4 Chapter 4

I was back in the cave with the winged man's story carved on the walls. My eyes avoided looking back over to the beautiful artwork because I didn't want to face another breakdown as I had before. However, the story and its drawings were carved into my heart as deeply as it was in the stone. I felt melancholy, but at least I wasn't shedding tears. I ran away from the story until I slipped on a rock and fell.

"Tsk." I couldn't believe a story would have this kind of impact on me. I was unable to keep my feet on the ground and ended up falling. After a few more silent complaints, I got back to my feet and walked until the corridor had widened again to form a circular room. Torches of azure flames lit the room with an eerie glow. They cast long shadows upon the ground of the throne which stood in the middle. Upon the seat was a skeleton which had a single wing. The wing's feathers had long fallen off with its flesh and had scattered about the floor. They were tattered and ruined with the passage of time, and it was a miracle they weren't dust.

"So this is the winged-man?" I stare at him as the pictures of his story once again emerged in my mind. Pain prickled at my heart, but I refused to cry. I wanted to get out of this place, not stay here forever.

After calming myself, I took a step into the room. The instant my foot grazed the floor, the feathers began to shimmer and hum to life. Shock filled me as I watched them began to fly into the air. The glows on them varied in color and was dazzling my eyes as they became more and more bright and alive. In a matter of seconds, they seemed to be as brilliant as the sun. I covered my eyes and turned around before my avatar's eyes burned out of their sockets.

Just as fast as the feathers had risen, their glows had dimmed. I had opened my eyes quick enough to see the feathers morphing into some creature in the likes I could never have imagined with my scale of creativity. When I was sure the blinding light was gone, I opened my eyes and studied them with fascination. They were the size of a human's pinky finger had had wings behind them. Each one had a humanoid body shape except for their heads, which were that of a crimson python. Their lips were curled up into what looked like a sneer as they glared at me with a wild gleam in their eyes.

"Hello human," They all spoke in unison. Their voices were like a powerful whisper spoken in a raspy tone. "We are the guardians of Lyros's crypt as well as the keeper of his legacy. To escape from this chasm, you must pass the trials and accept what will be given to you, or by killing us."

"What if I don't want to do either?" I asked.

Their sneers widened into a sinister smirk. "You will never leave." The words were simple, but I was able to notice the hidden threat. If I don't choose either of those options, they would immediately attack me for the kill. In other words, the legacy trials were the only way to get out of this alive.

"I shall take the trials!" I shouted with my eyes firm.

My words made them laugh with disdain. It was as though they had already predicted my choice. "Excellent choice, young one!" The world began to tremble and fall in on itself. Particles of dirt tickled down to the ground as a portion of the walls were collapsing. I thought they had tricked me and was about to curse them to my death when the rumblings had ceased. All of them had pointed to the newly opened door as they snickered. "The trial begins through there. No need to worry. It changes according to the strength of the possible legacy candidate. There is a high chance you would die, but it is your best bet as you will never be able to survive our onslaught with your level of skills."

I glared at them before making my way to the trial. As soon as I stepped through, the world trembled again as dirt filled it up again. It was too late to turn back.

It was as dark as the darkest night, with no moon or stars in the sky, for a few moments before a glowing fog entered my vision. From what I can see, I was inside a graveyard. Does this mean I will be fighting ghosts or zombies like those people in the movies? I hope not...They give me the creeps. I brought out the sword from my space before advancing.

An eerie silence settled across the land except for the crunching dried leaves under my light steps. I soon began to look behind my shoulders every so often with the rising paranoia in my heart. Countless eyes were focusing their hungry gazes upon me. I could feel them, but there were no creatures in sight. They must be waiting in the shadows for any show of weakness on my part. Or, it could be the silence getting to me. It was too quiet, even for a person who loves it.

I came to an abrupt halt when I heard a slight crunch different from my own. "Who's there?!" I yelled as I whipped my head around to study my surroundings, but there was nothing to be seen. After a long pause, I continued to head deeper into the silver fog. Maybe it was my imagination.

However, a series of quick crunching sounded out from behind me, completely out of turn from my own. Without thinking, my body swirled around while taking a few steps to the side, dodging the assault. I didn't wait for the creature to change directions before I rushed at it with the sword pointing out. Before I knew it, my weapon had pierced through its skull, killing it in one blow.

I stumbled forward and fell upon the newly made corpse. The crimson blood which oozed out of its head seeped into my clothes, and the smell was nauseating. If it wasn't for me knowing this was Ethura, I might have ended up spewing all of my food from dinner out on the floor. When I got up to my feet again, I grabbed the weapon and extracted it from the creature's brain. My clothes were clinging tight around my body, and the blood was drying quickly, leaving me uncomfortable. I wanted to replace the clothes I had with a new set, but there were no extras in my space.

After sighing in frustration, I cast my gaze over to the creature I had recently killed. It resembled a raccoon for the most part. However, its arms dragged to the ground, its claws were sharper, and horns had taken the place of its ears. It seemed to be weak after the fight, but it was mostly instincts and luck which had won the battle, not my skill. I wasn't sure as to what its strengths and weaknesses were. Through my observations, I have come to a conclusion where these 'raccoons' preferred to perform sneak attacks. As for why, I had no clue as of this moment. I can only wait for the next assault before I could have more accurate theories.

I guess there was plenty of time for evaluations because I only took a few steps before another raccoon monster came rushing at me. This time, it was accompanied by another. Both of them were opposite of each other, so my dodging options were limited. My feet brought me back a few paces. I watched as the raccoons changed directions with lightning speed and clicked my tongue. I had thought they would crash into each other due to the previous adversary's sluggish movements. However, they proved me to be a fool with actions which exceeded my expectations.

I moved the sword to block the two clawed slashes. When they made contact, I felt a tremendous force pushing down at my weapon. Knowing I couldn't take the pressure much longer, I backed away and watched in horror as the raccoons' claws produced deep trenches in the ground. If one of those attacks were to land home, I would end up dying! This trial was no joke.

I wanted to kill the two off as quick as possible, but I had no special skills available at the moment. All I had were the fundamental skills which everyone receives at the beginning of the game. Since I had no combat experience in the real world, there was no possible way I could bypass the system.

Before I could think up a solution, the duo advanced with their claws outstretched like a cat playing with a mouse. We exchanged a couple of blows before my ME was down to a critical level. If I kept playing my cards as I have been, I would undoubtedly die. I grit my teeth as dodge the oncoming attack. This type of fighting wasn't doing any good. I needed to use my head.

{Night has come. Debuff activated. Buff activated}

A robotic voice chimed in my head as a scarlet glow descended upon my avatar. The light sucked away most of my strength before dispersing. Almost immediately after, a silver glow had also descended. It revitalized my vigor and ME, making them stronger, before taking its leave.

My eyes widened when I had realized the two raccoons have frozen in place a few feet away. Their eyes had lost their spark, and they were grey instead of brown. I took a few hesitant steps forward and gently touched one of their claws. At first, nothing had happened. However, the two raccoons poofed into dust and were scattered away by the silver fog.

"How did it happen?" I stood there, mouth agape. It took me a few moments before reclaiming my soul. "Well, it doesn't matter. They are gone, so there is no need to fret anymore." I continued to speak comforting things to myself as I advanced.

What had happened confused me, but the raccoon monsters kept pouncing at me. I ended up getting hit a couple of times, but the nightly buff saved me many times. As time grew on, I came to find a cheat to this trial. As long as I don't advance or retreat to the starting point, no creatures attack me. Therefore, I've come to the point to where I would meditate after each battle. That way, I would be in peak condition before another dance.

Another thing I have come to realize is that the farther I go, the more raccoon monsters join the fight. By now, I have to fight around five at a time. My skills were leveling up by leaps and bounds due to the special nature of the trial. Truthfully, I was thankful I had the chance to take a part in this. It has helped me grow my avatar faster than I had expected.

The quality of my fighting style had increased as well. I was able to dance around, dodging attacks while inflicting damage. However, good things must come to an end at some point. After my first tango against a group of six, the sword's durability fell to 0 and scattered in the wind. Another bad thing is that there is now a timer for my breaks. As soon as an hour had passed, a new group of raccoon monsters comes for the kill. The trial is only becoming more difficult, and I have no idea how much longer I could survive.