by Andrew Rowe
I snorted. Fair.
When the next trap triggered, flinging a blast of flame toward me, I didn’t deflect it.
Instead, with a gesture, I froze the flames in mid-air — then walked to the point they’d emerged from and drew back a hand.
My fist smashed into the wall. I felt a crack as my hand passed through a glittering crystal within it, and a brief burst of flame mana around the impact point indicated I’d found my target. I protected my hand from the explosion with another mental command, then spun to meet the blade of a newly-appeared monster.
It was the top half of a suit of armor, floating in mid-air, with its gauntlets gripped tightly around a curved sword. There was no obvious collar around this one, but the pale glow within its helmet gave me a pretty good clue about where the power source was located.
I didn’t worry about that, though. The sword I’d parried was metal, and so was the entire rest of the monster’s frame.
Dawn, brace yourself.
I sent a command through Dawn and into the floating armor.
Fall apart.
The construct clattered to the ground in a hundred separate pieces. I quickly ducked down and grabbed the crystal that had been hiding inside its helmet.
Three spears flew toward me from the opposite side of the room. With a gesture, I moved the flames that still floated in mid-air, obliterating the first spear. Then I simply sliced the other two out of the air.
The ceiling dropped another foot.
Then, with a larger tremor, the walls on the sides of the room began to close in.
That complicates things.
Like most people, I didn’t like being crushed to death by walls. I somehow doubted that they’d keep going once they pressed in close enough to be seriously uncomfortable, but I wasn’t going to rely on that.
I stretched my destructive aura around Dawn, then moved to slice a hole in the nearest wall.
What are you—oh.
I released the destructive aura. She was right, I’d started using it again on instinct.
Thanks, Dawn.
Instead of using the aura, I headed to the wall, dodged a blast of lightning from another trap, and then pressed my hand against it.
Open.
A hole opened in the center of the wall…leading straight into a long, dark hallway.
My instructions had said to survive for ten minutes. The implication had been that I was supposed to stay in that room, but the rules hadn’t actually said that, had they?
I stepped out of the room and into the hallway.
As I advanced, torches appeared and ignited along the walls.
A voice sounded in my mind.
[Warning: Exiting the starting room will significantly increase the difficulty of this challenge.]
That was exactly what I wanted to hear.
The only question was if I wanted to go back and check the other walls for additional passages, but I decided against it. I had no clear way of knowing which path would be best even if I did find more passageways, and I wasn’t in the mood to waste time and mana on checking them.
I headed down the hallway. As I moved forward, the air grew colder, and the torchlight began to dim.
I reached the end of the hallway, finding a series of three wooden doors. Each doorway had a plaque above it. Fortunately, the writing was in multiple languages this time. Valian, Edrian, and at least two others.
I blinked at that bit of trivia.
Wait, Artinian? There are people from Artinia here?
Huh.
I had questions about that, but they had to wait. I needed to pick a door.
The three plaques read: Bleak City, Cryptic Caverns, and Dark Castle.
Bleak City was a strange option, but it sounded like something that might have a challenge focused more on socialization, and that didn’t interest me. It was possible that it would be something about rescuing civilians like the Burning City in Reika’s round, but I couldn’t count on that. And honestly, I was much better at fighting than rescue operations.
Cryptic Caverns was a better option — I did enjoy exploring caves and searching for monsters and treasure.
Dark Castle sounded the most dangerous, though, so I had to go with that one.
I tried to turn the door handle, but it appeared to be locked. A bright glyph shimmered on the door as I touched the handle, then a glow emanated from a keyhole near the handle.
I punched the door. Surprisingly, it didn’t break. There was a flash of energy, then I was hurled backward and slammed into the opposite wall.
Yeah, yeah.
My eyes narrowed at the door, which still glimmered with magical energy. It had to be wrapped with some powerful protection magic if I hadn’t been able to punch right through it.
But I hadn’t exactly been trying very hard.
The door had issued a challenge, and I accepted.
I stepped back to the doorway.
Sure, but it’s a lot more fun. And a great time saver.
I could already see several great solutions. Hit the door harder. Disintegrate the door. Cut through the door.
I sighed.
Fine. Just for you, though.
I walked over to the door, stretching out my senses, and found what I was looking for.
The door was protected by magic — but metal hinges that attached it to the wall? Not so much.
If I’d hit the door hard enough, I could have just snapped the door out of the frame, but that wouldn’t have met Dawn’s subtlety requirement. So, instead, I simply reached forward, touched the wall, and extended my senses.
I felt the hinges, then commanded them to separate from the wall.
The door toppled over, crashing to the ground.
I stepped on top of it.
Hah! Take that, door.
I was gentle about that!
I ignored Dawn’s pestering and continued moving forward. Beyond the door, I found a few steps leading upward, and then I was greeted by the chill of wind and the soothing dark of night air.
I was on a hillside, with a cobblestone path leading upward. Along the sides of the path were tall trees, twisted inward to overlook the path and block much of the faint crimson light emanating from above.
I advanced, walking up the path with Dawn in hand.
As I reached the top of the hill, my eyes widened at a breathtaking sight.
Further down the road, I saw black stone walls surrounding a massive central palace, with tall towers reaching skyward. A blood-red moon shined overhead, larger than I’d ever seen it, and casting an eerie glow across the entire structure. The castle was surrounded by a moat filled with ink-black fluid, with a drawbridge the only obvious means of crossing. The drawbridge was currently raised, blocking a lowered portcullis.
Four guard towers could be seen along the walls, but I couldn’t see anyone garrisoning them. A single tremendous tower stretched upward from the central palace at an implausible angle, stretching high into the night.
As I examined the castle, a voice echoed in my mind.
[The Pale King rules the lands surrounding the Dark Castle, demanding ever-growing sacrifices from the terrified residents of his domain
. In recent years, he has grown increasingly erratic, imprisoning civilians for the slightest offense. According to rumors, he recently imprisoned a beautiful maiden in the highest tower of his castle, and several rebels in the prisons beneath it.]
[The main way to the castle is barred and well-guarded, but there may be other ways to enter. According to legends, there is a cavern hidden in the forest behind the castle that contains a secret passage into the castle’s depths. Some also claim that the castle’s sewers may offer a way beneath the moat, leading to near the castle’s treasure hall. If you are careful, you may be able to sneak inside the castle without being detected by its powerful ruler. Beware, for none who have drawn his attention have survived to tell the tale.]
[This round will conclude in thirty minutes.]
I blinked at the sudden surge of information.
Well, that’s…elaborate.
I smiled. I’d dealt with a few similar challenges in my trials to join the Paladins of Tae’os, but nothing on this scale.
I headed toward the castle.
So, the Pale King...
I blinked. I don’t remember him being related to the Tyrant in Gold.
I...may have skimmed some parts to look for fight scenes.
What? I know what I like, okay?
He has a magic sword! I like magic swords!
I regret nothing. And, now that I think about it, I do remember something about his backstory — he was human, not a Child of the Tyrant. He eloped with a daughter of the goddess to a foreign land, and she was struck with a terrible illness. The goddess refused to allow her daughter to return home to the skies, and when the daughter died, the Pale King plotted his revenge.
Okay. So, there’s more than one version?
My grip on Dawn’s hilt tightened, and I felt something burning in my blood. The urge to rush forward and fight that opponent with every ounce of my strength.
I suppressed that urge, barely. The chances of my opponent being an actual tyrant’s child were negligible. That did, however, bring questions to my mind.
Could we be up against a summoned copy of one of the tyrant’s children here? Could someone have made a pact with one of them?
The Children of the Tyrant are monsters.
You’re right. They wouldn’t want to attract Vaelien’s attention to this place. Attracting Vaelien’s attention to this place would be catastrophic.
I found myself strangely disappointed by that realization. I’d been more eager to test my skills against one of the vae’kes again than I’d realized. I loosened my grip on Dawn’s hilt just a bit, continuing to walk. Okay. Let’s ignore his origins for now and just stay focused. We should talk about his capabilities.
I nodded to myself. Above All, his crown, enhances his magic and physical abilities to beyond human limits. I think that’s supposed to refer to something like an acuity sorcery effect, or maybe transcendence. Not all the book stuff translates really well into actual sorcery.
Shining Alone is his amulet, and it ‘locks his body in time’. It’s like a stasis effect that makes him virtually immune to aging, damage, disease, and all that. If I had to guess, it sounds like some kind of absurdly overpowered stability or time sorcery effect. Possibly both.
Then there’s The Pale Crescent, a curved greatsword with the power of the moon. Its strength waxes and wanes throughout battle. It cuts with the force of a tidal wave, and he projects waves of “moon power” with it, whatever that means.
Together, the three regalia make the “The Pale Crescent Shining Alone Above All”. They’re joined by a magic chain, which is bound to his body and soul. It is his greatest strength, but at a terrible price — each piece of the regalia takes away a part of who he is, and each day, he must fight them or risk losing himself forever.
I have my priorities. Legendary magical items tend to be high on that list.
Of course I am.
I walked to where the path terminated, straight across the moat from the castle.
I don’t do “sneaky”.
The moat was a solid fifty feet across, far too long to jump. The drawbridge was still raised. And, now that I was closer, I could see the faint glimmer of blue light from inside the towers on the four corners of the castle walls.
Near that tall tower that stretched above the castle, I could see winged figures flying in circles. I couldn’t get a clear picture of them from a distance, but at least some of them looked to be made from stone.
If I approach any closer, I’m going to be seen, either by the towers or the flyers. Probably both.
Good.
You’re right, Dawn. Thank you for the warning. But sometimes, it feels really good to be just a little bit reckless. And I don’t get a chance to storm a castle on my own every day.
I grinned.
I could have taken the time to make a bridge with stone sorcery, but I had limited time. And honestly, making things wasn’t fun when I had perfectly good breaking options to use instead.
I made two quick cuts in mid-air. Cutting waves of light flew across the gap toward the castle, tearing through their targets.
The massive chains holding the drawbridge up split in twain. And, within the span of a heartbeat, the drawbridge began to fall.
I stepped back instinctively as it crashed down, the end of the bridge smashing down hard on the road just in front of me. The crack of the tremendous structure landing was almost deafening.
If there had been any doubt about whether or not the people in the castle knew I was there, it faded in that moment. Winged figures near the tower shifted in the air, flying toward me.
I stepped out onto the bridge and began to walk across.
The first of the flying monsters was descending toward me a moment later, a hideous thing with bat-like wings and a
body wrought entirely of stone. Given its size and stone body, it had tremendous strength, and a strike from its vicious-looking claws could have done me some serious harm.
Unfortunately for the gargoyle, I’d been practicing my stone shaping.
I swung Dawn downward as it descended, her blade glimmering as it met the gargoyle’s claw.
Fall.
When my sword met the gargoyle, my command flowed through her into the stone.
The gargoyle’s wings separated from its back. I stepped to the side as it lost its flight ability, smashing hard into the ground behind me. With a single stroke, I removed the head from its shoulders, then kept walking.
Three more gargoyles froze in the air above me, then flew back a few feet as they saw the first gargoyle collapse and fall into a pile of dust.
I didn’t hesitate. My hand moved, and crescent shockwaves of light slammed into the remaining gargoyles, slicing through wings.
Two of the remaining gargoyles fell to opposite sides of the bridge, flailing with their one remaining wing each.
One managed to maneuver out of the way of the attack, only to turn and fly straight back to toward the castle. I launched another two shockwaves at it, but missed due to the distance.
I kept walking.
There was a loud creak, then I felt a massive surge of metal approaching me from atop one of the guard towers.
I spun barely in time to see it — something that looked like a tremendous crossbow bolt, gleaming with magical energy.
They’d fired a ballista at me.
Magnetic repulse.
A burst of metal mana sent the ballista bolt wildly off-course, flying past me and off the bridge to fall into the moat below.
I heard a loud splash, then a sizzling sound.
Definitely don’t want to fall down there.
I kept walking.
A few more paces, then another ballista bolt flew from the opposite tower. I repeated the process.
A hail of arrows followed, fired from atop the battlements near the gate. I didn’t bother with another magnetic pulse; I simply focused and swept Dawn upward, slashing arrows out of the air.
When I paused among the remains of dozens of broken shafts, I blinked.
