Episode 6: to Test one's limit

"Good afternoon fellow denizens," the hostess began. "We now enter into the last half of the Trials. We began strong with an outstanding showcase of skill and fortitude from individuals of different ethnic backgrounds. Each showing us the possibilities of breaking the limitations that which binds us. I must remind you, those of the latter half, not to fret. Your own abilities are as special as those before. Keep your heads high and chest puffed as we continue our journey here."

The crowd cheered in unison, inspired for what is to come.

Around this time, there was a short entertainment consisting of popular singers, like Adam and Eve, with performances by the Circ La Quartet and special effects produced by the Water Sect of the HoA. This gave contestants more time to digest their food and plan for their trials.

"The people here ain't so bad," John said sitting beside Allen.

"A happy and joyous bunch they are," Allen agreed. "Is that why you decided to stay within the IGG?"

"That," John lets out a breath of air. "But there is more to it than that."

Allen felt like John had a gap in his life that he had not heard about. In between the missions, away from the cameras, there was something that John didn't want to tell Allen about. He never asked because he knew John didn't feel ready to say anything yet.

"Anyways, you ready for the upcoming trial?"

"You asked me that like fifty times already."

"Well, emotions never stay constant, do they?"

"I'm pretty consistent when I say that I'm ready as I'll ever be."

During their conversation, the entertainment brought the stage to life by the use of magic to set off fireworks, controlling the flames to form live images of dragons, heroes and various myths told by the old ages of mortals. The song itself was a telling of the uniting of these groups called "Order of the Cosmic Tree."

"I'm sure you'll know what to do once you get there."

"Of course, you do."

"Ye of little faith, brother."

"Ye of blind faith."

They shared a small chuckle and continued to watch the show. It was a beautiful pallet of colors representing the different factions. In the end, the dragons vanished from existence never to be seen again. It was a somber melody but the song lifted up. Eve followed to the tune in a manner of unveiling the promise of Unison, that all may be one as the Order of the Cosmic Tree once lived by. The performance came to an end as the music fades and the stage goes under.

"I would still put my bets on faith though."

Allen wanted to comment more about John's naivety but it would be like talking to a brick wall. He didn't feel like he could live up to the expectations that his brother has for him nor was he willing to put himself out there among the many who stood against the test. He was only human after all.

"I have to go, you're almost up." John stood from his seat and began walking towards the bleachers nearby. "I'll be cheering from up there." He pointed towards the top where the benches extended inward. It seemed like he had a few people there, too. "Remember to look towards the infinite, Al."

"Thanks," Allen said half-heatedly. He was willing to do the best he could in the trial to come, but it didn't seem like it was going to be that easy.

It wasn't long until the injuries started pouring in. A couple people fainted due to the sheer pressure. Some got injured from slight mistakes and overcrowding. The latter half didn't seem forgiving due to the fact that there wasn't anyone who was taking their stages by storm. Most of the highlights shown were people getting thrown off or making mistakes.

An elf was shown breaking his arm trying to get through an obstacle course, much similar to Elaine's but because he tried breaking record time, he got himself caught on one of the contraptions, nearly crushing him. He was lucky to have some of the maintenance stop it in time to save him.

Cilli made one of the appearances as well on the other end of the stadium, showcasing his new glove. It seemed like he added a few more sets to his equipment at the last minute. He called it a particle array.

Allen was excited to see Cilli already making it to the highlights.

"This will change the tides of battle for years to come," he stated gleefully as he fumbled through his tools. "Now behold the power of this-" The machine began to hum with a high pitch screech. It was almost deafening to hear. In seconds, the machine lit up and exploded while he was wearing the glove.

Allen's heart dropped.

There was too much smoke to see if he was safe. So, he stopped looking at the screen and began sprinting towards that section of the stadium. A security golem tried to stop him but he slid under the pile of rock and dirt easily and avoided the rest.

By the time he got there, the smoke was clearing and the dust settled. Stood there was a cackling mad scientist, who had lost his marbles. Allen was relieved but at the same time worried about Cili's position in the ranks.

Cilli saw Allen among the crowd of people and began to wave with the hand that was shown blown up, perfectly fine. "IT WORKED!"

Allen didn't understand what Cilli was saying but he saw that the glove intact, though it was missing the parts he had recently added. It seemed like the failsafe of his glove was a success and Cilli wasn't worried about anything else.

"You silly bugger," Allen chuckled slightly in relief until he was lifted up by the arms and dragged away by the golems.

"This is your first warning," the golem spoke in monotone, "You cannot leave your designated area. This is a safety protocol to ensure you are not hurt."

He barely heard what the golem was saying after. He could still hear Cilli's laughter as he was fading behind him. Despite the circumstances, it lifted Allen's load a little, but only by a little.

As he was being escorted, he hadn't realized that Elaine was there as well. It seemed like she followed in tow as he was running but the golems didn't find it necessary to carry her away as she walked nonchalantly back to her tent.

It racked Allen's mind a little but let it slide since it made sense that John would have wanted her to be able to safeguard Allen in case anything happens.

"Like pupil like student," he said under his breath as he took his seat.

"I see that you are as reckless as your brother," Krazong spoke up.

"Thanks," he replied.

"It wasn't a compliment."

Allen still took it as one.

"Our trial is coming up and you wasted energy chasing down someone you had just met."

"I still got more to spare."

"I hope so. Testing one's limits can be fatal especially when the call can be at any moment."

Impromptu to his words, the sign above him lit green. All of the contestants in that tent rose and began making their way towards the large platform.

"You better be ready rookie," the dwarf walked pass Allen.

"Not to say much but it was entertaining at least to watch you expend your stamina," the elf followed after chuckling.

"You better be ready little one," the ork trudged onwards leaving Allen behind.

Allen took a second to stand there and take in what he was about to take on. No amount of time can make up for the anxiety he feels inside. He could walk away, probably fake a faint and say it was from all that running and go back home.

"Do not half ass it, lad," Ol' Man Ossy came to mind. "It ain't about having metal at all times but having it at the moment of choice. And when you make it, do not stop until you have completed what you are set to do."

Allen breathed in deeply, filling his lungs to the max then slowly but heavily letting it out. He did it a few more times until his mind was clear and his heart was steady. "As ready as I'll ever be," he said before following his group.

They climbed the scaffolding that was leading up towards the starting point of the platform.

It was large enough to fit a whole track field. Like a regular track field, it had a starting point and an ending point a hundred meters apart. The only difference is the steep slope at the first forty meters. At the end of the slope, it levels out for another ten and a few feet of net that they have to climb to the finish line.

"This is no sprint," one of the human contestants commented.

"A fool's play, lass."

"It's so that you can adapt to the situation at hand because out there," the elf pointed his head towards the sky, "the mission will never stay the same."

As they followed the elves gaze, Allen noticed the floating discs above him that seemed like they were evenly apart. "And those things?"

"10-meter marks," Krazong answered.

"Why would they put meter marks?"

"You'll see."

A Cansonian beastwoman came up to the stage with them. Her ears were floppy and her snout had an overbite. "Hello fellow contestants," she started, "and welcome to the 100m G-force Dash."

The crowds cheering almost overlapped what the beastwoman was about to say. "My name is Jubi and I will be your coordinator for this trial. As you can see," she pointed her hand towards the stage, "you will be running and climbing in this trial. Above you are the 10-meter marks and for every mark, the gravitational pull will increase by 5 the further you go."

"That explains the slope," the elf observed.

"Yes, not only will you be running through this course, you will be experience almost 5x your own weight. You will be given a minute to complete this trial-"

"That's almost impossible for us," a human contestant added. "Even if we get to the climb, there's no guarantee that we'll have the energy for making up for time!"

"Unfortunately, planets out there with their own density and mass will not be as controlled as this. This is your time to experience what is it like to go through such changes. At the very least, we have let up the gravitational pull on the climb."

The humans' heads were down at this point. All except for Allen whose head was still looking towards the discs floating above them.

"There are no rules other than to not interrupt, disrupt or harm any other contestant in any way during the trial. Before we continue, if you believe that your safety is of concern, you may take this chance to leave."

Whether the others were too stunned or confident, no one moved from where they were standing. The other races didn't pay attention to the human group. This was their choice and they were going to take it to the end.

"I did this cause I thought it would be easy," one of the males stated.

"You underestimate these trials," a dwarf spoke after.

"There is no shame in protecting one's life, if you must, you may leave in the middle of the trial. I wish for the best for you all. May the stars guide your path."

"Slither away, I will not. The sands they call me home."

"What's he saying," one fishmen said.

"They are new to communication, think of them not

As she exited the platform some fell to their knees in despair. There was no way a regular human can make it through this trial. It might be possible to make it half way but the slope and climb will be the most challenging.

Allen went down on one knee and began untying his shoelaces.

"Are you going to forfeit with your feet bare?" Krazong said in disappointment.

Allen did not listen as he was loosening the laces.

"That's a different type of low even by ork standards."

"Your standards are no worse than ours, halfling." The elf spoke up.

"Nay, I would say I'm better off with my way than to follow that of a twig."

"We'll see whose way will prevail in this."

"We shall see indeed."

The horns of the drag strip blared for the contestants to get ready.

Jubi rose up on a floating platform saying, "Contestants!" The humans perked their heads up.

"On your mark." They got back up on their feet and got into starting positions. Allen now unbuckling his belt. The red light illumining their faces as the cumulonimbus clouds passed above them

"Get set." As the light turned yellow, Krazong and the other races bodies rose higher to balance out the weight when they run.

Then the shot was heard and the horn blared for them to go.

The first to hit the slope were the elves who stopped in place while one of them foolishly kept going. Burdened by the weight of the pull, he fell flat on his face, sliding slowly to the bottom.

The fishmen were behind them but the intense gravity made them immobile, unable to continue on.

Krazong jogged passed them with ease despite the pull. He looked down towards the flattened elf who was halfway through the slope with a grin, "Is that all you got twig?"

The elf did not have enough energy to slam his fist in frustration.

A few dwarves rolled passed Krazong using their stature as a ball. A smart move on their part. They got to the climbing section with ease by the momentum of the rolling made them disoriented.

"Never felt this woozy since the Cog Festival back at Nidavellir," one dwarf came too.

"Shut up and get off me," the other below him said almost puking.

The other elves at the top of the slope slowly trudged down the slope in order to not make the same mistake their friend did.

"Use the momentum of our slide to get to the bottom," one said.

"We'll use that chance to pick up Haelir."

"Reckless as he is, we can't let Faerun run the dirt like he did."

"I can hear you!"

The lizardman seemed accustomed crawling to the end of the slope, slithering past the others. He eventually began climbing but failed to go any further. He overexerted himself through that short period of time and eventually went limp, falling hard next to Krazong who was taking on the course with ease.

The burden of the gravitational pull did not seem to bother him as he reached the net leading to the finish line.

"Like the beast said, the pull is lighter here but there is still a heavy one." He slowly made his way up to the top.

The satyr couldn't move any further than the slope, worried that he might slide to his doom.

Only 45 seconds remained on the timer.

The humans haven't made their move yet. "Screw it," Allen's voice was heard next to them, removing his pants.

They were about to revert their eyes but saw that he had his shoe tied to his belt with his laces hanging on the last eyelet.

"What are yo-" before one could comment, Allen ran forward swinging his makeshift rope around him angling it to where the front of the swing would barely scrape the ground.

The others looked to each other in a split confusion before they began their run as well.

Allen could feel the shoes weight getting heavier with every swing as he neared the slope. Once he reached the edge, with a long swoop, he swung the shoe as deep down the slope as he could and changed the trajectory of the swing towards the floating disc.

It latched on.

30 seconds remained.

The elves had already used their fabric to successfully slide to the bottom and reached the net. The dwarves had come out of their stupor and started as well. Krazong was nearly to the top of the net when he noticed the crowds around him cheering unusually loud.

When he turned to look, he saw Allen mid-air soaring towards the net.

Allen overestimated his swing though. He was aiming for the net but he carried too much momentum with him and so he was flying towards the top of the net. As he braced for impact, the edge of the finishing platform slammed into his stomach.

The platform seemed to wobble in front of him and the darkness started to surround him. A pilot would normally experience this when too much G-force causes the blood flow to the brain to drop, syncope.

Allen was in and out of it as he saw a large grey hand grab the platform next to him and Krazong's face looking towards him, disheartened that Allen's efforts would go to waste to the limitation of being human. Allen fell unconscious.

19 seconds remained on the clock.

~

Everyone in the stadium saw it just as clear as John did.

Allen untying his shoes, taking off his belt and putting them together to make a rope. As swung his makeshift rope around his head, John couldn't help but feel proud that Allen was as perceptive as ever.

Ever since they were kids, John was always the one that had been ahead in terms of valor while Elaine had an innate skill of adapting to anything. Allen however had the keen sense of awareness that no one had ever had and more.

It wasn't just Allen's performance that elated the crowd watching but the other contestants that followed him. For a brief moment, as he swung from the makeshift rope, he lets go. Allen let go of all the troubles that burdened his mind. He soared and as he did, so did the people around him.

The crowds cheering loudly at the feat that seemed impossible for a human made them feel a sense of breaking their limits.

The humans behind him stripped the extra equipment they brought but were still burdened by the weight of the gravity. One of them even caught on to Allen's rope and swung behind him.

The lizardmen who went limp woke to the excitement and began its swift climb up the rope. The dwarves and faerun went pass as well with the dwarves slowly making their way to the top.

Allen used the momentum of the gravitational pull to carry him over the slope, heading with intense speed towards the net.

It wasn't until Allen crashed into the platform that the crowd stopped cheering. His body fell limp as it slid off the platform and hung by his remaining shoe.

Krazong, the lizardmen and the dwarves were able to make it pass the finish line, leaving Allen hanging. The elves even went pass him. It was a rule to not interrupt but they still had a look of concern for the human.

The crowd gasped in concern and paramedics were on their way ready to assist.

"C'mon buddy, C'MON!" John could only say at the situation.

The silence was killing John and for a second he wanted to jump over and carry him to the finish line. He wanted to help but someone else cried out over the silence, "AAAALLEN!! GET UUUUP!!"

In that instant, Allen jolted up, twirled his body in a backflip and began climbing. Others followed behind him.

15 seconds remained on the clock.

~

Allen didn't know whose voice called out to him but it woke him up. The climb was rough due to the gravitational pull but he was willing to keep going.

He did not think of the time, he did not think of the pain in his stomach, he did not think of the world still wobbling around him. He only though about reaching the finish line.

8 seconds remained.

As he clambered over the platform, he slowly rolled up on his feet and jogged towards the finish line.

5 seconds.

He almost tumbled but caught himself mid fall with one foot.

3 seconds.

With that foot, he leapt to the finish line. It took him a second before he could get back up again. He didn't know whether he made it or not but the horns blared loudly.

He looked around his surroundings then behind him. He grinned softly to find the finish line behind him. He hadn't noticed the confetti and the crowd cheering around him until he fully became conscious.

It was over and he did it. He really did it. It wasn't until this moment of clarity his body gave in. The world spun around him as he fell on the ground. He fell unconscious again from sustained injury and relief.

Hands gathered around as the other human contestants came to support him up.

"Where's the paramedic?!" One of them called out. "Don't worry we got you."

Allen was fading in and out of consciousness at this point. However, he did notice a lugging figure walking out of the stage behind the crowd.

"Good job, little one." Krazong said with his back towards the crowd. He could've sworn he saw a little smirk on his face as he said that.

The noise of the people crowding began to fade away as his mind went to black.

Allen was taken to the infirmary after.

~

"This marks the end of this year's Rookiefest!"

The crowds cheered gleefully almost unceasingly. It was the hostess's voice to calmed the crowd.

"All contestants are being attending for injuries during this event but no one was fatally wounded this year. Contestants will be sent via mail," a pixie holding an envelope floated towards the hostess's palm, waving towards the camera, "as to know whether or not you have been invited to the Guild Selection Ceremony. To those who hadn't the chance to complete their trial, fear not for your efforts will be looked into carefully by our judges and esteemed guests."

The hostess pointed towards the people in the stands below who were conversing with the High Chief and Daibishop. The pope left for some business and Gabriel went back to his home to develop his research.

"We will have an end of the day celebration after this event so please do not stray too far away. Thank you for attending The Rookiefest. May the stars guide your path!"

The excitement didn't die down as the attendants left the stadium. From start to finish, there had been a great number of highlights that they talked about. One being Allen's efforts on the last trial. Not only was it exciting, it was the first trial to be completed by all its contestants.

Among them are the ones who had not been able to complete the trials this year. They did however look towards a promise to surpass themselves as he once did. With bruises and slings, they walked away with a sense of promise. Their heads were held high as they look forward to changing the odds for their stories don't end here.

~

In the depths of the sewers, creatures spoke in low tones, bellowing. They wait for the right time, the right moment to strike.

"Take to the darkness, my children," a large figure hid in the shadows. Its eyes glowed orange with a tinge of red circling the iris. "They know not of our presence."

"How long must we wait, milord." A minion spoke up only to be crushed under the large figure's hoof, letting out a slight squeal before the silence.

"When the time is nigh, when the prey least expects it."

"Isn't that right, Greed," the figure held a dying pixie with black ooze covering its body on one hand and an envelope in the other, grinning as the pixie's light flickered, revealing its triangular snout and a large grin.

More eyes lit up in the darkness as the black ooze wriggling around the walls making its way to the surface above, where the sounds of civilization resonate.

Edited and Reviewed by

Aces Association and Friends