Three days passed and the trio explored as far as possible into the Rat Run. As a result, Vella and Tusk’s scores were significantly reduced given that they died several times during those three days. Tusk dropped from the lead position, relinquishing his place reluctantly while Vella also dropped a few positions down the leaderboard.
When the time came to enter the Rat Run, Leo gathered all the initiates together outside the door and gave one last speech before they were allowed to enter.
“Well, initiates, here we are. The time has finally come to enter the Rat Run and prove yourselves worthy of being inducted into the Brawler’s Guild.”
The unnamed was standing beside Vella and Tusk, while other initiates were grouped together in small crews that would be entering the maze together. He felt nervous and excited, but his experiences over the past few weeks meant that what lay behind the intricately carved wooden door to the Rat Run wasn’t a complete mystery. He was as prepared as he could possibly be and, for the first time since arriving in Havenspire, he actually felt confident and in control.
“You’ll each be able to take one object from those laid out before you here, and only one,” Leo continued. “You’ve all, rather wisely, decided to tackle the Rat Run in teams, so you’d do well to consider which items would be best for the team as a whole rather than you as an individual. Over the past few weeks, you’ve likely been able to identify certain weaknesses and strengths among the members of your team, so I’d consider that when you make your choice.”
He motioned behind him to the wooden door.
“Once you enter this doorway, you’ll have seven days to reach the end of the Rat Run. You will face seventy rooms in total during your time in the maze. If you successfully clear each of those seventy rooms within the seven days, you will emerge on the other side and, provided you have more than five-thousand points, be inducted into the guild as a fully-fledged initiate.”
The unnamed listened carefully, focusing on the precise requirements to successfully complete the maze and trying not to let the mention of seventy rooms throw his concentration. All in all, he'd been able to scope out forty rooms in total during his various outings in the Rat Run. That gave him and the others a good head start, but he still had no idea how many rooms there were in total, so if there were three-hundred rooms and only seventy of those would be presented, all of his work might have been in vain.
He shook his head, focusing again on what Leo was saying. It didn't matter how many rooms there were in total or how many new challenges he would face, his time in the Rat Run had been invaluable. He'd begun to understand the logic of the maze and that was the real treasure he'd acquired over the past two weeks, the ability to anticipate the various challenges he would be presented with and quicky determine the most efficient path through each chamber.
“Each time you die, five-hundred points will be deducted from your total score,” Leo went on, his words prompting a round of concerned moans from the gathered group. “You will also be sent back to this chamber. If any members of your party are still alive, you’ll be able to progress through cleared chambers until you reach them, and no enemies will respawn or traps will reset. If, however, your entire party is killed, either at the same time or while you are attempting to reach them again, all of the rooms will reset, and you’ll be required to clear them all one by one.”
He paused for a moment, looking around at each of the initiates.
“That's the key to succeeding here. Seven days is more than enough time to clear seventy rooms but each time you die and are sent back to the beginning that count of seventy will start again. So, don’t die, if you can help it. More importantly, make sure that at least one member of your team can survive and stay safe while the rest of you get back to the current chamber.”
Leo placed a hand against the door.
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“Seven days and seventy rooms, it’s that simple. But you’ll find, as you walk through this door, that the Rat Run is a harsh and unforgiving place. If you rush in without thinking it will destroy you. If you delay too long and act too cautiously, it will swallow you whole. Most of you already have well above five-thousand points but, as I've just said, it is very easy to lose points in the maze. Fortunately, there are also plenty of additional points on offer. Each time you defeat an enemy you will likely gain points toward your martial prowess tally. If you assist fellow initiate you will gain fraternity points. Keeping watch for traps, deciphering puzzles, and that sort of thing will give you perception points. Surviving while the rest of your party dies will grant you points toward endurance.”
Leo stepped away from the door, hands clasped in front of him.
“There are plenty of points available but also a great many pitfalls that will take points from you. To date, the bulk of our training has focused on sparring together one-on-one. We have assessed your basic combat capabilities and provided some fundamental training but the tests that lie beyond this door will require far more than we have given you. You will need to work together, complete complex puzzles, decide when to fight and when to retreat. In short, the Rat Run will test every aspect of your body and mind, both as an individual and a group. It will stretch you to breaking point and most of you will fail to clear the maze within the allotted time.”
He nodded to himself, letting his words sink in.
“Entry into the Brawler’s Guild is not something to be taken lightly. It is a lifelong commitment to serve the guild and its members no matter what trials and tribulations come your way. The Rat Run is among the hardest initiate tests offered by any of the guilds and this is for good reason. Here at the Brawler’s Guild. We want the very best. Those with strong hearts and minds. Initiates who show resolve and good character in the face of overwhelming obstacles.”
He walked over to the closest initiate and tapped the young woman's training collar. Her display showed up and Leo pointed at the titles listed.
“This tells you everything about what we value here at the guild. Fraternity, perception, endurance, martial prowess. If you can exemplify these aspects you will prove yourself worthy. And you would do well to remember that points are weighted heavily towards those items at the top of the list. Fraternity and perception will earn you a great deal more than simply being able to defeat an enemy.”
He clapped his hands together and the collar display vanished.
“Now, let’s get started. Move into your groups, select your objects and enter the Rat Run in your own time. The clock will start the moment the first member of your group enters the maze. Good luck!”
Leo walked away, leaving the initiates milling about in front of the door. The veteran didn’t look back as he exited the room, and the initiates shifted their focus to the task at hand. The chamber was filled with exited chatter as some of the initiates began selecting weapons and other items in preparation.
“Well,” Tusk said, stretching his arms. “Time to get this party started, I guess.”
The unnamed opened up his journal and took one last look over The Knowledge. He'd spent much of the previous night organizing the final notes and making sure that everything was as clear as possible to navigate. Forty rooms all with the answers effectively laid out in plain sight, or at least most of the answers. It was a remarkable achievement, and he didn't doubt that it would prove invaluable in the days ahead.
Vella leaned over, her shoulder pressing lightly against his.
“You ready?” she asked, grinning.
He nodded, tapping the command on his collar display and sending The Knowledge to each of the initiates. A series of chimes rang out around the chamber as one by one the gifted journal appeared on their collar displays. The initiates began opening up the document, scanning the pages wide-eyed and muttering to one another incredulously.
“Come on,” Vella said, hooking her arm around the unnamed’s and leading him toward the door. “Let’s get in there.”
He felt a giddy thrill as he walked beside her, both because of the satisfaction of having delivered The Knowledge and because Vella was holding his arm. He forced himself to focus, well aware that his brain often turned to mush when he was too close to the elf rogue and knowing that he needed to focus for what was coming up.
A series of objects were laid out in front of the door arranged in groups of weapons, tools, and various other items. Tusk, Vella and the unnamed already knew what they would each pick, given that they’d run through this scenario the night before.
Tusk picked up a sword and shield combo, which was counted as a single item, Vella grabbed a small backpack with some food rations inside, and the unnamed grabbed a healing potion which, apparently, could bring a single person back from the brink of death without incurring a loss of points. He slipped the potion into the backpack and slung it over his back as the trio moved through the door.
“Alright,” he said with a broad grin. “Let’s get to work.”