Puzzling Trials

Stepping inside, a strange feeling flows through his body as he undergoes a tremor. Taking in a deep breath, he calms down as drops to a knee, feeling the extremely smooth stone. Rising back to his feet, he turns his head and looks over the perimeter of the chamber. Sigils are carved into the stone and water flows around the edges through a small recirculating pool, flowing in and out of the walls like a fountain. Thick decorated corbels protrude from inside the walls with angelic symbols carved therein holding up bright orbs of light. As Joshua looks around, taking everything in, he runs his right hand through his hair. “Mage light and the angelic language, That’s interesting, I bet Seraphina would have loved to see this.” Letting his gaze fall slightly, he reminisces on the love of his previous life as he wanders along the perimeter of the room with curiosity.

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Off in Vilhelm's trial, the young man looks around himself as he stands overlooking a horde of monsters. Growling and screeching, they reach out towards him as he sticks out his tongue. “Sucks to be you freaks, but I win.” Spinning around boisterously on the levitating structure Vilhelm heads over to its center and grips his fists with pride. Looking around himself, the more foolhardy of the twins grins cheekily. “If it wasn’t for that weird guy's advice and what I learned in Blackwood from Captain and Layrn, I’d have been screwed. Who would have thought that my inner trial was just another survival lesson.” Chuckling to himself, Vilhelm steps on through black marbled arches and pillars and overgrown flora as he reaches a white altar with white concentric circles rising into the air.

Looking onward, Vilhelm grins. “I guess this is my ticket out of here, I hope Wil’s been alright. He doesn’t do too hot by himself.” Placing a hand on his chest, Vilhelm closes his eyes and climbs. Step after step he climbs the altar until he stands at its center. “Now let's figure out how the hell to activate this thing… I wonder if it's a similar exercise to circulating my aura through the water.

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As this goes on inside Vilhelm's trial, outside Dialos waits patiently as Wilhelm comes crashing out of the monolith, slamming against the ground right in front of him. Groaning in pain, Wilhelm clutches his head. In shock, Dialos opens his eyes, leaving his meditation, he looks down over him with a curious gaze. “Good job Wil, you’re first.” Still clutching his head, Wilhelm nods his head and raises a hand in thanks.

“Thank you Dialos.” Short and sweet, the words leave Wilhelm’s strained vocal cords.

“No problem.” Dialos comments amused at the situation as the Monolith lights up red once more. Bringing their gazes back to the towering structure, Wilhelm takes a deep breath and crosses his left fingers. Dialos on the other hand grins deviously. “Who’s next, Vil or Joshua… Let us see.”

As the two look onward, Vilhelm front flips out, falling on his rear when he misses the landing. “Yeouch.” yelping, the two brothers facepalm. “VILHELM WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?” Dialos’s voice rings through the cavern as his pitch rises. Looking up at his eldest brother Vilhelm sweat drops. “Oops, didn’t stick the landing.” Shrugging comedically, Vilhelm stands back to his feet and walks over to his twin brother. Patting Wilhelm on the shoulders, the boisterous brother shoots him a thumbs up.

Dialos, annoyed by Vilhelm, right eye starts to twitch. “Are you done, and did you pass your trial?” Gritting his teeth in an attempt to be polite, he forces a smile.

“Hell yeah,” Vilhelm brags before turning to his brother who nods his head as well with a vacant look in his eyes. Wilhelm gazes toward the ground, then back to his twin. “You okay Wil?” Vilhelm questions, concern on his face as he takes in Wilhelm’s expression.

Exhaustively letting out a sigh, Wilhelm nods his head. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just tired, I don’t want to relive what I just went through in there.” A glimpse of mass bloodshed and ravaged buildings flicker across his eyes as the clang of his mace echoes in his ears. Taking a deep breath, his skin starts to crawl as his mind is drawn back to a black winged being gazing down over him with a gleeful smile.

Shaking his head, Wilhelm looks back up and immediately bows towards their eldest brother. “Thank you for waiting for us to return, we will not disturb you any longer.” Wilhelm turns to his twin placing his arm around his shoulder and motions for him to follow him out. “Come on Vil, that’s enough for one day. I need a break.” Forcing a faux smile for his twin, they turn their backs to Dialos.

Nonchalantly Dialos brushes it off. “Wasn’t an issue at all brats, just get on back to the estate, father probably wants to know how everything went. At least you both passed. I can feel your increased power from here.” With a cold smirk Dialos’s eyes flicker red.

The twins nod their heads as they quickly take their exit. Dialos, curious, makes his way back to his resting spot. “Joshua.” “He must be going through a similar hell like me. It wasn’t just one trial for me either. Hell, it’s been over 7 hours since they went in. I remember it taking me nineteen. I hope he’s alright there.” Closing his eyes, Dialos lets out a sigh as the monolith and ground around him start to faintly shake.

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Back inside the trial, Joshua continues looking around throughout the open chamber taking mental notes of the symbols and sigils etched and lined on the walls as he cracks his knuckles in mild boredom.

Taking a moment to drink some water, he heads over to the pools. Kneeling down beside it, he scoops some within in hand and brings it to his lips. Slurping it down, he lets out a yawn before dipping his hands back in. Pulling them out, he wipes them over his face and brushes his hair back with his left hand. Droplets of water refract the mage light in the room as they fall onto his blazer. “I didn’t think I would miss his constant nagging, but my head feels strangely quiet without him. I’m glad that guide was there for the last trial… I may have gone crazy with how many times I died.” Shuddering faintly, a melancholic look crosses his gaze as he turns to face the center of the room.

At its precipice lies a strange circular puzzle. Indentions and gaps lining the floor alongside black and white pieces of a crystal-like material were scattered throughout the room. Looking around in confusion, Joshua takes a step back, taking in the view. “I’m pretty sure this is a packing puzzle. It's been years since I’ve had to mess with one of these. The last time I was messing with a toy a little girl gave me to give to my ‘girlfriend’.” A soft smile rests on his face as he yawns again. “I guess I should get started.” Flipping his hair, Joshua shifts around with his blazer flapping against himself as he heads over to the first crystal lying on the ground.

Reaching down to it, his fingers brush against it and he feels the smooth, white, glass-like edges. “A ring made with this stuff would be priceless.” Lifting it into his arms, he rests it between his arms as it's longer than his forearm. Making his way over to another slightly jammed underneath the lip of the recirculating fountains. Kneeling down, he wiggles the black gemstone loose as well. Bringing it to his chest, he smiles not noticing the set of a green and red eye staring back at him from within.

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A bit later after walking through the room and gathering all the ‘puzzle’ pieces he matches the crystals into a circular checkerboard pattern. As he figures this out, he starts sliding them into the multiple different vacant cracks in the ground. Black next to white, some pieces were plain in design others, a bit more unique. Like four of them crescent moons.

After a little while, all the pieces were finally in place. Believing the puzzle to be complete he approaches the center altar. “I guess, I activate it now?” hesitantly, Joshua places his hand on the marble altar with a small basin underneath as a needle springs forth and pierces through his right hand. Instantaneously a cold chill trails down his spine as blood flows out filling the basin and eventually draining out along the edges, trailing down to the ground.

Everything in the room immediately starts to glow blue as a strange light scans over everything thoroughly. Seemingly a success, Joshua smirks as he traces a healing blood sigil over his damaged hand as a golden red light restores it. However, the soft blue glow shifts into a vibrant red as the once soft flowing water begins rushing into the room, overflowing the pools and sequentially rising level by level.

The feminine voice that appears to be his guide whispers in the air. “Take your time.” Joshua doesn’t hear it. As his mind starts racing.

Realizing his screw up, Joshua runs back to the door he entered from and nearly slips back through It, however it slams itself shut as he looks down at his hands. “Damn it.” Joshua clenches his fists as he draws his sword out. “I’m not wasting any more time here. If I can't solve it normally I’ll just break it.”

Joshua’s eyes gain slits as his body becomes coated in a fiery red aura. Lifting his blade into the air, he slams it into the door only for it to shift into another wall. Like it had never been a door in the first place. “What the hell.” Gritting his teeth, Joshua takes another look around and tries to seek another exit as the water now pools around his ankles. Rushing around the water his movement speed slows as the once vibrant lights in the room all go out as the sigils etched into the walls begin to glow with a dark red and green glow.

“Perish, blood of Durand.” a faint voice whispers through the air unknown to Joshua.

For a moment, Joshua pauses in place. Activating his aura sight, his vision adjusts to the shape of the room and remembering its layout he jumps out of the water clinging onto a nearby pillar and corbel with his legs and left hand. Taking a moment to regather his bearings, his fingers and glove dig into the stone as he attempts to cut through the outer wall. Sending out a torrent of aura from his blade, it barely cracks the surface. His eyes widen in panic.

Gripping his blade and corbel tightly as he starts wildly unleashing his aura outward as the water rises up to his waist. The water ripples back from sheer pressure, a faint gap between his clothes and water. Joshua’s eyes bulge out as a vein in his head protrudes, looking as if it’ll burst at any moment. “I’m running out of time here. I need to figure something out before I’m left to drown.” Re-fastening his blade to his side Joshua sighs.

Looking up, Joshua takes a deep breath as he notices out of the corner of his eye another pedestal. “How did I miss that?” Eyeing the vacant spot, Joshua’s eyes relax slightly. “What belongs there.” The thought races through his mind as his focus lapses and the water soaks into his blazer, weighing him down. Feeling his fingers start to slip and the grip in his legs giving out, he lets his aura dissipate as he sticks his head underwater and also re-activates aura sight looking for the missing piece.

“There’s got to be something around here.” He clamors out as the water now rises over his shoulders. Treading the water with a struggle due to his heavy clothes, he struggles and slips out of his blazers coat as it continues to float on the surface of the water. “Draconic sight….” The thought pops into his head. “Oh yeah, I forgot about that.” Joshua closes his eyes as the water overtakes him. Sinking into the water, Joshua pours enough aura out around his head so he wouldn’t be distracted by the splashing waves and lack of oxygen.

As he peers outwards with his simultaneous vision, he instantly notices something off about the room. It seems to be warping around. Almost like a spell or ritual had been activated and the energy is circulating around one of the ‘Crests’ behind Joshua. Spinning around he faces it. Concentric circles with the angelic tongue etched therein.

“How did I not notice this, this must be what's causing the flooding.” Swimming forward, the water pulsates against him trying to push him back. However, pushing through it with his aura, his hands eventually rest against the sigil. Pouring aura into his finger tips, the crest fades away in a black and red mist. The sound of water flowing into the room immediately stops.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Joshua brushes his hand through his hair as he treads the water. “Okay the water problems stopped, what’s next? Oh yeah. The puzzle…” He sticks his head back under water and continues looking around for that missing piece once more.

To his surprise a random white block just lays there, beside the altar. With a shard of ice pinning it to the ground. “That wasn’t always there.” Joshua thinks to himself as he dives into the water and grapples the block with his left hand. The ice melts away quickly before he notices.

As he holds onto it, he erupts up atop the surface of the water as It careens down around him. His eyes sparkling over the water’s surface. Tucking the block under his arms, he looks up noticing that the empty spot was a couple meters higher than where he was floating.

Joshua groans slightly in annoyance. “Maybe I should have let the water keep flowing in.” Letting out a sigh he swims over to the wall’s edge and tries to grasp on to the bricks. However, his glove continues to slip as Joshua takes them off with his teeth. Discarding them with ease in the watery room as they somehow sink to the bottom.

Taking a momentary pause, he grabs onto the bricks again. This time his fingers are able to hold on. As he does this, he pours aura into his fingertips as he pulls himself up and out of the water and stands atop the ledge before quickly sitting down. Looking down at himself, Joshua shakes his head. “I’m soaked… I really need Roxanne to teach that drying blood sigil to me.”

Raising his head up to gaze at the ledge thirty feet away Joshua sighs as he stands back to his feet. “I just need to get there.” Mentally measuring the distance, he realizes he can’t jump the distance. Taking a moment to stretch his arms out, he draws his sword as he brings it to his left palm. “Lets hope I remember how to do this one.” carving the sigil for flight into his hand, red energy coats his feet as small ethereal red wings flow out from his back. This time much more dragon-like than before.

“Let's do this. I don’t think this body can handle this for too long.” Lifting into the air, the wings flap with fervor as he wills himself higher into the air.

With each and every second, Joshua can feel his grip in the air slipping, eventually reaching the top. Joshua collapses to his knees as pain shoots through his back as a familiar electrical pulse shocks him. “Draxis?” gritting his teeth, nobody answers. “Guess not.” Pulling out the white cube from underneath his arm, he hobbles over to the end of the puzzle. Slamming the gemstone into the hole, some of the residual water splashes onto his face. Cringing slightly, he closes his eyes.

Following this, the room begins to glow red once more as bright gold and red light shines over Joshua as the platform he’s collapsed onto turns to dust. Without the strength to move, he plummets head first back into the still pooled water as he falls unconscious. “What the…” His head droops as he floats on the water's surface, his blazer jacket drifting back over his chest.

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Waking up in a panic much later, Joshua looks around the room to see it devoid of water, the mage lights reestablished and himself still soaked resting on the marbled floor. bringing his palm towards his forehead he sighs before brushing downwards. Almost immediately after, he rolls himself over as his body recoils and rattles as he vomits up a copious amount of water. “Bleurgh.” He spends the next little while clearing the excessive water from his body, before just laying there exhausted.

After a while of recovery, Joshua finally sits back up and notices one of the walls in the chamber has been torn apart. Broken bricks and debris litter the area around it as he stands up, his back cracking in the process. “Ughh.” gripping his spine he groans. “Lets not use those wings again…” Stumbling forward, he makes his way to the broken wall and places his battered hands on the protruding bricks.

“Let’s get on with this shall we. I wonder what bullshit is up next?” Stepping forward, Joshua makes his way into the dark, dilapidated, and gloomy path