Chapter 35

A hush fell over the crowd and the focus of the display moved to Jupiter. We could see the others had a confused look on their faces and Odin seemed to be angry at the interruption.

“Well then, why don’t we bring them here and get to the bottom of it,” Odin said, snapping his fingers.

In a flash of light we were no longer in the tunnel and were standing on the balcony with the Council.

“So what is it this time?” Asked Odin who crossed his arms in irritation. “I don’t see how anything they did would be used as a reason to deny their progression.”

Jupiter scoffed, “First, they used unsanctioned magic to move through the tunnels. They would not have moved so simply without it, and it gave them an unfair advantage to complete the task given.”

“You’re joking right?” asked Ra, who was shaking his head. “That seems awfully petty and trivial. Her ability is natural to her race and not one that is learned. Inherent magic is not forbidden, though we didn’t plan for her, and her addition was too recent to adjust. I figure that this is part of why you are bent out of shape about this. If that is all, that isn’t enough to hold their victory from them.”

“They failed to kill the worm,” Jupiter spat. His anger was mounting, and it seemed that he wasn’t getting the support he expected from the others.

I decided to speak up then, “Odin only specified that we had to make it to the end of the tunnels. There was no requirement that we kill or defeat anything we came across, though I am surprised. You mentioned the worm, but you failed to mention the goblins that we left alive.”

I glanced at all of them, checking to see any reaction from the Council or any sign of deceit.

Jupiter walked over to me, “The goblins are not of consequence, but the worm is a threat that should have been dealt with.”

“Why was it a threat?” I asked, crossing my arms, and standing my ground. “It refused to come closer to us until we were just about to reach the finish line and even then, it seemed reluctant to do so.”

“And now you are an expert on worms?” Jupiter asked, with a snarl. “You don’t have the first clue of the dangers in these challenges or in the Dungeons. You are a simpleton trying to grasp at things beyond your comprehension. You were stupid enough to jump into that creature’s mouth.”

I felt the anger rising as I replied, “There was nothing stupid about it. I knew it wouldn’t hurt me because I had already met it before. My party dealt with a worm plaguing a mining camp on the third floor. They had stumbled on a worm nest and the mother was just lashing out at intruders. With the help of a spell, we were able to create a peace between them. The camp would end up with an endless supply of minerals and ore, thanks to the worms, and the worms would be left in peace. The markings on the worm are almost identical to the one we dealt with, though it was smaller than the one we talked with. I figured it was an offspring that was collected for the Challenge, and it explained the reluctance to attack. I assumed that, despite the feral nature of the creatures, they do communicate. After all, we were able to talk to its mother. I knew I was safe enough, but the fact it was guided to attack us was concerning. Working on a hunch, I jumped into the beast and after a bit of searching, I found what I was looking for.”

Knowing that there was no time to do this as I planned, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the glowing red gem that I had found in the worm. There was a collective gasp from the gods surrounding us, though I couldn’t tell if it was genuine shock that there was one, or shock that I had found it and kept it.

“How do we know you didn’t plant that?” Jupiter asked, a smug grin on his face. “No one else was there when you ‘found’ it, so it is suspicious.”

Odin’s eyes narrowed, “Jupiter, this boy has been targeted by the people who had made these things far too often. If it weren’t for the bond with the worm, if they had been damaged enough, their stones wouldn’t have worked. That means that they could have died, and their stones would have been rendered inoperable. What is your problem with Pathios? You have been dead set against him since he arrived and constantly have been trying to subvert aspects of his life since he arrived.”

“BECAUSE HE SHOULDN’T BE HERE!” Jupiter screamed. “You know that he had enough to move on, so why did he come here? He has been turning aspects of our world upside down since he got here and those, he befriends are following his example. He is a disruptive influence and needs to be dealt with!”

“So far, the only disruptions seem to be coming from two sources,” Zeus stated as his eyes sparkled with power. “The first is the shadow group that is responsible for the red stones, the other is you. I vote to give them their victory and allow them to move to the next challenge.”

The rest of the Council nodded and everyone, but Jupiter agreed with Zeus. I handed the stone to Odin and returned to my group before we returned to our box in a flash of light. I could feel my adrenaline dropping and the shock of what just happened set in. It seemed that Odin and Freyja weren’t the only ones who knew what I had been and the circumstances behind my arrival. I could feel the hatred pouring off of Jupiter and knew this wouldn’t be the last of it. What worried me was: if he knew that I wasn’t supposed to be here, could he have known that I was purposely sent to Tyr’s Pact House?

“You and I will have a chat about your disruptions, Jupiter,” Odin said in a dead and even tone. “Perhaps you can shine a light as to what this stone was doing in the worm that you were to provide for the trial. You knew the Council allowed his choice of letting the worms live in peace and you violated that decision in some misguided attempt to impose your will on this challenge. Tyr, you can take your group and go, but I may need to speak with you later.”

Tyr nodded and guided us out of the chamber. We followed the guard to our rooms to drop off our gear, ensuring ours was within our armory. Once we were done, we were escorted to the dining hall to eat and regain some energy after the challenge. Just as we sat to eat, a display shimmered into existence in the center of the dining table. The Council appeared on the display, though Jupiter was visibly absent from view.

“We are happy to announce that the Council has voted for Tyr’s Pact House to move forward,” Odin announced, causing a combination of cheers and boos to fill the air. “They showed ingenuity and resourcefulness that we have never seen in a Challenge before.”

The focus changed to the lottery spinner, and we watched as it began to spin, wondering which house would be chosen next. A few seconds later, a black ball fell out and Odin picked it up to show to everyone.

“The Ekeko house will be challenged next,” He called out, sending cheers to erupt from the crowd. “Let’s see how they will fair with their challenge.”

The display shimmered away, and we knew we had at least an hour before the next challenge would commence. I glanced around and saw there were some mixed feelings around the table.

“Well, we have had an interesting day,” Tyr said with a sigh. “I didn’t expect that you would do so well, or that Jupiter would once again cause issues with you so soon. His behavior has started to become erratic and now that you found the stone in a beast he had collected, it will cause suspicion to fall on him.”

I nodded in response, “I know, but there was no other way. If he isn’t directly involved, I think that group wanted to bring his efforts to light. I have a feeling that he was doing more than we know, things that have caused a lot of people problems.”

“What do you mean, Pathios?” Darius asked, placing his fork on his plate, and turning his focus to me.

“I just have a feeling that this shadow group has been pushed to this,” I answered with a sigh. “It is as if they have been pushed into this ‘rebellion’ against the way things are. If Jupiter and people like him are causing the same kind of issues all over, then this shadow group would have formed to fight back. This is all speculation, and for all we know it could be something that he himself created, but it just feels like retaliation for a long time of suffering. Mind you, I neither condone nor understand what they were trying to achieve. Their methods seem very extreme, and they have been putting a lot of innocent people in danger.”

“That would make sense, but it is hard to know what it is,” Tyr said pensively. “He is a stickler for the old-time punishments, as you well know, Pathios. Still, the Council doesn’t directly affect the people or the adventurers. They merely set policy that the Pact House leaders and the general governments enforce. But we do know that there are some who are doing what they want, and the Council has done nothing. The land Entivala comes from is perfect proof of that and I am sure that there were some people from there who complained to the Council.”

Everyone nodded, turning back to their food for the time being. We ate in silence, though Katie squeezed my hand and threw me a smile. I returned it, though my thoughts returned to the problem at hand. I had the sinking feeling that things would not turn out as I hoped when this was done. Due to the last few interactions with the Council, I was quickly making an enemy of Jupiter and the worm was ample proof that he would act on his desires to see me pay or be gone.

When the meal was completed, we were guided back to our box and awaited the start of the next challenge. The anticipation was growing as we wondered what would be the challenge unfolding under that energy dome in a few moments. We didn’t have to wait much longer as the shimmering display formed in front of us.

“Welcome back, everyone,” Odin announced with a smile. “We are happy to announce our fourth challenge that should be interesting to watch.”

I noticed that there was still no Jupiter with the others behind Odin as he spoke to the audience. With a wave of his hand, we saw the display split and we watched as the field came down. I was surprised to see that the area was not all that large. It looked to be a quarter of the maps we saw yesterday, even the one that we had just gone through. It looked to be an open field with various large, rocky outcroppings. We saw a flash of energy appear on the field, signaling the arrival of the next Pact House. There were two men and what looked to be three women, the last one seemed hard to discern the gender. The two men were garbed in leather armor, one studded and one less reinforced but more flexible. The studded, armored man had a longsword in hand, but no shield. The other looked to be equipped with a heavy crossbow, but the regular kind. I am sure he was wishing to know the design of the one Dilbar had been using.

One of the women was garbed in armor, though you could tell that it was accented to show her feminine form. It reminded me of the armor worn by Xena: mixtures of leather and metal interwoven with a leather skirt. Long knee-high boots that looked to also be reinforced. She had two short swords and a bow on her back. Her quiver was set to the side of her belt rather than her back. The other two seemed to be dressed in spell caster robes, though one wore more flowing robes, while the other was dressed more conservatively. The final member was garbed in plate mail, but there was a long lizard-like tail that extended between the breast and legging plates. It too, was covered in segmented plates that looked as if they allowed movement and flexibility while protecting the tail. He was armed with a shield and spear, though there seemed to be a magic quality to it.

“We will see if they have what it takes,” Odin called out, gesturing to the field. “Their task is simple: subdue or kill their target. They have four hours to complete the task, but can they, do it?”

I wondered what had been picked to fight them when a deafening roar filled the air. I felt my blood run cold as the image of Odin disappeared and there was a view of something coming towards us in the sky. I knew instantly what it was that was approaching. Shock and fear appeared on the challengers’ faces as they realized they would have to deal with a huge flying creature. The spell slingers quickly began to frantically prepare spells and defences as the beast approached. They ran to the various rock outcroppings, and I could see the worry that appeared on their faces. As the creature drew closer, my eyes widened, and we saw what it was. It was a Wyrm, like Smaug from ‘The Lord of the Rings’. It flapped its massive wings which each looked to be five meters long, with two long talons on the ends. The beast was covered in thick, crimson scales. Its head was covered in long horns, with fins along the sides of its head behind its jowls. It made Trethraz look small in comparison, but it only took three of us to take him down. Depending on their various skills, they could be able to handle the beast easily.