"Look, please do not ask far too many questions. Just trust me on this one. Somethings are better off unknown, all you need to know is that i can create puppets as an extension of my supernatural ability."
They were all quiet, listening to Tristan ramble on.
"Like I said, you only have less than half an hour before falling asleep, and I will help you on what to expect one you reach that place and how to access your system – which is like innate to be fair."
He looked around the table to see if there are any objections. When no one retorted, he continued:
"Okay, so this is how it works. Once you fall asleep, you will be transported to a random place inside the trial. You may be transported to the same area, but there is a much higher probability that you will be separated. If it is the latter, then it is wise to find your way to each other before the curse consumes you."
He looked down and traced his fingertips across the table.
"Just as I have said before, humans are not the only ones you will find there. There are monsters and beasts as well. Not animals, just horrors that are after your soul, or consciousness, I still do not know how this works. You have to kill those creatures in order to satiate yourself, and also escape the dream."
He sighed.
"There are different classes to these horrors, and you have to find a specific class that you can handle, those are usually Shades. You will know once you see them, they are not very large nor powerful. Remember, the system records kills for the trial, so quantity matters over quality. Find the weakest beasts and kill as much as you can."
He remained silent for a moment, then stood up.
"Although, killing creatures of higher class gives you more probability of earning Invetory, items granted by the Curse after an extraordinary kill, or at least that is how I think. In my dream, I managed to kill a being more powerful than me, and I awarded this shroud. It has triats of it own, but you do not have worry about that for now."
They all looked at the shroud as he fixed his chair to sit back down.
"The Curse may be cruel, but it is also fair in its own weird way. Upon arrival, you will each be granted abilities tailored to your natural traits, that would be your innate attribute of course. So you will not have to rely heavily on your own strength to conquer the trial. Make sure you access the system immediately after waking up on the other side, you will be able to unlock you ability."
He looked at them and forced a smile.
"That should be all. Oh do not worry about learning how to access the system, it will be the one to take care of you instead. All you need to do is follow instructions. Are there any questions."
They looked at each other, then the young lord in front of them, and of course lied.
"No, we do not. I think we get the general idea of what to expect. Thank you."
Tristan looked at James for a moment, then nodded once.
Of course, they lied because they knew they would not be able to come to terms with this revelation even if they see it for themselves. Curses? Supernatural powers? Monsters and horrors? Even though they did not show it, this information was too much for them, but it also made sense in hindsight.
The Protectors being his puppets, that also made way too much sense, even though they refused to believe it. The Protectors did look lifeless, as if their bodies were not their own. As if someone else was controlling them with a hand up their asses. They way they never emoted just further proves this point.
The reason why the civilians were not susceptible to the disease, curse or whatever, was still a bit confusing to them. So he was not a ruler, but anyone under his rule are protected by him. How does that even work. Are they supposed to just worship him as he is, or there is another way. To be fair, he only said he never wanted to be a ruler, not that he was not.
But there was still one thing that troubled Jack, so he cut through the silence.
"You told us that the Protectors are your puppets, they allow you to witness everything. As a ruler i think it is only fair to have such influence. So I am inclined to believe that you also dictate everything that happens around you. So tell me, why did you eradicate dozens of camps and stole their supplies? Was our little king feeling a little greedy?"
Tristan looked at him somberly, then slowly shook his head.
"You did not hear the full story Mr Black, I was not responsible to that massacre my puppets caused. Instead, it was the work of all those civilians you deem innocent."
Benji raised an eyebrow.
"The civilians, how?"
"The civilians are under my rule, and thus they are the extension of my power. Not only can I access their dreams and thus the Curse, but they can also access my ability as well. To a certain extent of course. I created those puppets, but I am still a mortal and my mind is not nearly vast enough to encompass the entire camps. So usually see through one or two at a time, and that is when they exploit that."
He cleared his throat.
"You probably have noticed that most of my puppets seemed a little... off, as if they are lost. Well, they probably are. As my subjects, the civilians also have assess to the unattended puppets and do whatever they wish with them. I started noticing something was wrong when they started to bring me more and more gifts everyday, as if they had a limitless supply."
He looked at Jack without blinking.
"You see, we were not the first camps to eradicate others, but we were the last to be raided, or so I thought. If you have been wondering, no, I do not turn innocent people into puppets. Those Protectors were what you call Mercenaries who raided our camp in search of food and supplies. So I thought it would be nice for them to serve my subjects for at least an eternity."
Benji frowned.
"So let me get this straight. Civilians have access to your puppets as well, because they are under your rule?"
Tristan nodded.
"Yes, that is true. They were still too angry at the Mercenaries for killing dozens of their own. Even after I made them puppets, things did not get any better. Some civilians demanded that the puppets pay the price for killing their families, so they killed some of the puppets. I did try so stop them, but they decided that if they were not allowed to kill them, they would go after their families instead. Humans are truly vile creatures."
Benji looked at his watch and mumbled under his breath.
"7 minutes."
He checked his wristwatch for one simple reason. Not because he was on edge or simply monitoring the clock, but because he was starting to feel it, the overwhelming fatigue enveloping him. The others were probably feeling the same.
At first, he had trouble following the conversation, but now he could feel the subtle edge to fall asleep. His body and mind were begging him for a good amount of sleep. He had worked up to 16 hours a day, but never felt anything like it. He knew it was troubling, but he just could not bring himself to feel worried.
As more minutes passed by, his vision started to blur. His mind became foggy and hazy, his eyelids heavier than his head. He could not even form a single thought. He looked at his watch again, the numbers spun rapidly, making him close his eyes tightly.
It was unbearable.
His mind went numb, and so did his legs. The last thing he remembered was being picked up by a Protector, then drifted into the sweet embrace of sleep. The same happened to James. The Protectors picked them up and went along with them. Jack felt something entirely different though.
He was the last one to fall asleep, and remembered the stranger looming above his tired ass, before picking him up and carrying him across the room. Jack had no energy to retort, so he just rested on his chest instead. He remembered feeling something beat wildly, a subtle scent of a manly cologne, as well as whisper in his ear.
"Please do not die, Jack."
***
Benji had a dream. Not a nightmare he had prepared to see. He was sitting across from James, cradling a cappuccino in his hands.
James looked like he had just seen a ghost.
"What do you mean we are not alone?! What do you mean there are others? Aliens? Answer me Benjamin, dammit! Who are among us?!"
James's indifferent facade had crumbled completely by then, but Benji remained calm and composed. His tone was even.
"Keep your voice down James, you would not want to attract unnecessary attention now would you? And please refrain from asking too many questions. Remember, your role is to know, to witness, and to remember. Just in case they get to me and my partner."
He took a sip of his cappuccino and chuckled.
"It is funny you know, the way this abnormal case has brought us together. It is funny. I had never personally talked to my partner when he first invited me to his office, I was actually afraid because I thought I was in trouble. Turns out, i was not and he was just as confused as I was. In the end, we just worked together and figured the rest out. Just like you and I are right now."
He sighed.
"You know, even though my mind tells me otherwise, there is stil an unsettling feeling that we have had this conversation before, just like how my partner and I have been holding meetings we do not even remember. At first I thought he was toying with me, and this was just a prank... and quite frankly, he thought so too. But when we realized that neither of us were joking, a lot of things started to make sense."
He looked around and leaned in even closer. James followed suit.
"Listen James, I cannot tell you the name of this person for reasons I cannot disclose. Even I am not supposed to be a part of his investigation. It was just... fate, lets just put it like that. So please James, for your own safety, do not let me disclose his identity no matter how many times we have had this conversation. No matter how curious you are, you have to promise me this."
James pouted.
Benji could not hear what he said next, because at that moment the dream collapsed. A cacophony of screams assaulted his ears, and the unbearable stench of blood his nostrils.
He opened his eyes and first thing he saw, was a large beast running towards him,
and a blue screen floating in front of him..