Inventions Part Two

After inventing the Triphara, Hendrix constructed a copious amount of them.

Once finished, he assembled enough for each hole in the wall to have one inside and the ammo required to use them. Additionally, he filled two storage rooms with Triphara's if he ran out of them.

Consequently, he began fabricating numerous items he felt necessary for his assessment. He concocted wooden needles and rods, more tools, the custom armor he made in his tribulation, food, water storage, etc.

Hendrix spent two millennia creating all he needed, gathering the materials to manufacture them, and constructing Triphara's. Once finished, he went to the bottom of the wall and out the door before digging a trench right in front of it.

Afterward, Hendrix spent one millennium digging the trench, and once accomplished. It was fifteen feet deep, five miles long, and twenty feet wide. Consequently, he began creating and filling the trench with long wooden poles to impale his possible foes.

Hendrix spent another millennium accomplishing this task. Afterward, Hendrix returned to the wall, navigated its corridors, and sat on a chair.

'I'm not sure if I have prepared enough Ackalon. I fear my curse of Majesty will increase the difficulty of my opponents.' Hendrix thought while rolling his neck from side to side. Subsequently, his focus drifted to his bed multiple times, having difficulty keeping his eyes open.

{I'm sorry you're so stressed, Hendrix. Please rest and relax. If only I could hold you when you sleep here, I would.}

'I will, but after I sleep, I'll need to start the combative part of this assessment. I can't think of anything else I can do to prepare.' Hendrix thought while he swayed and got up. Afterward, he got his cane and stumbled towards his bed. Subsequently, he leaped into his bed and fell asleep.

***

Hendrix got up after an hour of sleep with narrowed eyes. Afterward, he fleetly geared up, putting on a pair of custom armor, before loading his needles into the straps and grabbing two wooden poles, and putting them in his scabbards.

'Guide, I'm finished preparing my fortifications.' Hendrix thought while slowly walking to one of the holes in the wall, using his cane.

[Are you sure you are ready?]

[You only have one life in the combat stage.]

'I'm sure. Please begin.'

[Acknowledged]

[Loading opponents]

[...]

[Warning your Curse of Majesty has altered the combat assessment's difficulty.]

[...]

[Oculus has decided your opponents, and it's variable.]

[Because of your special circumstances, you'll have a mini-game, Tower Defense.]

[You must destroy the wall of bones three times to win this mini-game. You will face off against a continuous stream of bone abominations and variants.]

[You lose if you die]

'Alright, may I know the variants?' Hendrix thought while frowning and lowering his head before heavily sighing and bitterly smiling.

[You're allowed to know their names]

[There are four variants, the Aerial bone abomination, the Rampart bone abomination, the Mender bone abomination, and The Harbringer]

'The Harbinger' sounds like it's in a league of its own. I wonder how it will fight.'

[I can't tell you how Hendrix.]

{Hendrix, be careful}

'I'll do my best, but I can't promise I won't be hurt. Especially in an assessment of this magnitude.'

{Alright}

Hendrix hurriedly arrived in front of one of the holes in the wall before looking out into the canyon. His eyes narrowed while he stared abroad towards the canyon bend.

After about three minutes, the structure began shaking alongside the canyon walls. As time progressed, the tremors increased as rocks and debris fell from higher elevations. Subsequently, a faint white silhouette languidly appeared on the horizon.

'Is this the wall of bones?' Hendrix thought while pinching his nose and sighing.

The silhouette's frame and features slowly became visible as it approached Hendrix's structure. It had a hundred barely visible holes spread throughout its frame. While it crawled across the ground using seven long bony tendrils, which pulled it along.

Protruding bones with a variety of shapes covered its frame. All the bones contorted, spiraled, and warped into directions, causing its body to be tumultuous and turbulent in look.

It eventually stopped about a mile away from Hendrix's structure. Before its holes began dilating and expanding, after they finished amplifying their size, they extended outward.

Once they stopped expanding, they shot out a ball of bone each. These spherical bones flew about halfway to Hendrix's structure before landing and laying motionless.

After a few moments, the bone spheres began opening up and revealing bone abominations identical to the Tribulation ones. They all got up unitedly before walking towards the structure in unison.

[Combat Stage has begun]

'The difficulty seems higher than my tribulation.' Hendrix thought while his vacant gaze surveyed his opponents.

The bone abominations continued approaching before stopping at the trench Hendrix dug. Afterward, they leaped into the trench before impaling some of their joints on the wooden spikes.

'It seems my trench spikes are dealing some damage, though it'll heal if they pull them out.'

Subsequently, the bone abominations eventually got themselves out and began destroying spikes or anything else obstructing their way.

{You should start fighting Hendrix. You currently have the advantage. If you continue to idle until they enter, it will be lost.}

'I know. I'll head to the first floor. I don't have a perfect aim with really far distances.' Hendrix thought before leaving the hole and spending an hour descending the stairs to the ground floor. Afterward, he looked out one of the holes near the trench.

{You can aim now. However, you should practice your aiming skills for distant targets. That seems to be a weakness you can rectify, Hendrix.}

'I understand, though for now, I must focus on this assessment. I can attempt correcting that weakness after I finish.' Hendrix thought before he grabbed a needle and pulled it back on his tiny bow, aiming at the closest bone abomination's joint.

{If only I could help you right now. I'd be thrilled and grateful. I hate that I can't help or protect you from what you will face.}

'I'm happy you want to help me, but it may be a long time before that comes to fruition. Until then, I'll do things by myself.' Hendrix thought, holding back, not ready to fire just yet. Before making sure the varmint he chose is the closest to him.

Hendrix carefully observed the bone abominations before finally releasing the first shot.