Isaac finally took a moment to look at his surroundings. In all of the excitement caused by the Mana System he hadn't actually taken the time to see where he was. He needed to focus. Who knows how many of the others had died because they had been attacked while assigning their attribute points.

It looked like he had landed in some sort of forest. Though it wasn't like any forest he had ever seen or read about. Red-orange trees that were hundreds of feet high surrounded him, with smaller plants of every color growing peacefully underneath their shade. Isaac placed a hand on the grass underneath him. The grass was cold, covered in a slick layer of dew. Part of him was confused, I had always pictured the Tower floors to be darker, and more uh ... dungeony? He shook his head at the thought and opened his backpack. He needed to get organized and gain some levels.

It had taken Isaac over 8 months to get to the capital from his small town on the border of the kingdom. He had taken every odd job that had been available in the larger towns he passed, from delivering messages to carrying equipment for parties of adventurers. And then he had turned around and used almost everything he made to purchase books and gain access to libraries. He had scoured hundreds of books for every bit of information that existed on the Tower and their Trials.

Over time Isaac had come to the conclusion that the majority of the knowledge he had gained from his research was useless. Every person's Novice Trial was different. There was only one thing that all of the authors had agreed on: inside the Tower, only the strongest thrived.

Isaac reached into his backpack and pulled out a green shirt and pants. He had packed several sets of clothes in different colors, along with rations and water, and some basic equipment such as a small flame crystal to start fires and a bedroll. The green of his clothes was a shade lighter than the surrounding forest, but it would make him harder to see. Once he was changed, he headed in the direction of the howls he had heard earlier. His increased agility made him light on his feet, keeping him silent even as he manuvered over fallen branches and leaves.

He had been running for nearly an hour when he reached the edge of the forest. The red-orange trees that he had become accustomed to seeing disappeared almost immediately, replaced with open grasslands lined with small rolling hills. Isaac raced to the nearest hill and scanned the grasslands. In the distance he could see the outline of a town, surrounded by a wall of stone. No one has ever mentioned that there are entire towns inside the Tower. Could the Tower be home to entire civilizations? He mentally filed the thought away for another time. If he completed his trial and made his way out of the Tower he would try and find someone that might know more and ask them about it. Perhaps someone at one of the academies might be able to give him more information.

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

Suddenly, Isaac heard a shout to his left. He dropped to the ground and crawled over to the edge of the hill so that he could get a better look at the treeline, "Hold the line! I said hold the line you fuckin' dimwits!". Isaac saw a small group of people making their way out of the forest. They all looked bloodied and in terrible shape. Some of the people in the group were half dragging the others in the direction of the town, while five men in armor held spears and shields and walked backwards out of the forest in a single line, stopping and moving as a single unit. As the group got farther from the treeline, Isaac saw that they were being chased by a pack of huge, dark-furred wolves. Dire wolves. Shit, that's bad. The wolves stalked after the men holding spears, occasionally breaking from the pack and charging. Every time that happened a bear of a man with a jet-black beard would shout and the line of men would thrust their spears as one.

Without the trees as a natural funnel, the wolves had been able to spread out and get around the men and their line, directly targeting the injured members of the group. One of the wolves managed to get around the armed men and grab a women by the arm. Before the men could respond, the wolf had carried her away and into the middle of the pack. Isaac heard her screams for several long seconds, before they slowly died away. A screen appeared.

The Tower has given you your first Trial!

A group of people that live within the Tower is being attacked by a pack of Dire Wolves. Despite their greatest efforts there is little chance that they will be able to survive the onslaught. The Tower wishes to protect its people and has called upon you to save them. Will you rise to the challenge and reap the rewards?

Trial Difficulty: Nightmare

Requirements

1. All Dire Wolves must be killed - (20/20 remain)

2. At least half of the group must survive - (9/10 remain)

Rewards

Vary depending on Trial completion