The day dawned with the sound of seven morning bells, greeting all to a new day. Axel found the room still dark at seven bells and was momentarily confused by the lack of sunlight, until he remembered the city he was in. He added that to the growing list of things he didn’t like about the place.

  He got up, only to make a second realization: Aria wasn’t still sleeping, as she usually did.

  A quick scan of the room confirmed it. Her armor and weapons were gone. Concern rising, Axel began pulling on his boots and gathering his gear when the door quietly opened.

  Aria stepped in, carrying her equipment. Her armor and blades looked freshly cleaned, still drying, and her damp hair told Axel more than he needed to know about what she had been up to.

  “Sneaking out at night now?” Axel asked, pausing mid-boot as he sat on the bed.

  “Aria could not sleep and decided to check in with the Guild to see if there was any information to get,” she explained quickly. “Aria did not go alone, though. Sky was around for backup.”

  “Did you plan to bring Sky?” Axel asked, raising an eyebrow, “Or did she catch you sneaking out in the middle of the night?”

  “Sky insisted on following Aria,” she admitted, wings and head drooping. “Aria knew you could not come with your bounty, and Aria needed to do something. It was driving her mad.”

  Axel didn’t say anything at first. He stood, walked over, and wrapped her in a hug. They stood like that for a long moment before he finally said, “I’d prefer you warn me before going somewhere dangerous like that. But I won’t clip your wings. I’ve assumed for a long time that you’ve had, or still have, connections in the seedier parts of the city.”

  “Aria was afraid that if you knew how close she was with the Guild, you would not love her as much,” she admitted into his chest, her voice muffled. "Aria talked to many people but could not gather much information. She even had to end a man tonight, he was not happy about what Aria was asking.”

  Axel stepped back, giving her a once-over. Even through her clothes, he saw no signs of injury or bandaging.

  “I assume you won or got away clean?” he asked.

  “Sky warned Aria, and the fight was quick. Aria was unharmed,” she said.

  “Well, new ground rule for both of us,” Axel said. “If either of us plans to go somewhere dangerous or dumb, we tell the other if we can.”

  “Aria can agree to this,” she nodded, visibly relieved that Axel wasn’t angry.

  “Now,” Axel said with a grin, “for your punishment for worrying me.”

  He lunged forward and began tickling her until she was laughing and begging for forgiveness, of which Axel had none to give that morning.

  ------

  Aria didn’t speak to Axel for the rest of the morning, her silent revenge for nearly causing an accident with his “punishment.” She was clearly tired, though she didn’t complain about her all-nighter. Sky, on the other hand, slept through most of the morning before finally showing up in the dining room of the inn. Roran had beaten everyone there and was already finishing his breakfast by the time Axel arrived.

  After eating and relaxing for a bit, Axel got up and approached the innkeeper to ask if there was a private room available for meetings. There was, though, it cost a silver an hour. While expensive, the room came equipped with several circuits that prevented eavesdropping. Axel paid for an hour, then gathered the group and led them to the room. Once inside, he activated the circuits and pushed a small bag across the table to Sky before taking a seat.

  “Alright, so Jareth gave us some parting gifts last night,” Axel began, his tone conflicted. “That includes the meat and cores from the hunt, plus our share of the profits from the items he’s selling. He also gave us three storage items my new belt, the necklace Aria’s wearing, and that pouch Sky has now. According to him, it should be full of tools for forging.”

  Sky had already linked to the pouch and nodded.

  ‘This will be very helpful when I reforge your weapon and any other gear while we’re in the Trial,’ she sent.

  “Speaking of which,” Roran said from his seat, “does everyone know what they’re aiming for? We should do a little research before we go in. I plan to pick up a reverse gravity power—it’s part of the standard plan for any knight.”

  “Reverse?” Axel asked, intrigued. “I haven’t run into that variant of gravity power before.”

  “It’s a power mostly used by knights,” Roran explained. “You can lighten yourself to increase mobility, reduce damage from falling off your mount, or throw off an enemy during a fight. It comes from a Whisp Crimson found in the Trial here in this city. I don’t know if it appears in Trials elsewhere.”

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  “Aria has ideas for two powers,” Aria said, “but it will depend on whether Aria can take them or not.” She didn’t elaborate further.

  ‘I’m going to pick up mental communication,’ Sky added, still sorting through the pouch. ‘It’s stronger in my kind and will help protect the group.’

  “Given what happened,” Axel said without hesitation, “I want to pick up a mental protection power. I don’t want to rely on Berserk again just to break mental locks.”

  After that, the conversation shifted to supplies. Since this Trial was planned to last more than one day, if they could manage it, they needed to be well-prepared. Sky took a large portion of the newly acquired funds to purchase a stockpile of beast gems. Once the hour in the meeting room was up, the group split up to complete their shopping and research goals.

  This time, Aria and Sky went off together to shop, while Axel accompanied Roran to gather updated maps of the Trial and learn what types of Crimsons were available. Before they left, Roran retrieved Star from the stables and then followed Axel to the Vanguard Tower. Axel had discovered that, unlike Greenhaven, this city did not have a central library. Instead, knowledge was divided among smaller, specialized buildings. All information related to Crimsons was stored at the Vanguard Tower.

  Upon arrival, Axel checked in at the front desk and confirmed that their Trial date and time remained unchanged. With that settled, he and Roran spent the next four hours researching. They also paid several different Seekers for maps of the first Trial floor, comparing them to avoid being scammed or misled.

  They had to turn down several Flame Seekers who offered their services to help them find and gain abilities. It was not that Axel did not want help, especially since their group only had four members when most had five, but he simply did not trust strangers with Weaver still out there. Some groups accepted the refusal easily, while others were more persistent. With Roran’s help and the threat of unleashing Star on one particularly stubborn fellow, they managed to complete their research without further issue.

  Even with multiple maps, the first level of the Trial was massive. From what anyone could tell, it was roughly the size of the city-state itself, filled with miles of maze-like terrain. Most people only stayed down there for a day or two at most, either to gain a power for their cycle or to hunt and create gems. Crimsons spawned continuously, making extended stays dangerous and often deadly.

  With their research complete, Axel and Roran returned to the inn to find that Sky and Aria had arrived first and were both napping in their rooms. That left the two men unsure how to spend the rest of the day, as it was only just past midday and there were still hours of light left.

  Axel decided to visit a gym and train. His body felt fully recovered after a good night’s rest, and he had the urge to push himself. Roran suggested a nearby Storm Training Center that would also allow him to work with Star. She had recovered well under Lyra’s care and looked like she might be ready to attempt flight soon.

  The training center was a large facility with both outdoor and indoor areas. Axel used his gravity anchors on himself to gradually increase his weight training. Combined with his training weapon, it made each swing a challenge, which was exactly what he needed.

  Axel lost track of time in the rhythm of training until Roran arrived to let him know the center would be closing in about an hour. Axel was surprised to find it was already eight evening bells. The city was dark, the upper levels blocking out most of the light, making it feel even later. He and Roran returned to the inn, where Axel ordered dinner and then cleaned up in the bath before heading to bed.

  When he entered the room, Aria was still asleep. Axel climbed into bed and snuggled up beside her. Aria stirred at his presence, a long knife already in hand, but when she saw it was him, she simply returned the blade and curled closer to his warmth for the night.

  ---

  The following morning felt closer to normal. Aria slept in while Axel got ready for the day and even brought her breakfast in bed. After eating, the whole group triple-checked their gear and armor. Axel was handed a cheap halberd to temporarily replace his destroyed one. Sky and Aria had purchased it during their shopping trip the day before so that he would at least have something to fight with.

  After arriving at the Vanguard Tower, Axel’s group began the standard assessments. These included checking each Journal to confirm eligibility, a medical screening by a healer, and a truth sayer verifying that no one was being forced to participate against their will. This time, however, there was an additional step that Axel had not encountered before. All four of their storage devices were checked and inventoried, with the contents to be verified again upon their return.

  This precaution was meant to prevent smugglers from sneaking out prescribed beast gems. Still, corruption and greed ensured a steady supply of shadow step, teleport, or worse abilities continued to leak into the black market. Axel was questioned about why he was carrying so many cores and so much meat, both Novice and Adept level, far more than his group would likely need. The inspector was satisfied once Axel explained that they had just returned from a hunting trip and did not want to risk losing the materials during the Trial.

  After the inspections, Axel’s group was brought to one of the prep rooms. Like before, it was a waiting area before entering the Trial. He learned that this tower had six prep rooms, compared to Greenhaven’s five. The number varied from city to city, and any prep room could connect to any level of the Trials.

  Then came the wait. They needed either an empty elevator or one returning with survivors.

  After a couple of hours, an alert sounded, signaling an elevator’s return. It appeared to be the one connected to their prep room. The wall slid open, revealing a group of Flame Seekers in rough shape. One was clutching the stump of an arm, another was missing an eye, and a third was covered in cuts.

  A team of Vanguard personnel arrived moments later, accompanied by healers, and began pulling the injured off the elevator for immediate treatment. As they were being helped out, Axel overheard two officials speaking nearby.

  “Another group ravaged,” one said, watching the wounded with pity. “They went down with five. I hope they can recover.”

  “This has been happening more often the last couple of years,” the second replied, scribbling notes. “More shifts, Crimsons that should have moved to lower levels overstaying, and more Seekers going missing.”

  “Maybe the Goddess is testing us, preparing us for something that requires us to be stronger,” the first said, though Axel could hear the lack of conviction in his voice.

  “Have you heard if this is happening in other towers?” the first asked as they began to walk away.

  “Same reports as ours,” the second began, but Axel lost the rest of the conversation as they moved out of earshot.