After roughly two minutes had passed with a blood-chilling howl three pitch black wolves charged out from random points on the wall of black smoke like three ruthless obsidian arrows directly towards him. Simultaneously the orb of light overhead grew brighter before suddenly going out, then a few seconds later suddenly blossomed with overwhelming brightness on the far side of the Blood Pit to the right of Jace for a brief moment before going out.
Every few seconds the light would blaze into existence from a random point overhead for a single second before going out only to brightly burst into existence a few seconds later. Furthermore, to his utter horror, he discovered that the pitch black wolves now emerged after a certain amount of time passed for after he managed to muster the last of his strength to kill one of the three black wolves, another set of three charged out from the wall of black smoke.
Now facing five terrifying pitch black wolves and with the light overhead acting like a powerful strobe light messing with his vision coupled with the fact that his body was running on fumes thru sheer willpower Jace was certain he was doomed.
Yet instead of cowering or crying in fear he accepted the fact that he would die. With this single realization he suddenly felt all the fear and despair dissipate from his mind. At that exact moment he sensed a heretofore unknown fetter upon his entire inner self shatter and achieved a transcendent state of unity between his body spirit and soul.
Feeling his body suddenly become as light as a feather, he attained a moment of absolute clarity and stillness. As his eyes reflexively blinked he suddenly realized the way he perceived the world around him had changed, for he was now certain that he could see and move so fast that it would appeared to him as though a single second had grown to last an eternity.
With a few relaxed steps he instantly appeared next to the five pitch black wolves slowly moving thru the air then made five quick slashes before quickly returning to the center of the pit while the five pitch black wolves simultaneously burst in clouds of fading black smoke.
Having broken thru his physical limits from the overwhelming pressure of the deadly situation, Jace's had achieved a qualitative increase of his physical capabilities, especially his speed which had risen to a level where he could move so incredibly fast that it appeared as though the five pitch black wolves had simultaneously spontaneously combusted. Now far more stronger Jace found it much easier to deal with the remaining pitch black wolves and quickly dispatched them with a single strike as they emerged from the wall of black smoke.
As he killed the last pitch black wolf the spastic light orb stopped flashing and returned to the center of the Blood Pit were it softly illuminated the entire area. Then the wall of black smoke slowly began to fade until it disappeared completely. Once the black smoke finished dissipating a rope was dropped down into the pit and the same gravelly voice was heard.
"Well done, climb out of the Blood Pit and claim your right to be one of the living."
With the fight now over Jace's body which had long been exhausted and was now running on the last vestiges of his adrenaline finally relaxed causing him to suddenly feel incredibly lethargic and an immense amount of pain. Mustering the final dregs of his strength he slowly inch towards the rope, each step feeling as though it weighed more than a mountain.
Finally after an unknown amount of time he reached the rope. Firmly grasping it, he began to haul his worn out carcass up the side of the slipper blood encrusted wall of the Blood Pit. After an unknown amount of time he reached the top and rolled over the edge onto his back into the darkness. Gulping like a fish out of water, he inhaled large mouthfuls of fetid air while barely remaining conscious resisting the urge to pass out from total exhaustion.
As he laid supine upon the cold stone of the cave staring into the darkness overhead he suddenly heard the sound of footsteps drawing near. A pair of dark black boots emerged from the darkness and stopped next to his head.
Remaining silent, the owner of the boots suddenly made a gesture towards the nearby Blood Pit causing the softly glowing orb of light to shoot thru the air into his hand. Raising the orb, the familiar face of the bald stern faced man from the wagons appeared before him.
"Well done...boy. Just as in life, most live as a pitiful corpse buried in a pit, trapped in a dark cold place, unable to decide their own fate. However by overcoming your weakness in the merciless crucible of the Blood Pit you have been REBORN! No longer will you carry the fate of a corpse who subsist only as a lifeless, weak, powerless existence. With your own two hands you have escaped from your "pit" and finally taken your first step on the path of the living. But although you are now one of the living and have gained a little strength you are still as weak as when you entered the Blood Pit."
"We're is my sister?"
"Ah, the girl you failed to rescue....your sister, has been sent to a place far away. But I wouldn't concern myself with that right now, for even if you knew where she was you would still fail to save her for you are still far too weak boy."
Hearing the stern faced man's words Jace felt a wave of cold despair dampened his fiery will as he begrudgingly acknowledged the truth of what he had said. Not only did he not know where his sister had been taken, but even if he knew he was still far too weak to save her.
Despite having broken thru his physical limits and passing the hellish test within the Blood Pit, Jace was still aware that he had only barely survived the deadly situation. Plus, he was sure that even if he still made the attempt the bald stern faced man as well as any of the other people hidden in the darkness wouldn't exactly let him go.
With his keen eyes the bald stern faced man observed the variety of emotions flash across Jace's face revealing his inner thoughts and said, "Now don't be so glum boy, you managed to past the first test, which means your off to a good start. Now you just have to stay alive, that's all you have to do, stay alive. Remember boy, only the dead lack hope, as long as your alive, there will always exist a chance to come out on top."
Reaching down, the stern faced man firmly grabbed Jace and despite his rather thin frame easily hoisted him of the ground like a stray kitten. Heading into the darkness with a somber gait, the bald stern faced man made a dismissive gesture with his free hand causing the light orb to go dark.
After walking for an unknown amount of time and passing through several different doors they entered a corridor lined with doors on both sides. Stopping in front of a certain one labeled "0981" he opened the dark door and entered a simple room with a small bed with a chest at the foot of the bed, and a table with one chair.
Placing Jace down upon the bed he examined him for a moment then reached into his pocket and retrieved a small bottle of salve. Apply the foul smelling salve to the cuts on his body, Jace winced as he felt the salve quickly take effect causing a painful burning sensation. After the stern faced man finished liberally apply the salve to Jace's body he plug the bottle with its stopper and placed it on the table then turned to leave. As he reached the door he suddenly stopped then after a few moments of silent contemplation spoke without turning.
"Listen closely boy, right now you're at the bottom of the food chain in this place. No matter what they say, no one here is your friend and every one will want to kill you for what little you have. If you every want to see that little girl again then you must do everything you can to survive and grow stronger. Rest well boy, tomorrow you'll have an even harder test to pass, and remember what I said, only the living have hope. Oh, you can keep the knife, you're going to need it."
Leaving the small room, the solid metal door swung shut behind the stern faced man with an ominous "CLINK" while only his words remained lingering in the air. As he laid upon his back in the dark room he felt the knife under his shirt while the stern faced man's final words echoed thru his mind over and over until he finally passed out.