Chương 56: 55. Red Curse, Black Curse

It was past my seventh year in the Grand Arcana when I first met Sparta. Back then, she was just one of the new batch of veterans who had joined my group. She wasn't a magic user, so that instantly caught my attention, mine and that of every other man present. No one had determined why, but magic tended to pull people to the unhinged side. After the second year, any woman who wasn't, received a lot of attention. It was only after they had found her to be a pact holder that the advances decreased somewhat.

Looking at her now, she looked a lot more youthful than I remembered. Her hair was a lot longer, flowing down to the middle of her back. She had never shared what her occupation had been before the Arcana, but I strongly suspected it had something to do with the entertainment industry.

Beatrice de L'Isle Level: 4 Cards: Paladin, Champion, Thief Specials: Poison Immunity, Fast Reactions Patron: Mercury Weapons: Thread-Dagger (Level 2) The name given to me by Harlequin's Sight was Beatrice, but I had no doubt that was Sparta. It wouldn't be the first time a participant had assumed an alias during the game. It stood to reason that she had a Paladin, but I was slightly confused at the low number of cards. All the other pact holders had substantially more.

If there was one thing neither my special nor the Observer card could show me yet, it was the level of these cards. There was confidence in her stance, but I could also see nervousness. This early on, she had yet to become the killer I was familiar with. A champion of Mercury, she had both the weapons and the specials to kill most monsters and run away from the ones she couldn't. I never knew what she had seen in me. Possibly, it was the fact that I was already doing errands for the deities by then.

Outside of trials, pact holders kept each other at a distance. Exceptions were few and far between. In my case, I had remained a free agent in that regard. Furthermore, I had done a few indirect favors for Mercury, so he didn't mind me being close to his champion. What would he think now? What would she think?

"Welcome, all!" Harlequin raised his arms into the air. All four doors spontaneously closed shut, effectively trapping us in the arena chamber.

"As you might have guessed, all of you shall participate in this key trial of the Grand Arcana." No one said a word, busy eyeing the competition.

"For all you new arrivals, I will be the sole rule-master overseeing the trial. As such, do not waste your time with useless questions and complaints!" The red-and-yellow jester said. Anyone could tell that he despised the newcomers more than his own participants.

"There are forty of you and forty prizes to be claimed. Yet, not all prizes are positive." It was almost amusing how he brushed over the rules. I had no idea whether anyone from the other group was familiar with the curse cards, but the warning was certain to put them on guard.

"Do you have any questions?" I glanced around, expecting someone to raise a hand. My attention quickly returned to Sparta. She was calm and collected, very similar to what Eleonor had been. She wasn't wearing goth clothes, so that was a major relief.

"Very well, then I shall present the initial rules." Harlequin clapped his hands. Eight doors appeared around the jester on the arena, forming an octagon. Each was a different shade of red, starting from dark pink and going all the way to crimson black. I vaguely remembered a similar trial. At the time, the doors had been only three. Hopefully, the rest would remain the same.

"You are to form groups of five," the monster continued.

"Each group will then choose a door. You should already be familiar with the notion." That was different. In my past run, the groups were composed based on the rule-master who oversaw them.

"A group is formed when all five members agree to be part of it." Harlequin floated up into the air. As he did.

"You have ten minutes to form your teams. Fail and you will start the trial with a disadvantage." A row of cards emerged around him. All of them were black, leaving no doubt what they represented.

"Begin now!" All the people split into two kinds: those who had already organized themselves and those who were clueless. With no words exchanged, several clusters formed. Marcus had already made his way next to me. Cathy and Eleonor joined shortly later. As I watched, patterns started to form. Out of the forty people present, about seven were dressed completely in black. Unlike during the first trials, they no longer grouped together, but it was undeniable that they were part of one large group.

Every now and again they'd exchange subtle glances and barely noticeable nods. Pack holders also teamed up. Whatever was going on, the deities were clearly in the know and had instructed their followers to act accordingly. It was a good practice, increasing the overall chances of the respective groups. In my case, unfortunately, it also came with a price.

"They don't look that special," Carl whispered, careful enough not to be heard by anyone further away. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Having him join our group was far from ideal. With Sebastian dead, I suspected that there were no other options. Other than Marcus, no one else stood out. I strongly doubted that Eleonor had invited him out of choice. In Sparta's case, there wasn't any hesitation. Being only five members, they already were their own unit.

She looked around, scoping the other groups. When our eyes met, I felt a waterfall of mixed feelings crash down on me. How was someone even supposed to act in such circumstances? We had been lovers and the closest thing to a couple that the Grand Arcana allowed. Yet, from her point of view, I was a complete stranger. Worse, I was a competitor. If Harlequin had come to me demanding that I win, no doubt her rule-master had done the same.

"No need to worry," Eleonor whispered.

"She won't cause trouble."

"What do you mean?" I reflectively asked. The only thing I hated more than people poking into my dreams, was poking into my intimate thoughts.

"Mercury's got other plans." The chaos continued for another five minutes. With four teams established, the remaining twenty people rushed about sharing information about cards and specials in an attempt to get into a group. The threat of getting cursed cards was a huge motivator, for minutes before Harlequin's deadline all were set. For the most part, the teams remained homogeneous, with only one forming out of necessity. One look at the rejects was enough for me to know that they wouldn't survive long.

"I see you are done." There was a note of disappointment in Harlequin's voice.

"Very well." The cursed cards around him disappeared.

"Your trial is as follows. You will be given a week to kill as many monsters as you can. Only strong monsters count, so don't go chasing every snake you come across." Snake, I thought. That gave me some idea of the environment the trial would take place.

"Each monster killed would be counted as a victory for the entire team. However, the participant who made the lethal blow will additionally be rewarded." So, it was final kill, not contribution. That made sense. With so many people, the deities were eager to see fierceness and betrayal.

"After the end of the week, the person with the greatest amount of kills, both personal and group-wise, will be considered the winner and first to claim their reward." Harlequin spun around, his porcelain mask facing each participant individually for fractions of a second.

"Are there any prizes?" a woman from the white and purple group asked. Normally, the question would be met with a harsh warning, if not outright death. Since the person who had asked it was a pact holder, the response was a lot more restrained. Harlequin's head twisted around, the porcelain mask locking onto the participant.

"When we kill monsters, will they drop prizes?" the woman clarified. Her patron was some deity I had never seen before.

"In their benevolence, the deities have decreed that in some instances you might get cards from killing monsters, but that will not affect your performance. A kill of a strong beast is treated as a kill, card or not. Any other questions?" There were no follow-ups.

"In that case, you are free to choose a door," Harlequin said.

"As long as one person walks through the door, their entire group will be thrown into a different part of the trial world. Once all participants are there, the trial will begin."

"Let's go!" Carl rushed forward. Simultaneously, both me and Eleonor grabbed him by each shoulder. The man's legs continued trying to move him forward for a few seconds, before confusion set in. An uncertain face turned around, looking back at me.

"Why aren't we going?" he asked.

"He's not done talking," I noted what several people noticed. There always was an order. The fact that Harlequin hadn't bothered to mention it suggested that something else was in play.

"What penalty does the first to go get?" I asked, hedging my bets. My assumption was that the question would make everyone else think twice, regardless of what he said. If it ever came to speed, I knew that we didn't stand a chance. No matter how fast any of us were, we couldn't outrun a follower of Mercury.

"Good question, Gregory," Harlequin addressed me by name, putting me in the spotlight.

"In order to keep it a level playing field, the first to go through will receive a temporary penalty." Red cards emerged from the red part of the jester's outfit. Floating in the air, they formed three rows of five each. It had been a while since I had seen those, although I was very familiar with their function.

"These are trial curses," Harlequin said, barely containing his glee.

"They will only have an effect during your trial, but make no mistake. They are just as potent. The first group that goes through a door gets five. The second four, then three, and so on until there are no more. Naturally, the person who chooses always gets one. The rest of them I'll deal at random among the remaining—""I want to take all five," I said. Silence filled the room, hanging in the air for several seconds. It was a normal reaction. Going to a trial with five curses was not enough to start.

However, I knew something that the others didn't: the curses were also points. Each curse was the equivalent of killing a monster. Of course, one had to be alive in order to claim them, but in my mind, there was no better advantage at this point of the run.

"I want to take them all and go first," I repeated my request just to prove I was serious.

"Are you certain, Gregory?" Harlequin floated up to me.

"Taking more than one will impact your performance." I could hear the deities speaking through his words. The rule-master wasn't one that cared about participants, especially someone like me.

"Yes, I—" Before I could finish the sentence, the jester grabbed two cards and slammed them onto my chest. Flames surrounded the cards, causing them to burn through my shirt and into my skin. The pain was intense, making it feel as if my flesh was burning up, and still, I didn't step back. Another card was slammed onto my knee and one onto my stomach. The sensation made me fall to the ground. It was as if someone had placed burning coals in my gut. My knee wasn't any better.

"It's commendable that you're such a good sport, Gregory," Harlequin said above me, the last red card in his hand.

"Always thinking what's best for your fellow participants. Most in your position would have forced someone else to take on the pain, or at the very least waited for them to take the plunge. Instead, you have chosen to burden the curses of your entire team. You really must have a very high opinion of yourself to do something like that." Grabbing me by the hair, he lifted my head so the mast could look me in the eye.

"I find your noble behavior thrilling." He pressed the card to my lips. It felt like molten iron being poured into my mouth.

"You are actually becoming my favorite." He held onto my head, preventing me from pulling back.

"There's just one minor thing that needs to be fixed." Briskly he let me go.

"You talk too much." I tried to respond only to find that I was no longer able to. My lips had been burned together, making it impossible for me to talk and, more importantly, eat or drink. You fucking pile of piss! I yelled in my mind. This was deliberate. Harming me in such a fashion strongly reduced the chances of our group to show good results. Yet, as humiliating as that would be, Harlequin still got to claim my special should I fail in his request. My glance instantly darted towards Sparta.

She was looking at me with a mixture of fear and curiosity. It was safe to say that I had made an impression. Now I just needed to ensure I'd live to take advantage of it.

"Go ahead," Harlequin's voice rang as if he were gloating.

"Choose your door."