(TPOR) Chapter 121: Do You Trust Me (Patreon)

Daniel pulled a cup practically out of nowhere and Zed’s jaw dropped.

“How’d you do that?” he asked with exaggerated awe, then turned to Oliver. “How did he do that?”

Oliver shook his head. “Focus, Zed.”

“It’s just…” Zed paused, sighed, then returned his attention to the cup. “Everyone’s acting extra serious today. It feels as if we can’t celebrate saving a young girl from a pedo—wait. Where’s Shanine?”

He turned his head from side to side as if he didn’t know there were only three people in the room. The deep white reminded him of labs in movies he’d watched as a child. Somehow it was more pristine even than the movies. He found himself wondering just how natural the white was.

“Shanine’s fine,” Oliver said, his tone still serious. “But you should be more worried about yourself right now.”

Zed spared Daniel’s placid expression a brief glance and agreed.

“Too serious,” he muttered under his breath, before turning his attention to the cup. “Eww, that looks gross.”

The cup in question was more of a container than an actual cup. It was transparent and had a white lid covering it. Inside was red liquid that was thicker than water. Zed leaned forward to peer at it as Daniel placed it on the platform he was lying on.

The container sat casually in front of Zed and he continued to stare at it. His lips turned down in a frown. If he wasn’t mistaken that wasn’t something he was supposed to be looking at so casually.

He pointed a suspicious finger at it and looked up at Daniel. He opened his mouth to speak, paused, then closed it back. He looked around dramatically, peered behind Daniel with the expression of the confused. He scratched the back of his head before looking back up at Daniel.

“You forgot the chalk,” he said, matter of fact. “And the bones.”

“What?”

“Considering I know most of the people here and their activities—”

“You don’t know my activities,” Oliver interrupted.

“—I believe its safe to assume that that right there is the blood of a servant goat,” he finished without missing a beat. “That said, if you want to call on chthulu, I think we’ll need the chalk and the bones.” He peered back down at the container. “Yep, and more blood. Definitely more blood. My boy Chthu definitely won’t come down for such meager sacrifice. I say we get the whole goat. Make a whole soiree out of this.”

Daniel continued to watch him, expression unchanging. Beside Zed, Oliver had his face buried in his hands.

“You know,” Zed told him. “I can’t tell if you’re laughing or crying.”

Daniel bent his tall frame just so he could push the container closer to Zed. In response, Zed peered suspiciously at it.

“You sure we’re trying to call Chthulu?” he asked, his gaze moving between Daniel and the container.

Daniel said nothing. His expression gave nothing away.

“You, big guy,” Zed said, “are a tough nut to crack. I bet you do swimmingly at comedy shows. What do they call you?”

“This is a cup of blood,” Daniel said.

Zed reached for it and paused. He looked up to Daniel for permission. “Can I touch it?”

Daniel shrugged.

Zed picked it up and lifted it. He stared at the content and shook it a bit. It swiveled as was to be expected of liquid as thick as it was.

“Yep,” he agreed. “Definitely blood.” He looked at Daniel. “Tell me you don’t just go around carrying a cup of blood with you because that’s going to raise a lot of red flags.” He paused, chuckled. “Get it, red flags… because the blood is red and red flags are—You know what, never mind. I’m making you my least favorite Olympian. No funny bone whatsoever.”

Daniel sighed. It was the only real emotion he’d shown as a reaction to Zed since joining Zed and Oliver in the room. Zed smirked at the reaction. Small victories, he told himself. Small victories.

He twisted the cap of the container and it turned easily. Perhaps too easily. He twisted it loose and placed it on whatever it was he was still seated on. It reminded him that he still had no idea what he was sitting on. It was covered in a white sheet, most likely designed to match the color of the room and was as firm as solid could be.

“I have a question,” he said, looking up to Daniel.

“Yes, it’s blood,” Daniel said blandly. “No, I do not want you to drink it. Yes, you will be required to hold on to it while I ask these questions. No, you will not be given a mask. Yes, you talk a lot. No, you are not funny. Yes, this is how my face always is. No, I do not want to—”

“No, do not pas go,” Zed slipped in. “No, do not collect two hundred dollars.”

Everyone paused. Oliver looked at Zed, confused. Daniel’s stare was beginning to unsheathe daggers. Zed continued to look up at Daniel with a half-smirk.

“You must’ve really been holding those in, haven’t you,” Zed said, good natured. “Unfortunately, none of those answer my question.”

Daniel’s eyes narrowed. “And what is your question?”

“My question is this,” Zed tapped the platform he was now sitting on. “What was I lying on?”

Daniel looked at him as if he was stupid.

Zed turned to look at Oliver in inquiry. He was met with the same expression on Oliver’s face.

“What?” Zed asked. “It’s a completely legitimate question.”

“You’re sitting on a table, Zed,” Oliver answered.

Perplexed, Zed rapped his knuckle against the table. The sound was simple. It didn’t echo in the room. He found it as solid as it had always been.

“Is that marble?” he asked.

Daniel nodded.

“So you’re telling me that you guys keep a marble-top table in the middle of a vast empty white room in the middle of a spaceship.”

Again, Daniel nodded.

“And it does not in the least bit seem odd to you?”

Daniel’s head moved to nod but didn’t. He hesitated then shrugged.

“First question,” he said, instead. “How long has it been since you awakened?”

Zed shrugged. “A few months… give or take.”

“Next,” Daniel continued, then paused. His attention moved from Zed to the container of blood still in his hand.

Zed watched his attention move without a reaction. Clearly, whatever questions he was being asked, the blood had something to do with this entire scenario. He had questions but didn’t care to ask. Something told him he might be able to figure it out if he played along.

“Place the container on the table and put just a finger in it,” Daniel said.

Zed placed the container on the table, but that was all he did.

Daniel waited.

Zed waited, too.

“Your finger,” Daniel said. “Please place it inside the container.”

“You said you had questions,” Zed said without obeying. “You’ve asked only one, now you’re giving commands. Is this a game of twenty questions or are you playing simon says, because you’ll have to pick one?”

Daniel’s attention moved to Oliver and Oliver shrugged. The Olympian turned his attention to one side of the room. He almost looked thoughtful if he wasn’t so focused on the wall he was staring at.

“Since you said please,” Zed said, drawing his attention, “I’ll help you out a bit. When I met good ol’ Ollie over here, he was with a few others. Now they seemed nice… debatably… at first. Then I got to know Oliver and he was a swell chap, then I got to hang out with them. Due to certain cirmunstances that I am not willing to share, the way they treated me didn’t seem too terrible in the beginning.”

Oliver winced at Zed’s words.

“You were alright, Ollie,” Zed continued, patting Oliver on the back. “You could’ve been better but you were alright. As I was saying, now, I know they were nothing but shitty people. Why? Because I know enough to know that. The point I’m heading at is that they put me through tests I should not have agreed to undergo. Tests with less than acceptable outcomes for me. Now that you have a background story and all that, perhaps you will understand why I am unwilling to obey.”

Daniel frowned. His folded arms seemed to relax. Zed read it as an intention towards action. He wasn’t sure he was properly equipped to fight off a Rukh rank mage or escalate a situation with an Olympian in an Olympian aircraft. The thought made him want to obey.

He thought of it all. Obedience wasn’t a bad thing and his time with the Olympians in the forest hadn’t been bad. As if in opposition of his own decision, his mind thought farther back. It pulle up a memory of a monster with spiked tails, being blasted into a roof with a gust of water. He thought of a beast that ate its food the wrong way. He thought of everything Jason had put him through and he stood against obedience easily.

His hand moved and rested on the axe beside him. A notification popped up between him and Daniel but somehow did nothing to hinder his view.

· Would you like to equip [Titan’s Axe]?

Zed consented without hesitation

· You have equipped [Titan’s Axe].

· You have gained +15 [Strength].

Penalty detected:

· Weapon [Titan’s Axe] is a Rukh rank item.

· You do not meet the requirements to use this item effectively.

· Penalties have been applied.

· You have gained -2 [Speed]

· You have gained -2 [Agility].

Aptitude

· Strength: 51->66.

· Agility: 40-> 38.

· Speed: 36.->34.

· Mana: 77.

· Will: 31(-4).

Strenght flooded Zed at the touch of [Titan’s Axe]. It filled it as thoroughly as it had the first time he had touched it and he basked in it. His body felt more solid, sturdy. He was more powerful, heavier, too. There was the concept of an immovable object meeting an unstoppable force. If he was to pick which of the two he was, he would say he was both.

Daniel’s gaze moved cautiously to [Titan’s Axe].

“I must warn you,” Zed said, his words slow, purposeful. “You might be a Rukh, but I won’t go down without a fight.”

Daniel unfolded his arms and Zed prepared himself. His muscles tightened like the fibers of a tightly woven rope. He readied himself for a swing. Daniel was larger and stronger so he would have to put all his strength into the swing.

Daniel watched Zed cautiously as he leaned forward slowly. Zed waited, did nothing to intercept him. Daniel reached his hand to the container and dipped his finger inside it until it touched the blood. The liquid was two inches deep and he put as much of his finger as the circumference of the container allowed him.

With his finger still in the blood, he looked at Zed.

“Nothing harmful about this test,” Daniel said. “I just need your finger in the container while you answer the questions.”

Zed relaxed, but for only a fraction.

“Why do you need my finger in the blood?” he asked.

Daniel frowned. He looked thoughtful for a moment, as if he didn’t want to answer the question. Whatever he was trying to find out, he didn’t want Zed to know.

Daniel’s attention moved to Oliver and Oliver sighed.

“Zed,” he said softly.

“Yes, Ollie,” Zed answered, his eyes never leaving Daniel. The Olympian still had his finger in the container of blood.

“What he plans on doing is not harmful,” Oliver said.

“Maybe. Maybe not.”

“Zed, look at me.”

Zed turned his face reluctantly to meet Oliver’s gaze. His attention remained firmly on his surrounding, as much as it could without extending his aura. There was no point making himself feel like a threat when he no longer had his full attention on his potential opponent. And releasing his aura might do just that.

“Yes, Ollie,” he said with an amiable smile.

“It’s going to be fine,” Oliver said.

“Will it really?”

“Zed.”

“You keep calling my name like that. Is it just me or is it beginning to feel quite intimate. Imani might be surprised.”

Oliver ignored his words and asked, “Do you trust me?”

Zed thought of everything he had been through with Oliver. He thought of how Oliver had shown him around town, how friendly he had been. Oliver had taught him aura manipulation amongst other things. Oliver was the only one he could call a friend here apart from Festus.

Zed’s smile softened to something more natural.

“No.”