I Hate Tests

[Chiroptera]

((Closed to Adventurer's Board #4 participants.))

Eltarri Jordel wiped her sweating palms on her pants as she gazed in nervous wonder at the castle that loomed before her. It stood like a huge, grey soldier, obstinately blocking her view of the sky as the sunset painted in twilight hues across the horizon. The castle was situated on a slight hill in the middle of a grassy field, bordered by a forest of tall, leafy trees that stretched all the way to the purple mountain range that the half-elf could only glimpse in the distance. She had crossed miles of verdant grassland in search of this place, using the distant profile of Windlacer Peaks as a landmark to ensure that she maintained a generally eastern direction.

That was, of course, after she had gone through Arask Pass.

The half-elf shuddered at the memory of her travels. Every step through the canyon had been taken with the debilitating fear that it would be her last. She had seen- or imagined- goblin shadows lurking behind every rock. The slightest noise from the walls of the ravine had been enough to send her heart into flurries of panicked palpitations. Leaving the city gates of Scara Brae had been the most frightening thing that she had ever forced herself to do. Eltarri had nearly burst into tears when she reached the end of the canyon and saw the green fields stretching out before her. She was still shocked that her journey had been so free of confrontation.

It must be a sign that the gods approve of this mission, she decided with a confident smile, tilting her head back to look up at the castle. The facade was composed entirely of grey bricks, the meticulous pattern interrupted only by small glass windows that marched in ordered rows up the front of the building and a wide door of heavy wood that looked more like an upright drawbridge than an entryway. The castle and its courtyard were surrounded by a tall iron fence that was overgrown with flowering vines and bushes. It was outside of the fence's gate that Eltarri stood, eying the sharpened tips of the ten-foot fenceposts with apprehension. The gate was made up of two sections of fencing that would swing inward, were they ever to open. The gates were so similar to the surrounding fencing that the only way Eltarri could tell that it was the entrance was by the heavy lock that dangled at the seam where the two sides met.

Eltarri bit her lower lip in thought as she surveyed the gate before her. It didn't seem that the gate would be opened for her, since she had been standing outside for a good while without the slightest acknowledgement from within. She wouldn't fit in the narrow spaces between the posts, so squeezing through wasn't an option. Climbing would be nearly impossible for her since the metal bars were circular . . .

The half-elf blushed in embarrassment as her eyes were drawn instantly back to the tangles of vine that draped along the length of the fence. She gave the castle's occupants another minute to recognize her presence, then headed for the vines with a shrug when the wooden door remained firmly shut. She climbed the purple-flowered liana with ease and was over the fence without further delay. Seeing no guards rushing toward her, the half-elf headed for the castle's front door. The steps leading to the entrance had obviously not been cleaned in a while, but the girl noticed that there were bootprints left in the dust.

I must not be the only person to have answered the challenge. The thought was comforting, filling the young woman with the warmth of comraderie for a person whom she'd never even met.

The door was even bigger up close than it had seemed from afar, but Eltarri steeled her nerves and forced herself to lift her fist. Her hand was inches away from the grainy surface when a tiny peephole suddenly slid open at a level about half a foot above her head.

"State your name and business," a gruff voice demanded from the slot.

"My name is Eltarri Jordel and I'm here to apply for sword-training from the master Kyle Rien," she replied, taking a step back so that she could see into the hole. A pair of sharp blue eyes peered down at her, filled with disdain and impatience.

"I don't take students anymore," the man stated. "I thought I'd made that abundantly clear when I kicked out the last failure."

"I was told that you would be willing to teach swordsmanship to anyone who could pass your test."

"If you can't fight with a sword," Kyle Rien said with derision, "what are you doing with that oversized piece of crap on your back?"

"It was my father's sword," Eltarri replied coldly, "and I can only use it in self-defense when I'm wearing these bracers."

The man grunted impatiently. "I have no tolerance for fake skill. And black iron is the scum of the metal world."

Eltarri blushed indignantly at the attacks on her sword's integrity. She had to bite her tongue to keep from saying something that she would later regret, and it was another moment before she was able to speak again.

"I was in Scara Brae," Eltarri explained, praying that her voice wouldn't reveal her nervousness, "and I heard that he- you- were doing some sort of test, to find someone worthy of being your pupil."

"And you think you're that person?" His contemptuous tone made Eltarri feel suddenly self-conscious of her dirty clothes and travel-worn appearance.

"You won't find anyone with more determination," she answered with a defiant lift of her chin. A harsh snicker came from behind the thick door.

"Determination isn't going to make you a swordsman." His eyes flickered down and then returned to her face. "Sorry- swordself."

Eltarri could think of nothing to say, so she merely stared at the blue eyes that seemed to smirk back at her, filled with condescension.

"So you wanna take my test, eh? What makes you think you're worthy to be my apprentice?"

"I'm probably not," she answered frankly, "but I won't leave until you at least let me try."

A roar of laughter reverberated through the wood. "You think you'd be the first person to set up camp in my courtyard? If I say 'no,' my answer is no."

A wave of disappointment swept through the half-elf. All of her travel and worry and time, the money spent on maps and supplies, the hope that had pushed her to continue, wasted . . .

"But I think I like you, Eltarri. You probably won't live through my test, but I'm going to let you try, anyway."

The girl did her best to remain composed and managed to contain a shout of joy, but an elated grin slipped through her wall of self-control.

"Don't thank me yet," the man warned sternly. "When you climbed my vines you inhaled sleep-inducing fumes the plant's flower produces. You'll be gone for a good couple of hours, and when you wake up, you'll've been transported to a very costly magical realm. Thanks for saving me the trouble of having to knock you out myself! On that plane, you will do all you can to survive, mostly. If that doesn't over-challenge you, you'll be looking for a titanium statue of a naked angel. That's your portal back to this world. If you return, I'll take you and anyone else who survives on as my apprentices. If not, then you'll be a rotting corpse and not my problem."

Eltarri's glee faded as the man's words sank into her rapidly-slowing brain. The half-elf shook her head in an attempt to clear it, but her gaze was already beginning to grow fuzzy. The last thing she saw was the glinting pair of blue eyes framed by the wooden door, and then she fell asleep.


((Bunny Kyle Rien, of course, and feel free to wake up in that other realm. I couldn't think of a better way to give us the space and free setting that we should need to make the test really good. Basically, my idea is that Kyle decides who is allowed to take his test by merit of a conversation and the fact that the adventurer made it to his castle. You have to be asleep to get to the other realm, but aside from that, free rein from there.))

[Osato]

The seats were plush, thick, and comfortable. The fire opposite them was at a dull roar, the reflection of the flickering flames dancing off the table between the seats. The room was walled with shelves housing countless hundreds of books, the kind of books that had titles ranging from simple fictions to complex theories of sciences even the drow were still studying. Of course the spine of the book held script of the title in threaded golden writing.

Osato would be sitting in one of these seats, sipping at a small goblet of fine wine, conversing with the man, Kyle Rein. He would be talking about terms of training, both in martial skills and the fine art of swordsmithing. It was his dream, the wandering mercenary would say, his very dream. The man would laugh and the two would continue bantering back and forth, real friendly like.

That was how it was supposed to have been.

The wanderer swore as he looked at the high, cruel looking fence that stood in his path. A few cautionary taps against the heavy lock at the center of the heavy gateway and a sigh passed the lips of the young mercenary. On the other side the impassive eyes of the workers only lifted long enough to see him, but then they returned to tilling around with their yard work. Another curse passed the lips of the boy.

It was no wonder they were not looking at him more intently. Passing through the Arask Pass was not as easy as the Knight’s had made it out to be. There were ungodly numbers of goblins, most of which thought the passing wandered – alone – was more then an interesting sight. The drall that was wrapped around his bottom half, a type of half-skirt worn by the military of the island of Yerria, was quite tattered. His sleeveless shirt was dingy, streaked with dried mud, and had small sweat spots. His pants, the only slightly loose garment on him, were surprisingly unharmed.

“Hey!” He tried, but that too was to no avail, the workers continued to ignore him. Osato turned, folding his arms and leaning against the grate. The road that led to the mansion seemed emptier and longer since getting into the place was obviously not going to happen. The sun hung languidly overhead, finally starting its decent and hopefully allowing the world to cool a bit.

“What do you want?” The boy jumped, his head spinning from the sky to the voice. Instead of a face he saw spots, large black spots, from where the bright light of the sun had been. While waiting for the person’s face to come back into view Osato instead looked down, trying to at least estimate height. “You come for training too? Or are you just stupid and lost?”

“I have come for training with the sword and swordsmithing,” the boy responded with a harrumph. “I don’t know who you think you are, leaving me out here and ignoring my calls, but I’ll be speaking with your Master Kyle Rein about it immediately.”

“Oh you will, will you?”

Such indignation, such obvious reproachable handling of a guest… it was beyond the young sell-sword. Very quickly his hands shot towards the bars, the metal gloves clanking rather loudly against them. “This is ridiculous,” he cried, shaking his head as he closed his eyes. He wanted more than anything to be able to see the rude worker who had dared talk to him in such a way. “I have been sent by the Queen herself!”

“The Queen you say?”

“Well, not the queen exactly, but someone just under her. The Royal Knight Farrell of the Knights of Scara Brae has deemed me worthy of joining. His only requirement was that I set off to the mansion of Kyle Rein and prove myself worthy of a month of training under him…”

“You don’t look much of a prospect,” the man’s level tone held a thick undertone of humor. “You say Royal Knight Farrell? I knew he would become something one day.”

“Why you…” but Osato stopped. The interfering spot was graying and transparent. The man on the other side was older, with a wisp of white hair flaring from his balding head. His ice blue eyes were flecked with silver, graying and old. “My apologies Master Rein, but it is quite a difficult travel through the pass, and I haven’t had much sleep due to the constant curious goblins.”

“No trouble my boy,” the man said. Now that the sell-sword could fully see the man he somehow seemed more foreboding. His chapped lips parted in a small smile. Behind him the mansion seemed more like a citadel, or a fortress. The older gentleman procured a large key and began fiddling with the lock. “I’ll let you in, but I need to know one thing.”

“Yes? What is it?” Kyle did not respond at first, but instead removed the lock and chains and opened the door. A heavy, rust filled cry of anguish creaked from the hinges to either side. Osato walked through, watching as the gates opened wide despite the well worn hinges pain.

“Do you enjoy flowers?”

“Umm… sure…” Osato turned, looking at the wall. The creeping vines held small violet flowers that mimicked the amethyst coloration of the mercenaries long hair. He mentally scolded himself for not having thought of simply climbing over the wall, instead of naively wining at the gates.

“Go smell those for me then, tell me what you think.”

“What?” He could not help but laugh at the old man. Despite his reputation and prestige, Osato could not help but wonder at the man’s sanity. “You want me to sniff flowers?”

“Take it as a sign of trust, the first sign of many that I’m going to require of you if you are going to train under me…”

Osato sighed, shaking his head at the man. If smelling a flower was all he had to do for the old man as a sign of trust he could do that easily enough. The drifter walked towards the wall, crushing the emerald grass under heavy leather boots and steel gaiters. He first smelt the closest, not really getting much from it. Sniffing more and more he looked at the man with a look that said ‘how’s this for you?’ It was only a minute later that the young man’s lids began to grow heavy and his head became light… another few seconds and his limp form dropped effortlessly to the ground, unconscious.

((Hopefully everyone else jumps aboard soon. If not by tonight I’ll send out a couple of PM’s. Also, do you want to have an established posting order? Or just post at free will… and allow us to do as we need to… heh.))

[Chidori Draconid]

Chidori Draconid watched in anguish as the ivory bishop moved across the chess table by way of his father’s large hand. It was almost as if Chidori was struck with precognition when it was just too late. He shouldn’t have moved his rook, but he did, and realized the folly of his move just as his father began making his move. He couldn’t take it back. This was his fifth defeat at the hands of his father today.

“Checkmate.” The God of Dragons said as his son and a room of fifteen women sounded off in defeat. He smiled as Chidori rose walking in circles flailing his arms about as he said ‘Damn Damn Damn!!!’ all around. As humble as Draco liked to think he was, he was always happy to show of his strategic skill especially in a game of chess.

“Not only did you defeat me miserably for the fifth time, you were taking it easy on me.” Chidori said as he plopped back down on the seat in exhaustion.

”Not true, son. You’re actually getting better, and I wouldn’t take it so seriously if I were you. I’ve been playing this game for thousands of years, while you’ve only been playing it for a decade or two. You can’t expect to defeat me right off the bat. Think of it like your mothers talent in music. You wouldn’t expect to surpass her in vocal prowess while she’s had thousands of years of practice and you’ve had a month of Istien training.”

“You sing, Chidori? Oh please sing for us!” One of the fifteen former slave women said eagerly. The others followed suit requesting a song. Chidori was too nervous to sing unless it was absolutely necessary.

“I’m sorry ladies. Unless I have to send a shock to someone’s system I’ll only sing for one woman, and she’s in Raiaera at the moment.” They responded in a united mushy approval to his statement, but he knew it wasn’t true. He would never sing for his dearest. Avakra didn’t even know Chidori went to Istien University for vocal and magic training. She sang for the Corone Philharmonic various times. Why would she be impressed with his mediocre voice? However, the statement served its purpose, which was to once again remind the women of the Allester House that Chidori was taken. While the young deity wasn’t going to flatter himself, he could not deny potential advances from some of the former slaves. None of them truly cared for him the way Avakra did. Some of them just wanted to pay him back for saving them from the crew of vagabonds that captured, violated, and sought to sell them of in Salvar.

“Besides, that’s not the issue here.” He said hoping to get back on subject. “The issue is how I royally suck at chess.”

”Don’t say that, son.” The muscle bound Draco said as he stood up. He seemed to tower over his slender son as the sun made his golden skin glisten. ”Like I said, you’re facing someone with eons of experience, but you’re my son. You get your strategic talent from me. It’s just that you utilize it more in real life than on a mere chess board.” The wooden platform floor thumped as he walked across to the door. Chidori followed him past the brown linen couch as the women began to disperse. The four hour tournament was over, and they had farming, cooking, hunting, and various other things to do.

He followed his father out of the front door as he continued. ”There is a sword master who lives here in Scara Brae named Kyle Rien, who’s lost faith in teaching his art. He feels that no one is worthy of his mentorship. However, I for one believe the man is lying through his teeth. If he’s lost all faith in teaching why would he make a test to see if anyone is worthy of teaching? Hmm?”

Chidori grinned as he began to realize what his father was getting at. He didn’t have to respond to his father for he knew Chidori would take him up on the offer. By now the Godly father and son had made their way into the street. He could remember when the gravel road worn down by light traffic (horseback and pedestrian alike) was impressive to him. Now he had experienced the likes of Eluriand, Radasanth, and Ettermire, where the architecture actually had an identity, and the population within one’s sight needed more than two hands to count. These wooden structures, the plain streets, and the shady allies had no identity to him. Not like the innovative street lamps of Ettermire, the marble and stone elegance of Eluriand, or the classy brick streets of Radasanth. The only reason the young deity and his father were here was to visit the women of Allester House.

Every other week or so the two of them would stop by and bring them something nice. Gourmet food from his skeleton friend Krugor, a glass dining set from Fallien, random things really. This week it was an ebony and ivory chess set. Whatever it was Chidori simply considered it all hope. These women had been brutally victimized by men so much to the point that they all refused to be in a place where they were outnumbered by men. That pretty much excluded ninety nine percent of Althanas, so they were reduced to staying in that house. Luckily for them the back side of the property consisted of a farm with a well and a freshwater spring, so they were self sustained save a few minor provisions. However, the security of their home did nothing to heal their psychological and emotional wounds. That’s what Draco and Chidori came to do by showing them that there was kindness in the hearts of men. One just had to find it.

The young deity stopped and waited as his father went into a wide ally in between two competing thrift shops. He twisted the top of his black cane to expose the reflective blade within. It was clean. He bent his knees and stretched his arms. Looking down at his classy black silk embroidered ambiance he realized that he needed more battle ready clothing. While this never really stopped him from doing battle, he knew there was something better. Just then a roar came from behind him and a great golden dragon landed beside him. The handful of people present reacted in the typical panic, running as far away from the dragon as possible. Not Chidori though. He knew it was just his father. Chidori had to look away for a second because its reflective golden scales were blinding. It had long tangled whiskers and a benign yet powerful face. Chidori understood why his father favored this particular species of dragon. It was much more majestic than the other species. That was demonstrated when the dragon took flight with the young deity on its back.

Citizens of the cities in Scara Brae looked up in the sky as a magnificent dragon rode the winds like a kite. They passed the urban areas, the farmlands and even the forests. Soon Chidori couldn’t see a sign of civilization anywhere, which made him feel a tad bit uncomfortable. He was getting used to people. It was strange how clouds that looked like mountains in the sky were next to the mountains anyways. The snow topped Alester Peaks seemed to be mimicked by the nimbus mounds with their own valleys, ridges and slopes. However, they remained in the distance as they passed the Alester Peaks. Suddenly Draco took a dive and a grey stone castle came into view. That must have been the destination.

“So Kyle Rein lives here?” The young deity said as the dragon landed. “No wonder he hasn’t found any good students. He’s run away from them all.”

”No one’s at the gate so it looks like you’ll have… oh! What!!!” Before Draco could finish his sentence, his son had used his long neck and head as a stepping plank to the top of the stone wall. ”To each his own it seems. Good luck, son, and enjoy.”

The God of Dragons turned away and took flight as his son dropped down on the other side of the wall. He landed on a large batch of purple flowers, which exploded with pollen. They filled his nostrils causing an itchy sensation followed by a sneeze, which apparently alerted someone to his presence.

”Who goes there?”

The young deity stepped towards the front steps as he projected his voice. “Chidori Asram Draconid.” His cane was in his hands ready for battle.

“My word! That is a mouthful.” The voice came through the giant doors at the front of the castle, specifically from an open eye slot where a pair of calm eyes peered out, “I assume you’re here for the training as well?”

Chidori slowly nodded. For some reason it was taking a large amount of effort to do simply move his head.

“To be honest I wasn’t intending on taking anymore potential students,”

The walls of the castle in front of him began to spin. The grey stones almost looked like a clay mix to him.

“Especially one that would have the nerve to step up to me looking like that,”

His mind began to float, and his limbs seemed made of led.

“But it seems as though you’ve initiated the test anyways. I’m tired of repeating the details. When you wake, ask the young woman named Eltarri for details.”
That was the last that the young deity heard as his back hit the cold ground in front of the giant castle doors. I sure will enjoy, father he thought sarcastically as his eyelids fell like anvils.

[Zerith]

“I’m telling you, no means no. When I’ve made my decision, It’s set in stone.”

“Well that’s hardly fair Rien,” the young halberdier replied. The two men were taking a walk through Kyle Rien’s beautiful garden. The bright colors of the flower added a little bit of color to the rest of the dull gray castle that served at the swordmaster’s home. “Getting here isn’t as easy as people back in Scara Brae think. Although you probably already know that, do you?”

Rien smiled, at least the boy had brains. Arask Pass could be hell for some, the goblins that settled there were far from friendly. As he thought about it he realized that it did seem a little odd that this person was only the fourth, and took his time getting here. So with that in mind, how many possible students did the goblins take care of? Perhaps it was a good thing, this way he didn’t have to waste his time with people that would’ve have been able to pass his expectations in the first place. “I know Arask Pass can be difficult, that’s why I made it the first test. However, although you passed that one I still can’t accept you. I teach the way of the sword, not how to wield a halberd.”

Zerith looked as his crimson pole-arm, “You don’t realize how important this is to me.”

“Oh but I do, I’m not stupid,” Rien shot back. “My workers have already told me about you. Zerith Dracosius, the boy that took a job to help defend the fortress and returned a hero. Although I don’t recall any of that, some of the people that work here remember and say they were impressed. Apparently, they say you came back with it, a trophy of some sort no doubt.”

“Alright, so maybe you do have an idea. That still doesn’t mean that I only know how to use a halberd.” As he finished Zerith dropped his pole-arm and drew Trithdursil. “I fought in that battle with only this. So am I worthy now?”

“No more worthy than the other three…” Rien grumbled as he walked away towards the violet flowers that belonged to the vines that seemed to stretch up along the wall. “I’m willing to make an exception in your case, Zerith. Simply because I believe you earned it when you fought for Scara Brae.”

“Excellent,” the halberdier replied. “So how is the rest of this test of yours going to work?”

“I’m not one to spoil the surprises I’ve arranged for you and the others,” the master swordsman answered. His left hand reached towards the vine and pull a single flower apart from it. “I will give you one piece of advice. During the test, not everything will be as it seems. Appearances can and will be deceiving. Take this flower for example, although the smallest out of all the others in my garden, it has the most beautiful fragrance. Here, see for yourself.”

Without thinking, Zerith did as he was asked. He sheathed his sword, picked up his halberd and took the flower from Rien’s hand. Bringing the small violet plant up to his nose, the halberdier enhaled deeply. Yet there was no smell, no fragrance that Kyle spoke of. “What are you talking about? There is no fragrance.”

“I know,” replied the smiling face of Kyle Rien. “That flower doesn’t have one. But it does give off fumes that puts a person to sleep. Welcome to the challenge Zerith, in a few seconds you’ll be caught in a dream world that will serve as your obstacle course. Try your best not to die though. A body is no good is the mind is killed off afterall.”

“You tricked me,” was all Zerith could say before he suddenly felt tired. His eyes got heavy and shut as he felt his hands let go of his pole-arm. Then he fell to his knees before he finally fell forwards so that he was laying down on the clean cut grass. As sleep overcame him, he could vaguely hear Kyle Rien ordering one of his employees to move the final challenger’s body to where the others were.

[Chiroptera]

"Do you remember your father, Eltarri?"

"Did I ever meet him, Mama?"

"He loved you. Said that even though you had the elven ears and eyes, he'd force his captain to allow you into the Dragon Ranks."

"To be a warrior? To fight evil?"

"Yes . . . to fight evil."

"I can still be a Dragon-Warrior when I grow up! Even if they know I'm half-elfish."

"Elven, dear."

"I can pretend to be a human, Mama. I want to fight evil!"

"Don't worry, beloved, you will. You do. You must, to survive."

"Just like you?"

"Yes, Eltarri. Just like me."


With a startled jolt Eltarri's eyes flew open, her lung sucking in air as though they'd been denied oxygen for a period far longer than was healthy. She lay on cool grass, the sky above her was an uninterrupted black canvas, and short, prickly bushes dotted the ground around her. With a groan the half-elf pushed herself up, resting on her knees as spots of light flitted across her vision. Even more troubling than the pounding headache that attacked her temples was the memory of the nightmares that had tormented her unwanted slumber. Painful dreams, memories of poignant moments that were twisted with the bitterness of hindsight.

Head throbbing and vision still fuzzy from the effects of the flower's toxin, Eltarri forced herself to stand and gazed blearily at the landscape that surrounded her. She was on top of the only hill in the area, as far as she could see. Grassy plains swept out from the knoll she stood on, running into a dark wall of trees on one side and a loudly-flowing river on the other. In front and behind of the half-elf was only the line of the horizon, faded by a layer of thick fog that gleamed in the murky light.

Eltarri frowned and looked up at the sky. No moon. No stars. So where was the light coming from?

The only sound was the flowing of the river and the occassional rustling of grass as the wind swept across it. Eltarri sighed with sudden loneliness. What had possessed her to even bother with this silly test? She was gambling her mother's life on her own mental and physical capacities, which were hardly stable pillars even in the normal world! And in this realm, there was no one who would be able to bail her out of the predicaments she seemed prone to getting herself into.

No use whining about what can't be changed. Eltarri squared her shoulders and prepared to set off, then realized that she had no idea of where she was supposed to go. How can I solve the puzzles if I don't even know where to find them?

The girl was reluctant to travel alone through the dark forest and the roiling fog seemed very uninviting, so she turned around and set off towards the river. When she reached the bottom of the hill, Eltarri realized that she couldn't see the river anymore, but using the roaring noise of the channeled water as a guide, she set off across the field.


((We can all arrive at the same place, or we can spring up in different locations, not all necessarily outdoors. Magical realm and all, so no limitations! Anyone with puzzle ideas, feel free to do something definitive.))

[Chidori Draconid]

The golden light of the lamp allowed just enough visibility to wrap around the chess table and the two opponents. Déjà vu struck as Chidori looked up at his father in humanoid form. Draco’s eyes briefly rose up from the playing field to meet his son’s, and he gave a comforting smile. He then went back to focusing on the pieces of ebony and ivory and his game face returned. Chidori used to love seeing that game face. It was like watching a popular fighter at the Citadel of Corone perform one of his signature finishing moves. Nowadays that game face was directed towards him. It wasn’t so fun anymore. The young deity made a move then his father immediately made him pay for it. The next three moves were an onslaught and Chidori’s little ivory army was cut down drastically.

“Hey there, love.” A kiss befell Chidori’s left cheek as Avakra sat down on his lap. This was a pleasant surprise, or was it a burden? Chidori didn’t want his dearest to see him getting his ass handed to him over and over again by his father.

“So are you here to help me?” Chidori said with a smile as he looked into the amber eyes of the divine daughter of the ocean. She chuckled as she moved his bishop across the board. Draco’s golden muscles tensed up. Chidori could tell that he was taken back by the move. He had never done that to his father before.

“That’s all I’m going to do for you in that respect,” Avakra leaned in for a whisper, “but I can tell you what he’s thinking.” Chidori was desperate to get a win over his father. At this point he didn’t care about cheating, so he responded with a nod of approval. A few moments passed as Chidori made one more move. Avakra finally spoke again as Draco pondered his first move.

“Just as I feared. He’s planning visually so I can’t detect anything, but he is thinking auditory thoughts… About you.”

“Tell me.” The young deity said with out a second’s hesitation. He had suspicions about how his father truly felt about him.

Avakra sighed with despair and allowed a long moment of silence to pass before she spoke. “This is verbatim. ‘Oh how I wish I hadn’t let Astri convince me to give her so much power in creating my son. He should be strong, proud, and strategic like me. He should be his father’s son. Instead he’s a singer, this pampered noble, his mother’s son. Look at this woman he has. Why does she even care for him? He’s not a protector. She’s more battle hardened than he is. As much as I have to love Chidori I certainly don’t like him.’… I’m not going any further.”

Chidori’s head began to ache as the tears fought their way through his misty eyes. He closed his eyes as the first tears ran down his cheek and onto Avakra’s chest. She was holding him close now attempting to comfort him. His hands clenched onto blades of grass, and he opened his eyes to a black sky. It was a dream, the realest dream he had ever suffered through. It made real his suspicions arousing feelings of intense fear, horror, and distress. This was his first nightmare.

He sat up and felt a wet chill on his face and the back of his head. He had seemingly produced a waterfall of tears flowing down the sides of his face. His head throbbed as he began to get up. A sudden nausea struck his stomach, and the day’s previous meals worked half way up his esophagus. Chidori looked up to see a short woman in the distance approaching. She didn’t know where she was either. He could tell by her reluctance and curiosity. This must have been the woman Kyle spoke of.

“… Eltarri?” He said as he walked forward. Then the crumbling of paper came from a step or two. He looked down to see a brand new scroll of paper.

[Osato]

Sigh.

Osato rolled over, tucking his arm in and curling his legs up again. He winced slightly as the light basked his face. It was bright, but not harsh like the sun. Warmth also seemed to not come from its gentle touch, making the man wonder. Cautiously he opened his eyes to find the source of not only the light, but the lingering thoughts that were slowly waking with him.

“What the hell?” He exclaimed suddenly when he rose, his steel-gloved hand raking rough lines in the smooth topsoil. Last he remembered the leering face of the old man, Kyle, was watching him sniff flowers for ‘loyalty reasons’. It had been ludicrous, and the young man had been angered at first… but what had happened after that? He had yawned, at midday, which had surprised him. After that, what?

The world had changed, somehow, without the mercenary knowing what had happened. The grass was still green, but the sun’s heat had dispersed. Deep blue eyes scanned the sky, but only light was coming from it not images. The sell-sword was suddenly worried about where he was and what had happened. “What is going on?”

Osato stood and began to walk towards the only sounds that he could truly comprehend, the sound of trickling water. He lumbered more then walked. His hands were hung low at his sides, dejection and confusion were etched across his often perfect visage. The glint that his endless eyes held was gone, in its place a touch of want. In the distance the chirping of the birds began to rise, accompanied by a woodland with a devious façade.

“And who do we have here in this little realm of dreams?” He asked as he approached the small brook. Just past its banks on the opposite side were two people, a small woman and some man. The two looked interesting, to say the least. The woman possessed a weapon easily too large for Osato to handle, and the man looked as if he was on the verge of throwing up.

“Hello,” the young man called as he approached, one hand waving in a friendly gesture. “Are you two part of the old man’s ‘trusted’ group? I suppose you had to sniff the flowers too, huh?”

[Zerith]

The feeling of the cool grass against his skin disappeared, leaving the halberdier alone in complete darkness. He couldn’t hear anything, just as he could smell anything either. He felt like he was floating and that there wasn’t any sort of ground beneath him to stand on. The only thing that existed besides himself, was the darkness. Nothing but pure black surrounded him, making him unable to even see his own hand in front of his face. Eventually he became afraid, afraid of what he had gotten himself into and what would happen to him if he couldn’t wake up.

Suddenly he felt like his feet landed on solid ground. Immediately after that the darkness that prevented him from seeing anything rolled back like a scroll, unveiling for the first time the dream world Rien created. The sky looked like it was on fire, the ground covered with black ash. Beside Zerith stood a battle standard, the flag torn and frayed at the edges. Surrounding the halberdier was the aftermath of a battle, corpses lay all around him, some with swords and spears sticking out of them like gravestones. Every single body was covered a dirt, blood and sweat. The halberdier stood there speechless as he listened to some fires burn and felt a sudden breeze brush against his flesh. Softly, a voice called out to him, “Zerith, so you’re still alive?”

Spinning around to see who the familiar voice belonged to, Zerith’s eyes widened when he saw the face of his friend. Zevernus, one of the halberdier oldest friends was laying on the ground. He was lying on his back and his face was covered in dirt. On his left side was a large wound, the blood stained his clothes and the ground beneath him. Yet as his eyes looked at Zerith, he smiled. “You should’ve told me you were here man, We wouldn’t done some tag team action and kicked some serious ass.”

“Zevernus…” Zerith replied softly. “What the hell happened to you?”

“I guess you can say it’s my fault. I got in over my head,” The swordsman replied. “If I realized who the guy was I would’ve never tried to take him down. See for yourself,” he said as he pointed behind Zerith.

Turning around, the halberdier eyes saw the figure his friend spoke about. He was the only other person still standing, and was still clutching onto a large scimitar. The warrior wore a suit of armor crafted from black diamond, including a matching round shield. The armor was as black as the darkness that covered Zerith’s eyes earlier, except for the symbols that were painted on the shield and the breastplate. The knight stared at the halberdier and raised the bloodied sword towards his next opponent.

“I swear, whoever manages to take him down should be called a hero”, Zevernus said just before everything went black against. Except for the image that Zerith still held in his mind. A red halo.

When he woke up the next time, Zerith found himself laying down in a brook. His clothes were now soaked and he was cold. Immediately he climbed out of the water, shivering a little and wondering just what the hell happened to him. He was on a battlefield less than a minute ago, so how the hell did he end up in this place. The grass was as green as the grass back at Rien’s estate. The sky was another thing that was black, yet there were no stars or moon. In the distance stood a single hill, and further down the brook stood a few other people, which Zerith immediately assumed were the other challengers.

With his halberd in hand, Zerith walked down along the brook and joined the group of people. He felt a little awkward though, realizing he was the only one that wore wet clothes. “Hello everyone,” he called out. “I hope I can safely assume that since you’re here, you’re the other people that have decided to take Rien’s challenge. Am I right?”

[Chiroptera]

Eltarri couldn't keep her gaze steady as she walked over the grass. Her eyes flickered across the field and the approaching river, searching for movement, a sign of life, even for a landmark that would break the barren vacancy of the horizon. Never had she felt so utterly alone.

"It's not a bad thing," she told herself, her voice strangely louder than the rushing water of the river. Her eyes turned down to focus on the dark tips of her boots as they swung forward with each step. "Solitude is a good thing for . . . thought."

But is was her thoughts that were providing the problems, for while the land around her was unmoved by her presence, the half-elf's mind flitted from fear to fear, settling for only a moment on the idea of an ambush before leaping to the prospect of being completely alone for the rest of her life.

Stupid,she chided herself, refusing to allow the false comfort of an audible voice that was only her own. When are you going to stop being so afraid of everything? If you're not afraid of being alone, you're afraid of being surrounded by humans. If it's not goblins you dread, it's a creepy old man in a castle. Why don't you just grow a spine?

Eltarri's pointed ears caught the sound of rustling grass and her head jerked up, eyes roving for the source of the noise. Not ten feet away from her sat a man in dark clothes whose face was wet, but she couldn't tell whether it could be attributed to the grass or the redness of his eyes. Then she remembered the dream that had troubled her own sleep before she'd arrived, and she felt a pang of sympathy for the man.

" . . . Eltarri?"

The girl stopped in her tracks, staring at the handsome and unfamiliar face of the man who inexplicably knew her name. She frowned warily, opening her mouth to demand his identity, but a thrill of relief stilled her tongue at the thought that eternal solitary confinement could be struck off her list of possible fates.

It's a good start . . .

"Hello!"

Eltarri whirled toward the river at the voice. She could see a figure on the other side with one hand raised in what the girl hoped was a wave.

"Are you two part of the old man’s ‘trusted’ group? I suppose you had to sniff the flowers too, huh?”

Eltarri was caught off guard by the suddenness of the people that had suddenly appeared in her lonely world. She took a step forward and called back across the river, "I don't anything about a 'trusted group,' but I definitely sniffed the flower."

A movement caught her eye and she turned with a stifled gasp to see a bedraggled man walking towards her, a long, unfamiliar weapon in his hands.

Friend or foe? Eltarri wondered, but was still so buoyed by the sudden appearance of the other two that she watched him approach without drawing her weapon.

“Hello everyone,” the man called out as he drew nearer. “I hope I can safely assume that since you’re here, you’re the other people that have decided to take Rien’s challenge. Am I right?”

"I'd say that was the only thing that's safe to assume," Eltarri answered, her relief at his friendliness manifesting itself in a welcoming smile. Her gaze went back to the wet-faced man, who had by now gotten to his feet and taken a few steps toward her. But his movement had been arrested, and he stood looking down at his own feet, where she caught a glimpse of white. Eltarri noticed that he was the only one of the four who had come to this world unarmed, carrying with him only an ornate cane that matched his high-quality clothes.

Looks like he stepped in one of our opponent's feces. The thought was accompanied by a hysterical urge to giggle, but she contained herself, moving toward the dark-skinned man to see what was the problem.

[Chidori Draconid]

Before the young deity could inspect the scroll, another person made his presence known. This was as good a time as any to introduce himself.

“Chidori Draconid of the Ethiopia Estate in Raiaera.” He said with a courteous tone and a lazy half wave to everyone.

It was then that he realized that his formal title was quite a mouth full, and the more he achieved on Althanas the longer it would get. With slight embarrassment he turned his attention back to the paper. The grass prickled at his skin as he sifted his forearm through the greenery and carefully picked it up. He didn’t want to damage it any more than it had been. It was likely to contain valuable information. Low and behold it did.



Good day, Hopefulls
I will not waste your time with formalities. You and I know why you are here, so let us begin with the first lesson. The vast majority of warriors in this world are dangerously unbalanced, and their fate is sealed because of this. Half of this world’s average warriors only use their minds, attempting to block out all emotion and feeling while in battle, and when such emotion is so strong that it can no longer be controlled, they loose all composure. Then there are others who use only their hearts, throwing all technique aside and when they face a manipulative cerebral foe they will surely fall. The model warrior fights using a perfect balance of his heart and mind. That is why I have designed one test for each prospective student. The first is for Chidori Draconid. Your test is to create the perfect one thousand man army and win in battle against my army. Your peers will be your subordinated officers. Feel free to take suggestions.

“So.” Chidori said with a smile as he looked at his peers. “What’s the perfect army?”

[Osato]

The woman that was in sigh was quick to reassure the young mercenary. His head was floating, or so it seemed, with thoughts that threatened to drown his very conscious. She had sniffed the flowers as well, which meant that she too was supposed to be here and knew about the old man’s craftiness. His blackened steel gaiters caught against the emerald mat of grass, dragging sometimes and creating rough grooves in the soft upper loam.

“Seem amiable enough,” Osato said between a wide smile. His boots splashed only a minimal amount of water onto his wide trousers. Instead of simply stepping roughly into the water the man crossed on smooth stones, one of which gave way and caused water to wet to his ankle. “Blast,” he murmured as he shook his leg once on the other bank, as if the motion would somehow quickly dry it.

“What was that? Something about the perfect army?” The potential knight of Scara Brae asked, pointing at the note after the upright male with the cane, who had identified himself as Chidori, had just finished reading it.

Osato had military experience, at least enough of it to qualify for the question at hand. Half of his youth had been spent on a ship, sailing from island to island in a war between minor islands off the coast of Corone. As a marine for the island nation of Yerria his duties had been to work with others, work very closely.

However, before answering the question, he looked to the other two, Eltarri and Zerith. With a nod of his head, a good deal of respect for the others, the soulless man pronounced himself. “My name is Osato, hopeful knight of Scara Brae. It is wonderful to meet you all, and I assume that this little state can be easily overcome by us all.”

“As for your question,” the man tucked a loose strand of amethyst hair behind his ear again. “It is a subjective question, from what I can tell. If you are to fight by sea your ideal army would be composed of those that can man the sails and tedious work of naval battles, and yet double as soldiers in time of need.”

“If we are assuming that we are to conduct land warfare I would suggest a minor grouping of cavalry or knights, a good mix of well trained foot troops, archers, and a good collection of rangers. Beyond that, such as specialized troops, it is completely up to the leader and the training available.”

Osato squatted and then sat on the grassy knoll and looked at the others. It seemed to him at least that a good deal of thought would need to be put into the organization of the troops, and a seat would not harm the process any.

[Zerith]

The halberdier was a little relieved to see that the other three people Rien accepted seemed to be willing to co-operate. Although at first glance, they seemed to be a group of misfits. First there was the girl, who in Zerith’s opinion wielded a sword that was probably too big for her to pick up and swing around. Her pretty smile seemed to express her friendliness but by judging from her appearance and the size of her sword, she was probably a tomboy. There wasn’t necessarily wrong with her being one, it was just a guess based on first impressions.

The second of the two didn’t seem like a fighter at all. Being dressed in fancy clothes and carrying a ornate cane, it was a little difficult to picture the man clashing sword against someone else. Even the way he introduced himself made him look like a noble, the formality of it made the halberdier wonder just why a man like him would want to be the apprentice of a master swordsman. As far Zerith knew, Rien was looking for someone with the potential to be a warrior, not a politician.

Thankfully, the last man was more what Zerith though Rien was looking for. Although he looked like a pretty boy, the uniform and the longsword that hung at his side made it clear that the stranger was a fighter. Any doubt that Zerith still had disappeared when the man introduced him as a hopeful knight of Scara Brae. Even as he expressed his answer to the question Chidori asked, it seemed that he knew what he was talking about. Out of the three of them, Zerith had a feeling that he would get along with Osato the easiest.

“I’m Zerith Dracosius.” He said bluntly. He didn’t have a title, or felt like he needed to come up with one. Although he couldn’t help but wonder if any three around him had heard of the young halberdier. It was a slim chance, but he did gain a little bit of reputation in Scara Brae for leading the defense of the fortress south of the city. If anyone had heard of him, chances were the future knight was the most likely candidate. If none of them did, that was fine too. They probably just weren’t around when the battle happened nearly a year ago.

“The perfect army,” Zerith repeated as he thought about the question. “After helping defend a fortress in Scara Brae, I don’t think such an army exists. But I also thing Osato has a point. The structure of an army does depend a lot on the terrain where the actual battle will take place. But I think strategy is an important thing as well, so you’d definitely need to have a good strategist by your side. If the army is well structured and you use some good tactics, then you can’t go wrong.”

[Chiroptera]

Eltarri had been feeling much better about her surroundings when the other two men had shown up, but at the noble's question, her feeling of comfort dissipated completely. Army?

Now that she thought about it, a master swordsman would consider war strategy to be an important aspect of a trainee's knowledge, but Eltarri had never had - or wanted- the opportunity to learn the arts of war. The men's answers rushed over her head, both sounding learned and confident of what they were talking about. The half-elf's only exposure to military proceedings had been through books, tales of brave knights who, against all odds, conquered the ruthless and marauding barbarians who threatened the good people of their benign kingdom. But suggesting "a band of god-blessed heroes who fight indominably for the good they believe in" didn't seem like a very good idea.

Not wanting to stay quiet and seem completely incompetent, Eltarri pretended to ponder for a moment, fishing wildly for an intelligent-sounding answer.

"The perfect army," she said slowly, "would be one that can . . . protect . . . whatever is being fourght for or defended . . . without resulting in the loss of . . . an exorbitant number of soldiers."

She rocked back on her heels when she was finished, hoping that her embarrassment wasn't manifesting in the heat in her face.

[Taskmienster]

This thread has been sitting for a full year. Since no response has been made to create activity I am going to be moving this. If you would like it to be reopened please feel free to PM myself or another admin and they will be able to move it for you back to Scara Brae.