“Are you sure this is what you want to do?” Gabby asked for the sixth time.

“It’s not what I want to do,” Micah answered once again, “It’s what we should do.”

The party—minus one at the moment—gathered their supplies, preparing themselves for the journey to so-called The Bastion. Micah’s sprite assured him the illuminating beam wasn’t close, despite being so huge.

“I’m not going to take you guys on a wild goose chase in the middle of this hellhole,” Micah assured her.

The rain still didn't let up, but Micah spied a couple of groups of people exiting their homes through the cracks in the wood. They were little more than blobs in the darkness, but Micah was sure they were human. The way they helped each other and looked over one another spoke volumes.

It made Micah nervous, ready to move before they were left behind. Still, he waited patiently for a good opportunity to lead his party to safety. He opened his character sheet, eager to see any power-ups or secret cheats that could help him out.

Micah Bennoveli Human

Role: Novice Mage 2

STR:0.3 ???

INT:2.0 ???

WIL:1.2 ???

Twilight: 353G, 76Sh

RP:45/45

Skill List: Mana Control (Ra), Physical Fitness (Ba)

Spell List: Mana Bolt

Paths Revealed!

Beginner (0/100), Novice Mage (0/45)

Will Integration (0/30), Intellect Integration (0/30)

Fledgling Arcanist (0/75), Sprite Functions I (0/50)

Twilight: 353G, 76Sh

Initially, Micah planned to hoard all his points until he earned a late-stage or game-changing option, but now things have changed. He couldn’t hope to get a better choice in the future, Micah needed power now. He invested all his points into the options before him, pointedly ignoring the cheap paths for now. He had to compromise somewhere.

Congratulations, Traveler!

Golden light shines upon

your talent and future as a Mage.

Resource Pool Deepens

Congratulations, Traveler!

Your path into the mysteries of Magic

begins with a single step

Skill Shard: Arcane Magic awarded

Congratulations, Traveler!

Golden Energy fills your companion

unlocking abilities previously unnoticeable

Unnamed Sprite can now identify objects and individuals up to the Novice Rank

Congratulations, Traveler!

Your light reveals the way

further down your path

Would you like to invest more Twilight?

Micah paused and considered saving the rest, before thinking again, and investing the rest of G points.

83 Glint invested. 76 Shimmer invested. Processing…

Sacrifice accepted. Reward Upgraded

Skill Shard: Scacilin Runic Language awarded

Several bursts of white light manifested around Micah, especially congregating around the stone body of his Sprite, who suddenly became visible.

More than that, Micah felt an overwhelming amount of energy cram its way into his pool. Intoxication and pleasure hit him in equal measure, only disrupted by his satiety—he couldn’t possibly absorb anymore.

Two skill shards appeared in front of him, and Micah didn't hesitate to crush them in his hands.

Skill Gained!

Arcane Magic (Rare)

Passive

Form of magic involving the direct manipulation of an enigmatic force energy. Directly manipulate energies that bend the fabric of reality to create a desired effect.

Score: ???

Skill Gained!

Scacilin Battle Runes (Rare)

Passive

An ancient society’s forged written language

able to interact with Dynamic and Atomic

energy. This set was specifically made for war.

Score: ???, ???

[Arcane Magic] was a skill Micah knew very well, the school of magic being his bread and butter in Rifts & Boundaries. Although he knew it didn’t change anything, just having something he knew inside and out in this unfamiliar world set his heart at ease.

The second skill was vaguely familiar, yet neither its name nor description could trigger Micah to remember what was so pressing about it. He just thanked his lucky stars to have a skill that incorporates two scores. Having a skill grow more than one stat was only a good thing.

Now, Micah just had to figure out how to put his new skills to use. He tried to follow the whispers of information his new skills tried to show him, but he was interrupted by a hand shaking him.

“The rain stopped,” Gabby said. “Do you think we should go now?” She sounded nervous. Micah wondered if that’s how he sounded to Castor.

“Yeah, we should.” Micah yawned as he stood to stretch. “Pack the rest of your things. We’re leaving.”

Gabby nodded resolutely, gathering her things as she told her sister to finish her preparations.

If only I had more time, Micah sighed. I would be stronger, and we would be safe. We wouldn’t have to run. Micah gritted his teeth, trying not to cry tears of guilt. Castor’s alright. He has to be.

Micah tried not to worry, focusing on what he can accomplish, here and now. He peeked through the cracks of the covered windows and stared at the golden pillar dividing the sky.

All he had to do was get them to safety. Simple

Veronica tried to sneak back into her home while her father slept, but was instantly betrayed by the creaking door. She held her breath, waiting for the hammer to come down, only letting it go when the coast was clear.

“You think I wouldn’t notice my own daughter missing?” A deep voice made Veronica flinch, even more when her father turned on the lights. The giant of a man didn’t seem any smaller in his beloved recliner. If anything, his glare made him all the more menacing.

“Hi, Dad,” Veronica waved weakly.

“So you leave whenever you want, without so much as a word—“

Veronica sighed, already expecting the berating. She ignored his tirade and drudged up the stairs.

“Where are you going? I’m not done speaking with you.” The recliner clicked as her father chased behind her.

“I just drove a total of ten hours in one day. You can nag me tomorrow when I’m not about to drop dead.”

“You think you can do whatever you want? Huh?! I won’t have that in my house.” He yelled.

“Do whatever you want.” Veronica punctuated by slamming her door and locking it. Contrary to her expectations, her dad only stood at her door—no banging, or demands to open up—leaving after a few grumbles.

At this point, Veronica wanted nothing more than to sleep, exhausted beyond belief. But her mind wandered, worried about Cas and all those people who went missing.

She just wished she could go back to happier times.

A picture on her nightstand reminded her of one such memory, bringing a smile to her face for a moment. She looked so happy in that boat. They all did; Cas and Veronica were laughing at her brother, who had fallen into the lake. If you looked closely, you could see a good-natured smile on her brother’s face too.

If only they both were still here. Veronica thought sadly.

A techno ringtone rang from her phone, interrupting her musing. “What, Blake?” She sighed as she answered.

“Did they tell you anything about your friend?” The boy's voice was irritating and nasally even through the phone.

“No. They just pretty much sent everyone away.” Veronica sighed again just thinking about it.

“I told you. Better off just looking into it yourself, or better yet, letting me look into it for you.”

“So you can talk about my friend, and have me as a special guest on your podcast?” Veronica said angrily.

“…no.”

“What can you do that the police can’t do better?”

A ding rang from her phone, a look revealed it to be a message from Blake. “I’ll just leave that with you, give me a call if you want any help.” Blake said before hanging up.

Veronica almost called it a night, and just spent the rest of the night getting what sleep she could, but after a while, she still couldn’t get any rest. She tossed and turned, eventually picking up her phone when closing her eyes didn’t work.

She looked at the message Blake sent, just to appease her curiosity and boredom, but was shocked to see a screenshot of Blue on a shelter’s website. Her Baby Blue! More than that, there was a police report of the dog being stolen.

Immediately, Veronica called Blake, who picked up on the first ring.

“I’ve been waiting for your call.” The bastard said smugly.

“Impressive.” The Keeper said to herself. Not the man’s martial ability, which was obviously not up to par. No, it was the man’s perseverance and adaptability that spoke to her. Skills could be taught, but mindsets were either forged— to choose Substance and live through the consequences. It made her glad to have such a Challenger.

The Challenge Keeper didn’t usually screw with casualty, but 6000 years of isolation caused her to do many things unlike herself. Like inserting her Challenge—and the Dungeon it inhabited—into a Trial that just so happened to be created nearby.

And like hosting a Trial Master in her private sanctuary. Freshly-spawned Trial Master. She reminded herself. The Challenge Keeper clicked her claws in irritation.

“I will have to ask you to refrain from interfering with Trial Participants from now on.” The Higher Will’s Avatar manifested as a small girl, but spoke in the same robotic tone every system-generated being articulated in. “You overstepped your bounds, Keeper.”

“Odds were already unbalanced by his party increasing the difficulty, despite not actually being there.” The Keeper argued. “I didn’t even do much; I just adjusted the reward to fit the challenge.”

“You revealed yourself and your mark before the Participant found it; you adjusted the challenge to fit the objective of the Trial Floor.” The Master argued. “I could expel you from this gathering and trap you in the Gallows for the rest of your existence.” The little girl tried to instill fear into the Keeper.

It only half-succeeded.

“I have a right to my Challenge, just as yours with this Trial.” She crossed her arms and closed all of her eyes.

The girl sighed, not committing to her threat. “Please refrain from interfering with Trial Participants.”

The Keeper only nodded her head, suppressing a shudder.

“I must ask,” The Challenge Keeper felt brave, after stretching the rules so far without consequence. “You have access to the Star Stream, yes? Might you be able to help—“

The Trial Master shook her head. “I cannot…the dimension this Trial originated from was low of each of the Heavenly Trifiecta. My connection to the Star Stream is insufficient for my needs, let alone yours.”

The Keeper sucked her teeth at yet another annoyance, “Fine, will you be gone now?”

“As you wish.” The little girl vanished from her spirit sanctuary, leaving her blissfully alone.

She weaved a window into existence and watched her Challenger. “Hopefully, this man will free me from this place.”