The chase was on. As she followed the beast's mad flight through the overgrown forest, an armada of dark clouds sailed across the sky, their black faces blotting out the distant sun. A frigid wind howled between the trees, their heavy-laden boughs shaking and swaying beneath the rising storm.
The heavens wept. Freezing cold rain poured down upon her head, the wailings winds blowing so hard that the blinding rain was nearly horizontal. The ground beneath her feet grew soft and slick, the mud sloshing beneath her ever step, as she slogged after the stag, but it was the cliffs that proved the true challenge. The water poured down the bare rock face like new-sprung waterfalls, threatening to sweep her off the narrow ledges. Again and again Ihra tumbled down and despite the driving rains, blood and mud coated every inch of her body.
But she did not give up; she could not give up.
Somehow she found the strength to press on, to keep her eyes fixed on the forest spirit even when the rolling hills gave way to the steep mountain slopes. Ihra lost track of how long she chased the stag as the minutes blurred into hours or even days.
The rain turned to ice that pelted down against her head with a steady staccato, its radiant crystals clinging to every fold of her clothes and hair. Her lips blue, her limbs stiff and sluggish, she fought through the blinding gale, almost weeping when she finally lost sight of the stag.
Her eyes swept across the dark mountain’s slopes, looking in vain for any signs of the stag’s track. But his path had been washed away, whatever trail he had left covered up by the quickly accreting ice.
With an anguished sob, she collapsed on the ground, no longer able to keep forcing herself forward now that her last hope had been extinguished.
She slumped against a rotting stump, the ice that glazed her cheeks melting beneath the torrent of warm, salty tears. It’s over. I failed. The words tasted bitter on her lips as she finally admitted to herself what she had feared all along. “I am just not good enough.”
The heavens rumbled, and Ihra looked up, startled by the thunderclap. Lightning struck again, smashing into the forest a few hundred feet away with an ominous crack. Ihra shrank back against the stump, as a new fear suddenly overwhelmed her other problems.
BOOM.
A blinding flash of lightning lit up the area around her with a pale light, the roar of the thunder so loud it hurt her ears. But in the flash of light, Ihra saw something - a large rectangular shape, one clearly not made by nature.
Hope swirled in the pit of her stomach. Could it be? She dragged herself through the icy muck, her bloodied legs screaming in protest as sharp shards of ice dug into her flanks. She flinched as another bolt of lightning slammed into a nearby tree, her ears ringing from the force of the aftershock.
Stumbling, slipping, sliding, the ice impeding her every movement. But she made it.
Lightning lit up the sky behind her as Ihra reached a trembling hand toward the object, a copper gleam glowing in the flicker of light. It was a coffin.
A thick layer of ice covered the sepulcher, blurring the images that wrapped around its base, but it did not matter; when her fingers brushed against the ice, a new message popped up.
Lady Kaksû has judged you worthy.
Phase 2 of the trial is complete.
Ihra could have cried with relief, but watched the box with bated breath, half-afraid to see what would come next. This last test had all but done her in; if there was a phase 3, Ihra didn’t think she could make it.
You have earned the inheritance of Lady Kaksû.
Class Granted: Hex Archer OR Windstrider
Two classes? Ihra could believe her luck - she’d actually have a choice. Her thoughts were cut off, though, as a final passage appeared.
Conditions Met for Further Testing
Begin Phase 3: YES/NO
Ihra read the message uncertainly. Would she lose her rewards if she tried, and failed, to beat phase 3? She stared at the two classes she’d been offered, and reread the waiting prompt. No mention was made of either reward or penalty, but she couldn’t be sure. Finally, Ihra reached a decision.
Among the many harsh lessons Ihra had learned at the orphanage, one of the most important was that nothing in life was guaranteed. When a golden opportunity came along, you took what you could get while you could still get it. She had barely beaten the first two challenges - it was sheer luck she had collapsed so close to the goal. No, she decided, it’s better not to press my luck. What is that saying Jasper always uses? Something about a bird in a pie?
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She chose NO.
The message faded, leaving her hands frozen in place on the ice-bound casket. But a second later it reappeared.
Input Overrode
Begin Phase 3: YES/NO
Ihra barely had to time to mutter a curse before the floor beneath her collapsed.
The fall felt much longer this time. She braced for impact immediately, but it didn’t come. Darkness surrounded her on all sides, and if it wasn’t for the wind that whistled past her ears, nothing would have suggested to her that she was falling. When she finally smashed into the ground, her legs buckled beneath the force of the impact, pitching her face-first, but she stumbled up moments later, unharmed.
Reflexively her hands reached for her weapons, and this time, she found what she was looking for. Another combat test? Drawing her bow, Ihra crouched low as she surveyed the room she had found herself in. It looked nearly indistinguishable from the many rooms they had tromped through in the city.
Ihra flattened her back against the wall as her pulse begin to raise. Did it just drop me back in the city? Without Jasper?
But as her gaze swept across the room, she realized there were subtle differences.
A set of wooden shutters was flung wide, an open-aired window looking out over the streets. A gentle green light filtered through, the shafts of light driving the shadows from the room. The furniture was in far better condition - it was certainly not new, but neither was it the rotting messes they had stumbled through in the upper city. Even the air seemed fresher and lighter, she realized, noting the absence of the overwhelming heat. This must be how it looked before the city was abandoned, she realized.
Relaxing slightly, she stepped away from the wall. Sheathing her bow, she drew the misericorde and cautiously proceeded down the hall. Each room she checked was empty, with no sign of friend or foe to be seen, as she worked her way deeper into the heart of the city.
As her search dragged on, Ihra’s frustration only mounted. She hadn’t wanted to do this part of the trial in the first place; now, she couldn’t even figure out what she was supposed to be doing. If there were any enemies to fight, she couldn't find them, and if there was some puzzle she was supposed to solve, apparently she was too stupid to even recognize it.
Finally, Ihra turned around, determined to make her way back to where she started - maybe I missed something at the start. But she soon realized she couldn’t retrace her steps: everything looked the same. The same simple homes cut into the rock walls, the same shutters flung open to let in the same pale light that shone from the ceilings. Sure, there were other structures also - temple, manors, stores - but the unique buildings were lost in a sea of sameness.
In a thoroughly foul mood, Ihra stalked down the street, her misericorde held loosely in her grip. The hours of searching through empty buildings had eaten away at her caution; lost in her thoughts, Ihra almost walked into the being.
But the flash of snow-white skin finally kicked her brain back into gear; with a startled shriek, Ihra leapt back, clutching her dagger tightly as she finally came face-to-face with one of the creatures.
The face that stared back at her resembled the ones she had seen in the city. Its pitch-black eyes were sunk deep into its milky skin, long fangs peaking out of either side of its lips. Long, silver hair spilled down its back - in surprisingly good condition, Ihra noted - and despite the almost sickly thinness of the beast, Ihra could feel the power radiating from it.
The pale creature was hunched over, walking on all fours, but even bent over, its size was so large that it stared down at her. She stumbled back, almost dropping her misericorde as its gaze pierced her; there was an intelligence there, a knowing that she had not expected to see. This was no beast
Ihra hesitated, not sure if the paleface was really an enemy. Then it opened its mouth. “Palalī-“
A second later, something smashed into her from behind, driving her to the ground. An agonizing pain spread through her body as four fangs sunk deep into her neck. She tried to fight, tried to move, but her body utterly refused to answer her demands. Waves of pain surged through her, only receding when something ripped the presence off her form, the sound of a thud echoing down the halls. And then she lost consciousness.
Phase 3 Failed
Trial Complete
The words blinked before her as she pried her eyes open. Ihra was sprawled across a cold, hard floor; she rolled to her side, still groggy. Her neck was throbbing, waves of pain radiating up and down her spine although, when she clapped her hand over it, she felt no signs of any wounds.
“Are you okay?”
A familiar voice rang in Ihra's ears, as a pair of gentle hands clasped beneath her shoulders, pulling her to her feet. She blinked, her eyes struggling to adjust to the dim light, as Jasper’s face finally swam into focus.
“What happened?” His eyes were dark with worry. “You just disappeared on me. You've been gone for...days, maybe? It's impossible to tell time here.”
Ihra shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. “I-I, uh.” The memory of the fangs closing around her neck flashed before her eyes. “I think I failed. Or maybe, not? I don’t know.” She stumbled over to one of the benches that lined the walls, collapsing on it with a sigh of relief. Utter exhaustion flooded every fiber of her body, as she closed her eyes, willing the throbbing pain in her neck to go away.
She barely noticed when he pried open her lips, choking down the sickly sweet healing potion before she drifted off to sleep.
When she opened her eyes again, Jasper sat across from her. He jumped up as she stirred, reaching out to offer a steadying hand, but she brushed it away. She was feeling much better. “I’m fine now, thanks.”
He settled back down on the bench, studying her face. Judging from the deep bags beneath his eyes, Ihra wondered how long it had been since he last slept. I hope he’s okay.
Jasper spoke slowly, his words carefully chosen. “So you said that it might not have gone well?” The word fail didn’t leave his lips, but it sat between them with an almost physical presence.
Ihra sighed. “I’m not really sure. There were three tests, I guess. I passed the first one, a combat test, and barely passed the second, which I guess was maybe a test of endurance? At the end of the second, a notification told me I had earned two class options, and then asked if I wanted to do a third test. I picked ‘no,’ Jasper, I swear I did, but it sent me to the third test anyways and I guess I was killed by something.” She winced, her fingers running lightly over the back of her neck. “I never even saw what hit me.”
He frowned, patting her hand. “Well…at least you’re here now. Hopefully, you still have the two classes you earned. Why don't you meditate; I can keep watch.”
She nodded, closing her eyes again. “I'll try to be quick.”
Ihra summoned the still pond to her, imagining the breeze that brushed against her cheek, the sunlight that danced its dappled beams across the crystal-clear waters, the deer that nestled in the verdant bushes while the forests rang with a choir of songbirds. The door opened and she stepped through.