A True Rhombic Comes in Time

4

"Okay, so you'll arrange an appointment with the CIO for me?" I asked on the phone while walking down the street. I was on my way to sell the gems I collected when I got a call from my Contact.

Exhaustion and my usual frustration meant I didn't want to talk to anyone, but I was actually glad for this call.

-Yup, her name is Virpal Bansal, and she should be able to answer any questions you have regarding your Power value. But like I said before, it would be easier if you just tell me what your concern is.

"Yeah, I know, but...," I trailed off. I tried to keep my tone apologetic but firm, because I wanted her to back off without offending her.

My RAC Contact, Sarah, was being nosy. Information on an individual's Display, including the Rhombic's Level, Power values, and Skill, were considered very personal.

A Contact was a liaison between a Rhombic and RAC. Most of the time, a Contact was experienced enough to provide basic help and information to her assigned Rhombics.

But my problem wasn't normal by any means. I needed to find out the answer to my very personal and very unusual status. And it appeared that the Chief Information Officer, CIO, of the alliance might be the one for the job.

Sarah continued from the other end of the phone.

-Maybe it's something I can answer you right away. The Power value is a fairly easy thing to interpret. Don't you remember the three-week course you took? I can give you a quick reminder. See, if your Offense number is higher, it means you're a Lead, and if your...

I moved my phone away from my ear with a frown. Did Sarah have a hearing problem? Or did she think I was an idiot? Because why else would she give me the most basic lesson out of the blue?

Contrary to what Sarah might believe, I knew very well how the Power value was interpreted.

Everyone, except me of course, maintained a total value of 100 at all times. The Offense was the capacity to attack, while the Defense referred to, you guessed it, the ability to defend. The Defense value also included the healing capability.

All Rhombics had the ability to both fight and defend themselves. But for most, one value was significantly higher than the other because they were much better at one thing over the other.

Those with high Offense numbers were called the Lead; they were considered the powerful and aggressive alphas. The other half was called the Support, and with their higher Defense level, they specialized in protection and healing.

The proportion of these two values fluctuate over lifetime, but the most meaningful changes occurred when going through the first 10 floors. By the time you passed the 10th floor test, you would generally know if you are a Lead or a Support.

I continued to trudge along, but I didn't pay much attention to my Contact's blabbing.

At a first glance, Sarah had a typical demeanor of a youth pastor or a camp counselor. She sounded very earnest and eager to help, but there was a hint of condescension that wasn't too hard to spot. I wasn't sure if she was like this with everyone or just with me. Sarah apparently used to be a successful Lead in her teen years, so perhaps being snobby was just part of it.

Sarah was still prattling, unaware that she was basically talking to herself, when I finally reached the gem exchange store. I counted my lucky stars when I saw that there wasn't any line up. I wasn't in the mood to wait at the back of a long line.

Walking straight up to the teller, I handed him my bag of gems. I tried not to look too self conscious as the teller looked over the meager result of my day's work. The teller, a guy in his early 30s, maintained a professional look as he calculated the price.