Glade sagged wearily to the floor, resting his back against one of the gate's pillars as he struggled to breathe. Without consciously thinking about it, he reached up with his free hand and extinguished the most recent fire burning merrily away on the shoulder of his once pristine cloak. The last several gates had been… hard. And not just the trials at each individual gate either, but the twisting corridors of the labyrinth between gates as well.
He couldn’t wait to punch Helmund in the face for making him believe that labyrinths were relatively harmless.
“A journey of growth, he said,” Glade scowled, pulling off one of his boots to pour out the sand and rocks that had gotten stuck inside.
“It be a once in a lifetime opportunity,” he mimicked Bragden’s annoying voice as he pulled off the other boot, this one filled with bog water. He still didn’t understand how that one had happened.
As he began picking off the leeches attached to his one wet leg, Glade reflected on his journey thus far. He may have speculated before, but now he knew without a doubt. Only the insane or mentally deranged would voluntarily go through these death traps.
He had lost track of how many near death experiences he had lived through after the fourth gate, not to mention the endless traps or nightmare fueled monsters waiting in ambush within the corridors.
The only positive news about this entire exercise in frustration was the explosive growth in his skills and abilities.
Attention! Skill rank advancement testing has been waived while within the confines of a Labyrinth. The Adjudicator of Intelligence has increased your rank from Amateur to Trainee rank in the following skills: Detect Traps, Disarm Traps, Perception, and Aura Sense.
The very fact that someone could skip their skill rank up trial while in a labyrinth almost made everything he had gone through worthwhile. The key word there being almost.
Glade and the others had already stood out far too much in his opinion. In a world where the rich and powerful controlled resources and talent with an iron fist, he didn’t doubt that any of them would bat an eye at taking over Storms’ Rest. The more he stuck around the more danger he would attract.
Of course, that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to enjoy his well earned rewards!
Congratulations! You have grown your Detect Traps skill from level 3 to level 13 ! +13% chance to detect traps per skill level.
Congratulations! You have grown your Disarm Traps skill from level 2 to 10! +10% chance to disarm traps per skill level. +10% chance to identify type of trap per skill level.
Congratulations! You have grown your Perception skill from level 8 to level 12! +24% to perception.
Congratulations! You have grown your Aura Sense skill from level 3 to level 9 !
Congratulations! You have gained +1 in Intelligence!
Congratulations! Your Living Flame attunement has increased from 13% to 15%.
Congratulations! You have gained +1 to Will!
Glade took his first contented sigh since this whole debacle began. So much had happened that he barely understood how he had gained all of it. The best he could come up with was that the trials were deliberately designed to test some aspect of him and that the rewards were tied to how successful he had been. Of course, each trials felt like they were designed to exploit his weaknesses in the most horrible of ways possible. It was either that or Acumen was simply being his typical annoying self.
Stolen novel; please report.
Seriously, what was the reason behind sending a fire breathing lesser dragon after him? Or having to convince a mob to spare an old crone from being burned at the stake, only to promptly run away when said old crone declared she was marrying him.
Still, he couldn’t complain with the results. After all, he had come out with more than just skill level increases. He was so very glad his Aura Sense skill had finally ranked up.
You have found the mature fruit from a Glacial Sunrise Tree (x 12)! This fruit thrives in cold temperatures, slowly soaking in the ambient mana from its surroundings to nourish the fruit as well as any who partake from its benevolent branches. Each fruit consumed will not only sustain you, but has the potential to increase a mage’s attunement level in either Water, Light, or Astral magic.
Durability: 20/20
Grade: Exquisite
Rarity: Rare
Value: ?
Glade pulled out one of the bronze colored apples, staring into its burnished depths with a smile. Taking a sack full had been the best decision he had made thus far. Not only were they delicious, but the three he had already eaten raised his astral attunement by 1%!
With a smile, Glade put the apple back into his pack. He didn’t want to waste any more of the precious fruit until he could process them correctly. Who knew what that would do to his attunement levels?
He had also snagged a handful of corporeal mana shards from some giant lizards, some exquisite red dragon scales, and something that Bragden was going to smile over.
Glade pulled out a small reddish brown orb, inspecting its swirling depths of maroon particles as they shifted one way and then another. It was stunning, like watching a sandstorm at sunset trapped in a miniaturized snow globe.
You have found a Lesser Sand Scourer Core! Harvested from a Sand Scourer, the ultimate ambush predator of the Scalding Sands. Comprised of both Earth and Fire attunements, these fiends of the deep deserts can call up scorching sand storms at will, forcing prey into their waiting traps.
Durability: 78/80
Grade: ?
Rarity: Uncommon
Value: ?
The fight to get such a magnificent treasure had been brutal. Glade had just finished the sixth trial and had been dumped into his current corridor made up of mostly hot sand and burning rock when a burst of scorching sand pushed him over the edge of a small crater, where he came face to face with a mutated ant lion.
If it hadn’t been for those long hours of blade work in the second trial, Glade would have been burned to a crisp in seconds. In fact, it had taken every learned skill, ability, and a great deal of luck to finally land the finishing blow.
Still, his current predicament rankled him. His objective was not to be playing around in this god forsaken labyrinth. For what felt like the hundredth time, Glade chastised himself for not contacting Vlad and Rem with his telepathy the moment he saw them. If they had simply allowed the others to go first they could have avoided the labyrinth in its entirety.
Sure, there would have been some inherent risks involved with that course of action, which was why he had originally decided against it. But in hindsight, that was clearly the better choice.
Glade could only hope that their window of opportunity hadn’t closed altogether. That and he hoped Acumen had a way to heal him. He was already down 30% of his HP and was suffering from countless scrapes, bruises, and light burns all over his body.
Sighing deeply, Glade put his boots back on before getting getting to his feet, the smell of his own burnt hair filling his nostrils.
“The only way out is through,” he growled, firming his resolve as he stepped through the next portal. Only two more to go.
As Glade was enveloped in the golden light of the gate, his thoughts turned to Kedryn. Hopefully, the Corporal hadn’t succumbed to Acumen’s sadistic nature.
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Kedryn was having the time of his life. Not only had his first trial increased his understanding and proficiency with the quarterstaff, but the personalized trainer had shown him how to consistently channel his spark spells through the Cinderheart staff. He was now officially in the trainee ranks!
The second trial had been his favorite by far. He had found himself in a palace surrounded by staff who waited on his every need. Was he hungry? A roasted pheasant with scalloped potatoes, fresh greens, and glass of sparkling cider were promptly delivered. Did he feel tense? A masseuse was summoned.
As Kedryn luxuriated in the attention, a tutor appeared, instructing him on the various elvish houses, their political leanings, and their economic strengths and weaknesses. He had even gained a few skill ranks in elvish diplomacy from that lesson!
After that he had spent time in a library so large he couldn’t find the exit. Seriously, it was huge! After some additional one on one instruction where he was tested on basic memory and casting skills, he was escorted out. But not before sneaking two books out under his cloak. A Practical Study in Meditative Mana Manipulation and Attunements: Growing Your Power.
He couldn’t wait to read them!
Now, he was standing on a mountain top facing the largest bird he had ever seen. It was easily 12 feet tall with feathers the color of storm clouds. The wind whipped around them, its power bending trees, sending streamers of snow in the air, and whistling loudly as it slowly eroded the ground around their feet.
The moment the bird opened its beak, the world stilled.
“I am known as StormBreaker,” the bird said, its voice rumbling through the peaks like rolling thunder. “Let us see what we can do with that Tempest Attunement of yours, shall we?”
Kedryn’s grin widened. He loved labyrinths!