Chapter 77: Group Cohesion

Jason walked through the Adventure Society campus with a recording crystal floating over his head.

“…looks a lot like a university campus,” he continued narrating. “It’s more about child soldiers than education, though. Not super-young; more America than Sierra Leone. Late-mid teens.”

The marshalling yard came into sight, where a number of young adventurers were loosely gathered.

“As you can see, late teens. The big one with the bird on his shoulder is my friend Humphrey, who I’ve mentioned before. We had bit of a fight last week, and we haven’t talked much since, so things are still a little tense.”

Jason saw Humphrey’s face light up with a smile, following his gaze to where an extremely pretty young woman was approaching him with a wave.

“That girl walking up to him is Gabrielle. She’s a priestess in training, with the god of knowledge. Goddess, whatever. Deities are gender fluid, as it turns out. Heard that from the goddess of knowledge herself; direct quote. Oh yeah, I found religion, which is kind of a big deal. I didn’t join, but I found it. It seems fine; not for me but who knows? Maybe there’s a god of delicious sandwiches. If God helps those who help themselves, then the god of sandwiches might offer a two-for-one deal. I might check that out.”

Jason took a pocket watch from his inventory, checked the time and then turned away from the marshalling yard.

“Still got time to check if that bloke with the juice stall is on campus today. An interesting fact about the goddess of knowledge is that she knows everything that anyone in this world knows, including me. Which means she knows a bunch of Mario Kart shortcuts, which is kind of awesome.”

Jason spotted a cart stall set up on the main promenade. The proprietor had set up an awning for shade, with a folding table under which were boxes of fruit and large paper cups.

“There he is. Nice.”

Jason joined the short queue, soon reaching the front.

“Blasphemer,” the man running the stall casually greeted him. “Gods haven’t struck you down, yet?”

He was a runic, with the usual dark skin marked by faintly glowing runes.

“Not yet, sorry Arash.”

They had first met right before Jason saw his first god. Arash hadn’t been happy with Jason’s lack of reverence, but that wasn’t enough to make him turn away a customer.

“What do you have for me today?” Jason asked.

“I just got in the first gem berries of the season,” Arash said. “I can do you a blend with blood-wing cherries over ice I think you’ll like.”

“Sounds refreshing,” Jason said. “I’m heading into the desert, so rack me up a half-dozen.”

“Perhaps the goddess of earth will drown you in sand,” Arash said optimistically.

“I guess all you can do is pray,” Jason said.

Arash tapped his finger on a plate fixed into the table in front of him, which lit up with a glowing magic circle. He started tossing fruit into the air, which stopped over the magic circle as if caught by an invisible hand. From crates under the table, he threw out berries, cherries and a few other fruits, as well as ice from a magical freezer box. Each fruit he threw up floated in a slow circuit over the magic circle.

Arash placed six large, paper cups on the table, in the circle under the floating fruit. He took out a pair of crystal rods the size of knitting needles and started waving them about with practised ease. They didn’t touch the fruit, which nonetheless reacted to their waving like an orchestra to a conductor. Fruit peeled itself, pureeing in the air as berries, cherries and ice were crushed. None of the resulting slurry splashed away or onto the table. At the direction of Arash’s needles, it separated into six portions and slid into the cups.

Putting down the two rods, Arash added a paper straw to each cup. Jason paid in lesser spirit coins, then took an experimental sip, giving it a solid thumbs-up.

“Oh, that’s a winner,” Jason said. He placed the other cups in his inventory, keeping one to drink immediately.

“What’s with the recording crystal?” Arash asked, looking at the object floating over Jason’s head.

“I’m making a record of what my life is like here,” Jason said. “Something to show the family if I ever get home. Now they get to see you making a delicious beverage.”

“I don’t think it’ll be that exciting,” Arash said.

“You might be surprised,” Jason said.

“Where is home?” Arash asked.

“Further away than even the gods can reach.”

“Get away from my stall, blasphemer.”

Jason chuckled.

“Will you be here all day?” Jason asked. “I could see myself picking up another round when I get back from the desert.”

“I’ll be at the Magic Society in the afternoon. You just be careful out there.”

“No worries, mate.”

Jason stowed the crystal away as he wandered back in the direction of the marshalling yard. There were benches around the side and he sat alone, looking over the assembled adventurers. After months of observation training with Farrah, Jason quickly took everything in. Who was alone, who was in a group; what their body language said about group dynamics. What equipment did they have? It was hard to tell who was under-equipped for a journey into the desert, and who had a storage space like Jason.

Farrah had drilled Jason to quickly and thoroughly recognise and catalogue such details. They would watch people in places around the city; Outside Jory’s clinic, the Adventure Society campus, the concert hall. In addition to the practical use of observation skills, exercising the mind also exercised the spirit attribute. It was just as important as working on the power attribute by weightlifting.

Humphrey glanced over at Jason with a complicated expression before turning back to his conversation with Gabrielle and another young woman. Jason gave him an awkward smile back.

"Don't tell me the honeymoon is over?" a sneering voice came in Jason's direction. Jason had spotted Thadwick Mercer and his offsiders, not paying him any attention until Thadwick loudly approached Jason.

“Not on the outs with Geller, are you?” Thadwick asked. “I thought you were friends?”

“It hurt his feelings that I’ve been spending so much time with your sister. Do say hello to Cassandra for me.”

Thadwick turned red with fury, pointing a finger in Jason’s face.

“Stay away from my sister, you jumped-up commoner trash!”

Jason glanced at the two flanking Thadwick, who looked more embarrassed than supportive. From what Humphrey had told him, they were both stuck under Thadwick due to their families.

Thadwick’s Mercer family was very powerful in Greenstone. This was only highlighted when the Duke of Greenstone’s brother, Thadwick’s father, married into it. The power of the Mercer family placed it above numerous others, especially those without aristocratic title.

According to Humphrey, both of Thadwick’s lackeys were positioned there to help their family interests, rather than any actual regard or friendship. Rufus considered this a shame, as he had evaluated them both highly during their field assessment. They had both passed where Thadwick and Humphrey failed.

Jason was about to say something else when he spotted Vincent Trenslow coming out of the nearby administration building. Paying no more attention to Thadwick, Jason got up and joined the others in converging on the Adventure Society official.

The group was ten altogether, including Jason himself. He knew Humphrey, Gabrielle and, sadly, Thadwick. He recognised Thadwick’s offsiders, although he hadn’t spoken with them at all. The others he didn’t know, including the woman Humphrey and Gabrielle had been talking to. She looked a little older than the others, maybe eighteen or nineteen.

“Everyone listen up,” Vincent told them. “Your task today is to head out to spirit coin farm Geller-Seven. There you will meet with a bronze rank adventurer and assist him in escorting a shipment of spirit coins back to the city.”

“Who’s in charge?” Thadwick called out.

“The bronze-ranker who you’re going to meet,” Vincent said irritably.

“If they’ll only be with us for the journey back,” Thadwick said. “What about on the way there? I think I’m the clear choice for leader. My team is the largest group here.”

“That’s only three people out of ten, you nonce,” a woman said. Jason didn’t know her at all, but she immediately made a favourable impression.

“It’s still the largest,” Thadwick said. “And, of course, you all know who my family is.”

Some of the people looked awkward, others disdainful. Jason chuckled quietly to himself, wondering if Thadwick should be the basis of a drinking game. One of the Thadwick’s offsiders put a hand over his own face while the other winced, looking at his feet.

“Contrary to what you may think,” Vincent said, “Young Master Mercer is quite right.”

That drew everyone’s attention back to Vincent.

“There may be minimal risk on the outward leg of your trip, but there is always a chance something goes wrong. If you encounter a bronze-rank monster, then you will need to make a coordinated response. A leader can direct you to fight as a team, instead of as individuals.

“Which means doing what I say,” Thadwick said with smug satisfaction.

Jason snorted a laugh at Thadwick setting the self-destruct on his own dignity.

“Actually,” Vincent said, “that means doing what Young Mistress Geller says.”

He put a hand on the shoulder of the woman Humphrey had been talking to that Jason didn't recognise.

“For those who haven’t met her, this is Phoebe Geller. She will be the group leader until you reach the spirit coin farm.”

“Why her?” Thadwick asked.

“Because she has done this before,” Vincent said, “because she actually knows the way to the spirit coin farm, and finally, because she’s the only two-star adventurer here. Which puts her a star and a half over you, Thadwick,”

Confusion crossed Thadwick’s face.

“A star and a half?” Thadwick said. “You can’t get half stars.”

Jason burst out laughing, drawing Thadwick’s ire.

“You find something funny?” Thadwick asked him.

Jason looked at Thadwick’s face and cracked up all the harder.

“He saying,” Jason chuckled, “that you’re a half-star because you’re not a legitimate adventurer.”

Thadwick’s face was a mix of anger and pride fuelled by a nagging sense of inadequacy.

“Do you know who my uncle is?” Thadwick asked.

“And drink,” Jason said, sipping at his fruit beverage.

“What?” Thadwick asked.

"Of course I know who your uncle is," Jason said. "Everyone knows who your uncle is. That's the whole point. Thadwick Mercer never passed the Adventure Society assessment. The Duke of Greenstone's nephew did. I hate to break it to you, Thadwick Mercer, but the only part of your name anyone respects is the last part. You can't be the leader because no one trusts you to do anything. At all. The guys on your team? They have to carry you so hard that it's training. They're really good because they're compensating for your outlandish lack of competence."

He gestured at the gathered adventurers.

"This job means placing our lives in one another's hands. No one here is going to trust you with their life. They might not tell you that, Thadwick, because you're so petty, entitled and insecure that you'll hurt them or their families using your own family's egregious level of influence. Which is, to be clear, the only reason anyone, anywhere puts up with you for so much as a single moment."

As Jason’s rant came to a close, most of the people looked on in shocked silence. Humphrey, having seen Jason’s mouth run away from him before, was shaking his head.

“You aren’t doing a lot for group cohesion, Jason,” Humphrey said.

Jason looked over at Humphrey and absently nodded.

“Yeah, I uh… that one got away from me.”

“I don’t have to put up with this,” Thadwick snapped. “I’m leaving, and you will pay for this insult, Asano.”

Thadwick started storming off, then realised his lackeys hadn’t followed.

“Well?” he asked them, turning back.

“We were assigned this contract,” one of them said.

“We’re refusing it,” Thadwick said.

“We… the Society doesn’t like it when you refuse an assigned contract,” the other lackey responded.

“Who cares? My uncle will put them in line.”

“And drink,” Jason said, finishing off his juice.

Thadwick marched off again. The pair of reluctant flunkeys looked at each other unhappily, then followed.

“Maybe it was good for group cohesion after all,” someone said. “Thadwick’s gone.”

“It wasn’t,” Phoebe Geller said. “Our only healer just walked off after him.”

A slew of unhappy gazes were turned on Jason, who winced.

“Sorry,” he said.