The path opened up into a wider, circular space, and there were two participants there. As soon as I noticed, I pulled back and hugged the hedge wall, barely poking my head in.
One was a young man—another of the participants who kept quiet. His clothes looked torn up, and he was on the ground, looking up at the assailant and trying to make a deal.
The assailant was a woman. I almost wondered if she was an enemy exclusive to this place. Her face was narrow, her expression one of intensity, further exaggerated by the blackest hair I had seen down here. She wore a revealing body-suit with only a layer of metal over her neck and shoulders, and black, oily pants, far beyond anything a village could produce. The black body suit had cutouts. A diamond-shaped cutout centered on her navel, and round cutouts that exposed her hips. The undersides of her breasts were exposed too. Had she run out of metal? She left so many glaring weak spots.
The look definitely made her seem more powerful than the others I saw, though. I listened in, hoping to fish for information.
“Please. I haven’t messed with you—I won’t,” the man cried, holding his hand between her and him.
“No.” She pointed the torch she held at him. “The memory of you smashing my fingers until I let go is still fresh in my mind.”
“P-please! That was so long ago!”
The woman shrugged. “I hold a grudge.”
She activated the torch’s power and showered the man in a storm of blue plasma. He faded away after that, leaving behind a glass card that she then picked up.
She did nothing more after that. Didn’t check the area. Didn’t take a breath, she just faced one of the four passages leading out of the space and walked.
I mulled it over for a second and walked out. “I hold a grudge, too.”
She jumped slightly, like she was trying to restrain it. Then, she turned her head slightly.
“Quieter than a rodent, I see,” she said.
“Chalk it up to this place’s weird acoustics. An echoey cavern, it is not.”
She turned around fully, her brow rising when she saw me. “The naked one? I didn’t think you would be one to sneak up on me,” she said with the slightest smile curling her lips.
“I didn’t think I would be sneaking up on a woman as intimidating-looking as you.”
She giggled lightly. “Thank you for the compliment.”
“So, listen, I’m happy to go separate ways with you—“
“But you have questions?”
“I do.”
“And you’ll hold a grudge if I just ignore you?” She gasped, her hand on her lips. “Or even worse—I hurt you?”
“Yeah, those are pretty grudge-worthy.”
“I’m willing to speak,” she said, her voice unburdened of any anxiety. “But you need to tell me something I want to hear.” She crossed her arms, put her leg out, and began tapping her foot. “Feel free.”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
If it wasn’t for the delay on the God Arm’s first shot after manifesting, I could probably shoot her here. But that would be an ill-advised thing when I had the better option.
“I’ve got two of the puzzle cards,” I nonchalantly said.
She tried to hide her surprise, but I saw the slightest jump in her brows.
“You don’t say,” she replied, breaking the silence. “Quite a brave thing to tell me.”
“Who knows. Maybe I’m giving myself an excuse to be the next person on your shit list.”
If she attacked me, then great. I had someone to keep practicing Smites on. But, I bet she would conclude it was better to humor me.
“Very well then,” she said, pulling something from behind her back. “This is called a minute stone,” she said, holding up a slab. “You have until the stone goes out.” She struck it and the stone lit up, glowing blue. “Ask away.”
“What’s the goal of this round?” I asked.
“Unsure. They rarely tell us anything. Collecting enough of these cards usually tells us what we need to do.”
“How much is enough?”
“Varies between three and seven in my experience.”
“Is beating people into submission the only way to get them?”
“Depends on the round.” She looked around. “I think there might be a few other ways of finding some, but not enough to avoid fighting other competitors.”
“What would you say is the optimal strategy?”
“Optimal… Hmm… Try not to burn bridges unnecessarily. Other competitors will cause you more trouble than the hazards. And I suppose, make friends.”
“Do you want to be my friend?”
Her exhale was like a laugh. “I don’t want to get on your bad side, but how about we table that discussion for after the first round? A bit too early for me to be putting myself out there.”
”That’s quite the outfit. Is it custom?”
“Sometimes, fashion chooses us.”
”What are the Trials?”
She looked off into space. “I always wonder too. Just… a chance to make life a little easier?”
The minute stone went off. My “minute” was over.
The woman held up her hands like there was nothing she could do.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
She let her surprise show for a second in the way she tilted her head and let her lips part. A smile formed and she chuckled. “Tsk, tsk, don’t cheat.” She took one step backward. “Are you going to attack me while my back is turned?”
“And risk you coming after me next round? Nah.” I glanced at one of the paths and began side-stepping in that direction.
“You’re more clever than some of the others here.”
“Thanks for thinking so.”
“Word of caution, there are definitely a handful of people too clever for their own good in this batch.”
I reached the threshold of the path. “Thanks… Word of caution, don’t mess with me.”
She let out the most sinister laugh—it had to be on purpose. “After we had such a pleasant chat? I wouldn’t dare.”
We both kept an eye on each other until we were both just poking our heads out from our respective paths.
“Good luck, Naked Man.”
“Good luck, Scary Lady.”
She waved. “Oh, stop trying to flatter me. I won’t put extra time on the clock.”
She ducked away. I did too, but I held my spot, quieting down and trying to listen in, to see if she was going to come for me. I wished the acoustics weren’t terrible in here.
I slowly made my way down the path, still wary of her popping out and shooting me or something. If I had ranged capabilities, I had to assume she did too. Only when I rounded a corner did I breathe a sigh of relief.
I continued on my way through the maze. Guess peaceful resolutions to encounters were still possible.
And then, as if to disagree with me, a familiar [Divine Smite!] echoed above me and shook the world.
“Huh. So that’s what happens? The Smites and the guards are announced so that everyone can hear?”
I walked along, wondering the significance of that. Did knowing that Smites were landing make a difference? I thought back on it and then realized that this was the first Smite I heard that I didn’t cause.
“If Smites are supposed to be rare… I might need to do some clean-up after the round.”
