The God Contest Regina [Progression Fantasy, LitRPG-lite, Apocalypse]

"I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become."

Carl Jung, Swiss psychiatrist (1875 – 1961)

"Ugg… it's you," Bethany grumbled as she picked herself up and leaned against the wall of the narrow hallway, trying to look imposing.

It didn't hurt when we crashed into each other – just startled me. Actually, I barely felt it thanks to this new ring. But why did she have to wake up so early? I really need to talk to Emily and Rocky in private.

"Is anyone else awake?" Bethany asked, her fist unconsciously clenched at her side.

"No, they're still sleep, at least according to that gargoyle creature. Probably for hours," Becka grumbled, hopping to her feet. Her blade was strapped to her side, and her backpack nearly empty. "That monster told me you headed into this dungeon thing. Thought I would come help you, at least until Abigail and the fool wake up."

"Well, I don't need your help," Bethany huffed. She glanced at the bruise on Becka's cheek with a touch of satisfaction. "And her name is Olive. She's not a monster. She's very nice and she's trying her best, so you'd better not give her a hard time."

Calm down, Bethany. We're in this Trial together, whether you like it or not. Remember what Abigail said – we need strong allies. Plus you promised her a chance to earn a touch of kindness, remember? Just… grit your teeth and deal with it.

Becka looked past Bethany at the iron door behind her. "Fine. Olive. Still looks like a damned monster to me though. So… what'd you find in there? Anything good?"

Bethany swung her backpack to the ground, opening its flap. She made sure Pane's mirror was out of sight and tossed a pack of cigarettes and Ramen her direction. "It was full of this crap. At least on the first level. But I guess Ramen is better than nothing."

Definitely not telling her about my ring. Or Pane. She gets Ramen-level trust right now – which is basically none.

Becka snatched both packages out of the air with a lightning-quick grab. "Really?" she said, disappointed, as she opened the cigarettes and put one between her lips. "You got a light?"

"No. It wasn't part of the rewards," Bethany sniffed, wrinkling her nose. "And I don't want our little apartment complex here to smell like smoke for days. So don't even think about it."

My father smoked when he was drunk. I could smell it on his breath every time he took out his anger on me. I really can't deal with that right now.

Becka sighed and returned the cigarette to its pack. "Whatever. I don't smoke anyways. Abigail does, though she tries to hide it."

"If you don't smoke, why'd you want a light?"

"Because I'm a nervous wreck," Becka answered, surprisingly vulnerable. "And I need a way to take the edge off while we wait for this Trial to start. It sounds like it might take a while to fill out the roster of teams, and I don't like sitting still. Plus, it's not like we're gonna live long enough to get lung cancer, so why the hell not?"

"I don't plan on dying," Bethany assured her as she closed her backpack and marched past Becka. "And I'm not going to let my friends die either."

"And I take it I'm not your friend."

Bethany didn't answer.

"So, you heading back in there?" Becka asked. "If I can't smoke, I need something else to do. Sitting cozy by the fire and staring at a bunch of tapestries isn't going to take my mind off things."

Bethany paused her march down the corridor.

Head back inside? I exited at the end of the first floor because I didn't want to risk losing the ring or Pane. And because I need to talk to Emily and Rocky. But if no one else is awake, I don't want to just sit around and stare at the fire either.

She glanced over her shoulder, considering the woman carefully.

Do I really want to enter the dungeon with Becka? I'm not scared of her. Not since I broke her nose. But that doesn't mean the scars she left aren't there. Though isn't it better to make sure I can trust her before we start the Trial. It's not just my life on the line right now. Shit, I can't believe I'm going to do this.

"Just… give me a couple minutes to empty my bag," Bethany decided, hoping she wouldn't regret the decision. "But if you try to hurt me in there, you won't be coming back out again."

Becka threw up her hands. "Fair enough."

* * *

"So… you and that Elias guy, eh?" Becka pried as they wandered down the winding tunnels of the dungeon, utterly lost. "You bagged yourself a stud. Love me a farming man."

"That's not any of your business," Bethany said dismissively, only half paying attention to the woman.

I have to leave Pane in my backpack – can't risk Becka finding him. I didn't realize how confusing this place is without someone guiding me. How the hell are we supposed to descend multiple levels in this place? It would take days!

"Oh, come on. We've got to talk about something. We've barely spoken since we entered the dungeon. Why'd you even bother to come with me if you're just going to stay silent and glower," Becka poked, her eyes scanning the darkness ahead.

"I'm not discussing my sex life with the woman who almost killed me," Bethany spat, holding aloft her hammer of light to illuminate the tunnel ahead.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Sex life? Not love life?"

"Fuck off," Bethany swore. "You don't get to ask those kinds of questions yet. Try something else."

Becka rolled her eyes. "Fine. You're like, what? In high school. Where's your family?"

Really? That's even worse than asking about Elias.

"I just graduated," Bethany said tartly. "Mom's dead. Grandma's a liar and dead. Father is abusive and, unfortunately, very much alive."

"He live in Regina?" Becka asked curiously.

Thankfully not. I couldn't stand the thought of my father being in this God Contest. There are enough monsters in here without adding one more.

"No. I grew up in the north," Bethany replied. "I was only in Regina for a couple days when this God Contest crap happened."

Becka stopped, and Bethany glanced over her shoulder as she heard the woman's footsteps fall silent. "What?"

"You ran away from him," Becka realized, her words touched with sympathy and shame. "That's why you were living in your car outside the Science Centre. I… I thought…"

"What did you think, Becka?" Bethany spat, whirling on the woman with renewed anger. "That I was homeless, or a drug addict, or crazy? Did believing that make it easier for you to hold me down and pour that wine down my throat? If it did, you're an even shittier person that I thought you were."

Bethany stalked away down the tunnel, Becka following at the edge of Bethany's light.

I should just leave her alone in the dark. She can fall into one of those stupid traps to get back to the apartments.

"That's not what I meant," Becka whispered regretfully. "I just… know what it's like to flee from someone who's abusive."

Bethany stopped dead in her tracks.

Did she just…

She turned and saw Becka's face, ghostly white at the edge of the light.

"Your fiancé?" Bethany asked, uncertain if she wanted to know.

"No, Daniel is… was… my rock," Becka said softly, resting her back against the tunnel's stony wall for support. "It was… an old boyfriend. It wasn't a healthy relationship. It took me years, but I finally managed to get away from him. And it took years after that to heal. I'm not sure I ever did."

Damn it. This isn't how I wanted to connect with this woman.

Bethany sighed. "I'm sorry you lost your fiancé," she sympathized.

I don't have to like Daniel. I don't care that he's dead. But I don't have to rub it in her face either.

"Yah, thanks," Becka muttered, her voice tinged with guilt.

They stood awkwardly in silence for a few moments, collecting their thoughts.

"We should keep going," Bethany finally said, resuming their march down the tunnel. They reached an intersection, and Bethany slammed her hammer into the corner, marking their path. "After all, this place is a maze, and we could be here a while."

* * *

Bethany and Becka stared at the small wooden chest sitting along the back of the alcove off the tunnel. Between them, a six-foot-long, poorly concealed pitfall trap awaited, ready to send careless – really careless – participants back to the dungeon exit.

"They can't be serious," Becka said, rolling her eyes.

"It's only the first level of the dungeon," Bethany explained. "Nothing here is that hard. I didn't even come across any monsters, though there are likely some on the lower floors. Doesn't mean it won't erase your progress if you get sloppy through."

Plus the Servants don't exactly have much to work with to build this place. Give them a break, Becka. Though it's not like I can tell her anything about the Servants.

Becka sighed and backed up against the wall. She dashed forward and, with her running start, easily leapt over the pit. She landed on the other side with an agile twist, laughing at her success.

"Too easy," Becka said, cracking open the chest.

A tiny little dart flew from the chest as she opened the lid. She dodged it with a quick shift of her head and snatched it out of the air between two fingers.

"Is this… a Nerf dart?" Becka mocked, holding up the orange foam dart with the plastic tip. "Seriously? That's pathetic."

Becka flicked it into the corner of the alcove, where it struck a fist-sized stone. The stone and dart disappeared.

"Not so pathetic," Bethany called from across the pit. "If you'd been hit, you would have been returned to the entrance… and lost all the stuff you'd found."

"Oh, you mean this stuff?" Becka asked sarcastically, revealing the spoils of her efforts. "Three cans of green beans, a bunch of moldy grapes, a small box of raisins – the kind given away at Halloween by the health-nut families – and… ha!"

Becka pulled out the final item – a small plastic baggie stuffed full of marijuana. "Okay, now this is worth it."

"As long as you don't smoke it around me, you can just throw me the raisins and keep the rest," Bethany said.

I never minded those houses. Can't be picky when your cupboards are empty.

"Your loss, lady," Becka said, shoving the marijuana into her backpack. "But if you ask me, you could use some. You need to chill the fuck out a bit."

"Then it's a good thing I didn't ask you," Bethany huffed.

Trapped in a death game. Drawn into the middle of a god rebellion. And helping a goddess free – or kill – an imprisoned deity. I don't exactly have time to chill out. Besides, if I want a distraction, I have Elias. God, did I really just think that? He does look good without his shirt… and pants. Olive said our rooms are private… but maybe I can sneak into his if he lets me. Are they soundproof?

Becka landed beside her with a hard stomp, startling her. "What're you thinking about?" Becka pried.

"N… nothing," Bethany answered, embarrassed.

"Yah, I bet," Becka said sarcastically, seeing Bethany's sudden blush. "I know that look."

"It's not…" Bethany started but suddenly stopped as she heard a low murmur echo off the walls of the tunnel. She dimmed the light of her hammer, leaving them in near-total darkness.

"Did you hear that?" Bethany whispered, crouching low.

Becka silently nodded, drawing her black blade from its sheath.

Quietly, they crept down the tunnel until they reached a cavern lit in fire light. Inside, four people – a middle-aged woman with three others in their mid-twenties – stood in front of a small contraption that resembled an old-school automated fortune teller at a carnival.

"The atomic symbol for mercury," the machine asked in a static monotone.

"Kendell, you're the chemistry major," the middle-aged woman said. She was dressed in a floral print cotton dress, dangerously low-cut with a skirt that ended just above her knees. She wore narrow glasses perched at the edge of her nose and had a stern expression on her narrow, beautiful face. Her fist was held aloft and engulfed in flames to light up the chamber. Her slightly greying brown hair was cut short – a recent choice that looked to be done with a dull blade. "You take this question. Don't get it wrong."

"Yes, Dr. Ami," Kendell answered. She wore simple blue jeans and a white blouse, both stained with dirt and drops of blood. She wore a lab coat over top of her clothing, though it seemed to be more for aesthetics than practicality. Her long blond hair was stuck to her neck, and her face was red from a combination of anxiety and effort. "The answer is Hg."

"Correct," the machine replied in the same monotone. "Question seven. What is the smallest planet in the solar system?"

The four participants drew into a huddle, discussing amongst themselves.

"Mercury again. It's a tricky machine – a question with the same answer as the last one," Becka scoffed as she watched them argue.

"Dr. Ami…," Bethany said, gazing at the middle-aged woman from the safety of their darkness. "She's the captain of Ami's Amazing Academics. The first team to arrive."

Becka tapped her sword. "In other words, the competition. We could take them."

Bethany swallowed and shook her head.

It… it would improve our odds, but I can't do it. If this was Benton… but it's not. But it doesn't mean we can't learn more about them. That might be just as valuable.

Bethany settled down, extinguishing her light entirely to keep them shrouded in darkness.

Becka rolled her eyes, and they sat back…

And studied their rivals.