I suppose I shouldn't be disappointed that they turned me down, but I can't help a little pang of emotion run through my mind. Maybe just once, just ONCE, someone would accept the antenna I offered in trust and then walk away. But no. It had to be this crap again. The last time a sapient surface dweller threw my generosity in my face was the Queen of Liria. I responded to that affront in a sensible fashion. I robbed her and her kingdom blind and took every core in their treasury. I wonder what sort of goodies I'll be able to find in the Cult's coffers?

[I'm a bit surprised they shot your deal down, to be honest,] Granin admits, [you display of gravity magic has put every Shaper in the facility in a tizzy. New magic. New powerful magic. It's a potent lure.]

[Not potent enough, apparently,] I mutter a little bitterly, [what possible reason could they have to turn it down? Honestly. I want to know what would motivate them to deny my request. It's an obvious win-win.]

A complicated expression comes over Granin's face as he considers his answer. The big and apparently very old Shaper slowly paces back and forth as the little Demon watches him with its piercing green eye.

[I'm not sure.] He eventually admits. [Something strange is happening, and I don't have any idea what is it, which bothers me.]

[Bothers you?] I scoff. [How do you think I feel?]

[Not great, I imagine,] he chuckles, [I am sorry that I dragged you into this, you know. I had no idea it would turn out this way.]

I shrug my antennae.

[Just following orders eh, Granin? Not much, you or I could do about it. I don't hold a grudge.]

Not against Granin anyway. The Shapers, in general, were subject to my unending wrath! Or at least, the leadership in this outpost. They've surely earned a place on the naughty list. Torrina and Corun had also helped out as best they could. It wasn't their fault that their Cult had gone down this crazy path. If I got the chance, I would make the Cult pay but just getting my thorax out of their grip would be enough for me.

[I appreciate it. I mean that. You've been treated badly, it's almost comical. The question is, why?]

[Any thoughts.]

[I've been puzzling over it for the last little while,] he said while stroking his granite chin, [it doesn't make a whole lot of sense when you look at it. They want you in the tournament badly enough that they would pass up knowledge of new magic to get it. So they want to you in their little competition, but they sure as hell don't want you to win it, as evidenced by their repeated efforts to get you killed.]

[So they want me to fight, but they want me to lose…]

[That seems to have been the plan from the beginning. Even now it feels like they're still banking on this strategy to extract Gravity Magic from you. If they can get your core, then they can raise you as a pet and try to learn it that way.]

That's horrifying!

[Would that even work?!] I shriek.

[Probably not.] Granin doesn't seem too bothered by the thought of me being raised from the dead. [Raising a creature as a pet doesn't 'bring it back to life', per se, it brings the body back to life, but a new mind is in there, or the previous mind is wiped clean, we aren't sure which.]

[So even if they did that, I wouldn't know anything in particular about gravity magic since I won't have the knowledge from my own world.]

[Right. They probably assume you have the related affinity Skill, which would make all the difference since the reborn you would know the spell shapes and such. In reality, they'd get absolutely nothing from it.]

[Why don't you tell them that,] I point out, [maybe they'll come back and deal with me then.]

[They wouldn't believe me. The only way to prove it would be let one of them to analyse your core. Feel like doing that?]

[Not really…]

Who knows what shenanigans they might pull if I let them have access to my core?! I'm way too paranoid about it even to allow the slightest chance that they could pull strange ploy. These are people actively trying to make me dead after all.

[That's what I thought. They still appear to want to try and kill you through the tournament for the time being. The question we have is what is motivating them to want you dead. Initially, I thought it was just because they saw your species as inferior, but now I'm starting to have doubts.]

[You mean you don't think my species is inferior anymore?] Haha! Is the true power of the ant is being spread through my glorious actions?

[Ah, no. Ant workers suck. But at this point, their insistence on your death doesn't make sense if that's the only motivation.]

We spend fifteen minutes pondering the reason and sharing our wild theories, but we don't get anywhere. Granin isn't much of a schemer, and I certainly aren't any good at it. Best to leave that sort of stuff to the Council, in my opinion. In the end, our strategy remains the same. Keep training my magic Skills and obliterate my opponent with maximum force!

[Remember, they're bound to have a countermeasure or strategy in place to counter your spell of doom,] Granin warns me. [I'm not saying don't use it, but the next opponent will chosen with that spell in mind. I highly doubt they'll be as vulnerable to it as your last foe.]

[What does that look like, though?] I ask him as he turns to leave. [I doubt someone can take that spell apart before it hits, or be tough enough to survive its effects. What are they going to throw at me?]

[Don't underestimate what's possible in the Dungeon. Even something that can appear overwhelming can have weaknesses. Having said that, my guess is speed. They'll put in something that escape the area of the spell before it can land. That's what I'd do anyway.]

Granin leaves Torrina and I behind to keep working on my base magic skills and elemental affinities but I can't help but think on Granin's words. If they throw something fast at me, exactly how fast would it be? How would I deal with it? Some of the monsters I've seen have been pretty damn extreme. A monster designed from tier one to utilise speed as a weapon… just what does that look like?