Nightmare Realm Summoner

“You!” Shawn exclaimed thrusting a large finger down at Alex’s group. “I know not of what you speak. We have never met!”

Alex stared at the giant. “What?”

He glanced up to where the System should have identified the Giant’s name, but there was nothing there. It had been concealed. And, given the fact that there was now a suspicious wig placed upon Shawn’s head, Alex got the feeling he knew what was concealing it.

“I do not know who you speak of.” The giant crossed his massive arms before his chest. “I am the Arbiter, overseer of this portion of the Trial.”

“That’s definitely the same giant,” Alyssa said. “I don’t forget faces that easily. He’s just wearing a wig.”

“You know this guy?” Wess asked. “He looks pretty strong.”

“He is,” Alex said.

“Thank you,” Shawn said. “But you do not know me. We have never met. I am most certain of it.”

“I think he’s right,” Derek said. He scratched at his chin. “I’ve never met him. I think I would remember somebody this big.”

“You weren’t there when we met him,” Alex said. He pinched the bridge of his nose as realization struck him. “But this is definitely him. Shawn said his class lets him split into multiple copies. I’m starting to suspect that everyone running this trial is him. It’s a sham.”

“What?” Shawn exclaimed. “It is not! This is the Ancestry of the Rotkeeper. I will not permit you to speak ill of him within his own gravesite.”

“Is he wrong, though?” Claire asked through narrowed eyes. She stood at a slight hunch, still trying to gather her strength and energy back, but her gaze never left Shawn even despite her weariness.

The giant looked down at them for a few seconds.

Then he sighed.

“Yes,” Shawn said. “He is. Partially. I may have omitted a few things. I didn’t expect your group would be clearing anything so quickly. Certainly not quickly enough to see me again. I am not the only Arbiter. But I am the Arbiter of the Outer Trial. That goes for all of the challenges in the Outer Trial. I just didn’t think such a small group would manage to run into me twice. Normally, you’d have been unable to clear something else in this section so quickly. The Outer Trials get cleared relatively fast, so we really only should have met once. By the time you actually found another Trial to clear, it should have been in the inner parts and no longer my jurisdiction.”

The only thing Alex was really getting from this was that the Rotkeeper was on a much lower budget than things had seemed. Then again, there was nothing wrong with recycling assets. It was just efficient.

He looked down at the compass in his hand. It was pointing right at Shawn.

“Right,” Alex said. “So… how does this work? Do we have to take another trial now? Or did we already do that by killing the boss?”

“It was already completed,” Shawn confirmed with a nod. His gaze lingered on the compass in Alex’s hands. “And doubly so in bringing that here. It is one of many keys that will guide you deeper into the Inner Ancestry.”

“Are there more than two stages to the Ancestry?” Alyssa asked. “Like a Core Ancestry or something?”

The giant’s lips twitched in amusement. “I am used to a little more fear from those who enter my domain. Why do you simply ask me questions as if I am an old friend rather than the master of your fate?”

“You want someone to succeed the Rotkeeper, don’t you?” Alyssa asked, scratching the side of her neck. “And I feel like that’s a pretty reasonable question. Would you prefer that we were incredibly respectful instead? That seems a bit… fake, doesn’t it?”

Shawn sighed. He pulled his wig off and plopped it down on the dais, allowing his name to shimmer back into being above his head.

“There is one section of the Ancestry beyond the Inner portion. It is the Grave,” Shawn said. “And it is where the Rotkeeper’s Legacy resides. Do not even attempt to ask me of its location. I will not speak to it. Only one who is worthy will be able to find it.”

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“That’s fair,” Alyssa said. She drummed her fingers against her large paintbrush as she searched for words. “So…”

“Where’s the shiny bits?” Wess asked. He jerked his chin toward the compass in Alex’s hands with all the decorum of a bull in a China shop. “We brought you the thing. I believe that means we get something in return.”

Shawn let out a grunt. “Yes. I am simply waiting to see if any of you are going to change your affiliations.”

Alex tilted his head to the side. “You mean turn on each other or something? Why would we do that?”

“The points,” Claire said. Her eyes went narrow. “There’s a limited amount you give out for retrieving the compass, isn’t there? Whatever number it is gets split among everyone who turns it in.”

Shawn smiled. “Very good. That is correct. I will not tell you how many there are. The compass is not officially turned in until every sentient in this room has agreed that they are either on the same team… or nobody remains to stand in their way.”

Alex’s jaw clenched.

Shit. So even turning the prize in is a test in itself. It’s clever. This weeds out even more people, especially the ones using a team as a crutch. People that are all fighting over the same prize are going to stop working together really quickly if they realize they’re in each other’s way.

The Rotkeeper doesn’t want a bunch of people just storming through the Ancestry. The numbers advantage would be too high. So this is one of the ways they’re breaking everyone up. Clever.

A tense second passed in silence. Shawn watched on with expectant eyes. Something told Alex this wasn’t the first time that the giant had seen this play out.

I know Claire won’t turn on me. Alyssa shouldn’t either. It would just be stupid. But Wes… he’s a wild card. I have no damn idea what his actual goals are. He doesn’t seem like the sort to value friendship more than coin.

As for Derek — well, he’s Derek. There’s a 50/50 chance he attacks me at any given point, and it’s got absolutely nothing to do with any kind of reward.

Everyone else seemed to be locked in the exact same debate. Nearly five seconds passed before the uneasy silence was suddenly broken by a loud yawn.

“So… can we get the reward now?” Derek asked. “Because we’ve been standing here a while, and I kind of want to take a nap after getting killed so many times.”

“Did you not listen to anything I said?” Shawn asked. “Until the fight is over—”

“It’s over,” Derek said. “We’re on the same team.”

“So you think,” Shawn allowed with a wide, coy smile. “But do your allies agree?”

“Yeah,” Alex said.

“Yup,” Alyssa said.

“Mm.” Claire nodded.

“Can’t be bothered to fight four people at once,” Wess said with a shrug. “We’re buds.”

Shawn’s gaze bore down on them. Then he blinked. “That’s it? Just like that?”

“What?” Alyssa asked. “Is there a problem?”

“This normally has more tension,” Shawn said. He frowned. “It almost feels like cheating. You do realize that this is final, right? Points cannot be shared. They are yours to use and yours alone. Killing someone does not net you their points.”

“Why does it sound like you’re hoping we’ll betray each other?” Alex asked.

“Because I have been waiting in this Ancestry for a very long time,” Shawn replied. “Do you have any idea how rarely the System moves planets around for restructuring? And how rare it is, even when such a thing happens, for someone to not just find the Ancestry, but be strong enough to enter it?”

“So… you’re bored,” Claire said. “You’re hoping we’ll kill each other because you’re bored.”

“That is roughly accurate, yes,” Shawn admitted. There wasn’t an ounce of shame in his voice. “No insult meant. You’re a rather interesting group. But there really isn’t much at all to do here for entertainment. I take what I can get.”

“No offense taken,” Alex said. “But can we get our reward now? I think all of us are eager to keep moving. Time isn’t exactly on our side, and I don’t plan on sitting around and doing nothing forever.”

Shawn let out a booming laugh. Then he inclined his head. “Each of you receive 10 points.”

Alex’s eyes widened.

10? That means the compass was worth 50 in total. Holy shit. Our last trial only got us like 5 or so.

“Good, round number,” Wess observed with a knowing nod.

“Would you like to spend your earnings?” Shawn asked. “You can afford more than you could the last time.”

“Can I afford your most expensive item yet?” Alex asked.

Shawn’s eyes narrowed. “No. But—”

“Then I’m good,” Alex said.

Shawn looked to the others.

All of them shook their heads.

“I’m not here for toys,” Wess said. “I want the big guns.”

“I don’t know what I want yet,” Derek said. “I’ll figure it out later. It seems like too much of a bother to think about right now.”

“There is something wrong with all of you,” Shawn said through a sigh. He flicked his hand. “Get on with it, then. Off with you.”

“What, back the way we came?” Derek asked.

“No. I have changed the path. You’ve proven yourselves more than enough to continue deeper into the Ancestry,” Shawn replied. Then a cold smile crossed his large features. “Behind you lies the path to the Inner Ancestry.”