Reinhard's footstep was muffled by the fallen leaves and root fragments on the ground. He was glancing around the cavern and noticing the odd structure.
The roots around were rising up and forming odd pillars that required him to move or duck below.
After ducking past another root, he saw a cluster of bushes that was growing in the spaces between the roots. He walked through it, noting it wasn't as cold as the others outside and was a lot wetter.
The branches sticking out were covered with ice, but it was melting and would easily break from just a bit of contact.
Reinhard continued past them to see his first barrier of roots. He saw there was an opening that was barely large enough for him to get past by crawling. He got down on his hands and knees before he began crawling beneath a particularly thick root that hung just two feet from the ground.
The bark was rough against his back, with small pieces of debris falling down on him as he moved. It took a couple of seconds to fully move past this and then fully emerge into a slightly wider section of the cavern.
Reinhard stood up and began glancing around once more. But then he frowned as he saw another barrier of roots down from him.
The barrier was similar to the previous one, but it had bushes growing on the roots with little branches stretching out.
The only way through was a narrow opening near the bottom, which required him to crawl on his stomach.
Reinhard once again lowered himself to the ground and lay flat on the roots. Then he began crawling towards the opening while feeling the damp roots and cold rubbing across his face.
He used his elbows and knees to push himself through the opening while ignoring the branches and bushes brushing against him. He had to stop sometimes and used his hands to push them away.
After passing this barrier, he continued walking with the passage curving. Halfway through, he saw another barrier, and he frowned as this one looked more difficult than the others.
The roots interweave with each other, creating multiple small openings. But more than likely, some of them might be dead ends behind.
Reinhard moved close to the barrier and crouched down to peer through each opening. He saw that some of them had roots creating walls behind three of the openings, while the other two were good to go through.
He then began squeezing through the gap on the left, then immediately crawling up and through an opening above. Before finally squeezing through another narrow passage on the right. His muscles were beginning to protest from this constant crawling and having to push away branches.
His knees were sore from the roots below, and his shoulder was hurt from the awkward positions he had to move through.
After four more seconds, Reinhard emerged from the fourth barrier, and he paused to catch his breath. He glanced around to see the cavern stretching ahead with more root formations being visible.
I wonder if my Beast had to climb and sneak around here? Reinhard heard various accounts of what the trials represent to the Beasts.
The main belief is that the trials were just a way to see if the Inquisitor is good enough. But some believe it's a retelling of what the beasts went through when they roamed the lands.
Some say it's based on the myths surrounding the beasts, which they used to test and analyze the Inquisitor. And others even believe it's just a trial to see if the Inquisitor shares a similar personality to the Beasts.
Reinhard found it interesting that there was no confirmed explanation. Considering how important the trials were to a future Inquisitor, he thought it would be analyzed constantly.
Or maybe it has, but they still couldn't find an answer… It's a pity since understanding would be very helpful. Reinhard hated to admit it, but he felt uneasy. He didn't know how long the trial would require him to climb or if he was missing something from it.
Reinhard sighed as he quickly pushed those thoughts away, and he continued. But it was then he heard odd sounds resounding through the cavern, leading him to crouch down near the bushes.
He then moved through the bushes while hearing hissing sounds that were coming from multiple directions at once.
The sounds were bouncing off the cavern, but Reinhard simply took it slow. As the cavern bent to the left, he paused and narrowed his eyes at the creatures below.
The monsters moving through the air and releasing a hissing sound were Frost Serpents. He saw their translucent bodies gliding through the air with their crimson eyes staring at the roots. There were at least ten of them, each about six feet long, with their bodies made out of ice, and smoke trailing off them.
Reinhard frowned, but just like he did with the Frost Trolls, he began to take note of their movements.
After ten seconds, he started to see how the Frost Serpents weren't moving randomly. But following the patterns where they would circle at the top and bottom before moving in a diagonal direction in the middle.
He saw that none of the serpents stayed in one location but continued changing their position.
Fortunately, they follow a set pattern, moving slowly and easily to predict.
In addition, he can use the bushes below as a cover without worrying too much, as there was a slight breeze in this area. So any signs of the bushes moving will most likely be seen as the wind, but just in case, Reinhard picked up two stones.
Then he headed into the bushes and watched one of the creatures glides directly above him.
Looking up close and seeing its ice body before continuing to move. He crawled through the bushes close to the next ice serpent while staying very low. The creature seemed to pause for a moment, its head turning in his direction, but then it continued on its path without investigating further.
The next two serpents were moving in intersecting patterns above the space he needed to cross. He timed it perfectly as he waited a few more seconds and then made his move during the brief window when both creatures drifted over him.
As he slipped through the undergrowth, he continued crawling through the middle section of the area and passed the frost serpents.
The next serpent moves more slowly, with it not glancing around like the others. This made it easier for Reinhard to quickly move past it, and he continued this for the next three serpents.
But then he frowned as he saw the remaining serpents were not moving at all. They were just staying in one place, moving around each other, while the other serpents would soon circle back around.
Reinhard quickly began to think before an idea formed in his mind, and he moved back a bit.
Then, clutching the rock in his left hand, he turned his head and then hurled the rock all the way back. The left stone rushed through the air, smacking into the ceiling of the roof and then bouncing off to the ground.
This led the Frost Serpents to freeze before all of them turned in the direction of the noise.
Then instantly rushing towards the sound!
But Reinhard frowned as he saw all of the Frost Serpents move except for one of them. It stayed at the same spot ahead of him, staring at the other Frost Serpents who began turning the corner.