by J. T. Wright
“Brace yourself, child.”
That drew Tersa away from visions of the future, back to the present. “Wait, is this going to hurt?”
The Garden didn’t answer. It didn’t know, not for sure. This was new territory for the ancient Spirit. It was too late for Tersa to back out now anyway.
It was a subtle thing at first. Tersa felt herself growing tired, weak. Energy and vitality drained out of her. That wasn’t right! She should be getting stronger, filled with the strength of an oncoming storm! What was happening?
Tersa pulled up her Status. To her dismay, she saw her Class dwindling. The draining sensation she felt was her XP being pulled out! Her Class fell, from 10 to 9 and kept falling until it reached 5. Her Brute Specialization was lost. Did that mean…? She pulled up her Skills and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Iron Skin and Charge were still listed. Presumably, her new Class would bring its own Skills, but she didn’t want to lose the ones she had!
Tersa wasn’t given much time for contemplation. Her XP was being returned. Her Warrior Class was rapidly leveling again. At the same time, another source of energy was being poured into her open Class Slot. Without any input from her, the open Slot became Rogue. Energy continued to pump; her Levels continued to rise.
Warrior rose to Level 10 and became Axman. This shouldn’t have been possible since Tersa had never trained with an axe but there it was. The Skill, Basic Axe was added to her Skills. Her first Class slot stopped advancing.
Her second Class kept rising. At Level 5, it Specialized as Thief, and Tersa gained the Skills Hide and Short Club. This was getting interesting. If she remembered right, Trent was only at Level 9. She had already gotten to Level 15. With all her new Skills and free Attribute Points, she was going to pummel him the next time they trained!
Thief became Level 15 on its own. Tersa didn’t have nearly enough XP to support this growth, but she wasn’t complaining! A total Level of 25, sixty Attribute Points, and six new Skills; this was the best Trial in the world! The Skills were all meant for Thieves, and she wasn’t that excited to see Stealth, Backstab, and Basic Small Blades on her Status, but the best was yet to come.
She waited for one of her Classes to Specialize into Storm Bringer. She wondered if it would be Thief or Axman. She crossed her fingers, hoping it would be Thief. She hated seeing that Class in her Status.
When the change came, Tersa nearly fainted. Both her Classes disappeared and were replaced by a single Level 1 Storm Bringer. Level 1! She was Level 1 again. This couldn’t be happening! Stupid Trial! Stupid, Stupid, piss drinking Garden!
She was just about to close her Status and angrily demand an explanation when she saw that her Free Attribute points, 60 of them, were still waiting to be spent. In fact, 5 more had been added bringing her total to 65! What did this mean? Not only had she not lost the free points, but her original Attributes also remained the same as well. Dubiously she asked, “What, exactly, happened here?”
The Garden wasn’t shocked by Tersa’s tone. The girl’s ingratitude was fully on display. But the Trial’s Spirit wasn’t surprised. The Awakened had adapted to the miracles of the Trials. Now, when presented with a life-altering reward, instead of humble awe, they responded by grumbling for more. The Garden patiently answered Tersa’s question. The sooner it answered, the sooner the redhead would be to be on her way.
Tersa was in no way qualified to hold the Storm Bringer Class. Storm Bringer was not Specialized, it was Advanced. Rather, it was a Specialized Advanced Class that would have most people drooling. A combination of Mage, Rogue, and Warrior, Storm Bringer offered bonuses to Mana and Health.
The Garden ignored Tersa’s dissatisfied interruption of, “What about Stamina?” Challengers were never happy. It didn’t matter to Tersa that only by combining two Classes with a healthy dose of old magic, begrudgingly supplied by Maven, was it possible for her to become a Storm Bringer. On her own, even with her affinity towards lightning magic, Tersa might not gain the Class in a hundred years. Yet she still found something to complain about.
The Trial Spirit didn’t tell Tersa how hard she would have to work to level her new Class. This was the path the girl had chosen. The Trial had fulfilled its obligations!
“Collect your reward and leave.” The Garden was done. There was a reason Trial Spirits, the ones that could, didn’t directly interact with challengers. The Garden had its own problems. Its Keeper had just been deposed, and the Challenger the Garden was interested in, the humble, curious boy, who had offended a Fairy Queen with his very existence, was catatonic. Changes were coming for the Trial. Changes it could not anticipate.
Tersa shouted belligerently for answers, jumping up and down, and swiping at the air, in a futile attempt to draw the ethereal voice’s attention. She had been pleased as pie to be told her new Class was Advanced, but that didn’t mean she was done talking. Rude, spit of an invisible person! How dare it leave while she was politely seeking knowledge!
Tersa had gathered a lung full of air for another shout when a voice sounded from behind her. It wasn’t the voice she expected.
“You'll never get anywhere like that. Once a Trial Spirit… you’ve cleared the Trial, you should be going.”
This voice was higher. Much higher than the previous entity, and musical. It was like a flute playing at its utmost octave. A flute played by a master musician that sought to calm and soothe her audience. It never occurred to Tersa that this voice might have a body. She spoke to it without turning, just like she had to the Garden.
“Terah’s saggy tatas! I just want a few answers, I’m not asking for another Class." Asking for another Class, or at least enough XP to choose one on her own had occurred to her. It occurred to her seconds after she realized her second Class Slot had been restored when her two Classes were combined. She wasn’t going to ask directly, but Tersa wasn’t above hinting at the possibility.
“Terah’s saggy…!” The new speaker was astounded. Had mortals grown this brazen since the Awakening. It was beyond comprehension! “You should mind your tongue, especially once you step out of here. It’s a temple out there, you know.”
A figure flashed passed Tersa’s head and landed on the edge of the fountain. A foot high, with long blonde hair and sparkling green eyes, the Fairy was the picture of charm. She wore a long gown the color of blooming roses and a silver tiara sat upon her brow. The Fairy settled down on the stone ledge and, after patting a golden Trial chest the size of a jewelry box sitting next to her, she folded her hands demurely in her lap.
Sweat, cold and pungent, broke out over every inch of Tersa’s body. She had thought she had shaken these little bastards off. Her muscles tightened. Things would be different this time. She was a Storm Bringer now! An unarmed, nearly naked, Storm Bringer. Running wasn’t going to be much fun barefoot.
“Are you going to stand there like a simpleton, or will you collect your reward?” Another pat on the golden chest. “If you don’t want it, the Garden can always take it back.”
Tersa took a short step forward. “I want it!” She wasn’t leaving without the contents of that chest! Only…
“You’re not gonna attack again, are you?” Tersa peered about anxiously but didn’t see any sign of Fairy shock troops.
“Attack again?” The Fairy’s wings twitched and brought her to her feet. She stood, hands on her hips, and an incredulous expression on her delicate features. Her voice rose an octave as she exclaimed, “Are you blaming that, that, ridiculousness on us!? You’re the one who attacked us! You used an Aura Skill, and now you blame your victims for the results! Shameless!”
Tersa winced. The Fairy’s voice had been high before, but still pleasant. Her tone now was shrill and biting. Tersa flushed at the Fairy’s accusation. Since she couldn’t refute it, she ignored it. Nervously, she took the last few steps to the fountain where her reward waited.
Casting suspicious eyes at the Fairy, Tersa opened the jewelry box to claim her loot. It took just a finger to d
o so. Lid open, Tersa could see three pin-sized items. She could also see the Fairy peering into the box curiously. Peeping at Tersa’s loot!
Two fingers darted down and gathered up the three items all at once. The thieving little twit wasn’t going to get her hands on her rewards! An affinity for the Rogue Class, the Skill Pick Pocket, and a month of snatching Trent’s rations whenever she could, gave Tersa fast hands. She grabbed her things before the Fairy could blink!
The Fairy did blink as Tersa clutched the small bounty to her chest. A blonde head tilted to the side as the corner of the Fairy’s mouth twitched. Mortals were fun. The newest Fairy Queen didn’t share Maven’s sadism, but she would admit she was interested to see what would happen next.
With her treasures securely held to her breast, Tersa was tempted to stick her tongue out at the smug-looking Fairy on the fountain. That urge left when her treasures began to grow. Tersa had forgotten that Trials shrank rewards to match their containers. Once the reward left the box, they grew.
Faster than a fire before the wind, the items in Tersa’s hands grew to their proper size. A size that was much too big to be contained by two fingers. Tersa received a nasty cut on one arm as she attempted to juggle her reward. One of her treasures was an axe that had been crafted and sharpened by an expert. The axe alone was too large and heavy to be held by her fingers. After tasting its edge, she abandoned her efforts and let the items fall, hopping backward to protect her bare feet at the same time.
A clink, a crash, and a thud sounded as Tersa’s newest acquisitions clattered against the cobblestones. She glared down at them while clutching a hand to her bleeding arm. She had only been trying to protect them from Fairies, and they betrayed her like this! The world was an ungrateful place!
The Fairy Queen changed a giggle into a long-suffering sigh. A hand was raised as she healed Tersa’s wound. Perhaps the girl had deserved the injury, but the Garden had seen enough blood today.
The Queen stared down at the axe, the pair of sheathed dueling wands, and the Skill Stone that had been dropped.
“The stone contains Calming Presence. I believe it’s to counter your Enraging Aura. It is not entirely suitable given your new Class, but I think you will need it. Learn it, collect your reward, and go. One of my followers will show you the way.”
Tersa gulped. The thought of a Fairy guide didn’t sit well with her. She didn’t turn the offer down, though. “What about the rest of it? I don’t have the Appraisal…”
“Collect your reward and leave.”
“But…”
“Leave!”
The flute had hit its high notes again. Maybe Gran Cromwen wasn’t right about Fairies. But Tersa wasn’t willing to bet the old women had been wrong.
Chapter 16
Tersa dressed, collected her loot, and fled, following her guide. The new Fairy Queen watched her go. The Queen watched until Tersa disappeared into the hedge maze. Once the redhead was gone, the Fairy flew into the air in front of Maven’s statue.
Maven’s fall had been sudden but not unexpected. The new Fairy Queen’s own elevation was the surprise. She had never asked for the honor, nor wanted it. She had accepted it because it was necessary. The tribe had named her as successor long ago, anticipating the day Maven’s pride got the best of her. In typical Fairy fashion, they had only gotten around to telling her today.
“Too proud, Maven. We suffered for your pride,” the Queen whispered, but even if she had yelled, Maven was beyond hearing. She was a Guardian now, in a Trial without a Keeper. Who knew when she would be free to listen again?
The new Queen didn’t dwell on Maven’s misfortune for long. She had work to do. She needed to choose a call name, eventually, as would all her tribe members. Their true names would be hidden, but if they were to join the World of the Awakened, their Statuses would need a call name for others to address them by.
Most of the tribe would pick names like Twinkle, and Berrydrop. They were silly names with no power. The Queen would have to put more thought into her moniker. Royalty always bore call names. They needed them to interact with the other rulers of the World. It was one of the many concerns on her plate.
But first, there was the boy. The rest of the tribe was already with him, keeping careful watch. The boy was special. The Fey could see that. Even the Garden was fascinated by him. He shone like brightly polished silver, like dew that had caught the early morning light. Had Maven seen it? If she had, that would explain her jealousy. Maven hated seeing mortals thrive when she was trapped, playing Keeper, by her own fear.
“Ashawan,” The Fairy called the Garden, the Trial, by its true name. She felt the Spirit’s attention fall on her. Ashawan might have held Terah’s position, if it had so desired. It was old and mighty, much stronger than Maven had been. Ashawan had never considered the Trial to be a prison. Where Maven’s power had dwindled, the Spirit’s had only grown.
Feeling the nature Spirit’s attention on her, the newest Fairy Queen humbly requested to be taken to the boy. Since Challengers in the Garden were always separated, Tersa and Trent were both in the Garden, but they occupied different dimensions. This was a common trick of Trials meant for individuals.
The newest Fairy Queen hadn’t accepted the offer to become Keeper. Her people were ready to join the world, and they needed her to lead them. If she wanted to hop between the Garden’s dimensions, she needed Ashawan’s permission. That permission was readily granted.
The Fairy Queen felt a shifting sensation. She hovered above the fountain, like before, but now the empty courtyard was filled. Filled with concerned Fairies, flittering about as they anointed an unconscious boy, with potions and salves. It was pointless, the boy’s injuries could not be touched by the small magic left to the tribe, but the Fairies tried anyway.
The Queen flew over and landed next to Trent’s head. Her people had managed to turn the boy over onto his back, but his eyes remained closed. It was some comfort that Trent’s breathing was deep and even. The tormented look had left his face. If one didn’t know better, they might have thought the boy was sleeping.
The Fairy Queen did know better. She could feel the old magic still coursing through the prone Swordsman. Felt it, but that was all. She had lost the ability to affect that magic. She could not alter it. Not even Ashawan could do that.
She reached out a hand to stroke Trent’s black hair. There was shadow and sky in the boy’s hair. It was beautiful hair, as beautiful as the boy’s violet eyes. What would those eyes hold when the Swordsman woke up? Would they still be gleaming with excitement and confidence as they should, or would they be the haunted eyes of a broken man, a lost boy?
The Queen murmured softly as she tucked a loose lock of Trent’s hair behind one of his ears. The boy’s hair was too long. She doubted it had ever been cared for. As fine as it was, it still managed to hold tangles. He probably hid it beneath that cowl and forgot about it.
She couldn’t affect the old magic that bound Maven’s victim, but that didn’t mean she was powerless. The Queen was a ruler, acknowledged by the World. Her words held authority, and although the Garden was not her realm, even here, she must be listened to.
“Trent Embra.” Names held power. This was especially true when they fell from the tongue of a Fairy Queen. “Trent Embra, I’m sorry. It’s time to wake up, Trent.”
Trent bolted upright, his eyes wide open. A grief-stricken cry poured from his lips. The new Queen felt that cry in her soul. She held no responsibility for Trent’s state, but she felt ashamed, nonetheless. She cursed Maven silently. Adventurers would come, and they would bring the violence Maven had always craved with them. The Fairy Queen wished a thousand deaths upon her former liege. It was a wish that would come true, but that was little solace now.
Trent screamed out every bit of air from his lungs. He tried to push out even more, and when he couldn’t, his body sagged. He leaned forward, and, for a moment, the Queen thought he had stopped breathing altogether. The gentle rise and fall
of his chest reassured her.
Now, she hoped he would cry. Mortals needed a good cry now and again, it was healing. When no tears fell, no sobs wracked the boy’s body, she knew there would be no healing today. The Queen felt helpless.
“What is happening? Did I fail the Trial?”
He spoke! He questioned! That was a good sign. Even though his tone was dull and colorless, void of any emotion, the Queen would take it.
Flying was harder now that she was a Level 1 Awakened and no longer of the old magic, but the Queen did her best to make her flight to Trent’s knee look smooth and effortless. She perched on his leg and looked intently at Trent’s face. His eyes were as lifeless as his voice. No sparkle remained in them. No laughter was hidden in their depths.
She hid the sorrow that filled her and smiled brightly up at him. A Fairy’s smile was a magic she still held. Few could stand against its charm, but she was disheartened to discover that Trent, as he was now, was one of those few.
“You didn’t fail, Trent.” Her words played a soothing melody, but still, Trent was unaffected. “You succeeded! Your reward awaits!”
“You aren’t… the one from before. Who are you?” A question, but one without weight. He asked, not to know, but because he had nothing else to say.
“No. I am not Maven.” The name was a curse on her tongue, and only her desire to stay calm in front of the boy kept her from spitting it from her mouth. “Maven is gone. She has been punished… for her actions.”
No satisfied gleam was sparked by this announcement. Trent had never had a chance to develop a hatred of the deposed Maven. There had been fear, but even that had been short-lived. It had never had the chance to settle in.
“Names have power, Trent. I can't tell you mine. And I haven’t chosen a call name yet.” The Queen continued, “I am Maven’s successor, but I mean you no harm! I'm a friend, I promise!”