Abigail wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about the trial so far. They had gone through three rooms so far and had encountered some type of monster or another, and despite how the constant gore and violence bothered her, she couldn’t help but feel a little bored. Aida was able to clear out each room by herself, and just a tiny amount of help from any of them was enough to end the fights in seconds. In truth, they had spent more time resting than fighting or moving, since Aida’s gift drained a bunch of her stamina. Abigail had heard of cases like that. It usually happened when someone’s gift’s grade far outstripped their physical abilities. Abigail wished she could check Aida’s information now, but that kind of technology wouldn’t function here.

One of the things that worked was the watch on her wrist. It was one of the few reasons analog products like it were still sold. The time itself meant nothing, but she could at least track the passage of time with it and knew that almost two hours had passed already. They were going slowly, not that she really minded. She did look at the others though. Sabrina and Leopold were watching the exits of the room.

Abigail glanced toward Aida next, who sat in the center of the room meditating. Her legs were crossed and sweat made her hair stick to her forehead. Abigail herself was pretty much untouched by the trial so far, and other than using her gift once or twice to distract an enemy, she hadn’t really done anything. It made her feel kind of useless. Mustering up what courage she could, she approached Aida.

Aida somehow noticed her despite having her eyes closed, and her head snapped toward her. Aida’s eyes opened and sharpened, but then they relaxed a moment later. Abigail didn’t wait for anything else and sat down beside her, she rushed to speak, knowing that if she delayed, she wouldn’t have the confidence to say it later.

“You should stop using your gift.”

Aida’s eyebrows lifted slightly at that, and she quickly tried to reject the idea.

“That is not necessary. If it is speed your-“

Of course, she would think it was because Abigail wanted to speed up. That wasn’t the reason at all, and she cut off Aida before she could go any further.

“No, I don’t care about being first or last. It just feels wrong. Like I’m making you do all the work. I think the rest of us can at least hold our own a little bit.”

Abigail swelled a little as she saw Aida nodding along. Then Aida responded and that changed.

“We could do it that way, but this isn’t bad either. After I use my gift a few times, I become pretty useless. I can barely move even if I wanted to. That’s why I need the people around me to be ready to protect and help me in those situations. Like if another monster appeared now, it would be on you three to fight. If we do what you suggest, then all of us could get injured or incapacitated.”

Aida’s explanation sounded rehearsed as if this was a conversation she had told before. Abigail found it hard to argue too. It just made too much sense. Aida was right, that doing it as she suggested could leave them all worse off. Still, though, it made Abigail feel bad like she was abusing her friend somehow.

“How about we just try it for the next room and see how it goes? Right, Sabrina, Leopold!”

Abigail had noticed that the other two were listening in on the conversation and shouted at them. One of them should have said something, rather than make her do it. Sabrina and Leopold both nodded eagerly, Leopold even shouted his agreement.

“Yeah, the rest of us are getting bored!”

Abigail winced, as the man’s shout far outstripped her own. He really did have the lungs of a giant. Seeing everyone’s reaction, even Aida had to agree.

“Okay, then we can do that for the next few rooms. I doubt we have gone very far.”

Bolstered by that, Abigail rose to her feet and pulled up Aida too. Abigail was smiling, and so was Aida who let herself get dragged to her feet.

“Great! Let’s go!”

Abigail spoke while moving toward the next archway. The others ran up to catch up to her. As a group, they decided to head inward. The hedges were slightly curved, so it was easy to tell which direction went toward the center. This next archway was slightly off course, but it was the closest option they had.

She didn’t slow down as she approached it. None of the previous rooms had held any kind of trap or ambush, so she kind of stopped checking. It was just one fight after another, so she was especially surprised when this next room wasn’t. As she walked into the room, she noticed, to her surprise, a comically large chest in the center of the room. With light brown wood and golden hinges, the chest was so big that she could have easily hidden within the thing. In fact, their whole group could probably hide inside if they squeezed.

The fog on the ground didn’t rise to fill the entrance they had taken. Abigail looked around, feeling like she had just walked them into a trap. The room was mostly empty though and lacked any other exits other than the one they had used. It was a dead end, the first one they had encountered. This had to be a trap, right? The thought ran through her mind as she took a hesitant step backward.

A smacking noise from her side made her jump. Actually, she did more than jump. She dove backward, through the archway, rolling across the grass in a practiced motion. She jumped to her feet, calling for her shield in preparation. Looking around she saw nothing. Aida and Leopold reacted similarly, Aida stood with sword in hand, and Leopold had taken a lower stance beside her. Only Sabrina hadn’t reacted, though she stood with her hand against her forehead. She winced as she saw everyone’s reaction.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you guys. It’s just. Well.” Sabrina paused to take a breath before continuing. “This is an item room.”

“What?”

Aida and Abigail asked the question simultaneously. Leopold just looked confused. Sabrina rocked her head back and forth, before settling down with a sigh.

“It’s just something Cain, one of my teammates, had said. We had watched the old trials together, and he noticed that they were kind of like games. Then he forced us all to learn or play some of those games.”

Sabrina sounded frustrated and embarrassed as if admitting that had hurt her. Abigail didn’t get why. Plenty of people played games, she even played a few. Mostly just crafting and farming games though since violence still bothered her. Sure, most trial goers didn’t play games. It was considered a waste of time by those who had passed a trial. The time spent playing a game could be used on raising their stats or working on their gift.

“Your right, it’s like a dungeon crawler.”

Abigail turned to her side, as Aida of all people spoke. An understanding was very clearly painted on her face. Sabrina responds incredulously.

“Wait, you play those games?”

Aida shrugged, responding quickly. Again, this seemed like the kind of question she had heard before.

“Yeah, I play a lot. Not much else to do after training. And it’s not like it matters. I never really understood why everyone here cares so much about training. I would bet that everyone at my rank spends at least a day or two just relaxing.”

Sabrina nodded though her face had grown contemplative.

“I really need you to tell that to Clo.” Sabrina exaggeratedly shivered. “I’m still not sure he sleeps.”

Abigail had forgotten that Sabrina was Clo’s teammate. That comment reminded her, and she stared at Sabrina. Leopold looked at Sabrina with a similar look of astonishment.

“You know the Devil of the Dump?”

Leopold’s comment made one of Sabrina’s eyebrows twitches. Leopold noticed and was quick to apologize.

“Whoops. I didn’t mean anything bad by that.”

Nobody was buying that lie, and Sabrina spoke with obvious disappointment.

“It’s fine, I’ve heard, and seen the stuff people say about him. He’s really not that bad though.”

Abigail wasn’t sure saying that he was “not that bad” was a good defense. And Abigail wanted to say the opposite. However, after looking at the genuinely displeased look on Sabrina’s face, she decided it would be better to hold her tongue. Aida didn’t know Clo and didn’t have the same reservations. She spoke aloof to it all.

“Whose Clo?”

That question surprised all three of them. Clo was famous as far as students went. The only people as famous as him were among the best. That thought let her understand the situation. Aida was probably just as famous as Clo, and likely equally as isolated. Sabrina spoke although she was clearly surprised by the situation.

“Uh, my team’s leader. He was famous for the fight he got into on the first day.”

That at least seemed to get through to Aida.

“I do remember hearing something about that. Is it important?”

Aida’s oblivious question cut the discussion like a knife. It really wasn’t important, especially not in their current situation. Sabrina shook her head saying exactly that.

“Not really. We should just move on.”

Leopold nodded eagerly.

“Yeah, let’s check the chest.”

The group marched over to the chest, now much more confident in approaching it. All of them had come to the same idea. This was an item room, and the chest would give them something worthwhile. Leopold was the first one to get to the chest. He tried to lift the lid of the chest but struggled with the weight of it. he ended up having to brace up against the chest to lift it up all the way. He eventually got it open enough that it fell backward. The sound of the lid crashing into the back of the chest was like the sound of a collapsing tree.

Abigail ignored the noise like the others and peeked into the chest with excitement. She wasn’t sure what to expect from such a large chest, but she was hoping for a lot. The chest was deeper than it had seemed on the outside, but it was surprisingly empty. Four odd bottles of red liquid sat in one corner of the chest. The bottles were made of glass and were strangely cylindrical though they were wider at the base than the top which was corked shut. Even without a lot of experience in games, Abigail could recognize a potion. That was among the least interesting things in the chest. Beneath the set of potions was a folded black cloak, a dark hood facing them. Beside that a thin breastplate made of some kind of blue-scaled creature’s skin. The final thing in the chest was some unfashionable glasses.

Abigail only spared a glance for them, before reaching in and plucking the blue breastplate from the chest. Aida was a little faster and picked up the cloak, leaving Leopold and Sabrina to stare at the glasses. He left them there and turned to Aida.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“I don’t think this is very fair.”

Aida met his eyes and slowly draped the cloak over her shoulders. Her reply was filled with the confidence that Abigail envied.

“I’ll fight you for it.”

Leopold shook his head and turned to Abigail.

“You’ll have to fight her for it.”

Abigail nodded to Aida, who smirked viscously. Leopold's shoulders sagged, and he grumpily turned back to the chest. Sabrina had taken the glasses and was already wearing them. The glasses weren’t exactly attractive. They were large circular things, with concentric circles in black lines that made them seem like they belonged in a cartoon. Sabrina wore them, and somehow, she was pulling them off. Was that rude? Abigail felt like saying that out loud would be offensive. Abigail looked down at her own breastplate and nearly yelped as a blue box appeared in front of the item.

Breastplate of the Blueface Eel (Common): A Breastplate made from the scales of a rare eel. It has inherited the regenerative ability of the creature. The armor can mend itself with electricity.

Abigail looked at the item and almost didn’t believe it. She read it twice more just to make sure she wasn’t missing something. How had she found such a perfect item? This couldn’t be a random chance. It just fit her too well. Even though she knew that the item was temporary like the rest of the trial, she still felt a jolt of excitement upon reading the text. It meant that items like this probably existed somewhere, and maybe, just maybe, she could make them.

She didn’t hesitate to put it on, though she had needed to take off her jacket in order to do it. It wasn’t the prettiest thing in the world, and it fit snuggly, clinging to her skin like a catsuit. An obnoxious whistle from Leopold earned him three glares, and smack on the back of his head from Sabrina. It made Abigail feel especially uncomfortable, and she was quick to put on the jacket over top. Next time, she would make sure to wear it underneath her shirt. Considering how tightly it fit, she could probably just use it instead of a bra or undershirt. Then she remembered the other two and asked them what their items did.

“What do your items do? Mine repairs itself with electricity.”

It was hard to see Sabrina’s expression behind her new glasses, but Abigail could see the surprise on her face from the way her eyebrows rose.

“That’s some luck. These glasses are weird. They kind of function like a HUD in a game. I have this map in the corner that shows me and my surroundings, as well as some other information.”

Sabrina’s words stoked Aida’s excitement, and she offered an exchange.

“Let’s trade. This cloak is pretty average, it’s a cloak of general resistance. It helps you resist odd effects. Whether that be from weather, items, or skills. Although, with its rarity, it probably won’t stop anything useful.”

Aida sounded a little disappointed by her item, but that sounded pretty nice to Abigail. An item that just generally did anything sounded far better than something niche or specific. Abigail’s armor, for example, could only be used by someone that could make electricity. The only reason it was even useful now, was because she was here. Sabrina rejected the trade, instead turning back to the chest and grabbing one of the potions.

“Well, we should probably get moving. We’ve been here for a while.”

Sabrina ended the conversation, and any further offers, gesturing for everyone to grab one of the potions too. Abigail did and was prepared this time for the blue box text that came with it.

Minor Healing Potion (Common): A potion capable of treating minor wounds.

Being prepared for it didn’t make the information any less vague, and she couldn’t help but wonder what it considered a minor injury. She wasn’t sure if it was better or worse than the boosters in her pockets. The fact that she didn’t know bothered her.

“I wonder if there are bosses?”

Aida's comment from beside Abigail caused a new type of panic to blossom within her. Oh, great, now she had to wonder if one of these rooms would hold some kind of evil boss monster.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Clo P.O.V

Clo pushed his way up to the odd chest. He had cleared a little over ten rooms so far, and his legs burned. His shirt clung to his skin with sweat, and he was half tempted to remove it. It was a good idea, but he still hesitated. The shirt and jacket together were the crux of his protection. Both were made of some finely woven metal thread. It was still heavy though, and ultimately, he couldn’t go without some form of protection.

He took off his jacket. The shirt underneath clung to him like a wet paper towel, and he decided that he would be better off with the jacket than the shirt. Pulling off the shirt was a little bit of a hassle, but he managed it. It thumped to the ground loudly, and it really did feel like he had dumped a lot of weight. His whole body felt lighter. Next time he would remember to dress more lightly. His body felt a lot lighter now, and he glanced back toward the chest. Cain had been right; these trials were clearly modeled after those games he mentioned. He reached for the chest. It wasn’t all that big, barely even making it up to his waist, but he felt a small thrum of excitement as he grabbed the lid.

He tried to pull it open, but the chest opened on its own. Clo almost fell forward into the chest but managed to brace himself with his other arm. His eyes widened, as he stared into the thing. Rows of viciously sharp teeth and bloody flesh lined the inside of the chest. And his arm was inside it. The chest snapped down on his arm. Clo tried to pull away as fast as he could, but he wasn’t quick enough. Teeth sunk into his left arm, all the way up to his shoulder, and he felt an incredible pain spread from it through the rest of his body. It was worse than a broken limb. This was more like torture like someone had intentionally stabbed needles into his arm.

Clo couldn’t contain it, and a pained grunt escaped his lips. He tried to fight against the pain, but it was so hard. He needed to do something, now. Using what little concentration, he could manage; he yelled a single word.

“Open!”

He shouted the word, trying, hoping that his command gift would work on the monster. It wasn’t his servant, but he still tried. He focused on it, using the pain to fuel his concentration. The creature opened, and he managed to yank his arm out. With his other hand, he quickly summoned a sword in it.

A wave of dizziness crashed into him, and he nearly stumbled. Commanding the creature like that was taking its toll. The world spun around him, but he knew where the monster was. He swung his sword through the confusion. Plunging his sword into the open maw of the chest. His sword cut into it as it would anything else, he dragged his blade through the monster in furious pattern. His sword broke as the creature dissipated into a fog, and his sword dug into the ground.

The dizziness didn’t go away, and he fell forward into the fog. It swirled around him, as he lay there for a moment. His head thumped with the beat of his heart, as a sudden headache made him groan. The pain in his arm and head were competing with one another to torture him, and he didn’t know which was worse. With his good hand, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the booster that Maya had given him earlier. He quickly popped the lid off and jammed it into his bloody mess of an arm. If he could even call it an arm anymore. His flesh was ripped and torn, and some parts of his bones were visible through the mess. The fact that it hurt meant that his nerves probably weren’t cut.

The booster worked quickly, though it didn’t heal the wound. It was too serious a wound for the booster. Clo grimaced, but his mind had cleared a little as the painkillers took effect. That was enough to get him to think. His arm was a problem. Cutting it off might be the best course of action since the booster could probably heal a clean cut. Knowing that blood loss would become a concern soon, he didn’t hesitate long.

He summoned his blade in his free hand and cleanly cut his arm off just below the shoulder. The painkillers in the booster were strong enough that they barely stung now. He could see the danger in relying on them already. The way his skin healed was fascinating. Skin, or scabs, quickly formed over the cut section of his arm. They flaked off revealing slightly red skin. Unmarred and, more importantly, no longer threatening him with a slow death due to blood loss.

The painkillers would last a few more minutes, and he didn’t really know what to do now. He stared at his dismembered arm in the grass, and the world around it seemed dull in comparison. He knew that this was just temporary. That once he got out of the trial, he would have his arm. Logic was telling him to be calm, but a part of him just looked at the arm and panicked.

He sat there staring at his arm for a while. He didn’t actually know how much time had passed but eventually, he calmed down. His vision spread out from the arm, and he noticed two objects beside it. A red, comically shaped bottle sat beside an oddly large seed. It was like a sunflower seed though five times as large. It was brown with green glowing lines across its surface. Clo glanced at the red liquid in the bottle first. The blue text told him what the item was.

Minor Healing Potion (Common): A potion capable of treating minor wounds.

He read the description and figured it would probably be as good as the booster he just used. If it was something better, then he might have regretted his decision, but he doubted that this would’ve been able to save the arm. At least he told himself that as he turned to the seed. Another screen popped up in front of the item.

Minor Plant Elemental Seed (Rare): A seed that can be grown into a familiar with blood, or it can be devoured for a boost to two random attributes.

Clo read the text and frowned. Assuming that both effects of the item would only be for this trial, then the attributes were probably more valuable. However, he doubted that it was simple. The trial wouldn’t give such a choice if the decision was straightforward. How much blood would it need to grow? The question ran through his head as he glanced at his severed arm and the pool of blood that it rested in. He idly tossed the seed into it, curious to see if that would be enough. If it was, he would see what happened. If not, he would eat it.

He stared at the seed and watched as it soaked up the blood like a sponge. It was more than a little disturbing. Plants were not meant to suck up blood, it just wasn’t right. To his amazement, the tiny seed managed to suck up nearly every drop of blood. It hadn’t changed physically despite all of that. Guess that meant it was time to eat it.

He bent down and picked up the seed, but as he picked it up, he felt a sharp prick in his fingertip. A new blue box appeared, providing him with a new set of information. Clo actually didn’t pay much attention to it, instead, he just looked at the seed. It began to crack like an egg, and a brown beak punched through the thin shell. It sounded like two sticks hitting one another, and the noise continued as the seed continued to break like an egg. A creature crawled out of it onto his palm.

It was a bird or rather a chick, that seemed more like hedge art than a living creature. Its beak was made of wood, and its feet were brown like wood too. It didn’t have eyes, not even fake ones. Instead, there were just empty holes where eyes would normally be. The elemental might be considered cute, if not for those hollow eyes.

Clo knew that there was something inherently fantastical about the trials and its design, but this was the first time he felt like he saw something truly magical. Something that couldn’t or shouldn’t exist naturally. Fully, taken by the awe of the moment, he only now thought to look at the blue screen.

Minor Plant Elemental (Rare): This elemental is bound to you and will follow any simple commands given. It will do its utmost to support and aid you.

Skills:

Thorn Projectile: Fires a sharp projectile from its mouth.

Cooldown: 1 day

Leaf Guard: Attempts to block an attack with a shield made of leaves.

Cooldown: 5 minutes

Resurrection: If the elemental dies, it can be revived by giving your blood to a seed.

Cooldown: 1 hour

Clo read the description and found it a little disappointing. The elemental didn’t sound particularly strong, but he would give it the benefit of the doubt. If a skill had a day-long cooldown, it must at least be useful. He dismissed the window and was surprised by another one behind it.

Give a name to the elemental…

He had to name it, really? What in the world did someone name a bird that looked more like plant art? Staring at the creature, he felt like the leaves were a bit sharper and lighter than most he saw. It reminded him vaguely of the sharp trees he saw in the trial. An image of a man flashed into his vision; an axe slung across his shoulder as he told him of his favorite tree. The memory startled him, and he grimaced, despite the warmth of the moment. It was one of the few good memories of the trial, and it was marred with betrayal. Still, Clo couldn’t think of a better name.

“Juniper.”

The elemental seemed overjoyed by the name, hopping around his hand, and flapping its wings quickly. Clo stared at the small creature in his palm. This creature felt more real and alive than the rest of the monsters in the trial. He was surprised by how light it was. It was barely heavier than a handful of leaves. It was probably as light as a glove. Even still, he wasn’t sure how was he going to take this with him. At least he didn’t need to protect it.

“Let’s go.”

The creature chirped. Well, it made a noise that could kind of be described as a whistle. A clipped short one, that sounded oddly like a high note on a flute. It then jumped, and to his surprise flew. It did so oddly sway back and forth as if bouncing against an invisible wind. That didn’t stop the creature from flying up and landing on his head. Clo felt a tiny prick as it dug its feet into his hair. Clo never cared much for his appearance, but this probably didn’t suit him. That vain thought followed him, as he backtracked into the previous room.

This room had only one other exit, and he hoped it wasn’t going to lead to another dead end. He walked toward that exit and was surprised to see the fog search up to fill the entrance. That was something new. It took a second for the fog to fill the door, but once it did, it flashed with a golden light. What the hell was this now? After that trick chest, Clo realized he couldn’t trust this place. This door was somehow different than the others, and he thrust a careful hand into it. This wall was permeable, the fog bent around his arm as if to pull him inside.

He considered not going inside, but what would be the point of that? He needed to know what this type of door meant. Knowing there was not much else he could do, he pushed into the fog. The fog felt gold as it brushed against him, swallowing him like a living creature. It pulled him, and he knew that there was no going back. That was fine, it was never an option for him anyways. He would go forward, always.