Treachery (The Terra Trials Book 1)

by Dan Thomas

  “Uh,” Max looked at Ticket. “A few.”

  “Is that Utahraptor still kicking?” Chopsticks asked hopefully.

  “Sorry, dude. You’ve got Striker to blame for that one,” Max said.

  “Damn.” Chopsticks grimaced. “Do you know how long it took me to find that, yet alone tame it?”

  “It’s a shame, it was a hell of a fighter,” Ticket said. “I could see Max on it during the battle.”

  Chopsticks looked on wistfully. “I was really looking forward to taking it out hunting.”

  Pez patted him on the back. “Don’t worry, we’ll be able to find you a new one. We’ll probably be able to straight-up buy a whole army of them with the loot from this place. Speaking of which, do you guys want to round up our dinos while I crack open the vault? Ticket, care to join me?”

  Sam looked at the ruins of the command tower eagerly. “It’s going to take some digging. But I would love to see what’s in there.”

  “What the—!” Max yelled out as the ground shook underneath them, a muffled boom reverberating through the air. They all watched on as the remains of the command tower sank further in on itself, collapsing farther into the hole.

  “Are you kidding me!” Pez yelled.

  “What even just happened?” Max asked.

  “The guy on the Utahraptor,” Ticket said. “He managed to run out through the gate. As a failsafe, they must have rigged it with explosives, which he detonated.”

  Chopsticks shook his head and snickered. “It’s all right, we’ve still got the storehouse that Max blew up.”

  “Hey!” Max retorted.

  “Look, a victory’s still a victory in my books,” Pez said. “They won’t be bothering us for now, and I’m sure we can salvage enough to at least replace our equipment.”

  Max and Chopsticks turned to their friend.

  “Pez,” Chopsticks said. “That was surprisingly reasonable.”

  “Watch it,” Pez hid a smile. “I’ll still kick your ass!”

  “There it is,” Max chuckled as they all laughed, mostly from exhaustion. “Their Crew Nexus was in the vault as well. That’s the end of the Ravagers.”

  “About time they were taught a lesson. Come on, let’s heal up our dinos, then we can start picking through the base,” Ticket said. “Chopsticks, the Torosaurus at the stables has damage to its leg, but I think it’s all right aside from that.”

  “I think I’ve got a splint kit on me,” Chopsticks’ eyes unfocused as he glanced at his inventory. “I’ll fix him up.” He took off toward the injured dino.

  “I guess I’ll check on everyone else, make sure none of them are just going to keel over,” Ticket said, her eyes resting on the two Centrosaurs that were standing grazing by the wall. “Oh! We better make sure that Saturn and Jupiter are okay. And find Charlie!”

  “We’ll sort them out, don’t worry,” Pez said. “I’ve got some Amica on me, so we can convert the Shards on them. It should be a piece of cake now that the Shards aren’t connected to the Crew Nexus, with it being destroyed.”

  “Charlie should be in the stable as well. We’ll also see if there are any other dinos we can tame for ourselves,” Max said.

  “Sounds good,” Ticket said before heading for the Hesperosaurus, which stood idly. She called over the two remaining boneheads, which perked their heads up from where they had been grazing on the grass that hadn’t been burned away during the bloodbath. He could see that Taz was hauling himself through the gate toward her.

  Pez walked toward Saturn and Jupiter, who watched him approach.

  Max ran his eyes over the ruins of the Ravagers’ base, at the remains of dinos and players scattered across the gate area, the scorched ruins of the storehouse, the crater where the command tower once stood, and through the haze of smoke and dust lingering in the air, the still body of the Majungatholus draped across the fallen section of wall.

  Max let out a sigh, finally relaxing. He was just glad they had made the move first, and that he wasn’t instead looking at the smoldering ruins of their own base.

  Chapter Fifty-Seven

  “And how are you planning on storing all of these dinos?” Pez raised an eyebrow.

  Chopsticks turned in the saddle to look back at the small caravan of animals as they plodded through the failing light, the many pairs of feet kicking up a small dust cloud from the cracked riverbed.

  “Once the gate’s locked, we’ll just leave them in the base for now. They’ve had a hard day, you know, we’ll just let them rest,” Chopsticks patted Pluto’s slim neck, eliciting a content grunt from the dino. “And tomorrow it looks like I’ll be spending the time digging and building new stables.”

  “We’ll lend you a hand, don’t worry,” Ticket laughed. “This time it wasn’t just because of you that we’ve got too many dinos.”

  “That’s a change,” Chopsticks chuckled. “And we’ve finally got our OGs back.”

  “Yeah,” Ticket ran a hand down Charlie’s neck, who was strutting at the lead, seemingly on a mission to get home.

  “The one good thing is that having so many pack animals means we don’t have to do this whole thing in more than one trip,” Max adjusted his leg from where it was rubbing on the overfilled saddle bags attached to the rig around the Iguanodon he was riding. Saturn and Jupiter flanked either side of him, their own rigs filled with the various resources they’d managed to salvage—mortar, flux, gunpowder, and some of the rare ores that hadn’t been destroyed in the explosion.

  Twisting in the saddle, he glanced back at the ragtag herd they were bringing home with them. On top of the new Iguanodons Pez and Max were riding, they were followed by a Parasaurolophus, its dark purple and orange colorings looking out of place in the dim jungle. Alongside the Parasaur was an Emausaurus, a two-legged herbivore, similar in size to the boneheaded Stegoceras, but much thicker set, and without the thick skull. It was instead covered in small bony plates, with short spines running down its back. They were famed for their ability to survive incredibly harsh weather conditions while being fairly durable in a fight.

  Flanking the herd, including Taz, the Stegosaurus-like Hesperosaurus and their surviving horned Torosaurus, were the two imposing Abelisaurs, both bloodied and battered, Abe’s armor dented and tarnished, but both forged on without any sign of stopping.

  Trotting among the feet of the dinos at the front of the group was the bloodhound-like Ozraptor, flitting along the sides of the dried riverbank as it scented the ground, hounded by the group of surviving Coelophysis that watched its every move with intense curiosity.

  Max let out a heavy breath as he turned back around. “I’m just glad that we’ve picked up enough ore that we won’t have to go mining for at least four months.”

  “Isn’t that what got us into the whole mess in the first place?” Pez asked.

  Chopsticks chuckled. “I thought that it was me not keeping an eye on Charlie?”

  “I don’t think he’ll be wandering off again,” Ticket said. “It feels like he’s about to break into a run any second. All it took for him to behave was being kidnapped.”

  “I’ll have to try that next time Chopsticks leaves the tools out, or doesn’t lock the doors,” Pez snickered.

  “Hey! Just remember who was the reason you managed to get past Remington and his dino.” Chopsticks turned in the saddle.

  “Yeah, with your little swarm of dinos,” Ticket glanced sideways at Max. “How long were you two holding out on those dinos, anyway?”

  “Two? Who said I had anything to do with them?” Max feigned indignance.

  “I just didn’t think that Chopsticks could have pulled off sourcing eggs, raising them, training them, and breeding them all on his own, but maybe I just underestimated him,” Ticket smirked.

  “That’s right,” Chopsticks exclaimed. “They don’t call me the dino master for nothing.”

  Pez snorted. “Sorry, sensei.”

  “All I know is that I am beat,” Max rubbed his eye. “As
soon as we get everyone home, I’m going to sleep.”

  “Only for a nap,” Pez pushed his Iguanodon to walk next to Max, leaning over to place a hand on Max’s shoulder. “Because tonight we’re going to be going out celebrating. In the real world.”

  Max shuddered dramatically. “Not the real world.”

  “Oh, yes,” Pez grinned. “With real alcohol that will actually leave a hangover.”

  Max glanced at the other two who looked at him expectantly. “There isn’t any rest for the wicked after all.”

  Epilogue

  “Sienna!” Sam jumped up from her seat, elbowed Chopsticks out of the way, and threw her arms around their friend. “It’s good to see you! We sure could have done with your help in the battle.”

  “I wish I could have been there.” Sienna hugged Sam back. “Although, since Chopsticks has given me a blow-by-blow account, it feels like I was.”

  “Well, next time we fight evil, you’ll have to come along.” Sam took hold of Sienna’s hand and dragged her toward the table.

  “Next time?” Chopsticks asked as he plonked himself down in a chair next to Max. “I was hoping to go into retirement after that.”

  “Aw, I liked the idea of a knight in shining armor,” Sienna grinned at her boyfriend.

  Chopsticks looked down at the empty glasses littering the table. “So...my round then?”

  Pez snorted. “Man, I always thought Chopsticks wasn’t capable of looking sheepish.”

  “Someone’s got to keep him in check,” Sienna laughed. “If you’re buying, could I get the usual?”

  “Sure thing,” Chopsticks beamed at her. “Come lend me a hand, Max?”

  Max looked into the bottom of his beer. “I guess I could fill the role of squire to our hero,” Max laughed. “Everyone want the same again?”

  Sam and Pez nodded as Max and Chopsticks got up and headed for the sparsely populated bar.

  “Sam seems to be in a good mood.” Chopsticks rested his arm on the smooth surface of the bar.

  Max looked back at their table. Sam was talking in a very animated way, a half-filled glass in her hand, Sienna laughing along as Pez polished off his third beer for the night.

  “She’s merry, that’s for sure.” Max chuckled and leaned on the bar next to his friend.

  “You think I should get her another one?” Chopsticks asked.

  Max shook his head. “She’s not slurring her words yet, she’s good for a couple more. Hey, it’s good to see Sienna, I didn’t realize she was coming.”

  “Neither did I,” Chopsticks caught the bartender’s eye as he finished serving someone farther down the bar. “I told her I was meeting you guys tonight and she asked if she could come along. She’s got a long weekend so she’s down for a couple of days.”

  “Nice! I know you guys haven’t seen much of each other recently.”

  Chopsticks shrugged. “It’s not so bad, we talk to each other a lot on Jabber. She’s doing really well on her courses, and I’ve got my thing going on here, I’m happy, she’s happy, so I don’t kick up a fuss.”

  Max laughed and shook his head. “I still can’t believe that out of all of us you’re the one with a stable relationship.”

  Chopsticks laughed. “Me neither, dude.”

  The bartender walked over, and between the two of them, they ordered everyone’s drinks, and the guy began pouring them.

  “It’s good to see everyone together,” Chopsticks said.

  Max nodded. “It is. It’s just a shame Jag isn’t here, I guess.”

  Chopsticks watched Max. “Were you expecting him?”

  Max looked down. “No. But I’m not sure if Sam was. I spoke to her about it a little last week, and it was clearly on her mind, but she hasn’t said anything since.”

  “She’ll be fine, except for the hangover she’ll have in the morning. Like we’ve said before, the whole thing between them was a mutual decision,” Chopsticks placed a hand on Max’s shoulder. “Just relax, dude, you don’t have to be constantly looking after everyone. Just have a drink and chill.”

  Chopsticks whipped his phone from his pocket and held it to the contactless payment machine, thanking the bartender as Max began to pick up the drinks.

  He paused before he put his phone away, looking at his screen.

  “Ho-ly shit,” Chopsticks breathed.

  “What is it?” Max put the glasses back down.

  “The Terra Trials!” Chopsticks turned and showed Max the notification on his phone. “Entry for the Terra Trials has just opened,” Chopsticks turned the phone back around before Max could read anything. “There are only one hundred spaces—geez!” Chopsticks started frantically scrolling.

  “Only a hundred? Are you sure?” Max asked.

  “Yeah! They’ve already been filled!” Chopsticks shook his head. “No one knew it was opening today, and just like that, all of the places have been taken. Apparently, it’s going to take place across different worlds, with one mystery world, and...a new world being unveiled at the end of it!”

  Max laughed. “Damn, that’s pretty cool. Is that world going to be available to everyone at the end?”

  Chopsticks nodded as he continued to read through the article on his phone. “Looks like it.”

  Max tried to peer over Chopsticks’ shoulder. “What’s the prize?”

  “It’s kinda vague. There’s a cash prize for the top five Crews, but it looks like the winner gets something else, but they haven’t said. Whoa…”

  “What?” The suspense was killing Max.

  Chopsticks glanced to his friend then back to his phone. “I quote, ‘Every world won’t be wholly familiar, even to those Crews who call them their home. Each world will have specific events that make them an even more challenging environment. On top of this, each world will have a certain challenge that needs to be completed in order to move on. Each is designed to knock out at least the bottom ten Crews. If you are knocked out of the event, you forfeit everything you own on Terra Verse except your character. You must choose to adapt or die.’ End quote.”

  Max stood quiet for a moment. “Wow.”

  Chopsticks nodded. “Wow indeed. I can’t wait for the broadcasts and live streams of the event. It’s going to be insane.”

  Max blinked. “I can’t believe that they’d lose everything and that Crews would still enter.”

  Chopsticks shrugged as he grabbed two glasses. “They must be speculating that the shot at the prize will be better than whatever they stand to lose. The list of entered Crews is already out as well, I’ll look through it later. I’m guessing that a lot of the bigger Crews will sit this one out. They’ve got too much to lose.”

  “Makes sense.” Max grabbed the remaining drinks, and headed for the table, lagging behind Chopsticks who seemed to waltz over to the others still without spilling a drop.

  “So, I hear you managed to keep your dino project under wraps up until you sprang them on the Ravagers,” Sienna smirked as she took her drink from Chopsticks.

  “It was a need-to-know basis. All the greatest weapons are held in secrecy,” Chopsticks winked.

  Pez took his beer and leaned back in his chair. “So, what were you two conspiring about at the bar?”

  “No conspiracies this time,” Chopsticks sat down and sipped his drink. “The entrance to the Terra Trials has officially opened...and closed. All one hundred spaces have already filled up.”

  Sienna’s eyes widened in mild surprise. “Already?”

  “Yeah,” Chopsticks nodded. “Which is even more surprising because anyone who’s not a winner loses everything. And I mean everything.”

  “Well, all I can say is thank god we didn’t decide to enter,” Sam laughed.

  Pez raised his beer. “Hell, I’ll drink to that.”

  “So, what’s the plan for you guys now then?” Sienna asked.

  The other four glanced at each other before Max spoke. “We haven’t gotten that far,” he chuckled. “We were thinking of exploring some of
the other worlds, I think.”

  Sienna gasped dramatically. “Chopsticks? Leave his dinosaurs?”

  “Why is everyone so surprised? Besides, it wouldn’t be so bad if I could find someone to babysit them while I’m away adventuring,” Chopsticks pouted.

  “I hear you might be able to afford someone to with all that loot you snagged...unless you’re planning to spend it on a special someone?” Sienna fluttered her eyes.

  “I, uh, I already spoke to Max about reinvesting the profits we made,” Chopsticks stammered. “And I’ve got to buy some more supplies to keep breeding the Coelophysis.”

  Sienna turned away, unable to keep a straight face. “It’s fine, I always knew the dinosaurs came before me.”

  Sam let out a less than sober giggle at Chopsticks’ discomfort.

  “You always let her bait you,” Pez laughed.

  “Something about being wrapped around a finger,” Chopsticks grumbled.

  Max patted his friend’s shoulder. “It only shows you care—” He stopped as a chorus of phone ringtones went off around the table. “What was that?”

  With a furrowed brow, Max grabbed his phone from his pocket. He unlocked it and felt the bottom of his stomach drop out as he read the notification on the screen.

  Congratulations, Coprolite Crew. You made the cut! Welcome to the Terra Trials Tournament, more info will follow. Adapt or Die!

  Max looked up to see similar expressions on everyone else’s faces as they read the same message.

  For a moment they all sat in stunned silence.

  “What. The fuck,” Pez breathed.

  “How did—” Chopsticks stopped.

  “No one here entered us? Even by accident?” Max asked frantically.

  Chopsticks didn’t take his eyes from his phone. “There’s no way, dude. Those slots went so fast. There’s no way we could have been accidentally entered. There’s no way we could have entered on purpose.”

  “We can just drop out, right?” Sam asked. “We can tell them it was a mistake, and we won’t have to do the Terra Trials.”