Chương 4: 3. Harlequin's Rules

As the preliminary trial continued, the winners moved to the card-covered wall. So far, there were seven of us. Some seemed familiar, others not so much. Once this was over, I'd get a chance to learn more about them, though from now on they'd have to make the first move. I had already gotten all the useful allies I could hope for. If memory served, I was also going to get a few enemies as well.

"R-r-red," Carl stuttered just as his balloon shifted color. A moment less and he would have popped out of existence. Unfortunately, there was no getting rid of annoyances. Even in the past, Carl had proven to be more resilient than a cockroach—a quality that seemed to hold true this time around as well. The balloon above his head popped, marking him as one of the winners.

Brushing the sweat off his face, the man quickly rushed to our section of the room, as if fearing someone would catch him in a lie and leave him behind. If I were granted the opportunity, I would have. The sound of popping intensified. As half the slots were filled, the remaining contestants became more and more desperate. Several tried Carl's approach only to have them pop out instead of their balloons. Waiting for the whole thing to end, I glanced in the direction of the goths.

"Identical," one of them said, facing the goth girl.

"Yellow," the person next to the girl said instantly. Sadly, he was mistaken, causing him to pop out of existence.

"Red," the goth girl said, unaffected by the man's disappearance. There was another pop. With a confident smile, she glanced at the remaining two in her group.

"Identical," she instructed.

"Yellow," both said and to the dread of many, both succeeded. The trio calmly made their way to our side of the room, stopping in the vicinity of Marcus. That left them as far away from me as possible. I tried to remember anything about them from my last time, but nothing popped out. There was every chance that they had died during the first few trials. At the time, I had been focused so intently on surviving that I had let a lot of details slip.

"That was lucky," Cathy whispered. No, it wasn't. Everything suggested that they somehow knew about the trial before it started. Sadly, that wasn't a claim I could openly make.

"Not for us," I said.

"Things just became more difficult further on."

"Why?"

"Five cards." I turned to her.

"If the three of them work together, they'll get to choose three." The goth girl was discussing something with Marcus. By the looks of it, she was trying to get him to join her group. Not a bad choice. Unfortunately for her, she didn't know the first thing about the guy. Marcus was the type who only focused on himself. He would enter alliances now and again, but only when it was to his benefit, and he would never ever agree to become part of a group.

"Wonderful!" Harlequin's voice boomed. Everyone stopped whatever they were doing and glanced up, where the jester was floating.

"We have twenty winners. This marks the end of the zero trial." A loud series of pops, more akin to an explosion, followed, after which all remaining balloons fell gently to the floor. Brutal as always, I held my breath. Those who succeeded moved on, while those who didn't had to struggle for the chance of making it to another trial. From here on, things were only going to get more merciless.

"I congratulate you, participants in the Grand Arcana game! Your performance has been deemed amusing enough to merit a few rewards." As he spoke, the cards flew to the opposite wall, sticking to it with their faces revealed. It was just like last time: three Paladin cards, one Bard, and one Archer. Roman numerals lay beneath each of the cards, marking their position within the Arcana deck. However, that was not all. Hints were scattered throughout the trials of the game.

If one were lucky enough to get them all, they could learn that in addition to everything else, the cards also acted as keys. As long as one brought the right card to the right place, there was a reward to be obtained. A veteran whose life I had saved once told me the secret of a card combo. The information had been useless to me back then, but this time I had every intention of getting the prize.

"Paladin?" someone asked.

"What does that do?" It was inevitable that the card would attract attention with its golden border. Those who failed to claim it would have to complete several more trials before they got to see another rare card. That wasn't the one I was after, though.

"Only those in a position to choose can read what the cards offer." The smile on Harlequin's mask seemed to widen.

"Since this is your first trial, it was decided that you get to see the cards before you start. You must be grateful for that privilege." Carl looked around, hoping to get someone to ask the questions he didn't dare to. To my surprise, a small coronet of yellow light emerged above the man's head.

"You were found amusing and shall receive ten silver coins," Harlequin said. Pieces of silver appeared in Carl's hands. Seeing him, of all people, get a reward pissed me off. That walking disaster had messed up the lives of so many people and, by the looks of it, he would do so again. Just then, a crownlet of white light emerged above me and the goth chick.

"You were found smart and shall receive a pouch of containment," the jester turned to me. It wasn't a special gift by any stretch of the imagination, but this early in the game, it was worth its weight in gold. POUCH OF CONTAINMENT (Special) Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Carry up to five items of small or medium size within your status box. A notification popped up in front of me along with a row of five square slots beneath my standard status box.

Without waiting, I transferred all my tubes of silver coins there.

"And of course, you," Harlequin floated down in front of Marcus. A large crown of orange light appeared over the man's head.

"You were found to be a winner. As such, you will be granted a hand dagger." Seriously?! I wanted to shout. Whichever deity had offered the gift had pretty much solved the first three trials for him. Whispers emerged. Of the twenty, there were a few that could potentially take Marcus on, but even they wouldn't go against someone with a weapon.

"Rewards are given to the skilled, the amusing, and those who in some way impress the deities." Harlequin floated back up towards the ceiling.

"So always be sure to provide a good show." A glowing symbol of infinity appeared just above the Archer card. Pausing for a moment, the jester looked at the card, then back at us.

"You are most fortunate. The powers that be have provided you with infinite Archer cards."

"That's lucky," Cathy whispered.

"We don't have to worry about the four of them now." I smiled even if I didn't share her optimism. Four people ahead of me were just enough to mess things up. If I were only facing Marcus and Cathy, maybe I could keep a low profile. Not anymore… The whispers turned to chatter. Carl, most of all, was relieved that he'd get something even if he came dead last. A few others shared that sentiment. I almost pitied them.

"Here are the rules for this trial." Harlequin snapped his fingers. All the cardless walls crumbled, revealing three corridors continuing to infinity. Each of them presented an obstacle course complete with rocks, columns, holes in the ground, and more than a few traps.

"In the zero trial you learned to talk, so now need to learn how to walk. Reach the end of the corridor and you'll get to claim your prize." Quickly, I looked in each of the directions. Last time, I had chosen the corridor facing the cards, which turned out to be a mistake. To be good at the trials, one didn't just have to be fit and fast, they had to be observant. A few people rushed off, choosing a direction at random. Neither Cathy nor Marcus were among them.

The goth group had split up, covering all options, as I expected they would. Waiting until most of the people were gone, I went to the center of the room. From just the right angle, the concealed hints gained focus. So that's what you look like. I smiled. The columns, rocks, and even the floor itself made out images of numbers. The corridor to the right was a one, the one to the left a ten, and the one facing the cards—a five. The greater the number, the higher the difficulty, but also the shorter the distance.

Weak players were best suited to take the one, while stronger ones had to go for the ten. Marcus passed by, giving me a quick glance as he made his way to the five. Clearly, his intuition special wasn't foolproof.

"What are you thinking?" Cathy asked.

"I'm going left," I replied. Having her ask for advice felt unusual. Last time, I was the one lagging behind.

"Then I'll go right." She turned in the direction of the corridor.

"Why?"

"Looks safer." The girl did a few stretches.

"See you at the finish line," she added, then ran off. I watched her disappear from view. At her speed, she'd outrun everyone in the competition in a matter of minutes. The fighting part might prove difficult, but I had a feeling she'd find a way around it. Turning to the left, I started walking towards the corridor. Before I crossed the threshold, Harlequin swooped down from above, blocking my way.

"You're interesting," he said, bending down so much that his porcelain face almost touched my nose.

"You have something that doesn't belong to you."

"Only rule-masters can give out specials." I didn't back down, knowing exactly what he was going for.

"Yes," he replied in blood-freezingly cheerful fashion.

"Only rule-masters can give them out. Who gave you the one you have?"

"Maybe it was you, and you just don't remember?" For a moment, I almost thought I saw the porcelain mask frown. Rule-masters loved puzzles, but only if they knew the answer. He knew I wasn't lying, and that only seemed to increase his interest. Moving nothing but his head, he looked at the left and right sides of my face, as if he were examining a defective object.

"I'll keep my eye on you," he said, finally moving a step back.

"And will you compensate me for the time lost?" A normal person wouldn't dare ask the question. Thankfully, I knew the rules. Rule-masters weren't allowed to help or hinder participants without the express permission of a deity—a rule he had just broken. Realizing that I knew, Harlequin crossed his arms.

"What compensation would you like?" he asked, tilting his head to the right so much that it ended up sideways on his shoulder.

"Enhance my sight so I can see others' status windows without needing physical contact."

"Oh?" To my surprise, he sounded more amused than anything.

"That's quite a request. Having my sight boosted to that extent will make you almost equal to a rule-master." I knew that he was lying. Being able to see system boxes was significant, but not to the extent he was trying to make it out to be.

"Let's make it a bet," he said.

"Wasting your time might have cost you the chance to get a card. However, since you'll always get a card, it's hardly such a big penalty." He bent towards me again, curving like a question mark.

"If you manage to complete the trial and be at least third, I will grant your wish. Fail, and you'll only be able to use it if the person you're using it on agrees." In effect, that meant I would be losing the ability. Harlequin's Sight was considered so powerful precisely because it provided information without the target being aware.

"Deal!" I extended my hand forward. The porcelain mask turned down, looking at my hand, then went back again, as the jester straightened up.

"The bet is made," he said, then vanished in a cloud of red and yellow. I waited a few seconds, just to be sure he was gone, then dashed forward. The first trial was always considered the easiest. There was no chance of dying; all injuries would get treated, and everyone gained a card. That was far from the truth. The first trial was the most important by far, though not in terms that most players could conceive.

The early trials set up the foundation for everything that followed; the challenges were more forgiving, the deities more generous, and most important of all, this was the time at which participants could claim prizes that would put them on a different track from the rest. The first few traps along the corridor were elementary—piles of rocks, unstable floor tiles, and the occasional spring trap that shot barbed arrows. That didn't stop several people from messing up.

As I ran on, I came across four who wouldn't be in a condition to continue in the next few hours.

"Help!" a woman shouted at me from the ground. By the looks of her torn left trouser, she had taken a nasty fall, ending up with a serious wound. The only problem with that was that there was no place for her to fall from; not unless she had deliberately done so.

"I think I broke my leg," she persisted. I didn't need to have Harlequin's sight to tell she was lying. There didn't seem to be a place for anyone else to hide, so this was less an ambush and more an act to have me let her tag along to the end of the trial.

"Go back." I ran along the elevated section of the floor, leaping to end up on top of the wall.

"The other corridors are easier."

"Pull me up!" she almost screamed, her "broken" leg no longer causing her any pain.

"You can't leave me here!"

"Just don't go along the corridor facing the cards," I gave her a greater hint than she deserved, then continued running forward. The woman's yells and curses intensified for several seconds, then abruptly cut off as she saw that her manipulation attempt didn't work. Slowly, the corridor around me changed. The straight lines of the walls and ceiling gradually became irregular, transforming my surroundings into a stone cave. The crude traps and obstacles subsided, replaced by animal statues.

After another minute, I stopped. The way forward was blocked by two giant elephant statues made of white and green marble—the first real challenge of the trial.