In most cases you shouldn't speak until spoken to so, i going to go by those rules .In my silence i had time to do some thinking, good ol thinking. Strangely enough they let me keep my weapon and gear , and even my book. They must have extreme faith in their abilities not that i cared .I opened my book and started drawing everything around me this is the first time i've seen this place and it looked pretty good .At times like this my blessed eye came in handy, my artistry was reaching photo levels, i was impressed when even minor characteristics were shown in explicit detail.

"HEY are you listening?" Said the king

right, right I'm on trial... for what exactly? Feel like we've been here before, Y'know i was getting tired of being pushed around .It looks like trying to avoid conflict always got me nowhere. If i took out my plasma rifle and started blasting what would they even do .My attention wandered from the king to the floor where the flag was located. Moving slightly to get a better view at the carving i began to sketch it, Wala! perfect. My consciousness drifted back to the matter at hand just in time to hear the king say

"I don't think you deserve this but my son keeps begging for you to join the council .I don't trust you , but Remiel has excellent future vision so we'll hold a vote to see if you are even allowed to be trialed"

A vote, how democratic of them. These guys were really arrogant i can see where Gwen gets it from, did they really think i wanted to be here. I did say i wanted to join them, but that was after i was already captured and about to be killed .Actually lets not be so negative the past is done with, what are the perks of being council member.

"What do council members do?"

"YOU DISREPCTFUL LITLLE"

"Anathasia shut up, member each have their own role. If you even manage to get 4 votes that is"

The king telling her to shup up was a breath of fresh air.

"what happens if i don't get 4 votes?"

"You will be executed of course, we have no need for slaves without a use" said the queen

yea no, if i don't get any votes first thing I'm doing is activating my boots and getting the f outta here.

"That being said enough talk let us commence the vote for a new council member!"

Things seemed to be moving quick, better for me to be honest i was in the middle of getting plasma arm training from Gwen...It sucked that i might be forced to leave so early but i wasn't my doing so i was willing to wash my hands of the matter. Cruel i know but this was all theoretical anyway.

"If you're in favor of letting this human test to become a council member raise your hand"

Now was the moment of truth .Times like these were supposed to be stressful situations but as my body adapted more to the powers of Janus i slowly found my self feeling overwhelmingly calm and analytical .Maybe i was the type that could only get my feathers ruffled in combat situations. focusing on the council of 6 i saw that the only members with their hand up were Remiel, and his beastkin girlfriend. I came into this knowing there was a chance Gwen wouldn't defend me ,a flurry of emotions brewed beneath my now falsely calm demeanor but i would let things play out. 2 to 4 , i lifted one foot and prepared to stomp it. when the king raised his hand, my boy! 3 to 3 all that was left was Gwen,Anathasia, and the queen. Why was gwen not raising her hand? Did all that word diarrhea from in the forest mean nothing, or was it something the princess whispered to her, Think, think ok so her reaction to the royal family was fear, from appearance alone remiel wouldn't do anything , the king seemed responsive and the mom had no reason to really hate me. The only options left either she disliked me ,the princess threaten or bribed her. Good we narrowed it down , now lets use process of elimination .This culture wasn't strong on positive reinforcement so i crossed out bribing, I want to believe what we went through in the cave was real, so... she was threatened?

That pissed me off, alot

If i was wrong i was skedaddling anyway so lets see if my hunch is correct.

"Gwen if she threatened you i can protect you once i become a council member"

'you don't have to be afraid of the Anathasia"

Calling her out by name made her lean over her floating table and start clenching it crumbling the part her hand was holding to little pieces of it.

bingo! i was right on the money, I'm sure the princess was indeed scary i really didn't give a , at least not if that meant that gwen would be terrorized forever .In that cave i saw a small fraction of who she really was and i intended to let her florescence.

"Was everything you said to me really a lie, were your emotions a lie?" i shouted that last part loud and clear

She seemed hesitant still, but with the royal family right next to her i understood her why, i did my part nothing more i could say

Remiel seemed to catch on saying "its ok gwen you can cast your vote without any repercussions" then her gave me a thumbs up

Finally she raised her hand 4 to 2,

Anathasia turned to Gwen and Gwen shrank back. She couldn't do anything crazy on stage so she started screaming as usual unable to look away i burned everything into my mind. She was a spoiled brat, I wasn't the vengeful type but i felt my brain steaming. threatening people i cared about was going past a line, id make sure to pay her back ten fold .I cant show any emotions right now it might mess with my chances since i already came this far.

"I knew you had me" i said in a playful manner

"Now what's the trial"

"Well now you actually managed to make it."

He said it like he didn't raise his hand in support of me, bad dad joke but i wouldn't hold it against him.

"Now you will enter a trial by combat"

Trial by combat, before i had the gear this definitely was a death sentence. Admittedly i was glad they were cocky. I had to remember that cockiness brings misinterpretation and misinterpretation brings blunders .I opened my book and quickly wrote that.

"Who am i fighting?"

"OH so eager are we, I'm starting to see why my son thinks so highly of organic life show me what you're made of. You'll be facing two elite warriors ,be warned fleshing this is a battle to the death "

That hardly was fair but i guess fairness is a social construct i was fine with doing what i had to , to move on.

"I'm glad you got in to the trial you filth now i can watch you die a slow death" we all know who said as she started laughing

Yea keep talking im going to beat the shit out of your so called elite warriors and live. I saw figures back flip on the stage in unison , it was the two guards from when i on the cruiser ship. I didn't have any real grudge against them, but there was no room in my spirit for guilt.

"Let the battle commence"

Wordlessly they drew their weapons the right guard had a spear and shield, while the left guard had a huge all black rail gun. Close combat and ranged that's a nasty pair, if i don't think of something now i would lose immediately, The rail gun user was the most dangerous but with the spear wielder there was no way i could get close, i was at a massive disadvantage. I needed to bait out the spear user kill her then kill the gunman.

Taking out my plasma rifle both of them prepared for combat with the spear user blocking the gunman ,i only had 4 tricks up my sleeve i had to use them at the optimal time .The rail gun user pointed and was ready to take my life.

Slow motion made was enabled in my eye and i had a plan so hope was still in grasp, i had to end this in the beginning , the more they got accustom to my movements the less of a chance i had to make it out alive.

Click a gigantic beam of energy barreled my way ,wait for it ,now!. rolling out of the way i thought disappear.

"his body just got evaporated, good job Beatrice" said the princess gleefully

Luckily my cloak seemed to hide what i was holding as well, so my gun was gone too. Thinking the battle was over the spearmen opened her defense in order to turn around .I was originally going to deal with her first but see what that rail gun could do made me change my mind. Pointing my boom stick towards the now defenseless gunner i pulled the trigger.

Gotcha

A torrent of red plasma bullets exploded from thin air much to their surprise.

BRRT BRTTTTT i sent two rounds of controlled fire there way then ran too the opposite direction of my previous standing, this time just holding the trigger down.

"Beatrice!" said the spear wielder diving right on time to block most but the first two rounds. The first round blew off Beatrice's right shoulder area, taking her arm with it and the second one destroying the rail gun .I intended to take off her head but this works too. I wish i bought some armor piercing bullets, who would've thought i'd be needing them so soon though.

"FOUND YOU COWARD" said the spear wielder as jets in her back activated. Even in slow motion he was moving extremely fast. I narrowly avoided being pierced straight through my chest, in escaping death my rifle was knocked out of my hand right besides Beatrice's foot .This was bad if even one of those bullets hit me i wouldn't be able to recuperate, oh the limitations of this body.

"Nice one jennet!"

She was reaching over to pick up the plasma rifle when i activated my turbo boots ,I started in a full speed sprint moving faster then my eyes could even keep up with, i had to trust that moving in the right direction. I knew i wasn't heavy enough to move even a injured zyanite but i might have literally been moving at the speed of light, optimistically i hypothesized that the sheer velocity would do the trick. i Jumped using both of my legs for a drop kick ,hitting the mark with precision accuracy. My feet hit her chest and i could feel the bones in my leg shatter. Beatrice's body denoted on impact leaving nothing but robot chunks flying all around me.

using her body as a barrier i able to stop moving, I grabbed the rifle. The me of yesterday would've entered shock but i was blazing purple, there was no stopping this. I crawled my rifle with and grabbed it with my right hand unable to move my legs. The spear wielding attacker threw the spear at full force making it a deadly projectile ,i couldn't dodge it completely but maybe i didn't need too. I lowered my head as much as possible and feeling it tear off a small top portion of my skull, my vision was getting blocked by blood. I was at deaths door, my life was flashing before my eyes. A overpowering voice in me told me to fight, whos voice was it ?

... ... it was Gwendolyn's, that right im fighting for a purpose.

My opponent was disarmed but not dead, i needed to change that. Seeing me about to start my hail of bullet the now shield wielder prepared for impact, that wouldn't help though. Bullet after bullet after bullet eventually the shield gave in, until the only thing stopping the hot charges of plasma was her body. That didn't last long , shark bites riddled through her this was the end.

Using my remaining strength i dragged myself to the center of the stage. Then i used my Plasma rifle to double as a standing cane pressing all my weight onto it. Standing liked my legs stilled functioned i looked My oppressors in the eye , and said nothing the destroyed bodies spoke for themselves. Not like i could speak anyway i was feeling a wave of exhilaration pouring through my body, a combat high. They said serial killers felt this , i was going to bask in this feeling. The world was cruel and i tried to ignore it for so long ,a mistake I'll avoid in the future.

The crowd was still as silent as when we began, only this time there were 2 less participants .Looking aroundi could feel their grimaces, everyone though i was dead meat. Then i turned up to Anathasia maybe it was the brain damage but my combat high only got enhanced to the point where i couldn't hold my tongue. I started laughing manically

"ha..ha...ha.. HAHAHAHA"

That creeped the crowd out sufficiently ,hope i don't get ptsd later

"So what's next" i said victoriously

"Bravo ,Farron there is no next this council of 6 is now a council of 7.Do say when did you become purple " Said Remiel

Looking at my skin not just my tattoos but my whole body was purple .

"Nevermind that, father can i continue this ceremony a piece of his head is missing, it would be a shame if todays victor died before even being appointed"

"Yes this was a lovely show of excellence, to believe a human killed two elite warriors is more then impressive, commence this at once"

It was strange that the lives of their men didn't mean anything to them... not that they meant anything to me.

Jumping down from his seat he landed in front of me. Even that slight wind was enough to make me have to balance myself. At this point i was running on fumes, this man needed to hurry up.

"i appoint thee council member Sainerrennial"

"Sainerrennial?"

"Yes by becoming a council member you have to forsake your original name to have a name to describe how you entered"

There was no way i was giving up my real name my parents gave me, but I'd play along.

"I accept humbly, What does Sainerrennial mean?"

"It roughly translate into trial of combat, it suits you. Usually there would be a lot more applause but you know"

"What about Gwen?"

"Ahh yes each council member can either choose to have a knight or to work alone, personally my sweet turtle up there is my knight. No one else has one"

so council members could double as knights nice to know

"wasn't she already my knight?...how do i choose Gwen?"

"Unofficially yes, officially no and just ask her bud, " he said raising and lowering his eyebrows a few times

I wasn't the type to force people into doing things, ill leave room so that if she wanted she could say no.

"Hey Gwen. do you to become my champion? You can say no"

Jumping from her seat she landed beside Remiel and getting on one knee.

"you have to knight her, tap her with your gun on both shoulders "Remiel whispered

"both my legs are broken"

"and you're still awake? you are a tough one , allow me to assist you"

Leaning me on his shoulder some blood from my faced dripped onto his suit. Switching the rifle to my left hand then safety , i tried my best not to pull the trigger as i tapped Gwen on her shoulder. After that she pulled me into a deep hug,for the most part i would enjoy that but feeling was leaving my body quick.

'hehe relationships move like a fire don't they Gwendolyn, i knew love when i saw it" he said smugly

"Gwen my head... im dying"

"let me get you fixed up and i don't love him hes just a good friend" she replied to both me and Remiel

"sure ,sure" said Remiel smiling from ear to ear

Opening her chest, (woah she could do that?) a first aid kit was removed from it.

"you wont be awake for the surgery"

I was fine with that, i let the strength leave my body.

i knew i was in good hands