The tree was twisted, with gnarly branches and lacking any leaves. To most casual observers, it would have seemed dead. But as Elijah laid his hand on the trunk, feeling the rough bark beneath his fingers, he couldn’t deny the sense of vitality it exuded. It was alive, and in the truest sense of the word. Its existence was clearly characterized by struggle – against its environment, against circumstances, and against its very nature – and defying all odds, it was winning.

There was a powerful lesson there, though Elijah wasn’t certain how to put words to it. It was more of a feeling, an idea that, even amidst so much lifeless junk, nature could persist. It could even thrive, so long as sacrifices were made. The tree was not aesthetically beautiful. No one would call it that. But the scene it set, of a lone holdout among so much waste and destruction, was striking in a way that very few others could match.

“That’s an ugly tree, bro.”

Elijah opened his eyes and glanced back at Dat. “It’s remarkable,” he said. “I wish you could feel how much life is flowing through its trunk. And it’s all going toward keeping it alive. It doesn’t care about pretty leaves or flowers. Its only concern is survival.”

“Aren’t those things part of survival, though? Leaves are for photosynthesis, right?” Dat asked.

“With ethera, I don’t think photosynthesis is really necessary for most plants. Sure, they do it,” Elijah said. “But it’s not the only way for them to survive.”

“Is it sentient?” came another voice. Elijah shifted his eyes to see Benedict looking up at the tree. “Can you communicate with it?”

Elijah shook his head. “No. I think it’s aware, though. I’m not sure how that works, and I can’t talk to trees or anything. But maybe one day,” he said. “There’s a consciousness in there that I can only barely sense. It’s like neurons firing, but at a pace so slow that it’s easy to miss. It’s there, though.”

“Cool, bro.”

“It’s also the reason the robots can’t come here,” Elijah said. “They can’t abide so much life. I think that’s why they attacked us in the first place.”

“Because we’re alive?” asked Sadie, who’d just taken notice of their conversation. They’d all huddled next to the tree, unconsciously basking in the protective aura of life.

“I think so. I’m not sure what the system is trying to tell us with this challenge, but –”

“Who says it’s trying to tell us anything? Aren’t these real places? Like, it’s not a tower, is it? This isn’t manufactured,” she pointed out.

Elijah shrugged. “I think it’s a little bit of both,” he said. He’d been thinking about it quite a bit, and he’d come to the conclusion that the Trial had taken real situations and settings, then integrated them into something a little more akin to what they would find in a tower. “I mean, you all did read that the challenges repopulate, right? Once a week.”

“So those aviaks are back?”

“They were when I conquered the challenge,” Benedict said. Then, he went on to describe his experiences regarding the Singing Cliffs. They were similar to what Elijah and his companions had been through, but some of the details were different. For instance, the nest of aviaks had been located in a giant cave atop the plateau rather than in a sinkhole.

“Interesting,” Elijah responded.

“I think I know what’s goin’ on,” said Kurik, who’d been filing a steel rod into a wicked point, presumably for one of his traps. He looked up. “I don’t come from a well-informed clan, but we have legends ‘bout this kinda thing. I think the first time through a challenge is real. After that, the system just repopulates ‘em, changin’ things a little to keep it fresh.”

“So, we could go back and do it all again?” asked Elijah.

Kurik shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t know ‘bout that, but my guess would be no.”

“Based on what?” asked Sadie.

“Intuition. The system’s got no reason to let us conquer the same challenges over and over again,” the dwarf pointed out.

“I tend to agree, but we won’t know for sure unless we tried to repeat a challenge,” Elijah said. “And even if we can do it, I’d be willing to bet that it won’t be nearly as useful. Maybe it’ll give less experience. I don’t know. But like Kurik said, the idea that the system would reward that kind of thing doesn’t fit. Even with towers, you get diminishing returns for running them over and over again.”

“This is all well and good,” Ron said. “But none of that helps us with those bug-bots out there.”

“Bug-bots?” asked Sadie, raising her eyebrow.

“Seemed to fit,” the Healer responded. “But I’m open to any other labels.”

Dat said, “Benny said he knows where the Engineer is.”

“My name is Benedict.”

“Same difference, bro.”

“It really isn’t,” the man said. “But yes. I found a complex at the center of the junkyard. I believe that’s where we’ll find the Engineer mentioned in the original notification.”

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“But?” asked Sadie.

“But it is well-guarded, and not just by more…bug-bots,” Benedict explained. “There are three wasps, each one the size of an airplane. I saw one group get obliterated by them.”

“We ran into one,” Elijah said.

“And you survived?”

“Barely,” he acknowledged. “Thanks to Sadie, I think. That was some ability you used.”

She nodded, though she didn’t elaborate on the ability’s nature. She didn’t need to, though. Dat had mentioned miracles on a few occasions, and Elijah expected that that was what she’d used. Still, he wasn’t going to press – not about that, at least. He did have something else he needed to discuss with the Crusader, though.

So, once everyone had recovered their strength, they decided to set off through the junkyard, using Benedict’s directions as a guide. Before they left, Elijah pulled Sadie to the side and asked, “Do you want to explain what happened back there?”

“I will not reveal the nature of my –”

“Not the miracle. The other thing. You know, where you and Dat left the rest of us behind and charged a giant demon, thereby putting everyone at risk. You put us into a terrible situation, Sadie. And I’m not usually the type to criticize that kind of thing, but it was out of character enough that I think we need to address it.”

She opened her mouth as if to offer an angry retort, but then thought better of it. After a moment, she took a deep breath, then said, “It’s my core.”

“What do you mean?”

“It means that when I see a demon – or an undead – I experience this white-hot anger that drives me forward,” she said. “The…the angel who granted me this core said that I’d learn to control it over time. And usually I can. But I have to be focused, and that demon came out of nowhere. I wasn’t ready for it, and my body was moving before I could wrangle the rage. It won’t happen again.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Elijah asked. “I have some experience with –”

“I said it won’t happen again,” she interrupted. “Is there anything else you wanted to discuss?”

Elijah shook his head, wishing he’d spoken to Dat instead. But of the two, Sadie was clearly the leader, and he’d thought she was the best option. He regretted listening to those thoughts.

Regardless, he and Sadie soon joined the group, and they left the safety provided by the gnarled tree. Thankfully, the chaos had died down, and there were no bug-bots in sight. However, the group quickly shifted back into their previous patterns, letting Dat and Kurik scout the way while the others remained together. Like that, they progressed through the mountains. Every now and again, they were forced to fight – usually, the cockroach robots – but there were no expansive hordes barring their way.

Like that, hours passed, and eventually, night fell. Under the cover of darkness, the bug-bots became more active and far more aggressive, but so long as they kept their wits about them, the way was safe enough. Then, just before morning, Elijah sensed a vital aura that led them to another gnarled tree. This one was even larger than the last, with a trunk at least twenty feet wide. It was still squat and twisted, though, with the same naked branches that characterized the last one they’d encountered.

It did provide another safe zone, though, and after nearly twenty-four hours of battle, they were all eager to take advantage of the respite.

“So, I notice you use damage over time spells,” said Elijah, glancing at Benedict. The man had been a bit of a disappointment, and though he hadn’t proven to be a burden, it was difficult to imagine that he would be able to survive on his own, much less conquer the Singing Cliffs without help. But perhaps his spells were just unsuited to fighting inorganic creatures like the bug-bots.

“Mostly,” Benedict acknowledged. “I have a couple of direct-damage spells, but they’re not quite as effective as I’d like. Not here, at least.”

The only saving grace was that he could summon a wicked-looking dagger that cut through metal like it was butter. He obviously wasn’t a melee fighter, but that at least had allowed the man to contribute.

“So, what’s your story? What’d you do before all of this?” Elijah asked. “I was a marine biologist, but if I’m honest, kind of an apathetic one. I still don’t know why I chose that field. I’ve been told I don’t even think like a scientist. The curiosity is there, just not the follow-through, if that makes any sense.”

“I…suppose,” Benedict said. “I was a medical examiner.”

“Oh? That’s a cool job. Surprised you didn’t end up as a necromancer or something,” Elijah said.

“What? Why would you say that?” Benedict asked.

“Necromancers aren’t cool, bro,” Dat said.

“Really? I think it’d be kind of neat. You know, having your own army of undead to fight your battles for you? What’s not to like?”

“The smell and the disease,” Benedict said, focusing on something in the middle distance. “Corpses are not sanitary.”

“And necromancers have a tendency to take a forceful hand in building their armies,” Sadie pointed out. “We had a problem with that in Hong Kong. With all the deathly energy coming from the Primal Realm, a few people ended up going down that path. They had power, but ultimately, it always took over. There was one guy who was fighting on our side for a while. He had the best intentions. But then, something happened, and he turned on us. We still don’t know why, but he ended up killing nearly a hundred people – all experienced fighters – before we could defeat him.”

“He still got away, though,” Dat added.

“Maybe he had a good reason?” suggested Elijah. “I mean, people suck, right? It’s not unthinkable that they attacked him first.”

“They didn’t,” Sadie said.

“But –”

Dat interjected, “Just drop it, bro.”

Elijah sighed, but he didn’t persist. However, in his experience, people brought a lot of prejudices with them, and the word necromancer came with a host of preconceived notions. He obviously didn’t know what had happened back in Hong Kong, but he couldn’t help but wonder if Sadie’s people were really as innocent as she’d made them seem. After all, her own attitude suggested that she would attack first and ask questions later if she was confronted with someone she deemed evil. It wasn’t out of the question that others might hold similar attitudes toward the sort of person who could raise the dead.

Regardless, that conversation put a damper on the mood, and the rest of the night passed without much interaction between the members of the group. So, when they rose the next morning, there was a pervasive and sour mood hanging over them all. Elijah offered everyone coffee, which helped a little, but only for a while. Thankfully, they had the challenge to distract them.

For the next few days, the group gradually made their way through the mountains of trash. At times, they could keep to the valleys, but there were plenty of situations that required them to scale cliffs of rubbish. Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any organic waste, which meant that it was a little more sanitary than one might expect. Still, it was not a pleasant experience, and it was one that Elijah – as well as all the others – would have preferred to avoid.

So, when they finally reached their destination, they experienced a wave of relief. However, that only lasted long enough for them to truly take stock of the situation. When they did, their annoyance was replaced by despair.

Ron said it best when he asked, “How the hell are we supposed to do get in there?”