The Third Course

They had to create the third course, hence we were escorted back to the waiting room. I grabbed another medicine from my bag, and smeared it all over my body. "Do you need some medicine too", I asked Dawn. She shook her head and replied, "I can't take this. What you consider medicine, I consider poison… Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you are trying to poison me. We Shades can't take medicine like you Humans do. To heal our wounds, we use poison. Which is the complete opposite of medicine, right?". That was the first time I heard about it. "That's so weird… All Shades are like that?", I asked. "Yes, with no exceptions as far as I know", she nodded.

"What about food? Is that why you didn't want any… I didn't know, I…", she stopped me before I could finish. "Not at all, we can eat the same stuff you guys do… I was simply… You know", she said. "Heh? So you were shy, that's all. There's no need, I mean we are friends, right?", I replied. She smiled and nodded. While we conversed a bit more, the black and gold Lizard came over. "To think I considered you an opponent, what a disappointment", he said looking at Dawn. "Then go back to your corner and consider over there. Besides, you haven't won just yet... I have an advice for you. Don't celebrate too quickly, you might just slip off of your high horse", Dawn replied. The Lizard snorted and stared at me. "Another disappointment", he said. I snorted back, "Says a guy who was scared of Tara. It seems you Lizards are great at playing unfairly. One of you got eliminated for playing dirty, what goes around comes around".

He seemed rather displeased when I mentioned Tara, but that was his problem not mine. 'To think such Lizards exist… Aunt and others are very nice and welcoming, but this guy… Maybe it's because he's black and gold?', I asked myself. I didn't know why he acted so haughtily, as if he owned everything and everyone was below him. I surely didn't feel that way, neither did Tara or Dawn. "What an idiot", I said to myself after he left. Dawn looked at me, and then back at him. "Yes, he is an idiot", she added with a chuckle.

I asked Dawn about the city where Shades live. She told me a few interesting things I didn't know before. Shades lived near something called the Lake of Sludge. Dawn told me that Shades originated from that lake, but ever since they evolved, they were able to create their own families. The Lake of Sludge would sometimes release Shades' unevolved forms, which were called Black Sludges. They had a chance to evolve into Shades, but that required a lot of energy. They were not intelligent and couldn't speak like Shades. The Black Sludge attacked anything that possessed energy, but wouldn't attack Shades. These creatures somehow knew Shades were their own kind, and even protected them. The whole Lake of Sludge was alive actually, and served as means of defending against foes. Only Shades could cross the lake, no one else could step onto it.

Shades didn't treat Black Sludges badly, but they didn't help them evolve either. It was something every Black Sludge had to do on their own. If they succeeded, they could become Shades. She didn't tell me how they evolved, but it was interesting nonetheless. "Did you come from the Lake of Sludge as well?", I asked. She shook her head, "No, I have parents just like you. Although, I know a few Shades who evolved from the Lake of Sludge. These Shades are usually very strong, stronger than those born from Shade parents. These days, it's quite rare to see an evolved Black Sludge… From what I know, we take great care of those who managed to evolve by themselves. Mother told me they are lost and confused at the beginning, because they just gained intelligence. Hence we Shades provide them with knowledge, a place to stay and food to fill their stomach".

"In other words, you still care for them but you leave them to their own fate", I said. "Something like that. There were a few Shades who adopted the Black Sludges. There is no law preventing anyone from doing it. If they adopt one, they have to care for it like their own child. Then one day, the Black Sludge might evolve and become their daughter or son", she replied. I found it interesting and wanted to check it out myself, but mother wouldn't let me go for sure. 'Maybe when I'm older', I thought. She asked about me, but I couldn't really tell her much about Humans. "Mom is very stingy when it comes to that, and grandpa keeps quiet too. Who knows, maybe I know less than you", I said. "Hehe… No. I'm not that knowledgeable either", she laughed drily.

Later in the afternoon, the third course was finally ready. This time though, we were not allowed to look at the course. The contestants would be called onto the stage separately. Moreover, they didn't hand out maps like before. We had no idea what to expect once we stepped outside. "Anna, this is the hardest stage, so be careful", Dawn said. I nodded and told her the same. My turn arrived very quickly. I was fourth in the queue, and got escorted to the stage. The course in front of me changed drastically again.

I could plainly see the Elemental Obstacles, but that didn't mean it would be easy to pass them. There were two towering wooden walls towards the end of the course, which meant I had to climb again. I didn't think much of them, until I saw something move across the walls. I wasn't sure what it was, but it was glowing. The pits were there too, but I couldn't see much else. The Furian escorted me straight to the starting line. They didn't even give me time to prepare, as the announcer counted down. "Three… Two… One… GO!".

I rushed towards the first obstacle. A pit deep enough, I could barely see the bottom. I had to cross it using small wooden platforms, suspended with the use of ropes. I knew the moment I stepped onto each platform, it would swing. I looked up and saw the ropes extending from one end to another. A smile appeared on my face. Instead of using the platforms, I climbed the rope. There was no rule saying I couldn't use the ropes hanging above. The obstacle became much easier, and I passed it without any issues.

Next was the Elemental Obstacle. This time, there was no way around it. The obstacle might've appeared simple, but it wasn't. Two earth walls to my left and right spewed out all sorts of Elemental attacks towards the middle. The most prominent was fire and wind. Water appeared once through my examination, which meant it was rather rare. Moreover, I noticed some patches of sand in certain areas. I knew this wasn't normal sand, because I already experienced it on the previous course. The intervals between each blast were short, but there was a cycle of some sort. In other words, I had to run the whole length of that obstacle in one go. Any mistake, and I would be affected by the Formations.

I learned the cycle as quickly as I could, then rushed forward at full speed. "Fum!", a blast of fire just shot past me. 'The cycle changed!', I exclaimed in my mind. This was bad, really bad. I wasn't sure what would happen next. Just when I heard another Formation activating, I jumped forward. I had no idea what was coming, but I had to evade it. "Swoosh!", a blast of wind whizzed past me. Even though I jumped, the wind still affected my body in mid-air. Not by much, but enough to make me land in the patch of sand.

I underestimated that Wind Formation. Even worse, I assumed there was a constant cycle. 'This is bad!', I thought and dragged myself out of the sand as quickly as I could. Before I picked myself up, another Formation activated and a blast of fire came my way. I dropped back down to the ground, in hopes of evading that. It was useless though, my back got burned. "AAAHH!", I released a loud scream and tried to leave, fast! Before I was able to leave that damned place, a blast of wind slammed me into one of the walls. "Argh!...", I screamed once again. It was hopeless, everything hurt me like hell and I was losing strength.

The inevitable occurred right after. The next Formation shone and was about to blast whatever into me. I tried screaming for help, but no words came out of my mouth. Perhaps I was too scared or too shocked. A blast of fire materialised and shot towards me, I could only think of my mom and closed my eyes... No matter how long I waited, nothing happened. "What did mommy tell you?", mom's voice sounded next to me. I opened my eyes, and looked around. There were no flames, wind or anything, only mom who stood next to me. She picked me up and said, "We have to take care of your wounds first, but don't think you will get away with this young lady". "Sniff...I'm sorry mom… Sniff", I replied while sobbing quietly. She hugged me lightly, and I lost consciousness.