Chapter 51 - The Tribunal

After coming out of the floating darkness Max was already accustomed to when being teleported by the Zoos, they fell on the floor made of some strange white material. Max got up and looked around.

He was in a corridor of some futuristic craft. Every surface was smooth and white and there was a singular tube snaking in the roof above them, pulsing with some green energy. There was a window and Max looked outside.

“Is that…” Max trailed off.

[That is the planet Alpha Ludus.]

The Zoos-representative came to hover next to Max.

[Remain calm. You are on a vessel of the ICCB. You are here to partake in a tribunal.]

“I know it was against the rules!” Max stammered out, talking fast. “But he attacked my village. He was using a loophole. If I hadn’t done it, dozens of humans would have died!”

The Zoos-representative turned to Max and from the position of its digital eyes, it looked like it was… Distracted?

[We did not realize you had an encounter like this.]

“Wait, what?” Max said. “That’s not why I’m here?”

[We do not have time or interest for this squabble you had with the person you killed. We are sure you acted in the best interest of your species. If you did not, we have to overlook it this time.]

Well that was a relief. He wouldn’t even get a slap on the wrist. Wait, if he wasn’t here because of the Stranger, what was happening?

“Why am I here?” Max asked.

[You are here to be reviewed regarding your Cultivation path. The Framework has acted out of accord, and we must inspect your situation and decide how to proceed.]

“Isn’t me getting a good Cultivation path a good thing?”

[We certainly think so. The Zoos-collective is pleased by this serendipitous event. However, this tribunal is not held within the Zoos-collective. This is a tribunal concerning all the four major factions of the ICCB.]

Max gulped. It probably wasn’t a good thing he had somehow attracted the attention of all the four factions. His heartrate increased, as stress flooded the body. What kind of trouble was he in exactly?

[It appears that your cortisol and adrenaline levels are rising. Would you like a sedative?]

Max was still looking out at the planet hanging in space. It was the first time he was in space, he realized. Obviously. What kind of a normal person would have gone to space on Earth. But the notion didn’t excite him as much as it probably should have. Maybe it was the stress distracting him.

“Uhh, I’m good, thanks.”

[Very well. Note that the Zoos-collective has taken a special interest in you. We will make sure we protect our interests. You will be returned to the planet shortly. We can all but guarantee this.]

“I really hope so.”

[We should get inside. Please be completely honest. But do not mention the murder of your fellow human in the tribunal. It might complicate things. They will be sure not to ask anything regarding that. They will only want to know about your Cultivation.]

Max nodded at that. Maverick stayed quiet. There was a seriousness about his soul that Max still found surprising. It definitely gave him comfort. He didn’t have to go face the tribunal of super advanced, probably hostile alien creatures alone.

                                                                *

Max was standing on a round risk of a platform which floated in the air in the middle of the room. Around the platform a ring of green gel hovered in the air. It was a dimly lit room and a faint high-frequency buzz could be heard. While the plastic jellyfish of the Zoos-floated in the air next to Max, the other species of the ICCB were around Max.

Inside the gel swam idly several frog-like creatures. They had no hindlegs, just a tail for swimming. Their front appendages were four arms, each with at least ten little fingers in them, webbed by a thin layer of blue skin.

The second apex species of the ICCB was basically a traditional gray man. Just very tiny, they were baby-sized, barely two feet in height.. A dozen of them lounged on top of the gel, watching Max with their unblinking completely black eyes. Their little mouths as they talked in a strange fast gibber, as if someone speeded up human speech three times over.

The fourth species was the most unsettling of all and it explained where the buzzing sound was coming from. A swarm of oversized green flies was flying overhead of Max. many tiny tendrils drooped from where their mouth was supposed to be and in the place of their hanging legs, they had pincers to grab things. They took turns to make a turn over Max’s head to look at him closer. A waft of rotten meat attacked Max every time they did that, but he resolved to endure without complaint.

Super-powerful Cultivating house flies? Why can’t aliens just be humans with blue skin or something?

The flies made a sound that cut the air like a knife, like metal twisting. Max flinched and covered his ears. The fly moving its mouth tentacles stopped and turned to Max. It waved one of its appendages in an offhand manner and Max received a system message.

Talent obtained: [Thousand Tongues Master]

[Thousand Tongues Master]: You understand any language of any sentient being

Holy crap. He just gave me an insane talent offhanded because it was convenient for him. Just how powerful are these people? Also the Framework works outside of the planet. Which does confirm what Durum said. My stats are somehow ingrained in my DNA.

“Do you understand me human?” the fly that had given him the talent asked. The ripping metal sound of its vocal chords still cut the air and hurt Max. The Zoos-representative cast a barrier translucent barrier, like a white rectangle around Max.

“I am Azzzhtik’Likzirrruk. I will be leading this tribunal. You will address me when you speak unless otherwise specified. Now. You have been summoned before the tribunal of the ICCB for investigation of your Cultivation path. Start by exposing what has transpired and what you know about your cultivation path. I am addressing both of you. Talk.”

Wow, this fly guy is a prick, Max thought as Maverick enthusiastically went into an exploration of his awakening to sentience and what he had experienced since.

Max told his story next, with a lot less flair and embellishment than what Maverick’s story had contained. Regardless of this the stories didn’t have much discrepancy, except for Max’s competence, which Maverick found lacking on multiple occasions within his story.

The little gray men were discussing frantically. Even though Max could understand their language, they spoke so fast, it was hard to make out words. The air was filled with the sounds of ripping metal as the fly-people conversed, and the frog-like creatures burbled to each other within the gel, creating little drifting bubbles of air.

“Enough,” Azzzhtik’Likzirrruk said. “So it is true. You have unlocked a new path.”

“How powerful is this path exactly? What are the limitations? What are the advantages? Can we assure it is definitely stronger than any of the other paths as the postulation suggests?” one of the grays asked, gibbering slowly and carefully, to make sure the other species understood.

“It is not clear yet,” the largest of the amphibian creatures in the gel announced. His voice penetrated the thick gel and echoed throughout the room. It was a burbling, but potent sound.

“We are only working with what the Zoos-have disclosed,” Azzzhtik’Likzirrruk said. “Everything seems to match what the other parties have said. We have no reason to suspect deceit or omission of critical information. For now.”

The Zoos-jellyfish stirred, its robotic voice filling the audience. “It is clear that the advantage this path provides is lesser than your catastrophic projections have let us believe. This weapon, while sentient needs sustained times of hibernation intermittently.”

“Who is to say that is not simply a temporary hindrance?” The leader of the frog-people said. “If the limitation is lifted, the weapon will be able to cultivate while the human sleeps. Thus resulting in an accelerated growth that no other competitor can match.”

“Yes. Precisely,” one of the grays piped up. “They will eventually reach a stage of Cultivation where sleep is barely needed. Provided they acquire the resources, they can both Cultivate ceaselessly and utilize this talent they have acquired which increases their cycling technique efficiency if they cultivate simultaneously. How can any of my representatives compete with such an advantage?”

“Need I remind the Kiritus-Corporation if subject #511962, the wielder of absorption magic and their unique way of Cultivation?” Azzzhtik’Likzirrruk asked coldly.”Would you like to re-examine said case with the tribunal in light of your stance regarding this human’s advantage as “incompeteable”?

“Thank you for reminding me, honored Azzzhtik’Likzirrruk,” the gray that had spoken said. “Let the records show that I will withdraw my previous statement as hasty and unjust.”

“Let the records show,” Azzzhtik’Likzirrruk said.

“What if there are other benefits?” The frog-person asked, its fat lips curling into a frown. “Cultivation changes the body fundamentally. What if this weapon changes in an unpredictable way?

“Yes,” another of the fly-people buzzed. “That is likely. The best course of action is to kill this human and compensate the Zoos-collective.”

“That will not happen,” the Zoos-jellyfish said, calm as ever. “The Zoos-collective is willing to spend an inordinate amount of veto power on this human.”

“That course of action narrows down further outcomes,” Azzzhtik’Likzirrruk said. “What does the Zoos-collective suggest?”

“We are willing to allow compensation for other major factions. An [F-grade equipment box] to all representatives of the other races. Zoos-collective will incur the cost entirely.”

This caused a massive outroar from all the other species. Max watched the barrier’s wall shake and flicker frantically. He was way over his head here. Cold sweat dampened his neck.

I really should have taken that sedative. At least I won’t be killed. Maybe.

Maverick sent a pulse of emotion. It was a complicated one this time. It meant something along the lines that Maverick had all along suspected he was peerlessly awesome

“This is an insulting offer,” one of the grays gibbered once the room settled down. “You would offer trash as compensation. Almost a third of the population no longer has any use for an F-grade item.”

“Agreed,” The frog said, his voice leaving echoes floating in the room. “We suggest that we are allowed to disclose information of this new path to the whole population.”

This broke out another thunderous cacophony of shouts and Max sighed and sat on the ground. He would be here for a while.