Scorio’s head was spinning. “So after all that, we only got three or four points out of over a thousand?”
“Leonis only got two points,” said Lianshi brightly, earning a glower from the large man.
The chancellor’s voice boomed forth once more, cutting through the many conversations that had begun. “The other reason to pass you through the Gauntlet is to determine how much of the power the Archspire harvested from your previous lives shall be apportioned to each of you. Each time a Great Soul dies, their soul is gathered by the Archspire and held until the annual reincarnation. A portion of that soul’s accumulated power is collected, then distributed to the new souls. The further you progressed in the Gauntlet, the more deserving you are seen to be, and the greater your head start at the beginning of your journey.”
“I knew it,” groaned Leonis. “I’m never helping anyone again.”
“But further, the Archspire will reveal information about your previous lives and your tenure in Bastion thus far.” The chancellor’s voice grew grave. “For many, this is the first and greatest moment of insight into the mysteries of their past that they shall receive. Approach the Archspire with reverence and gratitude, and prepare to learn something of your true nature.”
There was general movement as Great Souls began slipping off their biers and looking uncertainly toward the Archspire.
“We shall call you forth in descending order of success,” said the chancellor. “Pay attention. The information that shall be revealed over the next few hours is exceedingly valuable. What you learn about your peers may prove as important to your long-term survival as what you learn about yourself.”
“Mind if I join you?” asked Leonis, hiking himself up to sit on Scorio’s bier. “Given how low down the list I am, it’s clear I’m going to be waiting a while.”
There was ample room on the broad bier, even for a man Leonis’s size. Scorio frowned up at the Archspire, then back to the stage. He scrutinized the smiling chancellor and felt his anger deepen. “What you said before.”
“Hmm? What exactly?” Leonis was busy tearing a slender strip of cloth off the hem of his robe. “I said a lot of very interesting and important things.”
Lianshi rolled her eyes and pulled herself back up onto her bier to sit cross-legged, facing them. “I can tell that this new life is going to be very hard for you,” she said. “You’re in for some very cruel realizations.”
“What you said about not being sure about how seriously you’re going to take this whole system,” said Scorio. “That resonated with me.”
“I take it back, though,” said Leonis, tying his long hair off at the base of his skull. “Now that it seems points are connected to power, I’m quite invested in the system.”
The chancellor had left the stage and was leading a procession of notables to a smaller platform set before the Archspire, only a handful of yards from where Scorio and the others sat. They were going to get premium viewing of what was to take place.
“I don’t know,” murmured Scorio. “They’re portraying this like it was all some manner of friendly competition, but when I was in the Gauntlet, crawling up that tilting hallway… That emotion. The rage. The pain. The anger. I’m having trouble just laughing it off.”
Leonis frowned thoughtfully. “I… yes. I know what you mean.”
The chancellor gained the base of the steps to the second platform and climbed up with easy assurance, a confident, subtle smile on his lips. Tall, slender, with a broad face and expressive mouth, he wore his regalia as if born into it, at ease but not without a hint of pride. There was in his expression something warm yet condescending, thought Scorio, something overly familiar and haughty at the same time, as if he were doing the world an immense favor by being so accessible and friendly.
“Friends! Let us begin. No doubt you are all curious to learn the identities of the three Great Souls who penetrated into the fifth chamber! All deserve equal accolades, but they did not all die at the same time. And so we reward the Great Soul who not only made it the furthest, but survived the longest. Her loss last year during the Siege of LastRock was a terrible tragedy, and I speak for us all when I say it is an honor to have her back with us so quickly. None present are surprised that she made it as far as she did, given her illustrious history, devastating power, and the universal respect accorded to her by one and all. Please approach the Archspire, Jova Spike!”
Scorio saw that he wasn’t the only one searching the biers for the winner, but for long, confusing seconds nobody moved, nobody climbed down to make it obvious they were claiming the prize.
Just as Scorio was about to comment, a woman close to the back of the populated rows swung her legs over the edge and hopped down into the blue light. Even at this distance and with but a glance, Scorio found himself believing she could have made it that far. She was of medium height, her skin a light brown, with the black hair on one side of her head shorn close to the scalp, the rest long and flipped over to fall past her right shoulder. She moved with a panther-like intensity, frowning as she stared straight ahead, ignoring the stares, the attention.
Nobody spoke as she stalked her way toward the stage. She burned with a ferocious intensity, her brow furrowed, dark eyebrows lowered, mouth gathered into a frown.
“What’s she so upset about?” asked Leonis. “Was she hoping for a better prize than first place?”
“Maybe she didn’t want to be called out,” replied Lianshi, turning slowly to keep Jova in her line of sight as the other woman approached.
“Or maybe she’s just a private person,” continued Scorio. “Or maybe she’s just furious that all the pain and effort she suffered was just for a game.”
“Don’t think this is just a game,” whispered Lianshi, watching as Jova climbed the steps to stand beside the chancellor. “A trial, sure. But not a game.”
“It is an honor to address you once more, Jova, and to welcome you back to Bastion. I know you recall nothing of your immediate past, but everyone alive today remembers your meteoric rise to Charnel Duke, and how you helped LastRock withstand assault after assault over the past decade. Allow me to congratulate you on your remarkable Gauntlet run, and look forward to what you shall accomplish in this, your new life.” The chancellor beamed at the Great Soul, immune to her dark glower. “You will now receive the greatest portion of harvested power from the Archspire, and learn about your past. If you are ready, please approach and place your palm against the golden sigil that you can see here, behind me. The Archspire shall then reveal your full name, by what titles you were known when you originally consigned your soul to Bastion, the highest rank you have ever achieved during all your rebirths, and how many rebirths you have had. A lot to digest, I know, but I’m sure you won’t forget.”
Scorio leaned from one side to the other but didn’t have the right angle to see what the chancellor was indicating. Jova crossed to where the platform abutted the Archspire itself, then reached out to place her palm upon it.
The massive crystal at its apex glimmered as blue lights swirled beneath its facets, and Jova gasped, losing her irritated expression to stare upward in amazement.
A voice emanated from nowhere and everywhere, cool and calm and androgynous. “Jova Spike, once known as the Queen of the Crimson Coast, the Enduring, the Sovereign Light, and Avenger of the Lost Vale. The highest rank you have ever attained is that of Imperator. It has been less than one year since you last died, and you have been reborn one hundred and sixty-three times since the founding of Bastion.”
“She is so amazing,” whispered Lianshi.
“Imperator?” Leonis glanced at Scorio. “What do you think that means?”
“No idea.”
The chancellor and several other officials had surrounded the dazed-looking Jova and were speaking earnestly to her.