Chapter 68 – Accountability

Sal leaned his back against the rock as he listened to the rain hammering down on their slate roof. It had started suddenly as nightfall happened, likely as a punishment for students who didn’t have their shelter organized by that point. At least, that’s the way Sal thought of it. Divinity’s group had gotten the rain hours ago, so maybe it was just their turn out of the two hundred teams. It made him curious about who they enlisted to control the weather like that. His first thought was Prestige, who had vanished from their campsite awhile before Divinity sent her message.

Prestige’s Catalyst ability allowed her to change the fundamental nature of essence, which would mean she could influence anything that contained it. If it was really her causing the thunderstorm, they’d likely know sooner rather than later. Each crack of thunder was followed by a quick bright light, illuminating their floor space. Sal had optimistically called it cozy earlier, but it was tiny.

Ioseph’s face was clearly visible as he studied something intently on his tablet. The bright light of the screen made his concentration all the more sinister in the darkness. Rochelle had her eyes closed as she struggled to meditate, but seemed to be the only one who flinched erratically whenever the thunder sounded. Brophy sat quietly as he looked through the barrier that made up a portion of their wall.

“Looking pensive,” Sal remarked as he turned toward him.

A sudden burst of light briefly illuminated Brophy’s face, and Sal wasn’t surprised to see a smile.

“Just thinking about something funny.” He shrugged.

Sal could guess that was a lie, but didn’t want to press him on it.

Rochelle, however, wanted any excuse to break away from her training. “Tell us!” she practically begged him.

The desperation in her tone told Sal that she was definitely not making much progress.

Brophy laughed as he turned away from the barrier and leaned his head against the rock. “I was just thinking that my mother is giving us special treatment with this storm.”

Sal wondered how he knew it was her but was happy to have his suspicions confirmed.

Rochelle groaned. “I thought you said it was something funny.”

Brophy chuckled as he gestured to the side flap of the enclosure. “Miss Clifton’s tent is definitely not equipped for this level of storm.”

“Hah!” Ioseph barked from across the room, glancing up for a moment before returning to his tablet.

Rochelle’s face was a picture of astonishment before a devious laugh escaped her lips. Sal couldn’t help but smile at the thought. Erika had insisted on being on her own, but he did find himself wondering which would win out: her pride or her practicality.

Brophy shrugged as he nudged Sal with his elbow. “Well done, by the way.”

Sal wasn’t sure what he was referring to, but Brophy pointed at the ceiling that was rippling under the raging storm.

“She’s likely incensed right now.” Brophy chuckled at the prospect as he smiled. “Everything is a learning opportunity. That’s her mantra. If you succeed, she’ll still find a way to turn it into a teachable moment.”

Sal straightened his back as he followed Brophy’s gaze to the roof. “Does that mean she’s going to bring it crashing down on us?”

Brophy shook his head, the smile not leaving his face. “On the contrary, the lesson isn’t going to be learned by us. But rather by Erika.” He gestured around the interior. “We’ve succeeded in making a shelter by working as a team. I can tell you for a fact that my mother took one look at Erika’s tent and made the decision to impart a teachable moment.”

Sal sighed. “Sounds like a nightmare to grow up in that sort of environment.”

Brophy chuckled. “Thanks for trying to make me feel better, but I imagine it was quite cutthroat growing up in an auction house!”

It was Sal’s turn to laugh as he shook his head. “Far from it. My parents are probably my best friends, as lame as that sounds. My father used to make games for me to try out with clients. Creating fantastical stories about the equipment we had on sale. They all knew it was the prattling of a child, but they played along with me. When my ability awakened, it was an absolute nightmare, but he supported me every step of the way.”

Brophy slapped his knee and turned to Sal. “Are they open to adopting a washed-up Super Rookie? I could stack shelves and woo clients like there’s no tomorrow.”

Sal burst out laughing. “The Great Gallant, working in the Argento Auction? Are you kidding me? Our sales would go through the roof! Could you double up as security?”

Ioseph cleared his throat as he looked up from his tablet. “Your parents sound pretty cool. I’ll take the security job.” A wry smile tugged at the corner of his lips before he ducked his head back down to the tablet.

Brophy looked over at Rochelle, who sheepishly smiled. “I guess I’ve shown some of my negotiation skills? I could probably run a counter or something.”

Sal laughed. “Too soon, Rochelle. Too soon.”

“So, what have you all learned?” Prestige asked as she walked straight past their group to inspect the shelter.

It had managed to weather the relentless storm that went on for well over an hour. The entirety of their external camp area had been submerged until Ioseph disabled one of the barriers to let the water out. There was no damage to the supplies, with the only casualty of the storm being a single tent.

Erika looked like a drowned rat that had crawled out of muddy water. Her inability to take a shower had resulted in her appearing before Prestige in the exact state she woke up in. Her tent, or rather, the remnants of it were scattered around the campsite. Erika’s default regality had been replaced by a seething rage that led to everyone avoiding eye contact with her. Someone with the ability to control and read minds was terrifying. A pissed-off mind controller was much worse. It wasn’t clear whether her shaking was from rage or the fact that she was freezing from sleeping in the rain.

Thankfully, her ire wasn’t directed at her team.

Prestige turned around expectantly as she tapped her cane against the sturdy exterior. “Excellent craftsmanship, Mr. Argento. Did your team assist you in its construction?”

Sal was conflicted. As a Support, it was his role to take care of the campsite, but he didn’t want to make it look like the rest of the team did nothing. Prestige raised an eyebrow, so he decided on the safest route.

“Erika delegated tasks to each of us. Rochelle prepared food while Ioseph reinforced the barriers. Brophy and I constructed the shelter together.” Sal guessed he had managed to pick the right choice when Prestige nodded in understanding.

She poked her head through the exposed entrance and looked at the setup. “It looks like a snug fit, but there’s definitely room for a fifth.” Prestige straightened as she turned back to them. “Was there a particular reason that you didn’t stay together as a unit? A falling-out, perhaps?”

Sal opened his mouth to respond, but Brophy shook his head. He mimed a single word back to him. Teachable.

Prestige walked around them as she waited for an answer. When none came, she looked in Erika’s direction. “Miss Clifton, as the unit’s Controller, would you care to explain?”

Erika closed her eyes as though battling internally for some semblance of composure. When she opened them, she looked at Prestige and responded in a neutral tone. “I made an incorrect judgment. It won’t happen again.”

Sal looked at Brophy’s grim expression and guessed that Erika had given the wrong answer.

Prestige laughed as she shook her head. “An incorrect judgment. Let me ask you this.” She stopped pacing as she glanced at the shelter. “What are you here to learn?”

Erika’s eyes darted toward Brophy, but Prestige interjected. “If you parrot back Brophy’s words about adaptability, I’ll be very disappointed.”

Sal’s blood froze. How did she know about what Brophy had spoken about the day before? Was it something he said regularly?

Prestige stared at Erika with another expectant look. “Hmm? This isn’t a question that you can answer by plucking it from my head. Psionic essence is disrupted around me, so you’ll have to come up with the answer by yourself. What are you here to learn?”

Erika faltered and looked off to one side. “We’re here to learn how to survive in the wild.” She didn’t seem convinced by her answer, and Prestige wasn’t making it easy for her.

“And if that were indeed what you were here to learn, what grade would you assign yourself thus far?” Prestige inquired, this time with a definite edge to her voice.

Brophy’s expression looked as though he wanted Erika to back down and take the slap to the wrists. Sal could see from Erika’s expression that the chances of that happening were next to none. He didn’t even need his visor for that one.

“Based on my estimates, roughly eighty percent.” Erika spoke so confidently that Prestige actually froze. “I brought two of the three main necessities for a camp’s operation and delegated the construction of the third. Out of the five students, none have had a less than satisfactory night’s sleep, despite the commotion outside. Our shelter is still standing and our supplies are preserved. If this is a grade based on survival, we’re alive and well. If the examiner was to be pedantic, I would imagine that they’d deduct twenty percent for the rough state of one presented member.”

Ioseph inhaled sharply and his eyes bulged as he looked between the others. They were all thinking it. Erika had gone on the offensive from the start. Even though Brophy was smiling, Sal saw the slight shake of his head to indicate that Erika was not going to fare well.

Prestige chuckled as she embedded her cane into the ground, leaving it standing upright. It was such a nonchalant display of strength that even Sal had to do a double take.

“Unfortunately, Miss Clifton, I would have to disagree with you. If you indeed slept soundly last night, I could only imagine that you’d have drowned had you set up your tent on the base of the slope.” Prestige’s eyes locked onto Erika as she approached. “That is, if it was even you who set up your tent. I believe that task was allocated to Brophy?”

Sal’s fears were confirmed. Prestige had been watching them the entire time. She was a pace or two from Erika when she stopped walking.

“When presented with the opportunity to train, you expressed disdain toward your team. When your Support was building your tent, you ordered him to stop as it was taking too long. If I was to grade you as a Controller, you would fail. If I was to grade you as a member of this team, you would fail. The one redeeming moment you’ve had since entering this campsite was when you offered to help your Healer with meditation. And we both know how you were going to do that…don’t we?”

Prestige crossed her arms as she stared at Erika, waiting for a response. The tension in the entire camp was palpable, but not a word was spoken. Sal was currently in the Brophy camp of wanting Erika to just apologize. His heart couldn’t take much more of this.

Erika lifted her head and met Prestige’s gaze. “I made a series of incorrect judgments. They won’t happen again.”

Prestige’s face broke into a smile. “No, Miss Clifton. They won’t happen again.” She turned to the rest of the group and gave them a warm smile. “You’ve all performed above expectations, and I’d encourage you to learn from each other. Mr. Argento will focus on refining his shooting skills with assistance from Brophy. Mr. Bitterwater will acclimatize himself to his etcher and practice his execution of wards. Miss de Verdon should focus her efforts on meditation and increasing her core capabilities.”

Prestige turned back to Erika. “Miss Clifton, on the other hand, will be receiving direct guidance from me on what it means to be a Controller.”