From the look of the place, Neon had expected the meal itself to be… Survivalist. Filling, if he was lucky, but still leaning towards the blander side of the culinary spectrum. Instead, what arrived in front of him was a deep-crimson stew that could easily come out of some faux farm-to-table restaurant, delivered in a clay bowl still radiating comfortable heat.
The broth itself held an earthy sweetness at the end of every wooden spoonful, rich without being cloying. Generous slices of mushrooms in varieties he couldn’t name gave it body, along with smaller chunks of carrot, beetroot, and translucent slivers of onion. There were also starchy pieces of a pale yellow thing similar to potatoes, but dissolving into far creamier bites. Cassava, Whisper explained after asking what they were. Neon had never heard of them before.
Despite the fact that Plaza had foraged all the ingredients herself, the whole thing smelled and tasted incredible, layering flavors and scents his untrained senses could never name.
At the center of the table sat a large plate of greens for them all to share. He was proud of actually recognizing the mix! Arugula and spinach, lightly dressed with citrus juice only, offering freshness to cut through the stew’s savory notes. Water came equally in another clay vessel. Cool, as clean as it could be, and distantly flavoured by thin slices of wild lemon.
Bite after bite, drink after drink, Neon could feel his body starting to revive. Energy crept back into his limbs, the exhaustion that had settled into his muscles finally easing. His thoughts sharpened, lifting any fog he could’ve blamed on hunger and dehydration.
So, inevitable as it was, dinner turned into an opportunity to learn a little bit more about each individual there.
Like how CC wasn’t exactly fond of eating only veggies —a fact she made sure everyone knew, loud as she was— and that she’d kill without hesitation if it got her a decadent serving of fried potatoes and a greasy burger.
Or how Whisper had served his plate before Plaza added a final round of seasoning, since his stomach couldn’t handle a mixture too fierce of spices. He also freely disclosed how it was the same with alcohol, and that his husband used to tease him about that when they were young.
There was also how Plaza attacked her bowl like it was some sort of race, leaving Neon to wonder if she even registered taste. She downed a second serving before he could even finish his first, though he ended up making the conscious choice to not count further, or look too deeply into her mannerisms.
And then of course, Teitai, who ate with the same rigid discipline she brought to everything else. A perfectly upright posture and an absolute lack of words, each spoonful measured and deliberate like part of a ceremonial act. Neon couldn’t keep himself from studying her between his own bites, trying to figure out what kind of background could forge someone like that.
Still, he could only be ever so interested. Once they’d finished eating, Neon rose quickly to help Plaza clear the table —partly due to courtesy, but mostly because he wanted to ask how she had gotten supplies for her drawings. Whether she had somehow respawned with them, crafted them with her trait, or maybe even bought them through the store.
Teitai interrupted that before getting a single question in.
“Neon.” Her voice drew him away from the bowls he’d been collecting, finding himself pinned under that same intense stare she had shown in the clearing. Assessing. Calculating. “How is it, being partnered to a veteran?”
“Bet it’s real convenient, huh?” The red-haired minion immediately jumped with her own unwanted contributions. “Having someone else pick up your slack while you coast along for the ride?”
CC’s words made his jaw tighten fractionally, but he forced his expression to remain neutral. He was a guest here. They fed him. Offered hospitality when they had zero obligation to do so. This much was manageable.
“It’s complicated.” A fairly diplomatic and safe reply. Not incorrect either. “We’re still figuring out how to work together.”
Narrowing her eyes, Teitai scrutinized the lines between his words with uncomfortable accuracy.
“Has he explained to you the full rules yet? Who are the people behind this, what the extraction the system refers to is, and what comes after Stage 1?” Her tone remained leveled, but the sharpness underneath was unmistakable. “Being a veteran means he’s gone through this before. He knows things we don’t. Things that could be crucial in keeping all of us alive.”
“Yeah, what the hell? You want us to believe you haven’t wrung any intel out of him at all? What, does he scare you or something? Or are you just lying to our faces?”
Their combined assault felt like needles trying to find soft spots between his ribs. Probably because they weren’t wrong. But they also didn’t understand. Couldn’t understand.
“So you haven’t bothered to demand answers.” Teitai pressed through his silence, giving him little time to think. “Or is it more that you lack the backbone to do so?” The implications hung in the air between them as her discerning gaze shifted towards Nomine’s corner. “I could do it.”
>> “I can get him to talk.”
For once, even CC’s constant commentary faltered. Her mouth opened, then closed again, eyes trembling as if even she —reckless, loud and perpetually aggressive— recognized this might be one step too far.
Neon had been trying. To hell if he hadn’t. Trying to play friendly, to swallow all the jabs that didn’t sit right, to be gracious and grateful and all the things a good guest should be. This much they had earnt, if not more.
But there was a limit.
“Don’t even try.”
His voice came out serious. Dark. The kind of tone that didn’t usually belong to him, once performance gave way to something truer. Something with actual weight behind it. Teitai’s attention snapped back to him, blinking in surprise before her rough features reassembled their armament.
“I promised I wouldn’t let any of you bother him while he sleeps.” He held her gaze steadily, letting her see how ready he was to back up every word. “And I don’t recommend you test how far I’m willing to go to keep that promise.”
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
It wasn’t as if he didn’t understand their curiosity. Heck, he shared each and every one of their questions. Nomine certainly didn’t need anyone looking out for him, a fact that Neon was more than aware of too.
But it wasn’t a weird sense of duty or protectiveness that drove him to act this way. Perhaps it was just the contrarian imbecile in him. The idiot, stubborn lover who made choices before logic could intervene.
What stood now was that his response led Teitai’s already intense expression to sour in annoyance, as if her mind struggled finding the right angle to dismantle his unreasonable stance.
Maybe she would’ve succeeded. Maybe she would’ve relented instead, recognizing his unwillingness to budge. Neon would never know, because the alarm that blazed red across his vision didn’t just interrupt their standoff —it obliterated it entirely.
<>
Contestant 12, Levia [Sponsor, Team DrachenTech] has issued a distress call. All teams within the designated proximity are eligible to respond. Reward upon successful aid: 500 Credits.
The way everyone froze on their tracks told Neon that the notification had hit them all simultaneously, invasive like a blaring klaxon. Enough to startle Plaza into dropping both wooden and mental spoons with a clatter and stumbles.
Only Nomine remained untouched by the broadcast, impervious to the chaos sending the rest to scramble for their interfaces. Neon was glad he could stay like that for a while longer, turning his attention away as he extended the full sidebar with a mental command.
The translucent map greeted him eagerly, and there it was, a new beacon pulsing in an urgent crimson. It sat at a considerable distance from their current position, somewhere on the opposite side of the river. Crossing it wouldn’t be trivial, and if the system considered this as nearby, then its definition of proximity was… A little concerning.
Time ticked away on the corner of his vision, indifferent to the new variable. 109:13:41. Not all that different from how the marks belonging to his rival team continued to glow, a world apart and virtually untouchable unlike this bigger, more demanding dot.
“Amelia, please.” Teitai was the first to break the silence, resolute as always. “Extend a passage as close to them as you can manage.”
Plaza nodded with shaky compliance, closing her eyes and tightening her hands into fists as her concentration deepened. The earth above answered with a low rumble. Funny, it felt far softer from down here. Almost gentle.
But focusing on the tremors felt negligent as he witnessed Teitai’s dark indigo irises taking on an otherworldly luminescence, pupils outlined by the same radiance that characterized Light Infection.
[Trait: Sahasrara]
The crown opens where all else closes.
Hm. Curious.
“Can you see them?” CC’s question came to confirm his suspicions. “Is anyone already in our turf?”
For now, Teitai’s head moved in a slow, deliberate shake. Negative.
So this was how Ashen Bloom performed such a clean ambush, the reason why the clearing was full of Light Infection marks. Her trait made them a surveillance network. Kinda creepy, considering her plan was to keep them planted on Nomine.
For now they remained outside of any immediate threat she could see, but despite that fact the tension in Teitai’s frame refused to dissipate. If anything, it only grew further. Her jaw set harder, shoulders squaring as though accommodating for an invisible weight.
“Tei. No.” The redhead’s firmness caught even Neon off-guard, though it made him slightly grateful for not being the only one seeing all the shameless red flags. “We’re not running a goddamn charity here. And the whole sponsor thing smells rotten too. That’s a trap if I’ve ever seen one.”
DrachenTech… The name rang a distant bell in Neon’s head, though he never cared enough to research what they actually made. Only that some politicians got caught trading shares under questionable circumstances. So weapons, maybe? Not like corporate gossip was of any concern to him.
And by the look of it, the same applied to Teitai.
“They’re asking for help.”
A simple sentence, delivered with a conviction already carved into stone. Neon understood. Background, wealth, status. None of them really mattered.
CC wasn’t as eager to sympathize.
“Who cares if they’re asking for help!” Her volume spiked as desperation blended with mounting anger. “We already took a huge fucking gamble on these two! Or did you forget already what happened with those other guys, Autopsy and Pony? I don’t want to see you getting hurt again, Tei! I can’t—”
“Then don’t come. It would be selfish of me to involve you in this risk. I can handle it by myself.”
CC’s cracking voice and Teitai’s softening expressions were compelling, true, but his mind had already wandered to another place —the fact that somewhere in this jungle existed an absolute creature who had chosen the username Pony. Partnered with someone named Autopsy, no less. The fuck…
“Should I accompany you this time as well?” Whisper offered, though his shaking words betrayed how much he categorically did not want to go back out there.
“No, I don’t think that’s smart.” Teitai’s rejection came gently, almost apologetic. “Stormy Weather requires too much preparation, and I doubt we’ll get that luxury in this situation.” Neon easily saw through whatever tactical pretense she wanted to make official. She just wanted to protect the old man. “It’s better that you all remain here and keep the place safe.”
>> “I promise I’ll—”
“I’m going.” Neon’s interjection came out methodically lighthearted, almost flippant, as if volunteering to grab snacks from the corner shop. “I could use the credits. Been thinking about getting myself some cat ears from the store.”
A lie, of course. The thought of ignoring an open distress call while he sat comfy in a burrow made him feel sick in the stomach. But none of them needed to know that. Easier if they believed greed, boredom or curiosity were the things motivating him.
Fooling Teitai was a little harder. Even if he managed to keep his smile, those glowing eyes of hers made it difficult not to avert his gaze. Maybe she was thankful he had her back on this; maybe she didn’t have it in her to be as patronizing to someone who wasn’t a member of her core group. What mattered was that she didn’t question nor argue —not like he’d listen anyway.
“The passage is ready.” Plaza’s voice emerged small and uncertain, looking at them as if awaiting further orders. “Please… Be careful out there.”
“Time to play hero, then?” Neon grinned at Teitai as if everything had been perfectly arranged. As if this wasn’t potentially suicidal.
But being honest? Meeting someone who might be partly responsible for this whole circus sounded exciting. Something told him he’d have far fewer reservations about interrogating a sponsor than he had with Nomine.
Underneath that was… The call itself, too. The knowledge that someone needed help, and that he had the ability to answer. Never been particularly good at ignoring those, even during the occasions he should have.
“Yes.” Teitai smiled warmly, as if recognizing the fellow moron in him, then turned towards the newly formed tunnel. “Let’s not waste any more time.”
And so Neon allowed CC’s protests and threats behind them to fade into the background. A soundtrack neither he nor Teitai were going to let dissuade them from stepping into whatever terrible idea awaited in the jungle night.