《Trials: Extinction》Chapter Twelve: Princess
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Flynn's mind was restless, despite his casual outward appearance. With his emotions uncapped, it felt as if every little thing bombarded his psyche, from the woman's distrust to the far more pressing matter of him shouldering Humanity's survival. It made him unable to sleep. He usually spent time like this cultivating his body, but there was simply no energy in the air. It felt suffocating.
The fact that he couldn't cultivate in the early stages of the tutorial wasn't surprising. Most didn't even realize there was cultivation until well into the first trial, so instead, he spent his time doing something that was probably far more beneficial, even if his current self found it a waste of time. Flynn tried to get his emotions under his control.
Flynn's mind may have been a whirlwind, but he didn't allow his body to run out of control. The girl across the room could and would see through it. In his first life, they had shared secrets scaling in severity as time went on, one of which was that she had bought an ability from the shop to see vitals. It was accurate enough that she could tell when someone was lying or nervous. He had found this out when she called him out on a lie and explained how she knew he had lied as a sign of good faith.
In reality, he knew very little about the girl. She, without a doubt, had the potential to be a high ranker on the first floor. Flynn had witnessed her use the bow on her shoulder many times within the next phase, and she was efficient, if not ruthless. Yet there were no memories of such a girl on the first floor, let alone a bow user, at least not within the human camps. He didn't believe a beautiful blonde-haired, green-eyed ranker would go unnoticed. More than likely, her clan, as dubious as it was, got wiped out by the more orthodox factions, someone who saw a group of pre-system assassins as a threat. Then again, the entire point of assassins was not to be seen, so how would he know. Flynn hadn't even been a ranker on the first floor, so most of what he knew was gossip and speculation.
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Flynn opened an eye to see the girl glaring at him with distrust evident on her face, and before he could say anything more, she spat.
"Just who are you?" Clearly, her trust in Flynn had somehow gotten even worse despite him confiding in her.
"Flynn Blackwater. Age..." He had to think for a moment. What age was he really? "21, Single." He winked jokingly. "And who might you be, Miss?" He paused, giving her a chance to share her name.
The princess looked like a mouse caught in a room with a cat.
Only Flynn knew her to be no mouse.
She was the heir to what was essentially a gang of assassins for hire. It was her darkest secret and the last thing she had told him in this room before the system swept them away to a much harsher place. Flynn shuttered, thinking back to his experience during the next section. He hadn't done quite as well as he had here. Her voice cut Flynn's daydreams off, which seemed to happen quite often since the warrior had woken back up in the past. He needed to get his mind focused.
"Selena Ravencrest." Flynn feigned surprise as if he recognized the last name. In all reality, he had no recollection of the Ravencrest organization, and it hadn't become influential within the trials, At least not under that name, but she didn't know that. All she knew was either he was completely insane or so good at lying that he'd go as far as to control his heartbeat when lying. Flynn didn't even fool himself into thinking she believed him. Her facial expression made that more than apparent.
Flynn hoped she would confide in him. He already knew her secret, but He wasn't as sure as he let on about the system passing him. Unless somehow he got her to speak it verbally. It was a test of charisma, after all, not one of knowledge. His goal was more than a secret. It was to gain the trust of the other person. In the end, this part of the trial mattered little; in the long run, a few charisma points would not cost Humanity, at least he hoped it wouldn't. Hopefully, it wasn't peace negotiations that ruined Humanity. If so, then Humanity was doomed, and fate had chosen the wrong soul.
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"It's nice to meet you, Selena Ravencrest." Flynn's voice was clipped and annoyed. His emotions were getting the better of him.
"What are you playing at?" The girl's voice went cold, and even though it shouldn't surprise him, the aura of blood lust raised Flynn's eyebrow. He let out a soft sigh.
"I want to pass this test, nothing more, nothing less. I told you my secret, so either tell me yours or let me sleep." Flynn was over this entire fiasco.
In Flynn's mind, it was simple. He already had the answer to this situation, all he had to do was play out the same script the swordsman had in the past, but no, Flynn had decided to try and skip steps to make things easier. As always, he showed his idiocy. Flynn chastised himself before taking a calming breath and reactivation his ability. He would not allow his ego to ruin his chances again. Too much was on the line, and if it meant giving up his humanity, then so be it.
Selena's eyes narrowed as Flynn went cold. The princess of Assassin's started to speak, but Flynn cut her off quickly.
"Let's make a deal, princess, your secret that we both know I already hold, for an edge. Your trust, for power."
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