The Trials of Ascension, Day Two: Ambition

Tethys guided the four out of the coliseum onto the white-sand expanse above the cliffs. On a path known only to her, she began to lead the way up the slope, towards the coast.

A thought occurred to Camellia as they walked. “Um, Lady Tethys, if you’re here with us, what about the trials back there?”

The goddess giggled, her laugh sending ripples of life through the waters around them. “Oh, silly, I’m a goddess, you know. I can be in multiple places at once as I please.”

“Oh. Right.” Camellia turned red. It wasn’t a very obvious answer to her, but then again, she had only a month’s worth of experience in a world where gods were real.

After a fifteen-minute walk, Tethys stopped. They were now closer than ever before to the surface — well, for Camellia’s friends, of course. The gentle slope up to the coast abruptly flattened out, leaving a wide circle of even ground. The water extended barely ten meters above them before reaching the sun-kissed surface.

Tethys turned around, addressing the four, “The second trial is one personally judged by me.” Seeing panic emerge on the contenders’ faces, she held out a hand to calm them. “Worry not, eager ones. It will be much like the previous trial.” She waved around her, at the empty space. “I simply wish to see your true combat potential, without the pressure of the public bearing down upon you. Nothing more.” She smiled. “I believe the four of you are rather adept, too.”

“Th- Thank you, Tethys,” Camellia stuttered.

“Yeah, that’s a real compliment, coming from you,” Phoebe said.

“That being said,” Tethys put a finger to her mouth, cocking her head in thought. “Do you mind if I challenge you a little? I’d like to see what you all are truly capable of.”

Damos spoke up, nervously. “Lady Tethys, what might that entail?”

“Oh, you’ll see,” the goddess giggled.

“I suppose we can’t refuse a request from the goddess herself, can we?” Lynn laughed. “I’m game. What do you have?”

“Excellent!” Tethys clapped her hands in excitement. “Then, without further ado…” She disappeared, leaving a puff of bright blue mist behind.

“Good luck!” her voice echoed from where she had stood just seconds before.

“Wait, does that mean it’s already— Whoa!” Phoebe leapt to the side as a huge mass swam past her and into the circle before them.

Phoebe’s voice faltered. “No…”

“You’ve got to be joking!” Damos shouted.

Camellia stared in horror at the creature before them.

It was the same thing that had attacked her on her first day in this world. A grotesque, spiny, serpentine beast. And it was huge, too, larger than a passenger aircraft and longer than multiple buses.

A leviathan.

Under her breath, Lynn mumbled, “Well, that’s a challenge alright.”

Tethys’ voice rang out through the water, “Well then, contenders, here you are! Welcome to the Trial of Ambition. The task before you: please dispose of this deep horned leviathan for me. Thank you!”

As the monster hungrily stared them down, Lynn turned to Camellia. “Alright Camellia, what’s the plan for this one?”

It feels so good to have you trust me like that, Lynn, but…

She looked back to Lynn. “I’m sorry.” Camellia’s voice was barely a whisper. “I don’t know.”

Lynn stepped back in surprise. “You don’t know?”

Camellia shook her head. “These aren’t something I’ve ever studied before,” she uttered, audible only to Lynn.

“Hey, it’s coming right at us,” Phoebe warned, interrupting them.

Camellia’s mind began to race. What could she do here? “Phoebe, can you distract it? I need a second.”

“You don’t even gotta ask,” Phoebe smirked, holding her arm out. “Eat my sludge, you long-ass freak!” She fired a huge jet of octopus ink into the approaching leviathan, causing it to stop in its tracks, thrashing about. Phoebe then started smacking it on the side with her tentacles, yelling, “Oh yeah! Easy!”

What was this thing the most like? It reminded Camellia of those mystical dragons you’d see in old animated movies, slithering through the sky. But those weren’t real. It was kind of like an eel, sort of? But it attacked far differently.

Think, think! What can we do?

The weight of a hand on her shoulder tore Camellia from her frantic puzzling. Lynn nodded towards the leviathan. In front of them, Damos confidently danced around the creature’s maw, his sword slashes practically a blur as he sliced the leviathan’s horns off its face just like he had in the Crags so long ago.

“Do you remember what I said yesterday, Camellia?” Lynn asked. “About how he gets extra practice in the Crags?”

Camellia stared in wonder, watching Damos fly around.

“Maybe it’s okay to not be the strategist all of the time.” Lynn tilted her head to the side with a smile. “We’re a team, after all.”

Camellia paused. “Yeah. Phoebe and Friends,” she laughed. “Okay.” Bringing her wings out, she shouted, “Damos!”

He whipped his head back, indignation painted on his face.

A feeling of hesitation made her pause. She would have to put aside her differences for the time being if she wanted to pass this trial. Could she?

She closed her eyes, yelling, “Tell us! What do we need to do? You’re the expert here. Can you lead us in taking this thing down?”

In a matter of seconds, Damos’ expression changed from surprise, to confusion, to hopeful realization. Finally, it settled on a determined grin. “Alright! Phoebe, keep inking it and distracting it,” he commanded. “Lynn, help me get rid of these spines.” His eyes met Camellia’s. “And Camellia, can you get on top of it?”

Camellia nodded before turning to Phoebe.

“Hey, Phoebe! I think it’s time,” Camellia called ahead, opening her wings wide.

“Oh, hell yeah! Ya need a boost?”

Camellia smiled. “If you’d be so kind.” She grabbed her knife and sprinted forward into Phoebe's open tentacles.

In unison, the two screamed with glee as Phoebe flung Camellia into the air: “Crescent Rush!”

Launched by Phoebe’s power, Camellia navigated herself above the huge sea monster.

As Damos and Lynn sliced the last of the dangerous spines off of the leviathan’s face, still spitting ink, Damos ordered, “Camellia! On top, at the end of its weird sideways mouth. Get behind it.”

Camellia spotted a patch of bare scales at the top of the thing’s head, where the strange, sideways gaping mouth came to a close. She leaned in and flew to it, landing on the huge skull. “Now what?”

With an evil glint in his eyes and a smile from ear to ear, Damos said, “Now rip the damn thing open.”

Camellia looked down at the shaky monster below her. The edge of its sideways jaw looked unprotected, weak. “Oh, gross,” Camellia realized.

Summoning all her might, Camellia plunged her knife into the edge of the mouth and dragged it towards her. Had the dagger she clutched not been tightly embedded into its flesh, the thrashing would have thrown her clean off. “N- Now what? I think that just — whoa! — pissed it off!”

“Keep it going,” Damos cried. “Here!” Camellia watched as he cocked his arm back, and hurled his magical swordfish blade up, landing cleanly into the scales like a giant toothpick.

“Wait, how long have you been able to let go of that, dude?” Phoebe exclaimed, bewildered.

“I’ve been practicing.”

Had Camellia been able to see Lynn’s face clearly, she would have watched a wry, proud smile creep over it.

“Use that, and tear it a new one!” Damos shouted up. “Or, well, uh, make the old one it has even bigger.”

It was a good attempt, Damos.

Camellia snatched the sword, amazed at its heft and sharpness despite its ghostly appearance. “Okay, you monster. Take a bite of this,” she said, swapping her dagger for Damos’ sword, and ripping it through the monster towards her. It cut through the leviathan's flesh like a knife through warm butter.

Encouraged, Camellia stood up to a crouch, and yanked the sword down the monster’s back and all the way through its spine.

Her friends cheered as she hopped off, sword in one hand, dagger in the other. The monster squirmed about before shuddering and falling to the sand below.

Camellia ran to join the three, laughing uncontrollably. “That was awesome! Crazy, insane, but awesome.” She handed the sword back to Damos. Right as she was about to speak — perhaps even to apologize — Tethys’ voice echoed around them once more as she shimmered forth from a patch of light, on top of the leviathan's dead body.

“Contenders, congratulations. You have shown me that you all are worthy, each in your own way. Your teamwork was excellent. I am truly proud of you.” The smile slowly faded from Tethys’ face. “However, your trials are not over yet. One final barrier lies before you.”

Out of nowhere, the ground beneath their feet began to shake. An earthquake? No, an eruption? Both?

“Your final trial, the Trial of Ascension itself, is about to begin.” The goddess’ tone sounded troubled, concerned. “I wish I could be there for it, but… Well, tell her I say hello, won’t you?”

As the last syllable of Tethys’ words faded, the shaking earth beneath their feet began to rise, rapidly lifting the four out of the water and up to the surface. Phoebe, Lynn, and Damos began to panic, unprepared for their sudden promotion above the waves. As they breached into the air, they clawed at their throats, only to realize they could breath just fine.

Camellia relished in the feeling of the sun on her skin once more, unburdened by the inexplicable weight on her soul, the ethereal nagging heaviness she had carried for her tenure under the surface.

The shaking stopped. They watched as the tide receded behind them, creating a beach before their very eyes. It left the four of them in waist-deep water as the land at their feet extended up all the way toward the island itself.

A woman clad in brown and green leather armor rose out of the sand, materializing out of the earth. She lazily opened her eyes, bored. “Hello, sea-dwellers. Shall we begin?”