Loudbark kept his voice low. "Hey, we don't all have to pick a barrel, right? If one of us finds the reward, the trial ends, right?" He looked around as if asking the air to confirm it.
This trial clearly favored investigation skills. The mixed-race group had people built for that kind of work, yet none of them looked confident. Faces tightened. Eyes slid away. Everyone seemed to be waiting for someone else to move first. No one wanted to be the one who stepped in blind.
The Gorathim waited as well, steady but uncertain. Confusion sat on their features. Their senses could not pierce the barrels. Whatever lay inside stayed hidden even in front of their eyes.
"Brakhtar, can't you find it?" Thalira Luna called across the ring, voice calm and controlled. She understood the danger of stillness. If no one acted, they could stand here for a very long time, with no guarantee the Tower would end it for them.
