Chapter Seven: The Trial of the Arbiter
The Disclaimer Song (Sing to the tune of "Merry Christmas: War is over" By John Lennon. And a 1 and a 2 and a 3…
I write this disclaimer
To cover my butt
To keep them from suing
For all that I've got
So here I am claiming
That I don't own squat
My sad little OC's
Are all that I've got!
(Here comes the chorus! Everybody now!)
And so a disclaimer
(Don't own Lyra)
To cover my butt
(Don't own Will)
To keep them from suing
(Please no lawsuits)
For all that I've got
(On with the show!!!!)
Too much? I just got tired of writing the same old disclaimer and you've probably read so many disclaimers that I thought this would be a welcome change. (I could be wrong though…)
"You will each face two tests in the tombs," The Author said as he led Will and Lyra out of the library and onto the island. The island was dotted with fauna that would be more at home on the tundra or in a forest rather than on a tropical island. Massive pines and ancient oaks provided a ceiling, blocking out the sky and making an arch leading down a path. "The tests will determine whether or not you are worthy of the reward at the end of the dungeon."
"If we're the "Chosen Ones" why do we have to take a test to receive the items? Shouldn't we just get them by default?" Lyra asked, running alongside Will, trying to keep up with the Author's long strides.
"The tests aren't just designed to decide if you meet the qualifications. They're designed to test those qualities and enhance them further." The path stopped abruptly, forking left and right, descending deeper into the forest. The Author stopped and turned to face Will and Lyra.
"Right, this is as far as I go; you have go on alone. If you manage to get out alive…"
"Wait, what?!!" Will said
"What's the matter, scared of impossible odds and a good chance of death?"
"YES!" Will and Lyra replied simultaneously
The Author sighed. "Mortals…as I was saying if you make it out alive, I'll be waiting to deploy you to your first mission. We don't know when the demonic bastard is going to strike so we'll keep you busy until then. Right, that's it. So…good luck and try not to die!" The Author clapped his hands together and burst into flames. Will and Lyra jumped back in surprise but by the time they could think to help him, he had vanished.
Will and Lyra exchanged a confused look. "I think I either like him or hate him." Lyra decided. They shared a nervous laugh, both happy to have something to break the palpable tension they felt between them.
Finally Will drew Lyra into a tight embrace. For a moment, they just stood there holding each other as if the other would vanish if they dared to let go.
Will pulled back, looking into Lyra's eyes. "Lyra, if we don't make it out of there, I just wanted to say…"
"Shut up!" Lyra demanded fiercely. Will recoiled slightly at the ferocity she now emanated. "Don't ever say that, Will. We're going to make it; we're going to be fine! Don't…don't you dare say goodbye to me again! Promise me you won't!" Lyra was now shaking so violently that Will was worried that she would fall apart.
"Alright, Lyra. I promise."
Lyra stopped shaking and simply leaned against Will's chest. Finally she disengaged herself. "Well, let's go." Lyra started walking left and Will headed down the right path. They turned back, giving each other a weak smile before descending seep into the dark woods.
As the path wound on, Will found that the trees were becoming older and twisted. Trees bent and writhed upward searching for any patch of light they could while parasitic vines wound their way up the tree like a snake squeezing the life out of it's prey Will felt as though he had stepped into an alien world; primeval and vastly different from anything Will could have dreamed.
The trees gave way to a clearing with a patch of sunlight shining through the canopy. The light shone on an entrance to an underground passage, overgrown with the forest's vines. As Will approached, the vines shrank back and the door swung open. Stale air hit Will full in the face and he choked, peering into the murky gloom. Will thought he could hear something, but assumed it was his imagination playing tricks on him. Will grabbed a conveniently lit torch off the wall and descended into the darkness.
The stairs panned out and Will was found himself standing in an underground pit. The pit was sloped on the sides and a door stood opposite him. Will shined his light on the floor and nearly threw up. The corpse of a man fully decked out in battle armor, lay dismembered against the wall. A mouse crawled out of his eye socket, taking a hunk of the dead man's flesh with him. Will slowly turned around in horror, shining light on no fewer than fifty bodies in various states of decomposition and decay. Who, or what, could have done this?
Will froze. He thought he heard something. He thought he heard heavy footsteps slowly making their way towards him. They were getting closer. The skin on Will's neck prickled. He dove frantically sideways, seizing a short sword from the dead man's belt, spinning wildly around, looking for the owner of the footsteps. Then as quickly as they had come, the fell silent.
Then an unearthly roar smashed the silence like a China cup.
The wall on the other side of the room exploded in a shower of rubble and out stepped a creature Will was sure was a figment of some twisted madman's imagination. The beast was about sixteen feet tall fully erect and about as wide as a small car. Blue-grey oily skin covered gangly, muscular arms and a powerful chest. The head was humanoid, but with a sunken forehead, a jutting jaw and razor sharp teeth exposed beneath a lip curled into a snarl. A pair of pale yellow eyes leered out of the sockets as the head turned frantically left and right.
The creature raised its head, sniffing the air and shooting out a long tongue to taste it as well. The beast turned at Will and with an unholy war cry charged headlong at Will.
Will threw himself sideways as the beast collided with the wall sending bricks and mortar flying. Will tried to run, but tripped over a suit of armor instead. The beast rounded its head and charged again. Will barely got away as the monster sent the armor flying.
Will quietly snuck into a corner, praying that the creature didn't see him. But even as the fiend turned to look straight at him, it did nothing. Then it did something that surprised Will; it got on its hands and knees and started crawling around on the floor, looking for will. It sniffed the air and screamed a few more times, but Will stayed hidden.
It's blind! Will realized. The creature "saw" using smell and echolocation. Will picked up a stone off the floor and hurled it towards the far corner of the room. The beast scampered after it and stared tearing at empty space. Will smiled; he had a plan. He lifted a spear from a fallen man and fixed it to a torch holder on the wall. He took a deep breath and called out "Over here!" The monster wheeled around and tore after Will. Will stood perfectly still even though a massive creature was hurtling towards him. At the last possible second, Will threw himself to the ground. The beast was carried forward by its momentum and impaled itself on the rusty spear. Will jumped forward and pushed the monster deeper into the spear. Will clambered up its back, pulled the head back and used the sword to slit the monster's throat. It screamed, cried and flailed before falling down in a pool of its own blackish blood.
Will stood up, heavily breathing from the fight. He took a minute to catch his breath before moving on. He stepped through the hole in the wall and found himself at the foot of a massive staircase.
I hope there's nothing like that in Lyra's tomb Will thought as he began the long walk to the top of the stairs.
Will finally reached the top after countless minutes of climbing to find himself standing before a large stone door. The door was about as high as the ceiling and carved with symbols that Will couldn't understand. He reached out a hand to touch one of the symbols and the door swung open, revealing what appeared to be a crypt.
Will crossed the threshold and felt the door close behind him. Will raised his torch to see but a strong gust of wind extinguished the flame plunging the crypt into blackness. Will groped around for a moment, and then the room was suddenly illuminated by a row of electric blue flames held in the hands of stone statues in the shape of armored knights. At the end stood a large marble tomb standing vertically on one end and haloed by the same blue light that emanated from the fire on the sides. Will proceeded into the chamber, feeling the cold unfeeling gaze of the statues on him as he advanced on the tomb.
"So you have made it this far…"
Will turned around to find the owner of the voice but saw no one in the room.
"Who's there?" he called out.
"I must congratulate you. No one has ever defeated the Berserker before…you must have some skill…"
Will pulled the sword out of his belt. "Show yourself!" He demanded.
"As you wish…"
A tall figure appeared slowly in front of the tomb. The air shifted revealing a man covered in strange grey armor and a blue cape. The armor seemed to be tailor made to fit the warrior's specifications, as if the whole thing was built around him. Two plates met in the middle of his chest and spiked up to form two curved plates on each shoulder. Greaves protected his shins and forearms and a black under armor rested between skin and steel. His helmet completely covered his head and dipped over his forehead. He reached behind his back and drew a pair of matched blades. The swords were about three feet without the handle and glowed with the same ethereal blue as the rest of the knight. A hand guard in the shape of a wing protected the user's hand on one side of the blade.
The warrior smiled. "Like I said, you must be good." The warrior swung both blades in a figure eight and let them fall by his sides in a ready position. "This is your final trial, would-be Arbiter. Defend yourself!"
The knight charged forward with both blades spinning in an azure flurry. Will blocked the first blade only to duck just in time to avoid being hit by the second. Will lunged forward only to have his blade casually flicked aside as if it were a pesky insect. The knight brought both blades down in a vertical chop only to be met by Will's blade. Will threw his weapons off and darted forward again, this time missing the man's armored flank by mere inches. It felt as though some invisible force had turned his blade away. The man spun away and resumed his furious assault.
The two dueled for what seemed like an eternity, neither one getting the upper hand. The knight was faster and better trained but Will had the cunning and tenacity of a long time street fighter. After countless clashes, Will saw his chance. In an act of overconfidence, the man swung both his blades at Will's neck. Will backed up and the man's arms flew back, exposing his chest. Will lunged forward and kicked him in his chest. The combined force of Will's foot and the missed swing sent him down hard. Will was on him in a second, sword at his throat.
The man looked stunned for a moment. Then he closed his eyes and let out a relieved sigh.
"You are good." He said thoughtfully. "Perhaps we've got a chance after all..."
"Look, I really don't want to kill you, I just…" Will began
The man let out a harsh laugh. "Kill me?! You can't kill me! I'm already dead…"
"Wha..?" Will exclaimed.
The man disappeared, becoming a blue light and shooting up into the air and circling over Will's head.
"It's up to you now…" the knight's voice said. The orb circled once more, and then shot towards Will. Will flung his arms up in defense but the light collided with him, sending him hurling against the wall. Will smashed into the marble statue and lost consciousness…
"Will, wake up…" A voice softly called.
Will groaned and rolled over.
"Will, Wake up!" The voice called louder. Will groaned again, feeling the pain from where the wall had hit him.
"I WOULD LISTEN TO YOUR DAEMON IF I WE'RE YOU, LADDIE!!!!!" another voice yelled loudly.
Will sat up and looked around the room. His vision was still fuzzy, but he could see a large cat rubbing up against his leg.
"Mmm…Kirjava?"
"No, it's the other talking cat you know. Who else would it be?"
"I dunno." Will said, noting how Lyra's catchphrase had rubbed off on him. "I heard another voice."
"I didn't hear anything."
"I could have sworn that…" Will gasped as he looked at his hand.
The first thing he noticed was that he had five fingers. He flexed them experimentally, feeling his ring and pinky for the first time since he became the bearer of the knife. The second thing he noticed was that his hand was wrapped in a dark black glove.
He stood up and looked down at his body. He found himself clad in the same blue grey armor that the man wore. He turned around, noting how the armor fit him perfectly. He reached a hand back and felt the hilt of one of the winged swords. He drew one from it's sheath and swung it in front of him, feeling how perfectly it fit his hand.
"Feels good, doesn't it?"
Will heard the voice again. "Who is that?"
The voice laughed. "You don't recognize me? My name is Amaethon. I was the knight you just fought. I must congratulate you: You have passed my test. You're the Arbiter now, boy. Now, there's a few things I need to tell you about the armor and the blades. First off that armor has some special properties. It projects an invisible barrier in battle that deflects most small projectiles. But it needs time to recharge, so don't think you're totally invincible. Secondly, it can alter the air around you, projecting an active camouflage around you."
"Cool, I get to be invisible…" Will smirked.
"Yes, but it's got a time limit. You got about a minute before it wears off. Now those blades are Blades of Atreus and Thyestes. They are the sharpest and strongest blades ever made. They have served me faithfully for many years and I pray they will do the same for you. My soul lives in this armor so if you ever need assistance all you must do is ask."
"So you're going to be living inside my head from now on?"
"Not your head, just the helmet. Take it off if you're sick of…" the knight was abruptly cut off as Will removed his helmet.
"Finally. His voice was getting annoying. Alright, Kirjava, let's get going. Lyra and the Author are expecting us…"
AN: WHEW! That was a tough one to write! So R&R and I'll keep it up! Review if you want, but a lack of reviews won't stop me anymore! It's apparent that there's an interest in this story and I'll see it to the end!
Peace love and Rock and Roll
Dotmw