Chapter 65 – Truth

Prestige had excused herself from their camp and said she would be back in a few hours. It was late in the afternoon, and they had plenty of sunlight to spare. Ioseph had silently and meticulously set up a series of barriers around their entire camp. The runes he drew on each surface had joined together to create one large structure. When pressed for details on how he managed it, he shrugged and told them it was just borrowing from nature.

Brophy took on the role of leading the group as Erika busied herself with setting up her own accommodation. It was clear to everyone that Erika had never needed to rely on anyone and was unshakably proud. Brophy offering to help her erect the single tent she brought did not go well, so nobody bothered with her after that. Rochelle, in an attempt to be useful, offered to cook them a meal, which was well-received.

As the camp stove sizzled with meat, and the barriers loomed around them from all sides, it left one last part of the puzzle. Sal looked around at the equipment they had brought and started to come up with a plan. He had crafted without blueprints on multiple occasions, but he needed a rough idea of one to get the Mythcrafter ability kickstarted.

“We don’t need to cover the entire area, just enough space to keep our essentials and sleeping areas dry, right?” Sal asked Brophy, who gave him a nod. “Do the barriers keep water out, or will it come through?”

Sal looked at Ioseph, who got to his feet and made his way over to the converter. Lifting a small cup, he filled it with water before splashing it at the closest barrier. Rather than phasing through it, the water slapped the shimmering wall and trickled downward. Ioseph gave him a nod before returning to his seat.

Sal sighed in relief. That made it a lot easier for them, as it meant they could use the barrier wall with the rocks for additional defense against the elements. Kneeling to the ground, Sal picked up a twig and drew out the rough shape of a tarp. He was going to use the empty duffel bags to create a large sheet of material. Because they were already waterproof, it suited his needs perfectly. Their zippers could be converted into a makeshift door, too.

Experience told him that he needed to wait until he had a rough plan before he could craft it effectively. Just like with Hannah’s Barrier gauntlets, he needed to create an awful mess of intent before the Mythcrafter bailed him out with a fix. It was like having a Crafting lecturer in his brain who insisted he try his best first before it would step in. Sal drew out the materials he had on hand and roughly outlined his intentions. Some of the metal in the bags would be used as metal fastenings to latch into the rock, while the straps would be useful for securing it to the ground.

While he worked, he thought of how instrumental Blathnaid was going to be for her team with her new Construct ability. It wouldn’t surprise him if she had managed to build her team a house in the wilderness. On the other side of the coin, Sal thought of Melanie, who was clearly a Controller…acting as a Support on Divinity’s team. There was no way that was going to go well, even with Divinity’s foresight ability leading them. Sal felt guilty for the laugh that escaped his lips.

“Finding something funny?” Erika whirled on him from the other side of the camp.

A series of tent poles were sticking out in all the wrong places and the material was tangled in the center. She obviously thought he was laughing at her, which gave him peace of mind that she wasn’t actively reading his mind all the time.

Brophy stepped between them with an easygoing smile. “Hey now, there’s no need to raise voices. We’re all in this together. Erika, can I please help you? It’s hurting my eyes.”

Although the words exuded condescension, Brophy’s awkward smile was disarming enough that Erika extricated herself from the mess of a tent and gestured for him to take over.

Sal looked at where she was setting up and frowned. “We’re going to be putting our covering over here with the rock fingers. I’m thinking of using the wall to put a large tarp down at an angle to let the rain fall downward. You should set your tent over here with us.” He gestured to the area behind him, but Erika shook her head.

“This is where I’ve selected. You can all stay over there, though. Rain won’t be a problem for me.” She was as imperious as ever and not a single person seemed surprised at her behavior.

Sal, on the other hand, wanted to take the opportunity to enlighten her. “That’s downhill, Erika. We’ve already shown that the barriers repel water, so we’re essentially in a tilted bowl, with your proposed tent being on the lower end of it. You can set up there if you want, but I hope you like swimming.” Sal shrugged as he went back to his drawing.

Rochelle turned the meat over on the stove and looked at the sky. “It doesn’t look like there’s going to be rain. Maybe we’ll be okay without it?” When everyone stared at her, she glanced around awkwardly. “What?”

Brophy was the one to explain to her. “Ah, my sweet summer child. Looking at the sky isn’t going to provide you with any clues, because this exercise has nothing to do with the laws of nature. If I know my mother, she’s going to strike lightning on top of us as we try to sleep, to test us.”

Erika frowned as she gestured to Brophy. “I’ve thought about it and it makes sense for us to stay together as a team. We’ll set up the tent over by the rocks.” She picked up her things and started to move them toward the rocks, and Sal could see that more than a few stray hairs had escaped the normally immaculate knot of golden-brown hair.

Sal snorted. “Guess you don’t like swimming…”

Erika ignored him but Brophy gave a good-natured chuckle as he carefully untangled the mess that was supposed to be a tent. Sal watched him in fascination. There was zero hesitation in his movements, as though he had done it a thousand times before.

“Brophy, when you get a chance, could you review this plan and tell me what you think?”

Sal wasn’t going to waste Brophy’s expertise while it was readily available. Much to Sal’s surprise, Brophy’s face lit up with excitement as he let out another laugh.

“Of course! I’ll be with you in just a moment. How exciting to be able to orchestrate the camp!”

Brophy’s tone was both dramatic and genuine, and Sal couldn’t for the life of him figure the man out. No matter how much he watched Brophy, Sal kept thinking about the Soul Forge ability that was being muted by the locket he wore around his neck. Which personality was the genuine one?

Sal opened his case and picked up the visor. It had changed slightly in appearance, with the red screen becoming a deeper hue of red. The casing around his ear was now much sleeker and low profile. If he had to guess, he would have said that the dimensions had shrunk ever so slightly. His appraisal of the item had given him a much better picture of just how much had changed.

Name	Scarlet Moon Visor [Set 1/2]
Origin	Crafted
Age	New
Grade	Rare (Upper)
Dimensions	Visor 2.2”, 3” | Earpiece 3.8”, 3.3”
Materials	Infused Moonsilver | Scarlet Screen | Refined Mythcraft & Catalyst Essence
Attributes	[Sealed] [6/16 Unlocked] Analysis: Ability to interpret visual data and information. Insight: Wearer can analyze patterns and predict outcomes Perception: Wearer is hyper-aware of their environment and can assess threats. Deduction: Wearer can rapidly process real-time information. Lock: Guaranteed to track sighted targets. Synergy: Abilities are shared among set items. [Headshot] [Lock]
Abilities	Analysis | Insight | Deduction | Lock | Synergy | Perception | [Sealed]
Power Source	External Essence [Scarlet Moon Revolver]
Evolution	Yes - 14%
Quality	Perfect
Condition	100%
Value	Est. $145,000.00 – $180,000.00

Name	Scarlet Moon Revolver [Set 2/2]
Origin	Crafted
Age	New
Grade	Rare (Upper)
Dimensions	6 inches barrel | 11.5 inches length | 5.5 inches height | 2.1 lbs. weight
Materials	Infused Moonsilver | Scarlet Screen | Refined Mythcraft & Catalyst Essence | Hellfire Titanium
Attributes	[Sealed] [7/16 Unlocked] Tether: Shots tether the gun to its prey, siphoning target essence with every shot. Catalyst: Small chance of creating area-of-effect damage in blast radius. Leech: Synergized equipment will benefit from absorbed essence. Burst: Greatly enhances shot potency by utilizing stored essence. Reaction: Essence-based bullets will have increased effect. Headshot: Headshots will have a small chance to apply critical damage. Synergy: Abilities are shared among set items.
Abilities	Tether | Leech | Burst | Reaction | Synergy | Catalyst | Headshot | [Sealed]…
Power Source	External Essence
Evolution	Yes - 14%
Quality	Perfect
Condition	100%
Value	Est. $200,000.00 – $240,000.00

His visor had picked up the Perception skill, which would work perfectly in this environment. It would also give him a much better understanding of Brophy’s characteristics and discerning what was fact or fiction. Overall, the dimensions of the visor had reduced to reflect its more stylish form, but it had blasted past the mid-grade for Rare and ascended all the way to the higher grade. Sal had thought it would automatically grant him a new ability for each level, but it didn’t seem to work that way. It still said that there were sixteen total abilities to unlock, so Sal guessed that it was evolving in whatever way it wanted.

The revolver, on the other hand, had experienced an excellent evolution. It had picked up two new abilities. Headshot was one he was familiar with from Maslow’s sniper rifle, but it was a much weaker version than what they got with the Legendary grade. That was to be expected, though. Sal didn’t think for one second that he’d end up getting an overpowered ability. Nor did he think that he’d end up getting an ability from Prestige. It was a very low variant of the ability, offering a small chance of success, but it would have a lot of potential if it activated.

Sal grinned as he equipped the visor and felt the familiar flash. People like Prestige forcibly evolving equipment was a whole new level of power that he had no idea existed. If he was able to force an evolution, then it would be an absolute win. What would happen if Prestige was to pour all her essence into the Legendary sniper rifle? Would it speed up the evolution to Mythic?

“So, how can I help?” Brophy appeared to Sal’s left and took a knee so they were on the same level.

Sal had to admit that his drawing left a lot to be desired, but it gave a good idea of the concept he was going for. He moved out of the way so Brophy could get a better look at it, which he did with a few satisfied humming noises thrown in. Sal thought it would be as good of a chance as any to look at his behavior. With Insight, Perception, Deduction, and Analysis, there was no way for Brophy to bluff his way past him.

“Brophy, if you don’t mind me asking…the thing that happened before, with your mother?” Sal said cautiously, keeping his visor trained on Brophy. “What happened? You seemed out of sorts.” He tried to keep his tone neutral and sounding sympathetic.

Brophy looked at Sal and gave him a tired smile. “I’m guessing you didn’t really need help with the camp setup.”

The disappointment in his voice was palpable, and Sal could see on his visor that Brophy was genuinely upset by the realization.

Rather than ignoring the question, he withdrew the locket from around his neck and held it up for Sal to see. “No doubt you caught a peek of this little thing?”

Sal’s reading showed that Brophy was certain that Sal knew what it was. There was no point in playing coy. “Yes, I know it’s a restraining locket.”

Brophy nodded as he looked back at the etchings on the ground. “Then why don’t you ask the question you really want to know?”

Sal debated on whether he should keep up the act of curious sympathizer or cut straight to the concerns that had been washing over him for hours. He took a breath and exhaled slowly. “Your ability used to be called Hype, but it evolved into a stronger ability called Soul Forge.”

The readings on the visor showed that Brophy had tensed up and was immediately defensive, but his smile was still genuine. That information made no sense, but the threat analysis told Sal that he wasn’t currently in danger. Brophy remained quiet, as though waiting for the rest of the question.

“Is that angry side your actual personality, or is this friendly version the real you?” Sal finally asked and braced for Brophy’s reaction.

It took a few moments before Brophy responded. He picked at the locket with his right hand and gave Sal a sad smile. “Would you prefer the disingenuous answer or the truth?” He twirled the locket in his palm as he looked directly at Sal. “Because, if you want the truth, I’d need to take this off.”

Sal saw a sudden spike in threat level, and chose the safe route. “Let’s try disingenuous for now.”

Brophy’s laugh was light and full of heart, and Sal could tell he was truly amused by the response.

“Oh Salvatore, that tickled me. Ah, how should I answer this?” He gestured at himself with a smile. “I’m guessing that since you know my ability, you saw all sorts of other things in there? Was my medical history in there, too?”

Sal nodded slowly, and Brophy grinned.

“Okay, that makes it easier. When I was a kid, I was invincible. Self-belief in children is unwavering, and when you have a power that’s tied to your self-belief? You’re absolutely unstoppable. I threw myself into dungeons and despite my crippling fear, I was able to prevail time and time again.”

Sal listened carefully. Everything he said was true, according to the visor.

“Gallant was a name chosen for me at birth. Mother thought it would sound regal, like Prestige. My successes in towers and dungeons caught the interest of everyone, and I was hailed as the upcoming savior of humanity.”

Brophy stared off into the distance as he spoke, his voice unwavering, as though he had already said this a thousand times before.

“Hype evolved, as you said…at the worst point in my life. All those dark thoughts, the accumulated trauma, and the happy facade I gave everyone—it all broke at the same time. Soul Forge is indiscriminate when it utilizes emotions, and all my baggage was turned into a destructive force. Everything in my head became amplified to the point that I lost myself in it.”

Sal faltered as he listened to Brophy. He couldn’t believe it, but the visor stated that everything he said was true.

Brophy glanced at the rest of the group, and Sal finally saw that the smile he wore was fake.

“The painful truth of it all is that if I ever want to be Gallant again, I need to face my inner demons and learn to control that darkness.” The light in his eyes died as he dropped the locket from his palm and gave an aggravated sigh. “Wearing this fucking thing isn’t doing anything except keeping me docile. But as you saw…that’s the Brophy our illustrious Prestige prefers to see.”

Getting back to his feet, Brophy dusted off his knees and pointed at the etchings on the ground. “It’s a good concept. Let me know if you need any help.” And just like that, he made his way over to Rochelle, his voice taking on a happy and high-pitched tone as he laughed and joked with her.

Maybe it was because he had used the monocle, but Sal understood how much humanity the Calm ability withheld from a person. Brophy clearly wanted to heal and become Gallant again. Knotting his ability wouldn’t do anything but reduce his skill mastery to zero.

The painful realization was that Sal could do nothing for him.