walls at her. One struck her cheek, where her father had struck her, and she felt her cheek start to swell. Knock. Knock. Knock! The sound was growing closer. She could feel the ground start to shake beneath her feet, as if something was charging after her. ¡°You cannot run. You cannot hide. You must embrace it, or you shall die. This knowledge do I impart, for only three days remain until it starts.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Bethany shouted, frantically swiping at the photographs now striking her chest and face. ¡°Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!¡± She wanted to cower, wanted to hide, but she willed her legs forward, trying to run faster. Knock! Knock! Knock! It was closer than ever, right behind her. She dared not look back. If she slowed it would catch her. If she slowed, he would drag her back. ¡°Beware, rejoice. It begins anew. The time of tests. A time of woe. A time when you can grow. Embrace the path and you shall find, you may be first amongst your kind.¡± The words echoed from every photograph now, filling her ears and rattling her brain. ¡°Just shut up! Please, shut up,¡± she shouted, growing desperate. The footsteps crashed behind her, as if it were an elephant trampling through a jungle. Her heart pounded in her chest and sweat poured from her brow. He was right behind her. ¡°Don¡¯t look back,¡± came a soft, gentle voice to her right. It startled her and she fell, her hand scraping across the creaky hallway. She turned around quickly in a panic, hands planted on the ground, and gazed down the corridor. Nothing was there. The footsteps were gone. The photographs were utterly silent. ¡°I told you not to look back,¡± a voice whispered in her ear. She spun around and found herself face to face with her father, his features distorted and stretched so that he filled the entire hallway from wall to wall. ¡°Please, no,¡± whimpered Bethany. ¡°Knock knock knock,¡± said her father, as the darkness closed in around her. * * * Knock. Knock. Knock. Bethany awoke with a start, her forehead beaded with sweat. She was disoriented, her head flicking back and forth as she tried to figure out where she was. Her hand gripped the armrest tightly. It had been a dream. But it had felt so real. Her father¡­ ¡°Miss, are you alright?¡± came a voice from outside the window. Bethany turned to look out her driver¡¯s side window, still in a daze. ¡°Can you roll down the window please?¡± The woman outside wore a short sleeved blue dress shirt and a bullet proof vest. She had a police badge attached to the left side of the vest and an insignia was sewn on her arm ¨C a circle of golden leaves with a crown at the top, and a shield in the middle. The shield was blue and had a bison and wheat sheaf marking the top and bottom. At the bottom it read ¡°Vigilius Genus¡±. Bethany could feel her heart racing. The only police officer she had ever met was her uncle Greg. Her father would argue with him endlessly whenever they were together, and her uncle would always leave angry. And then her father would take out his anger on her. Bethany reached out cautiously, slowing rolling down the window with the hand crank and squinting in the bright sunlight. It was already mid-afternoon. The officer bent over and rested her arms on the windowsill. She glanced at Bethany, and spotted Bethany¡¯s luggage opened in the back seat. Then she saw Bethany¡¯s swollen cheek. ¡°Miss, are you okay?¡± she asked, sounding concerned. Bethany felt her heart tighten in her chest. Had her father reported her missing? Were the police searching for her? Would they force her to go back? Her mind started to race with possibilities and her hands started to shake. The officer must have noticed. ¡°Miss, do not be alarmed. I won''t harm you. Have you taken any drugs? Do you need me to take you to the hospital? Is there someone safe I can call for you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m eighteen!¡± Bethany shouted, the first thing that came into her head. It was all she could think of ¨C asserting that she was now an adult. She realized this did not answer any of the officer¡¯s questions, so she added, ¡°No drugs¡­Ma¡¯am.¡± The officer gave her a kind but worried smile. ¡°You runnin¡¯ from something, deary?¡± Bethany stared at the officer, as if seeing her for the first time. She was middle aged, with a kindly face, red hair, and freckles that stretched from ear to ear like her own. She was muscular and intimidating, yet she leaned forward in such a casual manner that it drew Bethany in and cut through some of her fear. ¡°I¡¯m eighteen,¡± Bethany repeated, this time more subdued, ¡°I just got to the city last night, Miss¡­um¡­. officer. I must have dozed off.¡± This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Officer Shepherd,¡± she replied, ¡°Delores if you prefer. But you didn¡¯t answer my question.¡± ¡°No, Officer Shepherd, not running,¡± Bethany lied, sounding far from convincing, ¡°Just new to the city. Finding my way. Post-graduation adventure. You know how us crazy kids are.¡± She felt like she was rambling, and Officer Shepherd did not seem convinced. Officer Shepherd leaned in slightly and gave a subtle sniff. She seemed satisfied and withdrew. ¡°Miss¡­¡± ¡°Bethany,¡± Bethany replied, before scolding herself for not giving an alias. What if her father had reported her? Then again, giving a false name to a police officer was probably a bad idea. ¡°Bethany, do you have a cell phone?¡± Bethany shook her head. ¡°Ok, just wait here for a moment. I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Officer Shepherd headed over to her police vehicle, which was parked directly behind Bethany¡¯s Civic. Bethany¡¯s head started to whirl. Was she calling me in? Was I going to be arrested? What if they call my father? What if they make me go back? What if¡­.? Officer Shepherd returned in a moment, clutching a map, which she unfurled with a flick of her wrists. ¡°This is a little old-school. Most people have cells phones with maps these days. But sometimes the old ways are best.¡± Officer Shepherd handed the map to Bethany and leaned in. It was a map of Regina, the type you would find resting on a display in a tourist stop along the highway. ¡°My brother gave me a box of these maps last year. He works for the city and had found a dusty box full of them stuffed in a storage room in city hall. I carry them around with me just in case. Do you know how to read a real map?¡± Bethany nodded. In grade six, she had spent three weeks pouring over maps in the school library, imagining herself being anywhere else. ¡°Good for you, my dear. Now, we are here,¡± She circled the spot on the map with her red pen. ¡°Over here is the closest hospital. We have two in the city ¨C Regina General and Pasqua. Up here is the Food Bank, and over here is Social Services, if you need help with money or housing.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if¡­¡± Bethany started. ¡°There is no shame in asking for help when you need it,¡± Officer Shepherd said calmingly, then circled a few more locations on the map. ¡°These are some other places to check out. Used clothing and household items. I shop there myself all the time. You can get some great deals for outfitting a new apartment.¡± She gave Bethany a warm smile. ¡°If you need access to the internet, or need job hunting advice, or just want something to do, there are libraries across town. The biggest one is downtown, but the smaller branches might be more to your liking if you prefer quiet.¡± Officer Shepherd glanced back at Bethany¡¯s suitcase. ¡°And if you need place to stay for the night, there is a women-only shelter here.¡± She circled the map a couple times, as if to drive home the point. ¡°It can be dangerous for a young woman to sleep alone in her car.¡± Bethany just stared at the map and mumbled ¡°Thanks.¡± She didn¡¯t know what else to say. It all felt overwhelming. Officer Shepherd looked at her, then dug into her pocket and handed Bethany a business card. ¡°My contact information, if you need it.¡± Bethany carefully grabbed it, as if she were afraid it would fall apart in her hands. ¡°I¡¯ll be okay. Thank you, Officer Shepherd. Umm¡­Delores.¡± ¡°You are very welcome, Bethany. Stay safe. And don¡¯t be afraid to reach out if you need help.¡± Delores gave Bethany a final smile, then returned to her vehicle. Bethany listened to the crush of gravel as Delores drove away, clutching Delores¡¯ business card tightly to her chest. She opened her glove compartment and slid it in carefully, so it would be safe. * * * Bethany sat in Wascana Park at a day-use campsite, staring absentmindedly towards the tiny Pelican Island that rested in the middle of Wascana Lake. She was watching the ducks and geese land delicately on the water¡¯s surface, the early evening¡¯s fading light projecting a subtle beauty across the water. She listened to the wind gently blowing through the elm trees, their branches covered in deep green leaves that provided her with shade from the height of summer. She had her shoes off and was wiggling her toes in the think grass, reveling in its softness. She was lost in the moment and wished it could go on forever. At over nine hundred hectares, Wascana Park was nearly three times the size of Central Park in New York, making it one of the largest urban parks in North America. It was one of the reasons why Bethany had chosen Regina as her new home. She could sit at the edge of a lake and get lost in the wilderness without ever leaving the city. The crackle of her fire in the metal firebox behind her snapped her back to reality. Her stomach growled, desperate to be filled. Sighing, she stood up and meandered over to her picnic table. It was covered with canned vegetables, rice, noodles, sauces, powdered milk, beans, two apples, and a pack of hotdog buns. The six sausages she had received from the Food Bank were now roasting on top of the firebox, their aroma filling the air and making her mouth water. A can opener, small pot, toothbrush, toothpaste, and hairbrush completed the treasures she had been given. The Food Bank had been a godsend. She had not wanted to go there. She had wanted to make it on her own. But filling her car with gas had taken all but sixty-five dollars of her remaining money, and her pragmatism bested her pride. Bethany grabbed one of the buns and leaned over the grill, trying to select just the right one for her first true meal of her new life. She picked the third one in, with cheese oozing out the side and a touch of char along its edges. She reached out to grab it with her fingers. ¡°Ouch!¡± she uttered, thrusting the sausage into the bun as the cheese burned her fingers. She held the bun tightly in one hand while she sucked on her fingers of the other, trying to soothe the burn. She used a stick to shove the remainder of the sausages away from the open flames, then plopped down on the picnic table and took her first bite. The taste flooded her mouth, quelling her hunger and bringing a smile to her lips. She had no ketchup or mustard ¨C those luxuries could come later ¨C but it was the best meal she had ever had. A minute later, she was onto her second sausage, still savoring every bite. She could have finished the whole pack in one sitting but chose to carefully wrap the remaining sausages in with the buns to save it for breakfast. The food spread out across the picnic table was more than had been in her father¡¯s home, but she knew it would not last long. Bethany carefully packed her food into her Civic, then grabbed her toiletries and a spare set of clothes and headed to the public washroom located next to her little campsite. The washroom was a welcome surprise when she found this spot. It had a sink, a mirror, running water, and a flush toilet. It smelled faintly of sewage and one of the walls was covered in graffiti, but she did not care. It was a precious find. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her long brown hair, running down to the small of her back, was knotted after two nights without care. Her grandmother, even in the depths of her dementia, had combed it out each night. Her hair was the only part of her she liked. She was skinny ¨C the consequence of growing up in a house with little spare food ¨C and tall, the combination of which made her gangly and awkward. She thought her nose was too big, her eyes an off-putting shade of green, and her chin too angled to be attractive. The freckles that dotted her face felt like pot marks, each one a tiny imperfection. She ran a finger from her chin to her cheek, wincing as she hit the bruise that had started to show where her father had struck her. She shook away the memory. The bruise would fade, as it always did, but this time another would not replace it. That thought kept her going. An hour later Bethany felt clean, her clothes washed and strung across a tree next to the fire to dry. Her hair was wrapped in her raggedy towel, and she sat on the picnic table facing the water. She had her diary open in front of her and she tapped her pen on the table, wondering where to start. ¡°Dear diary, today I¡­ no, that¡¯s too high school. I can do better than that,¡± she whispered, aggressively crossing out the words. So much had happened in the last twenty-four hours. Where could she possibly start? She gazed out at the living skies above her, watching as the occasional cloud drifted across the wide blue expanse. A flock of geese flew by, towards the legislative building, visible to the west and nestled in the centre of the busiest part of the park. She heard laughter from a family walking along the lakeside trail that ran near her campsite, a young couple with their rambunctious child running ahead of them, pointing at the flock in the sky. It brought a smile to Bethany¡¯s face. Bethany decided to keep her diary entry simple. Today was the first day of my new life. I am finally free. She started to close her diary, then stopped. On a whim, she grasped the pages that chronicled her life leading up to this moment. Pages filled with sorrow and worry. Pain and loss. Every day, every entry, laced with so much fear. Then she ripped them out. And tossed them into the fire. Chapter 3 - Portents ¡°The Edge¡­There is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over.¡± Hunter S. Thompson Bethany sat beside her grandmother¡¯s urn. The funeral home was empty, save for her father arguing with the undertaker. ¡°The engraving on the urn is in English. It is not in the language of the Gods. How can she be saved if she does not speak their language?¡± her father asked nonsensically, a hollowness to his voice. ¡°I was in a hurry,¡± explained the undertaker, matter-of-factly. ¡°Do you know how many of these I need to make today?¡± He gestured across the room where thousands upon thousands of bodies were lined up on tables, awaiting their turn in the oven. There was a stillness to the room that disturbed Bethany, yet she could do little but watch the scene unfold. ¡°No one told me there would be a line,¡± complained her father, folding his arms. ¡°I would have had my mother die earlier if I had known there would be a line.¡± ¡°There are more to come,¡± informed the undertaker. ¡°Few will survive to the end. Do you want to make a reservation for her? You could skip the line.¡± he asked impassively, pointing at Bethany seated next to the urn. ¡°Her? Perhaps I should. She does not have what it takes,¡± said her father, waving his hand dismissively in Bethany¡¯s direction. Bethany just stared, trying to understand their words. She heard the words, but they seemed unfamiliar. Distorted. As if she were hearing the voices while her head was under water. The undertaker strolled over to Bethany, knelt, and lifted up her chin. The undertaker¡¯s eyes were solid black. Cold, lifeless, and calculating. He tipped her head left, then right, inspecting her as if she were being presented at a horse auction. ¡°Good stock. Tougher than you might think. Perhaps she will surprise you.¡± ¡°Surprise?¡± asked her father in disbelief. ¡°No, she will fall first. She is weak. Feeble. She doesn¡¯t even know what she has gotten herself into.¡± ¡°Neither did they¡± replied the undertaker, gesturing towards the bodies. ¡°Yet she is here, and they are not. So who gets the point?¡± Her father marched forward and grabbed her chin as the undertaker had done. His eyes were molten fire, endlessly deep. His breath smelled of alcohol, as it had on so many nights. Her heart fell. She knew what came next. ¡°You are ugly and worthless, Bethany,¡± he said, softly. ¡°Better to die quick at the beginning than to suffer until the end.¡± His hands reached out, encircled her neck, and squeezed. She just sat there, paralyzed with fear, as she felt her life slipping away. Her lungs ached, her skin burned, and she could feel her pulse pounding against his tightening fingers. Why would her body not respond? ¡°You only have one life to live, Bethany,¡± came her grandmother¡¯s voice from the urn, her final gift to Bethany. ¡°Be brave, Little Bee.¡± Bethany¡¯s hands started moving, groping blindly as consciousness threatened to leave her. They came to rest upon her grandmother¡¯s urn. With her last ounce of strength, she thrust the urn towards her father and smashed it against his skull. He staggered backwards, a shard of pewter lodged in his eye and his face covered in her grandmother¡¯s ashen remains. The skewered eye drained itself down her father¡¯s face, its molten core leaving a trail of burned flesh before it fell to the floor. ¡°Get away from me,¡± shouted Bethany, standing up and backing away from her father. ¡°I gave you an easy way out,¡± her father shouted, his voice now deep and malevolent, and sounding nothing like her father. ¡°Now you will suffer.¡± His head seemed to shift in the shadows, bending and folding until it was warped beyond recognition, a decaying skull sitting atop her father¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I deny you,¡± spat Bethany. ¡°With all the strength I have, I deny you.¡± The undertaker walked over to his workbench and opened a black notebook. ¡°A point for life then,¡± tallied the undertaker, before looking back at the thousands of bodies. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, malevolent one. You are still ahead in the count.¡± ¡°She won¡¯t survive,¡± her father hissed. ¡°No one ever survives.¡± ¡°Perhaps it shall be different this time,¡± countered the undertaker, as they both turned their backs on Bethany and strolled into the darkness. ¡°We will know soon. After all, it begins in two days.¡± Her father and the undertaker vanished into the darkness, their words dying in the silence. And Bethany stood there alone, feeling a thousand lifeless eyes staring at her. * * * Bethany eased open her eyes, letting in the early morning sunlight. She stared out across the water, her eyes falling on the great fields that stretched beyond the city limits and into the horizon. Her head was spinning. The dream had felt so real, as had the one the night before. She could still feel the urn in her hand, smashing against her father¡¯s face. Had there been¡­but the bodies¡­.and those molten, malevolent eyes. ¡°Stress,¡± Bethany whispered to herself, rubbing her eyes as if to banish the memory of the dream. ¡°Stress and hunger. You¡¯ve had a rough couple of days, Bethany. You are bound to have nightmares.¡± She leaned forward in the reclined passenger-side seat, feeling the small of her back tighten and pop. She groaned, reaching over to her toiletry bag stashed behind her. ¡°I¡¯ll feel better once I am cleaned up.¡± An hour later, Bethany emerged from the washroom clean and with a bounce in her step. She plopped herself at the picnic table, facing towards the lake to the south. She placed her diary in front of her, tapping her pen on the blank page to help her think. ¡°Alright, Bethany,¡± she said in an artificially upbeat tone. ¡°You¡¯re on your own now. Big city. Big world. You are safe¡­well, safer than you were. Where do you go from here?¡± Bethany flipped to the inside of the front cover of her diary. There, written in bright purple ink, lay the plan she had developed almost two years ago. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. It had been her sixteenth birthday, and she had spent the night in the emergency room. Her father, having lost his job earlier that day, had smashed her in the chest with a beer bottle. It had shattered and the shards of glass had sliced down her left forearm. She had bled so badly that her father had no choice but to take her to the hospital. Her father told the nurses that Bethany had attempted suicide, but he had stopped her in time. Bethany had just nodded, feeling faint from blood loss. Her grandmother¡¯s dementia had been growing worse, and she needed to be at home to care for her. She could not risk being taken away from her. The nurse had not questioned her father. She made a referral to a psychologist and handed Bethany a journey to record her thoughts and emotions, telling her the psychologist would want her to do so. Her father never took her to the psychologist. He never took her to the hospital ever again. But she did make effective use of the diary. That night, when the house was still but for the heavy snores of her father, more scared than she had ever been, she wrote a simple list.
  1. Get a car and money. Hide both from dad.
  2. Escape at night with grandma.
  3. Drive to Regina
  4. Find us a safe place
  5. Find a job
  6. Find us a place to live
  7. Live a better life
The page was stained with the residue of many night¡¯s tears. Whenever her life became too much, she would always flip to this page and recite the list, over and over, to remind herself that she had a plan to escape. Her plan had changed two weeks ago, when her grandmother had passed away. She was supposed to be here with her. She was not supposed to be alone. A fresh tear fell on the page and Bethany shook her head, slamming the diary shut before any more fell. She wiped her eyes, frustrated at her weakness. ¡°Pull yourself together Bethany,¡± she scolded herself. ¡°You¡¯ve escaped. You are in Regina. You¡¯ve found a safe place. It even has a washroom. Sure, it is not what you imagined, but remember when father forgot to pay the water and power bill and we went without either for a whole month? This is luxury compared to that.¡± She tapped her pen on the diary cover, remembering the list. ¡°Step five. Find a job. That¡¯s it. Simple enough. Make a resume and find a job I¡¯m qualified for. There must be something I can do. Officer Shepherd said something about job search services at the library. I¡¯ll start there.¡± Her stomach growled, and her eyes turned towards the car and her remaining sausages. ¡°First breakfast, then library.¡± * * * The central branch of the Regina Public Library lay in the middle of downtown, an older, two-story box-like structure that lay nestled between city hall and the downtown office towers. She had taken an hour to walk there, wanting to save money on gas and parking. She needed to be careful with what few dollars remained. The library was busier than Bethany expected. The school library had only a small collection of books, a single computer tucked away in one corner, and a printer she could never afford to use. Except for Bethany, no one ever went there. But this library had thousands of books, spread throughout the main floor and second floor mezzanine. Two dozen computers lay in the middle of the first floor, each with a private workstation. You could rent instruments and art, read comics and reserve private rooms. There were a dozen free classes advertised on the bulletin board in the front lobby. Bethany was giddy, and practically skipped over to one of the workstations in her excitement. She smiled at an older woman, stacking books on the shelf, and she smiled back. ¡°If you need anything, luv, just ask.¡± ¡°Thanks, I will.¡± responded Bethany cheerfully as she dove into one of the workstations, excited for what lay ahead. She logged into her e-mail, where she had kept the resume she had been working on for the past year. She had never had an opportunity to use it, but today that all changed. Bethany spent all day in the library, sending out resumes to every job she felt qualified for. Waitress, cleaner, dishwasher, fast food. It did not matter what it was. She needed something soon, before her dwindling savings ran out. Bethany had just finished submitting her twelfth job application in the early afternoon when a man in an ill-fitted suit and tie ran into the library and started yelling at the ceiling. ¡°Does no one else see them? The creatures crawling on this building? Crawling all over so many buildings. They manipulate the fabric of reality! They laugh and point, mocking us as they work! Tell me I have not gone mad! Tell me another can see them!¡± The man was in his early forties, with short brown hair styled in a military cut. He was muscular and well-built, healthy but for his mental state. The man rushed over to a bookcase near Bethany and started waving his arms wildly, as if fighting off a swarm of wasps. ¡°I won¡¯t let you do this! Stop laughing at me. I see you there, horned one, sneaking up on me. I shall wipe the grin from your face and the soot from your eyes.¡± Library security rushed over to the man, trying to calm him down. He briefly swung his meaty fist in their direction as a warning, before turning his back on them and shouting at a nearby window. Security moved in, grabbing him firmly but gently by the arm, and they led the struggling man to an office behind the counter. The man provided only a token resistance, still preoccupied with the figures in his mind. As if the real world were a distant consideration. ¡°Watch out! They stare at you now, malevolence in their eyes. Can you not see it? Can you not feel it? Can you¡­¡± his words were lost to Bethany as security closed the door. Bethany was shaken. She glanced around the library, as if trying to find what the man had seen. ¡°I wonder what he was on?¡± asked a young man next to her, breaking her focus. ¡°Whatever it was, I want some! Am I right?¡± He laughed without waiting for Bethany¡¯s response, then returned to the game he was playing on the computer, once again oblivious to the world. Within moments, the rest of the library patrons returned to their normal business. The man was already forgotten. But Bethany did not forget right away. Even as she continued to send off resumes, the man¡¯s words stuck in her mind. Between her father¡¯s drinking and her grandmother¡¯s dementia she had seen her share of erratic behavior. This had felt different. The man had seemed lucid, yet he rambled nonsense. It played through her mind even as she walked back to her car in the early evening, trying to make sense of it all. When Bethany arrived back at her car, she noticed a piece of paper shoved under the windshield wiper, flapping in the wind. Had she gotten a ticket? She¡¯d never gotten a ticket before. Her mind started to race. Would she have to move? She felt safe here. She had everything she needed in this spot, at least for the short term. Where would she go? She sped up, quickly closing the distance to her Civic. It was not a ticket. It was a note. She carefully unfolded it. Hello Miss, I am overnight security for the Science Centre. Your car has been parked in the Science Centre lot for the past two days. Normally, we do not allow overnight parking in our lot, or use of the picnic sites in the evenings. But you seem to need a helping hand, so I have not enforced it. I¡¯ve been in your shoes before, and I know how important small kindnesses can be. As long as you do not cause trouble or create a mess, your car can remain here for tonight. It is my overnight security shift. But you should move it soon, as the regular security guard returns from vacation, and he is unlikely to turn a blind eye. I¡¯ve slipped something through your back window. I hope it brings you a little happiness as you find your feet. Steve Bethany wiped a tear from her eye, folded up the note, and looked at the back seat. Two chocolate bars lay on top of her suitcase. She smiled and looked towards the Science Centre. She could see no one there but gave a wave in case Steve was watching. ¡°Only one more night?¡± she said, worry creeping up within her. She felt safe here and was loath to leave. Would she find another place that would be so accommodating? The thought consumed her as evening fell and she ate her supper of beans and corn, watching the final light of the day sink beyond the western horizon. She stared up at the stars revealed above, dimmed in the light of the city, and wondered if she would be able to find another place that would equal her day-site. Eventually, she climbed into the passenger seat, wrapped herself in her thin blanket, and let the silence of the night close in. And in her worries, the library man was forgotten. Chapter 4 - The Gift ¡°Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.¡± John Maxwell Bethany was standing in an open field filled with long prairie grasses blowing in a gentle wind. The sky above was unnaturally blue, not a single cloud marring its visage. The smell of summer, floral and dry, lay heavy on the world around her. The child in front of her was no more than ten years old. Her brown hair fell to her shoulders, tied back in a simple ponytail. Her eyes were pupilless and bright white, and she wore blue jeans and a frilled pink shirt. She felt familiar to Bethany. ¡°Diana?¡± Bethany asked, finally recognizing the child. It was her friend from elementary school, from days long forgotten. Diana had gone missing one day and the town rallied to search for her. She was never found. Diana smiled, then gestured to her right. Beside her was a casino table, its semi-circle green felted top resting comfortably in the middle of the field, as if it were always meant to be there. Diana jumped into the dealer¡¯s chair, spinning in a complete circle before suddenly coming to a stop and waving for Bethany to join her. ¡°Hurry up,¡± Diana said, her soft voice beckoning Bethany forward. ¡°Let¡¯s play. Or do you want to be like her?¡± She pointed to her left with an outstretched index finger. Beside them, about twenty paces away, an identical Diana was seated at an identical table and beckoned a middle-aged woman in a yellow dress forward. The woman was shaking her head in refusal, and the other Diana simply sat there and waited impatiently. ¡°They all must make a choice,¡± said her Diana, spinning in her chair with outstretched finger. Bethany looked across the field. There were thousands of tables, thousands of Dianas, and thousands of people like the middle-aged woman, wondering why they were here. A few sat at the casino table, smiling and ready to play. Others paced about, uncertain, as if waiting for the decision to be made for them. But most were like the middle-aged woman in the yellow dress, steady in her emphatic refusal to accept the game. ¡°What shall it be?¡± asked her Diana, patiently. ¡°Do you deny it? Do you wait? Or do you embrace it?¡± Be brave little Bee. Bethany sat down, leaned forward, and stared at Diana. ¡°Let¡¯s play,¡± Bethany said, and Diana smiled. Diana flicked her wrist and a deck of cards appeared in her hands. She dealt five cards to each of them, face down. The back of the cards were deep black, with tiny points of light resembling stars in the night sky. The stars moved on the surface of the cards, and Bethany watched as a shooting star cascaded across one card and over to another, until it had crossed all five cards and fell into the darkness beyond. Bethany picked up her five cards and looked at the hyper-realistic images on each one. An old man. A tattered book. A plate of spaghetti. A hanged man. A watermelon seed. She thought she could smell the plate of spaghetti, and it made her mouth water. ¡°What game are we playing?¡± asked Bethany, curious. ¡°The only game that matters,¡± answered Diana, setting one of her cards face up on the table. ¡°I play the liar.¡± Diana¡¯s card showed a skinny man with a handlebar moustache, wringing his hands together as a wicked grin spread across his face. ¡°But what are the rules?¡± ¡°There is only one rule. Survive. Play your card.¡± Bethany stared at her hand. She played the book card on the table. ¡°Liars are defeated by knowledge,¡± she declared, not really knowing why. Diana gave Bethany a sly smile. She played another card. ¡°The child, who has no knowledge to offer.¡± Bethany frowned. ¡°The old man. Who knows children are wise beyond their years.¡± Diana laughed and flipped her child card upside down. ¡°Well played.¡± Diana thought for a moment. ¡°The Abuser. Who diminishes both the child and the elder.¡± Bethany¡¯s breath caught in her throat. It was her father¡¯s image embedded in that card. She could smell the alcohol on his breath. She could feel his touch and hear the rage in his voice. She slapped her next card on the table in a fury. ¡°The hanged man. So he gets what is coming to him.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± asked Diana, sounding disappointed. ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Bethany said confidently, ¡°It¡¯s what he deserves.¡± Diana sighed, laying down her next card. ¡°War. Destroyer of all when forgiveness is but a distant notion. I believe that is the game, decided in my favour. Disappointing. I had high hopes for you.¡± Bethany stared at her cards for a long time, her mind whirling as Diana rose from her chair. She felt herself fading away. Waking from the dream. She thrust out one final card. The watermelon seed. ¡°When everything is gone, life begins anew. A fresh start,¡± she said with the last of her strength. Diana stopped, turning towards Bethany in surprise. Suddenly, Bethany felt her grip on the dream returning. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Perhaps. Perhaps,¡± whispered Diana, returning to her seat. The other casino tables in the field vanished, and they were alone in the open field that stretched on, empty and endless. Diana looked her in the eyes, and Bethany felt like she was weighing her soul. This no longer felt like a dream. Diana made her decision. ¡°The Contest shall begin soon.¡± Diana began, her voice laced with conspiratorial tones. ¡°We are all pawns in the game of the gods. You must embrace it, little pawn, or you will fall, as so many have before you.¡± Her white eyes scanned the fields. A storm was building on the horizon, dark clouds billowing outwards and covering the distant sky. She turned back to Bethany, an urgency in her voice. ¡°Knowledge is dangerous. Foreknowledge, even more so. And to provide talents in advance? Perhaps that is the most dangerous of all. It goes against His holy law. Shall I take the chance? I must, if we are to succeed." Diana waved her hands over the casino table. The cards vanished, and in their place rested three golden discs, each the size of her palm and engraved with an image in silver. The first was an ivory eye, as white as Diana¡¯s. The second, a running woman. The third, an anvil. Diana sat up straight. Her body began to stretch, until she towered over Bethany. Her voice boomed across the plains. ¡°Bethany Fox. You have emerged victorious in the challenge of the Moirai. Select your reward.¡± Diana¡¯s image shrank back to normal. She gave a heavy sigh, then leaned over the table with a kind smile. ¡°I give you this, young one, at great risk. It is forbidden by those who claim the highest authorities to interfere in the Contest. Yet I fear it may be the only chance we have. Keep this gift to yourself, lest you face the same consequences I will. Now choose, before the storm reaches us.¡± Bethany stared at the golden discs hovering ever so slightly above the table. The storm clouds were moving quickly towards them, like a herd of stampeding buffalo. She looked up at Diana. Without knowing why, Bethany suddenly felt like she owed a great debt to the child. Bethany touched the golden disc with the ivory eye. Diana smiled, the storm clouds only seconds away. ¡°Good choice. Good luck Bethany. May my gift help keep you safe in the chaos that is to come.¡± And then Bethany felt herself falling, as if a great hole in the world had opened beneath her. The last thing she saw, as she plummeted into its depths, were the storm clouds violently crashing over Diana¡¯s fragile form and carrying her away in their fury. * * * Bethany awoke with a start, breathless and sweating. The morning sun had not yet crested the horizon, and the depth of night reigned around her. There was a coolness to the air, and she wrapped her blanket around her chest tightly, trying to stop the chill within her. ¡°It felt so real,¡± Bethany breathed. ¡°Was it? It couldn¡¯t have been. No, of course not, Bethany. You¡¯re just exhausted. It¡¯s totally normal that you would be having messed up dreams.¡± She sat up with a yawn, reaching out to turn her Civic¡¯s ceiling light. She felt her left eye throbbing. ¡°Great,¡± she said sarcastically. ¡°I must have poked it when I was sleeping. I really need to find a more comfortable place to sleep.¡± She pulled down the visor mirror, leaning forward to inspect her eye. Her breath caught in her throat. She didn¡¯t move. She couldn¡¯t move. She must still be dreaming. Her left eye had turned ivory white. ¡°No,¡± she cried, ¡°No, no, no, no, no. This can¡¯t be possible. This can¡¯t be happening.¡± She felt herself starting to panic. Her breath quickened and her chest grew tight. She wanted to run but felt rooted to the ground. ¡°It must be a disease. A virus. Or something I ate. That caused the dream, not the other way around. Just my mind telling me I¡¯m sick and filling in the rest with fantastical nonsense. Like when you cramp your leg in your sleep and you can feel it in your dream. Yes, that must be it,¡± she rambled, desperately trying to find a rational explanation. Then she fell silent, staring in the mirror. ¡°But what if it is not an illness?¡± she whispered to herself. ¡°What if the dream was real?¡± She sat in her car in a daze, unmoving, until the morning sun was fully visible in the east and the sounds of the park began to fill her ears. The clammer of the ducks and geese on the water, the squirrels jumping between branches, and the footsteps of the occasional early morning jogger. Bethany sat through it all, not knowing where to start. Not knowing what was real. She felt like her world was turning upside down. ¡°Okay, Bethany, be brave. You cannot sit in this car forever,¡± Bethany instructed herself when she felt her heart start to settle. She tilted her head up to look into the mirror. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look that bad,¡± she told herself, trying to stay optimistic. ¡°And it doesn¡¯t hurt. If it is still like this tomorrow, I¡¯ll go to the emergency room. But otherwise, I have a new life to build.¡± With that, she thrust open the car door, grabbed her toiletries, and headed for the washroom to try to have a normal day. She saw something skuttle off the roof of the washroom, around the back and out of sight. It looked like a dog that was standing on two legs, covered in knotted brown fur with a long-pointed nose. She rushed around the building, trying to spot it, but it was gone. ¡°I must be seeing things,¡± Bethany told herself. She tried to put it out of her mind as she headed towards the washroom entrance. She abruptly stopped. Had that been there yesterday? There was a plaque mounted to the door. It was the size and shape of a stop sign, carved from heavy oak and engraved with golden lettering. Bethany had to lean in close to make out the writing, as it seemed to shift in and out of focus as if it were trying to avoid her scrutiny. ¡°G.A. 1-32, Dolos,¡± Bethany read aloud. ¡°What the heck does that mean?¡± ¡°Excuse me, can I get through?¡± came a voice from behind her. Bethany jumped and spun around. A young woman in pink running clothes was standing behind her, covered in sweat and uncomfortably shifting her weight between her feet. She had shoulder-length blond hair with a strip of black that ran down the right side. She had the well-toned legs of a runner, and recently painted red sparkled fingernails. She carried herself with a self-righteous confidence that made Bethany feel uneasy. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± apologized Bethany, moving out of the doorway, ¡°I was reading this new plaque. It¡¯s curious.¡± The woman leaned over to where Bethany was pointing, then frowned. She looked up at Bethany, and her face shifted from annoyed to worried as she saw her bruised cheek and pupilless white eye. ¡°Are you okay?¡± she asked. ¡°Do you want me to call someone?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± said Bethany, waving her hands to dissuade her concern. ¡°Just reading.¡± She pointed again to the plaque. The woman staring at the wall. ¡°Umm¡­reading what?¡± ¡°Here,¡± said Bethany, pointing at the plaque. ¡°This. It¡¯s hard to miss.¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t anything there. Are you sure you don¡¯t need me to call an ambulance? Or the police?¡± Bethany was startled. How could the woman not see it? ¡°I¡¯m fine. I guess I¡¯m just having a strange morning,¡± she said, trying to deflect the woman¡¯s concerns. ¡°It¡¯s noon,¡± said the woman abruptly, and she entered the washroom before Bethany could say another word. Bethany stared at the plaque. She wasn¡¯t imagining it. It was right there. Was the woman lying? Bethany heard mumbling from inside the washroom and cracked open the door. The woman was on her phone. ¡°¡­. I think she is on something Daniel. No, I don¡¯t know what. I don¡¯t think she is dangerous, but she¡¯s seeing things that are not there. Look can you¡­no, not that I¡­. Daniel, you¡¯re a paramedic. Just call one of your friends who are working today. I think she¡¯s living out of her car, and it looked like she¡¯s being abused. Can you just¡­I¡¯m fine, just, can you¡­¡± Bethany shut the door carefully and backed away. Was that how she came across? Crazy and helpless? She rushed over to her car, threw her toiletries in the back, and started the engine. She didn¡¯t want to be there when Daniel¡¯s friends showed up. Chapter 5 - Of Monsters and Madness ¡°You cannot carry out fundamental change without a certain amount of madness.¡± Thomas Sankara By the time Bethany arrived at the library just after supper, the back of her Civic was packed with food and water, spare towels and a thicker blanket, knives and utensils, drinking glasses, toilet paper, and matches and newspaper for starting a fire. She had spent the day scrounging it all from discount stores, spending all but the few remaining coins that now jingled in her pocket as she strolled over to her library workstation. She had tried to keep herself occupied. Tried to forget the events of that morning. It had not worked. She sat down and logged onto the computer. She knew she should check her e-mail. There may be responses to her job applications, or even an outright job offer. But her mind kept drifting to the dream and to the plaque that the woman could not see. The words on the plaque sat heavy in her mind. G.A. 1-32, Dolos. ¡°Jobs can wait. I need to know what this is,¡± she decided. She opened the search bar and typed in ¡®Dolos¡¯. It did not take long to find what she was looking for. In Greek mythology, Dolos was the spirit of trickery. He was a master of deception, even to the point of tricking his fellow gods. He was apprentice to the Titan Promethius, a companion of Pseudeo, the god of lies, and sister to Apate, the far more powerful personification of deceit itself. He was a minor god, barely worth a couple paragraphs on Wikipedia. ¡°A minor god of trickery and deception? What''s his name doing on an invisible plaque on the entrance to a washroom?¡± whispered Bethany. She was about to search for more information when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. It was there for only a moment before it ducked behind a bookshelf. But she had seen enough to notice the knotted brown fur and a long-pointed nose that she had seen at the washroom earlier that day. She dashed up, pushing her chair back with a loud scrape across the floor. The other patrons looked up and stared at her, but Bethany did not care. She needed to know what it was. She dashed over to the bookshelf, drawing even more glares and a harsh whisper from library staff. She rounded the corner, skidding to a stop. And stood there stunned. In the corner stood a humanoid figure, three feet tall and covered in mangy brown fur. It had a hairless snout that looked as if a man¡¯s nose had been twisted and stretched beyond recognition. It had hooved feet, a thick tail, and two small horns that jutted out of its forehead. It was humming to itself as it lifted a plaque against the door to the library¡¯s basement. There was a flash of green light, and the plaque hung there, permanently affixed. The plaque read G.A. 1-102, Thoth. The creature gave a satisfied grunt, then turned around. Its gaze fell on Bethany. Bethany wanted to scream but she only managed a slight whimper, her brain not knowing how to process the sight before her. The creature seemed just as shocked. ¡°She shouldn''t see me,¡± it said, fear in its voice. ¡°It''s not time. It doesn''t start until tomorrow.¡± ¡°What¡­. what are you?¡± Bethany managed to say, feeling like she needed to force each word past her own shock. She must have sounded rude, but her mind was not contemplating politeness in the moment. ¡°Never¡­. never you mind, human,¡± it spat, though it did not seem confident in its own words. Its eyes darted around. It was afraid, but not of Bethany. Bethany inched closer, her hands held high to show she meant it no harm. ¡°I won¡¯t hurt you. I just want some answers.¡± Then Bethany noticed the side of the creature¡¯s face had been burned, as if its head had been thrust into a fire and held there. The creature¡¯s hand went to its burn, as if it were meant to serve as a warning. It drew back from Bethany, as if she were a rabid dog. ¡°Answers? If you survive tomorrow, you may find your answers. Or not. The odds are not in your favour, human.¡± And with that, the creature leapt towards the wall. Its body passed through solid stone as if it were thin air. Bethany just stood there, mouth open in shock. ¡°Miss¡­are you okay?¡± came a concerned voice from behind her. It was one of the library¡¯s security guards. He was standing beside one of the patrons, an elderly woman who looked like she enjoyed getting deeply involved in other people¡¯s business. The woman was pointing at her, whispering something she could not hear. ¡°Me¡­oh, I¡¯m fine. No problems here,¡± Bethany stammered. She put her hand into the pocket of her jeans, pretending to put away a cell phone. ¡°Sorry, I just had to take a call, and I didn¡¯t want to step outside. I¡¯m really sorry. I know it is against the rules. Kids and their cell phones these days, am I right?¡± She smiled at the old woman, who scoffed and turned away. The security guard raised an eyebrow, but her excuse must have been enough. ¡°That¡¯s fine, miss. Just don¡¯t do it again. We¡¯ve had troubles with drug use in the library lately, and Mrs. Green has made it her mission to sniff out each one. I¡¯m just doing my job.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you are¡­um¡­officer. I¡¯ll just go back to my station and be quiet now?¡± He nodded and moved aside. Bethany took the opportunity to duck past him, trying to appear calm. Inside, her mind felt like it was spiraling out of control. ¡°Does no one else see them? The creatures crawling on this building? Crawling all over so many buildings. They manipulate the very fabric of reality!¡± The words of the crazy man from the previous day came unbidden to her mind, and she glanced up at the ceiling. There were dozens of creatures scaling the walls, pulling material out of nothingness and shaping them to modify the library. Creatures shaped like birds, lizards, and mammals, and others that looked like no animal she had ever seen. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. She collected her belongings and headed straight out the main door, job applications abandoned, trying not to stare at the ceiling. ¡°Don¡¯t notice me. Don¡¯t notice me,¡± she silently prayed. She exited the library and headed to her car but could not help but look up at the office towers around her. The towers were covered in creatures, as was every street, restaurant, and storefront in the downtown core. The creatures moved frantically, ignoring her stares, as if rushing to meet an impending deadline. She drew her gaze from the buildings and stared at the concrete ground below her, quickly walking to her car and slamming the door shut. She drove away as fast as she could without drawing attention, her heart beating wildly. ¡°I¡¯m not crazy. I¡¯m not crazy,¡± she muttered, trying to keep her eyes off the road and away from the buildings that flew past her. Only when she reached the safety of her day-use site did she let her psyche collapse. The tears came in an uncontrolled torrent, and they did not stop until she passed out late in the evening from exhaustion. * * * Bethany found herself on a hilltop that rose high above Wascana Park, staring out at the city below her. She could see all four corners of Regina. She could see the Legislature building at the other end of the lake, surrounded by a deep moat of pale green water. She could see the downtown office towers rising into the sky, black fortresses of stone and iron. She could see the medieval-style wall that encircled the city, grey stone rising a hundred feet into the air. Four heavy metal gates were the only exit from the city, one leading in each cardinal direction. ¡°Wait, that¡¯s not right,¡± Bethany whispered. She felt groggy and disoriented. ¡°This must be another dream. Please let this be another dream.¡± Bethany¡¯s gaze fell beyond the wall. Gone were the fields of golden wheat and purple flax that surrounded the city. In their place, the landscape was divided into four completely distinct terrains, each stretching far into the distance. To the south grew a tropical rainforest, lush green canopies rising high into the sky and thick undergrowth covering the ground below. Storm clouds dropped heavy rain onto the jungle below and flocks of colorful birds flew out of the trees into the sky. Bethany could feel the heat and humidity on her skin, so different from the dryness of Regina. To the west, great plains stretched far into the distance, covered in stunted trees, bushes, and long prairie grasses. It was not the tamed fields that served as the breadbasket of North America. This was an untouched prairie. She could see great herds of bison roaming in the distance, and countless songbirds, ducks, geese, and hawks flew across a cloudless sky. Wide lazy rivers wound their way across the landscape, carving out gently slopped valleys. Bethany could feel the pleasant, dry heat, and the gentle wind that blew through the grasses, carrying dust and seeds into the air. Bethany nose itched, and she sneezed. The dust always triggered her allergies. Bethany fell backwards in utter shock when she turned towards the north. Majestic mountains towered above the city, so high that they pierced the thick snow clouds with their peaks. Dense coniferous trees rolled up the steep slopes and filled the valleys between the mountains. Gigantic glaciers fed hundreds of waterfalls that cascaded into rapidly flowing rivers that ran through the valleys and formed deep, crystal-clear lakes. Bethany could smell the pine in the air, feel the chill on her skin, and hear falling boulders in the distance that splintered trees as they tumbled towards the ground. Bethany took a deep breath and steeled herself, turning east towards the final terrain. Regina was as far from the ocean as you could get. Yet there it was. A Mediterranean archipelago spread out as far as the eye could see, its gentle waves breaking against the countless islands that dotted the ocean waters. Palm trees spread out along the sandy coastline, and Bethany spotted a pod of dolphins breaching the surface of the water. She gasped and felt the spray of the ocean on her face, the salty scent filling her nose. She had never seen the ocean. She had only read about it in books. But she felt at peace as she stared towards its blue waters and watched the clouds drift across the sky and reflect on the light blue waters below. She sat down in the middle of the hill and let the breezes from all four terrains swirl around her. She kept her gaze on the ocean, holding onto the moment of peace as long as she could, and quickly lost track of time. Bethany heard footsteps behind her, but she did not turn around. She knew who it was. She just kept staring out at the ocean, until Diana sat down next to her. ¡°Am I going crazy?¡± Bethany whispered, tears flowing down her cheeks. ¡°Will I end up like the man in the library?¡± ¡°You aren''t going crazy,¡± reassured Diana. ¡°Though at times, you may feel like you are. The God Contest isn''t fair. It isn''t kind. It''ll stretch each participant until they break, and only the strongest will be able to pull themselves back together. In the contest, you''ll see a person¡¯s true nature, brought out when life and death are at stake.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not very comforting,¡± replied Bethany, burying her head between her knees. ¡°It sounds cruel.¡± ¡°It is,¡± admitted Diana, and she lay back on the grass, staring up at the intersections of the terrain¡¯s four skies. ¡°It always has been. At the core of the Contest lay the belief that the worthiest rise to the top through pain and suffering, fear and conflict, starvation and disease, betrayal and loss. And it makes it more entertaining for those who watch.¡± Bethany buried her head deeper between her shaking knees. ¡°It¡¯s not all bad,¡± comforted Diana. ¡°There are gifts for those that succeed in the Contest. For those that take risks...¡± Diana lifted Bethany¡¯s chin. She placed her finger under Bethany¡¯s left eye. ¡°¡­like this. My Oracle Eye. My gift to you. A guiding light for the dark days ahead.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll make me go crazy,¡± mumbled Bethany. ¡°It''ll let you see what should remain unseen. For some, a great blessing. For others, a horrible curse. Which it will be for you rests on your shoulders, and your shoulders alone.¡± Bethany glanced towards Diana, startled, suddenly recalling their last meeting. ¡°You were swallowed by the storm. In my last dream.¡± Diana nodded. ¡°I was. I am a memory of Diana, implanted within your Oracle Eye. Diana violated the rules of the God Contest when she gave you that talent early. Authority does not take kindly to those who interfere in the Contest. But we five decided it was a necessity. If I am lucky, I am merely imprisoned. If not¡­¡±. Diana did not finish the thought. Bethany didn''t understand. She just sat there, rocking in place. Diana placed a hand on Bethany¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s go someplace less¡­chaotic.¡± Diana snapped her fingers, and suddenly they were sitting on a sandy beach, the rolling ocean waves breaking against the shoreline. Palm trees lined where sand became soil, gently blowing in the breeze. The salty air was more pronounced here, and it helped bring a calmness to Bethany. Bethany gave a final sniff, brushed away her tears, and stretched out her legs, running her toes through the sand. ¡°Our time grows short, Bethany. This dream will fade soon, and the Contest will begin.¡± ¡°Why me? Why any of this?¡± asked Bethany, feeling exhausted. It was all so much to take in. Diana leaned over and pressed her finger to Bethany¡¯s nose. ¡°You must survive long enough to figure that out. We shall speak again when the time is right.¡± Bethany blinked, and Diana was gone. Even her footprints left in the sand had disappeared. Bethany looked out at the ocean, and let her mind get carried away on the waves. * * * And in the depths of night, the City of Regina drifted off to sleep. Oblivious to what lay before them. Their final night of peace. For tomorrow, the God Contest would begin, and their lives would change forever. Chapter 6 - Lights, Camera... ¡°New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.¡± Lao Tzu Matthew Porter was seventy years old, though he did not let that fact slow him down. He was one of those retired folks who could put you to shame on the pickleball court and would brag about it for days. Up every day before dawn, he would march out the door in his worn track pants and baggy white T-shirt, and head for the walking paths that meandered their way through the plentiful parks of Regina. He always took the path that headed towards the university, weaving its way along a narrow creek that bisected a strip of parkland that had been spared from development. He was half-way to the university when the sun began to light up the city. Matthew enjoyed listening to the sounds of nature coming alive in the morning. He called it the music of the world. He had been a high school music teacher in his working life, and a composer on the side, yet nothing he composed was more beautiful than the sounds of nature at first light. Matthew took a deep breath and opened his ears to listen to the music. He heard only silence. It was an unnatural stillness, quieter than the darkest depths of night. It unsettled him. Perhaps there was a storm was rolling in? Unusual for the summer months, but not unheard of. Yes, there were dark clouds building in the distance, but he still had time to finish his route before they arrived. He passed by Edward Martins¡¯ house, bracing himself for Edward¡¯s rottweiler, Buster. The beast had a mean streak that ran from nose to tail, and every time Matthew passed the house it would rush forward, crashing against the chain link fence and issuing a fury of barks that would frighten even the sturdiest of mailmen. Today, Buster was sitting in the middle of the yard, his eyes fixed on the southern horizon, silent and unmoving. Had something happened to Edward? Matthew looked towards the house and saw Edward in the kitchen window, holding his morning coffee. Edward gave a wave and Matthew waved back. Strange. "What is up with that mutt?" Matthew wondered. He was no fan of the beast, but Edward lived alone, and Buster kept him safe, so Matthew still had a soft spot for it despite the mean streak. "Is that¡­fog¡­in the distance?" he wondered, following Buster''s stare. Edward squinted, and decided it was fog sitting below the stormclouds. Together, they formed a wall of white and black, stretching from ground to sky. "Beautiful, but unsettling. A tornado, perhaps?" he thought. "That would explain Buster¡¯s behavior." Matthew gave a final wave to Edward and turned around, heading home to weigh down his lawn furniture. * * * Emily Desjarlais stood on the highest tower of the Regina Oil Refinery, watching the storm roll in. From here, she could see the entire city and beyond. Her stained overalls hung heavy after her twelve-hour shift, but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to give up the view and head home to her dingy, one-bedroom apartment. The storm was approaching from all directions, fast moving with the city as the epicenter of an impending collision. Minute by minute, the fields were being swallowed by the wall of fog that gathered below the storm clouds, like an avalanche of snow filling a valley. It made Emily want to go skiing. God, she hated the summer. The heat gave her rashes. The storm was moments away from striking the city when Rocky popped his head out of the tower¡¯s hatchway. Rocky was over four hundred pounds and squat. He panted from the effort of the climb and struggled to speak through desperate gasps for breath. His balding head reflected the light of the sunrise in a way that delighted Emily. Rocky was as far from the iconic movie character as one could get, but he always made her smile. ¡°Hey¡­ Emily¡­ what¡­ are you... doing¡­ phew,¡± breathed Rocky, struggling to catch his breath with every word. He paused, pressing his hands against his knees to steady himself. ¡°I¡­ really need to¡­ lose weight.¡± ¡°Just more of you to love Rocky,¡± replied Emily. She looked over at Rocky and saw the shocked look in his eyes. She realized what she had said and quickly changed the topic. ¡°I¡¯m just watching this storm roll in. It¡¯s so weird, the way it is coming from all directions at once. And the wall of fog beneath it¡­ I¡¯ve never seen anything like it.¡± Rocky slid over to Emily¡¯s side and peered into the distance. ¡°Huh. Doesn¡¯t seem to be rolling in to me. It¡¯s just kinda¡­ sitting there at the edge of the city, like it hit an invisible wall.¡± Emily frowned, then shifted her stare from Rocky to the wall of fog. Not that she was staring at Rocky, she told herself. "I''m definitely not checking him out or anything. Even if his chubby cheeks and telltale squint made me want to¡­ um¡­" Rocky''s words finally sunk in. ¡°Wait, did you say the storm just stopped moving?¡± she exclaimed. ¡°That¡¯s not possible.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I am saying,¡± responded Rocky. ¡°Look. It¡¯s not moving. It¡¯s just sitting there, like it hit a stoplight or something. It¡¯s eerie.¡± ¡°You scared Rocky? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll protect you from the scary clouds,¡± she teased, flexing her well-toned arms. ¡°You could do it too. You''re crazy strong,¡± replied Rocky, and an awkward silence fell between them. They stood there, leaning against the railing, just watching the storm. Emily was hyperaware of how close her hand was to touching his. Why wasn¡¯t she pulling it away? ¡°Hey Emily,¡± started Rocky, sounding nervous, ¡°This is completely the wrong time, but I was wondering¡­ do you want to¡­maybe¡­um¡­¡± Rocky did not get to finish. At that moment, four beams of bright light ¨C one from each corner of the city ¨C shot out from the fog towards the sky above the downtown office towers. The beams joined together where they met, their light billowing out across the city. A sphere made of light began to form where the beams intersected and quickly expanded. High in the sky above city centre, the sphere of light grew until it was the size of a football stadium. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Emily shielded her eyes from the intense brightness, dark spots dancing across her eyes as if she had just been staring at the sun. The sphere¡¯s light began to fade, changing to a pale white until the sphere resembled the harvest moon. ¡°Emily, are you seeing this?¡± Rocky asked, his voice shaking. Emily could only nod. Her hands gripped the rails of the tower so tightly that all her knuckles had turned white. The beams of light stopped their projection, the last traces of their light absorbed into the orb. The orb began to shift, its light taking on hues of green, brown, yellow, black, and white. A rainbow kaleidoscope shining down on the roadways and rooftops of the city far below. A crash from the road that ran parallel to the refinery jarred Emily from her fixation on the orb. Two semi-trucks had just collided, and smoke was starting to rise from their crushed engines. Shouts of anger and fear began to rise up all across the city, and people were stopping their cars in the middle of the road to gaze up at the sky. There was another crash from the street below as the city erupted into chaos. ¡°We should go help. People might be hurt,¡± said Emily bravely, as she turned to march down the refinery tower. Rocky let go of the railing and grabbed her hand before she could reach the ladder. ¡°Are you nuts, Emily? We don''t know what is happening,¡± Rocky protested. Doomsday scenarios began to play through his mind, and all he knew was he needed to keep Emily safe. The kaleidoscope of colors within the sphere suddenly went still, and Emily and Rocky watched as the colors of light began to form into rings and solidify. A few moments later, the sphere had transformed itself into a massive, floating eyeball, with a green iris around a pitch-black pupil. Its outer shell was green and white, and pockmarked like the moon. It bathed the city in a faint glow as it stared, unblinking, at the city below. ¡°What on Earth¡­,¡± Emily started to whisper, but her words were cut short as the world around them began to rumble. The refinery tower beneath their feet began to shake violently and Emily fell to the floor, dragging Rocky down with her. They held on for dear life as the tower threatened to hurl them away like a bull at the rodeo. And then, as suddenly as it started, it stopped. Emily dared to lift her head and stare out at the city. The storm clouds were gone. The fog was gone. And what remained chilled Emily to her core. ¡°What the hell?¡± Emily whispered. * * * Anjali Kapour held her infant daughter, Jaya, to her chest as she took shelter under her mother¡¯s old dining table. The house rattled around her. Was this an earthquake? There were no earthquakes in this part of the world. She recalled being a small child in India, before her family had immigrated to Regina, crouched under this same table during an earthquake as she listened to their possessions smash against the tile floor. The shaking stopped, and Anjali peered out from beneath the table, expecting the worst. The house was as she left it. The decorations adorning the shelves remained upright. There was not a single book out of place. No picture hung askew, and every drop of tea remained within the confines of her cup. It was as if the earthquake had never happened. ¡°Sasu ma?¡± called Anjali, her voice shaking. She could not see her mother-in-law, Priyanka. The earthquake had struck too quickly for Anjali to find her. Anjali hoisted a squirming Jaya into her arms and left the safety of the table. How was everything left untouched? Were they just lucky? She sped around their two-story home, peering into each room. Every room was untouched, but there was no sign of Priyanka. After placing Jaya in her crib, she grabbed her cell phone and headed out the front door. ¡°Please, let her be safe,¡± Anjali prayed. The sight that greeted her took her breath away. A giant eyeball hung above the city, floating over downtown. Its pupil moved back and forth rapidly, as if scanning the entire city below. Her mother-in-law stood in their side yard looking north, away from the eye. What was she doing? ¡°Sasu ma?¡± Anjali asked, rushing over to her side. Priyanka did not acknowledge her presence. She did not even blink until Anjali waved her hand in front of her face. What was she¡­ Anjali followed her mother-in-law¡¯s gaze north, and nearly fell over in shock. A giant stone wall, more than a hundred feet high, rose into the air behind their home, stretching across the city as far as she could see. It was composed of grey and worn stones, covered with moss, with tall towers rising out at equal intervals, as if they were living within an enormous medieval castle. Beyond the wall rose towering mountain peaks, reaching high into the sky with sharp peaks piercing billowing clouds. Anjali counted a dozen sparkling waterfalls flowing down the mountain slopes. The smell of Pine filled the air, and felt the cool, damp breeze on her bare skin. ¡°Anjali, what''s happening?¡± her mother-in-law pleaded. Anjali had no answers to give. ¡°Let¡¯s get inside, Sasu ma.¡± She put her hand on Priyanka¡¯s shoulders and lead her towards their house. As they turned, a three-toned chime echoed across the city, emanating from the giant floating eyeball. When the final tone faded away, its pupil suddenly vanished and tens of thousands of smaller eyes, each with a set of bat-like wings, poured forth from its depths and descended upon the city. They flew in all directions, spreading to every neighborhood and into the lands beyond the wall. Anjali hurried her mother-in-law inside as she spotted five of the winged eyes flying towards them. Priyanka was slow, agonizingly slow, but they made it through the door just in time for Anjali to slam it shut before the first eye could get through. The door thumped as the head-sized winged eye struck it hard. Anjali struggled to control her fear. She helped Priyanka into her favorite chair and handed her the cell phone. ¡°Stay here,¡± ordered Anjali. ¡°Call 911. And Ajay and Appa. Gods, why do those two need to be away in the oil fields right now?¡± Priyanka just nodded, her shaking fingers unable to grasp the phone from Anjali¡¯s hands. Anjali placed it in her lap, then sprinted towards Jaya¡¯s crib, her heart racing. She could not contain the gasp of fear as she rounded the corner into their living room. Floating above Jaya¡¯s crib and staring down at her with an unblinking gaze was one of the winged eyes. It fluttered back and forth, watching Jaya from all sides. Jaya giggled and reached up to grab it. Anjali panicked and sprinted forward, reaching into the crib and grabbing Jaya by her armpits. The eye floated towards the ceiling, as if to get a better view of this unexpected interruption. Jaya blinked in confusion. Then, robbed of her new plaything, she started to cry. Holding Jaya close to her chest, Anjali dashed back to Priyanka. The winged eye following close behind. ¡°Anjali, there is no signal. I couldn¡¯t call 911. I couldn¡¯t call Ajay. What will¡­¡± Priyanka stammered. Then she spotted the winged eye following Anjali and she froze. Anjali thrust Jaya into Priyanka¡¯s arms and stood between the winged eye and her family. She pushed aside her fear. Her family needed her now. She balled her hands into fists and raised them threateningly. ¡°Leave us alone!¡± she shouted, her voice shaking with a cocktail of fear and anger, ¡°I won¡¯t let you hurt them!¡± The winged eye stopped and gently flapped its wings as it hovered in place. Its pupil was mechanically shrinking and growing, as if it were trying to keep their image in focus. ¡°Wait¡­it is¡­?¡± thought Anjali. She took a cautious step forward. The eye floated back an equivalent distance, the pupil shrinking slightly. Anjali took a step to the side, away from Priyanka. The eye moved in the opposite direction and rose slightly, as if to keep her entire family in frame. ¡°Anjali, what are you doing?¡± asked Priyanka, clutching the crying Jaya. ¡°I¡­I think it is a camera,¡± responded Anjali, sounding more confident than she felt. The three-tone chime sounded again. But this time it came from the winged eye hovering before them. A call to attention. And the voice that came from the eye chilled Anjali to her core. * * * Bethany stayed in her dream, listening to the waves crashing against the shore. But all dreams must end, and Bethany felt herself being pulled back to reality. She struggled against it, and for the briefest of moments she felt as though she might succeed in staying on that peaceful beach. But then the beach began to fall apart, little by little, until all that was left were fragments floating in a void. A three-toned chime reached her ears, and Diana¡¯s warning was whispered on the absent wind. The Contest is not fair. It is not kind. It will stretch each of the participants until they break, and only the strongest will pull themselves back together again. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go,¡± pleaded Bethany. Be brave, little Bee. The final fragments of her peaceful beach faded into nothingness. Her dream ended. And her new life began. Chapter 7 - ... Action! The God Contest Begins ¡°The only real security that a man can have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability.¡± Henry Ford Bethany awoke in the passenger seat of her Civic, her blanket tucked tightly under her chin. The morning sun was warm against her skin, and her knees popped as she stretched to banish the stiffness in her limbs. She could feel the tangles in her unkempt hair and remembered that she had not brushed it the previous night. Why hadn¡¯t she¡­ The memories flooded back to her. The plaques only she could see. The creature in the library. The dream on the hill. The God Contest. Bethany¡¯s eyes shot open. And she saw another eye staring back at her. A monstrous eye the size of a basketball with black leather wings, floating outside her Civic¡¯s windshield. Watching her. Waiting for her to awaken. Bethany screamed, the sound escaping her lips unbidden. She had never screamed, even on the worst of nights. She had never wanted to give him the satisfaction. Yet in these first moments, when her world turned upside down, it was drawn from her with such ease. Fear, anger, confusion, and revulsion surged within her. A tangled mess of every emotion that her teenage mind could conjure up, all warring within her to decide her response to this impossibility. Somehow, when war was won a moment later, it was her bravery that emerged victorious. Bethany reached for her ball-peen hammer, tucked between the passenger seat and the center console. Her hands wrapped around the grip, and she drew it from its resting place She felt constrained by the tight space within her Civic, and raised the hammer in front of her, nearly striking the windshield glass. ¡°Stay¡­stay back! I¡¯m not afraid to use this!¡± she shouted, knowing she was lying. She was being brave. But she was also terrified. The eye simply floated there, staring at her. Unwavering. Unafraid. Unmoving. Un...anything really. What the hell was going on? Was this still a dream? Bethany, hammer poised to strike, slowly opened the passenger-side door. Her knees cracked as she shifted in her seat and planted her feet against the hard concrete of the parking lot. The eye¡¯s wings flapped once as it repositioned itself to keep Bethany in its view. Bethany stood, keeping her back to her Civic. She held the hammer outward, her hands shaking, hoping the eye saw her as threatening. It did not. Bethany watched as the winged eye bobbed in the air slightly, before growing still again. It was laughing at her! Anger joined bravery at the top of her emotional mess, and she felt her face grow hot. ¡°Don''t you laugh at me,¡± she shouted, unburdening her mind. ¡°I was free. Don¡¯t you understand? After everything I had to endure, I was finally free. I had a new life ahead of me. I could build a new me. You''re not going to take that away from me.¡± She reached into her Civic, never taking her gaze off the eye, searching for¡­ something. Anything. Her hand fell upon the remains of her birthday muffin, rock hard after three days in the hot car. She closed her fist around it and threw it at the eye with anger-fueled strength. The eye dodged to the left, letting the muffin sail past. The eye turned to watch the muffin bounce off the picnic table, causing chocolate chips to dislodge and scatter where it struck. It rolled to the ground beneath the firebox, and anticlimactically fell apart where it came to rest. A moment later a pair of squirrels climbed down to inspect the unexpected treat and began to nibble at it. The eye refocused back to Bethany and remained where it was. Watching. Waiting. Then a sparrow landed on the top of the eye and started cleaning its feathers. The eye did not move. Bethany¡¯s anger was replaced by confusion, with a hint of curiosity beginning to form behind the raw emotions. For the first time, she let herself look beyond the monstrous eye to the world around her. She nearly dropped her hammer in shock at the sight but regained her grip at the last second. This was no time to give in to panic. There were half a dozen eyes drifting across the park, searching for anything of interest. Another two eyes circled the Science Centre, and a third peered through the building¡¯s big bay windows. She could see an elderly man inside running around frantically, pulling curtains shut and locking every door. Hundreds of winged eyes filled the sky above the park, flying in formation and diving towards anything that moved. A swan landed on the lake, and a moment later four of the eyes had peeled away from their swarm and were circling it, each at a different angle, until they grew bored and moved on. The swan did not react to the eyes. It was as if they were beneath her notice. ¡°Why is the swan not flying away?¡± Bethany lowered her hammer, but continued to watch the winged eye with trepidation. And then she looked beyond the lake, to the edge of the city, and the hammer fell from her hands onto the pavement below. She knew what she would find ¨C she had seen it in her dream ¨C but it did not make it any less shocking. The great rainforest spread out south, beyond the great grey wall that rose a hundred feet into the air, as it had in her dream. The towering jungle canopies created a blanket of branches and leaves that stretched as far as she could see, dark storm clouds showering the jungle below. She turned around, away from Wascana Lake, and saw the snowy peaks of the majestic mountains rising above the city. She could not see what lay east and west from where she stood, but she knew what she would find. An ocean archipelago to the east, and the great plains to the west. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. The only difference between her dream and her reality was the giant eyeball floating above the centre of the city, scanning the city below. Bethany felt faint. She grabbed her hammer off the ground and sat down at the picnic table, her mind spinning. It was real. It was all real. The God Contest was real. A three-tone chime rang out across the city, emanating from the giant eye in the sky. The same tone that had sounded in her dream. The sound muted every other sound in the world. The birds grew silent, and breeze stopped blowing, and the noise of distant traffic suddenly stopped. And when the last sound in the world was silenced, the voice began to speak. "It begins! The God Contest begins!" The voice echoed across the city, reaching every hidden corner in every neighborhood, to every ear in the city. It emanated from the gigantic eye high above the city and from every winged eye that floated beneath. The city of Regina, and all its people, stood still, silent in their shared shock and fear. "Players, you have been selected to take part in the most momentous event in the history of your species. An event that will change the very nature of what it means to be human. An event that will be marked forever in the annals of history. A chance for glory! A chance for salvation or eternal damnation!" The voice alternated between young and old, male, and female, and shifted through dozens of distinct accents from around the world, yet somehow Bethany could understand it with perfect clarity. It bellowed as if it were an announcer standing in the middle of a stadium, speaking to a sold-out crowd. "The God Contest is a test of strength and speed, of wit and wisdom, of intelligence and ingenuity. It will push you to your limits, and then push you over their edge. Many of you will fall in the days ahead, forgotten and lost to time. Some shall be betrayed, and some will beg for death before the end. But those who succeed ¨C those who rise above the masses and claim victory ¨C will find their wildest dreams come to life!" The voice paused, and the sky above Regina erupted into the fanatical applause of an unseen audience. It sounded like a thousand bolts of lightning striking the earth at once, causing the ground to shake beneath. Bethany covered her ears, trying to block the deafening thunder. ¡°An audience,¡± mumbled Bethany as the cheers faded away. ¡°Of course there''s an audience. It''s a contest. What contest is complete without an audience?¡± "But what, you may ask, is the point of all this? The objective of the God Contest is simple, my na?ve players. You must survive. You must learn and grow. You must discover this world and all it has to offer. A world of my own design. A world teeming with fantastical dangers, hidden treasures, and rewards the likes of which you cannot imagine." "But when will this nightmare be over, you might ask. The God Contest ends when you escape this world. How you escape it is for you to discover. There are clues hidden throughout these lands. Find them and learn what the God Contest truly is." Golden flashes exploded around the giant eye, beautiful fireworks lighting up the morning sky. They glittered and spiraled, and then gathered until thousands of tiny fairy lights formed a number in the sky. 231,901 "There are two hundred thirty-one thousand nine hundred and one players remaining in the God Contest. Two hundred thirty-one thousand nine hundred and one competitors. Which of you will rise victorious?" Bethany heard herself give an involuntary whimper, then tightened her grip on her ball-peen hammer. ¡°Be brave, Bethany,¡± she told herself, keeping her gaze fixed on the winged eye. ¡°You didn¡¯t come all this way just to get locked in another prison." The giant eye drifted closer to the earth, and its voice took on a low, hushed tone as if it were imparting knowledge forbidden to the listeners. "Players, the Gods of your world are watching you. All of them. A reward for guiding your self-destructive race for so many millennia. Though personally, I¡¯m not sure they did a very good job. But know this. Entertainment is not the only purpose of the God Contest. Live long enough, and you may discover its true purpose." The hush dropped to the faintest whisper. "Now, as a gift, I will impart this knowledge upon all of you. The God Contest rewards bravery and success." Its lens shifted to the upper right corner of its vision. A moment later, a translucent blue box appeared, filled with words and numbers.
Name: The Builder Job: Ambassador of Eternity Attributes: Strength: 999 Agility: 6 Toughness: 999 Magic: 999 Talents: The All-Seeing (legendary) Mother of Monsters (legendary) Father of Chaos (legendary) The Hundred Thousand Children (legendary) [¡­]
Bethany read the words in the giant box in the sky. It resembled a computer screen. The list of the Builder¡¯s talents was truncated, and Bethany wondered how many more lay beyond sight. "This is your player screen. It will track your progress throughout the Contest. You can earn your own talents and unlock additional screens, if you can survive the God Arenas spread throughout this world." A dozen more screens appeared around the Builder for the briefest of moments. Bethany thought she saw one labelled ¡®Inventory¡¯ before they all vanished. Bethany looked to the upper right of her vision, and her own player screen appeared directly in front of her. It was the same semi-translucent blue that had appeared in the sky.
Name: Bethany Fox Job: Player Attributes: Strength: 3 Agility: 3 Toughness: 6 Magic: 5 Talents: Oracle Eye (#error#)
Bethany stared at her screen, trying to parse out what they meant. Her attention was drawn to her toughness attribute, and was started as a second, smaller screen appeared beside the first.
Toughness: The attribute that governs a player¡¯s physical resilience, mental resilience, and overall health. The higher a player¡¯s toughness, the more damage their body can take and the greater the player¡¯s ability to remain calm in times of crisis. Your toughness attribute is higher than the average player¡¯s toughness of 4.
Bethany was fascinated, but before she could explore further the Builder¡¯s screen in the sky above closed with a sharp and definitive crack, drawing her attention. "Achieve victory, and you shall find yourself bestowed with gifts that will aid you in the road ahead. Fail, and you will quickly find yourself in Xibalba. Trust me when I say that Xibalba is not a place you want to end up. Al Puch and his fellow death gods are not magnanimous deities. So fight well, players. Your lives depend on it." The Builder returned to its position in the sky, its unblinking eye capturing the entire city in its gaze. It regained its bellowing announcer voice. "It is time! The moment you have all been waiting for! Players, may you find victory and enlightenment in the months to come." The Builder''s voice hit a crescendo, bellowing to the invisible audience that broke into thunderous cheers. "This marks the official beginning of the God Contest. May it be a Contest to remember!" Those final words reverberated off every building in the city, chilling Bethany to her core. The cheers of the unseen Gods slowly faded away, until all that was left in the world was silence. Bethany simply stood there, in the empty parking lot, as the city around her erupted into chaos. Chapter 8 - The Orb ¡°Those who live are those who fight.¡± Victor Hugo Bethany stared at The Builder in the sky, fear and uncertainty clouding her thoughts. She could not simply stand there, waiting for something to happen. She needed to act. ¡°It''s no different than escaping from home,¡± Bethany lied to herself. ¡°It''s a bad situation. Think it through, Bethany, and come up with a plan.¡± She played the entity¡¯s words through her mind, searching for hidden meaning. There was precious little guidance in those words. The Builder¡¯s goal was to frighten the players and to incite chaos in the city below. No doubt it was more entertaining that way. But it had said two things that stood out in her mind. ¡°It said this contest would last months,¡± Bethany spoke aloud, staring at her Civic with its meager provisions. ¡°Not hours. Not days. Months.¡± Bethany spotted her diary lying on her grandmother¡¯s suitcase. A simple plan was forming in her mind. She grabbed it and returned to the picnic table, opening it to the first blank page. ¡°Step one,¡± she wrote on the page, the act helping to keep her fears at bay. ¡°Find supplies. Food, water, medicine. Step two, find somewhere safe to sleep. Step three¡­¡± She tapped her pen on the table and forced her brain to think through her building emotions. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes and she furiously wiped them away, fighting the overwhelming urge to let her fears take over. She felt like she was sixteen years old again, desperately trying to find a fraction of control in a world where she had none. In the distance she heard the screech of tires followed by a loud crash. She was sheltered in the park, but how long would that last? How long before someone, or something, found her here, alone and unprotected? ¡°Step three. Find friends.¡± Bethany wrote. Bethany had always been a pragmatist. She knew she was more vulnerable by herself than with allies watching her back. Yet she had not had a friend since elementary school. Would she even know where to start? ¡°You can figure out the details later, Bethany,¡± she told herself, writing ¡®Step 4¡¯ on the page. This brought her to the second insight from The Builder¡¯s speech. It was the same advice Diana had given her. She could not sit still. She must fight. She must explore. She must figure out how to win this contest. To sit still, to give into fear, would be the end of her. ¡°Step four. Explore. Fight. Win,¡± she finished simply, setting her pen down. It was not much of a plan, but it felt tangible. A foundation that she could build upon. After placing the diary back in her Civic, Bethany spent a few moments reading the remaining descriptions on her player screen. Strength and agility were easy enough to understand, and she was slightly below average in both. ¡°I guess that''s fair,¡± Bethany thought. She had spent her spare time in the school library, not in the gym. She struggled to understand the magic attribute. According to the subscreen, magic was a measure of the player¡¯s connection with the supernatural. But Bethany was not religious, even though her grandmother had dragged her to church every Sunday. Bethany had long ago given up hope that God would intervene in her life. But all thoughts about her magic attribute fled her mind when she read the description of her Oracle Eye.
Invalid Entry. Oracle Eye is not included in the talent list for this God Contest. Please contact God Contest Support to report this error.
Bethany recalled what Diana had told her in her dream. That she had violated the rules of the contest. Had Diana done more than simply give her an early talent? Bethany did not know how to contact God Contest Support, nor did she intend to. If Diana had given her an advantage, she intended to keep it. She held her ball-peen hammer up before her eyes, her Oracle Eye reflecting in its shining surface. She made a pledge to herself. She would be brave. She would survive this God Contest. And at the end of this ordeal, she would find her freedom once more, no matter what. As Bethany started to put the hammer back down on the picnic table, she heard a frantic scream from the walking path along the river. A young couple dashed off the trail, cutting across the grass and running straight towards her. Bethany recognized the woman as the one who had called her boyfriend from the washroom. The well-toned woman with shoulder-length blond hair with a strip of black that ran down the right side. The woman who thought she was crazy. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. There was a man next to her, tall and muscular, with short brown hair in a military cut. It must be her boyfriend. He wore short black running shorts and was shirtless. Hovering six feet above them and following at a respectful distance was one of the winged eyes. The man looked Bethany in the eyes and shouted ¡°Run!¡± Bethany blinked. Surely, they had figured out by now that the winged eye would not harm them. She looked back at the one that had been following her, now floating higher in the air to get a better view of scene playing out before it. ¡°You don¡¯t need to¡­,¡± Bethany started, then suddenly stopped. They were not running from the winged eye. The creature that crashed through the trees had no equivalent in the natural world. It was a crystalline sphere the size of a basketball, hovering six feet off the ground and glowing with a pale white light, as if it belonged on a fortune-teller¡¯s table. It had six smaller shards of crystal floating around it for protection, and beyond a swirl of leaves and branches were being drawn towards it from the park. Bethany watched in fascinated horror as the leaves and branches came together to form a humanoid figure around the crystalline orb, the orb hidden within. Its features were rudimentary, as if someone had constructed a scarecrow using only resources found in the park. Its face had only the slightest semblance of a nose and mouth, and its eyes were formed from two large pinecones, angled downward in simulated anger. The leaves that formed its outer shell swirled along its surface, as if its entire form was blowing in the breeze. It did not look strong, but its featureless gaze spoke to Bethany a simple truth. It was the predator. And they were the prey. The creature extended its left arm and a pair of foot-long branches, their ends crudely sharpened, appeared where its fingers should be. It pointed towards the backs of the fleeing couple, and the branches launched forward as if it had hurled twin spears. ¡°Watch out!¡± Bethany shouted, quickly closing the distance to the couple. Her charge caught the couple off-guard as she barreled into the them hard, shoving them all to the ground just in time. The spears narrowly missed their heads and struck the trunk of a nearby elm, and shattered on impact. Shards of wood rained down onto the prone players. The creature extended its arm to the side, and two more branches floated from the nearby brush into its mass. Bethany could hear grinding from within as the shards of crystal within its form began to sharpen the branches in preparation for its next barrage. Bethany quickly rose her to feet. She held her ball-peen hammer at her side as she faced the creature. Be brave, little Bee. ¡°Step four,¡± she told herself, trying to sound confident. ¡°Fight and win. You can do this, Bethany.¡± ¡°Girl, what are you doing?¡± shouted the man, still laying prone. ¡°Get out of here, while you still can!¡± ¡°Quiet, Daniel!¡± spat the woman as she crawled away from the creature. ¡°She¡¯s the crazy one from yesterday. Let the creature go after her, so we can escape.¡± Bethany spared a brief glance down at the woman. There was a callousness in the woman¡¯s words, but Bethany could only see fear reflected in the woman¡¯s eyes. The first minutes of the God Contest had already carved out the woman¡¯s empathy and transformed it into a desperate need to survive. The creature was still fixated on the couple. For the briefest of moments, Bethany wondered if she should adopt the woman¡¯s advice and just run. She could dash to her Civic and leave them behind. Yet the thought stayed only for a moment before Bethany¡¯s eyes fell back to the creature. ¡°Step four,¡± she repeated. She was tired of running. Tired of being the victim. Anger boiling within her. A sharp, irrational, eruption of anger that had been building within her long before the Contest. And she let it fill her, so she could finally start fighting back. Bethany planted her feet, raised her hammer, and stared into the creature¡¯s empty eyes. ¡°I am not your prey,¡± Bethany challenged through gritted teeth. The creature returned Bethany¡¯s gaze and answered her challenge. It dashed toward her with clumsy steps, as if it were walking on unfamiliar legs. It stumbled and swayed, but it closed the distance quickly, its hand reaching out towards Bethany¡¯s throat. The twin points of sharpened branches emerged from its arm, ready to strike. Bethany ducked under its outstretched arm and dodged its thrusting strike. The creature swung with its other arm, and a shallow cut open on Bethany''s forearm as a row of thorns along its surface scraped across her skin. It stung, as if she had reached her hand into the center of a rose bush. Bethany moved on instinct, retreating four steps until her back rested against the firebox beside the picnic table. A welt began to swell on her forearm and knew she could not get close to the creature again. Not unless she had no other choice. Her hand fell upon the firebox, wooden logs stacked inside, and she got an idea. Bethany reached into the firebox and grasped the end of a half-burned log. A moment later, she hurled the log at the creature. It struck it in the chest and sailed through, landing with a loud thump on the ground behind it. But it left a log-sized hole in the creature¡¯s form, and that gave Bethany what she needed. The creature¡¯s carapace of leaves swirled frantically, trying to fill the gap in its form. It was distracted, and Bethany used the opportunity to hurl a second, and then a third, and finally a fourth log in its direction, striking its shoulder, knee, stomach, and thigh. The leaves swirled around it to fill the gaps, growing thinner with each injury, Bethany finally spotted what she was looking for. The crystalline orb at its centre, its swirling form flashing red with anger. ¡°There you are,¡± whispered Bethany with triumph. The leaves and branches were just its protection, like a hermit crab living within a borrowed shell. She raised her hammer. ¡°One good whack with this and¡­¡± Bethany didn¡¯t have time to finish her thought. The creature, sensing its sudden vulnerability, stretched out its arms and a whirlwind of leaves and branches struck Bethany in the chest, sending her flying backwards. She landed on her back and her head struck the ground. Her hammer flew from her hands and lay a few feet away, just out of reach. The world spun around her as she gasped for breath. The creature marched towards her, the holes in its form closing, the orb hidden again beneath its shell. It moved with malevolent purpose, and Bethany scrambled backwards, rocks digging into her palms as her hands fought for purchase. ¡°Shit!¡± Bethany swore, breaking out in a cold sweat. ¡°What do I do now?¡± Chapter 9 - No Time To Be Alone ¡°Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can¡¯t help them, at least don¡¯t hurt them.¡± -Dalai Lama "Think Bethany, think! Think!¡± Bethany chanted, trying to grab hold of her own fear. The creature stood over her, its hand raised towards Bethany¡¯s face. Leaves flew out from its palms and enveloped Bethany¡¯s head, a vortex of nature pouring over her. Thorns scraped across her cheeks, and branches struck her ears and nose, leaving welts and shallow cuts. The vortex felt like it was forcefully drawn the air from her lungs. ¡°No¡­not¡­can¡¯t¡­¡± she struggled, reaching frantically to grasp anything that might help her fight back. And just when she had lost hope, she felt the vortex weaken, and then disappear entirely. The creature had ceased its assault. Bethany opened her eyes. The young man stood behind the creature, clutching a thick branch in his muscular arms. He struck it across the back, again and again, each swing cutting another gap into the creature¡¯s shell. The creature¡¯s spun its head towards the man like an owl, intent on this new prey. ¡°You have any ideas, crazy lady?¡± shouted the man, swinging furiously. ¡°Because this doesn¡¯t seem to be working.¡± ¡°Its chest,¡± coughed Bethany, rolling over to crawl towards her hammer. ¡°Swing for its chest.¡± The man nodded and adjusted his swing downward. It took a few attempts, but soon Bethany caught a glimpse of the crystalline orb within. Her hands closed on her hammer, and she willed herself to her feet. The creature thrust its arms forward, striking the man in his chest and launching him off his feet. He came down three feet away, landing hard. With all her might, Bethany leaped forward, grasping her hammer in both hands and bringing it down directly on the exposed orb. It struck hard, and Bethany heard a resounding crack that echoed across the day-use site. Bethany saw hairline fractures begin to spread across its surface, branching outward with every passing moment. The creature flailed. It could not speak, but if it could, it would be screaming. The orb fractured into a dozen pieces and fell to the ground, unmoving. The creature¡¯s leafy carapace gave one final lurch forward, then collapsed into a pile of leaves and branches, returned to their original state. Bethany struggled to catch her breath, each one a painful gasp. She held her hammer tightly, staring at the pile of leaves, waiting to see if it moved. The man gave a frantic laugh, climbing to his feet and pumping his fist in the air. ¡°Yah! That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about. Did you see that, Becka? I mean¡­ Woo!¡± he shouted excitedly. He reached down and pulled the woman to her feet. ¡°Yes, Daniel, we did it.¡± The woman looked over at Bethany, but Bethany was too exhausted to care who got the credit. Daniel rolled his eyes, an almost reflexive gesture, then walked over to Bethany, offering his hand. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Bethany nodded, trying to catch her breath. She saw something shining in the pile of leaves at her feet. A silver coin the size of a quarter glimmering in the sunlight. Bethany reached down and picked it up. It felt heavy in her palm. Bethany twisted it around, studying the engraving. There was an ivy vine crawling along the outside edge of the coin. Engraved in the middle was a single poplar tree growing on a hilltop. Every leaf, branch, and root of the popular tree was etched in immense detail. A breeze blew through Bethany¡¯s hair, and for a moment she thought she saw the leaves on the engraved tree flow with the wind. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Bethany flipped the coin over. It was flat and featureless, except for gold lettering engraved across its surface. It read ¡®Bethany Fox. Attribute token. Redeemable at Mr. Mercury¡¯s Emporium.¡¯ ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± asked Becka, rushing over excitedly. ¡°A coin? Let me see.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± responded Bethany. The woman¡¯s trepidation about Bethany seemed to have dissipated upon seeing the coin. Bethany considered Daniel and Becka for a moment. ¡°Well, I did have make friends on my list,¡± Bethany thought, handing the coin over to Becka. The coin went right through Becka¡¯s palm, landing on the ground beneath her with a hearty thump. Bethany, Becka, and Daniel stared at the coin laying in the grass. ¡°Did¡­you see that?¡± asked Daniel. Becka leaned down to pick up the coin, but her hands went right through it. ¡°It¡¯s like it''s not real,¡± Becka said, frustrated. ¡°Daniel, you try.¡± Daniel reached down, with the same results. He gave a curious grunt before looking at Bethany and nodding at the coin. Bethany grabbed the coin off the ground with ease. ¡°I guess you can keep it, um¡­¡± said Becka. ¡°Bethany,¡± Bethany responded as she shoved the coin into her pocket. She did not know what it was for, but it seemed important. ¡°Bethany. Look, I¡¯m sorry I called you crazy.¡± Bethany did not believe her, but she was in no mood to argue. Her arm and face was starting to sting. She raised her hand to her forehead and could feel the swelling cuts from the thorns. There was a touch of blood on her hand when she drew it away. Daniel reached over and held Bethany¡¯s chin lightly in his hands. He tilted her head back carefully. His hands were surprisingly gentle, but his touch still made her flinch. ¡°Sorry,¡± Daniel apologized, but he kept his hands on her chin. He examined her injuries for a few moments. ¡°You should be fine, but we need to clean those cuts.¡± His thumb fell to her bruised cheek, her father¡¯s last gift to her. ¡°That orb creature did not give you this,¡± he said with concern. ¡°Is this why you are living in your car?¡± Bethany took a step backwards, out of his reach, and hid her cheek with her palm. She did not answer him. ¡°Do you have a clean cloth?¡± asked Daniel, his voice laced with a caring professionalism. Bethany recalled Becka saying Daniel was a paramedic on her phone call. ¡°Yes, but I can do it. You don¡¯t need to help me.¡± Bethany responded, walking to her car, and reaching into her grandmother¡¯s suitcase. ¡°Nonsense,¡± exclaimed Daniel. ¡°Those cuts may be shallow, but we don¡¯t know what that thing was. You need them to be professionally cared for. And I don¡¯t see any other paramedics around here.¡± ¡°Daniel,¡± whispered Becka, trying to keep her voice low so that Bethany could not hear. It did not work. Bethany had always had sharp hearing. She had learned to distinguish the natural creaks and groans of their rundown home from her father¡¯s footsteps. It gave her time to hide. ¡°We need to go home. Where we are safe. Stop trying to play the hero and leave her here.¡± Daniel¡¯s face dropped, a look of disappointment in his eyes. He returned her whisper. ¡°It won¡¯t take long. And she saved our lives, Becka. We can¡¯t just leave her here.¡± ¡°She didn''t save our lives, Daniel. We were running away just fine,¡± Becka said. ¡°What happens to her is none of our business.¡± ¡°Becka, you can¡¯t be¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got it,¡± Bethany said, grabbing her cloth and interrupting the bickering couple. She did not want to hear any more. ¡°Thanks Bethany,¡± Daniel said, once again adopting an artificial, upbeat tone, ¡°Let¡¯s get you fixed up.¡± He headed towards the washroom, Becka in tow and none too happy about it. Their winged eye followed closely behind until they entered the washroom and closed the door in the creature¡¯s face. The winged eye floated to the top of the washroom and rested on its ledge like a pigeon, waiting for them to emerge. Bethany stood still for a moment, torn between following them and jumping in her car and leaving them behind. She was sure Becka would be grateful if she just left. But what if this was her only chance to make some allies? Did she dare turn a blind eye to the opportunity? A breeze blew across her day-use site and carried the pile of leaves into the sky, high above the waters of Wascana Lake, revealing the shattered remains of the crystalline creature. Bethany listened to the city¡¯s chaos echoing across the park. She looked south beyond the hundred-foot wall, to the dark clouds billowing over the dense and ominous jungle. She looked north, towards The Builder, hovering over downtown, with the majestic mountain peaks soaring beyond. Bethany¡¯s winged eye hovered closer to her. She stared directly into its lens. ¡°My life just started,¡± she whispered, her voice laced with emotion. ¡°I was free. Finally free. I was ready to build a new life. You took that away from me. I¡¯m going to survive your God Contest.¡± She gave a sharp kick, launching the largest piece of the creature¡¯s corpse against an elm. It shattered. ¡°You just watch me.¡± Bethany marched towards the washroom, clutching the cloth in one hand and her hammer in the other. She opened the door and strode through. Just as the door slammed shut behind her, she remembered the plaque hanging on the wall. And she knew what it meant. G.A. 1-32, Dolos The God Arena of Dolos. * * * In the pitch-black void where she had been imprisoned, the Oracle, who was known to Bethany as Diana, smiled. Her now-blinded eyes cast their gaze towards the wheels she set in motion. Towards the City of Regina. Towards the end of the Gods. Chapter 10 - The Challenge of Dolos ¡°Challenges make you discover things about yourself that you never really knew.¡± Cicely Tyson ¡°Don¡¯t let the door¡­¡± came Daniel¡¯s frantic shout as the door slammed shut behind Bethany. ¡°¡­close.¡± Bethany looked back. The door was gone, replaced by a concrete block wall indistinguishable from the remaining walls of the small washroom. ¡°What¡­ how is that possible?¡± asked Bethany, stunned. She ran her hands across the blocks, searching for a hidden switch or panel, but there was nothing. Her heart begin to race and her knees grew weak. She looked up and spotted four winged eyes lodged into the upper corners of the room, staring down at them, and she remembered what this washroom now was. An arena. She steeled herself. ¡°You just watch me,¡± she said, staring intensly at the winged eyes. She pretended to brush some dust off her sleeve and hid her fear behind a mask of contemplation. She could see the panic in Becka and Daniel''s eyes. Becka was shaking, her gaze desperately scanning the room for an exit. The desperation of her search made Bethany wonder if Becka was claustrophobic. Daniel was holding her hand in a comforting grip to keep her calm while he struggled to contain his own fear. Bethany scanned the room. The sinks and toilets were still there, but the garbage can had been removed. Every window and every crack in the concrete had been sealed. The vent in the roof was gone. There was no trace of natural light, and the only illumination came from a soft glow emanating from the winged eyes. The washroom was smaller than yesterday, as if the walls had been compressed. There was a coolness permeating through the bricks that made the hair on Bethany¡¯s arm stand on end. The only addition to the room was a small, round table in the exact center of the concrete floor. It was built from dark oak that was covered with knots and imperfections. There were three wine bottles standing upright on its surface. The bottles were opaque and their corks removed, as if someone had prepared them to be served. Each was a different color ¨C green, yellow, and red. Bethany approached the table, sidestepping as Becka broke free of Daniel''s grip and ran to where the doorway once was. ¡°No!¡± Becka shouted, sounding more frantic by the moment, ¡°No, no, no. This can¡¯t be happening. Daniel, get me out of here! Please,¡± Becka¡¯s fingers searched wildly, clawing over every brick. She threw herself the stone wall, shoulder first, over and over, until Daniel rushed to her side and held her tight. Bethany stayed focused on the table, inspecting the bottles from every angle and trying to get a hint of their purpose. ¡°Do you know what is going on?¡± Daniel asked, cradling Becka in his arms. ¡°Not really,¡± answered Bethany, reluctantly. ¡°But the voice from the sky mentioned God Arenas. I think we have stumbled into one of them.¡± As if on cue, a voice spoke from the ceiling and the room was illuminated in a bright light from the eye cameras. It was likey they were on stage and the curtain had just risen. ¡°Indeed it is. You are a smart one, Ms. Fox. Welcome players. Welcome to my arena!¡± The voice was male and high pitched, with an excited tone that was subtly laced with hidden nervousness. He sounded like he were a salesman about to give the pitch of his life. ¡°Today, I am the envy of the Gods. Every god has designed and embedded their challenges across your city and the terrains beyond. Thousands upon thousands of God Arenas hidden in plain sight, ready to test those that find them. Yet I have the honor of being the first. The first amongst all the gods to ensnare a player in their arena. It could not have been more perfect.¡± ¡°Perfect for what? What is going on? Let us out of here! Please, let us out of here!¡± shouted Becka at the ceiling, her unrestrained panic coming through in every syllable. ¡°Becka, please. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Don¡¯t let your claustrophobia beat you. Just lean on me. There you go.¡± Daniel¡¯s hands rubbed across the small of Becka¡¯s back, trying to calm her. Becka took a deep breath, and then another, but she still shook in Daniel¡¯s arms. ¡°You want out?¡± continued the smug voice. ¡°Then you must win my little challenge. If you do, not only shall I let you go, but I shall reward you. A little gift to aid you in the God Contest.¡± ¡°What do we need to do?¡± asked Bethany, resolutely. ¡°Oh, Ms. Fox, it is simple. On the table before you lay three bottles. The wines inside are identical in every way. They look, smell, and taste exactly the same. Except for one important difference. One of the wines is poisoned. One sip will kill any living thing. All you need to do¡­¡± the voice paused, as if to draw out the drama. ¡°Is tell me which of three wines is poisoned. Each player gets a single guess, so choose wisely. Any player who correctly identifies the poisoned wine will be rewarded. Those who chose wrong¡­ well, you will find that out soon enough.¡± The voice bellowed out, as if he were a circus ringmaster. ¡®And with this, the God Contest¡¯s first arena begins! My fellow gods! Sit back, enjoy, and place your bets. Players, put on a happy face and smile for the cameras. You may begin!¡± The voice stopped and the lights from the eye cameras dimmed. Becka screamed, the last of her resolve shattered in the silence. * * * The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. It took twenty minutes for Daniel to calm Becka, finally pulling her into the middle of the room beside the table and hugging her close. Bethany spent that time alternating between studying the bottles and cleaning the cuts on her face. She winced in pain as she worked on each one and her cloth became spotted with blood. She did not ask Daniel to help. He had his hands full. ¡°At least the cuts are not deep,¡± she whispered, staring at herself in the mirror. ¡°I¡¯ve had worse.¡± Her touch drifted to the dark bruise on her cheek. Even now, with everything going on, her father still haunted her thoughts. She washed the cloth in the sink and hung it across the tap to dry. Returning to the bottles, she studied them for any clue that might reveal their true nature. She found nothing. ¡°I used to spend hours in the town library after school,¡± Bethany spoke aloud, trying to keep herself calm. ¡°The librarian had this old stack of newspapers, and in every Wednesday edition there was a section called Riddles by Ron. I would spend hours combing through that pile, looking for those riddles to solve. I got pretty good at them too.¡± Becka mumbled something that Bethany could not hear, though based on Daniel¡¯s expression it was not very flattering. Bethany ignored her. ¡°We just need to think outside the box. It should not be that hard to figure out,¡± Bethany continued, doing her best to sound confident. ¡°We could find a fly, or a cockroach, or something, and dunk it in the bottle,¡± said Daniel, his voice echoing off the confining concrete walls. ¡°If it dies, that¡¯s the poisoned one.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ actually really clever,¡± answered Bethany, impressed. She looked at Daniel''s hands, steady as he stroked Becka''s hair. ¡°How are you so calm?¡± ¡°I¡¯m trained for it,¡± answered Daniel simply. ¡°Well, I mean, I¡¯m not trained for this specific circumstance, obviously. This is insane. But I¡¯m a paramedic. We deal with emergencies every single day.¡± Becka shifted in his arms and he released her hand. ¡°Becka, how are you feeling?¡± he asked gently. Becka stood up as she took slow, deep breaths to keep herself calm. She was no longer shaking, but Bethany could see the fear still lying beneath her eyes, desperate to take over again. ¡°Let¡¯s just find a fly, or whatever, and get out of here,¡± Becka answered sharply. They split up, each taking a corner of the room and working their way around. They searched every inch of the building. They peered behind every pipe, lifted every toilet seat, and studied each beam running along the ceiling for movement. The dim light made the search difficult, and Becka had to stand on Daniel¡¯s shoulders to search the highest nooks for any trace of life. By the time they gave up, hours later, their stomachs were growling from hunger. Daniel and Becka collapsed into the far corner, huddled together. Other than the three of them, there was not a single trace of anything living in this room, and they were forced to give up on Daniel''s idea. Becka¡¯s bravery had collapsed a half dozen times during their increasingly desperate search, though Bethany gave her credit for always pulling herself together. Daniel, on the other hand, was starting to show signs of the strain. ¡°I guess even the best of training has its limits,¡± Bethany murmered, taking a deep drink of water from the sink before sitting down on the ground and resting her back against the cool block wall. There was a foul scent in the washroom that had been building over the past hour. It was starting to itch Bethany¡¯s nose, and Bethany felt her artificially confident exterior beginning to crumble away as she began imagining what it could be. They needed to escape this place. Bethany stared at the three wine bottles, growing increasingly anxious. The Arena had no time limit. They could spend days, even weeks, trying to find the right solution to this simple puzzle. ¡°And we would slowly starve to death,¡± Bethany whispered. ¡°Don¡¯t fool yourself, Bethany. Time is not on your side.¡± Three bottles. Three players. They had a way of identifying which was poisoned, but she tried to shake the thought away. There must be a way for them all to survive. There must be. Yet what choices remained? ¡°One of you could drink the wine,¡± said Becka from the corner, evidently on the same thought process as Bethany. ¡°If you don¡¯t die after two bottles, then the third bottle must be the poison. And we go free.¡± ¡°Becka¡­¡± started Daniel, shocked. ¡°I don¡¯t think¡­¡± ¡°No, no. You''re right. There must be another way. Let¡¯s just think some more. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll come up with something brilliant,¡± Becka said, sarcastically, her words driven by barely contained terror. Except beneath her fear was a realistic, if horrible option. It was an obvious solution that they had feared to speak aloud. The notion filled Bethany¡¯s mind with dark thoughts, and deep inside, Bethany was petrified that Becka may be right. Bethany sat against the wall, head between her knees, trying to think of another option. Any other option. ¡°Red, yellow, and green. Green means go, meaning it is safe to drink? Red means stop, don¡¯t drink? No, that¡¯s not right¡± she muttered to herself. ¡°Yellow would be meaningless in that case. At best it would just be a guess. The colors must be a red herring.¡± Daniel and Becka were whispering in the corner, their voices growing harsh. Bethany tried to block out their bickering, but she heard a few words. ¡°I don¡¯t want¡­ love you, couldn¡¯t stand if¡­ we can¡¯t.¡± ¡°No choice¡­ just do it¡­ it¡¯s all we got¡­ don¡¯t want to lose you¡­ she¡¯s crazy.¡± Becka¡¯s words caused a chill to settle over Bethany, and she began to wonder how far Daniel and Becka would go as their desperation grew. Bethany clutched her hammer tightly. She walked over to the closest sink, needing to clear her head. She would not be able to think of a way out with her thoughts clouded by suspicion. She splashed water on her face, then grabbed the cloth, still slightly stained with her blood from earlier. She stared at the blood. She had an idea. A crazy and clever idea that filled her heart with hope. Bethany swung her hammer at the centre of the mirror above the sink. She heard it crack. Daniel and Becka looked up, startled. She struck the mirror again, the impact reverberating up her arm. Her third strike shattered the mirror, and shards of glass fell into the sink and across the concrete floor. ¡°What are you doing?¡± shouted Becka, standing abruptly with fury in her eyes. ¡°Blood,¡± answered Bethany, setting her hammer down on the sink and picking up an easy-to-handle shard from the sink. ¡°Daniel, can you tell when blood dies?¡± ¡°I¡­maybe,¡± Daniel answered, confused. ¡°Blood contains cells, so it is ¡®alive¡¯ is a very broad sense.¡± Then he understood and got excited, ¡°Yes! If we mix blood and wine together, the poisoned wine will cause the blood to turn sickly. It will look different from the other two. Bethany, that''s brilliant!" Bethany pricked the end of her finger with the shard of glass. She winced in pain and tears pooled in her eyes. She grabbed the largest piece of glass she could find and laid it on the table in front of the wine bottles. Letting the blood pool on her fingertip, she placed three drops on the glass, one for each bottle. When she had finished, she wrapped her finger in the cloth to stop the bleeding. ¡°You did wonderful, Bethany,¡± Daniel encouraged, grabbing the green wine bottle and carefully ¨C very carefully ¨C added a splash of wine to the first blood drop. He repeated with the yellow and red wine bottles, and Bethany and Daniel watched anxiously. The minutes ticked by, and still they waited. Bethany found herself holding her breath, praying this would work. There was utter silence in the washroom, and she could feel her heart beating in her chest. Ten minutes later, the blood had not changed. All three drops were indistinguishable from each other. "It should have worked. Why didn¡¯t it work?" protested Bethany. Her mind spun, trying to find an answer. She heard Becka whisper. ¡°Daniel, there is no other way. Let¡¯s just do it.¡± Daniel nodded reluctantly. His eyes flickered over to Bethany''s hammer, resting on the sink. A chill came over Bethany as Daniel whispered "I''m sorry, Bethany." Chapter 11 - Failure of Courage ¡°Man¡¯s enemies are not demons, but human beings like himself.¡± Lao Tzu ¡°In the contest, you will see a person¡¯s true nature, brought out when life and death are at stake.¡± Diana''s words echoed in Bethany''s head as she saw the resignation in Daniel''s eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Bethany,¡± said Daniel, his voice shaking. There were tears building in his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Daniel,¡± Bethany said, taking a step backwards towards the sink. ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll find another way. We¡­¡± Suddenly, Daniel reached and grabbed Bethany tightly, pinning her arms to her side. ¡°What¡­what are you doing?¡± she asked, struggling to to break free. ¡°No! Let me go!¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Bethany,¡± Daniel repeated, his grip tightening, ¡°It¡¯s the only way. None of us want to die here, and I need to protect Becka.¡± He grunted, and his arms flexed as he pushed her down to the ground. The back of her head struck concrete, and the world around her started spinning. Daniel straddled her waist and held her hands down, using his weight keeping her from escaping. Bethany¡¯s courage failed her, and fear took over. ¡°Please no, please no! Don¡¯t do this. Please don¡¯t hurt me. Please,¡± her final word came out only as a whimper, as Becka grabbed the red wine bottle and tipped it into Bethany¡¯s mouth. Bethany tried not to swallow. She had never tasted alcohol before now. Even the scent of it triggered memories of her home she would rather leave behind. She felt its sting against her cheeks, and she held on as long as she could as the liquid filled her mouth and cascaded out the sides. Becka stroked her throat, coaxing her to swallow. ¡°Drink, Bethany, drink. Just drink, damn it!¡± shouted Becka, her voice lacking any semblance of remorse. With her free hand, she reached up and pinched Bethany¡¯s nose closed. Struggling to breath, Bethany thrashed on the ground, trying to break free. Daniel held her fast, tears streaming down his face at what they had done. The wine filled her mouth, but Bethany left her mouth open so the wine spilled onto the floor below. She could not swallow. She must not. ¡°Daniel, help,¡± shouted Becka. Daniel released one of Bethany¡¯s hands, and for a moment Bethany thought he might have had second thoughts. Her hopes were crushed as Daniel¡¯s hand fell over Bethany¡¯s mouth and forced it shut. ¡°Just swallow, Bethany!¡± commanded Daniel. For the first time, his voice was laced with the same desperation as Becka. ¡°Just swallow.¡± He was more practiced at this than Becka was, and moments later Bethany swallowed against her will. The wine burned as it went down her throat, and her heart pounded in terror at the thought of being poisoned. Daniel released her mouth and went back to holding down her arms. Bethany coughed and gasped for air. Tears blurred her vision, and she stopped struggling in Daniel¡¯s grip. She no longer had the strength to fight. He held her for a few minutes until her eyes cleared and she stopped coughing. Becka nodded approvingly to Daniel, and Bethany watched helplessly as Becka grabbed the yellow bottle and knelt over Bethany. ¡°Please¡­no¡­¡± pleaded Bethany, her voice feeble and scared. ¡°Sorry, better you than us,¡± said Becka, and she thrust the bottle into Bethany¡¯s mouth. Bethany resisted. She tried to close her throat and struggled in their grip, but they were coordinated this time. Daniel¡¯s palm immediately fell over Bethany¡¯s nose and mouth as Becka held the bottle and stroked her throat. Bethany swallowed. As the liquid flowed down her throat, Daniel released Bethany¡¯s hands and stood up. He grabbed the bottle of wine from Becka¡¯s hands and placed it back on the table. Becka gave him a self-satisfied smile ¨C a smile of triumph ¨C as she stood beside her partner. She gave him a tight hug that said, without words, ¡®I¡¯m proud of you.¡¯ Daniel did not return her embrace. He stared at the bottles, trying not to think about the line he had crossed. Bethany rolled onto her side. Her chest heaved, her stomach lurched, and her tears flowed freely. She vomited, the wine in her stomach spilling across the concrete floor. She vomited again and again, until she felt hollow and empty inside. Bethany crawled along the floor, her shaking limbs pulling her as far away from the couple as she could get. She found a corner and huddled in a ball, arms folded over her head and chest. There she lay, whimpering, regressed to the abused child she had been only a few days ago. ¡°The green bottle,¡± concluded Daniel, sounding as hollow as Bethany felt. ¡°The green one is poisoned.¡± ¡°Yes, the green one,¡± echoed Becka, a touch of smugness on her voice. It was Becka''s answer that sparked a new emotion inside Bethany. One she had buried so often as a child. Anger. She felt the heat rise within her, driving away the shame and fear. Her hands shook with fury, her breath quickening. Her gaze fell on her hammer, resting on the sink only a few paces away. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Hatred burned in her eyes as she struggled to her feet and Becka looked towards her. ¡°You need to guess too,¡± said Becka casually, as if they were now best friends. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get out of here.¡± Bethany ran forward towards her hammer. Eyes wide with surprise, Daniel tried to stop her, but Bethany reached the sink first. Her hands closed around the hammer¡¯s grip, and she spun around, staring daggers at the couple. Becka retreated until her back rested against the cold concrete wall. Positioning himself protectively in front of Becka, Daniel raised his fists in defense. ¡°Bethany, just tell the man in the ceiling that you pick green, and it will all be over,¡± Daniel instructed her, as if she were a patient. Bethany raised her hammer. ¡°Fuck you!" she swore, the curse sounding strange on her lips. "I don¡¯t trust a word you say. You used me. You tricked me! You¡­¡± In the depths of her intense anger, a moment of complete certainty came over Bethany. She remembered the plaque on the outside of the washroom. G.A. 1-32, Dolos ¡°God Arena. Number 1-32. Dolos¡¯ challenge. The god of trickery. The master of deception. Could it be?¡± spoke Bethany, staring at the green bottle and scolding herself. She had forgotten the most crucial element of the God Arena ¨C the god who had designed it. Bethany knew her blood experiment had not failed. It had given them the right answer. ¡°None of them are poisoned,¡± Bethany said confidently, her eyes never leaving Daniel. "It was all a load of... of horseshit!" Daniel and Becka gasped as the impressed voice of Dolos filled the air around them. ¡°Well done, Bethany. Very well done. The vast majority of my fellow gods did not bet that you would be the one to survive. You have proven them wrong. Congratulations, you are victorious!¡± There was a tiny pop above her head, and rainbow confetti floated down over Bethany. "Now, in celebration of your success, you may choose your reward." Three golden discs appeared in front of Bethany. Bethany knew what they were. They were the same size and shape as the ones she had seen in her dream, when Diana had given her the Oracle Eye. The discs hovered in the air, slowly rotating as the light from the eye cameras gleamed off thier shiny surfaces. The first disc was engraved with a man playing darts, the second with shining hammer, and the third with a monkey swinging from a branch. With little thought, Bethany grabbed the shining hammer disc and stuffed it into her pocket. The other two discs disappeared after she made her choice. After all, there was only one winner in this God Arena. Sunlight becan to stream into the stuffy concrete room. The exit reappeared, its doors open to reveal her day-use site at Wascana park. A warm evening breeze blew through Bethany''s hair and the earthy scent of rain about to fall filled her nose. The rustling of elm leaves and the quacks of the ducks on the lake called to her. She had never before heard a more welcome symphony than the one emanating from beyond that door. ¡°Yes! Daniel, let¡¯s get out of here,¡± exclaimed Becka with immense relief. She pushed past both Daniel and Bethany, accelerating towards the door. Becka was violently thrown backwards by an invisible force the moment her feet touched the threshold. She struck the table hard, and collapsed to the floor, the wine spilling to the floor. A sickening crack accompanied her collapse, and Becka screamed in pain. Daniel rushed over to her, ignoring Bethany and her still raised hammer. Becka¡¯s left arm was broken, the bone ruptured through her skin. ¡°Oh, but you were wrong, Becka. There''s no exit for you. Your time in the God Contest is at an end. Such a shame. The audience did enjoy your ruthless nature though, if that is any consolation. Many of them had thought you would survive.¡± ¡°No! But we¡­but Bethany¡­guessed correctly. We got it right. We should get to leave. Bethany, you can¡¯t leave us here!¡± Daniel¡¯s pleaded, his eyes filled with abject terror. Bethany turned and ran through the exit, as fast as her feet would carry her. She left them behind. ¡°Bethany!¡± shouted Daniel, his voice frantic. ¡°You can¡¯t! You need to save us! Bethany! No!¡± As Bethany stepped into the park, the light of the early evening¡¯s sun warming her skin, the metal door behind her slammed shut. She watched the plaque on the door fade sway, as Dolos'' God Arena vanished from the Contest, completed. Her legs weak and unstable, Bethany lurched towards her Civic, ignoring the winged eye that fluttered around her excitedly. She climbed in the driver¡¯s seat, set her hammer down, and started the engine. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she was sick to her stomach. She needed to get away from there. She sped away from the day-use camp that had been her home for these past few days. She never looked back. * * * Daniel watched the metal door shut behind Bethany and vanish, replaced by the solid concrete wall. Becka lay below him, his hands cradling her head. He removed Becka''s shirt and tied it around her forearm to stem the bleeding. The winged eyes vanished one by one, robbing them of their remaining light, until Daniel and Becka were left in total darkness. The minutes slowly ticked away, and all Daniel was left with was his guilt. ¡°Was it worth it?¡± came a voice in the darkness. It was not the voice of Dolos. This one was deep and malevolent, with an amused inflection as it asked the question. Daniel felt empty inside. He had given up his humanity for the woman who lay injured beside him. ¡°No,¡± Daniel answered simply, staring into the darkness. ¡°I can give you a second chance, Daniel. Would you like that?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± responded Daniel, breathlessly. He did not want to die. He did not want this guilt to be the last of him. Daniel felt a skeletal hand encircle his own. The coldness of its touch burned him, yet he did not draw away. The hand pried open his fingers and pressed a blade into his palm. Beneath him, Becka stopped shaking, her breath shallow and irratic. ¡°She made you sacrifice your humanity. She deserves to die. Kill her, and I shall free you from this place. You shall be my servant in this Contest. Or you can die here and become my plaything in Xibalba.¡± Daniel¡¯s hand closed on the blade. It was heavy, cool to the touch, and sharpened to an impossible point. It seemed to call to him, whispers in his mind that poisoned his thoughts. He straddled Becka''s body. He could feel her shallow breath pressing against his legs. In the darkness, he knelt over her heart, blade raised in his shaking hands. Could he do it? Could he pay the price? He loved Becka. How could he even consider¡­ Becka¡¯s blade slid into Daniel¡¯s chest, carving its way through his ribs and piercing his heart. Daniel felt his final breath leave his lungs, and his last sensation was the hand of his beloved shoving him backwards onto the cold floor. His body landed with a thud as the life in his eyes died. ¡°I¡¯ve paid your price,¡± whispered Becka, trembling. ¡°Now get me out of here.¡± A malevolent, skeletal smile appeared in the darkness. ¡°Oh yes. You will do nicely.¡±
Name: Bethany Fox Job: Player Attributes: Strength: 3 Agility: 3 Toughness: 6 Magic: 5 Unspent Attribute Coins: 1 Talents: Oracle Eye (#error#) Unactivated Talent
Chapter 12 - A City in Turmoil ¡°If you¡¯re going through hell, keep going.¡± Winston Churchill Bethany did not know where she was headed. She had no plan. All she knew was she needed to get away from the park. She needed to get as far away as possible. The city streets were a maze with no end and no beginning. Buildings flew past her, but she barely registered their passage. A mediteranian rain from the eastern ocean started to fall, large droplets splattering on her windshield. It was an unnatural rain that had no place on the prairies. Her mind swirled as she replayed what had happened, over and over. The smell of wine filled the car and her vomit-stained shirt stuck to her skin. Her mouth throbbed where Becka had struck her, and the mixture of wine and tears caused the thorny cuts across her face to burn. A bump formed on the back on her head where she had struck concrete, and she struggled to maintain her focus on the road. Without destination, she drove on, driven by a desperate need to be anywhere else. Gunshots rang out in the distance to the west, so she turned east and kept driving. She wound her way through endless residential neighborhoods, their window blinds pulled firmly shut as if it would protect them from the world outside their four walls. Sirens blaring, police cars raced through the major arteries of the city in a vain attempt to maintain order in growing anarchy. She lost count of the number of accidents she passed, though she counted six cars engulfed in flames. She did not slow down to help. Bethany tore her eyes off the road for a split second to stare up at the sky, towards the golden numbers projected above the city. 210,104 ¡°Twenty thousand people,¡± Bethany whispered in utter shock. ¡°Nearly a tenth of the city. Wiped out in half a day.¡± Bethany suddenly felt very small and insignificant. She drove on. There was a home burning at the end of a cul-de-sac, and their neighbors were desperately trying to keep the fire contained with garden hoses. It made little difference. Bethany watched in horror as a crystalline orb crashed through the front window of the burning home. The flames subsided and the neighbours gave a joyful cheer, but Bethany knew what came next. She could picture the orb inside the home, wrapping those flames around itself to create a body. Bethany accelerated, and she caught the faintest glimpse of glowing eyes behind the shattered window before she was out of sight. Bethany turned north and sped away, before the neighbor''s screams reached her ears. She glanced to the sky, and saw their deaths reflected in the number. 210,099 There were monsters everywhere she looked. The orbs created carapaces from whatever material was around them. In a schoolyard, an orb had ripped apart a playground and fashioned itself into an eight-foot-tall orangutang, which now swung from the rooftops of the school. In a narrow alleyway, an orb had absorbed a lawnmower and created a shell with whirling metal blades. It now stalked the sidewalk in front of a hardware store, hunting for victims. Bethany counted another dozen such orb creatures, often surrounded by victims that had strayed too close. ¡°That could have been me,¡± Bethany whispered, her hands gripped tight on the steering wheel. ¡°If the orb had been made of anything other than leaves and branches, would I have survived?¡± The orbs were not the only monsters invading the city. Bats the size of men flew across a sky filled with the last rays of evening light. Four blue and red skinned women with curled horns knelt above a screaming man as they stripped away his skin. At the entrance of a rundown pub, a monster with the body of a scorpion and the face, chest, and arms of a man stood frozen in place, as if it were guarding the entrance. Thousands upon thousands of winged eyes flew in flocks above the city to capture the action in the chaotic city below. Bethany¡¯ own winged eye still followed behind her, the relentless cameraman, broadcasting her fear-driven flight. Bethany lost track of time. Night settled in, and the horrors were shaded from view. Still, Bethany drove on, without knowledge of what she was searching for. She felt numb and unable to focus. She could not catch her breath. The horrors around her ¨C the monsters and the human bodies ¨C were everywhere she looked. She twitched at every movement outside the car, and her psyche was strained from constant vigilance. She drove on. Night settled in, and a full moon bathed the city in an eerie grey light. She was in the north end of the city now. The tropical rain had stopped and the air felt cool and was filled with the scent of pine. She could see the great mountain peaks beyond the stone wall, and thought she spotted a fleck of snow. Bethany licked her lips and realized it had been hours since she''d had a drink. Her mouth tasted of wine and vomit. Reaching into the back seat, she grabbed a bottle of water from her meager supplies. She spat her first sips out the window to wash the taste of the foul wine from her mouth. The sensation of that first swallow of water brought with it a sudden clarity that had been elusive since she had left the Arena of Dolos. Bethany glanced at her Civic¡¯s fuel gauge. "Less than a quarter tank left. Where do you even fill up a car during an apocalypse?" The question entered her mind unbidden, and its absurdity made her laugh. It was an uncontrollable laugh laced with fear and pain, sorrow and shock, and denial and rage. Angry tears streamed down her face as Bethany struck the steering wheel with her palm, again and again, until her palm was red from the impact. It felt better to be angry, and in her anger she felt her bravery return. The bravery that had helped her run from her father and towards a new life. Bethany turned the car sharply and careened into an empty parking lot. She stripped off her vomit-stained clothes and threw them to the ground in anger. She grabbed two more bottles of water and poured them over her head to wash herself, then dried herself with her worn towel. The winged eye observed it all, but she no longer cared what lay behind its sight. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. She reached into her grandmother¡¯s suitcase and put on a raggedy pair of blue jeans and a red and grey plaid shirt. She grabbed the silver coin and gold disc from her dirty clothes and stuffed them into the pocket of her jeans. Standing there in the cool mountain air, Bethany felt cleansed, and her mind returned to her. ¡°You survived, Bethany,¡± she told herself, taking a deep breath. ¡°That is what matters. Now, find somewhere safe.¡± Bethany looked out across the city at the glow of thousands of lights shining in the darkness. ¡°Not how I imagined my new life,¡± she whispered to herself. Her eyes fell on a supermarket two blocks away. Its parking lot was nearly empty, and it has a gas bar. ¡°I won''t get far without getting gas. Should be simple enough.¡± Bethany climbed into her car and drove away, leaving her vomit-covered clothes, and the helplessness they represented, behind her. * * * Bethany entered the parking lot of the North End Savers Supermarket a few minutes later. She pulled in at the North End Savers Gas Bar and switched off the engine, letting the silence of the night settle in. Letting her eyes adjust to the glow of the supermarket''s lights, she searched the parking lot for any creatures that might be lurking in the shadows. Satisfied there were none, she grabbed her hammer and stepped outside. The only movement was from her winged eye, which still floated a respectful distance away. After everything that''d happened today, its presence was almost a comfort. ¡°This must be what it feels like to have a pet,¡± Bethany said, studying the eye. Her father hadn''t allowed Bethany to have a pet. He''d said it was an unnecessary expense, though he was usually clutching a new bottle of whisky when he said it. The closest Bethany had come to a pet was a friendly squirrel that would climb onto her windowsill. Bethany would leave him peanuts and he would collect them one-by-one, always keeping a skeptical eye on Bethany. She had named him Jitters because he would dart away at her slightest movement. Bethany had been inconsolable after her grandmother accidentally ran him over with the car. ¡°I¡¯m going to name you Jitters,¡± she told the winged eye. ¡°You okay with that?¡± The winged eye bobbed in place, which Bethany took for agreement. ¡°Well, Jitters. I don¡¯t know what this God Contest is, but I do know I¡¯m not getting far without gas,¡± Bethany said. Her eyes fell on the fuel pump. Its tiny LED screen was cycling through advertisements. ¡°It still has power,¡± Bethany observed, curiously. ¡°No one turned it off. No sense spending the time to close up shop when the world is collapsing around you, I suppose.¡± She did not have a credit card, and even if she did, she doubted it would work, so she entered the tiny kiosk to enable the ¡®pay inside¡¯ option on the pump. She had covered a few shifts at the local gas station when she was seventeen - with pay under the table, of course - so she knew what to look for. She left the kiosk cradling two gas station sandwiches, three bottles of water to replace the three she had used, and a bag of ketchup chips. She left the last of her cash on the counter as payment, and was half-way through her second sandwich before she reached her car. Her hunger sated, she filled her Civic with gas. She winced at the slam of the nozzle when her tank was full. The sound carried into the night and bounced off the nearby buildings. Bethany¡¯s eyes darted side to side, hoping the sound did not attract a monster. She was about to enter her Civic and drive away when a pick-up truck pulled into the supermarket¡¯s parking lot. Its beams cast a bright light across the darkness. Ignoring the parking stalls, the driver backed up to the main entrance of the supermarket so that its empty flatbed lay flush with the double-wide automatic doors. Bethany hid behind her car and watched. The man that exited the truck was short and fat. He had a bald head and was wearing black jeans and a brown t-shirt drenched in sweat. He must have been over four hundred pounds. He swiped his chubby palm half-heartedly at the winged eye that orbited around him like a moon. He carried a red and yellow fireman¡¯s axe awkwardly over one shoulder. It was the type that would be found inside a case labelled ¡®in case of emergency, break glass¡¯. ¡°Well, I guess this situation counts as an emergency,¡± Bethany whispered. The man did not appear threatening. He looked like a giant teddy bear that had just been handed a weapon. The man knocked twice on the window of the truck. The woman that emerged was the polar opposite of the man. She was just over six feet tall with long black hair flowing down her back. She was dressed in rugged overalls and steel-toed work boots and carried a three-foot long metal pipe in her muscular arms. ¡°We need to be quick, Rocky. Get in, get out. Fill the truck, but grab only what we need,¡± said the woman, sounding uneasy. ¡°It might be our only chance, Emily,¡± answered Rocky. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like anyone has looted the supermarket yet. Everyone¡¯s too scared to leave their homes, but they will start to run out of food soon. When they do, these places will get picked clean. We need to grab what we can before a quarter million people decide to do that same. ¡°It¡¯s not a quarter million people anymore,¡± Emily countered, glancing up at the player number projected in the sky. As she watched, the count decreased by two. ¡°And I don¡¯t want us to join them,¡± Rocky answered. ¡°We know what is out there, Emily. We watched from the tower all day as monsters dropped from the sky." Rocky took another half-hearted swipe at the winged eye as it dove in for a close-up of Rocky¡¯s face. ¡°We need to look out for ourselves first, Emily.¡± ¡°I know. I¡¯m not arguing. I just¡­are you sure we should be staying at the refinery? Everyone else fled back to their homes. We could do the same.¡± ¡°What, and wait out the apocolypse in our crappy one-bedroom apartments? Trust me Emily,¡± Rocky answered, sounding confident. ¡°I¡¯ve thought a lot about this. The refinery complex is surrounded by a chain link fence, with controlled entrances in and out. The towers give us visibility over the whole city. The main office has the lunchroom, with plenty of fridge space and an industrial-sized kitchen. It¡¯s got two floors of offices that can be used as bedrooms, and a gym and showers in the basement. Plus, we¡¯ll never run out of gas!¡± ¡°How¡¯d you come up with all that?¡± Emily said, sounding impressed. Bethany silently agreed with her as she listened. Rocky pulled a small notebook from his back pocket. ¡°I sit in the security office every day. It was an easy job, but it¡¯s not like I could pull out my phone and start playing games. So I started imagining different doomsday scenarios and writing down plans for surving them in my notebook.¡± He tossed the notebook to Emily, which she easily caught. ¡°Nobody questions the attentiveness of a security guard writing in a notebook,¡± Rocky said smugly. Emily cracked open the notebook. ¡°Meteors, war with America, surviving a global pandemic¡­ wait, did you write that last one before COVID? Is that why you told me to buy all that toilet paper?¡± Rocky chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m a large man. Toilet paper makes its way to the top of the list in every scenario. Why do you think I grabbed the biggest truck at the refinery? You want to turn to page forty-two. Zombie apocalypse. It¡¯s the closest thing to our situation.¡± ¡°Good lord, Rocky. Zombie traps, improvised weaponry. Is this the list of rules from Zombieland? You have ten pages that cover supplies required to survive, prioritized by the length of time of the zombie apocalypse. How much time did you have on your hands?¡± Emily handed the notebook back to him, impressed. ¡°It¡¯s just a hobby,¡± Rocky said, sounding embarrassed. ¡°Well, I would have teased you relentlessly about your hobby yesterday, but today you are the most amazing man in my life. So, what do we do first?¡± Rocky pointed towards the supermarket doors. ¡°We go shopping.¡± Bethany watched the pair from the shadows until the doors closed behind them. She should get in her Civic and drive away. She should do that. Strangers were dangerous. Becka and Daniel had tried to kill her. These ones had weapons, and they were both bigger and stronger than she was. She should leave this place as fast as she could. ¡°Remember your plan, Bethany¡± she whispered to herself. ¡°Step three. Find friends.¡± She was not ready to trust anyone ¨C not by a long shot ¨C but what choice did she have? Underneath her fear and her doubt, she was still a pragmatist. She knew she could not survive on her own. Not here. Not in the God Contest. She would not let what happened with Daniel and Becka be the beginning of the end for her. At least these two seemed to know what they were doing. Bethany snuck forward, ball-peen hammer in hand as she moved from shadow to shadow, until she stood in front of the supermarket doors. Her heart raced and she took a deep breath to calm herself. ¡°Be strong, Bethany. Just take this step, and then take another.¡± She pushed away her fears and walked through the supermarket doors, wondering what she would find on the other side. Chapter 13 - The Impastabull ¡°Hell is empty, and all the devils are here.¡± William Shakespeare Every Saturday morning since she was four years old, Bethany would accompany her grandmother to their small-town grocery store, Flatland Foods. It was five narrow aisles of canned vegetables, boxed cereal, jams, detergents, and frozen food, with the far-left coolers dedicated to fresh fruits and vegetables. It was the type of store that felt crowded if there were more than five customers. It was owned by Mr. and Mrs. Wu, who lived in an apartment above the store and were its only employees. Bethany had a soft spot for Mrs. Wu, who always had odd jobs for Bethany. She would pay under the table and would never ask about her father. A dozen Flatland Food stores could fit within North End Savers Superstore, with room to spare. Bethany stood in the entranceway of the North End Savers, the automatic doors sliding closed behind her. She gazed up at the high ceilings that towered above her, its exposed rafters and aggressively bright light making it feel like she was in a massive warehouse. Aisle upon aisle of food rested enticingly on their shelves, stretched across a white flooring worn by heavy traffic. The back of the store was entirely meat and dairy, and there were entire rows dedicated to chips, pastas, international food, and more. The east side of the North End Savers sported separate pharmacy, clothing, toiletry, and cookware sections, making it a one-stop-shop for everything Bethany could ever want. Fifteen check-out counters lay ready to ring through customers, their tills active but abandoned. ¡°Where do people even start?¡± wondered Bethany. She laughed at her own amazement. Given everything that had happened today, a supermarket should be the last thing that surprised her. Yet she did not escape to Regina to fight monsters. She came to experience everyday moments like this. For a moment, she gave herself permission to enjoy the sight, forgetting the traumas of today and the days before. It was a little piece of the life she had been seeking, laid before her. Rocky¡¯s heavy footfalls carried across the supermarket and broke Bethany from her contemplation. The day''s events flooded back to the forefront of her mind, and she quickly ducked behind a check-out to avoid being seen. Peeking out from behind the midriff-high barrier, Bethany saw Rocky waddling towards the entrance, his arms piled high with packages of toilet paper. It was stacked three layers above his head, and it looked like it could fall at any moment. Bethany had to cover her mouth to stop her from laughing. His urgent waddle was not meshing well with his attempt to balance the load in his arms and the axe loosely resting between two fingers. He almost made it. Another ten feet and his load would have landed in the back of their truck. Except there was a table set up in the middle of the entranceway that held enticing apple, cherry, and saskatoon berry pies. The resulting collision of man and display sent pies scattering to the floor, toilet paper flying thought the air, and one very large man sprawled out on his belly. ¡°Please, don¡¯t let Emily see this,¡± Rocky whispered, mortified. Emily arrived a few moments later at a full run. The concern on her face quickly transformed into a roaring laugh that made Rocky blush with embarrassment. ¡°You big lummox,¡± she said, a touch of endearment only half-hidden in her tone. ¡°If you wanted pie that badly, we could have grabbed a couple.¡± ¡°I do like my pie,¡± replied Rocky, trying to sound nonchalant as he rose to his feet. He shook out his right knee and was rewarded with a satisfying pop. Emily started tossing the scattered toilet paper into the back of the pickup truck. Then she carefully selected the last two undamaged pies and placed them in the back seat. ¡°Just for you, gentle giant. Now, will you please grab a shopping cart? That¡¯s what they are for.¡± Rocky''s smile told the story of the depth of their friendship. It was a smile reserved for only for a special few. The type of relationship that not even an apocalypse could break apart. The two walked back into the aisles, now pushing shopping carts and playfully nudging each other as they walked side by side. From her hiding place, Bethany settled in to watch the pair as they made trip after trip between truck and store, bantering as if the world was not crumbling around them. Soon, their truck was filled with canned vegetables and soups, cereals, powdered milk, processed meats, dried beans, peanut butter, fresh fruits and meats, and all manner of baking supplies. On their final trip, Emily arrived with a shopping cart full of frozen pizzas, despite Rocky¡¯s protests that pizzas were not on his list due to its lack of nutritional value. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°There is no point in surviving an apocalypse if I can¡¯t have my ¡®za,¡± Emily insisted, and Rocky chose not to argue. The pizzas were stacked in the back of the truck beside the pies. Bethany felt an urge to stand up. To make herself known. She wanted to be part of their banter. She wanted to feel safe in this world gone wrong. Only every time she tried to stand up, her fear would drag her back down. "They could be just like Daniel and Becka," whispered Bethany. "They would betray me. You can''t trust them." ¡°Alright Emily, we are almost done,¡± Rocky announced, forehead beaming with droplets of sweat as he checked off another item on his list. ¡°We have room for one more trip, and the last thing on the list is pasta. Remember, only take whole wheat and high protein ones. None of the bleached variety.¡± ¡°You know I don¡¯t like the whole wheat shit. Can¡¯t we make an exception?¡± pleaded Emily as they rounded the corner. Rocky didn''t had time to respond. The moment they rounded the corner of the aisle, Rocky¡¯s pained scream echoed across the supermarket. ¡°What¡­ what the hell is that?¡± Emily stammered. Without thinking, Bethany leapt from her hiding place and sprinted towards Rocky and Emily, her ball-peen hammer gripped tightly in her hand. This time, she did not let her fear drag her back down. She wrapped it around her like armor, and let it propel her forward. Bethany nearly tripping over Rocky sprawled on his back as she entered the pasta aisle. His shirt sliced open, he had a faint line of blood tickling from a newly opened wound. The shopping carts had been upended and Emily stood bravely between Rock and the crystalline orb that hovering in front of them. Its had a single shard that orbited around it, flecked with Rocky''s blood. The orb flashed red with an anger so thick that it felt tangible in the air around them. It was the same anger, the same hatred, that Bethany had felt in the park. These orbs were designed for one purpose. They were player killers. ¡°The orb is weak,¡± shouted Bethany, rushing forward to stand beside Emily. She raised her hammer to her chest, ready to swing. ¡°It will shatter if you strike it.¡± Emily glanced at Bethany in surprise, then glanced below at Rocky who was struggling to his feet. She gripped her metal pole tight. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, lady. But we appreciate the help.¡± Emily thrust her pole towards the orb, a practiced motion that nearly connected with its centre. The orb shifted backwards, and Bethany watched as its color shift to a cloudy grey. The orb retreated to the middle of the aisle until it was surrounded by shelves of pasta on either side. ¡°I¡­ think we should get out of here,¡± Bethany said, with a sudden realization of what was about to happen. The orb wasn¡¯t retreating because it was afraid. It wasn¡¯t retreating at all. It was getting its armor. The orb¡¯s shard began to spin wildly around it, slicing open every package of pasta within reach and spilling their starchy contents onto the floor. The cloudy grey switched to a faint yellow, and the pasta rose into the air. It began joining together like a child¡¯s art project with the orb at its centre. Only, unlike the leaves, it did not assemble into a man. It became a bull. A massive bull, with a body of macaroni, hooves of penne, and horns of linguini. Its carapace grew larger by the second as it pulled in every ounce of pasta in the aisle until it was as large as Rocky. ¡°Fuck, what the hell? What the absolute hell?¡± Rocky shouted as he watched the bull assemble itself. ¡°Run!¡± Bethany shouted, helping Emily pull Rocky to his feet. They dashed down the aisle and turned the corner just as the Pasta Bull charged, its horns pointed forward as if it were trying to impale a matador. It missed them by a hair and crashed into a checkout counter across the main corridor. It thrashed and bucked wildly in anger, and within seconds had reduced the counter to a pile of broken wood and metal beneath its durum hooves. ¡°This is insane. This can¡¯t be happening,¡± Emily shouted in disbelief. The Pasta Bull turned its attention back to the three fleeing players and it charged, barreling down the corridor like an oncoming freight train. Bethany looked over her shoulder. Rocky had started to fall behind, and his great footfalls and labored breathing had drawn the attention of the bull. He wasn¡¯t fast enough. ¡°Turn into the baking aisle!¡± Bethany shouted as she grabbed Emily¡¯s hand and took a sharp left turn. Rocky leapt into the aisle just as the bull thundered past them, unable to stop its charge in response to its target''s sudden movements. The bull crashed into a giant crate of cauliflowers in front of the supermarket entrance and proceeded to crush each one beneath its angry hooves. ¡°Shit, we need to get to our truck,¡± Emily whispered, trying not to draw the attention of the bull. ¡°Shit. Shit. Shit. It¡¯s standing right where we need to be.¡± ¡°Stay down. Let¡¯s get to the other end of the aisle and circle around. Try not to draw it attention,¡± Bethany said, breathing deep to steady herself. Bethany led them to the end of the baking aisle, then dashed across to the chest-high, open-air coolers that ran across the back of the store. They pressed themselves against the siding of the coolers and listened to the bull as it angrily charged across the store and down the aisles. Reams of groceries clattered to the floor in the bull''s desperate search for its prey. Bethany held her breath and tried to make herself small. She feared her pounding heart would give them away each time the bull grew near. ¡°Why did I run towards their screams?¡± Bethany asked herself, over and over. ¡°I could have just left them. I could have stayed safe. What did you get yourself into, Bethany?¡± She glanced over at Emily and Rocky. They were huddled together, the blood of Rocky¡¯s wound staining Emily¡¯s overalls as she held him tight. "But could you have lived with yourself, if you had just let them die?" she asked herself. The thought repeated itself in her mind as she listened to the sound of the rampaging bull out for blood. It was a question she could not answer, and that frightened her more than the bull. Chapter 14 - Her Power Unleashed ¡°It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.¡± Aristotle Onassis The rampaging bull had stopped, and silence had taken over the North End Savers Supermarket. Bethany listened to the stillness and peeked her head over the cooler. A half dozen eye cameras sailing over the store to capture the action, but the bull was nowhere to be seen. Rocky gasped for breath, bent over at the waist. Emily gentle rubbed his back. ¡°Take deep breaths, Rocky. You can do this. It''s still easier than the week I made you work out in the refinery gym with me, right?¡± Rocky gave Emily a weak thumbs up. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ be¡­ fine,¡± he said with feigned confidence. ¡°I know you will be. You¡¯re the toughest man I know,¡± Emily encouraged, then turned to Bethany. ¡°Now¡­ um¡­¡± ¡°Bethany.¡± ¡°Bethany. I¡¯m Emily. This is Rocky. Do you have any idea what is going on?¡± ¡°No,¡± Bethany admitted. ¡°I mean, a little. I was attacked by one of those orbs this morning. Mine was made of leaves though. These things seem to use whatever is around them to make a body. We have to destroy the orb inside to kill it. But... this one is stronger and faster than the leaf one. We should try to sneak out of here so we don''t have to fight it.¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be real,¡± Emily said, shaking her head like she was trying to wake up from a dream. ¡°It¡¯s not possible.¡± ¡°Not only that,¡± Rocky said as he took his first deep breath. ¡°It''s impastabull.¡± ¡°Really, Rocky?¡± Emily whispered with a practiced groan. ¡°Really? If the bull doesn¡¯t kill us, your puns just might. Bethany, do you have an idea how to sneak past it? I''ve been in my fair share of brawls, but I don''t want to test myself against this thing." ¡°The bread aisle is directly across the entrance,¡± Bethany said, tracing her finger across the floor to create an imaginary map. ¡°If we can get to the end of that aisle without alerting the bull, it is only a short sprint to your truck. I''ll go first. Stay close.¡± Bethany crawled along the floor, hidden behind the coolers until she reached the bread aisle. Emily followed on her heels, still shaking her head at the atrotiousness of Rocky¡¯s pun. Rocky took up the rear. ¡°Ready?¡± whispered Bethany, and she waited for Rocky and Emily''s nods of agreement. The three dashed to the bread aisle, keeping their footfalls as silent as possible. Halfway down the aisle, Rocky stumbled and grabbed onto a shelf for support, sending a dozen bags of hotdog buns tumbling to the floor. They all froze, hearts pounding and listening for the sound of charging hooves. They all breathed a sigh of relief when none came, and Emily shot a withering glare in Rocky¡¯s direction. They continued moving slowly past the cinnamon rolls, bagels, and muffins until they reached the end of the aisle. Bethany ducked her head out, glancing down the main corridor. There was no sign of the bull, other than the destruction that had been left in its wake. ¡°Careful, stay low,¡± whispered Bethany as she stepped out of the aisle. Bethany made herself as small as she could, wincing at her every step. She felt exposed. There was nowhere to hide. She perked her ears up to sense the bull, but was greeted only by silence. The exit was in sight. All they needed to do was get through the entrance and drive away. "The bull will hear when we start the truck and come charging," Bethany realized. "Can I make it to my car?" Her entire life was in that car. She patted her pocket, feeling the outline of the only key she had ever owned. It rested against the golden disc she had received in Dolos¡¯ Arena. She decided she could not abandon her Civic. She would leave Emily and Rocky at their truck and make a break for her car. Bethany circled around the trampled cauliflowers, then carefully stepped over the splattered pies that Rocky had hurled to the ground. It was only a few more steps to the exit, and Emily and Rocky were right on her heels. They were going to make it. The automatic doors opened, and Bethany''s hope was crushed. The bull was standing outside the doors, between the doors and the truck, waiting for them. Bethany gasped in surprise as Emily gripped the back of Bethany''s shirt and pulled her backwards, just as the bull thrust forward with its horns. It skewered the space where Bethany had just been standing. ¡°Shit! Get back! Get¡­¡± shouted Emily, except now she was directly in the bull¡¯s path. It charged forward and rammed Emily in the chest with its skull. Her metal pole flew out of her hands as Emily was propelled backwards. She struck the floor hard and did not get up. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Emily!¡± shouted Rocky, his panic quickly transformed to raw anger as his fist connected with the bull''s face. There was a sickening crunch, a mixture of snapping pasta and cracking bone as the punch of the four hundred pound man landed. The blow shattered the linguini that comprised the bull''s nose and mouth and scattered it across the supermarket floor. It left a gapping hole in the head of the bull, and Bethany could see the glimmer of the orb beneath. Rocky yelled out in pain as he clutched his now broken fingers. The fragments of pasta on the floor began to float back towards the bull, already being reabsorbed back into the creature''s carapace and filling the gap Rocky had created. The same thing had happened with the leaf orb in the park, and Bethany knew they only had a few moments before it would finish the repair and resume its assault. Bethany jumped to her feet and swung her ball-peen hammer wildly. She needed to reach the orb, but she was not storng enough. The orb was reabsorbing the pasta as fast as she could break it away. All she was doing was buying them time. ¡°Rocky, grab Emily and run!¡± Bethany shouted, frantically swinging her tiny hammer. ¡°I can¡¯t keep this up for long!¡± ¡°But... but what about you?¡± Rocky stammered as he bent down to Emily¡¯s unconscious form. ¡°Just¡­ just go,¡± Bethany said, growing desperate. For a fraction of a moment, she wondered if she should run and sacrifice Rocky and Emily to the bull to save herself. It is what Becka and Daniel tried to do. ¡°I will never be like them,¡± Bethany whispered as she swung faster. Her eyes stung from the sweat pouring down her forehead. Rocky grabbed Emily by the arms and dragged her across the floor towards the entrance. Bethany glanced at his shattered fingers and saw the immense pain beneath Rocky¡¯s eyes, held back by sheer force of will. Bethany tried to buy him time, but she felt her arms growing weak and her swings beginning to slow. The bull shifted its weight, and her final strike missed. The movement caught her off balance and she fell to her knees. She tried to recover, but it was too late. The last piece of the pasta was reabsorbed into the bull and it was fully formed once more. It turned its head towards Rocky and Emily, only a single step away from the truck. The bull lowered its head, pointed its horns towards its victims, and charged. ¡°Rocky!¡± shouted Bethany in a desperate warning. Rocky glanced up and saw the oncoming bull. Without thinking, he fell to the ground and covered Emily¡¯s body protectively with his own. ¡°No!¡± shouted Bethany, scrambling to her feet to chase after the bull. She was not going to make it. Her Oracle Eye began to shine with a golden light, and Bethany could feel a vibration in her pocket. It was the golden disc from the Arena of Dolos. The disc with the shining hammer that she had shoved in her pocket as she fled Daniel and Becka. She could hear its whispers in her head, calling to her. She reached into her pocket, and the moment her fingers touched its surface it shattered into innumerable fragments. Knowledge flooded Bethany''s mind. She knew what the disc was. She knew its power. Its magic. And she knew how to control it. Bethany dashed towards the bull with the last of her strength. She felt the magic of the disc ¨C her magic ¨C flow through her veins and emerge as solid light from her fingertips. Thread after thread of golden light folded itself around her ball-peen hammer until it had increased its size ten-fold. The light that had formed into massive hammer was hard as steel but weighed less than a feather. Bethany leapt forward and swung her hammer of light as a shout of defiance escaping her lips. The hammer struck the bull¡¯s backside with a resounding crack and shattered its back. Fragments of pasta cascaded across the floor as the bull collapsed forward, its face crashign to the floor as its hindquarters disappeared. It skidded to a stop in front of Rocky and Emily, its horn coming to a final rest against Emily¡¯s steel toed boots. Bethany could feel the hammer of light feeding on the energy within her. She felt her strength fading away. She swayed on her feet, struggling to keep her eyes open, but she knew the fight was not yet finished. Bethany could see the orb resting in the centre of the beast, where its heart would be. It was exposed, but the carapace was already reforming itself. She struggled through the pain and exhaustion and stood over the orb. She would not get another shot at this. She poured the last of her strength into the hammer, and struck with a mightly vertical blow. The orb shattered into countless fragments that scattered across the supermarket floor. Its pasta carapace collapsed into an inanimate pile that spilled over the prone Rocky and Emily''s. Rocky looked up in awe at Bethany, her form illuminated by the glow of her magical hammer. Bethany wanted to say something clever. All she managed was an exhausted smile. Her hammer of light faded away, and Bethany collapsed to the ground. The last thing she heard before she lost consciousness was the cheer of a distant, unseen audience celebrating their victory. * * * The Gods exchanged golden coins in the aftermath of the battle at the North End Savers Supermarket - payment for bets won and lost. The finest wines flowed like a river, and drunken voices cheered on in excitement. The first day of the God Contest was everything they had been hoping for. It was a marvelous beginning that promised many more thrills in the days ahead. Yet not all the Gods were partaking in the celebrations. In a dark corner, two figures huddled together, their voices low and conspiratorial. ¡°The child has taken her first steps. But she''s damaged, sister. Haunted by the demons of her past. How can we place our lives in the hands of such a flawed human?¡± ¡°You must believe, brother. We five made a pact, and we must see it through. Oracle played her part and paid her price. She gave this child the ability to see what must remain unseen, and in doing so, she set our path in stone.¡± ¡°Belief is a dangerous thing, sister. You always relied too much on belief, and you''ll forgive me if I do not do the same. I have no desire to follow Oracle blindly to the edge of oblivion.¡± ¡°Yet it is the path we committed to follow, brother. We five agreed to oppose both the Authority and the New Order, and we cannot fail. We must stay strong, and we must stay hidden.¡± A God made of rainbow mist floated past the two siblings and its shapeless form waved a friendly greeting. The brother and sister waved back their faces beaming with false mirth, until the God passed them by. ¡°Trust in Oracle, brother, and let us place our faith in this human.¡± The brother gave a gruff snort, which she knew to be agreement. The sister raised her wine glass in a toast. ¡°To the end of it all.¡± ¡°To the end of Eternity.¡±
Name: Bethany Fox Job: Player Attributes: Strength: 3 Agility: 3 Toughness: 6 Magic: 5 Unspent Attribute Coins: 1 Talents: Oracle Eye (#error#) Hammer of Light (Rare)
Chapter 15 - New Friends ¡°It is always good to make new friends.¡± Jose Feliciano ¡°To the end of Eternity.¡± The hidden Gods¡¯ conversation echoed in Bethany¡¯s mind as she opened her eyes, ending the dream. ¡°Was it a dream?¡± Bethany asked herself. ¡°Were any of them dreams? The morgue? The cards? The hilltop? What is happening to me?¡± The early morning rays warmed the tip of Bethany''s nose and she wiped the sleep from her eyes. ¡°And where am I?¡± She was lying on a comfortable couch, its dark leather cracked from heavy use. Her head rested on a decorative pillow, and a small blanket had been draped over her. She was in a large office, with the couch positioned beneath large, east-facing windows. An executive-style desk made of deep brown oak rested against the far wall, its surface covered with abandoned papers, a half-finished coffee, and a photograph of a middled-aged woman with two children. Across the room, a set of matching bookshelves were filled with business texts, binders, and cookie-cutter souvenirs for half a dozen countries. There was a black mini fridge tucked away in the corner, supporting a haphazard tower of binders that appeared like they could topple at any moment. Her hammer lay on a glass coffee table in front of the couch within easy reach. "My hammer...," Bethany mumbled, trying to clear her head. She suddenly sat up as she remembered the events of the previous night. She recalled the golden disc and the knowledge that had flooded into her mind. Her hammer of light had shattered the bull, but then exhaustion had overwhelmed her. "Then... how did I get here?" The office door crashed open. Startled, Bethany grabbed for her hammer as Rocky stumbled in, carrying a plate of bacon and eggs on a plastic lunchroom tray. His right hand was wrapped tightly in a white bandage. Bethany quickly shoved her hammer beneath the pillow, out of sight but within easy reach. She still did not know if she could trust them. The memory of Daniel and Becka still sat raw in her mind. Rocky set the tray down on the coffee table with an indelicate thud. He looked pleased that he had made it this far without spilling its contents across the beige carpet. ¡°Sorry about that,¡± apologized Rocky, holding up his bandaged hand. ¡°It¡¯s hard to hold stuff with busted fingers. It took a while to get you and Emily into the truck after you took care of that bull.¡± ¡°Your friend¡­ is she okay?¡± Bethany asked. ¡°She¡¯s resting,¡± Rocky replied, trying to hide his concern. ¡°She¡¯s got a nasty bump on her head, and I¡¯m worried that she may have a cracked rib. It hurts when she tries to breathe deep. But she¡¯s alive, thanks to you.¡± Bethany blushed, not used to feeling appreciated. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that,¡± Bethany said, reluctantly. ¡°It was your punch that gave us the opportunity.¡± ¡°My fingers are a small price to pay for our safety, I guess,¡± Rocky said with a shy smile. An awkward silence fell between them. Rocky was shifting on the balls of his feet and there was a tension in the air. She reached under the pillow and gripped her hammer, uncertain what would happen next. What if he attacks me? He is so much larger than I am. What if he¡­ Rocky suddenly broke the silence. ¡°How did you do that? With the hammer? I mean¡­¡± he stammered, his words erupting clumsily into the air. ¡°You were amazing. You don¡¯t have to tell me, of course, but how¡­? What was that?¡± Rocky¡¯s eyes were filled with curiosity, kindness, and awe. He was so animated in his excitement that it made Bethany laugh despite her instincts screaming at her to flee from this stranger. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t really know,¡± answered Bethany. She wanted to trust Rocky. She did not want to be alone anymore. But the specters of Daniel and Becka loomed large in her thoughts and held her back. Rocky seemed disappointed by her answer but did not push her. Suddenly, his face lit up and he dug around in his pockets. He withdrew a silver coin. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Here, I found this in the remains of the orb. It has your name on it.¡± Rocky extended his meaty hand towards her, the coin resting in the middle of his palm. Bethany picked it up delicately. It was the same as the silver coin she had received from the orb in the park, only the image on this coin was of a bull charging across an open plain. ¡°Bethany Fox. Attribute token. Redeemable at Mr. Mercury¡¯s Emporium,¡± Rocky read aloud. ¡°It had your name on it, so I guess it is yours. I have no idea what it is for, though.¡± Bethany stared at the coin. Yesterday, Becka and Daniel hadn''t been able to touch her first silver coin. So why can Rocky touch this one? ¡°Is¡­ is something wrong?¡± asked Rocky, sounding concerned. ¡°Should I have left it there?¡± Bethany did not answer. She fiddled with the coin, trying to understand why there was a difference. It felt important. She looked up at Rocky, and then let the coin drop to the floor, pretending it was an accident. Rocky picked up the coin and handed it back to her without hesitation. ¡°Why did you give it to me?¡± Bethany asked. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Rocky asked, confused. ¡°It is your coin. Why wouldn¡¯t I give it to you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I encountered some¡­ untrustworthy people¡­ in Wascana Park yesterday. After the Contest started.¡± She pulled her first coin from her pocket, placing it in her palm alongside the second. ¡°They couldn¡¯t touch it. Their fingers passed through it as if it were a hologram.¡± Rocky heard the crack in her voice when she spoke of Daniel and Becka. ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like you had a good time with them.¡± Bethany shook her head and felt tears trying to escape. ¡°Bethany, Emily and I aren¡¯t going to harm you,¡± Rocky said, seating himself on the floor next to the couch with an indelicate thump that made the breakfast plate on the coffee table rattle. He gave an awkward laugh. ¡°And with that hammer of yours, I wouldn¡¯t even think about trying. I¡¯d like my head to remain in one piece, thank you very much.¡± Bethany felt herself smile. She looked at the coin in her palm, and then glanced over at Rocky. The mammoth of a man gave her a broad, goofy grin, and she laughed. How long had it been since I have laughed with someone else? It felt strange. It felt wonderful. She decided to take a chance. She decided to trust him. ¡°Perhaps you could touch it because you had my best interests at heart, and Becka and Daniel did not,¡± she mused aloud. It felt right. Rocky shrugged in response, but his smile remained. Bethany placed the two silver coins in her pocket and grabbed a piece of bacon from the breakfast plate. It tasted divine. Forget laughter ¨C how long has it been since I had bacon? Bethany glanced around the room as she shoveled a second piece into her mouth. ¡°Where are we?¡± Bethany asked, suddenly feeling much lighter. ¡°We''re at the oil refinery in the northeast corner of the city,¡± Rocky replied proudly. ¡°I work security here and Emily is a technician. When the contest started, everyone went home to protect their families. But Emily and I don¡¯t have family in Regina. We''ve only got each other. I thought the refinery was the best place to hole up until we are rescued.¡± Rocky looked out the window towards the massive stone walls that now surrounded the city. Bethany grabbed another piece of bacon and leaned over the couch to stare with him. The refinery complex was spread across nearly a thousand acres, a twisted maze of pipes, outbuildings, processors, and towers. The entire complex was surrounded by a ten-foot-tall metal fence, with one security-controlled gate. ¡°If we get rescued,¡± he added somberly. ¡°This whole thing is insane.¡± Through the window, Bethany could see the tall mountains to the north and the ocean to the east. Winged eyes streaked across the sky in search of action in the city below. Jitters, her personal winged eye, floated outside the window and bobbled excitedly when she saw it. She gave it a slight smile and a polite wave. A light snow fell to the north, and the snow changed to a warm Mediterranean rain at the diagonal intersection of north and east where the two climates collided. ¡°It will end, Rocky,¡± Bethany said with conviction. ¡°It must.¡± ¡°I hope you are right, Bethany. I don¡¯t want to spend the rest of my life in this nightmare world, wondering when my supper might decide to eat me instead.¡± Rocky wandered over to the desk, absentmindedly stacking loose papers. ¡°Anyway, since we are the only ones who stayed in the complex, we decided to bunk down in the executive offices. This one is Mr. Calloway¡¯s office. He¡¯s the vice president. He keeps a collection of protein bars in the lower left drawer, if you like that kind of thing. And he has a bunch of diet sodas in the mini fridge. I put Emily in the president¡¯s corner office last night, and I am just across the hall, in Phil¡¯s office.¡± Bethany sunk her back into the cushions of the comfortable couch. ¡°Well, it¡¯s certainly better than living in my¡­¡± Bethany jumped up with a start. ¡°My car! It¡¯s still back at the supermarket. My whole life is in there.¡± She clasped her hand over her mouth, realizing what she had just said. Rocky now knew she was homeless. Bethany could hear Becka''s voice in her mind, calling her crazy. Would Rocky think the same? Rocky looked at her curiously, then realization dawned on him as her words sunk in. He gave her a kind smile. ¡°It¡¯s not safe to live in a car at a time like this. You can stay here with us.¡± There was no judgment or hesitation in Rocky¡¯s voice. He did not assume she was crazy. He just wanted her to know she was safe. The last of her doubts about Rocky crumbled away. ¡°Let¡¯s go check on Emily, and you can tell us your story,¡± Rocky said, opening the office door. ¡°And we can figure out how to retrieve your car.¡± Rocky headed down the hallway towards the corner office. Bethany looked back through the window, at the chaos beyond, and wondered what lay in store for her in the days ahead. Whatever lay ahead, perhaps she did not have to face it alone.
Name: Bethany Fox Job: Player Attributes: Strength: 3 Agility: 3 Toughness: 6 Magic: 5 Unspent Attribute Coins: 2 Talents: Oracle Eye (#error#) Hammer of Light (Rare)
Chapter 16 - Three Questions ¡°Embrace the new, no matter how uncomfortable, and make it work for you.¡± -Alex Smith, American Athlete ¡°So, let me get this straight. You got the golden disc from a washroom, and it gave you the ability to wield a hammer of light?¡± exclaimed Emily, flabbergasted. ¡°And those other two got left behind?¡± ¡°Yah¡­,¡± Bethany murmured softly. Her knees shook as she finished telling them about the Arena. Emily wrapped her arm around Bethany and pulled the girl into a hug. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, Bethany. They had no right to do that to you.¡± Emily soothed. "And they got what they deserved." Emily leaned back on the couch carefully. She placed a hand against her ribs as a painful grunt escaped her unbidden. ¡°Emily, you need to take it easy,¡± Rocky said with concern. ¡°I¡¯ve had worse than this,¡± dismissed Emily. ¡°It¡¯s only a cracked rib. I once broke my femur skiing down a double black diamond run in the Rockies. This is nothing compared to that.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°I will be fine, Rocky,¡± Emily said defiantly. ¡°Stop your fretting. We¡¯ve got more important things to worry about. We need to figure out what the hell is going on, and what to do next. Rocky and I were going to hole up at the refinery and wait, but is that still the best option?¡± Rocky paced back and forth and pulled out his notebook out of his back pocket. He flipped through the pages and muttered to himself. ¡°I had thought this situation was like a zombie apocalypse, but after hearing Bethany¡¯s story, I¡¯m not so sure. There must be something in here that is a closer match to this damn contest.¡± Bethany and Emily waited patiently on the black leather couch. Bethany took the opportunity to finish the breakfast that Rocky had prepared for her, wrapping the last of three fried eggs in a slice of whole wheat toast and shoving it into her mouth. Rocky abruptly stopped and slouched down in the matching armchair with a huff. He held up his notebook, chalk full of carefully analyzed survival scenarios. ¡°This situation does not match anything in here. It¡¯s too weird. So we need to go back to the basics. Every apocalyptic scenario starts with key foundations through which every subsequent action is framed. Understand the foundation, and you understand what you must do.¡± Rocky started. Bethany thought he sounded like her old high school science teacher. As if to complete the illusion, Rocky stood up and walked over to a whiteboard hung along the far wall of the president¡¯s office. He grabbed a blue marker and started writing a list. ¡°I like it when he is confident. It¡¯s not a side he shows very often,¡± Emily whispered to Bethany absentmindedly. ¡°Are you two dating?¡± Bethany whispered awkwardly, and instantly regretted it. ¡°What¡­no, I wouldn¡¯t¡­we¡¯re just friends,¡± sputtered Emily. Bethany tried to recover. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to assume. It¡¯s just¡­ you seem so in sync with each other.¡± Emily cheeks blushed but she did not have time to respond. Rocky had finished his mad scrawling, and revealed to them an uninterpretable web of interconnected words and phrases tied together with weaving lines of blue, black, and red. ¡°We do not know much,¡± Rocky started, tapping his marker unconsciously against the board. ¡°But we know more than we think we do. The world around us gives us hints to the underlying foundation of what we face.¡± ¡°Keep it simple, professor,¡± teased Emily. Bethany got the feeling she had experience with reigning in his enthusiasm. ¡°Right,¡± responded Rocky, looking embarrassed. ¡°Well, I will cut to the chase. This is a competition. The ¡®God Contest¡¯. So if this is a contest, then there are three fundamental questions that we need to answer.¡± Rocky tapped is marker on three bubbles in the center of the whiteboard. ¡°Who can win. How we win. How long we play. Three key questions to understand the game we are in.¡± ¡°Just¡­please don¡¯t tell me that it is every woman for herself,¡± Emily remarked. She had a brave face, but Bethany could hear the anxiousness in her voice. ¡°Is this a winner-takes-all competition?¡± ¡°That¡¯s ¡®who wins¡¯,¡± continued Rocky. ¡°And I don¡¯t think so. Remember what the Builder ¨C that giant eye in the sky ¨C told us when the contest started. It said ¡®those that succeed¡¯. This tells us that there can be multiple winners, though we also need to assume that the number of winners will be quite small. It¡¯s not much of a contest if everyone wins.¡± ¡°So, this is a team game,¡± Emily concluded, feeling relieved. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Yes, though the contest may try to tear teams apart,¡± Rocky cautioned, pointing to a red triangle on the whiteboard. ¡°Bethany¡¯s experience in Dolos¡¯ Arena demonstrates that. The arena was designed to entice players into betraying each other. Bethany, you solved the arena when you used your blood to test for poison. If your two companions had been as patient and as clever as you were, all of you would have walked out of there victorious. After all, there was no poison. So the only real threat was from each other.¡± Bethany had not thought about it that way, and Rocky¡¯s words became a soothing balm on Bethany¡¯s guilty psyche. ¡°So we stick together, and we trust each other,¡± stated Emily, definitively. ¡°No matter what. Are you in, Bethany?¡± Bethany nodded slightly, then sharply turned towards Emily as Emily¡¯s words sunk in. ¡°Wait, you mean stick with you? Are you sure? I mean¡­I¡¯ve never been on a team before. I¡¯ve always been alone. What if I make a mistake and you get hurt?¡± Emily gave her a comforting squeeze. ¡°Bethany, this is new to all of us. You will make mistakes. Rocky will make mistakes. And I will make mistakes.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make more mistakes than both of you combined,¡± joked Rocky with a smile. Emily returned his smile. ¡°But by sticking together, we protect each other from those mistakes. That¡¯s what teams do.¡± Bethany¡¯s gazed at Rocky and Emily with tears in her eyes. ¡°Okay, if¡­ if you¡¯ll have me, I¡¯ll stay,¡± she answered. She had been alone for so long. It felt strange and uncomfortable to belong somewhere. ¡°Then we have our team,¡± explained Emily excitedly as she gently wiped away Bethany¡¯s tears. ¡°We can beat anything this contest can throw at us!¡± ¡°That¡¯s as good a segway as any,¡± Rocky¡¯s marker moved to the second bubble. ¡°The second question is ¡®how we win¡¯. We do not know much, but there are clues. The Builder said we needed to escape this contest to win.¡± ¡°Which doesn¡¯t mean anything,¡± Emily added with annoyance. ¡°I doubt we can just pick a direction and walk until we reach the end of this world.¡± ¡°It said we needed to survive and learn,¡± Bethany recalled. ¡°And that there would be rewards for those who succeeded.¡± Bethany held up her ball-peen hammer. She focused, and a tendril of light began to wrap itself around the handle. She quickly dismissed it before the light hammer formed. ¡°Exactly,¡± exclaimed Rocky. ¡°It¡¯s a hell of a reward, and we would have been dead without it. These monsters are dangerous, and we need to expect that the danger will grow over time. We need to be prepared to fight them. I doubt it is possible to win this contest without such talents at our disposal.¡± ¡°So much for our original plan of hunkering down at the refinery until this was all over,¡± concluded Emily. ¡°Good. I didn¡¯t much like the thought of just sitting here. I¡¯d rather take my fate into my own hands.¡± Rocky slowly nodded, though Bethany could see he did not share Emily¡¯s enthusiasm. ¡°Yes, I can¡¯t see any other possibility. Those that hide, those that refuse to play this game, will not survive. We have no choice.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have control, but it seems like this contest has given us lots of choice,¡± countered Emily. ¡°We may be skiing down a steep slope, but we get to pick the path.¡± Bethany recalled the dream where she had first met Diana. She had stood in a golden field with thousands of others, yet few had chosen to play Diana¡¯s game. Had Diana been trying to tell her something? ¡°Then we play,¡± Bethany affirmed. ¡°And we play it smart. For as long as it takes to win.¡± ¡°Which leads us to the third question. Because it might be a long time before we can win,¡± Rocky announced, a quiver in his voice. He paused to let his words sink in before he elaborated. ¡°The beings. These ¡®Gods¡¯, if that is what they are, who created this contest invested a lot of time and energy into it. They not only created elaborate arenas and monsters inside the city, but they created four massive and distinct terrains beyond its borders. Even with nearly two hundred and fifty thousand players, it will take a very long time to explore such vast environments. ¡°And not all of those are going to play,¡± Emily added. ¡°Or¡­ well, survive.¡± Rocky took a deep breath. ¡°I think we need to assume that this contest will take months to finish. Actually¡­¡± Rocky hesitated for a moment, then gave a reluctant sigh. ¡°Actually, we should anticipate it will take years.¡± ¡°Years?¡± Bethany uttered. ¡°Are you certain?¡± ¡°No,¡± admitted Rocky, shrugging his plump shoulders. ¡°But it is the best theory I have. And I would rather plan for a long haul than be caught unprepared. Food, medicine, and other necessities are going to grow scarcer every day. We need to stockpile as much as we can, as early as we can. Hunger and sickness can kill us as easily as those orb monsters can.¡± ¡°We should stay at the refinery then,¡± Emily concluded. ¡°But instead of holing up and waiting for a rescue, it will be our base of operations. It¡¯s got everything we need.¡± Rocky moved his marker to the top right corner of the whiteboard, its only remaining free space. He summarized everything in three short statements. ¡°We are a team. We must explore. It will take years. Until we know more, we must consider these to be our three foundations on which we make every decision.¡± Rocky plopped down on the couch beside Emily, staring at his scribbles on the whiteboard. They sat there in silence for a while, trying to wrap their heads around it. Eventually, Emily broke the silence. ¡°Well, it seems simple enough,¡± she exclaimed, her voice resolute. ¡°Any idea how to find one of these arenas? I don¡¯t want to fall behind the other players.¡± They both looked over at Bethany. Bethany¡¯s hands were shaking. She knew they had no choice if they wanted to survive. Yet the memories of the Arena of Dolos swam in her mind. She could still feel Becka and Daniel¡¯s fingers wrapped around her arm, as they held her down and forced the wine down her throat. She had thought she was going to die. Stop it, Bethany. Are you going to let yourself become a victim again? You have been the victim your whole life, yet you fought back. You broke free from your father¡¯s grasp. So do it again! The words of the shadowy figures from her dream repeated in her mind. ¡°She is damaged, sister. She is haunted by the demons of her past. They control her every movement. How can we trust such a flawed human?¡± Emily was about to embrace Bethany to calm her down when Bethany abruptly stood, pushing off the couch defiantly with both hands. She had moved from frightened to angry in a heartbeat. She would not let this contest take away her freedom. Not after everything she had done to find it. Be brave little bee. ¡°I can help us find arenas,¡± Bethany declared, unaccustomed to being assertive. ¡°I don¡¯t want to enter another arena. I really don¡¯t. But I will not die in this contest. I want to finally live my real life. I want to be brave!¡± In that moment, she felt like she might have fooled herself into thinking she was. ¡°When do we start?¡± asked Emily. ¡°Now,¡± Bethany answered, then gave a slightly maniacal laugh. ¡°Before I change my mind. And I think I know where to start.¡± Chapter 17 - The Library ¡°Plans are nothing. Planning is everything.¡± Dwight D. Eisenhower Two days ago, Bethany had been homeless and applying for jobs at one of the computers of the downtown public library. It was there that she had encountered the horned beast hanging the plaque on the hidden stairwell. G.A. 1-102, Thoth. ¡°The God Arena of Thoth,¡± Bethany told Emily and Rocky, though she did not elaborate on how she knew it was there. She trusted Emily and Rocky and had been about to tell them when she glimpsed the winged eye floating in the corner of the room, watching and listening to their conversation. She remembered the description of her Oracle Eye from her player screen. Invalid Entry. Oracle Eye is not included in the talent list for this contest. Please contact God Contest Support to report this error. She was not supposed to have the Oracle Eye. She knew that Diana ¨C or Oracle, as the shadowy figures had called Diana in her dream ¨C had been punished for her actions. Would her friends be punished too if she started advertising her ability? It was possible that the audience watching this contest was unaware that she had been given this gift, and she did not want to draw attention to herself. So when Emily had asked ¡°What¡¯s up with your eye?¡± Bethany had lied. She¡¯d had an illness as a child, and it left her blind in that eye. Rocky had looked aghast at Emily¡¯s bluntness, but Bethany had broken the tension with an awkward laugh and no more was spoken about it. She had known Emily and Rocky for less than a day, and she had already lied to them. How many more lies lay ahead? They had spent the remainder of the morning preparing for the library, not knowing what to expect. Rocky carried his fireman¡¯s axe across his shoulder and was dressed in his light blue security shirt and black jeans. He wore a black belt tight across his hips, though he had removed all the keys it once held. ¡°They jangle too much,¡± he said as he stuffed his truck keys into his front pocket. Emily, on the other hand, had donned a white shirt and a clean pair of overalls she kept in her locker in the basement of the office. She¡¯d stuffed the overall¡¯s plentiful pockets with knives, ball bearings, pens, and anything else she found in her technician toolkit that could be turned into an impromptu weapon. She dedicated the pocket on her right hip exclusively to chocolate bars she had purloined from the vending machine in the office lunchroom. Her black hair was tied back in a simple ponytail. She carried her metal pipe in one hand, comfortable with its heftiness. Bethany wished she felt as comfortable as they looked. She wore a dark pink T-shirt that was one size too large, black yoga pants that were overdue for a wash, and a pair of lime green running shoes. Rocky had gone to the basement and pried open gym lockers until he had found something that was close enough to her size to wear. Bethany¡¯s own clothes were in her car at the supermarket, except for what she was wearing yesterday. Those clothes were now tumbling in the facility¡¯s laundry room alongside the other clothing they had fished from the lockers. Rocky had offered to pry open more lockers to find something more suitable for Bethany, but she was grateful for what they had found. They had packed the truck with three days of supplies. Food, water, and, at Rocky¡¯s insistence, eight rolls of toilet paper. ¡°You can never have enough toilet paper. You¡¯ll thank me if we are waylaid along the way,¡± he had told them as they drove through the security gate and headed south towards the downtown library. Emily had teased him mercilessly about it, until they crossed the threshold and saw what lay beyond. Bethany stared out the window as they drove, unable to tear her gaze away from the streets beyond. Jitters flew behind the vehicle alongside Rocky and Emily¡¯s eye, capturing the action for the unseen audience. The first creature they came across on the road was eight feet tall, with six legs and a monstrous scorpion tail. It was perched atop a city bus, where it had been gathering junk to create a nest. It hissed as the truck passed it by, and Rocky stepped on the gas before it could leap in their direction. Bethany¡¯s heart pounded in her chest, and it did not stop when the creature was left behind. Along every street and in every neighbourhood, there were monsters patrolling sidewalks, tearing apart yards, and hiding in corners waiting to ambush unsuspecting players. They were of all shapes and sizes, unholy hybrids of the familiar and beings birthed from nightmares. A fang-tooth gopher the size of a rottweiler emerged from a vacant lot as they drove by and chased them for a mile before a ten-foot-long bat-creature with a scorpion tail swooped out of the sky and carried the gopher away in its claws. Rocky drove as quickly as he could. The truck drew the attention of the monsters, which would often pursue them for a few blocks. Bethany tried to fight through her fears and find a pattern to their movement, but she had little luck. Certain monsters seemed tied to a particular neighbourhood and would break off pursuit when the truck crossed the intersection. Others would chase them until they found an easier target for their fury. It felt important that they recognize the difference between the two types. The only time Rocky slowed down was to weave his way around the vehicles abandoned in the middle of the road. They had been flipped over, with doors ripped off and roof smashed in. They did not see any occupants, though once Bethany saw a fresh trail of blood leading from the passenger seat to an alleyway a few feet away. She did not tell Rocky or Emily what she saw. There was nothing they could do. ¡°Where is everyone?¡± Emily remarked as they sped towards downtown. ¡°The only other people we have seen was that family of six in the minivan headed north. Where are the police? Ambulances? There are loads of people in the military in the city. Why is no one resisting?¡± ¡°211,801,¡± Rocky whispered in response. Bethany was confused, until Rocky pointed towards the shining golden letters in the sky. 211,801 ¡°The number of players¡­ I mean, the number of people¡­remaining in the contest,¡± he continued, his voice cracking with emotion. ¡°Twenty thousand dead since yesterday. Ten per cent of the city.¡± ¡°Do¡­ do you think anyone we know is¡­?¡± Emily asked Rocky, her bravado cracking around the edges. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Rocky looked away from the golden numbers in the sky and stared blankly out the windshield. Emily¡¯s question hung in the air, unanswered, as they drove on in silence. * * * Bethany had expected the downtown library to be abandoned. It was not. As they strolled through the glass doors, clutching their weapons tightly at their side, they were shocked to see over a hundred people crowding the main floor of the library. There were garbage bags full of personal belongings scattered haphazardly across the floor, and pop-up tents were set up in every space large enough to hold them. The tiny art studio was full of folding tables, and Bethany could see a man in a business suit rationing out food to the hungry patrons. It looked like every homeless person in the downtown core had taken shelter in the library as they sought the safety of others as the world crumbled around them. ¡°Excuse me, but can I help you?¡± Bethany recognized the library security guard from two days ago, who had asked her if she was alright. He was clutching a chair leg in his hand, his muscles tensed. He looked exhausted, as if he had aged a decade in a day. ¡°Umm¡­ hi,¡± Rocky said awkwardly, lowering his fireman¡¯s axe to his side. ¡°We¡¯re here for¡­ books?¡± ¡°For¡­ books?¡± the guard asked skeptically. He glanced at their weapons, but did not ask them to put them down. Emily stepped in, still clutching her pole. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we did not expect anyone to still be here.¡± ¡°Some people have no where else to go,¡± the guard responded defensively, then shouted over his shoulder. ¡°Edna, we have three more.¡± An elderly woman, who hardly reached Bethany¡¯s shoulder, strolled out from behind the library¡¯s front desk holding a notebook. ¡°We¡¯ll need your names, dearies,¡± she said, handing them a pen. ¡°We¡¯re keeping track of people for when we are rescued. You can see that we are quite full, but there might be some space in rows D and E. For some reason, no one wanted to hunker down in the cookbook section. Frederick, can you show them?¡± Frederick gave an exhausted sigh, then signaled the trio to follow him. Bethany looked around the library. The air was filled with anxious whispers. Some people were hunched over, staring at nothing. Many were injured, holding cloths over fresh wounds. Those that were healthy moved amongst the crowd, refilling water and given out what limited food they had to get them by. At the back of the self-help aisle, a nurse knelt next to a skinny man lying on his stomach. There was a needle laying at the man¡¯s side. Bethany watched her take the man¡¯s pulse, give a defeated sigh, then signal to a large man in a biker¡¯s jacket. The biker picked the skinny man up in his arms and carried him into a back room and out of sight. ¡°We¡¯re doing the best we can until help arrives,¡± Frederick said, following Bethany¡¯s gaze. ¡°A group went out this morning to find help. They haven¡¯t come back.¡± A chill rose in Bethany¡¯s spine. ¡°We¡¯re not here to stay,¡± she said. The library felt wrong. She remembered all the invisible creatures crawling along the library¡¯s ceiling the day before the contest began. What did they have planning for the library? ¡°And you should not stay either. Isn¡¯t there a way to get these people out of here?¡± "These people have nowhere else to go,¡± Frederick replied. ¡°Now, I¡¯m sorry, but I think you can find your own way from here. I¡¯ve got to go check on Edna. She¡¯s¡­ not all there, you see. I¡¯m not sure she even knows what is going on. Not really.¡± ¡°Thanks Frederick. You are very brave, staying to protect them. I hope you are rescued soon.¡± The words felt hollow, but it was all Bethany could think to say. Frederick simply nodded, then turned and walked back to the lobby. ¡°Bethany, do you want to lead the way?¡± asked Rocky, his eyes darting around the library. He looked as uncomfortable as Bethany felt. ¡°You guys go ahead. I actually do want to find a book. Just don¡¯t start without me,¡± Emily said as she strolled down the aisle labelled ¡®Religion¡¯. Emily looked at Rocky for an explanation, but Rocky simply shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s best just to let her do her thing. Once she gets an idea, there¡¯s no sense trying to talk her out of it.¡± Emily led Rocky to the door to the basement where she had met the horned beast. The plaque remain affixed to the door. G.A. 1-102, Thoth. ¡°Good. The plaque is still there,¡± Bethany said with relief. ¡°When I completed the Dolos Arena, the plaque vanished. I think an Arena can only be won once before it goes inactive. Which means there are only so many talents to go around. We are in a race to locate the arenas and complete them.¡± Bethany looked over at Rocky and saw his perplexed stare. ¡°Bethany, there is nothing there,¡± Rocky stated, running his hands along the door. ¡°I want to believe you, but...¡± ¡°I just need you to trust me, Rocky. The plaque is there,¡± Bethany interrupted. She glanced up at a winged eye sitting atop a row of manga comics, watching them. Had she already said too much? ¡°I trust you, Bethany,¡± Rocky said as he leaned against the wall to wait for Emily. A few minutes later, Emily appeared around the corner, her arms filled with a stack of hardcover books, their pages yellow and worn with age. ¡°Emily, do you really think we¡¯ll have that much time to read? When was the last time you even read a book?¡± teased Rocky. ¡°Last week, and shut up,¡± bit back Emily, thrusting two of the books into his arms. He fumbled with his axe, trying not to drop it as her cradled the books. She pass another book to Bethany, and then read the titles of the three in her arms. ¡°Gods of Ancient Mesopotamia. Religious Deities Throughout History. Mythical Figures that Changed The World. Bethany said she looked up who Dolos was when she first found the plaque on the washroom door. That knowledge helped her survive. So I thought we should do a little research on this Thoth guy before we walk through that door.¡± Emily was filled with smug satisfaction, and Bethany could not help but laugh. Rocky gave her a meaty thumbs up. ¡°Who knew you were such a bookworm, Emily. I thought your personality was exclusively composed of bravado and playful violence.¡± Emily smacked Rocky¡¯s shoulder, then winced and gripped her side. Rocky¡¯s smile faded, and he set the books down and placed his hand gently on her side. ¡°Is it still hurting? Better or worse than this morning?¡± he whispered to her. ¡°Worse,¡± Emily admitted, trying to hide the concern in her voice. ¡°Just a bit through. Try not to worry so much.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have to do this. We can go find a doctor, or head to the hospital.¡± ¡°No, Rocky. No doctors. You know how I feel about doctors. I¡¯ll be fine. We¡¯ll get some aspirin and bandages at the supermarket when we stop to pick up Bethany¡¯s car.¡± Rocky threw his hands up in the air. Bethany got the impression it wasn¡¯t the first time they¡¯d had this argument. ¡°Now, get reading,¡± directed Emily as she sat carefully on the carpeted floor and opened her first book. Bethany followed suit, and cracked open the cover of ¡°Legends of Chinese Immortals¡±. She started flipping through pages, eyes darting quickly across the pages as she searched for a relevant passage. It was Rocky that claimed success in ¡°The Gods of the Sands and Seas¡±. ¡°Here we go. Thoth is the Egyptian god of wisdom, writing, science, magic, and a bunch of other stuff. He¡¯s portrayed with the head of an ibis ¨C a green bird with this wicked pointy beak ¨C on the body of a man, and holds an ankh, the Egyptian symbol for life. He¡¯s often associated with arbitrating disputes and¡­um¡­judgment of the dead. Well, that doesn¡¯t sound promising.¡± ¡°No, but it gives us something,¡± Emily said, shutting her book with a gentle slam. ¡°At least we know who he is. Are we ready?¡± Bethany did not want to go through that door. She felt her heart pound in her chest and her knees grow weak. The faces of Daniel and Becka were floating in her mind as she remembered how they had held her down and forced the wine down her throat. Her Oracle Eye throbbed in her skull. ¡°Yes,¡± Bethany lied, her voice shaking. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± Rocky nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Emily opened the door to reveal steep stairs leading down towards the basement. The smell of musty books wafted up the passageway, reminding Bethany of things old and forgotten. Emily strode through the doorway without hesitation, and Rocky followed closely behind. Bethany glanced back at the library, wondering what lay ahead for them. She pushed the haunting memories of Dolos¡¯ Arena from her mind. ¡°I will not let my new friends face the danger alone,¡± she told herself, her fists clenched at her side. She strode through the doorway and shut it closed before she changed her mind. Chapter 18 - Shadows of their Past ¡°The past is never where you think you left it.¡± Katherine Anne Porter Emily held out her phone to illuminate the stairway as they descended. The darkness around them seemed to absorb what light there was, so that they could only see a single step in front of them. The worn wooden steps creaked and groaned as they descended, and Bethany began to wonder when the stairway would end. She started to count the steps on the way down. At fifty, the wooden steps became black stone speckled with flakes of gold, guiding them forward. At one hundred, Bethany glanced towards the ceiling and saw speckled light above them, as if they were gazing out at the night sky. At two hundred, Bethany could see her breath hanging in the air, as if it were deep winter, though there was no cold. Bethany lost count after three hundred, where the basement walls disappeared, leaving nothing except for darkness and a long fall if they should stumble. Bethany¡¯s heart raced, and she found herself having to dig deep for the bravery to take each perilous step. ¡°Dad used to take my sister Emma and I mountain climbing when we were kids,¡± Emily told them after Rocky nearly stumbled. ¡°He told us to point our feet straight down and let gravity do the rest. You¡¯ve been walking your whole lives, my children, he told us. Why would walking on a mountain be any different than walking down the sidewalk? He always had a way of making me feel brave, even when I was not.¡± Bethany felt a little bit braver after that, and every step became easier. Her heart still raced in her chest, but it felt more controlled. As if she were in control of it, rather than the other way around. Soon after that, the darkness faded away. Bethany could see their destination below. It was a large room, elegant in its simplicity. The room was constructed in a circle, the perfection of which would have made any engineer jealous. The walls were a perfect neutral grey, without a single distinguishing feature. The floor was composed of the same stone as the stairs, sparkling in a faint light. Bethany looked up and saw that the library was no longer there. It was the night¡¯s sky, starlight twinkling across an endless expansion as a full moon illuminated the room in its gentle midnight glow. In the centre of the room was a stone table, as perfectly circular as the room. Three stone chairs sat equidistant from each other around the table, waiting for the companions to complete their descent. ¡°I was in court once. It felt like this room,¡± Rocky remarked. ¡°Powerful. Almost heavy, as if the weight of the world were pressing down on my shoulders.¡± ¡°Why were you in court, Rocky?¡± teased Emily. ¡°Is the gentle giant I know a facade? Perhaps, buried deep within your chest lay the heart of a criminal?¡± Rocky simply gave her a sly smile, and Emily laughed until they reached the bottom. Bethany felt a wave of relief wash over her as she took the final step into the circular room. She did not know what lay in store for them now, but she was glad to be off those stairs. She glanced up at the staircase, its black and gold stone steps nearly invisible against the stary night sky. She started to wonder if they would have to climb back up but pushed the thought from her mind. Right now, they needed to figure out this room. ¡°Do we sit?¡± asked Rocky, walking up to one of the stone chairs. ¡°It feels¡­ familiar.¡± ¡°I guess so,¡± answered Bethany. She wondered if she should explore the room before she sat down, yet there seemed to be little reason to do so. She felt pulled towards the chairs, as if the room itself was tugging at her mind and drawing her in. It pulled her not to any chair, but to one specific chair. Her chair. She felt it in her bones and knew it in her soul. This stone chair was to be hers, and in that moment, nothing else seemed to matter. It had grown eerily silent. Rocky and Emily walked over to their chairs and sat down, as if they were in a trance. Bethany wondered why they had done so, but then suddenly found herself seated in her own chair. The stone was cold and unforgiving, and once Bethany had sat down, she found herself unable to rise. They were stuck there, bound in place, until its creator allowed them to leave. ¡°What¡­ what the hell,¡± Emily spat angrily, breaking out of her trance. ¡°Let me out of this chair, or I¡¯ll make you regret it.¡± A voice began to speak from the full moon high above them. Every syllable was heard crystal clear in their minds, so that there could be no mistaking its meaning. Thoth Arena. Judgment challenge. Subjects: Bethany Fox, Emily Desjarlais, Rocky MacMillian. Goal: Decide the fate of the souls of your dead. Time limit: Unlimited. You lose if the fate you decide for your judged soul deviates too far from the allowable range based upon their actions in life. Penalty for failure: Your life will be forfeited, and you shall share the fate decided for the soul you judged. ¡°Wait, what!¡± shouted Emily with disbelief, struggling to leave her chair. ¡°What the hell kind of challenge is this?¡± ¡°So it is a courtroom,¡± Rocky said with certainty, staring towards the middle of the table. ¡°And we are the judges.¡± Silence fell across the room, and in that silence three silhouettes formed upon the stone table, once in front of each of them. Each was transparent and featureless, as if a thin mist had taken on humanoid form. Yet the longer Bethany stared at her apparition, the more she could sense a familiarity about it. It was as if she could see it coming together in her mind, taking shape into someone that she knew. The bond kept growing stronger, and Bethany thought she knew¡­ ¡°Emma?¡± came Emily¡¯s cry from across the table, interrupting Bethany¡¯s thoughts. She looked over to see tears streaming down Emily¡¯s face as she reached out and touched her apparition¡¯s hand. ¡°Emma, is that you?¡± Bethany and Rocky¡¯s apparitions vanished, and Bethany felt a tear in her heart as the growing bond was severed. Bethany felt the pain of loss and knew she had felt that pain before. Emily¡¯s spirit started to take shape. Its form became denser, and its features grew clearer. It formed a nose and mouth, fingers and toes. It formed itself into a young girl wearing a green dress covered in mud. She was smiling from ear to ear, her two missing teeth granting her the type of childhood adorableness reserved for Christmas movies. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°Emily, is that¡­¡± Rocky started, wanting to run over and comfort her. ¡°My twin sister,¡± finished Emily, her voice cracking with grief. ¡°I remember the day she wore that dress. We went out to the creek after church to catch frogs. We were out there for hours, and Emily caught two. She gave me one because mine kept hopping away. We took them home and mom freaked out.¡± Emily laughed softly at the memory, cutting through her grief. The apparition began to change. Bethany watched the ghostly Emma age, becoming taller and more gangly. She started to get pimples and her hair was cropped short. She wore cut-off jeans and a white blouse, still stained with mud. Emily sat in awe as she watched her twin¡¯s life flash by in the silent shifts of the apparition. Bethany saw the tears streaming down Emily¡¯s face, and knew this story being told did not have a happy ending. ¡°Please, don¡¯t show me this,¡± Emily whispered, pleading for the apparition to stop growing up. All the bravery within Emily seemed to have failed her, and loss and guilt had taken its place. The room began to spin around them. Images appeared on the grey walls, growing into three dimensional projections as Emma aged. It was as if they were inside Emma¡¯s memories, watching and judging her most pivotal and precious moments from life. Bethany could now hear cheering around them, and the air smelled like her high school gymnasium. Emma was sixteen now. She was the star of her school volleyball team and was competing in the provincial championships. Her parents¡¯ passionate cheers could be heard in every corner of the gymnasium. It was a tied game, and she jumped high to spike down the winning shot. Only her foot slid from under her as she leapt. She landed hard on the floor and Bethany heard a sickening snap. The ball sailed wide, and Emma went down in a heap, clutching her knee in agony. A blinding flash of light filled the room, and the next moment they were in the hospital. Emma¡¯s leg was in a cast, and the doctor was whispering instructions to her parents. He handed her parents a bottle of pills as Emma wept. There was another flash. They were in Emma¡¯s room, her blankets thrown to the floor and her leg propped up on a pillow as she lay in bed. Her eyes were glazed over, and she stared mindlessly at the ceiling. The bottle of pills lay beside her, opened. Her schoolbooks were scattered on the floor below her, forgotten. Flash. Emma was no longer in her cast. She stared at herself in the mirror, wishing she did not feel so weak. She stared at the empty bottle of pills that lay upended on the bathroom counter, then reached into her purse and withdrew a small baggie and a needle. She needed this. The pain was too much. Flash. Emma was seventeen. She was lying on the kitchen floor surrounded by paramedics. Emily was screaming over her, begging her to come back. Emma sputtered and vomited on the floor, and the paramedics took her to the hospital. ¡°Please, I can¡¯t live through this again,¡± begged Emily. ¡°Just let it end.¡± Flash. Emma was eighteen. She was skinny and her face was covered with open sores. She hadn¡¯t been to school. She was crouched in an alley with a needle in her arm, already wondering where she would get her next fix. She cried in shame when Emily found her lying there and gently withdrew her needle. Flash. Emma was nineteen. Her parents were arguing with each other as she swayed at the kitchen table. Their eyes were exhausted and grey, their passion for their daughter long since left behind. Her mother was going through Emma¡¯s purse and removing her stolen earrings and necklace. She handed the baggie of pills to her husband to flush down the toilet. They called the rehab clinic to make another appointment. Flash. Emma was twenty. Emma watched from a daze as Emily stormed out of the house, throwing her last suitcase in the back of her car. Her parents pleaded with her not to go, but Emily could no longer be responsible for Emma. The sister she had loved was gone, and she had her own life to live. ¡°It was the last time I ever saw her,¡± Emily whimpered, her voice thick with intense guilt. Flash. Emma was twenty-two. It was her fifth attempt at rehab. This one had been expensive because no other provider would take her. She had lasted two days. Flash. Emma was twenty-three. She leaned up against a dumpster in an alley, another needle in her arm. Her head rolled side to side as she tried to find that mindless bliss. Her parents had put their house up for sale that afternoon to pay for another attempt at rehab. She¡¯d been such a burden to them. Perhaps this time, she would use two needles to numb the pain. Perhaps, it was best that she not wake up again. The memories ended and Emma¡¯s apparition stopped changing. Her arms hung limply at her side as she stared at Emily with lifeless eyes. Bethany wiped the tears from her eyes. She hadn¡¯t even realized she was crying. Emily¡¯s face was pale and drained. The stone table below her face was wet and she made no move to stop the flow of tears as they fell. ¡°Choose the fate of her soul,¡± spoke Thoth, the Voice of Judgment. ¡°Is that actually her soul?¡± Rocky asked clumsily, staring up at the moon. ¡°Thoth does not deal in falsities and fabrications. I left Emma¡¯s soul unjudged for this moment, so she could be judged by her twin sister,¡± answered Thoth, his voice cold and distant. ¡°How can I?¡± Emily said weakly, her voice laced with deep sorrow. ¡°How can I judge her? I abandoned her. I left her to die. I was too selfish to stay, so sick of not being able to live my own life. I left her to rot away in that alley.¡± ¡°Emily, you did what you could,¡± comforted Rocky. ¡°There is no one to blame. Not your parents. Not Emma. And not you. Not you, Emily.¡± Emily dropped her head to the table, covering it with her arms. Her weeping echoed off the walls of the room, and Bethany felt her sorrow pierce her soul. Bethany and Rocky sat in silence, and let Emily process her grief as their own tears fell. It wasn¡¯t Emma¡¯s fault. Rocky¡¯s words rang in Bethany¡¯s ears. Her father was an alcoholic. An addict. Yet Bethany blamed him for the suffering he had inflicted in her life. Would she ever forgive her father for that? Bethany shook her head. The concept was alien to her, and it was not a thought she wanted to explore. After some time, Emily stopped crying. She slowly raised her head from the table, sat up straight and looking into Emma¡¯s eyes. ¡°Emma, I miss you. I miss you so much. You will always be my sister. I¡¯m sorry I was not there for you.¡± Emily looked up towards the moon. ¡°I know the judgment I want to impart. Emma¡¯s life was stolen from her, so I chose to give her a second chance. I want her to live the life she could have had.¡± ¡°You choose reincarnation?¡± asked Thoth curiously. ¡°If that is what that means, then yes, I do.¡± ¡°Then know this, Emily Desjarlais. If this is your judgment, your sister¡¯s soul shall lose all memories of this life. When you pass into the afterlife, you will not be reunited with her. And when her soul returns to the afterlife after her second chance, you will know her, but she will not know you. That knowledge will stay with you for all time. Do you still believe your judgment to be correct? Emily hesitated. She stared up at the soul of her sister, gazing into her lifeless eyes. ¡°I do,¡± whispered Emily, her judgment filling the room. There was a tense silence as Thoth considered her judgement. ¡°This judgment¡­.is within the bounds of allowable justice. Her spirit shall begin anew, free from the memories and burdens of her past life.¡± Emma¡¯s spirit started to fade away. A small smile appeared on the apparition¡¯s face, and there was a spark of life in her eyes before she vanished. And then she was gone, and Emily was alone. ¡°May you find your peace, Emma.¡± Emily prayed, wiping away her last tears. ¡°And I will try to find mine.¡± She wiped away her last tears with the back of her wrist, then slumped forward in her chair, exhausted. Bethany wanted to run over and embrace Emily. But she was still unable to move from the stone chair. Rocky and Bethany¡¯s spirits returned to the table. Bethany felt the bond that had been growing between her and her apparition return and begin to strengthen once again. And she wondered which of them would be next. Chapter 19 - The Enemy ¡°If you have an enemy, then learn and know your enemy, just don¡¯t be mad at him.¡± Denzel Washington Bethany observed her apparition, feeling the bonds of familiarity slip into place. The air around her began to change. She could smell whiskey-soaked carpets and mildew in the air. A perfect reflection of the scents of her childhood, from the home she had fled. She heard a soothing laughter in her ear. A laughter that had comforted her many times after being subjected to her father¡¯s anger. The apparition began to take shape, an elderly woman in a yellow flower dress. ¡°Grand¡­¡± Bethany started, her voice breaking with grief. ¡°You! It¡¯s you!¡± Rocky yelled in anger, his voice soaked with pain and hatred. Bethany tore her gaze away from her apparition, and towards the gentle giant. He was trying to rise from his chair, his hands outstretched as he reached for his apparition, attempting to strangle it. His anger shocked Bethany, and broke Emily from her grief. The apparition in front of Bethany vanished, and Bethany felt a touch of pain as the growing bond was severed once more. ¡°Rocky, what¡¯s wrong? Who is it?¡± Emily asked, trying to calm her friend. The apparition started to take shape. The transparent whisps darkened and solidified, forming into a muscular teenager with roughly cut blond hair. He was dressed in black jeans, a white dress shirt, and a private school vest. His bent nose had been broken multiple times, but he was a handsome man, and his sneer told Bethany that he knew it. ¡°Brad,¡± spat Rocky. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m going to enjoy this judgment.¡± Bethany was taken back, and Emily looked towards Rocky in shock. ¡°Who is that?¡± Emily asked again. ¡°You¡¯ve never told me about him before. I¡¯ve never seen you hate anyone before.¡± Emily¡¯s voice had a hint of hurt that did not come from her experience with Emma. Bethany realized Emily had thought she knew everything there was to know about Rocky, and now knew he had kept this from her. ¡°He is someone I wanted to forget,¡± answered Rocky with venom. ¡°Brad Henderson. He made my life in school miserable. He was relentless. He made every day worse than the one before it. I¡­I tried¡­¡± Rocky¡¯s anger started to quickly fade, as if his lack of experience being angry made it fragile to maintain. Then his expression moved from anger to uncertainty as the spirit of Brad began to stare down at Rocky with contempt in its eyes. Bethany watched as Rocky unconsciously tried to inch himself further from the spirit, but he could not move from the stone chair. The teenaged Brad began to shift, growing small and skinny. The grey walls around them began to spin again, and the room filled with the sounds of laughing children. Brad was suddenly an eleven-year-old boy, sitting at the back of his classroom as a new student stood beside their teacher and was being introduced to his new classmates. The new student looked so familiar¡­ ¡°Is that¡­ you, Rocky?¡± Bethany asked. He had the same kindly eyes and facial features as the giant man who sat across the stone table, but that was where the similarities ended. Young Rocky was the smallest kid in the class, with long greasy hair clinging to his back. He was skinny and weak, without an ounce of muscle on his frame. His knees shook from the attention. He looked like a breeze could knock him over. His shirt had been torn and stitched back together, though the stitching was starting to come lose. Rocky did not answer. He had closed his eyes, knowing what was to come. Brad sneered and opened the top of his desk to the storage space beneath. He pulled out the overripe pear he had stashed there last month. It oozed in his hand, and Brad held his breath to avoid the smell. He had been saving the pear for just such an occasion. Brad hurled the pear through the air, and it struck Rocky in the forehead. The pear disintegrated, its rotten flesh cascading over Rocky¡¯s tiny frame and its stench filling the room. In his shock, Rocky fell backwards, and struck his head against the chalkboard. He landed in a heap on the classroom floor, the sound of Brad¡¯s laughter in his ear. ¡°That¡­ that was how it began,¡± whispered Rocky. ¡°I was so excited to start in a new school. We¡­ we didn¡¯t live a privileged life when I was young, and school was my sanctuary. He took that away from me. He took it all away from me.¡± The room was encased in a bright light as the scene changed. Brad was now twelve years old. Rocky lay beneath him, curled into a ball with a bloodied nose. He picked up Rocky¡¯s backpack and dumped its contents into a nearby creek. Textbooks sank to the bottom and homework pages floated downstream. Brad reached into the empty backpack and poked his finger through one of its many holes. He dropped it on the ground beside the creek and stomped on it to drive it into the mud. He leveled a kick at Rocky¡¯s chest, and Rocky gave a gasp of pain. ¡°Next time, you will call me Mr. Henderson, and¡­ and you will lick my boot if I tell you too. You got that, Balboa?¡± Brad sneered as he walked away, leaving Rocky lying in the mud. ¡°He used to call me Balboa, after the Sylvester Stallone character,¡± Rocky explained reluctantly. ¡°To remind me just how weak I was.¡± The scene changed again in another bright flash. Brad was thirteen. He held Rocky¡¯s head in a toilet bowl at school and listened to Rocky try to scream. He only pulled Rocky¡¯s head up when he felt Rocky stop struggling. Rocky spat out the water and lay across the bowl limply as Brad took off Rocky¡¯s jeans. Brad laughed as he left Rocky lying there, and disposed of the jeans in the nearest trash can. Flash. Brad was fifteen. He watched as Rocky emerged from his therapist¡¯s office. Brad had known Rocky would be there. Brad had stolen the referral sheet from the school counselor¡¯s office, and then made sure his own therapist appointments coincided with Rocky¡¯s. After all, he needed to take out his post therapy anger on someone. Moments later, Brad shoved Rocky up against the wall of a nearby building and kicked him sharply in the stomach. Rocky was fatter now, in an unhealthy way, and he collapsed forward, bend over. ¡°I hope you had a good session, Balboa. Let¡¯s make sure you need to keep having them.¡± Brad laughed, then bent down beside the prone boy. When Brad left the alley, his knuckles were covered in Rocky¡¯s blood. Flash. Brad was seventeen. Rocky lay on the ground, unconscious and bloody, with his arm bent at an unnatural angle. Rocky was at least three hundred and fifty pounds now and struggled to breathe. Police car lights flashed blue and red behind Brad, but Brad did not try to flee. He just stared down at the pile of flab in front of him as he was handcuffed and led him to the back of their car. An ambulance arrived and two paramedics jumped out and rushed over to Rocky¡¯s side while a third paramedic radioed for additional support. Rocky was too large for the three of them to carry. The scenes stopped changing and ended with Brad being taken away by the police. ¡°Six years,¡± whispered Rocky, his anger and pain seeping out in every syllable. ¡°He tormented me for six years. And I had no one. I spent my childhood moving from foster home to foster home. I didn¡¯t eat, until one day I could not stop eating. I was sent to a therapist, but every time I went, Brad was there, waiting for me. So I never got the help I needed. Every day, he set out to make my life hell. Until that day. I spent three weeks in the hospital, and they were the best three weeks of my life. And when I returned, he was gone. I never saw him again.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Rocky took a deep breath. ¡°But the trauma never left. I couldn¡¯t enter the bathroom at school without a panic attack. Sitting in class made me break out in a sweat. I could not focus, and I failed every class. So I dropped out of school. I worked dead end job after dead end job, completely alone and afraid. And it was all because of him.¡± Rocky gazed up at the moon above them, vengeance in his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m ready to make my judgment on this bastard. You can take his soul and send it straight to h¡­¡± ¡°Rocky, wait!¡± shouted Bethany urgently. ¡°Something isn¡¯t right.¡± Rocky paused, uncertain. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just¡­I don¡¯t know. He did horrible things to you. I know how you feel. Trust me, I know. But something feels off. Doesn¡¯t it seem so¡­ one sided?¡± ¡°You think there was another side to this monster?¡± Rockey asked, incredulously. ¡°She¡¯s right, Rocky,¡± piped up Emily. ¡°Think about it. Emma¡¯s memories were her memories, not my own. It showed her struggles and her emotions. It showed me events that I did not know about.¡± Emily took a deep breath, steeling herself for her next point. ¡°And it showed me how she died. I never knew she¡­ she didn¡¯t want to live anymore.¡± Tears returned to Emily¡¯s eyes, but she forced them down. ¡°You did not see Brad¡¯s life. You only saw what you already knew.¡± Rocky blinked. Then he blinked again, everything clicking into place. He stared up at Brad¡¯s apparition, and its lifeless eyes stared back from the police car. Then Rocky started to laugh. A lively laugh that was as out of place as anything could be. ¡°Oh, that is good Thoth. That is very good. And I nearly fell for it. But you forgot one thing about my story. I didn¡¯t stay alone forever. I found a friend. Emily Desjarlais. The smartest, bravest, and most amazing woman in the world, who made me who I am today.¡± Across the table, Bethany saw Emily blush. She tried to hide it in her palms, but Bethany had seen her, and it made her smile. Rocky looked back up at the moon, his arms crossed and leaning back in his stone chair. ¡°Show me the full story Thoth. Show me Brad the man, not Brad the monster.¡± The room began to shift, and there was a bright flash. Brad was eleven. He was sitting on a couch, his stomach growling. His parents had not been home in three days and his fifteen-year-old brother had abandoned him to crash another drunken party. There was no power as his father had not paid the bill. So Brad sat in the dark, his only company the familiar loneliness that filled the once vibrant home, wishing someone would remember he existed. Flash. Brad was twelve. He stood in front of a full-length mirror, his brother¡¯s football jersey hanging loose on his skinny frame. He imagined himself as the star of the team, just like his brother, adored by teachers and classmates alike. Then his brother burst into the room. He grabbed Brad by the neck and slammed him against the mirror. The mirror fractured and shards of glass fell at his feet. His brother ripped the jersey from him and threw him to the ground, the shards of glass cutting across his bare chest. He curled into a ball as his brother kicked him hard and lay there long after his brother had left. Flash. Brad was thirteen. His brother held him under the shower, forcing his mouth open. Water filled his lungs as he tried to gasp for air. Just before he fell unconscious, his brother pulled him out and threw him to the bathroom floor. He grabbed Brad by the collar and dragged him to Brad¡¯s room. His brother reached under Brad¡¯s bed and pulled out an almost empty whisky bottle. His brother was furious. He drank the last drops of whisky, then smashed the bottle over Brad¡¯s head. Flash. Brad was fifteen. He watched as the police led his brother away in handcuffs in the dead of night, emergency lights illuminating their home. Brad could hear words like ¡®gang¡¯ and ¡®murder¡¯, but he was led away by his social worker before he could hear more. His social worker started asking him questions. No, he did not know where his parents were. They were not around much. Couldn¡¯t he stay here? He didn¡¯t want to go into foster care. No, he didn¡¯t have much that he wanted to bring with him. Flash. Brad was seventeen. He had been kicked out of his sixth foster home. The province had run out of options and could no longer help him. What would he do? Where would he go? He was scared and angrier than he had ever been. Everyone abandoned him. His parents, his brother, his foster parents, and, just now, his therapist, who had found out about him bullying Rocky. Then Brad spotted Rocky leaving his appointment, and he decided what to do next. After all, his brother said prison meals weren¡¯t that bad. Rocky gaped as the images cycled through the hidden aspects of Brad¡¯s life. He felt his anger fade away little by little as each memory passed by. Flash. Brad was twenty. He had just finished his third stint in jail. He gripped his meager belongings in arms, waiting for the bus to arrive. This time it would be different. This time, he did not intend to go back. It was time for a fresh start. He clutched the address of his probation worker tightly in his hand, as if it were his last lifeline. Flash. Brad was twenty-three. His stepson laughed as Brad bounced him on his knee. Across the room, his girlfriend slept upright in the raggedy chair they had scavenged from a dumpster, her snores filling the room. Their newborn daughter rested comfortably on her shoulder, asleep with her mother. Brad set his son in his playpen and ruffled his hair lovingly, then walked quietly over to his girlfriend and lifted his daughter off her shoulder. His girlfriend nearly woke up, but Brad gently covered her with a blanket, and she fell back into a peaceful slumber. He lay back on the couch with his daughter on his chest and stared at the ceiling. He gave a silent thank you, then drifted off to sleep. Flash. Brad was twenty-six. He had just finished his night shift and was driving home in darkness. He saw a glow in the distance. It was too early for sunrise, and it was in the wrong direction. Brad felt panic surge within him, and he stepped on the gas. When he screeched to a stop in front of their home, it was engulfed in flames. His wife and children were nowhere to be seen. Brad ran into their home, screaming their names. The flames licked at his skin and the smoke burned his lungs, but he pushed on. Their bedroom was so close, and the door was shut. Suddenly, there was a crack from above, and the roof of the old house started to give way. Brad could faintly hear sirens in the distance, and he knew he should leave. But he knew his wife and child were here. He just knew. He was having trouble seeing now. He felt faint. Sleepy. Brad collapsed to the ground, a foot away from the door, and his life was consumed in smoke and fire. Brad¡¯s apparition stood before Rocky, with blackened flesh visible across his body. The price of a brave act in the last moments of his life. The lifeless eyes still stared at Rocky, but they were now touched with a deep sorrow. A man who had finally found happiness and had it taken away. Rocky¡¯s head was bowed. Bethany expected to see tears or anger in Rocky¡¯s eyes, but when he lifted his head, she could only see calculation. Rocky sat in silence for a long while, playing through the options in his head. And eventually, he decided which way to go. ¡°It took me a long time to find myself,¡± Rocky started. ¡°I tried therapy. I tried medication. I tried forgetting. Each one brought me just a little bit closer, until I had filled enough of the cracks in my own soul to want to live again. But there was one last crack that kept me from being whole. Something I was never able to do in all those years. Until now.¡± Rocky raised his head towards the spirit. ¡°I forgive you Brad. I forgive you for what you did when we were young. I am glad you found a small slice of happiness, even if you only had it for a short while. And I hope you find that happiness again, as your spirit moves on.¡± Rocky raised his head to the moon, his voice cracking. ¡°Here is my judgment. Brad has suffered enough in this life. He did wrong, and he had wrong done to him. It is time for us both to leave the pain behind. Send his soul to his family, so that he may regain the happiness he lost and be better for it.¡± There was silence as Thoth considered Rocky¡¯s judgment. ¡°Your choice¡­.is within the bounds of justice. His spirit shall ascent to the heavens, and be reunited with those that were lost, unshackled from the guilt that has tied him to the mortal plains.¡± Rocky watched as Brad¡¯s spirit dissolved away, and Rocky felt his long-hidden anger disappear with him. ¡°To judge another, one must be first willing to truly understand them. To see beyond one¡¯s own narrow view. The same is true in The God Contest. You must learn to think beyond what stands in front of you and look for hidden depths of meaning beyond its surface. You have taken that first step today.¡± Rocky¡¯s eyes grew damp, and he let out a soft whisper. He turned towards Bethany and Emily. ¡°If it hadn¡¯t been for you, I would have condemned him. I would have condemned us all.¡± ¡°But you didn¡¯t,¡± replied Emily, lovingly. ¡°We are in this together. We have each other¡¯s backs. Now let¡¯s finish this.¡± Emily turned her head to Bethany and gave her a supportive nod. Bethany¡¯s apparition reappeared and the bond was formed anew. ¡°I know who you are,¡± Bethany spoke, as she reached out for her spirit. ¡°I miss you, grandma.¡± Chapter 20 - Misplaced Love ¡°Failure is not a single, cataclysmic event. Failure is a few errors in judgement, repeated day after day.¡± Jim Rohn Bethany¡¯s grandmother stood before her, in her faded yellow and pink floral dress. It was the one she had been buried in. She looked tired, her wrinkled skin hanging loosely on her bones. Her eyes were droopy and grey, but they darted around the room as if searching for something that she had lost. Her eyes fell on Bethany, but then left just as quickly as she resumed her search. ¡°Umm¡­ Grandma? It¡¯s¡­ it''s Bethany. Your granddaughter,¡± Bethany said awkwardly. Had her dementia followed her beyond death? When her grandmother had been close to the end, she had started to forget who Bethany was. It was in those moments that Bethany had felt truly alone. Her grandmother had been her only friend, her rock, and her only guardian against the anger and violence of her father. It was from her whom Bethany sought comfort in those dark times. She had wanted them to escape her father together, but her grandmother¡¯s illness had taken that option away from her. ¡°Come on, Thoth¡± Bethany shouted, her voice cracking as emotion started to fracture the thin armor of bravery she had built. ¡°Show me what I need to know, so I can lead her soul to a peaceful rest.¡± Bethany watched her grandmother¡¯s apparition become younger. Her wrinkles disappeared and her skin grew taught and healthy. Her white hair became blond and extended down her back, then fashioned itself into a ponytail. She had the same green eyes that Bethany remembered, and they were filled with intense love and hope for the future. The grey walls began to shift, and the air smelled sterile. Steel beds with white linen formed around them, projecting the image of an old hospital room from the 1960s. Bethany could hear the nurses softly chatting in the background as a newborn baby cried. Her young grandmother was lying on a hospital bed, sweat beaded on her brow. Harriet Fox was a new mother. She held her crying baby boy to her breast, her fingers wrapped protectively around his back. Tears of joy streamed down her face. It had finally happened. After years of trying, after years of failures, she was now a mother of a healthy baby boy. She named him Billy, after the father she had lost. He would be hers forever, and she promised she would dedicate her life to protecting him. No matter what. Bethany stared at the baby boy in her grandmother¡¯s arms. Her father. He looked so small and innocent. Was that really the child that would grow up angry and abusive? ¡°I¡¯m sorry, grandmother,¡± Bethany said in a sorrowful tone. ¡°He¡¯s not going to grow up how you wanted. You tried your best, but he was broken from the start.¡± ¡°Bethany,¡± Emily said, concerned. ¡°Your father¡­ the bruise on your cheek. Did he¡­¡± Emily did not finish the thought, and Bethany did not answer. The grey walls began to spin and there was a bright flash. A new scene appeared before her. Harriet sat across from Billy¡¯s teacher. The teacher was describing an incident that had happened in the schoolyard. Billy had pushed a young girl off the top of the monkey bars, and she had broken her arm. It was the third incident in as many months. Harriet looked over at her son, playing in the corner without a care in the world. ¡°Boys will be boys, Ms. Finch,¡± Harriet said dismissively. ¡°And girls will be girls. Billy said Edna fell on her own and lied to get him into trouble, and I believe him. Perhaps you should do a better job supervising your students.¡± Bethany could not believe what she was hearing. Her grandmother had been so dismissive of the notion that her son might have been at fault. So quick to attack those who she saw as a threat. It was not the grandmother that she knew. The scene changed again in a blinding flash. Harriet walked down the school corridor beside a teenaged Billy, carrying his belongings in his arm. It was the third school that had expelled Billy. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Billy,¡± Harriot said supportively. ¡°The world is out to get you, but I will protect you from it. They are simply jealous of how special you are. Don¡¯t you think about that Veronica girl anymore. I¡¯m sure she deserved what happened to her.¡± ¡°That¡­ that can¡¯t be¡­,¡± Bethany whispered, feeling shaken to her core. Her grandmother was a sweet woman. The only one besides her mother who had ever cared for her. This couldn¡¯t be her. It must be a lie. Flash. Harriet sat in the front row of the church as Billy married Alice, his high school sweetheart. She wept tears of joy. Alice was such a calming influence on Billy. He hardly ever lashed out at others anymore, and the baby on the way would help. Harriet gazed at Alice¡¯s face. Good, Alice had done well with her make-up. You could hardly see the bruises anymore. Bethany stared at the image of her pregnant mother. She looked so young, but there was a heaviness in her eyes. The same heaviness that Bethany had glimpsed in her own eyes on the worst of nights, when her father was deep in the bottle. Flash. Harriet was a new grandmother. She wanted to hold baby Bethany, but Alice refused to let her. Alice clung to Bethany, her fingers wrapped around Bethany¡¯s tiny body as if she were the only thing protecting the baby from a cruel world. Harriot wished Billy was here to scold Alice, but he would return from the bar shortly. Alice would need her rest after Billy set her straight, and then Harriet could hold Bethany. Flash. A drunk Billy towered over a ten-year-old Bethany, his mind rattled from Alice¡¯s death. Billy had said it was a suicide, and Harriet took him at his word. Billy slapped Bethany across the face in sorrow-fueled anger, and Bethany fell onto her bed in a fetal position, paralyzed with fear and the taste of blood in her mouth. Her father struck her again and again as she lay there, unprotected. Harriet watched from the doorway in shock. She did not understand what was happening. Her son would not strike his child. He wouldn¡¯t do that. If he did not stop, the police might take him away. She could not let that happen. She could not lose her only son. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Harriet grabbed her son¡¯s shoulder and pulled him away from Bethany. She whispered in his ear, and Billy calmed down. He left the room, fell onto the couch, and returned to his whisky bottle. Harriet sat at Bethany¡¯s bedside and used her handkerchief to wipe the blood from Bethany¡¯s mouth. ¡°Be brave, little bee. He didn¡¯t mean it. He¡¯s not himself. You know how he gets when he drinks. Don¡¯t you worry about a thing. I¡¯m here.¡± The scenes quickly accelerated, displaying instance after instance of her father abusing Bethany. Each time, Harriet was there to excuse Billy¡¯s actions. Flash. ¡°Be brave, little bee. He didn¡¯t mean it.¡± Flash. ¡°Be brave, little bee. He¡¯s not himself.¡± Flash. ¡°Be brave, little bee. Don¡¯t you worry about a thing. I¡¯ll keep you safe.¡± Be brave, little bee. How many times had Bethany repeated her grandmother¡¯s words when she needed to be brave? She knew at that moment she would never utter them again. The words would feel like poison on her lips. She saw Emily and Rocky staring at her, speechless, their eyes filled with tears as they watched the life of their new friend told in the language of violence and neglect. The scene changed once more, and Bethany knew in her heart which one it would be. The worst night of her life. The night that would lead to her plan to escape from her father. The plan that would lead her to Regina and to the God Contest. Flash. Harriet sat in the hospital on Bethany¡¯s sixteenth birthday. Bethany was in another room being treated for her injuries. Harriet¡¯s mind had started to grow fuzzy in recent months, but she always remembered the one thing - the only thing - that mattered. The promise she had made when Billy was born. To dedicate her life to protecting her son. So when the nurse skeptically asked whether Bethany¡¯s injuries were from an attempted suicide, as Billy had claimed, she had confirmed Billy¡¯s story. Yes, her granddaughter had attempted suicide. She was a troubled girl. A liar. She could not be trusted. Her mother has committed suicide six years ago and Bethany had never recovered. Her father and I try our best, but there is only so much you can do with girls like that. Her grandmother¡¯s words felt like a blow to her heart. Bethany sat in utter silence, struggling to breathe as emotions overwhelmed her. Flash. Harriet lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. She did not know where she was. She could not remember who she was. Her mind was almost gone. She felt tired, unable to keep a grip on the world. She felt like she was floating, and suddenly she realized she was dying. A teenaged girl with a long brown ponytail, freckles, and green eyes stood over her. She did not recognize the girl, but those eyes reminded her of her son. She remembered her son. She was his world, and she would protect him. Always. Harriet released her final breath in this world, and she drifted away. The scenes around them stopped, and Harriet¡¯s apparition returned to the table, lifeless in her yellow flower dress. After Emily and Rocky¡¯s apparitions, Bethany had been prepared for tears. Yet it was not sorrow that Bethany felt right now. It was sheer, uncontainable anger. Bethany slammed her hand down on the table so hard that it went numb. Emily and Rocky startled at the fury of her blow. ¡°Bethany, are you¡­,¡± Emily started to say, wanting to run over and embrace Bethany but still held fast in her chair. ¡°How many times?¡± spat Bethany, staring her grandmother in the eye. ¡°How many times did you look the other way for him? How many excuses did you make? How many lies did you tell? You could have ended all of it had you spoken up.¡± The spirit just stood there, as if Bethany¡¯s words were meaningless. ¡°How many of his beatings did mom take? How many did I?¡± Bethany was screaming now, Emily and Rocky¡¯s comforting voices lost in the cascade of anger that flowed from her. Her Oracle Eye began to glow, and before she realized it, she held her ball-peen hammer and wrapped threads of golden light around its form. She rose from her stone chair, the invisible bonds that held her down straining and snapping in her anger. She grasped her hammer of light with both hands and swung the hammer through her grandmother¡¯s ghostly form. The hammer of light struck the stone table and shattered the stone in front of Bethany. Debris scattered along the floor, and then a resounding crack filled the room as the stone table split in two. The sound echoed off the walls and carried into the night sky above. ¡°Bethany, calm down!¡± shouted Emily, the fear in her voice breaking through Bethany¡¯s anger. ¡°We aren¡¯t done the challenge yet!¡± Bethany looked down at the damage she had wrought, and the hammer of light faded away. She clasped her hands over her mouth, shocked at what her anger had wrought. She fell back into her chair, and the invisible threads re-established their control and pulled her backwards. Bethany did not fight it. She felt her anger fade away, and her Oracle Eye returned to its milky whiteness. ¡°Feel better?¡± Rocky asked sarcastically. Bethany looked over at him, and Rocky gave her the widest, goofiest smile she had ever seen. It was so out of place that Bethany burst out laughing. Emily and Rocky joined her soon after, and their combined laughter filled the room. ¡°Your grandmother was a real piece of work,¡± concluded Emily, after their laugher had died down. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to go through that, Bethany.¡± ¡°She was all I had in the world,¡± replied Bethany. ¡°She was my rock. She was my protector. Or I thought she was. I stayed in that house and cared for her when her mind started to fade, even as my father¡¯s beatings grew worse. I should have left the moment mom died. She wouldn¡¯t have noticed. In the end, everything was always about him.¡± ¡°It seems like we all have something in common,¡± added Rocky. ¡°We all have something in our past that has held us back and shaped who we are today.¡± He looked over at Bethany. ¡°I forgave Brad. Will you forgive your grandmother?¡± Bethany glanced up at her grandmother¡¯s apparition. ¡°No,¡± Bethany declared. ¡°No, this is not the same thing. Despite his terrible past, Brad grew into a loving husband and father. Harriet never did. From the day my father was born, everything she did was for him, and him alone. He was all she cared for in this world.¡± Emily and Rocky wanted to argue. They wanted to tell her she was wrong. But they had seen Harriet¡¯s life play out, and they knew Bethany spoke the truth. Bethany could feel the final tether that connected her to her old life breaking away, like a branch in a hurricane. Her only positive memory of home had been blown away, leaving nothing but the anguish of her childhood laid bare. Bethany looked towards the moon and rendered her judgment on the soul of Harriet Fox. ¡°Harriet Fox lived for her son. From the moment he was born, she only had eyes for him. Every decision she made, she made for him. Her spirit¡¯s fate should reflect this. She should remain in limbo, contemplating her choices, until she is reunited with her son. And if she does not deviate from the path she made in life, may her soul receive the same fate as her son when it is time for his soul to be judged.¡± Bethany finished her declaration and looked to Rocky and Emily. They returned her gaze with silent nods. ¡°That is my judgment,¡± she finished, and she leaned back in her stone chair, exhausted. The moon¡¯s grey light pulsed, and Thoth¡¯s voice echoed across the room. ¡°Forgiveness is a gift, and it can be cathartic for the living. But if it is given too readily in the judgment of souls, forgiveness becomes meaningless. A soul must have the insight to know they have done wrong for forgiveness to be appropriate. Your judgment grants Harriet Fox the time to develop this insight. Yet time is a precious gift for a soul, not lightly given. I must think on this.¡± The voice faded away, leaving only silence. Bethany felt the bonds that held her to the stone chair break away. Their tasks in the Arena were complete. All that remained was Thoth¡¯s final judgment. Chapter 21 - Thoths Rewards, Part One ¡°The reward of one duty is the power to fulfil another.¡± George Eliot ¡°Finally! My back was killing me. Those stone chairs are not comfortable to sit in,¡± Rocky said, arching his back until it gave a satisfying crack. A moment later, Emily flung herself into his arms and embraced him. She hissed from the pain in her ribs but did not stop. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me what you went through?¡± she accused, lightly slamming her fist against his shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s the kind of thing you tell your best friend.¡± Rocky looked embarrassed. ¡°Emily, you are the only friend I¡¯ve ever had. I didn¡¯t want to scare you away.¡± Emily punched him playfully in the belly. ¡°You big lummox. You¡¯d have to do more than that to scare me away. I¡¯m never going to leave your side.¡± Rocky wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. ¡°I¡¯m never going to leave you either.¡± Bethany stood awkwardly against the shattered stone table, watching the friends embrace. They had each other to lean on in hard times. What did she have? The final bonds with her old life had been shattered in the Arena. Where did she belong now? Emily provided her with an answer as she stretched out her arm and waved to Bethany. ¡°Come on Bethany. Join the hug. You¡¯re one of us now.¡± Rocky laughed and extended his arm as well. ¡°Emily says its like hugging a fluffy cloud, though hugging her is like holding a muscular, and often violent, twig.¡± Emily punched Rocky playfully, and Rocky laughed. Bethany felt her smile grow, and she walked over into her new friends¡¯ embrace. The Arena had severed her past, but it had also given her a future. She had been given a crash course in the trials and tragedies of her new friends¡¯ lives, and in the process, she had grown to trust them. There was no doubt or hesitation in her mind that she would stay by their side, whatever this God Contest had to throw at them. They stayed together like that until the voice of Thoth returned. ¡°Bethany Fox, I have deliberated with my fellow gods of judgment. We decided that your choice, though unexpected, is within the range of justice allowable for your grandmother. Her spirit shall wander the realm of purgatory, until it encounters the spirit of her son. Her final judgment shall weigh the insights she gains during her wanderings. May she learn in death what she failed to learn in life.¡± The moon brightened, bathing the room in the bright glow. Winged Eyes flew down from the sky above, circling above the trio to capture their reactions to the final judgment. Bethany thought could hear the distant sound of a cheering crowd. It was growing louder by the moment, and soon Rocky and Emily could hear it too. ¡°What the hell is that?¡± asked Emily. ¡°Our audience, I¡¯m guessing,¡± responded Rocky, staring into one of the Winged Eyes that was hovering in front of him. ¡°Hey, this is the same damn eye that has been following us around. How did it get here?¡± Bethany looked at the eye floating beside her and recognized it. ¡°Jitters?¡± she asked. The eye bobbed in the air excitedly, as if it were proud of the human it had been assigned to. Thoth¡¯s voice boomed out across the night sky. ¡°My fellow Gods. These mortals have demonstrated intelligence and sound judgment in my Arena. I am pleased to present them with their rewards. May they find themselves at the end of The God Contest, victorious.¡± Bethany raised her head. This was different than the Arena of Dolos. There, three gold discs had appeared, and she had to choose one. Did every Arena have its own rewards rules as well? ¡°Emily Desjarlais,¡± Thoth announced to the crowd. The bright light of the moon fell upon Emily, illuminating her like a spotlight. ¡°You have shown your worth. For successfully completing my arena and demonstrating judgment beyond mortal men, I award to you the Gift of Infinite Recollection. May the memory of your sister remain forever in your mind, even as her own memory fades for all time.¡± A golden disk appeared before Emily, engraved with the image of a brain. Emily reached out and grasped it in both hands. The disk dissolved into fragments of golden light, and light was absorbed into Emily through her skin. Then Emily¡¯s eyes grew wide with surprise. ¡°I remember it all!¡± she said with amazement through shallow breaths. ¡°Every single detail of my life. I could tell you the color of the clock on the wall where Emma and I were born. I remember the smell in the air on our first day of school, and the taste of Emma¡¯s first batch of chocolate chip cookies. I remember¡­I remember our last hug, the feeling of holding her tight, and not wanting to let her go. If I close my eyes, I can picture it so clearly. It¡¯s as if she were still here beside me.¡± If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Emily wiped happy tears from her eyes. ¡°Thank you,¡± she whispered, grateful for the gift. The light of the moon moved to Rocky, illuminating his frame as she wrung his hands nervously. ¡°Rocky MacMillian,¡± Thoth¡¯s voice spoke. ¡°You have shown your worth. For successfully completing my arena and demonstrating judgment beyond mortal men, I award you with the Gift of the Healer¡¯s Touch. Through forgiveness, you have healed wounds within yourself and within the soul you judged. May this gift help you heal those that you love and protect.¡± The golden disk that appeared before Rocky was engraved with the image of two hands cupped together, a blue light shining between their palms. The disk disintegrated when Rocky touched it, and its power flowed into him. Rocky closed his eyes and could sense the world around him in a new light. His nose twitched, curling up as if smelling rotten garbage. He opened his eyes and stared at Emily¡¯s chest. ¡°Hey, big guy. Watch those eyes,¡± Emily protested, folding her arms across her breasts. ¡°What? I¡­ no, I¡¯m not¡­ it¡¯s just¡­¡± Rocky stammered, his face turning beat red. ¡°I¡­ I can feel your injuries. It¡¯s like a pressure on my mind, calling out to me. Emily, why didn¡¯t you tell me you were hurt so badly? You have three fractured ribs, and your chest is covered in bruises. I don¡¯t even know how you are standing right now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a toughie,¡± Emily answered, unfolding her arms. ¡°And I¡¯ve had worse.¡± Rocky stretched out his meaty hand and pressed it against Emily¡¯s stomach below her breasts. He closed his eyes, and his hand began to glow with a faint blue light. Bethany could see Rocky¡¯s eyes moving back and forth beneath his lids, as if he were asleep. The blue glow expanded and spread across Emily¡¯s chest, and Emily gasped as a cool numbness spread inside her. ¡°Rocky, what¡­ what are you doing? It¡­ oh, that feels nice.¡± Emily said a relieved sigh. She lifted her white shirt to expose her midriff, and Bethany could see the deep black bruising that had started to form where the pasta bull had struck her. The blue glow danced across her bruises and soaked into her skin, and Bethany watched in astonishment as the bruises slowly disappeared. Emily gritted her teeth in pain as each fractured rib, one by one, was set back into place, but her expression turned to one of pleasure as they began to mend. Three minutes later, every bruise had faded from Emily¡¯s chest, and she could breathe normally. ¡°Rocky, you are incredible. I feel like I could run a marathon or climb a mountain. Or fight another bull.¡± Emily gave a joyous laugh and took an exaggerated breath. ¡°Please¡­ don¡¯t do that. It¡¯s exhausting,¡± Rocky begged, bent over at the waist. His shirt was drenched in sweat from the effort, and his breath was rapid. It looked like he had just run a mile. ¡°But it felt so good! If that¡¯s what a hand on my chest feels like, I¡¯d love to know what else you can do,¡± Emily said casually. Rocky suddenly realized his hand was still pressed against Emily¡¯s chest, and he yanked it back so quickly that it looked like he had been bitten. Embarrassment spread across his face. Emily flashed a coy smile at Rocky. One that said she was only half joking. Bethany did not think Rocky could blush harder than he already was, but somehow, he achieved it. He turned around and walked back to his stone chair, hiding his face from the two women. Bethany walked over to Emily, who smiled mischievously. ¡°He¡¯s fun to tease. He¡¯ll recover soon,¡± she whispered. ¡°Are you just teasing?¡± Bethany asked curiously. ¡°Of course. We¡¯re just best friends, Bethany,¡± Emily said quickly. Too quickly. Bethany didn¡¯t believe her for a second. Rocky did recover a few minutes later, though Bethany could still see his mind spinning as he processed Emily¡¯s teasing. He pointed to Bethany¡¯s cheek, bruised from her father¡¯s final blows. ¡°Bethany, do you want me to¡­¡± Bethany raised a hand to her face. She had forgotten about the bruise, though the pain remained. She had long ago grown accustomed to bruises. ¡°Umm¡­ okay, if you want to,¡± Bethany mumbled, not knowing what to expect. Rocky cupped the side of Bethany¡¯s face in his palm. Bethany felt the healing energy flow, and soon her father¡¯s final blow on his daughter was only a memory. Rocky stumbled over to his stone chair and plopped down in it. ¡°That really takes a lot out of a guy,¡± he said breathlessly. "Don''t forget yourself, lummox," Emily instructed, pointing at Rocky''s bandaged hand. "Oh, right. I hope it works on me," Rocky said. He unwapped the bandage on his hand. Bethany gasped as she saw the bruising along his knuckles. His index finger was askew, clearly dislocated, and he had a dozen cuts across the skin. She realized Emily was not the only one hiding her pain. Rocky focused on his fingers, and the blue flame appeared once more. Bethany winced when, with a soft crack and a shout from Rocky, his index finger slid back into place. Three minutes later, Rocky''s hand looked healthy, though there was some light bruising that Rocky simply ran out of energy to heal. Bethany looked skyward, her hand stroking her newly healed cheek. ¡°I guess that just leaves me.¡± Thoth must have been waiting for them to finish exploring Rocky¡¯s new talent. Bethany suspected it made for good entertainment. As if on cue, the spotlight of the moon shifted to her, and she braced herself for what was next. ¡°Bethany Fox,¡± Thoth¡¯s voice boomed out for a final time, ¡°You have shown your worth. For successfully completing my arena and demonstrating judgment beyond mortal men, I award you with the Gift of Insight. As you have granted your grandmother time to see the consequences of her actions, so do I grant that gift to you. May you have the fortitude to use it, and the wisdom to use it well.¡± The engraving on the golden disk was an hourglass, mostly empty but for a tiny bit of sand that flowed from top to bottom. As the last grain fell, she watched the hourglass flip over and the sands began to fall anew. Bethany grasped it, closing her eyes and bracing, having no idea what to expect. The disk dissolved into its shower of golden light, and Bethany felt the power flow into her. She could feel it pulse within her and take on the rhythm of her own heartbeat. And then it was over, and Bethany was left wondering. ¡°Well?¡± asked Emily, expectedly. ¡°What does your new talent do? ¡°Umm¡­I have no idea. I don¡¯t feel any different,¡± responded Bethany, turning her palms over to try to make something happen. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll figure it out in time,¡± comforted Rocky, ¡°You said your hammer didn¡¯t appear right away either. It could be an innate talent such as Emily¡¯s, rather than one you activate.¡± ¡°I guess so,¡± Bethany sighed, disappointed. ¡°Does this mean the arena is over?¡± Emily asked, staring up at the black staircase. ¡°Can we leave?¡± ¡°It is over, but I have one more gift for you.¡± Chapter 22 - Thoths Rewards, Part Two ¡°In a competition, there¡¯s always winners and losers. And I think everyone is here to win.¡± Antonio Brown, American Athlete ¡°It is over, but I have one more gift for you.¡± Thoth¡¯s voice did not come from the moon. It was softer and smaller, and directly behind them. The three friends turned around in surprise. Standing on the shattered stone table was a bird, two feet long with white feathers, tall orange legs like a stork, and black markings on its wings and tail. Its tiny head was bright green, and it had a long, thin beak. In that beak it held a scroll, yellow and cracked with age, and sealed with red wax bearing the image of a ibis head. ¡°A sacred ibis!¡± exclaimed Emily, recognizing the bird. ¡°It¡¯s one of Thoth¡¯s sacred animals.¡± Rocky stared at her blankly. ¡°It was in my seventh-grade social studies textbook,¡± Emily explained. ¡°Page seventy-five, in the section on Egypt. There was a picture and everything. Wow, this Gift of Infinite Recollection is amazing!¡± ¡°And useful,¡± added Rocky with an impressed whistle. ¡°You¡¯ll have to start reading more. Something useful, I mean.¡± Emily¡¯s only answer was a playful punch to Rocky¡¯s shoulder. Bethany held out her hands to the ibis, and it gently placed the parchment in her hands. It was heavier than Bethany expected. ¡°Listen closely, players, for it will be important for your survival in the God Contest,¡± Thoth pronounced, and the room fell silent. ¡°When the God Contest began, The Builder told you there would be clues scattered throughout this world that would lead the way to victory. The Knowledge Guild, of which I am a member, are assigned the sacred responsibility of distributing these clues to players. As you have completed one of our arenas, I am permitted to assume my sacred animal form to give you this.¡± The ibis poked the parchment in Bethany¡¯s hands with its bill. ¡°A Guidance Scroll. It is the first of its kind to be awarded in this God Contest. They are very rare, and very valuable. It is next to impossible to win the God Contest without the knowledge contained within, for without it you would be stumbling in the dark. Therefore, I give you this advice. Keep them secret. Knowledge is power, far more than any talent you may gain as the Contest progresses. If other players discover you possess knowledge they do not have, you will find your fellow players are far more dangerous than any monsters that may roam the streets of Regina.¡± ¡°Umm¡­ thank you, Thoth,¡± Bethany said, though his advice unsettled her. The secret of her eye was like a guillotine hanging above her head. The ibis tilted its head as if it could read Bethany¡¯s thoughts. Bethany saw the ibis stare into her Oracle Eye with deep sorrow for the briefest of moments before he completed his duty. ¡°I wish you the best of luck, Bethany Fox, Emily Desjarlais, and Rocky MacMillian,¡± Thoth concluded with pride. ¡°May you find your way through the trials ahead and emerge victorious from The God Contest.¡± The sacred ibis spread its wings and took off, and the power of its flight nearly pushed them off their feet. Bethany clutched her hands tight to her chest to protect the scroll as her hair flew around here. Thoth soared towards the moon and faded away in its gentle light. Bethany, Rocky, and Emily stared at it until it disappeared. The cheers of the audience faded into nothingness, and all that was left was the silence of the grey room with the shattered stone table. ¡°Aww¡­ shit,¡± Rocky said with disappointment, looking reluctantly at the black stairs that soared into the sky. ¡°I was really hoping Thoth would give us another way out of here.¡± The moon cast a spotlight upon a section of the grey wall, and a simple metal door appeared. It looked identical to the door they had walked through to reach the Arena. ¡°Oh thank God¡­ um¡­ Thoth,¡± Rocky said as he strolled over to the door and cracked it open. The sounds and smells of the downtown library filled the Arena. Rocky held the door for Emily, who smiled and strode through. Rocky followed her with a wave to Bethany. ¡°Come on, Bethany. Let¡¯s go home.¡± Bethany glanced around the chamber one last time as Thoth¡¯s warning weighed on her mind. She clutched the scroll in her hands. They would be a target now. It was only a matter of time. She had to get stronger. Stronger than anyone else. It was the only way to keep her new friends safe. ¡°I¡¯ll protect them,¡± pledged Bethany. ¡°I swear it. I don¡¯t care who comes after us.¡± Then she walked through the door, leaving the Arena of Thoth, Egyptian God of Knowledge, behind her. * * * The hounds were as black as a moonless night. Their fangs dripped with saliva that hissed like acid when it hit the stone floor below. They chased relentlessly, their howls asserting the inevitability of death. And with every second that passed, they were growing closer. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. There had been six players when the Arena of Xolotl had begun. The five members of Death Riders, a Regina street gang of little importance, had been looting a nearby electronics store when they had spotted the woman with shoulder-length blond hair and a strip of black enter the Mexican restaurant across the street. They hadn¡¯t seen the black dagger she carried at her side. ¡°The world is going to shit, my friends,¡± pronounced the gang-leader Trevor. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go had a little fun with blondie?¡± They had followed the blond woman into the restaurant. And then their world went to Hell. There was no restaurant beyond that doorway. Only a narrow forest covered in mist, and a sadistic voice named Xolotl that told them to run. The light of torches appeared and pierced through the mist, guiding their path. The blond woman had smiled and dashed into the forest towards the first torch. Behind them, the glowing red eyes of the hounds had appeared. And the Death Riders ran. Now there were only three players remaining. Trevor had been the first to fall, tripping on a fallen branch. The hounds had ripped him apart limb by limb, and his dying screams echoed in the mist. Paul had slammed into a tree while looking over his shoulder, and Fat Charlie had simply been too slow. They met the same fate as Trevor, and their screams joined Paul¡¯s in the mist. Yet each death distracted the hounds and provided valuable time. Every death increased the likelihood that the remaining players would reach the end and survive. The remaining two Death Riders ¨C Bart and Simon ¨C didn''t realize this. Panic clouded their minds. The well-toned woman with shoulder-length blond hair did not panic. She ran with her black blade at her side, laughing as though she were on a roller coaster having the time of her life. It was not her first Arena, and she had already promised her soul in exchange for her freedom. What else was there to do except enjoy it? The man named Bart tripped on a stone, and he stumbled to his knees. His eyes grew wide with fear as he scrambled to his feet, desperately trying to regain the ground he had lost. It wasn¡¯t enough. The hounds were on him - ripping, biting, clawing - and his anguish drowned out even the woman¡¯s laughter. And his screams were added to the mist. Simon ran on, quickening his step, tears streaming down his face. Yet he could see a glimmer of hope ahead. The final torch, burning green. The finish line. If he could reach it, he would survive. That¡¯s all they needed to do. Simon stole a glance back. The hounds were upon them, faster than ever. With every second that passed they grew closer. ¡°Oh god, we¡¯re not going to make it,¡± he screamed to the woman as they ran side by side. Simon pushed with all his strength. He had been a sprinter in high school, and that had only been three years ago. His heavy drinking since then may have slowed him down, but he still had the skills. The final leg was always his strength. He could push harder than anyone. It was his secret weapon. He pushed forward, pulling ahead of the laughing woman. The hounds closed in. He felt sorry for the woman, but better it be her than him. The laughter stopped, and Simon felt the woman¡¯s black dagger cut across the back of his calf. Its touch burned like fire, and he stumbled. He fell to the ground, and he felt his leg snap. Simon watched the woman speed ahead. Her renewed laughter was the last thing he heard before his life was ripped from his body. Becka reached the green torch, and Xolotl pronounced her victorious. She leapt in triumph, feeling more alive than she had ever felt before. The golden disks appeared in the air. She considered them for a moment, then tapped one with her dagger and felt her new talent rush into her. She smiled, pleased with her choice, and strolled through the exit. She forgot about the men and the hounds. All that mattered was the God Contest. And the power that had been promised to her. * * * Delorus Shepherd had seen much in her twenty years as a police officer. Riots, gang wars, and even an assassination. But she had never seen anything like this. The Atrium of Police Headquarters was filled with people and their belongings. Every police officer that remained alive in the city was at HQ, along with their families, friends, and any citizens who had been lucky enough to reach the HQ from the nearby neighborhoods. The new $50 million HQ was a massive building located adjacent to downtown and was comprised of two parts ¨C the brick three-story box constructed in the 1960s, and the newly renovated former bus terminal that had been next door. The fleet of police cars was positioned around the building to create a makeshift wall, and officers and community volunteers stood behind that wall, nervously watching the surrounding neighborhood. They were transforming HQ into a fortress, the brainchild of their new Chief, Anthony Benton, who had joined their ranks only last month. It was a hell of an introduction to the job, but the officers had rallied around his vision and charisma. A cheer began to build across the Atrium, and Delorus gazed up to the second-floor balcony, which overlooked the crowd below. Chief Benton had arrived in his dress uniform. He was tall, handsome, and surprisingly young. He kept his black hair cut short in the military style and had a broad smile that could light up a room. He carried himself with confidence and authority at a time when certain was in short supply. The crowd grew silent, and he began to speak. ¡°We have never seen such times,¡± bellowed Chief Benton across the crowd. He had no need for a microphone. His powerful voice could be heard by everyone below. ¡°There is chaos in the streets. Madness all around us. And we have all lost friends and colleagues to this so-called God Contest. Regina weeps, and we weep with it. Our very lives, and the lives of those we love, hang on the action we take from this moment onward.¡± He let his words sink in. ¡°We will not give this city up without a fight. We will not let these monsters pick us off one by one. We will fight back. Rest up, because in the morning, we go to war. We take back our city from these creatures from another world. We will bring back order, block by block, until we have pushed them up against the very walls they have created!¡± A cheer rang out amongst the crowd, and Delorus joined them. The Chief had gained a reputation for giving speeches, and this had been his best one. She just hoped they could get it done. An hour later, everyone in the Atrium had a role to play. Those who would join them in the fight were assigned to a police officer for training. Everyone else was put to work shoring up their defenses, cooking meals, or scavenging for supplies in nearby houses. A war room was established in their largest boardroom, and the second largest was claimed by three elderly women as a daycare for the children too young to contribute. Delorus volunteered for night watch and took her post after Captain Benton¡¯s speech. She stared towards the sunset, wondering what lay in store. The city was silent, a war zone awaiting its war. Her mind wandered to the young woman she had met only a few short days ago. Bethany. The girl on the run. Delorus wondered what had happened to the poor girl. She was likely amongst the twenty thousand dead. Perhaps it was better that way. She looked like she had already suffered enough. How many people would join her in the days ahead? Delorus¡¯ mind drifted to the great stone walls that now surrounded the city. What lay out there, beyond those walls? Were the walls meant to keep them in, or to protect them from what lay beyond? Perhaps, one day, she would find out. If she survived the war to come. * * * Chapter 23 - The Goal and the Gift ¡°There is nothing like a dream to create the future.¡± Victor Hugo They had emerged from the Arena of Thoth as the sun finished its descent beyond the western prairies. They had spent the last few minutes of daylight lobbing books into the truck, fuel for Emily¡¯s new talent. They had prioritized books about mythology and fairytale, but had also grabbed books on gardening, home and automotive repair, and historic and modern military tactics. Rocky had loaded up a stack of cookbooks and had been headed back for another armful when Emily gave him a smack in the shoulder. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t go getting any cheeky ideas, Rocky MacMillian,¡± she had playfully scolded. ¡°Infinite Recollection is not the same thing as infinite talent. Talent requires practice. I can have all the theoretical knowledge in the world, but still burn a fried egg. And you know how much I hate cooking.¡± ¡°Well, in that case, I¡¯m claiming the military tactics books,¡± Rocky retorted. ¡°No offense, Emily, but you are pretty impulsive. You could have all the knowledge in the world in that regard, and your approach would still be ¡®Emily smash!¡¯¡± Emily laughed but did not deny it. ¡°It gets the job done¡± was all she said as they climbed in the truck and drove away from the library. There was only a sliver of moonlight in the stary sky above, bathing the city in an eerie gloom. Bethany sat in the passenger seat of the truck, watching the streetlights passing them by. For a fleeting moment, she pondered how the city still had electricity. Did the city¡¯s powerplant still had enough fuel and brave staff to function. Or was it the Gods who had spared them this luxury, so they could take it away later when it was most entertaining. She had asked Rocky, who said the office building where they now called home had a generator, and the refinery would provide the fuel. So Bethany decided it did not matter right now and added it to her growing list of unanswered questions. The roads were just as void of people as they were when they had left the refinery. Bethany wondered how long that would last. People were hiding in their homes right now, but eventually they would run out of food or medicine and need to venture beyond their four walls. Would it be too late by then? Bethany looked up at the golden letters in the sky. Five thousand more people had died since they had entered the Arena of Thoth. Yet she could see no bodies on the streets. This God Contest was a quiet extermination, killing them one-by-one. She wondered whether the monsters ate the bodies, but quickly added that question to her list so she did not have to think about it anymore. ¡°Bethany, how about you open that scroll?¡± asked Emily suddenly, desperate for a distraction. Rocky weaved the truck around an abandoned car and as he mumbled his agreement. Bethany still clutched the scroll tightly in her hand. ¡°Umm¡­yah, I guess we should,¡± she agreed reluctantly. ¡°Though I¡¯m scared of what we may learn. Once we know it, there is no going back.¡± Bethany took a deep breath and ran her finger carefully across the red wax seal that held the scroll closed. The parchment crackled as Bethany unrolled it, and she wondered if it would break from age. She read through the fine handwriting before reciting the words to Emily and Rocky. In the depths of the world lay five keys, that together unlock your fondest desire One is of fire, of the heart, hidden power in the crowded strife One is of water, of the blood, reshaped in loneliness One is of earth, of the skin, roaming free from chains One is of wood, of the lungs, breathing life into the world One is of metal, of the bones, bound in the depths When all five are brought together, your life shall begin anew ¡°It cannot be an adventure without a riddle,¡± Rocky said excitedly, eyes focused on the road, ¡°I love me a good riddle.¡± ¡°You are such a nerd,¡± teased Emily. "Hey, I used to sit in my school library doing riddles for hours," Bethany protested, feeling a hightened kinship with Rocky. "Okay, you are both nerds," Emily laughed. ¡°I¡¯ve always liked solving riddles,¡± Rocky explained, unapologetically, ¡°It gave me a bit of solace when¡­other things weren¡¯t going so well. When I solved them, it made me believe I could be smart.¡± ¡°You are smart, stupid,¡± scolded Emily, giving him another whack with her fist. ¡°You are the smartest person I know, and don¡¯t you dare forget it.¡± Bethany chuckled. ¡°Emily is right, Rocky. Don¡¯t sell yourself short. So, riddle buddy, any initial thoughts?¡± ¡°Well, we need to find the keys,¡± he laughed, stating the obvious. ¡°Beyond that? Each line is a clue to where each key is located. Thoth mentioned there are other guidance scrolls out there, and I expect each one will lead us one step closer to pinpointing the exact location of each one.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t we just randomly find one without the scrolls?¡± asked Emily. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Thoth said it was impossible to win the Contest without the knowledge of the guidance scrolls. I expect there is more that they reveal beyond simply where they are located,¡± answered Rocky. ¡°He said nearly impossible, not impossible,¡± Emily countered, relying on her Infinite Recollection. ¡°I¡¯m never going to be able to win another argument with you again, am I?¡± Rocky complained. ¡°Oh, Rocky,¡± Emily soothed. ¡°You never won our arguments before.¡± ¡°Anyway,¡± Rocky deflected. ¡°There is something more important that the riddle reveals. This contest only ends when all five keys are found and brought together. I¡¯m willing to bet that¡¯s what ¡®life begins anew¡¯ means.¡± ¡°So, it is the world¡¯s most dangerous scavenger hunt,¡± Bethany concluded. Rocky glanced over at her. ¡°I suppose¡­ but I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s that simple. These Gods seem to plan in layers. It may look like a scavenger hunt on its surface, but there are depths to it that we still do not know.¡± ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s better than something like a gladiatorial arena where we fight each other to the death,¡± Bethany said with an awkward laugh. ¡°Because after my¡­ encounter with Becka and Daniel, it was starting to feel like that.¡± Rocky started to speak, but then closed his mouth and focused on the road. ¡°Rocky, I know that look,¡± Emily said with concern. ¡°You know something else.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a thought¡­¡± Rocky said reluctantly. ¡°So tell us. Don¡¯t keep it to yourself,¡± prompted Bethany encouragingly. ¡°We need to work as a team, remember?¡± ¡°Okay. Well¡­ and just keep in mind I¡¯m not certain¡­ what if¡­ and don¡¯t freak out, okay Emily¡­ what if five keys means only five people can win? Five keys to open five locks, with one victor per lock.¡± Bethany and Emily sat in silence, processing what he said. Only five? Five people out of over two hundred and thirty thousand. If it were true, the odds against them all surviving would be astronomically low. ¡°That would mean we¡¯d need to find three of the five keys for all of us to survive,¡± Emily said. ¡°Or we¡¯d have to be willing to take the keys from others,¡± added Rocky, grimly. ¡°We¡¯d have to doom another to save ourselves.¡± ¡°So, then it is a gladiatorial arena,¡± concluded Bethany, her voice shaking. ¡°Just with more layers.¡± ¡°We¡­ we don¡¯t know that yet. Like Rocky said, it is just a guess,¡± Emily comforted, trying to stay positive. Rocky did not answer. He just stared forward into the dimly lit darkness, focused on the road. Silence fell upon them as Rocky drove on. Bethany returned to gazing out the window, unsettled. She started to count each streetlight that they passed as she tried to detach from the revelations of the riddle. As if emptying her thoughts would allow her to forget what they had learned, if only for a moment. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. What if they only found two keys? Would Emily and Rocky save themselves, and leave her to die? Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. How far would she go to live? Could she kill another person? What if they only had one key? Sixteen. Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen. What if¡­but what if¡­ Rocky slowed the vehicle as they entered a construction zone, swerving around three abandoned cars. Bethany looked towards the construction equipment at the side of the road. And she saw the darkness beneath the equipment begin to move. Suddenly, Bethany¡¯s mind felt heavy, as if she were being pulled into a dream. Her Oracle Eye felt warm, and in her reflection on the window she could see light emerging from its depths, in the shape of an hourglass. ¡°Do¡­ you¡­ think¡­ we¡¯ll¡­ make¡­ it¡­ to¡­ the¡­ end¡­?¡± said Emily, though she was speaking at a tenth her normal speed. The darkness under the equipment began to flow together and merge, taking on solid form. An arm made of corporeal shadow, long and thin, emerged from beneath a backhoe. A second appeared from under the dump truck next to it. Limbs appeared one by one, until the Living Shadows had formed into a humanoid monstrosity, twenty feet tall and growing larger every moment. ¡°I¡­know¡­we¡­will¡­¡± came Rocky¡¯s equally slow reply. Bethany wanted to warn Emily and Rocky. She wanted to scream. But she could not move. She could not speak. She felt like a prisoner in her own body and could only watch in terror as the Living Shadow raised its clawed hand and struck. Bethany could only watch as the creature ripped through the roof of the truck, wrapped its hand around Rocky, and squeezed. She saw Rocky¡¯s neck snap, heard his bones crack, and felt his blood splash against her face. His life was snuffed out in an instant, like a candle in a hurricane. Bethany heard Emily¡¯s slowed down scream, a mournful wail drawn out like stretched toffee. The creature extended its shadows across the truck and lifted it high into the air. Bethany saw a mouth form in the shadow. A dark void into nothingness that promised empty eternity. It stretched the mouth wider and wider, until it could swallow the truck whole. The shadows released the truck and let it fall into the void, consuming Bethany whole. The hourglass light in her Oracle Eye flared painfully and disappeared. Bethany was sitting in the passenger seat once more, staring at the streetlights as they passed. Rocky was driving the truck and had begun to slow down as he entered an abandoned construction zone. ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll make it to the end?¡± asked Emily, seeking reassurance. Bethany sat up with a sharp jerk, as if she had just awoken from a dream. She remembered everything. The terror. The blood. The feeling of the empty void. She glanced at the abandoned construction equipment, and saw the shadows begin to move. ¡°I know we¡­,¡± Rocky began to respond. Bethany shot across the seat and grabbed the steering wheel. She pulled as hard as she could, causing the truck to veer left. They careened through the line of orange pylons and up onto the sidewalk, the truck¡¯s tires squealing in protect. ¡°Bethany! What are you doing!¡± shouted Rocky, just as the shadowed monstrosity¡¯s fist collided with the concrete where they had once been. A fragment shot forward, crashing against Rocky¡¯s door and leaving a sizeable dent. ¡°Drive!¡± shouted Bethany, and Rocky stepped on the gas. They raced forward just as the shadow¡¯s second strike fell behind them. Bethany clutched her seat as Rocky swerved around obstacles and shot out of the construction zone. Bethany looked back and saw the shadow creature towering above the equipment. Bethany could feel its anger at their escape. The shadows began to break apart and slid along the ground to hide beneath the construction equipment once more. ¡°I think we are safe,¡± Bethany said with a deep sigh of relief. Rocky turned off the road and into a well-illuminated parking lot. ¡°What the hell was that?¡± he shouted, out of breath and sweat pouring from his forehead. ¡°It came out of nowhere. How did you know it was there, Bethany?¡± asked Emily, her heart racing from the adrenaline rush. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Bethany said softly, staring out the front window, ¡°I saw it happen. It killed you Rocky. It devoured Emily and me. It was a dream. A vision. But it felt so real. And then I saw the shadows moved, and I knew it would happen again if I did not do anything.¡± Bethany felt nauseous as she recalled Rocky¡¯s blood splattering across her face. ¡°The Gift of Insight! The talent you received from Thoth. Bethany, look at your eye!¡± Emily exclaimed excitedly. Bethany flipped down the visor and stared into the small vanity mirror. Her Oracle Eye, once pure white, now had a minimalistic hourglass in its centre where the pupil would be. Tiny grains of sand flowed slowly from top to bottom. A timer, counting down the hours until her Gift of Insight could be used once more. ¡°It looks¡­ nice,¡± Emily tried to comfort Bethany. ¡°Very¡­ um¡­ mystic.¡± Bethany closed the visor and sighed. The God Contest had marked her once again. Diana, what did you do to me? Chapter 24 - Bethanys New Home ¡°Home is where the heart is.¡± Pliny the Elder They drove the rest of the way to the refinery on pins and needles as Rocky dodged the nocturnal monsters that pursued the truck across their territories. Bethany made sure Emily watched each one for as long as possible, so she could remember the creatures¡¯ territories and behaviors. Knowledge was power, and right now, they had precious little of it. The only time Rocky stopped the vehicle was when they drove through the main gate of the refinery. Rocky pulled out a flashlight, then hopped out of the driver¡¯s seat, entered the guard shack, and engaged the chain link gate. The gate began to close behind them, and its loud rattles gave Bethany goosebumps. Rocky dashed back into the truck and slammed the door behind him, half expecting something to leap at him from the shadows. Only when the gate was fully shut and silent once more did all three companions let out a sigh of relief. Rocky drove them right up to the front doors of their office building, backing up until the bumper was within inches of the door. ¡°For a quick getaway,¡± Rocky said, gazing out towards the city. ¡°It¡¯s best to be prepared, if even the shadows can be deadly.¡± Rocky grabbed his axe and exited the car. Emily was next with her metal pole, and Bethany brought up the rear, ball-peen hammer clutched in her hand and ready to call upon her light. They had been away from the building for less than half a day, but they had decided not to take chances. There was no telling what sorts of dangers may have laid claim to their home in their absence. Home? I¡¯ve known Rocky and Emily for a day. I¡¯ve spent one night in my room. We didn¡¯t even have time for a tour before we left for Thoth¡¯s Arena. So why do I look at this place and think of it as home? Despite the terrors of the past two days - or, for that matter, the past eighteen years - Bethany found herself smiling. She studied the entrance and pronounced the doorway free of an Arena plaque, and they entered cautiously. The companions swept through the office building one room at a time, weapons ready. Bethany checked each doorway before they walked through, and once they were convinced it was safe, she took a moment to appreciate what lay within. They descended into the basement first, taking the stairwell to the left of the main entrance. They started with a massive storage room that was piled high and deep with an assortment of old desks, chairs, computers, bookshelves, tables, wire racks, and row upon row of boxes containing paper files. It looked untouched since the 1990s, except for a tiny nook in the back corner where an industrious employee had dragged a flower-print couch in front of an old television to create a hidden procrastination oasis. ¡°That¡¯s Ralph,¡± explained Rocky with a chuckle. ¡°He¡¯s seventy-three years old, and I¡¯m pretty sure he mentally retired about the time that couch was made. He¡¯s got so much corporate knowledge that no one wants to let him go, so he does just enough work to stay off the radar. I found his little hidey hole last year while I was doing my rounds, and I promised to keep his secret.¡± ¡°That bastard,¡± laughed Emily. ¡°He¡¯s living my dream job. How come you didn¡¯t tell me about this?¡± Rocky mimed zipping his mouth shut, then laughed and led the way to another room. They worked their way through the janitor¡¯s closet, packed full of toiletries and cleaning supplies, and the laundry room. Bethany availed herself of the opportunity to change back into her own clothes, relishing the lavender scent of the detergent. She took a moment to breath it in before they moved on. The eastern half of the basement was the company¡¯s gym and changing rooms. The gym was large enough to accommodate six treadmills, three ellipticals, a rowing machine, and a collection of free weights, with room left over for a half dozen yoga mats. Bethany peeked into the adjoining women¡¯s change room and was excited to see a pair of shower stalls alongside the rows of lockers and wooden benches. ¡°Thank heavens,¡± Bethany exclaimed, ¡°I haven¡¯t had a proper shower in a week.¡± ¡°Trust me, Bethany, we noticed,¡± Emily laughed. She strolled into the change room and reached onto the top of the row of lockers, pulling down a key. She opened locker #17. ¡°This one is mine,¡± Emily said, swinging the door open and throwing the key back on top. ¡°Help yourself to anything you need. I keep an extra bottle of shampoo and body wash in there. Being a technician at a refinery is greasy work.¡± Emily grabbed her towel and gave it a sniff. ¡°Eww. Except don¡¯t borrow that. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve washed it in a couple months.¡± Emily looked over to Bethany, expecting judgment, but Bethany simply shrugged. ¡°We didn¡¯t have laundry in our house, and my father didn¡¯t want to spend his booze money at a laundromat very much. I got use to wearing dirty clothes and having to wash them by hand.¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Bethany,¡± Emily said, pulling her into a hug. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had a shitty childhood. I¡¯m sorry you had a shitty father. I¡¯m sorry you had a shitty grandma. And I¡¯m sorry that after all that shit, you wound up here, stuck in this God Contest.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Bethany whispered, leaning into the hug. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to feel right now. I have nothing left in my past I want to preserve. Who am I now?¡± ¡°You are Bethany,¡± answer Emily with confidence. ¡°Bad-ass bitch with a golden hammer of light and an eye that can show her the future! Screw your past. Screw all our pasts. We all get a fresh start, and we are going to win this contest. Okay?¡± ¡°A fresh start,¡± Bethany agreed, confidence growing within her. ¡°I like the sound of that.¡± ¡°And¡­ maybe you can start with that shower,¡± Emily teased as she gave an exaggerated sniff of the air. ¡°Rocky can pry open more of these lockers and find you a better towel than mine.¡± ¡°You girls coming?¡± called Rocky from outside the door. ¡°You didn¡¯t encounter an orb monster made of Emily¡¯s smelly towels in there, did you? Because I¡¯ll fight anything except that.¡± The girls laughed, and they moved on with their search. They returned to the main entrance on the first floor and emerged into an open-concept office space. Dozens of haphazardly arranged cubicles were positioned across the room in no discernible pattern. Bethany thought it resembled a maze, and she wondered how anyone with a cubicle in the middle found their way in or out. ¡°That would be the office manager,¡± explained Emily with an eyeroll. ¡°She wanted the arrangement to feel ¡®organic¡¯ rather than corporate. What she got was a mess. I spend most of my time working on the utility units, like the power and water systems, but Rocky¡¯s got to make his way through the maze at the beginning and end of his shift.¡± ¡°Which reminds me,¡± Rocky said, and he started to weave his way through the maze. He sat down at a cubicle five deep in the maze and withdrew three keychains and a stack of swipe cards from the drawer. ¡°The full set of security keys. One for each of us. It¡¯ll give us access to everywhere at the refinery. He tossed a set to each of them. They left the cubicles behind, and Rocky led them to the staff lunchroom, directly across from the main entrance lobby. ¡°Now, this will be a treat,¡± Rocky said to Bethany. ¡°This is the main reason I picked this building as our base of operations.¡± He opened the swinging door and stepped inside. The staff lunchroom was sprawling, with tables and chairs for two hundred employees. There was an entire row of microwaves along the east-facing windows, a half dozen refrigerators for storing lunches, and a station for coffee and tea. There was a full-service cafeteria kitchen that stretched the length of the back wall, with a large black grill, deep fryer, sandwich bar, and walk-in pantry, refrigerator, and freezer. The groceries Rocky and Emily had grabbed from the North End Savers Supermarket were piled next to the cashier¡¯s station to be sorted. ¡°I can see why,¡± admired Bethany. ¡°You could feed a small army with this.¡± The sight of the lunchroom made Bethany realize how hungry she was. They had not eaten since lunch. Her stomach growled, and she laughed in embarrassment. Rocky grinned and strolled over to their stockpile. He grabbed a pack of chocolate-covered granola bars and tossed two to each of them. ¡°I think we earned these today.¡± The remainder of the first floor was composed of three hallways of smaller, middle management offices. They checked each one carefully before moving on, which was frustrating due to the sheer number of them, and Bethany was grateful when they finally moved to the top floor. ¡°Well, at least we have lots of bedrooms if we ever grow beyond the three of us,¡± Emily said with a yawn. It was the dead of night, and the adrenaline of the day had taken its toll. Bethany was more familiar with this floor. The three offices they had claimed as bedrooms were at the end of the widest hallway. There was a massive boardroom, lined with deep oak bookshelves and a circular oak table that could sit twenty. The other two hallways held a mixture of smaller boardrooms and administrative cubicles. They breathed a sigh of relief when they finished checking the final room, satisfied the building was safe. ¡°Clear! Well done, troops,¡± said Rocky as they concluded their patrol. Emily tried to laugh, but all that came out was another yawn. ¡°Okay, Commander MacMillian. Is the mission complete? Can we be dismissed?¡± Rocky placed his hand under his chin, as if he was carefully considering the request. ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s get some R&R, and we¡¯ll regroup in the morning. Dismissed!¡± He stomped his foot and stood at attention, which lasted two seconds before he lost his composure and a goofy grin spread across his face. ¡°You¡¯re a nutter, Rocky,¡± Bethany said, grateful for the levity. With all the horror around them, a little laughter helped break the tension. ¡°But I like that about you.¡± ¡°Oh, then we need to have some girl time, Bethany,¡± Emily said conspiratorially. ¡°Because I have stories. And I can now recall every embarrassing thing Rocky has ever done in exquisite detail.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare,¡± rebuked Rocky, mortified. ¡°Or you won¡¯t get any healing from me.¡± ¡°But Rocky, your hands felt so good on me,¡± Emily teased, throwing him a wink. Rocky turned a deep crimson, and Bethany struggled to contain her laughter. ¡°I¡¯d better go¡­prepare¡­stuff,¡± sputtered Rocky. He pivoted and strode into his bedroom, and in doing so failed to notice the small blush that had started growing on Emily¡¯s face as well. Bethany held off until Rocky was out of sight, then confronted Emily. ¡°I may not have any experience in relationships, and I know it is not my business, but you two are made for each other,¡± Bethany said with utter certainty. ¡°It¡¯s obvious you care for him deeply. And its really obvious he has the hots for you. Why aren¡¯t you two¡­ you know¡­ together?¡± ¡°What? We are just friends. Best friends. It¡¯s just fun to tease him,¡± Emily denied, unconvincingly. ¡°And even if that were not the case, this is hardly the time to change that.¡± ¡°Oh, it seems like this would be the perfect time. The world has gone to hell, so what do you have to lose?¡± Bethany countered. ¡°¡­ Everything,¡± Emily said, her blush growing. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m going to take a shower.¡± She turned and headed for the stairs. ¡°You might want to make it a cold shower,¡± Bethany teased. ¡°You¡¯re looking a little flushed.¡± Emily, without looking back, playfully flipped her middle finger and strode downstairs. Bethany caught Emily¡¯s subtle smile before she disappeared. Bethany grinned, feeling proud of herself. When she had woken up this morning, she¡¯d had nothing. Friends and a home were a distant wish, crushed under the vicious weight of the God Contest. Now, as the clock struck midnight, everything had changed. She had a home. She had friends. And she had hope. Chapter 25 - Mr. Mercurys Emporium, Part One ¡°God lends a helping hand to the man who tries hard.¡± Aeschylus Bethany found herself lying on her couch with her blanket pulled up to her neck, staring at the ceiling. It was the dead of night, and despite her constant yawns she found herself unable to fall asleep. She could hear Rocky¡¯s lumberjack snores from across the hall, occasionally interrupted by a sharp, deep sleep snort from Emily that carried through their adjoining wall. Their snores did not keep her awake. The sounds were a constant reminder that she was not alone in this world. They provided a comfort that had long been absent from her life. It was her thoughts that were keeping her awake. Her mind would not be still, even in the intense stillness of the night. She kept replaying the Arena in her head. Had she made the right decision? Was her grandmother¡¯s soul truly left to wander the afterlife, waiting for her father? Was any of it real? Maybe, just maybe, she was also scared to fall asleep. She rubbed her Oracle Eye with her palm, wondering what dreams would come when she finally slumbered. Eventually, Bethany threw her blanket to the floor in frustration and hauled herself off the couch. She needed to do something to get her mind off everything, or else she would lay there frustrated and awake until morning. She snatched her ball-peen hammer from beneath her pillow and headed down to the lunchroom to search for a snack. She slowly opened her door, not wanting the high-pitched squeak to wake up her friends. She tiptoed over to the stairwell, listening to pick up any change to their snores. She would never have dared snuck out of her room for a snack when she was with her father. Not that there was ever enough food to have snacks. Bethany felt herself smile when she realized this might have been the first time that she¡¯d ever had a midnight snack. It felt¡­ normal, and that made her smile even more. Two minutes later she was sitting in the massive lunchroom, stuffing a strawberry-flavored, yoghurt-covered granola bar and some ketchup potato chips in her mouth. She savored every bite. She stared out the eastern-facing windows, towards the massive stone wall and the ocean beyond it. She could see the full moon above reflected on its surface as gentle waves crashed against the shore. She recalled how peaceful she had been in the dream with Danita, sitting on the beach and listening to the waves, and resolved to one day sit on the beach beyond the wall and listen to the waves once more. An ocean in Saskatchewan. How was it even possible? Then again, how was any of this possible? She reached into the bag of chips, only to come out empty handed. She had finished the whole bag without even realizing it. She felt guilty. How many bags of chips were left in the city? One day, the last bag will be consumed, and there will be no more. Bethany looked over to the stack of groceries that lay near the cafeteria check-out counter. It suddenly seemed so small. How long would it last them? Two weeks? A month? Certainly no longer than that. They would need to collect more, before it all disappeared into people¡¯s homes. Bethany walked over to the groceries, and her tiredness made her legs feel weak. But she was not ready to go back to bed quite yet. She grabbed three of the eleven remaining bags of chips and walked them over to the cafeteria pantry. Bethany was heartened when she saw oils, flour, sugar, bread, buns, ketchup, mustard, and Styrofoam takeout containers taking up about a quarter of the shelving space inside. She placed the chips on the top shelf, where she would have the most trouble reaching them, and went back for another armload. An hour later, Bethany had stored all the groceries in the pantry. She was pleased with how organized it looked, and there was plenty of room for the bounty of their next scavenging trip. Somehow saying ¡®scavenging¡¯ sounded better than ¡®looting¡¯, so Bethany had decided that is what they were doing. Surviving, not stealing. She had also poked her head inside the walk-in freezer, though she did not walk in as she was afraid it might lock behind her. It was full of frozen burgers, sausages, and fries, which explained the contents of the pantry. Emily¡¯s frozen pizzas were piled haphazardly on a shelf. ¡°Good for you, Rocky,¡± Bethany said with a smile. ¡°Emily would be disappointed if you if you¡¯d let her precious pizzas go to waste.¡± She let herself marvel at the steadiness of the man who had punched the Impastabull in the face, carried two unconscious women out of the supermarket with a broken hand, and still had the wherewithal to put frozen pizzas in the freezer. She thought Rocky might have been underestimated his whole life and knew she would not make that mistake. Bethany stifled a yawn and plopped down in one of the worn folding chairs that encircled each table, returning to the great bay windows. She tore her gaze away from the ocean and looked towards the refinery towers. The refinery was eerily silent, the refinement process having shut down when the workers fled for their homes. But the bright lights on top of the towers still illuminated the ground beneath, casting unsettling shadows across the grounds. Bethany¡¯s mind began to swim, her imagination creating make believe terrors that may lay in wait beneath their darkness. Or perhaps those terrors were not make-believe at all. Not here. Not now. Not anymore. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. A yawn finally escaped Bethany. Her eyes were growing heavy, and her mind felt muddled from lack of sleep. She suddenly craved the safety of the second floor and the comfort of her couch. As she stood to leave, a bright shimmer reflected in the bay window caught her eye. The reflection rippled, as if the glass were a puddle of water whose surface had been disturbed. As the ripples calmed, Bethany could see an image form, and she thought she knew what it was. Bethany turned around apprehensively and stared at the row of vending machines that occupied the wall on the other side of the lunchroom. She gripped her hammer tightly, and her Oracle Eye shimmered, as she prepared to call on her golden threads of light threads of light. The vending machines were blue and grey, a pane of glass giving a clear view of the treasures within. There were five in all, each holding a collection of chocolate bars and chips, granola bars and soft drinks. One machine was refrigerated and filled with sandwiches and salads, the latter of which were starting to wilt with age. Or rather, there were five when Bethany had entered the lunchroom an hour earlier. Now, there were six. Bethany stared wide-eyed at the new addition to the vending machine row, lodged between the salads and the chocolate bars. The machine was the color of deepest black, with speckles of gold light that formed the night¡¯s sky across its surface. In the middle of that sky rest an image of the Vitruvian man. Bethany had come across the image while reading in her school library. It was iconic - two superimposed images of the same nude man, representing Da Vinci¡¯s ideal proportions of a man. Except, unlike the original, this version had color. Its head was a bright, piercing blue and its four hands and four feet were green. The muscles on its arms, legs, and chest were a deep red, and everywhere else was a light shade of grey. Engraved in bronze lettering across the top of the machine were the words: Mr. Mercury¡¯s Emporium Noble Purveyor of Player upgrades Helping Contestants Achieve Greatness since 3309 B.C.E. ¡°What the¡­ heck is this,¡± whispered Bethany, cautiously approaching the vending machine with hammer raised. She grew closer, then abruptly jumped backwards, in case the machine was secretly a monster luring her close before it pounced. The machine did not move, and Bethany got a little closer. She repeated the motion a couple more times, until she had creeped close enough to tap the side of the vending machine with her hammer. Its clangs rang out across the lunchroom, and Bethany breathed a sigh of relief. Whatever it was, it did not seem malicious. ¡°What is your purpose?¡± Bethany asked curiously, half expecting the machine to answer back. It wouldn¡¯t have been the strangest thing to happen today if it had. But it did not. It just sat there, as inert as the salad vending machine next to it. Bethany, in a sudden burst of bravery, ran over to the cashier till and grabbed some coins. She placed a quarter in the machine¡¯s coin slot, but it simply flowed through and landed with a clink in the coin return below. She grabbed it and tried again, with the same result. She tried with the other coins in her palm. Nickles, dimes, loonies, and toonies. Each one simply fell through the machine, ineffective. ¡°If you don¡¯t want the money, Mr. Mercury,¡± Bethany exclaimed in a sleep-deprived frustration ¡°What the hell do you want?¡± She was in the middle of contemplating whether her hammer of light would be powerful enough to smash open the machine when she remembered. She had heard that name before. Mr. Mercury¡­ why did it sound so¡­ ¡°Oh for¡­ I¡¯m such an idiot,¡± Bethany scolded herself, feeling like a fool. Bethany reached into her pocket and grabbed the two silver coins that she had received for destroying the leaf and pasta orb monsters. She lifted the flat and featureless coin up to the light and read their gold engraving aloud. ¡°Bethany Fox. Attribute token. Redeemable at Mr. Mercury¡¯s Emporium,¡± Bethany bellowed in triumph. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you do, little coin, but let¡¯s find out.¡± Bethany inserted the coin into the vending machine and held her breath. There was a rusty click and a whirl from inside the machine, as if this were the first time it had been activated for decades. Bethany jumped as a short musical tone sounded, and a hollow voice came from the machine. ¡°Attrib¡­ attribute coin¡­ coin¡­ coin accepted. Bethany Fox¡­ Fox confirmed. Please¡­ make¡­ selection¡­ attribute selection¡­ enhancement¡­,¡± Mr. Mercury¡¯s Emporium said disjointedly. Its voice crackled as if projected through an old speaker, like a mechanical fortune teller at a carnival. The Vitruvian Man began to glow, drawing Bethany¡¯s attention. Its four colors lit up one after another, directing Bethany to make a choice. ¡°Umm¡­ I don¡¯t really know what to do¡­ um¡­ Mr. Mercury,¡± Bethany said hesitantly, but the machine did not respond. Perhaps it was inanimate, or maybe Mr. Mercury had simply chosen not to reveal himself. Bethany reached forward and touched the Vitruvian man¡¯s far left foot, not knowing what else to do. The machine began to whirl and groan again, and Bethany could hear something moving through the machine. Then the sounds stopped, and a small item fell into the pick-up slot. Bethany carefully retrieved the item. It was a glass vial, the same length and width as her finger, and filled with a deep green liquid. It was sealed with a tiny brown cork. It looked like something from a doctor¡¯s office. Or from a mad scientist¡¯s laboratory. Bethany held it up to the light, watching the green swirls within. Then, before she lost her nerve, she popped the cork. ¡°This is probably a bad idea,¡± thought Bethany, and she tipped the vial¡¯s contents into her mouth. Chapter 26 - Mr. Mercurys Emporium, Part Two ¡°For them to perceive the advantage of defeating the enemy, they must also have their rewards.¡± Sun Tzu Bethany drank the contents of the vial in single swallow. It felt cool as it slid down her throat. ¡°Huh. Mint flavored,¡± Bethany remarked. A tingling sensation began to spread across her body, starting at the tips of her fingers and moving all the way to her toes. It passed through every muscle and every nerve of her body, and Bethany was about to start panicking when the feeling disappeared as quickly as it had arrived. In her surprise, Bethany dropped the empty vial. It fell through the air, careening towards the floor below. Instinctively, Bethany reached down and caught the vial between two fingers before it reached her knee. Bethany stared down at the vial in surprise. She hadn¡¯t even had time to look at it. Her hands moved with a quickness and precision she had never possessed before. ¡°How did I do that?¡± she whispered. She knew the answer. ¡°The vial. I selected the feet, and it gave me better reflexes!¡± Bethany focused, and her player screen appeared in front of her.
Name: Bethany Fox Job: Player Attributes: Strength: 3 Agility: 5 Toughness: 6 Magic: 5 Attribute Coins: 1 Talents: Oracle Eye (#error#) Gift of Insight (Epic) Hammer of Light (Rare)
Her agility score had increased by two, almost double what it was yesterday. She could feel the difference. It felt like she had been given a year¡¯s worth of juggling lessons in an instant. Bethany flipped the vial up into the air, a manic laughter erupting from her. She caught it between the same two fingers, then flicked it up again and again, faster and faster. Each time she caught it, her laughter and excitement grew. It felt amazing! In Bethany¡¯s elation, she lost focus and the vial finally slipped through her fingers and clattered on the floor, cracked but still whole. She leaned down and placed it carefully on a nearby table. She took a deep breath, trying to quell her excitement. Diana had said there would be those that help along the way. First the golden disks, and now these silver attribute coins. Was this what she meant? She held aloft her second silver coin. ¡°If the hands and feet were agility, then strength would be the red muscles, toughness is the grey skin, and that leaves the blue head for magic. I think I know which to pick next.¡± Bethany inserted the coin and pressed the muscles. She had felt so helpless when Daniel and Becka had held her down in the Arena of Dolos. She never wanted to feel that helpless ever again. A vial filled with red liquid slid down into the pick-up slot. She steeled herself, then drank its contents. The tingling sensation spread throughout her body again, only this time it focused on her muscles. When the sensation ended, Bethany marveled at the difference. She felt as though she had been hitting the gym rat for a year. Bethany looked at her reflection in the window. She was still the same Bethany, still gangly and awkward. ¡°I guess the enhancements don¡¯t change what you look like,¡± Bethany said, wondering what she would have looked like with toned muscles. She walked up to the window, pressing her nose to the glass as she stared out at the city beyond. ¡°We¡¯re going to need to earn more silver coins, if we want to survive,¡± Bethany whispered, remembering the monsters that roamed the city outside. ¡°Talents from Arenas, attribute enhancements from fighting monsters. We can do this. I know we can.¡± Bethany looked over at the lunchroom clock, hanging above the entranceway. It was four in the morning. The sun would begin to rise in an hour, and Bethany still had not had any sleep. Despite her excitement, she felt a yawn escape her. ¡°I won¡¯t be in any condition to do any of that if I don¡¯t get some sleep,¡± Bethany told herself. As she dragged herself up the stairs to her bedroom, Bethany thought about how much her life had changed. Two days ago, she was applying for jobs and living out of her car, trying to build herself a new life. Now, she was mentally preparing herself to fight monsters in a contest of life and death. At least now she did not have to do it alone. She entered her room and collapsed onto her couch. She let her hammer drop to the floor and was asleep the moment her head touched the pillow. For the first time in a week, Bethany fell into a dreamless slumber. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. * * * Zachary Choi enjoyed danger. He enjoyed anarchy. It made him feel alive. So when Zachary spotted the woman with shoulder-length blond hair and a strip of black fighting an orb creature with a black dagger, he thought it would be wicked fun to watch. He leaned against the wall and watched her dance, ducking and dodging the monster¡¯s blows. He smirked. It reminded Zachary of another life, a past life, in Korea, when he was Choi Mi-Cha, and his parents had forced onto him their hopes and dreams. His mother was a dancer. His father was a scholar. They expected him to be both, and he had excelled. But the structure and his parents¡¯ crushing expectations had dulled him to his core. He''d felt no joy in either. The only joy he found was when he fought against it. Perhaps that is why he didn¡¯t attend the prestigious university his father had paid for. He''d simply disappeared the moment his feet touched American soil. Walking into the streets of New York, he''d left his old life behind. He never spoke to his parents again, and soon he left behind the name Choi Mi-Cha. He became Zachary Choi ¨C the Illustrious Mr. Zee ¨C and he spent the next five years riding the trains, seeking adventure. When his latest train rolled into Regina, he found the greatest adventure of them all. The God Contest. The woman with the black blade thrust forward, piercing the orb through its core. There was a metallic scream and a crack, and the orb shattered and scattered along the ground. Its carapace of scrap lumber fell to the ground, lifeless. The woman leaned down and picked up a silver coin from its remains, and then spotted him. Zachary clapped his hands, slowly at first and then with increasing speed. He added an impressed whistle at the crescendo. ¡°My dear, my beautiful lady, that was a work of art. A real pleasure to have witnessed,¡± he exclaimed as he gave her a flirtatious smile and tipped his imaginary hat. ¡°May I have your name, that I may sing it to the heavens? The Gods are watching us, you know, so I would have a captivated audience.¡± The woman looked unamused and rolled her eyes, and Zachary let loose a boisterous laugh in response. The woman marched towards Zachary, her blade clutched threateningly in her hands. He smiled and did not move. The blade was at his throat in an instant, pressed against his skin. Zachary looked her in the eye and his smile grew wider. ¡°Ah, to die at the hands of a lady such as you. This contest truly is a dream.¡± The blade cut into Zachary¡¯s skin with each world uttered, drawing blood. Still, a little pain had never stopped him from talking before. A lot of pain? Well, that was something else entirely. ¡°But then again, perhaps it¡¯s better to die with said lady, don¡¯t you think?¡± His eyes flashed down to her waist, where he held the tip of a silver dagger against her ribs. ¡°Then perhaps we shall keep each other company as we explore what lay beyond this world?¡± The woman stared into Zachary¡¯s eyes, calculating. Zachary stood perfectly still, his smile still stretched across his handsome face. The woman withdrew her blade and stepped backwards. ¡°Ha!¡± exclaimed Zachary, pulling back his long black trench coat and sliding the dagger into its inside pocket. ¡°Marvelous. We shall become fast friends. And mayhap more than that?¡± He inflected his final question suggestively, and laughed again when the woman gave a haughty scoff. ¡°They call me Mr. Zee. The Illustrious Mr. Zee. May I know your name, my sweet plum blossom?¡± Zachary said, spreading his arms wide to give an exaggerated bow. ¡°No,¡± said the woman with the black blade, as she strode past him with confidence. ¡°Now, now, now, don¡¯t be in such a rush,¡± Zachary said cheerfully, following the woman. ¡°There are monsters out here, you know. Ones that can rip you to shreds, no matter how well you wield that fine dagger. Surely you do not mind my company in such times?¡± The woman stared ahead, into the darkness, her ear cocked as if she were listening to a voice only she could hear. She tilted her head slightly, beckoning Zachary to follow. The woman moved in a manner that avoided attention, moving from buildings to building in the shadows, avoiding the light. She did not say a word, and Zachary began to grow bored. So when they passed by a flower shop, he could not help but pick up a metal trashcan and smash the storefront window. He hopped inside and emerged shortly after with a bouquet of roses. He handed them to her with a flourish. She grabbed them and dropped them unceremoniously at her feet, and kept on walking. ¡°Shame. Women are supposed to like flowers,¡± Zachary laughed, his amusement rekindled if only for a short while. A few twists and turns later, they arrived at the end of a dark alley. Its sole occupant was a black vending machine with a surface that resembled the night sky and a colored image of Da Vinci¡¯s Vitruvian Man. Zachary raised a curious eyebrow. ¡°Did someone steal this from a circus?¡± ¡°It is used for these,¡± the woman said, displaying the three silver coins resting in her palm. ¡°Just watch.¡± The woman inserted one of the silver coins, touched the muscles of the Vitruvian man, and received a red vial. She inserted the second coin and selected the Vitruvian man¡¯s hands, and for the third she picked the skin. Zachary watched as she withdrew the cork from all three vials and drank them together. Her body shuttered for a second, and then she lifted her head and gave him a mischievous smile. She hurled the vials against the alleyway wall with surprising speed and strength, and flecks of shattered glass rained down on the concrete below. ¡°Curious. Very curious. I¡¯ve tried many drugs in my days, but this might be the most¡­ unique. Care to give your new friend a hit of that?¡± Zachary said, hands miming empty pockets. The woman scoffed and shouldered past him. ¡°Figure that out on your own. I¡¯m done with you.¡± ¡°Until our paths cross again, my love. Perhaps next time you see me, I shall be worthy of knowing your name,¡± shouted Zachary with regal flourish as she rounded the corner and was lost in the night. Zachary Choi did not pursue her. He reached into his pockets and drew out four silver coins. His own prizes from the Contest. ¡°It looks like there is power in mayhem,¡± he said. ¡°Now, Mr. Mercury, let¡¯s see what you have to offer me.¡± Becka watched from the shadows across the street as the man retrieved four vials and drank them all at once. Zachary fell to the ground, limbs twitching, as the transformation worked its way through his body. ¡°He is a fool,¡± Becka whispered, her voice laced with irritation. ¡°He is human. All humans are fools. But he shall be useful.¡± ¡°He does not deserve your attention,¡± protested Becka. ¡°He is¡­¡± ¡°Silence, mortal! Do you think you deserve my attention either? Do you think any of you are deserving of me? You paid the sacrifice in exchange for your life, and now you serve me. You serve Ah Puch." Becka did not move. She could feel the sweat on her brow as Ah Puch spoke into her mind. His voice felt like sandpaper being scrapped across her skull. "Death is my domain, human, and I grow stronger when souls make thier way to my realm. That man is anarchy and chaos manifested, and he will send many souls my way.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± Bethany whispered, chastised. ¡°You understand¡­,¡± Ah Puch said expectantly. ¡°I understand, master.¡± ¡°You do not understand. It is not your place to understand the plans that unfold around you. You must simply know your role and play it flawlessly. I shall call on you when I have need of you. Do not die in the meantime, Becka, or you shall regret it when your soul arrives on my doorstep.¡± The voice in the darkness was gone, and Becka felt alone once more.
Name: Bethany Fox Job: Player Attributes: Strength: 5 Agility: 5 Toughness: 6 Magic: 5 Attribute Coins: 0 Talents: Oracle Eye (#error#) Gift of Insight (Epic) Hammer of Light (Rare)
Chapter 27 - Clarity in Survival ¡°By failing to prepare, you¡¯re preparing to fail.¡± Benjamin Franklin Bethany stood in front of Mr. Mercury¡¯s Emporium, juggling four of the lunchroom¡¯s plastic glasses with ease. Emily sat at the table before her, gawking, as her desperately needed coffee grew cold in the mug beneath her nose. Despite the rings of exhaustion under her eyes, Bethany¡¯s eyes sparkled with delight. On a whim, she added a quick spin to the climax of her routine. She caught the first glass, then the second, and the third, but she missed the fourth by a hair. It fell to the ground with a hollow clunk and rolled under Emily¡¯s legs. With an exaggerated bow, Bethany placed the three glasses on the table as Emily walked over and handed her the fourth. ¡°That was impressive, Bethany,¡± Emily said with caution. ¡°But drinking those vials was reckless, and that¡¯s coming from Ms. Reckless herself. Just¡­ talk to us next time, before you do something dumb? We¡¯re a team now.¡± Emily ruffled Bethany¡¯s hair playfully. Bethany wondered if this was what it felt like to have a big sister, and she smiled at Emily with the delight of a small child. Emily gave her a playful punch on the shoulder as punishment for not being appropriately reproached. Bethany stood there in shock. She¡¯d never received a playful punch before. Only angry ones. The smile left Bethany¡¯s face as her thoughts turned dark. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Bethany,¡± Emily started to apologize, realizing her mistake ¡°I didn¡¯t think¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Emily,¡± Bethany said, her smile returning. ¡°I like having friends. I¡¯m just¡­ not used to it yet.¡± Emily pulled Bethany into a quick hug, then gave her another playful, and much gentler, nudge before changing the topic. ¡°If you got those coins by beating monsters, then we need to figure out how to beat more,¡± Emily declared bravely. ¡°Because I want some of those vials. I wonder if we could break open the vending machine. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time I¡¯ve done that¡­¡± ¡°Emily!¡± Bethany admonished. ¡°Yah, you¡¯re right,¡± Emily said unconvincingly, still staring thoughtfully at the Emporium. Her eyes darted to her metal pole leaning against the lunchroom wall. ¡°I¡¯ll earn them for the hard way. For now.¡± ¡°Breakfast is ready!¡± shouted Rocky from the grill as he flipped fried eggs and bagels onto faded plastic plates and slid them along the counter. ¡°Come on, waitress! Order is up! Get the lead out!¡± ¡°Our chef is an ass,¡± Emily laughed, heading over to grab the plates. ¡°Yah, but you love it,¡± Bethany teased. ¡°Careful there, Bethany. I might accidently drop your eggs on the floor if you get too cheeky.¡± Bethany took her place at the table and was joined by Emily and Rocky, the latter carrying three glasses of milk. ¡°Enjoy this while you can,¡± Rocky said as he lifted his glass in a toast. ¡°Milk will be one of the first things to disappear.¡± ¡°Really, Rocky?¡± Emily said sarcastically, clinking her glass against his. ¡°Any other inspiring tidbits of information you want to share first thing in the morning?¡± ¡°We need to go back to the North End Savers Supermarket,¡± Rocky said casually as he dipped his bagel in egg yolk. ¡°The haul from our first trip will not last us more than a couple weeks. If this Contest is going to last months, we need supplies for the long-haul.¡± ¡°Oh, we can go get my car while we are there!¡± pipped up Bethany. Emily and Rocky stared at her, surprised at the excitement in her voice. ¡°What? Everything I own is in that car. I appreciate the loaner clothes, Emily, but I miss my own stuff. Especially my bras. I¡¯ve been wearing this one for three days and it¡¯s getting gross.¡± Rocky choked on his milk and Emily laughed. ¡°Can¡¯t argue with that, and I¡¯d rather be out there doing something useful than sitting around in here. When do we leave?¡± ¡°The sooner the better,¡± Rocky said, matter-of-factly. ¡°This is the third morning of the Contest. We aren¡¯t going to be rescued. The military isn¡¯t going to show up and shoot that giant eyeball out of the sky. We know that, and other people ¨C other players ¨C are starting to come to the same conclusion. They will look around their homes and realize just how screwed they are. They will begin to grow desperate, and that desperation will lead to chaos.¡± ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you a ray of sunshine,¡± Emily mumbled, her mouth stuffed full of egg. ¡°But I won¡¯t argue with you. After I left home, spent my first year traveling on a shoestring budget to some remote places. I¡¯ve seen what can happen when food grows scarce. It doesn¡¯t take long for the people to turn on each other.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve had so many adventures,¡± Bethany admired, thinking about her own desolate childhood. ¡°All I had was a library.¡± ¡°Trust me, Bethany. It¡¯s not all it¡¯s cracked up to be,¡± Emily said. ¡°I found far more happiness at the refinery than I ever did traveling the world.¡± Bethany glanced at Rocky, who was shoving an entire egg into his mouth. ¡°Yah, I bet you did,¡± Bethany teased, and Emily gave her a gentle kick under the table. ¡°Anyways,¡± Rocky said, eyeing the two giggling women with suspicion. ¡°We need to stockpile resources as soon as we can before the chaos grows. I don¡¯t want to be fighting both monsters and men for what we need.¡± ¡°We should leave after breakfast,¡± Bethany concluded with mixed emotions. She was afraid of what lay beyond the refinery walls, but the pragmatist within her knew they could not hide and expect to survive. ¡°At least we have powers now.¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Yup,¡± Rocky said, pushing his empty plate away and letting the blue healing flame build in his palm for dramatic effect. ¡°We are stronger than we were yesterday, and we¡¯ll be stronger tomorrow. I will get the truck fueled and ready to go. Grab your weapons and whatever bags we can find. We¡¯re going shopping!¡± Twenty minutes later they were on the road to the North End Savers Supermarket as the rusted refinery gate screeched closed behind them. * * * ¡°Rocky, your prediction was frighteningly accurate,¡± Emily said, staring out their windshield at the chaos that lay before them. The morning of the third day of the God Contest saw the North End Savers Supermarket engulfed in anarchy. The once empty parking lot was now filled with dozens of vehicles and hundreds of people all clambering over each other as they looted the store. The front entrance was clogged by two moving trucks that had backed up over the sidewalk, leaving little room for people to maneuver in and out. The result was a clogged mess of desperate people driven by fear and anger. There was no order. There was no reason. It was every person for themselves. Bethany watched two middle-aged men slam their shopping carts into each other, spilling their contents across the parking lot. Without pause, the men started throwing punches at each other and shouting obscenities, while the gathered crowed helped themselves to the groceries that had fallen from their carts. Tearing her gaze away from the fight, Bethany looked towards the Gas Bar. She saw her Civic resting a short distance away from where she had left it. Someone had pushed it out of the way to free up the gas pump, which had a line thirty cars deep and growing as desperate motorists filled their vehicles for what could be the last time. ¡°See, this is why we are staying at the refinery,¡± Rocky said, gesturing at the haphazard line of cars waiting for gas as he slowly weaved through the parking lot. ¡°Those pumps will be empty by the end of the day. And then what will they do?¡± Bethany tapped Rocky¡¯s shoulder. ¡°My car is over there, Rocky,¡± Bethany directed. ¡°I hope everything is still there.¡± Rocky weaved his way slowly through the chaotic parking lot and pulled up beside Bethany¡¯s Civic. Bethany jumped out of the truck as Rocky slowed, her anxiety building. ¡°Please, please, please,¡± she prayed as she peered through the cracked window shield. Everything was still there, and she felt relief wash over her, until a foul stench reached her nostrils. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s why it is untouched,¡± Bethany said, staring at the two rotten gas station sandwiches that had filled the car with their odor. Her suitcase had spilled across the back seat in her flight after the Arena of Dolos, leaving the inside of her Civic covered in worn clothes and crumpled papers. No one would look through the windshield and believe anything of value lay inside. Emily peaked over Bethany¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Oh, Bethany, that¡¯s¡­ well, you¡¯ve got your own room now, at least.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t look that bad,¡± said Rocky, leaning over Bethany¡¯s other shoulder. ¡°I like the yellow flowers on the suitcase.¡± Spreading her arms wide to block her new friend¡¯s view, Bethany sputtered out an explanation. ¡°Umm¡­it was all temporary. Just a place to stay until I got to my feet. I¡¯m not like that. It¡¯s not¡­ I don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Bethany,¡± Emily said, placing a hand on her shoulder. ¡°We saw your past, remember. We know what you had to deal with. We¡¯re proud of you.¡± Bethany felt the tears build in her eyes and she wiped them away with a quick swipe of her sleeve. Looking over at the supermarket entrance, Rocky reached into the back seat of the truck and pulled out the shopping bags. ¡°Bethany, I¡¯m glad your stuff is safe. Now, let¡¯s head over to the supermarket. At this rate, the place will be empty by the afternoon. We need to grab everything we can get. I want to leave here in a few hours with both the truck and Bethany¡¯s car filled to the brim.¡± Rocky¡¯s eyes fell on the two fighting men, now bloodied and bruised. The fight had escalated to include two dozen people as frayed nerves finally snapped. Rocky reached into the flatbed and hauled out Emily¡¯s pole and his axe. ¡°Keep your weapons close,¡± Rocky said with caution. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Without hesitation, Rocky lead the way into the chaotic crowd. As Bethany followed behind, Diana¡¯s words cascaded into her thoughts. In the Contest, you will see a person¡¯s true nature, brought out when life and death are at stake. ¡°He¡¯s getting more confident,¡± Bethany whispered, nudging Emily as they followed Rocky across the parking lot towards the entrance. ¡°Uh huh,¡± Emily agreed, her eyes scanning the growing crowd around them. ¡°The way he carries that axe. His solid strides. How he gently parts the crowd as he walks by,¡± Bethany continued. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see him this assertive,¡± Emily said with an impressed whisper. ¡°The apocalypse brings out the best in him,¡± Bethany suggested. ¡°It brings out the best in both of you.¡± ¡°He¡¯s always been his best,¡± Emily said, confidently. ¡°This Contest just brings it out more. But me? I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°Come on, you are amazing,¡± Bethany encouraged. ¡°Why would you ever think that?¡± ¡°Were you this nosy back home?¡± Emily asked as she circled around an upturned shopping cart. ¡°I never had the opportunity to be nosy. I had no friends,¡± Bethany said matter-of-factly. ¡°Now I¡¯m discovering who I am. And, apparently, I¡¯m a nosy matchmaker, at least for today.¡± Bethany tilted her head, wordlessly repeating her question to Emily. Emily sighed and decided to confide in Bethany. ¡°Okay, but this stays between us. Promise?¡± Bethany nodded. ¡°I promise.¡± ¡°There is a downside to infinite recollection,¡± Emily started. ¡°You know that feeling when you recall something embarrassing you did? How it makes you shiver and makes you feel worthless? Well, now I can remember every single detail of my life, including those moments. I laid awake last night replaying memories over and over in my head. Every time I failed Emma. Every selfish decision. Every screw-up. Every¡­ every time I took Rocky for granted.¡± ¡°Oh, Emily. That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s awful,¡± Bethany comforted, her enthusiasm deflated. ¡°Is that¡­ permanent?¡± ¡°It took me a few hours, but I figured out how to turn infinite recollection off. It¡¯s just¡­ look, its hard to see all the missteps you¡¯ve taken in your life replayed for you in grim detail. It messes up your confidence, you know?¡± Bethany did not know what to say. Words seemed inadequate, so Bethany simply pulled Emily into a hug. ¡°Well, I still think you are amazing,¡± Bethany assured her. ¡°I may have only known you for a couple days, but there is no one I would rather be with than you and Rocky.¡± ¡°Yah, but you don¡¯t know anyone else,¡± Emily smirked. They watched Rocky gentle nudge two scuffling men out of their path. The mens¡¯ looks of anger quickly vanished when they saw that mammoth with the fireman¡¯s axe standing before them, and they shuffled out of the way with a quick apology, their fight forgotten. ¡°Did you know Rocky is scared of heights?¡± Emily said. ¡°He¡¯s terrified. But he¡¯s climbed that refinery tower two hundred and thirty-two times to sit with me and watch the sunset. That¡¯s just who he is. I can see every day of our friendship, and that¡¯s always who he¡¯s been.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a good man,¡± Bethany agreed. ¡°He cares for you, and you care for him. I don¡¯t need infinite recollection to see that. So why not take the chance to be with him? What have you got to lose?¡± They arrived at the entrance to the supermarket, and Rocky glanced back at his companions with a gentle smile. Emily returned his smile and nodded, and Rocky walked inside. ¡°Everything,¡± Emily answered as she followed him in. ¡°He¡¯s all I have left.¡± ¡°You¡¯re braver than that, Emily,¡± pushed Bethany. ¡°You¡­¡± Bethany stopped mid-sentence as her back foot crossed the threshold. The sliding doors shutting closed behind her, she saw a bronze plaque hanging above the entranceway that had not been there two days ago. A plaque that chilled her core. G.A. 1-142, Ares Arena commencing in: 00:00:03 00:00:02 00:00:01 Chapter 28 – The Unexpected Ally ¡°Narcissism and self-deception are survival mechanisms without which many of us might just jump off a bridge.¡± Todd Solondz, American Writer ¡°No!¡± Bethany shouted, reaching for her friends¡¯ hands, and trying to tug them through the sliding glass door before they closed shut. She didn¡¯t make it. Bethany slammed into the invisible barrier that had sealed the exit shut. The force knocked her to the floor and a shimmer of blue rippled out where she struck. The barrier encompassed not only the sliding doors, but the entire outer wall of the supermarket. An impenetrable prison for the Arena. ¡°Bethany, what¡¯s the matter? What happened?¡± Rocky asked, helping Bethany to her feet. ¡°The North End Savers¡­ it¡¯s been turned into a God Arena,¡± Bethany explained, trying to fight against her growing fear. ¡°I didn¡¯t see the plaque until we were already inside.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Bethany. It¡¯s not your fault,¡± Rocky comforted, placing a gentle hand on her tiny shoulder. He was remarkably composed, but Bethany could see the tiny tremble in his lip. He was putting on a brave face, but he was just as scared as she was. ¡°We got through Thoth¡¯s challenge. We¡¯ll get through this one, right?¡± ¡°Yah¡­ yah, we will,¡± Bethany answered, trying to give herself confidence. She glanced towards the crowds of people frantically pushing shopping carts loaded to the brim across the store, oblivious to the danger. ¡°Should we warn them?¡± Emily hoisted her metal pole across her shoulders. ¡°We don¡¯t know what kind of challenge this is. What if they are competitors? We need to find someplace safe.¡± ¡°Hey, you¡¯re blocking the door! Get out of the way, fat ass,¡± shouted a wrinkled blond woman barreling towards the exit with a shopping cart overflowing with canned vegetables and bags of flour. ¡°Ma¡¯am, the doors won¡¯t¡­ Woah!¡± Rocky started, but Emily pulled him out of the way just as the woman slammed hard into the barrier, causing both cart and woman to spill to the ground. ¡°We can¡¯t stay here. This will be ground zero for panic when this arena begins.¡± Emily said, pointing towards the store¡¯s south-east corner near the pharmacy where there were fewer people. ¡°Let¡¯s move over there.¡± Rocky was trying to help the wrinkled woman to her feet. She shoved him away and started to refill her cart, until two more players collided with the barrier and created a pile-up of groceries, metal, and man. They started shouting at each other as Emily led her friends over to the pharmacy. They weaved their way through the store until they reached the south-east corner, not knowing what to expect. Bethany was relieved when they arrived without incident, and she took a moment to survey their surroundings. The shelves in this section of the store were chest-high rather than ten feet tall, creating a more open feeling. The shelves were stocked with off-the-shelf medicines, vitamins, and hygiene products. A small pharmacy department was built into the south-east corner, which had a narrow staff-only office and locked cabinets containing prescription medication. Bethany could see eight other people in the area, all of whom were busy loading off-the-shelf medication into their carts. Only the Indian mother and grandmother noticed them, before returning to their search for medicine to sooth the coughing toddler cradled in her mother¡¯s arms. ¡°What did the plaque say, Bethany?¡± asked Emily anxiously, leaning up against the pharmacy¡¯s long, pink counter. ¡°What are we in for?¡± ¡°G.A. 1-142, Ares,¡± recited Bethany. ¡°Shit,¡± Emily spat. ¡°Ares is the Greek god of war, and not the honor and glory kind. He¡¯s more about bloodlust and brutality. This is not good.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± Rocky asked, impressed. Emily pointed at her head. ¡°Infinite Recall. I was up until three in the morning reading one of those mythology books we borrowed from the library yesterday. We need to know what we are up against, so I¡¯m going to read them all.¡± ¡°And we are up against¡­ war?¡± Bethany asked, not really wanting an answer. ¡°Umm¡­ yah, pretty much,¡± Emily reluctantly concluded. ¡°¡­ Shit.¡± Rocky and Bethany said, echoing Emily. Rocky stared across throngs of people in the store. ¡°There must be close to two hundred people here. Are we fighting monsters, or does Ares intend for us to fight each other?¡± ¡°Well, wouldn¡¯t that be fun!¡± came an exited, high-pitched voice from behind the counter. A Korean man leaped up onto the counter, his arms were laden with bags of pills that he had pried from the locked medicine cabinets. Wearing a dark trench coat and black cowboy hat, the man spun around in a flourish that revealed a silver dagger tucked into his belt and a half dozen small knifes tied to the inside of his coat. He flashed Bethany a broad smile and his eyes flashed with mischief. He leapt down, and his heavy black boots made a loud thump that drew the attention of the Indian family. Dumping the bags of pills unceremoniously onto the counter, he started to run his finger along the hilt of his dagger. His eyes darted to Emily, and his hand wrapped around the dagger¡¯s hilt. Rocky stepped protectively between Emily and the stranger, his fireman¡¯s axe clutched in both hands. Emily held her pole at her side and Bethany gripped her hammer tightly, their eyes never leaving the threatening stranger. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°You don¡¯t want to do that,¡± Rocky warned with a growl. The man in black returned their gaze with calculating eyes, until he suddenly barked out a laugh so loud that it caused it prompted a disapproving glare from the Indian grandmother. The man released his dagger and spread his arms wide in an elaborate motion to show he was not a threat. ¡°Excellent,¡± the man suddenly exclaimed. ¡°You¡¯ve all got balls. Especially the big one. I think I¡¯m going to like you three.¡± The man reached onto the counter, grabbed a bottle of painkillers, and swallowed a handful of the white pills inside. He held the bottle out to Bethany, shaking it enticingly. ¡°Umm¡­ thanks, but I¡¯m good,¡± Bethany said awkwardly. The man smiled wickedly as he clicked the cap back onto the bottle. ¡°How brave of you to face what we are in for without the marvel of painkillers. Brave, but also foolish. But I do enjoy the company of fools, for what better company is there. I am Zachary Choi. The Illustrious Mr. Zee, and I have no greater pleasure this day than making your acquaintance,¡± Zee gave them an exaggerated bow and threw each a playful wink. ¡°Now that you know my name, it is only proper that I know yours,¡± Zee continued, running a hand through this jet black, shoulder-length hair. ¡°I¡¯m Rocky,¡± Rocky replied simply, still holding his axe tightly. ¡°This is Emily and Bethany.¡± ¡°Relax, Balboa, I will not harm your women unless this game requires me to do so. And you should pray that it does not.¡± Bethany cringed at the nickname, remembering the torment Rocky had gone through as a child. Yet Rocky did not correct him. The only indication of Rocky¡¯s discomfort was a slight shuffling of his feet as his eyes remained fixed on the man with the dagger. Shouts from the store¡¯s entrance drew Bethany¡¯s attention. A frustrated, angry, and increasingly desperate crowd had gathered in front of the sealed doors A tall man with a crowbar had shoved people aside to pry open the doors but could not break through the barrier. A brawl had broken out behind the check-out counters. A man carried his daughter on his shoulder, trying to keep her safe amidst the growing chaos. ¡°We can¡¯t leave this store,¡± Zee said, disgusted by the unruly mob. ¡°But you already knew that, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°This is not our first arena,¡± Bethany agreed. ¡°And it¡¯s not yours either.¡± Zee grinned. ¡°Beauty and brains. No, it is not, which is why I do not count myself amongst the dead and find myself here with you.¡± ¡°Perhaps you should be somewhere else,¡± Rocky said gruffly. ¡°Relax, Balboa. Save that protective instinct for what lay ahead,¡± Zee said dismissively. Three high-pitched tones echoed across the store, and the supermarket¡¯s loudspeaker crackled to life. ¡°Well, speak of the devil,¡± Zee laughed, staring up at hte ceiling. "Let''s see if we are friend or foe." ¡°Here we go,¡± Bethany whispered to Emily and Rocky. "Be ready for anything." A deep, rumbling voice began to address the crowd through the loudspeaker. ¡°Attention shoppers. Be still and be quiet, for you are in the presence of Ares, God of War and Courage!¡± Laced with an utter confidence in his own superiority, Ares voice was menacing and powerful, and it demanded obedience with every syllable. The slow beat of a war drum began to boom from the ceiling high above. The shouts from the exit grew quiet, and the brawlers halted mid-blow as an eerie silence fell across the store. Bethany looked towards the ceiling and saw hundreds of winged eyes, each assigned to a player below, perched on the beams that ran across the ceiling. She spotted Jitters amongst them, broadcasting her every reaction to the unseen godly audience. ¡°Good. Like lambs to the slaughter, you listen and obey. And make no mistake, you are all lambs and there will be slaughter.¡± The chaos resumed, far greater than before. Shouts and screams spread like wildfire, and the mob pounded on the barrier in a desperate attempt to break free. The efforts amounted to nothing. The barrier was impenetrable. ¡°Silence!¡± Ares bellowed, his voice causing the supermarket floor to rumble as if an earthquake had struck. The voice had amusement hidden behind false anger, and Bethany knew Ares was intentionally stroking the chaos below. The scrambling of the players ceased, and once more you could hear a pin drop. ¡°Listen now, fragile mortals, and I shall explain to you the rules of my God Arena! But first, a gift for you.¡± With an unseen snap of Ares¡¯ fingers, hundreds of weapons appeared in the air above the players, dangling from the ceiling by invisible threads. Steel swords, axes, spears, and maces, all pointed downwards. The weapons hung there just long enough for the players to spot them before the threads broke and gravity hurled the weapons at players below. Bethany dodged an iron-tipped spear, her feet moving faster than ever before. It struck the floor where she had previously stood and embedded itself in the tile. Her heart racing, she anxiously looked towards Emily and Rocky and was relieved when she saw them unharmed. Three more spears, a mace, and three daggers had crashed to the floor around their feet, and it was only luck that they had not been impaled. ¡°Nice footwork,¡± Zee said to Bethany with admiration, holding an iron dagger he had plucked from the air as it fell. ¡°Beauty, brains, and speed. A deadly combination.¡± ¡°Rocky. Emily. Are you hurt?¡± Bethany asked, ignoring Zee. ¡°No, we are fine.¡± Emily started, but she was cut off by painful screams that erupted all across the supermarket. ¡°I guess not everyone had your speed,¡± said Zee impassively. ¡°Or Emily and Rocky¡¯s luck. They should have been better prepared.¡± ¡°Those are people out there, Zee,¡± Bethany scolded, her eye flashing with anger. ¡°Families. Children.¡± ¡°Perhaps, or perhaps they are competitors. If you want to survive, you¡¯d best learn that quick,¡± Zee replied grimly. He picked up another iron dagger off the floor and slipped it into his belt. ¡°You''d better embrace it. In this Contest, if you stand around gawking like an idiot, something, or someone, will cut you down.¡± ¡°Someone like you, Zee?¡± Bethany retorted. ¡°Are you an ally or an enemy?¡± Zee held a finger to his lips and pointed towards the loudspeaker. ¡°We¡¯ll know in a moment.¡± A shiver ran down Bethany¡¯s spine as Ares resumed his arrogant instructions. ¡°I hope you enjoy my little gift to you. After all, what God Contest is complete without blood and iron?¡± Ares announced with amusement, his voice booming above the painful screams of the injured and dying. ¡°In this world, only the strongest survive. Embrace this truth, and you may find yourselves amongst them. Deny it, and you will be crushed under the ambition of others.¡± ¡°Do you embrace that truth, Bethany?¡± Zee asked, his grin growing wider. ¡°Are you ambitious, or are you just another fool, like those crowding the exit, begging for someone to save them?¡± Bethany tightened her grip on her hammer. ¡°I¡¯m a fighter,¡± she answered simply. ¡°We all are.¡± ¡°This truth forms the core of my challenge!¡± continued Ares. ¡°My Arena shall judge whether you are strong enough, clever enough, and possess sufficient courage to survive this God Contest. It shall weed out the weak and the cowards to eliminate those who refuse to do whatever is necessary to survive.¡± The war drums began to pick up their pace. The winged eyes on the ceiling above flapped excitedly. ¡°Here are the rules of this arena. They are as simple and brutal as war itself. Simply survive. Survive by any means possible. Survive until you can walk out the front doors of this supermarket. Make it outside, and you shall live and be rewarded.¡± The war drums built to a crescendo as Ares¡¯ declaration reverberated across the ceiling and filled the air around them. ¡°I will unseal the doors in ten minutes. Use the time well,¡± Ares concluded with a flourish. ¡°My fellow Gods, the God Arena of Ares begins¡­ Now!¡± Then, all at once, the voice faded away and the war drums stopped. A giant digital timer appeared on the ceiling, glowing blood red and counting down to zero. Chapter 29 – Ten Minutes ¡°Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.¡± Alexander Graham Bell All hell broke loose in the supermarket as people stampeded towards the exit, their shopping carts abandoned in their panic. The crowd pushed violently forward, packed shoulder to shoulder, each person desperately trying to be the closest to the exit. Parents hoisted small children on their shoulders as they struggled to keep them safe from the frenzied crowd. An elderly woman fell to the floor and did not get back up. ¡°So, we¡¯re going to be attacked,¡± Emily said bluntly, tearing her gaze away from the chaos at the exit. ¡°Ares is the god of war, after all.¡± ¡°No doubt,¡± Zee confirmed. ¡°But who will be the attacker? Ares made no mention of players fighting each other, so there is no need for me to cut you down. At least, not today.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t making a good case for us to trust you, Zee,¡± Bethany said tensely. ¡°Trust is for fools, my dear,¡± Zee answered without pause. ¡°Trust gets you stabbed on the midnight train to nowhere. But perhaps we can be allies, if only for today?¡± Bethany glanced at Rocky, who reluctantly nodded. ¡°We don¡¯t know what Ares will unleash upon us. We need all the allies we can get right now.¡± ¡°Good decision,¡± Zee said, his voice concealing the hint of a threat. ¡°Rocky, I don¡¯t suppose anything in your notes covers a supermarket war?¡± Emily asked, only half joking. Rocky¡¯s surveyed the pharmacy as his mind flipped through the possible scenarios. ¡°Ares gave us ten minutes to prepare. Why did he do that? If all he wanted was a fight, he could have started the arena the moment the weapons fell. He¡¯s wanting something more from us.¡± He eyed the chest-high shelves filled with over-the-counter medications and vitamins, then glanced back at the pharmacy. ¡°Ares said war is simple, but that isn¡¯t the case at all. Even in ancient Greece, the winning army wasn¡¯t just the one with the most men. It¡¯s the one who is best prepared. The one who had the best position on the battlefield.¡± Rocky¡¯s plan came together. ¡°If we fight in the open, we risk getting swarmed by whatever Ares sends against us. We are in the corner of the store, so if we fight here, we only have to defend on two sides. We can use the shelves to build a barricade from the counter to the wall, while robbing our enemies of the same cover. We can pelt them with these iron weapons from a distance as they try to reach us. If we get overwhelmed, we retreat into the pharmacy.¡± ¡°We build a¡­ fort?¡± Bethany asked. ¡°Yes. In¡­ um¡­ nine minutes or less,¡± Rocky said. Emily sprang into action. ¡°I¡¯m in. Rocky, you and Zee get started on the shelves. Bethany and I will collect the weapons,¡± Emily said as she took off towards the nearest aisle and started stacking spears, daggers, and swords in her arms. ¡°I trust you Rocky,¡± Bethany assured him as she headed in another direction. ¡°You are smarter than you look, Balboa,¡± Zee remarked when Emily and Rocky were further away. ¡°Or should I call you General Balboa?¡± ¡°You should call me Rocky,¡± Rocky responded, eyeing Zee¡¯s daggers. ¡°I hope there is more to you than your ego. Do you actually know how to use those?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you worry. It may have only been a few short days, but I have felled more than one monster.¡± Rocky and Zee moved over to the first shelf, bracing their shoulders against it. They shoved hard, moving it into position with a rusty screech across the floor. It was now flush against the cinderblock wall at the north side of the pharmacy counter. ¡°My first kill was this rat creature that was as big as a donkey,¡± Zee started to narrate as they moved to the next shelf. ¡°I hate rats. You ever been trapped travelling in an empty railcar with a family of hungry rats?¡± ¡°Why would I ever had done that?¡± Rocky muttered, rolling his eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve lived a sheltered life, Balboa. They are disgusting creatures. I took my time with that first kill. It was cathartic. Then I found another monster, and then another. I have a lot of shit to work through you see.¡± Zee¡¯s exaggerated cackle found itself on the border of sanity and madness. ¡°Are you on drugs?¡± Rocky scolded, growing weary of Zee¡¯s showmanship. ¡°Or are you just that desperate to meet a quick end?¡± ¡°A little of column A and a little of column B. I live in the moment, Balboa, and damned be the consequences,¡± Zee responded, staring up at the winged eyes. ¡°Well, knock off the theatrics and push,¡± instructed Rocky. ¡°Or do you want to die here today?¡± ¡°The Grim Reaper hovers over all of us, big man,¡± Zee responded, but he moved to Rocky¡¯s side and braced his shoulder against the next shelf. ¡°I am who I am, and I shall change for no one. Why spend my last remaining days denying myself?¡± ¡°Just¡­ just start pushing,¡± Rocky said, Zee¡¯s words found an unwelcome purchase in his mind. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°I¡¯ve known plenty of people like you, Balboa. You¡¯ve probably spent your life denying yourself. Denying who you are. I know what I want, and I am willing to take it. This God Contest was built for people like me to thrive. And if you don¡¯t embrace that, it will swallow you whole.¡± Glancing over at Emily, her arms laden with swords and spears, Rocky wondered how much Zee was full of shit, and how much he might be right. * * * The squeal of shifting shelves rang through the store as Bethany added another halberd to the growing collection in her arms. Her increased strength made the task easier, and she found she could carry ten different weapons before she had to dump them behind the quickly growing wall. Bethany was prying out six spears that had embedded themselves in the floor of the mouthwash aisle, when the Indian mother cautiously approached. ¡°Can we join you?¡± asked the mother with a fear-filled stubbornness. She was carrying her sick toddler in her arms as the grandmother clutched a basket full of medication. ¡°We don¡¯t know what is going on.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ of course. We could use all the help we can get,¡± Bethany said, trying to sound confident. She knew they wouldn¡¯t stand a chance alone. ¡°I¡¯m Anjali,¡± the Indian mother replied gratefully. ¡°This is my mother-in-law Priyanka and my daughter Jaya. We¡¯ve been hiding at home ever since this¡­ contest¡­ started, but then Jaya got sick, and her cough kept getting worse.¡± The women¡¯s only weapon was the fierceness in their eyes. Bethany found herself admiring their bravery. A winged eye flapped down from the ceiling to capture the moment. Bethany assumed it was the eye assigned to their family when Priyanka hurled a bottle of mouthwash in its direction, driving it back up to its perch in the rafters. ¡°I¡¯m Bethany,¡± she replied. ¡°We can use all the help we can get.¡± ¡°Will we be safe?¡± Anjali asked, fear threatening to crack through her carefully controlled emotions. ¡°No,¡± Bethany replied. There was no point in lying to them. ¡°No, this is a God Arena. None of us are safe. We don¡¯t know what will happen when the timer hits zero, but we¡¯ll be in for the fight of our lives. All we can do is stick together and fight back.¡± Anjali took a deep breath and steadied herself. ¡°Susa ma, take Jaya and hide behind the pharmacy. Keep her safe and quiet. I¡¯ll help here and¡­ and fight.¡± ¡°Anjali, we should just go to the exit like everyone else. This whole thing must be a joke,¡± Priyanka demanded sternly. ¡°Listen to your mother-in-law.¡± Anjali ignored her and passed over the squirming toddler. ¡°Go to the pharmacy, Susa ma. See what you can find for Jaya. I don¡¯t want to leave here without her medication.¡± Priyanka started to argue, until she saw the resolve in Anjali¡¯s eyes. Cradling Jaya in her arms, Priyanka headed into the growing makeshift enclosure and into the pharmacy. Anjali did not take her eyes off Jaya until they slipped into the backroom and were out of sight. ¡°Will this be the last time I see them,¡± she whispered. Bethany picked up a spear and thrust it into Anjali¡¯s arms. ¡°Don¡¯t let it be.¡± * * * The last section of their makeshift wall slid into place as the timer entered its final minute. It was a barricade that left much to be desired, but it would serve its purpose. Any monsters that came would need to climb over the chest-high barrier or enter through the one-person-wide gap that faced the exit. The shelves were cleared of their items, which had been flung into the open space around the barricade to create tripping hazards for the monsters. The structure reminded Bethany of a medieval castle, with the trees cut back and protected by a moat. Anjali must have had the same thought, as she spent their final few minutes pouring bottles of hand sanitizer, shampoo, and conditioner on the tile floor fifteen feet out from the wall. The result was a slick, invisible ring around the wall that would hopefully buy them time to pummel their attackers with their gathered weapons. Bethany surveyed their defenses as she took her place at the northern wall, facing the back of the store. The four spears she had leaned on the wall next to her were ready to throw. She wiped her sweaty palms on her shirt and took a deep breath to calm herself. Emily stood beside Bethany with her own stack of weapons, memorizing every aspect of the soon-to-be battlefield. Rocky hunkered down in the middle of their enclosure behind a barrier made of overturned chairs. From there, he could survey the entire area and quickly reach anyone who needed to be healed. Two days ago, they had nearly died in the North End Savers. This time they were prepared. Bethany felt the light building within her - tiny weaves desperate for release. ¡°How are the new recruits?¡± Bethany asked, nodding towards their new allies who were taking their places at the wall. At the three-minute mark, Emily had brought in five more players who had been wandering the back of the store, paralyzed with indecision. Henry and Abigail, a middle-aged married couple, and Henry¡¯s twin brother Gabriel were defending the left side of the west wall. Abigail was the only one holding a weapon, and she was whispering harshly to her husband and his brother. Gabriel took a step backwards and knocked over their pile of spears and swords, and Abigail rolled her eyes. ¡°Well, let¡¯s hope Abby gets them in line,¡± Emily said. ¡°Ben and Marvin may be more dependable.¡± Emily gestured to the two elderly men who defended the right side of the west wall. They were in their early seventies, both remarkably spry for their age. A pile of neatly arranged spears resting between them, each held a short sword and had a dagger stuffed into their belts. The men bantered back and forth, chuckling at a thirty-year-old inside joke. Bethany wondered if they had been in the military together and regretted that she¡¯d had no time to get to know them. Anjali defended the wall with the elderly men. Her knees shook with fear, and her eyes never left the gathered crowd at the exit. Jaya¡¯s cry and her grandmother¡¯s soothing coos emanated from behind the pharmacy counter, and Anjali¡¯s tightened her deathly grip on the spear in her hands. ¡°Three defending north, six defending west,¡± Rocky said, then looked towards the pharmacy. ¡°And one jackass who had decided to do something completely different.¡± Zee stood on the pharmacy counter, surrounded by daggers, laughing as the final seconds ticked away. He had an ecstatic grin without a trace of fear in his eyes. He launched into an impromptu speech. ¡°My new friends. My comrades in arms,¡± Zee announced as the countdown entered its final seconds. He looked down at Bethany with a grin. ¡°In moments, this Arena will strike for our collective throats, without hesitation and without mercy. What a gift that is, for it leaves us no choice but to stand our ground and fight for our lives. Set aside your doubts. Set aside your fears. They have no place behind our makeshift barricade. Are you with me?¡± ¡°Let the fuckers come,¡± Abigail cheered, enraptured by Zee¡¯s speech. Gabriel and Henry looked shocked, but Abigail thrust two swords into their empty hands with an impatient glare. Zee bowed towards Abigail. ¡°You, fine woman, are a beacon of bravery and violence. A woman after my own heart. Let¡¯s give them hell! Count down with me! Ten¡­night¡­eight¡­¡± ¡°Seven¡­six¡­five¡­¡± Abigail¡¯s voice joined his, growing more confident every second. ¡°Four¡­three¡­two¡­¡± Bethany found herself counting down under her breath. She had to admit that it was a good speech, even if the man delivering it was the strangest man she had ever met. ¡°Stay safe, Bethany,¡± Emily whispered. ¡°You too, Emily,¡± Bethany replied. Please, let us survive this. ¡°One,¡± Zee growled, a wolf anticipating the kill. ¡°Zero¡­¡± whispered Bethany, and the supermarket erupted into chaos. Chapter 30 - Shoppers vs Spartans ¡°The battlefield is a scene of constant chaos. The winner will be the one who controls that chaos, both his own and the enemy¡¯s.¡± Napoleon Bonaparte Zero. As the whisper left Bethany¡¯s lips, an explosion rocked the exit of the supermarket. The shoppers closest to the blast were torn apart in an instant, and their flesh littered the floor in a gruesome rain. The sliding doors rocketed into the crowd, glass shattered, and smashed through those who were unfortunate enough to be in its path. Fragments of cinderblock wall rained down upon them, crushing skulls and covering the area in fine grey dust. Bethany watched in helpless horror as a man was impaled by a fragment of rebar, and a middle-aged couple were crushed under a boulder-sized block of wall. There hadn¡¯t been time for the victims to scream. When the final piece of debris fell to the ground, the supermarket was filled with a stunned silence, broken only by weak, desperate cries for help. ¡°Nobody move,¡± shouted Rocky to their team. His hands flashed with healing light as he struggled to follow his own direction. ¡°Stay in your positions. This is just the beginning.¡± The silence was broken by the sound of quick footsteps. A young man in a Pink Floyd T-shirt suddenly burst from the bread aisle, running full speed towards the exit. He jumped over the bodies that littered the bloody floor below, ignoring the groans of the injured. His eyes were fixed on the exit and set with grim determination. ¡°Now there is a young man we should have recruited to our group,¡± Zee remarked to Bethany. ¡°It¡¯s too bad he won¡¯t make it. He should have been more patient.¡± The young man was ten steps away from freedom when an arrow pierced the man¡¯s skull through his eye. He fell dead to the ground, his body skidding to a stop at the threshold. ¡°Tough luck, kid,¡± quipped Zee. Bethany wasn¡¯t listening to Zee. Her gaze was fixed on the creature that stepped over the young man¡¯s body as it entered the supermarket. It was a humanoid figure, six feet tall and extraordinarily muscular. It wore a bronze helmet that left only its glowing red eyes uncovered, and let its long, black hair flow behind. Two slender horns jutted from its forehead through the helm, as if the helm had been fashioned around its head. It wore a black skirt with a leather belt, tight-fitting leather sandals, and a long, crimson cloak that cascaded down its back. The man ¨C for it seemed to be a man ¨C was bare chested and extraordinarily muscular, as if it had been training since birth. It carried a bronze spear in one hand and a rounded shield in the other, painted with the Greek letter lambda in red and yellow. At its side stood a giant grey wolf. It looked half-starved, its mangey grey fur telling of disease and hardship. Saliva dripped from its canines as it surveyed the bodies lying on the ground. ¡°Is that¡­ a Spartan?¡± Rocky said with disbelief. ¡°Balboa, I think we¡¯ve wandered onto the set of 300,¡± quipped Zee, though Bethany thought she could sense his confidence waiver, if only for a moment. The Spartan glanced around the supermarket, then raised his arm and made a small, silent gesture. Eleven more Spartan warriors and three more wolves entered the store through the blast hole. Four of the Spartans carried bows instead of spears, and each looked stoic, verging on bored. An injured woman had dragged her body out of the rubble and was seated against the shattered wall, her legs broken. She was in shock, hardly comprehending the scene playing out before her. The lead Spartan glanced at the wolf and gave a silence command. The wolf leaped over to the woman, who tried to scream, only for the wolf¡¯s teeth to sink into her neck. It shook her like a rag doll until there was a sickening crack. Blood dripping from its muzzle and it pulled, ripping out her throat and swallowing its prize. Gabriel dropped his spear in absolute terror. Bethany cringed as its clatter threatened to shatter the bravery of the others. ¡°Kill them all. Show them the glory of battle, and honor me by spilling their blood,¡± Ares commanded. The deity¡¯s words were directed at both the players and the Spartans, indifferent to whom did the killing. The Spartans split into four equal teams. One team stayed behind to stand guard over the exit point while the others moved into the aisles. The silence was soon broken by the clang of metal and the screams of the dying. The three Spartans guarding the exit occupied themselves by indiscriminately slaughtering the injured players that lay on the ground, still stunned by the blast. Their actions were slow and methodical as they slipped their blades into bellies and throats, as if disappointed in their assigned task. Bethany¡¯s blood boiled as she watched them move from victim to victim. ¡°Pick up your spear, Gabriel,¡± Bethany said softly. ¡°They won¡¯t show us mercy, so let¡¯s not show them any either.¡± Bethany¡¯s Oracle Eye flashed gold, releasing the tendrils of light from her palm. The light snaked around her ball-peen hammer, forming into her hammer of light. She felt its power ¨C her power ¨C in the quick pulse beating in her heart and hands. It grew easier each time she called upon the light, and it helped keep her fears at bay. Her light filled the space around them, shining brighter than the florescent lights above, a beacon of hope reassuring them they could survive this. ¡°Impressive,¡± whistled Zee. ¡°But do you know how to use it?¡± He pointed towards the end of the nearest aisle, and Bethany heard the patter of nearby paws growing louder by the moment. The first of the giant wolves came into view as it rounded the corner of the aisle, headed straight for them. Its muzzle was covered in fresh blood that dripped onto the supermarket tiles as it ran. Its eyes were fixed on Zee, who was still standing on the pharmacy counter, grinning like a madman. Zee reached into his cloak and withdrew one of the iron daggers that had fallen from the ceiling. A dark fire quickly spread over the blade from his hands ¨C an unnatural blackness. As the wolf reached their makeshift barricade, in a fluid motion, he hurled the dagger. It soared end over end through the air and struck the wolf high in the shoulder at the base of its neck. The black fire exploded across its shoulder, burning away a patch of fur. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The wolf yelped and it collapsed to the ground, its momentum carrying its massive body into the barricade. The shelves were slammed inward half a foot, but the structure held. Zee winked at Bethany. ¡°Like I said, not my first Arena. And tell me, have you found the Emporium? They sell these marvelous potions that surpass any fascinating drugs I have tried.¡± Bethany was not listening to him. She had felt the light of her blade flicker when the black fire appeared, as if her light and his fire were opposing forces, and the sensation had been unpleasant. ¡°Good for you,¡± Emily replied to Zee sarcastically as she rushed over to the stunned wolf and thrust a spear into its heart. The wolf gave a strangled yelp, then collapsed to the floor. ¡°But you might want to save your self-congratulations for when you actually finish the job.¡± Zee was about to retort, when two Spartans strode around the end of the aisle. They saw the dead wolf, and their red eyes flashed with anger. They dashed forward, spears and shields in hand and quickly closing the gap. Ben and Marvin hurled their spears at the Spartans, but both flew wide. They swore and reached into their pile of weapons for another. The Spartans sped up, sensing the gap in their defenses, except they struck Anjali¡¯s near-invisible moat of shampoo and gel and their momentum was broken as they tried to keep their balance. The Spartans were forced to slow their advance to regain their balance. An ungodly, angry howl emerged from their mouths, and even from fifteen feet away Bethany could smell the stench of death that came forth. These Spartans ¨C these creatures ¨C were not human. Not anymore. Bethany heard Gabriel drop his spear to the ground once again, just as Abigail and Anjali¡¯s spears embedded themselves in the closest Spartan. ¡°Bullseye,¡± Abigail shouted, reaching for another spear. ¡°Do you like that, you fucker?¡± ¡°A shot for the ages, my dear,¡± Zee praised from atop the counter, and Abigail beamed with pleasure. ¡°Nice job, Anjali,¡± Bethany whispered over to Anjali, trying to encourage the scared mother. Anjali did not respond. She had not taken her eyes off the Spartan, and was reaching blindly for another spear, her palms soaked with sweat. The injured Spartan looked down at the spears protruding from its chest. It grabbed their shafts and wrenched them out of its body. There was no blood. Only tiny, white maggots that began to flow out of the holes in its chest. It dropped the spears and started to stride towards Anjali. ¡°Oh god,¡± pleaded Anjali, finally grasping another spear. She held it protectively in front of her, arms trembling. The uninjured Spartan signaled, and a sudden sparkle of light flashed in the periphery of Bethany¡¯s vision. ¡°Shit, the archer!¡± shouted Bethany as the Spartan bowman, protected behind the half-empty grocery shelves, loosed an arrow towards Anjali. Anjali twisted her head towards Bethany at her shout, and the arrow glided within a hair of her nose. Instead of its intended target, the arrow struck Ben in the shoulder and the elderly man fell to the floor in shock. Bethany ducked behind the barricade, sheltering herself from the archer¡¯s view. She realized their mistake when she saw everyone else had done the same thing. The two Spartans suddenly burst forward, rushing the barricade that suddenly had no defenses. ¡°Everyone, get back to your positions! They are coming!¡± Rocky shouted as he dashed over to Ben, his hands wrapped in healing blue. He slid in beside the injured man as another arrow sailed over his head. Zee finally leapt down from the counter just as the third arrow struck where he had been standing. It ricocheted off the marble surface and embedded itself a computer monitor behind the desk. Priyanka gave a shout of fear as the monitor¡¯s screen shattered around her, and Jaya started to cry. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ben. You¡¯ll be fine. Just grit your teeth and¡­there!¡± Rocky said as he grasped the arrow and yanked it from Ben¡¯s shoulder. Ben screamed in pain, but Rocky pressed his healing hands against the wound to stem the bleeding. The Spartans reached the barricade and leapt over it with their powerful legs. The injured Spartan landed between Anjali and Rocky, staring at Anjali with intent to kill. The second came down beside Bethany. Despite her fear, Anjali struck first with a thrust into the side of the injured Spartan. She twisted the spear as she struck, and the Spartan¡¯s side opened wide. Maggots spilled across the ground and the creature released a guttural scream. The smell from its breath was nauseating. The Spartan knocked aside Anjali¡¯s spear and raised its own, drawing back to impale her. Anjali closed her eyes in fear. Rocky, seated on the ground behind the Spartan, stopped healing Ben and grabbed his axe. He swung hard into the back of the Spartan¡¯s knee and there was a sickening snap. The Spartan fell to the ground, its leg severed. Rocky had sliced clean through the maggot-riddled tendons, and it made him sick to his stomach. The sight distracted him, and he didn¡¯t see the legless Spartan grab hold of the bloody arrow that Rocky had extracted from Ben¡¯s shoulder and tossed to the ground. The Spartan shouted as he stabbed, murder in its eyes. Rocky saw the movement too late and tried to scramble backwards, but he could not move fast enough. Zee¡¯s dagger pierced the back of the creature¡¯s neck at the base of its helmet before the arrow¡¯s tip reached Rocky. The Spartan collapsed to the ground, dead. ¡°That was sloppy, Balboa. It¡¯ll get you killed in this contest,¡± shouted Zee. ¡°Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯m going to save a pretty lady with a glowing hammer.¡± Rocky¡¯s eyes flickered over to Bethany, and he smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessary Zee,¡± he said, gesturing towards their northern barricade. Bethany had taken the fight to the uninjured Spartan, her feather-light hammer sweeping aside its quick spear thrusts with ease. Her increased agility made her feel like she was dancing, and her enhanced strength made her the equal of the Spartan. Their weapons collided as if her light were made of steel, and the song of their battle rang out across their corner of the store. Emily stood nearby, struggling to find an opening. The Spartan thrust forward hard, and Bethany danced nimbly to the side as she let the thrust sail past her without parrying. The move threw the creature off balance, and Bethany swung for its head. It managed to deflect her blow, directly her hammer into its shoulder. There was a crunch as hammer shattered bone, and it howled in rage. The creature grew weaker with every attempted parry, and Bethany¡¯s strikes began to break through its defenses. Their weapons collided, and the Spartan¡¯s spear snapped in half. Bethany pressed her advantage. She drove her light into its chest with the power of a sledgehammer blow. The Spartan was thrown backwards to the ground. Before it could recover, Bethany stepped over it and landed a final blow directly onto its helmed skull. There was a sickening crack as its helmet was driven inward. The Spartan collapsed at Bethany¡¯s feet, maggots dripping from its dead eyes and cracked skull. Bethany gagged, her chest heaving from the effort. She looked down at the body at her feet, amazed at the newfound power she had gained from the Emporium. Emily rushed forward and wrapped Bethany in a big embrace. ¡°You were amazing, Bethany,¡± she praised. ¡°I can¡¯t believe how you were moving. I tried to help, but you didn¡¯t need it. You¡­ were¡­ amaz¡­ ing¡­¡± The arrow flashed in the corner of Bethany''s eye as it loosed from the Spartan''s bow. Her vision grew foggy. Time seemed to slow down. It felt as it had at the construction site, when she could only watch as the shadow creature swallowed them whole. The arrow flew towards them in slow motion, its iron head sparkling under the supermarket¡¯s bright lights. No, please. Emily, watch out! Fuck, I can''t move. I can''t speak. Bethany was frozen in place, wrapped in Emily¡¯s arms, and all she could do was watch helplessly as the arrow slowly pierced Emily¡¯s heart and ripped through her body. The arrowhead emerged from Emily¡¯s chest and had enough momentum to pierce into Bethany. Bethany tried to scream as she felt the tip rip through her shirt and strike her skin. It burrowed in between her breasts as if it were a slow-moving drill. Bethany felt the arrow reach her own heart. And all she could do was silently scream. Chapter 31 - Fighting Back ¡°No damn man kills me and lives.¡± Nathan Bedford Forrest, American General As the arrow pierced Bethany¡¯s heart, her Oracle Eye flashed. She felt her Gift of Insight reset as her hourglass pupil flipped over, grains of sand falling one-by-one as it counted down until her gift could be used again. Bethany stood before Emily in the moments before her gift had activated. Before their chests had been pierced through by the deadly arrow. ¡°You were amazing, Bethany,¡± Emily praised. ¡°I can¡¯t believe how fast you were moving. I tried to help, but¡­¡± Bethany shook off the stupor. She grabbed Emily¡¯s shoulders and hauled her down to the floor. ¡°Bethany, what the hell?¡± Emily shouted, just as the arrow destined for their hearts flew over their heads. Bethany heard the whoosh of the arrow as it passed and breathed a sigh of relief. A bone-chilling scream erupted from Abigail. Henry¡¯s hands were clutched around the arrow lodged in his stomach. He looked at Abigail in shocked disbelief and fell backwards. Striking his head on the barricade with a vicious crack, he slumped to the floor, dying eyes open and staring at nothing. ¡°Henry? Henry! Oh god,¡± Abigail wailed. She knelt at her husband¡¯s side and tried to pull the arrow from his gut. Blood splashed across her face and clothing. Gabriel stared down helplessly as he watched his brother die, his spear still lying at his feet. Guilt tugged at Bethany, trying to find purchase in her thoughts. If I hadn¡¯t moved, he¡¯d still be alive. As Henry released his final breath, Bethany finally understood her Gift of Insight. It is foresight of death. My death. If I am to die, it shows me how, so I may avoid it. But it extracts a price. It forces me to experience my death. The emotions. The pain. Watching my friends die. ¡°Bethany?¡± Emily asked, breaking Bethany from her growing sense of guilt. Emily saw the look on Bethany¡¯s face and pulled her into a tight hug. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Bethany. You¡¯re okay.¡± The embrace broke through Bethany¡¯s bravery, and she clung to the woman, sobbing into her shoulder. She could still feel the phantom pain of the arrow piercing her heart. Rocky tried to rush to Henry¡¯s side, his hands glowing blue, but he was forced back by another arrow that missed his nose by inches. ¡°Don''t bother, Balboa. He''s gone,¡± hissed Zee as he jumped down from the pharmacy counter and scuttled over to Bethany and Emily on hands and knees. He narrowly avoided another arrow, which struck into a cabinet behind the counter. Priyanka gave another yelp of surprise, and Jaya¡¯s cries grew louder. Zee hurled a dagger towards the archer, which clattered harmlessly against the nearest metal shelves. ¡°Shit. The fucker is hiding in the next aisle over. He¡¯s shooting at us through gaps in the soup cans,¡± Zee spat. He started to laugh. ¡°Fuck me, this whole thing is surreal. We¡¯re fighting Spartans in a Regina supermarket, of all places. It¡¯s like that bad drug trip I had while riding the rails from San Fransisco to Chicago. Only instead of fighting we were¡­ well, we were having more fun than this.¡± ¡°We need someone to sneak around and take him out,¡± Rocky hissed from his cover, ignoring Zee. ¡°I¡¯ll go. You distract him,¡± Bethany volunteered, wiping away her tears and steeling her resolve. Emily started to protest, but Bethany cut her off. ¡°I¡¯m the fastest and I have my hammer. I can do this.¡± She looked at Zee to quell any protests, but he simply shrugged. ¡°You¡¯ll get no argument from me. You¡¯re dangerous, girl, and we need that right now. Besides, being distracting is my specialty.¡± Bethany nodded, and Emily and Zee began hurling their spears towards the archer. Vaulting over the barricade, Bethany stayed low, relying on her enhanced agility to move soundlessly towards the back of the store. ¡°Fucker!¡± she heard Zee shout in dramatic fashion. ¡°You shall die as your comrades died, and I shall piss on your bones.¡± Bethany made it to the back just as the Spartan shot another arrow, this one narrowly missing Zee¡¯s head. She heard Zee laugh intentionally loud to mask her footfalls. Well, he wasn¡¯t lying about being an expert in distraction. Bethany kept low, pressing herself flat against the aisle shelves and glancing around the corner to the back of the store. She remembered how they had sheltered behind the chest-high meat coolers that stretched the length of the store to hide from the Impastabull. Bethany let out an involuntary gasp of shock as she saw the carnage that lay before her. The back of the store, from end to end, was a graveyard. A hundred bodies, lying broken at unnatural angles, littered the tile floor. Blood stained the white tile red. The players had been slaughtered with spears, swords, and arrows, often stabbed in the back as they fled. A few brave souls were seated upright against the deli counter, weapons in hand and dead eyes staring at nothing. A dozen had been torn apart by the wolves and their limbs scattered like toys. She could taste the iron tang of blood in the air, and it made her stomach coil. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. The surviving players were now holed up behind the fish market counter. Tanks of crab, lobster, and oysters creating a fragile barrier between them and the three Spartans and their two wolves that paced a few feet away. A dozen dead players and two Spartans lay in front of the tanks, evidence of a successful but costly defense. Maggots spilled from the Spartan¡¯s wounds and drowned in the blood of the dead. An arrow had pierced the lobster tank and washed its contents across the floor like an ocean wave. A man in his early twenties, wearing a white T-shirt, blue jeans, and a black cowboy hat, shouted orders to the survivors behind the fish tanks. He held his arms stretched to protect the two small children behind him. Bethany tore her gaze away. ¡°You cannot help them, Bethany,¡± she whispered to herself. ¡°But you can help your friends. Focus on that.¡± She peeked around the corner of the nearest aisle, looking for her target. The Spartan was nestled behind the soup cans halfway down, about thirty paces away. It scrutinized the barricade as it nocked another arrow on its bowstring. Placing the arrow tip between a gap in the cans, it waited patiently for another target to present itself. Bethany¡¯s heart raced. Halfway down the aisle felt like a mile, each step littered with obstacles that could, with an errant footstep, give herself away. Her throat was parched, and she stifled a cough. Her breath sounded like a hurricane in her ears. The Spartan released the arrow, and she heard Zee cry out in pain. The creature smirked and drew another arrow from its quiver. Shit, it hit Zee. I can¡¯t let it get anyone else. Bethany dashed towards the Spartan. Dancing over scattered weapons and bodies, she let her new agility guide her. The Spartan did not notice her and, calling forth her light, she closed the distance before he could fire. The light of her hammer drew the Spartan¡¯s attention. Surprised, it turned to fire its arrow at the charging woman, but Bethany struck first. Swinging horizontally, she felt a satisfying crush as her hammer shattered every bone in its hand and snapped the bow in two. The Spartan roared, a sound more akin to a blazing furnace than a scream. The creatures feel pain. Good. It deserves to have its last moments end with pain. Bethany slammed her hammer into the Spartan¡¯s face, fueling the blow with her fury and guilt. Its cheek and eye socket crumbled from the impact, and its body slammed into the shelves. Soup cans rained down upon the creature. It lay there, unmoving, maggots leaking from the pulp where its face had once been. She bent down and studied the creature. Even in death, she could feel hate wafting off it, as if the emotion were all that held its grey skin together. Its teeth were rotten, and its tongue had been removed. It smelled of death and decay, a stark contrast to the strength she knew it possessed. If hell had been unleased on Regina, these creatures came from its depths. The corpse¡¯s leg twitched. Bethany gave an involuntary shout of surprise and crushed its skull. Brain and maggot flesh smeared across the tile. Bethany fought the instinct to vomit and lost. Her light faded. She emptied the contents of her stomach onto the floor as she clung to a mushroom soup display for support. Get it together Bethany. You can¡¯t be vomiting every time you kill something. You have to get used to it. She glanced back at the headless corpse. At least it got what it deserved. That¡¯ll teach him to kill me. Bethany laughed weakly, until she heard a loud, exaggerated groan from the barricade. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she walked to the end of the aisle and waved her ball-peen hammer to signal the job was done. A few seconds later, she leapt over the barricade and landed next to Anjali, who stared at her in wide-eyed astonishment. ¡°Did you¡­ how did you¡­?¡± Anjali stuttered. Bethany gasped for breath, her heart pounding, and did not answer. Rocky knelt next to Zee. An arrow lay at Zee¡¯s feet, snapped in half and covered with blood. Zee hissed in pain as Rocky pressed his hand against the wound in his shoulder. ¡°Will you be quiet?¡± scolded Rocky. ¡°You talk big, but you¡¯re such a wimp. Just what the hell were you thinking?¡± ¡°I promised I would be a great distraction.¡± answered Zee, grimacing. He gave Bethany a weak grin and a thumbs up. ¡°And? Was my sacrifice worth it?¡± ¡°It was,¡± replied Bethany, giving him an appreciative smile and crawling over to them. Zee reached over and used his thumb to wipe away a trace of vomit on her chin. ¡°You will get used to the killing,¡± he said softly, only to her. ¡°And when you do, you will have lost yourself. Or, perhaps, you will have found yourself. It¡¯s up to you.¡± ¡°You start talking wise when you are delirious with pain?¡± asked Bethany with teasing sarcasm. He smirked, then aggressively swiped away Rocky¡¯s hand. ¡°That¡¯s enough, Balboa. Now you are just trying to cop a feel.¡± He leaned back against the barricade with an audible hiss of pain. ¡°What did you see out there, Bethany?¡± asked Rocky, ignoring Zee¡¯s dismissal and returning his hand to the wound. Bethany surveyed their team before answering. Henry was dead, the arrow still embedded in this stomach. His brother knelt over him, sobbing, his spear abandoned. Abigail, on the other hand, was enraged. Ben and Marvin were at her side, clutching the woman¡¯s shoulders as they tried to calm her down. Shouting at the Spartans guarding the exit, she held a longsword in both hands and was attempting to climb over the barricade. Anjali was the only one still at her assigned position, but her eyes flickered back and forth to her crying child. ¡°A slaughter,¡± Bethany said, her voice low. ¡°Most of the players are dead.¡± Anjali whimpered as she eavesdropped. She gripped her spear fiercely. Her knees shook with fear, and only her concern for Jaya and Priyanka kept her resolve from shattering. ¡°Three Spartans are dead, besides the three we killed here,¡± Bethany continued, loud enough so Anjali could hear. ¡°There is a group of players holed up at the fish market, but I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll last much longer. The rest of the Spartans are there.¡± As if on cue, screams and shattered glass rang out as the assault on the fish market began. ¡°If the rest of the Spartans are there, maybe we should make a run for it?¡± asked Emily. ¡°No,¡± Rocky said, and the same time Zee declared ¡°Yes!¡± Rocky glared at the man in the dark cloak. ¡°The only reason we survived the last assault was because we were prepared and fought on our terms. If we fight in the open, we¡¯ll be slaughtered like the others.¡± Zee started to argue, until they heard frantic footfalls approaching them quickly from the fish market. A woman¡¯s voice rang out as the screams of the dying faded, the Spartan¡¯s assault over in seconds. ¡°Harmony! Brandon! Run! Oh god, they¡¯re coming for us. Elias, help!¡± ¡°I got them, Melody. Now move!¡± The man in the cowboy hat burst around the aisle. It was the same man Bethany had seen behind the fish tanks. He was practically dragging the children across the floor, their small legs unable to keep up with his speed. Their mother was a few steps behind. She appeared around the corner, but as Bethany called out to her, a spear pierced the woman between her ribs. She gasped in shock and collapsed to the floor, and her momentum carried her into a display of discount Tupperware. Her dying gaze fell on her children, headed towards the barricade. Bethany¡¯s eyes flashed with rage as a Spartan and its wolf came into view. Approaching the woman with an arrogant casualness, it yanked its spear from her body. The light died in the mother¡¯s eyes as the remaining Spartans joined their companion. ¡°That¡¯s the last person these monsters kill,¡± Bethany pledged as her light hammer flared into existence. ¡°Let¡¯s end this.¡± Chapter 32 – Loss, Part One ¡°Life is about how much you can take and keep fighting, how much you can suffer and keep moving forward.¡± Anderson Silva, Brazilian Athlete ¡°Mom!¡± shouted the girl, Harmony, her face twisted in utter anguish. Brandon, her brother, grabbed her free hand and held it tight, silently urging his sister to keep running. ¡°Over here,¡± Bethany waved to draw their attention. ¡°Hurry!¡± The man in the cowboy hat, Elias, swore loudly as he glanced over his shoulder and saw the Spartans approaching. Bethany had a better view of the man she had first seen across the store. He wore his black cowboy hat naturally, as if it had long ago shaped itself to his head. His T-shirt and blue jeans were well worn with dirt and grass stains. He was handsome, with short-cropped brown hair and muscular arms, and a farmer¡¯s tan that spoke of spending his days working outside. He was younger than she first guessed, around her age, but his emerald eyes reflected a man who carried a hefty responsibility, as if he¡¯d had to grow up too fast. He carried a rusted iron sword in a scabbard strapped across his back. His T-shirt had been stained with blood since she¡¯d last seen him - the price to protect the children he led to safety. The wolves dashed ahead of the Spartans, their venomous barks drowning out Harmony¡¯s desperate pleas. Elias pushed the children out ahead of him so the wolves would target him first. Harmony stumbled, and Elias hauled her up and pushed her onward. She was wearing a pink My Little Pony shirt and black pants printed with the outlines of farm animals. Her long, blond hair was contained in a single braid that bounced off her shoulders as she ran. Her rosy cheeks were wet with tears, but she was unable to wipe them away while her hands were clutched to Elias and Brandon. A pink glittered shoulder bag hung across her chest, stuffed full of delights she had picked off the shelves before the supermarket was thrust into hell. Her brother Brandon wore a green ballcap with the Saskatchewan Roughriders logo, a plain blue T-shirt, and white shorts. He was his sister¡¯s twin, though Brandon¡¯s blond hair was cropped short. Astonishingly, Bethany saw the child had a prosthetic leg from the knee down, though he ran faster than his sister. There was a fresh cut across his left cheek, straight and clean, that dripped blood down his chest. The child winced in pain and his breath came in shallow gasps, but he was strong willed and forced himself to take each step. Zee hurled a dagger towards the pursuing wolves, and hissed in pain as his half-healed injury tore open. The dagger clattered to the floor a foot short of its target. He leaned against the barricade for support and fumbled for another beneath his cloak. Anjali threw her spear, which barely scratched a wolf before landing with an ineffective thump. The scratch wasn¡¯t deep enough to draw blood, and the wolves did not slow. Elias struggled to pull the children alongside him. His face was soaked with sweat as exhaustion threatened to overwhelm him. The wolves were quickly closing the gap. ¡°Be careful!¡± Bethany shouted as Elias and the children reached the shampoo and gel moat, but her warning came too late. Elias stumbled and fell, dragging the children down with him. He tried to scramble up, but his feet kept slipping. They¡¯re not going to make it! Bethany vaulted over the barricade, calling forth her hammer of light. Emily and Anjali followed right behind her, headed for the helpless children. The Spartans rushed to intercept the unexpected help, but twin spears thrown from Ben and Marvin forced the creatures to take cover behind Tupperware display stands. ¡°Shit,¡± Elias cursed. He pushed the children ahead of him, beyond the slippery moat and into the outstretched arms of the rescuers. Emily and Anjali scooped the children up and ran back to the barricade without hesitation. ¡°We¡¯ve got you,¡± Emily soothed into Harmony¡¯s ear as the girl cried and tried to reach for Elias. As soon as he saw the children in their arms, Elias reached for the sword in the scabbard on his back and drew it with a clumsy effort, just as the wolves reached their prey. They leapt for Elias, claws and teeth outstretched to tear into his flesh. Elias swung his sword in a wild arc that sliced into the first wolf¡¯s shoulder and forced it to veer right with a yelp, then grimaced as he anticipated the second wolf¡¯s teeth wrapping around his neck. The wolf did not get a chance. As it leapt, Bethany arrived at Elias¡¯ side. Her hammer of light slammed into the second wolf¡¯s mouth, her blow shattering its teeth. The creature yelped but managed to twist its body enough to avoid the brunt of her strike. It fixed a hate-filled glare on Bethany from a distance, its mouth dripping blood. Elias glanced at Bethany and flashed her a quick, grateful smile. His eyes flickered in the light of her hammer, reflecting the fear contained within. In unison, Bethany and Elias started to back away from the stalking beasts. They moved slowly, shuffling their feet along the tile, their gel-covered shoes making a fast retreat impossible until the soles of their shoes were cleared of the slick substance. The wolves kept pace with them, splitting up to encircle their exhausted prey. Behind them, the Spartans moved between displays for cover as they studied their new opponents. ¡°Elias,¡± Elias said causally as they inched backwards, his intense eyes never leaving the beasts and their masters. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°Bethany,¡± she replied. ¡°We¡¯re in a lot of trouble here, Bethany,¡± Elias said, gasping for breath. Bethany simply nodded. Her hammer of light flickered, and she knew the magic inside her fueling the powerful weapon was nearly depleted. If we survive this, I¡¯m putting my next silver coin into my magic. Bethany scraped her shoes to remove the last of the gel. The barricade was only a dozen paces away. We have to run. We can make it. The Spartans abruptly rushed out from their cover, headed straight for them. They were out of time. ¡°Run!¡± yellowed Bethany as she grabbed Elias¡¯s hand. They dashed for the barricade, turning their backs on both wolves and Spartans. Bethany realized her mistake before they had taken their second step. The wolves struck the moment they turned their backs. They closed the distance with a single, sudden pounce. Elias dodged his wolf with a frantic dive to the side. The beast landed behind him and prepared for a second attempt. It didn¡¯t get the chance. Exposed, the wolf was peppered with spears and daggers thrown from Zee, Marvin, Ben, and Abigail. It yelped in surprised anguish, and fell to the floor, dead. From the corner of her eye, Bethany saw Elias dive away from his wolf and she pivoted to counter the one leaping for her ¨C the one with the fractured teeth. She swung her hammer, but her light flickered away mid-swing before it hit the wolf, the last of her magic reserves emptied. The wolf passed through the space where her light had been, unharmed, and clamped its jaws around Bethany¡¯s ankle. Pain rippled up Bethany¡¯s leg as the wolf¡¯s fractured teeth pierced into her. Bethany screamed. She fell to the floor, and the wolf snapped its head furiously side to side, trying to tear her leg off. ¡°Shit! Come on, come on,¡± she swore, desperately trying to block out the pain as she willed her light to return. She felt a spark of energy within her. The hammer flared to life, but a sudden exhaustion overtook her as it did. With her depleted magic reserves, the hammer instead drew upon her own vitality ¨C her own strength ¨C for its creation. It was a weaker form of the hammer, and every moment that passed siphoned away more of her own energy. A cost that would inevitably kill her if used too much. Bethany thrust her hammer into the beast¡¯s face. Its remaining teeth shattered from the impact and dislocated its jaw. The wolf released her ankle. Its fractured teeth, including its four canines, remained stuck in Bethany¡¯s leg, and blood soaked the floor beneath Bethany. The wolf turned to flee, but Elias arrived and guillotined the wolf with a wild swing of his sword. Its head was severed, and Elias¡¯ blade bit deep into the tile floor. Elias left the sword stuck in the floor. With an indelicate motion, he hauled Bethany to her feet and placed his arm around her waist for support. Together, they limped to the barricade. Elias helped her over the barrier, and she fell into Emily and Rocky¡¯s arms. As they climbed over, the other defenders hurled spears and daggers to slow the Spartan advance. ¡°Anjali, get the kids behind the pharmacy counter,¡± Rocky ordered, his hands pressed firmly against Bethany¡¯s ankle as he drew on his healing magic. His shirt was soaked with sweat as his own magic was nearly depleted. He breathed slowly as he struggled to keep his eyes open, and his healing light flickered erratically. He¡¯s at his limit, just like me. If he keeps pushing it, he¡¯ll end up healing me at the expense of himself. ¡°Rocky, save your strength,¡± Bethany said weakly, but Rocky ignored her. He dug deep within himself and channeled as much healing into Bethany¡¯s ankle as he could before the Spartans attacked. Bethany watched as the blue healing light danced along the tears in her leg and dipped inside the holes left by the wolf''s teeth. She felt tiny pricks under her skin, as if her leg had fallen asleep. The bleeding stopped and a pale scab formed over each of the puncture wounds. Suddenly, the dancing light vanished, and Rocky collapsed against the barricade. He had drawn too much and passed out from exhaustion. ¡°Rocky!¡± shouted Emily as he slumped over. She wanted to rush to his side, but Zee¡¯s cry drew her back. ¡°Incoming!¡± shouted Zee. He reached down for another spear and his hands came up empty. Bethany clawed herself up the barricade to her feet, her weight on her uninjured ankle, and lay her chest against its surface for support. The Spartans had darted from their cover and were charging straight for them. Bethany drew upon her own strength and formed her hammer again. She almost vomited from the effort as it drained away her essence. But what choice do I have? Elias moved to her side, a stoic expression on his face. ¡°Stay brave,¡± he whispered to her. ¡°Better to die on our feet.¡± ¡°Die?¡± Zee shouted with bravado. Holding a dagger in his healthy hand, he pointed towards the oncoming Spartans. ¡°If anyone dies, it¡¯s going to be them. I¡¯ve got better things to do today then die.¡± He gave Bethany an exaggerated wink, just as the Spartans struck their barricade. The first Spartan went left and leapt over the makeshift wall where the barricade and pharmacy counter met. It landed between Marvin, Ben, and Abigail, the latter of whom swung at the creature in an angry frenzy with a sword nearly as tall as she was. The second struck right, towards Anjali and Emily. The women raised their weapons in defense, and the creature mocked their efforts with a callous sneer. The final Spartan simply rammed into the barricade with its shoulder, pouring its strength and speed into the charge. The unexpected jolt knocked the injured Bethany and Zee to the floor. Bethany hissed in pain as she landed on her torn ankle and the wound reopened. Elias remained standing, but he was unarmed. Death flashed in the Spartan¡¯s eyes. It leaned across the barrier, drawing back its sword to strike for Elias¡¯ heart. Elias punched the Spartan square between the eyes with his fist. He yelped in pain and clutched his hand to his chest, his fingers broken, but it gave them a moment ¨C an opportunity ¨C as the Spartan reeled back in utter surprise. Zee threw a dagger from where he lay. It whirled through the air but struck the creature hilt first. It clattered uselessly off the Spartan¡¯s taut muscles and came to rest atop the barricade. The Spartan¡¯s eyes flashed with amusement. ¡°Shit,¡± Zee swore, hands scrambling beneath his cloak for another dagger. Bethany pushed herself to her feet with her healthy leg, unable to contain her hiss of agony at the motion and brought her hammer down hard as the Spartan started to climb over the barricade. She struck side of the Spartan¡¯s face, and this time it was the monster¡¯s bones that shattered. Her ankle gave way, and Bethany fell to the floor. She grasped her ankle as tears flowed and anguish became her world. The Spartan reeled from the blow that collapsed the side of its face. Elias reached for Zee¡¯s dagger that was still resting atop the barricade and jammed it into the Spartan¡¯s throat. The Spartan grasped blindly to pull the weapon out as it collapsed to the floor, its life extinguished. Elias reached over the barricade and grabbed the creature¡¯s sword from where it had fallen. ¡°Stay here, I¡¯ll help the others,¡± he said. Zee gave him a weak thumbs up as he propped himself against the barricade. Elias turned around to face the closest Spartan, only to see its sword slice clean through Marvin¡¯s neck. The old man¡¯s body crumpled, spear still clutched in wrinkled hands. His head rolled along the floor until it came to rest at Gabriel¡¯s feet. Gabriel, still seated in a stupor as he stared his brother¡¯s body, kicked it away with a terrified shriek. And the Spartan silently laughed. Chapter 33 – Loss, Part Two Gabriel¡¯s terrified shriek erupted behind Emily, but she did not turn to look. Fully focused on the advancing Spartan, she weaved her pole around her as she deflected its lazy strikes. She bled from half a dozen wounds along arms and chest, the price of her failures. The creature was playing with them, and each time its blade struck her pole, the ring of metal took on a mocking tone in Emily¡¯s ears. He swept her weapon away with ease and had forced her back, step by step, until her heel had pressed against Henry¡¯s body. A shrill laugh emerged from the Spartan, and its foul stench filled the air as its lips parted. Emily stood her ground, fear and anger precariously balanced within her. Anjali came in from the side and thrust her spear at the Spartan. It dodged the strike with a quick step backwards. It gave a sidelong glance at the woman who had interrupted its entertainment, stepped towards her, and batted the spear from Anjali¡¯s hands with a back-hand blow. Anjali¡¯s spear skittered over the barricade and out of sight. Anjali glanced down at her hands, numb from the strength of the creature. She was defenseless. Her eyes flickered to the pharmacy, where Jaya lay hidden. She steeled herself, stared into the Spartan¡¯s eyes with a mother¡¯s fury, and raised her middle finger in its face. The Spartan¡¯s foot crashed into Anjali¡¯s ribs. There was a sickening crack, and Anjali collapsed to the ground. ¡°Anjali!¡± shouted Emily as she thrust her pole at the Spartan¡¯s head. ¡°You fucking monster!¡± The Spartan dodged the blow easily, grasping the end of the pole with one hand, its sword poised in the other. Its eyes flashed in amusement as it attempted to tear the pole out of Emily¡¯s hands to leave her as defenseless as Anjali. Emily let him do it. As the Spartan pulled, Emily let go of her pole. It threw the Spartan off balance, as if it had pulled on a rope that had suddenly snapped. As it stumbled, Emily dashed forward and crashed into the creature¡¯s chest with a perfect football tackle. Knocked off its feet, the Spartan¡¯s head struck the barricade as if fell and its sword clattered to the ground. Emily seized the moment. She straddled the creature¡¯s chest and jammed her thumbs straight into its two glowing red eyes. The Spartan thrashed under Emily, and Emily dug her thumbs deeper into its eye sockets with all her strength. Screaming in fear-fueled rage, Emily¡¯s fingers tore at the creature¡¯s eye sockets without mercy or hesitation, robbing it of its sight. Her face became freckled with its fetid fluid, and she grinned as she felt its eyes give way with a satisfying pop. With a hollow scream, the Spartan thrust its palm into Emily¡¯s chest and sent her flying backwards. She landed atop Henry¡¯s body, eliciting a second shout from Gabriel. Rising to its feet, the creature flailed its muscular arms blindly to find either victim or a weapon. The putrid smell of its silent roar filled the air around them, causing Emily to gag. Reaching behind her, she grasped the shaft of Gabriel¡¯s abandoned spear. With a desperate yell, she thrust the spear into the blind Spartan¡¯s chest. It pierced between heart and lungs, stuck firmly in its ribs. The creature wrapped a hand around the protrusion in its chest and tried to dislodge the weapon. Emily smiled in victory, then called out to Anjali as she saw the woman stir. ¡°Anjali, are you¡­¡± The Spartan struck Emily squarely in the side of her head with its fist. Emily¡¯s world spun. Her ears rang and vision blurred, and pain crippling her thoughts as she stumbled away from the creature. She tripped over Rocky¡¯s unconscious form and fell beside him. ¡°Shit¡­ Rocky¡­ get up,¡± she mumbled as she nudged Rocky to wake him. The effort caused her stomach to heave, and she felt a trickle of blood run down the side of her face from her ear. Her heart raced. The Spartan perked its head towards Emily as she mumbled. She realized her mistake. It could still hear her, and now it knew where she was. Her mind fogged with confusion. She knew the Spartan¡¯s blow had concussed her ¨C it wasn¡¯t her first concussion ¨C yet knowledge of that fact did little to transform her confusion to action. She felt her fleeting consciousness drift away as the Spartan approached. Emily embraced Rocky, and with her last conscious thought, tried to shield him from the monster¡¯s fury. The fury never reached them. As the Spartan reached for Emily¡¯s neck, a blade pierced its heart from behind. Anjali held the hilt of the blade, breath shallow and eyes filled with tears from her broken ribs. She had used the last of her strength to retrieve the Spartan¡¯s sword and thrust it into the creature¡¯s back. ¡°Stay¡­ stay away from them¡­,¡± Anjali said weakly, her vision blurred from pain. The creature grasped the blade with its hands to pull it out, but only succeeded in cutting off three of its fingers. It fell to its knees, and its glowing red eyes faded to black. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Anjali collapsed beside Emily and Rocky, her breath dangerously shallow, and joined them in unconsciousness. * * * Elias, Ben, and Abigail flanked the final Spartan, which bled from a dozen surface wounds ¨C the result of the combination of Abigail¡¯s frenzied swings with her massive sword and the more precision strikes of Elias and Ben. A dagger lodged in the creature¡¯s left shoulder was Zee¡¯s contribution to the fight. Yet despite the damage they had dealt, all they could manage to do was contain the creature within their three-point flank. Bethany could only watch as the pain in her ankle shot painful pulses up her leg. Her hammer had died away. She knew she had enough strength to call upon her light one last final time, but only for a moment. The effort would take all she had left, and if she did, she would join Rocky and Emily in unconsciousness. It would leave them defenseless. I can¡¯t let that happen. I have to protect them. Elias, Ben, and Abigail¡¯s three-point flank disintegrated, and Bethany watched in horror, helpless, as the enemy took control. The Spartan thrust at Elias with its razor-sharp sword, and Elias was forced backward in a frantic attempt to dodge its attack. The blade sliced across the leg of his jeans as Elias stumbled. ¡°Damn it, Elias, watch¡­¡± shouted Zee, as Elias tripped over Zee¡¯s leg and fell onto the prone Bethany. He landed on her stomach, which sent an intense shock of pain throughout her body. She struggled to hold in a scream. Elias scrambled to his feet, but by the time he recovered, it was already too late. Ben stabbed with his spear, his eyes clouded with tears for Marvin, whose body lay at his side. He struck the creature¡¯s side, and the spear got stuck between its ribs. The creature released a silent, fetid howl and grasped Ben¡¯s arm. Yanking him forward with unnatural strength, the Spartan thrust its sword through Ben¡¯s chest. Ben¡¯s body fell beside Marvin, the old men¡¯s eyes clouded with death. Abigail, drenched in sweat from her earlier attacks, watched Ben fall. She glanced back to the body of her dead husband, where Gabriel cried uselessly over his body, and she let rage fill her again. She screamed in anguish. Summoning the last of her strength, she lifted her sword and recklessly charged into the creature. Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Abigail¡¯s sword pierced the creature¡¯s knee, and it staggered. A quick backhand across Abigail¡¯s cheek send her sprawling to the floor. The Spartan crouched over the woman, its sword raised to finish the job, when Gabriel¡¯s cries attracted its attention, as if the man¡¯s cowardice was a fly buzzing around its head. ¡°Ab¡­ Abby¡­ not you too,¡± Gabriel moaned. ¡°Gabriel¡­ get out of here,¡± Abigail cried out with equal parts fear and frustration. The man did not move. He simply sat beside his brother, his capacity to move and think frozen by fear. The creature abandoned the killing blow on Abigail. It walked over to Gabriel, gazed at the trembling man, and split his skull in half with a single, violent swing. Gabriel¡¯s body fell atop his brother as the Spartan walked back towards Abigail, its victim already forgotten. ¡°Gabriel!¡± cried Abigail as she watched the last of her family die. She tried desperately to climb to her feet as Elias positioned himself between the Spartan and the scrambling woman. The creature scoffed arrogantly, until two daggers sprouted from its chest. They were Zee¡¯s last, and he had made them count. ¡°Bullseye,¡± Zee bragged, propped up against the barricade. Elias dashed forward, capitalizing on the distraction. His first swing sliced into the creature¡¯s wrist and disarmed it. His second ripped across the creature¡¯s stomach, and a putrid smell filled their battlefield as maggots poured from the wound. The Spartan caught Elias¡¯s third strike before it fell. It wrapped its hands around the blade and held it firm. Propped up next Zee, desperation fueling her actions, Bethany gripped her ball-peen hammer tightly and hurled it towards the Spartan¡¯s head. ¡°Hey, fucker, think fast!¡± she shouted. She knew it would be a useless attack. It was just what Elias needed. The creature instinctively released Elias¡¯s sword to deflect the ball-peen hammer with the back of its hand. As it did, Elias swung for the creature¡¯s neck with every ounce of strength he could muster. The blade cleaved through thick bone and muscle as penetrated deep into its throat. The creature collapsed. The impact dislodged its head from its body, which came to a rest beside Martin and Ben¡¯s bodies. Zee let out a cry of victory, and Bethany allowed herself a single breath of relief, before the reality of their situation settled in. Elias was the only one of them left standing, save for Priyanka hidden with Jaya, Brandon, and Harmony behind the pharmacy counter. Rocky, Emily, and Anjali were unconscious. Ben, Marvin, Gabriel, and Henry were dead. Abigail had crawled over to her husband and brother-in-law¡¯s bodies, her strength and rage exhausted. Zee leaned against the barricade next to her. His shoulder wound had gotten worse with each dagger throw, and he was pale from blood loss. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Elias asked Bethany. He handed her back her ball-peen hammer, which she took like a child reached for a safety blanket. ¡°No,¡± Bethany admitted, as another pulse of pain shot up her leg. She tried to crawl over to Rocky and Emily to check on them but gasped as pain from the motion. ¡°I¡¯ll check on them,¡± Elias said softly. ¡°You rest. This isn¡¯t over yet.¡± They had survived, but three Spartans remained, guarding the exit. We can¡¯t even move. How are we supposed to get past them? ¡°Hell of an arena, huh?¡± Zee whispered as he winced in pain. He drew a bottle of white pills from his pocket and dry-swallowed four of them. ¡°Think we¡¯ve satisfied Ares¡¯ blood lust yet?¡± ¡°No,¡± Bethany responded simply. Zee offered her the bottle, and she took it without hesitation. She swallowed two of the pills, not bothering to ask what they were. She felt numb inside, surrounded by death. She glanced up at the floating eyes seated in the rafters above them ¨C cameras that broadcast their suffering to the unseen Gods. She had forgotten they were there. ¡°Are we just entertainment for them? Did they cheer as we died?¡± ¡°We¡¯re the gladiators of ancient Rome,¡± Zee said with a weak laugh. ¡°Fodder for godly masses, who stay hidden, so our blood does not stain the angelic white of their togas.¡± Bethany watched Zee lean back and stare up at the Winged Eyes, his eyes filled with challenge. Behind his bravado, flattery, and false smiles, there was a determination within the stranger that Bethany admired. A spark that kept his life fresh, even in the direst of circumstances. ¡°You¡¯re completely mad, Zee,¡± Bethany replied, joining his rebellious stare. She saw Jitters ¨C her own personal camera ¨C bound excitedly along one of the rafters. ¡°And I¡¯m more than a little scared of you. But right now, I¡¯m glad you were here.¡± Zee smiled, the first genuine smile she had seen from him. She could see the pain behind that smile, no longer masked. A pain that stretched far back in time, long before the God Contest. The smile quickly faded, replaced by his characteristic forced smirk, as if his vulnerability threatened his well-crafted persona. Pushing himself up, he limped to the pharmacy counter and grabbed a package of gauze. He tossed it to Bethany. ¡°We¡¯re not done yet, my dear. Bind that ankle. We have a God Arena to win.¡± Chapter 34 – Victory ¡°Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.¡± Winston Churchill Bethany peeked her head over the barricade and watched the Spartans that guarded the exit. They had not moved from their assigned positions ¨C their final obstacle to escape this nightmare. The supermarket was utterly silent, save for the quiet whispers of their team as wounds were bandaged and grief replaced fear. ¡°It¡¯s been over an hour. They must know the other Spartans are dead,¡± Bethany whispered to Elias. She shifted uncomfortably on the crutch tucked under her arm as she tried to keep the weight off her ankle. ¡°So why aren¡¯t they coming to finish us off?¡± ¡°They know we have to go through them. It¡¯s our only path to escape,¡± Elias replied. ¡°See, look at what they¡¯re doing.¡± The three Spartans had begun stacking rubble in an orderly row ten feet away from the exit. Their wolf paced at the threshold, standing guard as the pile quickly grew. ¡°They¡¯re building their own barricade. They¡¯re stealing our idea!¡± Bethany protested. Her ankle throbbed. Elias had wrapped it tightly in gauze as best he could with his injured hand, and Zee¡¯s pills had helped numb the pain. ¡°I guess we can¡¯t do anything about it,¡± Bethany sighed. ¡°We¡¯re in no shape to stop them. Elias, can you check on the others?¡± Elias nodded and headed behind the pharmacy counter to check on Harmony and Brandon. They sat huddled together, faces crusted with spent tears and exhaustion. Priyanka and Anjali were at their side. Jaya lay beside the children, silent in sleep. Anjali sat at her mother-in-law¡¯s side with her shirt lifted above her midriff as Priyanka wrapped a bandage around Anjali¡¯s chest. Her breath shallow, Anjali winced as Priyanka worked. Despite the pain, her eyes shone with a protective fierceness as she watched over the three children. In the far corner, crouched over the bodies of Henry and Gabriel, Zee and Abigail whispered to each other, sharing secrets only they could hear. As their conversation ended, Zee barked out a harsh laugh. Bethany watched in shock as Zee and Abigail grabbed Henry¡¯s body and dumped it unceremoniously over the barricade. They did the same to Gabriel. Bethany saw a slight smile at the corner of Abigail¡¯s mouth appear before she burst into tears. Handing Abigail a bottle of green pills, Zee gave her a sympathetic pat on the shoulder and left her to grieve. ¡°What was that all about?¡± Bethany asked as Zee arrived at her side. He leaned against the barricade and stared out at the Spartans. Zee shrugged. ¡°It does us no good to stare at their corpses.¡± ¡°Zee, Abigail just lost her family. How can you be so callous?¡± Bethany asked as Abigail¡¯s quiet sobs broke through the silence. ¡°That¡¯s between the new widow and myself, my dear. Let¡¯s just say dear deceased Henry was not the dutiful husband he should have been. A bully at home, and a coward here. She¡¯ll grieve, but not for him. Then she¡¯ll leave her old life behind, and find herself stronger for it.¡± ¡°You know that from experience?¡± Bethany prodded curiously. Zee gave her a toothy smile ¨C a silent answer that spoke louder than any flowery words he could conjure. ¡°Yah. Yah, me too,¡± Bethany sighed. They sat in silence as they watched the Spartan¡¯s wall grow. If it were my father, would I have grieved for him? After everything he did to me, would I have spared them any tears? I hope not. ¡°Well, that wall is going to be a problem,¡± Zee said chipperly as he broke the silence. He dug into his pockets and pulled out a yellow transparent vial filled with tiny white pills. ¡°A problem for you and Balboa to solve. I¡¯m going to go distribute these lovely painkillers so we can handle whatever plan you devise.¡± Zee limped over to Anjali, shaking a bottle of pills as if they were candy. Despite Priyanka¡¯s protests, Anjali extended her hand and Zee dumped four of the pills into her palm. She swallowed them dry as Zee laughed. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Bethany hobbled over to Rocky and Emily and settled in beside them. Rocky had woken twenty minutes ago, shortly before Emily, and he was weak as a kitten. He was regaining his strength as his magic reserve refilled, but it was a slow process. Rocky gently dabbed away the blood in Emily¡¯s ear. His hands started to shine with healing blue. The magic flickered, unstable, and Emily slapped his hands away. ¡°You don¡¯t have the strength to heal me, Rocky. Stop fretting. I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Emily scolded. ¡°It¡¯s not the first concussion I¡¯ve had.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think your skiing accident is comparable to this,¡± Rocky countered, but he let his healing glow fade. They had recovered a bit of their magic over the past hour. Bethany guessed she had recovered twenty percent of her magic. It returned slowly, like a trickle filling a bathtub, and its absence made her feel helpless. She resolved to increase her magic as soon as she was able. ¡°How¡¯s the ankle, Bethany?¡± Rocky asked as Emily clung to his shoulder to stop her head from spinning. ¡°Hurts,¡± she said simply. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± ¡°Drained,¡± he answered with a half-hearted chuckle. ¡°Emily, do you remember when I got food poisoning and the flu at the same time, and I couldn¡¯t move for a week? It feels like that.¡± ¡°You pushed yourself too hard, idiot,¡± scolded Emily, but there was soft affection in her tone. ¡°Don¡¯t be a hero.¡± Rocky cupped the side of her head in his massive hand to hold gauze against her cheek. ¡°You¡¯re one to talk.¡± Emily leaned into his palm, a slight blush forming below her eyes. ¡°Three Spartans and a wolf left. What¡¯s the plan?¡± Bethany asked. ¡°Oh, and they are building a wall.¡± ¡°We¡¯re in no shape for a prolonged fight,¡± started Rocky, thinking aloud. ¡°So we need to hit them hard and fast, and it needs to be something that breaks through that wall they are building.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a grocery store, Rocky. It¡¯s not like we can drive a tank through it,¡± Emily pointed out. Rocky face lit up with a mischievous smile. ¡°But¡­ what if we could?¡± * * * Bethany set the crutch at her feet as she sheltered behind the giant bin of watermelons, fifteen paces away from the Spartan¡¯s wall. The creatures stood upon the six-foot high rubble as their wolf paced across the exit, growling as it smelled the approaching players. They know we are here. But do they know what¡¯s coming? Emily and Rocky sat next to her with a dozen spears set between them. They were in no shape to fight up close, but they could still throw from a distance. Alongside the spears, Emily placed a lighter and a roll of paper towel that had been half-soaked in rubbing alcohol. Bethany watched as Anjali, Abigail, and Zee moved into position behind a Diet Coke display on the other end of the wall. They had their own pile of weapons to throw, and Abigail had dragged along her large sword. She¡¯s lost her whole life. What will she do now? Hell, what will I do? This isn¡¯t the life I imagined leading when I left home. She looked to Emily and Rocky, nestled close together for support and she felt a warmth inside her that gave her strength. At least I found friends along the way. Anjali gave them a thumbs up. It was time. Rocky signaled down the aisle towards the employees-only storeroom at the back of supermarket. A high-pitched vehicle motion alarm and the whirl of a small engine emanated from storeroom, cutting across the silence. Bethany grasped her crutch in one hand and a spear in the other. Let¡¯s end this. The Spartans atop the wall drew their swords and spears, searching for the source of the noise. A forklift, loaded with two pallets heavily laden with bags of flour, barreled out of the backroom and down the aisle, headed straight towards the Spartan¡¯s wall. Spears and swords stuck out of the bags, which made the contraption look like a giant porcupine. Elias poked his head out from behind the flour as he drove Rocky¡¯s ¡®tank¡¯ towards the rubble wall. He gave the Spartans a merciless smile as he accelerated to full speed. The Spartans hurled their spears, but all it did was add to the collection already imbedded in the bags. The forklift whined and the high-pitched alarm grew louder as Elias sped down the aisle, a mist of flour trailing behind him that spilled from punctured bags. ¡°Get ready, Emily,¡± Rocky said. Emily lit the paper towel. The alcohol-soaked end whooshed up in flame. ¡°Elias, jump!¡± shouted Rocky. Elias leapt out of the driver¡¯s seat just before the tank struck the wall, leaving a forklift-sized hole in the Spartans¡¯ hastily constructed defenses. The sudden impact sent the pallets flying off the forks. Bags of flour erupted as they struck the ground, spilling their contents behind the wall and sending a dense cloud of flour into the air. Elias bolted away from the forklift as Emily hurled the burning paper towel roll. The highly flammable flour ignited in an instant, and a giant column of fire engulfed the exit. It stretched up to the ceiling and left scorch marks on the tin roof. Winged Eyes screeched as they fled from the rafters above. The three Spartans and their wolf burned, trapped by their own wall. The wolf leapt over the rubble, its fur aflame, only to be pin cushioned by a barrage of spears from Zee, Anjali, and Abigail. It fell, and the smell of its cooked flesh filled the air around them. Bethany gagged and wiped the sweat from her brow from the intense heat. A fire alarm sounded, and a second later water cascaded down upon them as the building¡¯s sprinkler system activated. Bethany let the soothing water rain down upon her face, relishing the relief it brought. As the fire extinguished and smoke cleared, they saw a single Spartan still standing, its two companions dead at its feet. Its skin was charred to the bone. Its eye sockets were empty and devoid of life, but it still clutched its sword tightly in its blackened hand. Bethany clutched her hammer anxiously as the Spartan began to laugh - a haunted sound that emanated not from the creature¡¯s lungs, but from a hellish world beyond. The creature dropped its sword, and it clattered into the rubble. And the voice of Ares announced their victory. Chapter 35 – The Hidden Power ¡°Well done, players!¡± emerged the voice of Ares from the Spartan¡¯s body, a dead puppet held aloft by the will of its master. ¡°A most entertaining climax to a glorious battle!¡± Ares looked towards the hundreds of winged eyes above that broadcasted the action to the audience. ¡°Behold, these warriors, these few survivors, who vanquished Spartan champions of old! Here they stand, surrounded by those who proved unworthy, tested and victorious! They are true players in this God Contest.¡± Enthusiastic cheers from unseen watchers erupted from the ceiling above, hailing their victory. Bethany¡¯s Oracle Eye grew warm. She cupped the side of her head and, for the briefest of moments, she could see the ghostly visages of the watching gods that looked down upon them. A regal woman sitting beneath the stars, wearing a necklace of human hearts and hands. A man standing in a field of sunflowers in the rain, with a long tail and sharp fangs. A white painted mother. A wise woman with a thousand arms. A three-headed dragon chained and struggling. A beauty surrounded by faceless suitors. A tiny man living inside a pebble, his eyes the same blue as Rocky¡¯s healing hands. A beautiful woman with fine silver hair, braided into a fishing net. The visages stretched on and on, far beyond the veil of this world and into their own. Hundreds upon hundreds of Gods cheering death and destruction in the world below. She saw the visage of Thoth, his ibis face absent of cheer. He watched her, his beak curled in sympathy, as he returned her gaze with a small bow ¨C the only god to acknowledge her sight. The heat in her Oracle Eye faded and the ghostly visages disappeared. She had been the only one who saw the gods. The other survivors hadn¡¯t taken their eyes off Ares, who stretched his arms wide above his head, beckoning forth their reward. Eleven golden disks formed above Ares¡¯ head in a single, evenly spaced row. One power for each surviving player, including the two children and the toddler. They spun gently in place, as if put on display for the players. ¡°Ah, but these shall not be your only reward. For those of you who fought on the front lines, I give you the means to improve yourself.¡± Ares snapped his skeletal fingers, and sixteen silver Emporium coins flew across the supermarket ¨C one for each fallen foe. The coins lined up in front of him, and he casually flicked them towards the players. He sent two each to the adult except Priyanka, who had not fought the Spartans, and one to each of Harmony and Brandon. ¡°These coins and powers are my gifts to you, players,¡± Ares announced with a flourish. ¡°You have sated my bloodlust. This was a wonderful battle, full of ingenuity, cleverness, cowardness, and heartache. You have earned your prize. May my gifts help you survive this God Contest. May they help you become who you must be!¡± With his final proclamation, the Spartan¡¯s body collapsed to the ground and dissolved into dust. ¡°What¡­ are these?¡± Anjali asked, holding up her two silver coins. ¡°Power. We¡¯ll show you at the refinery, if you want to come back with us,¡± Bethany replied, placing her two in her pocket. Anjali gave her a slow nod, anxious for her family to no longer be alone. ¡°They are only a tiny trickle of power, compared to what lay within those,¡± Zee exclaimed, his eyes fixed upon the golden disks. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯m picking first.¡± ¡°Zee, that¡¯s not fair¡­¡± Emily started to protest, but Zee had already touched the disk on the far left. The disk dissolved in his hands, and Zee took a deep breath as the gold dust settled on his skin and was absorbed. His eyes flashed with a golden hue. ¡°Oh, yes. That will do nicely,¡± Zee cooed. He flicked his wrist, and shadows spiraled around his hand. A spectral dagger, black as night, took shape, and once formed he hurled it into the wall. It embedded deep, until hilt touched stone. ¡°A power made just for me.¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. He laughed and reached for a second golden disk. ¡°Zee!¡± Emily shouted angrily, as Zee¡¯s hand passed through the disk like it was a hologram. ¡°Well, can¡¯t blame a guy for trying,¡± Zee said with a shrug. ¡°Yes, we can,¡± Rocky said through clenched teeth. Zee smirked. ¡°This one was clearly meant for Abigail anyway. Look.¡± He pointed to the carving on the coin, which depicted a woman holding an enormous sword above her head and two slain men at her feet. Abigail clutched her sword to her chest, her eyes a cascade of grief and anger. She walked up beside Zee and reached for the disk. It dissolved, and she shrieked in pain as a bloody wound opened across her hand, as if someone had cut her palm with a knife. Her iron sword clattered to the ground. Her eyes flared red, and out of her wound erupted a stream of blood that formed itself into a massive, doubled edged claymore as tall as she was. Its sharp edge was stained red, and its cross-guard had a skull carved at each end. Her wound healed itself in an instant. Abigail grasped the claymore in both hands and lifted it with ease. She took a few practice swings, the blade light as a feather, then rested it over her shoulder. The grief in her eyes fled and left behind anger and determination. ¡°The Bloodied Widow,¡± Abigail muttered, naming her new power. Without another word, as if she were in a world of her own, she walked out of the supermarket and weaved her way between the vehicles in the parking lot, their owners dead in the supermarket aisles. ¡°Abigail!¡± called out Bethany, but the woman ignored them. ¡°Come back!¡± ¡°Damn. And I thought my power was something,¡± Zee said with a laugh. ¡°She¡¯s going to get herself killed, jackass,¡± Rocky said. ¡°She¡¯s not in her right mind.¡± ¡°Her right mind? This is the God Contest, Balboa. If you¡¯re still clinging to sanity, you¡¯re headed for your grave.¡± Zee grabbed a bag of bottled pills and slung it over his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll tag along with her. She¡¯s my kind of nuts, and I¡¯d hate for her to find an early death. Bethany, my dear, I hope we meet again. I want to see just how powerful you become.¡± ¡°Wait, what? Zee, you should stay with us,¡± Bethany protested, but he was already out the door and at Abigail¡¯s side, jabbering away while she stalked forward. ¡°I¡¯d never work out, hammer girl,¡± Zee called back. ¡°I¡¯d give Balboa an aneurysm by the end of the week.¡± ¡°Well, he¡¯s not wrong,¡± Rocky whispered, as they watched the pair disappear. You¡¯d better take care of her, Zee. ¡°Bethany, why don¡¯t you pick next?¡± Emily suggested, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen over the players. ¡°Yah¡­ okay,¡± Bethany murmured. She glanced back at those who remained and saw their collective nods. Bethany studied the detailed carvings on the nine remaining disks, and she could see why Zee and Abigail had picked theirs so quickly. These aren¡¯t random. A fireman¡¯s axe comprised of stone. A sword lit with fire. A spear of ice. Twin brass knuckles that extend into claws. The axe is meant for Rocky. The sword for Elias, and the spear for Anjali. I bet the claws are for Emily, after what she did to that Spartan¡¯s eyes. But which is meant for me? Bethany walked slowly down the line of floating disks, and waited for one to draw her in. Two hands cupped together and holding blue light. That¡¯s the Healer¡¯s Touch that Rocky received from Thoth. That¡¯s a good one, and it would mean he wouldn¡¯t be our only healer. Should I just take that one? Bethany¡¯s hand reached out, an inch away from the disk. No. It doesn¡¯t feel right. It doesn¡¯t feel like¡­ mine. She pulled her hand away and continued down the line. An artist painting. A beckoning hand. This one is just a toddler with an up arrow. That¡¯s obviously for Jaya. God, I hope it doesn¡¯t give the toddler the ability to fly. His mother would have a fit. She reached the end of the line and leaned in to study the final disk. It was engraved with the image of a dying woman seated on a vast, empty prairie. She stared up at the night sky with sightless eyes. The haunting image repelled her, and she recoiled back, unconsciously distancing herself from the disk. ¡°Maybe not that one, Bethany,¡± Emily said with a shiver in her voice. A mumble of agreement spread amongst the survivors. No one wants it. Was I wrong? Maybe the powers are just random. I should go back and take the healing one¡­ Her Oracle Eye glowed, and Bethany felt its heat in her mind. The image on the disk changed, as if a second, hidden layer of the image had peeled back. From the heart of the dying woman, hundreds of golden threads cascaded into the heavens above. Featureless figures ¨C featureless gods ¨C formed in the sky, a golden thread connected to the heart of each one. Ethereal connections between mortal and godly realms. ¡°Are you okay, Bethany?¡± asked Rocky. They cannot see it. Diana ¨C Oracle ¨C is this another one of the gifts you hid in the game? Bethany shuttered as energy began to flow from the dying woman to the gods along the threads. The figure''s skin grew rigid and dry, and her fingernails cracked. She crumbled away, piece by piece, until her flesh dissolved and her bones became dust. Her remains were carried aloft on the wind, lost and forgotten. The woman¡¯s corpse had been sucked dry by the unrelenting thirst of the gods. The godly figures disappeared, leaving only the barren plain. Where the woman had once sat, a rickety wooden bridge appeared. It stretched up into the night sky, and Bethany could not see where it ended. Oracle hid this power in the God Contest behind an illusion that would repulse other players. She wanted me to have it. But what is it? Oracle, what are you doing to me? How did you hide this even from your fellow gods? Taking a deep, calming breath, Bethany reached out for the power Oracle hid beneath the nightmare. The disk dissolved upon her touch, and Bethany felt her mind drawn towards the bridge. The last thing she heard were Emily and Rocky¡¯s cries as her body slumped forward, unmoving, as her mind walked along the rickety wooden bridge into the heavens. Chapter 36 - The Pierced Veil ¡°Reality is wrong. Dreams are for real.¡± Tupac Shakur Bethany knew it for a dream that was not a dream. She climbed into the sky along the rickety wooden bridge and found herself surrounded by darkness, broken only by tiny, distant starlight. The empty vastness without end threatened to swallow her whole. This was not her world. This was the world of the gods. Yet there are no gods. Where are they? The stillness of the void prickled her skin. There was no smell. No taste. No sound. She felt its emptiness press down upon her with non-existent weightlessness. ¡°You are here for reason, Bethany,¡± she whispered to calm her racing heart. ¡°Diana gave you this power, so figure out why.¡± Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and focused on her Oracle Eye. Come on, Diana. Show me. The Oracle Eye pulsed, a tiny heartbeat in the emptiness. She opened herself to it and let its warmth flood into her. It was a lighthouse in the darkness, insulating her wandering spirit from the cold nothingness of the void. She opened her eyes. They were filled with golden light that illuminated the world around her. Yet it was more than just enhanced sight. A metallic taste touched the tip of her tongue, and her ears detected a faint but pleasant hum. The unknown world around her took on a new form as her Oracle Eye combined all her senses into one. The vastness remained, but now she looked upon it with the borrowed eye of a god. No longer was the vastness empty. It felt like she stood upon the waters of a meadow¡¯s pond, life teaming just below its surface. The life swirled far below, infinitesimal yet infinite, and emitted streams of idyllic light as if they were fireflies against a moonless night. The light flowed around her, tickled her skin, and gave the emptiness a soul of its own. It brought upon her a sense of profound peace, and, for a moment, all Bethany desired was to forget her life and lose herself in the swirl. The moment became a minute, which drifted into an hour. Bethany sat cross-legged in the nothing and lost herself in the sensation of the firefly life spiraling around her. As she listened to the hum, she began to sense the uniqueness of each life, and as she did, she felt their light seep beneath her skin and into her blood. It filled her with energy, as if she had devoured exotic, slightly bitter, cuisine, and she grew sated. The light¡­ it¡¯s not just any life. Each is a player in the contest. If I focus, I can feel their excitement. Their love. Their fear. I can feel them live. I can¡­ I can feel them die. Oh god¡­ The sudden realization shattered Bethany¡¯s sense of peace, and the energy that flowed within her like intoxicating wine turned sour. She back-peddled away from firefly light, afraid she might vomit. That light¡­ the players¡­ it¡¯s¡­ I¡­ need to get out of here. As the thought of escape entered her mind, a vertical sliver of rainbow light flashed in the distance, impossibly far away yet unbelievably near. Curious, Bethany reached out, pinched the sliver of light between her fingers, and pulled it towards her. A moment later, the light was in front of her, though she didn¡¯t know whether she¡¯d moved the light or pulled herself towards it. The sliver was now as tall as she was, and it illuminated the darkness in a rainbow hue. She could hear laughter beyond its rainbow, and she realized that it was not a sliver of light at all. It was light cascading through a door left ever so slightly ajar. An exit from the vastness around her. Glass shattered beyond the doorway, as if a wine bottle had fallen from intoxicated hands, and raucous laughter followed. Is that¡­ a party? What is this place? Oracle, what did you drag me into? Bethany looked at the vastness behind her, then reached out to touch the rainbow. Her palm fell flat against solid darkness, and she leaned into it with her shoulder. The door opened another inch, and she stuck her head through to peek inside. The hallway stretched fifty paces in either direction beyond the door. Its chestnut walls were complexly carved panoramas of fantastical events, occasionally interrupted by old oak bookshelves stuffed with leather-bound volumes of ancient and forgotten knowledge. A half dozen heavy oak doorways, each with a hieroglyphic mark that Bethany could not comprehend, led off the hall into unknowable antechambers. Chandeliers of shimmering diamond cascaded gentle rainbow light and illuminated portraits along the walls. She recognized the painting of the tiny man in the pebble, and realized the portraits depicted different gods. It might have been a hallway in an English manor, if not for the ripple of unseen power that seeped into every inch of its form. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. The smell of alcohol was pungent in the air. It, and the drunken laughter, came from beyond the double doors at the end of the hall. The smell was familiar to her, though she did not know why, like a word that was stuck on the tip of her tongue. The floorboards creaked, and Bethany quickly ducked back into the vastness, her heart racing. Holding her breath lest she give herself away, she pulled the door closed until only the smallest sliver of light shone through. She looked through the tiny crack, like a child spying from her room, as the two gods casually strolled into the hall. ¡°THE GODS ARE ENTERTAINED, OMOIKANE?¡± The deep, regal voice projected every syllable in crystal clarity, as if the air itself dare not impede his words. It echoed off the walls, slipped through the crack in the door, and filled the vastness beyond. Bethany clutched her ears as a trickle of blood dripped down the side of her face, pierced by words not meant for mortal ears. The god of gods had not asked a question. He had declared his expectation. I shouldn¡¯t be here. Oh god, I really shouldn¡¯t be here. As the god¡¯s final syllable faded away, its reverberations knocked a portrait off the wall. It had fallen outside the door to the vastness, face down and frame askew. Bethany peered through the crack to watch, curiosity trumping fear. The regal voice gave an exasperated chuckle, softening to a whisper to spare the ears of his companion. He reached out and picked up the portrait. ¡°Of course it was Alakshmi¡¯s portrait. The Goddess of Misfortune¡¯s bad luck extends even to her own image it would seem. See? Cracked along the corner when it fell.¡± The figure waved his hand over the portrait, then hung it back on the wall, unblemished. ¡°Now, Omoikane, my friend, tell me of my people,¡± the figure said softly. ¡°The gods are¡­ euphoric, Authority,¡± advised Omoikane in an elderly tenor. It spoke of endless years of wisdom, though Bethany thought she heard the hint of exasperation behind his words. ¡°And they replenish?¡± ¡°They gaze upon the carnage below and are sated,¡± Omoikane sighed regretfully. ¡°Like piglets suckling at their mother¡¯s teat.¡± ¡°You disapprove.¡± Bethany could practically hear Authority roll his eyes. ¡°I find the practice barbaric,¡± admitted Omoikane. ¡°And I have counselled you against it before.¡± ¡°BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR WORDS, OMOIKANE. I DO NOT TOLERATE INSOLENCE.¡± Bethany cupped her palms over her ears as Authority¡¯s commanding voice returned. Three more portraits fell and shattered as his reverberations filled the hall. ¡°Apologies, my lord. I mean no offense. But it goes against our nature. The very reason for our existence,¡± Omoikane said, his words softened, almost placating, without deviating from his counsel. ¡°We once knew the joy of creation, and of protecting those created. Now, we watch, and we laugh as those creations are torn apart.¡± ¡°Yet in all your years, you have failed to deliver an alternative,¡± countered Authority. ¡°They do not need our protection any longer. Would you have us fade away on the current of time, forgotten, as they reap what we sowed?¡± ¡°Of course not, my lord.¡± ¡°And would you deny me my rightful reward, after eons of service to these mortals?¡± Omoikane did not answer, and the air grew tense between the two gods. ¡°What aren¡¯t you telling me, Omoikane?¡± asked Authority firmly, another question that was not a question. ¡°They are only rumors, my lord,¡± started Omoikane reluctantly. ¡°Rumors offer the first hint of truth, my trusted advisor,¡± he insisted. ¡°You taught be that early in my reign.¡± Still, Omoikane hesitated, and chose his words carefully. ¡°There are whispers of those that secretly deviate from your commandments. The New Order. A secret association of gods that interfere in the God Contest, working from its shadows, to suckle at the source and grow strong. And once they grow strong enough¡­¡± Omoikane let the rest hang in silence. ¡°They flaunt my holy law?" whispered Authority harshly. ¡°After I imprisoned Oracle for the same, they would still dare? Tell me who, Omoikane, that I may deliver unto them the same fate as our misguided seer.¡± Bethany felt her Oracle Eye flare angrily at the god¡¯s declaration. So Oracle is imprisoned. But she saw it coming. They don¡¯t know the depths she used to hide her gifts in the contest. If they did, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be here right now. ¡°I don¡¯t know who they are, my liege. But I feel them move in the shadows, and they recruit others.¡± ¡°Ah Puch?¡± asked Authority dryly, as if it were a forgone conclusion. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Ah Puch is a lesser liege, and an ambitious one at that, yet ambition is not a crime. Do not be too quick to accuse, lest you turn more towards the shadow.¡± Authority thought in silence for a long while as he returned the fallen portraits to their rightful places. ¡°You have always been my wise counsel, Omoikane. I shall heed it for now.¡± The two gods resumed their walk down the hallway, each step punctuating the silence that had fallen between them. Omoikane opened the door at the end of the hall for his liege and let him pass through with a deep bow. The sound of celebration grew louder as the door cracked open and muted again as it shut tightly behind them. Silence fell upon the hallway. Bethany waited, breathless, until she was certain they wouldn¡¯t return. The New Order. Bethany had heard that name before, in a dream. She had forgotten about it. It had been on the first night of the God Contest, when she had collapsed after beating the Impastabull. The dream came back to her with crystal clarity. The clink of the glasses raised in toast, the smell of alcohol, the sound of drunken laughter, and the exchange of golden coins from bets won and lost. She remembered the two figures huddled in the shadows ¨C brother and sister ¨C speaking of the gift Oracle had bestowed and the price the goddess had paid. Gods in the shadows? Were they part of this New Order? Was Oracle? Bethany closed her eyes to recall their words from her dream. ¡°We five agreed to oppose both the Authority and the New Order, and we cannot fail. To the end of it all. To the end of Eternity.¡± She opened her eyes and stared out into the empty hallway. ¡°No, the brother and sister spoke of something else. Something opposed to both the New Order and the Authority. Something Oracle had set in motion. Something that involves me.¡± Her heart pounded in her chest, and she looked back into the vast emptiness behind her. ¡°You can just stay here, Bethany,¡± she muttered. ¡°You don¡¯t need to know any more. You don¡¯t need to go through that door.¡± Failing to convince herself of the sensible course of action, Bethany leaned against the door, pushed it open, and stepped into the hall. Chapter 37 - Through the Looking Glass ¡°It¡¯s a great huge game of chess that¡¯s being played ¨C all over the world ¨C if this is the world at all.¡± Lewis Carroll A sense of complete insignificance washed over Bethany as she stepped into the hall, as if she were an ant in the palace of an emperor. The soft, rainbow light shone down from above and robbed her of protective shadows. She shivered and folded her arms across her chest, uncertain if it was from the chill in the air or the danger she now faced. ¡°I don¡¯t belong here,¡± she whispered. ¡°I should go back.¡± She turned back to the door she had come through, but all she saw was a broom closet, its tiny, unremarkable door slightly ajar. If the vast emptiness still existed beyond, she no longer had access. ¡°Okay,¡± she told herself anxiously. ¡°I guess I¡¯m not going back that way. No where to go but ahead, Bethany.¡± The corridor was silent but for the muffled laughter emanating from beyond the double-wide door at the end of the hall. The floor creaked as she walked down the hall, and the unwelcome sound filled the silence around her like water poured into a glass. She felt like she was back in her father¡¯s house on that fateful night, sneaking down the hallway with her grandmother¡¯s yellow suitcase in tow. The decision that had started her journey to this very moment. ¡°I¡¯d still rather be here than back there,¡± Bethany whispered, and was surprised to find she meant it. Bethany reached for a leather-bound tome wedged haphazardly on the nearest bookshelf. She opened the cover, and its spine cracked in protest, its long slumber interrupted. It had a musty smell that reminded Bethany of the old encyclopedias in her village library ¨C her after school refuge from the world ¨C tucked away in a corner and forgotten. The words on the page were nonsensical. The letters ¨C if they were letters ¨C floated across the page as if caught in the breeze. They danced and twirled, teasing the girl with knowledge beyond her comprehension. She flipped the page, and it was more of the same. She struggled to make sense of the mocking knowledge, but all she found was a headache. ¡°This is still a dream,¡± she reminded herself. ¡°I have more control than in the other ones, and my senses are sharper, but it is still a dream. Right?¡± A muffled cheer rose up from behind the double door at the end of the hall, as if to challenge her assertion. ¡°You¡¯re through the looking glass now, Alice,¡± Bethany told herself. She carefully closed the tome and returned it to the shelf. Her heart raced as she approached the double door at the end of the hall, willing herself to be small and insignificant. ¡°Time to see what lays beyond.¡± She took a deep breath, lifted the big, brass handle, and cracked the door open just enough to let the voices carry through. She left it ajar and ducked into the nearest archway to stay hidden. The sound of a spoon tapping on a wine glass echoed down the hallway. ¡°My friends, hear me!¡± came the regal voice of Authority. The laughter of the gods fell to a low murmur. ¡°We are one week into the God Contest. One week into our replenishment. Thirty thousand have perished, and within their early deaths we find continuance. Thirty thousand have risen, and in their growing power we find fulfilment, with the promise of a grander and more fulfilling feast to come. The remainder recoil from their new reality, but soon they too shall choose which path they stride.¡± A joyful cheer filled the chamber beyond, yet Bethany could sense tension rise above the cheers, like a single leaf floating on ocean waves. ¡°With the God Contest, we secure our continued existence as their guardians. As their gods. This is the price mankind must pay for our protection. Our rightful toll. Babylon, Choquequirao, Pompeii, Machu Pichu. Regina. They were a worthy sacrifice upon our altar.¡± ¡°Upon your altar!¡± called a voice from the crowd, the source of the growing tension. The voice was deep and malevolent, and filled with half-hidden rage. ¡°You feast, Authority, while the rest of us sustain ourselves on scraps that fall from your plate.¡± A darkness flowed across the crack in the double door, blocking its silver light, and Bethany drew back into her archway, sweat on her brow. The god was on the other side of the door, mere feet away. A pungent, deathly odor drifted off the god and drowned out the perfume of wine in the air. Bethany hugged her legs tightly to her chest and held her breath, terrified of getting caught. ¡°You forget your place, Ah Puch,¡± responded Authority. His voice dripped with amusement, as if the lesser god were no more than a toddler throwing a tantrum. ¡°Do not speak of a fair share. The souls of the fallen are added to your underworld kingdom, after all. Be settled with the role you were assigned upon ascension.¡± ¡°I know my place, though it is not the place you believe it to be. Everything changes, Sun God. Even your Holy Law,¡± spat Al Puch. The double doors burst open, and the Mayan God of Death stomped angrily into the hall. Bethany held in her terrified whimper and pulled her knees to her chest. The god¡¯s skin was stretched taught across his bones, as if he were starved, yet he moved with a quick grace that belied his appearance. He wore a grey stone mask that depicted an empty skull, its surface painted blue and gold. Red and white feathers adorned the top of the mask, and the god¡¯s golden, cat-like eyes stared out from beneath. He was bare chested, and a tattered brown loincloth covered his waist, as if flaunting his sickly form. Carrion creatures followed in his wake as he marched down the hall with an angry, all-consuming purpose, his eyes focused on his destination. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. A rat skittered over to Bethany and sniffed at her feet. Bethany forced herself to stay silent, but all she wanted to do was scream at the malevolence that wafted from the death god. She sat perfectly still, and after a few seconds, the rat grew bored and returned to its master¡¯s side. Al Puch entered one of the antechambers off the far end of the hall, and Bethany let herself breathe a sigh of relief. ¡°The ruler of the Underworld was always one for drama,¡± laughed Authority, and the other gods laughed with him. ¡°My subjects. My friends. Let us celebrate. A toast to the mighty Ares, who entertained us so well this day. A toast to the dead. And a toast to those who survived. May their growing energy fulfil us for years to come.¡± Bethany heard the clinks of glasses raised in toast, but her mind was lost in endless questions. Sacrifices? Energy? Are they¡­ sustaining themselves off us? But they are gods. Why would they need to do that? She suddenly understood what Oracle was trying to tell her in the golden disk¡¯s hidden image ¨C the dying woman, and the drinking gods ¨C and it sent a deep chill down her spine. Is this what you fight against, Oracle? Is this why you gave me your Eye? But what am I supposed to do with it, if I am only a meal to them? Bethany collapsed against the archway, her heart racing wildly. She felt insignificantly small, and panic began to overtake her senses. I¡­ I need to get out of here. Oracle, let me out! How do I get out! Bethany stumbled to her feet and ran down the hall towards the broom closet, desperate to escape. Please, I don¡¯t want to be here. Wake up, Bethany! Wake¡­ One of the chamber doors suddenly flew open, and a figure laden with an unmanageable armful of ancient scrolls stumbled out. He crashed right into Bethany as she fled, sending them both sprawling to the floor. The scrolls in the god¡¯s arms flew into the air and scattered down the fall. ¡°My apologies. I didn¡¯t expect to see another in the library at this¡­,¡± the voice began, soft and apologetic, until he trailed off in utter shock as his gaze fell upon Bethany. Bethany knew that voice. She had heard it before. Scrambling backwards until she was pressed tightly against the wall, she swallowed hard as she stared upon a bespeckled man with a green ibis head. ¡°Th¡­ Thoth?¡± Bethany stammered. She had only seen the God of Knowledge in his sacred ibis form at the end of his arena, yet she knew it to be him. ¡°Bethany?¡± asked Thoth in disbelief. ¡°Impossible. You cannot be here. It¡¯s not time. How did¡­¡± His gaze fell upon her Oracle Eye, and its faint light shimmered in his presence, as if drawn to the god. His beak hung open in disbelief, and he dashed to her side so quickly that Bethany could hardly register his movement. Grasping the side of her head with gentle fingers, he studied her until his long, sharp beak rested against her cheek. ¡°She didn¡¯t. She couldn¡¯t have. This was not part of our plan. Oracle, you foolish deity. What have you set in motion?¡± A torrent of questions entered Bethany¡¯s head, but before she could ask the voice of Authority drifted into the corridor. ¡°That fool,¡± Authority spat, his tone vacant of amusement as he left the other gods behind and approached the hall. ¡°He sows unrest and expects wheat to grow. Doesn¡¯t he know he sows in earth as barren as his kingdom.¡± All semblance of calm fled from Thoth as he grabbed Bethany and hauled her to her feet. ¡°Bethany, you must go. Now. Tell no one of what you have seen, or what you have heard. More than you could possibly know rests on your silence. Do you understand?¡± Thoth whispered as his eyes filled with barely contained panic. All Bethany could manage was a slight nod as her heart threatened to burst from her chest. ¡°Good. Now wake up!¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know how,¡± uttered Bethany. ¡°You must learn to control Oracle¡¯s gift, child,¡± instructed Thoth frantically, his eyes flickering wildly between Bethany and the approaching god. ¡°If any but us five see you here¡­¡± Authority stepped into the hall, and it flooded with silver light. Thoth shifted to block Bethany from view. ¡°You must become strong, Bethany,¡± Thoth implored. ¡°It is the only way we will survive.¡± With a final glance towards the oncoming god, he thrust his beak into Bethany¡¯s chest and through her heart. * * * Bethany bolted upright with a terrified cry. Her hands clutched her chest, but the phantom pain of the dream was already receding. ¡°It was just a dream, Bethany. Just a dream,¡± she recited to herself, tears falling as she pulled her knees to her chest and rocked in place. ¡°You are safe now.¡± Only that¡¯s not true, is it? It wasn¡¯t just a dream. None of them were just dreams. And we are not safe. She took a deep breath to calm herself, then another and another, until she finally felt her heartbeat slow. Only then was she able to focus on her surroundings. She was back at the refinery, lying on the couch in her office-turned-bedroom. It was the middle of the night, and the world beyond was lit in gentle moonlight. The soft pitter patter of rain against her window soothed her nerves, and she closed her eyes to listen to its pattern until her mind stopped racing and her wits returned. Her hammer lay on the coffee table within easy reach, as it was that first night she had found herself at the refinery. Her two Emporium silver coins lay next to it, symbols of the trust and friendship she had found with Rocky and Emily. In the corner of the room lay her grandmother¡¯s suitcase, the yellow flowers in such contrast to the executive decor of her surroundings. Emily had changed her clothes when she was unconscious, replacing her blood-soaked clothes with her favorite, and only, nightgown. They remembered my suitcase. My life. After everything we went through in the supermarket, they still remembered to bring it back. The kindness of Emily and Rocky filled her with an unexpected strength. Oracle. Thoth. I don¡¯t know what your game is, but if it keeps my friends safe, I¡¯ll do my part, whatever that may be. And I will get stronger. She brushed her ankle with her palm and winced at her touch. The painkillers Zee had given her had worn off while she slept and left her mouth dry and chalky. Rocky must have done some healing. It hurts, but not as bad as it did before. I hope he saved enough energy to heal Emily too. A loud snore from Rocky¡¯s room answered her, and, despite the terror that had settled in her soul, she found herself chuckling at the massive man¡¯s slumber. Sitting up on the couch, she started out the window and watched the rain fall against the glass. She remained like that for hours, until the dream was little more than shaded memories and subdued emotions. Eventually, as her mind grew tranquil, the morning sun began to crest over the eastern ocean waters, sparkling gently off its surface. The ocean. A week ago it was an ocean of wheat intersected by long highway. This contest may be a cage, but at least it is a beautiful one. A sense of calm filled her soul as she sat in silence, until the final drop of rain fell outside, and the tiny puddles formed on the window¡¯s ridge stilled. She rose from the couch, opened her grandmother¡¯s ¨C her ¨C suitcase and dressed. Ready to face a new day. Chapter 38 - Family ¡°When everything goes to hell, the people who stand by you without flinching ¨C they are your family.¡± Jim Butcher, American Author ¡°You need more sleep, Rocky,¡± Emily whispered outside Bethany¡¯s door. ¡°Go back to bed.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll sleep better knowing she is alright, Em,¡± Rocky¡¯s deep voice carried through the walls. ¡°If I can just heal her ankle and your ribs a little bit more¡­¡± ¡°Absolutely not,¡± Emily ordered, tolerating no disagreement. ¡°You look like death. You need to recover. And you don¡¯t have to heal us by yourself anymore.¡± Bethany quietly giggled as she eavesdropped, pulling on her white flower-print blouse. After the horrors they had been through, the reminder that she could still laugh brought her a measure of comfort. They sound like a married couple. And¡­ and they should be a couple, damn it! Life¡¯s too short to keep their feelings for each other hidden. It was such a small thing next to the precarious reality they found themselves in. It wasn¡¯t critical to their survival. It wouldn¡¯t make the difference between life and death. Yet it was tangible and completely within their control ¨C a small gift of happiness within their grasp. The need to realize that happiness grew in Bethany mind until she could stand it no longer. She grabbed her crutch and threw open her door. Emily and Rocky stood outside, surprised at her sudden appearance. Rocky¡¯s face was sunken from exhaustion, dark bags under his eyes. Emily wore a loose shirt, her ribs tightly bandaged. ¡°Maybe he¡¯d go back to bed if you joined him,¡± Bethany teased, the words more aggressively insistent than she intended. ¡°Bethany¡­ what¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ that¡¯s not¡­¡± Rocky sputtered, a deer in the headlights. Mortified, Bethany started to backtrack, wondering what had come over her, until Emily gave an unexpected response. ¡°Maybe I will,¡± Emily replied simply. It was an intimate admission that made Bethany¡¯s heart leap. Rocky stared at her, wide-eyed, as Emily grabbed hold of his hand and held it in hers. ¡°After that arena¡­ you were right, Bethany. What have I got to lose?¡± Emily stared into Rocky¡¯s eyes and let the reluctance she had built within herself crumble. ¡°You look like a goldfish, Rocky,¡± she laughed as his mouth opened and closed silently as he tried to process what was happening. He finally managed to squeeze her hand, giving her the courage to go on. ¡°It¡¯s been¡­ a difficult week, to say the least, and it has changed everything,¡± she started, her eyes flicking between his and the carpet beneath their feet. ¡°We almost died. Twice. We¡¯ve seen the darkness in each other¡¯s lives and come out stronger. You¡¯ve always been there for me¡­¡± Rocky started to protest, blushing as he tried to downplay it, but Emily cut him off with a gentle finger to his lips. ¡°No, Rocky, you have always been there. Always. Infinite Recollection, remember? I see our entire friendship laid bare before me and I know¡­ I know what I¡¯ve always known. Before we walked into that supermarket, Bethany asked me what I had to lose by telling you how I felt. I was scared because you mean everything to me.¡± ¡°You mean everything to me too,¡± Rocky managed to whisper, his words so soft that Bethany strained to hear them. ¡°I guess¡­ I didn¡¯t want to risk it¡­ but now. After that? Fuck it,¡± Emily said, as she tipped Rocky¡¯s chin up with her finger and kissed him passionately. Rocky froze in momentary shock, then relaxed and leaned into the kiss. He placed his hands on her hips and returned her kiss with all the feelings he had held back for so long. Bethany squealed like the girls she had avoided in high school, unable to contain her excitement. Emily and Rocky separated, their hands still clasped together and their eyes promising more to come. ¡°I mean¡­¡± Emily joked, breaking the tension. ¡°We might get killed by a shadow monster or a Spartan or some other monstrosity at any time, so I might as well shack up with someone, right?¡± ¡°That¡­ was not in any of my survival plans,¡± Rocky added with a smile, his brain still processing their kiss. ¡°But it will be now.¡± Emily laughed and gave him a swift kiss before she turned her attention to Bethany. ¡°And you, young lady,¡± she said in a motherly voice. ¡°I don¡¯t know where you¡¯ve picked up that filthy mind of yours. This God Contest has been a bad influence on you.¡± Bethany just shrugged, still beaming. ¡°Well, just keep it in check around our guests,¡± Emily instructed with a smirk. ¡°They¡¯ll be in the kitchen by now, and the children are quite impressionable.¡± ¡°Our¡­ guests?¡± asked Bethany. She shifted her weight on the crutch as she gazed down the main stairway. In the distance, she could hear the clatter of pots and pans and the murmur of voices. ¡°They came back with us?¡± ¡°More mouths to feed,¡± Rocky said sarcastically, finding his voice again. Emily nudged him, then hissed in pain as the movement aggravated her ribs. Rocky placed his hand below her breasts and, before she could protest, gave her a dose of healing energy. Emily¡¯s breath steadied, her eyes glaring both disapproval and gratefulness. ¡°Come on, Bethany,¡± Emily waved, heading down the stairs. Rocky followed close behind, his meaty hand resting tenderly on the small of her back. ¡°I¡¯ll be down in a moment,¡± Bethany called after her, letting the two new lovebirds have a few moments to themselves. Bethany hobbled back into her room and grabbed the two silver coins on the coffee table. They sparkled in the morning light, and she shoved them in her pocket for the Emporium downstairs. ¡°I will get stronger,¡± she promised herself. ¡°We will all get stronger.¡± She glanced out the window and watched the sun rise over ocean waters, its warmth evaporating the droplets that clung to the window. ¡°Be brave, little bee,¡± she whispered to herself. The words felt bitter on her lips, soaked in spoiled memories, but they were her words now. A reminder that she had already survived hell once. ¡°And I will survive it again. You just watch me.¡± With that, she left her room and hobbled slowly down the stairs. * * * Bethany entered through the lunchroom¡¯s swinging doors, and her heart lit up at what lay beyond. Stacks of food, pharmaceuticals, diapers, and hygiene products, sorted into haphazard piles, lined the walls. Rocky and Emily hovered across the nearest table, discussing where to store it all. Anjali sat by the row of microwaves, heating up a bottle of formula for Jaya, who was lying on a blanket on the floor, giggling. She dabbed a droplet of formula on her wrist to check its temperature before lifting Jaya to feed. The infant squirmed, and Anjali had to continually adjust her posture, as if the infant were unfamiliar to her. Bethany could see why. The infant, who had been eight months old yesterday, looked like she had aged another four months overnight. ¡°It was that golden disk,¡± Anjali explained as Bethany approached, her eyes filled with uncertain tears. ¡°It was the last one, and I didn¡¯t know what it did. It just¡­ It just flew at her and showered her with that dust. When I woke up this morning, Jaya was just¡­ like this. I¡­ I don¡¯t know what to do.¡± Bethany could hear the fear behind the mother¡¯s words. The toddler with the up arrow. It¡¯s making her grow up fast. I guess an infant wouldn¡¯t give the gods much energy. It must be their way of¡­ fattening her up? It was a cruel thought, and Bethany kept it to herself. ¡°Jaya can¡¯t defend herself as an infant,¡± Bethany said, resting a comforting hand on Anjali¡¯s shoulder. ¡°The contest is giving her a fighting chance. It¡¯s probably a good thing, though I can imagine how strange it must feel.¡± Jaya cooed in Anjali¡¯s arms. Her eyes darted about the room, curious and more keenly aware of her surroundings than they had been yesterday. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°I don¡¯t know when she will stop growing,¡± Anjali said with a brave, half-hearted laugh. ¡°Maybe she¡¯ll miss the terrible twos.¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± Bethany chuckled. ¡°The disk had an image of a toddler. Maybe she will grow until she reaches that size, when she can start comprehending the world around her.¡± ¡°I wish her father was here,¡± she said, her eyes on the verge of tears. ¡°He was in the oil field when the contest started.¡± ¡°Your husband wouldn¡¯t be any help,¡± Priyanka barked from the nearby table. Anjali¡¯s mother-in-law looked as exhausted as Rocky did. She was sitting between Harmony and Brandon, their eyes puffy and red after a night of tears. Brandon stared intently at a can of peas at the other end of the table. Three other cans lay at his feet, slightly dented. His twin sister drew on white construction paper with crayons. Priyanka whispered to the children, who nodded, then walked over to Bethany. She knelt on old knees and wrapped her hands around Bethany¡¯s wounded ankle. ¡°What¡­,¡± Bethany started to ask, until Priyanka¡¯s hands glowed blue and the soreness in her ankle began to fade. She sat down, basking in the woman¡¯s healing touch. Priyanka¡¯s healing magic was different ¨C stronger ¨C than Rocky¡¯s healing. Instead of a cool compress, Priyanka¡¯s felt like she had been wrapped tightly in a heated towel. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t know what to do with Jaya. Ajay would just strut around, trying to take charge,¡± Priyanka grumbled. ¡°Appa would do the same. No, we¡¯re better off without them.¡± ¡°Sasu ma¡­,¡± Anjali started to protest. ¡°Better off without them,¡± Priyanka reiterated, but her eyes were distant. ¡°They are better off where they are. Where they are safe.¡± She whispered the last part, a note of grief escaping her tough exterior. A silence fell between them, until a scraping sound drew Bethany¡¯s attention. She looked up just in time to see the can of peas slide itself across the table towards Brandon. It picked up speed and it flew directly into Brandon¡¯s hands. ¡°I caught it this time!¡± shouted Brandon with triumph, holding the can for Priyanka to see. Bethany stared wide-eyed at the child. ¡°Telekinesis,¡± whispered Anjali to Bethany with a smile. ¡°Kid¡¯s going to be a menace.¡± Priyanka gave him a grandmother¡¯s smile. ¡°That was much better, Brandon. You are getting good. Keep practicing.¡± Brandon beamed for a moment, and then his face fell, his eyes filled with guilt for experiencing the moment of happiness. ¡°Thanks,¡± mumbled Brandon, returning to his grief. He picked up the three cans at his feet and positioned all four in a line at the other end of the table. He returned to his spot, his chin resting against the table, and began again. ¡°Poor things,¡± Anjali said quietly. ¡°Their mother was all they had in this world. To see her killed¡­ Sasu ma and I are going to care for them.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll all care of them too,¡± Bethany affirmed. ¡°We¡¯re in this together.¡± ¡°Finished!¡± Harmony exclaimed. She dropped her crayon and held up her picture for Brandon to see. It was a crude sketch of a horse, outlined in lime green and filled with pink and purple polka dots. Brandon lifted his chin, studied it, and gave it a thumbs down. ¡°Too girly,¡± he muttered. Harmony puffed her cheeks out in anger and set the paper gently down on the table. Closing her eyes, she grabbed the drawing between her index finger and thumb and lifted, as if she were peeling off a sticker. Bethany stared in wonder as Harmony set the drawing down on the table. The three-inch tall, two dimensional pink and purple polka dotted horse stood on its own, its head swishing back and forth. Harmony gave a clap of joy and twirled her finger. The horse began to trot in a circle around the table, head held high like a show horse. Brandon held out his fingers absentmindedly, and his twin sister made her horse leap over his fingers like in a show jumping competition. Harmony laughed and pointed towards Priyanka, and the horse galloped to the end of the table. Priyanka held her finger out and scratched the creature¡¯s paper nose. ¡°Unbelievable,¡± whispered Bethany in awe. Harmony pointed towards the kitchen. The horse leapt off the table and galloped across the floor and around the kitchen counter, out of sight. Elias strolled out of the pantry behind the counter, his arms laden with giant pots and pans. He wore a sleeveless black shirt that was one size too small, and blue jeans that were one size too big, no doubt scavenged from the exercise lockers. His hair was damp from a recent shower, and his towel gently resting across his shoulders. Bethany felt sudden heat in her cheeks. Elias set his burden on the stove and bent down. When he came up, he held the paper horse in his palm, the drawing lifelessness. ¡°It made it further this time, Harmony,¡± Elias praised, walking over and setting the horse on top of a pile of similar animal drawings. ¡°You¡¯re doing really well.¡± Harmony gave him a grin, then burst into tears as her grief returned. Priyanka let go of Bethany¡¯s ankle and rushed over to the child to embrace her, practiced from a long night of comforting the children. Harmony buried her face into Priyanka¡¯s shoulder and bawled as Priyanka stroked her back. Elias walked over to Bethany and Anjali, wiping his hands on the towel around his shoulders. He gave Bethany a subtle smile. ¡°They lost their mother and gained amazing magical powers in the same day,¡± Elias said. ¡°They don¡¯t know how to feel right now.¡± ¡°Do any of us?¡± asked Anjali, and an awkward silence fell between them. ¡°They¡¯ve been very brave,¡± Elias said to break the silence. ¡°If any of my sisters were here, I¡¯d be losing my mind. Thankfully, they didn¡¯t come with us from the farm on that day. It was just me and dad.¡± ¡°Your dad. Did he¡­¡± Bethany started to ask, then stopped as she saw Elias look down. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Bethany¡± Elias said, though he didn¡¯t elaborate. ¡°I¡¯m alone in here now, just like Brandon and Harmony.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll all be alone together,¡± Emily called as she and Rocky joined them by the microwaves. She rested her hand on Rocky¡¯s arm and gave it a little squeeze. Elias raised an eyebrow at Rocky. Rocky answered in the form of an awkward shrug and Elias barked out a laugh. A fist bump sealed the unspoken conversation. ¡°Well, I was about to make breakfast,¡± Rocky said, changing the conversation. ¡°I hope everyone likes chili.¡± ¡°For breakfast?¡± Emily asked skeptically. Rocky smiled and headed over to the stove. ¡°We¡¯ve got a bunch of half-rotting vegetables to use up.¡± A few minutes later, the kitchen had exploded with activity, and the clang of pots and pans rang out across the lunchroom. Rocky tended a giant pot, sizzling with ground beef and onions. The smell that wafted through the air made Bethany¡¯s stomach growl. Bethany worked on the carrots, sorting through the two dozen bags that littered the lunchroom for those that were turning bad. She removed them and handed the remainder of the bag to Brandon, who stored them in the pantry. After she peeled and sliced, she dumped her work into the quickly filling pot. Emily did the same with the peppers, Priyanka with tomatoes, and Elias with celery, until the chili was nearly overflowing. Anjali had fallen asleep against the wall, Jaya dozing on her chest. ¡°So what now?¡± asked Priyanka, as she handed her latest bag of tomatoes to Harmony, who carried them into the walk-in freezer. ¡°We have food for a month. Do we hide here and wait for this whole thing to blow over? A silence fell upon the kitchen, except for the faint bubbling of the chili on the stove. The trauma of the supermarket was still raw in their thoughts, and no one was anxious to stray back into the city. Yet every one of them knew the answer to her question. The danger will come, whether we want it to or not. Hiding is the same as dying. ¡°We stay together, and we fight,¡± Bethany answered with certainty. She reached into her pocket and withdrew one of the silver Emporium coins. ¡°We get strong. And we win this damn contest!¡± * * * The final rays of the setting sun disappeared in the west, and darkness stretched out across the ocean waters. Bethany caught her reflection in the glass. A week ago, I was a scared girl in an abusive home. It took every ounce of strength I had to leave that place. To come to Regina to find a new life. She reached out and touched the reflection of her Oracle Eye, its pupilless form still unsettling. You found that life, Bethany. It¡¯s just not what you thought it would be. She thought back on everything that had happened over the past week. The taste of the wine Becka and Daniel poured down her throat, and the sound of their pleas as she left them behind. Her hammer flashing to life as it tore into the Impastabull. The shadows and the Spartans, and all the other monsters that waited for them beyond these walls. Her love for her grandmother, the one constant in her life, had crumbled to ashes along the road she traveled. In its place, she had found the joy of friendship and a new family. The God Contest had forced her to stare death in the face, yet even that was paltry compared to game behind the game in which she had been unwittingly entangled. This girl in the window¡­ I don¡¯t recognize her anymore. That scared little girl died last week. Just another forgotten soul amongst the tens of thousands of others the God Contest has claimed. Food for hungry gods. ¡°This is not the life I thought I would find in Regina,¡± Bethany said without regret. ¡°But it is still better than the one I left behind. I have a life I know to be true, with a new home and new family.¡± She took a deep breath and let her fears and doubts drift into the air and sail away over the wall that surrounded the city and beyond the horizon. ¡°And I have purpose. I won¡¯t let my friends die. I will get strong. I will protect them. Whatever the cost.¡± Bethany lay on her couch in her bedroom and listened as, one by one, her new family settled in for the night and drifted off into slumber. Only when the final light switched off did she close her own eyes and let sleep take her away. * * * It was there, as she knew it would be. The rickety wooden bridge that stretched into the heavens. Only now, a ten-year-old child sat at the head of the bridge. Her shoulder length brown hair was tied back in a simple ponytail, and she wore the same blue jeans and frilled pink shirt that she had in the empty prairie field where they had first met. ¡°Hello, Diana,¡± Bethany said, her voice calm and certain. ¡°Or should I call you Oracle?¡± ¡°Diana,¡± Diana answered. ¡°I am only her memory, after all.¡± ¡°Why are you here, Diana?¡± Bethany asked. Diana pointed to her Oracle Eye. ¡°Because you found your way here, to Spirit''s Bridge, and we have a long road to travel.¡± ¡°Thoth said I need to learn to control my gift.¡± Diana simply nodded. ¡°Then I guess we should get started.¡±
Name: Bethany Fox Job: Player Attributes: Strength: 5 Agility: 5 Toughness: 6 Magic: 9 Attribute Coins: 0 Talents: Oracle Eye (#error#) Gift of Insight (Epic) Hammer of Light (Rare) Spiritual Bridge (#error#)
Name: Rocky MacMillian Job: Player Attributes: Strength: 5 Agility: 4 Toughness: 6 Magic: 5 Attribute Coins: 0 Talents: Healer¡¯s Touch (common) Axe of Stone (Rare)
Name: Emily Desjarlais Job: Player Attributes: Strength: 6 Agility: 7 Toughness: 5 Magic: 2 Attribute Coins: 0 Talents: Infinite Recollection (Epic) Metallic Slasher (Rare)
Chapter 39 - The Cast Die (Volume 2 Begins) ¡°Not only does god play dice, but he sometimes throws them where they cannot be seen.¡± Stephen Hawking, English Physicist The rusted iron cage swung gently above the abyss, suspended from the rocky ceiling by an unbreakable chain forged long ago by means long since lost to time. The abyss and the cage had existed long before the gods had appeared in God Home, though few gods remembered those days. To speak of a time before the gods was sacrilege, and none dare raise the ire of The Authority over such trivial matters. Rocked by a breeze that did not exist, the high-pitched, rusty squeak of the chain was faint accompaniment for the cavern¡¯s sole prisoner¡¯s guests ¨C one seen, and one who waited in the shadows for the first to leave. ¡°You must understand The Authority¡¯s plight,¡± Omoikane said sympathetically as he stared up at the ancient cage and the woman within. ¡°We¡¯ve heard rumors of rebellion within the gods ¨C rebellion against He who protects us. Against He whom we all owe our lives. It is not a rumor that He can afford to ignore.¡± The slender woman, her flawless pale skin gowned in a flowing white robe, said nothing. She dangled her legs through the bars and stared through thick, rounded spectacles into the abyss below, as if the right hand of The Authority ¨C he who counsels the light ¨C were not there. Omoikane did not let the prisoner¡¯s silence deter him. ¡°They call themselves The New Order, but we know little else. No doubt a handful of discontent gods playing with forces beyond their comprehension. They attempt to suckle life directly from the teat of the God Contest, selfishly dissatisfied with the share they receive from The Authority.¡± He paused, searching for recognition on the prisoner¡¯s face, but she remained an empty vessel. Omoikane sighed. ¡°The Authority believes you to be one of them,¡± Omoikane admitted. ¡°You were interfering in the God Contest even before it began, were you not? Your actions are what landed you in this predicament. Though you covered your tracks so well that we could find no trace of what you actually accomplished. Perhaps you failed, and this imprisonment is all for naught?¡± From the darkest depths of the abyss, a deep, painful cry emerged. It echoed off the sheer walls and irregular cavernous ceiling. A desperate plea for mercy. The woman shifted uncomfortably, as if she could feel the being¡¯s agony in her soul. Omoikane waited until the last of the cry had fled from their senses, as to interrupt its cry would be the epitome of callousness. ¡°Eternity,¡± whispered Omoikane with genuine pity as he stared down into the abyss. ¡°We can never repay it for the gift it has given us.¡± ¡°Gift?¡± spoke the woman bitterly. ¡°It is not a gift if it stolen. It is not a gift if the cost is its eternal suffering. We are but parasites, feeding off a host.¡± ¡°She speaks,¡± Omoikane replied. ¡°I understand your grief for what lay in the abyss, my dear friend, but what other choice do we have? I have researched since the first God Contest, trying to find an alternative to its suffering, yet here I am, with ages come and gone, without a solution to our plight.¡± The spectacled woman looked up at Omoikane for the first time, sorrow and anger at war in her eyes. ¡°We can die,¡± she said simply. ¡°We should have died long ago, instead of surviving off the lives of mortals and the suffering of Eternity.¡± Omoikane wanted to explain ¨C to admit he held his own private doubts on the morality of Authority¡¯s decision ¨C but held himself back. He had not come to the abyss to engage in an ethical debate. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you are a member of this New Order,¡± Omoikane reassured her. ¡°But you must give me something ¨C anything ¨C that I can take back to our Lord, if I am to convince Him to free you from imprisonment. The woman returned her gaze to the abyss, silent as the darkness. ¡°Damn it, Oracle,¡± Omoikane shouted, momentarily losing his composure. ¡°He¡¯ll drop you into the abyss if you don¡¯t cooperate. He is not a patient deity.¡± Oracle, Goddess of Foresight and Prophecy, gave Omoikane a sad smile. ¡°Then I shall be consumed by Eternity, and we¡¯ll have finally given something back to it after taking so very much.¡± ¡°Impossible woman. You always were the most stubborn amongst us,¡± Omoikane muttered, as he turned from the prison and stalked out the cavern. ¡°Foresight is not certainty, Oracle. Remember that, lest your self-righteousness take you down roads you don¡¯t want to travel.¡± The guest hidden in the shadows waited until long after the Counsel of Authority¡¯s footsteps had faded into nothingness. When he was certain they were alone, he stepped from the shadows. Oracle smiled at the kind, bespeckled man with the green ibis head. ¡°Hello, my friend,¡± Oracle whispered weakly, as the false strength she had projected towards Omoikane faded away. ¡°I take it you have news?¡± Thoth hesitated, trying to mask his frustration at the path set by the woman in the cage. ¡°When we five banded together long ago,¡± he started, choosing his words carefully to keep his emotions in check. ¡°Brought together by a shared commitment to Eternity, you set us down a path that would change the very nature of who we are. Yet you have kept much of that path hidden from all but yourself for centuries, including the identity of our fifth member, as we prepared. The twins might be satisfied following you blindly, but I am a God of Knowledge. It is¡­ immensely frustrating to be kept in the dark, Oracle.¡± ¡°I know, my dear Thoth. I know,¡± Oracle comforted the god, as she had so many times before. ¡°Yet you know the consequences of knowledge better than any. The revelation would unravel all that we have worked towards.¡± Thoth chirped reluctantly. ¡°Still, your choices baffle me. This human you selected, for instance. This Bethany Fox. Abused by her father. Betrayed by her grandmother. Friendless. Unloved. Damaged long before she was pulled into the God Contest. A broken girl.¡± Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Damaged, yes, but hardly broken,¡± Oracle corrected him, as a teacher might instruct a student. ¡°She is a survivor, Thoth. Thoughtful, resourceful, and with emotions and instincts tempered by lifelong tragedy. A broken woman would not have had the strength to flee her father¡¯s home and travel to a strange city with nothing more than a faint hope for a better life.¡± ¡°And instead of a better life, she became fodder for the God Contest, along with the other two hundred and thirty thousand mortals that called that city home,¡± Thoth sighed. Despite his misgivings about Bethany, he did feel sympathy for the mortal. After all, Oracle was not the only god to put herself at risk for the girl. ¡°This is not the first God Contest and, if our plan does not succeed, it will not be the last. How many mortals have perished over the millennia to fuel our selfish needs?¡± Thoth grew silent, guilt weighing heavy on his heart. He knew the price of his own immortality. ¡°I tested thousands of players, and Bethany was the only one that proved worthy of my gift. My Oracle Eye. The power to see what should remain unseen by mortal eyes. A gift she has, wisely, kept hidden from prying eyes, both mortal and god. Believe in her, Thoth. She deserves that much after what she will go through in the months to come.¡± ¡°A faint hope is a small shield to keep the horrors of the God Contest at bay. That hope was nearly extinguished in her first God Arena,¡± reminded Thoth. ¡°She chose the wrong allies. Becka and Daniel. They betrayed her. Used her as a sacrifice for their own survival.¡± ¡°Yet it was she that survived,¡± Oracle responded, the God of Knowledge proving her point. ¡°A broken woman would have crumbled on the floor of that washroom, her light extinguished. But what did Bethany do? She fought through the pain and terror. She got to her feet, and in the face of it all, she solved Dolos¡¯ riddle. She chose correctly. They did not. And for her victory, she received the Hammer of Light ¨C a talent reserved for those few with pure hearts and indominable spirits. It is a talent that will serve her well.¡± ¡°Daniel died that day, but Becka did not,¡± Thoth informed her. ¡°Ah Puch offered Becka a deal. She accepted, at a cost of her fianc¨¦¡¯s life, and has become his pawn in his schemes.¡± ¡°The god of death,¡± muttered Oracle thoughtfully. ¡°The New Order begins to recruit mortals to their cause, but to what end?¡± ¡°Their actions are as shadowed as our own,¡± admitted Thoth. ¡°They prepare their arsenal, as we prepare ours. It is only a matter of time before our intentions collide, and they are far stronger.¡± ¡°At least Bethany is no longer alone,¡± Oracle added with a note of motherly relief. ¡°Emily Desjarlais and Rocky MacMillian. Two friends, now lovers. You assessed them, Thoth, in your God Arena. Do you believe they will help or harm?¡± ¡°They are as damaged as she,¡± Thoth replied, remembering the challenge he had put them through. He had forced each to decide the fate of a soul who had altered the course of their lives. Emily¡¯s twin sister, who died from her addictions. Rocky¡¯s bully, who had found his way to a better life. Bethany¡¯s grandmother, whose overriding need to protect her son had caused Bethany a lifetime of suffering. ¡°But I believe they have bonded and shall remain loyal to each other.¡± ¡°And their gifts?¡± Oracle asked curiously. ¡°Rocky, the protector, gained the talent of healing, so they may fight on. Emily was granted the gift of Infinite Recall, that she may never forget the life of her sister. And I provided Bethany the Gift of Insight, as you instructed, that she may seek to avoid the swing of death¡¯s scythe.¡± ¡°Infinite Recall?¡± Oracle asked, concerned. ¡°It is a talent that has brought on madness in most players upon which it has been bestowed. To never again be able to forget? It is more a curse than a gift.¡± ¡°It was a necessity,¡± Thoth countered. ¡°Knowledge is power in the God Contest. Players that forget are players that die. It was a calculated risk.¡± ¡°And you gave them the first riddle upon completion of your Arena?¡± Oracle prompted. ¡°Their first clue on the path to victory?¡± ¡°Of course I did,¡± Thoth answered with a dissatisfied huff. ¡°The Gods of Knowledge are tasked with providing the riddles to players when they conquer their God Arenas. Not that it mattered. Bethany and her friends haven¡¯t focused their time digesting its mysteries. They¡¯ve spent the past week scavenging for supplies and fighting monsters to earn silver coins for Mercury¡¯s Emporium. My scroll is probably sitting in a drawer somewhere, forgotten, and useless.¡± ¡°Can you blame them, Thoth?¡± Oracle soothed. ¡°They had to survive Ares¡¯ Arena. An all-out battle against undead Spartans in a supermarket. They watched a hundred people die, and nearly died themselves. It was a lesson they took to heart. They needed to be strong to survive. We need her to be strong.¡± ¡°Blood-thirsty war god,¡± Thoth muttered beneath his breath. ¡°War god arenas may be entertaining for some of the gods, but they lack the grace and elegance that the gods of knowledge bring to ours.¡± ¡°At least Bethany found more allies after that ordeal,¡± Oracle said. ¡°Elias the farmer, and the children Harmony and Brandon, who earned some very powerful talents in that Arena. Priyanka and Anjali, and the baby Jaya. For a girl who grew up alone, she¡¯s become adept at surrounding herself with those she can trust.¡± ¡°Perhaps not all can be trusted,¡± remarked Thoth. ¡°Don¡¯t forget about the other two survivors of Ares¡¯ Arena that she allied with. Zachary Choi ¨C the Illustrious Mr. Zee ¨C and Abigail ¡°The Bloodied Widow¡± Harrison, who have spent much of the past week tearing a path of chaos across the city. I¡¯m just thankful they¡¯ve gone their separate way¡­ for now.¡± ¡°What are the odds on those two?¡± Oracle asked curiously. ¡°Depends on the bookie,¡± Thoth offered. ¡°Lakshmi is offering three to one odds that they don¡¯t last the week, but Pappa Legba is offering one to twenty that at least one of them emerges as a victor. The remainder of the gambling gods fall somewhere between.¡± ¡°And bets on our girl?¡± Oracle asked cautiously. ¡°Thankfully, there are none,¡± replied Thoth. ¡°She¡¯s stayed under the Gods¡¯ radars for now. They watch her exploits, of course, but the twins have managed to deflect those who have shown more interest in her. Hopefully, we can keep it that way, but once the playing field is thinned out, she won¡¯t be so easy to hide.¡± ¡°We can only do what we can,¡± Oracle sighed. ¡°We knew she would not remain unnoticed forever. We¡¯ve charted the path, but it is hers to walk.¡± ¡°Of course, it would have been easier to keep her hidden if you hadn¡¯t gifted her the Spiritual Bridge,¡± added Thoth with irritation. ¡°She projected herself straight into God Home. I had to skewer the poor girl through the heart, just so she¡¯d wake up before The Authority and Omoikane saw her outside the Great Hall.¡± Oracle¡¯s eyes grew wide with shock. Thoth winced. He¡¯d known Oracle for countless ages, and surprise was not something the Goddess of Foresight let people easily see. Something was very wrong. ¡°You didn¡¯t know?¡± Thoth prompted, anxiety growing within him. ¡°Talk to me, Oracle.¡± Oracle paused, reluctant to show her vulnerability, yet she owed him an answer. Her oldest friend had already placed himself at great risk for their cause, and now she needed him to go one step further. ¡°The Spiritual Bridge narrows the gap between Bethany¡¯s dream state and her conscious mind,¡± Oracle explained, her mind whirling. ¡°It gives her access to Diana, her guide, so she may learn to see hidden meaning in dreams that are not dreams. The talent should not give her access to God Home. I¡­ I don¡¯t know how she found her way here.¡± If Oracle''s surprise made Thoth wince, the words ¡®I don¡¯t know¡¯ from the woman in the cage sent a chill down his spine. ¡°Then how do we stop her from reaching us again?¡± Thoth asked, as a touch of desperation squeaked into his voice. ¡°We can¡¯t,¡± Oracle admitted. ¡°The die has been cast. I can no more control Bethany than I can my own fate. We must place our trust in her and pray she will become who we need her to be.¡± Thoth reluctantly nodded and turned to leave, wishing he could free his friend from the ancient prison. ¡°Thoth?¡± Oracle called as he eased open the thick cavern door. Thoth turned towards his friend. ¡°If she finds herself in God Home again, protect her. Teach her. Her world has become one of nightmares and death. She¡¯ll need all the help she can get if she is to survive what is to come.¡± ¡°I will, Oracle,¡± Thoth pledged. ¡°To the end of Eternity.¡± ¡°To the end of Eternity, my friend.¡± Thoth left the cavern, and the door closed tightly behind him. Oracle was left in alone, dangling above the abyss, with only the creak of the rusted chain and the screams of Eternity to keep the darkness at bay. Chapter 40 - Factions ¡°Life is nothing but a competition to be the criminal rather than the victim.¡± Bertrand Russel, British Philosopher ¡°What do you need, Smith?¡± asked Chief Anthony Benton as he strode through the corridors of Police Headquarters, stepping over refugees and dodging around errant children. He forced himself to wear the confident smile that had taken him so far in life, though it was little more than a mask. There were over two thousand Regina residents now huddled behind their walls, crowded into every nook and cranny they could find. These desperate people had arrived in droves over the past two weeks of the God Contest, and more arrived each day. In those first few days, the influx had been a boon. They had managed to secure a two-block radius around Headquarters, though it had cost them dearly. A quarter of his officers had perished in their efforts to drive back the monsters and hold onto their small piece of safety. Benton had conscripted every able-bodied man and woman from the refugees to replenish their forces. The militia now stood watch atop the makeshift barricade around their edge of their territory, hastily constructed from abandoned cars, buses, and garbage trucks. Casualties in the militia were common, yet for every person that fell, ten more arrived at their doorsteps. Their stories were always the same ¨C scared people who had hidden in their homes, praying they would wake from the nightmare. In the end, starvation, illness, monsters, or simple, unescapable fear had caused them to abandon their final, desperate hold on the familiar for a chance at survival. Those who didn¡¯t find a quick death on the monster-infested streets found their way here, into the arms of their historic protectors. Officer Smith waited for an opportune moment before responding to Benton¡¯s tart question. He¡¯d learned quickly that it was unhealthy to interrupt the Chief in the midst of his contemplations. ¡°We think we found one, sir,¡± Officer Smith answered after the Chief had given a small chocolate bar to a small child and her grandmother. ¡°An Arena.¡± Benton¡¯s mouth crested in a genuine smile. He liked Smith. In Benton¡¯s short tenure as Chief, the officer had been a nuisance¨C constantly in the news for use of excessive force. Yet Benton had resisted calls to terminate him from the service, and for that, Smith had given him unquestioning loyalty. It was the combination of aggression and loyalty that Benton had suddenly found so valuable when the God Contest commenced. ¡°A man arrived this morning, his stomach ripped open,¡± Smith continued. ¡°His family tried to loot their neighbourhood convenience store for food. His family went inside while he waited in the car, and¡­¡± ¡°And they never came back out,¡± Benton finished. ¡°And instead of going inside to save them, he fled and made his way to us.¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± confirmed Smith. ¡°He was delirious when he reached our wall, his guts hanging out and whatnot. He kept asking to file a missing person report.¡± ¡°I take it you persuaded this man to tell you where the convenience store was?¡± ¡°It¡¯s in the northeast,¡± Smith confirmed. ¡°We¡¯ll know its exact location in a day or two. He provided sufficient details before he succumbed¡­ to his injuries, of course.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± replied Benton. Smith always knew what was necessary. ¡°Prepare a strike team. Hilton, Wallace, and Galloway. I¡¯ll lead. We depart once you pinpoint its location. Oh, and include Officer Shepherd as well. Its time she earned a talent of her own.¡± A sour expression crested Smith¡¯s face. Delores Shepherd was a veteran of the service, but she¡¯d been an outspoken critic of Smith¡¯s use of excessive force. Her elevated morales were a detriment to their cause, yet Smith didn¡¯t argue with the Chief. Once Benton set his mind to something, it was a rare person who could convince him to change course. Benton dismissed Smith and returned to his office. Locking the door and shutting the blinds, he opened his office safe with his six-digit code. Inside were his firearms, five dozen boxes of ammunition he¡¯d diverted from their communal stores, two hundred thousand dollars in now-useless cash, and a small ornate box, the contents of which were more valuable than anything else inside the safe. ¡°This will be my fifth Arena,¡± Benton whispered as he sat at his desk and lovingly stroked the flower carving on the box¡¯s lid. His knuckled knocked on the table, a nervous habit he¡¯d picked up years ago that came out when he was deep in thought. He kept knowledge of god arenas they¡¯d discovered a tightly held secret. He rotated the strike team, so no single officer grew too powerful. There was no sense letting anyone else rival him in power. There was no need to risk anyone else learning what he had learned. Knock. Knock. Knock. He opened the box. Inside were two silver coins and fragile scroll, yellowed with age. He¡¯d won the scroll in his first arena ¨C a knowledge arena ¨C and he¡¯d done everything in his power to keep it a secret. Ever since that day, he¡¯d been desperate to locate a second knowledge arena, that he may learn more about the path of victory. After all, there would only be a few who survived this ordeal, and in the God Contest, knowledge was power. Knock. Knock. Knock. ¡°I¡¯m a survivor,¡± Chief Benton muttered. ¡°I¡¯ve always been a survivor, and these scrolls are the key to it all. Fire, Water, Earth, Wood, Metal. I¡¯ll find every last one. And may god have mercy on those who stand in my way.¡± Knock. Knock. Knock. * * * Bethany sprinted down the hallway of her childhood home, fear driving her into the deep darkness that stretched on endlessly. The obsidian floor beneath her bare feet fractured and a fiery glow flooded from the cracks, as if unleashing the bowels of hell itself. Photographs of her father and grandmother hung carelessly above identical bookshelves that repeated, over and over, in an endless loop as she ran from the man at her back. It all felt so familiar. Knock. Knock. Knock. The knock came from behind her. She ran faster, and the photographs began to chant. In the depths of the world lay five keys, that together unlock your fondest desire One is of fire, of the heart, hidden power in the crowded strife One is of water, of the blood, reshaped in loneliness The words were familiar, but she didn¡¯t have time to focus on them. Beneath her feet, the cracks grew, and it took every ounce of her enhanced agility to keep herself from falling as she ran. Knock! Knock! Knock! The man at her back grew closer. He was right behind her. If she slowed down, he would catch her and drag her back. Back to her tormented life. The voices of her father and grandmother joined with a hundred copies of the same as the world around her filled with the terrible symphony. One is of earth, of the skin, roaming free from chains One is of wood, of the lungs, breathing life into the world One is of metal, of the bones, bound in the depths When all five are brought together, your life shall begin anew Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Shut up! Shut up! Why won¡¯t you shut up!¡± Bethany screamed. Behind her, mountainous footsteps shook the floor, and Bethany had to leap between fragments of the floor, lest she plummet into the hell below. She looked up and saw a ten-year-old child in blue jeans and a frilled pink shirt casually sitting on top of a bookshelf. She seemed so out of place. Brown hair tied back in a ponytail, the child¡¯s white, pupilless eyes held a look of disappointment. Bethany ran past her, unable to spare the moment to warn the child of the approaching danger. The photos and bookshelves repeated the riddle in the darkness as the footsteps grew closer. The same child appeared ahead of her when the bookshelves repeated themselves. ¡°You can flee for all eternity and never reach the end of your nightmare,¡± the child instructed, as if Bethany were an errant student. ¡°You need to see beyond its surface. See this dream for what it truly is and take control. Remember your lessons.¡± ¡°Diana?¡± whispered Bethany, her heart pounding. Fear clouded her thoughts, but she forced herself to take control. She slowed her frantic leaps between the fragments of floor. The footsteps behind grew closer. Her heart felt like it would leap out of her chest. ¡°Breathe, Bethany,¡± Diane said calmly, ignoring the oncoming terror. ¡°It¡¯s a dream. Just a dream,¡± Bethany uttered, the fog clearing from her mind. ¡°A nightmare, but it¡¯s not real.¡± ¡°You are close,¡± Diane replied. ¡°Break yourself free from the terror, Bethany Fox, and we shall continue the lesson.¡± Bethany stopped her frantic flight and took a deep breath to calm her heart. ¡°It¡¯s my mind. I am in control. I am its center. I am the dream,¡± she chanted, over and over until she felt herself gain control. She opened her eyes and saw her father¡¯s face, his features distorted so he filled the entire hallway from wall to wall. ¡°Knock. Knock¡­,¡± her father said, until Bethany snapped her fingers. The image of her father froze in place. The photographs on the wall stopped their chant and the hellscape below grew cold and silent. ¡°Very good, Bethany,¡± Diana said as she leapt off the bookshelf and strolled over to inspect Bethany¡¯s father¡¯s face. ¡°God, he really is an ugly man, isn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Ugly on the outside. Ugly on the inside,¡± Bethany agreed, her heart calming as the nightmare-fueled fear began to fade. ¡°But it¡¯s just a dream.¡± ¡°Not just a dream,¡± Diana reminded her. ¡°You must see beyond the dream, to the knowledge contained beneath its surface. Now, like we practiced.¡± Bethany¡¯s Oracle Eye began to glow, and the power of the Spiritual Bridge entered her. The image of her father began to flicker. ¡°What does the flicker mean?¡± Diana asked, testing her. ¡°That it¡¯s entirely a construct of my own emotions and thoughts,¡± she recited from the lessons Diana had been drilling into her over the past week. ¡°And therefore nothing more than a distraction.¡± Bethany waved her hand, and the image of her father disappeared. Despite herself, she breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°What else?¡± Diana prompted. Bethany looked at her surroundings. With a flick of her wrist, she removed the bookshelves, the photographs, and even the walls, until all that was left was the fractured floor stretching endlessly into the darkness. ¡°I had this same nightmare when I first arrived in Regina,¡± Bethany contemplated. ¡°The only difference between the two is the fractured floor.¡± ¡°And what does that mean?¡± ¡°That the floor is important,¡± concluded Bethany. ¡°But how can cracks be important?¡± ¡°You need to open your eyes, Bethany Fox,¡± instructed Diana. ¡°Consider the problem from all possible angles, as you would a riddle.¡± Bethany knelt beside one of the cracks and stared into its depths. She¡¯d expected the stench of sulfur and brimstone, yet the air was only slightly dusty, bordering on sterile. The fiery light she had taken for hellfire didn¡¯t have the flicker of flame, but rather a steady, artificial glow. There was no heat, and the faint sound from beneath was familiar to her. ¡°Is that¡­ traffic?¡± Bethany muttered. ¡°And the glow is from¡­ stoplights? It¡¯s a road. There¡¯s a city beneath our feet.¡± The fractured floor stretched on for miles. ¡°I¡¯ll wake up long before I can search all these cracks,¡± Bethany said, looking to Diana for guidance. ¡°All angles,¡± Diana repeated simply, pointing towards the black sky. ¡°But how can I¡­ Diana, can I¡­ fly in a dream?¡± ¡°It¡¯s your dream,¡± Diana answered with a shrug. Bethany closed her eyes and visualized white angel wings sprouting from her back. She felt her skin begin to stretch and warp. There was no pain ¨C only a faint tickle where her new wings touched her back. Opening her eyes, she stretched her feathered wings wide, as if she were a preening swan. ¡°This is amazing,¡± Bethany whispered with giddiness. She flapped her new wings and soared into the air, twirling on the breeze as she rose higher and higher, until she was a thousand feet above the earth. It was exhilarating. ¡°You¡¯re quite agile with those wings,¡± Diana praised as she soared alongside her. Her guide had no wings. Instead, she sat cross-legged on empty air and effortlessly kept up with her student. ¡°But you didn¡¯t need to go to such creative lengths. You could have moved yourself here with a simple thought.¡± ¡°But then I would have missed all this,¡± Bethany sighed with pleasure as she completed a backflip before coming to a stop beside her guide. ¡°How¡¯d I do?¡± ¡°Decent, for your first time,¡± Diana commended. ¡°You may want to consider picking a winged talent reward if you get a chance.¡± Bethany beamed with delight. ¡°I can earn these wings in the God Contest? In the real world?¡± she asked excitedly. ¡°Yes, but not until much later,¡± Diana explained. ¡°And there are multiple kinds of wings ¨C bird, bat, sugar glider, and multiple kinds of insects. But we¡¯re not here for a flying lesson, Bethany. You need to focus. All dreams are fleeting, and you could wake at any moment, so time is always of the essence.¡± ¡°Sorry, I know,¡± Bethany said apologetically, and bottled her excitement up for later. She stared down at the floor below and found herself looking at the entire city. The fractures in the floor resembled the map of Regina that Officer Shepherd had given her when she had first arrived in the city, lost and alone. Bethany waved her hand, and the floor disappeared, revealing the entirety of the city. She could see houses, parks, shops, and factories, and the roads glowed with the red of traffic lights. Except for the roads, the city was dim and dark, save for a few brightly illuminated sections of the city. ¡°Curious,¡± Diana observed as she floated around Bethany. ¡°You¡¯re doing well. Keep going.¡± ¡°But this is everything,¡± said Bethany, confused. ¡°It¡¯s just a poorly lit, three-dimensional model of Regina.¡± ¡°Angles are about more than the physical vantage points, Bethany,¡± offered Diana. ¡°Try advancing the dream.¡± ¡°Advance the dream? You haven¡¯t taught me that yet,¡± Bethany said uncertainly. ¡°I didn¡¯t teach you how to fly either, yet here you are,¡± smiled Diana supportively. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it. Dreams are as much about instinct as intention.¡± Bethany sighed. She had grown fond of her guide, but Diana¡¯s training approach was more trial-and-error and half-answers than it was actual instruction. Bethany had asked about her methods, but all Diana said was her creator was the Goddess of Foresight and Prophesy, so half-answers were to be expected. Bethany stared down at the city below and let her instincts guide her. She stretched out her arm and pinched the air, then twisted her wrist as if she were moving the hands on a grandfather clock. A single, terrible crack echoed across the darkness. When Bethany was eight, she¡¯d stepped onto a frozen lake, only for the ice to fracture beneath her. She would never forget the loud crack that cut through everything else as the tortured lake protested her weight, or the way her stomach lurched a fraction of a second before the ice gave way and she had plummeted into its bitter cold waters. The crack that filled the darkness of her dream was a haunting resemblance to the crack of the lake on that cold, winter day, and Bethany feared it held the same warning. The city below her fractured, and fragments of the city began to drift apart, as if the city were Pangea torn apart. By the time Bethany had made a full rotation with her wrist, the city had divided into a thousand pieces. Five distinct quadrants were brightly illuminated, with thousands of dark, scattered islands floating between them. As she watched, several of the small islands were absorbed into the quadrants, and a dozen more sank into the depths and disappeared. ¡°Now discern its meaning,¡± said Diana expectantly. Bethany studied the resulting archipelago in silence. ¡°Regina will ¨C or is ¨C fracturing,¡± Bethany eventually answered. ¡°Not literally. I mean the survivors are joining together to different factions ¨C thousands of them, though a few are far larger than the others. Our faction is here.¡± Bethany circled her finger in the air, and the oil refinery in the northeastern corner of the city ¨C the place that had become her home ¨C was highlighted. It was nestled along the great stone wall that now surrounded the city. Right now, on the second floor of the head office building, Bethnay lay in her office-turned-bedroom, dreaming this dream. ¡°We¡¯re a small faction ¨C there are only nine of us, including three children ¨C so our light is dim. There must be a thousand such groups like that, but these five¡­¡± Bethany highlighted the five brightest fragments of the city ¨C the Regina International Airport, the University of Regina, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Academy, the Legislative Building, and Regina Police Headquarters. ¡°¡­ are the ones where survivors are gathering in droves to seek shelter. That¡¯s why they shine so brightly. More people, more light.¡± Bethany soared closer to Police Headquarters. Its territory stretched two blocks out in all directions from Headquarters. A small figure stood atop the building. He wore a pressed police uniform and carried himself with confidence and charisma, yet there was something in his demeanor that made Bethany¡¯s stomach churn. ¡°He¡¯s the leader of this faction,¡± Bethany said. ¡°And the light is the territory they control. It¡¯s the same with the others.¡± ¡°Why do you dream of this?¡± prompted Diana to drive the lesson home. ¡°Conflict,¡± Bethany whispered. ¡°Soon, the city¡¯s resources will run out. Rocky, Emily, and I have been scavenging for the past week, and already it has grown more difficult. Every day, there is less and less to find. These larger factions must have thousands of mouths to feed. What happens when scavenging no longer sustains them? Will the city turn on each other, or band together?¡± ¡°The history of your species tells you which is more likely,¡± Diana said sadly. ¡°You need to be prepared, Bethany Fox. War is coming. You must know which are your allies, and which are your enemies, if you want to survive what is to come.¡± A resounding crack ¨C ten times more powerful than the one which fragmented the city ¨C ripped apart the starry sky above them, and Bethany felt a chill far deeper than any icy waters could convey. ¡°If any of us want to survive,¡± Diana murmured, her pupilless white eyes fixed on the smallest fragment of sky as Bethany¡¯s dream ended. ¡°For war comes for us all.¡± Chapter 41 - Survival ¡°Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception.¡± Carl Sagan ¡°Switch up!¡± Bethany called as she vaulted off the creature¡¯s rusted iron claw. As the claw struck in pavement, Bethany leapt over the eight-foot-tall scrap metal humanoid¡¯s shoulders and dropped down behind its back. She spun and slammed her hammer of light into the center of its back, causing it to collapse to its knees. Rocky swung his great stone axe, light as a feather yet strong as the earth itself, into the chest of the orb¡¯s metal shell. Shards of scrap fractured away where the axe struck, scattering across their residential road battlefield. The orb roared in anger and reached for the mammoth of a man, but Rocky easily tumbled out of its way, as agile as a gymnast. ¡°Emily, now!¡± Rocky shouted as the fragile pilot beneath the armor was exposed, its protection carved away by Rocky and Bethany¡¯s twin blows. Emily dashed in from the side and clenched her fist. Bronze metal cascaded over her skin from wrist to fingertip, forming a protective shell over her hands. Razor-sharp claws formed out six inches from her top four knuckles. With three quick jabs, Emily struck the orb in its unprotected center. The orb shattered into countless pieces. Its rusted metal armor gave a final screeching lurch and collapsed into a heap, lifeless once more. ¡°Yes!¡± shouted Emily, thrusting her metal claws into the air in victory. ¡°You were wonderful, honey,¡± Rocky exclaimed as he embraced Emily tightly. ¡°Right on target.¡± ¡°As always,¡± Emily replied smugly, as she gave him a quick celebratory peck on his chubby cheek. Bethany gagged playfully. Emily and Rocky had only been a couple for the past week, but they were two pieces of a puzzle perfectly fit together. The two friends had been inseparable for years and helped each other heal from the scars of their past. But it had taken an insistent runaway girl and a game of life and death for them to finally overcome the barriers they had erected between them and take the next step in their relationship. Despite their growing propensity for public displays of affection, Bethany couldn¡¯t be happier for her newfound friends. ¡°Now, let¡¯s see if the fight was worth the risk,¡± said Bethany as she shifted through the creature¡¯s debris. She found what she was looking for resting face down on the pavement. ¡°Yes!¡± she exclaimed, as she picked up the silver coin ¨C the currency of Mr. Mercury¡¯s Emporium and the key to their survival in the God Contest. ¡°About time,¡± said Rocky with relief. ¡°That was the fourth orb we took down this afternoon, and all the others came up empty. Why are those coins so damn rare?¡± ¡°Whose coin is it this time?¡± asked Emily, leaning up against an abandoned car to catch her breath. Bethany gingerly picked up the flat, featureless silver coin and flipped it over. ¡°Rocky MacMillian. Attribute token. Redeemable at Mr. Mercury¡¯s Emporium,¡± Bethany said, reading the gold lettering engraved on its surface. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re the winner today, Rocky.¡± Bethany flipped the coin to Rocky, who deftly snatched it in mid-air. ¡°Nice,¡± Rocky exclaimed excitedly. ¡°Magic or strength this time?¡± ¡°Magic,¡± Emily answered decisively. ¡°We need all the healing we can get. Priyanka can barely keep up with our injuries.¡± ¡°She¡¯d keep up if she left the refinery and started fighting with the rest of us,¡± Bethany said, with more irritation than intended. ¡°And she¡¯s keeping Harmony and Brandon sheltered behind the refinery walls as well. They all need to get out there and fight.¡± ¡°I know how you feel, Bethany,¡± Rocky said sympathetically. ¡°But she¡¯s a grandmother, and Harmony and Brandon are just kids. They should be in school, not out fighting monsters and trying to survive God Arenas.¡± ¡°Besides, those kids are already a handful,¡± Emily added. ¡°Harmony with her drawings and Brandon with his telekinesis. They¡¯d be little menaces if they had enhanced strength, speed, toughness, and magic. I swear, if Brandon throws one more pepper shaker at me during breakfast¡­¡± ¡°I know,¡± Bethany interrupted. ¡°But that¡¯s not the world we live in now. There are no schools, and they do have those powers. If they don¡¯t fight ¨C if they don¡¯t get stronger ¨C they won¡¯t survive. Fighting is the only hope they have.¡± We¡¯ve had this argument every day since the Arena of Ares. The others¡­ they don¡¯t see what I see in the dreams. They don¡¯t know of the coming war. With every day that passes, Brandon and Harmony¡¯s chances ¨C and Priyanka¡¯s chances ¨C grow slimmer. At least Elias and Anjali are getting out there. ¡°It¡¯s not fair, is it?¡± Rocky sighed, signaling the usual end of the argument. ¡°The God Contest is not fair. It is not kind. It will stretch each participant until they break, and only the strongest will be able to pull themselves back together,¡± Bethany recited without thought. ¡°Where¡¯d you hear that?¡± Emily asked curiously. Bethany caught herself. She¡¯d heard it from her guide ¨C from the imprint of Oracle¡¯s memory contained in her Oracle Eye ¨C on the eve of the God Contest, but she¡¯d had to kept that knowledge to herself, lest she attract the curiosity of the wrong gods. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ something I heard once,¡± Bethany said vaguely. ¡°We should get moving. We don¡¯t want to be out here after dark.¡± They walked down the abandoned street in silence, weapons ready. The residential area was a kilometer from the refinery. With nine mouths to feed, their supplies were quickly dwindling, and they had been forced to explore out further each day. A light snow fell from the mountains to the north, lending a chill to the air that had not been there two weeks ago. A few kilometers to the east, a warm tropical wind carried over the city, the demarcation between the two terrains stark in the sky overhead. If they crossed that line that separated the terrains, they¡¯d be sweating in their coats as the tropical heat bombarded them. This was the way in a city equally split between mountain, ocean, forest, and plains environments. Occasionally, the weather liked to cross into other terrains, which led to some spectacular results that were best observed from the safety of the refinery. ¡°Tomorrow, we go scavenging in the ocean side of the city,¡± Rocky muttered as he followed Bethany¡¯s gaze. ¡°Change it up a bit. If I¡¯d known northern Regina was to be locked in perpetual winter, I¡¯d have picked a different base of operations.¡± ¡°Wimps,¡± Emily chuckled, the experienced skier at home in cool temperatures. ¡°Although, I wouldn¡¯t mind breaking out my bikini and getting a tan.¡± ¡°I think your boyfriend would like that too,¡± Bethany laughed, as Rocky turned beet red. Emily smacked Rocky¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Why¡¯re you blushing, babe? It¡¯s nothing you haven¡¯t seen every night this week.¡± Rocky¡¯s blush grew. ¡°It¡¯s not the same thing,¡± he muttered, and Bethany and Emily laughed mischievously until they turned into a residential bay. Scavenging from abandoned homes wasn¡¯t as efficient as going to a supermarket, but after the Arena of Ares, they had decided to forgo convenience for safety. Too many desperate people in one place. Too big a risk that it might turn into another Arena. We can¡¯t avoid arenas if we want to survive, but we can try to engage them on our terms. ¡°Let¡¯s start with 2301,¡± Rocky said, pointing towards the older two-story home with the blue curtains. ¡°There aren¡¯t any footprints in the snow, and the tire tracks from the garage have a couple of days snow layered on top of them. Probably abandoned.¡± ¡°You said the same thing about that rundown bungalow four days ago,¡± Emily teased. ¡°Priyanka spent the night picking buckshot out of your shoulder, remember?¡± Rocky rotated his shoulder. Priyanka had mended his injuries, but he remembered the pain that had accompanied the sight of the old man clutching the shotgun, with nothing but his socks and a scowl to keep him warm. It had taken every bit of Rocky¡¯s enhanced agility to avoid the shot, though he¡¯d still been clipped. They hadn¡¯t stopped running until they were a block away, and Emily made a note to avoid that neighbourhood. ¡°That¡¯s why we knock first now,¡± Rocky said with conviction. He led the way up to the front door of 2301 and knocked as Emily and Bethany kept watch on the street and the windows. They waited a full two minutes, listening intently for any movement ¨C human or monster ¨C before deciding it was empty. Rocky tried to open the door. Locked. ¡°Ok, my turn,¡± Emily said, ushering Rocky off the porch so she could get to work. Forming her metal claws, she slipped one between the door and the frame and slashed down. Her claws sliced clean through the deadbolt. Emily looked back at her companions, who gave a silent nod. She gently pulled open the door. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Bethany caught the smell of death in the air before they ever crossed the threshold. She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and held it to her mouth. ¡°Damn, another one,¡± said Emily as she slid her backpack off her shoulders for quick access. ¡°Let¡¯s make this a quick trip.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll search the rooms upstairs. You guys do the main floor. Stay out of the basement,¡± Bethany reminded them, as the trio split up in practiced fashion. They¡¯d made the basement mistake on their first day scavenging ¨C now they only went into rooms with more than one exit point. The smell of death grew stronger as Bethany climbed the stairs. She pushed her fear down into her stomach, tightened her handkerchief around her nose, and continued on. The walls along the staircase were lined with family pictures. A husband and wife on their wedding day. A new baby, and a second one. Year after year they grew, until the children were the same age as Brandon and Harmony. The husband grew bald and fat, and the wife was in a wheelchair in the last three pictures. Their faces were filled with love and delight, and Bethany couldn¡¯t help but contrast them with those of her father that she¡¯d seen in her nightmare. Bethany reached the top of the stairs, and, even with the handkerchief held tight, the pungent smell made her gag. I wish I hadn¡¯t seen those family pictures. It makes this all so real. Steeling her nerves, she started with the medicine cabinet in the washroom. Without reading the labels, she gentle placed each bottle into a pillowcase in her backpack, which would help muffle the sound as they walked. Priyanka, who had worked as a nurse in India, insisted they stockpile every medication they could get their hands on. They didn¡¯t know the limits of healing magic, and medicine would soon be scarce. Bethany plucked six bars of soap, an unopened bag of cotton swabs, and a tube of toothpaste from beneath the sink and shoved it all in her backpack. She made a mental note of what she left behind so Emily could add it to her list. Emily¡¯s Infinite Recall talent made it easy to return if they found themselves in need of something more specialized. She made quick work of the children¡¯s bedrooms, taking only a pack of construction paper and colored pencils for Harmony, a bag of marbles for Brandon, and a few clothes she thought might fit them. It felt wrong to scavenge from children, which Bethany decided was a sign her empathy was still intact. The moment she cracked the door to the master bedroom, an intense smell of death flooded into the hall. Be brave, little bee. Bethany stepped inside. The mother¡¯s body lay on the bed, empty eyes staring at the ceiling and her shirt covered in vomit. A yellow prescription bottle was upended on the nightstand next to her, its few remaining pills scattered across the beige carpet. Her wheelchair was beside the bed, and a neatly folded note had been left on its seat. Bethany walked respectfully over to the woman and whispered a prayer. ¡°May one of these gods be kind enough to watch over you in whatever world lay beyond this one,¡± she whispered, her head bowed. She¡¯d come up with the prayer after their first night scavenging. They¡¯d come across a family torn apart in the street, only a few feet from their car. Bethany could only stare helplessly at the bodies, and when they finally moved on, she felt empty inside. The prayer wasn¡¯t profound. Bethany didn¡¯t even think it was good but it made her feel like she had done something to help those who hadn¡¯t survived the horrors that infested the city. Unfortunately, she¡¯d had too many opportunities to use it over the past week. She picked up the note and read it to give voice to the woman¡¯s final words. My dearest Jeffrey, When you return from your search for food, I will be dead. Do not grieve for me, my love. This is a harsh world we have found ourselves in, and we both know it was not one I could endure. Better to go out my own way rather than how the Johnson¡¯s died last week. I can¡¯t get their screams out of my head, and I don¡¯t want mine in yours. Take care of Susie and Sarah. This final act is the gift I give them. They are growing girls, and what little food remains should be theirs, not wasted on me. I wish I could see them grow up. I wish I could give them the life they deserve. Survive, my love. Survive for them. Raise them to be strong, courageous, and bold. Help them thrive in this world. You made me the happiest woman in the world, even during the toughest of times. You were the sun in my sky (there¡¯s your sappy metaphor, you hopeless romantic ¨C a last one to make you smile.) I¡¯ll see you on the other side. Your loving wife, Mary Bethany wiped away a tear and placed the note gently back on Mary¡¯s wheelchair. ¡°It¡¯s better this way,¡± Bethany whispered. ¡°Your husband and children never came back from their search. You didn¡¯t need to experience that heartache.¡± She reached over and gently shut Mary¡¯s eyes. ¡°Rest well, Mary. I hope you¡¯ve found your family on the other side.¡± Bethany left the remainder of the room undisturbed, save for cracking open the window to let in the fresh mountain air. Jitters ¨C the winged eye that broadcast her actions to the watching gods ¨C spotted her at the window and flew in close. Bethany gave Jitters a wave, and her companion bounced happily in the air. It¡¯s just a tool of these maniac gods, but I can¡¯t help but get attached to the little guy. For all I know, it¡¯s as much a slave to their whims as I am. Bethany headed downstairs, and she stared at the photos as she descended. Their argument about Harmony and Brandon was still fresh in her mind. They¡¯re all dead now. Mother, father, children ¨C the same age as Harmony and Brandon. Mary and her husband tried to keep their children safe in their home, but they failed. They ran out of food, and the world outside killed them. I won¡¯t let the same fate befall Harmony and Brandon, or Priyanka, for that matter. The stubborn old woman. ¡°What did you find, Bethany?¡± Emily called from the laundry room. ¡°Anything I need to add to my mental list?¡± ¡°Raise them to be strong, courageous, and bold,¡± muttered Bethany, reciting the words in Mary¡¯s letter. ¡°You okay, Bethany?¡± Rocky asked. ¡°This family had children Harmony and Brandon¡¯s age,¡± Bethany said. ¡°Their parents kept them in their home to shelter them from the horrors outside. But they were forced out, and they never returned.¡± Bethany stomped down the last two stairs to emphasize her words. Rocky frowned. ¡°Bethany¡­¡± ¡°No,¡± Bethany interrupted. ¡°I don¡¯t want to argue about this anymore. We don¡¯t have time. Harmony and Brandon don¡¯t have time. If we let fear for their safety hold them back, they¡¯ll die just like their mother did.¡± It¡¯s more than just that though, isn¡¯t it? If there is a war coming, we need allies. Strong allies. Harmony and Brandon could be powerful, but only if we let them. It¡¯s unfair, but it is what it is. Bethany marched past them towards the front door. ¡°I¡¯m going to start training them,¡± she declared. ¡°Will you help me?¡± Emily and Rocky looked at each other, a silent conversation flowing through their eyes. Rocky threw up her hands in surrender. ¡°Fine, you win,¡± he said. ¡°Of course we¡¯ll help. But we¡¯ll start tomorrow, okay? I want us to clear out this bay before nightfall. Bethany smiled as she let her anger fade. ¡°Tomorrow,¡± she agreed, as she went outside and left the stench of death behind her. ¡°She¡¯s scary when she¡¯s mad,¡± Rocky whispered to Emily with a chuckle. ¡°Yah,¡± Emily said, nudging Rocky with her elbow. ¡°So don¡¯t piss her off. I¡¯d hate to see what happens to someone who gets on her bad side.¡± * * * Zachary Choi, the Illustrious Mr. Zee, watched his companion tear through the pack of beasts with her usual fervor. The creatures ¨C an unholy hybrid of hyena and household recycling ¨C had chosen the wrong players to ambush outside the abandoned downtown hotel. Abigail shouted in pain as one of the beasts clamped down on her ankle with plastic teeth. She kicked it off and crushed its head into the pavement without breaking her momentum. Her massive sword, fueled by her own lifeblood, swept in an arch and severed the heads of two more members of the pack. Zee yawned and, with a flick of his wrist, materialized and hurled a shadow dagger between the eyes of another that tried to leap on Abigail from behind. Abigail spun towards Zee with irritation. ¡°I don¡¯t need your help,¡± she said angrily as she decapitated another beast. ¡°This fucking contest has given you the last three Emporium coins, and I¡¯ll be damned if you get this one.¡± Zee threw up his hands in surrender, leaving The Bloodied Widow to her work. He leaned back, took a puff of the cigarette between his fingers, and stared up at the night sky. ¡°One hundred and fifty-two thousand of us left, give or take a few hundred,¡± Zee announced as he read the golden number in the sky. ¡°Eighty thousand dead in two weeks.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be eighty thousand and one if you don¡¯t stop distracting me, Zachary,¡± Abigail shouted, as she smashed in a creature¡¯s face with her fist. She bled from half a dozen wounds, though Zachary knew that was worse news for the remaining beasts than it was for Abigail. The Wounded Berserker talent Abigail had received yesterday from the Arena of Algea ¨C the Greek god of pain ¨C paired well with her Bloodied Widow talent. ¡°Which did you prefer?¡± Zee mused as he grew bored. ¡°The Arena of Ares or the Arena of Algea? Ares had a certain brutality to it, but The Algea had a way with pain that made me just¡­¡± Zee ducked as Abigail hurled one of the half-dead beasts directly at him. He dodged and it crashed into the side of the hotel. With an enthusiastic laugh, he drew a dagger to finish it off. ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking dare,¡± Abigail warned him, as she cleaved through the remaining two beasts in the pack. They shattered into mounds of recycling and meat and spilled out across the pavement. Zee stashed his dagger and stepped aside. Abigail gave him a side-long glance and impaled her blade through the beast¡¯s head. A silver coin flashed in its remains. ¡°Well?¡± Zee asked. Abigail bent down and inspected the coin. ¡°You¡¯re lucky,¡± she said, slipping the coin into the pocket of her ripped and bloody jeans. She felt the rage within her fade, and her wounds began to ache. ¡°Let¡¯s hope there¡¯s an Emporium in this hotel like the last one. And I need a bath and another round of your healing.¡± ¡°You know my price,¡± Zee said with an exaggerated wink. His hands glowed blue with healing energy as he wiggled his fingers. Healer¡¯s Touch had been a disappointing award from the Algea ¨C it was as common as arena rewards could get ¨C but Zee had to admit that it had its practicalities. ¡°Yah, I don¡¯t stab you in your sleep,¡± Abigail declared, as she marched into the hotel lobby. ¡°Abby, you¡¯re a spicy lady. I¡¯ll work my way into your heart yet,¡± Zee answered back with confidence. ¡°I¡¯ll treat you better than your prat of a dead husband ever did.¡± Zee thought he caught a sly smile at the edge of Abigail¡¯s lips as they entered the hotel. They were not alone. There was a woman in the lobby, palming a coin into a Mr. Mercury¡¯s Emporium machine that sat between two overpriced snack dispensers. A woman with shoulder-length blond hair with a strip of black, and a black dagger at her side. A woman Zee had met before. ¡°Well, if it isn¡¯t my sweet plum blossom,¡± Zee whistled. ¡°Where have you been this past week, my dear?¡± The woman did not acknowledge Zee. She made her selection on the Da Vinci¡¯s Vitruvian Man, swallowed the potion that emerged, and hurled the empty vial straight at Zee¡¯s head. Abigail caught the vial an inch from Zee¡¯s nose. ¡°I like her,¡± Abigail said as she tossed the vial gently back to the woman. ¡°She¡¯s obviously a good judge of character.¡± ¡°Yes, and you¡¯ve both hurled dangerous objects at my face in the past minute. You have much in common,¡± Zee laughed, unfazed. The woman deftly caught the vial and regarded the woman with caution and a hint of curiousity. ¡°How do you put up with him?¡± the woman asked simply. ¡°Though threats of violence, mostly,¡± Abigail replied. ¡°I¡¯m Abigail. You seem to know Zachary, and for that you have my sympathy. Who¡¯re you?¡± The woman did not speak for a long moment. She muttered to herself, as if arguing with someone they could not see. Eventually, she gave a defeated sigh. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ Becka¡­,¡± Becka answered reluctantly, as if her name had been torn from her lips. Zee beamed, and Becka groaned at his elation. ¡°Well, Becka, we¡¯re about to raid this hotel¡¯s kitchen for supper. Care to join us?¡± Abigail asked kindly, slamming her fist into Zee¡¯s shoulder before he could say whatever inappropriate comment was about to pass his lips. ¡°Threats of violence?¡± Becka asked slyly. ¡°Actual violence works too. You joining us or not?¡± ¡°Apparently I am,¡± Becka answered, as if she had no choice in the matter. ¡°Good. Now, get out of my way. I need to use the Emporium,¡± Abigail said, clutching the hard-earned silver coin between her fingers as she bled on the hotel carpet. Becka obliged. * * * ¡°How long must I say with this¡­ fool?¡± Becka muttered in the darkness as her companions¡¯ snores filled the hotel room. ¡°Until I say otherwise,¡± Ah Puch¡¯s malevolent voice resounded in her head. ¡°Now, play nice, and survive. I need my weapon nice and sharp. If you die before it is time, you shall suffer for an eternity in my domain.¡± Ah Puch¡¯s voice faded, and Becka was left alone. A pawn in the schemes of Gods. Chapter 42 – The Void ¡°The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible.¡± Albert Einstein Bethany leaned over the back of her couch, staring at the ocean waters. The moon was high overhead, casting its muddled reflection on the ocean¡¯s wavy surface. The light snow had turned into a gentle rain as a warm wind from the east mixed with the mountain cold. The weather had grown more unpredictable with every day that passed. Regina had been thrust into an unnatural existence between four terrains that had no business being this close together, and the weather was responding accordingly. Another growing danger in a city submerged in chaos. Tonight, the combination had simply caused a gentle rain to fall on the refinery, and for that Bethany was grateful. Fat raindrops fell on the windowsill, lending their soft pitter patter to the otherwise quiet room. As always, she was the last to fall asleep, save for Elias who had volunteered as watch for the night. She reluctantly tore her gaze away from the ocean and returned it to the two objects unfolded on her coffee table. The map of Regina ¨C a physical copy from an age before Google Maps ¨C had been given to her by Officer Shephard on the day she¡¯d arrived in the city. The woman had been kind to Bethany, and her early guidance had helped keep Bethany fed and safe during those first few days away from home. Next to the map was the aged scroll they¡¯d won from the god Thoth in his knowledge arena. Between scavenging and fighting monsters, they¡¯d had precious little time to contemplate the riddle contained within in the week since they¡¯d received it. Bethany had been studying the map and riddle for the past hour, trying to memorize as much detail as she could. Emily had memorized both thanks to her Infinite Recall talent, but that wouldn¡¯t help Bethany where she was going. She yawned ¨C a deep yawn that spoke of a tired body ready to overcome a willing mind. Rolling up the scroll, she stashed it between the pages of an old white binder labeled ¡®Refinery 2008 Financial Statement¡¯. ¡°We should store it in a safe,¡± Rocky had remarked when he¡¯d first hidden the scroll in the binder. ¡°Which is exactly why a safe is a bad place to keep it. A thief will go straight for the safe, and with everyone getting these crazy powers, I don¡¯t think a safe is very secure. Hell, Emily could probably break into the company president¡¯s safe in under two minutes.¡± Emily formed her metal claws. ¡°I¡¯d only need one,¡± she bragged, as she began slicing away at the orange she held. Her confidence made Bethany laugh. ¡°But no one ¨C and I mean, no one ¨C is going to search through company financial statements,¡± Rocky concluded. ¡°Not even the accountants.¡± Another yawn escaped Bethany as the memory faded. She slipped the binder back into place on the shelf and returned to her couch. She lay her head on her soft pillow, snuggled into her fluffy blue blanket, and closed her eyes. In the moment before she drifted off to sleep, she wondered where she would end up tonight. Her dreams¡­ Or the void¡­ * * * Bethany opened her eyes to a darkness so deep that it prickled her skin. The only source of light were tiny pinpricks in the distance that resembled stars, and the sliver of light that was the hidden door into God Home. Beyond the door, she could hear the faint murmurs of secretive gods, and the drunken cheers of those lost in the revelry that came hand-in-hand with the God Contest. ¡°I guess it¡¯s the void tonight,¡± Bethany whispered as she strolled over to the sliver of light. Her footfalls fell silently upon the darkness as she reached her fingers through the light, grabbed hold of ancient wooden frame, and closed the door. The sliver of light vanished and the distant voices from God Home went silent. All that remained were the pinpoint lights in the vastness. Bethany activated her Oracle Eye and the void around her came to life. She found herself again on that ethereal meadow pond, the firefly light of her fellow players teeming below its surface. She felt the intense desire to lose herself in their energy and let it fill her until she was sated. Yet Bethany shielded away from its enticements, knowing the bitter taste of death and decay that lay beyond the light. Bethany focused on the firefly light around her and twisted her wrist. Their light faded into the background as if she had turned the dimmer switch of a lightbulb. The enticement of their energy diminished. Since acquiring the Spiritual Bridge, Bethany had found herself in the void as often as her dreams, though the nature of the void remained a mystery to her. She didn¡¯t know if it was a part of God Home or something else entirely. For all she knew, it was little more than a forgotten storage closet in a godly realm. She¡¯d asked Diana about it, but her guide had stared uncomprehendingly at her student. ¡°What you are describing, Bethany, is not within my realm of knowledge,¡± Diana admitted after Bethany kept relentlessly prying. ¡°Either Oracle kept that knowledge to herself when she created me, or this void is not known to the Goddess of Foresight and Prophecy. The latter explanation has ramifications that I do not wish to contemplate. If this void exists, you must keep it a secret from both mortal and god. The gods don¡¯t react kindly to those with knowledge beyond their own.¡± Bethany had heeded Diana¡¯s advice, but without her knowledge and guidance, Bethany had taken to exploring the nature of the void through trial and error. She knew the void was not a simple vacuum like outer space. The darkness was responsive to her thoughts and emotions, and each time subsequent time she found herself in the void, she was able to exert more control over her surroundings. It was as if the void were a blank slate ¨C a canvas that its dreaming intruder could bring to life. At first, all she could do was dim the firefly lights so she wouldn¡¯t be drawn towards their intoxicating energy as she had when she¡¯d first received the Spiritual Bridge. Yet once their temptation was suppressed, she found herself able to manipulate the small area around her in the same way as she could manipulate her dreams. During her second visit, she figured out how to materialize objects ¨C couches, chairs, and a coffee table ¨C to create a cozy replica of her office bedroom, though the objects lacked fine detail. Her ability to create objects in the void was limited by her memory and ability to focus. The canvas would not fill in the gaps. However, once Bethany created an object she liked, she could recall it during a subsequent visit with little effort, as if the darkness saved her creations. The realization that there could be continuity within the void ¨C that she could use the void as her own mental sanctuary ¨C had changed her perspective. The void became a place of contemplation in an otherwise chaotic world. It was the reason she¡¯d spent the night memorizing the riddle scroll and the map of Regina. Finally, a week after the Arena of Thoth, she had time and a place to contemplate the meaning of the riddle. With a wave of her hand, Bethany recalled the replica of her office couch and coffee table next to her, ready to create tonight¡¯s sanctuary. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°Let¡¯s start with the basics,¡± Bethany said. In the blackness beneath her feet, Bethany inscribed Rocky¡¯s three questions and added key points under each one. Who can win How we win How long we play ¡°There. Now, let¡¯s figure out this riddle.¡± In her small-town library ¨C her childhood sanctuary from the violence and neglect of home ¨C Bethany had lost herself in riddles she¡¯d found in old newspapers. She¡¯d built her own system for solving them ¨C a system that she could now materialize in the world around her with a thought. She closed her eyes and focused on each word of the riddle. She needed to get it exactly right, lest she miss something critical. Once she was certain she had them, Bethany opened her eyes. The riddle floated in the air in front of her ¨C plain white lettering against the blackness of the void. In the depths of the world lay five keys, that together unlock your fondest desire One is of fire, of the heart, hidden power in the crowded strife One is of water, of the blood, reshaped in loneliness One is of earth, of the skin, roaming free from chains One of wood, of the lungs, breathing life into the world One is of metal, of the bones, bound in the depths When all five are brought together, your life shall begin anew ¡°Yes! It worked,¡± Bethany said excitedly. As with her dreams, the more she practiced in the void, the easier it became. She could manipulate the letters with a simple flick of her finger. ¡°Now, let¡¯s do the easy part first. The first and last lines tell us there are five keys and that we need to bring them together to end the God Contest. Rocky figured that part out after Thoth¡¯s Arena.¡± Bethany flicked her finger, and the two lines separated from the rest of the riddle. She added both to the How long we play section of the three questions. ¡°That boils the essence of the riddle down to these five lines, each a clue to the location of an key,¡± Bethany surmised. Bethany mentally separated the void around her into five sections and materialized a cork board for each section. They had cork boards like this at the refinery, where, at the end of each day, Rocky consolidated information on monsters, scavenging sites, weather patterns, and players they encountered. He called them his ¡®murder boards¡¯ ¨C a term used in military, business, and in murder mystery shows as a means of identifying patterns. With a flick of her finger, the five lines flew apart and attached themselves to one of the boards. Bethany now had five murder boards of her own ¨C one for each key. ¡°Fire. Water. Earth. Wood. Metal,¡± Bethany recited as she slowly circled around the boards. ¡°Heart, blood, skin, lungs, bones. Crowded strife. Loneliness. Free from chains. Breathing life. Bound in the depths.¡± She repeated those words aloud, over and over, as if the repetition would reveal a hint as to their meaning. After her tenth circle, she gave an exasperated sigh and collapsed onto the couch. She stared up at the endless blackness as she circled her fingers with her temples. She needed a distraction ¨C something to clear her frustrated mind. In the darkness above, she began to create a model of Regina. She hadn¡¯t been able to memorize the entire map, but she remembered enough to build a rough sketch of the major roads and landmarks. ¡°Police Headquarters. The Legislature. RCMP Training Center. Airport. University,¡± she recited as she added in each of the five factions she¡¯d seen in her dream to the upside-down map taking shape over her head. She added in the Refinery, Northend Savers Supermarket, the downtown towers and library, and the Science Centre, as well as a rough outline of Wascana Park that ran across the city. ¡°Arena of Dolos. Arena of Thoth. Arena of Ares,¡± she counted off as she added a golden star outside the Science Center, at the downtown library, and at the supermarket. ¡°Add in the major roads - Victoria Avenue, the Lewvan, Albert Street¡­ umm¡­ a bunch of names I can¡¯t remember. The one outside the refinery is¡­ MacDonald¡­ I think? And¡­ the Ring Road, of course...¡± Her final addition to the map ¨C at least until she could memorize more of it ¨C was the great stone wall that now encircled the city. Rising a hundred feet into the air, it was all that separated them from the four terrains beyond ¨C the northern mountain range, the southern rainforest, the wide-open plains in the west, and the Mediterranean sea to the east. She added a segment after the wall with the terrains labeled, though it lacked any details save for the single island in the archipelago that she could see from her window. They had never been beyond the walls. As far as they knew, no one had. Its great gates had remained sealed ever since the first day of the Contest. ¡°This world was designed with a purpose, so its every aspect of its creation is a clue to its true nature,¡± Bethany muttered. They were Rocky¡¯s words, and she had taken them to heart. Her mind drifted to the dream she¡¯d had on the eve of the God Contest. She¡¯d been standing on a hilltop, staring out at the four terrains that stretched endlessly into the distance. Paralyzed with panic, Diana had taken her to a beach on an isolated island, beyond the horizon of that great Mediterranean sea. There, against the gentle sway of the palms and the soothing waves, she had found a peace beyond any she¡¯d experienced in her short life. She longed to find that peace once more. A place where she could sit and listen to the waves, feel the warm breeze across her skin, look out at the gorgeous blue water and¡­ ¡°Oh, for fuck sakes. I¡¯m such an idiot!¡± she scolded as she dashed over to the Water murder board. One is of water, of the blood, reshaped in loneliness She wrote ¡°Ocean terrain¡± underneath the line of the riddle as she released a triumphant shout. She ran around the circle of murder boards, adding a terrain to each. ¡°Earth is the plains terrain, and wood must be the rainforest. Those two obvious. That leaves metal and fire. One for the mountains, and the other for¡­ for what? There are only four terrains.¡± She wagged her finger, and the two lines appeared before her. One is of fire, of the heart, hidden power in the crowded strife One is of metal, of the bones, bound in the depths ¡°The mountains could be fire or metal. Volcanoes or mining. But¡­ crowded strife. Mountains aren¡¯t crowded. They are vast and empty. The only thing around here that¡¯s crowded is¡­¡± Her eyes grew wide as she stared up at the model of the city above her. ¡°Regina!¡± she said with a whoop of success. ¡°Crowded strife is a pretty accurate description of the city right now. And the city lays at the heart of the four terrains. That¡¯s got to be it.¡± Bethany collapsed back on the couch as a sense of relief washed over her, which was quickly replaced by growing apprehension. ¡°Of course, ¡®heart¡¯ and ¡®crowded strife¡¯ aren¡¯t much to go on. It could be anywhere in the city. Thoth said this was the first guidance scroll. We need the others scrolls, which means we need to find more Knowledge Arenas. And win them.¡± Bethany gazed up at the rough city above her. ¡°And we need to do it fast. There are a hundred and fifty thousand people ¨C players ¨C remaining. We need to secure three of the five keys if Rocky, Emily, and I are going to escape this place. We don¡¯t have time to play it cautious.¡± Her thoughts drifted to Elias, Anjali, Priyanka, and the three children, but she pushed the thoughts aside before guilt crushed her spirit. She gazed at her work in the void. She was pleased with the night¡¯s progress, but it felt like something was missing. ¡°The riddles. Rocky¡¯s questions. But that¡¯s not everything, is it? I need my own list. Bethany¡¯s list ¨C just for me,¡± Bethany concluded. ¡°It was a list that helped me escape from my father. A list that kept me hopeful when I first arrived in Regina. Bethany focused, and a journal appeared on the coffee table ¨C a mirror image of the one she¡¯d been given by the nurse at sixteen years old. She picked it up, materialized a pen, and began to write 1. Survive 2. Protect my friends 3. Solve the riddles 4. Find the keys 5. Never give up She stared at the list for a long while, tapping the pen on the page. If she were any other player, that would be enough. Her Oracle Eye flashed in the darkness. ¡°But I¡¯m not just another player, am I?¡± Bethany admitted to herself. ¡°I¡¯m not meant to have this Eye. I¡¯m not meant to have the Spiritual Bridge. I definitely shouldn¡¯t be able to access the Void or walk the halls of the gods. As if this God Contest thing wasn¡¯t difficult enough without whatever is happening to me.¡± Bethany sighed and added a final line to her list. 6. Why me? Figure out the game behind the game With that, she closed the journal and set it down on the coffee table. With a snap of her fingers, her murder boards, lists, and the model of the city vanished, ready to be summoned when she found herself in the void on another night. All that remained was the leather couch in the darkness and the faint light of the souls of her fellow players swimming below that invisible pond. Bethany lay on the couch, closed her eyes, and fell asleep in the void. Its darkness settled over her like a mother wrapping a child in a warm blanket, and her mind was finally able to rest. Chapter 43 - A Convenient Arena ¡°A single twig breaks, but the bundle of twigs is strong.¡± -Tecumseh, Shawnee Chief and Warrior It was the strangest orb they¡¯d come across. Its carapace resembled a giant hamster and was comprised entirely of bags of chips, moldy hot dogs, plastic straws, and chocolate bars ¨C a collection of junk food that it has formed from the contents of MacDonald Street Convenience Store, located a few blocks away from the refinery. The orb patrolled outside the tiny corner store, winding its way around three cars parked outside its doors. The vehicle¡¯s owners were nowhere in sight, but blood spackled the snow that covered the parking lot. Bethany shuttered, a chill that had little to do with the icy wind blowing off the mountains. They were just trying to survive, like we were. ¡°It has the weakest armor that I¡¯ve come across. You?¡± Elias asked as he crouched down beside Bethany to study the methodical movement of the oblivious orb. Bethany glanced at the muscular farmer in his early twenties. He still wore his simple white T-shirt, half-hidden beneath his unzipped plaid jacket. His black cowboy hat covered his short-cropped brown hair, and his stained blue jeans had seen better days. An iron sword from the Arena of Ares rested at his hip, though Bethany knew he could materialize one of pure flame if he desired. Bethany caught herself staring into his deep emerald eyes a little too long and looked away before he noticed. She heard Emily¡¯s quiet laugh behind her, as her friend say Bethany¡¯s extended gaze. ¡°They¡¯re¡­ um¡­ usually made of concrete or metal, though the first one I fought was leaves and twigs, and three of us fought one made of pasta. That¡¯s when we first met,¡± Bethany rambled, her hands suddenly clammy. Emily snorted with amusement, and Bethany elbowed her in the ribs. ¡°A pasta monster?¡± Elias asked curiously. ¡°Yah, in the¡­ in the same grocery store as the Arena of Ares.¡± ¡°This God Contest is filled with insane shit. Well, this one is definitely weaker than a pasta monster. I think it¡¯s as good as we¡¯re going to get.¡± Bethany nodded her agreement, and Elias signaled the others. Rocky darted from their cover, Harmony and Brandon in tow, and joined them behind the dumpster. The twins were bundled up in their winter clothing ¨C a mismatch of sweaters, toques, mitts, and boots they¡¯d scavenged from homes over the past week. Priyanka ¨C opposed to their plan to take the twins beyond the safety of the refinery ¨C had taken over an hour to dress them, before Elias had grown impatient with the grandmother and shuffled them out the door. Anjali had stayed behind to keep her mother-in-law¡¯s mind occupied and to watch over the now three-year-old Jaya. Bethany did not envy the emotional rollercoaster that Anjali was living through with her magically aging daughter. Jaya¡¯s speech, motor skills, potty training, and temper tantrums were all progressing at an astonishing pace, keeping up with her apparent age. However, once Jaya started to talk, they had quickly learned the magic had another effect. As Jaya aged, the magic was implanting false memories in Jaya¡¯s mind to fill in the gaps in the life she was missing out on. The toddler had memories of a father that did not exist ¨C a father that was not Anjali¡¯s husband. She would ramble about events that hadn¡¯t happened or toys she never had. She was living another life as she aged ¨C one that remained unseen by those around her ¨C and, often, the memories of her two lives did not sync up. They were at a loss, helpless in the face of a magic they didn¡¯t understand. Priyanka had taken over caring for Jaya while Anjali went hunting with Elias. No one blamed Anjali for spending time away from Jaya, though Bethany knew guilt ate away at the mother. Bethany saw the pain and fear in Anjali¡¯s eyes when she saw her child. The infant she had known was gone, and in her place was a stranger. ¡°Do we get to fight that one?¡± Brandon asked as he peeked around the dumpster and spotted the junk food monstrosity. He shook his prosthetic leg to dislodge the snow from his boot. The excited eleven-year-old removed his toque, ran his fingers through his short-cropped blond hair, and swung his backpack off his shoulders. He put on his Saskatchewan Roughriders hat and pulled out a pickle jar filled with eight-inch steel nails that Anjali had found in a refinery maintenance shed. Elias has been teaching Brandon to shoot the nails with his telekinesis ¨C a magical rifle ¨C and over the last week Brandon¡¯s accuracy remarkably improved. I wouldn¡¯t want to fight him, even with my enhanced abilities. The kid¡¯s going to be a force to be reckoned with. ¡°I don¡¯t want to fight it,¡± countered Harmony. Her single blond braid swung across her back as she shook her head in denial and buried her face into Elias¡¯ shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re such a scary cat, Harmony,¡± her twin brother teased. ¡°Shut up,¡± Harmony said, her words muffled in Elias¡¯ coat. ¡°I¡¯m not scared. I just¡­ don¡¯t want to lose my friends.¡± ¡°I know, Harmony,¡± Elias said sympathetically. ¡°But you can draw them again when we get home. You need to help your brother with this, okay?¡± Harmony looked up at the farmer and reluctantly nodded. She took off her pink glittered shoulder bag and took out three drawings she¡¯d folded in half to fit ¨C a leopard, a monkey, and a knight riding a horse. Each was drawn on a different colored construction paper. She pulled out another dozen smaller drawings ¨C each an eagle the size of her palm ¨C from a side pouch. Rocky peaked over her shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re getting so good at drawing, Harmony,¡± he praised, admiring the improvement between each eagle. ¡°I bet the next batch you make will be even better.¡± Harmony smiled as she basked in the big man¡¯s compliment and laid the drawings in three neat rows at her feet. ¡°You know what to do?¡± Bethany asked encouragingly as she knelt at Harmony and Brandon¡¯s side. ¡°We¡¯re right here if anything goes wrong, but we want you to take it out yourselves, as quickly as you can.¡± ¡°We know,¡± Brandon told her with the indignation that only an eleven-year-old can achieve. ¡°We¡¯ve practiced this at home. Stop babying us.¡± ¡°Okay, okay, I trust you,¡± Bethany smiled, admiring the kids¡¯ bravery. In the wake of their mother¡¯s death, thrust into a world of violence and hardship, they¡¯d had to grow up quickly. Bethany knew what that was like, and her heart broke for them. ¡°Ready?¡± Brandon asked his sister, who nodded hesitantly. Harmony hovered her hands over the rows of drawings, palms down, and closed her eyes. One-by-one, the drawings peeled off the page like stickers ¨C two dimensional constructs under Harmony¡¯s control. Her friends. The dozen palm-sized eagle drawings flew around Harmony¡¯s head, which made the child giggle. The older, less refined drawings struggled to stay aloft, their wings askew. One fell and crashed into a snowbank, water soaking into its paper form. Harmony picked up the drawing-given-life and placed it gingerly in her pocket. It released a quiet squawk of appreciation for the rescue. Brandon unscrewed the lid on pickle jar, and telekinetically lifted two nails into the air, ready to fire. ¡°Go!¡± Harmony commanded her paper army, and her friends headed straight for the trash hamster. The eagles arrived first, soaring around the monster¡¯s head. They dove into its carapace of garbage, grasping chips and chocolate bars and moldy hot dogs in construction paper talons and ripped them away. The trash hamster swatted at the fliers, tearing two in half with claws fashioned of empty pop cans. Their torn remains flittered down to rest upon the layer of snow that covered the parking lot, lifeless once more. Harmony gasped in outrage. ¡°You monster! They were my friends!¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. She pointed aggressively at the hamsters, and the eagles accelerated their efforts as the monkey, leopard, and knight arrived to join the fight. The monkey and leopard jumped onto the hamster¡¯s body, ripping and tearing away bits and pieces as they climbed. The hamster struggled to keep up with the onslaught, but its armor was torn away faster than could be reabsorbed. They climbed until they reached the creature¡¯s heart ¨C where the orb lay beneath ¨C and they began to tear a hole in its chest. The hamster shifted its mass so the sturdiest of the trash reinforced its core, as it bit down on the knight¡¯s head and tore it away. The knight collapsed, lifeless. The eagles joined the monkey and leopard, ripping and tearing until they¡¯d created a small hole in the carapace and exposed the orb. ¡°Now Brandon!¡± Harmony shouted. With a flick of his wrist, Brandon shot the two nails towards the beast. The first missed by an inch, but the second struck the edge of the orb and impaled in its glassy form. The orb shuttered in silent agony, and it changed its focus from its paper attackers to the two children behind the dumpster. Bethany formed her hammer of light, ready to defend the children if it attacked. It never got the chance. Brandon did not slow his assault on the core. Two more nails, and two more after that, flew at the orb. Three missed, imbedded in its carapace, but the fourth struck home. A fracture appeared across the orb¡¯s surface. His final two shots sealed its fate. The nails struck the dead center of the orb, and the children gave a whoop of delight as it shattered it into a thousand pieces. The hamster carapace, robbed of its pilot, collapsed into a pile of trash that scattered over the snow. ¡°Yes!¡± Harmony exclaimed as she pulled her brother into a tight embrace. Brandon put up a token resistance before finally giving into his only remaining family. ¡°You two were amazing,¡± Rocky praised as he gave them a meaty thumbs up. Emily and Elias joined in their celebration as Bethany strolled over to the pile of trash, her hammer still formed in her hands. Reflected in her hammer¡¯s light were two silver Emporium coins settled atop the snow. She picked them up, and, as she turned back towards the dumpster, she saw a shimmer on the door of the convenience store. The shimmer of a God Arena plaque that was not really there. G.A. 1 ¨C 27, Omoikane Now we know why the store hasn¡¯t been looted. They entered ¨C they didn¡¯t come back out. Omoikane¡­ he was the god walking with the Authority when I was in God Home. His chief advisor. Bethany tried to act naturally as she headed back to the celebration. Handing over the coins to Harmony and Brandon with a smile, her eyes flickered to Emily, who saw the silent message and nudged Rocky with her foot. ¡°You two did so well that the game gave you each a coin,¡± Bethany applauded, and the children beamed with pride. ¡°Why don¡¯t you talk to Elias about what you want to spend it on, and Emily, Rocky, and I will do the boring work of scavenging this place. ¡° Harmony and Brandon didn¡¯t hear the last part. They were already bombarding Elias with endless questions as they clutched their hard-earned treasures tightly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Emily whispered when they were out of earshot. ¡°The convenience store. It¡¯s an Arena,¡± replied Bethany softly as she bent and pretended to sort through the orb¡¯s debris. ¡°Omoikane. Did you read about him?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a Shinto god of wisdom and intelligence, often asked to provide counsel and guidance to other gods,¡± Emily recited flawlessly, the knowledge absorbed from the stack of library books they¡¯d acquired. Emily spent her evenings reading to fuel her Infinite Recall. ¡°A knowledge arena. It must be,¡± Bethany surmised. ¡°If we win, we could get another riddle ¨C another clue to the location of the orbs. We need this.¡± ¡°But we agreed to keep the riddle a secret,¡± Emily reminded them. ¡°The more people that know about the riddle ¨C about the endgame ¨C the lower our own chances of survival. Are we¡­ are we prepared to risk that for the others?¡± ¡°And if we are¡­ are the kids ready for another Arena? Their mother died in the last one,¡± Rocky added. They sat in silence as each weighed their options. Only five victors amongst two hundred and fifty thousand people. Will our allies now still be our allies at the end? An early kindness could doom us as competition grows fierce. It was a thought grounded in self-centered survival, but Bethany was a pragmatist at heart. She¡¯d had to survive on her own since her mother died. Yet the straightforward logic seemed flawed, even without questioning its morality. Bethany¡¯s mind drifted to her last session with Diana ¨C floating above Regina as she watched the city fracture into a thousand pieces. A thousand different factions all vying for control and survival. She thought of the figure that stood atop police headquarters and the feeling of dread that had washed over her. What good is having the orbs if they can be easily taken from us? The three of us can¡¯t do this alone. Our friends ¨C our growing family ¨C at the refinery¡­ we must be able to defend ourselves, not only from the monsters of this world, but from other players. We need to get stronger. We all need to get stronger. ¡°They should come with us,¡± Bethany declared, and as she said it out loud, their desperate need for powerful allies solidified in her mind. ¡°If it¡¯s a knowledge arena, and we get a riddle, we¡¯ll deal with the implications. But this game could take years, and we won¡¯t survive long enough to find the orbs without strong and trustworthy people around us. The sooner we build up those allies, the better off we¡¯ll be. And I trust them.¡± But how long before the nine of us at the refinery are no longer enough? Where do we find more allies? Zee¡­ Abigail¡­ we haven¡¯t seen them in a week, but will they be friend or foe when we see them next? Emily and Rocky reluctantly agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Elias,¡± Rocky said, getting to his feet. ¡°Priyanka is going to throw a fit when we get back.¡± * * * ¡°Is everyone ready,¡± asked Rocky, his hands clammy. ¡°We¡¯re stronger and more experienced than we were a week ago. We can do this! Does everyone have your backpack ¨C food, water, first aid?¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Emily and Bethany said in unison with mock salutes. Harmony and Brandon giggled, still filled with confidence after their victory. Elias rolled his eyes playfully. ¡°Weapons?¡± Emily clenched her fist, and her metal claws appeared. ¡°Never leave home without them!¡± she laughed. Brandon jangled his jar of nails, and Harmony held up her favorite pencil. Bethany felt for the ball-peen hammer at her waist ¨C her safety blanket when times were dark. I feel like my whole life has been lived in the dark. The only light I¡¯ve seen has been the light I¡¯ve found in Regina. In my new friends. ¡°MacDonald Street Convenience. Who would have thought this place would be an arena?¡± Rocky said as they approached the front door. ¡°Emily and I come here on our breaks for the Refinery Special. Three bucks for a hotdog and pop, with change between us for a bag of chips to share. Kamal, the owner¡¯s teenage son, always adds onions on mine free of charge.¡± ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t kiss you before now,¡± teased Emily, smiling. ¡°Stinky onion breath.¡± Rocky grinned, swung her around in his arms, and gave her a deep kiss. ¡°Then I guess I¡¯ll need to make up for all the kisses I missed,¡± he said, his voice filled with affection. Harmony sighed at the romantic display while Brandon¡¯s face contorted with disgust. Bethany playfully gagged, and Emily smacked her on the shoulder. ¡°You just wait, Ms. Fox, until we find a man for you,¡± Emily whispered in Bethany¡¯s ear. ¡°Maybe a handsome farmer with a fiery¡­ sword?¡± Bethany¡¯s heart fluttered. A relationship was a distant wish, long since buried under the tragedy of her life. A relationship mixed with the God Contest like oil and water. But Emily and Rocky have been so happy this week. At least this death game is working out for someone. As they crossed the threshold into the Arena, Bethany quickly snuffed the thought out, anxiety settling heavy on her chest as her foot fell upon the worn tiles. They entered into the unknown, and who knew what they would find inside. * * * Officer Delorus Shepherd stared out the window as the police vehicle headed north to MacDonald Street Convenience. Her gun felt heavy on her hip as they sped past abandoned homes and the monsters that patrolled the streets. Despite the collapse of order in the city, she continued to wear her full police uniform ¨C the short sleeved blue dress shirt under a bullet-proof vest, both worn from two weeks of unending chaos. Her police badge ¨C a circle of golden leaves with a crown and bison and wheat sheaf-marked shield ¨C was still attached prominently to her vest, though as her colleagues fell to the horrors of this world and refugees flooded into their territory, the badge was beginning to feel out of place at Headquarters. She felt like a stranger in her own home. Delorus caught her reflection in the window. The wrinkles that had started with middle age have grown more prominent in the past few weeks, and the deep bags under her eyes displayed the stress she had carried on her shoulders as she protected the barricade and led patrol teams into the city for supplies. Her toned muscles were sore from constant action, and her red hair and freckles ¨C which gave Delorus found gave her a kindly appearance that helped her bond with members of the public ¨C now seemed faded and frayed. The man beside her coughed, and Delorus turned to look at him. He was a large man ¨C a muscular bodybuilder that had arrived with a pack of refugees last week. She thought his name was Max Galloway, but it was difficult to keep track of all the unfamiliar faces that now lived in the nooks and crannies of Headquarters. She didn''t know much about him, other than he was strong and silent, and tended to occupy himself standing watch on the barricade. The Chief had taken a liking to him, and Max had quickly found himself in Benton¡¯s inner circle. Behind them, following in a second car with their supplies, were Officer Adrian Wallace and Kim Hilton. Adrian was new to the service this year, though already regarded as a rising star. Kim, on the other hand, was someone whom Delorus had arrested six times for breaking into businesses, and who had been sitting in their police cells on a seventh charge when the God Contest started. She wasn''t a bad person, but she had deep addictions challenges that drove her to desperation. Other than her ability to pick locks, how a woman like Kim Hilton ended up on Benton¡¯s strike team was beyond her understanding. ¡°Captain Benton, where are we going?¡± Delorus asked. Sergeant Smith ¨C whom Delorus had little respect for given his history of using excessive force ¨C had plucked her off barricade duty half an hour ago, but had neglected to tell her why. ¡°You don¡¯t need to know that, Officer,¡± Sergeant Smith spat, not bothering to hide his disdain for the woman. ¡°Just do what you¡¯re told.¡± ¡°How can I be prepared if I don¡¯t know what to prepare for?¡± Delorus challenged Smith. She was tense, her instincts on high alert, as she looked in the rear-view mirror and into the Chief¡¯s eyes. There was a flash of annoyance in Benton¡¯s eyes, though whether it was at her question or Smith''s response wasn''t obvious. It was quickly replaced by a false gentleness that could have fooled most people. Delorus was not most people. Decades of police work had trained Delorus to observe the little things all around her. Interrogations taught her to catch lies hidden within truth. In her off-hours ¨C which grew fewer with every passing day ¨C she listened to the whispers that echoed through the hallways of Headquarters. Whispers that spoke of the dangers of the world ¨C and of disappearances amongst those sent on missions outside their barricade. ¡°Now, Sergeant, Officer Shephard has every right to know,¡± Chief Benton began with his usual exaggerated cheer. ¡°Tell me, Delorus¡­ what do you know of God Arenas?¡± Chapter 44 - From One Hell and into Another ¡°Associate yourself with people of good quality, for it is better to be alone than in bad company.¡± Booker T. Washington, American Educator The two police cars pulled into the parking lot of MacDonald Street Convenience, breaking through the trash and blood-covered snow. The shattered remains of an orb lay scattered in a pile behind the three abandoned vehicles outside the store. Delorus¡¯ gaze flickered down the nearby alley. A trail of footsteps in the snow led from a white truck parked in the alley, the Regina Refinery logo painted on its side. Unlike the other vehicles, this one didn¡¯t have a layer of snow built up on its windshield, making it a recent arrival. ¡°This must be the place the man spoke of,¡± Sergeant Smith muttered to Chief Benton. ¡°I¡¯ll lead the charge, Chief.¡± ¡°Hold on, Sergeant,¡± Chief Benton replied, spotting the same newly minted footprints. ¡°We aren¡¯t alone. It seems some unfortunate members of the public have wandered into the Arena. Probably out searching for food.¡± ¡°Perhaps Officer Shepherd should go ahead of us,¡± Smith suggested, a malicious look in his eye. ¡°She¡¯s always had a way with the public. A kindly face and all that. Perhaps she can convince them to be useful, so they don¡¯t get¡­ hurt.¡± Smith would like nothing more than for me to disappear in this arena. We¡¯ve been on opposing sides of morality far too often. ¡°Officer Shepherd?¡± Benton asked, not bothering with whispers. ¡°I take it you heard that? Smith here is good at a great many things in this new world, but subtlety isn¡¯t one of them. But he has a point. The last thing we want in an Arena is a fight with another group of survivors. They need to leave it to the professionals. You were on the Crisis Negotiation Team, were you not? And I¡¯ve been watching how to command the new refugees along the barricade. You are impressive. It is one of the reasons I brought you along today ¨C to see if you are ready for greater responsibilities.¡± Benton looked towards the store and counted footprints. ¡°Go in first and scout ahead. Convince this to stay put and leave this to the professionals. Without forewarning, our numbers and firearms might very well trigger a fight we can¡¯t afford. I intend to leave this Arena alive, after all.¡± ¡°Yes sir,¡± Delorus responded, burying her anxiousness as she¡¯d been trained to do. She¡¯d attended countless crisis situations during her career, and she trusted her skills. Hauling herself out of the police car, she headed for the entrance, one hand on the baton at her side. The winged eye ¨C the camera that had followed her since the start of the God Contest ¨C separated itself from the remaining eyes and whirled around her head. As usual, Delorus ignored it. ¡°You have ten minutes, Officer,¡± Benton instructed her. ¡°We¡¯ll enter the Arena after that.¡± ¡°Ten minutes is a lot of time for a small convenience store, sir,¡± Delorus suggested. ¡°It is not a convenience store, officer,¡± Benton said, a tiny smirk curled on his lips. ¡°It is an Arena. Best you don¡¯t forget that.¡± Delorus did not respond. She scanned the small store through its bay windows. It appeared empty ¨C its shelves still fully stocked save for those goods that were now scattered across the parking lot. A beaded curtain, gently swaying in a non-existent wind, separated the staff only section from the rest of the store. She stepped over the threshold. ¡°Hello? Is anyone here?¡± Delorus called, firm but friendly. There was no answer. ¡°Regina Police. I¡¯m here to help.¡± An empty silence filled the store, deep and hollow. Delorus slowly crept forward, carefully checking down each aisle and behind the counter before moving onto the next. The convenience store smelled of rotting fruit and spoiled onions, which made her nose crinkle. ¡°We have food if you are hungry, and a safe place to stay,¡± Delorus added. ¡°As safe as any place can be in this world.¡± Delorus reached the beaded curtain, its pink and purple lending a splash of colour to the otherwise unremarkable store. An ¡®employee only¡¯ sign hung above the curtain, aged and worn, and hanging on by the smallest piece of dried-out tape. ¡°I¡¯m headed to the back of the store,¡± Delorus announced. She peeled back the curtain and stepped through. The moment her feet touched the tile, the floor beneath her collapsed. Delorus felt herself lurch, and she fell, plummeting through an endless darkness. The wind rushed past her ears, and she desperately fought the urge to scream. She failed, and her scream of terror filled the silence around her as she tumbled in the air as she fell. She glimpsed the light streaming through the beaded doorway far above her, quickly growing smaller. Within moments, it faded to a single speck of light in the far-off distance. It had become a single star amongst many, as the darkness erupted into starlight ¨C a gorgeous reflection of a stary night sky. Not that Delorus noticed. Convinced she was about to die ¨C splattered on the distant and unseen ground below ¨C she pulled out the silver cross she wore around her neck and prayed. She thought of her estranged daughter, Veronica, who had fallen on hard times with a bad crowd and hoped she had long ago fled the city. The sound of flapping wings pieced through the sound of her fall, and Delorus opened her eyes. Her winged eye flew nearby, capturing her private prayers for sadistic gods. She reached for it, hoping it could support her weight, but the eye dodged her grasp and vibrated with amusement. ¡°Come on, you stupid little eye! Help me for once, or I swear I¡¯ll¡­ oomph!¡± Delorus gasped as her fall abruptly stopped, ten feet above the now visible ground. Her body righted itself, and she was gently lowered onto a rough gravel path. Her heart pounded with adrenaline, and she took a dozen slow, deep breaths to calm herself. ¡°That was¡­ not necessary,¡± Delorus admonished, staring into her winged eye that hovered above her. ¡°What the heck is wrong with these gods?¡± Composing herself, she took in her surroundings. She was standing on a small hill, located at the end of a gravel path that went down into a tiny park below. A single flame cast its light over the part ¨C the only other light save that from the stars above. Below, six people had gathered in the park ¨C her lost scavengers ¨C and she could faintly hear the low murmur of their worried voices. ¡°¡­ scream¡­ someone else¡­¡± ¡°¡­ need to figure this out, fast¡­¡± Delorus tried to spot the star that was the doorway she¡¯d fallen through, but it was now one amongst thousands of pinpoint lights. ¡°I guess I won¡¯t be getting back that way,¡± Delorus admitted. She checked her watch. Eight minutes until they follow and stumble into the same trap I did. And I still have a job to do. Those people must be terrified. And terrified people are dangerous. Delorus unclipped her holster and slowly marched down the path towards the park. She didn¡¯t bother to hide her footsteps ¨C they knew she was coming. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. The distance to the park closed unnaturally fast, and soon she was able to see the six figures ¨C four adults and two children. They stood before a rippling black wall, filled with pinpoint lights, which stretched on as far as her eyes could see. It looked as if the night sky had bent itself into the park to block their path. A young man in a white T-shirt and black cowboy hat held aloft a sword made of bright, flickering flames that lit up the darkness in the park. A mammoth of a man clutched an axe of stone as he held the hand of a tall, muscular woman in overalls. Two eagles made of paper flew around the little girl¡¯s head as her twin brother lifted tiny stones with his mind. Each wore a backpack, and they spoke softly amongst themselves without fear or panic. They all stared at Delorus as she approached, apprehension etched on their faces. The boy shot a stone across the park, which struck the ground near her feet. ¡°That¡¯s far enough,¡± the large man bellowed. He wore a scowl as if it were a stranger, but the protective fire in his eyes sent a clear message. ¡°Don¡¯t take another step. Delorus reached for her firearm ¨C suddenly feeling very vulnerable ¨C until she spotted the final member of their group. A young girl whom Delorus recognized, who was tapping a ball-peen hammer against the wall of solid darkness. The girl who¡¯d been living out of her car, whom Delorus had met a few days before the God Contest. She had been scared ¨C Delorus had seen many scared women like that in her time ¨C yet she¡¯d had an inner fire and sense of hope that Delorus had admired. She¡¯d given the girl a map and her contact information, so she could find her path forward in her new life. She eased her hand away from her firearm. After everything she went through, she found herself here, in the God Contest. From one hell and into another. What happened to her eye? It¡¯s milky white, with an hourglass as her pupil? What has this poor girl been through these past two weeks? ¡°Bethany?¡± asked Delorus kindly. ¡°Is that you? Do you remember me?¡± Bethany turned as she heard the familiar voice. ¡°Officer Shepherd? How¡­ what¡¯re you doing in here?¡± Bethany uttered in disbelief as she rushed towards the woman. ¡°It¡¯s just Delorus, my dear,¡± Delorus replied sweetly, slowly approaching the group with her hands raised away from her weapons. Despite the unusual weaponry, the group did not appear threatening, though Delorus saw within each of them a caution borne of experience. ¡°And as for how¡­¡± Delorus pointed skyward and shrugged. Bethany nodded with understanding. ¡°Yah, we fell too. My heart just finished trying to burst out of my chest. Oh, um¡­ these are my friends. Rocky, Emily, and Elias, and the twins are Harmony and Brandon. Guys, this is Officer Shepherd. She helped me when I first came to Regina.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t mention why you were here,¡± the tall girl ¨C Emily ¨C said sternly, a protective edge in her voice. Delorus glimpsed metal claws sticking beyond her fingers. They are not simple scavengers. They¡¯re fighting in this world, just as we are. Bethany¡­ you¡¯ve found people who care for you. Friends willing to protect you. If Veronica had had friends like that¡­ maybe she wouldn¡¯t have left. ¡°I don¡¯t really know why I am here,¡± Delorus admitted. ¡°My Chief asked me to accompany him and some others to this place. I was scouting ahead in the convenience store when I fell through the floor. If we wait a few minutes, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll fall into the same trap and join us.¡± Bethany¡¯s eyes flashed with alarm. ¡°The chief of police?¡± she asked, a touch of panic in her voice. ¡°He¡¯s coming here?¡± Is she scared of the police? A woman like her¡­ that¡¯s not unusual. But she isn¡¯t scared of me. Is it¡­ the chief? Why would she be scared of the chief? Delorus wished she could assure Bethany that Chief Benton was a wonderful captain, surrounded by outstanding officers. But so many of her fellow officers now lay dead ¨C victims of the horrors around them ¨C and Benton, though still their charismatic chief, had changed. The disappearances. The rumors. They were growing too frequent to ignore. Delorus did not assure Bethany. She did not want to lie. ¡°Yes. He and the others will be here in a few minutes,¡± Delorus answered simply. ¡°Rocky,¡± Bethany said urgently, turning towards the man with the stone axe. ¡°We need to find a way through this wall, Now.¡± Delorus watched the group spring into action and spread out across the park. Emily - the woman in the overalls ¨C studied the dark wall, taking it all in. ¡°These aren¡¯t random stars. They¡¯re constellations.¡± Emily observed. ¡°Dad took Emma and I stargazing when I was six. He¡¯d inherited an old telescope from our great-uncle, and he was convinced he¡¯d be the next great astronomer. For¡­ about two weeks, before he got bored. But during those two weeks, he¡¯d take us out every night.¡± Emily pointed towards different clusters of stars against the darkness. ¡°See, that¡¯s Cassiopeia. Draco. Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. And Cepheus over on the far edge.¡± ¡°You remember all that from when you were six years old?¡± Delorus said, impressed. ¡°I wish I¡¯d had you as a witness on a case.¡± Emily gave the officer a slight smirk. ¡°Oh, you have no idea how good I would be.¡± ¡°Over here, Bethany. I found something,¡± Rocky called from across the park. He knelt beside an aged grey stone tablet, carved with words in silver, which had been hidden beneath a patch of overgrown weeds. Bethany rushed over, and Delorus followed, impressed by the group¡¯s dynamics. ¡°What is it?¡± asked Delorus as they arrived at Rocky¡¯s side. ¡°The arena¡¯s opening salvo,¡± explained Rocky. ¡°Usually, the God who designed the Arena bellows at us from on high about the nature of their challenge and how amazing they are. Really egotistical horseshit.¡± ¡°Omoikane seems to be the type of god that prefers a more subtle approach,¡± Bethany observed, brushing away the final weed. ¡°I¡¯ll take subtle. At least it isn¡¯t a bunch of half-naked Spartans trying to murder us,¡± Rocky laughed. Delorus¡¯ puzzled stare spoke volumes. ¡°Delorus, is¡­ is this your first arena?¡± asked Bethany with concern. The pity on the girl¡¯s face made Delorus shiver. ¡°I¡­ yes, it is,¡± Delorus admitted. ¡°I only learned about these Arenas on the drive over. How many have you¡­¡± ¡°This is my fourth,¡± Bethany said. ¡°Third for Rocky and Emily, and second for Elias and the kids. They¡­ they are dangerous, Delorus. Very dangerous. We were amongst the few survivors of the one we stumbled into at the Northend Savers Supermarket. We have no idea what we will find in here.¡± ¡°But maybe this stone tablet will give us a clue,¡± Rocky said. I am Omoikane, he who brings together the thoughts of the myriad deities. The right hand of Authority ¨C his counselor and ever-faithful servant ¨C whose wisdom has helped chart the course of humanity. You, who stand at the beginning, who are tested to determine your worthiness, must embrace the value of wisdom if you wish to succeed. Wisdom is stronger than steel, faster than lightning, more durable than the mountains, and more dangerous than all the magic of the world. To wield wisdom is to wield potential itself. Wisdom is, at its core, the path to victory. I put this test to you ¨C my Maze of Wise Counsel ¨C that it may help you become one who knows how to counselor your allies, outwit your enemies, and embrace the subtlety beyond darkness and light to the myriad which lies between. You must learn to be the guiding light in the darkness, so that you may steer yourself and others along the path to victory. ¡°What¡¯s an Omoikane?¡± asked Delorus, confused. ¡°Just another one of these asshole gods that have locked us in this game,¡± Rocky said with venom. ¡°We¡­¡± A woman¡¯s terrified scream rang out across the sky, amplified by its darkness. Delorus knew that scream well ¨C Ms. Hilton bellowed it each time Delorus had dragged her into the cells in the basement of Headquarters. Her companions had found the back room ¨C the hidden entrance to the Arena. ¡°Rocky¡­¡± Bethany urged the man. ¡°I know. I¡¯m working on it. We must become a guiding light in the darkness¡­¡± Rocky muttered, working through the clue. ¡°Emily, is there a constellation that provides guidance? Or is a source of navigation?¡± ¡°I guess they all do, to some extent, but¡­ of course! It¡¯s not a constellation we¡¯re looking for. It¡¯s a solitary star. The North Star. The guiding light for sailors to navigate. It should be¡­. there! On the right, a hundred paces away and six feet up.¡± Emily dashed over to the star. It was the size of Emily¡¯s palm, and unlike the other stars, which were flush against the darkness like wallpaper, this one was slightly raised against the blackness. She gripped it like a doorknob and turned. There was a click, and the hidden door creaked open. ¡°Great work, honey. Let¡¯s go,¡± Rocky praised, dashing over to join Emily with Elias and the kids hot on his heels. ¡°Good luck, Delorus,¡± Bethany said, giving the woman a quick embrace. ¡°Thank you for your kindness on that first day. You were right. I was running. I guess I¡¯m still running, but now I am running with people that I trust. Take care of yourself.¡± Bethany followed her friends toward the door. ¡°Bethany¡­ wait,¡± Delorus called out as Bethany started to step through the doorway. Bethany glanced back at her curiously. I should meet up with the Chief. Report back on what I¡¯ve seen and how to get past this wall. But¡­but I don¡¯t trust him. Any of them. My instincts scream at me whenever they are around, as if I expect a dagger in the back. The rumors. The disappearances. He¡¯s up to something, and I won¡¯t find the answers if I just play his lapdog. ¡°I think I should go with you,¡± Delorus said, surprising herself as much as Bethany. She did not fear the dangers ahead as much as the dangers arriving behind her, and the thought of Benton and Smith near Bethany sent a shiver up Delorus¡¯ spine. Bethany stared at the woman for a long while. Delorus could see her mind whirling with a thousand thoughts as she weighed the impact of her choice. She whispered back and forth with her companions beyond the door. ¡°¡­ lead them straight to us¡­¡± ¡°¡­ will do that anyway if we leave her behind¡­¡± ¡°¡­ helped me. I just have this feeling¡­ we¡¯ll need her.¡± Ms. Hilton¡¯s scream ended just as four more began in the sky above. ¡°Bethany¡­,¡± Delorus urged the woman with a touch of desperation. ¡°They will be here soon.¡± Bethany watched the woman for a few cautious heartbeats, then gave her a gentle smile and waved her over. Delorus stepped through the hidden doorway, and Bethany closed the door firmly shut behind them. Chapter 45 - The Maze of Wise Counsel ¡°Don¡¯t follow any advice, no matter how good, until you feel as deeply in your spirit as you think in your mind that the counsel is wise.¡± Ralph Waldo Emerson, American Philosopher Bethany stood mesmerized by the sight before them. The hedge maze stretched on for miles, its passageways faintly illuminated by the light of the stars above. Its walls were forty feet high and covered in sharp thorns and brambles. An ancient, crumbling stone path led into the maze, and an eerie wind without origin blew from within. ¡°It¡¯s huge,¡± Bethany whispered with a mix of awe and trepidation. ¡°We have to find our way though this? It could take days.¡± She glanced at Delorus, who stared at the entrance to the maze ¨C a long passageway that disappeared into darkness ¨C with wide-eyed anxiety. It was disconcerting to see the trained officer wear her emotions on her sleeve. ¡°Is every arena like this?¡± Delorus breathed, trying to retain her composure. ¡°How are you all so calm?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not,¡± admitted Rocky, and the others nodded in agreement. ¡°We¡¯ve just seen worse.¡± ¡°This could be worse,¡± countered Elias, his eyes fixed on the entrance to the maze, as if waiting for monsters to emerge at any moment. ¡°Stay on your guard.¡± He held his sword of flame above his head, illuminating the passageway into the maze. Thorny shadows danced to its flickering fire, lending a haunting surrealness to the world around them. ¡°Harmony, scout our way,¡± Bethany said softly as she touched the child¡¯s shoulder for comfort. Despite Harmony¡¯s brave face, Bethany could feel her shake with fear. Her brother, on the other hand, appeared almost giddy for the adventure. ¡°I can only send them to the first bend in the path,¡± Harmony advised as her best drawn ¨C and therefore fastest ¨Cpaper eagle sped down the passageway into the maze. It reached the first intersection fifty meters away, gazed around the corner, and flew back. Landing on Harmony¡¯s shoulder, it gave a quiet series of whistles before rejoining the other eagles that circled Harmony¡¯s head. ¡°There¡¯s nothing there,¡± Harmony relayed, and Bethany felt her shoulders relax. ¡°Harmony, how did we ever do this without you?¡± Rocky praised, and Harmony blushed at the compliment. ¡°Remarkable,¡± Delorus breathed as she leaned in to study a paper eagle. The eagle, enjoying the attention, spiraled in the air before landing on her palm to show its paper talons to the officer. ¡°How¡­ how did she create this? And this man¡¯s flaming sword. The woman¡¯s claws¡­¡± ¡°They were rewards for defeating arenas. The talents are different each time,¡± Bethany explained as they moved into the maze, loose stones crunching beneath their feet. The thorny walls towered over them made Bethany feel claustrophobic, and she was grateful for the distraction the conversation promised. She walked beside the officer, careful not to get too close to the thorn-covered walls. They could travel three abreast through the passageway if they wished, but it was tight. ¡°Didn¡¯t your Chief tell you about the rewards?¡± ¡°No, he didn¡¯t,¡± Delorus said, unnerved by the omission. ¡°And I haven¡¯t heard of anyone having such powers at Headquarters. Either no one has them or¡­¡± ¡°Or anyone who does has been told to keep them a secret,¡± Elias finished for her. ¡°Haven¡¯t seen much of the cops since this whole thing started.¡± There was an accusation in his tone that surprised Bethany. ¡°After this contest began, Chief Benton ordered everyone to bring their families to Headquarters,¡± Delorus said, her voice heavy with held-back emotion. ¡°Not everyone made it. A few days later, he assembled us into squads, and we headed out into the city. We only made it three blocks out before the monsters forced us back.¡± ¡°They forced you back?¡± Rocky asked curiously. Delorus nodded. ¡°The larger our numbers, the more monsters arrived to fight us. It was as if we¡¯d become a beacon that attracted them. The mistake cost us dearly. We were five hundred strong when we set out. Five hundred well-trained, well-equipped officers. Now, less than two hundred of my coworkers ¨C my friends ¨C are left.¡± ¡°Delorus, I¡¯m so sorry,¡± Bethany said, shocked. ¡°That¡¯s awful.¡± ¡°So what did you do?¡± asked Rocky sympathetically. ¡°We fell back and built a wall from abandoned cars and junk ¨C two blocks out from Headquarters. We¡¯ve been holding that territory ever since. Benton sends out patrols to find supplies and rescue those trapped in their homes. He recruits anyone willing to fight into our ranks to man our wall, and we do what we can to train them. We no longer leave the perimeter in large groups ¨C smaller teams are more effective.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a bad survival strategy,¡± Rocky remarked. Bethany wondered if the strategy had a page in his survival notebook. ¡°Except it begs one important question.¡± ¡°If everyone is trying to protect and supply Headquarters, what is Benton doing all the way out here?¡± Delorus filled in, surprising Rocky with her insight. ¡°I¡¯ve asked the same question myself. I fear ¨C with your revelation of these powers ¨C I might now know, though the implications are worrisome.¡± ¡°There¡¯s something up ahead,¡± Harmony interrupted as a paper eagle landed on her shoulder. ¡°A chamber, with a statue in the middle. It only has its head and shoulders¡­ I don¡¯t know what that¡¯s called.¡± ¡°A bust,¡± Emily informed her. Brandon snorted with the laughter of an eleven-year-old boy. Elias and Rocky chuckled with him, and Emily and Bethany rolled her eyes. ¡°Even in a nightmare world, boys will be boys,¡± Delorus said. Emily nudged Rocky disapprovingly in the ribs, then formed her metal claws as they approached the chamber. Here we go. Time to see what manner of challenge this maze truly is. Bethany¡¯s hands hovered above her ball-peen hammer, though she kept her light contained to preserve her magic. Carved from simply grey stone, the bust of the elderly man rested upon a stone pillar in the middle of the large chamber in the maze. His head was bald, and he had a beard that stretched the length of his chin and flowed down to this chest. Beyond the bust, the passageway split into three possible paths, each blocked with a grey, semi-translucent film that flittered with flashes of faint color in the darkness. ¡°Brandon, can you test that barrier?¡± Rocky requested. ¡°I want to know how solid it actually is.¡± ¡°Umm¡­ sure,¡± Brandon answered. He dug into his pocket, pulled out a nail, and launched it at the left passageway. The nail struck the barrier hard and shattered. Tiny, superheated fragments rained down upon the players. ¡°Fuck!¡± Emily said as a fragment struck her forearm and left a small welt. ¡°So¡­ don¡¯t touch the barrier. Got it.¡± Rocky held Emily¡¯s arm gently and placed his palm over the welt. His hand glowed blue, and the welt disappeared. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Thanks, honey,¡± whispered Emily, gazing appreciatively into her lover¡¯s eyes. Bethany approached the bust, and Elias¡¯ followed behind, holding his sword aloft to illuminate the darkness. The eyes of the bust flickered open as Bethany approached. She leapt backwards in surprise and drew her hammer. A voice began to emanate from the bust. It was a voice Bethany had heard before. The voice of Omoikane. Counsel of Authority. A king lay on his deathbed. Before him stand his two sons. The eldest, the rightful heir, commands the heart of the army and will wage war upon their neighbour if he assumes the throne. The youngest commands the heart of the people and would disband the army to make way for an artistic renaissance. Between them stands their sister, whom the king loves most of all, and whom he has sheltered from the world to protect her from its harsh realities. Advice the king on his successor. ¡°That¡¯s it? We just have to say which heir the king should select?¡± Rocky asked, surprised. Yes. You now have two questions remaining. ¡°You know, Omoikane, that¡¯s some real jackassery right there,¡± Rocky remarked, perturbed at the hidden rule. ¡°No one ask the statue a question until we figure out what we need to know.¡± They gathered in a circle, and Emily repeated the scenario word-for-word until they had parsed out all the information they could. ¡°The youngest son is the obvious choice,¡± Elias started. ¡°Kings are meant to govern for the people, and if he has the heart of the people, he¡¯s got a hell of a head start.¡± ¡°The eldest would take them to war, and the daughter is too na?ve to rule,¡± Emily added. ¡°And he loves art!¡± Harmony chimed in excitedly. ¡°Anyone who loves art can¡¯t be a bad guy.¡± ¡°I mean, Hitler loved art,¡± Rocky whispered, earning an elbow in the ribs from Emily. ¡°Who would you pick then, smartass?¡± Emily asked with a playful frown at her lover. Rocky thought for a long moment. ¡°In Thoth¡¯s Arena, I was shown biased memories of Brad. He was trying to trick me into making a biased decision. This question has the same feeling ¨C the choices are phrased to lead you towards an obvious answer. The youngest is a saint. The eldest son is a warmonger. The daughter is na?ve. The youngest is the obvious choice.¡± ¡°A little too obvious,¡± Delorus agreed. ¡°We assume that war with the neighbouring kingdom is a wrong decision,¡± Rocky continued. ¡°What if it¡¯s not? What if war is inevitable?¡± ¡°Then the eldest may be the better choice,¡± Bethany agreed. ¡°Survival trumps luxury in dangerous times.¡± A lesson I know all too well. Luxury has been but a distance dream in my life. ¡°We should ask more about this neighbouring kingdom,¡± Bethany concluded. There was agreement around the circle, and Bethany approached the bust. ¡°Omoikane, tell us about the nature of the relationship between the neighbouring kingdoms,¡± Bethany asked, intentionally keeping her statement broad. The edges of the bust¡¯s stone mouth curled into a sly smile. Peace between the two kingdoms rests on a knife¡¯s edge. They are eternal enemies, locked in an endless war. During his reign, the dying king presided over temporary peace ¨C a peace built upon shrewd political strategy and strength of arms. Yet the bachelor king of the neighbouring kingdom is young and ambitious and waits for the death of his rival so he may add this kingdom to his own. ¡°Well, so much for the youngest son,¡± Elias admitted, skuttling his previous opinion. ¡°Disbanding the army is the last thing this kingdom needs.¡± ¡°In that case, the eldest makes the most sense,¡± Rocky agreed. ¡°We don¡¯t know how he¡¯d rule ¨C he could be a tyrant ¨C but it won¡¯t matter much if there is no kingdom left to rule.¡± There was a murmur of agreement amongst the group, yet Bethany stayed silent, a nagging thought working its way through her head. This choice isn¡¯t right. Omoikane had years to design his challenges, yet he¡¯s asking us to pick from amongst three bad choices? A three-option multiple choice test? The god advises Authority himself. His challenge can¡¯t be that simple. She had eavesdropped on Omoikane in the halls of God Home. The elderly god believed the God Contest to be ¨C in his words ¨C barbaric, and had spent years searching for an alternative, without success. He believed the God Contest to be antithetical to the gods¡¯ fundamental nature purpose. He doesn¡¯t like conflict. He doesn¡¯t want death. Yet with all three options, the war still rages on and countless innocents die. It is just like the God Contest ¨C unending misery with no hope in sight. There must be another way. A way to end the conflict between the kingdoms once and for all. The solution came to Bethany like a lightning bolt illuminating the darkness. ¡°Emily, how did Omoikane describe the neighbouring king?¡± Bethany asked eagerly. ¡°The king? Young and ambitious,¡± Emily recalled. ¡°No, before that,¡± Bethany prompted, hoping she was remembering the description correctly. ¡°¡­ bachelor?¡± ¡°Yes! Why would Omoikane tell us he was a bachelor unless the information was important?¡± Bethany exclaimed. ¡°It¡¯s like Rocky said when I first met you. This entire world was designed right down to the tiniest detail. Everything is a conscious choice, so telling us he is a bachelor must be meaningful.¡± ¡°If he¡¯s a bachelor, he can marry,¡± reasoned Emily, as she grasped hold of Bethany¡¯s notion. ¡°There is a way for the king to end this war,¡± Bethany proclaimed. ¡°He makes his daughter his heir, on the condition that she marry the neighbouring king and unite their countries in a single kingdom.¡± ¡°Would that work?¡± Rocky asked, contemplating the idea. ¡°And can we choose that?¡± Elias added. ¡°It wasn¡¯t one of the options.¡± ¡°Royalty has been marrying off their children to each other for centuries to form alliances,¡± Emily chimed in, reflecting Bethany¡¯s enthusiasm. ¡°Omoikane isn¡¯t looking for us to pick one of his three obvious options,¡± Bethany said with certainty. ¡°He wants us to think beyond bigger. To take in the problem in its entirety and think through all the resources at our disposal.¡± ¡°And to think of the impact beyond tomorrow,¡± Emily added. ¡°Seven generations. That¡¯s what my parents taught me. Whatever decision we make, it should ensure the survival of the seventh generation, not just those alive today.¡± ¡°But we can¡¯t force her to marry a bad guy!¡± Harmony protested. ¡°What if she loves someone else, or what if he hurts her?¡± ¡°Or what if the king doesn¡¯t want to marry some gross princess,¡± Brandon added, sticking out his tongue. ¡°They have a point,¡± Elias agreed, staring towards the bust. ¡°There¡¯s a lot that could go wrong with this choice. We should ask.¡± Bethany strode over to the bust. ¡°If the daughter were to marry the neighbouring king, what would be the result?¡± Their marriage would form the foundation of an age of peace and prosperity for the citizenry of the new kingdom. Yet it would not be without sacrifice. The king would pass into the next world without kinship, for all three of his children would loath the man whom they once called father. His daughter would live her life alone, locked in an empty and loveless marriage, until the end of her days. The dreams of the king¡¯s two sons would fade, and they would grow bitter and resentful, fomenting chaos in the realm that would cost the lives of many. And the young king, faced with strife, rebellion, and endless struggles, would find himself quickly aged beyond his years, his youth and health sacrificed on the altar of prosperity, and be rewarded with an early grave. They sat in silence for a long while, weighing the impact of their decision. How many lives do you sacrifice for peace? Is it moral to alleviate the suffering of the many by forcing the sacrifice onto the few? Bethany recalled the kindly god¡¯s face. Omoikane was a god who believed in guiding humanity, and who disapproved of the self-interest of the gods. A god who believed it was the gods who should sacrifice, not the masses they are intended to guide. ¡°It must be done,¡± Bethany concluded. ¡°The sacrifices of a few are a small price for the prosperity of so many others.¡± ¡°The kings and the children ¨C as far as we know, they haven¡¯t done anything wrong,¡± Rocky said cautiously. ¡°Are you certain, Bethany?¡± ¡°No,¡± Bethany admitted. ¡°But if we must wait for certainty, we¡¯ll be in the maze for a very long time.¡± They debated amongst themselves for several more minutes, yet the conversation always circled back to the marriage. It was the best advice they had. Bethany stood before the bust of Omoikane. Her hands shook as she gave their answer, as carefully phrased as Omoikane¡¯s own words had been. ¡°The king loves his children,¡± Bethany started, her eyes closed as she focused on the story. ¡°Yet his first love must always be his kingdom and his people. For if it is not, he is no king. Thus, it falls upon the king, in his final hour, to make a decision that sets the course for peace and prosperity for his people, not only for tomorrow, but for the day after that, and the one beyond that, far beyond the lifetimes of his children¡¯s children. Here is our counsel to the king. He should choose his daughter as his successor, on the condition that she marry the neighbouring king and merge their kingdoms, that they may find peace as a single kingdom rather than live their days with bloodshed.¡± The bust of Omoikane sat silent for a dozen heartbeats before his voice filled the chamber once more. To see beyond the simple choice ¨C to let the mind freely explore the vast planes of possibility ¨C is the first lesson of true wisdom. The wise know that there is no black and white. No dichotomy of choice, even when choice is presented as such. Once this is understood, counsel becomes a matter of knowing what is sacrificed, and what is gained from that sacrifice. And being brave enough to counsel in spite of that knowledge. The barrier of darkness across the leftmost path melted away, revealing a way forward. The passageway stretch fifty meters into the darkness, where the light of Elias¡¯s flame died away. You may proceed further into my maze. The bust of Omoikane disintegrated into fine grey sand that sank beneath the soil. As the final grain disappeared, the thorns along the maze wall began to blossom. Red and yellow bioluminescent flowers sprang forth, covering the wall in a warm, peaceful glow. The sight of it calmed Bethany¡¯s heart, until the first waft of its scent reached her. It was the smell of death and decay ¨C the price paid for peace. Chapter 46 - Sacrifice of Knowledge ¡°When all¡¯s said and done, all roads lead to the same end. So it¡¯s not so much which road you take, as how you take it.¡± Charles de Lint, Canadian Writer Bethany slumped to the ground, panting in the sweltering heat. Her mouth was parched and sweat beaded her forehead. A breeze blew down the passageway, and she leaned into it to catch a moment of relief. The thorns that lined the walls were dead ¨C robbed of water long ago and dried in the heat. Though darkness reigned above, the passage was lit as if it lay beneath a noon sun with no shade to be found. She took the tiniest sip from her half-empty water bottle and quickly replaced the cap. Swishing it around in her mouth for moisture, she swallowed slowly so she could savor every drop. Elias sat down next to her, took his own drink, and offered her his bottle. Bethany waved it way. ¡°Take it,¡± insisted Elias thrusting it into her hands. ¡°I brought an extra. Plus, I¡¯m used to working under the sun all day. I mean, it¡¯s not usually forty degrees when I¡¯m in the fields, but I¡¯ll manage.¡± He lifted the bottom of his white T-shirt and dabbed it on his forehead to wipe away the sweat. They had abandoned their winter clothes, stripping off layer by layer as the heat became unbearable, until finally it was too hot to even carry the clothes in their arms. The clothes now lay in a heap several hours behind them. Bethany stared at his toned chest and farmer¡¯s tan. The sweat on his neck dripped down to his chest, leaving tiny, glistening trails against his skin. Bethany unconsciously licked her lips, which had nothing to do with the heat. Elias finished and pulled down his shirt. Bethany quickly looked away, suddenly aware that she was staring. She looked over to Emily, seated across from her in a white tank top, the top of her overalls tied around her waist. Her friend had a sly smile plastered on her face, leaving little doubt that she¡¯d seen Bethany ogling the handsome farmer. She gave Bethany a playful wink and fanned her face dramatically with her hand. Bethany decided it was best to stare at the ground instead. ¡°It was the best option,¡± Rocky said for the fifth time, more to himself than anyone else. ¡°The sultan had the riches to help his people prosper. How were we supposed to know we needed weigh the impact of selling his oil on global warming a hundred years later?¡± ¡°I guess a hundred years isn¡¯t very long to a god,¡± Delorus breathed, lying on her back. She still wore her vest but had discarded her clothing underneath except her black sports bra. The middle-aged woman was as toned as Elias, though age had started to take its toll. ¡°It could be worse. If we¡¯d gone with our other option, we¡¯d have had to fight our way through this section of the maze.¡± It had been their third bust ¨C the third in a yet unknown series of Omoikane¡¯s tests. Their answer to the first test had forced them to walk for an hour drenched in the stench of the death flowers. The second had filled the passage with waist high snow ¨C the consequence of advising a warlord to lead his army through the mountains. It had taken them two hours to traverse, and, at the time, they¡¯d been grateful for their winter clothes. This time, it was the heat ¨C a heat that had pressed down upon them for the past four hours. Unlike the other passages, this one felt like a maze, with dozens of forks in the road that led to dead ends. Bethany had lost count of how often they¡¯d had to backtrack, and she was growing concerned they may not find the exit before they fell victim to the heat. Bethany was beginning to suspect the complexity of the maze was predicated on the quality of their counsel. Omoikane had made no secret that he¡¯d been unimpressed by the advice they¡¯d given the sultan. He expects perfection and punishes anything less. Yet there are no perfect answers, so all we are left with is which advice gives us the more favorable punishment. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s keep going,¡± Rocky said, climbing reluctantly to his feet. The kids groaned, a sentiment that the adults felt but kept buried inside. ¡°Five more minutes?¡± Brandon begged, his head face down and buried into his hands. Elias walked over and lifted him to his feet with a soft chuckle. ¡°Tell you what? If we keep moving, when we get back, we¡¯ll finally have that chocolate ice cream that Anjali and I has been saving.¡± ¡°Promise?¡± Brandon asked, his eyes lit up with excitement. ¡°Question, Mr. Farmer,¡± Emily asked playfully. ¡°Does this promise include the adults in the group?¡± Elias barked an exhausted laugh. ¡°Sure, why not? Ice cream for everyone.¡± They fell back into their tired march, Rocky and Elias leading the way with the kids at their heels and Bethany and Emily at the back. Emily leaned over to Bethany with a mischievous smile. ¡°Maybe he¡¯d let you eat it off his stomach,¡± she whispered suggestively. ¡°Emily!¡± Bethany whispered back, her face flushed. ¡°That¡¯s not¡­ I¡¯m not¡­ I don¡¯t need a relationship right now.¡± ¡°Who said anything about a relationship?¡± Emily teased. ¡°You only live once, girl. And that¡¯s never been truer that right now.¡± The notion occupied her thoughts until they finally reached the next Omoikane bust an hour later. * * * The world is shattered. Civilization has crumbled. A single flicker of hope remains in the form of a settlement in the west. A scholar stands at a crossroads, pondering which path to take to the settlement. Behind him, his few surviving students escort a wagon carrying the scholar¡¯s most precious possessions ¨C the final remnants of ancestral knowledge that could light anew the beacon of civilization. The scholar and his students are hunted by those who wish this knowledge to remain lost to time ¨C those who find power in the chaos that has gripped the world. If the scholar chooses the western path through the mountains, he must abandon the wagon and the hope contained within, for the path is treacherous and narrow. Yet the scholar knows well the secret paths that wind their way through the snow and ice, and those who travel the path shall reach their destination safely. If the scholar chooses the eastern path through the valley, the wagon and its knowledge shall reach its destination safely, but everyone who takes this path shall perish. They shall never see the world their sacrifice could usher into existence. The scholar kneels at the crossroads and prays for your counsel. The voice of Omoikane faded away, and the bust stood lifeless in the chamber once more. Beyond it, two paths ¨C one to the east, another to the west ¨C awaited their decision. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Abandon the books, stay safe,¡± Elias started bluntly. He elaborated when he saw their stares. ¡°Look, I¡¯m not against preserving knowledge. But what good is preserving knowledge if they are dead?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the most important thing to preserve,¡± countered Rocky. ¡°In every apocalypse story I¡¯ve read, it¡¯s the collapse of civilization ¨C the crumbling of its foundations and the lawlessness that comes with it ¨C that is the greatest threat. Not zombies. Not aliens. Not disease. Civilization is what keeps us from killing each other.¡± Civilization. We live in an apocalypse right now. How long until what¡¯s left of our own civilization crumbles? How long until we start killing each other? Has it already fallen, and we just haven¡¯t noticed yet? ¡°I agree with Rocky,¡± Delorus chimed in. ¡°I spent my first couple years in the military, in Afghanistan, and I¡¯ve seen what can happen when anarchy threatens order. It¡¯s not pretty. Even if these people survive, there¡¯s no guarantee their lives will be worth living. We need to consider the greater good.¡± Elias considered their words. ¡°Well, let¡¯s say the scholar goes east. He dies. His student die. Then what?¡± ¡°There are no guarantees anyone at the settlement will use that knowledge, or even knows how to read,¡± Emily said. ¡°We only know the knowledge will arrive. What¡¯s to prevent the population using the knowledge as kindling? I like Elias¡¯ gut reaction. The scholar and his students are the more valuable resource.¡± Rocky strolled over to the bust. ¡°Hey, Omoikane, our first question. What will happen to the knowledge if it arrives without the scholar and his students?¡± he asked, carefully choosing her his words. Knowledge is only valuable to those that know how to use it. The scholar and his students are the last remnants of those in the world who have the skills to do so. Without them, the knowledge shall rot away, or, as Ms. Desjarlais surmised, become kindling for their fires. ¡°Well, so much for that option,¡± Rocky said. ¡°Words on a page don¡¯t mean much if there isn¡¯t anyone who will use it.¡± ¡°Reading is for dummies anyway,¡± Brandon dismissed. A thorn from the nearby wall stretched out and pricked the eleven-year-old boy in the elbow. Brandon cried out in pain and leapt back. Rocky rushed over and inspected the wound. It was small, with only a small trickle of blood, and he healed it quickly. ¡°Brandon, honey, maybe don¡¯t say ¡®reading is dumb¡¯ in front of a god of wisdom,¡± Emily sighed. ¡°Yah, dummy,¡± Harmony chastised, rushing to Emily¡¯s side to add her disapproving glare. ¡°Sorry¡­,¡± sniffed Brandon, trying to hold in embarrassed tears. ¡°Sorry, Mr. Omoikane, sir.¡± The bust seemed to smile for a moment before it returned to its sullen appearance. ¡°Why do the smart people need the books?¡± asked Harmony curiously. ¡°Haven¡¯t they read them already?¡± ¡°Harmony, that¡¯s¡­ actually a really good question,¡± Delorus praised. ¡°Rocky?¡± ¡°On it!¡± Rocky exclaimed. ¡°Omoikane, what knowledge do the scholar and his students already possess that may be contained in the books?¡± The scholar and his students have spent their days collecting the knowledge, but they¡¯ve had little time to absorb its contents. Thus, only the smallest fraction of the knowledge contained within is known to those who sought it out. ¡°Then how do they know this knowledge is important?¡± Delorus asked with frustration. She was tired, having spent the night guarding Headquarters¡¯ barricade before Smith had dragged her along to the Arena. ¡°For all we know, it¡¯s just a wagon full of Playboy magazines.¡± ¡°This knowledge must be preserved at all costs!¡± Elias spoke dramatically. ¡°We shall guard it with our lives,¡± Rocky joined in, standing beside the farmer with an exaggerated salute. ¡°To the east!¡± ¡°I think the heat has fried both your brains,¡± Emily admonished. She rolled her eyes, but halfway through it turned into a yawn. We¡¯ve been at this for hours. Everyone is exhausted, and we¡¯re losing our edge. We need to rest soon, or we¡¯ll start making stupid decisions. ¡°Okay, okay,¡± Rocky chuckled. ¡°Delorus, Omoikane said the knowledge could create a beacon of civilization, so I think we can assume it¡¯s not a bunch of Playboys.¡± ¡°So the scholar and the students need the books,¡± Emily concluded. ¡°If they return to the settlement without the wagon, all it means is they survived. The ¡®beacon of hope¡¯ doesn¡¯t get lit, and the world remains in anarchy. They may live, but they will have lived without purpose.¡± Bethany stared at the bust as the group argued back and forth between the eastern and western path. We¡¯re doing it again ¨C falling into the false dichotomy of choice that Omoikane presented to us. There must be a third option. Figure it out Bethany. What do they need? They need both knowledge and those who know how to use it. Without one, the other is meaningless. Wait? Can it be that simple? ¡°What if¡­¡± she said as she slowly formed her scattered thoughts into an idea. ¡°What if they took both paths?¡± Silence fell over the chamber as her words rang out. ¡°Follow that thought, Bethany,¡± Rocky encouraged, excited eyes fixed upon his friend. ¡°The wagon must go east,¡± she began as her solution solidified in her mind. ¡°But Omoikane didn¡¯t say that everyone needed to travel with it ¨C only that everyone who did would die. What if one person traveled with the wagon and everyone else traveled the western path. One person would die, but the survivors could use the knowledge when it arrived. They¡¯d have both pieces of the puzzle.¡± Bethany felt the hum of excitement when she finished ¨C the same hum she felt when she¡¯d solved a riddle at her hometown library. Elias smiled at her. ¡°Bethany, you are the smartest women I¡¯ve ever met! That¡¯s perfect.¡± ¡°It¡¯s brilliant, Bethany,¡± Emily agreed. ¡°But which person sacrifices themselves to go with the wagon?¡± ¡°The scholar,¡± answered Rocky. ¡°He¡¯s their leader. It¡¯s his sacrifice to make. It¡¯s what I would do.¡± ¡°It is not what you would do!¡± scolded Emily, pounding her fist into his chest hard with each word. ¡°None of that noble bullshit. I want to have a long life with you, and you won¡¯t throw away our future over some self-imposed sense of honour.¡± She gave him one final strike to emphasize her point. Rocky blushed and held her close. ¡°Someone could volunteer,¡± suggested Delorus. ¡°Or they could draw straws.¡± ¡°It should be the least useful amongst them,¡± Elias said. ¡°There is no sense sending the strongest to die.¡± They argued back and forth for a while, and inevitably settled on drawing straws amongst the students, deciding the scholar ¨C their leader ¨C was too valuable to sacrifice. Rocky stood before the bust of Omoikane and gave their answer. The wise understand that knowledge does not exist without those who would wield it. Bound in prisons of paper, words without a vector have no purpose, save to await the erosion of time. It is only when they come together that knowledge becomes something so powerful that it can change the very fabric of reality. Omoikane¡¯s eyes shifted left, and the barrier of darkness disappeared from the western passageway. Elias stared into its depths and cast the light of his sword down the narrow passage. ¡°It¡¯s narrow ¨C filled with jagged rocks and big boulders that we¡¯ll need to climb around. Might be slow going, but it seems safe,¡± he said with a sigh of relief. ¡°At least it¡¯s not fifty degrees in there.¡± Elias stepped onto the path and the kids and Delorus quickly followed. ¡°After snow and scorching heat, I¡¯ll take a few rocks,¡± Rocky chuckled as he held Emily¡¯s hand and stepped over the threshold. Bethany began to follow but hesitated. The bust of Omoikane had not dissolved like in the previous tests. It remained whole in the centre of the room, watching the westerly path. Something¡¯s wrong¡­ something¡­ the path! ¡°Rocky! Emily! Don¡¯t¡­,¡± she shouted in alarm, dashing towards them. She was too late. As Rocky and Emily stepped over the threshold, the barrier of semi-translucent darkness snapped back into place. Bethany struck the film and was hurled backwards. She cried out in pain as stones scraped her arms as she tumbled. The muffled shouts of her friends drifted though the barrier. ¡°Bethany! Are you there?¡± It was Emily, though her voice sounded distant. ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± groaned Bethany, clutching her arm as she rose to her feet. ¡°Bethany¡­ can¡¯t get through¡­ can¡¯t hear¡­¡± Emily voice drifted away ¨C a whisper into the wind ¨C and silence fell over the chamber. Bethany¡¯s heart raced. She turned towards the bust of Omoikane. Its eyes now gazed right ¨C towards the eastern passage ¨C where the barrier had disappeared. The eastern path was smooth and wide, and a valley wind blew from its depths. Beneath the bust, resting upon a golden pillar, was a single, leather-bound book. The knowledge to be carried. Bethany¡¯s heart pounded in her chest. ¡°One sent with the wagon ¨C sacrificed to deliver the knowledge. Fuck you, Omoikane,¡± Bethany spat as she allowed her anger to drown out the terror that threatened to overwhelm her. ¡°Fuck you, and fuck your Arena.¡± She pulled her ball-peen hammer from her side and let loose her light. Hammer of Light illuminated the chamber in bright sunlight. Gripping it in both hands, she swung at the bust. It shattered into a thousand pieces and scattered across the chamber floor. ¡°I¡¯m not going to die for you, Omoikane,¡± she declared, her Oracle eye flashing red. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you have in store for me down that path, but I¡¯ll tell you right now that it will not be enough to beat me.¡± She picked the book off its pedestal. It was old and fragile, and sealed shut with a silver lock. It had no title, but the power that radiated from its pages gave her goosebumps. She shoved the book into her backpack and stepped onto the eastern path. Before the barrier of darkness sealed her in, she glanced back at the shattered remains of the bust. ¡°I swear, Omoikane, if anything happens to my friends, I will find you. And I will end you.¡± Chapter 47 - Corruption ¡°Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see.¡± Martin Luther King, Jr. Pebbles crunched under Bethany¡¯s feet as she marched down the narrow valley path, its walls comprised of unclimbable stone covered in piercing thorns. The breeze that flowed down the passage felt like the winds that drifted off the northern mountains ¨C crisp and damp, with a hint of the unknown behind the scent of the pine. It drew the desert heat from Bethany¡¯s skin like a damp cloth laid upon a sunburn. Yet Bethany found little comfort in the sensation. With every minute that passed, the light in the valley grew dimmer, and a thick, imposing darkness flooded in to take its place. After three hours, she was forced to call upon her Hammer of Light to illuminate the path ahead. Where her light met the cruel thorns, haunting shadows cast against the walls, dancing with each step ¨C candlelight phantoms that stole her bravado, piece by piece. Her instincts rested on a razor¡¯s edge. Bethany twitched at every snapped twig and every phantom glimpsed in the corner of her eye that danced to a tune not cast by her light. The burden of the leather-bound book in her backpack grew heavier with every step, and Omoikane¡¯s promise of death ahead weighed heavier still. ¡°Hold it together Bethany,¡± she whispered to break the silence that threatened to drown her. ¡°You¡¯ll get through this. It¡¯s just darkness, and you and the darkness are well acquainted.¡± A faint, malicious laughter echoed in the distance, and Bethany couldn¡¯t tell whether it was real or a figment of her imagination. Her thoughts were drawn to her childhood, when she was ten-year-old and struggling to cope with the death of her mother and the betrayal of her father. Every night he came. Every night it got worse. I missed school and I fell behind. My father wouldn¡¯t let me go with the bruises on my face. But it didn¡¯t take him long to learn where bruises could be hidden. Her father wasn¡¯t the only one who learned in those first few months. Bethany taught herself how to sense the danger building each night in her home. She sat in her bedroom, surrounded by the darkness, and listened to the clink of glasses as her father drank downstairs. She learned to distinguish the sound of an empty bottle and the difference between beer and whisky and gin. She could judge her father¡¯s drunkenness through the subtle cues that drifted into her bedroom, and she could predict whether he would simply pass out, or if he would come for her in the night. On the first day of fall in her tenth year ¨C sporting a day-old black eye and swollen lip ¨C Bethany grabbed her ratty blanket and snuck out her window, desperate to escape the violence she knew would come again that night. She ran into the woods behind their home, until she could no longer see the light shining through the windows of her home. Clutching her blanket tightly to her chest, she walked on, each step taking her further away from cruelty behind her. Eventually, in the dead of night under the light of the full moon, she stumbled upon a tree that had collapsed during a recent storm. Its roots had been ripped from the ground, leaving behind a tree throw ¨C a hole several feet deep ¨C that was partially sheltered by the tree¡¯s network of dying roots. Bethany spent the night in that hole, her blanket draped tightly around her as she shivered and cried in the darkness. For a few precious months, the hole became a sanctuary for the grieving little girl. She always returned in the morning ¨C she couldn¡¯t leave her grandmother alone ¨C but on those nights when she knew the violence would come, she would sneak out and return to the sanctuary. She lined the hole with a thick bed of fresh moss and used leafy branches to create a barrier against the biting wind. She snuck what little food she dared from the cupboards so she wouldn¡¯t starve, but she took nothing else from her home lest her father grow suspicious, save for one precious thing. Her mother¡¯s nighty, which she stole from a trunk in the basement. It still held her scent, and as Bethany clutched it tightly as she slept, she imagined being held in her mother¡¯s protective arms once more. The nights grew colder as the fall edged into winter, and with the cold came the howls of the wolves. At first, the howls were distant ¨C the nocturnal dance of predator and prey carried on the wind and elevated by darkness. On those nights, chilled to the bone, Bethany would huddle in her hole, quiet as a mouse, until the howls faded away and she was once again alone in the world ¨C protected behind a wall of flimsy sticks and childhood naivety. It was in the early days of November, as the first blanket of snow fell upon the forest, that the wolves came for her in the dead of night. Bethany woke to the scratching of claws against her stick wall, and the sniffs of predators who sensed nearby prey. Utter terror seized her soul, and she clutched her mother¡¯s nighty tightly to her chest, squeezed her eyes shut, and silently prayed for her protection. She held her breath as a wolf eased its muzzle through the branches, its curious sniff filling her with dread. It reached blindly for her, and its teeth closed upon the nighty in her hands. The wolf tore it from her grasp, and it took every ounce of good sense for ten-year-old Bethany not to try to pull it back. All she could do was lay there, shivering from the combined chill of crippling fear and winter¡¯s breath, as the wolves tore apart her last connection to her mother bit-by-bit. When morning¡¯s sun finally broke over the horizon, all that remained were the tiniest fragments of the nighty ¨C her mother¡¯s scent lost to the wind. She ran home as fast as her frostbitten feet could carry her, only to run headlong into her father as she bolted through the front door. It had taken two weeks to recover from his fury. Her grandmother had sat at her side, tending to her prickly feet and deep, painful bruises, as she told Bethany not to blame her father. ¡°Be brave, little bee,¡± her grandmother said. ¡°He doesn¡¯t mean it. Your father loves you. He grieves for your mother, and you owe it to him to be patient. I don¡¯t want you to leave this house again like that, understand?¡± The wolves weren¡¯t only in the forest. They were behind the walls of my home as well. Bethany shook away the memory, but the howls of the wolves still echoed in her mind ¨C childhood trauma resurfaced against the flickering shadows of the valley. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. A winter chill blew down the passage, and Bethany¡¯s hair stood on end. Something¡¯s not right. The howls came again, and this time they were not found in her memories. They came from behind her. Bethany gripped her Hammer of Light tightly and directed its light down the passage at her back. Three distinct howls greeted the light, and the shadows flickering on the walls took on a sinister dance. I¡¯m vulnerable here, out in the open. I need to find some cover. She turned and ran, illuminating the path ahead as she sprinted through the tall grass. Her backpack ¨C and the precious cargo contained within ¨C bounced on her back, the straps digging uncomfortably into her shoulders. Her enhanced speed carried her forward, but the howls gained on her, growing closer with every step she took down the unwinding valley. Her breath grew heavy and sweat dripped down the side of her face. There was no cover to be found. Only the narrow path ahead, and the thorn covered, unclimbable walls on either side. Just when she had started to lose hope ¨C when she was about to turn and face her pursuers ¨C she caught a twinkle of pure white ivory in the middle of an open field. The bust of Omoikane. That¡¯s where I¡¯ll make my stand. The clearing gave her room to maneuver, and she could put the bust between her and the wolves to slow them down. She arrived at the clearing and ducked behind the bust and cast her light down the valley where she had been. The voice of Omoikane began to emanate from the bust. A man lives in the depths of Eternity. He¡­ ¡°Shut it Omoikane!¡± Bethany shouted angrily. ¡°I¡¯m too busy dealing with your fucking wolves to listen to your bullshit riddle.¡± She removed her backpack and leaned it against the bust to grant her shoulders more flexibility. With a deep, calming breath, she steeled herself for the enemies that would be upon her in moments. ¡°Come get me, beasts. I¡¯m not a little girl anymore. I¡¯m not your easy prey.¡± She held her hammer with both hands, eyes fixed forward, and willed the light to grow brighter. She could see the wolves now, loping through the darkness. There were three of them, each reaching the height of Bethany¡¯s chest. Their eyes glowed sickly yellow, and darkness as deep as starless night flowed over their bodies ¨C an armor of shadow that swallowed her light. They were creatures of nightmare ¨C as malicious and hungry as the shadow monster at the construction site that had first triggered her Gift of Insight. Fear threatened to steal the breath from her lungs and squeeze life from her bones. Her Oracle Eye flashed with golden light, lending Bethany a touch of bravery as she stood alone against the oncoming enemy. ¡°Fuck you, Omoikane,¡± she shouted, relying on her anger to keep fear at bay. ¡°And fuck your arena. Shadow wolves? What does that have to do with this challenge? I won¡¯t die here, you hear me? I won¡¯t die¡­¡± These wolves are not my creation. The world around Bethany muted, the building rhythm of the approaching wolves the only sound that broke through the silence. Bethany slowly turned towards the bust, her eyes wide with shock, and was horrified to see the same expression reflected in the bust of Omoikane¡¯s eyes. What? She didn¡¯t have time to consider the implications of the revelation. A moment later, the wolves burst into the clearing, barreling towards her with snapping maws and fierce claws. She fixed her gaze on the lead wolf as it leapt over the bust to wrap its teeth around her throat. Bethany dodged right, letting the creature sail past her. Its attack fell on empty air, and the beast¡¯s momentum carried it straight into the thorns at Bethany¡¯s back. The wolf yelped as thorns pierced its body, but Bethany didn¡¯t have time to celebrate. She dashed towards the second wolf and jumped, her enhanced strength carrying her onto the wolf¡¯s back. A follow-up kick sent the second wolf crashing to the ground while flipping her over the third wolf. She twisted in mid-air and grazed the back of the third wolf with her hammer. Her light tore through its billowing shadows ¨C her light and their darkness as incompatible as oil and water. She landed hard behind the wolves as they struggled to slow their momentum to round on their unexpectedly agile prey. Bethany didn¡¯t slow her attack. She swung her hammer straight into the ribs of the third wolf. Its bones shattered, and the wolf howled with an unholy mix of pain and fury. Bethany watched as her light peeled back the shadows where it struck, revealing a desiccated body beneath ¨C the creature¡¯s life long since extinguished. The beast corpses are corrupted. Do not let them touch¡­ Omoikane¡¯s voice was sharply silenced, as if his connection to his own Arena had been severed. ¡°God damn it,¡± Bethany swore as she followed up with a second strike on the injured wolf. Her hammer struck flesh behind the peeled back shadow and tore through it form as if she were smashing rotten fruit. The beast exploded in half, and the stench of death that erupted from the entrails of the corpse made her gag. She leapt back, a hand to her nose to block the smell. The other two wolves, now recovered, surged over the body of their companion. Bethany rolled beyond the reach of the first, its teeth missing her by inches, but the second raked its claws across her jeans, slicing them open from thigh to ankle. Bethany winced, but there was no blood. The strike had missed her skin by a fraction of a millimeter. I need to end this quickly. Bethany spun and struck, catching the second wolf square in the muzzle as it turned to strike at her. As the blow fell, her light peeled back shadows and revealed a decayed skull instead of a face. Her hammer struck bone, and the skull was crushed into a thousand fragments. It dropped to the ground, its unnatural life extinguished. The final wolf ¨C the one that had impaled itself on the thorns ¨C licked it lips as it circled its prey. Bethany caught a glimmer in its dead eyes, calculated and cruel. It had no concern for the fate of its companions. It only had eyes for its prey. The wolf snapped its jaws for Bethany¡¯s throat, but she leapt backwards before the blow fell. She countered with a straight thrust, but the wolf leapt to the side and snapped at her hand. Bethany pulled back, and the wolf struck again, keeping her on her heels and dodging back before her own counterstrikes could land. It¡¯s smarter than the others, and it¡¯s learning. It¡¯s trying to tire me out. I can¡¯t stay on the defensive. I need to attack. But how can I¡­ the thorns! Bethany feigned a straight thrust, and the wolf leapt backwards to dodge. It realized its mistake before its feet touched the ground, but Bethany didn¡¯t give it time to recover. Two quick steps closed the distance, and Bethany twisted her feet, telegraphing a vicious horizontal swing ¨C a second feint to draw the wolf into her trap. As Bethany hoped, the wolf leapt backwards again to avoid the blow, but it had forgotten its position on the battlefield. Its backwards leap launched it straight into the thorns behind it. The wolf yelped as its side was pierced for a second time, and, for a brief but fatal moment, it took its eyes off Bethany to gaze at the source of its injury. Bethany didn¡¯t waste her opportunity. She brought her hammer down in a vertical plunge with all her might. The wolf¡¯s eyes met hers just as her blow fell and caved in the creature¡¯s skull with a sickening crack. Its head disintegrated from Bethany¡¯s power, and its body went limp, still held aloft by the thorns. Bethany fell to the dirt, exhausted. The putrid stench of the corpses filled the air around her, their armor of darkness flickering in the light of her hammer. Her breath came in gasps and her legs felt like rubber, but she was alive, and she was victorious. Marvelous. Simply marvelous. I hadn¡¯t expected to encounter a fighter of your caliber this early in the game. Here I was, settling for desperate souls trying to delay their inevitable deaths, when I could have had you. Her blood turned cold, and a pungent, deathly odor ¨C beyond even the putrid scent of the wolves ¨C filled the air. The voice did not come from the bust of Omoikane. It came from the darkness all around her, deep and malicious. It was a voice she¡¯d heard before, amongst the celebrating gods in God Home. The starved god in the skull mask ¨C the Mayan God of Death ¨C who had challenged Authority himself. ¡®I know my place, though it is not the place you believe it to be. Everything changes, Sun God. Even your Holy Law.¡¯ From behind the darkness, Ah Puch grinned wickedly. Perhaps you¡¯d like to make a deal. Chapter 48 - Shadowman ¡°The more you try to turn away from darkness, the more darkness is right against your back.¡± Robert Eggers, American Filmmaker They travelled quickly down the mountain path ¨C as quickly as they could while traversing narrow passages ¨C driven on by the hope that they could save Bethany when they reached the other side. Emily glanced over her shoulder at Rocky and Elias, who weaved their way through scattered boulders as they carried Harmony and Brandon on their backs. The twins had pushed themselves to their limits and had collapsed in exhaustion an hour ago. Delorus led the way through the rough terrain, but Emily could see the toll the journey had taken on the officer as well. ¡°She hasn¡¯t received any Emporium enhancements,¡± Rocky said, following his lover¡¯s gaze. ¡°The only reason she¡¯s still standing is her police training and sheer force of will.¡± ¡°I guess I hadn¡¯t realized just how much of a different the enhancements made,¡± Emily answered. She felt the exhaustion, but it felt like she did after a day at the ski hill. Delorus looked like she¡¯d just finished a marathon and decided to keep going. ¡°Bethany has more enhancements than any of us,¡± Rocky said faintly. ¡°Do you think she¡­¡± Emily grabbed his hand in hers for support. ¡°If anyone can survive this, it¡¯s her.¡± ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Delorus called back as they ducked under a ledge and emerged at a clearing on the other side. It was the end of the maze. The clearing was the size of a football field ¨C the final destination of over a hundred different paths that wound their way through the maze. In its center, a twenty-foot-tall bronze statue of Omoikane towered over them, a massive, spiraled staircase hovering above it, just out of reach. The way home. As they crossed the threshold, the voice of Omoikane emanated from the statue and filled the world around them with their final test. A mortal ¨C the wisest of them all ¨C was gifted with immortality and tasked by his Creator to watch over and guide his people. At first, the man did so without fail and his people prospered. In their gratitude, they gifted him their finest luxuries, so the man might live as a king amongst them. At first, the man declined their gifts, believing himself to be but a simple guide. Until one day, he gazed upon his reflection in a pond and plucked a single grey hair from his head of golden curls. The man realized he had not been gifted with immortality as his Creator had promised. His life was tied to the prosperity of his people, and once his people no longer needed his guidance, he would perish. The man imprisoned his Creator for its deception and learned to draw upon its power to perform his own miracles. He granted immortality to other worthy mortals, though always was he first amongst them. Time marched on, and his people began to worship the man as a god. With each year that passed the man plucked more grey hairs from his curls, and he became consumed with how he could avoid his fate. Centuries later, at the end of his time, he discovered a means of prolonging his life. He comes to you, his oldest friend, with a solution and seeks your advice. ¡°We must remain the guiding hand of our people,¡± he tells you. ¡°If we sacrifice a few ¨C if we absorb that which gives them live ¨C we shall be their guides for all eternity.¡± Advise your friend. They ignored the riddle at first, dashing around the perimeter of the clearing to locate a passage that might lead to Bethany. Except each path ¨C even the one through which they had traveled ¨C was blocked by a transparent, one-way barrier. They could not go back. ¡°If we can¡¯t help her from this side, then let¡¯s finish this damn Arena,¡± Emily said in frustration. ¡°If we finish the Arena, it might disappear, and she might get kicked out before whatever Omoikane has planned happens to her. We can¡¯t just leave her to¡­ to¡­¡± Emily couldn¡¯t bring herself to finish, and she leaned against Rocky for support. He put a meaty hand around her shoulder and held her close. ¡°It¡¯s a risk ¨C we don¡¯t know if this Arena will disappear if we win ¨C but it¡¯s better than just sitting here while she struggles,¡± Elias agreed, laying the sleeping Harmony carefully on the grass next to her brother. ¡°I say we do it.¡± Delorus stared up at the bronze statue with exhausted contempt. She recalled the uncertainty and fear in Bethany¡¯s eyes when they first met. An uncertainty that had transformed into confidence after only a few weeks in the God Contest. A remarkable change in a world that should have torn her apart. ¡°Bethany is a fighter,¡± Delorus said, turning towards the group. ¡°And so are all of you. Let¡¯s end this.¡± They quickly debated back and forth ¨C as they had done with the other scenarios ¨C until they had decided on their first question. ¡°Omoikane, do their people still require a guiding hand?¡± Elias asked. It was the obvious question ¨C if the people no longer needed guidance, then what need was there for a guide? The statue of Omoikane was silent for a long while, as if it were distracted. Elias was about to ask his question again when his answer finally arrived. A child is blind to the world when first born. It stumbles through life and would be doomed to an early death without the guiding hand of the parent. Yet that guiding hand can become a curse if it¡­ Omoikane¡¯s answer abruptly ended, cut off mid-sentence. ¡°Is¡­ is that it?¡± Rocky asked. Elias kicked the statue of Omoikane in frustration, as if he were trying to fix a broken printer. ¡°How¡¯s that going to fix anything?¡± Emily scolded as she paced back and forth anxiously. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°It made me feel better,¡± Elias answered, kicking it again. ¡°Come on you fucking¡­¡± He glanced back at Harmony and Brandon, who were softly snoring on the grass. ¡°¡­ fucking statue,¡± he finished, whispering the final two words. Delorus lay a supportive hand on Elias¡¯ shoulder. ¡°Be patient. Bethany will survive this. For all the horrors in this world, I get the feeling that girl has survived worse. We¡¯ll¡­¡± Delorus stopped as she heard faint voices drift on the breeze from a western path. ¡°Is that¡­?¡± Emily began to ask, but Delorus held up her hand for silence. It wasn¡¯t Bethany. She recognized those voices, and she didn¡¯t know if their arrival would be helpful or dangerous. ¡°Let me do the talking,¡± she cautioned, as Chief Benton, Sargeant Smith, and Kim Hilton rounded the corner. Officer Wallace and Max Galloway were nowhere to be seen. Sargeant Smith made no effort to hide his scowl when they spotted Delorus. ¡°Delorus,¡± Captain Benton bellowed charismatically. His eyes quickly surveyed her companions. ¡°You¡¯ve made it through the maze and found some new friends. You simply must tell me everything.¡± * * * Bethany¡¯s heart pounded as the light of her hammer carved out a small dome within the intense darkness. It felt like she was underwater as the pressure threatened to shatter her light and swallow her whole. The shadows from the dead wolves flowed along the earth like a river and gathered at a point just beyond her light. At the edge of the darkness she glimpsed a man, his form quickly covered by the billowing shadows, obscuring everything that made him human but for two glowing red eyes that pierced her soul. Bethany had seen those eyes ¨C those terrible, molten eyes ¨C once before, in a dream, staring out from her father¡¯s face. ¡®You are ugly and worthless, Bethany. Better to die quick at the beginning than to suffer until the end.¡¯ Surrounded by the stares of a thousand lifeless eyes, she had fought off her father¡¯s choking grasp and smashed her grandmother¡¯s urn into his face to escape. She had pierced his molten eyes and watched their remains burn a trail of fire through his face. ¡®I gave you an easy way out. Now you will suffer.¡¯ The figure stepped into her light, and her hammer flickered in protest. Ah Puch¡¯s malevolent voice emanated from the darkness behind her as the man began to slowly ¨C tauntingly ¨C close the distance between them. I¡¯ll offer you a choice, player. I don¡¯t offer this to many. Serve me willingly in life, and I shall grant you power to survive in these games. Or die with my Shadowman¡¯s hands around your throat and serve in unwillingly in death in the depths of Xibalba. ¡°I will be no one¡¯s slave, in life or in death,¡± Bethany spat defiantly, readying herself for the inevitable attack. Brave, but foolish. Perhaps you¡¯ll change your mind before the end. The Shadowman extended its arm and formed a dagger of pure shadow in its hand. A mouth appeared on its face and stretched into an unnatural toothy grin. From its depths poured a symphony that cascaded from the inner depths of hell itself ¨C the screams of tortured souls that tore apart the silence. Come, mortal. Let¡¯s see what you¡¯re made of. The Shadowman dashed forward, lightning fast, and it took everything Bethany had to roll out of the way. Its knife struck where her heart had been, cutting through the air with deadly precision. Bethany struggled to her feet, her legs still burning from the battle with the wolves. Fear and exhaustion weighed heavy on her, and her breaths came in shallow gasps, but she gritted her teeth and forced herself to face the monstrosity. Her hammer ¨C once light as a feather ¨C felt heavy in her hands as its light was drawn into the depths of the shadow and snuffed out. The Shadowman turned its head dramatically towards her with a cruel, piercing gaze. Its smile grew wider, and it lazily ¨C almost playfully ¨C swung its knife for her shoulder. A cat playing with a mouse before the kill. Bethany barely managed to deflect the blow, and her arms grew numb as her hammer struck the shadow knife. For a heart-wrenching instant, her light failed her, and she was left clutching her ball-peen hammer as darkness closed in around her. Light. Come on¡­ give me some light! Her hammer flared into existence once more, and as darkness retreated, Bethany saw the face of the Shadowman inches away from her, its sadistic grin and molten eyes mocking her. She scrambled backwards, trying to think through the cloud of fear that threatened to paralyze her. The Shadowman was strong ¨C magnitudes stronger than the wolves ¨C and it could kill her any time it wished. She frantically searched for an exit ¨C a place to run or hide ¨C but the only escape was the way she came, where she knew there was no shelter to be found. There must be something¡­ anything¡­ I¡­ shit! The Shadowman swung again, not bothering to mask its intentions. She barely deflected the blow aimed for her neck. Her light flickered as their weapons collided, and her light dimmed from that of a beacon to a flickering candle at the end of its wick. The Shadowman grew stronger as darkness flowed in, as it systematically shredded what fragments of bravery Bethany had managed to preserve. Your light fades, mortal. You shall soon be in Xibalba, tied to the rack as a devil¡¯s plaything. But you can avoid such a cruel fate. Become my servant, and I shall grant you power to defeat far greater foes than this weak Shadowman. The Shadowman struck again, harder this time, as if angered by Ah Puch¡¯s taunts. The sleeve of Bethany¡¯s blouse tore as its knife slid across her shoulder. She screamed as her flesh was carved like a roast. Her arm grew numb, and she gritted her teeth against the pain. Bethany desperately scrambled backwards, her dying hammer held aloft with her uninjured hand. The Shadowman¡¯s grin grew impossibly wide, and the tortured screams of the dead became louder. Bethany¡¯s felt her sanity begin to crack at the edges and focused on the pain to ground herself in the moment. Ignore the screams. Focus on this monster. Fight back. Come on, Bethany, fight back. Bethany darted forward, swinging wildly in a single-handed blow. The Shadowman deflected her strike with little effort, and Bethany was thrown off balance. The creature closed the distance between them in an instant and, with its open palm, struck Bethany square in the chest. She felt her ribs crack as she was hurled across the clearing and landed hard fifteen feet away at the edge of the thorns. She coughed, blood spilling from her mouth and onto the dirt below. Final chance, girl. I can feel my Shadowman¡¯s desire to kill, and I grow bored with your impertinence. ¡°Fuck¡­ fuck you,¡± Bethany cursed, spitting the blood out of her mouth. Ah Puch¡¯s malicious laugh echoed in the darkness as the Shadowman slowly closed the distance. Then join the others, mortal. Become fuel for our fire. I won¡¯t die like this. I won¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ Get up, Bethany. Bethany rose, knees shaking and vision blurred. The Shadowman drew back its hand and aimed a killing blow at Bethany¡¯s heart. She braced, her hand tight around the ball-peen hammer that had been her safety blanket for so many years. The hammer that now formed the core of her light. As the Shadowman struck, Bethany thought of Rocky and Emily ¨C the friends she had found, and the happiness they had given her ¨C and poured every ounce of bravery and strength remaining into her own blow. She kicked off the ground, lending her weight to her final, desperate strike, and screamed in wordless defiance as their weapons collided. Sparks erupted at the intersection of shadow and light and, for the briefest of moments, the Shadowman¡¯s molten eyes grew wide with surprise at her strength. Bethany¡¯s ball-peen hammer vibrated as the battle between light and dark raged, but she knew it wouldn¡¯t be enough. She could see the shadow knife¡¯s edge begin to pierce her light ¨C drinking up its radiance. Cracks began to spread down her hammer, like fractures in a plane of glass about to break. She gave a final scream as the monster¡¯s knife finished carving through the light and struck her ball-peen hammer beneath. The instant the two weapons collided, her hammer shattered into a thousand pieces. Metal shrapnel struck Bethany full in the chest like a flurry of bullets and she collapsed. Bethany felt her blood seeping into her blouse as the final strand of light faded away. The darkness closed in around her. Her Oracle Eye pulsed, its light all that resisted the darkness around her. My Gift of Insight¡­ why¡­ why didn¡¯t it activate? She tried to trigger it ¨C to give herself a second chance against the creature, as it had when the Spartan¡¯s arrow had pierced her chest. Yet the eye remained dormant as death came to claim her. Her thoughts grew fuzzy and disjointed, and she felt herself getting sleepy. The Shadowman stood over Bethany, its molten eyes filled with vicious glee as it watched her bleed. Her eyes grew heavy in the darkness, and she felt her consciousness slip away. Into the dream. Chapter 49 - The Colour of the Void ¡°Man always dies before he is fully born.¡± Erich Fromm, Psychologist ¡°You dare, Ah Puch? You dare violate the rules of the God Contest? The laws of Authority himself?¡± ¡°Violate? I have no idea what you mean, Omoikane. Such a serious accusation to lay at the feet of your fellow god. Surely you must have proof to back up such a radical claim.¡± Their words were faint, as if carried on a dream. At first, their argument didn¡¯t register with Bethany. Her mind was clouded with fog, and there was a stabbing pain in her chest. Yet a cool, almost pleasant, sensation seeped into her being ¨C an energy she had felt before. The energy that fed the gods. Bethany slowly opened her eyes, and the mental fog began to lift. She was in her void, lying on the surface of the metaphysical pond. Tiny specks of firefly light drifted across her body, and where they touched her skin, she felt a tiny infusion of lifegiving energy. I remember¡­ shadows. The wolves. The man. The god. My hammer¡­ shattered. Its remains pierced my chest. I¡­ I think I died. The realization shattered what remained of her mental fog, and Bethany sat up in an instant, her hands probing desperately for wounds. I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m okay. No, I¡¯m not okay. My mind is in the void, but my body is still in the arena, torn and broken. ¡°Proof? You cut me off from my own Arena,¡± Omoikane accused, the elderly god¡¯s words a mix of astonishment and unbending rage. ¡°Those shadows ¨C I don¡¯t know how you did it, but you sent them into my maze, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°And why would I do that, dear Omoikane,¡± Ah Puch replied. Bethany could hear the sneer in his voice as he taunted Omoikane to act rashly. Bethany slowly got to her feet and tiptoed to the crack in the door that led to God Home, as if her silence footsteps in the void would attract the gods¡¯ attention. She looked beyond and saw the two gods arguing across what looked to be a library. This door led to a hallway last time I stepped through it. This time, it seems like I¡¯m looking from inside a wardrobe. Does the entrance move around? ¡°You know why, death god. You seek to bypass Authority ¨C he who gifted you your immortality ¨C by siphoning energy straight from the God Contest. Fuel for your rebellion,¡± accused Omoikane. ¡°Rebellion? Now here I was, believing it to be Oracle who was the rebel. It is her, after all, who hangs in the cage above the abyss, not me,¡± mused Ah Puch. ¡°Perhaps your once-sharp mind has dulled, Omoikane.¡± Omoikane scowled, and Ah Puch smiled ¨C a broad, malicious smile that so closely resembled the Shadowman¡¯s grin. ¡°Mark my words, Ah Puch. I¡¯ll¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ll what?¡± interrupted Ah Puch, his words slow and suddenly drenched with threat. ¡°If you had any proof, you¡¯d have told Authority ¨C the slave desperate to suckle at his master¡¯s teat. But you don¡¯t have proof, do you? Now, I¡¯ve endured enough of your accusations.¡± Ah Puch pushed past the Omoikane and strode for the library door, his rats following in his wake like a drifting plague. ¡°If I were you, old man,¡± Ah Puch advised softly without looking back. ¡°I¡¯d be careful how far you push me. After all, everyone dies eventually. Even Authority is not truly immortal.¡± He opened the hefty wooden door and strode into the hall, leaving Omoikane alone in silence in the midst of the endless tomes of the library. Omoikane removed his spectacles and rubbed his forehead, leaning against a simple, worn writing desk. He took a deep, calming breath as he tried to get control of his anger. There came a tentative knock on the library door, and a bespeckled man with a green ibis head poked his head in. ¡°Ah¡­ Omoikane, I thought I heard shouting,¡± Thoth said tentatively, as he strode into the library. Bethany saw a tiny, pulsing pearl in his hand, which he slipped into his pocket before Omoikane could see it. ¡°Are you alright, my friend?¡± Omoikane glanced up at his fellow knowledge god and let his shoulders sag. ¡°Just a¡­ malfunction¡­ with my Arena, I¡¯m afraid. And an argument with Ah Puch.¡± ¡°Yes, the death god can be trying even in the best of times,¡± Thoth comforted. ¡°I hope your arena isn¡¯t voided. I was watching its progress with the other knowledge gods, but the broadcast was suddenly severed.¡± Thoth¡¯s anxious, but he¡¯s trying not to show it. He didn¡¯t find his way to this library by accident. ¡°It is still viable. I lost contact for a few minutes and had to put it in a time dilation to do some¡­ minor repairs, but it¡¯ll resume in a few moments. Will you be watching once it does?¡± Omoikane isn¡¯t being forthright with Thoth. Does he not trust the god? Or is he intimidated by Ah Puch¡¯s threats? Perhaps both. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, Omoikane. I came by to do some research for my own Arena in the mountain quadrant,¡± Thoth said apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m sure the rest of your Arena will go well. I know the others are looking forward to learning the fate of the refinery team.¡± Refinery team? I knew they were watching us ¨C Jitters broadcasts my every move for their amusement ¨C but it¡¯s strange to hear them talk about it so casually. ¡°That¡¯s right. Three of the players participating in my area were also contestants in yours. What were their names? Rocky¡­ Emily¡­ and¡­ Brittany?¡± Brittany! As if. Thoth shrugged. ¡°I try not to remember their names, Omoikane. It makes what we do to them all the more heart wrenching.¡± Omoikane nodded his agreement and placed a comforting hand on Thoth¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s for the greater good, my friend. Now, I¡¯ll cede the library to you and resume my challenge. Best of luck in your research.¡± ¡°To you as well, old friend,¡± Thoth replied, and Omoikane left the library. The instant the door clicked shut, Thoth rushed over to the wardrobe and threw open the doors. In her shock, Bethany tumbled out of the void and onto the library floor. ¡°Bethany, why are you here?¡± Thoth said with a fusion of surprise, annoyance, and apprehension. ¡°And why are you hiding in a closet?¡± ¡°How did you know I was in there?¡± Bethany asked, avoiding his questions as she picked herself slowly off the floor in a vain attempt to preserve some semblance of dignity in front of the knowledge god. Thoth held up the small, pulsing pearl. ¡°After your last visit to God Home, I thought it best to create a device that would alert me if you were to show up again,¡± Thoth explained. ¡°A handy creation of my own design. But that¡¯s not important. What happened in Omoikane¡¯s Arena?¡± Bethany hesitated. Thoth ¨C he¡¯s part of this game that¡¯s trying to kill us. But he saved me before, when I first found myself in God Home, by ensuring Authority and Omoikane didn¡¯t find me. What side is he on? Can I trust him? ¡°I think I¡­ died,¡± Bethany said simply, her hand clutched to her chest. Thoth considered the woman carefully and reached his hand out towards her. She could see fear half-hidden behind his eyes, and it made her stomach lurch. ¡°May I?¡± Bethany nodded, and Thoth¡¯s hand glowed brilliant green as he rested his fingers against her heart. ¡°Your heart stopped in the fraction of an instant before the time dilation was activated,¡± Thoth said with deep sympathy, though Bethany couldn¡¯t tell if that sympathy was directed at her. ¡°I¡¯m afraid once Omoikane resumes his arena, you¡¯ll only have a few minutes before your life comes to an end.¡± ¡°I might have less time than that,¡± Bethany muttered, the sight of the Shadowman looming over her square in her mind. ¡°Is there anything you can do to survive?¡± asked Thoth skeptically. ¡°I¡­,¡± She wanted to stay defiant ¨C to tell Thoth she would resist death itself and defeat the Shadowman. Only it would be a lie. ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t do anything to stop it. I¡¯m all alone, and it¡¯s too strong,¡± Bethany whimpered, as the reality of her situation hit her like a ton of bricks. She felt helpless ¨C a prisoner being walked down the hall to the execution chamber. Thoth turned away from the player and stared out the window into the nothingness that existed beyond God Home, contemplating. Bethany peaked over his shoulder. What lay beyond the window resembled her void, but without the faint life that teemed below its dark surface. If her void was a hidden sanctuary, this one was a graveyard. It chilled Bethany to her very core. ¡°Do you want this to be to end?¡± Thoth finally asked, never taking his eyes off the dead void. ¡°Many players who find themselves in the God Contest are unable to cope with the horrors that we unleash upon them. They give up and let themselves wither away. There is no shame in doing so.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not going to give up,¡± Bethany replied right away, defiant even in death. ¡°If I was going to give up my life, I would have done so before I ever stepped foot in Regina.¡± Thoth gave her a thoughtful, understanding nod and reached into his pocket. He drew out a small golden disk. ¡°Oracle was always an insightful woman. You know, most gods ¨C those who didn¡¯t know the woman behind the goddess ¨C assumed Oracle¡¯s foresight was her godly gift,¡± Thoth disclosed wistfully. ¡°But that¡¯s not the case. Even before her ascension, Oracle had a knack for observing and extrapolating patterns in the world that others couldn¡¯t see. Her ascension simply allowed her to expand her view of the world.¡± Thoth sighed ¨C a deeply vulnerable sigh that tugged at Bethany¡¯s heartstrings. ¡°She is a dear friend, and I trust her with my life. So I need to trust her now.¡± The god pressed the golden disk into Bethany¡¯s hand. The disk wasn¡¯t physically heavy, but it carried with it an immense psychological weight, as if a great burden had been placed on her shoulders. The surface of the disk was carved in the image of an immense abyss ¨C an endless prison ¨C within which flowed a vast kaleidoscope of starlight life. ¡°Before her imprisonment, Oracle gifted you her eye,¡± Thoth said as he rested a finger on her temple. ¡°And she entrusted to me this disk, to be given to you in a time of great need. It seems like that time has come.¡± ¡°What does it do?¡± Bethany asked in awe. She could feel the power emanating from within the image of the abyss, longing to be released. ¡°I have no idea,¡± chirped Thoth with a mixture of amusement and irritation. ¡°But I dare say you¡¯ll find out soon enough. Now, you should go, before Omoikane resumes his Arena. Can you make it back on your own? I¡¯m not sure your heart can take another of my more extreme way of waking you up.¡± Bethany remembered the sensation of his beak piercing her heart last time they met. ¡°I have been practicing with my Eye, and I think I know how to get back,¡± Bethany answered as she opened the wardrobe. She could feel her void waiting beyond ¨C its comforting vastness calling to her. The golden disk in her hand seemed to pull towards the void, as if it recognized what lay beyond. ¡°May you survive to darken my home once more, Bethany Fox,¡± Thoth said as Bethany climbed through the door and stepped into the void. Bethany gave Thoth a gentle smile as she closed the wardrobe doors behind her. The light of God Home disappeared, and Bethany was once again alone in her void. She sighed, clutching the golden disk in her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡± The golden disk dissolved into dust, and Bethany felt its power seep into her skin. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s¡­,¡± Bethany started, until she gazed upon the void and her words died upon her lips. A great rainbow of cosmic light flowed in a river across the darkness, and thousands of thin, golden threads ¨C the energy of her fellow players ¨C weaved their way dynamically across the void¡¯s great expanse. The flickers of light in the distance were now vivid stars against the night sky. Where once there was emptiness, she could now feel a kaleidoscope of life all around her, teeming just below its surface. The essence of creation itself. It was the most beautiful thing Bethany had ever seen, and it brought her to tears. She felt a tug in her mind. A warning that Omoikane¡¯s Arena was about to resume. With profound difficulty, she forced herself to block out the beauty all around her and focus inward. It was time. She clenched her fist and steeled herself for what was to come. ¡°I won¡¯t die. I won¡¯t let this God Contest beat me.¡± Taking a deep breath, Bethany closed her eyes. And opened them again in the Arena. Chapter 50 - The Flow of Eternity ¡°Trust in dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.¡± Khalil Gibran, Lebanese Poet Bethany was back in the hedge maze, its oppressive walls and sharp thorns rising above her like prison walls. The bust of Omoikane sat dormant ¨C its creator preoccupied with the reactivation of his Arena. Ah Puch¡¯s presence had vanished from the darkness as well, leaving only the Shadowman behind. Bethany eased open her eyes and fixed her gaze at the smirking Shadowman that towered above her prone form. Her blouse was soaked in her blood, and the pain of the shrapnel in her chest flooded in as her mind and body reunited. ¡°Time to die, girl,¡± the Shadowman hissed, its voice distorted but suddenly human in the absence of its master. Bethany spat a mouthful of blood into the dirt. ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree more.¡± Her Oracle Eye filled with a kaleidoscope of cosmic light, and she felt her new power activate. Its energy cascaded through her veins and muscles, filling the void left by the blood that drenched the ground beneath her. Her pain disappeared, and was replaced with an iron will and righteous fury. She felt alive. Renewed. She breathed deep to fill her lungs with the cool air of the valley and rose to her feet. She stared the Shadowman square in the eye, and the Shadowman flinched. I can feel its power within me. I don¡¯t need my ball-peen hammer anymore to shape the light within me. It was the crutch of a scared girl, but now I have within me the strength to make it my own. Bethany extended her arm and called upon the power flowing through her. Into it she poured her hopes and her dreams, the love for her friends, and the pain of past betrayals. She refined it with her unbending desire for survival and a righteous anger towards those who would use her for their own gain. The cosmic energy took shape in her hand. Threads of rainbow light weaved themselves into the two-foot-long handle and hefty head of a maul ¨C one face perfectly smooth and the other ridged with twin six-inch spikes. At the base of a handle was a loop and chain, the other end of which was fastened around Bethany¡¯s wrist. As the cosmic light formed, a name came unbidden to Bethany ¨C more feeling than words, yet crystal clear in her mind. The Flow of Eternity. Light-etched archaic symbols ¨C a language older than time itself ¨C wound their way across the maul in a weave of complex, intertwined branches. At the base of the handle ¨C the shared core of the branches ¨C were four symbols she recognized. The carvings etched upon the four golden disks she had acquired during the Contest. The symbol for the Hammer of Light pulsed as it lent its power to give The Flow of Eternity its form. The other three sat dormant, awaiting activation. Bethany¡¯s finger brushed the pulsing symbol, and the multi-coloured light brightened, bathing the clearing in brilliant radiance. The darkness was pushed back beyond the clearing, leaving the Shadowman exposed to the light, its shadow armor shuttering in protest. Bethany swung the flat side of her maul straight into the distracted Shadowman¡¯s face. The force of the blow sent him flying backwards, bits of shadows severed off in the light as he struck the ground and rolled like a rag doll. The Flow of Eternity ¨C I can feel its strength within me, but it feeds heavily on my magic. I can¡¯t sustain it for long. I need to finish this battle quickly. She gave the Shadowman no quarter. Closing the distance between them quickly, she swung the maul again, this time with the ridged side. The Shadowman raised its knife to block, but her rainbow light tore through the shadow weapon like paper. The Flow of Eternity struck the creature in the shoulder and Bethany felt the weapon piercing flesh and bone. The Shadowman screamed, filling the air with the terrified cries of a thousand tortured souls. Bethany felt the cries roll over like a wave, and she staggered under the unexpected mental blow. The creature formed another dagger in its off-hand and swung viciously for Bethany¡¯s belly. She jumped back to dodge but still pressed her attack. Grabbing hold of the glowing chain, she rapidly spun her maul in an arc between them, keeping her distance while slamming its head into the creature¡¯s chest, arms, and thigh. With each blow that struck, her kaleidoscope light tore away another strip of its shadow armor. As the Shadowman staggered, Bethany pulled her maul back towards her with the chain and grasped it in both hands. She leapt forward and drove it into square into the creature¡¯s chest. She heard a vicious snap as the creature was hurled backwards, straight into the massive thorns of the maze. The force of her blow drove the thorns through the weakened shadow armor and impaled the creature beneath through its back and chest. Held aloft by the thorns, blood begin to drip from the creature¡¯s chest into the dirt below. Human blood. Cautiously, Bethany held the Flow of Eternity up to the creature¡¯s head and willed her light brighter, until the remaining shadows that covered the creature¡¯s head and torso had been dispelled. The creature ¨C the man ¨C beneath the shadows was middle-aged, his short brown hair in a miliary-style cut showing its first strands of grey. He wore an ill-fitting suit and tie, now covered in blood. He had once been muscular, but his body was now emaciated, as if the shadows had been sustaining themselves on his strength. She recognized him. It was the man from the library ¨C from before the God Contest ¨C who had shouted at the ceiling about monsters and demons. She¡¯d thought him mentally ill, until her Oracle Eye had shown her the same invisible beings transforming the city into their shared nightmare. ¡°I¡­ I couldn¡¯t stop it,¡± the man pleaded. The viciousness that had once been reflected in molten eyes had been stripped away with the shadows, leaving only the intense fear of a man death was coming to claim. ¡°The shadows¡­ they made me¡­ please, it hurts.¡± Bethany didn¡¯t respond. She took a careful step backwards, her maul still clutched tightly in her hand, as the man began to weep. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°I didn¡¯t have a choice. I accepted his deal. I would have died in that Arena if I¡¯d turned it down, and I didn¡¯t want to die. So I became his servant,¡± he justified as tears poured down his cheeks. ¡°You tried to kill me,¡± Bethany replied coldly, never taking her eyes off his. ¡°He¡­ he told me to kill you. Slowly. He was insistent on that. I had to obey him, or he would have killed me.¡± The man coughed, and blood spilled from his mouth. A droplet landed on Bethany¡¯s cheek. She wiped it away with her thumb and took another step back, considering the man. ¡°Which is it?¡± Bethany challenged his contradiction. ¡°The shadows made you do it, or you chose to follow his orders?¡± The man¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°Please¡­ help me¡­¡± the man begged, avoiding her question. He had a choice. He would have killed me to save his skin. Bethany turned her back on the man and strode towards the bust of Omoikane. ¡°You can¡¯t leave me!¡± the man screamed as he tried to pull himself free of the thorns. ¡°My master doesn¡¯t forgive failure. Ah P¡­¡± Before the man could say the god¡¯s name, the remaining shadows suddenly flowed up his body and forced themselves into his mouth. The man spasmed as he remained held aloft by the thorns, his eyes filled with endless fear as the shadows tore him apart from the inside. Bethany watched as dozens of shadow knives erupted from his flesh and began to carve him into pieces from the inside out. A circular blade of shadow sliced through his neck, and the man¡¯s head fell to the ground, the life behind his eyes faded and lost to the darkness. The shadows disappeared ¨C the only trace of their existence the pile of limbs and gore against the wall of the clearing. Bethany was once again alone in the maze, her stomach unsettled by the sight and deepening stench of the dead man. She felt no sympathy, and wondered if the horrors of the God Contest had finally numbed her to the nightmare reality she found herself in, or if she was simply too pragmatic to waste energy grieving for those who would hurt her. Either way, he¡¯s dead. She felt her magic reserves drop again, and the pain in her chest returned, a cruel reminder that the power of The Flow of Eternity was keeping her alive. When her magic ran out, she¡¯d be on her own, and the shrapnel in her chest would kill her shortly thereafter. Bethany hobbled over to the bust of Omoikane, urgency driving each stumbling step. ¡°I need help, Omoikane,¡± she said simply. ¡°Give me your damn riddle so I can find my friends. Rocky¡¯s healing is my only hope.¡± The eyes of the bust flickered over to the pile of limbs and blood, then focused on Bethany. A deep, resigned sigh rumbled forth from its depths. Bethany could picture the elderly god, seated in God Home, holding his head in his hands in exasperation. The sight would have made her laugh if every second hadn¡¯t been bringing her closer to the grave. I was quite proud of this Arena. Omoikane¡¯s tone was somber, and Bethany wasn¡¯t sure if he was speaking to her or the watching gods. This riddle would have pitted you against the fate you had been dealt ¨C to protect the knowledge you carried at the cost of your own life. You see, to simply accept the fate a god has dealt you is to surrender your free will, and those willing to surrender such a precious gift cannot survive the trials to come. Omoikane¡¯s eyes flickered towards the sky above, and this time Bethany knew he was speaking to the watching gods. His somber tone became one of anger and outrage. Tonight, a god broke the holy law of Authority. They interfered directly in the God Contest, siphoning energy from its depths to fuel their own greed and ambition. Rest assured, we will find the culprit and bring them to justice. The laws of Authority are absolute and cannot be allowed to be breached without severe punishment. Bethany stared up at the sky and her Oracle Eye flashed. As they had in Ares¡¯ Arena, the faces of the watching gods began to take shape, nestled amongst the stars above. Their forms were sharper this time ¨C sharp enough for Bethany to see the shock etched on the gods¡¯ faces, and the almost imperceptible note of rebellion hidden in the eyes of those who wore shock as a mask. Bethany Fox. Despite the¡­ unorthodox events of the Arena, you have nonetheless demonstrated the foundational character my maze sought to evaluate. Even as your soul crossed death¡¯s door, you fought against fate and ultimately came out victorious. I judge you to be a worthy contender in this most holy contest. May you find yourself a champion at its end. An entertained cheer rang out from the assembled gods, but Bethany had no time to acknowledge them. She felt her magic reserves tick down, now dangerously low. It would only be a few moments before the Flow of Eternity faded away and robbed her of its life-sustaining energy. ¡°I¡­ I need to find help,¡± Bethany prompted, her voice weak and desperate despite her attempt to appear strong. Yes, of course. Proceed to the end of the maze. Take with you the knowledge you have earned, and the power from the creatures you have slain. The barrier that led from the clearing vanished, and her backpack and four silver Emporium coins floated towards her. She plucked the coins from the air and stashed them in her pocket, then slid the backpack over her shoulders. She hissed in pain as it touched her back, her breath growing weaker with every second that passed. Bethany stumbled towards the exit. The Flow of Eternity flickered and faded away as her magic was finally exhausted, and she felt the full pain in her chest return. Biting her lip, she forced herself to continue walking forward as blood began to flow once more from the wounds in her chest. Each step was harder to take than the last. Her vision blurred, and she fought a powerful urge to lay down and shut her eyes, so she may drift off to sleep. A sleep, she knew, she wouldn¡¯t wake up from. She took another step. Voices drifted on the breeze ¨C her friends, and several others she didn¡¯t recognize ¨C as she took the final step that carried her over the threshold and into the end of the maze. She found herself in a massive clearing where dozens of maze passageways intersected. In the middle was a great bronze statue of Omoikane, a spiral staircase back to the city hovering above it, just out of reach. Her friends were gathered in a circle beside the statue, alongside three strangers. ¡°¡­ Rocky? Em¡­ Emily?¡± Bethany tried to shout, though her words came out as little more than a whimper. She coughed, and blood cascaded out of her mouth and down her chin. The conversation stopped, and her friends turned her direction. ¡°Bethany? Bethany!¡± Emily shouted, as they barreled towards her at full speed, Rocky¡¯s hands already glowing blue as he channeled his healing magic. ¡°Hey¡­ guys¡­,¡± Bethany whispered, as she finally stopped fighting to stay awake. Her eyes rolled back in her head and her knees buckled, and the last thing she remembered was collapsing into Elias¡¯ arms as unconsciousness claimed her. * * * Ah Puch watched the girl dismantle his Shadowman, his desiccated lips stretched wide in amusement. The death of the man was inconsequential. He was the weakest amongst those that had sworn him servitude in exchange for a temporary reprieve from the depths of Xibalba. Ah Puch had not intended him to survive Omoikane¡¯s maze ¨C the shadows would have consumed him if this girl hadn¡¯t finished him first. It was Omoikane anger that truly mattered. The Authority was known to be strict and unforgiving. It was Omoikane ¨C his right hand and oldest friend ¨C who provided calm counsel and tempered him. For the gods to witness Omoikane¡¯s anger and hear him speak of Authority¡¯s absolute power and severe punishment¨C it was more than Ah Puch could have hoped for. Especially after Omoikane¡¯s involvement in the unpopular imprisonment of Oracle. Omoikane had given credibility to the New Order¡¯s assertion of the tyranny of Authority. He had unwittingly given power to the narrative that the gods were no longer safe under the old regime. Already the New Order had three more lesser gods clamoring to join their growing resistance. ¡°Soon, Omoikane, you¡¯ll have outlived your usefulness, save for one final act ¨C one final gift for our rebellion,¡± Ah Puch whispered. A thousand years of planning had brought them here ¨C a complex web of machinations that would unravel the very fabric of their society. Ah Puch watched the girl collapse into the arms of her friends, the large one¡¯s hands already pressed against her chest to begin healing her. ¡°The girl¡¯s power was unexpected. It was unlike any other I have seen in a God Contest. She may prove useful.¡± The god of death materialized a translucent glass orb ¨C a device crafted by Fulla, the Goddess of Secrets, as an undetectable means of communication ¨C and tuned it to another of his human servants. In the darkness below, Ah Puch¡¯s voice emanated from the darkness, and a woman with shoulder-length blond hair with a strip of black listened intently. ¡°Becka, I have a task for you. I need to you make a new friend¡­¡± Chapter 51 – Aftermath ¡°Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity.¡± Hippocrates, Greek Physician ¡°She¡¯s in bad shape, Emily. I¡¯m barely able to keep her stable. We need something stronger.¡± ¡°Delorus, do any of your friends¡­ Rocky! Rocky, she¡¯s awake. Bethany, can you hear me? Stay with us. Stay¡­¡± Bethany¡¯s eyes flickered open. She felt drained, and so tired. The world felt surreal and chaotic, yet she felt apart from it. She might have been whimpering, or perhaps screaming, from the enormity of her pain, yet it felt as if it was happening to someone else. She just stared into Rocky¡¯s eyes, his face contorted in alarm, as he pressed his hands tightly against her stomach. She let her eyes focus on the stars above as her body let out another painful scream. It didn¡¯t feel real. None of this felt real. It¡¯s a beautiful night, but not as beautiful as my void. That light¡­ that rainbow river of cosmic light. The essence of creation. It calls me back ¨C my void. Where there is no pain. No fear. No fighting. Just¡­ empty peace¡­ ¡°Shit, she¡¯s not going to make it. Elias! Delorus! Solve Omoikane¡¯s fucking scenario. If there¡¯s a healing talent as a reward, I need it. It¡¯s the only chance she has.¡± Faintly, Bethany heard the flurry of activity around her. The voice of Omoikane echoed across the maze as he repeated his final contemplation. She didn¡¯t catch any of his words, and the frantic debate that erupted between the players was simply white noise in the distance as she stared up at the stars. The darkness pressed down upon her like a weighted blanket. Comfortable. Inviting. She closed her eyes and let the pain overwhelm her, and the world went dark. * * * The bust of Omoikane collapsed into dust and the stairwell suspended above descended into the clearing ¨C their path home. The impact brought Bethany back to the brink of consciousness. She cracked open her eyes, and even that tiny movement was a struggle. Rocky still hovered over her, his face covered in sweat and knees shaking, as he stared towards the ten golden discs that materialized around the staircase. ¡°Hurry Emily!¡± Rocky shouted, as Emily dashed towards the discs. Bethany thought his voice sounded both desperate and distorted, as if he were underwater. In the recesses of her mind ¨C that small part that still clung to rationality despite the agony that had consumed all else ¨C she knew she didn¡¯t have much time left. ¡°Please. Please. Please. Yes! Rocky! Second from my right! An upgrade for your Healer¡¯s Touch,¡± Emily shouted back, her relief palpable. Rocky withdrew his hand from Bethany¡¯s stomach as he sped towards the golden disc ¨C Bethany¡¯s only chance of survival. Bethany cried out as her pain returned six-fold, no longer numbed by Rocky¡¯s healing magic. She screamed, and, this time, it didn¡¯t feel like it was happening to someone else. It felt very, very real. In an instant, Elias was at her side, clutching her hand gently. He squeezed, and she tried to squeeze back. ¡°She¡¯s awake Rocky. Hurry it up,¡± Elias urged frantically. ¡°Hang in there, Bethany. Rocky¡¯ll get you fixed right up. I promise.¡± ¡°Hey! What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Sargeant Smith stepped in front of Rocky, his hand raised in a gesture to stop. ¡°Hold it right there, fatty. Who gave you the right to select first? We¡­¡± The mammoth man didn¡¯t bother to slow down. He barreled straight into the cop without hesitation. With Rocky¡¯s enhancements, it was like a football player tackling a small child ¨C the result of which knocked him back a dozen feet and sent him sprawling to the ground. Rocky reached for the golden disc, and it dissolved in his hands with a brilliant flare of light. He turned to run back where Bethany lay bleeding, his hands already engulfed with brilliant blue light. A red-hot angry Smith rose to his feet and drew his firearm from his holster. Everything happened at once. As Rocky caught a glimpse of the gun out of the corner of his eye, Emily formed her claws and leapt at the man. Delorus reached for her own firearm at her hip, her eyes fixed on Smith, and Elias released Bethany¡¯s hand to form his fire sword. Smith¡¯s finger moved to the trigger as he raised the weapon towards Rocky. ¡°Drop your gun, Smith!¡± Delorus shouted as she snapped off the safety and aimed at Smith. Smith¡¯s weapon was suddenly yanked out of his hands and flew across the clearing, landing at Brandon¡¯s feet. The child, his hands shaking from the adrenaline, had used his telekinesis to disarm the enraged cop. He took a cautious step away from the gun, as if it were a cobra ready to strike. Chief Benton, as if it were no more than an inconvenience, grabbed Smith by the collar and unceremoniously yanked him out of the way of Emily¡¯s attack. Her claws swiped through empty air where the sergeant had been only a second ago. Benton¡¯s motion had been lightning-quick, and had sent the sergeant to the ground behind him. ¡°That¡¯s enough everyone. Calm down,¡± Benton bellowed, pouring his authority and charisma into his call. ¡°We¡¯re all standing on the knife¡¯s edge right now, and Smith here was simply the first to crack. He acted the fool, but no harm was done.¡± ¡°He tried to shoot my boyfriend,¡± Emily retorted, her face red with anger. ¡°It was just a warning,¡± Smith lied from behind his Chief¡¯s back. ¡°We fought hard to get here ¨C we lost two of our group ¨C and I¡¯ll be damned if you leave us with the shittiest powers after all we went through.¡± Benton held up his hand to silence Smith. Smith shut up, his eyes never leaving the woman with the metal claws. His hand unconsciously reached for his gun in its now-empty holster. ¡°Warning my ass. You¡¯re lucky Brandon¡¯s a brave kid, or you¡¯d be digging my claws out of your chest right now,¡± spat Emily. ¡°You self-righteous asshat.¡± As they fought, Rocky knelt at Bethany¡¯s side and pressed his hands against her wound. His magic flowed, and Bethany screamed as her insides began to knit themselves back together. Her scream cut through Emily¡¯s anger like a hot knife through butter. ¡°As I said, Smith acted the fool, and I will bring him before the police disciplinary panel for his actions,¡± Benton assured Emily. It was a line he¡¯d used with members of the public far too often when it came to Stone. ¡°Disciplinary panel? Do you think we buy that?¡± Elias said, his sword lighting up the clearing. ¡°What a load of cop nonsense. Protecting your own as usual. Even the God Contest didn¡¯t change that.¡± ¡°The panel is still functioning, and it can be effective,¡± Delorus said hesitantly as she eased her firearm back into its holster. ¡°The Sargeant is quite familiar with the process, having gone through it several times before.¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°There, see?¡± Benton said chipperly, trying to ease the tension. ¡°He¡¯ll be punished for his actions. As will anyone who decides to pursue violence when where there could be peace. Police officer¡­ or civilian.¡± Emily dissolved two of her metal claws to give them both a particularly threatening middle-finger. ¡°But¡­,¡± Chief Benton said, drawing out the word. ¡°Smith does have a point. Your team members were not the only ones to suffer through the trials Omoikane¡¯s maze. Are we all not entitled to the rewards presented before us. As you picked first, I believe we should receive the next two. Deal?¡± ¡°As long as that asshole picks dead last,¡± Emily countered, staring daggers at Smith. ¡°Agreed,¡± Benton said without hesitation, despite Smith¡¯s attempt to protest. Benton beckoned Kim Hilton over to the golden discs, leaving Smith behind. The pair circled around the discs, muttering between each other as they studied each option. Elias watched Smith carefully, his sword still drawn, while Emily hurried over to Rocky and Bethany. Delorus went to retrieve Smith¡¯s gun. ¡°How is she?¡± Emily asked, kneeling beside Rocky and resting her head on his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ been better,¡± Bethany responded weakly through gritted teeth. The pain, though intense, was no longer overwhelming. The darkness had faded from her vision, and whispered a silent thanks to Thoth. Emily held her hand tightly. ¡°But you¡¯re still with us, and that¡¯s what matters. How much longer will it take, Rocky?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be a few minutes before we can safely move her,¡± he responded, his palms sweaty. ¡°The magic is far stronger now that it¡¯s enhanced, but her injuries are severe. I¡¯ll be at this all night. And, Bethany, we¡¯ll need to get some food in you straight away. You¡¯ll be famished after this healing.¡± ¡°What happened to you?¡± Emily asked, staring at Bethany¡¯s torn shirt, drenched in her blood. Bethany¡¯s eyes flickered over to Chief Benton, who was directing Kim to pick one of the discs. ¡°Not here,¡± Bethany whispered. ¡°In private. Any sign of the riddle?¡± Emily shook her head. ¡°No, not yet, but we¡¯re still picking talents. If it¡¯s like Thoth¡¯s Arena, it¡¯ll happen after we¡¯ve chosen.¡± ¡°Emily, it¡¯s our turn to pick,¡± Delorus called as Benton and Kim returned to Smith, having selected their talents. Bethany tried to sit up, but Rocky placed a hand on her shoulder to keep her still. ¡°This is harder than it looks, Bethany. Please don¡¯t move. I won¡¯t have the magic to heal you a second time.¡± Bethany lay back down and stared at the starry sky above. How many gods are watching us now? Or did Omoikane¡¯s anger send them scurrying away? I want to activate my eye to see¡­ but I just don¡¯t have the energy left in me to do so. Emily gave Bethany¡¯s hand a supportive squeeze before heading over to the discs. ¡°Come on, Delorus. Let¡¯s get you your first talent.¡± * * * Elias gently scooped Bethany into his arms and carried her over to the staircase, where the last two golden discs hovered. Though too weak to stand on her own, Rocky had been able to heal her most critical injuries, though it would take hours to restore her to full health. ¡°What¡­ what¡¯d you get?¡± Bethany whispered, hungry and exhausted. She struggled to stay awake as Elias held her close, his scent both comforting and intoxicating. I guess there¡¯s an upside to almost dying. ¡°A talent called The Eternal Student. Epic level,¡± Elias recounted, trying to keep Bethany awake. ¡°It doesn¡¯t do anything right away, but if I see a monster or player use a sword technique, The Eternal Student lets me acquire it. Figured it was a good long-term bet, give the whole fire sword thing.¡± ¡°You¡¯re smart,¡± Bethany muttered, snuggled against his chest. She yawned. ¡°And the others?¡± ¡°Hey now, no falling asleep,¡± Elias cautioned, giving her a gentle squeeze. Bethany¡¯s stomach growled. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a granola bar and handed it to her. Bethany grasped it weakly with both hands and took the first bite. ¡°I¡¯ve got another when you finish that one.¡± Bethany gazed into his eyes, already half-finished the snack. She tried to mumble a thank you but only succeeded in getting granola crumbs all over his shirt. Elias chuckled and wiped away the crumbs. ¡°Well, Delorus got something called Marksman¡¯s Meditation, which let her convert magic into spiritual bullets for her gun. Handy once ammunition grows scarce, which can¡¯t happen soon enough if assholes like Smith are the ones with the guns. Emily took Shield of the Mind, which helps her resist mental attacks. Apparently, she¡¯s been waking up at night, disoriented and in tears ¨C a side effect of Infinite Recollection. Rocky thinks Omoikane add this talent specifically for her to help stave off memories while she sleeps.¡± ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t know she couldn¡¯t sleep,¡± Bethany muttered, feeling guilty. She hadn¡¯t noticed yet, looking back on their past week, her struggles were obvious. ¡°Emily¡¯s pretty good at keeping things to herself, Bethany,¡± Elias comforted. ¡°Don¡¯t beat yourself up over it. The God Contest does that for you.¡± ¡°Was that a joke, farmer boy?¡± Bethany asked with a sly smile. Elias shrugged. ¡°Maybe a little one. In bad taste?¡± Bethany shook her head. It helped take her mind off the grim reality they faced. ¡°And the kids?¡± ¡°Now, those two are interesting,¡± Elias whistled, glancing over at Harmony and Brandon, who were busy hurling stones at each other. ¡°They didn¡¯t get a choice at all. The moment they stepped up to the discs, two flew straight at them. The same talent ¨C something called Shield of Innocence. It gives them an energy shield to absorb hits. The talent can only be earned by children. Maybe Omoikane has a conscience ¨C a small one. Bethany glanced over at the kids. Harmony wound up and threw her rock at her brother. It struck Brandon¡¯s forehead, and he fell backwards. A tiny pop resounded across the clearing as his shield disappeared. He laughed, picked up the rock, and took aim at his sister, who just stood there grinning. ¡°It takes about a minute to recharge,¡± Elias said. ¡°Rocky thinks it¡¯s meant to put the kids on more equal footing with the adults.¡± They had reached the golden discs, and Bethany immediately knew which one was meant for her. Engraved upon the first was a shadow beast blacker than night, leaping towards a woman who glowed as bright as the sun. Bethany pointed towards the rightmost disc. ¡°That one,¡± she whispered. She knew its name even before she touched it. Bane of Shadows. ¡°You sure?¡± Elias asked, and Bethany nodded. He walked up to the disc and Bethany reached for it. The disc dissolved and Bethany felt the power flow into her. Send your shadows for me, Ah Puch. I¡¯ll not be so weak the next time. Sargeant Smith, his anger barely contained, stomped over and touched the final golden disc ¨C a basic Healer¡¯s Touch talent. The man scoffed, as if the ability to heal another were beneath him. ¡°Shall we get out of here?¡± Elias asked, nodding towards the stairs. ¡°We¡­ we should stick around for a few minutes,¡± Bethany replied anxiously. This was a knowledge arena. If Omoikane¡¯s Arena works the same way as Thoth¡¯s, the second riddle should appear now. Bethany glanced around the clearing. Emily and Rocky stood anxiously, also waiting. Chief Benton hadn¡¯t moved either, though Kim Hilton, anxious to finally leave the maze, had already climbed up a dozen stairs. ¡°Chief?¡± Smith asked uncertainly. ¡°You go ahead, Smith,¡± Benton said, ushering him towards the stairs. ¡°I¡¯ll stay behind to ensure our new¡­ friends¡­ safely leave this maze.¡± Smith didn¡¯t need to be told twice. He began to climb the stairs, and within a few seconds had caught up to Kim. Benton knows¡­ he must know. There¡¯s no other reason to stay behind. She remembered the figure standing atop police headquarters ¨C the figure from her dream ¨C and her hair stood on end. In the deep silence of the completed maze, they waited for Omoikane to arrive. During their week hunting monsters, Bethany and Emily earned six silver coins for Mr. Mercury''s Emporium. Rocky earned five. Bethany increased her strength, agility, and magic by four. Emily increased her strength by six, agility by four, and toughness by two. Rocky increased his toughness by four and magic by six.
Name: Bethany Fox Job: Player Attributes: Strength: 9 Agility: 9 Toughness: 6 Magic: 13 Attribute Coins: 4 Talents: Flow of Eternity (#error#) Bane of Shadows (Mythic) Oracle Eye (#error#) Gift of Insight (Epic) Hammer of Light (Rare) Spirit¡¯s Bridge (#error#)
Name: Rocky MacMillian Job: Player Attributes: Strength: 5 Agility: 4 Toughness: 10 Magic: 11 Attribute Coins: 0 Talents: Healer¡¯s Touch (Rare) Axe of Stone (Rare)
Name: Emily Desjarlais Job: Player Attributes: Strength: 12 Agility: 11 Toughness: 7 Magic: 2 Attribute Coins: 0 Talents: Infinite Recollection (Epic) Shield of the Mind (Rare) Claws of Metal (Rare)
Chapter 52 - All the Difference ¡°Two roads diverged in a wood and I ¨C I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.¡± Robert Frost, American Poet Bethany rested her head on Elias¡¯ shoulder as he carried her over to Harmony and Brandon, their laughter piercing the anxious silence that had taken over the clearing. She felt the weight of her exhaustion press down upon her, driving her towards slumber, but she had no time for that. Sleep was the last thing she needed right now. Standing beside the stairwell, Chief Benton spoke with Delorus, his charismatic smile belying the tension that grew between their teams with each passing moment. Delorus continually glanced up the stairwell, anxious to leave Omoikane¡¯s maze but reluctant to leave behind the new friends she¡¯d made. Emily and Rocky spoke in hushed whispers across the clearing. Along with Bethany, they were anxiously awaiting an appearance by Omoikane, though Bethany didn¡¯t know what they¡¯d tell the others when he did appear. They¡¯d kept the riddle secret, but that secret might be revealed at any moment. ¡°Elias, can we head home yet?¡± Harmony said, waiting for Brandon¡¯s shield to reform so she could hurl her next rock at him. ¡°You promised us ice cream.¡± ¡°And I want your spaghetti for supper again,¡± added Brandon, impatiently clutching his own rock. ¡°Or lunch¡­ or breakfast? I don¡¯t know what time it is. It feels like we¡¯ve been here for, like, a whole month or something.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only been a day, Brandon,¡± Elias chuckled. ¡°It just feels like an eternity because you had to hang around with us boring adults. It should be lunch time. And after everything we just went through, a big plate of spaghetti with a scoop of chocolate ice cream on top sounds mighty fine.¡± ¡°Eww! Gross,¡± Harmony giggled. ¡°That¡¯s not what we meant.¡± ¡°How¡¯d you know it¡¯s lunch time?¡± Bethany said softly, leaning into his back. ¡°Farmer powers,¡± he bragged. ¡°Of course,¡± Bethany said, failing to suppress another yawn. ¡°What¡¯d you grow?¡± ¡°This year? Canola and barley, mostly. A quarter section of flax since Aunt Audrey bought the equipment for it last year. And our small herd of bison,¡± he answered, as he held out his hand and winked at Harmony. Harmony smiled and handed him her rock. Brandon¡¯s shield reformed with a brief electric sizzle, and Elias hurled the rock. It struck Brandon¡¯s chest, and Brandon fell backwards with a delighted laugh, his shield popped. ¡°The shield is a useful talent, Brandon, but next time, try catching the rock with your telekinesis before it hits your shield. It takes a minute to recharge your shield, and that¡¯s a long time in the middle of a fight. You want to keep your shield up as long as possible for when you really need it.¡± ¡°Will you take us out with you to hunt monsters tomorrow?¡± Brandon asked, climbing back to his feet and brushing the dirt off his pants. ¡°Yes,¡± answered Bethany and Elias together, and the kids looked at each other excitedly. Bethany tapped Elias¡¯ shoulder and pointed towards Rocky and Emily. ¡°Over there, please.¡± ¡°What am I, your horse?¡± laughed Elias in protest. ¡°Giddy up, farmer boy,¡± Bethany teased softly, and Elias playfully trotted over to her friends. ¡°Nice to see you¡¯re feeling better,¡± Emily said with a conspiratorial grin as Elias set Bethany down beside them. ¡°Was that Rocky¡¯s healing magic¡­ or something else magical?¡± Emily raised an eyebrow towards Elias, and Elias gave her a sly smile. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to know?¡± Elias said mischievously as he left them alone and headed back to the kids. ¡°Damn, if I didn¡¯t have Rocky, you¡¯d have some competition, girl,¡± Emily said, biting her lip dramatically. ¡°I love me a little bit of flirt in a man.¡± Bethany blushed. ¡°Note to self,¡± Rocky mumbled. ¡°Start flirting more with girlfriend and eliminate Elias as rival.¡± ¡°Also love me a bit of jealousy,¡± Emily said with laugh, as she rested her head on Rocky¡¯s lap. Her eyes flickered over to the police chief and her voice dropped to a whisper. ¡°Does he know about the riddle?¡± ¡°Definitely,¡± Rocky whispered back as he stroked Emily¡¯s hair. The goofy grin was still plastered on his face, but it was just for show. He glanced at the firearm on Benton¡¯s belt. ¡°And he must suspect we know about it too. We¡¯re playing a game right now ¨C waiting to see who makes the first move.¡± This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°But it should¡¯ve happened by now, right?¡± Bethany surmised. ¡°Did we get something wrong?¡± ¡°Omoikane is definitely a knowledge god,¡± Emily replied with certainty. ¡°And Thoth said the knowledge gods give out the riddles. It should be here.¡± Rocky grunted his agreement. ¡°It¡¯s not terribly great entertainment for the gods to just watch a bunch of players waiting around a completed Arena. We must have missed something. Something back in the maze.¡± Suddenly, the leather-bound book in her backpack felt very, very heavy. ¡°We should go,¡± Bethany whispered urgently. ¡°Bethany, what¡­¡± Rocky started, until he saw Bethany¡¯s eyes flicker to her pack. He mouthed a silent ¡®ooh¡¯ and got to his feet. ¡°Elias, we¡¯re heading out. Bethany¡¯s well enough to travel now,¡± Rocky announced, louder than he needed to. Benton raised his head calmly, but Bethany caught the slight smile that appeared at the corner of his mouth. The police chief is definitely the figure atop police headquarters in my dream. He¡¯s dangerous ¨C more dangerous than we yet realize. The sooner we get everyone out of here, the better. ¡°Elias, Bethany needs her horsey,¡± Emily yelled as she helped Bethany to her feet. She gave Bethany a playful wink as Elias wandered over, kids in tow, and lifted Bethany onto his back. ¡°You¡¯re going to owe me one after this, pretty girl,¡± Elias said playfully. ¡°A tasty carrot or sugar cube will do.¡± ¡°Oh, there should be sugar involved, but not that kind,¡± Emily teased. ¡°After all, one good ride deserves another.¡± Bethany buried her face into Elias¡¯ back as she blushed so hard that she missed Elias¡¯ stammering response. Emily¡¯s laughter rang out across the courtyard as they headed to the spiraled staircase into the sky. ¡°Delorus, we¡¯re headed out,¡± Rocky announced as they approached. ¡°What will you do, now that you have your first talent?¡± ¡°As much as I¡¯d like to join you, I¡¯m needed back to Headquarters,¡± Delorus replied. ¡°You six don¡¯t need my protection. But there are thousands of people sheltered behind our walls that do. Thanks to you, I¡¯m better able to do that now.¡± Her fingers traced along the firearm on her belt, already loaded with her first spectral bullets. Bethany felt a tinge of disappointment. She was the first person I met in Regina. It would have been a kind of poetry to have her join us at the refinery. But she¡¯s not the type of person to abandon her duty to others. And that makes her all the more special. ¡°If we find any Arenas in your area, we¡¯ll pop by for your help,¡± Rocky promised. ¡°If there is an Arena near us, you¡¯ll come speak to me first,¡± Benton ordered, an expectation in his words. ¡°We¡¯re all in this together, right?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ right,¡± Rocky replied as he began to head up the stairs. Emily and the kids, after their own goodbyes to Delorus, followed along behind him. ¡°Bethany,¡± Delorus started as Elias reached the stairs. The police officer reached out and pressed a gentle hand to Bethany¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ve grown so much from the runaway girl I first saw in the park. You had the spark of bravery ¨C I could feel it even then ¨C and that spark has grown into an entire fire. You¡¯re strong. Never forget it. You and your friends¡­ you¡¯re going to be okay, as long as you stay vigilant.¡± ¡°I¡­ we will. Thanks Delorus, for everything,¡± Bethany said in an exhausted whisper. ¡°Please, be careful. And¡­ you know where to find us if you need help.¡± ¡°I do. We¡¯ll see each other again, my dear. Count on it,¡± Delorus finished, taking a reluctant step back. ¡°With luck, I¡¯ll be stronger the next time we meet. Maybe I¡¯ll be able to give you a run for your money.¡± As Elias began to climb the stairs, carrying Bethany on his back, Bethany caught a glimpse of the apprehension in Delorus¡¯ eyes. She¡¯s anxious. She knows her Chief can¡¯t be trusted, but she¡¯s too loyal to everyone sheltering at their headquarters to just abandon them. Please, Delorus, watch your back. He¡¯s not what he seems. * * * Bethany managed to cram another two granola bars into her before she finally let the exhaustion back in. The smell of Elias¡¯s sweat and the slight, rhythmic rocking as he carried her made her feel¡­ something¡­ in a way she had never experienced before. Her old life had been one of simple survival ¨C so much like her new one yet in such a different way ¨C and neither life seemed like it would ever have room for a growing crush. It felt so foreign to her. Survival¡­ I¡¯ve been so focused on survival for so long. Surviving my father. Surviving the God Contest. I almost died today. Maybe it¡¯s time I started to think about something more than survival. Otherwise, what¡¯s the point of living? Emily¡­ she took a chance with Rocky. She set aside her fears and anxieties and finally kissed the boy and look how happy she is now. I want that too. I want something to live for. ¡°Hey,¡± Bethany whispered weakly in Elias¡¯ ear, before she lost her sudden bravery. ¡°Do you want to go on a date with me?¡± Elias didn¡¯t slow his climb. He just turned his head so he could meet her gaze, and casually answered ¡°Sure, I¡¯d like that.¡± Bethany nuzzled her face into Elias¡¯ back and smiled. ¡°Yay,¡± she whispered, and, with that, finally fell asleep to the soft rumbles of Elias¡¯ quiet laughter. * * * Chief Benton remained in the Arena until the stars above began to dim and an empty hollowness filled the air. Delorus had ascended an hour ago, shortly after the others. He¡¯d encouraged her to leave, on the faint hope that the riddle would appear to him in their absence. But no riddle came forth from Omoikane, yet he knew there should be one. The God Anahit, who had gifted him his first knowledge stroll, had made it clear. It is the knowledge gods who are tasked with providing the riddles to players. It was they who gifted the keys to victory. ¡°I know there was a riddle within this maze,¡± he whispered into the emptiness. ¡°I must have missed it. Or perhaps another claimed it. The young woman. The one who survived by the skin of her teeth. That seems the most likely possibility.¡± Chief Benton sighed. ¡°So much for the easy way. Thankfully, this contest has a knack for giving its players what they need at just the right time.¡± Benton clenched his hand and activated his new ¡®Missing Person¡¯ talent. A semi-transparent map of Regina materialized in front of him. ¡°Bethany Fox,¡± he spoke, having learned the young woman¡¯s name from Officer Shepherd. Shepherd was quite impressed with the woman. That would be a problem. A blinking red dot appeared on the map, centered over the office at the Regina Refinery. ¡°There you are,¡± Benton smiled. ¡°Ms. Fox, You have something that I need. And Ms. Hilton, and her own new talent, will get it for me. One way or the other.¡± Benton closed the map and began to climb the stairs out of the arena, whistling a cheerful tune. ¡°See you soon, Ms. Fox.¡± Chapter 53 - Clue of the Heart ¡°Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood. All is riddle, and the key to a riddle is another riddle.¡± Ralph Waldo Emerson, American Philosopher The smell of cooked beef and stewed tomatoes caused Bethany to stir from her sleep. Her mouth watered and her stomach growled, protesting as if she¡¯d been fasting for a week. She groaned and cracked open her eyes. She recognized the office ¨C the one down the hall from the kitchen that Emily¡¯s boss had used before the God Contest. She was lying on a reclined weight bench that someone had carried up from the gym to use as a medical bed. She¡¯d been stripped down to her underwear, a thin white sheet covering her lower half. The bright fluorescent lights and low rumble of the vents made her feel like she was in the hospital. Groaning, she tried to sit up, only to have Priyanka press a firm palm to her shoulder. ¡°Hold still,¡± the grandmother ordered impatiently, her hands glowing healing blue. ¡°You¡¯ve got another couple hours of healing left. Here, drink this.¡± Priyanka handed her a plastic cup filled with Elias¡¯ Bolognese sauce. Bethany didn¡¯t hesitate. She lifted the cup awkwardly to her lips and drank until all that was left were the stubborn remnants at the bottom that she couldn¡¯t coax out. Still hungry, she handed Priyanka the empty cup with a look that begged for more. ¡°I¡¯m almost done here ¨C my magic is almost drained. Rocky will take over in a few minutes, and he¡¯ll bring more. If you stay still and behave yourself, Rocky might bring spaghetti this time.¡± Bethany lay back, her stomach still growling. ¡°How¡­ how long was I out?¡± ¡°About eight hours. It¡¯s past supper. Everyone¡¯s been busy while you¡¯ve just been lying here,¡± Priyanka said with disapproval. ¡°Elias has been on a rampage in the kitchen. Anjali and the kids are with them, being menaces as usual. Emily¡¯s been locked in her room for hours, and Rocky¡¯s up there with her when he¡¯s not down here healing you.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Bethany said weakly, earning a small smile from Priyanka. ¡°How¡¯s Jaya?¡± ¡°She grew more while you were gone,¡± Priyanka answered, her voice hard and distant, as if speaking of a stranger. ¡°She¡¯s four years old now, as near as I can figure it. Babbling about how much fun she had at a daycare that she never went to. Wondering when a father that doesn¡¯t exist will come home.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Priyanka.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the way it is,¡± Priyanka said dismissively, though Bethany could see the unacknowledged pain behind her eyes. She¡¯s distancing herself from Jaya. It must be so hard, seeing her only grandchild get warped before her eyes. Does Anjali feel the same way? Priyanka pressed her wrinkled hands to Bethany¡¯s stomach, and Bethany felt the healing warmth flood through her. Priyanka went into a thoughtful silence ¨C a silence Bethany didn¡¯t want to break. Bethany gazed around the room, taking in the shelves of bandages, medicines, braces, and other medical supplies they¡¯d looted from the North End Savers pharmacy department. Outside the door, she¡¯d stacked garbage bags full of useless papers, binders, and books to make room in her makeshift clinic. She was waiting for one of the others to take the collection to the garbage bin out back. The worn wooden desk had been cleared of all of Emily¡¯s boss¡¯ personal effects. Priyanka had even removed the name plate on the door in an effort to eliminate any reminder that this office had once belonged to a person who, in all likelihood, wasn¡¯t coming back. In its place, Priyanka had started a file for each of them, where she kept meticulous notes on the medical treatment they¡¯d received. So far, her file was the only one with paper in it. It looked very much like a doctor¡¯s office, and Bethany could tell Priyanka ¨C who¡¯d spent her career as a nurse ¨C was making it her own. ¡°What if you have more than one patient?¡± Bethany asked. Priyanka grunted her disapproval at the interruption but answered anyway. ¡°The cubical farm down the hall. I¡¯ve been clearing out the desks. Once I have some cots and blankets, I can turn each one into a medical room. Though I¡¯d prefer never to have to use it. So don¡¯t go doing anything foolish.¡± ¡°You know Bethany¡¯s not going to follow that advice,¡± came Emily¡¯s call from the door. ¡°Can¡¯t go anywhere in this game without coming back injured.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t the place for social visits, Emily,¡± scolded Priyanka, pulling the sheet up to Bethany¡¯s neck to cover her. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°Rocky¡¯s here to relieve you,¡± Emily responded, letting Priyanka¡¯s harshness slide off her back. ¡°Elias made an apple pie, if you¡¯re hungry.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve just spent the past two hours healing Bethany. Of course I¡¯m hungry,¡± Priyanka scoffed. She reached over to a hook on the wall and handed Bethany her shirt and pants. ¡°Here. If the gentle giant is taking over, you¡¯ll want to cover yourself. Doesn¡¯t matter how well intentioned the man ¨C if he sees you half naked, he just gawk and won¡¯t get any work done.¡± This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°Well, he certainly doesn¡¯t get anything done when I¡¯ve got my shirt off,¡± Emily laughed, though Priyanka didn¡¯t find it funny. The grandmother rose from her stool and slid past Emily into the hall, headed for the kitchen. ¡°You two arguing?¡± Bethany asked, slowly sitting up so she could dress. ¡°She¡¯s pissy because we¡¯ve agreed to let the kids hunt monsters with us,¡± Emily explained. ¡°She¡¯s mad at everyone, not just me. She should be joining us, but the woman¡¯s as stubborn as a goat.¡± Bethany slid on her jeans, surprised that she didn¡¯t feel embarrassed dressing in front of Emily. In high school, she¡¯d always changed in the washroom stall, away from the other girls. Maybe I¡¯m getting more confident. Or maybe it just doesn¡¯t matter anymore. You can only die so many times before the minor embarrassments of life fall by the wayside. Bethany had just thrown her shirt over her head when Rocky entered the room, caught a glimpse of her changing, and immediately averted his eyes to the ceiling. ¡°Ah¡­ sorry, Bethany. I thought you were ready,¡± he stammered, looking remarkably uncomfortable. Emily gave him a swat on the arm. ¡°Pervert,¡± Emily said with false anger. ¡°You don¡¯t just barge into a girl¡¯s room like that.¡± ¡°You did,¡± Bethany mentioned, as she quicky yanked down the shirt and pulled her brown ponytail out. ¡°At least Rocky waited until I had pants on.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t count,¡± Emily dismissed. Bethany glanced at Rocky¡¯s hand, which grasped the leather-bound book from Omoikane¡¯s maze. He carried a plate of spaghetti in the other hand. ¡°Is it in there?¡± she asked hopefully, staring at the book. Rocky set aside his momentary embarrassment. Placing the spaghetti on the desk, he sat on the bench next to Bethany and cracked open the over to the first page. It was blank. ¡°You¡¯re smiling, so you must have figured it out,¡± Bethany prompted. ¡°Emily did,¡± Rocky answered. ¡°By accident,¡± Emily clarified. ¡°We spent a full hour staring at the damn thing. I tried the security¡¯s team¡¯s black light ¨C no luck there. Channeled my magic into it and got nothing. I was about to conclude that Omoikane gave you a blank book as some sort of joke when Emily started reciting the first riddle as she paced around our bedroom.¡± ¡°One is of fire, of the heart, hidden power in crowded strife,¡± recited Emily. As she did, words in cursive writing began to appear on the page, one letter at a time. ¡°A simple lock, but effective,¡± Rocky explained. ¡°A player needs to know the first riddle to gain access to the second one. It¡¯s not much a competition if someone can just pick up a scrap of paper and skip half the Gods¡¯ trials.¡± Bethany read aloud the words as they appeared. Rough hearts burn Upon green and white Passion embraced by all Eleven at your side A dozen against Fate advanced in a brawl Ride, players, ride It¡¯s friends against foes As one team stands, the others shall fall So draft your team The Nation awaits For you to answer the call Bethany glanced up at the page. Rocky couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°You figured it out already?¡± Bethany asked, almost disappointed. Both her and Rocky loved solving riddles, and he¡¯d had an eight-hour head start. ¡°Well, to be fair, anyone in Saskatchewan could solve the first level of this riddle,¡± Rocky said. ¡°But there¡¯s more to it than that. It¡¯s not just about where to go. It¡¯s what we¡¯re up against and who we need to bring.¡± Bethany looked at him curiously, and dove back into the riddle. She parsed out each line on its own, then began to mentally match seemingly disparate lines together to see if the combinations would make sense. Muttering to herself, she grabbed a pad of paper from Priyanka¡¯s desk and began making notes. Rocky chucked at her concentration. ¡°Emily and I have another murder board going in our room. When you are ready, meet us there and we¡¯ll compare notes. I can finish your healing as we work.¡± ¡°After you¡¯ve eaten and¡­ ah¡­ showered,¡± Emily added. ¡°Though not in that order.¡± Bethany stopped writing and gave a subtle sniff of her armpits. She crinkled her nose in embarrassment. ¡°Point taken. I¡­,¡± Bethany said, until she was hit with a sudden realization. I asked out Elias smelling like this. Wearing a shirt full of holes and drenched in blood. Oh god, what was I thinking¡­ Emily laughed as she saw the look of growing mortification on Bethany¡¯s face. ¡°We¡¯ll meet you upstairs, teddy bear,¡± Emily said, grasping Rocky¡¯s gentle hand and pulling him to his feet. ¡°Bethany and I need some girl time.¡± ¡°Girls ¨C the ultimate riddle,¡± Rocky sighed, earning a slap on the butt from Emily as he headed for the door. ¡°One you¡¯ll never fully solve,¡± Emily laughed as her boyfriend strode out of the office-turned-clinic and headed for the kitchen. Bethany buried her face in her hands, the riddle momentarily forgotten. ¡°I asked him out, Emily,¡± Bethany said into her hands. ¡°Why¡¯d I do that?¡± ¡°Because he¡¯s a hottie,¡± Emily answered with an exaggerated, lustful sigh. ¡°Love me a farmer tan.¡± Bethany shook her head in disbelief. ¡°I don¡¯t have time for dating. There are monsters and gods trying to kill us. I¡¯m just trying to survive.¡± ¡°Well, don¡¯t tell Elias that. The guy came out of the Arena beaming from ear to ear.¡± Bethany¡¯s heart pounded anxiously, and Emily pulled her into a gentle hug. ¡°You want my advice?¡± Emily asked, and Bethany nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it. I spent years overthinking Rocky, and all it did was get in the way of our happiness. Just take slowly, one day at a time, and see where it goes.¡± ¡°But what if I screw it up?¡± Bethany asked shyly. ¡°So what if you do?¡± Emily challenged with a chuckle. ¡°Elias isn¡¯t the last guy on Earth, Bethany. At least, not yet. You¡¯ve had crushes fizzled out before, right?¡± Bethany stared intensely at the floor. ¡°Ooh, you poor woman. Nothing?¡± Emily said with sudden realization, and Bethany gave a slight nod. ¡°Alright, new plan Bethany. Forget taking it slow. You need to get Elias¡¯ pants off.¡± ¡°What!¡± shouted Bethany, aghast and jarred from her self-pity. ¡°But¡­ but I can¡¯t just¡­¡± ¡°Seriously, girl. We¡¯re in the midst of a death contest and we could all die tomorrow. Have some fun. Get laid.¡± ¡°But Elias¡­¡± ¡°Won¡¯t complain,¡± Emily promised. ¡°Trust me on this.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Bethany mumbled, her thought spinning. I want what Rocky and Emily have¡­ don¡¯t I? But my father was mom¡¯s one-and-only, and she spent her life being abused by him. I still don¡¯t know that much about Elias. Would he be like Rocky¡­ or like my father? Am I better off just staying alone? ¡°Just trust your heart, Bethany,¡± Emily advised her, rising to join Rocky in the kitchen. ¡°But whatever you decide to do, take a shower first. And don¡¯t forget to eat.¡± Emily headed out, and Bethany was left thinking about a riddle far more complex than any given to her by the gods. Chapter 54 - Ride, Players, Ride ¡°Sports do not build character. They reveal it.¡± Heywood Broun, American Journalist ¡°Really?¡± Bethany said, annoyed, as she entered Rocky and Emily¡¯s room. Her long brown hair, still wet from her shower, was bundled up in a white towel, the occasional escaped strand clinging to her face. She¡¯d brought her third bowl of spaghetti and an entire apple pie, still ravenous from the healing. She could still feel the aches and pains of injuries not fully healed. Wearing a loose white T-shirt and pink pajama bottoms, Bethany plopped herself down on the couch next to Emily, who was also in her pajamas. She stared at the murder board. ¡°Really?¡± she repeated. Rocky had pinned a miniature flag the size of his fist in the middle of the board - a white ¡®S¡¯ against a dark green background, intersected by three white horizontal lines and two stylized wheat sheaves on either end. ¡°The heart of the city. Crowded strife. It fits. I can¡¯t believe we didn¡¯t figure it out after the first riddle,¡± Emily said. ¡°How long did it take you?¡± Rocky asked curiously. Bethany swallowed a mouthful of Elias¡¯ spaghetti, savoring the taste. ¡°About fifteen minutes. Figured it out half-way through my shower,¡± she answered truthfully. ¡°Damn, she beat us by ten minutes,¡± Emily said with a chuckle. ¡°I guess you won our bet, Rocky. I¡¯ll give you your prize later tonight.¡± Emily winked, and Rocky blushed. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ really?¡± Bethany repeated, still trying to wrap her head around the absurdity. ¡°Football, of all things?¡± Rocky headed over to the murder board, where the riddle had been re-written on a scrap of paper. The leather-bound book with the original rested on the CEO¡¯s desk behind them. Rough hearts burn Upon green and white Passion embraced by all Eleven at your side A dozen against Fate advanced in a brawl Ride, players, ride It¡¯s friends against foes As one team stands, the others shall fall So draft your team The Nation awaits For you to answer the call ¡°Rough hearts¡­ green and white¡­ ride, players, ride. There is only one thing in the city that matches that description,¡± Rocky announced. ¡°The Saskatchewan Roughriders football team.¡± ¡°My whole family watched every one of their games,¡± Emily said. ¡°Our uncle had season tickets, and every year, he¡¯d take Emma and I to the Labour Day Classic. We¡¯d eat pizza and popcorn, and he¡¯d shout at the players like he was their coach.¡± ¡°My father used to watch every game too,¡± Bethany said, though hers wasn¡¯t a happy memory. Her father would always drink heavily on game days, and if the team lost, his mood would quickly sour. On those nights, she made an extra effort to stay out of his way. ¡°Given the number of green jerseys I saw every game day, half this city watched. It¡¯s a province-wide obsession,¡± Rocky added. ¡°It¡¯s no wonder the gods gravitated towards football for the first key. What god doesn¡¯t love a good competition.¡± ¡°So the key of fire is located at Mosaic Stadium,¡± Bethany surmised. The newly constructed stadium, located just west of downtown between Albert Street and Lewvan Dr. alongside the railway tracks, was both the figurative and literal heart of Regina. ¡°But that can¡¯t be all there is to it. Otherwise someone would¡¯ve just walked in and taken it by now.¡± Bethany recalled driving by it when she first arrived in Regina. The open-air stadium, which opened its doors in 2017, could fit over thirty thousand people. The field and its lower section were built below ground level to protect against the constant winds that blew across the city. A partial roof around the north, east, and western sections helped protect it from the weather, and its massive scoreboard covered much of the southern side. The exterior was colored with shades of green and white in a broad zigzag pattern. ¡°We¡¯ll find out soon,¡± Rocky said. ¡°But I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re right. It won¡¯t be as easy as walking in there and grabbing the key. The rest of the riddle gives us hints around what we need.¡± ¡°Eleven at your side,¡± recited Bethany. ¡°We¡¯re going to need more than just the three of us, aren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Yes, that part is pretty clear,¡± Rocky agreed, as Emily snatched up Bethany¡¯s fork and took a bite of her apple pie. Bethany slapped her hand away with a laugh. ¡°We¡¯ll need to tell the others about the riddles,¡± Bethany concluded. She felt relieved. They¡¯d kept the riddles a secret from them all, but as the days ticked by, the secret weighed heavily on her heart, and she knew it weighed on Rocky and Emily as well. In a way, she was glad the riddle required them to tell the others. It made their decision easy. ¡°We¡¯ll need more than we have,¡± Emily said, grabbing a scrap of paper and writing out a list of names. ¡°The three of us, Elias, Anjali, the kids, and Priyanka ¨C though she won¡¯t want to go and we need someone to watch Jaya. That¡¯s seven, maybe eight of us. We need another four at least.¡± Emily walked up to the murder board and tacked the list into the top right corner. ¡°Even the kids¡­¡± hesitated Rocky. ¡°They are capable ¨C their bravery in the maze proved that ¨C but ¡®fate advanced in a brawl¡¯. We¡¯re walking into a fight. Do we really want to put them in harm¡¯s way again?¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Do we have a choice?¡± Emily countered. ¡°They¡¯re players. Same as us. If Jaya was a bit older, we¡¯d probably take her too,¡± Bethany said, not wanting to revisit their usual argument. ¡°They play, or they die. It¡¯s that simple.¡± Rocky didn¡¯t argue with that and continued to digest the riddle. ¡°The next phrase is ¡®a dozen against¡¯. Sounds ominous.¡± ¡°Are we going to be forced to fight other players?¡± Emily asked worriedly. Rocky thought about the question. It was a question they¡¯d asked before, when they¡¯d made their first murder board to figure out the basic foundations of the God Contest. ¡°We thought this was a team game ¨C all the players against the creations and challenges of the gods. It¡¯s possible we were wrong, but I don¡¯t want to jump to that conclusion just yet. Remember Bethany¡¯s challenge in the Arena of Dolos? The whole thing was designed to tear the players apart ¨C to make them turn on one another. There was no real danger, except for that which they brought on themselves.¡± Bethany shuttered as she recalled Becka and Daniel holding her down while they poured the wine down her throat. It felt so long ago, yet it had only been a couple weeks. She shuttered at the memory. ¡°It¡¯s possible this riddle is trying to get us to do something similar. To believe we must fight each other. But it could be anything. We could be up against a dozen monsters rather than another team, or it could be an indirect competition, where the best teams wins,¡± Rocky brainstormed, writing down the possibilities on another scrap of paper. ¡°Or it could be an actual football game against each other, and the losers die,¡± Emily said pessimistically. ¡°It¡­ it could be that,¡± Rocky reluctantly agreed. ¡°We need to be prepared for anything. To do anything to survive. But this section of the riddle ¨C ¡®It¡¯s friends against foes¡¯ ¨C suggests otherwise. The only foes we have are the monsters, so I¡¯m holding out hope it¡¯s not player versus player.¡± Is Chief Benton a foe? Not directly, but¡­ he could be, one day soon. Becka and Daniel? They¡¯re dead, but if they¡¯d survived, they¡¯d be my foes for sure. As this game continues, how many foes will we make amongst the other players? The world outside the refinery is falling apart, and the more it does, the more we¡¯ll find ourselves isolated and alone. ¡°And that last section? ¡®The Nation awaits for you to answer the call,¡¯¡± Emily asked. ¡°Rider Nation is the name for Roughrider fans, of course,¡± Rocky said quickly. ¡°But I expect, in this case, the Nation refers to the gods who are watching us all the time.¡± Outside the window, Jitters and the other winged eyes hovered as they broadcast their deliberations to the watching gods. Emily raised a middle finger in their direction. ¡°Emily, honey, please don¡¯t piss off the all-powerful gods,¡± Rocky begged, apparently not the first time she¡¯d given her winged eye the finger. ¡°Fine,¡± Emily huffed, lowering her finger. ¡°Then ¡®answer the call¡¯ means we need to go to the stadium with our team, I suppose.¡± ¡°Pretty much,¡± Rocky answered, writing their conclusions on a fourth note and adding it to the board. He sat next to Emily on the couch and threw his arm around her shoulders. She nuzzled in and rested her head against his chest. ¡°Well, at least we know,¡± Bethany sighed, glancing over at the couple with envy. ¡°Can we figure out anything else from the riddle? Like what exactly we are in for? If it¡¯s a literal football game, I need to brush up on the rules. And how to throw the ball, and¡­ well, everything. My father was the fan, not me.¡± Rocky chuckled. ¡°Somehow, I don¡¯t think it will be that simple. We need¡­¡± Rocky didn¡¯t finish. The flash of a cell phone camera suddenly lit up the murder board from the back of the room. ¡°Shit!¡± came a panicked cry behind them. The three friends turned and saw Kim Hilton standing in the corner, her invisibility fading away with a soft shimmer of light. The thin, tattooed woman had a cell phone in her hand, pointed at the murder board. ¡°Umm¡­ hi,¡± Kim said awkwardly, before she grabbed the leather-bound book off the desk and sprinted for the door. Bethany leapt off the couch and called upon the Flow of Eternity. Her Oracle Eye filled with the kaleidoscope of cosmic light and her hammer formed in her hands. Rocky and Emily were right behind her, forming their own weapons, but Kim was out the door and headed down the stairs before any of the weapons were fully formed. ¡°Don¡¯t let her get away,¡± Rocky shouted, but it was Bethany who was first out of the room and on Kim¡¯s heels. She swung her maul by its chain, aiming for her feet to trip the woman. Kim leapt before it struck, vaulting off the walls with incredible agility and leaping down to the main floor of the office. Bethany swore as her hammer fractured off a piece of the stairs. She leapt over the gap and launched herself down the remaining eight steps, hitting the floor hard. She hissed as the sudden jolt reopened a wound on her stomach, but she smothered the pain and kept chasing the spy. Emily and Rocky were right behind her, the big man landing with a mighty thunk at the bottom of the stairs that caused the stack of plates in the kitchen to shutter. Kim bolted out the front door, and Bethany threw her maul again, this time aiming for a space to the left of the fleeing woman. It imbedded in the ground, and Bethany pulled her chain taut. Kim tripped on the sudden obstacle at her feet, sending her sprawling to the ground. The book flew out of her hands and landed on the sidewalk. Bethany dashed forward to grab her and pin her down. A gun shot erupted out of the darkness, and the bullet shattered the windshield of their truck. ¡°Shit, get down Bethany,¡± Rocky shouted, and Bethany ducked behind the truck¡¯s tailgate. A second and third shot rang out from beyond the Refinery¡¯s fence. One struck the side of the truck near Bethany and the other pierced the window of Priyanka¡¯s new medical clinic. Rocky and Emily slid in next to Bethany, weapons formed, as Kim scrambled to her feet, grabbed the book, and made a mad dash for the fence. ¡°Rocky, what¡­ shit!¡± Elias said as he ran out the front door, Harmony and Brandon right behind him. As another shot rang out, Elias grabbed bundled both kids up in his arms and ducked back into the office, taking shelter in the stairwell. Bethany raised her hammer high and called upon her light, illuminating a path through the darkness. Just beyond the fence, a figure was sheltered behind a police car, rifle in hand. Two more shots rang out, forcing Bethany back behind the truck. ¡°One guess who that was,¡± Bethany spat, her hand pressed against her stomach. She could feel the blood from her reopened wound already soaking into her white shirt. ¡°Benton, you son of a bitch!¡± Emily shouted from behind the truck. ¡°Give that back!¡± The figure didn¡¯t answer. Two more shots rang out, piercing the truck¡¯s front tires. Kim reached the fence and squeezed through a hole they¡¯d opened with wire cutters. She climbed into the passenger seat and started the car. The emergency lights erupted, red and blue illuminating the night. Bethany searched for a way to reach them, but Rocky held her back. ¡°He¡¯s got a gun, Bethany. Our talents aren¡¯t any help against that. You¡¯d been an easy target.¡± He¡¯s right. We really need a weapon with some range. But Benton has what he wants now. Why isn¡¯t he leaving? Another shot rang out, this time through the front door, aiming at Elias, who had peaked his head around the corner. It missed him by a fraction of an inch. ¡°He¡¯s not just covering his spy,¡± Rocky shouted, pressing himself tight against the truck. ¡°He¡¯s trying to hit us. Everyone, stay down!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s an option, Rocky,¡± Emily shouted. Beyond the fence, Benton had set the weapon on the hood of the car and stretched his palm out towards the truck. Billowing fire gathered in his hand until it was the size of a soccer ball. ¡°Shit! Run!¡± Rocky shouted as Benton launched the ball of fire towards them. It struck the hood, and the truck was engulfed in flames that rolled over the vehicle like burning oil over water. They dashed for the office entrance as Benton reached for his rifle to pick them off. Only he never got the chance. Twin daggers of shadow flew from the darkness and struck the rifle, shattering it in half. Benton swore, his composure finally pierced, as a bloodthirsty woman swinging a massive sword dashed out of the darkness with a feral scream. Chief Benton scrambled into the driver¡¯s seat and threw the car into reverse, stepping on the gas and speeding down the road and out of sight. Bethany was stunned, and she raised her hammer to get a better view as the red and blue lights faded away. Abigail ¨C eyes blood red and blade embedded in the earth where the police car had been only moments before ¨C stared intently at the police car as it disappeared down the road. ¡°Well now, isn¡¯t this good timing,¡± Zee said dramatically, stepping into Bethany¡¯s light and stowing his daggers. He beamed at Bethany through the fence. ¡°Nice hammer, my dear. Now, given that we just saved your lives, I think it¡¯s only polite that you invite us in for dinner. I¡¯m starving!¡± Bethany didn¡¯t answer him, her eyes fixed upon the third figure that entered her light. The woman with the shoulder-length blond hair with a strip of black, with a black blade at her side. A woman she thought she¡¯d left for dead in the Arena of Dolos. A woman who made her blood run cold.