I figure if I am going in the water, I should strip down to my trunks. There is no point in getting my armour wet and if I need to swim… well I don’t have the swimming skill so I had best be as little weighed down as possible.
I looked at the lake with my Spectral Vision (Heat), and it looked warmer than the air but not overly hot. I wasn’t fooled. This Trial has a way out. If you start in and can’t handle it, you call to exit, and you will end up on the beach.
You might think this trial is not going to kill me, but what it is doing is trying to make me fail. There is going to be a lot of pain, and I will always know I can make it stop by simply calling out. The exit is going to be very tempting, and it will always be available. This Trial is like all the rest. It is trying to make me fail and stop me from getting my reward.
I put a foot in the water; it feels warm but doesn’t hurt.
Why am I doing this? Was that document enchanted and I have been infected with the madman’s disease?
In the book on Classes, I saw that many advanced classes required the Secondary Attribute Endurance. Where else would you be likely to get that? I figure I had endured a lot in the Land of the Undying Lord, and this may be something else the Trial cheated me out of. This Trial might do the same. You can’t trust Trials.
So why am I doing this again? The water is up to my knees now. The water was unpleasantly hot but not painful. Yet. Am I going to feel like I am boiled alive? Why am I doing this? I should be snuggled in my nice warm bed, not here, thigh-deep in boiling water. There are three or four hours before dawn. I should go back to bed.
The heat seems to bypass my Toughened Skin. The pain does not seem to be causing damage, as nothing is triggering Minor Regeneration. My Constitution is reasonable and boosted by the Spectral Slayer Class. Constitution will resist damage, but it won’t lessen the pain.
There has to be a pain resistance skill. Maybe I will get that because it is getting worse. And up to my chest now. Do I have to swim?
I need a mantra to focus on rather than the pain.
“Fuck you, Trial.”
I started repeating it out loud.
“Fuck you, Trial.”
“Fuck you, Trial.”
This is my mantra: I will not let you win.
“Fuck you, Trial.”
Neck deep.
“Fuck you, Trial.”
I am being boiled alive, and still, Minor Regeneration is not kicking in; well, “Fuck you, Trial.”
How far do I need to go?
“Fuck you, Trial.”
“Fuck you, Trial.”
This is never-ending.
“Fuck you, Trial.”
Then the water gets shallower but, for some reason, hotter.
Suddenly, I am facing a wall of flame.
“Well, fuck you, Trial.”
I wade through the fire as my whole body is wracked in pain. It goes on and on, and finally, I collapse on a beach, curled up and whimpering. “Fuck you, Trial,” I whisper.
Quest Complete.
You endured the Burning Lake and passed through the Purifying Flame.
Constitution +1. You have unlocked the Secondary Attribute Endurance +1.
You have 1000XP
You may collect your reward.
I am an idiot. I didn’t need to do this. I have been infected by the madman.
I sit up and see a reward chest on the small rise.
Did the trial only give me a single point in Endurance? This was worth more than that, you cheating trial. All trials are the same. The attribute will unlock a lot of advanced classes even with only one point, but still. Endurance gives Constitution and therefore Stamina a nice boost, though. A very nice boost.
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I checked my status, and my Constitution has gone up one.
Eventually, I got up and opened the chest. There were two small stones and a ring.
The first stone gives me Fire Resistance, which starts at level 3, so that is something.
The second stone gives me the skill Burning Strike. This is a weapon skill like Holy Strike. I can't cast it like I used to with Firebolt. I have to use it with a strike of a weapon or my hands. It is a very useful skill.
The ring was a weapon ring. I put it on and fed a little bit of mana into it. A large knife appeared in my hand. The knife had enchantments, and it afflicted a burning condition on the wound without any further input or mana from me.
I had my storage, but this was definitely more convenient. It was a high-damage knife with a burning effect that I could use with a thought. I was quite pleased with this. It has the same effect as Burning Strike, but at no cost to me in mana.
I found myself suddenly back on the beach, only wearing my trunks. I engaged Spectral Cloak, so it appeared I was wearing my street wear.
The sun was high in the sky. It looked like it was lunchtime, so it had taken around 10 hours of pain. I walked around the bank to the Roasting Rabbit and entered by the side door.
“Marvin! You missed breakfast. Lunch is almost ready if you are hungry.”
“Thanks, Mags. I will be down to grab some soon.”
“Sure thing,” said Mags, “and don’t be depressed about it. A lot of people try the Trial and can’t go the distance.”
“Oh, right,” I said, reeling a bit. “Thanks.”
I went up the stairs. I guess she sees a lot of people come to try the Trial. She knew how long it took and assumed I had failed because I was back early. Ok. Interesting. I am just going to let her keep thinking that.
Then I got to my room, and I actually put on some street clothes. I wasn’t going to wear my armour everywhere. This is a quiet village. I wonder what it would take to get a function for my storage to equip clothes and armour automatically. There is probably a wardrobe function that does it. I wonder what it takes to unlock.
I went back downstairs for lunch. Mags brought me out a plate of stew and bread.
“Mags,” I said, “I’ve decided to go to Slyhill with Edrei at the end of the week. I want to keep the room until then.”
“Sure, no problem.”
“You said Slyhill had an academy, right? They must be in the market for some low to mid-end gear. Do you know the storekeepers there? Any recommendations?”
“Sure. We deal with Lucia and Dean a lot. They run a general store, but all the storekeepers are OK to deal with there. However, if you want to offload some gear here, a travelling emporium arrived this morning and is set up in the square. I had a look. He is well-stocked but doesn’t seem interested in bargaining. You either accept his price or don’t deal.”
“Oh? That is an unusual way to operate. I’ll check him out after lunch.”
I ate a leisurely lunch. As everyone carries a weapon of some sort, I equipped a disguised Shadowbane and Lightreaver. Then, I decided to see what this emporium had to offer. A travelling salesman will buy more items that would be hard to sell locally, plus they might be open to trading in volumes that local stores can’t.
I step out of the door and see the mobile store across the square. Then I see the massive wolf and the emporium owner, who is very clearly Al’rashian. I stop before taking another step, as my intuition and Identify Skill are screaming at me that they are not who they seem. They are incredibly powerful and incredibly dangerous.
It was too late. Both had turned to look at me. The emporium owner was of medium height with the typical angular features of the Al’rashians. The eyes stood out as they were silver. The wolf was huge—certainly a Direwolf. Before me was an Al’rashian and his bond.
I wanted to run. Either of these two could squash me like a bug and probably not notice they had done so, but it was too late. The man was striding toward me with his long legs.
“Hello, young lad. I am Ranar Wygon of clan Wygon. It is a pleasure to meet you. What is your name?”
“Marvin.”
“Come, come, Marvin. I believe we have some business to discuss. Please come into the Emporium, where we can have some privacy.”
I didn’t have any choice. Before I realised it, I was inside the shop, and he was putting a privacy sign on the door. I realised this was more than just a sign. There would be complete privacy until he released it, and I would not go anywhere until he released me.
“Come and have a seat,” said Ranar. “Let me introduce you to Arakai,” referring to the wolf. “Would you like a cup of tea?”
I nodded because I had heard rumours about Al’rashians and hospitality, and I figured that I needed all the protection I could get, even if it was only customs.
“Now,” he said when we had our cups. You have a problem I believe I can help with, and I believe you have been sent with some Al’rashian artefacts that I can help you with.”
“Sent?” I said as this was sounding a lot like a scam. He obviously knew about the Raiment. I am not sure how, but with someone this powerful, he may have talked to the gods themselves. “I fought and bled for those artefacts.”
“Indeed,” Ranar said, “and the Trial Keeper was impressed at your achievements. I wish to purchase them from you, and my prices are always fair.”
“What is a fair price for a priceless artefact, or eight?” I asked.
“Or ten,” he corrected, nodding to the swords at my side.
At this point, I was not surprised he could see through the illusions. I was pretty stuffed here. There is no way he is going to let me keep them.
“There is no way we can let a human keep such a legacy. However,” he continued, “The fact that you could even soul bind the sword and dagger means you have some Al’rashian blood in you and high blood at that. I can help you awaken that blood. I won’t say all the clans will be happy with you running around with Lightreaver and Shadowbane, but they won’t kill you immediately.”
“And in payment for this, you require the other eight artefacts?” I asked figuring out where this was going.
“That doesn’t seem fair,” said Ranar, “and my prices are always fair. How about we call it payment for two artefacts, and we discuss the other six.”
That was a better deal than I was expecting. Worst case, I died here. Second worst, he rips the weapons from my soul somehow, and the best scenario, I figured, was walking out with only the swords.
“OK, I am interested,” I said, as this seemed better than my best case. “What are the benefits of awakening the Al’rashian blood?”