In the Trench, Sky Ocean Hunter is swimming at max speed. He has to deliver a box of medicine in one hour to a location at least three hours away. SKY Ocean Hunter didn't choose the Naga race because Tyr told him to. In his week's history, no matter which other race he played.
As a Naga, he felt right. Plus his ability to access the deep sea library of Andria. That is how he secured his nobility. In particular, NPCs know his drowned house for being one of the oldest. These lead him to discover a series of waterways maps. Naga's nowadays mistaken them for ocean currents, but these waterways are ancient constructs leading across the barren sea. They also seem to link rivers and lakes on the mainland.
After fighting his way to the third floor. This mission, which appears easier, fills with a distinct danger. On this floor, his power will only ruin him. He has to use other skills to pass this trial.
His problem thou is that a large army of Crab Warriors are guarding the waterway nexus. He is sneaking through the Coral fortress since he can fight because the medicine is fragile. Given his limited time, he knows he has to use all his skills to get past the crabs and into the waterway nexus. At the nexus, the water flows gentle enough that he can just swim in without worry. His only lament is that if he were in one of the other drowned houses, the house would award him a sub.
Submarines are the dominant form of transport in the barren sea. However, his house is now too poor to give him one. So he is here at an enemy fortress, using his house's secret knowledge to complete his mission on time. SKY Ocean Hunter figures out how to utilise his senses like heat vision and sonar to navigate the fortress without being exposed.
Lux is learning about her ancestors. Right now she is on a battlefield surrounded by Elves. Unlike the red skin, she has these all have olive skin. They look like a mix of three main elvish lines. She is witnessing the unbinding. The period in which blood elves were born. Her trial is one of courage. She has to face that which blood elves fear the most.
Lux joins in the battle. In this environment, her blood spells are unlocked, giving her people. They are all dressed in Komigi. The tapestry-like cloth magical enchantments to help with blood absorption and storage. The other elves fall to her people's blood blades. Some can shoot lightning directly from the blood blades. The fighting has lasted more than a day. She has been fighting the whole time. The benefit of Blood absorption is its ability to increase stamina regeneration by one hundred per cent.
At the peak of the battle, the Blood Elves have driven back their enemies. Blood covers the enemy king who rides his Dryak forward. Dryak is war beast breed and born. Its body naturally armor forms by eating hundred-year-old cedar wood, which is stronger than steel. The combination of dryad and elven wood and An Elk have produced this magnificent steed. The king surrenders the battle.
Seeing his people dying, he has had enough. Pleading with the Blood Elves to stop. Which they refuse to do. It is at this moment that Lux remembers her trial of courage. She is lucky since she had seen a movie yesterday with John and one of the plot points is the answer to the trial. She stands in front of the king, pleading on their behalf. Her blue tattoo appears on her body. The blood elf kills her as she passes the trial.
Titiana has the trial of endurance. She is walking to the highest point in this frozen waste. She knows why she got a test like this. During the history week, Tatiana had constantly taught her about how a giant who doesn't have a tenuous drive will turn to stone. Titiana's motive by more than money or playing with her friends.
Her grandfather was one of the main scientists responsible for the creation of the alpha: Unity. She is going to use Odyssey to expose her grandfather's stories and get them to recognize his contribution. In-game her character is one of the few frost giants born this generation with a strong will. Once she reaches level ten, she has to travel home and attain her people's magical lifestyle class and the quest to break the frozen curse that causes many frost giants to turn to stone.
Even though the winds feel like little razor blades on her skin. She muddles through for three and a half hours. She shivers, stumbles, cries and freezes, but she never stops moving. Even when attacked by stringers, she kept moving. The pain to her reminded her of when she broke her ankle while hiking alone. So she had to walk on it for five kilometres before reaching an area with people. The worst part is how the wind makes her body tingle and her lungs burn.
Titiana endures until she reaches the peak. There a portal awaits her...
Frey is laughing maniacally. Her being in a higher spiritual realm gives her almost unlimited mana. The unlimited system that Tyr told her to activate has made combat harder. She has to concrete on her magic instead of saying the words. To her as a spiritual being, her magic acts much like a connected device and she is trying to figure its limits. As she has always played fire mages, she is intimate with many magic systems. What surprises her the most is how natural it feels. She feels some strain on her mind but with abrupt breaks in-between. She clears the trail of power in less than fifteen minutes. However, she spends over two hours exploring the limits of her weapon and abilities. She is trying to master casting naturally.
When Frey arrives on the second floor, she meets with an NPC and gets a map. Three tasks by doing these, tasks she will reach the fifth floor. A message comes in from her boyfriend Styx stating that the fourth floor of his trial has him fighting again. She responds with a simple promise between them and ventures forth in the Trial Tower.
Six real-world hours later...
Sihle rises from his Medigel bed as the non-newtonian fluid sticks to the bed. From his bedside, he activates his implant. Mentally, he appears into a player-created virtual space. He is the last to arrive. Raul and Rowena are sitting together, arm in arm. Asa, Athena and Mei are chatting about the trails and John is researching something on the interweb. Overwatch has a lot of clues leading to the actual events behind some of the more surface level lore.
Sihle goes to John, he is interested in what the man is researching. Sihle can make out the border of Odyssey's logo. The page he has opened is on the Naga race.
Sihle says, "What's going on mate?" John turns to his face. His brow ripples with stress lines, making his friend resemble an image of the old John-bapitst from a time when they at some party together and John had kids with Athena. Something must be on his mind.
John says, "On the trail, I came across an ancestor of Sunken Ocean. He was really strong, and I learnt some house specific martial arts from him."
Sihle says, "So what's the problem? That sounds great. I'm still on the first-floor tower. My clone is insanely strong." This is only a half-truth since Tyr is practising increasing his mastery .
John says, "His scared scale had a weird symbol on it. However, it's doesn't match any Sea God, Kraken Companies or Drowned Houses." Sihle smiles a little and hopes deep inside. Activating Overwatch tracking function, he never wants a slip he has too much knowledge that he shouldn't have. When outside the game, Overwatch is a system, a person can use it to prove that they gained information about the game through legal means. Cantos has tasked Overwatch with leaving of clue on the interweb.
Sihle says, "Can you show me the symbol." John sends him a picture of three inter-crossing rings with seven dots inside. Sihle knows what it is from memory, both old and new and confusing. "That's the symbol of the seven luminaries. They represent all the living gods remaining in Ulria."
John rubs his chin and says, " Ulria sounds familiar. What's that?" Sihle knows the reason for the confusion. Each species has its own name for everything. In his past life, he had struggled to find a specific root needed to brew a poison simply because Wood Elves called it something else.
Sihle says, "It's the world as we know it." John nods and points to the symbol. " That is the symbol of the seven celestial bodies that can be seen in Ulria sky with the naked eye. They represent the remaining living gods that support all our people. I think this formation belongs to the Water Goddesses Temple."
John says, "Then I have to find that temple. Do you have any clues?" John is more relaxed now in fact he looks quite determined. The Temple is linked to his Sunken Ocean history and why they fell out as rulers in the Barren Sea.