Man, it was times like this where I wished Noe’s Absolute Luck skill could manipulate what I say to acquire the best results, but if just muttering the right name costs hundreds of charges, then stringing along the best words for an entire phrase, no matter how short, would cost way more than I could ever afford. Alas, I was alone here to think of what to say to maximize the situation with Claire. After a quick deliberation, I thought it best to just tell her the truth, or at least as much of it as I could.

  While it was true that Claire was probably going to believe anything I said as long as she thought I was under her spell, but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t double-check the facts after we were out of there. The woman wasn’t an idiot, no matter how awkward she appeared, which made me all the more curious about how she could have possibly gotten such a strange Class during the first Trial. The blonde looked more like she should have a drill sergeant’s uniform on and screaming at new recruits rather than her awkward attempts to seduce.

  “Well,” Claire frowned, “Tell me what you know. Is your damned brain not functioning?”

  “Sorry, ma’am,” I said quickly, “I was thinking.”

  She sighed. “And it takes you minutes to think?”

  “Only because I wish to be thorough, ma’am.”

  Claire rolled her eyes and looked at me with visible disdain. “Well, you’ve thought enough, so tell me what you know about this man.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” I continued, doing my best to maintain a blank expression, “That is Guildmaster Ryan, originally an Aspirant from Pandora.”

  Claire nodded, as if she had already anticipated this response.

  “He was in charge of one of the biggest factions here until about a month or two ago, shortly before the start of the Fourth Trial, and was a direct competitor to the Abyss Guild.”

  “Abyss guild…” Claire muttered mostly to herself, “That’s the one headed by Kim Jae-Hyun, right?”

  I nodded.

  “So you’re saying that Ryan could outcompete that monster who came in first during almost every Trial? My informants tell me that his guild basically monopolized the top rankings during the last mission as well…” Claire shook her head and cursed, “Shit! If Ryhan has that kind of resources then I’m fucked!” After muttering more incomprehensible things under her breath, Claire sighed and turned her attention back to me. “But you said he was ultimately ousted from his position, right?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” I replied, “Although no one, aside from the inner circle of the Abyss Guild, knows how that happened. Most of Pandora was undergoing special training for a week, and by the time we came back, Ryan was gone. The people who remained in Pandora couldn’t explain his absence with any certainty either, but the general consensus was that Jae-Hyun and his people were somehow responsible for his disappearance, even if no one knows how.”

  “So it all ties back to the Abyss guild…” She half mumbled, “Okay, that’s useful information. You, tell me what you think about his disappearance. What do you or the people of Pandora think about it?”

  I nodded dumbly. “We simply believed him to be dead, but if that is not the case then it complicates things.”

  “No shit!”

  “As far as I know,” I continued, ignoring her outburst, “It takes the direct involvement of the Administrators or whatever they call themselves to move Aspirants around the Main Stage. If Ryan has moved between city-states, then he must have the help of the people in charge, or perhaps a god from one of those Sponsorships that I’ve heard.”

  Claire frowned before nodding slowly. “That would make the most sense, and it’d explain this fucked up situation. That bastard Ryan’s involved with this mess, and he’s either cozied up with the monsters running this charade or he’s got the backing of a powerful god. Damn it!” The woman shook her head and frowned even harder. “That’d explain why he’d choose me of all people to blackmail, but what about you? What relation do you have with Ryan? Why would he stick you here as well?”

  “I used to be a member of the Abyss guild until recently,” I lied, “And I do have significant sway outside as well. I would imagine he chose me for those reasons.”

  Claire laughed. “That’s just like him! I think I get the picture now.” She laughed even harder as if a sudden madness overcame her senses. “That fucker knows that he can’t go anywhere near me due to my abilities, so he means to erode my willpower through this fake Trial, I’m too useful a tool to dispose of entirely. What is his end goal here though?”

  “To get revenge on the Abyss guild and plan for his eventual return to Pandora?” I hazarded a guess.

  “That would be the most logical,” she muttered, “He always was a petty man, always the sore loser. So he plans to only let us out of here when we’ve completely given up, I bet he’s got some kind of countermeasure set up so we can’t go against him if we want to leave as well.”

  “I believe that he wants to use you and I to stop the Abyss guild from obtaining more power,” I added quickly, liking the direction of Claire’s thinking.

  “Right,” she grimaced, “with my abilities and you as a puppet, I could siphon a lot of support from Kim Jae-Hyun. Smart…” Her eyes turned feral and she smirked. “But he clearly doesn’t know me if he thinks I’d go along with his little plan. That fucker has another thing coming."

  She thought for a moment longer, her expression changing rapidly as thoughts and ideas floated through her head. Gosh, she was easy to read. "You said you used to be a part of the Abyss guild, right?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Do you still have any contact with its members?”

  Ah, I think I see where she’s going with this. I nodded. “I do.”

  “Can you try to see if you can get in contact with any of them? Communication doesn’t seem to be completely cut off, and I’ve already informed my own men about my situation. See if you can talk with someone who might be able to find out where we are, if not get us out entirely. The Abyss guild must have some resources if they’re powerful enough to out Ryan.”

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  Fuck, I had completely forgotten that little caveat! Well, it wasn’t like I could stop them using the Trash Matrix to send out messages in the first place, not with Noe’s incomplete form in any case, and it wasn’t like speaking with the outside world would do the people stuck in here any good either. In fact, all it did was make things easier for me here… I had to change my plans a little, but I think I can easily secure Claire’s allegiance, at least in the short term. The only thing I had to do was to see if it was even wise to let her out at all, with her abilities being so potent, it’d be dangerous for us if she suddenly went against Jae-Hyun’s interests.

  “I can, please give me a few minutes to do so, I know of someone who can help. They owe me a favor, and I will be glad to use it for your sake!”

  “Do so,” she grunted and wisely left me alone while she took up sentry duty. “We should be safe here for the time being, I don’t sense anymore of those beasts around.”

  I nodded, although I shouldn’t have bothered because Claire didn’t even try looking back to see if I agreed with her command. Figures, given what she thought our roles were; I was little more than a slave here. I sighed and gave the air the middle finger, hoping Molly could see it. Yeah, she’s getting her sweet revenge; I can’t really fault her after what I did, so I just hope she’s enjoying the show.

  I sighed to myself. Well, it was best to do as I was told. I did have to contact someone from the Abyss guild either way, just not in the way that Claire had anticipated. Noe, send a private message to our lovely timelord.

  “Acknowledged.”

  Walter’s Fine: Hey, Jae-Hyun, you there?

  Jae-Hyun: Do you need something?

  Walter’s Fine: Yeah, I’m in the process of uh, “persuading” some of the people with talent.

  Jae-Hyun: I heard from Noel, is there an issue with one of them? Do you need help?

  Walter’s Fine: No, I’m certain I can make them see our reason, but there’s something I want to double-check with you. One of the people I’m working with has a very interesting ability, maybe you know more about it with your, er, unique experiences.

  Jae-Hyun: I don’t know the abilities of every Aspirant, Walter, but tell me anyway.

  Walter’s Fine: So I have this woman named Claire here, and she’s got some Job that lets her brain control people through, uh, seduction, although she looks like she’s more at home commanding soldiers on the front line than flirting. Think, I don't know, like a succubus or something, but with none of the sex appeal.

  There was an uncomfortable pause before I received another message from Jae-Hyun.

  Jae-Hyun: What does she look like?

  Walter’s Fine: So you do know her?

  Jae-Hyun: Just answer the question.

  Walter’s Fine: Right. So she’s around 5’8, maybe a bit taller. Caucasian, can’t really tell exact ethnicity though. Northern European maybe? Probably in her mid to late twenties. Uh, shoulder-length hair, dirty blonde, not styled and she’s dressed in a hoodie and jeans so I can’t make out her figure, but she seems fit. I wouldn't call her attractive, but... Honestly, she kind of looks like Noel if she wore a wig and had a permanent scowl on her face. The woman really does not seem to like me much.

  Jae-Hyun: And her name is Claire? Any last names?

  I took a quick peek at her again with my title skill before responding.

  Walter’s Fine: Yeah, it’s Carpenter.

  Another prolonged pause. Damn what I’d give to be able to see facial expressions at a time like this, but that’s the limitations of text.

  Jae-Hyun: That’s… never mind, nothing is impossible now, not with all the changes. But yes, Walter, I think I know who you’re talking about.

  Walter’s Fine: Then you know about her skill?

  Jae-Hyun: Yeah, it’s a tricky one, and I can see why you’re consulting me. It’s a good thing I sent you and Noel first, any other man would have been compromised.

  Walter’s Fine: Wait, you know that it doesn’t affect me?

  I frowned. How did he know that? Was the Regressor somehow able to discern the changes in my biology? I mean, I was mostly Xollon at the point, at least on the inside, so there were bound to be traces of its nature around. Shit!

  Jae-Hyun: You don’t have any Mana, Walter. Any ability that tries to control you will fail if there’s no pathways it could travel in your body.

  Ah… right. That would be an easier explanation than my alien anatomy. It’s why Eric failed to use me like a puppet in that last Trial as well. I sighed, but at least there were some fringe benefits to this condition, it sure hides some of the weirder things about my biology.

  Walter’s Fine: Right… So what’s the plan with her? If she’s too problematic to use then I can, uh, Noel her real quick if you need.

  Another pause.

  Jae-Hyun: Sorry, give me a second to think. I only know of her from much later in the Trials. But you said that she doesn’t like you much, right?

  Walter’s Fine: Yeah.

  Jae-Hyun: Are there any scars on her body?

  Walter’s Fine: Uh, no? I mean, most of her’s covered, so I can’t be sure, but it doesn’t look like it.

  Jae-Hyun: No, if there’s none visible, then that’s a good sign. Like I said, I only know of her much further down the timeline, and she’s changed a lot since then if this is the same person I’m thinking of. One last question.

  Walter’s Fine: Shoot.

  Jae-Hyun: She doesn’t look, act or sound insane, correct? Not muttering incomprehensible things under her breath or talking to imaginary people?

  Walter’s Fine: No… seriously, what the hell kind of person was the Claire you’ve met before?

  Jae-Hyun: It’s best you didn’t know, but if she’s currently stable, then we can perhaps still salvage things. Try to figure out how many men she can control at once. There are ways to counteract her abilities, but they’re hard to come by this early on. I need to know how weak she is currently.

  Walter’s Fine: Sure, and just to double check, but is it only men that she can affect?

  Jae-Hyun: It’s biologically locked to the male gender, as far as I can tell, and it doesn’t matter what the sexual orientation of the target is either. If we work with her, I’ll need to find a way to shield Marcus, Vadeem and I, but the others should be fine.

  Walter’s Fine: Got it, anything else to note?

  Jae-Hyun: She’s had plenty of time to operate in Pandora, and the fact that we’re not filled with her thralls indicates that she’s not grown into her powers yet. For now, try to win her to our cause, and find out information you can about her limitations.

  Walter’s Fine: Sure thing, I can do that.

  Jae-Hyun: And this last part is very important Walter, so make sure you do this at all costs. Ask, discreetly, if she has a younger brother within the Trials, and if he’s healthy.

  Now that’s a strange request, but given the nature of his precognitive abilities, it wasn’t a surprise that he’d ask for such random things. All of the things he’s hinting towards point to the fact that this Claire woman goes absolutely off her rockers later on, and I’m willing to bet that the catalyst of that degradation was the health of this sibling of hers. In other words, she’s a mentally unstable timebomb sponsored by an ancient eldritch god of some sort. Wonderful, I always get to work with the wackjobs and freaks…

  Walter’s Fine: Uh, okay, so find out info about her ability and about her brother.

  Jae-Hyun: Discreetly, Walter. I mean it. If this is the same woman as the one I know, we can’t afford to mess things up.

  Walter’s Fine: I’m always discreet, boss.

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