As soon as we entered the tower, we felt an energy surrounding us, and a small voice whispered that we had been registered as Team Number 7. Suddenly, my vision seemed to change—I had the impression that a whole interface had opened in front of me, like in a video game, and it seemed to be projected by my bracelet.
On it, I could see the players in my team and some information, notably their status. For the moment, everyone was considered "active." On the other side, I could see an icon with the number ten beside it. I didn't really recognize the symbol, but given the number, I assumed it represented the seeds we had to find.
Now, when I looked at my teammates, I saw information about them. For example, when I looked at Lesky, I saw that she was part of Team 7, I saw her name, and I also saw her Deadhorse. I could feel this was going to be important for the trial—and potentially for winning.
"Whoa, this interface is so weird. Do you all see it too?"
Everyone nodded at Aristeus's comment, and then the voice spoke again.
"Teleportation initialized."
And suddenly, we found ourselves in total darkness.
"Awaiting start."
The voice sent chills down my spine each time it spoke. We were standing back to back, one behind the other, and I couldn't even tell who was behind me.
"We're counting on you… Pendo," I said, my tone focused but a little anxious. Pendo replied with her usual coldness.
"I'll do the best I can, but I'm not doing all the work alone."
Aristeus chuckled lightly and answered in a relaxed tone.
"Don't worry, we wouldn't dare… And besides, we have Relatio to help us since she can copy your power."
Pendo nodded.
"That's true."
Relatio smiled, ready to say something, but the voice cut her off before she could speak.
"The trial will begin… in… 3… 2… 1."
A heavy sound echoed, and I felt my body loosen—I could finally move. Suddenly, I began to see better in the darkness, and I felt stronger. I imagined that I had managed to connect with the Deadhorse of Darkness thanks to Dena. That was my advantage for winning, and I intended to use it well.
Since I could see better than before, I observed the place we were in. It was clearly a real labyrinth, and even with my improved vision, I couldn't see beyond twenty meters ahead. But that was still far better than the mere five meters I had been limited to before.
The environment reminded me of old drawings I'd seen in a book—ancient millennia-old legends set in a land called "Ancient Greece." The walls directly reflected that style of architecture. I also saw mushrooms on the ground, probably growing thanks to the darkness.
"So, what do you see, Pendo?" Aristeus asked, staying close to her.
"Walls, walls, and more walls. Just like a labyrinth… Stay close to me and, above all, don't get lost."
We all nodded—especially Lesky and Aristeus, who had no way of seeing in the dark.
"I'll use my copying power when we're in real trouble, so I won't use it now," Relatio specified, which was definitely the smart move.
So we began moving forward. Pendo took the lead while we followed, each of us holding a weapon. Relatio carried her sapiere, Aristeus had his short sword, Pendo her dagger, Lesky a small knife that Pendo had lent her, and I had my sword, the one I recovered from a corpse but haven't really used yet.
We advanced into the labyrinth, when suddenly we heard a melody—a dark, eerie melody that chilled our blood.
"What is that?" Lesky asked, a bit panicked.
"I don't know, but I think it'd be dumb not to check it out," Aristeus said confidently, but Pendo immediately put him back in his place.
"It could be a trap, you idiot."
Aristeus let out a little cry of mock surprise, pretending to be offended.
"What? How dare you?"
"Yeah, no, we definitely shouldn't go there," Lesky said, not sounding confident at all. Then Relatio added her own remark.
"No, we definitely should go. It could be a clue."
"No, it's a trap," Pendo snapped, her nerves fraying. I was also starting to lose my patience, so I looked at the four of them and burst out, irritated.
"We're going to check it out. We don't have any other clues or options, and if we start arguing like this, we'll never get anywhere with this trial."
Lesky scratched her neck and sighed.
"Maybe… Roxy's right."
Pendo stayed silent, glaring at me with a judging look.
"Fine. But you'll bear the responsibility for this decision."
"I will. You can be sure of it."
The group moved forward in the same formation as before, keeping close to the walls, until they arrived in a large chamber—a big square room with a dead tree at the center. Beneath the tree lay something that looked like a seed. Could that be what we were searching for?
"There. That's what we're after," Pendo declared.
Relatio looked at the others and focused.
"I'm going to mimic Daïs's power…"
Pendo and Relatio went first, while I held Aristeus and Lesky by the hand and hurried forward, pretending not to know where I was going. I absolutely couldn't let them discover my true power.
Just as Pendo and Relatio approached, an arrow whizzed past right in front of them. I looked to the left, where it had come from, and saw another team. Obviously, they were participants I didn't know, but like with my own group, an interface revealed their identities to me.
It was a group made nearly only of half-humans. The one who seemed to be their leader caught my eye first: a man named Deodat, with blue hair, wearing what looked like a police academy student uniform, standing at the front with a pistol in hand. Beside him was Cal, a Castari—a rodent-like man—with long black hair braided down to the front of his black trousers. Judging by his clothes, he looked like a noble from the Empire. He wielded a sickle.
I also spotted a Quenari named Seera, a squirrel with brown hair, wearing a blue-and-white school uniform, seemingly using a bow. Next to her stood a goat-man, an Ovinar, with red hair, wielding an axe, dressed in a red shirt with a black tie and pants that matched Cal's. And the last one gave me chills: a Mivren, a shrew named Ilja. She was small, with long dark red hair, wearing a thick green dress patterned with roses and white heels. Mivrens were known for their sharp teeth—and she seemed to fight unarmed.
I can see their Deadhorses, but I don't recognize the names, and their potential powers are unknown to me. All I can make out are the numbers: 74, 81, 44, 96, and 41.
I don't even have time to think before I see an arrow graze Pendo's face, leaving a small cut on her left cheek. She bites her lip, grabs her dagger, and sprints straight at Seera to attack her.
I prepare to attack as well. Normally, we should have the advantage since three of us—including me—can see clearly. But as I watch Seera shoot, I notice that she's firing almost randomly in front of her. Deodat's group seems to know we're here in the same area too—probably because they heard us.
While Pendo rushed at Seera, Relatio and I exchanged a glance. Cal, the man with the sickle, looked more dangerous than the rest of the group because of his weapon.
"Let's take that guy down."
Relatio nodded, and we both charged at Cal. He was caught off guard but managed to defend himself fairly well—the sickle was big and dangerous. As Relatio tried to flank him, he whipped around and surprised her with his beaver tail. He was strong, and none of my sword strikes could land—each one blocked by his sickle. But then I saw Relatio slip in from the side and throw him off balance for a moment.
Taking advantage of that opening, I lunged with my sword. He still managed to counter my strike, but Relatio got a hit in on his right side. It wasn't a deep wound, but it was a start.
I quickly glanced aside and saw Aristeus and Lesky locked in a fight with Illija, while Deodat and Nero were dangerously close to the seed.
Aristeus managed to hold his ground against Illija, but I also saw Seera fire another arrow. Her shots were becoming a bit more accurate. I suddenly realized—if I could see the small interface above their heads, then they could probably see ours too, and she was using that to aim.
Still disoriented, Cal pulled back slightly. As I watched the fight between Aristeus and Illija unfold, I suddenly saw an arrow pierce into Lesky's shoulder—Seera, the squirrel, had finally landed a hit.
Relatio immediately rushed toward Aristeus and Lesky, since Illija was probably about to take advantage of the opening to finish Lesky off. But Relatio arrived just in time to stop him.
Pendo suddenly appeared near me, trying to prevent Nero and Deodat from seizing the seed. But Deodat's pistol kept her from getting too close on her own.
"We need to get rid of these two idiots," she said.
I nodded, and together we moved toward Deodat, Nero, and Cal, who was trying to regroup with them despite the darkness—probably guided by the names they saw above our heads. But Pendo and I reached them first. She darted forward at incredible speed—likely boosted by Daïs's powers—and drove her dagger into Cal's leg.
But then Cal suddenly swung his sickle into Pendo's stomach. For a moment I was terrified, but she didn't collapse. She held her ground. I seized the chance to help her and kicked Cal in the stomach, knocking him back.
"Pendo!"
"I'm fine, I'll make it… We have to stop them from taking the seed, now."
Pendo seems to bite down hard and pushes herself back up, ready to finish off Cal—which meant I had to deal with Deodat and Nero. I could already tell it wasn't going to be easy, but I still had the advantage of my power.
I rushed toward them, and a bullet from Deodat's pistol skimmed my cheek by just a few millimeters. Fear for my life shot through me, but I kept running and drove my sword into Deodat's side, forcing him back. Nero had already turned and tried to attack me while Deodat staggered away.
Nero charged me with his axe, head lowered like a goat ready to ram. I'd never actually been rammed by a goat before, but I imagined their horns could be plenty sharp. I dodged the first strike, but as if anticipating it, he swung his head up and aimed the axe toward my stomach. I clenched my teeth, but suddenly Aristeus appeared, shoving Nero off balance. I backed up a few steps, only to see Nero retaliate with a slash of his axe across Aristeus's arm, cutting him but luckily not severing it.
"Go after their leader!"
I turned and saw Deodat approaching the seed. But I was already too late—he picked it up, lowered his head, and then the seed suddenly vanished from his hands.
He was shocked, and so was I. He quickly raised his pistol toward me just as I lunged and struck his abdomen. But to my surprise, I was saved again—Relatio drove her sword into Deodat's back, blood staining the police uniform of the Republic. I seized the moment and plunged my blade into his heart. He collapsed to the ground, disintegrating as a notification flashed before my eyes:
"Participant Deodat, killed."
Part of me was in shock—I had just killed someone. Yet strangely, I didn't feel guilty. Why? Was it because death here wasn't permanent, only temporary within the trials? Still, the pain was real, and the experience of dying must have been horrific.
After Deodat disintegrated, I turned to watch the rest of the fight. I saw Pendo battling Cal, finally driving her dagger into his chest. Aristeus was still locked in combat with Nero, the fight seemingly balanced between them. Seera kept firing blindly, and Illija was chasing Lesky, who darted around the vast empty space. Suddenly, the archer of their group shouted:
"Deodat and Cal are dead—let's go!"
And without hesitation, Seera, Illija, and Nero fled. It didn't bother us much—we had gained the advantage. Still, this first fight had been tough.
But one question crossed my mind as I looked around the entire chamber… Where had the seed gone?
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Lore informations
Quenari : Their average heights are about 1.4 meters to 1.7 meters and they can leave up to 80 years.They have large expressive eyes and long bushy tails.They lives in communites in tree canopies and are led by a council, they store foods together in a cache hourse, younglings are raised by their parents but mentored by other clan members.They lives in temperate forests, jungles and areas with tall trees. Their houses are wooden structure in the canopy between rope bridgesThey have a very good climbing and leaping ability, they have extremly fast reflex and balance. They remember exactly the location of hidden supplies or path. Some of them can glides between trees but they are rares.They tend to be messengers, scouts or traders, some are thieves or acrobats or even in supplying logistic.
Ovinar :They are around 1.6 and 1.85 meters and they can live up to 90 years, they have bit of wools covering their bodies, large curved horns and gentle set of eyes with warm expressions. They lives in village sized communities, they are cooperative and egalitarians, the youngs are cared by the adults in fold. They lives in fertile valleys or rolling grassland, their house are made of stone cottage. They have a good endurance on foot in mountainous terrains and they can resist cold pretty well. They have a keen memories and strong defensive instincs.They work as shepherd, hers, farmers, cheese maker or in textile production
Mivren : Their average heights are about 1.3 to 1.5 meters, they have small and wiry builds and can last for 55 years max but they can reproduces faster than other species. They have sharp needle like teeth, tiny beady eyes and thin quick limbs. They lives in underground tunnels networks, the youngs are trained from an early age. They prefer forest, plains and hill country, always near soft earth or banks. Their houses are complex with multiple escape tunnels. They can have short bursts of speed which can help them dodge attacks. They have a very high metabolism, they get tired quickly but recovers rapidly with rest and foods. They are good at digging and tunneling. They works are crafters, can create poison brewers and are good to set traps.
Castari : They have an average height of 1.6-1.85 meters and can live up to 100 years. They have broad flat tails in scaled hide, they have prominent teeth. They lives in lodges near lakes or rivers, childrens are raised communaly until adolescence. They prefer forested river valleys, lakeshores or wetlands. They create large towns near a great Dam they made. They are exceptionnal swimmer and can old their breath up to 15 minutes, they are very good engineer and can carry heavy lods. They are known to be builders, carpenters or civil ingeneers.
The Interface : It only shows during the challenges, they show multiple informations such as the number of the 7, informations about teamates such are : -Name, Deadhorse and their team. The interface can be seen even through the surronding darkness
Deodat : He is a police academy student in the republic and a heir of the 74th Deadhorse (Agriculture)
Seera : She is a 18 year old quenari in her last year of school and a heir of the 44th Deadhorse (Tempest)
Ilija : She is a mivren coming from the Seventh Pact, she might be small but she is dangerous. She don't hesitate to play low. Beside that, she dreams of being a florist. She is one of the heir of the 41th Deadhorse (Drought)
Cal : he is a Castari man coming from the empire, he is a nobleman coming from a very influential family, especially in the field of crafts, he descends from a family of very well-known craftsmen. He is one of the heir of 81th Deadhorse (Memory)
Nero : He is a 19-year-old ovarian, he studies at the business school at Holy Carmen, he dreams of setting up a business on Okamoto Island, a place he is extremely fond of? He is one of the heir of the 96th Deadhorse (Sloth)