According to the Priest and their Master, all Challenge Realms came with three objectives. The first should be directly evident and should be the easiest to complete. The second would be either hidden, locked, timed, or otherwise difficult to reach. It would be a major step up in difficulty and should be completed only if one group is confident enough to do so. The last one would be exceptional, and often unrelated to the first two. It could be a side quest or a special event that could be triggered. Its difficulty would be anything from easy to impossible.
Thus, when Connor stepped toward the shadowed zone, he was in fact stepping toward the second challenge. Trepidation and excitement filled his heart, but he had to keep his head cool and stay alert.
If the rest of the arena floor is indication enough, there should be at least several other pillars in this bubble of ink, hoped Connor. It should be a few more steps further.
Since breaching into the dark side of the arena, Connor lost sight of everything. He had some ideas he wanted to try, but he first needed to reach some sort of protection. He clearly hoped that whatever was in the dark would not be able to see him either. He tried to be as silent as possible and the sand helped somewhat. He should have thought to ask his friend to make some loud noises as a distraction. But it was too late now.
What the fuck is wrong with me? he wondered. Since getting a Seal I'm completely destabilized... He sighed, internally. Get yourself together, dumbo! It's clearly not the time!
The sand floor was uneven, which slowed him even more down. But ever so carefully, he crept toward his destination. He first felt the pillar with his foot. He almost yelped at the contact, for fear of having poked at the big bad beast that somehow waited him within. But he quickly confirmed that it was the sturdy pillar instead.
Good. He had left his backpack by the arena wall and had only taken the minimum gear, a few knives, two daggers, and two lighters. One that was mechanical in nature, the other a formation. Depending on the kind of darkness that was, one could work and not the other. He already knew that his fiery arrow didn't provide any light to an outsider observer. But would that be the same from within? Maybe that was just the weird light from the Arena that was banned in there. Or maybe it was just chock-full of dark Mana... He needed to confirm either of these hypotheses.
First, he grabbed the formation-based lighter, as it was the most stealthy of the two. He also had a formation-based torch, but that was too big and too bright. He didn't want to attract attention. He pushed his will into the small inscribed wooden stick. He felt the drag, he guessed that was some of his Soul energy, along probably with some Mana. But that was just guesswork, their Master hadn't taught them much about Energies usage, as it would have been a waste of time without a Seal and most importantly without an Ascending Jade.
But the drag bore no fruit. Or maybe it did, but he couldn't see the result of his action. He tried to lift the stick toward his face, just in case. He could feel the heat. At least there is that, then. The thing works, but I still can't perceive it... This would mean that Xander's fire sword should work in there too.
He put the stick back in his pocket and took the mechanical lighter. He didn't really know if there was such a thing as a difference between a magically induced flame and a mechanical one. But he had to try. He pushed the button, the usually faint clack was deafening in the silence of the dark. Sound works great! he thought, sarcastically. It even echoes... as several other clicking and clacking answered his own.
Now, that's not a good sign... He tried to stay as still as possible, his back to the pillar. He didn't know if the thing could see him, but he didn't want to take any chances. He was ready to jump away at the first sign of activity, but the clicks and clacks relented. A chain, maybe? he wondered. Or-
A powerful roar came from a bit further. He could smell the putrid wave of breath reach his nose. Must be a truly big beast then, he concluded shivering. I'm glad I didn't go in there... Then came the usual chatter of the smaller beasts and a few lesser roars that came in answers. Well, we already guessed it wasn't alone but... There was also this odd quality to the sound. It's like it's echoing... he wondered at the potential cause. Is there a gallery under the sand, that would deliver the beasts right here?
He hadn't observed any sparks from his lighter, either. So, it is some powerful effect, maybe even a mind-based effect. In either case, there was nothing he could do about this. He had several more clues, which was good. Now, is there an opening in there? Is it by the opposite arena wall instead? Or some weird sound effect these monsters are imbued with? But he would first need to reach the edge of the dark bubble first, to get a better idea of the arena layout, as from within the bubble, his internal compass had been fucked pretty quickly.
His first step creaked, so tense he had been on his legs. He cursed himself, but thankfully whatever that was hadn't been able to hear it, or simply didn't react to it. Slowly and carefully he crept back toward his friends. Hopefully, I'm going in the right direction... he thought. I would be so screwed otherwise.
Soon enough, he stepped again into the light. It was so strange as it happened so suddenly. He had to squint his eyes, as the light was so bright. He had to wait a few seconds for his eyes to adjust. He looked around and saw his friends, still in the same position as he had left them. He flashed a few hand signs to Xander, telling him that was fine but that they needed to stay put. He then took a better look at his current position and related that to the design of the arena. If I were a big-ass monster. Where would I be?
There were many options. From the light side, there were ten pillars visible set at regular intervals of a few meters, forming another oval on the sand. The darkened zone barely covered a third of the arena. The shadowed third covered the other end of the oval, so he gathered that either the beast entrance was between on the wall between the two pillars in the middle, or it was standing within the pillar-dotted circle. Of course, that's a somewhat bullshit assumption, but according to Master, most Challenges are definitely structured, and guided by some Creator's hand. I certainly hope the Creator of this arena likes symmetry and perfect geometry.
He took a deep, and hopefully silent breath. He went to the center of the arena and walked toward the dark end. The complete opposite to where the Doors were laying, and stepped into the darkness a second time. His best knife throw was at twelve meters. Unenhanced. Now, he could probably hit accurately at twenty. He unsheathed four of his knives. He would try four consecutive throws. One high toward the wall right in from of him, one low. Then one between the two pillars further on his left, and on his right. Of course, he would have to gauge the position of the pillars according to his mind map of the arena. That's why he had taken care to go to the arena center, which had helped him fix the position of the pillars in his mind.
His heartbeat rose to a crescendo, as he readied his first two shots. Chances are quite good that either of those hit something significant. One slow and controlled breath later, he threw the first knife with all his might. He had angled it upward so that it would hit the wall. He wasn't used to his new Strength and Dexterity, so he couldn't really gauge the flight speed of his knife. Suddenly a LOUD clinging resonated throughout the arena. The cacophony of roars emerged with a vengeance. The young man stepped back quickly, and maybe a bit fearfully. Well, I guess I was right... When he stepped out of the shadowed area, he quickly ran toward his friend. Nothing pursued and the beasts calmed down after a minute. It took longer than usual, he noted.
Xander looked at him, seriously, "So, what do you think?" he asked.
Connor didn't like his conclusions. He grimaced a bit, and explained his reasoning, "I believe there is a corridor that leads to where the beasts are caged. Or at least restrained. Also, I think this entrance is barred with something metallic." This was good because it meant they were safe-ish. But it also meant that they couldn't just go in and have a shot at the beasts within. Unless we can find a way to open the door... he thought. But that's a big if. He also added, "One of the monsters must be truly gigantic. Or have a very powerful lung capacity, as I could smell its breath from where I was when it roared."
He shrugged, "Honestly I believe we can't face whatever that Challenge is." He looked at his friend, "Within, the darkness is total, and I've got no way to pierce it."
It would be quite easy to assert the position of the corridor. He would just need to follow the wall and that's it. If he was wrong about it being securely closed, he might get in trouble. Also, it could be barred but still allowing what's inside to throw an arm through and rip whatever passes within range... Another thing to worry about, he sighed.
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His friend looked thoughtful. Takeo seemed to be getting a bit impatient by the Door, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "Could we smoke them out?" asked the young swordsman.
"Maybe?" answered Connor. "But I don't think it's realistic. I would need appropriate supplies, and it would be even better if I had something to poison the cloud somehow. But I don't have any of that," He shrugged. "In the same vein, I don't think I could make a bomb big enough to drop the arena on their beastly heads," he snorted.
Xander sighed, "Well, I guess that means we're going to have to let this Challenge be." He looked at his friend, "We will take a few hours of rest, and then we will move on. We can't stay here forever." He glanced at Takeo, "And there is nothing I can teach him in a few days that would be worth the time."
Both seemed to agree. Connor was disappointed, but caution was the better part of valor. The Reward for the Second Challenge was supposed to be great. But their Master had warned them that they wouldn't be ready to face such Challenges unless they were heavily in their favor. And this one was clearly not.
"I'll still check the entrance to the corridor," he said, "At the very least to be sure it's closed in some way." Xander hesitated before nodding. "I'll be careful," he added.
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Thankfully the corridor was locked by a heavy metallic fence. Connor had even located two chains ending with a large ring by either side of the corridor. He presumed they would have had to pull those to open the door. That might also mean that only one of us three could go inside... He came back to his friend and new tagalong. "It's closed, but we could open it if we so chose."
Xander nodded. "Thank you, Connor." He looked at Takeo, and announced their decision, "We will rest for a few hours, and then we will move on."
The young man seemed to be happy to have a bit more time to get some rest. Connor looked at the piles of scraps he had harvested from the goblins. I'm really glad I have this ring now... But what should I take?
A bit further, Xander was having fun with his sword. Connor snorted, Well maybe fun isn't actually the right word, he is probably trying to get a hold of his Spirit Guide. I should probably do that too. He wasn't that enthusiastic about the idea. But... I guess I should at least get the contact going, otherwise, I might waste the valuable time of his future Teacher. He quickly sifted through the scraps and stored most leather, metallic bits, and some bones. The first two because they would always be useful to repair their armor and weapons. The latter because at the moment he was quite limited in his stock of wood, and should he need to make some more arrows, those might be useful. Besides he felt the pull of his Guide toward the bones. I guess I'll keep those for now.
He then sat himself comfortably, and dove deep within himself through meditation. He had been taught the basics of meditation by their Master and had practiced it dutifully. He had been told that once he'd got a Seal, this exercise would become something else. And how true it was.
He shut everything out and focused on his breathing. With each breathing out, he let go of his tension, his worries, his thoughts. Breathing in, he followed the rushing air as it filled his lungs. Ever so slowly, he took in his whole body, from the lungs to his heart, his chest, and his belly. Soon enough, his mind eye had drawn a map of his body, bathed in golden light. With every breath, an influx of silver fog and blue light filled his body. The blue light churned and twisted a bit below his stomach. His Qi was already full, so the excess got wasted. When he breathed out, the Qi pushed through his body, following hundreds of tiny blue channels, only to circle back to his dantian.
The silver fog came in through several intakes, the widest of which was in his lung, but there were thirteen gateway throughout his body. The fog was a bit like a river and rushed in. But getting it in wasn't enough. As it came in, it created some sort of current within his body shell, one that rotated and slowly concentrated itself toward his heart. The further the stream of fog went, the less it was gray and the more it turned white, opalescent even. The process happened naturally and automatically of course, but deep in meditation, he could almost feel it. Had he been graced with a White Jade, he would have been able to help it along. Yet just like his Qi, the excess of purified fog was wasted.
He tried to perceive his Soul Energy, as he was the proud owner of a Purple Jade it should be possible for him to use it with his Will alone, instead of through a Jade. According to his master, Soul energy was the golden wave that flowed through the body. Spotting it wasn't difficult. It started from the deepest part of his brain, and came out, following the golden lines of his body and halting barely a centimeter away from his skin forming a rippling bubble all around him, the same that prevented the Mana fog from escaping. By the time the wave reached the sole of his feet, it had already lost most of its power, and shine, and only very faintly reached back his head. His Master hadn't been versed in Soul Energy, so Connor could only guess how it worked. For the moment, he just tried to feel it and see if he could make it react to his Will.
What he could feel instead, somehow beside him, was a hand guiding his attention toward his brain, to the little golden glitter within. The little sun radiated Soul Energy at a steady rhythm. Following his Guide, Because who else could it be? he zoomed in, deeper and deeper, to the point that the pinprick that had been the cradle of his Soul was now big enough for his mental self to sit on it. He could feel within his bones the thrumming and rattling by the passage of the energy his Soul released. He could feel it and tried in turn to help it along. Adjusting his pushes to match the emergence, once, twice, he faltered at the third and the energy fizzled away, darkening his mind's representation of his body. Peeved, he wanted to make his body glow like a little star, and so pushed steadily harder, in rhythm.
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Before taking his nap, Takeo had reviewed his Book once again. He couldn't find it in himself to sleep so soon after yet again another round of excitation. Its lexicon was getting more and more complete and complex. It was interesting that the Book had begun to break down some items. For example, the Orbs were now a multi-entry section. He had even gained new Tasks. Up to now, it had requested to have ten Orbs of Strength and such, but now it had added a simpler and straighter Task: Collect ten Orbs (0/10).
Seems to me that the Book is... learning about this world just like I am? Takeo wondered. Well, this should be a simple enough task to complete. I've got some dim Orbs.
As he pulled out his purse, he perused the Task waiting for completion. The book had decided to make some improvements in its sorting. They weren't date sorted anymore, but organized by similarity. Which was a good thing, as it made it easier to find the right Task. There was even a "New" section. Also, as Takeo had found ten appropriate Orbs, the Book had decided by himself to highlight the corresponding Task. Thank you, Book!
He carefully pushed the dim Orbs into the Book and the Task was completed. The young man didn't have to wait long to see one of the book's mysteries getting solved. Quickly the text changed.
Task: Collect ten Orbs (completed) (0/10). [ ]
Reward (First time): Insight into the nature of Orbs [ ]
Reward (Repeat): Intuition into the nature of Orbs [ ]
"What the hell is that?" Takeo asked himself, barely voicing the words. He had never seen such a thing before. Insight? Intuition? He had no idea what it meant. Well, I guess I'll find out soon enough. Just like the Task's input box, the Rewards black square had little spatial pockets. He pushed his fingers into the first one and drew out a small crystalline coin the size of a poker chip. It was faintly glowing with a soft blue light, and engraved with several Orbs laying on top of each other. Well, that's pretty. I wonder what it does? In the book, the first Reward was now crossed out. I guess I can't get it twice. He pushed his fingers into the second Reward pocket and drew out another coin. This one was glowing with a soft green light but bore the same engraving and this time the Book didn't cross the reward.
Let's see... he went back to the first page, and promptly the book explained itself in a very concise and unhelpful manner.
Insight Token into the nature of Orbs
Consumable. Use to gain insight into the nature of Orbs. Merge five Tokens to get one Enlightenment Token into the nature of Orbs.
Intuition Token into the nature of Orbs
Consumable. Use to gain intuition into the nature of Orbs. Merge five Tokens to get one Insight Token into the nature of Orbs.
Consumable? Merge to upgrade? Takeo was confused. Should I eat them? He looked at the coins, and then at the Book. I guess I'll try... Seems gross though. He took the Insight one and put it in his mouth. It felt like a hot piece of crystal. By the time he was about to bite it, it dissolved into a warm wave of energy that flowed from his mouth directly to his head. The feeling was intense. Somehow foreign thoughts came to him. It was like listening to someone speaking in another language he'd heard maybe once or twice in his life. Some words were familiar, but most were not. Yet it echoed within him. He felt like he was on the verge of understanding something, but it was just out of reach.
The heady feeling passed, leaving him with a slight headache and emptiness. What a trip!? He looked at the remaining Coin. If I collect and offer more orbs to the Book I can get more of those and upgrade them somehow. If the Insight wasn't sufficient for me to get it, I wonder what the Enlightenment would do. He put the Coin in his purse and decided to forget about it for now. I'll figure it out later. Yet, he could still feel the echoes of the mysteries of the Orbs.
He checked out the "New" section quickly and found several Tasks that had been added. Uh, consume ten insights Token?... Like okay, well... That's unexpected. Will I get insight on insight? The next ones were a tad more interesting, and maybe a bit disturbing.
Task: Complete ten Challenges (1/10)
Task: Collect ten Yrd Tribe Goblin bodies (0/10) [ ]
Task: Collect ten Yrd Tribe Hobgoblin bodies (0/10) [ ]
How? How did it know any of that? he wondered, flabbergasted. Do you have eyes? he asked his Book, but it of course didn't reply. He wondered how he could fit a goblin within the page of his book. Seems a bit bloodthirsty...