The fifth level started with a single chamber. It was a square room, roughly three meters on each side. Like the fourth level, there was an exit through which the group could flee. There also was another door that presumably led to the rest of the level. Above the door was a red cloth banner that simply stated, “The First Chamber.”
Baslin squinted at the banner for a long minute before shrugging and shaking his head. “I can’t read that language. Can you, Duke?”
“Um, sure. It says, ‘The First Chamber’ which seems pretty self-explanatory unless someone wanted to consider this room as the first chamber, I guess.”
“That’s it? No instruction? No grand threat? Nothing?” Elaine asked, her claws unconsciously starting to sprout out of her fingers.
“That’s it. Guess we open the door and see what we’re facing, right?” Duke suggested.
“Nothing much more we can do, is there?” Grat responded as he tossed a seed in front of the door that immediately started sprouting. At the other’s looks, he responded. “What? It’s the last level. I’m not going to hold back even in the first room. We all should know this is going to be tough. The last level would have killed us if Duke didn’t break it. This one has to be harder. We had all better be ready. So, yes, I’m going to prepare before we open the door.”
Nobody had a response to that statement, so Duke opened the door around the growing vine. It opened outwards so the vine thankfully didn’t interfere with its opening. Since nothing attacked immediately, the party stepped into the room with Duke leading. The room was different than anyone had expected. It was bare stone save for the door on the far side that looked exactly like the one they had entered the room through. The only thing in the room was a single occupant – an old man dressed in bright yellow and orange robes who was sitting in the middle of the floor.
“Welcome to the first chamber of the trial. This chamber was designed to teach you something specific, but we all know that you are not here for that – just like all the others. Send forth your champion to face me unarmed. If you win, you may advance. If you lose, well, you know how that works, don’t you?”
Baslin spoke up before anyone else could move. “What is it that we were meant to learn here?”
The man raised an eyebrow, and a smile spread across his face. “It seems that I may have misjudged you. This is good. This chamber is free of distraction so that you may learn the art of meditation. If you wish to learn, sit before me. If not, my original offer still stands.”
Baslin gestured for the group to join him as he sat down before the man giving a bow of the head. They all settled in before the man with similar nods and he began to instruct them. Instruction took a little over an hour, but a new skill was gained by all, Meditation.
“Congratulations, you have all passed the first chamber. Good luck in the next one.” As the man spoke a door appeared on the far wall. The group filtered through to the next chamber in high spirits as the first chamber was less of a challenge than a learning experience.
The second chamber was similar to the first but more equipped. There were several thick poles with various things attached to them. There was one that had a rough wooden block attached, another had some sort of thin oval leather bag attached flatly to it, and yet another had lines of metal inlaid. In the center of the chamber stood a burly man who was dressed in martial robes. He held a scourge in his right hand and was grinning at the group.
“Welcome to the second chamber. Who is prepared for testing and training? Or do you prefer a more direct test?” His eyes flashed with malice at the final question.
Duke took the lead this time. “I am ready for whatever you have to teach me.”
“Very well, step forward and remove your shirt. No need to ruin it for this training.”
Duke stepped forward and stripped down to the waist. There was a small gasp behind him which caused him to look back. He saw Elaine covering her mouth with an embarrassed flush of her cheeks. Grat did not seem to be amused. Duke turned back, not even suppressing his grin.
“Your first task is to strike this bag ten times with each fist. I will examine your hands afterwards to see if you are ready for the next step.” Duke stepped forward and performed a rapid-fire series of alternating punches. He made sure to hold back his full strength because he was sure the pillar would not be able to handle it. As it was, the pillar cracked by the time he was done.
The instructor came over and examined Duke’s hands which were, of course, unblemished. Between his ARMOR SKIN and REGENERATION nothing as simple as a leather bag filled with bits of iron was going to have any effect on him. The instructor nodded in satisfaction and directed Duke through a series of progressively more damaging tests. None were the match for Duke’s Abilities.
“You have done well. Now for the final test. Stand here in horse stance and do not move.” Duke did so and the instructor proceeded to attack him viciously with the scourge. The barbed whips slammed into Duke’s skin doing their best to tear strips from his flesh. And it did a solid job of it, overwhelming Duke’s ARMOR SKIN. Each thrash from the scourge tore a strip of flesh from Duke’s back, arms, or chest. But just as quickly, the wounds REGENERATED.
Duke stayed unmoving as lash after lash struck him for what seemed like an hour. Finally, the instructor stopped and shook his head. “You have not passed this test. You have the fortitude to withstand the pain, but you have not achieved an Iron Body. You may not move on until you do so.”
Duke activated CLEANSE to get all the blood off his skin and fixed the instructor with a fierce glare. He rose to his full height and asked a question dripping with anger. “Show me where your strikes have left even a scratch on my skin?”
The instructor stepped forward to show this insolent child his failure and yet, as he approached, he saw that the skin was unbroken. Not a cut, a slice, or even a scar stood out on the subject’s skin. He paused, considering what this meant for a long moment before speaking again. “Indeed, there is not so much as a blemish upon your skin. Perhaps my judgement was too hasty. You may continue.”
Another door opened and the party filtered through. Grat turned to Duke and asked, “How were you able to stand there and not even flinch when he tore the skin from you?”
“Meditation, of course. Pain is just nerve endings firing. It’s not real, just an abstract that your brain interprets. When in Meditation, just change how your brain interprets such notifications.” Duke responded.
“Monster.” Grat replied as he shook his head while stepping into the next chamber with the rest of the group.
This chamber was different. It was far longer than the previous chambers and seemed to have two paths to the far side. Both paths were about ten meters long and were filled with water. One had meter-long logs floating in it and the other was just water. The instructor stood on the far side of the room.
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“Welcome to the third chamber. This task is simple. Cross the water without getting wet and without touching the walls.”
Without warning, Duke TELEPORTED the group to the other side of the water. “How’s that?”
The instructor growled at Duke but the passage to the next chamber opened. “You learned nothing. Remember that and despair should you even reach the advanced chambers.”
They moved on to the fourth chamber. This one was far larger than the previous ones. It had a pyramidal hill of packed dirt in the center of the room. There were several round stones of various sizes in an otherwise empty pool at the base of the hill. The instructor stood at the base of the hill waiting for them to come to him.
“Welcome to the fourth chamber. Are you prepared for this challenge?”
Grat stepped forward and announced with all solemnity, “Yes, we are prepared.” The rest of the group suppressed smiles but joined him.
“Excellent. Your task here is simple. You must physically carry all the stones in this pool to the top of the hill and place them in the hole there.”
“Well, that sounds easy enough. Let’s get to it.” Elaine announced as she chose a stone from the pool and proceeded up the eight-meter hill. The rest of the group followed suit, each selecting a stone that they felt that they could easily handle. The climb up the hill was steep enough to be annoying but they all managed it fairly easily.
When they returned to the bottom, they noticed that the stones had returned to the pool. Then the grumbling started. Grat was particularly loud about this “pointless exercise.” The instructor stood next to the pool with a fully serene look upon his face.
“Perhaps it is a test of speed,” Baslin surmised. “Step up the pace and see if it makes any difference.” He did just that and the others followed his lead, all moving more quickly up the hill with a stone and back down to grab another. Faster and faster, they climbed, but even when Duke was moving at his fastest speed, they all could see that they were making little headway.
Baslin and Grat collapsed at the base of the hill, catching their breath while Duke and Elaine kept carrying stones to the top albeit at a more reasonable pace. “Since we can’t beat the test with speed, it is either a puzzle of some sort or a test of endurance.” Duke stated when he returned to the base from his latest run. “Elaine and I are going to keep going with this. You two figure out if there is some sort of puzzle that we are missing.”
Hours passed with Grat and Baslin offering all manner of suggestions on how to beat the puzzle. None of them seemed to have any effect but Elaine and Duke continued to carry stones to the top. Duke even put another 40 points into Endurance to bring it up to 300 when he actually started to feel a bit worn from the constant exercise. He could see Elaine was tired, but the set of her jaw told him that she was not going to stop until she collapsed from exhaustion. He continued carrying stones as well but determined to continue as long as it took.
After eight hours had passed and Elaine and Duke had continued nonstop the instructor called out to them. “That is enough. You have passed the test of endurance. You may continue.” As they had become accustomed, a new passage opened up for them. The group started towards the exit but paused when they realized that Duke had not followed.
“Excuse me,” Duke addressed the instructor, “but can I take some of these stones with me?”
The instructor’s brow creased. “That is a truly unusual, if not unique request.” He paused as if pondering the question or receiving instructions in some way. “You may take any stones you wish.”
Duke smiled, thanked the instructor, and pulled the entire pool of round stones into his INVENTORY. Now I have cannonballs!
Baslin looked at Duke and then at the empty pool, and then at the top of the hill. “Think maybe you could have done that in the first place and tossed all the stones into the hole at the same time?”
The instructor interrupted. “That would have been a failure as he would have failed to physically carry them to the top.”
Baslin nodded in understanding. “No shortcuts in any of the chambers.” The others nodded along.
The group continued to the next chamber to find yet another instructor in a mostly empty room. The only decorations were seemingly scattered footprints of different colors on the floor and the walls being covered with paintings of martial poses.
“Welcome, welcome. It has been too long since I have had students. When you are ready to begin, stand upon a green set of starting foot-guides.” The instructor stood back and waited with arms crossed and eyes dead forward. He gave the impression of eternal patience and vigilance.
One by one, the group stepped forward and took one of the green-marked starting positions. Once they were all in place, the instructor moved to stand before them. “You will follow my movements. When I move my left hand, you move your right hand in the same manner. The same goes for your feet and every other part of your body. Since I am facing you, you will see all the movements in a mirrored form. Later, when you are ready, I will turn around, and you will follow along with my movements directly. Is this understood?”
“Doesn’t sound too difficult.” Grat responded. Moments later, an acorn smacked him on the head, and he turned to see Elaine glaring at him.
“Don’t. Tempt. Fate.” She spoke slowly and with careful enunciation, as if instructing a child. Grat grinned sheepishly while ducking his shoulders before turning back to the instructor.
“Very well, we shall begin.” The instructor took the group through a long series of poses before taking them through actual martial arts forms. “I have shown you the 12 basic forms. Please demonstrate your proficiency with them as I observe.”
The four of them went through the forms as best they could between memory and ability. Duke’s stats gave him a significant advantage over most of the group, but it was Elaine who was the first to receive the nod from the instructor on a correct form. Duke was the next, with Grat and Baslin finally getting a single form correct after the fifth review with the instructor.
“You have shown a basic proficiency in martial forms. You may continue.” The instructor informed them as a new passage opened up.
The group started for the passage but Duke pulled up short. Something in how the instructor had said that gave him pause. “A question if I may?”
“Ask your question.” The instructor responded and Duke was sure he could see the faintest smile of anticipation on his face.
“You said we showed a basic proficiency. Would you instruct us up to a higher level of proficiency?”
The instructor’s grin appeared in full form. “It would be my absolute pleasure to do so. Please take your starting positions again. I must warn you that this instruction will be significantly more intense, but the rewards will be far greater.”
Baslin and Grat exchanged glances before Grat asked hesitantly, “Do all four of us need to participate?”
A chuckle and shake of the head later, the instructor continued. “Only those seeking the path of mastery are to take full instruction. All others are excused after gaining bare proficiency.”
Grat and Baslin happily separated and took up station in a corner of the room. Duke and Elaine stepped forward and took their positions and the true instruction began.
A full week later, Duke and Elaine had received more intense instruction than they had ever imagined possible. The basic forms and movements had been fully committed to muscle memory as even more advanced forms and movement were ingrained into them.
“Congratulations, you have completed my full training. This will aid you greatly in the chambers to come.” The instructor smiled at the pair and bowed to them. They returned the bow as they had learned in the basic forms section. When they straightened up, the instructor stepped forward bringing his hands from behind his back. In each hand, he held a cloth bundle that he handed them. “Wear these for the duration of your time here in the chambers and you will be recognized for what you are – Students of Mastery.”
Grat and Baslin got up from their table and started to break down their camp. As the two students had been working on learning their forms, the pair had spent their time researching through Baslin’s portable library and discussing all manner of magical concepts. Only once had a hotly debated topic interrupted the training session causing the instructor to admonish them. They had quieted down quickly as Baslin mumbled something about Tier Seven.
Duke and Elaine grabbed a moment in their respective tents to change before they continued to break down the camp. They emerged wearing their new martial robes of pure white with equally white belts tied around their waists in the strange knots they had been instructed to use.
The group was equally thankful for Duke’s CLEANSE Ability and Baslin’s Create Glorious Food Spells during their long stay in the chamber. Baslin had even confessed to having more than two dozen different Spells to create food. He had joked that he could feed an entire army if he really wanted to do so.
Grat had smiled at that and said that he could probably grow enough food to do the same in a matter of a week or so if he needed too. His increasing pride in his druidic Spells and Abilities was clearly evident.
When the camp was broken down fully, the group exited the chamber offering the instructor a final bow which he returned with a warm smile. “Duke, Elaine, I am impressed that you managed to continue through my entire instruction without taking the time to sleep. You are students of unusual quality, but I do recommend that you find the time to rest soon.”