The fight was over. Ryu sank to the ground against a tree. Dimly, he knew the members of the group moved around him, talking to each other. He didn’t care. Scenes of the night passed through his mind. He saw himself kill and almost be killed countless times. He smelled the shit and stink of the dead. He heard the crunching and wet noises as his blade tore into flesh. He felt the aches, cuts, and bites that riddled his body. The killing didn’t bother him. They were just mindless monsters. It was the brutality of it all and how close he came to losing his life. He felt tears well up in his eyes before wiping them away. He couldn’t cry.

He had a Class. He wanted to be the Sword. This was his future. It was better get used to it.

“Hey, do you mind if I heal you? I promise I’ll be quick,” a soft voice said, ripping him from his thoughts. He looked up, taking in the blonde hair and blue eyes of the woman in front of him. She smiled at him, and he nodded.

She squatted next to him and held a hand over his chest. Her eyes closed as a soft white light shone from her palm. Now that she was so close, he found himself admiring her gentle features. He had already dismissed the stink of her robe and the dirt smeared across her face. A tingling burn filled the wounds across his body, and he felt them closing under the power of the woman. Her eyes popped open, meeting his own. Had he really thought of abandoning these people to the banshees? Guilt filled his heart. Just what type of man was he?

The girl stood, brushing her robe off. “Thank you for helping us,” she said before walking away.

Ryu hoped that was the end of it. The gratitude would only make him feel guilt for having second thoughts about helping them. He buried his head in his hands, still slumped against the tree. He wanted nothing more than for the darkness to swallow him, erasing all traces of his existence. Why did he feel like such a coward? He’d done everything he could. Even after the healing, his body still felt like minced meat.

Deep down, Ryu knew this was the first time he’d realized his own mortality. The Trial wasn’t a duel. Wasn’t even a fight, really. Death had nothing to do with your skill or with how well you swung a sword. It would find everyone, regardless. His sword had meant nothing in the dark melee, nor would it matter while he slept. Gods, but he was a coward.

“You’re welcome to come sit by our fire,” the dark-skinned man he’d fought with said, having walked up behind Ryu in the dark. “I know what you’re thinking, but the banshees already know we’re here. A fire isn’t going to make that worse.”

Ryu chuckled. “To be honest with you, the thought of it attracting attention didn’t even cross my mind. Shows how much of a survivor I am.”

“You’re alive, are you not?”

“Something like that,” Ryu muttered. It was one of Jinn's favorite phrases.

“Well Tam is cooking hot food tonight, so if you’re going to join us, I’d do it now before it’s gone,” the man said before walking away. Ryu rose to his feet in the darkness, seeing the flicker of a fire between the trees to his right. To his left, he could see only darkness. Those were his choices. Solitude or companionship. Despite his poor mood, it seemed like no choice at all. He dismissed his thoughts of failure and rose to his feet.

Ryu wasn’t the most adept conversationalist at the best of times. He wasn’t terribly awkward, but words only came easily when talking to someone with natural charisma like Jinn. Still, it was a sign of his dark thoughts that only a ghost of a smile touched his lips when he greeted the group. He also realized that he knew none of their names. In his muddled mindstate, he hadn’t asked for either the blonde woman or the man’s name. The only name he knew was Tam, who he figured to be the brown- haired man stirring the food in the iron pot suspended above the fire. To his relief, the chocolate-skinned man from before called him over.

“My friends, this is the man who saved our asses. His name is…” the man trailed off, looking over to Ryu with a sly grin. Now that Ryu could see the man in the light, he noticed the man had strong, chiseled features and a clean-shaven face. Idly, Ryu stroked his own face before realizing the man had thrown him a chance to introduce himself.

“Ryu. Ishida Ryu. Sorry for not introducing myself sooner,” he blurted out. Thinking of his neglected facial hair had distracted him.

The man chuckled. “Come sit with us then, Ryu. Let us not be strangers. My name is Marshal,” he said in a rich voice, gesturing around the fire. Ryu looked around, meeting the eyes of the group members before sitting.

A woman dressed in black and purple robes sat to his left, clutching a gnarled staff of black wood. Like Marshal, she too was dark-skinned, and she had soft features. She smiled. “Since Marshal is lazy, I’ll introduce you to our little group. My name is Keira. The idiot making dinner is Tam, and our white-robed princess over there is Cynthia.”

“Nice to meet you all,” Ryu said, hoping he didn’t sound as nervous as he felt. His nerves were completely shot at this point.

“So, where are you from?” the archer, Tam, asked with a smile.

Ryu frowned. He knew that the Red Sun wasn’t the most powerful force in the New World, but he was surprised they at least didn’t recognize his clan name. “I’m from one of the Houses of the Red Sun Faction.”

At his words, Cynthia sighed, pulling a few coins from a pouch at her side. Keira snickered as she grabbed the money. Ryu looked between the two, confused. Tam laughed. “Cynthia bet you were a member of the Blades. Keira disagreed,” he explained.

“The Blades?”

Marshal leaned forward. “You’re from the First Ring, aren’t you? The Red Sun Faction. That’s one of the remaining societies named after their Old World nation, is it not?”

“Yes it is. Are you not from the First Ring?” Ryu knew of the other Rings of course, if only by name. They might as well be different worlds from his own.

“No, we’re from the Second Ring. Sorry if this is abrupt, but do you know of the First Quest?” Marshal asked, eyes focused on Ryu. The others groaned.

“That’s Marshal, always talking about his conspiracies. Would think he was some scholar if he didn’t brandish his sword about,” Keira grumbled. Ryu just shrugged helplessly.

Marshal sighed, leaning back. “It’s not a conspiracy. The First Quest is the reason humanity was brought to the Rings.”

“Supposedly,” Tam said.

The group continued to bicker, but Ryu no longer listened. Was there really some greater purpose to life in the Rings? He realized why the others considered it a conspiracy. Life was life. People lived in their factions, pursued their Classes, and died. If they were lucky, they raised their cultivation high enough to increase their lifespan. If they weren’t, well… It had to be said that the Rings weren’t the safest places to begin with.

“Tell me of this Quest,” Ryu said, interrupting their bickering. Keira covered her face in her hands, and Tam laughed. Cynthia didn’t even seem to be awake, curled up as she was by the fire.

The intensity returned to Marshal’s body once more. “On the second layer, there are these massive towers that rise from the sea. We call them the Universities. My father was a scholar at one. In his research on the Old World transition, he found numerous references to a governing purpose given to them by the creator of this world. To ascend all the Rings and reach the top. Over time, this purpose has been lost. Many who know of it believe we’ve already achieved it, hence the relative peace among the four known Rings. My father believed differently. There are Ten Rings. We haven’t even made it through half. This peace we have is fake, meant to lull us into a false sense of security.

“It’s not even an outrageous belief. Many search the Wastes of the Fourth Ring, searching for the entrance to the next Ring. They even have a name: the Climbers. They’re widely considered a group of fools and thrill chasers. My father believed this was due to the influence of the large guilds and corporations that benefited from a stagnant population. After releasing his paper on the subject, he… He fell ill. Mysteriously. It’s my goal to prove him right,” Marshal finished, the words seeming to deflate him like a popped balloon.

Ryu didn’t know what to say. Thoughts of the other Rings rarely passed through his mind. The First had seemed too large on its own. His life had been planned from the beginning, and he’d never considered a future besides the one Jinn had wanted. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted anything else. The house had always been his life.

A bowl of stew interrupted his thoughts. Tam held it in an outstretched arm, waving it in front of Ryu’s face.

“Want some?” he asked with a smile. Ryu accepted gladly. He breathed in the smell of the food with a satisfied sigh. For a moment, it seemed as if he could be content. The Trial had other ideas.

Trial Event: Survival

By exceeding the Group Limit Rule, an Event has been spawned. The Banshee Boss, Grimnir, has summoned his followers to remove you from his jungle. His forces have been arrayed in three waves, each commanded by one of his spawn. Survive. Defeating a wave will result in loot tailored to your needs. Wave One begins in 3, 2, 1...

Ryu dismissed the screen. From the vacant look in his companion’s eyes, he knew they were reading the screen, as well. He cursed under his breath. He should’ve left the group. By joining them, he’d started this. This Trial only allowed groups of four, and it rarely allowed more than one group in at a time. This was obviously one of the exceptions. It was an uncommon event but not unheard of. Especially since Ryu was a group of one. Since multiple groups could be in the Trial at once, events such as this one could be used to raise the difficulty if the groups began to cooperate. Strange screeches and thuds reached their small clearing from the surrounding jungle. Marshal was the first to stand, his sword and shield at the ready.

“Ryu, you’re up front with me. Tam, stay in the back this time. Cynthia and Keira… Well, you know what to do,” he said. Ryu drew his sword as he stood. The blade was one of the best a low level could have, yet it was still covered in nicks from the abuse of the earlier fight. If only he’d had time to sharpen it… He quelled the thoughts and worries that rose up in his mind. They wouldn’t help him now. He walked over to Marshal’s side, blade held in a white-knuckled grip. As if it’d never left, his dark mood reappeared. He welcomed it. The fight to come wouldn’t exactly be a happy place.