If trees had nightmares, it was about the war hammer Remembrance of Battle. Kaden wasn’t the weakling he’d been when he moved to the Holding. Now, Remembrance bit deep into the enchanted trees that made up FangWood, and even the magic of the Dungeon couldn’t stop him hacking trees down.
Trella couldn’t lift, but she could drag, with Trinity’s help, and dragging the trees far enough that FangWood settled on regrowing rather than recovering was key. By mid-day, Kaden stood atop a truly impressive pile of trunks. He’d had a genius—or insane—idea to use a wagon at either end, and nailed rough slats to the edges of the wagon to let him stack even more logs on top. He’d scavenged every bit of rope at the holding to tie the bundle together and to the wagons, and now fashioned a long set of ropes that lead to a leather harness.
“Ready?” Kaden looked to Trinity as she threaded her blind, middle head through the leather.
The other rope led to a wide belt that wrapped around Kaden’s chest, with handholds. He wasn’t going to make Trinity pull by herself.
Trella carried a backpack of potions and had helped Kaden load up his Inventory with provisions and camping gear. She wrapped her cloak tightly about her as she climbed to the top of the log stack. “This is really unsteady. I’ll keep an eye out for bandits. I’m hoping they take one look at Trinity and decide to wait for better targets.”
Vip dashed in circles around Kaden, barking at the wagon stack. Beast Soul translated this, but Kaden chose to remember that Vip had not been trained as a [Builder] and had a limited grasp of physics beyond defying them. *Slow*.
“It’s not going to roll over and kill us,” Kaden said. “Probably.”
With that, he started hauling.
Foot after foot, mile after mile, Kaden simply kept going, taking short breaks to let Vip offer Trinity rabbits or drink cold water Trella generated with [Create Water]. Her Average Quality Stamina potions made him almost able to keep up with Trinity, which is to say, they passed the few solo travelers heading east. Verona was a small city surrounded by hundreds of farms, and by late afternoon, the farmsteads came fewer and fewer, the grass taller. Broken stones jutted up through the soil in places, the remnants of buildings long gone.
“There’s a door there,” Trella called.
Kaden looked out across the grass and saw nothing.
Trinity stopped, knowing his need, and let him stand atop her back. Two hundred feet away stood the ruins of a building. Possibly a temple, probably to a forgotten god. “There’s not much besides a door.”
“No.” Trella slipped down, landing lightly. “There’s an illusion on it, but all classes descended from [Rogue] have a natural chance to see through illusions. The door is still there. And it goes somewhere.”
Kaden pulled, taking the wagon off the road and into the field, to stand in grass that came up to his chest. The closer he came, the darker the stone was, almost black, with glittering specks in it. And this close, the broken front of the temple still exuded power.
“Vip, Trinity, stay back.” Kaden summoned the [FalCrow]. “Is it safe to enter that?”
The Falcrow took flight, swooping through the broad stone foundation and passing the alter—then circled and dove through the doorway.
It disappeared.
A moment later, it phased back into existence on Trinity’s back and spoke in Mr. Dervish’s voice. “Thought you could hide from me, did you?”
Trella’s deception rose up and stalked across the stone, and tried to enter the doorway. The shadow flattened into a puddle as it tried to enter.
“It is a doorway,” Trella said. She put one hand beside the stone. “You need to read this.”
Trial of Yarrow - You have discovered the trial of Yarrow, the forgotten god of harvest. Within this domain you will be challenged. Should you fail, you will be harvested, but succeed and Yarrow will bless you. This trial will relocate when completed, failed, or declined. Seek the forgotten places of the world for more trials.
Trella stepped back and summoned her messenger crow. “Sara, we’re a few hours out of Verona and discovered a hidden trial, ‘Trial of Yarrow.’ It’s going to move if we leave or if we go in.”
Twenty minutes passed before a green parrot circled to land on Trella. “We have a minor problem I’m resolving. One of our ships is on an unscheduled voyage to buy rum without my authorization or knowledge. Trials are like a god’s version of a dungeon. The only notes I have is that Yarrow is a harvest god. Most trials can be abandoned. Don’t hesitate to abandon if needed.”
Kaden looked to Trella. “I want to know if I’m up to the trial.”
“Same. When you hit seventy five, Noctua’s Trial is available to [Shadow Blades]. But we’re encouraged to grow ourselves.” Trella went to her backpack and took out cubes. “I was paranoid about not having a healer. Two resurrection potions, ten healing and a tube of salve.” Trella’s voice carried nervous excitement. “I was riding along, looking for idiots stupid enough to rob us, and this just called to me. Like my eyes were itching when I looked at it.”
[Master of the House] felt similar, “What do you say we crash a Harvest God’s party?”
Trella blinked with yellow cat eyes. “Ready.”
Kaden pulled Vip and Trinity into his soul, took Trella’s hand, and waited as she selected the trial.
You have chose to endure the trial of Yarrow.
You will be tested three times.
The world went black, and when it cleared, Kaden stood in a field of green wheat. Behind him stood a cathedral—a cathedral to Yarrow, no doubt. The green of the field didn’t touch the cathedral, no, the wheat grew longer the closer it came to the cathedral, and then golden, and closest to the walls, it bent over as though bowing.
Kaden tried the black oak doors.
You may not enter the cathedral of Yarrow without passing the first trial (Trial of Spring).
“Kaden.” Trella spoke in a whisper. “There’s monsters coming.”
The wheat swayed and thrashed. They were meant to stand and fight, using the Cathedral to back up against. “Let’s go.” Kaden turned around and leaped up, grabbing the lowest stained glass window edge and climbing with sheer strength. At the top of that window a decorative ledge let him clamber up, and from there, Trella leaped to a gargoyle and then hung her cloak down so he could join her. “Bows?” Kaden drew Thorn Caster.
“And [Shadow Chains],” Trella answered, though she had an iron bow of her own.
The creatures which emerged from the wheat were like gorgons. Snake bodies ended in women’s torsoes, women with hair of green wheat, with long claws. They encircled the cathedral, thirty of them, and wailed as they slithered back and forth. “Where are the challengers? Come and be reaped!”
“Not interested in being reaped,” Kaden shouted. He drew Thorn Caster and shot one staring at him—and another, and another. The red roof of the cathedral clattered as Kaden scrambled up and over the side to where Trella crouched, alternating arrows with [Shadow Chains].
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
The monsters weren’t unarmed. The women tore the wheat from their heads, and as they did, each stalk became solid and straight. The wheat head flared out like an arrow tip.
The air whistled as a cloud of wheat-spears shot past. Those that struck the stone of the cathedral embedded in it, and a moment later, the wheat head exploded in a cloud of green miasma.
Everyone deserved a poison arrow. Everyone deserved to fester, in Kaden’s mind. He didn’t hesitate to take shots with Thorn Caster. “Can you get [Identify] on them? I don’t know what I’m fighting.”
“Once I get close? You bet.” Trella stood and fiddled with her necklace, a black gem she always wore but rarely used, and handed Kaden a potion. “I’m going stealth on the ground. You’re going to aggravate them all so I can pick them off. That’s [Agony Cloud].”
She [Shadow Stepped], stuttering downward into the slight shadow of the cathedral.
[Wheamyn]
Servants of the spring goddess Viri, the Wheamyn believe nothing overcomes the power of new life. Their ability to regrow is near unlimited, powered by the strength of spring itself. A Wheamyn does not hesitate to die, because it can be grown again.
Level: 30
HP: 2,000
Mana: 200
Skills: Marrow Head, Reaping Claw, Cancerous Growth
Kaden began to snipe in a set pattern, circling the cathedral. Taking the high ground was always a good idea when facing an insolent brat, a dark lord or an insolent brat who would become a dark lord, and apparently it was good for trials, too.
He reached out via [Mind Speech]. *They can regrow. We’re wasting our time and mana if we let them regrow from the wheat.*
*Then don’t let them regrow. Burn it all,* Trella replied. *I’ll climb up one level.*
[Wrath of the Furnace] waited for him, and this time, Kaden would be careful. He sprinted to one end of the Cathedral, threw back his head and activated the skill. A stream of fire errupted from his throat, arcing out into the wheat—and Kaden cut it off. A hundred and twenty mana gone in one moment, but now wasn’t the time to hesitate. He turned and ran for the other side, repeating the rain of destruction that delivered molten death, and again.
Kaden’s mana sat at eighty points, and the south wasn’t on fire yet. Below him, Wheamyn scramed in agony and wailed in rage. He couldn’t risk them regenerating. He wouldn’t. He slid down the cathedral roof and stopped at the very edge, spewing fire.
It arced out to the edge of the field and stopped, just short of green wheat.
[Split Second] activated as a wheat-spear aimed at his gut approached, but his mana hit zero.
Your mana is critically low!
You have mana shock!
A spear struck him in the hip and carved straight through like he was made of paper. Even worse, the wheat heads tore off, each forming green pustules that dug at his skin. Two more hit him in the right arm, and one in his left hand.
You have been afflicted with [Cancerous Growth.]
All healing will aid [Cancerous Growth].
Smoke billowed everywhere, filling the sky and casting shadows across the entire trial realm. Some [Wheamyn] rushed to put it out, only to burn.
Kaden tore at the pustules, receiving agony instead. Each branched out, growing veins that looked like roots. And they continued to grow.
With no mana and no options, Kaden took the worst one he had. He threw the agony cloud potion down at a clump of [Wheamyn]. And followed, landing as the potion bottle shattered.
Kaden knew to keep his eyes shut. He knew not to breathe. The air around him turned to acid. Loud *pop*s sounded as each of the wheat pustules exploded, burned by the cloud, and Kaden’s health kept dropping.
His mana ticked up one point, and Kaden spent it to enable [Stealth Aura]. And stood exactly still, waiting for the cloud to dissapate. Wrapped in stealth, Kaden swallowed a potion through blistered lips. His eyelids broke crust when he opened them, but the damage to the [Wheamyn] was far worse. Only seven remained, and they stuck together in a group, near the field least burned.
A black arrow whistled past, and a panther leaped from the shadows to drag down a [Wheamyn]. Eclipse sank into the ground as spear after spear riddled the mauled [Wheamyn]. Kaden crept toward the cluster of monsters. His skin cracked and clear liquid dripped with every step, but now his mana had ticked up to three.
[Vigorous] was a hell of a drug.
[Backslash]! Kaden drew Remembrance and hacked down on one [Wheamyn]. The moment the axe head sank in, Kaden banished it to Inventory and drew his Eldritch Shield.
Wheat-spears dug deep, causing cracks on the inside of the shield, but now Kaden could [Shield Bash].
Trella [Backstabbed] one [Wheamyn] and let her Deceptions follow up, focusing on one. When the monster tore up the first Deception, its weak echo also stabbed. Kaden focused on blocking, and [shield bashing], while Trella [Shadow Stepped] to the other side of the monsters. Evercut’s damaging aura blazed out, causing all the [Wheamyn] to scream, but if they focused on Trella, Kaden was only minorly outnumbered.
If they didn’t, she poisoned.
One lunged, closing the gap in a heartbeat, and Trella must not have had enough mana to [Shadow Step]. Its claws closed on her calf, ripping muscle so Trella screamed. Rage overtook Kaden. He activated [Moment of Speed] and burried Remembrance in one [Wheamon’s] stomach, then grabbed another, using it as a shield—and then a ram to charge through the group.
One wheamon fell too close to burning wheat.
In a flash, the fire consumed her.
Trella’s [Backstab] killed another.
Normally, Kaden would have strategized, but with only three, he had a better plan. He threw the unconscious [Wheamyn] into the fire, blocked four more wheat-spears with the Elderitch Shield] and began to close on the last two.
The general rule was ‘Never take your eyes off a [Shadow Blade].’ A good secondary rule was ‘Always check for black panthers.’ Eclipse leaped out of Trella’s cloak to maul a Wheamyn, and screamed in pain as it scored her—that that moment of inattention was all it took. [Backstab] followed by normal stabs with Evercut left the Wheamyn limp, and Trella used it to hide behind.
The last, lone one could only listen as the fire spread.
The wheamon were still respawning, but they did so in the middle of fires, to immediate death.
It dropped its head and lay over, whimpering until Kaden put it out of its current misery and into one so much worse.
Trella first scouted to make sure the fire was everywhere, that they wouldn’t be swarmed, then exploded from the shadows near Kaden. “[Agony Cloud] is for enemies. Only enemies.”
Kaden collected wheat-spears from everywhere. “The [Cancerous Growth] poison is harvestable.”
“Oh, you know what a woman likes. At least what this woman likes.” Trella helped him gather corpses and studied the green globes the size of a peppercorn. “There’s got to be a way to use this.”
For now, Kaden focused on getting everything. The [Wheamyn] corpses yielded 1x [Wheamyn Seed], which seemed like a terrible thing to plant, given that it would grow into a Wheamyn.
You have completed: Trial of Spring.
You may now visit the temple of Yarrow.
You may now yield the trial.
Yielding the trial now will grant a minor blessing.
Kaden shook his head. “I don’t want a minor blessing. I want the real thing.”
“All or nothing,” Trella said. “Let’s see this temple.”
Together they approached the front of the temple. The black wooden doors swung open, revealing a candle-lit interior. There were no seats. Instead, the temple interior opened to an octagon of alcoves. In the center, a tall maple shed leaves that changed color as they fell. The musty smell of damp leaves and cold winds blew out, and above, instead of a ceiling, the orange harvest moon hung like the eye of the universe.
Each side held a different offering. Ripe corn, sheafs of wheat, clusters of grapes. One alcove held a slaughtered deer, and another, acorns the size of Kaden’s head. The final side held an ominous statue. Kaden reached out to touch it just to be sure it was a statue.
The figure was a man with a skull for a head and deer antlers. Chains of beetles formed hems for its robes, and the stone looked like fallen leaves had formed cloth. The figure kneeled, holding out a cup the size of a barrel.
You have come before the alter of Yarrow, the harvester. Choose the offering you would make to determine your reward.
Trella looked to Kaden. “What do you want to offer?”
Kaden took a closer look at the massive accorns. As he touched one, a notification appeared.
The offering of the seedling. Your resurrections will be certain.
Trella stood at the slaughtered deer. “The offering of the faun. Healing will be more powerful.”
Together they checked each alcove. Wheat would mean business success, grapes, irresistable to others, corn would mean never being hungry.
“Healing or resurrections?” Trella asked. “Everything else I can handle myself.”
Something didn’t sit right with Kaden. “An offering is supposed to be something you bring. Not something you take from the god. Gold and silver don’t mean much to this god.”
“I know the most valuable thing I brought with me. I’m not willing to die on that altar,” Trella said. She drew a short silver dagger and nicked the back of her arm. A drop of blood rolled down her arm and dripped into the cup.
Your offering is accepted.
Kaden had been thinking of offering some loot, but blood was probably better. He held out his arm, letting her cut, and added drops of his own.
Your offering is accepted.
The blessings are set.
You may leave at any time by taking the blessing from the altar, or face greater trials for greater rewards.
Kaden shook his head. “I’m not leaving. Not yet.”
“Me either.” Trella stood and stretched, petting the black panther that sauntered from the shadows. “Bring on this challenge.”
You must leave the cathedral of Yarrow to face the second trial (Trial of Summer). Returning to the cathedral will end the trial.
“Hold on.” Trella handed him a potion, then treated Remembrance, her daggers and the Levicon blade with Bleed potions. “Stamina and mana regen, too.”
They sat quietly, waiting for the potions to finish their work, and together, hand in hand, strode through the cathedral doors.
The world errupted in fire.