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208. Into the Fortress
🕑 Added 2024-11-04 15:00:04 +0000 UTCThe darkness swallowed them whole. When they next opened their eyes, they stood at the edge of a broad field. The sun shone down, and there wasn’t a hint of the fortress in sight.
“What the hell?” Ike muttered, looking around. In the distance, he could see other human figures, but they were too far away to make out anything else about them. There was no sign of his friends, not of Wisp, Mag, or even Shawn. He stood alone.
A voice sounded from overhead. It reverberated over the field, echoing from one end to the other. “Oh ye who would be king, show me your worth.”
“Uh… okay,” Ike muttered.
“A king must have a discerning eye, and ride with dexterity and speed,” the voice intoned.
“Ride what?”
As if in answer to his question, hoofbeats thundered over the plains. Dust rolled over the horizon, quickly clarifying into the shape of horses. Shoulder to shoulder, chests heaving, ears high, hooves pounding the earth, they raced at Ike and all the other contestants. Ike froze for a second, staring. Oh, shit. I’ve never ridden a horse before.
How hard can it be? He nodded to himself. Crouching, he eyed the rushing horses. The voice had said something about speed, so he should pick a fast horse. That much was obvious to him.
One last time, the voice sounded overhead. “The best riders shall move on, to face the remaining Trials of the King. Only those worthy of the throne shall pass.”
Yeah, whatever. I’m just here for the skill. A skill hunter, that’s me. Not a throne hunter. Although… Chuckling at his own unspoken joke, he extended his aether senses, scanning the horses’ strength as they rushed at him. Immediately, the front runner stood out to him. Not only was it clearly the fastest, but it also had the strongest aura. Ike adjusted his stance, preparing to sprint toward it.
A second before he launched off, he froze. A frighteningly strong aura pinged off his senses, something he had overlooked at first. Ike turned, squinting off toward it.
In the back of the pack, far, far in the back, an old nag trotted along. Its head hung low, and its back swayed low. Its speed couldn’t be compared to any of the other horses, but not in a good way. It barely moved at all.
Ike blinked, expanding his aether senses again. There was no doubt: that nag was the source of the unbelievably strong aether signature. He raised his brows, pinching his chin. Go with the obvious fast horse, the forerunner, or the hidden dragon, the slow nag?
He laughed aloud. Isn’t the answer obvious? If this was a test to become king, then he couldn’t get swayed by exterior appearances. A king would constantly be plied with gifts and items that looked sincere, but it was the king’s job to discern which were truly valuable, and which were just appearance and no substance. Choosing the frontrunner was equivalent to picking a vassal who looked flashy, but had ill intentions at heart. The old nag was the true pick, an old and worthy vassal who might appear worn out and weak, but whose strength belied their appearance.
Ike waited. Across the field, the other mages took off as well, charging for the horses they had chosen. Some ran for the front runners, while others picked horses with other qualities.
One of the mages glanced over and caught sight of Ike. He laughed. “Grab a horse, you fool!”
Ike stood still. He waited, simply watching as the line of horses charged past him.
The mage harrumphed. “I suppose there’s no curing a fool.” Even so, he narrowed his eyes at Ike, following Ike’s gaze to the old nag. His brows furrowed. “It has no mana signature. What is he doing?”
“Let fools be fools. Come on. If you keep watching him, you’ll be left behind!” a woman called to him.
The mage shook his head. Kicking his chosen horse, he charged out after the others.
As the nag grew close, it suddenly ran to the side, dodging Ike. He laughed. “Let’s see you try.”
Storm Clad activated. Lightning crackled. Ike shot off, sprinting toward the nag. The nag startled and sped up yet again, trying to evade Ike. It darted to the left, running perpendicular to the line. The nag had startling speed, its leap so fast even Ike struggled to keep up.
Rather than despair, his eyes lit up. He slowed, letting it come to a halt. Moving at an unthreatening light jog, he looped around behind the nag. All at once, he charged it from behind, forcing it toward the line of horses.
The nag kicked and jumped, charging forward again. It sprinted toward the line with the full force of its speed. Ike chased it. It tried to evade him and run to the side again, but he darted left and right to match its jolts. Every time it saw him flanking, it ran back in the other direction.
The mage glanced over, then startled. Ike chased the horse at speed, both of them sprinting faster than any of the other horses on the field. He stared, flabbergasted. “What…”
Seeing that he’d reached the other mages, Ike burst with his full speed. He caught the nag and hopped onto its back. The nag kicked, immediately trying to throw him off. Ike clenched tight with his legs and wound his hands in its mane. He bounced around on the nag’s back, but refused to let go. “You and me, we’re in this to win it.”
The nag snorted. It whipped its head around and bit at Ike. Ike dodged back. Enraged by its inability to throw him off or bite him, it ran faster, leaving the other horses even further in the dust.
Shouting in rage, one of the mages sat tall on his horse. He pulled his arms back, and a bow made of green light materialized between his hands. It curved and twisted like a thing alive, branches and flowers bursting off its surface. He loosed an arrow of green light at Ike’s back.
Ike spun. He swept his hand and knocked the arrow to the ground. There was a moment of silence as it sunk in that anyone could attack anyone, that there was no restriction on attacks in this field. All across the battlefield, mana suddenly began glittering in the hands of the other mages.
“Uh-oh,” Ike muttered. He turned and patted the nag. “Let’s move a little faster, maybe?”
The nag bared its teeth at him and hissed. It bucked again, not yet done with trying to toss Ike off its back.
“Okay, okay.” Ike turned to face the mages. They all stared at him, eyes burning with jealousy, hands burning with skills.
He breathed deep, preparing to call on his skills, and tossed a grin their way. “A realm of trials, huh? I guess it couldn’t be as easy as a simple race.”
Hundreds of skills burst off, hurtling toward him. Giant animals charged through the sky. Fireballs and waves of wind rushed over the land. The ground itself tore open as a rift opened in the ground. Ike jerked the nag’s mane left and right, barely steering the stubborn beast out of danger. Some of the skills seeked through the air, following him as he dodged. Ike activated Ice Armor, covering himself and the nag’s rear. He watched the attacks come in, preparing to parry them.
“Ike! There you are. I’m here!”
Ike looked over, startled. Who?
