New System, Who Dis?

Tutorial Day 35

"What the husk is this?" I asked, motioning at the blue screen in front of me.

In response, Claude's mouth began moving, and he angrily glared at me with lowered brows—but I didn't hear anything. Either he was speaking in a foreign language that the translator didn't recognize, or the System was essentially muting him until I made my decision.

The longer it went on, the more I became sure it was the second option. Claude's face morphed to one of suspicion, and then confusion, before realization. Then he tried unsuccessfully to communicate using his eyebrows and facial features for a bit.

When I was absolutely positive that he was being essentially detained and muted as he waited on my sentencing, I shivered. This was the power of the System. I'd gone through a trial myself and not realized just how terrifying that was.

The first option prolonged my shivering. What sort of entity was the System? If I wronged someone in the future could it just detain me and allow the other party to choose my sentencing? Seemed drastically unfair to me, considering that I had the option to kill Claude—who hadn't done anything unforgivable…

The problem was that I didn't know if the System would save me again. So, if I chose the option that this was a misunderstanding that could be resolved, would Claude stand up and put his Spear through me? Could he do that in the Town?

Whether Claude could hear me or not was yet to be seen, so I said, "I can't hear anything you're saying. If you calm down and stop glaring at me, I'll get the System to let you go. I don't know what's going on, but I can guarantee that there has been a misunderstanding here. I mentioned the Demon I know, which made you angry, and I don't know why. Can you calm down and explain?"

Intently studying Claude's face let me see the moment my words got through to him. He began to calm down, and his muscles, which had constantly been fighting against the 'restraints,' stopped bulging. When he next met my eyes, I could tell he was calm. Just in case, I waited another five minutes.

Then, with a deep breath, I selected the final option and released Claude from the System's restraints and silencing. Immediately, I asked, "Is there something about Demons that put you that much on edge?"

Claude looked at his Spear, which had fallen from his hands, before shaking his head. Slowly he collected himself, moving his hands and arms in a way as if to shake blood back into them and remove numbness. Once he was finished, he ever so slowly took a cross-legged position in front of me.

"There are two enemies that all Elves learned to hate. Two enemies that we view equally as the reasons for our failure to Ascend. Those talks of wars and racism, prosecution, and atrocities committed against races of Elves were all traced back to factions of Demons. You see, we were one of the next races to undergo the Trials of Ascension after the Demons failed. Many of their people came to Canopy in the guise of helpers…"

His tone, which was still in perfect English with that small accent, told me that the Demons had been anything but helpful. Claude continued, making me sure of my suspicions, "The problem was that they continued to fight amongst themselves, using our people as fodder for the conflicts between their Sects.

"Using their knowledge of their own Trials, they weaseled their way into positions of power. Positions as counselors and experts in our society. And at first, our people saw an extreme boom in technologies, prowess and understanding."

Claude cut off, his eyes vacant, as if recalling what had happened. Trying to prompt him, I asked, "So, then how did they become your enemies?"

Claude looked at me and then took a deep breath. "I was one of the first Elves to return from the System Tutorial—" His words made me blink and look around myself. So this wasn't the first Tutorial? "—I shared my experiences with my Cavern—more went and returned. We gained power and understanding of the System for ourselves. Much of it aligned with what the Demons had told us, some of it did not."

My stomach twisted. I had a feeling I understood where this was going. Softly, I asked, "What happened?"

This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

"The Demons saw our knowledge and growing power as a threat. The most powerful Guilds attempted to force us back in line. Force us onto the proper path. They used the upcoming Seven Deadly Trials as a carrot at first, but that soon morphed to a switch and eventually a billy club.

"They began taking control of our Enclaves, Caverns, Covens and Hives by force. Before too long, anyone who resisted them was labelled as Evil, Feral, Stupid or Rebellious. They claimed it was all for our own good. That they were preparing us to face a threat, and that our connection to the planet, and our penchant for varying Skills that lacked combat capability, would only diminish our chances.

"For thousands of years, the Elves obeyed the Demons, growing ourselves to be the weapons they cultivated. Until the Seven Deadly Trials arrived—and that is where we met our second mortal enemy. One we shared with the Demons—the Dragons."

"Are they what you faced inside the Portals?" I asked, thinking I was following his story, but not totally sure. His mood was dour, and I could tell that he was remembering things he'd much rather forget.

Claude nodded but didn't elaborate further. So I volunteered, "But we on Earth faced a Dragon only recently. It was said to only be a B-Ranked threat."

"Then you faced an infant. Anything you face in the Seven Deadly Trials will be Extraordinary and above…"

That reminded me of my run in with Nagina, and I shivered. Claude nodded when he saw that. "They currently have something of a monopoly on facing the Ascending Races. Or at least that's what the one we faced told us."

"You survived facing one?" I asked, studying Claude deeply. He chuckled darkly and shook his head, simultaneously gesturing around us, indicating the Tutorial.

"I didn't—" Claude began. Then even as his mouth continued to move, the Dojo went silent. Claude's eyes narrowed, and he brought his hands together to create a clap, which was audible. Shaking his head, he stated, "It seems that's all I'm allowed to tell you. Did you know some of the information I shared before?"

My hand oscillated back and forth in front of me as I said, "Somewhat, yeah."

Claude nodded, then pointed at my heart. "Well, now it's your turn to explain what you're doing conspiring with Demons."

"Well, it isn't Demons, but one particularly annoying Demon that I've named Smegma," I began, and then launched into my story. I told Claude everything about Demonic Vault, leaving out all of my other Skills, and some parts of the Shop. Specifically the Crafting Equipment and their Enchantments that granted Skills.

"You've named him something so obscene, and he doesn't even know," Claude guffawed as he took a sip from a bottle of beer. He held up the bottle when he saw me give it a disapproving look. "Listen, you try spending tens of thousands of years here—and not drinking to pass the time." He said it with amusement still heavy on his voice, and I smirked while shrugging.

We went back and forth a bit more as he asked some follow-up questions, and I told him about what Smegma had so far revealed to me. When I told him about the Demon's insistence on getting Combat Skills, the jovial mood twisted. "Do not take him at his word. Over the years here, I've had a great deal of time to think on this. While at first I believed that the Demons intentionally led us astray—I'm no longer as sure."

"What do you mean? A moment ago you were ready to skewer me at the mention of Demons, Claude," I interjected.

"I hate them with every fiber of my being, Brodie, but over the years, I've been forced to admit that they likely weren't sabotaging us intentionally."

My blinking must have clued him in to my continued confusion. That or my biting of my cheek.

"What if the Demons truly believed that the power of the Skill Cards were the most important aspect to pursue. So, in their minds, they were trying to teach us." Claude's face grew stormy again as he added, "Teach us in a way that no sane teacher should ever employ."

"So, you took on their teaching method?" I asked, grumbling under my breath.

Claude stormy expression became more distasteful, and he waved his hand to dismiss my comment. "Not the same thing. My method is leading a stubborn mule to water. The Demon's method was no better than slavery."

He didn't need to say more for me to know that the Demons had simply dictated what they wanted and punished or killed anyone that disagreed with them. Still, calling me a stubborn mule seemed a bit too far.

The treatment of the Elves by the Demons niggled at me. In fact, it kind of sounded a lot like the people behind Varnish and the Larvae Guild. Weren't they attempting to place me under Guild arrest, and practically enslave me…?

"Did the Elves also use Cards and Card Shards?" I asked, while suppressing a shiver from my previous thought. I needed to change the subject away from the fact that humans had the penchant to do exactly what the Demons did to the Elves—but on each other.

Claude nodded. "Since then, I've seen—" His mouth continued to move but no sounds came again, until he sighed. "I'm not allowed to tell you about other Races' Skills, it seems. Only if you learn them for yourself—I assume, because I can say Skill Cards. Can I tell you about Skill Altars?

"Oh, wow, so you know about the current method of Skill Acquisition, then?" Claude finished, seeming surprised. "As far as I can tell, you are one of the very few in here that's discovered that."

"How come you have so few students?" I asked Claude, gesturing around myself at the empty Dojo.

Claude smiled. "You're not even my only Student currently training. You're just the only one that gets my sober attention…"

What in the husk did that mean?