*A Decade long feud has bubbled into real confict as two 5th realm [Blacksmiths] have died under suspicious circumstances. The Crafters Faction have declared that their services will no longer be offered to anyone associated with the Occult Weavers.
It wasn't us! I swear it! @ Malicia (Verified, R8) - head of the Occult Weavers
"Shut your gobs, oi you stupid Witch, get your little coven in order. If you don't do it, I will."
- The Dwarven Tyrant.
Adventurer was never a term that the Trial System used. That had come after the war. Trialists were the true term for the Earthers who had gained their powers through the Trial System. The real face of Trials were brutal, they tested bonds of friendship and encouraged people to break them for more power.
The worst of the Instant Trials weren't supposed to be in the lower sectors. They always lurked in the highest areas, hidden deep away where the world couldn't judge them. Where the stakes were highest and people attempted to push their very limits.
Sometimes, very rarely, they appeared in the lower sectors. Reminding the world that the Trial System had never cared for a peaceful world.
You have entered an Instant Trial - Trial of the Prodigies
Objective: Kill the [Warrior]
Reward: A letter grade increase in your final score for your realm. A unique soulbound sword.
He tried to dismiss the screen. It lingered in his vision for a few moments longer, as if trying to sear the words into his mind. He raised a hand, trying to pacify the [Warrior] with fresh blood dripping from his sword.
"Hold it, Zedart. Let's talk about this."
If he died here, he was dead for real. Ryan couldn't beat a prodigy [Warrior] who had months to acclimatize. Zedart shook his head, refusing the offer, he took his sword in two hands.
"No, take up your stance."
"This is obviously a trap. My objective says to survive. We can get out together."
Ryan was lying out of his ass, anything to try to convince Zedart from killing him… in hindsight, it wasn't the best lie. The [Warrior] looked completely unmoved.
"And you will trust me? And I can trust you? It's already too late. When Gamielle revives, she'll tell them I killed her, and I'll be blacklisted."
He wanted to cry out at the unfairness of it all. Frustration seeping into his voice.
"What the fuck is the point of building a team if you stab them in the back for the first opportunity you find? What is wrong with you?!"
"Gamielle tried to kill me first, she didn't know…" Zedart broke off as he looked down at the dead [Mage]. For once, the stoic swordsman seemed close to breaking. "No, enough talk."
She did? Of course, she did. The worst part was he could imagine the scenario. She probably had the odds figured out but didn't realize the [Warrior] had something up his sleeve. Gamielle might have thought she could get away with it with whoever her mother was.
Damned [Mages].
Zedart stepped forward, taking up a stance. Panic really started to fall in now.
"Zedart, we can still go to the Guild and tell them what happened."
"And we will outsmart Gamielle? Who everyone loves?"
Zedart kept marching forward, his expression like the cold stone around them. Despite that Ryan could tell he was hesitating. He had one more card to play, the truth.
"If I die here, I'll d-"
A glittering object fell from the ceiling. Neither had noticed it, but it had been above them all along, only now falling, as if to interrupt their conversation. A glittering one-handed sword fell between them and clattered to the ground.
[Instant Dodge]
Ryan threw himself forward with the skill as Zedart also charged. The [Warrior] held his longsword diagonally.
The [Rogue] reached the blade first. He pretended to grab for it and pivoted at the last moment.
A [Cleave] came down where his torso would have been if he'd committed. The extended attack range far more than two times the length of Zedart's longsword.
The asshole had been leveling. That was a max level [Cleave] for a realm 1.
Ryan jumped forward as the powered swing continued its arc. He snatched the glittering blade and leaped away. [Cleave] was a thirty-second cooldown. So it was just [Uncanny Parry] left. Zedart didn't choose to rush forward, realizing that Ryan had read him like a book.
He glanced at the blade with [Identify].
Sword (soul-bound, Growth max R8)
Enchantment: [Minor Sharpness]
This sword will grow to match the user's realm. A high achievement score may add or mutate the sword accordingly. As a soul-bound weapon, it can be recalled every five minutes.
Note: soulbound weapons can be recalled across dimensions.
Wait, wasn't this the Trial Clear reward?
"Finished reading?"
Zedart had stopped approaching him to let him read. Ryan had kept his eyes on the [Warrior] through the transparent screen.
Arrogant asshole.
"Yeah, thanks for waiting. It says it's a [Poisoned] enchantment." He said, almost sarcastically.
Zedart changed his stance from a roof guard stance, his sword over his shoulder, to a Longpoint stance. The longsword extended forwards, point aimed over Ryan's head. He blinked.
He almost couldn't believe that Zedart actually trusted his words. Stupid moron.
Not that the stance made it easier. Ryan tucked his standard issue Trial sword to his waist. He took out a knife from his chest strap and held the 'poisoned' sword with his right.
He had to be smart about this. There was zero chance he could beat Zedart with skill alone. Not to mention, he had no idea how to get past the [Uncanny Parry] skill, not when a master had it.
Zedart started shuffle-stepping towards Ryan, keeping perfect form while being startlingly fast. Ryan kept the distance, circling around what he estimated the [Cleave] range to be. The stone room was about fifty feet in both length and width. Enough to maneuver around, but not enough that he could take his eyes off the [Warrior].
He kept his head on a swivel while moving around. There had to be an exit. Trials were supposed to be flexible with multiple options for their completion. His heart started dropping as he couldn't spot any obvious switches or levers. Not that Zedart gave him much opportunity to look closely.
It was a game of cat and mouse. Zedart wanted to box him in but he wanted distance to look closer at the walls. At least he was quick enough to dodge around. He jumped forwards and gave up on looking around the corners he stepped closer to the middle.
Suddenly he stepped in a bit of Gamielle's spreading blood and slid his foot back in disgust.
Zedart simply walked over her corpse, still keeping perfect form. Ryan just shook his head at the [Warrior].
"Cold-hearted bastard, aren't you?"
"She attacked me first."
Zedart's façade was cracking. He wasn't sure how, but he could tell that the teen elf wasn't half as cold as he pretended to be. Ryan tried words again.
"And now you're-"
Zedart ran forward. He swung while being three sword lengths away. Ryan didn't dodge but charged in, soulsword ready to deflect in case he was wrong.
He wasn't. Zedart had only pretended he was going to activate [Cleave].
Ryan was close and getting ready to swing until he saw the [Warrior] flick his wrist and the telltale shimmer of a real [Cleave] flew at him. Ryan used both his sword and the hard leather shoulder pad to block the extended attack.
Simultaneously, his other arm threw a knife.
Zedart simply stepped back and blocked the knife with another flick of the wrist.
That had been the probing attempt. The result?
He was absolutely fucked. Ryan had caught Zedart off guard with that knife, but it hadn't been anywhere near enough. He couldn't even get Zedart to use [Uncanny Parry].
The only good thing was that he figured out that a weakly thrown [Cleave] could be blocked with the thicker parts of his armor.
Not that a realm 1 [Warrior] should be able to use [Cleave] with just a wrist snap. Zedart didn't give him any more time to think as he started stepping forward, far faster than before. Ryan cursed. The probing attempt hadn't just given him info either. Zedart had understood a key fact too.
He knows he's better than me now.
Ryan struggled to keep the distance as the [Warrior] sped up. He started having to dive to avoid getting pushed into the corners.
Think, Gamielle had tried to get the jump on Zedart and died. She thought she could have won but lost. What trick did Zedart have? He glanced at Gamielle's body, the cut on her body and robes curving throughout her body. Curved?
Ryan ducked a horizontal slash from nearly ten feet away.
He wasn't playing chicken with that one. Zedart rapidly shuffled forward, he did a throwing motion and Zedart barely shifted his sword. Then he did another throwing motion, but Zedart didn't even twitch for that one.
The [Warrior] was right on top of him.
Ryan grinned, and he stepped back, his smile showing as he flicked his hand once again. Zedart finally reacted, shifting his sword slightly.
I was always good at playing chicken. That had been three fake throws from him.
The slightest moment was all Ryan needed. He threw his soulsword horizontally with a snap of his wrist. Almost immediately after the last fake throw. The sword wasn't thrown like his knives. It spun at high speed, completely erratically and too close to dodge.
Zedart's eyes locked onto the supposed poisoned blade. Caught in an odd position at only six feet away, he wouldn't risk the blade hitting his body. He brought his longsword to touch the tip of the spinning sword as he guided it with inhuman skill to rotate the spin around his blade. The soulsword seemed to spin with the blade of the longsword, and Zedart flicked it away, far into the corner of the room.
[Uncanny Parry]
Zedart still had enough juice in the skill to block the knife Ryan threw as well.
But not enough juice to use it on the [Instant Dodge] as Ryan brandished his Trial sword. Zedart was caught in an odd position, having just finished his skill and had the blade to his side. Ryan pushed forward, his arm outstretched. Technically, this was a stab…
[Double Stab]
Unfortunately for him, even an off guard Zedart was too damned good. The [Warrior] reactively switched so that the flat of his blade would be blocking the trial sword. He did this while simultaneously curling in his back and jumping backwards.
Ryan didn't even feel his stab land. Zedart had blocked just in case Ryan's stabs could extend. Something he couldn't do with a level 2 [Double Stab] at realm 1.
He had one throwing knife left. Ryan looked at the trial sword in his right hand. It was barely half the length of Zedart's longsword. He sighed.
"You know this is really fucking unfair. Right?"
Zedart just adjusted his posture. This time the sword point was pointing diagonally over Ryan's shoulder.
Ryan shook his head and threw his Trial sword away. Zedart blinked in confusion as he slowly took off his cowl and stared at the [Warrior] dead in the eyes. It didn't look like the elf was moved by seeing his face, but Zedart liked to hide behind a stoic mask. He smiled.
"Name's John, by the way. Might as well know the name of the guy you're going to kill for real."
The slightest tremble of the lip was all the [Warrior] gave. Soft Ryan thought, he probably hadn't killed anyone before either. Welcome to the club.
"You're only going to lose your safety. Pick up your sword and fight till the end."
"Nope, I already lost a life. Why do you think I didn't exit Earth and prepare or get a gun? Apparently, there's a problem with my body on Earth, and I needed to learn energy control. I didn't use [Return to Earth] in your mansion either."
Ryan's words seemed to have the opposite effect, Zedart stepped forward angrily.
"That doesn't make sense, I won't be tricked. Pick up your sword."
Then he laughed, completely uncaring that he was unguarded. There was only one throwing knife left in his chest strap, nothing else remained.
"What's the point? It was all rigged from the start. You grew up with dragonslayer parents. You're a fully acclimatized [Warrior]. Your [Cleave] is two times longer than it should be. Whether I pick up a sword or not, this is an execution, not a duel. I might as well make your job easier."
It was so easy to be convincing when he believed every word he was saying. Zedart was furious now, but quite willing to take another step to kill a defenseless man.
"Pick up your sword! Are you going to die without fighting?" Zedart paused, then looked firm again, his resolve looked stronger. "You tried to kill me, and now that you're going to lose, you lie. You're almost as bad as Gamielle."
That made Ryan pause in his theatrics. He put his hands up, trying to stall for his cooldowns.
"Hold on. You charged me as I was trying to explain myself."
Zedart frowned as the words struck true. For a moment, it gave Ryan hope for a peaceful resolution. He pushed.
"As I was saying before you charged me, the Manager said that I'd probably die if I simply used [Return to Earth]. I died in the Manager's abode, and he said I'd need energy control to not have my soul pull in two directions."
"A lie. Destined Earth bodies get refreshed upon exit. If it isn't suitable enough, then you get a new body formed for you."
Zedart stepped forward, one foot away from [Cleave] range.
"Pick up your sword."
"Think! Why would I not practice outside? Bring a gun as backup?"
"I did not do anything like that."
This again? Ryan wanted to pull his hair out. "You're an achievement nut! I didn't want any of that!"
That, unfortunately, was apparently the wrong thing to say. Zedart's face went cold.
"Right, you were never going to reach the higher Trials. Even if you are telling the truth, I would have to do something like this sooner or later. Sorry John, but I must get stronger for what's coming."
"Wait, what the hell do you know?"
Zedart hesitated but shook his head in the end. He gave Ryan a sympathetic look. "Just that I must become stronger, not much more."
Well, that was it then, I gave you a chance and you made your choice. Ryan also shook his head and closed his eyes. He spread his arms to his side.
"Go ahead then."
There was a pause.
"Where are you from and what's your full name, John? I'll make sure to help pay for your family."
Ryan opened his eyes and met Zedart's unwavering gaze. It almost made him hesitate. The offer might have been from a pure place but it disgusted him. His parents would be grieving and then Zedart would just give them money for killing him?
Ryan just smiled at Zedart.
"John go fuckyourself. I hope you die alone in a Trial, one just like this."
Ryan closed his eyes with a smile on his face. He wasn't going to stop now, not when he could win.
He peeked through mostly closed eyes.
Zedart stepped closer, further than where he could have used [Cleave] on Ryan. He kept stepping in closer as Ryan cursed inwardly. The [Cleave] skill would have made the overall swing slower and would have let him avoid Zedart's trump card.
What psycho chooses to kill someone up close and personal instead of from far away?
Zedart stepped closer and lined up his swing to decapitate. A clean cut would cause less pain.
Ryan stepped in, his enhanced speed blurring to pull the last knife strapped to his chest. He grabbed it with a reverse grip with his left hand, raising it high as he swung down dramatically. His right hand went to grab the hilt of Zedart's weapon.
For the third time that day, the [Warrior] was caught off guard by the [Rogue], and for the third time, Zedart tried to step back while adjusting to block.
For Ryan, that was three times too many.
His right hand slammed into Zedart's hilt, trying to wrest control. The knife came down with almost exaggerated slowness, right at the [Warrior]'s skull.
Zedart realized he had no other option.
Then Ryan felt it. The longsword started following an arc he didn't have the strength to stop. The tip of the longsword met the downward knife. His knife shattering and he knew this was Zedart's trump card. A Manager's damned melded skill.
[Uncanny Cleave]
Zedart had learned both his Trial skills and evolved them into a new one. From a Realm 1 [Warrior] of only a few months, a melded skill.
It was too bad that Ryan had already figured it out.
An [Instant Dodge] met the melded skill. He didn't use it to dodge backwards, instead he accelerated forwards. His right hand, which had so conveniently lost its grip from the might of [Uncanny Cleave], aimed directly at Zedart's heart.
Ryan recalled his soulbound sword into his right hand, and it pierced the silvery chainmail.
[Double Stab]
He didn't stop at two. He kept stabbing without the skill. Zedart had no room to manoeuvre his blade, Ryan had kept his knife high just for that purpose, his own body shoved between Zedart's elbows in an intimate embrace as he stabbed while they both went to the floor. He stabbed.
And stabbed.
Zedart was in shock. The [Warrior] tried to speak, but blood just poured out of his mouth. The cough that followed splattered blood all over Ryan's face.
He jumped back, bloody soulsword in his grip. He tried to wipe away Zedart's blood from his face and realized something.
"Oh, my left hand is gone."
Zedart's melded skill hadn't just shattered his knife. It had gone cleanly through his thick leather bracers and his arm.
Ryan just looked at his stump dumbly. It was spurting blood everywhere. He dropped his sword and used his right hand to tighten his grip around the stump of the hand. His enhanced strength helping stem the bleeding.
Zedart's dying body lay before him, the [Warrior]'s pupils vibrating as his body went into shock. Despite it all he refused to look away from him. Ryan started laughing. A manic laughter.
"You dumb fuck, why would you trust someone in a deathmatch?"
He had won. He had won, and his life was ruined. Ryan sighed and walked away, no longer willing to meet Zedart's eyes. No, there was something else more important to check.
It took a second for the screen to pop up.
[Instant Dodge] leveled up!
[Instant Dodge] level 1 -> 3
He dismissed it, then the next screen popped up. A second too slow in his opinion.
You have completed an Instant Trial – Trial of the Prodigies
Objective: Kill the [Warrior] Completed!
Reward: A drastic increase in quality of skills, a letter grade increase in your final Realm 1 achievement score and a soulbound sword.
He narrowed his eyes at the system screen, then waved it away. Then tried to summon it again immediately. It didn't come back.
That meant there was one last thing he had to do.
He had started getting suspicious from the moment the supposed reward sword had dropped before the completion of the Instant Trial. It dropped as if trying to interrupt his conversation with Zedart. Too convenient and too bullshit.
The real damning evidence? The fact that these System screens wouldn't go away until he made it obvious.
Gamielle's dead body lay nearby. His left hand finally started throbbing. He just gripped it harder with his right hand. The pack the team had brought was near her body. There'd be a minor healing potion and a tourniquet in there.
The healing potion was missing, but he did find a tourniquet and a survival knife.
He took the knife–then used it to [Double Stab], right at Gamielle's head.
Gamielle's dainty fingers grabbed Ryan's knife by the tip. The skill broke uselessly in her grip. Her strength far beyond anything a realm 1 should have. The bloodstained 'dead' Gamielle pouted.
"Now what kinda sick man stabs a dead lady in the head?"