Chapter 11: Tests and Trials

As soon as the darkness comes it fades away. I fall to my knees on the same ledge that I appeared on during my first moments here in this world.

Everything that I worked for is gone.

Taken by that smirking bastard Raymond.

He will die a thousand deaths for what he has done.

There are many things that I have to do before I’m ready to obliterate him and any others who kill people for profit, but it will happen. I will never truly relax until it does.

There are many questions in my mind, but I am too lost in my new mentality to try and answer them. Perhaps that’s a good thing. I don’t really want to be contemplating the fact that I died and was reborn.

Now what should be my first step on my path? I can’t sit (I don’t care that I’m kneeling) here and do nothing. I’ve started to think to much and there is a dark place where I will go if I let the thoughts fester. A dark place that reminds me to much of death.

I’m beginning to hyperventilate. I have to find something to occupy me. I glance back at the cliff face I climbed before. No I’ve already done that. I need something new and dangerous. Something that relies more on instinct than actual thought. Instinct… perhaps I’m on to something. I already lost everything anyway.

Without another thought I leap to my feet and sprint forward disobeying my common sense and leaping off the precipice that separates stone from empty air.

I stay suspended for a cliche second before beginning my plummet back to earth.

It takes a surprisingly short about of time for me to fall close enough to the ground that I can make out the jagged rocks at the bottom, waiting for me to impale myself on their razor sharp edges. I also spy a few white stick like things that appear to be bones. It would seem that not everyone avoids the rock that Zim sends down.

With a split second remaining before my second death I let my body take over and my wings shoot out to either side while my hands go limp to my sides and my head turns forward. My fall becomes a dive which I pull up out of with not 3 feet to spare.

Adrenalin rushes through my limbs and with a powerful beat from my wings I am suddenly flying.

I am flying!

The feeling is incredible and I’ve never experienced anything that can even approximate what it is. Yes, it’s the wind rushing past you face and the sun glinting of your back, but it’s also so much more than that.

While I do love gliding, lets be real. It’s not actual flying. So with a powerful stroke from my wings I begin my climb. Over and over and over I beat the black scaly and beautiful appendages on my back until I’m above the mountain top. It is here that I land and retract my wings only to wince at how weak and sore they have become. I guess I went a little overboard.

Sitting down to rest my vision is suddenly assaulted by multiple windows. All of which are very exciting.

Due to your incredible effort over a long period of time endurance has increased by 3, strength has increased by 2 and regeneration has increased by 2.

Due to awakening the dormant power of flight that the ancestral demons had before obtaining level 50 you have been granted the tittle: Natural Flier.

Due to your impressive skill when airborne you have unlocked the hidden skill Flight. This is a passive skill that determines the skill with which you fly as well as the time you are able to fly. It will increase the more you fly.

I look over the windows with a grin that only grows bigger the farther I look. I really am awesome aren’t I. Well maybe not compared to other Champions right now, but I seriously doubt that many of them were able to fly while they were level two… right I guess that I’m back to one now.

That brings me off of the adrenalin high I was riding and back into the real world (or fake one I guess). I need to asses the damage. I bring up my status window and let out a small groan.

Free stat points: 0

Strength: 3 Agility:1

Dexterity: 1 Endurance: 4

Heath: 10 (1 point= +10) Mana: 10 (1 point =+10)

Regeneration: 3 Wisdom: 1

I knew from my dinner with Roth and Zim that I would be starting from zero again (the extra stats are from my flight), but it’s one thing to be told about it and another entirely to actually see that all of your hard work has disappeared because of a few stupid PKers.

On the upside though this is nowhere near as bad as it could have been. Better to learn to fear death when you don’t have much to lose than when you’ve spent month’s building up to where you are.

There is one other thing that I’d like to check.

If I bring up my list of skills are those still here?

Luckily when I look at the menu I find a large list.

Skills

Essence Sight. This ability will give you the ability to asses almost anything you focus on and find information on the object or person. Quality and amount of information will increase as your skill level does. This ability won’t work on items obscured by an essence shadow of an equal or higher level than your level of essence sight.

Essence field. You will now be able to see names as well as health and mana levels of NPC’s, champions and monsters. This skill has no levels.

Wing push. This is a hidden skill which cannot be taught and is unique to the demon and angle races. This skill, involving both wings, will send a blast of air at an opponent possibly stunning it and pushing both the user and target back. The chance of stunning and the distance pushed back will increase with skill level.

Stealth. This ability allows you to sneak near enemies without them seeing or otherwise sense you. This is a general ability and there are multiple specialized abilities that are modifications of this ability such as jungle stealth which will help you sneak while in a jungle. The effects of this ability can be negated by an adversary with the perception ability.

Flight. This is a passive skill that determines the grass with which you fly as well as the length of time that you are able to fly. It will increase the more you push yourself when flying.

Cooking. This skill will allow you to use ingredients that you find or purchase to create delicious meals. At a high enough level with high enough level ingredients the food can give bonuses to stats which at even higher levels can be permanent.

Interesting. I’m glad I don’t have to relearn any skills. It means that If I ever die again I will have the one up on new champions that are my level. I had forgotten about that cooking skill. Roth taught it to me when I told him the story about how I climbed the cliff and defeated the rat. I probably won’t use it very often what with Keith coming with me, but who knows what kinds of crazy situations I’ll get into where this will come in handy. Better to have and not need than need and not have after all.

I suddenly see the ground (what little I can see of it around the window) turn dark with a shadow. I immediately close the window and turn around, my neck craning to get a glimpse of whatever threat may be appearing. Sometime between closing my window and standing up the plane starting knife appeared in my hand. What I see makes my blade fall from my grasp and myself fall to my knees from the pressure exerted by the creature before me.

A lizard, at least one hundred feet in length from tail to snout and the same from wing to win, stares down at me with slitted, purple eyes. Dragon. It gives a powerful beat from it’s massive wings and settles down onto the rock. It’s scales are pitch black and as it leans it’s head down, as if to get a better look at me, I see that they have a strange multi-colored sheen on them like a raven does.

I’m completely frozen as a voice that could have come from a god booms out from the mountain top without the Dragon ever opening it’s mouth.

“You are wise to be on you knees, little one. Even if it wasn’t entirely your choice. Zim taught you a good lesson when he said to never start a fight that you can’t win. I assure you that facing me would lead to nothing apart from your death.”

Swallowing the boulder sized lump in my throat I manage to coax out a few words from my suddenly dry throat “Thank you for your praise. If I may ask, what have I done to be in your presence?” While I may have hated to do it in my past life, I know how to speak respectfully to people with power, and the side of me that would usually protest is nowhere to be seen.

The Dragon chuckles. “You needn’t worry. I’m not here to punish you. In fact I am actually here to test you. Though perhaps it would be more apt to say I’m seeing if you deserve to be tested. You see I am facing a problem. My children, along with those of the other most powerful beasts in the world, are soon to be hatched and they will need to experience the world. I will not coddle them by protecting them myself for they would never be strong if I did that, but neither will I send them out on their own. You see my dilemma?”

I attempt to respond, but my voice fails me and I am only able to give a nod.

“Good, I will continue then. I had thought upon this issue for quite some and I believe that today I have finally found a solution. My children will hatch in no more than 3 months and until that time a series of trials and tests will take place, with prizes awarded to the people who perform best. The people who I see as being the most fit to protect and nurture my kids after being observed in these trials will receive one as a companion. You are being given a chance to participate in these trials because I believe that you can become someone great in this world. You show potential. Should you accept this opportunity then I will transport you to the first test. I feel obliged to tell you that this could very well prove fatal… but given your current condition I don’t think that you will find an issue with that. One more thing. Only the top one percent of demons that have the greatest potential are being given the chance to participate in this. Jealousy is a powerful thing and should anyone discover that you are being offered this they may hunt you out of spite. I advise you to keep it hidden. Do you accept?

With those last words a window appears in front of me.

You have been offered the chance to participate in The Trials of Volos.

Do you accept?

Y / N

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~