Walking up to the line of guardsmen, bustling around. One Guard with a heavier set of armor on came towards us, carrying a long polearm by his side.

Slamming his polearm into the ground, He said, “Do you have your tokens from Eden?”

He could obviously tell we were participating in Eden’s trials, but I was worried, I don't remember anything about a token.

“Oh, I almost forgot, here they are, this one belongs to him,” Madison said, pulling the tokens from her spatial focus, showing them to the guard.

“Here’s my token,” Alfred said, handing his token over to the guard.

Closely inspecting our tokens, as his hand glowed a brownish-red color, the guard said, “These seem to check out. You can proceed, but be careful those vermin are slippery.”

Turning to me, and handing me a white-stone token, She said. “Sorry I completely forgot to give this to you this morning.”

Passing through the line of guardsmen, into the south slum. The minute we passed through the ward separating the west end from the south slum. Choking, as I felt the air get pulled from my lungs. Panicking from the lack of air, with my vision blurring. Falling to my knees heaving, trying my best to breathe. I could feel a pair of hands on my arm, hearing a voice shouting at me, but it sounded so far away.

“Kyle, Kyle, are you okay what's wrong?”

In my frenzy to get air, the edges of my vision started to go black. I felt my talent flare to life, causing my perception to sweep away from my body. Some form of instinct kicked in as I sensed the sparse mana in the air. Pulling with everything I had, I felt the mana swirl through the air, coating me in a film of ambient mana.

Finally, as my heart stopped hammering in my chest, as I caught my breath. I felt another pair of hands on my other arm. Still a little out of it, as Madison and Alfred helped me up. Standing, working out the tension in my body. I said, “Sorry, I don’t know what happened, I just suddenly couldn’t breathe and I panicked.

With a frown of worry on her face, Madison said, “It’s fine, are you sure your okay, do you need a minute. Maybe we should head back?”

Shaking my head, smiling, I said, “No, I’m fine. We can get going, I’m good, I promise.”

Finally feeling like I wasn't dying, taking in the south slums for the first time. Even with the damage from the recent infestation of long-tailed scrapers. I could still tell the south slum from before the infestation, wasn’t in the greatest condition. Timeworn buildings lined the broken streets, varying sized rubble littered the ground. But I think, what caught my attention the most. Was, even with the layer of mana, dampening my sense of mana. I could still feel the ambient mana or lack thereof, just little wisps of mana floating around.

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Carefully, constantly checking our surroundings, walking deeper into the south slums. My shoulder-blades began to itch, from the tension. After sweeping several alleys, for vermin. The setting sun casting long shadows against the sandstone walls. Whispering to Madison and Alfred I said, “Maybe we should go deeper? I don’t think they’re this far out.”

Keeping her eyes moving, looking out for possible dangers. Madison said, “I agree, we’ve been at this for a half-an-hour, and nothing to show for it.”

Shadowing, Madison’s every move, Alfred said, “Why not, but I think we should go in a different direction. I don't like walking in a straight line like this.”

Walking in a zig-zag path through the jagged and torn streets, with dust, and dirt constantly flying up, blocking our vision. Hearing a Screech!! Come from further down the street we were on. I didn’t have time to process the sight of the creature, scurrying towards us. Before Madison’s mana filled my vision, like a giant pyre burning a bright red color. Having only a few seconds of warning before a wave of fire spewed from her hands. Incinerating not only the screaming creature but also everything else on the street in front of us, leaving nothing but black-soot behind.

Shocked, looking on as steam rose up from the chard stone. Turning to Madison, I said, “That was a bit overkill, for just one scraper, don’t you think?”

Laughing Alfred said, “Madison… you probably did more damage to south slum than that long-tailed scraper ever did.”

Embarrassment coloring her face red Madison said, “I Can’t help it, it was the first thing I thought to do.”

A Screech! Louder than the last one. Interrupted our banter, as five more long-tailed scrapers clawed their way onto the street we were on. This time I could clearly see what the creatures looked like; their long-reptilian claws scraping away at the stone, long barbed tails swinging in the air. Showing us their Pointed rows of teeth, as they hissed at us. They looked like someone combined a rat, and a dog together. Just to add a touch more nightmare threw in a rattlesnake.