The world around him vanished in a bright-blue flash, and a moment later he found himself standing on a soft red carpet in a gilded room with a white marble table stacked to the brim with towering piles of paper. Behind it, barely visible, sat an overweight man wearing fancy clothes and a large bicorne hat.
"Excuse me?"
"Ahh, the latecomer arrives," he spoke with a hard lisp, "Now, tell me which discipline you are going to participate in, so I can finally have my lunch break."
"Ehh," John stalled, looking around the room to find anything relevant, yet coming up blank. "What are you talking about?"
"My lunch break," the man repeated, smacking his fat lips. "Pick a discipline so I can… Oh, of course, you have no idea what I am talking about." With an exaggerated sigh, he leafed through the papers until he found the one he was looking for, and started reading with the most disinterested and blandest tone of voice John had ever heard.
"Ehm, ehm. Each challenger shall select a discipline to compete in. The competition will be taking place inside a lucid dream. The experience inside will feel like a reality, but with no consequences other than the memories of overcoming or failing the prepared challenges. At the end of the challenge, the challenger shall be rewarded with free attribute points depending on the discipline selected and their success in it."
Hmm, that is interesting… and truly filled with challenges, he chuckled. A trial with no actual danger. I wonder how it's going to work out.
The man behind the desk who was looking for a different paper finally found it, and continued with his droning voice, "The six disciplines are the Titan's training, the Lynx's obstacle course, the Trapped maze, the Endless puzzle hall, the Crucible of flesh, and the Rooms of torment. Which one do you want to choose?"
It was simple to deduce their focus after the mention of free attribute points, but that left John with a complicated problem. Which one was best to pick?
"Hey, are you sure there are only those six?"
"What kind of question is that? Of course, there are only those six," he scoffed, "What? Have you expected to find some hidden trial, filled with life-altering treasures? Sorry to disappoint you, but no, so make a choice and let me have my break."
His intuition was telling him there was more to it. If there were six disciplines linked to the six attributes, surely there would also be the seventh—Fate. The problem was the irritated man in front of him. John didn't want to push his luck by asking more questions and decided to believe in the information he provided.
So what is the key?
Remembering his evolution, the key was figuring out where the Fate should be, and having it strong enough to manifest its card.
Where would Fate be? It should be in the middle, forming connections among all attributes. Could it be that simple?
"Can I," John started to hesitantly ask, "Can I enter the competition without choosing my discipline?"
"You… could?" The man replied with a confused frown. "Why would you want to do that? I have no idea, but yes. May I register you with no discipline selected?" Seeing John nod, he stretched his flabby cheeks in a wide smile. "Excellent! With that taken care of, It's time for the sixth course. Remain here and someone will soon pick you up." He pushed his considerable bulk up and waddled to the door.
"I hope they haven't run out of caramel apple pie…" were the last words John heard as the door shut behind him.
Well, that happened.
He was left alone inside the room, and to entertain himself, he started looking around. Wooden cabinets lining the left wall were filled with dozens of bindings filled with paper documents. Picking one up, he read the codes on the covers, SL059XJ65002, SL059XJ65003 SL059XF78038…
Having no idea what those meant, he attempted to open one, but thin silver lines manifested tied around the openable side, blocking his intrusion.
Hmm.
Placing it back into the cabinet, he walked to a small shelf holding three thick books.
Pulling out the one on the left, he looked at the name spelled out on the cover, Administrative Procedures Manual: A Guide to Office Protocols.
Okay…
Placing it back, he pulled out the one sitting in the middle with a fancy blue cover. The Art of Filing: How to Organize Your Documents for Maximum Efficiency.
Ugh… Surely the red one with the golden lining would be at least a little more interesting.
Reaching for it, his exploration came to a halt with the doors coming open and an old lady in a pristine-white dress coming inside.
"Goodness dear, place it back before Harold sees you," she said in a distressed tone. "He hates it when someone touches his books. The last serving maid that moved them out to dust the shelf had to be tended to after being stabbed by a quill. Can you believe it? She ran to me through the castle with the quill still stuck all the way through her palm and leaving splatters of blood all over. The poor gal was a sobbing mess by the… Ohh, silly me, I am rambling again. My apologies, I am to take you to the testing room. Please follow me," she gestured toward the door and walked out.
John followed after her through the winding hallways until they reached a room inside which was only another door. That one though was quite different. It was filled with shining purple runes and dozens of lines connecting them into a single confusing web.
"Through there, you will enter a room that should have a chair, table, and a shining crystal on top of it. I am supposed to let you know, sitting before touching the crystal is strongly advised," she smiled. "Good luck!"
"Thank you!" John yelled after her, seeing her move at a brisk pace out and somewhere to the right.
Turning back to face the runed door, he placed his palm on its surface and pushed. They smoothly swung inward, opening wide under his touch, and leading into a small room looking exactly as the lady described.
Soo, sit first, touch crystal later, he reminded himself and pulled the flimsy wooden piece of furniture back. The chair groaned under his increased weight, but he ignored it and placed both palms on the melon-sized gemstone.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Feeling something reach out, he tried to jerk back. His hands did not respond and he sat frozen as the thing touched upon something deep inside of him and roughly jerked it back into the gem.
His vision momentarily turned black, but soon after that, he found himself sitting in the middle of an old, overgrown ritual site with six doors spread around him in a hexagonal pattern.
[Welcome to the trial of the Sacred Six!
You may only spend up to twenty-four hours inside the central antechamber, so wise use of the allotted time is advised.
Because you have not selected your chosen trial, you retain access to all six doors, however, to balance the freedom of choice, your final score will be halved.
Each door has a carving representative of the trial inside.
Fist: Strength
Foot: Dexterity
Ear: Perception
Eye: Focus
Heart: Vitality
Brain: Willpower
Note: Because this trial is meant to test your body, your ability cards are locked out and you are only given a simple robe and undergarments to cover yourself in]
Reading the prompt, he walked around the room in his new well-fitting white robe and simple cotton pants, inspecting each of the six similarly-sized doors made out of heavy slabs of rock.
Exactly as it promised, each had a rough carving of one of those symbols, but no other distinguishing features.
Hmm, which to pick?
He wasn't feeling any inkling to guide him, so picking one at random would do.
"Let Fate guide my path," he chuckled and touched the carving of a foot.
With a loud grinding sound that echoed through the chamber, the heavy stone door slowly began to rise. The ancient mechanism groaned and protested as it lifted, its long-dormant gears fighting against the sudden movement. Dust and debris rained down from the ceiling as the door rose higher and higher, revealing a dark passage beyond.
As the light trickled through the still-opening door, John began to make out the first signs of the large hall further ahead.
Is that…
As the door reached its apex, there was another loud click and then nothing. The whole area was once again silent. Carefully walking through the short corridor, he entered the hall ahead, and as he stepped inside dozens of torches lining up the walls lit up, revealing the large wooden structure in the middle.
It looked like climbing frames for children, only more than five times larger, with the highest platform being over ten meters from the ground.
Such a challenge was not a problem, and he easily climbed up. Using the large footholds for stability, he got all the way to the top and exited through a hole in the roof.
[Congratulations!
You have successfully completed the first test in the Lynx's obstacle course.
Your current score: 1 point
23:57:32 remaining]
He climbed into the middle of an exact replica of the previous room with the same six doors spread around in a hexagonal pattern.
Ok, I can see how it's going to work.
Leaving the next selection also to chance, he picked a door to his right and touched the carving of an ear.
The large slab blocking his way lifted up, and John stepped into a wide corridor. It was built from sandstone and covered by colorful paintings of strange humanoid creatures with three…
A light click made him turn left and lean to the side in time to react to a fingernail-sized rock flying toward his chest.
Unwilling to be distracted further, he burst into a sprint, running to the passageway a hundred meters in the distance.
The rocks kept shooting once every second, but aimed only at his static position, making it very easy to evade by always moving forward.
What is that? He thought, looking at the slightly darker spot on the ground in front of him.
The true challenge of this test revealed itself and actually was to avoid the small holes in the ground designed to break the ankles of the unperceptive participants.
Luckily, John didn't get distracted by the flying pebbles and was able to traverse the remaining distance safely. Upon reaching the end he grasped the prepared rope ladder and climbed up into yet another familiar chamber.
[Congratulations!
You have successfully completed the second test in the Trapped maze.
Your current score: 3 points
23:56:17 remaining]
Admiring the walls inside a place called the Trapped maze, I've done dumber things, but…
Not wanting to waste time, he picked one of the doors behind him and walked through.
The first thing he noticed was the smell. It was musty and damp, with a hint of rust and decay.
Where did the heart carving take me? He wondered as he observed the large circular room.
It had a small opening in the roof through which shone the only source of light, casting eerie shadows on the walls and filling him with unease. Looking around, the place was a roughly thirty meters tall cylinder with old iron walls covered in rust.
The floor was made out of concrete, but the whole place radiated an old and abandoned atmosphere, and the only prominent thing was a large pipe jutting out of the ground in the middle.
That pipe had a large orange valve on its side, making John carefully inspect the simple mechanism for traps or other unexpected problems.
Having nothing to climb upon, the only obvious solution was to turn on the valve, and he eventually did.
Expecting an old rusted piece of equipment, he put his back into it and twisted clockwise… Something snapped and he tore the whole valve off.
Uhh…
The first sign of something happening was the rumbling behind the walls. Looking around, John tried to understand the purpose of this test, but it only became clear as water started gushing out from the hallway he previously came through.
His first thought was that he would drown, but then the actual solution became quite obvious.
If the water level keeps rising, I'll be able to swim out through the hole above me.
The problem was the fact that it was boiling-hot, and filling the whole place with scalding steam, making it painful to breathe.
He was able to buy himself a little bit of time by climbing up the meter and half high pipe in the middle, but the water was rushing in fast, soon he had to grit his teeth and jump in.
It hurt… a lot. He was desperately trying to keep his head above the surface and keep his breathing slow and steady. His increased Vitality allowed him to resist some of the heat, but his lungs were in significantly bigger danger, and choking on boiling water or steam would be an awful way to die.
His whole existence shrunk down to his body, his breathing, and the cistern around him. He wasn't even sure how long he actually spent in there, until his hands finally clutched the side of the opening above him, and he was able to pull himself out.
[Congratulations!
You have successfully completed the third test in the Crucible of flesh.
Your current score: 6 points
23:55:21 remaining]
He remained lying on the hard floor, letting his body cool down. There were first signs of blisters forming all over his hands, but nothing truly life-threatening, and because of his Troll's blood and the Black heart, he could see his entire body repairing the damage in front of his eyes.
Now I know why there is a twenty-four-hour limit of stay in between the tests.
He gave himself five minutes to recover, before standing up and heading for another door.
He found himself walking toward the one with an eye, but a sudden spike of danger made him freeze in his tracks.
That's not a good sign…
Trusting his gut, he continued clockwise, touched the door with the carving of a brain, and stepped into the Rooms of torment.