Enchanted lights lit the dark beach. The bright beacons of light didn’t help Freya’s pounding headache. She pushed her way through the crowd. She had never seen this many people up before sunrise. It seemed the entire city of Corrin had woken up early and gathered here. Bits of conversation passed through Freya’s ears as she struggled through the onlookers.

“How many do you think will pass this year?”

“Don’t put money on any of ‘em until they passed one trial.”

“I’m betting on number fifty-seven.”

“I have a good feeling about this year’s crop.”

“I bet you ten silver less than fifty pass.”

When she finally reached the black and red flags, a pink tint colored the eastern sky. Ropes cordoned off the section of the beach with flags. There were many people inside the roped-off area, but they were more spread out than outside. Few interacted or talked compared to the boisterous crowd outside the flags.

As Freya bridged the gap between the two crowds, a demoniclast stopped her, “Please confirm your identity with your shell.”

He handed her a small penknife. Following the same procedure as when she registered, Freya poked her finger and allowed a small drop of blood to drip inside her shell. The shell glowed a warm orange color. Nodding, the demoniclast wrote down her shell number and motioned her through a gap in the ropes.

Once inside, Freya made a slow walk around the perimeter. Demoniclasts were stationed every few meters, checking shells and keeping the crowd away from the participants. So far, out of the seven demoniclasts she saw, none had Player Cards.

I hope it’s just a small fraction that knows about the game, Freya thought, rubbing her eyes. She yawned. Despite the high stakes, her lack of sleep numbed her nerves.

Last night she had alternated between worrying she would miss the first trial by oversleeping and wondering why there was a game dungeon for the demoniclast trials. Was it a normal part of the game? How many players knew about it? Had some already been killed by the crazy player demoniclasts? It sure seemed like yesterday they were waiting for her to interact with the game prompt.

Freya closed her eyes, I need to investigate more. But first, I need to pass this trial… Ugh, I wish I could sleep.

“Welcome demoniclast hopefuls!” a loud voice boomed.

Underneath the rising sun, a man on top of a platform spoke into a large circular device. Freya could make out a grey text box above his head but couldn’t read his name. Despite the far distance, Freya could hear him perfectly.

“It always warms my heart to see so many willing to participate in our trials. I wish we could train you all, but we can only take the best. We must uphold our demoniclast name. All across Vansyl, people call on demoniclasts to solve their most troubling demon problems. Countries rely on us to go into remote areas to thin out demons.

Having a demoniclast title can lead to great opportunities, but it is also a huge responsibility. To ensure the next generation of demoniclasts are ready for that pressure, we hold trials to decide who we will teach. If you cannot make it through these trials, we cannot afford the time to train you.”

The demoniclast man looked over the crowd, letting his last words hang.

“This first trial will test the most basic element a demoniclast must possess: endurance. Demoniclasts often have to travel great distances and then fight demons. If you can’t reach the location of your job in a timely manner, it doesn’t matter how well you can fight. People will already be dead.

Last night we marked a location on the other side of these hills with a red flag. If you climb to the top of Mt. Lowena, you will be able to see the flag. Lowena is the peak with the steep southern cliff there.”

Everyone turned their heads in the direction he pointed. Murmurs sounded around the beach. Some participants around her turned pale while others nodded and shrugged.

Doesn’t look too bad, Freya thought. There’s no snow on the top, so the elevations not bad. As long as I don’t have to climb up the southern side, it’s doable.

“Once you spot the red flag from Mt. Lowena, make sure to remember its location. It will be difficult to see once you leave the mountain. You must make it to the red flag, then come back here by sunset tomorrow. If you do not make it back by sundown, you will be disqualified. Please also keep in mind your placement in this trial will have implications for the remaining trials.”

Sunset tomorrow? Freya thought, closing her eyes. The tension in her forehead increased. I hope I can finish long before that. If I finish fast, I can sleep sooner, right?

As the demoniclast speaker made some closing remarks, all the participants shifted restlessly. Freya rubbed her temples to ease her headache. She noticed the other demoniclasts parting the crowd on the beach.

Finally, a large section of rope was removed, and the loud voice shouted, “Let the first trial BEGIN!”

All the participants surged forward. The crowd cheered. Freya ran.

Most of her competitors wisely chose to walk, but some ran. Running all the way up Mt. Lowena and then to an unknown location was foolhardy for most people. Even Freya didn’t expect to be able to run all the way, but she didn’t want to be in this crowd a second longer.

The loose sand of the beach slowed her, but soon she was flying over hard cobblestones. Using the game map, she tried to pick the best streets to take her out of town quickly. Still, the maze of stairs and winding roads made her turn back more than once. As more people ran out of breath and stopped running, she noticed one boy navigating the streets without hesitation.

[Locryn Cardew]

[Lvl 12 Blacksmith Apprentice]

Despite running faster, she kept seeing him ahead of her. Instead of taking a long winding street, he disappeared into a gap between houses that didn’t show up on the game map. Freya slowed down to follow behind him. She felt a little bad trailing him, but she wasn’t the only one with the same idea.

Behind Locryn, a group of three boys and one girl eyed Freya as she joined them. Like Freya, none of them were too out of breath. Their levels were all twelve or higher.

I think I’ll be seeing these guys around for a while.