Reflections on the Warpath - [An Isekai Progression Fantasy]

The journey through Hisoka's woodlands was an easy one. Jay spotted a squad of soldiers marching down the forest road at one point, but he was far enough ahead of Yagao, Felix and Marko that he had time to circle back and warn them. An uneasy escape through the wooden alleyways of Navaras later, and they somehow managed to reach the docks unseen. Corinne had pre-warned their longtail driver about their situation already, so they drifted out of the docks without a hitch.

Jay had a job to do during the escape from the island, he'd had space to roam and be out of sight of Marko's unconscious body. It had eased his thoughts, if not fully quietened them.

But now he was stuck. Stuck on a boat with his dying friend with nowhere to face but they ocean or his body.

Jay chose the ocean.

Hisoka sank beneath a cerulean blue horizon as they left the island behind. Undulating waves swept over its rubber forests as the Limitless Ascent longtail cut through the gentle ocean within the Whispertide Archipelago. Felix still needed Marko's body to stay stable, so they slowly trawled towards Waistline as the sun crept up beside them.

Jay wondered how Samira would react to a daytime arrival at the Full Moon Sanctuary, but quickly dismissed the thought.

Marko needs healing, and I'm thinking about following and breaking some stupid rules?

Pathetic.

Jay spat into the frothy white wake behind their boat before abandoning the ocean and instead facing his allies.

Were any of them stressing about the rules, or what they'd say to Samira?

Each gladiator sat silently with heavy stares, not wanting to break the silence.

No… they're probably thinking about their ally.

Like I should've done.

The sage's crystal dug into Jay's thigh beneath his pockets—a physical reminder of his betrayal. He had half a mind to throw it overboard but quickly stifled that thought.

No point being selfish and stupid.

Whatever the crystal held, could it really be worth the sacrifice Jay made to acquire it? For a second he hoped that it would, before realising what that meant.

Carla would wake up in a few weeks as if no time had passed and Marko would be fully healed before the B grade fight was over. But that didn't change the situation much.

Sure, their price wasn't permanent, but Jay couldn't deny that they'd unwillingly paid for his progression. They'd each lost almost a month of training, a month of their lives, just so that Jay could obtain the sage's crystal.

Carla had been happy to trade her life for Marko's and Yagao was willing to sacrifice the young gladiator for the benefit of the alliance.

Yet both those sacrifices meant something tangible.

All Jay had earned was a damn crystal in his pocket and a boatload of guilt that stopped him from even looking at it. Jay didn't even know what the sage's gift contained, yet in the moment he'd been happy to discard his allies for it. As Jay thought about each of the gladiators on the longtail with him, he asked himself whether they'd make the same choice as he did.

Carla had died for Marko and Felix was pushing past his limits for the mere chance at keeping him in the fight for a week at most.

And they barely knew him.

Meanwhile I left him to die for this stupid fucking crystal…

Jay buried his head in his hands, pressing his palms to his eyes and hating the guilt that stung him whenever he saw Marko's unconscious body.

A warm hand clasped Jay's shoulder as he felt Jack's arm wrap around his back. Jay thought back to the look Jack had given them before they fled the monolith. Did his captain know about his betrayal, or was he simply trying to comfort Jay?

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Jay didn't know which thought burned him worse. Perhaps they both stung him equally, because Jack's reassuring embrace felt like a searing hot manacle, branding Jay as a traitor before clamping around his neck.

Jay forced his eyes further shut and didn't say a word.

Once they'd navigated the belt and docked their longtail within the underground marina at the Full Moon Sanctuary, the team captains, Jack and Yagao, dismissed the rest of the gladiators, stating that they'd inform Samira about the mission. Jay considered pushing back, fearing that either of the captains knew of his betrayal, but instead he accepted their commands. There was a good chance he'd spill on himself if the alliance leader grilled him enough, especially in his current state.

He'd already fucked up once, no point doubling down.

As the members of Kestrel and Scorpion scattered throughout their island base, Jay walked to his dorm alone. He sat atop his bed and pressed his back into the knobbly stone wall, letting the uneven rock dig into his spine. He removed the crystal from his pocket and sat it in his lap before gazing deep into the undulating clouds within.

They occupied his mind, giving Jay something to think about other than his guilt.

Up close, Jay saw the minute differences between the two crystals that he couldn't spot before. Hints of orange and yellow crept through the clouds whenever a white flash dissipated. Even the clouds themselves moved differently. Whenever Jay's eyes lost focus, they'd flicker and dance, swirling in rapid vortexes within the crystal.

When he looked back and thought about the storm sage, they'd slow down and spiral lazily once more. Jay thought about the storm sage, hoping his wisdom if not his lyricism could help. But no matter what aspect he focused on, he couldn't get in.

After either minutes or hours, Jack's voice jolted Jay out of his stupor.

"What's going on, Jay? You've been off ever since the fight ended. Is it something to do with that crystal?"

Been off huh, wonder what made you think that.

Jay turned his head to face his captain. Jack had a strange mix of apprehension and sadness across his face, almost like he was hesitant to speak to Jay.

"You knew, didn't you?" said Jay.

Jack's jaw clenched, his eyes twitched slightly while maintaining contact with Jay's.

"What are you talking about, Jay?"

"You knew that I fucked up and betrayed Marko for this crystal during the battle. You knew it as soon as the fight was over. You knew it and you probably told Samira and Yagao in your meeting just now, didn't you?" Jay forced out his strained words before clenching his teeth and pushing the lump in his throat back down.

Jack took a step closer.

"I didn't tell them anything, but that's also because I didn't know anything. I'm not a rat, Jay, but I need to know what you did now. Betrayal's too strong a word to throw around lightly."

Jay kept staring.

Fuck… he didn't know.

I guess I'm really in the shit now.

Jay broke. He told his captain everything. Everything from his initial distaste for Carla, to his unease before the battle started then to his decision to chase the crystal holder and ignore Carla's plight against the Sawblade wielder after that. It all came pouring out of Jay, like something inside him wanted it to be free.

After Jay had finished his outburst, he sunk his head and refused to look his captain in the eyes.

"Well, you got one thing right," Jack said after releasing a deep sigh. "You fucked up. You fucked up and now you've got the weight of two gladiators on your back. What are you going to do about it?"

"I should probably go and tell Samira."

Jay shifted his feet and began to get off his bed.

"Stay right here."

Jack's authority pinned Jay back down.

"And how's that going to help?"

"I-"

"What do you think's going to happen if you tell Samira what you just told me? Do you think she'll give you a hug and tell you it's all ok?"

"N-"

"Of course not, Jay! You think she'll trust you with anything after this? If she finds out, you're done. And what happens to me and Corinne then? We're tied to you, you know. All three of us will be consigned to useless scouting missions until the battle ends. You've already let your greed ruin two of your allies' fights, don't let guilt destroy another two."

"I- I'm sorry Ja-"

"Don't be sorry. Be better."

Jay sank his head and let the ice behind his captain's words sting, loathing the pain he knew he deserved.

"What should I do then?" asked Jay.

"You keep quiet, and don't say another word about anything that happened during the mission. Don't tell anyone what you did. Not Corinne, not Marko, nobody. Think about where you are, Jay. You're a part of a team here, whether you like it or not. There's benefits to having allies, Jay—without Carla or Felix, Marko would be dead by now. But in order to claim those benefits, you have to sacrifice your selfishness for the good of the team, got it?"

"Got it," Jay replied.

"Good, without Marko, we'll probably be assigned to scouting missions for the next few days. By the time we get a real mission, I want you ready to fight and ready to die for your allies."

Jay silently nodded.

"And one more thing," Jack added. He paused until Jay raised his head to face him. "People back at the coliseum are watching this. People who you might want help from during the Luminary Tournament and everything that comes with it. I don't know if they'll want to work with a traitor, but I can promise you they'll want to work with someone who learns from their mistakes."

Jay nodded again.

"Today's a rest day," said Jack. "I'll see you in the evening when we get our orders for tomorrow."

[End of Act I]