Elijah heaved a body onto the pile, then took a deep breath that he immediately regretted. His sense of smell had recently taken a step forward – or perhaps his Mind was now capable of parsing the sensory information more completely now that it had progressed to the Jade stage – so getting a nose full of decay was especially disgusting. He turned away and saw that the procession of corpses was still ongoing.

“How many, do you think?” asked Ron, who’d discarded his sparkly robe in favor of a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt. His boots were stained with old paint.

“Atticus said that there were more than a hundred dead, not including the Immortals.”

“Damn.”

“Something like that,” Elijah agreed. The outburst of violence had surprised everyone, so they were lucky the damage hadn’t been more extensive. The only reason the death toll hadn’t been higher was because the Immortals, for all their inability to die, made for terrible and undisciplined soldiers. Despite the muggy heat, Elijah felt a shiver travel up his spine, prompted by the notion of a well-trained army of Immortals. If they’d been a little more capable, there was every chance that they would have killed or converted everyone in the Trial.

“Where are the others?” Ron asked. He’d spent most of his time healing the injured, and as such, he wasn’t as familiar with the clean-up efforts as Elijah was.

“Building a pyre for the Immortals. Everyone agreed that burning them is probably for the best. The others…”

“Mass grave,” Ron said, looking at the pile. “Seems almost disrespectful.”

“Some of the survivors already took their friends’ bodies back to Earth. This is the best we can do with the rest,” Elijah said. “We can’t spend weeks digging graves.”

Left unsaid was that it didn’t matter. The dead didn’t care how they were planted in the ground. If there truly was such a thing as the spirit – and Elijah had some evidence that there was – then they’d long since departed. What remained was just rotting meat.

“I can’t keep doing this, Elijah.”

“What do you mean?”

“I need to get back to Nancy. She needs me,” Ron said. “Everyone back home does. My life isn’t just about me. There are people depending on me.”

“Then why did you come here?” Elijah asked.

“Honestly? I don’t know. It almost felt like a compulsion,” Ron said. “We spent so long struggling to survive. Working to get stronger. Then this opportunity comes along, and I got an invitation. I had to take it. I needed to see if I could get strong enough to make a difference. Now, though…”

“Nothing has changed, Ron,” Elijah said. “I mean, I get it. I’ve got people I care about, too. If you feel like you need to go, I won’t try to convince you otherwise. Just let me know before you do, and I’ll make sure you have directions to Ironshore. I don’t know if you’re close enough to get there, but you’re welcome to bring everyone. I won’t say it’s entirely safe. I don’t think that can be said of anywhere on Earth. But it’s probably safer than wherever you’ve been.”

Ron narrowed his eyes, then said, “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”

After that, the man turned and left Elijah to oversee the rest of the burial process. It went on for a couple more hours until, at last, the bodies had been placed – as respectfully as possible – into the pit, then covered. Most of the remaining corpses had belonged to loners, but there were a few tearful faces as they were finally put to rest. For Elijah’s part, he simply stared at the mound of turned earth, his thoughts squarely centered on how quickly those people’s fates had changed. They’d come to the Trial expecting to grow more powerful, and all they’d found was death.

And they weren’t the only ones, either. Elijah had no idea how many had died since the beginning of the Trial of Primacy, but the number had to have reached four digits.

His own path had been difficult enough to suggest that the number would continue to climb. The challenges were deadly. From the very beginning, that had been obvious. Even Elijah and his companions, who were among the most powerful people Earth had to offer, had nearly died a dozen times over.

More near-death experiences would come, too. Of that, Elijah was certain. Given that indisputable reality, perhaps Ron had the right idea.

Once everyone had been buried and the makeshift memorial had concluded, Elijah retreated through the Nexus Town, passing rubble-strewn areas along the way. The battle against the Immortals had taken a heavy toll on the settlement, and that extended to the structures themselves. Fortunately, there were plenty of surviving buildings to accommodate the survivors.

Elijah made his way to the premises established by his friend, Atticus Ariti, who was a high-level Merchant. He’d also gathered the crafters and other non-combatants to work together, creating what he called a Consortium. That had made it much easier for the Immortals – and their leader, Nasir – to practically enslave them, but it had also kept most of them from being caught up in the battle. The vast majority had survived, and some had even taken steps forward in their crafting prowess.

Like everything else associated with the system, life and death struggle made everything more impactful.

Those thoughts skated through Elijah’s mind as he entered the building and found his friend. Atticus was tall, with the broad shoulders and narrow waist of a natural athlete. He also had a large, sharp nose that gave his face the appearance of a bird of prey. He smiled broadly when he saw Elijah.

“My friend, our savior!” he exclaimed, extending his hand. “Welcome!”

“Hey,” Elijah said, taking his friend’s hand. Then, the man pulled him close in a hug. “What’s this for?”

“I’m grateful for everything you did.”

“Other people helped. Sadie and Kurik and –”

“I know, and I will thank them accordingly,” Atticus said, releasing Elijah. “But I believe I know you well enough to recognize that you would have tried, even if no one else had helped.”

Elijah almost blushed at the praise, but he didn’t dispute it. He would have indeed attempted to save Atticus and the crafters, even if his companions had refused to help.

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

“What can I do for you, my friend? Or is this a social visit?”

“Do you and the others intend to repair the rest of the settlement?”

Atticus shook his head. “Most of it, no. But we will ensure that it’s livable and that the Branch is fully accessible,” he said.

“How many of your crafters have left?”

“Four. Two Woodworkers, another Merchant, and a Weaver,” he answered. “More than I hoped, but less than anticipated.”

Elijah nodded. He’d expected more departures as well, but perhaps that was an error in judgement. After all, everyone who’d been given a spot in the Trial was one of the most powerful people in the world, which suggested real dedication, especially for a crafter. There probably weren’t many people in the Trial who were afflicted with a faint heart.

“Can you identify something for me?” Elijah asked. “It’s a reward from one of the Trials.”

“Certainly, my friend. Follow me,” Atticus said.

After that, the Merchant led Elijah away from the building’s lobby – which functioned as a showroom for his Consortium’s wares – and deeper into their headquarters. After a few moments, Elijah followed Atticus into a room populated only by a large, stone table.

“This looks a lot like the one in your shop back in Argos,” Elijah said, running his hand along the smooth stone. The center had been carved with various runes, but the outside edge was polished smooth.

“One of the members of the Consortium is a Stoneworker,” Atticus said. “He specializes in buildings, but he can create all sorts of interesting items. Take this for instance…”

A small, stone statue – maybe three inches tall – appeared in Atticus’ hand. “Limited use enchanted item,” the Merchant went on. “That one provides temporary invisibility, but he has a few others that can give buffs to various attributes. Those only last around ten minutes, and they’re weaker than even low-level class abilities. They don’t stack either, but for the solo combatant, they might give people an edge.”

“Interesting,” Elijah said. “How long does the invisibility last?”

“Forty-five seconds,” Atticus answered. Then, he tossed the statue – which depicted a flame – to Elijah, who caught it with one hand. “Keep it. Three uses left. After that, it’s worthless.”

“Thanks.”

“Now, what did you want identified?” Atticus asked.

In response, Elijah reached into his Ghoul-Hide Satchel and retrieved the Shard of Nature’s Might before setting it in the center of the stone table. A second later, ethera swirled around Atticus, then connected to the table. The Merchant’s jaw dropped.

“What?”

“Here,” Atticus said, waving his hand. A second later, what looked like a system notification appeared in the air. It said:

Shard of Nature’s Might

Overall Grade: Sophisticated (Low)

Enchantment Grade: N/A

Description: The Shard of Nature’s Might is a sanctioned piece of a Branch of the World Tree. As such, it contains an incredible amount of nature-attuned Ethera, making it a peerless crafting component.

“Sophisticated? Have you ever seen anything with that grade?” Elijah asked. He knew that items could be separated between nine grades: Unranked, Crude, Simple, Complex, Sophisticated, Miraculous, Sacred, Deific, and Transcendent. Each grade could be further divided into Low, Mid, High, or Peak.

“No,” Atticus stated. “It’s…this is completely unprecedented on Earth. I am certain of it, my friend. This is the single highest-grade item anyone on our planet has ever seen. Given to the right crafter, it could become a truly world-shattering item.”

“Damn.”

“Indeed. You wouldn’t be interested in selling it, would you?”

“Nope,” Elijah answered. It was a priceless item, and what’s more, as a raw material, it could be put to any number of uses. And finally, it seemed tailor-made for Elijah’s purposes. “Not a chance.”

“Then may I suggest that you allow one of my crafters to work with it?” Atticus asked.

There was a part of Elijah that wanted to do just that. It would give him an immediately useful item that could help to see him through the coming challenges. However, there was something in the back of his mind that told him that would be a mistake. He didn’t know what he wanted to do with the item – not yet – but the more he thought about it, the more certain he was that he would use it himself. Or failing that, let Carmen use it. The notion of letting a stranger use such a treasure just left a bad taste in his mouth.

So, he shook his head, then lied, “I have other plans for it. Thanks for the offer, though.”

Atticus was clearly disappointed, but he didn’t let it show for long. Instead, he invited Elijah to share a meal, as well as some liquor the merchant had found somewhere. For a while, Elijah felt like he’d gone back to the earliest days of his friendship with Atticus. The day they’d met, Atticus had treated him to dinner and a night of drinking and fellowship that gave Elijah something he’d desperately needed at the time.

The same was true with the latest instance of companionship. After everything they’d been through of late, a single night where he didn’t have to worry about fighting for his life, desperate challenges, wraiths, or native hunters was precisely what he needed to move on. However, by the end of the night, he found himself looking forward to what was coming.

After all, there were still five challenges left, and if the previous four were any indication, the ones remaining would push him and his companions to their limits. As Elijah considered that, a plan for how they would survive the remainder of the Trial of Primacy began to form in his mind.

Before long, they were surrounded by other people. Some, like Dat and Kurik, were familiar. Others, like the various crafters, were not. Then, at last, someone Elijah hadn’t seen for quite a while showed up.

“I wasn’t sure if you’d left,” Elijah said, having been cornered by Delilah. “I searched the bodies…”

“I wasn’t even in town when it all happened,” the warrior woman said, shifting uncomfortably. “My brother left, though. He’s not cut out for this kind of thing. He’s fine in a fight, but roughing it in the jungle…well, he didn’t care for that.”

“But you stayed.”

She nodded. “I can’t just give up,” she responded, glancing at the crowd on the other side of the expansive room. Atticus had converted part of his compound into a bar, and it had proven quite popular – before the battle with the Immortals, at least. At present, it mostly played host to Elijah’s companions and members of the Consortium, but soon, the bar’s doors would reopen to the public. It remained to be seen whether or not anyone would take advantage, though Elijah knew enough about people to recognize that it would likely prove to be very popular.

“Do you want to join my party?” he offered.

She shook her head. “I don’t belong in that kind of a group,” Delilah said. “I’m just a common Spearwoman. Everyone in your group is special. I’d just slow everyone down.”

Elijah shrugged. “I’m fine with that.” And he was. He didn’t see his relationship with Delilah as more than it was, but that didn’t mean he didn’t care about her. “The safest place in this Trial is next to me.”

For a moment, she looked at him like he’d gone crazy. Then, she let out a harsh laugh.

“What?”

“You can’t really believe that, can you?” she asked.

“Uh…yeah? I guess.”

“Then you’re an idiot. Most of us will never even attempt those challenges. We’re just farming experience and gathering materials to take home,” she said. “I’ve heard stories about the challenges, and I know I would never survive that kind of thing. I’m fine with that, too. We don’t all need to be heroes. I just want to be strong enough to protect the people I care about.”

Elijah narrowed his eyes. “What happened to looking for adventure?”

She shrugged. “Adventure isn’t what it’s cracked up to be,” she said. “We’re not all cut out for it, and I’ve come to terms with that. Doesn’t mean I’m giving up. I’ll keep getting stronger. But my goals have changed.”

“That’s…very mature.”

“Well, I did just turn twenty-five. I figure it’s time to grow up.”

Elijah looked away. “I feel like that’s kind a jab against my personality.”

She raised her hands in surrender. “It’s not,” she said. “I know you’re different than most people. Your life is fine.” She took a deep breath, then added, “For you. It’s fine for you.”

“I see,” Elijah said. “What does this mean for us?”

She furrowed her brows. “Nothing?” she answered. “I mean, just because I don’t want to go running off into the wilderness with you doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun, right?”

Elijah grinned. “I like the way you think.”

After that, she took his hand and guided him out of the bar and back to his room.