Determined to see the challenge through, Alexander stared down at the steps as he climbed upwards, choosing to ignore the distance left until he reached the ice pagoda. Between the snow, he could make out an unblemished and polished stone only decorated by the snow and a spectral, yellow glow. Well… almost unblemished. A spot of blood now marred the pure white of the snow overlaying the black stone.
Currently in the 45th step, Alexander felt like he was holding up 500 pounds of weight. A trickle of blood exited his mouth and dripped into the step like water from a faucet. The past four steps carried a trail of blood leading to Alexander. After crossing the 41st step, he had clenched down on his jaw as a means to cope with the strain from carrying all the weight. Sweat had long drenched through his clothes, and his legs were shaking nonstop.
50, 50, 50. Just need to make it to 50. Alexander had taken to chanting the mantra in his mind to keep himself going. He was holding back on activating his white flames as he was sure the boost it would give him could only last for so long under the ever-increasing weight. Robotically, he marched up the steps. One foot in front of the other, he continued staining the ground with his blood.
Reaching the 50th step, Alexander was no longer on his feet. The burden on his body was a unique sensation. It didn’t feel like somebody was adding weights on to his back. Instead, it was like the ground pulled him harder with each step. The heaviness in the air had forced him to his knees, and he had resorted to crawling to the last step. Having met his goal, Alexander summoned the white flames within his body to breathe new life into his weary muscles.
The healing flames sailed through his veins, supplementing his body like water does a parched man. Trudging forward, Alexander entered the 51st step without a second thought. The second wind provided by the white flame had filled him with a false sense of confidence. Rising from the ground, he had stepped into the next as opposed to continuing his crawl.
The loud pop coming from his ankle informed him of his mistake, but the influx of pain did not stop there. Alexander fell into the 52nd step due to the sudden imbalance caused by his sprained ankle and suffered a radial fracture after he attempted to stop his fall with hand. Ankle and wrist both injured, all he could muster was a grunt, the weight on his lungs being too high to create the scream he so desperately wanting to let out.
Nevertheless, the white flame did its job exquisitely and allowed him to continue the climb. Pain cluttered his mind as he questioned why he was even committing to this so much. Maybe I should just go back. Why am I even doing this? This was Thomas’ idea. Thomas’ plan. Thomas’ goal. I should be happy just getting this far. But Alexander kept soldiering on.
Blood trailed down from his face at this point. Streams from his eyes and nose joining the one originating in his mouth. Everything was foggy. Black spots dominated his vision, and the ringing in his ears would not stop. Power would be good, though, wouldn’t it? I could choose for myself what to do with my life. The visions of his past and the mirages from the Haunting Plains had rung true to their name and haunted his sleep last night. Harrowing nightmares led him to a sleepless night as he tossed and turned thinking about what could have been. If I was strong, I wouldn’t have had to run away. I wouldn’t have to desperately pray the old man was okay. I could have stood my ground and protected him.
His vision was entirely black at this point. Another pop, imperceptible to Alexander’s bleeding ears, had left him flat on the stairs. His knee had shattered while crawling, and his ribs had fractured when he fell. Yes, power would be a good thing. I fled my planet because I was weak. Other people had to make sacrifices for me because I was too weak to even know the history of my own people’s war.
Alexander’s eyes rolled back as he lost consciousness just in time to miss the white flames lighting in a blaze all around his body. Similar to the Haunting Plains, the flames counteracted every injury on his body and blocked out the pain. Driven by his desires and aided by the flame, Alexander instinctively continued crawling up until the 61st step. His body was continuously shattering and restoring in deathly cycle. His mana reserves were all but empty- the last few dregs devoted to fueling the only thing keeping Alexander from death’s grasp. But his conviction was evident. Passed out on the stone steps, his hand had reached forward past the 61st step to the 62nd one.
Altogether, the stairway to the ice pagoda seemed to shut down. The yellow glow fluttered away returning the stairs to an ordinary piece of a magnificent structure. The snow around Alexander blew away as an enormous polar bear landed with a thud. Lifting Alexander from the stone steps, the bear cradled him by his chest and mused to the unconscious body. “That is a mighty body you have yourself. Senior Apprentices pass the challenge at the 40th step, little one, but your drive for power has more than impressed me.” Glancing at the glow peeking out of Alexander’s clothes, the bear witnessed the flames slowly recede. “And a terrifying power… What horrifying fate does the 9-colored flame have in store for you that it would bequeath you with such a technique.”
With no response but the gentle fall of the snow in the air, the polar bear sauntered up the steps, heading for the pagoda.
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When Alexander woke up, he found himself lying in bed covered in a wool blanket. Looking around, he saw walls, floor and ceilings shaped out of a purple ice, but despite the material, Alexander felt anything but cold. His body was a healthy warm as he looked himself over. No injury was evident anywhere on him. Curious. Is the Bear Saint a healer, perhaps?
Rising from the bed, he noted his backpack was on the ground beside him. The rest of the room could be described as minimalistic by a select few. Alexander would call it bare. Apart from the low-rise bed and his backpack, the only decorations were four golden statues of armored bears in different poses, guarding the corners of the room.
Eager to find out the results of the challenge, Alexander went out the sliding bamboo door and left to find someone. Outside the room, he was met with a thin walkway and a guardrail. Bamboo doors lined the sides of the floor, but through the center, a large spiral staircase cut through the pagoda. Alexander was hesitant to go anywhere near stairs for the rest of his life, but seeing nowhere else to go, he took a few deep breaths to still his heart and looked for a way around the guardrail. He found an entrance to the staircase on the other side of the room and began climbing up.
Back in the room he had awakened in, he had looked through the icy walls and seen he was in one of the top floors. Figuring he was closer to the top already, he decided he might as well see what the highest floor held. Plus, all the big bosses always live at the top floor.
Once he reached the top of the pagoda, he realized the final floor wasn’t a room. Pillars of black ice upheld the sloped roof creating the feel of a balcony more than the penthouse Alexander imagined. Floating in the center, a cross-legged polar bear took up most of the space despite the high ceiling. The bear was incredibly large with an orange robe putting up a meager attempt at hiding his rippling muscles, but Alexander couldn’t tell his exact height as he was hunched over.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
"Rommmmm.” The polar bear let out a rugged roar.
Alexander took a step back in fright before realizing the polar wasn’t attacking. Is he… Is he meditating? The giant polar bear continued to repeat his roar, allowing Alexander to understand what was happening. Oh, he’s saying ‘Om!’ Do I interrupt? No, that would be rude. Can’t have myself making the bear angry before he tells me my result. What if he just decides to flunk me because I was impatient. Unwilling to risk the trial’s outcome, he took a seat beside one of the pillars and gazed out.
From his vantage point, he could see beyond the snowy plains. To his left, he could make out a forest, tens of miles away. Following the tree line, the forest became a grassy plain which then connected to a mountain range.
“It’s not really visible from here, but Nidra’s lake lies beside those plains, right before the mountains.” A scratchy voice explained from behind Alexander.
Turning back to face the robed polar bear, Alexander nodded. “Yeah, I thought so. Nidra teleported us around his lands before he agreed to allow us to partake in his challenges.”
“Rahaha! That does sound like the king! This one is in awe of how such a powerful and mighty creature still has room for humor. A glorious being, the king is.”
Alexander listened to the bear’s unrestrained respect for the dragon without a word. He desperately wanted to shift the conversation to the trial, but anxiety was overtaking him. I’ve tried not to think about it, but surely waking up in a bed is not a sign of passing. I should just rip the band aid off and ask him. Wait… no. Is there even second chances?
Waking him from his thoughts, the polar bear tapped Alexander’s forehead. “You passed, little one. There’s no reason to trouble your mind with straying thoughts.”
Eyes wide, Alexander responded much louder than he meant. “I DID?! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
“There’s no reason to thank me. You passed the trial with flying colors. In fact, you climbed 21 more steps than was expected of you.”
Freezing, Alexander questioned the large bear. “Wait, I wasn’t trying to climb the whole thing?”
“Goodness, no! Did Bearnardo not inform you? As a Senior Apprentice tiered Elementalist, your goal was always the 40th step.”
Alexander shook his head. “Bearnardo barely even spoke to me. All he said was to start climbing, and the Bear Saint would answer all my questions… Is that you by any chance?”
A hushed whisper left the polar bear. “I suppose, given the circumstances, Bearnaro decided to award you with an extra challenge. Hmm.” Louder, with a smile that was more intimidating than welcoming, the polar bear answered. “My apologies! What terrible manners for one not to introduce themselves. As you have guessed, I am the Bear Saint, Cosmo.”
Zoning in on what the Bear Saint murmured, Alexander knitted his eyebrows. “What circumstances? Bearnardo mentioned the Turtle Saint had reported something to Nidra, and as the topic in question with all this secrecy, I’d love to know what’s going on.”
Noting Alexander’s concern, the Beast Saint calmed him. “There are no secrets here, little one. We merely waited until you had completed the challenge so that it would not negatively impact you. What Dartuga reported, she who you refer to as the Turtle Saint, was a vision involving your future. You see, among her various skills, she has trained her ability to peer into the chaos of fate the most. However, I believe it best if you wait until the author of the vision herself can explain the contents to you lest I jumble the message. Nidra himself plans to meet with you and all three Saints once you complete all three trials so why don’t you wait for that.”
Perplexed, Alexander scratched his chin. “A vision about me is so important it warrants a meeting with the higher echelons of this land? But I’m only a Senior-Apprentice! I can’t even use my own element properly.”
“A Master-tired Elementalist, you mean.” The Beast Saint keenly corrected.
“I broke through?” Alexander inspected his body as he noticed a raw, unbridled power lying within that was not there before.
“Straining your body past your limits seemed to have caused an unexcepted gain for you. Additionally, do not make yourself small. You are special, little one. There are many strengths within you just waiting to leap out. But.” Floating back to the center of the room, the Bear Saint continued. “For now, let’s focus on your rewards for passing the second trial.”
Throwing the breakthrough to the back of his mind, he zeroed in on the present. Alexander wanted to learn more about the vision but decided to restrain himself. Just one more trial, and I can find out why everyone is being so weird all of a sudden. I can wait at least that long. Plus, there’s rewards. Wait… “You said I get a reward for passing the second trial?”
“But of course, there’s a small reward for passing every single trial, and based on your performance, Nidra gives one large gift at the end.”
“What happened to my gift in the first trial then?” Alexander felt cheated as the Turtle Saint had flung him through the portal and avoided her duties.
“Ahh, you already ate it, little one. I can feel the energy of our king’s fruit coursing through your body. In fact, the explosive mana contained within the fruit is probably how you were able to jump to the Master-tier.”
Narrowing his eyes, Alexander considered whether a single fruit could be considered an apt reward for the first trial on a dragon’s dungeon. They seemed to have a near infinite amount of them, after all.
Chuckling in the deep, thrumming way only a giant polar bear could, he stated. “I can once again see what you are thinking, little one, but the fruit you received was different. The only vegetation in Mirage Island is truly Nidra’s fruit, but what you ingested was a complete one. The fauna and flora of the island are only allowed to eat the extremely diluted ones growing in the trees.”
His appetite for justice sated, Alexander shifted his focus to the new reward. “That makes sense, but then, what do I get now?”
“That’s more like it! The young should be bursting with liveliness and enthusiasm. I dare say my gift will be greater even than the one Nidra has planned to give you.”
Alexander’s eyes shook. He thought back to when he first arrived at the Tecon Desert and falsely believed the foxes were taking him to a dragon’s treasure trove. This time he was actually receiving presents from one of the commanders of a dragon. This is it. I’m about to get a legendary treasure. What could it be? Is the Beast Saint about to gift me with a legendary sword? Maybe it will be fur armor crafted from an Emperor-tier polar bear.
As if he were able to read Alexander’s mind, the Beast Saint spoke. “Your mind is thinking too narrowly, little one. What I am about to gift you is earth-shattering. A once in a lifetime gift that can never be repeated.”
Alexander licked his lips. There was a slight tremble in his arm from his happiness.
“I even spoke with the Turtle Saint to confirm my gift would be truly the first. It took a tremendous mana expenditure on her end to view your life once more to ascertain this fact.” Pausing for a second, the Beast Saint stopped floating and stepped on the ground, showing off his full size. Standing at about 10-feet-tall, he almost appeared to have his own center of gravity with how wide he was. “I won’t tease you any longer, little one. Allow me to go down and retrieve your gift.”
The bounding elation kept Alexander from even smirking at the sight of the immense bear doing his best to go down the stairs clearly designed for a smaller polar bear. He said I was thinking too narrowly? So then… I’m getting an Emperor-tier polar bear bodyguard?
The loud footsteps of the Beast Saint resounded through the pagoda as he climbed back up to the top floor. He was giddy with excitement as he held his paws behind his back. “It took our clan the better part of these past 3 days to create this, but I would say the results justify the work.” The Beast Saint moved his front leg as he presented Alexander with a large box.
Accepting it gracefully, he rapidly did away with the façade and tore into the packaging. It’s light. Not a bodyguard I guess, but perhaps it’s a legendary tome, or a legendary treasure that will help me become a Lord-tier Elementalist instantly! His frantic unpacking soon revealed the contents of the box.
“It is my pleasure to present you, little one, with your very first suit. One small step for mankind, but a colossal one for you.”