Chapter 687

As soon as Kat put the pen down the world lit up in greens and Kat felt her stomach rebel slightly. Apparently while Thyme’s teleportation was getting better, repeating it in quick succession made it feel worse. The teleport dumped Kat back into a circle, though this time everyone was more spread out and all standing. Kat glanced at Green 2 and kept her eye firmly on what she was sure was a fake. Kat also noticed that Dwarf One 2 had been voted off. For better or worse.

Before anyone had time to wonder properly about what was going on Thyme appeared in the centre of the circle. Thyme had a pirate outfit on with two eyepatches that covered both eyes completely and a parrot sitting on their shoulder. They had puffy pants that may have once been white but had clearly yellowed with age and excess use. They had an open admiral jacket that was torn in three places and faded across most of it from a bright red to more of a pink. When they started speaking, it wasn’t ‘Thyme’ who spoke but the parrot.

“Listen up maties. I’m sending ya down into this here caves,” Thyme pointed behind them but there wasn’t actually any caves there, “and I need ya all to pick a partnarrr. You canna be pickin yer teammates or ya copies.

“Each parth be holdin different challenges. It be first come first serve and I can be givin ya a little info but for the most part ye will have to take care of yaselves,” the oddest part about the talking parrot was that it still sounded like Thyme. The parrot just moved in concert with the words and the sound seemed to leave its mouth. Kat wondered if Thyme was also the parrot or if they were using ventriloquism for a moment... then she noticed something specific in the wording.

*Thyme said I can’t pick teammates, OR copies of myself. That means I CAN pick copies as long as the copy isn’t mine.* Seizing the initiative Kat spoke out before anyone else could. “I chose THAT Green,” Kat pointed towards Green 2.

Thyme’s parrot turned and looked between both of them. “Are you certain? If you are wrong and that Green is actually a teammate you will both be eliminated from this round,”

“Yes, I’m sure,” said Kat.

.....

Thyme’s parrot nodded and said, “In that case, I can accept the pairing. You will not find out if either of you is a fake until you enter the challenge. What sort of challenge do you desire Green?”

*Wait what?*

“Oh I can chose?” said Green 2 innocently, “I don’t know... it’s a bit annoying Kat doesn’t trust me... is there any challenges that could help with that?”

Thyme smirked while the parrot squawked but didn’t leave Thyme’s shoulder. “You could accept one of the trials of combat, the trial of trust, or the trial of teamwork.”

“Hmm... the trial of trust seems like a bad idea for me... Kat seems to think I’m the fake... actually wait. Thyme can I protest this? Why can Kat just force me into this as a partner? Shouldn’t I be able to refuse?” asked Green 2.

“Nope,” said the parrot somehow managing to pop the ‘p’ something a parrot really shouldn’t be able to do without lips. “First come first serve including when it comes to partners. Kat made her choice and you have to abide by that.”

“Wait so if I’d said Dwarf Two then we’d both be paired up then and there?” asked Green 2 with a frown on her face.

Thyme nodded alongside the parrot. “Yup”

Green 2 sighed. “Just give us the trial of teamwork. Hopefully we can get through it,”

Thyme clapped and the parrot said, “Accepted. Let it be done,”

Kat felt the world light up again and frowned. *Shit. While I don’t regret this choice, now I have to deal with a fake in a teamwork test. At least I’ve taken one fake out. I’m pretty sure if it comes to a fight I can beat this Green. I mean, I can beat the real Green in a fight or at least make it to a stalemate.*

Kat blinked away the feeling of nausea that continued to build up from rapid teleports and found herself in a small room across from Green 2, or Kat guessed, just Green considering there was now only one. Kat couldn’t help but pull her arms over in front of her chest and raise an eyebrow. Green looked at Kat and said, “What? I’m trying to prove I’m not the fake remember?”

“Green... if I can call you that... Thyme said that if you weren’t the fake we’d both be eliminated for this. The fact that we’re both still here means that you ARE the fake,” said Kat.

“Well YOU could be the fake?” offered Green.

Kat just raised a questioning eyebrow at that and Green’s shoulder slumped and said, “Fine. I admit I’m the fake. What gave it away? I thought I was doing pretty well?”

“I saw you switch the ballot you were trying to put into the ballot box. Green is many things, but I’m not sure she’d ever consider swapping her ballots and I’d guess she’d know my eyes are good enough to make out the movement. Not entirely sure about the second one,” explained Kat.

Green turned to kick the wall an angry grimace on her face, “Dammit I thought it was a good plan a well. Not that I’m entirely sure it matters. I don’t think the fakes votes actually count. Though, funny thing, we don’t know who the other fakes are either.”

Kat nodded, “It is what it is. I guess I’ll just have to take you out now. Thanks for being a good sport about it I suppose,”

As Kat took a step forward and reached out to attack the fake Green, said fake jumped backwards slamming into the wall with her back, “Now just wait a minute let’s not get too hasty there,” spilled out of the Green’s mouth. “We can work out a compromise surely? I mean, you don’t have to kill me? I don’t want to die?”

Kat felt her eye twitch at that and internally agreed with the ‘involuntary’ action, this was rapidly getting annoying. “Is it really killing? You’re not the real Green,” said Kat, something that seemed very obvious.

“Oh what? So jut because I’m not the real Green means that I’m not a sentient person deserving of love and affection? Or at the very least I deserve not to just be killed out of hand right?” pleaded fake Green as she started to tear up slightly.

Kat frowned. That LOOKED like real emotion. *Hmm... this... this has gotten more complicated. Wait. No Thyme wouldn’t use real people right? Kat considered the option and realised she wasn’t quite willing to believe that. Shit. Thyme MIGHT do that. I mean, Thyme wouldn’t let them die... so does that mean they ARE fakes? Fake me looked very dead back there... but Nixilei said people can be healed a short time after death. Is twenty minutes a short time? Dammit Thyme.*

“Well... can you forfeit or something?” asked Kat, trying to find a solution to her current problem.

“I doubt it?” said Green, “I mean... that wasn’t exactly on the rules for this challenge right? We were told to get through it with a partner. I imagine that the fakes will try and take out the other real people,”

Kat noticed that Green didn’t even try to forfeit before dismissing it as unlikely. She also noticed something else, “Well, here is a question then. You said the fakes will try and take out the other real people? How will they know if the person they are attacking is actually the real one?”

Green opened her mouth to answer... and then closed it finding she didn’t actually have a good answer for Kat. Kat tapped her foot a few times and looked around the room. It was just a small box with a door nearby. She wasn’t even sure what the ‘teamwork’ challenge was yet. *Well at least I can deal with this before any real tests come up. Not sure how I’ll deal with the test, but small mercies I suppose.*

“You know what Kat?” said Green after another few moments, “I don’t know. I’d guess that might just know... but that seems dumb. Maybe they wouldn’t? Could that be part of what makes this round a pain in the ass? Genuine mistakes leading to people getting taken out and bad actors taking out the real ones or fakes failing and the real ones surviving... or fakes pretending to be the real one that survived a fake attack. Lots of double bluffing opportunities are available.” Green pouted, “Why did you have to out me Kat? I could have messed around so much with this round!”

Kat rolled her eyes. *I still don’t know if it’s more likely Thyme hired people to be the fakes, or created the fakes as real people. Seems just crazy enough to be possible. Then again... maybe not? But they don’t LOOK like Thymes. Sigh. This is going to be a pain.*