I stumbled as I landed, the clang of metal-on-metal ringing out behind me. A deep gong reverberated through the room, cutting through the silence like a judge’s gavel. I’d won the challenge.

My legs trembled, a dull ache spreading from my calves to my thighs as I forced myself upright. The Aerlyntium grid pulsed in my vision—a jagged, golden flash that refused to fade—its rhythmic thrum like an itch I couldn’t scratch. Gritting my teeth, I blinked hard, shaking the image away.

“Bit of a shaky landing, but he recovers to win round One!” The overseer’s voice rang out, every syllable dripping with mockery. My fists clenched, the burn in my palms flaring as I bit back a retort. But the heat in my chest won out.

“Save the commentary for someone who cares,” I snapped, my voice ricocheting off the walls, sharp and raw. My legs quivered beneath me, pain radiating through every fiber of muscle, but I stood tall, defiance outweighing exhaustion.

[Challenge 1 Complete. Absorb the 4th and 6th Aerlyntium orbs to complete the next challenges.]

“Ah, what a beautiful challenge,” the overseer mused, his voice a grating mix of chipper and condescending. Behind his distorted Bi-monocles, his sharp gaze cut through the room like a predator sizing up its prey.

I scanned the room. Scorch marks streaked the walls, patches of carpet still smoldered, and supplies were scattered—or completely gone. It was chaos, a scene worthy of a battlefield.

“But that is all we seem to have the ability to do for today,” the overseer continued, his voice laced with mockery. “Most of my supplies are missing. You wouldn’t happen to know why, would you?”

He was enjoying this. The gleam in his eyes told me he thought he still had control, that I was just a pawn on his little board. But he didn’t know me.

I glanced at the Aerlyntium grid. A pulse of energy thrummed from it, the soft hum resonating in my ears. The pieces clicked together in my mind—his smugness wouldn’t last.

“Funny you should mention that,” I said, my tone cool as I reached for the grid. I felt its power thrumming against my fingertips, and with a flick of concentration, I twisted the energy.

The room shifted. Bars of shimmering light erupted around the overseer, forming a cage that pulsed with the same green glow as the Aerlyntium. He recoiled, wide eyes now frantic.

“What—what are you doing?” he stammered, his composure cracking as he slammed his hands against the glowing barrier.

“Finishing the challenge,” I said simply, stepping back to admire my work. The cage shimmered, solid and unyielding, a perfect trap.

He shouted something, his voice rising to a desperate pitch, but I was already turning away. The grid ahead glowed brighter, guiding me to the door.

With one last glance over my shoulder, I grinned. “Enjoy the commentary—looks like you’ve got plenty of time to think it over.”

And with that, I stepped into the next room.

I stepped forward, my boots sinking slightly into fine, golden sand. Before me stretched a vast oasis—a pool of crystal-clear water glimmering under an unseen sun, the air thick with the scent of damp earth and something faintly metallic. In the center of the pool, a tree rose like a monument, its bark glittering with embedded jewels: rubies, sapphires, and emeralds catching the light and casting fractured rainbows across the surface.

It looked too perfect. Too still.

The sand beneath my feet was warm, almost inviting, but I knew better. This place wasn’t a sanctuary. The platforms surrounding the pool—smooth stone slabs barely large enough for a single step—looked stable, but I could already see cracks spiderwebbing through them, grains of sand whispering away into the void below.

A soft chuckle echoed through the air. My eyes narrowed.

Goblins.

From behind the jewel-encrusted tree, small figures shifted—Goblin Tricksters, their twisted grins peeking out from beneath hoods woven with shimmering fabric. They moved like mirages, bodies flickering between solidity and illusion, their laughter curling around me like smoke.

“Great,” I muttered. “Illusions and a collapsing floor. Just what I needed.”

A faint golden glow pulsed ahead—an Aerlyntium suspended above the oasis, just beyond the tree. Its swirling patterns shifted, a beacon of light and hope amidst the shimmering deception.

{Well,} Aurentum drawled, {better start hopping before the floor decides to give out.}

I took a breath, my eyes locking onto the nearest platform. The heat shimmered. The goblins giggled.

Time to move.

The stone beneath me groaned under my weight, cracks splintering outward as its edges crumbled into the abyss. I pushed off in a desperate leap, the void yawning below as my boots barely found the next platform.

Laughter sliced through the air, sharp and high. A Goblin Trickster shimmered into view, its eyes glinting with mischief. It flicked its wrist, and a dagger—an illusion, no doubt—flew toward my head.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

I ducked. The blade vanished in a puff of smoke. Illusions. Great.

The platform cracked. I leapt to the next one, my boots barely landing before the last slab crumbled into the void. My heart pounded, my bow gripped tight in my left hand.

Another shimmer to my left. A Trickster materialized, lunging with a curved blade.

I twisted, letting the blade whistle past. In the same motion, I nocked an arrow and drew my bowstring taut. My fingers tingled with the familiar tension. The goblin’s eyes widened just before my arrow punched into its shoulder. It screeched and flickered away, its form dissolving into mist.

The platform shuddered underfoot. I took a running jump, clearing the gap to the next stone. My knees bent to absorb the landing. The golden light of the Aerlyntium pulsed closer now, but the path ahead twisted and buckled like a living thing.

Focus, Rod. One shot, one step at a time.

A glint of steel slashed through the shimmering air—a Trickster materialized mid-leap, twin blades arcing down toward me. I ducked low, the wind from its strike grazing my hair. My bowstring thrummed as I fired point-blank, the arrow streaking true. The goblin’s form burst into a smoky haze, its blades vanishing with it.

I dropped to one knee, inhaling sharply. My bowstring sang as I loosed an arrow. The shaft buried itself in the goblin’s chest. It vanished in a burst of smoke, but not before its blades slashed past my shoulder. Pain flared hot and sharp.

I gritted my teeth. No time to bleed.

The air shimmered again. Five Tricksters flickered into view, circling me, their laughter curling around me like smoke. My pulse quickened. I scanned their movements, eyes narrowing.

Which one is real?

My ears caught the faint crunch of sand behind me.

I spun, an arrow already nocked, and let it fly. The arrow struck true, sinking into a goblin’s gut. It yelped—a real sound, not a trick—and collapsed into mist.

The platform beneath me cracked and tilted.

“Damn it!” I sprinted and leapt, arms pumping, lungs burning. My boots hit the next platform, barely stable. The oasis pool shimmered below, mocking me with its false calm.

A fireball flared to life ahead. A Trickster perched on the jewel-encrusted tree, its hand wrapped in flames. The heat shimmered, distorting the air around it.

It hurled the fireball.

I lunged sideways, muscles screaming. The fireball exploded where I’d been, heat licking at my boots. I rolled to my feet, dust and sand clinging to my palms.

Enough of this.

I drew an arrow, the fletching brushing my cheek. The Trickster was already preparing another fireball. I exhaled slowly, my world narrowing to the goblin’s sneering face.

I loosed.

The arrow streaked through the air, a whisper of death. It punched through the goblin’s throat. The Trickster’s eyes bulged before it burst into a cloud of ash.

I sprinted forward, platforms cracking and crumbling behind me. The Aerlyntium glowed brighter, so close I could almost taste the magic in the air.

A final Trickster materialized, twin daggers ready, blocking my path.

“Out of my way,” I growled.

I didn’t slow. I drew, fired, and the arrow sank between the goblin’s eyes. It dropped in a mist of blood before its daggers hit the ground.

The path was clear.

I lunged forward, my fingers closing around the Aerlyntium. Warmth and power surged through me, golden light seeping into my veins.

I took a shaky breath, the world snapping back into focus. The oasis groaned and shuddered, the platforms collapsing into the void.

I turned and sprinted, each step a jolt of pain as the Aerlyntium pulsed warm in my palm, its energy a strange mix of comfort and unease. My breath came in sharp bursts, my legs trembling. If this was only the second challenge, I wasn’t sure how many more I could take.

One step closer to survival.

The error message blinked, a mocking red glare in my vision. The Aerlyntium pulsed dully in my hand, its promise of power locked behind a wall of missing materials. I tightened my grip until my knuckles turned white.

Arcane Thread. Refined Crystal Shard. Moss-Covered Wood. The Goblin Tricksters danced on the crumbling platforms, each holding the key to my salvation.

I let out a frustrated breath. “What now?”

{Oh, you mean you don’t want to keep standing there, gaping like a fish out of water?} Aurentum’s voice slid into my mind, smooth and sardonic. {Color me shocked.}

“Less sarcasm, more solutions,” I shot back through gritted teeth.

Aurentum sighed, the kind of long-suffering sigh that made me want to punch him—if he weren’t a disembodied voice in my head.

{Fine. Here’s your scavenger hunt, Robin Hood.} He drawled the name like a particularly nasty insult. {Arcane Thread? That’s goblin handiwork. Look for their sewing kits or ceremonial cloth bundles—they’ll stash them somewhere obnoxiously hard to reach.}

I glanced at the Goblin Trickster dangling a shimmering thread from its claw. It cackled and twirled the thread between its fingers.

“Noted. What about the crystal shards?”

{Refined Crystal Shards are pieces of enchanted minerals, usually left over from failed goblin magic experiments.} Aurentum paused. {There’s a good chance you’ll find some in their workshops, or…} His voice dripped with disdain, {…looted from their dearly departed kin.}

My eyes flicked to the goblin juggling glittering shards. “Great. Grave-robbing goblins. Just what I needed.”

{And the Moss-Covered Wood?} Aurentum continued, his tone sharpening. {That’s easy. This entire oasis is a collapsing deathtrap. Check the edges of platforms or the roots of that gaudy tree.} He sneered mentally. {Of course, the moss is probably hiding just enough rot to drop you into the void if you so much as sneeze near it.}

I nodded slowly, piecing the plan together in my mind. “Alright. Grab the thread from the Tricksters, snag some crystal shards, and rip some mossy wood from the tree or platforms. Sounds doable.”

{‘Doable’ is generous.} Aurentum’s voice curled into a smirk. {But hey, if you fall screaming into the abyss, at least you’ll make a memorable exit.}

I rolled my eyes. “Your confidence in me is overwhelming.”

{I’m here to keep expectations realistic, not inflate your ego,} he replied, the faintest trace of humor beneath his cynicism. {Now hurry up before those goblins decide to juggle you next.}

I nocked an arrow, my fingers steady despite the pounding of my heart. The Goblin Tricksters were still laughing, unaware that their taunting had turned into an invitation.

“Time to restock.”