Chapter 21:
The Lion had said that the time in the recovery room moved at a crawl, and it did. Between Mia leaving and coming back, only a few minutes passed, but they were minutes I had spent in a near panic. When my sister had left she had been in such a state that she looked like she had seen a ghost.
I had paced, and banged upon the door to the Trial of Intellect, and tried to force it open. Boone and I had attacked it with every weapon and Ability we had, but it hadn't even left a scratch, let alone a dent worthy of the name. All we did manage was to waste Essence and I managed to hurt my hands. The claws from my new Constellation were razor sharp and extended my fingers by a couple of inches. It was somewhat easy to forget they were there in a panic, despite the download of new instinct and information that had been jammed into the library of my brain, and I had managed to slice up the palms of my hands quite badly by the time that Mia returned.
I had just finished drinking from the Healing Bottle when the door swung open and Mia stepped from the darkness beyond it. She no longer looked haunted. She looked happy, and was followed, it seemed, by a new cloak made of light and multi hued glass. I rushed to her, remembering this time to allow the claws to retract - a useful addition that did make my fingers an odd shape, but meant I didn't have to un-summon the claws if I wanted them ready at a moment's notice - and grabbed my big sister by the shoulders.
Boone raced over and pressed himself against her legs, whining deeply and extremely pleased to have her back. She had been crying, dirt streaks running down her face in thick lines, and her clothes were torn to shreds again. But she didn't look as pale as she had after the Trial of Courage, and her eyes were clear and bright.
“Mimi! Are you okay? What happened? Did you take the Trial? Are you hurt?” Questions poured out of me one after another, and I realised I wasn't giving Mia any chance to answer them, but I couldn't stop myself from dumping question after question on top of her.
She placed her hands on my wrists, my hands still gripping her shoulders in a panicked grip - and didn't they seem solid now? She must have levelled her Body Attribute again - and patted them gently. “I'm fine. Actually fine, and no faking this time. I…got some really good advice in there; Got something else as well!” She said with a giggle and the cloak behind her spread and I realised it wasn't a cloak at all, it was in fact two pairs of wings that lit up with sparking colours like a multicoloured mirror-ball. I backed up in awe. She looked amazing, like a fairy brought to life.
Seeing the look on my face, she snorted and broke into real laughter, before grabbing me in a hug and lifting me bodily off of my feet, swinging me around with her. She had definitely increased her Body attribute - it felt like she was nearly as strong as Mum and Papa - though most likely nowhere near my father yet. “I'm sorry for running away like I did. I didn't mean to worry you even more, but the Constellation I received from the Lion…scared me.” She said at last, looking down with drooping ears and wings - looking even more adorable now as motes of rainbow light danced around her - and shaking her head. “I thought I was becoming something I didn't want. I'm not like you - I'm not as brave or as smart, or as adventurous. I'm just good at fighting. But what my Constellations were unlocking was taking me down a route with that that I was scared by. So I ran, and I fought, and…” she shook her head again, harder this time, and her ears perked up as she raised her head. “But the snake lady helped me work through it and explained some things. If I don't like something, I just have to get strong enough to change it!”
Her wings fluttered in her sudden excitement, to the point where her feet lifted off the ground for a moment. I stared down at her floating an inch above the stone with amazement, but she didn't go any further and touched down a moment later. “Can you fly with those?” I asked, flabbergasted.
“No, not yet, but I should be able to eventually. I really can't wait for that. Right now though, I am starving. And I really need a bath. Can we eat? Then, when you are ready, we should do the last trial.” she let me go, and actually picked up Boone, giving the fox a cuddle, which he allowed, if with a strange look on his face. Come to think of it, apart from myself and Kintsuji, I don't think anyone had ever hugged my friend, and I suddenly felt a pang of sadness for the blue fox. Thankfully, if we were going to be open about his existence from now on, it was hopefully something we could work to correct.
Still, he allowed the hug for a few seconds, while Mia whispered words of thanks into his ear for his help in the last few days, before we broke to get food and prepare ourselves for the trial to come.
It took a couple of hours, during which Mias’ clothes were repaired by the room, but eventually the three of us stood in front of the final door in the room. It took me by surprise when Mia offered me the cloak, saying that her new wings did basically the same thing. It surprised me even more when I donned it and fastened the clasp. I still had my new claws sheathed, and the cloak changed shape as it resized, forming sleeves that spread down my arms and formed actual paws over my hands, the claws able to poke through the fingertips. The sleeves even extended under my catapult, the straps automatically adjusting for the extra bulk. I tested the fingers in amazement, and found that even with the added size of the paws compared to my normal hands, I had just as much manual dexterity, and could operate the catapult without difficulty. We both stared in amazement before Mia shook her head.
“I don't know for certain, but I'm pretty sure that cloak can do way more than it should be able to. Especially for a Wood ranked item.” I agreed with her, still amazed by the development. You heard stories about Stone rank items and artefacts from past ages being able to do amazing things, but they were mostly fairy tales. The cloak wasn't anything special, really, just a random enchanted item that Boone had grabbed on a whim. But much about this trial was odd. There was absolutely no way a normal Quickening was like this. We were being given particularly strong abilities, and Ability Crystals by the bucket load.
“My Mother is certainly pulling out the stops for us. I wish I could trust it, but it seems to me she is putting a lot of power and expectations on all of us.” Boone finally said, in deep thought, and the three of us took a second to take that in.
There was little we could do but accept it, however, and if we were being given this opportunity for growth above and beyond what other Class users were given, we should try and grab it by the horns. When we were settled and ready again, I opened the last door and we made our way through.
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We stepped out into a Colosseum. There was no other way to really think of it. I had, in my last life on Earth, seen pictures of the great fighting arenas of the ancient Romans and Greeks, but stepping out onto the sand of one was incredibly strange.
The three of us stepped out of a doorway, and were immediately thrown for a loop upon seeing our surroundings. Several hundred square feet of sand surrounded us on all sides, which wasn't unusual on its own - we had grown up in a desert after all - but this circular area was surrounded on all sides by high, white alabaster walls, with tiered seating above them. Entrances that led below ground sat in all the cardinal directions, not that we could tell which way was north in this space, considering we had appeared directly in the middle of it.
Above one of the entrances sat an extended box seat that I took to be where all the important people would sit.
Every single seat around the entire arena held a skeleton, blue flames burning in its eyes. Every single one was staring, silent, right at us.
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“I don't like this ‘Cadia. This looks like the worst kind of trap from any story we've ever heard.” Mia put her back to mine, and drew close so our bodies created a shadow, then used that shadow to draw out two of her shards, flipping them into a reverse grip that would protect her forearms while still allowing her to attack with them. Briefly looking at the blades, they looked even more deadly than before, and I thought some element of her shadow magic must have improved in the intellect trial.
“Welcome, Aspirants!” A booming voice made all three of us flinch, with both Boone and Mia covering their ears it has been so loud. “Welcome to the Trial of Brawn. You have already met my siblings and survived their trials. But now you must face mine, and I am not nearly so interested in tricks.”
The creature that was projecting the voice finally showed itself when I thought my ears would begin to bleed. It had to be twelve feet tall, humanoid but built like the worlds’ largest bodybuilder, all rippling muscle and tendon. The things that detracted from it being called human, however, were the fact that it had the head of a bull, with massive curved horns, and that it's skin was entirely made out of shining silver metal. “I am Minos, master of this Trial!” He bellowed, and spread his arms to flow into a mocking bow. “Do you have any questions before we begin?” Many: I had many questions, beginning with:
“What is the trial?”
The giant steel Minotaur flinched and did a double take, the straightened up, coughed into his fist, and said, in a much quieter voice, “Did I not say that part?”
“No, no you did not,” Boone said, shaking his head at the sight of the terrifying seeming warrior raising his hands is apology.
“May I start again?” He asked, gesturing back at the entrance, as though to actually start a prepared speech again. I felt my readiness falling away at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation. We had been warned that the third guardian was straightforward and not known for his subtleties. I had not expected him to be an idiot. Mia began to fight against laughter, and I could see the struggle on her face.
“I'm afraid the moment might be ruined,” Boone stated, diplomatically. “Why not simply explain what we need to do to win your Trial?”
The metal Minotaur Minos slumped in disappointment, before pulling himself together. “Very well. My Trial is perhaps the simplest of the ones you will face. It tests your body in the mist perfect crucible that was ever designed - open combat. This arena is mine to control, as are are the creatures that dwell within. You will fight them, one at a time or in groups, in whatever manner suits you best. Your goal is primarily not to kill, however - for a lot of the creatures you face that would be next to impossible. No, your goal is to retrieve these,” he waved his hand and caught what looked like an Ability Crystal, but Gold in colour rather than black. “These stones represent the Core of the monsters you will face, and so they will protect it at all costs, but as soon as you wrench it away from their bodies, it will concede defeat. Collect five Cores each, and I will declare you to have passed my trial. From here, you will receive not only your last Constellation, but you will also evolve your class by combining the Stones that make up your abilities. While there are some common classes that some people in the universe often strive for, this is a Champion Trial. Whatever class is created from your stones will most likely be unique and powerful. Champions are made to stand above and beyond those of lesser paths and paths. Your final test will be to take everything you have gained here to emerge victorious in a single confrontation. Now, this time, any questions?” the Minotaur had paced the sand around us as he spoke, gesticulating and tilting his head at each sentence, as though trying to pull them out of thin air, or remember a script he had scanned but not committed to memory.
“You are not like your siblings, much, are you?” I asked, without really thinking about what I was asking until the words were already out of my mouth. He grimaced at that, before blowing out a breath.
“No, no I am not. This is my first time being the Master of a Trial. It used to be that my Eldest brother ran this trial and I had…other duties. But he is not here and I am, so the Goddess Kintsuji entrusted this trial to me. I'm afraid this was all out together in something of a rush. Things in this world are more of a mess than we expected, and the Goddess requires anchors with a natural tie to this world in order to operate here. So she needs you to pass this trial and begin making waves in the world outside, or so she told us when she created the trial grounds.”
“But that doesn't make sense. If all she wants is a powerful anchor, then why a couple of children? Why the trial in the first place? Why not just shove a load of stones and crystals into us like the rich people in the cities do?” Mia, with less context of the situation, was losing track of where my conversation with the Minotaur was going, but she still enthusiastically backed my points, especially about the rich and powerful. It may have been a little hypocritical, as it was the way our Parents planned to give us our stones after all, but Mia and I had a large dislike of the city elite. We had spent the first few years of our lives surrounded by them, as the children of influential adventurers, who were almost guaranteed classes at the age of ten. We had been left unimpressed. Even Mia, without my advantages, had seen the way the elite treated each other and everyone else and had taken an almost instant dislike to them.
The Minotaur stopped his pacing, and thought for a few moments. “I am not the best of us to ask about that - you'd be better with my mother or sister - but I think it's about intent. Essence makes magic, right? But it has to be given instructions, otherwise it just sits around doing not much of anything. You have to tell a story with it, and you'll get the result you want. These trials are the same thing. We are helping you tell a story that resonates. It's like a spell on a much bigger level. But to make it work, not only do you have to believe in it, others will have to believe in it too. The more we do to reinforce you as an anchor point to a story, the more we can influence and fix." The twelve foot giant had a habit of gesturing with his hands and pacing as he talked, so it was literally difficult to follow the conversation at points - but it made a certain kind of sense.
The 5th age of Axis had been completely shaped by Champions of the Gods. The stories said they were the strongest, the bravest, the smartest, and that they were always at the centre of massive events, like the Demi-gods of my old world's myths.
“So it's a ritual. Like a Rune in enchanting. Have them all there, in the correct order, and the healing bottle works. Mess the order up, or miss a Rune, and it either doesn’t work or creates something completely opposite what you intended.”
The giant snapped his fingers with the sound of a bell being struck and pointed right at me. “You understand, perfect. Then you know why you have to do the trial.”
I nodded, more annoyed than anything. In the last few days in the recovery room, I had gotten used to my rougher voice, but it wasn't comfortable to talk for long periods of time, and the set up of this trial seemed…lacklustre. From the amateur Trial Master, to the detailed explanation, to the lack of immediate threat, it had the feel of a trial actually made for children. The other trials had seemed deadly, even the first Trial in which I knew the skeletons wouldn't attack me unless I did something wrong - or if the Feathered Serpent had ordered it. This felt much more slapdash and strange. It was jarring, to say the least.
“I wish I'd come in here first,” Mia said to me quietly, thinking back to her experiences so far. I don't know if I agreed with her, the Lion had mentioned that we would need three essences to stand the best chance of passing this trial, but equally, it was hard not to feel underwhelmed by this one.
“Are you ready to face the challenge then?” The Minotaur boomed again, forcing us all to wince and cover our ears. I looked at my sister, looked at Boone, and we shared confirmations. We were here now, and even if the trial seemed ill managed, it was something's, apparently, we had to do. Minos spread his arms wide and the sourceless sunlight glimmered off of carved metal muscles while the crowd of skeletons banged their feet and clapped in a bony roar of sound. With a last look at us and a brief smile, the Minotaur sunk into the sand of the arena, as though it were water and he was going for a swim, and reappeared in the royal looking observation box overhead. “Then let the games begin!” A gong was sounded, and horns blew somewhere out of sight. And one of the gates opened wide. 10 skeletons emerged from the darkness and marched up the ramp and onto the sand. They were armed with a variety of weapons - swords and shields, spears, a net and trident, twin daggers and a mace or two, but one was dressed in ornate boiled leather armour that had been polished to a black sheen. I threw out and identify at them to see what we were dealing with while I loaded my catapult with a charged stone - I didn't reckon I'd get many shots before they closed with us, but even one was better than nothing.
Skeleton Gladiator, Wood 6
Skeleton Gladiator, Wood 5
Skeleton Gladiator, Wood 4
Skeleton Champion, Wood 7
Seeing that nine of the regular skeletons were some version of the same, I pulled back the cord on my catapult just as they sped forwards in a charge.