Dylan watched as the Herbalist’s challenge door slid to position itself in the center of the now blank wall. Once it arrived, a clanking sound reverberated through the room; it was as if some kind of mechanism had locked into place.
The light coming from the door’s symbol dimmed, but just before going out, it shrouded the room in a blinding flash. Pain spread behind Dylan’s eyes and took his vision.
“Fuck!” Another curse from Rowan. One that Dylan silently echoed.
When his sight returned, the door was gone, and the once solid wall flowed around the room like a viscous liquid. Covering every surface. It even closed off the room’s entrance and the exit that Dylan assumed led deeper into the dungeon. As the wall spread, the place that had held the challenge door thinned, eventually pulling back entirely to reveal another semicircular space mirroring the one that held the party.
Unlike the earthen, spiderweb-covered cave that they were standing in, the new area was a garden. Short grass carpeted the ground, and a hole in the ceiling let in what looked like moonlight.
To the left was an artificially wild-looking assortment of herbs. Dylan recognized many of them from shadowing his mother at work, but some were new to him. To the right was a workbench filled with an Herbalist’s tools. Gardening equipment was shelved next to a mortar and pestle. There was even a handful of the special vials more advanced Herbalists used to hold the plant essences they occasionally transplanted during their work. Those were rare; his mother only had two of them herself.
Also rare was the plant Dylan saw growing in the center of the room. He couldn’t be sure, but the immature flower looked to be a lunadera orchid.
As Dylan was trying to mentally compare the plant with the pictures he’d seen in his mother’s books, a notification from the System blocked his vision.
[Herbalist’s Trial has begun.]
[Defend the Herbalist as he completes his task.]
The walls began to melt again. Two passages opened on the side of the room opposite the garden, about ten yards apart from each other. The channels the monsters would use to attack.
As Mark had chosen to take his trial at the second set of challenge doors, the party would have two points of entry to defend against.
“You piece of shit!” Rowan roared at the Herbalist. “Is there something wrong with your brain?”
“What was I supposed to do? You wouldn’t let me challenge the first door, and just now, you kept going on about how to order our trials and who would go up when we reached the next set of doors.” Mark’s words came out faster than they ever had before. “You would’ve stopped me if I’d wanted to challenge here.”
“So, you went, ‘Fuck it. I’ll do it anyway!’ and just decided to start when no one was paying attention to you?”
“What else was I supposed to do?” Mark repeated.
“You could have asked,” the swordsman bit out each word. “You could have let us prepare.”
“Rowan,” Chester called, “it’s already been done. We just need to deal with it.” The Guardian walked over to stand in front of one of the new passages, never even looking back while he talked. Dylan thought he could detect a restrained frustration leak from his voice.
“Fine, but this isn’t over.” Rowan moved to guard the other passage. When he got there, the redhead twisted around to stare directly at Mark. “Don’t fuck things up any more than you already have.”
After a moment of silence, Chester asked, “How’s everyone doing?”
“Tired, but I’m ready.” Alice moved to stand between the two channels, and Dylan noticed how beaten up she’d become in the last fight. Bruised arms, ripped clothes, a deep cut along her forehead. Details he hadn’t had the presence of mind to notice in the chaos of battle or the almost feverish escape.
A quick scan of the room showed the others in a similar situation to the Blacksmith.
Even Sara, who’d been shielded from most of the fighting, was showing signs of damage. The bottom left of her knee-length vest was ripped to shreds. Luckily, it looked like whatever monster had done it hadn’t managed to reach her skin.
“Ten more minutes would’ve been better,” Jaiden said, “but this is only the second set of doors. It should be fine.” She positioned herself near the center of the room, at the dividing line where cave become grass.
“I’m good.” Dena stood near Alice.
“I’m useless,” Dylan had not choice but to admit. “I didn’t have enough time to get my mana back. I can’t summon my cards.”
An angry snort came from Rowan, but it was hard to say whether the irritation was directed at Dylan, at the situation, or both. Dylan chose to ignore it.
“Try to meditate,” Chester advised. “Like Jaiden said, this is only the second challenge; the monsters will start slow. You can probably get your mana back before things get difficult.”
“We probably won’t even need you.” Rowan turned back to glare at Mark again. “Assuming nobody fucks up.”
“Got it.” Dylan moved to sit on the grass, passing Sara and Mark as he walked.
“Why aren’t you doing anything?” Sara asked the Herbalist.
“Oh,” Mark stammered, “right.” He looked around the garden area before jogging up to the orchid at its center. It was probably the key point in the assessment.
When Dylan closed his eyes, trying to block out the world around him, he began to hear the familiar sounds of spiders echoing down the passageways; they were shortly joined by Dena’s violin. The defense had begun.
Seconds passed, but Dylan couldn’t grasp the state of mind needed to meditate. He slowed his breathing and focused more intently on the mana within and around him. As it drifted by with a steady current, a portion was siphoned into his body, refilling his reserves. But it was just normal regeneration.
No matter what Dylan tried, he couldn’t meditate properly. He’d never had this problem before.
After several minutes, he was able to tune out the sounds of intermittent fighting, Dena’s violin, and the occasional curse coming from Mark behind him. His mind was relaxed. He operated his breathing the correct way. His form was perfect. But he still wasn’t meditating.
It was as if something was stopping him.
As soon as the idea crossed his mind, he thought he detected a dissonant hum echoing through the room. Every time his state of mind came close to entering meditation, the sound would bounce him out of it. It gave him a headache, and the more he focused on it, the greater the discomfort. The greater the disorientation.
The hum reminded Dylan of the painful mana patterns he’d experienced before.
He stopped trying to relax. He couldn’t be sure, but he guessed that the hum was a part of the trial. An obstacle placed by the System to prevent the party from having too much of an opportunity to rest.
As the challenge continued, monsters would come through the tunnels more often and in greater numbers. It was an effective mechanism to both set a time limit on the challenge and put additional pressure on the person undertaking it.
By removing the group’s ability to meditate while the trial was active, that mechanism became even more restrictive. There would be no chance to truly recover until the test was over.
Either they had to defend Mark until he passed, or the fight would drown them under the weight of their fatigue. Deeper challenges would only be more difficult.
Despite the pressure the group was put under, though, the actual danger they faced was minimal.
If the person undertaking the test was fast enough, the group might only face a token opposition. And if they ever did get overwhelmed, it was possible for the person who’d initiated the challenge to give up the trial at any time. The System would make the monsters disappear, but challenger wouldn’t be able to try again. Their biggest opportunity would be wasted, and the rest of the group would have one less chance to be rewarded.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Dylan opened his eyes, and stood up.
There was already a small pile of spider corpses forming at either passage. Rowan easily added another at his. It was still relatively early in the trial. They only faced the weakest of the spiders, and they were only coming one or two at time.
Dylan glanced at his mana.
[Mana: 58/101]
Almost enough to summon his deck, but not enough to maintain it long enough to do much of anything. There were only more than a dozen cards left that weren’t out of play, and he’d already used Mana Surge during a hectic moment in the last fight. Even if he’d wanted to, he wouldn’t be able to gamble on drawing it to help fuel is deck.
He could only wait until his mana had regenerated enough naturally.
Noticing a lull in the fight, Dylan called out, “We can’t meditate during the trial. System’s doing something to interfere with it.”
“Great.” Rowan kicked a spider corpse.
“We’ll keep that in mind,” said Chester. “We’re doing okay for now.” The man paused. “Mark, how’s the challenge going?”
“Fine.” A terse response.
Dylan turned around to see Mark wandering around the scattered herbs. He looked to be at a loss about something.
“What is the challenge?” Jaiden asked.
“Make the orchid bloom.”
It sounded simple enough, but Mark was obviously frustrated.
Dylan watched and frowned as Mark knelt down and placed his hand on the red fronds of a plant in front of him.
It looked like he was using Herbal Communion. The skill was the cornerstone of the class. It allowed Herbalists to enter into a kind of psychic link with the plants they worked with, letting them read and deduce information from the mana flowing through the plants they touched. With practice, the skill could communicate information as basic as the health of the plant to information as advanced as the precise nutrient combinations the plant would need to accentuate a specific one of its properties. Even if an Herbalists had never seen or heard of the plant they were examining, proper use of Herbal Communion would allow them to work without issue.
Dylan had seen his mother use the skill countless times. There was nothing wrong with the way that Mark was examining the herb.
The reason he was frowning was that Mark shouldn’t have needed the skill at all.
The plant he was kneeling in front of was a sangverve fern. While it wasn’t the most common herb, it had somehow managed to spread itself to all corners of the world in the 150 years since the System had arrived. It was often used in healing potions and supplements. Its properties had long been researched, and its high demand from crafting professions meant that even if Dylan hadn’t studied with his mother, he would have been familiar with it.
But Mark was taking an extended period of time to commune with the plant.
Dylan looked around the garden, and saw no visible signs of progress toward completing the trial.
He turned to Sara. “Has he been doing this the whole time?”
The girl nodded.
Dylan though for a moment. The rest of the group hadn’t been given the detailed instructions of the task, and so, all he had to go on were the things in the space and what Mark had said about needing to make the orchid bloom. But that was enough.
It was clear that Mark was supposed to use the Herbal Communion skill on the lunadera orchid to learn about its current health and maturity level as well as what it required to grow. Then he would need to use a combination of the other herbs in the garden and the rest of his class skills to help the flower bloom. And Mark looked like he was doing that.
But if he had to commune with every herb in the garden to find the ones he needed to complete the task, he would never finish before the monsters became too much for the rest of the group to handle. Even if they were only on the second set of challenge doors, they would be overwhelmed.
Looking back at the fight for a moment, Dylan made a decision. “I’m going to help.”
He stepped toward the frazzled looking Herbalist.
“Mark,” Dylan said once he was a few steps away, “what do you need to complete the task.”
“I already told you,” the boy snapped. “Make the orchid bloom.”
“No,” Dylan said, doing his best to make his voice calm. “I’m asking you what, specifically, do you need to make the orchid bloom?”
“Plant stuff.”
“Mark, I’m trying to help here. Be serious.”
“And how can you help? Your stupid cards can’t do shit about this.” Mark flicked the fern in front of him.
Dylan tightened his lips before taking a breath. “Look, it’s obvious that you’re out of your depth here. If I help guide you, things might go faster.” Looking over to the fight, he saw that venomous spiders had begun to appear. “They can’t keep fighting forever.”
“And how would you do that? Guide me?”
“My mother’s an Herbalist. Although I don’t have the class skills you do, I’m familiar with how they work. I’ve also either seen or read about a lot the herbs in this garden.” Dylan grabbed Mark’s shoulder and turned him around so that he could look the boy straight in the eye. “Let me help.”
Mark, obviously upset with being moved, looked like he wanted to yell at Dylan, but he stopped himself. His eyes showed a mixture of anger, nervousness, fatigue, and frustration. And behind it all was a deep worry that Dylan thought was bordering on fear.
“Please. Let me help you.”
After a moment Mark nodded. It was a small movement, head bobbing less than an inch, but it was enough.
“Right,” Dylan began, “so, what do you need?”
Mark explained the growth requirements he’d been able to sense from the lunadera orchid, and then explained how he was supposed to make a nutrient solution from the herbs in the garden to help the flower meet those requirements. He’d been using Herbal Communion to look for plants with the properties he needed to extract to make the solution.
After asking what for more details, Dylan began to guide Mark around the garden, pointing out the herbs he thought might be helpful.
“I don’t know what the other few are, you’ll have to commune with them to see which ones have what you need.” Dylan pointed out the herbs he was unfamiliar with.
“Thanks.” Mark, visibly calmer now that he had direction, then muttered, “I hardly know anything about these plants.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, why did you choose to be an Herbalist?”
“My class wasn’t there.” Dylan noticed the anxiety return around the corner of Mark’s eyes. “I’ve trained for it my whole life, and my class wasn’t there. I had to pick random.”
“It’ll be okay. I picked random too. I’m still figuring out this whole card thing.” Dylan patted Mark on the shoulder. “Take your time, do what you can, and you’ll be fine.” He gave the boy a gentle push toward one of the plants he had left to identify.
While the Herbalist worked, Dylan checked his mana.
[Mana: 70/101]
He could finally summon his deck, but after looking over to the fight, he decided not to for the time being. The rest of the group was still handling the spiders fine, and so far, none of the lizards had shown up.
Not knowing how long it would take for Mark to prepare the nutrient solution or how long it would then take for the orchid to bloom, Dylan decided to wait to act until the others actually needed him. It would be a waste to use his few remaining cards now, only to leave himself powerless again if the challenge dragged on for too long.
Next, he looked at the flower at the center of everything. The lunadera orchid.
He’d never seen one in person before. They were very rare and had useful effects on mana regeneration, meditation efficiency, and general mental well-being. But the flowers found it hard to grow to maturity.
It was difficult for them to survive in the wild because they had a strong bioluminescence when they were about to bloom that attracted predators. But it was also difficult for them to bloom when cultivated by humans. They required strict environmental and nutritional conditions to reach full maturity, and most people, even most Herbalists, couldn’t provide everything the plant needed.
Dylan suspected that the System had set up the challenge space to accommodate the orchid. Without extra support that Mark was too inexperienced to provide, the trial would be impossible.
I wonder what would be different if the same trial appeared deeper in the dungeon.
Pushing the thought from his mind, Dylan watched Mark work, occasionally providing tips based on experience he’d gained with his mother.
By the time the Herbalist had extracted what he needed to make the nutrient solution, the sounds of fighting behind them became more intense. Dylan turned to see a pair of lizards had joined the spiders in attacking the rest of the group.
He hesitated with whether or not to summon his deck, but the others seemed to still have the situation under control. He chose to continue helping Mark.
A few minutes later, and the Herbalist carried the solution he’d made over to the flower. He took a deep breath and said, “Wish me luck.”
Dylan just nodded. He watched as the boy applied the nutrients to the orchid and activated another Herbalist skill. This one helped promote plant growth, and with the aid of the System’s trial space, the effect was immediate.
The flower became larger, healthier, and more vibrant.
Mark had already mentioned how, in the details of the trial the System had shown him, there’d been a mention about accelerated growth, but even still, Dylan was surprised. A maturation process that should have taken close to a year was happening in the space of moments.
A gentle fragrance spread through the room as the air around the plant began to glow.
The monsters behind him howled as if they’d been given stimulants, and he heard Rowan curse. Just as Dylan was about to rush back to help, it was done. The flower bloomed.
White petals opened with a puff of light. A halo that resembled a waxing moon formed in the air above the plant. An eerie quiet settled in the room. Battle continued, but the clash of steel and the roars of monsters found no purchase in the air.
Dylan almost would have thought that he’d gone deaf if he hadn’t also heard a sound coming from the orchid. It was alien in a way he didn’t know how to describe. It was the path of the moon across the sky. It made no sense, but that was what his brain insisted he was hearing.
As the halo of light grew, becoming more and more full, the sound rose through his mind with the moon, until, finally, it was complete.
He felt refreshed.
He felt clarity.
Mana swam through the room, revitalizing everything it touched.
As it passed, the image of the moon began to wane.
Noise slowly came back, but there was no more fighting.
Dylan looked behind him to see the last of the monsters in the room dead. Those still in the passage turned and fled.
The challenge was over.
[Congratulations on finishing the Herbalist’s Trial.]
[As a reward, you will be given 5 copies of Card: Blank Card.]
That’s it? Dylan wondered. I know it’s only the second set of challenge doors, but I was hoping for something more substantial.
He felt a vibration come from the void that held his card catalog. The System depositing the extra Blank Cards in the book.
Then there was a vibration in the room. The walls began to flow like liquid again. The two channels the monsters had used were shut and the original entrance and exit were restored.
Dylan instinctively looked toward where they would go next. Maybe it was a result of reshaping the room, but the spiderwebs were gone. The image of the moon had dissipated, but the flower was still glowing, releasing motes of light that drifted in the air. With a clear line of sight and illumination to guide his eyes, he could see the entire length of the corridor.
It was shorter than he’d expected, maybe thirty feet. He saw a stone room at its end. It looked almost identical to the one the group had arrived in at the beginning of the dungeon. The only difference was that the wooden gate had been replaced with bronze.
Dylan smiled. That room meant one thing.
The end of the first section of the dungeon.