[Retrivieng soul Imprint...]
[Insignia: Unshackled]
[The Unshackled insignia will give you special abilities within the Path]
[Complete the trials to further evolve]
Rain winces and shielding his eyes from the glowing runes.
The instinctual and innate reaction fades within the next moment--- eyes reverting to its hollow and vacant state.
"Listen up!"
"Stay close, the land is full of vile horrors...we leave once the trial commenses."
A high ranking enforcer asserts, eyeing the twelve youths, his scrunched expression betraying the contempt hidden within.
He nods acknowledging his other enforcers, twenty four of them in total-- including him of course
As if on cue, runes unfurl before their eyes,
Each individual experiencing their own unique tapestry of runes.
[...]
[Welcome to the trial lands...]
Name: Rain
Race: Iksana
Rank: Novice
Saturation: 0.4%
Soul Fragments: 0/100
Legacy: Embrace of Shadows
Aspect: Shadow manipulation, Domain of Souls
Shades: 0/2
Companions: nul
Titles: nul
Insignia: Unshackled
Skills:
Domain of souls[Restricted]
Basic dagger mastery
Minor poison resistance,
[The shadows accept you as their kin]
Rain..?
Who's is Rain?
Argh!
The figure amongst the twelve matyrs, clutches his throbbing head.
A wave of memories washes in a great deluge, flooding his mind.
Ankgh!
The wave gradually subsides,its influx slowing to a crawl, before completely subsiding.
"I am Rain..."
He mumbles under his breath, still analyzing and digesting the foreign wave memories.
"No!....No!"
Rain paces, his face contorting in great anguish.
Shing!
"Boi! Settle down!"
The enforcer shouts, his blade unsheathed.
The boy, Rain, halts, his previously anguished cries barely a whimper.
His eyes settle- a calm but piercing clarity settling in.
His fingers ball into a fist- nails digging into his palm and drawing blood.
"I'll make you pay...I'll Kill you all!"
A draft of cold wind blows--- ruffling his black hair.
His piercing gaze remain unbroken--- green eyes subtly glowing, as he regards his surroundings.
His eyes sweeps across a blanket of green vegetation that carpeted as far as his gaze can reach.
Towering trees and more trees and trees yet again--- a silent and imposing jungle.
[Ding!]
[Objective: Survival]
[Trial begins in 00.00.59.]
The sudden sound interupt his furious and wrathful reverie.
"There you have it!"
The Captain enforcer yells.
"One minute!"
He drops a wrapped bundle- clinking with a metallic thud as it hits the ground.
"Come here! Take your pick."
He shouts as he unfurls the bundle, shedding light to rows upon rows of blades and weapons.
A harsh shove urges the 'volunteers' to be quick with their choices.
Rain leans over, picking two curved daggers,
"Ye' sure about that boy?"
Rain sheathes the daggers and pins them on his belt, silently walking away.
The enforcer snorts.
"We'll see how long ye' keep that attitude."
Rain merges with his fellow 'volunteers' his gaze boring holes at the enforcers backs.
"I'll kill you all." He murmurs, his voice laced with wrath.
His gaze lands on the interface.
[04]
[03]
[02]
[...]
[Survive!]
A great silence prevails, as if the canopy itself is holding its breath, bracing for what is to come.
The cult enforcers form a closed crescent, the forced 'volunteers' behind them whilst their backs turned away from where the swirling portal once stood.
The said enforcers have their eyes locked onto the towering greenery, weapons drawn and muscles brimming with suppressed tension.
Loud rustling within the thicket had them flinching--- for just a split of a second before reverting to their unrelenting stances.
As for the 'volunteers' ?
Gone were their hollow and vacant looks--- terror was apparent on their fear struck faces.
Forced or not, their will to survive was about to be put to the test.
One of them particularly looks out of place- an outlier amongst them.
His eyes burn with killing intent--- a subtle but unflinching gaze directed to the periphery of the crescent formation.
His once unflinching gaze narrows--- a crooked and malicioud smile worming its way onto his lips.
The object of his mirth?
A root subtly yet surely worming and coiling towards an unaware enforcer, its tapered tip just grazing the thick grass.
"Watch out!"
Shiik!
Too late.
The root suddenly springs up, driving its sharp point through the chin of the oblivious enforcer, skewering him and erupting from the back of his head.
The root lifts up the twitching enforcer, twisting and coiling around his corpse
The remaining enforcers quickly retreat--- making distance from the root whilst cautiously eyeing the limp and suspended corpse.
Their faces twist in horror as the root sprouts vines and thorns in real time---twisting and coiling, red and thorny flower bulbs blooming from the vines.
Thrraak!
The flowers unfurl, sending bits of flesh and crimson ichor flying.
"Burn it down!"
Foosh!
A gust of orange flames bursts from within the Captain's outstretched palm, leaving a charred and smouldering corpse and vine hybrid in its wake.
Crackk!
Thud!
The vine crackles with the last embers of the flame, splintering in orange cinders.
"Formation! Now!"
The captain commands, his palm swirling with orange flames.
He twists his fingers, burning and clearing the thicket beneath their feet.
As if on cue,
The canopy trembles-- twigs and branches parting and giving way to emerging silhouettes.
Treants!
Not the towering entity, but rather humanoid and gaunt figures standing close to seven feet tall.
Their bark riddled with growing patches of moss and lichen.
They stop just after crossing the tree line- analyzing their prey, calculating the best and most effective course of action.
Khkhkh!
Their woody and vine limbs coil, slowly tapering at their ends, their once human- like digits transforming into wooden spikes, with needle-like sharpness.
Kurk!
They dig into the earth- visibly coiling and twisting as if serpents making their way towards the horror- stricken entourage.
"Summon flames!"
"Burn them to cinders!"
Every enforcer has his palms brimming with red and orange glows, attention fully locked onto the coiling serpentine roots.
Foooshh!
Flames erupt in a gust of red- forming a wall of fire, sending the adversary recoiling.
Behind them,
Rain clutches his daggers.
Fingers coiling and uncoiling, wrapping and unwrapping around the leather bound hilts of his steel daggers.
His eyes sweeps between the tree line and the line of enforcers--- backs turned.
He bides his time, erupting in motion once the barrage of flames drowns out all sound.
Thuk!
His feet hit the ground- barely making a sound.
His hands simultaneously plunge his dagger through the neck and up the chin of an unsuspecting enforcer.
He immediately leaps back and blends within the midst of the horror-stricken youths.
All in one fell swoop--- nobody being any wiser as to catch a glimpse of his figure.
The enforcer drops to his knees, face turned to the ones he was 'protecting'.
Disbelief apparent, clutching his neck gurgling and drowning in his own blood.
His colleagues being none the wiser- focused on dishing fireball after fireball against their wooden adversary.
He collapses- drawing his last breath.
[Ding! Soul fragment obtained!]
Runes unfurl before our devious perpetrator, his jaws clenched in deranged wrath.
"I'll make you all pay!" He hisses, eyes glowing with a green albeit crazed shimmer.
He was forced , kidnapped and dragged to this vile trial against his will.
Trampling on him, tortured to give his 'agreement'---- he'll make sure they regret their actions.
If this causes his untimely death?
So be it!
The sound of whooshing flames subsides--- an oppressive and imposing silence blanketing the battlefield.
Crackling embers did nothing to break the oppressive silence.
Only when thumping steps emerge that the silence is dispelled.
"Brace for impact!"
The captain shouts as balls of brown cutting through the air and landing amidst them with a thud.
The balls crashed and trampled over twigs in their furious barrage--- breaking the tight formation as enforcers scamper and scatter to avoid getting crushed to paste.
A few were not so fortunate!
Only a crimson spatter remained as the sole proof of their existence--- that and splinters of fragmented bone and mud.
And so, twenty- four becomes nineteen....plus the twelve 'volunteers' running around like headless chicken.
"Formation!"
The captain yells, attempting to salvage the dire situation- get some semblance of order.
The enforcers rush into formation, suppressing their innate survival instincts urging them to scamper.
They fall into autopilot, their bodies responding to muscle memory and the countless stances drilled whilst in training.
Their gazes lock onto the treeline, expecting a follow up barrage.
Tensing with every tick of a second.
"Behind-"
Urck!
The enforcer's shout is cut short by a sudden shik! A wooden spike impaled through his torso.
He gurgles as he attempts to shout- choking on his own blood.
The treant's limbs twist forming a club of wood, smacking down on the gurgling human, a scarlet spatter and bits of flying bone fragments is what remains.
Fooosh!
Flames erupt- forming a wall of fire, keeping the the unfurling balls of wood at bay.
Fortunately, for the enforcers and their human counterparts- the treants recoil and retreat from the flurry of immolating flames.
Some twisting against the ground in an attempt to snuff out the embers clinging to their wooden figures.
In the chaos of battle, Rain strikes.
Not against the treants but the enforcers
A sickening shik! sounds, as his dagger plunges into an enforcer's neck, gurgling and buckling over--- collapsing with a thud.
[Ding! soul fragment obtained]
Runes unfurl before our devious perpetrator, his jaws clenched in deranged wrath.
Another soul claimed.
And so, nineteen becomes seventeen.