Recruiting (1)

Walking into the city's second layer, Elian noticed that it was much more lively than the previous one. It reminded him of classic, medieval European towns from the Renaissance era. Wherever he looked, two- and three-story high houses crowded the multiple, crisscrossing, narrow streets, all of them filled with people going about their day. At the same time, only one straight avenue led forward, as straight as an arrow and wide enough for two carriages to pass each other, still leaving space for people to walk on its sides.

"I hope you know where to go because I will be lost the moment I enter one of these confusing paths..." Elian shrugged, turning away from the dozens of little alleyways between the houses, leading to who knows where.

"I know, don't worry!" Sakku answered with a laugh, pointing the way with her nose, "This main street goes straight to the third layer. Before reaching the gate, though, we will come across the Grand Square of Heroes; that is where we will stop."

"Grand Square of Heroes, huh? Well, I can see that this city was built without planning... or at least this layer. The twisting roads grew randomly from the main vein..."

"I don't know fully, but I think it had all five rings when it was established; the difference was that only the first two were filled at the beginning. The rest were built up over the centuries that passed by. What I know for sure, though, is that the Four Gates were always present!"

"What are those?"

"There are four entrances: the East, South, West, and the North Gate. We came in from the South Gate, the principal entrance, which is the one that is being used the most. The East and West Gates are also open... As for the West Gate, it sees the second most traffic, while the East Gate is now more deserted due to the war, but not as much as the North Gate. That has not been opened in centuries! I think it was the last time... Hm... If I remember correctly, it was over five hundred years ago."

"Why?"

"It leads towards the mountains, which is a road nobody walks on anymore. When the dragons were defeated and chased away, they retreated beyond the snowy peaks, and Susaria sealed the way behind them to prevent their return. So, when that gate opens, it means that someone is taking a road to nowhere."

"Ominous." Elian chuckled, hearing her voice quiver at the end.

"It is true!" She looked up at him, "Nobody returned after taking the northern road... Ah! We have arrived!"

Sakku, or the city, wasn't lying when they named this place the Grand Square of Heroes. Elian couldn't help but whistle as the street opened up to a vast, flat square surrounded by a half-circle of giant, thirty-meter-tall white obelisks, numbering six in total. Focusing, he could feel his eyes adjusting to his will, and to his surprise, he managed to make out the letters and illustrations carved into them from top to bottom.

"Are those... names? And the images of... animals?"

"Yes. Those are the Heroes' Remembrance," she explained, feeling proud for a moment before her voice turned melancholic. "It is to commemorate the Heroes who saved our world when they appeared."

"So that is why one is empty..." Elian whispered, looking away from the one on the far left, while Sakku gently nodded her head. The obelisk was there, but before it could have been decorated, Dalen had continued what the Lich Queen had started.

Whatever the reason, the spectacle itself was beautiful, just as the decorated tiles of the square and the numerous little stalls where people sold their goods or entertainers tried to collect their daily needs from the charitable public. While scanning the crowd, already used to seeing beastmen and humans alike, he noticed that further away, before the obelisk of Susaria himself, a crowd of multiple thousands was gathering and cheering loudly.

"What is going on there...?"

"I don't know. Should we check it out?" Sakku asked, and she didn't need to press Elian, who was already taking broad strides towards the noise.

Cutting through the sea of people and approaching the source, he could finally make out that it was an elevated wooden and metal platform, a type of obstacle course he had seen on TV shows, featuring eager participants who were trying to complete it. The difference was that there was a giant warning sign at the entrance of this one.

"When facing death, your true self will surface," it said.

"Creepy..." He thought, scrutinizing the whole structure. Watching it reminded him of how it felt to watch TV as a child, laughing when people racing through them got knocked out, falling into a pool while vying for the best time. The only difference was that right here, the last section had swinging metal blades that they had to avoid to complete the challenge. And falling off would land them on the hard stone floor... Not safe at all...

The cheering rang out any time someone walked up, attempting to go through it, or when they fell down... Or when they got turned away at the last part. Elian could understand why; the blades were way too much, and giving up was not something that should be condemned... and he was glad that the crowd understood that, clapping for those who failed the test. He was about to say something, watching the third man fall down the very first obstacle, when a young boy rushed up, attempting to sprint through it. He was maybe twelve or thirteen, which was surprising, but he also understood why. Times were desperate.

"He is good..." Elian murmured, causing Sakku to nod, who was also watching with excited eyes as the kid rushed through the first section surprisingly quickly.

It was clearly a balance test as multiple, rounded platforms were floating above the ground, and he had to step on them and rush toward the opposing end. The difficulty arose from the fact that by simply stepping on it, one's weight pushed it down, causing it to wobble in the air and forcing the participant to readjust their balance while going through it. Every time someone attempted it, the platforms were magically and randomly rearranged, so every tryout had to devise a path on the spot and couldn't memorize it beforehand.

The second part was much trickier, as he first had to climb up a vine, beginning to swing with it before jumping off, grabbing a second, and so on, all the while navigating over a vat of black sludge. The dangerous part came from the fact that the moment he held onto a vine, it began tearing, and just under one or two swings, it broke apart, almost making the kid fall while hanging on the last one. Multiple people screamed out when they thought he wouldn't make it, but he grabbed the ledge of the end of the platform, pulling himself up, breathing heavily.

Then came the last portion. A thin line of timber lay across a vast chasm, and a sharp blade swung back and forth every four meters like a pendulum. There were five in total, out of sync, going back and forth, reeking of death. Worse, down below, there were no cushions or a net to soften the fall; instead, small, sharp spikes pointed toward the sky. It was a death trap if anything.

"You are kidding me. He won't try that, will he?" Elian grunted, feeling this was a bit too much, especially compared to the previous stages. This was such a sharp change that no sane person would go at it. All the previous challengers gave up...

"I... I don't know..." Sakku stuttered, a bit conflicted herself.

True enough, the kid who had been full of energy so far has stopped, standing there, watching the swinging blades go by, his fingers scrunched up into a fist. Inching forward towards the platform ever so slowly, Elian looked down at the spikes and saw the fear rising in the child's young, brown eyes, but his twitching face told a different story. There was more behind his attempt than trying to test himself.

"Don't do it, kid..." He whispered, scrutinizing his body language. "Try it, and you will die..."

"Why do you say that...?" Sakku asked, and Elian explained, still watching the young boy, trying to hypnotize him with his eyes.

"He lost his nerves, and his breathing is out of sync. I can see and feel it. He is afraid and doubts himself, which he had missed previously... If he tries it like this, he will make a mistake and die. You can't doubt yourself when in a life-and-death situation! This has become a suicide run..."

"What would you do?" Sakku asked again, looking up at Elian, who had fallen silent momentarily.

"Do not attempt it in the first place. Losing a life here is worthless, especially if you can cultivate that life to save hundreds of others- NO!"

His cry came when the kid up on the platform jumped, landing on the first line of timber, narrowly missing the swinging blade behind him. Still, the wind it carried with it was strong enough to push him out of balance. To avoid falling into the path of the second blade, his quick reflexes showed themselves at the last moment, twisting and falling to the side, grabbing the ledge... But now he was hanging down from there, unable to do anything. The only two options remaining for him were to pull himself up or to let go and fall into the sharp spikes below.

"Damn it, he's too afraid to think straight and already out of energy!"

"W-wha—Elian?! What are you doing?!" Sakku yelled as he put him down amongst the crowd, rushing onto the platform without thinking...