PSTH: Chapter Twenty-One (Patreon)

A curious quirk found in every system of governance is that it’s susceptible to mass manipulation from a person possessed of presence and a powerful platform. You can find it all across history, both ancient and modern: the fall of the Roman Republic. The Greenlord Alliance overthrowing the Valley of Doom Obsidian King. The Sasanian Empire collapsing into the Rashidun Caliphate. We’ve done what we can to limit this with sharp limitations in terms, abolishment of large privatized firms, semi-randomized political candidates, and higher education. But it still remains true that anyone who has the right platform could sway enough department heads to take more power than any one person should have…

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Political Science Lecture given by Mrs. Woolworthy at Slate University, 456 Modern-Era

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Markus’ battle form dropped away, and the Primals around the room fell away a moment later as well. There was a torrent of essence that rushed through all of us, and I nearly staggered. In my career so far, Scales and I had managed to fight a level twenty crab with the help of Zaza and Laurel, but that was the strongest enemy we’d actually defeated. The level forty-something essence felt like a flood of absurd proportions, even split between four primals. Scales, who had been halfway through level twelve, condensed enough essence to form a thirteen layer on his core and a little more besides, and Hex was elevated from the start of level eleven all the way to a third of the way through level twelve.

Next to me, I could feel Gryphon and Gabis both spike up in power, and I felt the strange aspected-yet-raw essence of Gawain increase as well. I was sure my own power had increased, though since I didn’t have whatever weird implants or other things Gawain had, it was much more standard, just an increased sea of raw essence within me. 

“Good job kids!” the magian pretending to be Markus said, walking over and shaking our hands. “Sorry for knocking y’all back, but your pneuma shells were both more robust than normal tamers your age and experience level. Knew you’d be fine.” 

“It was still dangerous,” snapped Gawain. “What if you’d thrown Gabis or me off the side of the building? Or Scales, Hex, or Aiden?” 

I wasn’t sure if I should be glad that I’d somehow managed to make his list, or offended that I’d been dead last. 

“It wouldn’t have,” Markus said gently. “But even if it had, I’m an air magian with rescue spells in my core. I could have snagged you the instant you got near the edge of the roof.” 

Gawain opened his mouth to say something, and I reached out and placed my hand on his arm, gently. I didn’t want him to think I was grabbing him or anything of that sort, despite the fact he apparently had no qualms with shoving me around. Gawain’s shimmering lavender eyes shot down to my hand, then to me, and whatever he had been about to say died on his lips. Markus smiled and extended a strangely shaped bit of metal to us, flat and square, but with notches and grooves cut into it. 

“You all have an hour to rest and recover your anima and pneuma,” he said, then lifted up into the air again, this time without the theatrical-looking wings of wind. “As long as you get through the gate before the hour is finished, you’ll be good to go. Do you need a timer?” 

“No, I have one set,” Gawain said. He sat and began running his hand through his long black hair gently, looking for where bits of the blackberry bush had gotten tangled up. Scales and Hex both dissolved into streams of light and flowed into my storage gems, as did Gryphon and Gabis with Gawain’s, the improved recovery within the gems too useful while on a timer to not use it, even though I’d have preferred to have them out with me. I sat in silence for an awkward moment, before sighing. 

“Come here, I’ll help you get the brambles out. I can see them better anyways,” I said. Gawain shot me an annoyed glare, then shifted closer, turning his back to me so I could more easily reach his hair. Unsure what to make of his expression, I began going for the brambles, trying to pull them out gently. I’d grown my hair long in school, and knew just how annoying it could be. 

“Careful!” snapped Gawain, and the bit of sympathy I’d built up evaporated again. 

“I’m being careful,” I said. “If you want me to stop…” 

“Don’t be stupid, I still need the ones I can’t reach out. Just be careful.” 

“Stop calling me stupid,” I snapped. I heard Gawain exhale through his nose a moment later. 

“Sorry,” he said, before lapsing into silence again. Once we’d finally gotten out all of the briars out of his hair, he turned to face me, and began pulling metal bits from his pocket. I did the same, laying them out on the ground. There were two half-circles, which seemed obvious, but before I could take them, Gawain had snapped them up and clicked them together. There was still the oddly flat spot on the bit of metal that had once been mine, but now I could see there were two metal cylinders: one with the holes, one without. The one without clicked onto the flat surface, then the one with the holes clicked onto the hole-less cylinder. Finally the strange rectangular bit that Markus had presented us with slid into the holes, and the shape of the item was revealed: A key. A very old fashioned looking key, like something from hundreds of years pre-arrival, but a key nevertheless. 

I looked up at the metal grate that would lead to the Councillor, and sure enough, there was a metal padlock, manufactured in the same faux-ancient style, keeping it locked. I wondered if there had ever been any teams that had gotten this far and not managed to assemble the key, or if the key was more a symbol than anything. 

“I’m going to nap,” Gawain announced. “Do you have a pillow?” 

“No? And if I did, why would I give it to you? I left most of the camping stuff in our room anyway.” 

“How about water?” he asked, and I sighed again. I felt like I was going to be doing that a lot around Gawain. I pulled out my liter water bottle and passed it to him. He took a long sip, then passed it back to me and leaned against the tree that I’d been thrown into, closing his eyes. 

I leaned back as well, on the other side of the tree, so I wouldn’t be right on top of him, but it was the best place nearby to relax, then pulled out my augpad and texted my mom, Vince, Laurel, and River. There was every chance they wouldn’t be able to check the livestream, but I wanted to let them know there was the option at least. About forty-five minutes later, Gawain’s eyes snapped open and he stood, stretching. I had been flicking through games on my augpad, so I rose only a second later. Gawain picked up the key and glanced at me. 

“Ready?” 

I nodded and he slotted it into the metal gate, then turned. The key, lock, and gate all vanished into air, presumably only ever having been constructs of anima in the first place. With the metal gate gone, I could see a set of steps leading up to an official ring that overlooked the city. There were enchantments putting up defenses to stop anyone from leaving the ring and falling, as well as four cameras that turned to focus on us as we entered, save for one focused on the center of the ring. That was where Councillor Miguel Cruz stood. He was a short, dark skinned man with a bob cut, and glowing red eyes, who smiled as we approached. 

“Welcome, welcome! I am Councillor Cruz! Please, introduce yourselves!” 

“I am Gawain Woolworthy!” Gawain declared, striding forward with a staggering level of confidence. He grinned at the cameras with an ease that put most tamers I followed to shame, and even shot his drone in the sky a salacious wink. His primals emerged next to him, and he swept his hand out to gesture to them. 

“And these are my partners: Gryphon the Wyfynod, and Gabis the Cyric. This might be our first Councillor challenge, but I have complete faith in my friends. You’ll be losing to the G-Team!”

He delivered the entire thing with a casual cockiness that either came from an incredible amount of practice, or the sort of natural charisma that I’d never managed. Still, not wanting to be outdone, I strode forward as confidently as I could, tugging on Scales and Hex to appear, then gave a long, sweeping bow to Councillor Cruz. 

“Thank you, Councillor! I am Aiden Scipio, and this is Scales the Sharmond, and Hex the Felimalio. This is our first challenge as well, but we’ve got a bit of experience against the up-and-coming star, Laurel, and have worked our hardest to get where we are!”

I didn’t want to name drop Vince, since that felt tacky, and like I was doing it just to make up for my awkward lack of charisma. But if I could get a few more people tuning into Laurel’s streams and posting, then I would. Councillor Cruz smiled and swept me a bow as well, before smiling at the cameras with the practice of an old hand. 

“You heard it here first, folks! Gawain and Aiden, two rookies looking to cut their teeth against the most handsome, humble, charming, humble, funny, and humble of all the Councillors!” 

He laughed at his own joke, then spun to face us, pulling out an old-fashioned coin. 

“Which one of you is heads?” he asked, arching an eyebrow. Gawain responded instantly, holding his hand up, and Cruz flipped the coin, snagged it out of the air, and slapped it against his palm. 

“Oooh, that’s a tails! So sorry Gawain, guess you’re going to have to ga-wait! Well, let’s go! How many primals ya got, Aiden? Just the two?” 

“Just the two,” I confirmed. 

“Alright! Well, since this is your first challenge, you’ve only got two, and since I can’t let your partner there get an advantage from knowing who I’m gonna be using, I’ll use two myself!” 

He pulled out an augpad and lifted it, so I pulled out my own, and we lodged the formal fight. Councillor Cruz put forward five hundred credits if I won, as well as his official seal. It was traditional to offer something if your opponent did, but I didn’t have a ton of money, so I put forward twenty-five credits if I won. Cruz beamed at me, and flicked out his Primals.

To his left, across from Scales, a large creature that resembled a goat, but with four horns made of metal, and a tail like a serpent that ended in a sharp spear-point appeared – an Axekit. Metal aspect, with high offensive power, mainly a physical brawler. To the right, across from Hex, a three-foot long worm made of glowing green toxic-looking goop appeared. The goop dripped to the floor, sizzling on contact as it reared its head, which looked oddly draconic and noble for its wormy-slimey body. A tubifoop. Toxin element, and a more magical pick, with a focus on effects that wore through pneuma over time. 

One of the magains stepped forward from an alcove to the side, where I presumed she had been hiding. Magic began to flood the enchantments, and she raised her hand.

“On your mark!” she shouted. “Get set! Go!”