The Test

Mary was currently following the receptionist's woman through winding paths in the labyrinth-like Magician's Guild in order to take the test to be accepted as a Member of the Guild.

After what seemed like forever they finally stopped where the woman turned to her and said: "You passed the first test, which was to test your patience."

"How does one fail that part of the test?" Mary asked curiously as she thought she did nothing of excellence in particular.

"If they so much as speak, or give any outward expression of impatience or boredom, like a sigh, then they would fail" She responded curtly "Anyhow, enter here to take the next part of the test, there are three parts, and you already passed the first."

Mary made a mental calculation and thought that the three tests were for the three turns they had in order to complete the test, meaning that they would fail once on each test before learning how to pass it showing they are incapable.

Mary walked into the room and the door shut behind her sealing her inside. The room was a white space that had a single stone stele in the middle of it and nothing else. Mary walked up to the stone and saw words written there:

My first is an ocean but not in sea

My second in milk but not in me

My third in three but not in four

My fourth in five but not in six

My fifth in Sunshine but not in night

My last in wrong and also right

My whole is praise for thoughts or men

Or women, too, or tongue or pen.

She immediately realized it was a riddle, and this test was most likely about wisdom, or something similar.

She walked around the stele to see if there were any other hints that would help her but saw nothing but a smooth surface. She ran her hands along the stele trying to see if there was some sort of trick or secret switch of some sort but came up empty-handed.

Mary then sat down in front of the stele after her look about and stared at the words trying to see through them as if they would give her the answer.

She knew a little about riddles, as Abel had told some to past the time on their trips to Zalfari, or when they were walking through the forests of Delphi.

Looking through the words she began to cancel letters out as she was struggling to come up with a word that matched all the six criteria she was given.

Slowly though, she pieced together a word that began to match with the riddle. After about ten minutes of guessing and canceling out letter and words she finally stood up with a sigh of relief.

"I figured it out, The answer is Clever!" the stele hummed, and then began to shake as it moved aside, and a passageway appeared beneath it and Mary walked down the steps that she was clueless as to their destination.