I was cautious again. I was very conservative with my stamina because, after this dance, it was the last dance for the night. That was the big one.

By this time, I knew the skeletal warriors and their moves. Their dancing was stilted and formulaic. They didn’t step outside the set moves of the formal dance. When I started dancing this evening, I was the same. I didn’t know my partner or my opponents.

Now, I knew my opponents. I knew their moves and their limits. I knew the steps they would take in this dance, as we had danced it before.

But now I was getting to know my dance partner better. We started to move more to the rhythm of the song than sticking to the formal moves of the dance. Basic Axe levelled, and we were more in sync. Don’t over-commit here; that is enough strength in the chop; step here to avoid that thrust and be able to reply; Parry that blow and slam the hilt of the axe into the skull; step, chop, move.

The dance started to make sense with the axe, just like I learned it with my knives.

When I was down to a final dancer, I moved out of the rocks and onto the dusty plain. The Knight brought his horse around to face me and drew his sword. The final dancers were in position. The last song for the night was about to begin.

I stepped back out of the reach of the last minion, turned, and threw the rock at the Knight with everything I had. He saw it coming and turned his face away, so the rock bounced off the side of his helmet with a clang, signalling the start of the last dance.

My opening steps were fast as I Dashed toward the Knight, ignoring the minion. By the time the Knight looked back, I was there swinging at him, but the Knight was a new dancing opponent and had moves I had not seen before. The Knight did not use his eyes to see, and his sword was already rising to the opening crash of sound.

My dance partner and I were in sync, and the feint to chop the Knight was modified to the horse's neck, and my beautiful partner dug deep. This was the final dance, and we would hold nothing back.

I had no special skills to empower the strike. If I had my knives, I could have used Thrust, but that does not work with axes. Even though my partner dug deep, we didn’t sever the spine. I dodged under the sword of the Knight and under the neck of the horse. As soon as I appeared on the far side, I cast Burning Light into the wound. My opponent has a healing skill, and anything to hinder that healing and make him use more of his already depleted reserves was of benefit to me.

With the last minion still alive, I was hoping he couldn’t resummon them. The dance picked up the tempo as we clashed axe to the sword in a dance where I tried to keep on the opposite side away from his sword hand, and he tried to bring his horse around.

Then I was in retreat as the horse suddenly reared, and the hooves were striking at me in a quick step. I dove backwards, trusting Acrobatics to orientate me, and it did roll me backwards, so I ended up on my feet. I had to drive to the side as the horse charged forward, and the Knights sword clashed with my axe in a crashing finale to end the opening sequence.

I have used too much Stamina for too little gain. The Knight and the horse soon came back around at me. I got ready for the next movement.

I fainted to the Knight’s offside and then dove the opposite way, bringing the axe in against the same leg I struck in the dance I called Plan A. I was never so pleased with my investment in dexterity than now as I managed to strike the right spot on a galloping hoof. This time, the horse’s movement and the strike left the leg hanging by a thread, and I was channelling Burning Light the whole time.

My dance partner was ripped from my grip and tossed out into the dusty plain, but the horse was down to three feet, and it looked like it would stay that way. They limped back towards me, and I sent burning light into the wound again. Healing it would cost him dearly. I so hoped he was running out of whatever he used for energy.

The Knight dismounted and came striding forward. I moved forward to meet him, wondering if I had anything else I could use, but the answer kept coming up empty. What I had was it. I hope it was enough.

The knight was fast, and the sword kept coming. The Knight was armoured, and I only had a rusted chainmail shirt that was barely hanging together.

I had lost my main dance partner. The substitute mace felt heavy and clumsy.

The only thing that kept me alive was my investment in agility and dexterity. The only things that allowed me to do some damage were my Observant Eyes and my dexterity. The gaps in his armour were small. I doubted most people could hit them constantly, especially with the dance we were engaged in.

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My main damage dealer was my Precision Throw, using my offhand, supported by my Clever Hands and dexterity. The rocks did more damage than I thought they would. Maybe the energy is tied to his health. I hope so.

Parry, block, dodge, throw, and strike were my go-to dance moves, and I was running out of rocks.

The knight was limping now as I pounded his knee and burned what I could. The dance was coming to an end, and the final moves took me by surprise.

The knight's leg finally gave way at the knee, and I moved forward to pound his face to dust when a sword pierced me through from behind. I forgot about the jilted dance opponent from the last dance.

I swung around, and the sword withdrew, cutting the hole through my guts wider as it did so. I brought my dance partner around and took its head but collapsed to my knees, bleeding.

The Knight was also on his knees, but he was not finished with this dance and was coming toward me.

The only way I could survive now was to kill the knight and hope the loot provided something that would heal me.

I parried the sword that came at me. There was no strength behind it, and I threw the rock point-blank at his face. I struck to the side of the nose guard, and the skull cracked, so I threw myself at him and brought my mace down on his face again and again until I collapsed.

I tried to stop the bleeding, but there wasn’t much I could do. I looked around, and the horse was just a pile of bones at the death of the knight, and then the body faded, leaving the loot. The first thing I saw was the health potion. It wasn’t a weak one, either. I drank it quickly, without even appraising it. The bleeding stopped, and the wound healed some but not fully. There wasn’t enough for the finger, either. That might require a bone-mending potion.

“Fuck you, Trial, not even giving me what I need to heal properly. I am still alive, you bastard!” I yelled. I made a rude gesture with my hand.

I had actually been hoping this was the final boss and the trial would be over. Defeat the boss, and you will exit the trial with your final rewards. No such luck. It was only what they call a mini-boss or a floor-boss, even though this trial doesn’t have floors. I don’t even know what the criteria are to get out of here.

I look at the remaining loot. There is a skill stone. Maybe it is a healing skill. No, of course, it is not a healing skill. I learned it anyway because I bloody earned it. It was the Skill Steady Footing. Typical. The bloody trial gives me something I need AFTER I need it.

If I got out of here, it will be a really useful skill. Steady Footing does what it says. Most fighters try to get it, and it keeps them steady in a fight and, at the higher levels, can help counter charge-type skills. That is not why I wanted it. I often find myself in precarious places: narrow ledges in high winds, tight rope bridges, etc. It will be great; I just need to survive.

I collected the coins, and there was not just copper this time but silver. I really think I deserved gold for that. Fuck you, trial.

There was the Knight's Longsword. Spare weapons were always good, even though I had no sword skills. Actually, that is not true. The Thrust skill I got for my knives to penetrate armour can be used with a sword.

This trial is going to be a long one. The Knight also dropped his helmet, so that is good. I really think I need a shield or something. My main worry is that I have no defence against a ranged attack. The trial is out to kill me, so guess what is coming?

I put on the helmet and found the real prize underneath. It is a small white stone, like a Skill stone, but it is not a skill stone. This stone gives me Skill Points, with which I can buy skills. I can get a healing skill with this. It is only one point, but I gather up my axe and the monster core and go and sit and look at what I can get for my skill point.

The list is long, but most of it is greyed out, and I don’t meet the criteria. I am looking for healing skills. Without some sort of healing this trial will kill me. Even a broken finger is significantly hampering me.

There are some awesome weapon techniques, but only the most basic can be bought with only one point. That is not worth spending it on. I scratch in the dirt what options I have.

Purification… no, that’s two points. Area Purification, 5 Points. Basic Heal, no two points. Area Heal, 5 Points. Wound Stitch is one point. It stitches closed wounds, and that is it. Basically, it stops bleeding. My wound is closed, and I am not bleeding, so this is too limited. Bone Mend, 3 points. Curse cleanse 3 Points.

Fuck this trial. It teases me with a single point, and I need two for a Basic Heal Skill. I am going to have to keep this point and earn another somewhere. This trial is definitely out to kill me.

I look at the XP I earned. It is almost enough to level Thief again. I could level up Illusionist, as it is cheaper, but it is very limited in use here. Thief is one level from 15, and sometimes, these levels can trigger a second specialisation of the class, so I might wait. What mostly triggers new classes is the acquisition of new skills, and I do have a number of new skills. I look forward to what options open up.

The last thing is the monster core. It is a bigger core than all the others. Did that mean it had a skill? Not necessarily. This was a boss core, and some people claim the chances of a boss core having a skill are greater than an ordinary core, but who knows? Knowing this trial, it will be empty.

The Knight had a healing skill, so that is what I really wanted, but I would settle for the skill to summon minions to fight for me. Any skill would help. Don’t get your hopes up, this trial is out to fuck with me. That’s why I only got one Skill Point when I needed two.

Boss cores are also more difficult to get skills from. My Mana Control and Mana Manipulation are higher than most mages due to me holding and manipulating images rather than just firing off a fire bolt. Only Enchanters and Alchemists would generally have higher skills and they may have even better ones. My Mana Control is on the verge of maxing out.

Ok, enough stalling, let’s do this.