1.11 Gambit of the Guileful

Dorian woke up early, a change from the previous days. He washed his face, had breakfast, and brushed his teeth. Placing an empty bottle in his side pocket along with his blaster, he headed out of the cave, carefully placing the rock back in front of the entrance. Looking up at the sky, he noted the just-risen sun, crossing his arms as he walked with a bowed head.

Now that everyone knew the truth, he knew he needed to pretend to be sad to make them feel worse. Dorian used CS to locate aliens, aiming to eliminate as many as possible. Achieving first place requires taking down as many opponents as he can today.

Around noon, as he tossed powder at one of the deceased aliens, a scream pierced the air. Pocketing the shaker, he headed toward the sound.

Soon, Aries came running towards him, screaming, "Run!"

Ignoring him, Dorian kept moving forward. Aries attempted to grab his wrist, but Dorian pulled back sharply, warning with cold eyes, "Don't touch me again."

Aries, though tempted to slap him, urged, "There's a xalorgon coming this way. The only way to kill it is with fire. We need to go."

Dorian continued walking back in the direction he had come from. Aries stood still, biting his lip. Glancing between where Dorian had come from and Dorian himself, he sighed, pulled out his blaster, and ran to catch up.

Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes at the theatrics, Dorian stopped when he spotted the xalorgon.

The xalorgon was a massive extraterrestrial creature, towering with a colossal size. Its impressive frame was covered in a tough, shimmering exoskeleton, displaying hues from deep indigo to vibrant violet.

Supported by massive limbs ending in formidable claws, the xalorgon could manipulate its surroundings with ease. Its large head boasted two pairs of luminous, multifaceted eyes, giving it keen perception and a commanding presence. The exoskeleton featured intricate patterns resembling ancient runes, portraying a sense of ancient wisdom.

Observing its immense size, the onlookers in the galaxy felt a sense of dread. Dorian should have fled unless he had fire to confront the creature.

The xalorgon turned its attention to Aries with a sinister smile. "Thank you for leading me to a second meal."

Aries, looking at Dorian with difficulty, said with tears in his eyes, "I'm sorry. This is all my fault, and now we'll both be eliminated."

Dorian sighed. Aries seemed like the most fake person he had ever met; the acting never seemed to stop. Dorian pulled out his blaster and aimed it at the xalorgon's face.

The xalorgon chuckled. "You know that weapon won't make a dent in me."

Dorian smiled and challenged, "You want to bet?"

The xalorgon responded with a confident smile, "Do your best."

Dorian smiled, eyes still fixed on the xalorgon, and lowered his blaster. As the xalorgon saw him aiming at its feet, the confident smile faded, and its heartbeat quickened. It tried to run, but before taking two steps, Dorian shot it, causing it to fall to one knee.

The entire galaxy and Aries were left speechless. How was it possible that he took it down with just one shot? Dorian walked over and shot the xalorgon's foot again, prompting a roar of pain.

Dorian chuckled. "I always thought it was ironic that such a tall and sturdy alien could be taken down by one shot to the foot."

The xalorgon raised its head with dark eyes. "How did you know?"

Dorian smiled. "I think you're the tenth alien to ask me that question. I know a lot of things."

Dorian shot him two more times, and the massive creature fell lifeless. As its colossal body hit the ground, the earth beneath them trembled. Dorian poured powder on it, and it disintegrated. He resumed walking, ignoring Aries.

Aries, still frozen in shock, felt a surge of anger. He couldn't believe Dorian knew how to kill aliens but never shared it with him. Catching up, he mumbled, "Thank you for helping me."

Dorian, still gazing ahead, corrected, "It seems that you confuse the word helping with saving."

Despite his fury, Aries forced a smile. "Thank you for saving me."

Dorian continued to walk in silence. "Can we talk for a second?"

Dorian stopped and looked at him expressionless. Aries tried to reconcile, saying, "I've been feeling really bad about what happened. I don't want to fight with you; you're my best friend."

Dorian responded, "I'm your best friend, yet you continuously portray yourself as a victim while casting me as the bad guy. I might be a villain, but I'm not a bad guy."

The galaxy couldn't help but smile. Despite Dorian labeling himself a villain, it was clear he was far from it, especially considering how he allowed the Zenos to mistreat him.

Aries began, "I was frustrated after those past few days. It's tiring to always spend the night by your side, helping you with your nightmares and panic attacks. Then, on the ship, you decided not to do the trial with me and ignored me to spend time with Darius. I was hurt, and I lashed out. I'm really sorry."

Dorian responded, "It doesn't matter what your reasons are. You shouldn't voluntarily spread lies about me."

With tears in his eyes, Aries pleaded, "I didn't mean to. I acted impulsively, but I promise I won't do it again. I was just so hurt that I didn't think. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?"

After a beat, Dorian replied, "I won't forgive you a third time, Aries."

Aries smiled and hugged him excitedly. "Thank you, Dorian."

Dorian hugged him back, sharing a smile. When Aries pulled back, he noticed Dorian's empty bottle and discreetly placed the pearl in his water bottle. He then handed it to Dorian, who was lacing his shoes.

Once Dorian stood up, he looked at the water bottle. Aries suggested, "Your water bottle is empty; you can take mine."

Dorian accepted it with a smile and took a sip. When he finished, ready to return the water bottle, Aries insisted, "Keep it."

"Thanks," Dorian acknowledged.

Aries mentioned, "I should go. I know how important it was for you to achieve this trial alone. Good luck."

"Good luck," Dorian responded. The two went their separate ways, and Aries, with a smile, contemplated his sinister plan.

As the day drew to a close, Dorian made his way back to his cave, placing the stone in front of the entrance. He stretched, feeling a sense of accomplishment. With the trial completed, he intended to spend the remaining hours doing nothing, letting the Zenos believe their scheme had succeeded.

With CS at his disposal, Dorian knew nothing could harm him. It was a cute attempt by the Zenos, and he relished the idea of turning their happiness into disappointment.

Sensing Damian's presence, Dorian greeted him with a smile as he took a seat in front of him. "Hey."

"Hi," Dorian responded. Damian inquired, "What happened with Aries?"

Dorian smiled and reassured him, "I got it under control."

Damian cautioned, "Don't do anything dangerous."

Dorian, with a smile, teased, "You mean like willingly drink the poison Aries gave me?"

Damian's heartbeat quickened, and he promptly stood up. He pulled Dorian to his feet, picking up his beamer with a shaky hand as it slipped.

"We'll put you in a healing pod while we travel to the palace. The physician there will be able to save you, and I'll make sure he'll meet us halfway through."

Dorian blinked, momentarily speechless. Seeing his stunned state, Damian swore, "I won't let you die."

Dorian swallowed and reassured, "I'm okay. I knew what he had planned."

Damian gazed at him intently, then let go of him and beamed away. Dorian blinked, still processing the depth of Damian's concern. No one had ever been this worried about him. At that moment, he found himself unable to put his feelings into words.

Dorian was about to take a seat again when Damian reappeared. Damian scanned his body and released a breath, reassured to see Dorian healthy.

Dorian took a step forward and hugged him, feeling Damian's tight embrace. Caressing Damian's nape, Dorian sensed the tension leaving him.

Once Dorian felt Damian had regained composure, he pulled back and looked into his eyes.

"Despite what they think, they can't kill me no matter how hard they try."

Damian's eyes darkened with anger.

"I should kill all of them now."

Dorian smiled.

"I want to play with them first. By the way, I won't be out of the cave for the last two days. I want them to think they succeeded. And since there's no camera here, it's perfect. I just wanted you to cover in case someone starts to wonder."

Damian nodded.

"I will, don't worry."

Dorian inquired, changing the topic, "Who do you think will take first place?"

Damian smiled.

"You, who else? Even if you don't hunt the next two days, the other candidates will still be far behind."

Damian held him close and asked, "Did you win so we would spend time together?"

"No, I just didn't want Aries to win."

Damian looked at Dorian with a pout. Dorian chuckled.

"5% of me did it to spend time with you."

Damian insisted, "55%."

"40%."

Damian relented, "Fine, I'll take it."

Dorian smiled and hugged him.