Audu trudged up the steep slope of the mountain. This up close, it looked like it had no end, reaching up into the sky where its tip seemed to touch the sun. Audu drew his gaze away from the sight, knowing now wasn't the time to get lost in his thoughts. He stared at the humongous passage that led into the hollow mountain. It loomed over him, making him seem so small and insignificant in the greater scheme of things.
Unfortunately for whatever creature set this up, it had no effect on Audu's mind. This doorway was enchanted with a certain curse that was intended to crush a person's confidence before the person even had the chance to face the trial. Audu could even feel a faint pressure on his mind that wasn't there before.
He stepped through the passage, and into the darkness. It was as though he was stepping into an entirely different realm; one of darkness and cold. Even with the heat and light from the bright sun, not one inch after the entrance to the cavern was lit up, or warm. Audu pulled his cloak tighter around himself and opened his palm. A ball of fire condensed above his palm, lighting up a few feet ahead of him.
He followed the barely lit path and headed deeper. The sound of running water tickled his ears and a damp smell drifted up his nostrils.
"Tch. Poison won't work on me vermin. Purge!" He muttered and waved his hand while shouting out a command. The fire in his palm abruptly spread out, setting the air around him on fire.
K-kieeekhhh!!
Tut-tututut!!
Creatures emerged from the darkness, burn marks all over them. The Dark Species, mostly found in dark, damp, or swampy areas. They utilized poison, choosing to end their prey without getting into a direct confrontation.
A mantis-like creature swiped its bladed limbs in Audu's direction in an attempt to behead him. He leapt back, dodging, while pulling out his sheathed sword and tossing the ball of flames into the air. The flames hung in the air while serving as a source of light. Audu lunged back at the mantis-like creature, cutting it in half at the mid-section. A dark skinned bear-like creature with a lumbering body and bulging muscles swung down a fist at him, intending to smash him and use his remains to make a bloody meat paste.
Too bad Audu was too fast for it. Before it could react, he had cleanly sliced off its hand. It roared in pain, gripping the stump that was spurting blood. Audu spared no time dodging a quick swipe of its tail, and following it up with two quick stabs. Blood gushed out of the newly inflicted wounds that marred its shoulders. Its arms dropped limply to its sides, now useless from the damage that had been dealt to them. Audu quickly sliced off its head as he stepped by it.
Splat!
With a shower of blood, the creature dropped dead. Not a single drop of blood touched Audu's body. He squatted beside each of the two creatures and expertly harvested their Cores from within their bodies. A dark green Core from the mantis-like creature, and a deep purple one from the bear. Audu nodded as he wiped them clean and stuffed them into his bag. He then continued walking through the darkness.
After walking for a while, he stopped, a bit perplexed. He had walked for almost ten minutes straight, but hadn't run into a single monster. Perhaps they were scared off by his earlier display of power, or maybe this Tower's Trial was smarter than usual. He was more inclined to believe the later, but he still hoped it was the former. If the Trial was scared of him, it would make it much easier to conquer it.
He soon carried on. About half an hour of walking later, Audu finally spotted the end of the darkness a few dozen meters away. He began jogging in order to reach it faster. When he got there, he didn't step through the veil immediately. Instead, he observed the veil for a few moments. Although he could see what laid on the other side, if only somewhat vaguely, he couldn't glean much details from it. Grumbling a bit, he stepped through the veil.
Whoosh!
His blue hair whipped around in the breeze that blew strongly. The sight before him slightly unnerved him. Although he somewhat expected it, he had hoped he would be wrong for once in his life. Dozens of monsters stood before him, staring at him with vicious, blood thirsty expressions. Dark Species of various kinds were present, along with various other species of beasts. Normally, different species would rarely ever cooperate with each other, but it seemed this Trial had made that impossibility possible.
Audu sighed lightly as he unsheathed his sword. Upon seeing the glint of light against the neat blade of the sword, the monsters roared out at him. Insect-like creatures screeched and made all sorts of strange noises while the more animal-like ones left out roars, grunts, and yells. They could see the trapped souls of their kin in the blade of the Soul Stealer.
Soul Stealer. That was the name of the sword that Audu wielded. He had gotten it from a very talented blacksmith who was said to have survived the First Floor of one of the Three Major Towers. Although he and his party had been defeated and barely survived, they had all managed to survive. That in itself was exceptional, especially when it was the top Floor.
Behind the massive crowd of monsters, a pair of grand, silver double doors laid at the top of a small staircase. The door was firmly embedded into the stone walls. It seemed that he would have to kill all these monsters before being qualified to face the Trial.
"Very well, then. Come at me, uglies!" Audu roared as he lunged at the crowd of monsters. They retaliated, lunging at him in kind.