"Our warriors all currently have five lives remaining but it is Scorbi who is currently in the strongest position as he has the most treasure rings on his standard. Itir and Scorbi, however, each have only one treasure ring and must strive to collect more if they wish to survive."
"Warriors," Raven said as the group stopped their activities and looked up at him. "Today you will face new challenges and by sunset, one of you will be eliminated. Let us march onto our first challenge."
He lead the warriors into the forest where two ropes with woven rings of different sizes were attached. Between them at the top of the ropes hung a single gold ring.
"Warriors, this is Ring Climb. You will race in pairs to reach the ring, using the rings as handholds and footholds. If you lose the race or fall from the rings, the cost will be the loss of a precious life. Torip, Wuso, you seem evenly matched. You will go first."
Torip and Wuso stepped up to the ropes, both of them feeling quite confident. Neither of them had any fear of heights so they figured it wouldn't be too difficult.
"Are you ready?" Raven asked them and they nodded. "Then let the challenge...begin!"
The two warriors began climbing. They were evenly matched at first but then Wuso began to struggle with finding a place to put his foot about halfway up, allowing Torip to surge ahead. There was quite a sizeable gap between them as Torip took the ring, grinning broadly.
Scorbi and Uper approached the ropes next. "Let us see which of you can climb high and which will fall short," Raven said. "Are you ready? Then let the challenge...begin!"
The two warriors began climbing quickly, both evenly matched and determined to reach the top first. As they reached the top, they both tried to grab the ring but it was ultimately Scorbi who was able to claim it, much to his satisfaction as it meant that he stayed in first place.
"Cessas and Itir, which of you will join Torip and Scorbi in victory? Let us find out. Are you ready? Then let the challenge...begin!"
Cessas immediately began climbing, using her agility and upper body strength to pull herself up the rope effortlessly. Itir, on the other hand, had made the mistake of looking up to see how high the ring was and was now reluctant to even start climbing. Therefore it was unsurprising when Cessas claimed the ring at the top, holding it with a brilliant smile on her face.
"Torip, Scorbi, Cessas, you all climbed quickly and were first to reach the prize. Place your rings on your standards," Raven instructed. When the three mentioned warriors turned back to face him, he addressed the group once more. "Wuso, Uper and Itir, though you tried your best, you were beaten to the ring and must all pay the price." He raised his staff and, in a flash of light, a feather disappeared from their standards. "Now our next challenge will be equally taxing in a different kind of way."
"It was a close race between myself and Scorbi. Either of us could have won it but I'm not too upset that I didn't, even though I'm now in fourth place," Uper admitted.
"I was really determined to win that challenge because I wanted to stay in the top three and I'm now in second place so I'm very pleased," Torip said.
"It was quite an easy win for me because my opponent was Itir and he's not very keen on heights," Cessas stated. "I did feel bad for him but I was very happy that I won."
Raven led the warriors to a familiar bridge. Rows of stones with letters carved into them were the only obstacle between the warriors and the rings glittering on the post.
"This is the Riddle Bridge," Raven began. "We cannot go around it so our only option is to solve the riddle posed by the Riddle Book, the answer to which is hidden in the stones. Scorbi, you are our current leader so you will walk the path. Torip, you are in second place so you will assist. Step forward."
Scorbi walked onto the blank stone, a frown on his face, while Torip walked over to the book. "Open the book and it will tell you the riddle. You will only have a short time to answer, however, before the spirits of the bridge overwhelm you. Are you ready? Then let the challenge...begin!"
Torip opened the book. A woman's voice said clearly: "I make your hands sweat but your heart grow cold. I visit the weak but seldom the bold."
They both looked at the stones. "What do you think it could be?" Torip asked. Riddles were really not his strong point.
Scorbi let out a frustrated sigh. "Well, what makes your hands sweat?" he prompted, figuring that he would have to work with his fellow warrior for once to succeed.
"Nerves?" Torip offered hesitantly. He looked at the stones again. "No, wait, there's no N. And what would nerves have to do with visiting the bold anyway?"
"Perhaps the answer we are looking for is fear," Scorbi said. "It fits the lines of the riddle, does it not?"
Torip thought for a moment. "Yeah," he exclaimed. He checked the path a third time to make sure the letters they needed were all there before giving Scorbi the go-ahead.
Scorbi stepped onto the F. When nothing happened, he proceeded onto the E, A and R before taking the two rings from the ring, noticing Raven's approving look.
"Well done, Scorbi and Torip," Raven said as the last of the group crossed the bridge. "You were able to solve the riddle and showed your fellow warriors the safe path across. Your reward is a gold ring each. Place them on your standards." When they had done so, Raven addressed Scorbi. "I see you have collected seven treasure rings so you may exchange them for a precious life." He raised his staff and pointed it at Scorbi's standard. In a flash, the seven rings disappeared and a life was restored.
"Come, our next challenge will involve creatures that may be some of people's worst fears."
"Of all the people I had to work with, I didn't want to have work with Torip in a challenge like this because I felt sure that we'd lose which would have made me lose my leading position but we actually succeeded and I won back a life so now I have six lives," Scorbi said.
"I don't think Scorbi was all that happy that he had to work with me for Riddle Bridge because mental-based challenges are my weak point," Torip admitted. "We managed to solve the riddle, though, so that was good."
Raven led the warriors to the entrance of a tunnel. Neither Torip or Cessas looked particularly pleased to be there, albeit for different reasons.
"This, as you are aware, is Spider's Tunnel. Fortunately I do not have to venture inside but you, my friends do - if you wish to collect more treasure rings."
Wuso and Uper stood in front of the tunnel, a rope connected to them by the brown leather belts around their waists. They would be the first pair to attempt the challenge.
"As you enter the tunnel, the door will slowly start to close behind you. Make your way to the far end of the tunnel and you will find a chest. You must escape the tunnel with the chest in order to claim the rings within. Tarry too long and you will fall victim to the spiders. Are you ready? Then let the challenge...begin!"
The two warriors ran into the tunnel, Wuso in front.
"I think we should stick to the outside edges where the gaps are the biggest," he told his partner.
"Then we won't get stuck," Uper said in agreement as he stepped through a gap, remembering well that getting stuck had been the reason he had failed this challenge last time.
Using this tactic, they quickly made it to the chest and picked it up by the handles on either end.
"Warriors, you must hurry, if you don't want to be trapped!" Raven called out.
"Do what we did on the way," Wuso instructed. "We'll go through the biggest gaps - well, I'll go through first and then you pass the chest through before you come through, alright?"
Though they were slowed down by the added presence of the chest, they were still quick in making it through the webs and escaped the tunnel with plenty of time to spare.
"Well done," Raven told them as they placed the chest on the grass." He pointed his staff at it and the lock clicked open. "Now claim your reward." The two warriors opened the chest and each took four rings, smiling happily.
Torip and Cessas would be the next pair to attempt the challenge. They were happy to be working together but they weren't too happy about the challenge they were facing.
"I sense your unease, warriors," Raven told them. "But I also sense that you both possess great courage. Use this to guide you through the challenge and to success. Are you ready? Then let the challenge...begin!"
"Let's try and get this done as quick as we can," Cessas called as she led the way into the tunnel.
"I hear you!" Torip agreed. "Not too fast, though or we might get stuck!"
As they were both quite agile, getting through the webs was quite easy for them and they reached the chest fairly quickly. Now came the hard part.
Cessas made her way through the web and instructed Torip to pass the chest through to her before he climbed through himself. They continued this until eventually they made it out of the tunnel, panting but grinning with relief.
After Raven had used his staff to unlock the chest, they opened it and took their rings, unable to help smiling at one another.
"Scorbi, Itir, your fellow warriors have all escaped the tunnel. Will you share their success or become the spiders' prey? Remember this challenge requires you to work with your partner. Are you ready? Then...let the challenge begin!"
Scorbi led the way into the tunnel and, to Itir's slight annoyance, began to practically drag him through the webs in his haste.
"Wait," he calls out as they're about to climb through the last web before the chest. "I get that you want to go as quickly as possible but that tactic won't work once we have the chest."
Scorbi frowned, though Itir couldn't actually see this. "You may be right," he admitted unwillingly, picking up the chest. The chest would certainly slow them down and if he rushed ahead, the only thing that would happen would be either Itir or the chest getting stuck.
"We'll go through these gaps here," Itir said, glad that Scorbi had seen sense, at least for the moment.
"Very well," Scorbi agreed. "But I'll take the lead."
Itir wanted to argue but he saw the door at the entrance of the tunnel slowly closing and decided that there wasn't any time for that.
This turned out to be a good decision, he decided, when they made it out safely and took the rings from the chest.
"Well, my friends, the spiders will go hungry tonight. You all collected rings so place them on your standards," Raven said. "Torip, Cessas and Uper, I see you now have enough rings to exchange for a precious life." He raised his staff and, in a flash of light, seven rings disappeared from each of their standards, leaving two on Torip's and one on Uper's as a life reappeared on them.
"I really really hate this challenge but I was happy to be paired up with Cessas because we work really well together. It was a real relief to succeed this time,"
Torip said.
"I had my doubts about being paired with Scorbi because he's not exactly a team player. We succeeded, though, so I'm glad about that," Itir revealed.
"The last time I attempted this challenge, I lost a life so I wanted to succeed. Wuso and I worked well together and I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to win back a life," Uper admitted.
Raven led the warriors to the outside of a tower. The atmosphere around it was very foreboding as though they weren't supposed to be there.
"We have arrived at the Wizard's Tower," Raven said as lightning flashed around it. "The challenge within it must be attempted by two of you. Itir and Wuso, you remain in last place so both of you will enter the tower. Come!"
The two warriors, feeling quite apprehensive, followed Raven inside the tower and into a fairly large room that, judging from the bottles around, was some kind of laboratory. There were also golden metal bars across the room, forming some kind of maze.
"The wizard has grown careless in his old age and has left many dangerous ingredients lying around, one of the deadliest being dragon's blood," Raven said, gesturing to what Itir and Wuso could barely see were dishes of green blood. "Your task is to collect the dishes of dragon's blood and transfer them to the strongbox before your opponent. Be warned, however. If either of you spills even the smallest amount of dragon's blood, it will prove fatal. Take up your positions."
Wuso and Itir walked to opposite sides of the room and gripped the poles in front of them. "Are you ready? Then let the challenge...begin!"
They began moving the poles through the maze. The poles had two hooks on either end which they would use to collect the dishes. At the moment, they could afford to be a little careless as neither of them had reached their first dish yet.
Itir had now reached a dish and was trying to get the hook through the handle without knocking it off, Wuso trying to do the same thing and the opposite side of the room.
Once they had the dish securely hooked on their poles, they carefully lifted the pole up over a higher section of the maze, keeping a close eye on the dish to make sure it didn't spill. Here Wuso had a slight advantage over Itir as he was a bit taller and therefore didn't have to stretch as much.
Both warriors continued to take it slowly, knowing that if they failed, they were doomed to face Way of the Warrior. While collecting his second dish of dragon's blood, Itir thought his other dish was going to spill and his heart jumped in horror. Luckily for him, it didn't.
Wuso was not far behind him, having also collected his second dish of blood, so Itir knew that he would need to be quicker but still careful if he wished to stay on the quest.
Both warriors crouched slowly in order to get to the third dish in the maze which was balanced in an alcove. They both managed it to hook it on with little to no trouble and continued moving forward, staying low for a little bit before slowly standing as they raised their poles up through the next section.
The final dish was located just a little bit behind where they were currently standing. They carefully moved their poles over a vertical section of the maze that, if they had been careless, could have spelled disaster for them.
Itir managed to hook the last dish fairly easily but Wuso seemed to struggle a little as he waited for his dish to be steady enough for him to move, allowing him to take the lead for the first time.
Wuso finally hooked his last dish but Itir was already making his way to the strongbox. He lowered his pole down until it balanced between two vertical sections and looked up, grinning widely.
"Well done, Itir," Raven said, looking proud. "Seldom have I seen such a feat of skill and dexterity. Now open the strongbox anf claim your reward."
As Itir opened the box, steam poured out of it. He carefully placed the dragon's blood inside it, one dish at a time, before placing his hand in the box and retrieving two rings from its insides.
Raven led them outside and they rejoined their fellow warriors. "Itir, place your rings on your standard," he instructed before turning to the tree warrior. "Wuso, though you managed not to spill any of the blood, you lost the race which means you must lose a life." He raised his staff and used his magic to take a life from Wuso's standard. "Now our final challenge of the day awaits and, for one of you, it will be your last."
"I was so happy that I won that challenge because it meant that I was safe from facing the Way of the Warrior today," Itir said. "I took things slowly because I knew that if I rushed, I was guaranteed to spill the blood and that wouldn't have been good."
"It was a close race throughout but Itir managed to get ahead right at the end because I had trouble with the last dish," Wuso revealed. "I'm looking forward to taking on Way of the Warrior but I'm also nervous because if I fail, then the quest is over for me."
Raven led the warriors to the Way of the Warrior, probably the most familiar place to them by now. "The Way of the Warrior is filled with devilish devices, all designed with one purpose - the destruction of warriors. We cannot leave this place until one of you has tried and failed to pass along its golden pathway. Wuso, with only three lives and one ring, you are in last place so it is you who must face elimination. But, although the Way of the Warrior is a punishing trial, there is a glimmer of hope. At the end of the golden pathway is a portal. If you succeed in reaching it, then you will survive to fight another day. The grim task will then fall to Itir. If you should fail, however, Wuso, then your time on the quest will be at an end."
Wuso stood in front of the entrance wearing protective clothing as per the rules. "Are you ready?" Raven asked and he nodded, feeling nervous but determined. "Then may the luck of the Raven's Eye be with you. Let the challenge...begin!"
Wuso climbed through the hole and easily brushed aside the swinging dummies. As he continued along the path, rocks fell onto him from above but that was not enough to deter him.
He reached the boulder carousel and paused for a moment to steady himself before stepping forwards, using his arms to block the incoming boulders as they swung towards him while making his way around the curved path.
About halfway across, he continued to move on but suddenly a boulder swung towards him and he failed to react in time. It hit him in the torso, knocking him off-balance, leading to him falling backwards off the path and disappearing in a flash of light.
Outside, Raven raised his staff and Wuso materialised in front of his standard. "Do not feel ashamed at having failed such an awesome trial, for you have proved to be a noble warrior. Farewell, Wuso."
Wuso walked towards the gates which swung open for him before walking through them, his head held high despite the disappointment he felt.
"I'm upset that I'm the first one out but I tried my hardest at all of the challenges so I'm proud of myself. I would probably say that my favourite challenge was Ring Climb."
"These five warriors will need to rest well tonight as tomorrow another one will leave the company but who will it be? Warriors, let us return to camp."
End of Day Positions
1st - Scorbi - 6 lives 4 rings
2nd - Torip - 6 lives 2 rings
3rd - Cessas - 6 lives 0 rings
4th - Uper - 5 lives 1 ring
5th - Itir - 4 lives 3 rings
6th - Wuso - 3 lives 1 ring - ELIMINATED
Next TimeWho will display skill in combat at Long Staff?
Will the Wisdom Tree's questions confuse the warriors at Demon Square?
Will anyone be consumed by the dragon's breath at Burning Battlements?
Will the leading warrior avoid awakening the Thrall Demons?
And who will be next to face the Way of the Warrior?