Chapter 248: Dawn of the Trial

The announcement signaling the imminent start of the fifth Trial - one of the most important ones as well, according to the Regressor - started about two months after my little stunt. We were fairly certain that nothing would go wrong (well, I was in any case, since I spoke to Q and Xalla prior to this meeting) Not much had changed since that time; Jae-Hyun and been consolidating power and getting the new recruits up to snuff via the Omen Machine, while I was busy doing my own share of recruiting and training. 

Most of my tasks involved very little direct supervision on my part, and aside from a speech or two, or maybe signing off on some official paperwork, my days were relaxed and free. I knew that as both the guild and the resistance grew, I’d have more on my plate, but for now, I was content to enjoy my time among the inhabitants of Pandora and relax. Honestly, these last 60 days passed by in a flash.

But my little impromptu vacation was about to be over. It was, once again, time to get back to the swing of things. With only a handful of hours left, the guild had gathered for one final debriefing before we headed out, but I had to excuse myself a little early because I had another guest before things started again. By now, the guild was used to my semi-frequent disappearances due to the contract I had signed, and once they knew that I wouldn’t do anything reckless without informing them, they had tactfully agreed to ignore my private talks. I think they still felt bad for my “burden”.

I went back to my dorm, the only truly private place I had ever since Noel got her spying capabilities, and waited for my guest to arrive. Not five minutes later, a soft knock was heard, and a pair of cute, tetacled feet waltzed into the door. 

“Hey, Xalla,” I said with a barely contained smile before gesturing for her to come in. “Q mentioned you wanted to speak with me before the next Trial starts.”

She returned the smile and bowed politely. Gah, I can never get used to work-Xalla; she was too formal. “Good afternoon, Lord Walter, and thank you for seeing me on such short notice. Q sends his apologies for not being able to make it in person; he’s still busy finalizing the Trials.”

I arched an eyebrow. Lord Walter? Now, normal work-Xalla could be formal, as I just said, but this was overkill. What was going on?

Noticing my question, the Xollon girl explained. “I am here as the official liaison for the Sponsors during this Trial, Lord Walter, so please excuse any changes in behavior while I am on official business.”

Ah, that would explain it. She wasn’t just the head of security this time, and I was willing to bet that she was being actively monitored as well. But that last bit… I was half worried that I’d have to deal with Xalla being all stiff and professional the whole time, but that didn’t seem like it’d be the case. 

“I see,” I nodded, deciding to act like the proper Lord Abiter for now. “Mind if I ask why you were chosen for such a role? I can’t imagine it being standard procedure to take you away from your official work as head of security.”

“Of course you may ask, Lord, and no, it is not normal,” she paused before continuing, “I have been chosen precisely due to my unique abilities. Site 1104 has attracted the attention of a historial number of Sponsors, both from this local universe and from other, more exotic locations, and as such, as the sole Xollon working within this organization - save for yourself of course - I am the only Central worker capable of keeping the peace.”

I nodded again. “Makes sense, given my station here and the anomaly. How’s the turnout this time around? For the Sponsors, I mean.”

“We have 1821 Sponsors of varying levels observing at present, with more to arrive as the fifth Trial gets underway.

“And you’re going to keep all of those hotheaded gods in check yourself?”

This time, a rare look of helplessness flashed through Xalla before disappearing just as quickly as it came. “No… due to the unprecedented turnout of Sponsors, we have had to contract others to help out.”

I frowned. Was this another ploy from the Overseer to screw things up for Pandora? Damn it, what kind of incompentat help did he hire this time around? 

“Who is it that will be helping?” I asked slowly.

Xalla, for the first time I’ve ever seen her, lost her calm and sighed. “Let me introduce you…” She turned slightly to the right and gave a defeated command. “Xollo’gatha’malu-xaza, please greet the Lord Arbiter.”

A small rip in the dimensions appeared a few feet away from me, and a new tentacled body shuffled its way into the room. This Xollon, a girl that looked to be roughly Xalla’s age, or maybe slightly older, looked… well, she looked damned similar to my girlfriend. Her fringes were a bit longer than Xalla’s, and she looked more lythe and slender compared to the other girl, but everything else appeared remarkably the same. Even the colouration of their skin and maws matched. 

“Meet Xaz,” Xalla said, deflated. “My eldest sister.”  

Her sister? I knew that Xalla had siblings, quite a few of them in fact, as was apparently common in Xollon society, but I hadn’t thought I’d have the chance to meet one of them so quickly. I ditched my human form and went into my Secondary Form to give the new Xollon a firm handshake. 

Xalla’s sister returned the shake and gazed at me up and down, not too subtly at that.. “Ah, so this is the stunning war vet that my little sister managed to snag.” The woman gave my girlfriend a teasing grin. “I didn’t think you had it in you, Xalla, I’m impressed.”

Xalla rolled her eyes. “Do I have to remind you that you are here in an official capacity?”

Xaz shook her head and chuckled. “And here I was wondering how you managed to catch such a stunning man with that stuck-up attitude… but I suppose you are right. I am here as a representative of Rogue and the Xollons as a whole.” She gave me a low, formal bow. “I am glad to meet you, Lord Arbiter W, and I thank you for your service during the Long War. It will be a pleasure working with you during my short stay at Site 1104.”

“Thank you, Xaz,” I replied, “And likewise…” My gaze returned to Xalla. “Was this why you wanted to speak with me?”

Xalla sighed again before collecting herself. “No, Lord Arbiter. It’s-”

“Now now, Xalla, you can’t hog the Lord Arbiter all to yourself.” 

“But-”

“I’ll explain to Walter, so you go and relax for a bit; that bed looks quite comfortable. Have you had a chance to experience it yourself?” 

Xalla blushed and was about to retort before her sister cut her off again to speak with me. “She’s fun to tease, isn’t she?”

“Uh…”

Xaz chuckled and made herself comfortable on the bed instead of her sister. “Anyway, what Xalla meant to say is that she’s not the only one who is short on staff this time around, what with the recent purges done by your little bundle of tentacles. Site Admin Q is also low on trustworthy staff.”

“Xaz, please,” Xalla grumbled, trying in vain to dislodge her sister from my bed. By now, the sheets were thoroughly shredded from her serrations. “You’re destroying the Lord Arbiter’s room!”

“Oh, does little Xalla want the honor of doing that first?”

“I swear, Xaz!”

“It’s fine,” I interjected. “I was meaning to get them replaced anyway.”

“Yeah, Xalla,” the older Xollon smirked. “Listen to the Lord Abiter.”

The poor head of security sighed one last time. “My apologies, Lord Arbiter, but do you mind stepping out of the room for just a moment? I have something private to talk about with the new contracted employee.”

She didn’t look to be in the mood to hear no for an answer, and despite Xaz’s protests, I did as instructed and quickly stepped outside the room. A small barrier shimmered into existence shortly after I was out, followed by what felt like a localized earthquake. 

I ignored that last part…and the muffled sounds of explosions.

Five minutes later, Xalla, sounding slightly winded but none the worse, called out. “I apologize for that, Lord Arbiter, but you can come back in again.”

The barrier disappeared, and I pushed the door open. Scratch that; I tried to push the door open and would have succeeded if it hadn’t turned to dust the second I touched it. The interior of my dorm likewise matched the new aesthetics of my door. 

“I’ve already called someone to get things replaced, Lord Walter,” Xalla said with a professional smile. “It’ll be fixed before you know it.”

“Um, thanks…” I muttered, doing my best to ignore the pile of tentacles twitching in the corner. 

Xalla casually scooched over and made a new portal before quickly shoving the twisted body into the opening. “Not a problem, and I’m sorry for the behavior of my sister. She had an appointment right now, but she’ll make a proper apology once she is free again. I promise that she’ll be better behaved then.”

“Right…”

Xalla created another rip in the dimensions and gestured for us to go through it, her smile never fading. “Anyway, shall we move to a better location while Q’s men fix your dorm?”

I nodded slowly and went in without fuss. I’d never seen her like this before, and I had always thought she was quite level-headed, but Xalla could be quite emotional at times. I suppose bothersome siblings could bring out the worst in people, although I could still see that the two got along well despite the earlier, um, “talk”. It took a special kind of bond to know how to annoy a sibling to such an extent. 

“So,” I said, taking a seat in the new office space. “While it was nice to meet your sister, what was it that you wanted to inform me again? Something about a lack of personnel?”

“Right, about the next Trial. The reason I had you meet Xaz wasn’t just to introduce our new employee, it’s because my sister and I will be working under you for the next Trial, Lord Arbiter.”

I frowned. “Pardon?”

Xalla sighed, and her expression hardened. “It’s one of the other city-states, Walter. One that needs your attention as the Arbiter of this site.”

“Is something wrong?”

“I think it’s easier to show you.”

Xalla took out a small black cube about the size of a pencil sharpener and placed it on the desk. She pressed a button on the side, and a prerecorded video started to play in the air. It showed an aerial view of another city-state, the one with the issue I had to assume, and boy was it impressive. The entire city was transformed into a military bastion; walls at least 15 feet tall surrounded the entire area, while watch towers and fortifications lined the perimeter, and thousands upon thousands of guards and soldiers stood sentry.

That, however, wasn’t the most eye-catching thing about this place. In the middle stood a beautiful alabaster castle that towered over everything around it; high spires and impossible archways dotted the structure, while runic symbols floated in the air, giving off a menacing aura even through the projection. At the very center of the castle, overlooking the entirety of the city, were two men; two individuals that I recognized immediately. 

“There are two new anomalies present in site 1104, Lord Arbiter,” Xalla said with a frown. “And I believe you know of these two personally.”

I continued to stare at the two, my mouth clenched. “Ryan, I can understand,” I muttered, “But why is Ashwin here?”