Shankhe sighs as he looks at us, guilty and sorry. “I….” He trails off, unable to think of a reasonable response to his growing purple. “Why didn’t it heal?” I ask, looking at his hand. “Some things can’t be healed, Dalyva.” Says Taegan gently, having started to notice my expression as I broke down. “Why?” I say, my voice starting to crack. “Why?!” Voice rising in volume, I look at them like they betrayed me, and then, as my chin starts to tremble and tears form in my eyes, I walk off, unable to process the fact that even as we sacrificed a whole healing bird for him, that corruption didn’t heal.
Deep down, my reasonable mind knew that it wasn’t Shankhe or Taegan’s fault, it was all one entity's fault. The Corruption Entity. He had known that during the first days we would be naive, and one of us would be touched by his rats corruption, and now, when we thought we were safe, he had used the purple corruption on Shankhe to his own use, making it impossible for us to do anything unless we find a way to stop the corruption. I hated it, hated thinking we may lose one of the three of us, that maybe we may not be the three of us, and it may be reduced to the two of us. I didn’t even want to think about it, the thought haunting enough on its own.
Despite my reaction, just as I stormed out I saw something flicker in Taegan’s eyes. It was something that I could only describe as a mix of emotions, yet at the same time just one. It was the look of someone willing to do absolutely anything to make sure we got out okay, a sacrifice if you will. I didn’t want him to think of that, as it reminded me of someone else, someone I had found on the streets, huddled up. It wasn’t the same look, but it had the same fundamentals, the willingness to sacrifice everything for someone to live, whether yourself or someone else.
Yeah. It was Reika. The first year I met her, in fact. That year, we had been having an extremely bad crop for food, and instead of food being maybe a copper more, people had been forced to increase it to half a silver, which is ridiculous, since a silver is most people's total monthly wage, and including taxes and other things they’d need, it was just a bad decision. She was starving on the streets, but as she looked up, she said. “Money, please?” Feeling pity and sadness that one my age would be on the streets I gave her three copper. But to my shock, she gave it to three younger ones. They all thanked her, and then took off with the money. She was 14 at the time, and I had no clue why she was out of the orphanage, after all, wasn’t that why it was there? To help orphans not starve?
Back to the incident with Shankhe. I softly cried in sadness that I may lose one of my friends. As I hear the tent door open, I yell out. “Go away.” In a cracked, hoarse and angry voice. They quietly left. Sure, I felt bad, but I didn’t want to talk to them. Either of them. Finally I fell into unconsciousness, and black overtook me.
In my dream, we’re out of the place, no longer in this horrid purple dungeon dimension thing, instead in a green forest. I have Reika, and the boys are fine. No scarring, no corruption, no nothing… even in my dream I couldn’t escape from reality, as my firm grip on Reika starts to slip, and she fades away. I cry out, trying desperately to grasp her ethereal body as it disappears. Then Shankhe starts to go purple, and I see myself and Taegan helping him, trying desperately to stop the corruption as it overtakes him, and makes him end up just a dishevelled corpse. Then, it was just me and Taegan. But something this time blocked my view, and I couldn’t quite see what’s happening, but what emerges is a scared, hurt, and definitely scarred person. He collapses at my feet, dead.
I wake up in fright, my head throbbing and I cry out, wanting to escape that place. Hesitantly, I get up, wanting to check on Shankhe and Taegan. I can hear some muttering from Shankhe’s tent, and walk over, opening it. Seeing Shankhe and Taegan laying there with each other, I sleepily walk over. “Dalyva?” Asks Taegan confused as I wiggle my way in front of him and into his grasp. “I had a nightmare.” I mutter quietly, like a young child. I look up at him. “You’re not dead, are you?” Understanding flashes through him, and he shakes his head. “Go to sleep Dal.” I do notice the use of my nickname-that's-not-allowed and narrow my eyes slightly before drifting off.
————————————————
I look at Dalyva, and reach for some hair that's slightly covering her face. “See, Shankhe.” I held up her hair that I grabbed. The slightest purple tint had entered the tips of her hair, like highlights. He grimaces. “It’s bad, isn’t it?” Sighing, I say the only thing we should have priority on. “We need to leave, and that means, we have to stop procrastinating and get down to work to get these trial tokens.” He nods in agreement. “If we don’t, your arm is going to be fully purple, and Dalyva’s hair is going to have purple highlights.” I was curious as to why they both had the corruption affecting them, but I didn't, but it must be because of something? I don’t know. But if it was something, we needed to figure out what, and quickly.
————————————————
In the morning, I woke up in someone’s arms. I squirmed around, panicking for a second before I remembered that I was in Taegan’s arms. I got up slowly, and even though I tried, I woke him up. I look at him with a guilty expression. “Sorry.” I whisper. “Did I wake you?” He smiles and waves his hand dismissively. “Don’t worry, I was half asleep anyways.” He starts to get up, and it takes a minute but we eventually all are up. We head out, eat some glow berries for breakfast along with some congee, and then crowd around my notebook. “We have 5 trials left- Escape, All-seeing, Treasure, Path-Finder and Dueller. We have gotten five tokens, and need three more. Including Trophy, we only need two other trials.” I say.
“Which ones?” I look at both of them, and they seem to be pondering the question. “Path-Finder sounds good, but you know that thingy we got like ages ago? The like poem sort of thing. The warning.” Says Taegan, unable to think of what it was. “You mean the ‘Cross the bridge and do not fall’ thing?” I ask. Taegan nods, and I start flipping pages. “I noted it down somewhere so I didn’t forget it.” Finally, I flick upon the page. “Here. ‘Cross the bridge and do not fall, meet the hag, and do not fear, travel a road that none shall see, and find a sheep that none can shear.’” I read out. “Yeah, that. Anyways, where it says ‘travel a road none shall see’ I thought of Path-Finder, so I think we should do that one last. Agreed?” I nod my head. “Yep, sounds reasonable to me.” I say. Shankhe thinks for a bit longer, before nodding as well. “I think we should do Dueller as well, maybe first even?” Proposes Shankhe. “And then we can do Path-Finder.”
We all agree on what to do after a couple more minutes of debating whether to do Treasure, but deciding not. The timetable is this. Do Dueller first, and then Path-Finder and finally Trophy. We grab our weapons, me my trusty halberd, and head to the door. The symbol on this one is two swords crossed. Pushing open the door, we’re greeted with an arena. As expected of something named Dueller.
I look around, and for a second panic as we’re in a cage, but then proceed to look around again and see on the other side it's the arena. As I’m looking at the arena, I hear footsteps and turn around. Two blank faces stare back at me, and I jump back in surprise. They’re creepy, dolllike, and if they were human, no one would ever believe them. They have black and white suits on, and a clipboard in one of their hands.
“This is the solo arena.” The one with the clipboard says in a blank, emotionless and fake voice. “If you lose, you don’t continue, if you win, you continue fighting monsters that get progressively stronger until you can’t fight any more.Your minimum has to be high wood or low bronze.” Says the one without a clipboard, and I gasp, turning to Shankhe and Taegan, who both look as surprised as me, of course with worry as well. I myself managed to barely kill low end wood rank, and now they want me to practically jump a rank. Then the one with the clipboard speaks again. “Name and specialisation for your monsters please.” We look at her confused, and Taegan speaks up. “Why do you need our specialisation?”
The person-no, more doll-with the clipboard looks up, and responds. “If you start to struggle your monsters will be tipped in your favour, and if you start to excel they will be tipped against you as best we can for both, as wood is extremely hard to tip in one's favour.” I will admit it's a bit hard, as in wood there’s not as much specialisation imbuement and the monsters don’t focus on one type of magic or fighting style.
Admittedly, they never do, it’s just they’re more attuned to their specialisation and are focused on one area of fighting then just working off instincts and what works best.
Taegan, ever the leader, steps up and gives his name, and we follow seconds after. Once the doll finished jotting it down, and then the other doll spoke up. “The rules are simple. You Can do anything in your power to win, you get a minute's preparation in the arena before the monster is released, and you won't get to know what it is before you see it. You may use your own weapons, and you have to wait in this gladiator cage between matches and your name will be called. Be alert and ready for whenever your name is announced, and no one except the person called is allowed to enter the arena, if they do so it counts as immediate disqualification and loss of token. Lastly, if you do happen to take too long to complete this challenge, staff will come around with food and you will be allowed to sleep.” I look a bit shocked, not believing that it would take someone that long to complete this challenge, that it takes days, but i also have a feeling it may be us as well.
We nod at the rules and they walk away, stiff and fakely. It was very clear that they were not people if we had any doubt at this point.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Soon, a doll, just like the last ones with a suit, came up to our cage. “Participant Taegan, get ready to compete.” Taegan looked confused as to what to do, and the doll started to speak again. “Stand in front of the metal door leading to the arena, and when the metal lifts, you may enter. You have already heard the rest.” Taegan approaches the end with squares of metal in the shape of a door. He draws his jambiyas, and tries to hype himself up for the fight. Suddenly a booming voice echoes, and even goes into our cage. “Participant Taegan now may enter the arena.” The metal lifts up, and Taegan enters the arena. The bottom of the arena for him is metal. Before it had been sand, but I assume that since he’s a sand specialist they can’t exactly just give him that much of an advantage. Of course, they had changed it using magic, because what else would they use?
The booming voice echoed again a minute later, while me and Shankhe were hanging on the bars looking at Taegan as he sits in the arena, not sure what he should do, although I do see him distributing sand across the arena gently as a precaution. “Monster of high common may now enter the arena.” Entering the arena on the other side came a goat, with dark purple horns and hooves, with fur light purple. I would bet even its skin is purple. Taegan stands up as it’s thrust into the arena, and it trots forwards as it enters From the momentum. Taegan squares up, and the goat lowers its head, rushing forwards in a charge, instantly starting the bout.
Taegan is experienced, that much can be told as he rushes also to the goat, only to dodge at the last second, with the goat rushing past him, but soon collapses as its neck bleeds out, and Taegan shakes the blood off his blade. It was quite quick, but I managed to catch what happened. Taegan, while rushing by, had flicked his blade into the goats neck, cutting the air pipe and causing it to die out on the floor. He didn’t even need the sand he had laid out that he was now gathering up, that was how much weaker common is compared to simply wood, and shows how much the comparison in power between each rank is, though for wood and common it's not much. Just looks like it because Taegan is quite strong.
As he returns to the cage, Shankhe claps him on the back, and grins. “That was good!” He says, happy that Taegan showed how easy it was, and paved the way for us to not be nervous, and instead ambitious.
Once again, a doll came to our cage. I’d assume the same one that informed Taegan about his bout, but I have no clue, as they all look the same. Hell, it may be the one that had the clipboard before. “Participant Dalyva, get ready to compete.” I look over at Taegan. “Anything you can mention before I go?” He looks up at my question, and instantly answers. “Oh, yeah, there’s an audience, but they don’t say anything, for now I’d assume.” I nod, and head over to the metal door thing? Who knows what it is, I’m just going to call it that. Then, just like how Taegans started, a booming voice echoed and said. “Participant Dalyva may now enter the arena.” I step into the arena, ducking under the metal as I get impatient and step foot onto the cold metal arena.
It feels a bit intimidating actually, to see the audience, and know that they are judging my every action. But, I knew I only had a couple seconds before I met my opponent, although it probably was just the same as Taegans. I bring out my halberd, and get ready in a fighting stance. Sliding my feet to a stable position, bending my knees, my hands a suitable width apart, and I wield the halberd with confidence.
“Monster of high common may now enter the arena.” Says the booming voice. Curious, I look up to where I heard it most, and see an announcer up there, assumingly with a sound specialisation as they just increase their volume. Then I look across to my opponent, focusing back from my moment of distraction. It’s the same monster, a goat, and I know just how to kill it.
Lowering its head, it charges. Smirking, I eagerly get ready to intercept it. Maybe, I would've been intimidated before, but I’ve grown, and I’m ready to face the challenges that I was turning away from before in fear of getting hurt. The goat comes closer, and I raise my halberd, swinging it down and hitting the goat's skull with a deafening crunch.
The monster's front legs folded as its head was brought down, but once it died its legs collapsed as well, and I grabbed my halberd to leave the arena.
Once I was finally back in the gladiator cage, Taegan and Shankhe were waiting for me. “Good.” Says Taegan. “You did better than what I expected.” Says Shankhe teasingly. “I thought you would barely be able to do common.” I look at him in mock anger. “Hey!” I say, and he just sticks his tongue out, as I start to chase him, with my halberd still in hand. “Come back here!” I protest, as we run in circles in the small room.
However much fun we were having, it just had to be ruined as a doll came up and said. “Participant Shankhe, get ready to compete.” Shankhe pouts, but cheekily looks back at me, and then walks up to the metal door. Once the booming voice says he can enter and the metal door opens, I shove him into the arena with a stuck out tongue as he looks back at me with wide, shocked eyes, a hand to his chest in offence, but then rolls his eyes and looks forward as his hand drops from his chest to his sword at his hip.
He doesn’t even need his water to cover his blade as he prepares. The announcements at this point gloss over my head as I just block them out, looking at where the goat will appear. A minute of preparation passes and soon it's time for the goat to enter. As it enters and lowers its head, just like the other two, Shankhe is ready. He raised his blade above his head, and swung downwards to split it in half. Both its head and front area split like paper, and fall to either side of Shankhe, with the back half of the goat not split, something that Shankhe isn't too pleased about as he turns back to us.
He returns to the gladiator cage, and as we all just sit there, Taegan gets called up again. I’ll admit it, it was extremely boring waiting for our turn, and even when it was our turn, it still was a bit boring, since having no challenge just meant it was over in seconds, and we got no time to truly watch a great battle, which was the whole point of the arena. Back to Taegan, he was waiting for the minute to finish, and as it did, he looked at where the monster would enter eagerly.
We hear the announcer say. “Monster of low wood may now enter the arena.” Interesting, it was low wood now. The monster was a goblin. Certainly different from the monsters we’ve been having, and although small, wielded a knife maybe the size of a normal kitchen knife, which was huge for its body. It was 60cm tall, and had green skin. Many people loved to say that goblins were the small insanities of orcs. Which was always funny, except goblins of low level had no sentience unless born of two bronze goblins. In fact, there were a couple goblins who did actually live in cities, but as they liked to always point out, their sentient species was a cousin to the monster branch, and were always sentient even when born. However the monster goblins had to gain sentience by getting stronger, and even then weren’t always too smart.
Taegan had actually popped the cork, as if he thought he needed it. Maybe he did, but I had full faith in him that he didn’t. His jambiyas out beside him, he was ready for a fight. They rushed to the middle, both colliding in a clash of steel, sparks flying as their blades flew into one another. Even from that simple exchange, you could see who was going to win, as the goblin caved under Taegans strength and height, his whole body bending to be under his blade as he tried to push it up against Taegan’s superior two blades, and his difference in strength.
The goblin soon disengages, and jumps back a couple feet, enough for it to reset, except…. Taegan had sand around his forearms. He lifted his blade up behind his back and over his shoulder, before swinging directly down, sand shooting out at a certain point in the swing to land on the goblins forehead, before it penetrated, and the goblin fell down dead.
This time though, cheers erupted from the crowd, and we all looked at them in surprise. It was clear that as we progressed into harder monsters, the crowd would comment more and more. Taegan entered back into the cage, and soon it was my turn.
Walking back onto the arena, I held onto my halberd tight, trepidation in every step. I wasn’t as confident as Taegan that I’d win, but I truly hoped I’d improved enough to be able to. Though, I wasn’t that sure since only a couple of weeks ago I was a scholar who wasn’t allowed to fight due to my father who was overprotected for years. I hadn’t even held a weapon since mum died.
The goblin soon emerged, and I got ready to fight, a piece of my mind ready to use my mana to enhance my body at any time. My legs widen into a fighting stance, and I get ready for it to rush forwards. It, predictively does, and soon I find myself with a small green childlike thing putting a knife to my halberds wood. I get an idea and quickly put it to use. I hold the halberd still, but bend my arms, making myself closer to the goblin.
I then push the halberd away, sharp and quick. The goblin, that was leaning onto my halberd fell onto its back with a thump, and I proceeded to lift my halberd up, my legs coming together, and I bring it down on the axe side of the halberd, cutting into the goblin, and spraying green blood all over the arena floor. That’s something that's going to be very hard to clean. I grimace at the goblin, before just walking away into our cage cheers in my wake. Oh, I forgot to mention before, but they gave us a cloth to wipe the blood from our weapons so it doesn’t rust.
Anyways, back to where I was with Taegan and Shankhe in our cage. Shankhe soon gets called up, and we watch him, but my tummy rumbles and I notice how hungry I am. I think one of the dolls noticed this as well, as they hurried away soon after looking at me. I hope they give us some actually decent food, at least better than the food we’ve been having so far. Meat and fruit sounds like something great to have for lunch, but after a while it just gets boring. And we don’t even have enough water to make something like soup.
Though, I suspect after we get to bronze rank water won't be as much of a problem, since Shankhe will have sufficient Spirit. (Dalyva is only explaining this because she’s so bored she’s pretending she’s with little kids and explaining what Spirit is, like she did with Reika when they were younger, as Reika sort of knew what it was, but not fully.) Spirit is like, say, what some calls Experience. You see, the first time you kill a monster, a tiny invisible white energy enters your body, and goes to a sphere in the middle of your chest. Now, you guys know about how our specialisation stays in that core, but that's not fully correct. The specialisation mana surrounds a white core we call the Soul, and when this Spirit goes into it, it fills it, making us different ranks.
For example, young kids who haven’t had their first kill are common rank, because their Soul has no Spirit energy but once they have their first kill, it's a subtle, but noticeable change as their Soul fills with Spirit and upgrades, using all that Spirit to make the Soul harder and stronger with more capacity. The first rank change is known commonly as the ‘first progression’ because not only is it painless and easy, you also don’t notice the effects except when you notice you’re a little stronger, and you can use your specialisation easier. However the next ranks are a bit different. Well, actually, they’re very different.
From wood to bronze is the second progression, and a time where you experience a lot of changes. Like for girls, no more periods, and your first impurities start to get out of your skin in chunks of black gunk. Many a person have called it an unpleasant but necessary experience, and I would agree with that, though never experiencing it myself, just yet anyways. Suddenly I’m snapped out of my daydream as Shankhe is called up.
But, he still had a minute before the monster entered. I went back to daydreaming, just bored. Technically, there are more than those ten ranks, though no one has ever reached them, because finding enough monsters to fill your Soul without dying because you didn’t rank up and ran out of time is very hard. Even if you were immortal, it would take you a very long time to upgrade from Onyx. You see, most monsters outside of dungeons only get to coal, and even then are killed instantly as they are a huge threat to civilians, but that's only the sixth rank. To get the last four ranks, you need to not only find a dungeon that goes further than coal, get to it before all the people with money, and then just hope that there’s enough monsters in it to make you rank up.
Of course though, no matter how I portray it, whether hard or easy, some people who work hard still get to yellow or green regardless of the time and effort it takes them.