His eyes flicked up to the gate once more, and he steadied himself. If could survive all that, then this would be nothing in comparison. Without looking back, he stepped forward and through the gate.
He felt something ripple through his center as he did, like a feeling of cool water washing across his senses. The air subtly changed as well, becoming distinctly damper. Moisture began immediately collecting on his skin, and Roy swiped the back of his hand across his forehead.
Looking to the path ahead, he supposed he should start walking. The cobblestones under his feet were slick with moisture, and it wasn’t long before his clothes were sodden as well. This was like hiking through the forest back home, but about a hundred times worse. The air was so full of moisture that Roy could feel particles of water entering his lungs.
It wasn’t cool either, but swelteringly hot. Roy walked on, moving steadily further into the trial. The slight incline began to grow steeper after the first ten or so minutes, and soon, Roy found that he was out of breath. That was saying something, as his body, re-forged in Essence, should have made a climb like this easy. Though he supposed if the Trials were easy, they wouldn’t be much of a trial.
Roy eventually lost track of time as he climbed ever higher. The cobbled path eventually changed to one of mud. His legs were soon screaming with the effort of continuously walking upward as the mud sucked at his feet, making each step more difficult than the last. More than once, he’d attempted to step off the path. As soon as he did, however, the ground beneath his feet would begin to vanish, showing him a drop down to ground level.
Even though his body had been re-forged, he wasn’t foolish enough to believe that he could survive a fall like that.
As the day wore on, he could feel his steps beginning to drag as his strength flagged. There was only so much a person could take, after all, and Roy was quickly learning his limits. Even though he was stronger than ever, he was slowly being reminded that he still had limitations and some pretty big ones at that.
At the Yellow stage, this climb would be easy, as physical endurance, speed, and power would skyrocket. At White, he was only marginally stronger than an average person. Sure, no regular person would have made it this far, but he had to realize that he was still far from invincible. As soon as Roy accepted that, the path beneath his feet firmed and began rapidly leveling out.
He let out a sigh of relief, realizing what the trial had been all about. He had been bursting with pride, sure that nothing could stop him now that he was a White-Belt. The trial had shown him the error of his ways and had taught him humility.
The sound of rushing water reached his ears as he crested the final hill, and the path opened up into a circular area around thirty yards in diameter. A large pool of water sat in the center of the cobbled area, and water about an inch deep coated the ground. Looking across the open area, Roy could see another Torii gate, this one a flaming red, on the other side. Stepping warily into the open area, Roy made his way over to the pool. He was so thirsty he felt as though he could drink the entire thing.
He dropped to his knees by the pool, letting out a groan of relief as he felt cool water soaking through his already drenched clothing. Dunking his head, Roy felt the fatigue and haze of exhaustion vanish in an instant. The shock of the cold brought his brain back into focus. Pulling his head free with a gasp, Roy stared down at the pool as water dripped from his face and hair.
He then leaned down and took a long drink. Once he was done with that, he proceeded to wash himself off as best he could. He imagined his slog through the mud wouldn’t have helped his hygiene much. The only thing he wished he could have had was a bar of soap, but he wasn’t about to complain.
Once he’d gotten his fill, Roy rose from the pool of water. He felt refreshed and re-energized, as though the pool itself had lent him strength. Stretching out his back, he headed to the Fire gate, mentally preparing for the next trial.
He’d only made it about halfway there when the air suddenly became heavy with moisture. Roy hadn’t noticed it lessening, but now that it was back, it got his attention. Turning back, Roy felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickling as the pool of water began glowing with a bright blue light.
The density of the water in the air kept increasing as it glowed, and soon, droplets of water began collecting in the air. Then, with a loud whooshing sound, the water in the pool exploded upward in a swirling vortex, making Roy jump back with a cry of surprise.
Within seconds, the water solidified, morphing into the shape of a humanoid creature complete with two arms, legs, and a head. The only difference was that it had no face and was nearly eight feet tall - a water golem.
Roy’s hands balled into fists at his sides as the golem turned its blank face to stare at him. It looked as though the Trial of Water was not quite done with him yet.
8
The golem rushed forward, covering the distance between itself and Roy in a matter of seconds. Roy reacted instinctively, raising both arms in an attempt to ward off the incoming attack. It did him no good.
The golem’s left arm shot out, elongating in a writhing tendril and hit him center mass. Roy felt the air knocked from his lungs as he was thrown off his feet by the force of the blow. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, a bruise already spreading from the point of impact. Gasping, Roy rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the golem’s follow up attack, which whipped through the air, slamming into the ground where his head had been only a split-second before, and sending up a spray of water.
Despite his newfound strength, Roy did not doubt for a moment that that attack would have killed him. He didn’t understand how a five-year-old could possibly survive a trial like this, let alone pass it, but he knew that if he didn’t finish off the golem, it would finish him.
Scrambling to his feet, Roy ducked an incoming attack, then was forced to dive to the side to avoid another. He rolled to his right, then left, as the attacks kept on coming. Roy was now drenched from head to toe, water pouring off of him with every motion, and the extra weight of his clothes made moving quickly all the more difficult. He could clearly see the golem itself wasn’t moving at all. It had sprouted an additional four arms and was whipping them at him from a distance of about ten yards.
Since he had no control over Essence, he would have to close the distance and hope his attacks would do something to it. Springing to his feet once again, he charged forward, taking two hard blows on his crossed arms and another to his ribs. He gritted his teeth at that last one, feeling the bone creaking under strain.
Finally, gasping for air, and his entire body throbbing in pain, Roy finally closed with the water golem. Two more tendrils shot from its chest as he did, and he was knocked back once again. Growling in annoyance, he changed tactics, coming at the golem from an angle. This went on for the next five minutes, with Roy desperately trying to close and the golem keeping him at a distance, all the while beating him black and blue.
Giving up on making it to the golem unscathed, Roy went in for a frontal assault. A full-on charge, leaving himself wide open. Four tendrils slammed into him this time, one cracking a rib and the other three heavily bruising his arms and chest. He made it through though, and with a cry of triumph, threw a heavy punch right at the golem’s head. He put all the power he could muster into it, throwing the momentum of his charge in as well.
His punch went straight through the golem without causing so much as a drop of damage. Roy’s eyes widened for an instant before a heavy force slammed into his head. His vision swam as he staggered back. Then, he was once again knocked off his feet and sent skidding painfully across the water-covered cobblestones. He slid to a halt, curling in on himself to ward off any further attacks. None came, however.