The aftermath of the guardian battle left Jelani in a state of physical and mental turmoil. Each breath sent a sharp jolt through his broken shoulder, a constant reminder of how close he'd come to failure. The lingering pain scattered throughout his body told a story of near-misses and desperate gambles. But it was the dull throb in his head that worried him most. In a trial where quick thinking could mean the difference between life and death, a foggy mind was a liability he couldn't afford.
Jelani leaned against a gnarled tree, its bark digging into his back as he tried to catch his breath. The mountain loomed before him, now impossibly tall and foreboding. From his vantage point, it seemed to stretch endlessly into the void. How could he still make this work in his current state?
"I’ll figure something out," he muttered to himself, his voice hoarse and barely audible. "I always do." But even as he spoke the words, doubt gnawed at him. This wasn't back home, where he could rely on his wits and street smarts to get by. This was something else entirely, a realm where the rules of reality seemed bendable.
Jelani closed his eyes, trying to focus past the pain and exhaustion. His mind kept replaying the fight with the guardian, analyzing each move, each mistake. How had he let the specter land so many hits? He'd been sloppy, overconfident. The realization stung worse than any of his physical wounds.
With a grimace, Jelani reached for his sword. The familiar weight of it in his hand should have been comforting, but now it felt like a lead weight. He tried to lift it, to go through a basic form, but his technique was off. His arm shook with the effort, and pain lanced through his shoulder. After just a few seconds, he had to lower the blade, his breathing heavy and labored.
"Shit," he hissed, frustration burning in his chest. Running on adrenaline might get him through a short burst, but it wasn't sustainable. Not for the long climb ahead.
For a moment, the impossibility of the task before him threatened to overwhelm Jelani. The mountain seemed to loom larger with each passing second, a physical manifestation of every doubt and fear he'd been trying to suppress. But then, something deep within him stirred. A stubborn refusal to give in, to let this trial beat him.
"Doesn't matter if I'm not in the lead," Jelani told himself, his voice growing stronger with each word. "I'm still making it to the top. No matter what."
Each step was an act of defiance against his own body's protests, against the seemingly insurmountable odds stacked against him. He moved forward, driven by a mixture of determination and sheer stubbornness.
As he walked, Jelani kept his senses alert for any sign of danger. But the forest around him remained eerily quiet. No monsters lurked behind the twisted trees, no specters materialized from the shadows. The silence was almost more unnerving than constant danger would have been.
After what felt like hours of trekking through the unchanging landscape, a structure began to take shape in the distance. At first, Jelani thought it might be a mirage, a trick of his concussed mind. But as he drew closer, the details became clearer.
It was a small stone building, its architecture unlike anything Jelani had seen before. Intricate carvings covered its walls, depicting scenes of battle and triumph that seemed to shift and change when viewed from different angles. A well-tended garden surrounded the building, a splash of vibrant color in the otherwise muted forest. As
Jelani stepped into the garden and a few scrolls appeared in his vision:
“Altar of the lost."
“Within the depths of sacrifice, power is found. Hesitate, and watch others claim what could’ve been yours.”
“Current position in trial: Third”
Jelani felt a flicker of disappointment at the fact he was third. It should’ve been a small victory, a sign that he wasn't as far behind as he'd feared. But that spark of optimism was quickly overshadowed by the realization that two others had beaten him here, and he hadn’t seen a glimpse of them yet.
"Need to be more aggressive, I can’t lose out on getting a power that will make it harder for others to threaten me" Jelani muttered to himself as he approached the building's entrance. His mind went back to his near murder hours ago. It could easily happen again, and next time it could be anyone. New people awakened every day so there was no telling what super powered asshole would see him as collateral damage next.
As Jelani stepped through the doorway, reality rippled like water disturbed by a sudden current. The chamber before him breathed with otherworldly power – massive stone pillars soared upward into the impossibly high ceiling, each crowned with flickering green flames that danced in brass braziers. The torchlight cast shifting shadows that made the glyphs carved into each pillar seem to writhe and pulse..
The pillars formed a path toward a curved altar wall that seemed to drink in the emerald light. Upon its weathered surface, a mural stretched out in colors that seemed alive – deep crimsons and midnight blues that shifted under Jelani's gaze.
It depicted a warrior in scaled armor kneeling in reverence, holding up a crimson orb that gleamed like a captured star. Above, tentacles of shadow descended from storm-wreathed clouds, while around the warrior's feet, wraith-like figures with faces twisted in sorrow reached for him with desperate, clawing hands.
Before the altar stood a figure in flowing dark robes, wearing an owl mask of a dark metal. The being's neck was transparent and glowed an ethereal green under the mask, visible through gaps in its hood. When it spoke, its voice resonated with power that made the torches flicker and dance.
"Every ascension demands its price," the masked figure intoned, its spectral form pulsing brighter with each word. "What would you have offered, what pieces of your life would you have sacrificed, to claim the opportunities that slipped beyond your reach?".
The question caught Jelani off guard. Unbidden, memories began to surface – moments of weakness, opportunities missed, choices that seemed stupid in hindsight. Each recollection made him feel small, inadequate. It was a feeling he despised, one he'd spent his whole life fighting against.
"I made all the sacrifices I could," Jelani replied, his tone brusque. He didn't want to dwell on what-ifs and maybes. He was here now, and that's what mattered.
The specter seemed to study him for a moment, its featureless face somehow managing to convey skepticism. "Did you?" it asked, the question hanging in the air between them.
Jelani felt a flash of irritation at the implication. What did this ghost know about him and what he’d been through, his commitment? "Look," he said, struggling to keep his tone even, "can we just skip to the part where you offer me whatever it is you’ve got and then I decide whether to pay the price?”
If the specter was offended by Jelani's abruptness, it didn't show it. “The eager foot is prone to slipping on steep slopes. There will be a toll as you continue to ascend and it will be up to you decide the price you pay”. Jelani sighed, he understood this trial had a larger purpose but with the pain he was in he had no patience for poetic conversation. “I’ll keep your wisdom in mind," he responded.
“I will present you with a menu of options useful for the rest of the trial. Aspirants are allowed two skill slots, which could be filled with either two attack skills or one attack and one support skill. Each skill will have a cooldown period between uses.”
Jelani suddenly felt a rush of warmth in his head and in the lower center of his vision two empty circle icons formed that were grayed out.
“I must note that only the awakened have access to powering skills via the source activated within them. You are yet awakened so the same access will not be granted”
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As Jelani listened, his initial excitement began to fade. "So we won't be able to use skills during this trial?" he asked, unable to keep the disappointment from his voice. "Then what's the point of offering it now?" The specter's hollow glowing eyes seemed to bore into Jelani as it spoke, its voice a whisper that somehow filled the air around them.
"The skills are not beyond your reach, but nothing of value comes without cost."
It paused, the silence stretching uncomfortably before it continued.
"You may wield these powers, yes... but each use will exact a toll. Your gathered cores may suffice, their source drained to fuel your ambitions. But when those run dry..."
The specter's form flickered, its next words sending ice through Jelani's veins.
"Then only the essence of your soul remains to pay the price. How much of it are you willing to spend?"
"What do you mean by pay with your soul? Is my soul a limited resource?" Jelani asked, though a part of him feared he already knew the answer.
“The soul is indeed a finite resource but you will only pay with fragments of your soul. Not enough in small doses to be an issue” it responded flatly
Jelani's mind raced, trying to process this new information. The idea of giving up parts of his soul, even tiny fragments, filled him with a visceral dread. But the thought of facing the challenges ahead without any extra advantages was equally terrifying.
"Why not just power each use for us with no cost?" Jelani asked, a hint of sarcasm creeping into his voice. "It's sounding like this trial may be above our human capabilities."
The specter offered no response, its blank face revealing nothing.
Jelani let out a frustrated sigh. "Ok, whatever. Tell me what happens if we give up too many parts of our soul using these skills before we reach the top?"
The specter's answer was chilling in its simplicity: "Then you give up ownership of your being."
The finality of the statement hit Jelani like a physical blow. The implications were open ended – use too much of your soul, and you'd become... what? A puppet? A hollow shell? The possibilities were too horrifying to contemplate.
"Nah, I'm good on that" Jelani said, trying to mask his unease. "I'm not giving up control of myself. So the alternative is to use cores?"
"Yes, you can power each skill with one core per use."
Jelani weighed his options. Using cores meant he'd be limited to a few uses unless he could find more specters to defeat.
"This trial is becoming more complicated," Jelani thought to himself. But he pushed aside his doubts. The path to real power was never going to be easy. He'd known that from the start.
"Show me what's available," Jelani said.
Jelani's eyes scanned the scroll, taking in the options before him. The list of items and skills seemed to pulse with potential, each one a possible key to his survival and success.
Items
Minor healing potion| cost = 3 cores
Minor regen potion| cost = 6 cores
The potions caught his attention first. The idea of having something to patch him up in a pinch was tempting, especially given his current battered state. He focused on the icon for the minor healing potion, and suddenly his mind was filled with a vision of its effects. A damaged silhouette appeared in his mind's eye, its wounds knitting closed, broken bones shifting back into place. It wasn't a complete heal, but it could make the difference between life and death.
The regen potion showed a similar effect, but spread out over time. Useful, but perhaps not as immediately impactful as the instant heal. And at double the price, Jelani wasn't sure it was worth the investment.
His gaze moved to the skills section:
Skills
(Enhanced slash) x7 available
2.5 min cooldown
Cost = 3 cores
(Source blast) x9 available
5 minute cooldown
Cost = 3 cores
(Mystic shield ) x9 available
5 min cooldown,
Cost = 3 cores
(Source arrow) x9 available
2.5 min cooldown
Cost = 3 cores
(Hex) x1 available
5 min cooldown
Cost = 3 cores
(Sharpen strength) x0
5 min cooldown
Cost = 3 cores
(Counter strike) x0
5 min cooldown
Cost = 3 cores
(Psychic Limbs) x1 available
5 min cooldown
Cost = 3 cores
Available cores for use: 19 cores
(9 cores + 1 guardian core)
The first four skills seemed to align with the main classes he'd heard about: Warrior, Sorcerer, Sentinel, and Ranger. But it was the last four that really caught his attention. With only one or zero available, these were clearly the rare options.
Jelani's fingers itched to select Sharpen Strength, but the zero next to it mocked him. Someone ahead of him had already snagged it. The realization stung, a harsh reminder of the cost of falling behind.
"Can't dwell on it," Jelani muttered to himself. "Gotta work with what's available."
He decided to start with a potion, see how much it could help his current state. With a thought, he selected the minor healing potion, watching as his core count ticked down by three.
The potion materialized in his hand, a small vial filled with a golden liquid that seemed to shift and swirl of its own accord. Jelani uncorked it and downed the contents in one swift motion. The liquid had no taste, but as it went down, Jelani felt a crackling energy spread through his body. A refreshing warmth followed, concentrating on his injuries.
He felt his shoulder shift, the bone knitting back together. It wasn't a complete heal - the joint still felt off, still cracked - but it was as if he'd gone through weeks of healing in mere seconds. The headache that had been plaguing him receded to a dull throb, and the various aches and pains throughout his body lessened considerably.
Jelani rolled his shoulder experimentally, wincing slightly at the residual pain but marveling at the improvement. It wasn't perfect, but it would do. He'd been bruised up plenty of times before, after street fights or particularly rough sports matches. He could manage.
Feeling more confident, Jelani decided to purchase two more healing potions. He had a feeling there would be more near-death experiences ahead, and he'd rather be prepared than sorry.
Now came the harder choice - which skills to select. Jelani had always prided himself on balancing offense and defense. Enhanced Slash and Mystic Shield seemed like a solid combination. But those rare skills... they called to him. The potential for a unique advantage was tempting.
He focused on the Hex icon, and information flooded his mind. The ability to weaken enemies before engaging them could be invaluable. "They do say the best defense is a good offense," Jelani mused.
Decision made, Jelani selected Enhanced Slash and Hex. As the skills were added to his repertoire, he felt a subtle shift within himself, as if new pathways had opened up in his mind and body.
"I've made my choices," Jelani announced to the specter. "I'm good now."
The specter's blank face seemed to study him for a moment before it spoke. "Are you sure you're done? You will not get another opportunity beyond this to access these boons.”
The words caught Jelani off guard. He'd been about to assume this would be a recurring opportunity between phases, but of course, that would make things too easy. He took a moment to reconsider, briefly entertaining the idea of another healing potion. But no - he needed to keep some cores in reserve to power his new skills.
"Yes, I'm sure," Jelani said firmly. "I've taken what I can."
With a nod, the specter began to fade away, its form dissolving into mist. As it disappeared, Jelani felt a mix of excitement and apprehension. He now had tools at his disposal, a taste of the power he'd been seeking. But with that power came new risks, new decisions to be made.
Stepping out of the stone structure, Jelani took a deep breath of the forest air. It tasted different somehow, charged with potential. He was eager to test out his new skills, to see how they might aid him in his climb. Since the vortexes first opened, he'd dreamed of wielding real power, of being more than just another potential victim running from threats he couldn't hope to face.
Now, he had a chance to be that force he'd always imagined. The thought sent a thrill through him, momentarily overshadowing the aches and pains that still lingered in his body.
As Jelani began to move up the mountain once more, his weapon ready, a new tension filled him. He didn't want to waste cores testing his skills, but the urge to see what he could do now was almost overwhelming. He found himself scanning his surroundings, half-hoping to spot a lone enemy he could engage.
But as he ascended, the forest grew quieter. The spectral entities that had been so prevalent in the lower reaches seemed to have vanished. The silence was unnerving, and Jelani couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to happen, that some new challenge was waiting just out of sight.
His path took him past small stone structures that began to appear with increasing frequency. Most were little more than ruins, worn down by time and the elements. But one caught Jelani's eye - a building that seemed more intact than the others. Curiosity piqued, he approached cautiously.