Chapter 89: The Clear Path Was Bait
Chapter 89: The Clear Path Was Bait
Every part of Jin that had ever played a game wanted to destroy the final construct before leaving. It was unfinished and right in front of them. Glitch felt the same. Jin sensed him gathering himself for another attack.
That would only waste time. It would also prove Jin still confused defeating an enemy with completing the actual task.
Leave it. Get the beacon. Now.
Glitch turned away and ran, but not before throwing the untouched construct a resentful look.
The east alcove sat beyond the next corner. Once Glitch passed behind the obstacle, most of him vanished from Jin’s sight. From the angle Jin still had, a clear passage led straight toward the beacon.
Forward. Take the opening.
Glitch froze.
Warning slammed through the contract. This was not Glitch refusing an order. Something dangerous waited where Jin could not see it.
His first impulse was to demand evidence. The route looked empty. Everything visible told him it was safe.
Jin listened to Glitch.
Stop. Right side. Move.
Glitch darted away.
The plate beneath his intended landing point dropped open. A hidden pit appeared, and an impact arm swept across the passage at chest height a moment later.
If Jin had waited for Glitch to explain, the two hazards would have trapped him between them. The understanding hit hard and cold. Jin pushed it down. They could think about it after the course stopped trying to hurt them.
The open route had been the trap.
There was no time to feel satisfied. Glitch had known more than Jin did, and Jin had trusted that warning. Nothing else mattered yet.
Kade stood by the rail, watching in silence.
Avoiding the hidden hazard sent Glitch directly toward a swinging barrier. He could no longer get out of its way. Jin only had time to decide how he should absorb the strike.
Left shoulder. Harden. Take the hit.
Glitch turned into it.
The impact rang through the pit.
Pain and shock punched across their bond. Harden softened the collision, but it could not remove it. The barrier forced Glitch back one step. Pressure sank deep beneath his scales, and a heavy bruise formed there, though the skin did not break.
Glitch shook himself and rose furious.
Jin decided fury was a good sign.
Can you keep moving?
The answer carried enough offense to make the question sound insulting. Glitch grabbed the blue beacon by its strap and faced the extraction gate.
It was already coming down.
Two possible routes remained. One was short but ended in a difficult jump. The other was longer, with obstacles Jin could read, and might take more time than they had left.
A padded catch platform sat under the gap. If Glitch missed, they could lose time and possibly the beacon, but he would not shatter a leg.
That made the jump risky in a way Jin could measure. It was not a reckless bet.
Take the short route. Three steps. Half strength. Jump during the turn. Harden only on landing.
Glitch moved.
Three steps. Controlled power. He pivoted and launched.
His rear claws struck the platform’s rim. The beacon strap shifted between his teeth, and his body dropped for one sickening instant.
Then Harden caught.
His claws locked against the surface. Glitch dragged himself onto the platform without dropping the beacon.
Messy, but successful.
He sprinted through the final stretch and crossed the extraction line as the gate shut behind his tail.
[Course Complete]
Glitch remained in the gateway with the beacon clamped between his jaws, breathing hard while carrying himself as if every ugly recovery had been deliberate.
The moment the timer stopped, Jin went to him.
He crouched and examined Glitch with his hands and Appraisal. His breathing was elevated. His muscles trembled with exhaustion. The shoulder was sore and bruised, but there was no open injury and no sign of unnatural healing.
When Jin touched the tender area, Glitch flinched. He immediately tried to turn the reaction into an exaggerated stretch.
The act convinced neither of them.
Jin pressed around the scales with care, checked that the joint still moved properly, then stopped before Glitch could accuse him of trying to murder him through medical inspection.
They had used no acid. Regeneration had not revealed itself. Corrosion Resistance had never been needed. Harden was the only skill anyone had seen.
They had completed the course without showing even one of the abilities Jin meant to hide.
Glitch projected absolute confidence that he could run the entire course again at once.
Jin could feel how untrue that was. His recent breakthrough, repeated use of Harden, and poor control over his increased strength had emptied his reserves.
You’re finished. Water. Food. Rest. Real rest.
Glitch ignored him.
That was confession enough.
Kade came over while Jin held out water for him.
"You made a decision before you had proof," Kade said.
"The first path was already closed. Waiting wouldn’t change that."
"You spent two seconds waiting anyway."
"I know."
Kade gave a small nod. "Yesterday, you would’ve spent more."
He let the silence sit for a moment before continuing.
"You changed his route before the hidden hazard triggered. Why?"
The honest explanation was also the one least likely to cause trouble.
"Glitch warned me through the contract. His view was better than mine, so I trusted him."
Kade looked toward Glitch. "Most handlers your age would stop and verify it first. The better ones learn not to. Command is more than giving instructions. A handler who refuses to listen isn’t commanding a beast. He’s treating it like equipment."
Jin could not think of anything worth saying, so he said nothing.
"Your control failed several times," Kade continued. "He’s spending too much force on simple movements. That burned stamina he had no reason to lose. Correct it."
He closed his notes.
"But you acted without complete information. When the objective changed, you left the fight instead of finishing it. You also chose a measured risk rather than a stupid one. Those were the parts that mattered."
Jin looked back at the course. "And my first route?"
"It was a reasonable choice." Kade met his gaze without changing expression. "Then the course removed it, and you wasted two seconds grieving over it."
The barrier that had driven Glitch aside was already lowering into the floor for the next student.
"A plan can help you," Kade said. "Becoming attached to it won’t."
"Understood."
The terminal beside the field displayed Jin’s result.
[Assessment Day Two: Complete]
[Command Response: Excellent]
[Mobility: Good]
[Controlled Combat: Good]
[Adaptation Under Change: Good]
[Safety Judgment: Excellent]
[Declared-Skill Compliance: Confirmed]
[Component Result: Pass—Strong]
"This confirms that your beast can physically meet the minimum standard for the Regular Combat Program," Kade said. "Your assessment is still incomplete. You have five days left."
He moved on to the next student.
Jin remained beside a bruised, exhausted, and deeply pleased lizard who had satisfied Meridian’s minimum standard while hiding three secrets.
After getting the rest of the water into Glitch, Jin started away from the field.
His phone buzzed.
[Assessment Day Three]
[Component: Paired Field Coordination]
[Format: Two Handlers, Two Registered Beasts]
[Partner Assignment: Randomized]
[Individual and Team Performance Will Be Scored Separately]
[Partner Withdrawal Does Not Automatically End the Assessment]
Jin read the message twice.
Everything they could safely rely on in front of Meridian came back to the same advantage: Jin and Glitch understood each other.
Tomorrow, Meridian would interfere with that.
They would add a student Jin had never worked beside, a beast that would not obey his commands, and choices Jin had no authority over.
When the route changed, Glitch had trusted Jin.
When the danger stayed hidden, Jin had trusted Glitch.
Together, they had handled uncertainty.
Tomorrow, Meridian planned to put another human inside it.
[Partner Assignment Loading...]
Jin stared at the screen.
"That seems unnecessary."
Glitch agreed at once.