CHAPTER TWO - THE TRIAL
Corin’s foot landed with a squelch, before him sprawled a dense lush jungle. Thick vines coiled around massive trees. Wide leaved ferns hung at chest height, the hues of green glistened with dew. It smelt earthy and fresh. Moisture clung to Corin’s exposed skin. He turned around finding the door he had stepped through gone. A display appeared.
Floor One - The Trial
New [Floor Task] Escape the jungle.
Find the first door before nightfall. Beware: Slippery when wet.
* Progress: 0%.
* Reward: 500 fate.
* Reward: [Item].
New [Optional Task] Defeat Monstrosities.
* Monstrosities defeated (0/10).
* Reward: 50 fate.
* Reward: [Ability].
Escape the jungle, defeat monstrosities, rewards, looks like an adventurer’s job listing Corin thought as he read. How hard could it be? With my skills and wit, I'll be out of this jungle in no time he reasoned. In fact, it might be nice to look around, it has been so long since I last left the city after all. Corin noticed both tasks were offering ‘fate’ as a reward.
An interesting word, fate. It implies the age old question, does man have free will or is the course of his life predetermined. Corin’s more theoretical professors at the academy had often harped on about magic being interwoven with fate and how the wielding of such magic could change the course of a man’s life. Some held the belief that our ability to harness magic and bend reality was proof of our free will, others liked to argue that it was the magic using us, pawns in fate's grand narrative. Corin had slept through most of those lectures, he had known since boyhood what it meant to make hard decisions and face the consequences. He had known it from the first time he stole a loaf of bread, a lesson imprinted in blue and black after the baker caught him. He also knew his presence in the academy, to the disdain of many a noble, was evidence of his own free will. A street boy who clawed his way up to stand amongst the elite. Fate, fate is for those who cannot accept their reality, he thought. Corin decided it wasn’t worth racking his brain over any further, whatever this ‘fate’ was he would find out after completing the task.
His attention returned to the task at hand; escaping the jungle. He picked a direction and started trudging.
The jungle was alive with sound, the babble of a nearby stream, the call of tropical birds - twigs snapped as critters scampered through the underbrush. Corin heard a tree shake, and the flap of a hundred wings as a flock of small birds fled. He turned in the direction of the noise, sword raised in a low guard. Light bled through the canopy high above casting the jungle in a web of shadows. Corin crept forward, placing each foot with precision on the slippery jungle floor as his eyes scoured the dark.
He heard two loud thuds from behind. Spinning on his heels, Corin ducked as a large beast pounced at him from a bush. Its paw was as large as Corin’s head and he heard the whoosh of air as dagger-like claws narrowly missed his shoulder. Twirling he advanced on the beast. It had a coat of jet black fur, piercing yellow eyes, and, most distinctly, two massive fangs protruding from its snarling maw. For a tower of magic, this beast seemed alarmingly real. Corin made a testing thrust at the beast's neck. It crept back, head low, high on its haunches. The beast let out a low and guttural growl. Sweat beaded on the tip of Corin’s nose and he felt his heartbeat racing. Corin brought his blade high, ready to strike.
Corin realized he was holding his breath and let out a long exhale. The beast rushed, keeping low and to the shadows, turning near-invisible in the dark and shadowy undergrowth. Its corded muscle rippled and tensed as it ran, coiling like a spring it leaped. The beast fell upon Corin as his sword came down in a blurring arc. He felt a satisfying thud as his sword bit into flesh. Then they were tumbling, locked together in a death spiral. Corin’s knuckles went white as he clung to his sword. A jolting pain shot up from Corin’s leg, sending a spasm through his body. The beast's fangs were buried deep in his thigh. He could hear the grating of teeth on bone. He tasted bile in the back of his throat and it took all of his focus to stay conscious. Whatever this beast was, it was most certainly real and trying to kill him. Corin grunted, freeing his sword from the beast’s shoulder, he plunged it into the monster’s exposed neck. He felt as it pierced through tough hide and was met with the resistance of solid bone. Corin mustered all of his remaining strength and thrust the blade deeper. He heard a sickening crunch and the beast went limp in his lap, its fangs still embedded in Corin’s leg. Corin felt a rumble in his gut as his breakfast threatened to come back up. He released his sword and collapsed back in exhaustion. An alert appeared above him.
You have defeated a [Shadow Panther].
* [Strength] has increased by 2.
* [Endurance] has increased by 1.
* [Vitality] has increased by 1.
* You have received: 10 fate.
* You have received: 1x [minor healing potion].
[Optional Task] Defeat Monstrosities.
* Monstrosities defeated (1/10).
Corin swiped at the display, too dazed to take in the information.
He felt around for the panther whose head lay still and heavy on his left leg. His hand came away warm and sticky and his body shivered despite the humidity of the jungle. His head throbbed and his vision began to blur. He fumbled with the buckle on his newly acquired belt that came as a set with his sword and sheath. Hands trembling, he brought the belt up to his mouth and bit down. He placed a hand at the base of each fang and heaved. His muscles strained against the weight of the panther’s massive head. “Aughhhhh!” He screamed through clenched teeth as the fangs climbed out his leg inch by inch. He shoved hard and the beast’s head landed with a thud, its muscular neck now twisted and warped like the gnarled roots it lay amongst.
Corin could see a black pool forming on his pants. He had to act fast. He pulled up the display with a thought, scouring the contents of the reward screen for anything useful. He found what he was looking for; 1 minor healing potion. With a thought it was materializing in his hand, an effect he would have awed at longer had the situation been any less dire. The light show faded and in his hand was a small glass vial containing a cherry red liquid. Spitting out his belt, he popped the cork stopper and drank. It tasted sweet and fruity at first but soon left a burning sensation in his nose and throat. The sense of relief was almost immediate.
In the space of a minute his head went from a throb to a dull ache to feeling like he had just had a full night's rest. He felt the stabbing, nauseating pain in his leg recede to a light stinging sensation and he watched as the gaping holes in his thighs shrank, his flesh weaving itself together like some invisible grandmother was knitting him back together. He tested his leg, bending it at the knee. It felt tender and bruised but he no longer felt like throwing up, which was a good sign.
He got to his knees and buckled his belt, looking around for his sword when he remembered it was still lodged in the panther’s neck. He yanked it free with a final spurt of blood and wiped it clean on his tunic. A hard task given the amount of mud and blood it was covered in. Sheathing his blade he got to his feet, steadying himself against a nearby tree. His heart was still thumping in his chest and he felt himself lose the battle against his stomach as his breakfast decorated the surrounding flora.
“Not illusions, definitely not illusions. I should have picked the white door.”
Corin wiped his mouth and took a deep breath through his nose. The horrible melange of puke and blood and mud making his eyes water. He felt something rough brush against his hand. He jumped, arms flailing. He heard a low hiss and caught the glimpse of a vine slither around the tree he was leaning on. Slither? Vines don’t slither, Corin thought. Corin looked up and found a set of beady ruby eyes staring back at him. The puke yellow serpent had coiled its way around a low branch, its head suspended just above Corin’s eyeline. It let out another hiss as it began oscillating in a trance like motion.
“You have got to be kidding.” Corin said, widening his stance.
The snake darted. Corin drew his blade in a sweeping arc. Blood splattered Corin’s face as he split the creature in two. It spun head over dissection into the bushes.
“I’m getting pretty sick and tired of this jungle.”
You have defeated a [Red-eyed Viper].
* [Speed] has increased by 1.
* [Focus] has increased by 1.
* You have received: 5 fate.
* You have received: 1x [antivenom].
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
[Optional Task] Defeat Monstrosities.
* Monstrosities defeated (2/10).
Corin looked over the display, making sure to keep a safe distance from the trees. He compared the first reward screen with the second. He had received 10 ‘fate’ for killing the panther, but only 5 for killing the snake. Pulling up his inventory he found ‘fate’ situated in the bottom left with the number 15 next to it. Focusing on it a prompt appeared.
Would you like to withdraw: 15 fate?
Yes/No
Corin selected yes and a shimmering black coin appeared in his hand. On the face of the coin was the number 15 depicted in silver. Turning it over he found a silver rectangle which Corin supposed represented the tower itself. Corin focused on the coin and watched as it disappeared, reappearing as a number in his inventory display.
“I guess that answers my question, why fate though? Why not gold?” Corin asked himself.
Would you like to spend 15 fate to find out?
Yes/No
“Oh, so now you can hear me?” Corin asked, his cheeks going red. “No, I do not need nor want your help, creepy tower.” Corin replied. The prompt disappeared and Corin returned to reviewing his rewards.
I received a healing potion and an antivenom so it's safe to assume that defeating monsters can give some useful items but I haven’t killed enough to find out if these are guaranteed or if I’m just lucky, he thought. Also, my ‘statistics’ have increased after each fight but they aren’t increasing uniformly which, Corin thought, suggested a correlation between the ‘statistics’ utilized and the ‘statistics’ improved. The snake required heightened focus and fast reflexes, hence the increase to focus and speed. In comparison, the panther almost mauled me to death and left me exhausted, which would make the increases to strength, endurance and vitality logical. If I assume these ‘statistics’ are a numerical expression of my own capabilities then it would make sense to try and sure-up my weaknesses and exploit my strengths, Corin thought.
I need to test my theories, Corin decided. He pulled up his ‘statistics’ page.
[Ascendant Interactive Display]
Corin Altear
[Race]: Human variant - Astran
[Class]: Unassigned
[Statistics]
* [Strength]: 14
* [Speed]: 16
* [Endurance]: 9
* [Vitality]: 9
* [Spirit]: 16
* [Focus]: 19
[Abilities]
[Inventory]
[Equipment]
[???]
Satisfied he was on the right track, Corin closed everything and set off into the jungle.
----------------------------------------
The sun had just passed its precipice as Corin drove his blade through the last of the giant web-spitting spiders that had ambushed him as he had stopped to drink from a small stream. He was covered in fine threads that dug further into his skin the more he moved. His gray-tunic was caked in a layer of grime, his golden hair now a matted brown. He had dried blood up to his elbows, and every inch of him was soiled. Corin, who was usually meticulous in his appearance, didn’t care anymore; he had stopped caring about the state of his presentation after his second tangle with a shadow panther down a particularly muddy slope. Corin grimaced at the memory. Freeing himself from the webs he pulled up his tasks.
[Floor Task] Escape the jungle.
Search for an exit. Beware: Slippery when wet
* Progress: 70%
* Reward: 500 fate
* Reward: [Item].
[Optional Task] Defeat Monstrosities.
* Monstrosities defeated (8/10).
* Reward: 50 fate.
* Reward: [Ability].
Corin didn’t feel any closer to an exit than he had when he had first entered the jungle several hours earlier. It seemed to be a never ending expanse of green and brown, inhabited by the deadliest creatures he had ever encountered. At this point he was willing to fight a dragon, just on the off chance he could mount it and fly to the exit. His display clearly stated he was 70% of the way there, which was mildly encouraging despite how much he was beginning to despise the tower. And only two monstrosities to go, that was a relief. His statistics had grown considerably too. Increases in strength, endurance, vitality, and speed had come a plenty as he had fought on through beast and bush. Focus had only shown up the one time and spirit was yet to be seen but Corin figured that those statistics had more to do with magic and the mind than fighting. He had tried casting some of his spells against the last shadow panther but nothing had happened. No matter how much he tried he could no longer sense any connection to Astra or its flow of mana. He had acquired a handful of useful items, most recently a coil of rope that could adhere to a surface much like the webs of the spider it had come from. He was also surprised to find he had accrued 50 fate and was tempted to ask the tower a question but thought better of it. Corin decided the less he could interact with this shady tower the better. Corin rinsed his face in the stream and pushed on, wanting to be out of this jungle well before sun down.
The trek was slow going but Corin’s muscles felt fresh and rejuvenated. He attributed it to his endurance breaking into double digits, and his increased strength and speed did wonders for hacking his way through the denser parts of the jungle. Every so often Corin checked his progress on the display, ticking up one percent at a time in an excruciatingly slow manner. He decided to pick up the pace.
He soon found himself stuck on one side of a wide brown river. Scanning the banks he noticed a small herd of quadrupeds, unlike any animal native to Astra. They had a green moss like coat of fur, long slender necks, and heads adorned with short stumpy horns. Their long legs ended in massive black hooves, and they drank from a long protruding snout. Corin watched in silence as the bizarre creatures parched their thirst. The brown water bubbled as they drank, Corin spotted a log floating towards them. There was a wailing cry as the rippling water erupted with movement. A giant monster emerged, clamping its long vice-like jaws on the throat of a panicking beast. It had massive bark colored scales, its wide tooth-filled mouth drawn in a wicked grin. It looked to Corin like a fat wingless dragon. He watched as it dragged the beast deeper into the river, thrashing as it went. Its herd members wailed from the riverbank, hooves stamping, nostrils flaring. Corin looked for something that could help the poor beast but he knew it was futile.
Not wanting to suffer the same fate Corin began searching for an easy way across. He considered climbing one of the trees whose branches arched partway across the river. Testing the strength of a branch within arms reach he found it bend dubiously under his weight and his grip slipped on its slick mossy surface. A couple feet in land from the river were larger trees that grew tall and wide but their thick branches only came out to the water line. Corin looked across the flowing brown murk and spied the same kind of trees on the far bank. An idea popped into his head.
Corin foraged around for a pliable stick. When none presented themselves for the taking he took to hacking down a thin but sturdy sapling. He tested its give, bending it in half like a bow. Releasing his left hand the sapling snapped back to its original shape. Corin nodded. Digging around some more, he came up with a muddy rock about the size of his fist. He wiped the grimy stone against his pants until it was mostly clean.
“Looks like that’s everything, I hope this works.”
Corin clambered up the sturdiest looking tree closest to the river’s edge and summoned his recently acquired rope of adhering. He looped one end of the fine white thread around the tree. It gave off a faint glow as it made contact. Corin narrowed his eyes and gave it a tug, the rope didn’t budge. Satisfied the magical bind would hold, he shimmied down to the jungle floor and tied the other end around the rock. He lined up his tree with one of a similar stature on the other side of the river and planted one end of his stick into the ground. His makeshift catapult was complete. Corin loaded the rock onto the top end of the stick and pulled back with all of his strength. Twang! The stone hurtled up and over the river, getting lost amongst the branches of a wide tree with a clatter. Corin could just make out the shimmer of the magical rope as it worked its binding magic.
“It worked! It actually worked!” Corin said, laughing. Time to cross this monster infested river and get out of this nightmare jungle, he thought.
Corin slid along the rope, hand over hand, one leg looped around the thread. Up at this height Corin had a clearer view of the river which flowed in a straight stretch for a hundred or so feet before curving out of sight. To his dismay Corin spotted at least half a dozen river dragons posing as logs in the murky brown water. He considered himself blessed to be up on the safety of his rope, until the wind picked up...
What had been a gentle breeze throughout the morning was now a strong wind. It came in gusts down the river valley, buffeting Corin and threatening to tip him into the brown soup below. The thin rope swayed from side to side and Corin could hear the trees on either side of the river creak and groan. He closed his eyes and was inching his way across when he heard a shrill squawk pierce above the racket of the rustling trees.
Corin opened his eyes. He had just crossed the midpoint of the river and he spotted one of the large barkskin monsters floating by. Corin craned his neck, trying to locate the origin of the shrill noise. As he turned he saw a glint, like light catching well-polished steel, rushing towards him. An ugly black-feathered bird, with silver stripes on its wings, and a razor sharp steel-colored beak, swooped by, missing Corin by a hair's breadth.
Corin watched as the terrifying avian caught an updraft, turned in a wide arc and came back for another pass. Corin lashed out with an arm, keeping a tight grip on the rope with the other. The steel-colored beak tore through his tunic and flesh before rebounding off Corin’s strike and circling about. Corin felt the hot sting of the cut and had a hunch that the bird’s beak was more than just steel-colored. The thought made him shiver and then a thought crossed his mind, if the bird went for the rope instead of Corin then he’d inevitably end up in the drink with the fat dragons. Not liking the prospect Corin drew his sword and achieved an awkward half-lying half-sitting position on the rope.
He followed the gleam of the blade-billed monster as it swirled up into the sky then, collapsing its wings, dove. It hurtled towards Corin, like a sword propelled on shadows. At the last moment Corin leaned back, slashing at the deadly bird. Sparks flew as Corin’s blade caught the underside of the beak and he heard a dozen little cracks as the blade sliced through neck and chest. The beast thrashed at the end of Corin’s blade, shrieking in a high pitch whine. Corin tried shaking it off the end of his sword but its flapping made him flail wildly and he had to steady himself on the rope. Glancing down he saw the fat river monsters converging underneath the commotion. Corin looked up just in time to see a glossy black eye staring back at him as the bird used the last of its strength to crane forward and snip the rope with the tip of its razor-beak.
“Fuck.”
You have defeated a [Razor-beak Raven].
* [Vitality] has increased by 1.
* You have received: 10 fate.
* You have received: [Razor-beak Scimitar] (rare).
[Optional Task] Defeat Monstrosities.
* Monstrosities defeated (9/10).