by H. C. Mills
Thankfully, a closer inspection reveals it’s actually a wall run.
A glance over the edge tells me the pit is only about fifteen feet deep and has a regular, flat floor made of smooth grey stone. Moreover, handholds come up this side of the pit, which would allow me to climb back up if I fell.
Of course, I don’t exactly plan to.
Normally I would baulk at this task, writing it off as near impossible. In this Realm, though...
In this Realm, it should be doable.
Still, I’m rather nervous. ‘Thankfully,’ Suri is applying her own unique brand of encouragement.
[Stop dawdling, Emma, these first obstacles are just for practice. It’s not going to get any easier if you wait.]
Gee, real reassuring. She’s not wrong though. Shit.
I pick the left wall, decide on an angle of attack, and try to mentally prepare myself for the way gravity will shift as I near it.
I tighten the straps on my backpack and decide not to activate Boost Physical. I’m not used to moving around with the increased Strength yet, and it would probably just throw me off. This is more about Agility anyway.
Actually, Boost Physical gives me that too. But, like Suri said, these first few obstacles are just a warm-up. My natural athletic ability should be plenty. Even if my Agility is still currently reduced by Toxic Energy. Oh well.
I sprint for the wall under an angle and kick off right before the edge of the pit. My hips twist up as the floor’s gravity falls away and the wall’s pull becomes more noticeable.
My right foot hits the wall. Gravity shifts, so it now seems slanted away from me a little, which helps me stick to the wall as I run, first up a bit and then down, until I have no choice but to kick off.
I soar the last few feet through the Aether and land nimbly on the other side.
[Well done, Emma,] Suri chimes in surprisingly sincere praise. I guess she believes in both the stick and the carrot.
“Aww shucks, you’re gonna make me blush,” I say with a grin.
[Oh, please don’t, that could be very dangerous.]
My grin fades immediately. “What? Why?”
[Just kidding.]
A muscle next to my eye twitches involuntarily. You are just full of surprises, Suri.
Just like this Trial.
I walk through another stone doorway onto a platform. I call it a platform because there’s another, slightly deeper pit in this room, that surrounds the stone square I’m on. There’s a second platform on the opposite side of the pit, separated from mine by a good twenty-foot gap. No convenient nearby walls to run on, this time, either.
There is, however, a bar. Not the fun kind, but one made of metal, that spans the centre of the pit. Looks like I’m supposed to jump towards it and swing across.
First a wall run, and now this? What am I, the Princess of Persia?!
Anyway, time’s wasting and the uneven bars was always one of my better events, so I get a running start and leap for it.
However, I forget to take into account the decrease in gravity that happens right as I leap off the platform and escape its pull.
The trajectory I have in mind relies on me being pulled down faster than I actually am, so I hit the bar a little higher than intended and have to scramble to hold on. I manage, but my speed is pretty much shot.
Well, no matter. This is my kinda obstacle. I get a firm grip and start swinging back and forth, higher and higher.
The bar doesn’t bend along with my movements like I’m used to, despite its length, which is an odd sensation. Not that it matters. I’m basically running on auto-pilot by now as I complete my first full circle around it.
After a few more swings just for fun, I dismount and finish my routine with a modest, single stretched backflip, sticking my landing on the other side of the pit.
[Well done, Emma!] Suri praises. She sounds surprised. [You are far more skilled than I had anticipated.]
“Eh, I’m a little rusty,” I say as I shake out my arms. “But it’s coming back to me. I used to love gymnastics.”
[Oh? What happened?]
“I was teleported into a game-like dimension that’s trying very hard to kill me,” I half-joke.
[As I’ve said before, your death is not our goal,] Suri chimes.
“Yeah yeah, I’m just kidding. No, I quit because I couldn’t afford to keep doing it. I stopped when I started college.”
[From my understanding, physical activity is an important part of a healthy life for humans,] Suri chimes disapprovingly. [And college sports are, what’s the word, subsidised, correct?]
“Spare me your judgement, woman,” I say. “And they are subsidised, yes. When I say I couldn’t afford it, I don’t necessarily mean money-wise, I mean time-wise.”
[Is there really a difference? Previous participants have informed me that in your Realm time is considered the equivalent of money.]
I scratch my head. “It’s complicated. On Earth, you can sell your time for money, but no amount of money can actually buy you back time that’s been spent. I guess if I’d had enough money, I wouldn’t have had to sell my time doing things like slinging hotdogs, and I could’ve made time for gymnastics, so in that sense you’re right.”
Thinking of hotdogs causes Josh’s lifeless eyes to once more flash through my mind.
[Such a curious world you come from,] Suri chimes.
I clear my throat. “Anyway, speaking of time, I better keep going.”
The next challenge is a rope swing, over a pit that looks to be about twenty feet to the bottom—I guess they’re raising the stakes.
The other side seems farther away too, but still doable. The rope is attached to the ceiling roughly in the middle, and already tied to a post on this side, so it shouldn’t prove too hard to get enough momentum to make the swing.
I waste no time untying the simple knot and getting a firm grip.
Then a thought strikes me.
Who tied this knot?
I open my mouth to ask, but already know I’m going to hear, ‘That’s classified.’
I’ll have to remember to ask later.
Overconfident from my success at the previous challenges and from the seeming simplicity of the task at hand, I try to swing across the pit without giving it much thought. And without activating Boost Physical.
As soon as I leave the edge of the platform, I realise my mistake. Though gravity decreases a little upon leaving the platform, it is a long swing, and the faster I go, the harder I have to grip; with my Strength still lowered, my fingers can’t handle it, and I start to slip down the rope.
In a panic, I try to use Boost Physical mid-swing.
Somehow, I pull it off and stop slipping farther down as I grip the rope with increased Strength.
However, the second of concentration it takes me to activate Boost Physical proves to be too long and too distracting. Before I know it, I’ve reached the other side, hanging too low and going too fast.
There’s no time to react, no time to stretch my feet out in front of me and soften the blow. My midriff slams right into the edge of the platform.
I can’t breathe, my muscles paralysed by the blow.
Then, I find out another implication of ‘All Are One,’ in the most unfortunate way possible. For a brief moment, all of my muscles are paralysed, and I can only watch helplessly as my fingers slip from the rope and I start falling.
The gravity of the wall on this side of the pit pulls me towards it as I descent. However, the wall is slippery with some kind of grease. Probably to prevent people from climbing. Shit!
I slide down the wall uncontrollably, feet first, and at breakneck speed.
I regain control over my muscles roughly halfway to the ground, but I can’t do much more than flail in an attempt to gain some form of control over my rapid descent.
It’s not enough, and I hit the ground under an unfortunate angle.
Pain blinds my senses for a moment, and I scream out.
All of the blood drains from my face because I recognise the sensation that shoots through my leg when I hit the ground; it’s the very distinct snap of a breaking bone.
Oh god. Tell me this isn’t happening!
Hoping against hope that I’m wrong, I look down at my leg.
The sight of something white sticking out of my calf promptly causes me to faint.
CHAPTER 14
Bad to the bone
[EMMA, WAKE UP!]
I come to abruptly. For a brief moment, I’m disoriented by something hanging in front of my face and reflexively try to push it away. Only after fruitlessly sticking my hand through the pop-up window once, do I blink and recognise it for what it is.
I shift my position without thinking, and pain flares up in my left leg.
Oh god, that smarts.
I steel my resolve to glance at it, see if it looks as bad as it feels. My stomach roils from the bloody mess, but I keep its contents inside. Barely.
I kind of wish I were still unconscious, because my leg hurts like a motherf—
[Emma, you need to get moving. You have to reach the Crystal of Restoration by the entrance.]
“Of course... I get it now,” I mumble, hissing as I try to sit upright—more carefully this time.
[And what is it you ‘get’?]
“The way this Trial is designed to—hnnnggh—kill me. The farther I get, the harder it becomes to crawl back when I’m injured.”
[The Trials are designed to increase in difficulty as you progress. Thankfully, you’re still close to the entrance.]
“Close?”
I stare at the handholds going up the wall on the entrance’s side of the pit. You’ve got to be kidding me.
[Do me a favour and start climbing.]
I sigh, but attempt to get up on my right foot.
Hot, blinding pain shoots through my left calf as I move.
“Aaaagh!”
I flop back down, breathing heavily.
[Come on, Emma, get up,] Suri chimes.
“I’m trying, Suri, but it hurts too much!”
[You must, Emma, it’s your only chance to survive.]
“YOU THINK I DON’T KNOW THAT?! Just... give me a minute.”
Tears run down my left cheek—I idly note that my right tear duct seems to be gone or blocked off—but Suri is merciless.
[Listen, Emma, when you get to the wall, you can’t dawdle. Since you can only use one leg, you’re going to have to use Boost Physical. And if you don’t make it up before you run out of Lavi, it will take a long time to restore, currently. Unless you can hang from a wall for half an hour, you’d have to drop back down.]
“Oh shit,” I mumble.
With my current net Lavi Intake, I’ll have at most four minutes of Boost Physical to reach the top. The thought of having to drop back down upon a failed attempt practically turns my stomach.
Just kill me now.
[We can still do this, Emma.]
I smile through my tears. “We?”
[Yes. I am not giving up on you. I have grown rather fond of you, after all. Now do me a favour and get up. I know you can do it.]
“Oh god. All right, then.”
I breathe like a woman in labour as I carefully raise myself up on my hands and onto my right foot.
Pain hits me like a freight train as my left foot lightly drags over the floor, but I squeeze my eyes shut and bear it.
Somehow, I’m standing. Blood trickles down my foot and into my sneakers. I can both see and feel the extra outflow of Lavi leaving my body with my blood.
Gritting my teeth, I take my first hop.
By the time I’m halfway up the wall, I’m shivering, and the sweat is dripping down my back. I’m not sure if the blood loss, the pain, or the adrenaline is to blame for these symptoms. Probably a bit of all three.
Regardless, I have to keep moving, so I once more activate Boost Physical. The pain in my chest is like a tickle in comparison to the debilitating spikes coming from my leg.
I climb as fast as I can, alternating between moving my hands and my functional leg. The pain is excruciating. With every little bump to my left leg, I feel my resolve draining.
[Keep going, Emma, you’re nearly there!]
I know I would not even have made it this far without Suri’s encouragements, but I still doubt if it’ll be enough.
The exhaustion and the pain get to me a few feet below the edge, and my hand slips.
Panic surges through me as I quickly reach for another handhold. While doing so, I involuntarily kick out with my left leg and hit the wall.
My vision goes white, but I somehow hold on and fight through the pain. Perhaps it’s fear that keeps me sane: fear of the even worse pain that falling would result in.
When my vision clears, a pop-up message swims into it.
“Great, thanks,” I wheeze. But it actually does make me feel a bit better.
You know what? Screw this. I’m not going to die here. This pain is going to help me grow stronger.
Maybe Suri is right about me...
Shivering, sweating, bleeding, and grinning like a maniac, I finally reach the top, and roll onto it. I glance at my Status Bar.
Although it felt like an eternity, the amount of Lavi I have left tells me that only took two minutes or so.
Even if it feels like an impossibly short time to me, two minutes is actually a bit problematic. Because I still have to cross two pits to get back to the entrance of the Trial. Two pits which I have to drop down into, and climb back out of again.
I crawl over to the doorway and use it to get upright. I hop, one-legged to the edge of the platform, and stare fixedly at the bar.
[What are you waiting for, Emma? You need to slide down here and start climbing up on the other end; you can still make it!]
“Be honest, Suri, you know that won’t work,” I say with a sigh. “I’m losing too much blood; I’m already starting to feel lightheaded. Climbing out of the second pit with Boost Physical would drain nearly all of my remaining Lavi, and if I have to wait half an hour at the bottom of the third pit to restore enough Lavi to make the climb, I’ll be too weak to continue, possibly even ‘Anaemic.’ ”
[Are you giving up?] Suri chimes, actually sounding a little frustrated.
“No. I just need to find a way to reach that bar, something to help me launch myself...” I trail off.
I just thought of something crazy.
You know what? No. Crazy would be to resign myself to my death. To resign to never seeing my family again, my friends. Or, at the very least, some fellow victims, to share the suffering with.
I’m surprised with the wave of loneliness, the utter need for a friendly face, that crashes over me at that thought. Man, I never knew I could miss human interaction so much. Anyway, this isn’t the time for soulsearching.
I turn around to stand with my back to the bar, lower myself a little, and crane my head around to estimate the distance one last time. Sometimes you have to risk it to get the biscuit.
I rotate my head back to face away from the bar, tilt my chin down towards the ground and breathe in. And in. Deeper than I know is safe.
When the urge to cough strikes, I hop backwards with full force and clench all of my muscles.
Compressed air jets from my mouth, followed by some blood and bits of tissue. As a result, I am launched backwards, and my throat feels like it’s on fire.
I twist my body around mid-jump, just in time to prevent myself from smashing into the bar. Instead, I grab onto it with both arms and suddenly I’m hanging from the bar, swinging back and forth gently. I laugh—or try to—in between coughing up blood. Tears stream down my left cheek, but these are tears of joy and exhilaration.
I check my Status Bar.
Guess I hurt my lungs a little. Still, well worth it.
I start swinging, though it’s harder than last time, as I can only use one leg well.
It’s fine. I don’t need to swing full circles,
I just need to make it to the platform.
Blood is flung from my leg with every swing, and I feel myself starting to get dizzy.
There’s no time to waste, so I release slightly before the apex of my swing, and land into a forward roll, my backpack only slightly hindering the execution. I somehow manage to prevent my left leg from hitting the floor during the whole thing, but the jostling still hurts terribly.
The next few minutes don’t hurt any less, as I slide down into the pit beneath the wall-run and climb up the handholds on the other side by the skin of my teeth.
I’m up on the balcony beneath the handholds now, preparing for my final drop. I swing my legs over the edge, put my hands on it and lower myself down until I’m hanging. I take a deep breath and release.
I don’t fully experience the landing. I feel fuzzy, like my head is full of wool. Sounds seem dull, but the pink light beckons me, calling my name. Or perhaps that’s Suri, I’m not sure.
I slowly, carefully, crawl towards it, until I can at long last collapse beneath it. The pain slowly fades away. The trickle of blood running into my shoe comes to a halt.
I lethargically check my Status Bar.
Good... I made it. And the world goes dark.
CHAPTER 15
Let’s play: Operation
[EMMA, WAKE UP.]
“Nooooo,” I groan. “I’m sleepy!”
Despite my protest, I try to sit up.
Pain shoots through my leg.
I hiss. “What the hell?”
[The Crystal cannot properly do its job like this, Emma,] Suri chimes firmly. [You need to push the bone back into place before the flesh regrowing around it immobilises it.]
My eyes shoot open. “That’s—no, I can’t!”
[Yet you must. If that bone doesn’t heal properly your leg will be utterly incapable of bearing weight, and you can forget about clearing this Trial, let alone what comes after. Now do me a favour and try.]
My hands clench into fists as I force my gaze down. My stomach turns at the sight of the bottom part of my shin bone sticking out of mangled flesh.