It was after we left the building that I reached into my pocket and found the mask that I had worn while getting the ID. I put it on, eliciting a raised eyebrow from Ellaine.
However she didn't say or ask anything more, it was as if she understood why I had done such a thing.
And seeing that she didn't ask any questions neither did I bring it up at all. Instead I adopted the persona of the mask I wore.
My smile and mannerisms matching a more friendly outlook. A more naive person if you would.
Minutes later, after walking for a while we found ourselves in the heart of the town. The tower and the space around it all gated off.
I took my ID out for a moment, flashing it to the guards around me and walking in, Ellaine doing the same as I had. I took one last look at the towers and comforts of the world behind me.
The future was unknown, the trial that would be given most likely vague at best.
But still, as I ripped the mask off inching ever closer to the tower, I couldn't help but find it exhilarating.
The time that I had spent idling around, waiting, was over. And now I would take action, climbing as far as I could.
I found myself staring the tower down, the presence of it leaving me in awe. I reached out my hand and grasped at the altar that had appeared from the tower.
Beside me Ellaine had done just as I had, both of our hands touching the altar at the same time.
…
[2nd Floor Trial]
[Objective: Defend]
[Duration: 72 Hours]
It was the first thing that I saw upon waking from the white light that had consumed both of us. I looked around and all that I saw was a hall.
The only thing in there being some sort of hand and an orb in the middle. I could only assume that based on the objective that we were to protect the orb.
Again I looked around, trying to find any sign of Ellaine but came up short. For a moment I just leaned against the wall, sighing. It seemed as if the cooperation had fallen short.
Maybe there had been a way that we could do the trial together but not today.
I covered my eyes abruptly. The light consuming the whole room.
A moment later, after I had let my arm down, I found a woman standing in the middle of the room.
For a moment I couldn't recognize her because of the flashbang that was the light but after my vision once again came back I finally recognized who it was.
"Ellaine, that you?"
"Yeah…" She sighed out, her eyes reading an invisible text.
"It's… vague." She said, leaning against the same wall as me.
"Yeah, we don't even know what we have to protect. I mean the obvious answer would be the orb in the middle of the room."
"But…" She drolled, obviously seeing the massive but that I was going towards.
"The missions have never been just this simple. I mean look at the first floor. We had thought that it was a simple subjugation of the species in that realm but then we were transported to this city scape. What I'm trying to say is that it might be a lie and we were supposed to defend something else.
I took a deep breath before closing my eyes while letting Ellaine soak in my words.
"It could be or it could just be a trap for intellectual people who enjoy putting excessive thought into subjects."
"Yeah it could… but what do you think we should do, should we stay and defend this with both of us or go and look around and see what we can find."
I opened my eyes and stared straight at her. Hoping that she would at least take some initiative.
"I think…" She started, trailing off as she stroked her chin and looked to the ceiling of the building.
"That we should take another route, obviously there is no punishment for failing so why not do something audacious."
"And this audacious thing would be?"
"We should subjugate the beings that attempt to assault our fortress. A perfect defense, no enemy to overcome it."
For a moment I just stood there, looking at her like some sort of alien. Another moment then I just laughed, not a giggle but a full blown laugh.
"Wha- What's so funny?" She asked, stuttering for a moment.
"No, no. It's just that it was a great idea. And audacious like you said."
"Do you not like it or something…?"
She asked, quite nervously at that.
I chuckled and flicked her forehead.
"No, nothing of that nature, in fact I love the idea. If we can kill them all then we can relax for the rest of the days."
…
I sat atop the chapel and it truly was a chapel. The elaborate decorations that were absent on the inside littered the front and sides of the chapel.
It was full of ancient architecture that while clearly weathered by the years still held its majesty. For a moment it had taken my breath away.
Not because of its beauty but because of the work that had been put into it. When my hand reached to the ornaments, to the sculptures, I couldn't help but feel the immense effort and care placed into each and every carve of the stone.
Truly a dedicated hand had carved this.
I opened my eyes and looked to the horizon, all the while crossing my legs and laying my head back.
For now there was nothing but what I saw was absolutely stunning. A vast plain filled with structures, each as if not more elaborate than the one that we were on.
Yet that was not the most beautiful part of it, no, the most beautiful part was the split in the land.
Even if it felt quite cruel, as if the land was crying, it still cut quite a picture.
The split between dark and light, of evil and good, of work and laziness. It felt as if those emotions were seeped deep into the war torn land. A split between the life of the grass and the dead land of the battlefield.
"Breathtaking isn't it?" I absently said.
"Yes… yes it is."