As we arrived at the fifth rift for the day, the vibe was off. The two teams weren't speaking to each other, standing far apart, and the protection team seemed angry about it.

"What's the problem?" I asked when I felt the tension.

The protection team leader, an attractive brunette woman named Ileana Lungu, stepped forward. She was wearing what looked more like smithing gear than armor. "Eh, they are refusing to share information about their skills so we can't coordinate a strategy. I get being a bit cagey about what you can do but it's ridiculous. It's not even a big deal, we've seen their videos! They can handle things easily, but it's still strange and off-putting. Need better terms in the contracts on sharing details."

Couldn't agree more, coordination is key.

I went over to speak with the clear team and they were similarly standoffish with me.

During our conversation, Steve echoed my emotional state, sending grumpy feelings through our bond and chittering a bit at the team. I tried to calm him through our connection but since I was also not happy, it didn't work. It almost felt like he was sending a word but I couldn't tell exactly what, though he kept beating his little fists twice against the backpack walls every ten seconds or so.

The clear team's perfectly-maintained, matching gear covered them from head to toe so I couldn't gauge their reactions from facial expressions. The armor looked a little ill-fitting but I knew that could happen if you used rift-dropped gear.

Most rift-enchanted items, armor or otherwise, would magically resize to fit the wearer but some pieces would only shrink or expand a bit. If the benefits of the enchantments outweighed the issues of using something that didn't fit perfectly, it was quite common to have gear that wasn't quite the right size.

Overall, the conversation gave me a bad feeling but when I looked up their record, it was spotless and the few highlight videos they'd put out said they could handle the rift with ease.

Some teams are just jerks.

Originally, Chazin Mark deemed the rift, filled with gnolls, as too difficult for any of their teams to safely clear while protecting me. But with the Pitolan teams who specialized in fighting humanoids, the hyena-like bipedal creatures seemed like a reasonably easy enemy. Both teams had cleared over thirty rifts with humanoids with flawless records.

We discussed a bit when we'd go in and were essentially milling about, squabbling about who would lead the delve. Suddenly, the clear team leader shouted out, "Okay, instance will cycle in <two minutes>, let's go!" and charged into the rift.

Shocked, the protection team and I looked at each other. Then Ileana rolled her eyes and shrugged. "It's a dumb superstition but some people hate to wait for a new instance. I guess we're ready so we go?"

I nodded and we headed in with all due haste.

***

The clear team was near the rift entrance though looking pained, a single dead gnoll at their feet, a spear pressed through its neck.

"Why didn't you wait for us? That was extremely reckless. I think we need to head out and discuss this," I said venomously.

Ileana smiled placatingly. "They are known for being brave and sometimes that means a bit… brash. Let's just take a moment to calm down."

"And why shouldn't we leave to do that?" I asked, my tone still sharp.

She replied, "It's known that entering a rift instance and killing a few monsters then leaving before entering the next rift instance significantly downgrades the rift reward. And with an almost full rift, I don't want that. Do you?"

I shook my head in frustration. "All else equal, of course I want a better reward. But are they even in fighting shape if they got hit with that much null? We still don't have a strategy worked out. This feels off."

The clear team leader, who still hadn't given me his name, rose from his knee on the ground and said, "We kill the damn monsters, you stay behind your protectors. Is it that hard to understand?" He pulled the spear viciously from the gnoll's neck, its tip pointing at me momentarily.

"The gnolls patrol in packs of three, do you really think you can easily take on three at a time?" I asked. "If I don't know your strategy, I walk."

The man stepped forward with braggadocio. "Easy, they are simple to lure. Smell or sound does it. Each pack of three is pretty loose, not too close. They will almost always send only one to investigate. We can handle three at a time, yes. But it would be stupid to do so. We are professionals. Let us do our job while you act as a rag, which is yours."

I strongly considered leaving then and there.

Ileana shrugged. "He's a dick," and she turned to the man, "and let's be clear, you are a dick." She turned back to me. "But they're very good, have a reputation above even ours. Besides, we can handle a pack of three gnolls," she pointed to her three teammates, "so if things really go to shit, we've got you, easy." She clamped a meaty hand onto my shoulder.

I reluctantly agreed as my feelings of anger towards the assholes that were the clear team seemed to be impacting my judgement. I still wanted to walk but knew it would probably create even more issues, this time with Pitola as well. Setting the precedent that 'someone being mean' was grounds for walking would give me an extremely bad reputation.

I debated for another few seconds but felt it wasn't worth fighting over.

I can work with dicks, have done it far too often for my liking. Throwing a fit every time someone sucks is going to do me more harm than the nice feeling of telling people off.

Grin and bear it.

Steve sent me even more upset emotions, reaching a height not seen outside of a pitched battle, so I focused on keeping him calm and quiet.

As we progressed, the clear team started to systematically peel off one gnoll at a time, killing each quickly and making just enough noise to only attract one more of the pack but never a second. It was actually a pretty interesting approach and I wanted to ask someone about it later.

I was rather sick of being in the middle of a fight where something attracted too many monsters…

While the clear team was eliminating each group well, their overall strategy still confused me. The leader snapped back when I asked why we were going more towards the center of the rift instead of the normal strategy of circling around the outside to prevent any chance of overlapping patrols.

"Cuts the damn rift in thirds and then it's easier to clear each side before tackling the center. It's simple strategy. I've been delving for ten years, you've been doing it for ten days. Trust your betters."

Why isn't he Tier 2 if he's been delving for that long? Just too afraid to advance? I guess staying at the peak of a Tier can be safe and lucrative…

Yeah, need to talk to Inga about screening for bags of dicks too when she picks teams for delving with me, not just capability…

***

Inara Maric, 'Head Honcho' of The Order of the Ever-Consuming Glider

Terry and Ileana charged into the rift after their clear team. Inara chuckled then sat down with her other teammates to discuss more about their lackluster performance in the mimic rift and review the videos. It hadn't been a close call but still far closer than they liked so they wanted to strategize.

Ten minutes later, they were interrupted as four people in shining metal armor crested a ridge, jogging towards the rift at a good pace.

Inara stood up with Natalia to greet them.

The team pulled to a halt and saluted. "Apologies for the delay. We received an urgent request for help regarding a rift about to break. But when we arrived, the rift wasn't even half full," the man sporting a spear said. "We tried to send a message to alert you all but we didn't have anyone's contact info."

"Okay, but who are you?" Inara replied, confused and a little worried.

"We're the clear team for the rift. Wait, where is the protection team?"

Oh shit!

Inara started sending off messages almost before her eyebrows returned from her hairline, her face of shock quickly resolving into one of white-hot anger and determination.

***

The smell hit me, causing me to quake in fear before I even processed it.

It was an autonomic response, something I couldn't help. My brain struggled to place the scent as my body went to jelly.

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit," I muttered as my protection team started looking around confused.

Ileana said quietly to me, "What's the matter? Why are you falling to pieces suddenly? And what the hell is that smell?"

It's like concentrated piss. Why is that so jarring?

A howling snarl to the left, answered by another three from ahead, answered by another two to our right.

I realized what it was.

Did… did that idiot just take out a lure bag?!

I was incensed and warned my protection team just as a sound like a furious cat's snarl, but as loud as a bomb, rent the air. Its oddly resonant boom reverberated as we heard the enraged calls of the approaching monsters.

That's when the clear team turned and fled, the smell of urine retreating with them.

The protection team called to move far to the right as, from the calls, that group or groups of gnolls seemed the furthest off. We hoped the other teams of monsters would follow the clear team in whatever insane gambit they just pulled.

Our initial clash with the rightmost group of three gnolls was incredibly violent, Ileana leading with her massive hammer to knock the leading hyena man back, it falling prone with crushed ribs. The other two monsters, one wielding a short sword and the other a jagged scythe, tried to engage her.

A shimmering green orb emerged to envelope the woman entirely and both attacks harmlessly scraped down the side of the bubble.

She dashed between them, her glowing protection popping once she was out of their reach, to swing her hammer down on the first gnoll. Its head turned to mush like a watermelon in front of a 1980s comedian, she spun to engage the other two.

However, two more gnolls had emerged to block her, with presumably a sixth enemy on the way.

The scythe-wielder dashed for me. I brought my shield up but the strike was enhanced with a skill or enchantment. It cut through both the shield and my gauntlet beneath, taking off my left pinky.

Maintaining my wits, I wrenched my shield as best I could, keeping its weapon embedded and ripping it from the monster's grasp.

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I screamed in pain and tipped slightly, putting me at an awkward angle for a follow up strike, my weapon touching the ground.

I used the fury building in me to smash my morningstar so hard between its legs in an uppercut swing, pumping mana into the heaviness enchantment to give it that extra impact, the gnoll actually lifted from the ground.

Its pained yelp was music to my ears.

The protection team's dual shortsword wielder bisected the airborne monster, clearly using a skill as the air shimmered a faint pink before the spray of dull red.

My nearly ruined shield protected me from some of the viscera.

But only some.

I turned to engage the other remaining enemies, only to see a glowing red Ileana a few feet away smash through a gnoll's ribs and into a tree, felling both the monster and maple in one blow.

"Those utter—" Ileana started to yell as I tried to jump to her, my hand outstretched to cover her mouth. She had stopped before I got there, my hand awkwardly glancing off her face.

"Uh, sorry, just loud noises attract monsters…" I said, incredibly embarrassed.

"Yes, we'll pretend that was due to blood loss… Deal? Is your shield beyond repair?" she asked, thankfully changing the subject.

"Not sure, haven't damaged it more than a few scratches before this. Probably? Not sure how much self-repair can actually help. And I swear, I just keep losing pinkies! This is the second time in about two weeks," I said with exasperation, not sure where to place my extreme anger, fear, frustration, and adrenaline. "Wait, should we wait here? Shouldn't we retreat?"

The protection team mage, a woman wearing a cape over an oddly revealing blouse for delving and shorts with one long leg and one very short, put a hand on my shoulder. "No, unfortunately, here is the best place. I apologize but the most likely area for monsters to congregate is by the rift entrance after chasing the other team. If they were even able to fully retreat. It is best to not move, to not attract attention. For a time at the least. I will cast a spell to stop the bleeding unless you have a potion."

She had a good point. I smashed my pinky back on and quaffed about a third of a mid-range healing potion. It didn't heal my finger completely but did well enough I wouldn't need further intervention for now and a healer in Pitola could easily finish the job for a few gold.

Best to save potions for a last resort.

I sat down in a huff and started to rethink what I'd seen. It didn't make sense. What kind of strategy was luring and then running? And they retreated early before any of the monsters got there?

Wait… Ill-fitting gear that was matching wouldn't mean it was rift-dropped. Rifts wouldn't drop matching gear for everyone…

"FUCK, I should have caught that!" I hissed, forgetting to keep my voice as low as possible.

Ileana gave me a significant look but didn't chastise me. She plopped down by my side. "So, what didn't you catch?"

"Their armor, it didn't fit perfectly. It matched what they wore in the videos of their delves but unless it was rift-dropped, they'd be able to afford armor that actually fits. And rift-dropped armor wouldn't match that well, right?"

She gave the hand signal for 'kind of'. "You can alter rift-dropped armor some, especially the appearance, but yes, you're right. I failed to notice it too. I've never worked with that team before but even the fact they all wore helmets isn't strange. Gnolls are known to employ archers so, while I don't wear a helmet, even our mage over there has one on."

"What's with the gear, she's wearing an odd outfit for delving?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Rift-dropped blouse. It's rare that they drop clothes instead off gear but it fits her fighting style perfectly. The cape works as full body armor. The shorts are just because she looks damn good in them," Ileana said with a small laugh. "Why, are you interested? You're a little young for her but doesn't hurt to ask."

"No, no, just trying to distract myself from yet another fuck up that almost cost me my life," I said dejectedly.

Ileana put a comforting arm around my shoulder. It was odd but she had a nice and calming presence. "Eh, we had ya. If you couldn't survive that first strike, possibly your life was at risk. We almost certainly could have gotten to you before that gnoll but I saw you had it handled well enough with your shield to not die so we focused on eliminating the threat first. It was an assessment in the moment but none of us were worried."

I shook my head, still frustrated despite the praise.

"No, look at me." Ileana reached out and tilted my head gently to stare into her golden eyes, filled with conviction and a bit of something else. "I'm serious. You would have easily killed that gnoll and probably a second. That's not something most Tier 1s could do, even at the peak."

She forwarded me a snippet of her team's AAI logs, how they coordinated in battle. There were multiple comments about 'protect the baby' that switched to 'he's got it, eliminate the threat first' or similar in the opening seconds.

A few notes of praise for me were sprinkled in their post-action first impressions reports. Ileana's messages were also peppered with a short video of me hitting the gnoll in the crotch and a few bad jokes.

Ileana sighed heavily, then seemed to find her words. "It wasn't your life at risk, no matter whatever the fucking plan was. And I have no idea what the plan was… You've got skill. I can see it. You're green but good. You need a lot of training but you'll be great. I'll put you on my list to follow up with later." She looked me up and down, raising her eyebrows a few times after. "Probably just for delving though… probably." She winked and we both chuckled softly.

We waited for twenty minutes before carefully and quietly heading back towards the entrance.

The entire time, I started working out my new 'trust but verify' system for teams that were delving with me. I had some questions for Inga since the Pitolan Mayor set up all the delves and teams but figured there was something more at play.

Forcing everyone to verify who they were before we delved would probably be annoying but I felt it was necessary. I might even be able to leverage some of the work we were doing with the debit cards but thought delvers probably wouldn't want their spirits, blood, or Innate Capability signatures recorded.

Then I started to think about the actual root of the problem.

I need to focus on prevention. How do I limit ways people can get at me instead of reacting after the fact? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and all that. My friend in security would probably identify so many 'attack surfaces' on everything we're doing. I'll see if Jasna or Tiesa have any ideas.

Shit, I haven't really checked in with my friends in Velez…

When we were about a quarter mile (400m) from the rift's entrance distortion, it started to smell quite strongly.

As we came around a small grouping of trees, we found the corpses of two gnolls with another monster that was happily chewing on the entrails of the man who'd pulled out the monster lure, the smelly bag still in his blood-encrusted hand.

As the gnoll looked up angrily, the mage shot an ice spike directly through its eye, killing the monster instantly.

We collected the man's body and continued quietly and carefully until we exited the rift.

I considered taking Steve out of his backpack once we were at the entrance distortion, as he was 'loudly' requesting via our spiritual link, but with potential enemies around on the other side, I couldn't risk it.

***

"What do you mean they left?" Nina Asani's angry voice was the first thing I heard upon returning to the real world. I received nearly fifteen AAI messages from a range of people, clogging my vision.

Steve's chittering began again, though not as insistent. I still wasn't willing to take him from his protective enclosure.

The ever-cheerful Natalia smiled at Councilor Asani. "Just like I said, the other two were uninjured enough to walk on their own power so they left. Why would I hold them? Medical attention is coming for her," she said pointing to another woman lying on the ground in a small pool of congealed blood, looking both ashen and nervous.

Nina asked, "And what happened to her?"

Natalia indicated towards Inara. "She gave the injured woman a potion to save her. She might have bled out otherwise. Oh, hi Terry!" she said with a wave as though she wasn't in the middle of being chewed out.

Nina spun and the look of fury on her face lessened slightly. "Oh thank whatever celestial entity helped you stay safe." Her shoulders slumped as a bit of her adrenaline clearly dissipated.

Ileana stepped forward, hand raised. "I guess that would be me. Just Ileana is fine, no need to worship me."

The joke fell flat.

Nina requisitioned another healing potion, this time from Ileana, and fed a small amount to the woman that had been on the fake clear team.

Inara told me she denied Natalia's request to give the injured woman any more healing until she answered questions. The woman refused so she was still in rough shape, missing a chunk of her arm and with multiple lacerations across her face, chest, and arms that had been seeping blood until seconds prior. Her once-pristine, shiny armor looked more like aluminum foil after an unattended dog smelled its favorite treat inside, huge rents creating jagged edges to expose ragged flesh.

A man in gleaming armor stepped forward to shake my hand. "Uh, we were your assigned clear team. It seems you figured out already that wasn't us. We're… just gonna go… That woman has our story and contact information if need be." He pointed to Nina and then his group turned to start trudging back towards Chazin Mark.

Nina scooped up the heavily injured woman, much to the chagrin of Natalia, and started running back to town as well, telling us to follow along closely. Natalia accompanied us, still seemingly confused by the situation, her perpetual smile only half there.

I told Ileana we'd handle everything and let her know the outcome of it all.

As we ran, I informed the team what happened in the rift. All looked sick as it just didn't make sense why anyone would pull something like that at the moment.

We were all baffled.

As I expected, Nina took us to the warded room in the same restaurant to begin questioning the woman. The hostess looked frightened but complied, allowing us into the space.

"Who put you up to this?" Nina roared at the woman as she dropped her unceremoniously on the table, opening up some of her wounds again. "Why would you try to kill him? What possibly could you get from that?"

"Not kill, only scare," she said in slightly broken Verdantese. Now that she had her helmet removed, I realized she didn't really look like most of the locals I'd seen, dark purple hair with half her head shaved and orange skin, a massive earring in one ear.

"I think she's from The MM," I said to Nina.

"Yes, no shit! …sorry, that was too far." Nina turned back to the woman, a malicious look in her eye. "Only scare? Explain."

The woman lying on the table, bleeding slowly into the white tablecloth beneath, shut her mouth dramatically. Nina took a nearby fork and very slowly started to press it into the woman's wounded arm, drawing fresh blood.

The woman on the table started to scream.

Natalia stepped forward, trying to hold Nina back but the Tier 4 Councilor was slightly stronger.

"Nina!" I yelled, getting her attention. She almost looked ready to backhand me. "Is that really how you want this to go down? I want the information too but torturing someone, especially in a different city, can't result in anything good, can it?"

Isekonsultant Tip to Thriving #64: Sometimes appealing to the good in people, especially when they show you their worst side, won't work. Go for emphasizing consequences first and foremost, especially when dealing with those with both significant personal and political power.

The Councilor stepped back for a second before nodding.

"I don't want to see her hurt further without a trial, it's not on us to make that call," I said.

Nina's face paled before she turned and began looming over the woman. "You will tell me what you know and I guarantee to not cause you any further pain." Nina forwarded us all the AAI-backed guarantee she offered the woman but it felt a little vague, setting off a red flag in my head.

Still, the woman began answering questions, revealing the 'brilliant plan' in all its glory.

Said plan was to impersonate the clear team – they were provided armor that morning by a man in a cloak and paid through a job broker in The MM – with the goal of 'scaring' me.

Why? What does scaring me accomplish?

In order to elicit said fear, they were provided a lure bag. The instructions said I could easily fight off tens of gnolls but was a lazy and arrogant noble and just needed a wake-up call. It was pitched as much as a prank as anything else.

When we were at the rift, the job broker sent them a message that they needed to hurry into the rift which was why they charged in.

Likely because the other clear team would be showing up soon or could at least enter the same instance as us if we waited another few minutes for the rift to cycle.

Whoever contracted them, it would be nearly impossible for us to get the information because The MM treated job info as secret, at least without the right contacts to buy it. Political power meant little.

After trying and trying to get more information, Nina's desperation rising, the Councilor seemed to have an idea.

The injured woman paused, then swallowed, before nodding solemnly.

Nina screamed in triumph. "I knew it!"

At my confused gesture, Nina sent me the message the woman responded to: a recording of Travis Hozjan's voice along with the question of if it was the same as the man in the cloak who had provided them their armor.

That utter shit! He's pissed off so he tries to kill me? I… Why?! It makes no sense!

"Why?" Inara asked, mirroring my confusion. "How does this make any sense?"

Nina's smile turned dark. "We'll just have to go and see." A blade materialized in her hand and she swung it down to decapitate the woman on the table.

CLANG

Natalia had been ready. "You don't pass judgement, that is for the Council. Go now."

What the fuck?!

Steve screamed in similar confusion and discomfort.

"What the fuck!?" Pavel yelled but the Councilor didn't answer. Instead, Nina snarled, leaving the room in a dash, myself, Inara, Pavel, and Romie following after her. Natalia stayed with the injured woman, presumably to hand her over to someone for further questioning.

The entire run, we tried pestering Nina with questions but she didn't answer.

As we burst into the Town Hall, a building similar to the one in Velez with a number of colorful stalls selling food, clothing, trinkets, and other small items for purchase, Nina continued on towards the back where the private rooms lay, dodging people as if they were statues.

Once we caught up, she kicked down a door to reveal Travis Hozjan sitting, a smarmy smile on his face like he knew we were coming. His chair was incredibly elaborate, clearly brought from elsewhere.

There was also a toady man who seemed like an assistant in the corner, a notepad in his hands and a slight smile on his face. A terrified-looking woman sat across the plain table from Travis, likely a local merchant.

"Ah, Terry, glad to see you made it out okay," he said with a laugh, as cool as a cucumber. "I heard not everyone did. Alas." He faked a yawn. "Now, you see I can get at you anywhere you go, are you ready to make a deal? I'll take those two essence stones you owe me. Tell you what, I'll even make it just one."

I blinked three times in surprise.

My voice started quietly from my incredulity. "That was your plan? To scare me into what? Giving you an essence stone for free? This had to cost far more than an essence stone ever could. You put me and so many other people at risk. For what? What was the point!?" By the end, I was screaming loud enough for the sound to carry to the main hall; much of the noise filtering into the room from that direction went quiet.

"The point was to make my point. To show you that you are nothing and you are not protected. Not from me." He let out another huge fake yawn and then a laugh, trying to show this was nothing of note for him. "Your protections are all weak unlike me, nothing can harm me here. It's literally the law. So yes, I will have that essence stone now." Travis held out his hand.

The toady assistant looked like he was concentrating but it was hard to tell as Steve started shrieking through our link, almost drowning out the room for me.

Nina dashed at Travis, her sword appearing in her hand once again as she swung for his neck, no physical reaction from the man other than a look of sheer surprise.

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