The players moved to the tables, the scrape of chairs filling the carriage as everyone found their seats.

Trent caught Lukas’ eye across the room as he moved towards his own table. He smiled and gave a small, theatrical bow. "Good luck."

Lukas sat down.

His heart was doing something it hadn’t done in a fight in a long time, which was pounding hard inside his ribcage like a stampede.

He’d walked into the previous round understanding the basic risk, but this was different.

The switching game had clear rules, which was to survive on the tiles and not fall into the dark.

But this round was not so straightforward.

He had to fulfill a hidden objective that might clash with the opponent’s hidden objectives.

And if he failed to meet them, the conductor, who was an Adept, would kill him.

This wouldn’t be so panic inducing if not for the fact that he had no idea how powerful the conductor was.

An E-rank Adept was not the same thing as an S-rank Adept, and walking into a fight without knowing which one he was facing would be the most dangerous thing he’d ever done. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

He might have a chance against an E-rank Adept with his rank and stats, but an S-rank Adept? He wasn’t so sure.

He forced the calculation down. There was nothing to be gained from running it before he knew the objective.

A masked man sat across from him, nodding in greeting. "Hello. My name is Master."

Lukas frowned at the man for a moment. It was an odd name. Or maybe it was a title.

"Nice to meet you," he said, and left it there.

Cloaked workers moved down the line of tables, setting materials in front of each player.

When the worker got to Lukas, he set down a small folded note, ten grapes in a shallow dish, and ten coins in a neat stack.

Lukas collected his note and opened it, angling it so his opponent couldn’t read it.

"Hidden Objective: Purchase five grapes from your opponent without spending more than three coins. You must end the negotiation with a minimum of ten grapes in your possession."

After reading it, he folded it and sent it into his spatial ring.

He was already running the math in his head.

He needed to end the negotiations with ten grapes, so this meant he needed to buy at least five from his opponent, and could sell no more than five.

This was the only way he’d end this with at least ten grapes in his possession.

Across from him, Master had finished reading his own note and was looking up, his expression hidden behind his mask.

Both of them sat there for a moment, staring at each other.

The conductor raised a hand from the throne at the head of the room.

"Begin."

Fiery numbers blazed to life on the ceiling above the tables and began counting down from ten minutes.

In the same moment, opaque blue barriers appeared between each table, hiding what was happening from view and forcing the players to only focus on their own negotiations.

Lukas glanced up at the numbers above his head, then brought his attention back to the man across from him.

Master leaned forward, folding his hands on the table. "There’s no need to waste time. Make your offer."

Lukas leaned back in his chair, keeping his expression blank, even though he was also wearing a mask. "I’d like to buy nine grapes for one coin."

He needed to start high and negotiate low to what he actually needed, so he might as well start with a ridiculous offer.

Master stared at him for a moment before bursting into genuine laughter. It was as if he couldn’t believe his ears.

When he finally controlled himself, he looked at Lukas.

"You want one coin for nine grapes?" He shook his head. "You should know that each grape is worth one coin. But if this is the standard you’re negotiating from, there’s nothing to discuss."

"Then don’t discuss it," Lukas shrugged. "Sit quietly and wait for the timer to reach zero."

The amused expression disappeared immediately from Master’s face.

"We’ll both die if no agreement is reached," Lukas continued. "Which means we’re not just opponents right now. We’re partners who happen to have competing interests. The only winning outcome requires both of us to reach something workable."

He tilted his head slightly. "So. Your turn."

Master was quiet for a moment, reassessing. Then he made his offer. "I’ll buy three of your grapes for five coins. The remaining seven you give me for free."

Lukas laughed. "Forget the free grapes. Do I look like I’m running a charity here?"

"Then what would you accept?"

Lukas straightened. "Here is what I’m offering. You sell me seven grapes for two coins. In exchange, I sell you three of my grapes for five coins, and I’ll include one additional grape for free."

Master was quiet for a moment, and Lukas said nothing.

If he accepted, Lukas would spend two coins and acquire seven grapes, bringing his total to seventeen. He would sell three and give one away, leaving him with thirteen. He would gain three coins from the sale, netting one coin spent total.

Five grapes purchased, three coins spent, and thirteen grapes in hand at the end.

"No," Master finally said. "I want six grapes for free, minimum. That is my condition before I even begin to consider the rest of your offer."

"Six free grapes is not happening," Lukas said. "Take it off the table."

Master sat back in silence. A few seconds passed before he spoke.

"What’s my name?"

Lukas frowned. "What does your name have to do with negotiating grapes?"

"My name is Master," he said.

Lukas stared at him still drowning as the man repeated his words.

But this time, his voice changed. As the words reached his ears, they echoed, the sound layering on top of each other.

A ringing started in Lukas’s mind, soft at first, before growing almost unbearably loud.

He clutched his head in pain as he felt a presence trying to invade his mind, repeating the words "Master" as it tried to find a crack.

Lukas groaned, his eyes watering from the pain before he bit down hard on the inside of his lip.

The pain exploded in his mouth, spreading through his body.

His eyes widened and the presence was immediately cast out of his mind.

In that same moment, Lukas brought his sword from his spatial ring, placing it at Master’s throat before the man could even move an inch.

Then he spoke, his voice cold.

"Did you just try to take control of my mind?"