Chapter Eleven: Questions and Answers
Tristan felt drunk. His blood was stirring in a way that no monster had been able to do. He knew a Duel in this real world would be vastly different from a Duel in the game, but the sheer thrill he’d felt…
I might have to get into Dueling here, he thought, dismissing his deck with a satisfied sigh. He turned his attention towards the others, and his buzz somewhat faded when he saw their expressions.
Shock on most of them. Disbelief on Varya. And anger on Duran, the Guildmaster.
Shit, he thought. I got carried away. He cursed himself inwardly. He had tried to hold back, but then she got that hit on him in the beginning, and his pride had reared.
He tried to replay the Duel in his head, thinking of what might’ve given him away as someone who was clearly not an Apprentice…
Feeling embarrassed, he realized it was pretty much everything he did. Especially that last move. Predicting Varya’s movement into the [Shadow Spear] and [Nightmark] double hit for the win was probably pushing it.
Oh, great. Here he comes. Duran was stomping towards him. Tristan sighed, preparing for the confrontation.
“That was amazing!” Varya suddenly exclaimed.
Tristan blinked and turned to her. Duran paused and did the same. She rushed over and gripped Tristan by the shoulders. At this distance, he had to crane his neck back to meet her awed eyes.
“That last move,” she demanded, shaking him roughly. “How did you know I was going to dash that way?”
Tristan tried to get his thoughts in order, though it was difficult with his brain being scrambled. “I noticed… you always… dashed to the right… when you could,” he stammered, getting dizzy. “That plus… some luck. Can you stop… shaking me now… please?”
“No.” Varya shook him more, and Duran slowly joined them, bemused. “How did you curve the card in the air?”
“I’m also curious about that,” Duran said, his voice tight and suspicious. “That’s an Expert-rank card technique.”
Ah, shit. Thankfully, Varya let him go, standing back with her arms crossed in confusion. The others walked up and joined them, and soon Tristan found himself surrounded.
“I grew up on the Continent,” he said after a moment, mind quickly forging a lie. “Saw the move done at one of the arenas and just practiced relentlessly till I got it.” Please, let there be arenas in this world.
Duran’s frown grew, and he opened his mouth, likely to rip apart his lie, when Genn butt in.
“An unlikely story,” the older man mused, tugging at his beard. Then, he shrugged. “But who are we to deny another their secrets? Let him keep them, I say. A cardbearer of his skill will be of great help in the Dungeon.”
“Agreed,” said Mosi, nodding. “He’s definitely lying. But so what? These days it’s better to keep your cards close to your chest. I say we let him join us.”
Eila looked at him with her wide eyes, and Tristan paused. Was that hope in them?
Duran hummed. “Marr,” he said, turning to her. “What do your instincts say?”
Marr blushed as all eyes turned on her. “He seems kind,” she mumbled.
All the others made a grunt of assent at that, and Tristan gave her a smile, which made her blush more.
“It’s settled!” Varya shouted, and Tristan hastily ducked out of the way as she reached for him with her arms. She grinned, letting her arms drop. “Anyone who could beat me in a Duel knows their shit. You’ll be of great help, I’m sure.”
“Hold up,” Tristan said, raising a hand. They were getting carried away. “I’m interested in helping you guys out. But first, you guys owe me some answers.”
“Ask your questions,” Duran muttered, “but be quick about them. We need to get some rest before we enter the Dungeon.”
***
They gathered in a circle around Eila and Mosi’s [Illuminate] cards. Duran sat back, smoking a pipe, while a bottle of wine and some fruits were passed around. Eila denied them all, instead leaning in as Tristan looked at them all with serious eyes.
“First,” he began, “what year is it?”
“What?” Mosi barked, incredulous. “What kind of question is that?”
Eila frowned. That was a strange question.
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Tristan shook his head. “Everything I’m going to ask is going to sound weird. Common sense questions that any right-minded person would know the answer to. All the same, I need you to just answer and save the confusion for later.”
“It’s the year 208,” Genn said, frowning at him. “On the 38th of Gaian.”
Tristan fell silent at that; Eila could see from the furrow of his brow that something troubled him about that answer.
“Next,” he said, “is the fastest way to Advance still by airship from Sol?”
“Yes,” Varya said, eyeing the bottle of wine hungrily. “They began construction on an underwater train, but it’s still in the early stages.”
Tristan nodded. Eila wondered what was going on in his head. His questions… It was clear that he was not from Sol. But from where, then?
“Are there ways to reset Perks in this—” He cut himself off, then finished slowly, “in this area?”
“A [Perk Reset Card]?” Duran scoffed, smoke exhaling from his nose. “Those are rewards from Grandmaster Rifts, lad. There are none of those on Solossi.”
Again, Eila was left wondering at this strange young man. Who was he, to be talking about [Perk Reset Cards]? Those were legendary items, the kind that people dream about having. Selling one of those would result in generational wealth.
“I’ll be able to find them on the Continent?” Tristan pressed, turning to the Guildmaster.
“You’ll have to sell the souls of your grandkids to afford one, but yes.” Duran scoffed again, shaking his head.
“Apparently,” Varya added, eyes bright, “there’s going to be one as a reward at the Elemental Cup a month from now, at the turn of the year.”
“Elemental Cup?” Tristan asked, turning to her now. “What’s that?”
“The premier Dueling tournament,” Mosi said slowly, and he pivoted to her, “hosted every eight years by one of the Dukes.” She nudged Genn, who seemed to be dozing off. “Who’s hosting it this year again?”
“Duke Miklos,” Genn said between a big yawn. He smacked his lips and looked at Tristan with bleary eyes. “It’ll coincide with his 48th birthday. Supposed to be a big celebration.”
“Where will it be?” Tristan asked.
“At Waves’ End,” Eila said, “about a two day’s boat ride east from Advance.”
Tristan smiled at that. “Good.” He took a deep breath, seeming to prepare himself. “Now,” he said, “tell me this. How many Transcendents are there?”
Even Eila couldn’t suppress the look of befuddlement, and looking around at the group, she saw she was not alone. What cardbearer didn’t know the answer to that one?
“Why do you want to know that?” Duran asked, looking at him with narrowed eyes. “No, disregard that. How do you not know the answer?”
“The answer to both is the same: Personal reasons.” He met Duran’s gaze squarely, and Eila couldn’t help but feel a little impressed; she’d been on the receiving end of the Guildmaster’s stare many times and had folded each time.
“There’s 23 that we know of,” Marr answered, her voice soft and cutting through the sudden tension. “But information about the higher ranks gets muddled, especially in the higher reaches of Grandmaster.”
Tristan closed his eyes. A strained expression flickered across his face, almost too fast for Eila to see. But she did. That news disturbed him. Why?
“Has there been any news about their reaction to the new Divine rank?” he asked, his voice suddenly tight. “Are they working towards reaching it? Please, anything you can tell me.”
“It’s like Marr just said,” Mosi said, “information about the higher ranks is limited. We don’t know what they’re planning.”
“But,” Duran added with a sigh, “there’s been rumours about an expedition. Apparently some of the Transcedents and higher Grandmasters are planning on allying with each other to explore the new landmass that appeared off Astalos, thinking the secret to unlocking Divine is there.” He shrugged. “Just a rumor.”
“Was there any mention of a time for this expedition?” Tristan said urgently, stepping forward.
Duran looked a little shocked at his reaction. “I heard sometime next year.”
“One year,” Tristan murmured to himself, almost too quietly for Eila to hear. “I have a year.”
Mosi shook her head derisively. “What are you thinking, lad, that you’ll be able to join them? You’re only an Apprentice! Only a handful of people have the potential to reach Master, let alone Transcendent or even Grandmaster.”
Tristan looked at her, and Eila shivered at his expression; she could only describe it as pure determination. Even Mosi quieted down at that, looking away.
An uncomfortable silence settled down as Tristan seemed to withdraw into his thoughts. Even Duran leaned forward, brow furrowed. Eila watched this strange, confusing cardbearer, corrupted leaves falling around him like ash.
“I’m sorry,” he said suddenly, looking at them all. A sinking feeling suddenly opened up in his stomach. “But I can’t join you in clearing the Roots.”
“What?” Varya exclaimed, shooting up to her feet. “But why?”
Tristan shook his head. “I can’t explain. Not in a way that would provide any real answers. Just…” He grit his jaw. “I can’t. Thank you for the food. It really was delicious.” He looked up at Varya, who stared down at him with disbelief. “Thank you for the Duel. A little tip: just because you drew your card with your right hand doesn’t mean you have to aim it that way as well. Switch it up. It’ll make you harder to predict.”
He turned around and left without another word, leaving the group in stunned silence.
“Good riddance,” Duran muttered, standing up and leaving, as Varya dropped down with a huff, sending a cloud of crushed leaves up into the air.
Genn shrugged and said his good nights, walking off to rest, Mosi joining him.
“I have a bad feeling,” Marr whispered, and Eila turned to look at her. She was staring in the direction Tristan had gone, his footprints in the leaves already obscured by the ones falling above.
“Whatever,” Varya muttered. She stalked off; Eila didn’t miss, however, how she studied her hands. A moment later, Marr stood up, giving Eila a brush on the head, and left.
Leaving her alone. Just her, the fallen leaves and the light of her card. The sight of Aidas alone in the Dungeon flared in her mind; she realized at that moment that she hadn’t thought about it since the Duel began. All because of this strange young man with his even stranger questions, who Dueled like the wind, who radiated intensity like a bonfire.
She snatched her [Illuminate] up and started running after him.