A whistling crack split the air as metal shrapnel exploded behind him. Kaius’s heart slammed in his chest as he crouched low on his platform, clutching it tightly so he didn’t fall as its sudden acceleration ripped him back. The Maelstrom that surrounded him flared — exhausted as it diverted the metal shards that attempted to pierce its whirling winds.
Kaius paid the loss no mind. It didn’t matter he had no more casts of the spell, the end was right there. This was it! He’d done it! The ledge, his target, was right ahead — and he was heading straight for it.
Another spinning platform cut across his flight path — he ducked lower, letting it whistle over his head. Laughter spilled from his throat, manic joy cutting through the ever present fugue of layered memories and the maddening clarity of his Aspects.
Soon. He was almost close enough.
He immersed himself in his song; in the feeling of adrenaline coursing through his veins. Deep within him, his Aspects flared. They grounded him deeper in his body and mind, reinforcing him, and making him feel real. It was a spiritual weight that made him more.
The platform beneath his feet slowed and started to drift down — leaving him with a gap of nearly twenty longstrides to his destination. There were plenty of platforms between him and his goal — they were a trap.
Over a dozen attempts, he’d come to know that each and every one was trapped. Swarming destruction, one and all.
Leaping forwards, Kaius hurled himself into the open air. Mid dive, an explosion of force propelled him forward at speed as he twisted and bent — weaving through the tight gaps that appeared in the floating discs of death.
Another burst shoved him right, then down. Crack after crack echoed off the cold stone walls of the trial as Kaius jolted back and forth on a wavering path to victory.
Utter devoted focus consumed him as he tracked the paths of the discs that moved around him, comparing them to remembered openings as he slipped through gap after gap.
Strength - 1048 (620 + 93 + 47%)
Dexterity - 754 (420 + 93 + 47%)
Intelligence - 1252 (700 + 108 + 55%)
Willpower: - 818 (420 + 108 + 55%)
Stat Points: 0
Aspects:
Pillar Corporus: The Struggler’s Madness
- Reinforcement: Titan’s Marrow
- Seed: Forged in Endless Strife
Pillar Mentis: The Veteran’s Edge
- Reinforcement: Glass Mind
- Seed: Campaigner’s Reason
Pillar Animus: N/A
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Class Skills (10/10):
Latent Glyph of Drakthar (Heroic) - 174 > 200
Initiate’s Glyphic Bladerite (Unique) - 169 > 200
Latent Glyph of Aelina (Heroic) - 159 > 200
Mystic’s Rend (Heroic) - 147 > 176
Latent Glyph of Vyrthane (Heroic) - 75 > 121
Sigil of Vesryn’s Pact (Unique) - 90 > 137
Latent Glyph of Eirnith (Heroic) - 76 > 105
Mercurial Reversal (Unique) - 54 > 108
Runeblade Hymnfocus (Heroic) - 30 > 62
Latent Glyph of Muthryn, Throat of VOS (Heroic) - 1 > 41
General Skills (10/10):
Rapid Adaptation (Heroic) - 200
Liturgical Bladeform: Primus Ordo (Heroic) - 193 > 200
Explorer’s Toolkit (Unusual) - 178 > 200
Tempered by Dissonance (Heroic) - 200
Truesight (Unique) - 173 > 184
Tonal Weaving (Unique) - 161 > 200
Resonance Amplification (Unique) - 165 > 198
Lesser Regeneration (Unusual) - 200
Uncanny Dodge (Unique) - 182 > 200
Brotherhood of Ichor and Animus (Heroic) - 200
Hymnbook:
Glyph of Drakthar -
- Stormlash (Tier I - 120 mana)
- Hateful Nail (Tier I - 100 mana)
Glyph of Aelina -
- Yellia’s Slip Step (Tier I - 80 mana)
- Trusant’s Expedient Shunt (Tier I - 100 mana)
Glyph of Vyrthane -
- Warhaven (Tier I - 1000 mana)
- Bound Maelstrom (Tier I - 200)
Glyph of Eirnith -
- Zone of Discombobulation (Tier I - 300 mana)
- Compel Obsession (Tier I - 350)
Glyph of Muthryn -
- Redoubt of the Speaker (Tier I - Variable)
Formationbook:
Sigil of Vesryn’s Pact -
- Unbroken Through Suffering (Tier I)
Honours:
Born for Slaughter (Bonus)
Sublime Prodigy - Glyph Binding (Bonus)
Birds of a Blood Soaked Feather (Bonus)
Persistent Survivor (Minor) (Bonus)
Kingslayer (Major) (Bonus)
Ruthless Underdog (Bonus)
Ruthless Underdog II
Trailblazer II (Bonus)
Hordebreaker
Ruthless Underdog III (Bonus)
Persistent Survivor IV (Minor) (Bonus)
Paragon (Major) (Bonus)
Daring Challenger (Minor)
Bound Artefacts:
A Father’s Gift - Growth Longsword (Epic, T1)
Continue Tempering for Growth Conditions!
A monumental improvement from when he had entered, but far less than it should have been. There was work to do — but he still had plenty of time to do it. There were more trials, and more battles in his future: time for him to work on the limits of what remained.
The burning itch of his health retreated from newly healed bruises and cracked bones. Kaius got up, shaking his head. The arch waited, with its bottomless void.
It was time to see what was next. To talk with Xenanra once more, and see what waited for him in the trial of Animus. If he was lucky, he might even get to see Porkchop again.
If there was one place he could see it being beneficial to undertake with his bond-brother, it was when he worked on the aspect of the soul. They were inexorably linked, a bridge between the fires that burned inside of them. He’d have to be a fool, to think that wouldn’t have some core influence.
He smiled at the thought — Porkchop was going to have a fit about all the excitement he’d been through.
Then there was Xenanra. Kaius had questions for her — about the strange numbing he could still feel. Even now he felt like he was caught in a dream — even if it was one where he was lucid and present. He needed to know — how long had he been here?
He might have survived the experience, but he would be furious if he learnt he had been trapped here for years — it would destroy any advantage he had over others, and would have left his team waiting in limbo. Hopefully his suspicions about time magic were true — even if he had no idea how they could be.
Questions, but they would be answered soon. The important thing was that he’d won, and he could take pride in that.
Kaius approached the solid black that sat in the arch, smiling softly to himself as he felt the weight of his burning pillars fill him utterly.
He stepped through, and then he was somewhere else.
….
Kaius blinked, feeling like his mind had been swaddled in cotton as he stared at his surroundings with bleary eyes.
He felt warm, drenched in golden yellow hues that streamed into his eyes from a sun that set directly in front of him. Humid air sunk through his armour as sweat started to bead on his skin.
Turning curiously, Kaius realised he was in some sort of lounge, though one more fit for a noble’s manor than anything else. It was a room as wide as the Deadacre guildhall, with walls of stone and clear glass. Dozens upon dozens of couches and chairs were scattered in small clusters, the polished wood floors kept safe by rich rugs of reds, yellows, and blues.
It looked like what he’d always imagined a noble would use to host a party. The small kind, where it was more about relaxing with friends than political posturing.
Kaius shook his head, wondering where the thought came from. It was hard to think, but he couldn’t bring himself to panic. The fog was thicker, but it didn’t feel dangerous. Just like…he’d been asleep for far too long, and had been woken suddenly without time to get his bearings.
Turning back to the sun, he realised that it was shining through an open wall. Cantilevered glass doors had been opened wide to a balcony with a stone guardrail that had been carved into the likeness of flowering vines. A valley stretched out beyond it, covered in endless flowering trees in full bloom.
He blinked. It was like nothing he’d ever seen before. A riot of colours, like an artist has splattered the land with every paint they had on hand.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
Kaius blinked again, and realised that Xenanra was leaning against the stone banister, near a collection of wicker chairs. She watched him with a small smile on her face, her pale orange dress, long and flowing, fluttering in the afternoon breeze. She was holding…drinks?
They were drinks, he realised. Odd looking things, blue liquid that floated on top of orange, while some kind of minced fruit drifted along its top.
The ascendant thrust one forward. It slid through the air as it left her grip, floating right for him. Kaius grabbed the glass, feeling a snapping chill spread through his hand. It had ice. He blinked again.
The cold was…nice. Soothing in the humid air.
“I thought you might enjoy a stiff drink after a trial like that. Try it, and tell me what you think — though be warned it's quite strong.”
Kaius eyed the vibrant blue with suspicion. It was milky — and definitely not like anything else he’d seen in a tavern. He took a sip.
It tasted…fresh. Floral and fruity, though utterly dissimilar to anything he’d tried before. It was sweet, but not overly so, and the acrid bite of a medicinal tasting spirit cut through it before it could become sickly.
Different, and not entirely unpleasant, he felt a soothing warmth spread from his belly. Whatever the ascendant had done, her drink cut through his poison resistance handily. It seemed to be a selective change — Rapid Adaptation kept his mind clear. Well, as clear as it could be when he felt like he’d been living off nothing but sedatives for a week.
Kaius held up his glass, staring at it appraisingly.
“It’s…nice.”
Xenanra gave him a warm smile and waved him forward.
“Come, join me.”
Wandering over, he took a seat in the sun. The moment was peaceful and long, and he was more than content to enjoy it. Xenanra would speak when it was time. The ascendant gave him a nod, before turning back to watch the sunset.
Kaius smiled and leaned back, enjoying the warmth. One thing was clear, there definitely had been a mental effect in the trial — it was with him even now, stronger than it had been before. He wasn’t worried about it. It didn’t feel malicious, and Rapid Adaptation would have already been fighting if it was.
He could still think clearly — everything just felt a little…muffled. Slow. Distant.
His memories of the trial even more so. The boredom, horror, and isolation. In the trial, they’d been a struggle, but never as much as they should have been. Now, they felt like a dream — yet one he could remember perfectly.
Odd.
“I’m not just here as an administrator, you know,” Xenanra said, her voice so soft it was almost a whisper.
She turned, facing him.
“At least, I try not to be. We can talk, if you would like. From one who has walked the path long, and knows its pitfalls and tribulations, to one who is only just starting.”
Kaius nodded slowly — he’d like that.