Chapter 233
Jay's group's assigned monitor was an older woman with a calm disposition that didn't seem at all bothered by all of the commotion that day. She walked over to Jay's group in a business like manner and stopped a foot or two away from them. She didn't introduce herself but made sure that she had the right group.
“M'redith, Jay, Aiden, Norri, and Carly? Do I have all of those names right?” she asked in a voice like a third grade teacher as if she were corralling school children.
The group all nodded until M'redith spoke up. “Yes.”
The monitor finally nodded as she had gotten the answer she had been looking for.
“Come now, we don't want to be late,” she said and turned on one heel and marched off towards the Portal House building.
Jay and the group hurried to catch up to her and fell in to line behind her in their standard marching order, M'redith, Norri, Jay, Aiden, and Carly.
As they entered the building Jay saw that papers were hung in hallways and on doors with directions so that everyone would know where to go. The building had been pretty much taken over by the Adventurer's Guild that day and the hallways were stuffed with students and monitors.
Jay was momentarily thankful for the bright orange colors of the sashes, otherwise it would have been tough to keep track of their monitor as she pushed her way through the crowded swarm of students.
With a huff she pushed open a door with a sign on it that let the monitor know that this one was for her and her group. She entered the room and her assigned group followed her inside.
The room was set up as it always was for the most party – a large table with chairs enough for a full group and one or two other people, two doors – one that led outside and another that led in to the room where the actual portal would be cast, and that was it save for the sealed envelopes that were all laid out on the table.
Each envelope had a name on it and as they all gathered around the table they switched spots so that they'd be in front of their assigned seats. The monitor made an encouraging motion with one hand and sat down.
“Come,” she said in her school teacher voice, “have a seat students. You don't have much time so don't dally.”
Aiden looked over at Jay and made a face, “Dally?” he whispered at Jay and Jay smiled.
“Pay attention!” the school teacher slash monitor snapped and M'redith frowned at Jay and Aiden.
Jay had the good graces to look contrite but Aiden frowned and pouted a bit.
“Your exercises, and what you will be graded on, begin now,” the monitor said with a slight frown which she directed towards Aiden.
Norri made a move to pick up her envelope and the monitor shook her head.
“Do not open your envelopes until instructed to do so.” the monitor pointed out and Norri carefully dropped her folder back on to the table.
“You have each been provided a sealed envelope. You are not to open the envelope until instructed to do so. Once you are told to open the envelope you are to follow the directions inside. Please take your envelopes and put them away in a safe place now,” the monitor said with a nod.
They each reached out and picked up the sealed envelopes and then stuffed them in to their backpacks, packs, or pouches, depending on the person.
The monitor waited until all of the envelopes had disappeared before she continued. “Next. Your exercises will all be timed events, you should keep that in mind while working through them. Should you fail to complete a task before time runs out then you will fail today's exercises and will be escorted to an administration building for processing.”
Those of them who hadn't been too nervous about the exam, as that is what it truly was, were quickly becoming nervous as they received their instructions.
“Should you feel that you are unable to continue you may at any time quit the exercise and will then be escorted to an administration building for processing.”
The room had become so quiet that the occupants could hear each other breath, in and out. They were all breathing quickly even though they were seated.
“You will not be told how you are doing, how close you are to finishing, how much time is left for an activity, or how many activities are left for you to complete. All you will be provided with is enough information to arrive at your next activity.”
Their monitor took out a stop watch on a lanyard and looped the lanyard around her neck. She held it out in front of her and squinted as she tried to get her eyes to focus on the small device. After some additional squinting she squeezed a button with her left hand and let the entire thing fall and rest against against her chest as she looked up and spoke.
“We begin. Not all dungeons are in safe places, nor are they all easy to access. Some are surrounded by monsters, bandits, or worse – sentinels,” the monitor said in a lecturing tone of voice.
“What is a sentinel?” Carly asked.
M'redith and the monitor both frowned at Carly. The monitor shook her head almost sadly. She didn't look upset, she instead looked really disappointed. “There will be no questions. Please be silent.”
Carly nodded and said “Sorry,” quietly, almost under her breath.
The monitor drew a breath and continued. “Your first task is to reach your assigned dungeon alive. Should you reach the dungeon without any of your party sustaining any injuries then you will each be awarded extra points.”
The mood had taken a turn. Those were not encouraging terms, Jay thought to himself as he scratched at his neck under the collar of his leather armor.
Also, what points? Jay didn't recall anyone explaining anything about a point system – it had all been pass or fail up until that moment. It seemed that the grading for the day's exercises were more complicated than he had anticipated.
“M'redith,” the monitor said in a voice louder than she had been using, “you will be given a device that should lead you to your dungeon. Your task is to lead your team through the portal and arrive at the dungeon without losing any party members.”
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
A brief moment of silence passed before the monitor smiled.
“You may now begin,” the monitor finally said.
M'redith bolted to her feet so quickly that it caught Jay off guard. He climbed to his feet a bit slowly and she motioned at him to hurry up. “Let's go!”
Everyone got up and checked their gear to make sure everything was where it should be and tied down securely. Finally satisfied with her group M'redith turned and led them in to the next room where a portal had already been cast in to being in the middle of the room.
An attendant nodded towards M'redith and then at their monitor who was standing behind the group.
“Whenever you're ready, the portal is ready to go,” the attendant said with a smile. M'redith was handed a tiny device that would lead her to their dungeon. “And good luck!” the attendant quickly added.
M'redith smiled, said “Thank you,” in a nervous voice, and then walked quickly through the portal and vanished.
The rest of her group filed through as well at a decent rate of speed.
After all of the students had passed through the portal the monitor straightened her sash and waved at the attendant who nodded in greeting before the monitor began to fade from view.
The monitor hadn't yet passed through the portal but was instead disappearing in to some sort of stealth. She was all but impossible to make out now except for a hazy outline and would be able to follow behind M'redith's group so that she could grade their performances.
Not wasting another moment she invisibly passed through the portal and to the other side. Moments later the portal snapped shut with a crackling sound and the mage who had been casting the portal slumped a bit.
-----
Unknown Location, Eden
Jay passed through the portal and when he arrived stepped aside to make room for the next arriving person. And then promptly threw up.
Something was different. Normally portal use didn't upset his stomach as this most recent passage had. What was different? Had something gone wrong?
He didn't have long to think about that before his brain replaced those thoughts with some other, even more important ones.
It was pitch dark. Not just early morning darkness either but stormy darkness. It was also pouring out and as he crouched in the rain a sudden flash of lighting lit up the world around him for just a brief instant.
They were in a jungle of some kind. There were trees and moss and the ground was loamy and soft, and felt almost spongy in the pouring rain. The light faded as quickly as it had arrived and the world around Jay was again plunged in to almost absolute darkness.
Someone had turned a lamp on so that they could see. Jay looked about him and saw M'redith and Norri standing off to the side and joined them as others continued to pass through the portal. Everyone was crouched over thanks to the rain, as if hunching their shoulders would offer any protection against the elements.
Once everyone had gathered M'redith checked her tiny dungeon finding device and looked about until she had gotten her bearings.
“Everyone good?” she asked and looked at Carly pointedly. Carly, as well as the others, nodded in reply.
“Look, we're wet and tired and miserable, but remember – Jay can dry us off once we get in the dungeon so just try to put up with it for now, ok?” M'redith said with a tiny smile that was almost impossible to see in the darkness.
“Jay, we need you to use your mask. I'm really hoping that you brought it?” M'redith asked in a hopeful voice.
Jay put his hand to the opening of his backpack and withdrew the mask using his Traveler's Inventory system. Not having to go through the entire bag himself was a huge benefit of being a Traveler at times, like now, in the dark and in pouring rain.
Rain cascaded down his head as he placed the mask on his face and waited a moment for it to adhere to him. He released it and it stayed in place, attached to his face.
Carly shivered in the rain, “I hate that thing – it makes you look like a monster.”
M'redith frowned, “That may be but it's going to get us through this jungle alive, so don't hate on it too much.”
Jay smiled behind the mask, not that anyone could tell.
“New marching order, so listen up,” M'redith said as everyone leaned in so that they could hear her over the rain. “Jay takes point as he's the only one that can really see in this. Then me, Norri, Aiden, and Carly. We move slow and make sure we stay together. Questions?”
Everyone shook their heads or said no.
“Great, then let's...” was as far as she got before they heard a loud noise. It was a mix between a trumpet and a roar. Whatever it was, it was terrifying, and another one answered it from the opposite direction.
“Hide! Turn that light out!” M'redith hissed as they all hit the ground and found shelter under the surrounding foliage, of which there was a great deal of.
As they hid under the jungle greenery the ground under them shook as something massive approached. They could all tell that it was growing closer as the tremors grew stronger with each step.
It was there, with them, Jay could tell, as the footsteps had ceased. Something huge was nearby them – Jay could hear the rain spattering against it, but it sat motionless, nearby to where they all hid.
A sudden crack of lighting split the dark rainy night and for a brief moment one could make out something. Two legs. Lots of feathers. A wedge shaped head. No eyes but instead a solid shimmery band that ran across where it's face where the eyes should be.
A nearby tree caught in the wind and brushed up against the beast and it hunched down and thrust its body against it until the tree snapped. As the tree fell the monster's head whipped around on a sinuous neck and a burst of blue light shot out from the shimmery band on its face.
The blue light bathed the area around the falling tree in a hazy blue luminescence before the entire thing burst in to flames which the rain did nothing to quench. Flames ate away at the tree until it was nothing but a black husk. The flames did not spread, there was far too much water falling for that, and once the tree had turned entirely black the flames disappeared all on their own.
The area around them was quiet for a moment before a booming thunder rolled across the jungle around them. Rain continued to fall as steam rose off of the fallen tree.
The monster thrust its head in to the night sky and trumpeted loudly. Other trumpet calls answered it in the far off darkness and with a sudden motion the creature lurched forwards once again and charged through the jungle.
Jay's group remained motionless. He could hear the creatures call to each other and the calls grew further and further away as water continued to stream down off of him in his hiding place.
M'redith was the first to stand up once the calls had receded far enough off in to the distance.
“Come on, let's go,” she said in a low voice that barely carried over the rain. “We need to be quiet. Also, Carly?”
Carly looked over at her, surprised to be called out. “Yes?” she answered with a worried look.
“That, was a sentinel. They guard the area around the dungeon, so that must mean we're close.” M'redith said with a frown before she turned and pointed. “Ok, let's move out. Jay?”
Jay nodded and looked around for a good path through the jungle in the direction which M'redith had pointed. After he'd gotten his bearings he set out and the others followed along behind him.
Quietly.