Chapter 48: The Cost of Conquest
As narrated by the event keeper
Three months after the arrival of Sean Windfall, the Skepto.
In the shadowed sleeping quarters of a converted football stadium, two men occupied a small, shared room. Jacket sat on a cot, hissing through gritted teeth as he wrapped fresh bandages around his arm, the wound beneath seeping red despite weeks of care. Across from him, Ted hunched over a desk, a cosmology textbook splayed open as he scribbled computational equations with furious focus. Once fearless warriors, they’d been humbled by Skepto’s elite generals in a crushing defeat—a brutal reminder that an unsharpened blade had no place in a swordfight.
Ted’s pencil stilled as he noticed Jacket’s pained grimace. “You alright?” he asked, concern softening his sharp tone. “Your arm’s bleeding again.”
Jacket’s face tightened, a mix of exhaustion and defiance in his eyes. “I don’t know why it won’t heal. It’s been three months.”
Ted’s frustration erupted, his voice rising. “How’s it supposed to heal when we’re fighting every damn day? This whole setup’s ridiculous!”
Jacket met his gaze. “You say that, but you’re studying too. You know it’s for the greater good—for the planet.”
“Yeah, right,” Ted scoffed, gathering his books and standing abruptly. He’d been playing Skepto’s game to survive, but the resentment simmered just beneath the surface.
“Where you headed?” Jacket asked, his voice quieter now.
“Computational astrophysics,” Ted replied, already moving toward the door.