Chapter 36 – A Delicate Balance

"The God of Balance has been with the people of the City for thousands of years. Of course in the beginning, we were unaware of what this meant or how our lives were influenced by it."

Mr Avery had been all but absent since Titus had first arrived in the Arena and had been awakened to the presence of the God of Balance, so it was a bit of a surprise to see him here again, leading the Class in the teachings of human evolution and history.

It stood to reason though. Not mostly because Mr Avery was terribly elderly and had therefore presumably lived through a good portion of actual history firsthand, but also because even if the Instructor was important enough to have just one unique ability that awakens new Contestants to the eyes of the God of Balance, it would mean that he'd otherwise have spent most of his time just sitting and waiting.

The classroom had been arranged just like the others, more of a lecture hall that had stone seats in a half-moon shape ascending away from where the Instructor stood next to his small wooden table. And with the look of Mr Avery, Titus couldn't help but feel like someone should've gotten him a chair.

"The God of Balance has kept our City free from the monsters of Chaos that seek to overrun us at every given turn. The monsters that you fight in the arena and the ones yet to be caught by our illustrious Hunters."

A hand a few rows down and in front of Titus shot up, and many of the Class - some forty Blue-Rankers - turned to peer at the young boy.

Mr Avery nodded at him to allow his question to be asked.

"Isn't it the Hunters that protect the City? Not the God of Balance?" He asked. Titus recognised him as Grayson, one of the new Warrior Class Contestants.

"Ah, I see what you are asking," Mr Avery said with a smile. "But it is the God of Balance who gives us our Classes, our strengths and our ability to fight, to grow and someday become Hunters. So is it not therefore apt to say that the Hunters are charged with our safety Yet the God of Balance is ultimately responsible for the existence of Hunters? After all, in war do we attribute the win to the army or to the General who commands them?"

That made a bit of sense, but Titus barely had the chance to process it all before Mr Avery started speaking again.

"Through awakening to the presence of the God of Balance, Hunters venture forth into the wilderness beyond our walls and capture monsters to be brought back to the Arena, where Contestants learn to fight against them in their way, through hard work and effort. It is through this effort, training and knowledge that the City remains safe for all that call it home, and for all those who come after us."

"So are all monsters bad?" Grayson asked, emboldened by getting an answer already from the Instructor.

Mr Avery stroked his long grey beard and stared off into the middle distance for a moment before answering. It looked to Titus like he was very much doing it for effect and not becasue he'd paused to think.

"The answer is not a simple one to give," Mr Avery stated. "To say that monsters are bad is a charged statement in itself. Much in the same way that the monsters - the sentient ones at least - would most likely tell you that the humans in the City are bad, that Contestants and Hunters are bad. But does the point of perspective change what is the truth and what is not?"

"There are sentient monsters?" Titus asked out of the corner of his mouth as Mr Avery continued mulling the question over out loud without really giving an answer.

"Of course there are," Jordan replied in a strained whisper. "Why wouldn't there be? Ogres, goblins, hobs, kobolds... all kinds of creatures who build societies and camps out there. They're seen far less often because they're harder to catch, but we do get them through. I'd say, on a fairly regular basis."

"And people talk to them?" Titus asked, trying very hard to push the image of fighting a huge Ogre who could talk to him from his mind.

"Not really," Jordan said. "Most don't speak our language, and we can't really hear them from the stands if they do. I guess we'll find out for ourselves one day, right?" he added thoughtfully.

"What we can say," Mr Avery continued, finally reaching some kind of point in his dithering, "is that the monsters you will encounter here in the arena, and further afield outside of the City walls should you ever don the title of Hunter, are all monsters born of Chaos. Their God is the God of Chaos, and that is why we strive to fight them."

"What about the Horned Gator my team's facing tomorrow?" one Contestant asked. "Is that a monster of Chaos?"

Mr Avery nodded. "Indeed, it is. The Horned Gator is a creature of Chaos, a dangerous beast that has roamed the wilderness for centuries. Tomorrow's battle will be your chance to face it, to test your skills and courage against the forces of Chaos. But remember, it is not just the physical strength that will help you prevail; it is the balance within you, the connection to our God that sets us apart."

Then Titus shot his hand up into the air before either of his friends could say anything and Mr Avery nodded at him to accept his question.

"If the monsters of Chaos are so bad, and they threaten the City so much, then why don't we just send an army out there and kill them all?"

Mr Avery frowned at the question, and Titus couldn't help but feel like a few dozen eyes were now trained upon him, not entirely sure how to react to such a radical question.

"Tell me Titus," Mr Avery replied slowly. "How many arena battles have you seen fought?"

Titus was thrown back by the question because he was half expecting to be met with a rambling monologue of Gods and Chaos again.

"Just a few," he admitted. "I didn't get to the Arena much when I was younger."

"Right, right," Mr Avery mumbled, and Titus felt his cheeks reddening. "Tell me, what is the highest-level monster you have seen fight?"

"The Elemental Dragon. It was level sixty," Titus admitted.

"Ah, then this will be an easy explanation," Mr Avery said. "And what a battle that was. An excellent example of how a Spellcaster can use his immense power to overcome an enemy many levels above himself. Now tell me, how many soldiers do you think would be able to overwhelm that Elemental Dragon? Do you think fifty would be enough? Or perhaps even a hundred?"

"I... I don't know," Titus admitted. Truth be told he hadn't really thought about an army as being made up of individuals. Individuals without powers.

"Well, let's be kind to them and say that one hundred would do the trick, shall we?" Mr Avery continued. "Now, what if this army of ours found themselves in the wilderness and happened upon a nest of more than one hundred Elemental Dragons, each varying from level ten to one hundred? How many soldiers would we need then? And let us not forget just how vast the wilderness is out there beyond our walls. What else lurks in the parts unknown."

"Right..." Titus said slowly, feeling rather embarrassed with himself.

"What about an army of Hunters then? Or Contestants?" Petra asked, and Titus knew what she was doing. He was thankful for it in fact; she'd drawn the attention away from him and his question. He already knew the answer to this one though, and it was confirmed a moment later.

"Because the God of Balance would not allow it, and neither would the God of Chaos," Mr Avery explained. "We live on a knife's edge, where a large leap or change by either side would lead to the destruction of both sides. That is why we reside in fairness and balance, so that chaos must play by similar rules. If the God of Balance gives us a mighty champion, the God of Chaos will respond in kind. If our armies of Hunters destroy monsters of Chaos by the hundreds or even thousands, you can bet that our walls will be overrun within days and our citizens will suffer."

Titus didn't answer. It all just seemed so convenient; neither side would push their agenda because the God of either side was essentially too afraid to put themselves in a position where there would, from what Mr Avery was saying, be all-out war. And that meant that both sides would have to endure with the status quo - never really making any progress but remaining strong enough so that they could each survive in a state of war, albeit in some reduced state.

Mr Avery's explanation left Titus with a sense of unease. The delicate balance between the God of Balance and the God of Chaos was a tenuous one, and it seemed that both sides were content with maintaining that equilibrium rather than risking an all-out war. It was a situation that forced Contestants to bear the burden of defending the City and maintaining that balance, a responsibility that weighed heavily on Titus's mind.

As the lecture continued, Titus couldn't help but ponder the implications of this eternal struggle. The monsters of chaos were a constant threat, and it was the duty of Contestants and Hunters to protect the City. But the idea that an army of soldiers or even Contestants could not simply eliminate the threat due to this delicate balance was a sobering realisation. And not one that Titus particularly liked; it made him feel like he couldn't make a difference no matter what he did, and that thought alone made him feel even smaller and weaker than he already felt.

Petra's question had momentarily diverted attention away from Titus though, and he was grateful for her intervention. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was a fundamental flaw in the system. The City's safety depended on this fragile equilibrium, and the lives of its citizens hung in the balance.

Jordan leaned over to Titus and whispered, "It's a lot to take in, isn't it?"

Titus nodded, his thoughts swirling with questions and doubts. The responsibilities of being a Contestant were becoming more complex with each passing day, and he knew that he and his friends had much to learn. Perhaps he had a lot more to learn than either Jordan or Petra though, where they seemed able to both grasp and accept these fundamental constants of the City and the war they now found themselves within.

Mr Avery continued to discuss the history of the City and the role of Contestants in maintaining the balance. It was a history filled with battles, sacrifices, and the skill and prowess in battle of those who had come before them. Titus couldn't help but feel a newfound respect for those who had paved the way for the current generation of Contestants, but it still didn't take away from him the feeling that no matter what he did now or in the future, balance was always out of his hands.

As the lecture drew to a close, Mr Avery emphasised the importance of their training and their connection to the God of Balance. He reminded them that they were the defenders of the City, the last line of defence against the monsters of chaos and that one day if they became Hunters, they would be nothing less than heroes, soldiers out there on the front line making the real difference to the Citizens, their friends, and their families.

Titus left the classroom deep in thought flanked by Jordan and Petra, his mind still grappling with the complexities of their world. The City's fate hung in the balance, and he and his friends were now part of that intricate tapestry of power and responsibility.

But Titus had a new thought creeping into his mind: The upcoming battle against the Frostbite Spider. He wondered if the monster knew that it was simply playing a part in the narrative of this strange, unmoving war between two Gods.

Honestly he didn't know what they were fighting for or why, but such things he knew were beyond him and his mortal comprehension.

And then he hoped that the Frostbite Spider couldn't speak. That was not an appropriate ability for a spider.