Clo left the bodies to turn to fog behind him and approached the only exit to the room. Having abandoned his shoes earlier, he was able to travel quietly. The grass didn’t crunch as much as it had with his boots. It seemed unnecessary though as the next room was also empty. He stepped into the next room and felt more than saw the difference in it. The fog on the floor was thicker and colder in this room. It chilled his toes, but it wasn’t to the point where it would be dangerous.

The fog flowed around his feet and moved to fill the archway he had just entered. Clo watched the scene for half a second, before turning to the center of the room. The fog was probably just meant to trap him in the room, the real challenge would be something else.

He was proven right, as the fog bubbled in the center of the room and formed into vaguely humanoid shapes. Two lizard things stood in the middle of the room. They were covered in bright green scales that sparkled with moisture as the sun reflected off their hides. They stood on two legs and even wielded sharpened sticks like spears. Even standing they weren’t particularly threatening since they were about the same size as a child. Their heads were the most intimidating thing, and that was only because it was the most inhuman part of them. Despite their humanoid bodies, their heads were more like a lizard. Not a dangerous one either as it most resembled a gecko.

Clo didn’t wait to be seen and started rushing at them immediately. His hand shot out to his side, and his sword appeared in the blink of an eye. The gecko things noticed him and one of them yelled and shrieked like a startled cat. It was loud, so loud that it actually hurt to hear. He raised his free hand to cover his ear as best as he could. One ear was enough. He was maybe a hundred paces from the creatures, but he could close that distance in seconds.

These creatures didn’t hesitate like a person might, and the one that had noticed him first threw its spear. The spear moved far faster than a creature that size should be capable of. That surprised Clo, and he tumbled to the side instinctively. All the time spent with the dummies had instilled in him a sixth sense when it came to dodging. His tumble was controlled, and he rolled onto his feet and continued to run without losing much speed. The other lizard didn’t throw their weapon and was slow to react too. In fact, It hadn’t even seemed to hear the earlier shout.

It saw him now though and turned, raising its spears in a defensive posture. It was like a pike wall, but a short one. Clo stopped just short of running into the wall. He swung his blade around his waist, and let it slip free of his grip in a sudden throw. He aimed at the lizard without a spear. It raised an arm to block his sword, which failed as he expected. His sword cut cleanly through the creature, embedding itself through the arm and chest of the creature. Blue blood gushed around the blade, and the creature staggered backward.

The remaining lizard stabbed at him with its spear. He turned his body with the strike, though it managed to cut his jacket. He grabbed the spear and pulled on it. The creature obviously resisted, and Clo was surprised by the small creature’s strength. Clo gave up on that immediately, and instead kicked the creature low. He aimed for its knee. It was easy to see the creature’s joints as its knee protruded far more than a normal person’s.

The creature’s joints were as flimsy as they looked, and its leg snapped inward. The creature fell to its side, but Clo left it there and moved toward the other. It was still alive, though it wasn’t moving with its sword pinning one of its arms to its chest. It had fallen backward and was staring into the sky half dead. Clo jumped at it, grabbing the hilt of his sword, and dragging it through the creature in a fluid movement. His sword slid from the monster’s torso through its neck and head. It was dead, and he left it to die as he spun to face the one with the spear. It was still able to stand, though it was using its spear as a cane now.

Clo looked at the creature and saw its empty face. These things didn’t have the same life that the real trial had. They were poor imitations. He walked over to it, and let it try and swing at him with its empty arm. It was a fast swing considering its state, but it was too much for the creature, and it overbalanced on its leg tumbling forward. Clo brought his blade up in a swift strike while stepping beside the swing. His sword took the creature’s head off smoothly. The body fell beside Clo with a thump.

He stared at the dead thing and couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed as it dissolved into mist. This all felt so fake compared to the real trial. It was nothing more than an imitation, a game.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Abigail P.O.V

Abigail looked around feverishly. The white light had startled her even though Sarah had told her about it. She was still caught a little off guard by the blinding nature of the light. Next time, she would need to remember to close her eyes. The sudden feeling of falling didn’t help as her butt smacked against the grass. She sprang to her feet, body going stiff as she looked around in panic. Then she remembered that she had been seated when the lights had flooded her eyes, and it had not given her a chair in this place. What place was that exactly?

She patted some grass off her jeans while spinning in a circle. She took in her surroundings. A bright sun illuminated an open grassland, that was oddly caged in by hedges. A single archway pierced the wall of hedges. A maze? A blue screen popping up in the corner of her vision confirmed her speculations.

Welcome to the Hedge Maze Trial #87, Your objective is to make it to the end of the trial with all remaining team members…

A wave of relief washed over her at the message. It wasn’t a puzzle, and that alone made it a million times better than she hoped. Even better was the fact that she wouldn’t have to kill anyone based on the text.

She practically skipped to the archway, eager to see what awaited. This was actually a trial she might be able to do well in. It would be nice to raise her rank. Her parents hadn’t acted disappointed by her results, but the way the rest of the family looked at them now was bad. Even if her parents were favored by the main family, they still suffered because of her, and this might be a chance for her to do something about it.

As she approached the archway, she investigated the next room and saw a person looking back at her. A girl stood in the center of the room. The girl wore black leggings underneath a pair of blue shorts, and a shirt with a leather breastplate over the top, nearly every piece of gear was branded, and the leather armor looked expensive. It was the kind of item the trial would give out. As Abigail saw the girl’s face, she couldn’t help but smile.

“Oh god, thank you.”

Abigail didn’t really believe in any deity and wasn’t part of any religious group. She still thanked fate or fortune, or whatever had put her in this situation. There, staring at her with widened eyes, was Aida. Abigail smiled widely as she ran over, shouting at the top of her lungs.

“Aida! Oh my god! You have no idea how happy I am to see you!”

The words drifted on the wind as she sprinted as fast as her feet could manage. Aida smiled, although hers somehow seemed more appropriate. The edges of her lips only raised a little. Abigail could see it though, the genuine emotion behind the reserved expression. It was the kind of thing someone learned in a big and famous family, that desperately wanted to appear big. That thought bothered Abigail, and she pushed that notion away.

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“I’m glad you’re here too, but I think you should quiet down.”

Abigail winced and made a gesture of zipping her mouth shut. Aida didn’t sound particularly angry, and her words came out a little too eagerly.

“Yeah, be quiet you dolt!”

This sound made Abigail jump. She spun in the air and turned toward where the sound came from. A guy strolled through an empty archway, and Abigail couldn’t help but stare at him. The man had a mustache so big that it actually covered the majority of his lips. Stranger still was the lack of any other hair on his head, not even eyebrows. Abigail had heard that some places had strange fashion senses, but no eyebrows were not one she could appreciate.

“Your shouting too.”

Abigail tried not to focus on his mustache as she responded. She met his dark brown eyes. Her voice was a loud whisper that managed to get the idea across. The man brushed aside a multicolored cloak as he half bowed to them.

“That I am, for I am Leopold, and I cannot be silenced!”

He shouted again, this time even louder than before. His voice was a little interesting as he stressed the vowels a lot. Also, he was so loud that it actually made Abigail’s ears ring a little when he got close.

“Please, stop shouting.”

Abigail furiously whispered the words, but Leopold just grinned. Although when he spoke next, he did stop yelling.

“It shouldn’t matter. The teacher told us, this is a room-based thing. Nothing in the next rooms is gonna hear us here.”

“Then why did you tell me to be quiet?”

Abigail asked the question but regretted it almost immediately. She could have guessed the response already.

“Because it's annoying, As proven by me, five seconds ago.”

Yeah, she had walked into that one and shook her head slightly. This guy was already getting on her nerves. As she shook her head, she noticed another person approaching them.

“Hey, look, someone else is here.”

Abigail diverted attention from herself by pointing at the newcomer. It was another person she recognized, and it was one of the good ones. Sabrina walked toward them casually, wearing an extremely unflattering green tracksuit. Abigail guessed it was practical, but she would never wear anything like that. Not that it matters for a trial like this, but it was being broadcast. Abigail started waving immediately.

“Hey, Abigail. And Aida, right? And, uh…”

Sabrina greeted them quickly and paused to let Leopold introduce himself. He grinned, which still looked odd on his nearly hairless head.

“Lucky! Surrounded by three beautiful and capable women, makes me the envy of any man.”

Abigail traded a glance with Sabrina and Aida, both of whom looked equally cold. She decided it was her job to try and fix it.

“That’s Leopold. And this is Sabrina.”

She held both her hands out as if framing Sabrina as she said it. Leopold continued smiling, and Aida nodded though she kept her reserved expression. Aida spoke quickly.

“Well, there is only one exit to this room assuming your rooms were like mine. Let’s move on.”

Nobody had any complaints about Aida taking charge of the group, and they followed her as she strolled toward the next room. As they walked, she talked to them about their gifts. Abigail shared hers and showed them her shield. Leopold had an interesting ability. He could buff people with his voice. Although he seemed somewhat embarrassed to admit it. Sabrina had some kind of momentum projection gift, and finally, Aida could act duplicitous. Abigail had no idea what that meant, but Aida had a long thin sword strapped to her waist, so it probably meant that it was good for a fight. The blade curved a little, and Abigail thought it was Katana, though she wasn’t an expert on swords.

Abigail paused at the entrance to the next room, though Aida walked in casually. She seemed a little too reckless, and Abigail called out to her in a panic.

“Wait!”

Aida turned her head slightly, an eyebrow cocked.

“For what? This is the only way to go.”

The others followed her after they considered that statement, and Abigail begrudgingly followed. She glanced around, rapidly trying to analyze everything about the room. It was empty as far she could tell, though the fog on the ground was a bit denser in here. Once all of them had fully entered the room, the fog shifted, it filled the archway behind her and the other exits of the room, caging them in entirely. Abigail rushed back to the archway and hesitantly reached toward it.

The fog felt cold, and she couldn’t push into it. Somehow, it had become like a sheet of metal. She liked the feel of it and moved her hand against the wall. A howl pierced the air and made her turn. In the center of the room, three wolves stood there. They howled together, filling the room with the noise. Abigail’s mouth fell open as she saw them. They had thick, spiky grey fur, and each was as big as a horse. Wolves don’t normally get that big, right? She hadn’t seen many wolves outside of TV and movies, but these felt really big.

“What…”

The words slipped past her lips as she saw Aida running at the wolves. Alone! What was she doing? Abigail’s mind took a few seconds to even process how to respond and she began running toward the wolves herself. She wasn’t nearly as fast as Aida and could only watch as her friend started fighting.

Aida rushed the pack of wolves. She slid her sword from its sheath, and Abigail gaped at the shiny black metal. It was a beautiful weapon, and Aida clearly knew how to use it. Aida slid to a stop just before the middle wolf, and she brought her sword up in a smooth vertical cut. It was such a smooth and sudden movement that the wolf barely reacted. It only managed to lean out of the way, but that didn’t save it. Aida’s blade sliced across and through the wolf’s neck, nearly decapitating it. Abigail panicked as another wolf leapt at Aida from her left. The third wolf tried running past her on her right side. Abigail shouted, but Aida was already moving.

“Watch out!”

Her voice was strained by her sprint, but Aida didn’t need the warning. She reacted to the wolf, ducking the blow and moving toward the wolf on her right. Another Aida moved in a different direction, moving left and stabbing upward at the leaping wolf. The blade passed into the bottom of the wolf’s skull. Then as soon as the strike landed the duplicate dissipated into nothingness. It was like an echo of a movement but in an entirely different direction. The real Aida slid toward the final wolf and decapitated it with a clean vertical swing. She managed to get the sword through the creature’s neck though it took visible effort. Either way, the fight was over.

By the time Abigail got close enough to help, Aida had dealt with all three wolves, leaving the rest of them staring in awe. This was what it meant to be among the best, and Abigail couldn’t stop herself from comparing Aida to Clo. Both used swords, and she couldn’t help but think that Aida’s cuts weren’t as smooth. She stared at the wolves as they dissolved into smoke and remembered the much cleaner cuts Clo had made. She pushed those thoughts aside and checked on her friend.

“That was incredible! You took them down in an instant but are you okay.”

Now that she was looking at her friend, Abigail noticed just how heavy Aida was breathing. Sweat beaded on her forehead too. Aida nodded her head.

“That was impressive, as good as… you okay?”

Sabrina approached and was shaking one of her hands as if she had struck something hard. Leopold walked beside her. Aida managed to catch her breath somewhat and responded.

“Yeah. Thanks for the assist.”

Abigail glanced at Sabrina. Help? She hadn’t seen the girl do anything. Sabrina just shrugged, but Abigail wanted to know more. She decided not to ask, since it would reveal just how little attention, she had given the others. That seemed like the thing that would reflect badly on her, assuming this was graded. Leopold smiled widely.

“Surrounded by capable women, the rest of my team is gonna be so jealous of this. There aren’t any girls on my team.”

He added that as if that made his comments any less weird. Abigail shook her head slowly but actually agreed with the sentiment. Aida and Sabrina were amazing, especially compared to herself. Abigail’s thoughts drifted back to what Sabrina had said. Who was she comparing Aida to? Abigail couldn’t think of anyone that good, even Sarah.