After a bit of coaxing from Ndiogou, Charlemagne agreed to turn the Party chat back on and keep it on, so long as the other three behaved themselves. The human was quick to promise that they would be on their best behavior in the chat.

  Listen up everyone, Charlemagne said he won’t turn the chat off again so long as we keep our traps shut unless it’s important. So we’ll stick to verbal for anything that doesn’t need the boss’ direct attention. Got it?

  There was a long pause.

  You can respond to say that you understand, Ndiogou added.

  Oh yes, that is agreeable, Phatagin sent back. Sirius and I are checking out the training center. Even though I wanted to go to the dorms.

  That’s because, Sirius started to add, before getting cut off by Ndiogou.

  You want to keep your Party chat privileges by adding something useful.

  Uh, yes. So, there are these battle simulation rooms here in the training center. You can compete for the high score, but there’s not a whole lot else to do here. Oh, I guess there are weapons for those that need them, Phatagin added.

  Bawk? Charlemagne asked.

  Battle simulations are like…fights that seem real but aren’t. I haven’t gone in myself, but I heard that any injuries you receive are healed once combat is over. Also, you cannot die while you’re in them. Well, you can die, but you don’t stay dead, or whatever, Phatagin explained.

  Bawk, the rooster decided.

  All right, we’re heading there. Can you stay put for a bit so we can all meet up? Ndiogou asked.

  Sure thing, Sirius answered. It’s better if we all stick together anyways.

  Charlemagne asked the Squiggles to send him to where the rest of his party was. But they stubbornly refused to answer him.

  “Bawk!” he yelled in annoyance.

  “Ah, I got it,” Ndiogou reassured him. “Apparently the initial teleport was a one-time thing. We need to walk to the other areas. That’s good…it means it will make it harder to lose track of y…each other.”

  The human paused for a moment, his sightless eyes immobile while his other senses cast about the room.

  “The exit is this way, I think,” he stated before walking in the direction he had indicated.

  The rooster followed as the human led him through a winding maze of tunnels, idly noticing that there appeared to be directions that aided Ndiogou in navigation. He didn’t bother worrying about them; it was easier just to let the human do the hard work. For his part, he was still wondering what the point was behind this whole event. Why would the Squiggles have allowed him to be taken away from his easy life? Did they want him to struggle more, did they just not care about him, or was there something else he was missing? At any rate, he was pleased that he would continue to be rewarded for his efforts here. Perhaps he could vent some of his frustrations on the fake creatures in the “battle simulations”. It seemed that the Squiggles’ rule against violence didn’t apply in there. A warm feeling spread throughout the rooster’s chest as he once again considered pitting himself against powerful opponents. Maybe, just maybe, he would have fun while he was here after all.

  His thoughts were interrupted as Ndiogou led him out from the corridor into a plaza. Although the tunnel had been wide enough to accommodate foot traffic in both directions, the vast open space before him made the corridor seem insignificant in comparison. Twin stars blazed high overhead, but some sort of dome high above them diffused the light, causing the sky to glow with a warm, white light suffused with a hint of pink. The rooster didn’t care about the aesthetics, but he was happy to note that there was sufficient light; while he could use mana to enhance his vision, he preferred to use his natural eyesight when possible.

  Unlike the cafeteria, all of the creatures in the training area appeared to be sentient. There was an incredible variety of different life forms, as well. A trio of horned felids lounged on their haunches near the sand pit, flicking their tails. A cluster of squat, stone-skinned beings with four arms conversed in booming voices as they compared their hammers. A serpentine creature with metallic, artificial arms coiled lazily against the wall of the circular building in the center of the clearing. There were also several enormous bipedal beetles, their mandibles clicking rhythmically as they looked over a strange set of armor. And weaving through them all, there were a number of small rodent-like creatures that left oily footprints as they raced along.

  “I think we need to head that way,” Ndiogou guessed as he pointed at the round building that dominated the center of the space. “I can smell the others that way.”

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  Charlemagne sniffed at the air and caught the familiar scents of the pangolin and the canine. He bawked his agreement and the pair set off to find the rest of their party. Sure enough, Sirius and Phatagin were waiting for them just outside the building.

  “The line’s over here, come on,” Sirius barked as they all joined up. “Also, it’s good to see you both again. How have you been?”

  “Bawk!” the rooster answered.

  “Well, yeah, we all knew that you were retired before you cut off the Party chat. Both you and Ndiogou haven’t really been active since Niamey, have you?” the canine asked as she led the Party over to join the line.

  “Not so much, no,” Ndiogou admitted. “Once my revenge was completed, I had no interest in chasing glory.”

  “I confess that I am surprised the System chose you for this event,” Phatagin wondered. “I’ve been gaining levels at a steady pace, not really by choice, mind you, and I know that our friend Sirius here has made considerable gains, but neither you nor Charlemagne seem to have seen much battle since we split up.”

  The human cast a quick glance over at the rooster before answering.

  “Well, I am still the Blind Hunter. I’ll pull my weight, assuming that we compete as a Party.”

  “Oh yes, there will be team battle royales to start,” Sirius confirmed. “We found that out from one of the weird creatures that acts alive but really isn’t. This one is at what is called an ‘information booth.’ It’s kind of creepy to talk to them.”

  “You guys should try the NutriMaterializer in the cafeteria,” Ndiogou laughed. “That thing is weird.”

  “I feel as though I have heard of a similar machine before,” Phatagin mused. “Perhaps it was from that whelk we encountered…”

  “Bawk!” the rooster demanded.

  “Oh, a battle royale is an event where many individuals or teams compete all at once, with the goal being to survive until the requisite number of individuals or teams have been eliminated,” the pangolin explained.

  So, what are everyone’s levels now, Sirius asked through the Party chat. Mine is 45.

  43, Phatagin answered with no small measure of pride.

  36, Ndiogou sent with a sigh.

  Bawk, the rooster added.

  Yes, I know it’s low, the human agreed. But there should be plenty of opportunities to catch up in this tournament, right? Otherwise, they should have set everyone to the same level when they arrived just to be fair.

  But that wouldn’t be fair at all, Sirius rebutted. Some of us have a lot more Achievements than others. And then there are the Classes and Special Abilities and Skills that are gained while leveling. How could the System make that fair?

  Bawk, Charlemagne suggested.

  Yes, that might work, the pangolin agreed. But I think it’s our turn.

  The Party had reached the front of the line. There was a small rectangular area marked by yellow paint that indicated where they should stand, and, once all four of them were inside it, the outside world seemed to freeze, leaving them alone with the creature that appeared to be made entirely of silver pyramids smashed together into a roughly humanoid shape. The being was standing behind a thick glass window, but there was a small grate that allowed sound and small objects to pass through.

  “Welcome, welcome, welcome to the Proving Grounds. I see that this is your first time here! And your entire Party has shown up. That’s wonderful wonderful! I’ll get right to it. There are three different services that you can choose from here in the Proving Grounds. The first, and by far the most popular, is our combat simulators. You can choose between individual and team simulations. I recommend that you try out both before the events begin in 18 hours, 32 minutes, and 46 seconds. The second service we offer is access to our wonderful meditation chambers. Need to unlock a mental skill, or practice Mana Manipulation? Access to the basic rooms is free! Finally, we offer a wide selection from the multiverse’s finest collection of weapons and armor, but unfortunately, these are most definitely not free for the taking. So save up your points and see what sort of goodies you’ll go home with! Now, what can I do for you fine beings today? Do you want to fight, meditate, come back later, or surprise me with that free will you supposedly possess?”

  The rapid-fire delivery was too much for Charlemagne, who didn’t really feel like making yet another decision. The other three Party members began discussing the options out loud, seeing as it was obvious they were being shielded by a privacy screen of some sort.

  “We should do the team battle first,” Ndiogou suggested. “We’ve all fought together before, well, a little, but we haven’t really needed to hone our teamwork in this way.”

  “By the way, I always meant to ask but never got around to it, how did you guys defeat the Lippity Dungeon?” Sirius asked, changing the subject.

  “Oh, well. We, that is to say, I…used all the available resources at my disposal to devise a cunning plan that trapped the Dungeon Boss and allowed us to slay it without being harmed,” Phatagin answered.

  “It sounds a lot like you and Bridget probably just let Charlemagne do all the work,” Ndiogou said with a shrug.

  “Well…if I recall correctly, your performance with the asteroid was no different,” the pangolin retorted. Although that rooster may well be the most powerful being on Earth, it does not follow that all things will be effortless for his Party. We will need to shore up our own weaknesses.”

  “We need a healer,” Sirius suggested.

  “Wasn’t Bridget a healer,” Ndiogou asked.

  “Yes, but I must place the emphasis on was, in this case,” Phatagin said as he shook his head. “Besides, Charlemagne is now officially the Party healer.”

  “I don’t think that’s how Party balance is supposed to work,” the human muttered.

  “You can say that again,” Sirius agreed. “Look, I know that this is not ideal, but the first event is in less than a day. We really should choose the team combat, figure out a few strategies, then maybe meditate for a few hours, and then get some rest. We’re going to do ourselves more harm than good if we just keep pushing mentally for 18 hours.”

  The other two nodded their agreement, and, after looking over to see if Charlemagne had anything to say, Ndiogou opened his mouth to ask the being to send them into the team combat simulation.

  “Could you please…” he began, before being interrupted.

  “Bawk!” shouted Charlemagne.

  The rooster once again disappeared without a trace.

  The three other Party members stared at the spot where Charlemagne had just been standing. A long moment of silence passed as they processed what had just happened. Then Ndiogou raised his sightless eyes to the heavens and sighed.

  “It’s going to be a nightmare trying to keep track of that rooster.”