"The time is far and we grow weary, but soon the pieces will collide to bring our salvation, nothing will save you then⦠Death was always a fact"
~~~
"Enough people have gathered, the challenge shall begin in just a moment." Announced an ominous voice. "In the meantime though, let us talk about the trials ahead." Boomed the announcer.
"You will be put through seven grueling trials that'll make even you wonder if you're worthy of the blade." Declared the voice full of grandeur. "They shall not only test your strength, but all the skills that are suitable for the next successor." Foretold the unseen ghost.
"Be wary, for not all is as it seems; trickery lies around every corner." Advised the magnificent voice. "Now that you are ready, let the trials begin!" Thundered the hungry undead as a wave of people crashed through a giant blue metallic gate.
"Well that's a sight to behold, just look at those idiots." Snickered Imogen while watching the raging tide fumble over itself. "I probably should start running, but it's just too humorous not to watch this." Chuckled Imogen as she pushed herself off the wall and jogged after them.
~~~
"Hey hey, you there; I order you to listen to me." demanded a frail old man while pointing a bony finger at Imogen.
"How about no, I don't like being commanded like a puppet; I hate it in fact." Growled Imogen as she watched the man standing between two different paths put down his finger.
"Turn right, it'll lead you to salvation." Claimed the man while pointing down a vine covered hallway full of traps.
"That's the dumbest trick I've ever heard, if I walk down that way it'll only lead me into a dead end; even a blind man could see that and that means you just wasted my time." Snarled Imogen as she pushed past the man to turn left down a peaceful hallway.
"That's what you think, but go ahead; ignore me like the rest of your ilk." Laughed the decrepit old man while shuffling away into the main room.
"Fine, it's not like I was going to win anyways!" Shouted Imogen as she woefully turned around to see all the swinging axes and spikes littered around. "I'm so going to regret this, if this doesn't work I'm going to murder that old man." Muttered Imogen while running down the hallway shouting words of praise.
~~~
"Hmm, these traps are actually quite easy to avoid." Alleged Imogen as she opened her eyes to a swinging axe trap that was just about to pierce her through the abdomen.
"Oh, well this is nice; I'm going to stab that old man in the gut until he bleeds to death." Groaned Imogen while flying through the air with a blue axe blade stuck in her stomach.
Imogen then painstakingly pulled herself off the swinging axe blade and happily found out that she was in better condition than she had previously thought... that is, until she landed on the spikes below.
"Godda-!" Tried to scream Imogen, but was stopped as a tranquilizer dart from a dart trap shot her in the arm.
~~~
"The ocean is my best bet, I mean it looks scary; but it has to have some benefits for me to choose it." Decided Clarence as he delved into the ocean full of hope.
The sea was dark and it was fraught with danger, there was naught but a single bead of light in the murky abyss. Captivated by the light's glowing radiance, Clarence swam closer.
~~~
"Where am I, oh yeah; I'm actually surprised I haven't died yet." Giggled Imogen while looking down at the six spikes piercing through her body. "So how am I supposed to get myself out of this mess, spikes are pierced through me as far as they can go; I've got about fifty arrows jammed into me and if I move I'll most likely die." Mused Imogen as she pulled an arrow out of her arm.
"Well at the very least, I don't have to worry about winning any more." Coughed Imogen while watching the spikes retract back into the ground. "Retractable spikes huh... I could kiss the person who designed this hallway." Exaggerated Imogen as she rolled off the spike pad and wondered how many times the spikes had pierced through her while she rested.
"Now for the fun part, I have to travel this hallway with six spear holes gushing out blood, a whole ton of arrows planted all over me and a giant gash on my stomach that hasn't fully healed yet." Joked Imogen while running down the hallway leaving behind a splatter of blood with every step.
~~~
Hunger is a fickle thing, it's the first thing you truly feel when you come into the world; but also the last thing you feel when you die. Or as it is for most things on The Strait, but no matter how much you stray from hunger; it'll always be with you.
Hunger will gnaw at your soul until death, it'll follow you to the ends of any planet; if only to remind you of it. Hunger is like the horrific lion when you're born, but like the incessant gnat buzzing in your ear when your about to die.
Hunger never changes, only people do; they change and adapt to better acomidate the parasite that is hunger.
So when a creature oh so hungery saw the tasty morsel of the sea, it watched him with great interest and then devoured the entirety of... his finger with a toothless mouth.
"Why hello there you cute little ball of light, no need to get vicious; I was just passing by when I saw your beautiful luminescence." Apologised Clarence as looked around the lightless sea. "You're a strange little guy, you know that, when I'm near you; I can actually breathe down here." Admitted Clarence while slightly petting the blob of light that was still attached to his finger.
"Not to mention being able to talk, of which you probably do a lot since you're just a ball of light with a mouth." Teased Clarence as he looked down to see a colossal beast sleeping among the stones on the ocean floor.
"Holy shit, that's the most terrifying creature I've ever seen; please be quiet little ball of joy." Pleaded Clarence while silently swimming away from the giant creature of old.
~~~
After hours of swimming Clarence looked down once again to make sure he had passed the creature up, what he saw was not an empty ocean floor; but the open eye of a monstrous titan watching a beacon of light with ravenous hunger
~~~
"This better not be a dead end, because if it is; I'm going to wait here till I die of starvation." Grumbled Imogen as she walked into the wall expecting to be treated by the feeling of stone.
And that is exactly what she got, Imogen felt the cold depressing stone used to create the floors of this place.
"My face!" "Why did they have to make the floor out of stone and why isn't there a wall here?" Pondered Imogen while pushing herself up to be treated to the sight of a musty old tomb.
"Congratulations, you're the first person in group eighty six to discover the secret of The Sepulchre Of Tides." Boomed a voice of magnificence as Imogen looked around the sepulchre.
"Do I get a reward for this, or was there no reason at all to climb through that hell?" Inquired Imogen, but got no answer.
*π π«π’ππ§ππ₯π² ππ²π¬πππ¦ πππ―π’ππ: You're so smart, not everyone could listen to an old man's advice like you did
"Oh shut it, you uninventive garbage can, I never knew that one thing could be both the grabadge and the can." Smirked Imogen while she blew some dust off an old bookcase.
"Hah, nothing to say; how pathetic." Grinned Imogen as she took an old book about battle posture off the dusty old shelf. "Well if you have nothing to say, I'm going to forget about this whole race thing and just read." Sighed Imogen while blowing dust off the cover and opening the age old book.
*ππ²π¬πππ¦ ππ§πππ π«πππ’π¨π§: You've learned all knowledge from that book and it is now part of the System Library, earning you the skill - Posture Of The Unrelenting Inanition
"Hey!" "I wanted to read that, now my head feels weird; it's like I actually read the book and it's messing with me!" Frowned Imogen as she got up and rubbed her head like a mad man.
~~~
To fight, to live, to love; it's all one in the same for the Ancient Ones. For, 'tis their only purpose, they have lived way past their time and can only live by this simple way of life.
They may be exceptionally smart, but they cannot deny their gratitude to The Omniscient One for reviving their dried up carcasses. They offer him their prayers and unconditional trust to the order, when he asks them to give up their lives; they do it without hesitation.
They may be strong and powerful, but they can only live if the omniscient One lives, when he passes on into the aether; they all parish. Or, 'tis what they believe, for they cannot think of any other to believe in; they are true servants.
~~~
"Eternal is the cycle of day and night, and so too shall be the servitude of the Ancient Ones."