Chapter 15

Mona just looked at Rolf. He remembered seeing him that first day, and hadn't seen him since. Was he in the crowd earlier? He didn't recognize him, his attention being on the gate itself.

Here he was, gaunt as ever, laying in a sitting position against the wall. His body, or what was left of it, had marks of battle and suffering. Goblin cuts, bite marks, and traces of Aura. He didn't go down easily, and must have bled his way here. Of course, the real Rolf was likely alive in the other world, assuming he didn't have multiple attempts at the Trials. But the corpse in front of him, it was eerie.

Half the rib cage, bisected. The jaw, agape in woe. Eyes long glazed over, peering at an empty hand. Whatever was in the hand was taken, forcibly. Mona could see the injuries the body sustained in getting whatever was there out of Rolf's hands. The man's goods were missing, his food and tin of water, leaving only the cloth nearby.

If it wasn't for the gaunt build, Mona wouldn't have recognized the old man. If he was alive he could've asked so many questions. But he was already gone from this place.

Mona bent down, picking up the cloth left behind. It looked fairly clean to him, untouched by the muck or the carnage its owner sustained. Flipping it over to be sure, he loosened his sack and used the extra piece of cloth to make his makeshift backpack more stable. He sat down, not far away from Rolf, looking into the distance, and letting his body relax.

This would be his rest for the night. Mona was long past the point of being bothered by human corpses. While taking a life still irked him, he'd seen and acknowledged enough dead men to kill how bothered he was. If the man wasn't Rolf, perhaps he wouldn't have even looked back at the man so often.

Good luck Rolf, wherever you are. And thank you.

He couldn't help him now, but hoped his gratitude could still reach that old man. He placed his weapon and shield nearby, then carefully loosened his sack. With the goblins long gone, he felt a sense of peace and exhaustion take him over. But he pushed through it, trying to take care of his empty stomach before resting.

The bread was chewy, albeit bland. It didn't have the salt or flavor he had gotten accustom to with the improved meals. Five loaves became four, but his body still yearned for more. But he couldn't risk it.

The tin of water turned out to be a tin of that sweet fluid from before. Rather than be overjoyed, he frowned and shook his head. While the sugars would give him energy, the lack of water would affect him much more. He tried to pour some into his mouth, carefully holding the tin so none would go to waste. As expected, while he tasted sweetness the dryness in his throat was barely alleviated.

At this point I should just drink the muck.

He chuckled to himself quietly. For something that looked so much like water, it was rather tempting. But he knew something was off about it. Nothing could consume so many items and substances and retain such an appearance. Even though this gate should have led to a testing plane, there were no guarantees the plane didn't actually exist, and he'd carry something nasty with him when returning to his original world.

For a while, it seemed like the muck could read his mind, beckoning him closer.

My mind is playing tricks on me, I need to sleep.

Back against the wall of the maze, Mona went to sleep on the little elevation he had from the fluid coating the floors of this maze. He laid his sword ready by his side. He wasn't sure he could move immediately, but if anyone did try to attack him in his sleep he would be ready to at least defend himself. Rolf's body proved to him the other participants wouldn't simply cooperate in this Trial.

*****

In his dream, Mona imagined swimming in the ocean, except it was made of muck. It was beckoning him to dive deeper, to come closer. That it had what he was looking for. His body swam near the shore, never getting too close but close enough to feel a pull in a direction. Downwards. The beckoning came from a tender voice, a gentle voice that didn't belong to this ocean. He knew that voice.

When he went to sleep, he saw muck. And when he awoke in a light sweat, he saw muck. This odorless fluid was even bothering him in his dreams.

I can't even wash my face.

Mona grumbled in his mind, getting up. Sleeping at an incline wasn't the best, and his body told him as much. He threw his pack on, thankful to see nothing happened to his backpack, and reached for his weapon and shield. The shield had a few grooves from blocked weapons. The sword was a tad chipped but nothing that would keep it from slicing and dicing.

"Goodbye Rolf. See you on the other side."

Mona left the man behind, resuming his pathing from before. He came upon each of the goblins he had left in this water the day before, and backtracked his way to the intersection he first received a sword.

There the goblin was, still dead and laying untouched. He looked down the intersection, towards the path that whatever gave him pressure his first day had gone. He reasoned that rather than walking randomly all over this location, he was better off chasing danger. The risk was high, but it made sense.

Steps much slower, Mona was being more than cautious through each of the pathways. The familiar intersections were left behind, now snaking paths that forked over and over revealed themselves to him. There were no corners to duck behind; he'd have to take whatever was coming as is.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Behind him, he left the occasional goblin lying in the muck. There were an ample amount of swords to use, and he had no problem refreshing them as he went. Mona still couldn't sneak around them; the sound of the water was too easy to hear for anything in these tunnels. At best, he could hug a wall, wait for his target to get close, and then ambush the little bastard.

Stomping on another crossbow, sending it beneath the black waters, Mona found himself in front of a three way fork. This site was getting common to him, and he was going to take another step.

And then he heard the sound of a shocked breath, and a blade being yanked out. A heavy sound came from the path he was heading towards, sending muck flying through the air. He could hear heaving, as something was trying to catch his breath.

If Mona wasn't awake now, he became over-conscious now. That sound was too heavy to be a goblin. Could it be some other monster he would newly encounter? He squatted next to the wall, minimizing his size. Eyes glued on the darkness his illumination couldn't reach, he waited for whatever was coming.

A bleeding figure came his direction. It's right was cradling its left, a grievous wound on the arm. Blood was flowing like a river, and the man had several nicks across his torso. He kept cursing under his breath.

"Fuck...fuck"

"We're supposed to be allies, so why did he..."

The man looked at his bleeding arm. The makeshift bandage couldn't fully stem the flow of blood. A human fountain he'd became. His steps were slowing down, as his life energy was draining out of him.

"Fuck...I've already lost one life. And now..."

The guy fell with a thud, his eyes going dark almost instantly. His sack flew a little, landing in the murk behind.

Mona's eyes were widened the entire time. Pacing himself, he got up and walked closer to the cadaver. He took in everything he heard, but couldn't make anything out of what the person was saying.

He looted the man, but ultimately destroyed the sword and spear he'd been carrying. He opened the sack, finding that the muck had ruined all the bread. Tossing these away, he saw the tin. Unopened. Great.

Tin in hand, Mona walked forwards, finding another dead body. This figure was larger and sturdier than the last man he'd seen, but had a massive stab in the chest, right below the solar plexus. It was more than graphic, with his innards and blood spilled out on the maze. His head hung low, his sack missing. There was a sword in his hands, but it was too chipped and not worth taking.

"These two had a fight, and now they're done..."

Mona sharpened his resolve. He kept going, cautiously anticipating the next encounter.

Three goblins later, and a decent cut on his arm, he'd find himself face to face with another captive. Or rather, a competitor.

The man was lanky, a crossbow in his hands. He was just as spooked too, and almost fell in the muck trying to back away. But then he seemed to recognize something.

"...Purple...eyes?"

Mona stopped as well, recognizing his moniker. He didn't speak, but the other guy took it as a passive affirmation.

"I'm so glad...it's just you purple eyes..."

"I was...worried there..."

The man was getting closer to Mona. Mona was walking a tad back as well. The two maintained this pace.

"Hey...how about we work together?"

"Did you hear... the other combatants are fighting each other..."

"Safety in numbers right?"

Walking back was harder than moving forwards, so the guy was getting closer faster than Mona could get away. Once he was within Mona's full illumination range, he seemed to change.

"Why are you backing away? I just said I wanted to work together."

"I know, we need to establish trust. Trust, trust...how do I do that?"

The man seemed to mutter to himself. Mona kept moving back, entering the fork he was just in previously. The man in front didn't take it so kindly.

"Stop walking back. We're teammates now. And teammates should help each other!"

At this point, Mona turned around and started running. This was giving him the creeps.

The familiar whizzing came past his head. And it even managed to clip the old scab. A familiar trickle of blood came down his head, mixing with the murk.

"GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE SHIT!"

He could hear the man catching up to him, his steps sending blasts into the water, echoing across the walls of the maze. Mona ducked around a fork, walked around, then entered the other tunnel. There weren't any corners to hide behind, so his steps were telling the man who he is.

"So much trouble, trying to chase this kid. Fuck!"

"If it wasn't for the bounty on your head, do you think I'd bother doing this?"

Bounty?

Mona heard this, and was hoping the man knew more. But he began wincing in pain instead; a dowel hit his ankle, awfully close to his tendon. The pain was just bearable, but it felt like he was stabbing himself with a knife each time he took a step. His speed slowed, as the pain held him back from moving, even with his Aura supplementing his body.

"...You should have known your place. I know the Steel Kingdom is dead..."

The man walked closer to Mona, dowel in hand. He placed the crossbow on his back, getting closer to the injured merchant.

"But the Faulkner Empire will be better. Don't you feel any generosity? They're giving us a chance!"

He got closer to Mona, looking down on the young man's heaving form. Mona held his hand around the dowel in his foot, looking at the man with rage in his eyes.

"Don't look at me like that. If you didn't offend her in that room, this wouldn't have happened. The countess has agreed to accept any of us who helps ensures you don't pass this trial."

The man crouched, not far away from Mona's body.

"And besides, you're already chosen by a marchioness. Even if you fail this trial, she will take you in, and you'll get better treatment than all of us!"

"To be honest I envy you. This Aleef did everything he could to win the attention of someone great. Starting fights, taking food, surviving in the shadows of others. And even then, only the countess was willing to offer this chance..."

The madman Aleef held his dowel tight in his right hand, inching closer to Mona's body.

"...And all because of those purple eyes. What good are they anyway? Just some gardener's bastard, that's what you are, aren't you? And yet you got her attention with just that. I know..."

"Why don't I pluck out your eyes..."

The man swatted away Mona's hand on his foot, holding the dowel in his free hand. An arc of pain climbed through his leg. He grit his teeth, the rage blooming on his face as well.

"...Don't worry. I won't make it too hard on you. I'll just pluck out those eyes, and then I'll give you an easy death."

"...If anything, blame yourself. Aleef had a hard time getting this far in the maze. Those goblins and kobolds nearly got me, and I only managed to avoid the orcs using a few friends..."

A maniacal smile came upon Aleef's face.

"...Now then, where were we? Ah, yes. Open your eyes! Open them!"

Aleef twisted the dowel on Mona's foot, sending another shock of agony through his body. He squinted, barely seeing the dowel hovering over his left eye, the madman grinning and chuckling all the while.