Author's Note: Alright, so due to a couple of reviews wanting longer chapters I give you this one. Don't expect all of them to be this long though. Without further adieu I give you chapter 4 of the Eclipsed: The Three Trials. Double the chocolaty flavor and only half the calories!
Chapter 4
When Rien came to he found himself lying on the earth outside somewhere. He felt the wind whip around him as he pulled himself to his feet and tried to regain his bearings. Dagger? Check! All limbs intact? Check! Now where the hell am I? Rien thought to himself as he looked around.
Rien looked around and found himself in a very strange place. The ground jutted up at odd angles and rough terrain surrounded him in all directions. Sand was everywhere and broken pieces of stone could be seen in the ground. Even these were covered by a thin cloak of sand. The cold uncaring wind lashed out at him. Rien didn't really like the place and sensed a general hostility coming from the environment. Then it hit him. He was in a jagd. He wasn't sure which jagd in particular as he never entered them but it definitely was one.
Rien looked around and saw that the place wasn't all that deserted after all. He found himself surrounded by about fifty others of looks, races and appearances. There were those dressed in elegant robes of nobles as well as those dressed in clothes covered in dirt and grime, much like himself. They were all drugged and beginning to wake up, a few were already up and waiting. He also noticed about six of the Eclipsed members standing there, observing silently.
One of the members in black approached the group of standing people. "Greetings! You have all shown an interest in joining one of the greatest clans of all time, the Eclipsed." A low murmur went through the crowd and the man (or women, Rien couldn't really tell behind that white mask) waited until silence was restored. "We have been observing you, and you have shown that you might have what it takes. Joining the Eclipsed is one of the greatest and most life changing experiences that could ever occur to you. It will not be easy and there will be many challenges ahead for you. Not all of you will survive. But those that do will be rewarded with more rewards then you can imagine. If any of you desire to walk away and guarantee your lives, do so now, for once you begin down this path there is no turning back."
There was silence for a moment as everyone looked around to see if anyone else was leaving. "Good, I didn't think so." The masked figure continued. "Now, there are three trials to complete before you can even gain access to the main headquarters of our clan. The first is to see how well you can utilize teamwork to bypass obstacles. It begins now."
The six figures backed off. Without another word of warning, all six raised their staffs. Six different gems all shined with an amazing light and Rien was momentarily blinded. As his vision came back to him he felt the earth tremble beneath his feet. A stone floor slowly shifted downwards, pouring sand into the pit it had created. Out of the corner of his eye Rien noticed the six figures backing up. He assumed that he wasn't going to enjoy this next task. He couldn't have been more right.
There was a brief moment of silence as everyone stared at the newly created hole. Then chaos followed as a huge beast flew straight up out of the hole. As Rien sheltered his eyes from the light and tried to focus his eyes what he saw terrified him. It was an enormous monster with heavy strong wings. As it approached closer he noticed that the animal was covered by three predominant colors: blue, red, and yellow. The thing reminded him of the drakes that he had fought on one occasion, but it was much, much bigger. More of a dragon then a drake. Rien thought. But that wasn't what scared Rien, what scared him was the fact that the dragon had three great big ugly muscular heads on top of it's' body.
The three headed dragon turned and started back towards the crowd. Everyone darted away from it's path but there was no cover to hide behind and a few were caught in it's way as it's three heads sent down blasts of lightning ice and fire to greet it's unwelcome guests. Rien could hear screaming as it landed and lashed out at the nearby trainees.
That's it, He thought to himself as he darted out of the dragon's range, I hate taking charge but I have to do something here. "Everyone regroup! Over here! Ranged attackers behind me! Pick a mage and guard them! Mages, stay out of it's way! Healers make your way around and only help the injured if you can do so safely! Melee attackers follow me!" Rien shouted and watched as the frightened figures decided to do as he told.
One rebellious bangaa shouted back to him "And why should we lisssen to y-" His complaint was cut short as a claw came from behind him and crushed his skull, piercing it with deadly nails.
Rien winced but quickly recovered. No group would follow a coward for a commander. He drew his daggers and cautiously approached the creature along with about seven others. The fiend approached more carefully and lashed out at a moogle with a sword quickly. The archers behind him took the opportunity to send a hail of arrows at the dragon. Less then half of them found the mark though, the majority were deflected by the creature's scales which were almost better then a suit of full plate mail. The dragon howled in annoyance and Rien and a few others took their turns swinging their weapons at it, trying to draw blood. As a healer came towards the fallen moogle the dragon charged at him. A mage hit him with a spell diverting it's attention for one second, all Rien needed to make a foolish move.
Rien ran and leaped onto the creatures back, digging both of his daggers into a tender spot on one of the thing's necks. The dragon's blue head snarled in pain while the beast jumped into the air and began twisting and turning it's body, trying to shake off the puny human. The red and yellow head turned and tried snapping at Rien's fingers, forcing him to find better handholds. He let go with one hand and pulled another dagger from his vest, slamming it into about five different places in the dragon's side before he found a weak spot in the scales. The red head had had enough and blew a sharp blast of fire at Rien. Rien yelped and let go with his right hand, his left hand slowly slipping from the dagger in it's side. Rien's entire body flew back beside the dragon's tail as it took a sharp plunge downwards. Rien's hold on the dagger had weakened. Just as the last of Rien's strength began to slip away he felt the tail slam into his stomach making him lose his breath and forcing him to release his hold on the dagger.
Rien plummeted down from the sky and hit the ground hard. He could barely even move, much less get out of the way as the dragon circled around and came back towards him. When the dragon was just about upon him it swerved upwards to avoid a hail of bullets and arrows while a nu mou approached him and knelt down. The nu mou whispered some words and he felt his strength returning to him.
"Think twice before doing that kind of thing okay?" Rien grinned and thanked the nu mou for his kindness. Turning, he found that the group battling and against all odds doing quite a good job at keeping it at bay. All groups were synchronized now, working together as one.
It was at that moment that the Eclipsed members interfered. "Good. That is enough." Said the one that had spoken before and the six members raised their staffs. The filled with light again and the dragon screeched out in agony as the light struck it from all angles but the one that it didn't want to go near. The Eclipsed forced it back into the pit before they sealed it once again.
"You have learned to work together. This trial has been passed." The dark figure announced. "You will follow me while my comrades finish up here." The other figures drew blades and approached the injured people that were on the ground but still moving.
"Wait! What are they doing?" Rien inquired although he feared he already knew the answer. "They are putting them out of their misery, taking away their pain." "What the hell are you talking about?" The nu mou that had healed him shouted out angrily. "I could have healed them!" The figure turned and paid no more notice to the dying behind him. "Come, this way."
Rien couldn't help but feel a prickle of pain every time he heard one of the people behind him gasp their last breaths. Those were people I just fought beside. That could have been me. In fact, that should be me. Rien thought guiltily. He looked around at the rest of his new companions that were still breathing. There were about thirty of them. Fifty all the way down to thirty. Wow…
"Your second trial is that of independence. You must not only learn how to work with others, but to handle yourself alone. You cannot always depend on others to take care of you." He nodded towards the nu mou then towards another hole in the ground. "You first." "Wait, what exactly do I do?" The nu mou questioned nervously. "You go in. If you make it out the maze to the other side alive, you pass. Go." The masked figure shoved him downwards. After about twenty minutes or so the figure pointed at another person, a human this time. "You next." The figure stated. This process continued on for about a good hour or so before the figure finally thought it was Rien's turn. Rien took a deep breath and started down into the maze.
It was dark and Rien waited a few moments for his eyes to adjust. Glancing around, he saw stone walls along with a stone ceiling. His beat up shoes walked on a dirt path though and the entire tunnel smelled of death. He cautiously started down the tunnel, keeping his wits about him.
After a few minutes of following the tunnel, Rien slowed as it split into a five way fork. "Great." Rien stated aloud. The room was lit by torches that hung from all the walls. Rien took the opportunity to check all the entrances. Most were filled with darkness and he couldn't see beyond a few feet in front of him. But the center passage had a light that could be seen at the end of the tunnel. So, Rien wondered do I take the one in the center which I can see the exit? Or do I try the other ones because the light at the end of that tunnel could be heaven? Hmmmm let's see. Rien flipped a coin. "Center tunnel it is!" Rien announced as he crept towards the path.
Rien took his time even more so this time. He checked the placement of his feet and watched wear he put his hand along the wall for balance. His caution was well rewarded as he found a spear hidden against the wall and a trip wire near his feet. Rien chuckled as he bypassed the trap. He continued making his way cautiously along, avoiding a great number of traps including arrows, spears, pits, and snares.
After about halfway through the tunnel Rien began to get cocky. He had beaten all the traps the clan had sent at him until now. He felt invincible, like he would be in this clan in no time. Allie would always tell him that when he got too confident he began to make mistakes. "Well you don't see me making any now do you?" Rien smirked as he leaned on a loose stone as he bypassed a pit. The stone slid in a little too much for Rien's comfort. Uh oh he thought what now? Rien turned as he saw something dark fall into place where the light from the torches at the other end was coming from. It was only then, right before the whole hallway lost it's light that he noticed the hallway was slanted downwards, towards the light.
"Oh crap!" Rien yelled as he heard the dark object rolling it's way downwards towards him. Rien tossed himself in the direction that the light to the outside was coming from, running as fast as he could. He heard a whole matter of arrows, spears, and daggers flying by his head and just prayed for some good luck and that he might make it out of this place alive. Almost there, almost there! Rien thought as he approached the exit. It was just then that his luck ran out.
Rien yelped as he tripped over a tripwire and fell down face first into a pit. He could barely see the spikes that jutted out from it in the darkness. This is it… Rien thought as he fell down and landed, landed on something hard but not sharp. What? He thought to himself as he heard the thing which he identified as a boulder rolling past him and out into the light. He squinted in the darkness and found himself lying cushioned on a body, the body of a nu mou in fact. Rien recognized him immediately. "Thanks man, I owe you another one." Rien whispered to the nu mou quietly and pulled himself out of the pit.
Rien cautiously led himself out into the opening, checking carefully for more traps. He didn't need to worry; the last few feet were safe. Rien wandered through the entrance and found a group of people waiting for him. He breathed a sigh of relief; he didn't want to crawl through any more trap ridden corridors. Smiling as an Eclipsed member led him to the center of the room, he examined it a little better. The room was circular and had a high ceiling. There were many interesting designs along the ceilings and walls and it looked like some kind of ceremonious room. The most noticeable feature of the room however, was a large pit surrounding the center platform. Rien saw all the different entrances and figured it was for catching the various boulders that spat out of the tunnels. How did they get those boulders back up there anyway? Rien wondered. He would have to ask someone about that later.
Looking at the company surrounding him he found three Eclipsed members, two moogles, a nu mou, three vieras, one bangaa and four humans. He tried talking to some of them, but most just gave him stares of annoyance. Rien decided to keep to himself afterwards. After about another ten minutes he saw a bangaa come out of one of the tunnels. And after that, a nu mou. One by one, the remaining survivors made their way out of the various tunnels they had chosen. The funniest by far for Rien was the last moogle who made it. He yelled various funny whoops of laughter while sliding out from the tunnel on his belly. He rolled out of the way just in time for the boulder that came tumbling out after him to miss him with inches to spare.
Twenty survivors stood around in the cavern wondering what else was about to happen. The remaining Eclipsed members appeared through various other passages and the six original ones they'd encountered all gathered in front of them. The same one as before (or at least what Rien thought was the same one from his voice,) began speaking softly, just loud enough so that Rien could hear him. "You have passed two out of the three trials needed to enter into the guild. I would congratulate you but I have no doubt that some of you will not survive the next trial. I will wait to see the strong that prevail this task. For the next task you will sit upon the Chair Of Revelations, an artifact of immense power. It will show you all the things that you fear, all the things you hate in hopes of making you shout out in despair, agony, or whatever else you might feel while being exposed to it. All of us have sat in it and we tell you honestly, that after this experience you will never be quite the same. While you are strapped into the chair upon this platform, the platform will lower to leave you in complete darkness below. The room below is filled with Mind Reavers. Mind Reavers are blind creatures created by our leaders for the sole purpose of this task. They cannot see, but their hearing is immensely acute and sensitive. They are normally peaceful creatures, but if you let anything higher then a low whisper come out of your mouth, they will tear you to bits as they cannot stand the noise. If the madness doesn't kill you, then indeed they will. Even now as I speak to you in this room, hear them stirring." He paused and indeed they could hear their angry cries coming from below.
"Bastards are making more noise then we are!" He could hear a human whisper in front of him. "They are immune to the cries of their own kind." The Eclipsed member replied matter of factly to the human. "Unless any of you wish to quit now, let us begin."
No one asked to leave and so all of them stepped carefully off the center platform onto the side while the chair was brought into the center. Rien never thought that he would ever be frightened by a chair in his life but hear he was, shuddering at the sight of it. It was huge, so big in fact that it had taken four Eclipsed members just to place it on the platform. The chair was black, with a slime green cushion on the back and seat. There were straps on the arms and legs to keep people from squirming too much and just added to the fearful look of the thing.
The one Eclipsed member called forth the first one to be tried. Rien recognized the moogle that had slid out of the last challenge on his belly. He didn't look nearly as confident now, strapped into a chair that was never made for a moogle, much less a human. One Eclipsed pulled a lever and Rien watched as the moogle was slowly lowered into the darkness. There was a nerve burning silence that Rien wanted to break, but he feared that if he did the little moogle would lose his life. After what seemed like ages but in reality must have been only a few minutes, the moogle was raised out of the darkness. There were tears pouring from his eyes but he didn't make a sound and struggled feebly to get out of the restraints. He was released but even the fact that he was now a member of the Eclipsed didn't seem to ease the pain of what he had just seen. The Eclipsed member was right; he never would be the same. The moogle sat silently on the sidelines, tears still filling his face.
Next up was a viera dressed in elegant robes. She quivered as she was strapped into the great chair. She looked around despairingly as she was lowered into the darkness. There were a few seconds of intense silence. Then the entire crowd jumped as she let out a blood curdling scream. The screeches of the Mind Reavers were just as loud as Rien and the rest of the company were forced to listen to her screams being slowly cut off as the Reavers attacked the noise mercilessly. Then there was silence. After a few moments one of the members raised the platform back up. A bloody mess lay on the chair, and as much as Rien wanted to look away, he couldn't. He was mesmerized by the sheer horror of it all. Rien watched as two of the members removed the remains from the chair and threw it into the pit. He heard it hit the ground with a sickening flop. The chair then seemed to somehow absorb the blood. Nevertheless it was perfectly clean for its next victim to sit upon. Rien couldn't tell but he thought that even the members were mightily disturbed by this process.
Rien waited and watched, most of them got through with nothing but frightened and disturbed looks on their faces, but every so often one would scream and the bloody mess would begin again. Finally it was his turn. As much as he wanted it to come and be done with, he also dreaded it.
Rien sat down upon the chair. It was cold, and his feet didn't even touch the floor. He felt the members tighten the straps and also felt the adrenaline rush through his body. How many lives had this chair claimed? How much blood was in its wood? Rien thought in despair and disgust as he waited for the platform to be lowered. One of the members gave the signal and he was off, going down, down deep into the blackness. He couldn't see anything. He couldn't hear anything. He couldn't smell anything. He couldn't think anything. He couldn't feel anything. And then they began, hallucinations so deep that they were real, chilling every bone, burning every nerve.
Rien watched it burn, all of it. His village, his home, his family, Allie, Isaac, the gentle nu mou he'd met. All of them burning, being attacked by the fires of the raiders on the village. If he could only get to them, only shout a warning. But no, he couldn't speak. If he spoke, would they kill him too? Stop being so selfish, shout a warning, yell a battle cry, call for help! A voice in his head ordered. Wait, were those his thoughts, or were they… He couldn't speak, he mustn't he shouldn't!
Rien was tied to a post in the center of his town, all the houses were just ashes. They all laughed at him, whipping him, beating him. The boy that betrayed their village, that promised to avenge them but never did. They made fun of his promises, jested at his lies, scorned his life. His father and mother took turns at him with a sword. "You don't deserve to be my son, you pointless pathetic human! You can't accomplish. You deserve to rot just like all the raiders that burned this town." His father said and spit on him. "You always disappoint us Rien, why don't you just give up. Give up on life. Apologize for all your sins by taking your own life." His mother told him and came towards him with a knife, dripping with blood. He wanted to apologize, but he couldn't. He couldn't say a word and just stood there and took it all, silently as ever.
Rien watched Allie in their small home of Silvercape. She was sleeping, small fragile and naive to the man that stood behind her. He approached, a needle in his hand dripping with poison. "Do you love her?" The man asked and Rien could see that it was himself standing over her with the needle. "No you don't do you. You hate her. She's just a nuisance, always in your way. You want to kill her don't you? You can't deny it. She's better then you at everything. A better thief, a better fighter, if anyone deserves to be in this clan it's her not you. You hate her don't you? You hate her with all your soul. You want her to die; you want me to kill her. I will, I'll get rid of her. There's nothing that you can do about it either. You're pathetic. You won't even open your mouth to save your best friend, not to mention you're only friend. Why does she even put up with you? She hates you, ever since you came along you've only slowed her down, ruined her plans and obsessed all about yourself. No more, no more. She'll die tonight." Rien watched the copy of himself raise his hand. He must shout a warning to her. She can't die. But he couldn't speak, he can never speak. The copy of himself brought the needle down and put the poison into her neck. Her eyes opened wide in shock and she stared straight at Rien. "How could you…" She whispered and died right there in front of him.
Rien blinked away tears as the light washed over him. He didn't move as the members released him from his restraints. One had to nudge him before he started moving. He kept replaying those words and scenes in his head. He saw Allie die in front of him again and again. The only thought that flowed through his mind was I can't talk; I can't speak, as he rocked gently on the sidelines in silence.
