The Proving Grounds

"You have unlocked the proving ground, Would you like to enter?" Aaron pondered the thought of what this could be as he lay on his bed looking up at the ceiling.

"What is a proving ground?" he spoke aloud. The text was replaced and it seemed to read the words in a robotic voice.

"The proving ground is a place to train and or practice skills" He still felt like he should ask more questions but he was more eager than cautious. "Take me to the proving ground" a red light was emanating from his walk in wardrobe. Aaron sat up as the glow got brighter and brighter.

Something deep inside him was telling him that he'd seen something similar in a movie from when he was a kid. "Will i need to get changed?" Aaron asked the menu. No answers as per usual.

Aaron opened the wardrobe. A swirling vortex that looked like it lead to non other than death itself.

"Step inside the portal"  The voice ordered.

"Fuck it, if i die then i die" Right now Aaron was too deep to go back to bed now. He steps into the portal.

HIs body felt like it was being torn apart then stitches back together painfully slow. When he arrived in this proving ground he was stood at the entrance to a colosseum that you'd find in Rome.

"It feels like I'm in a video game" he muttered as he strode through the entrance and to a set of stairs that gave him a better view.

"The proving grounds are designed for the chosen one to develop their combat skills"

Aaron looked around confused. "Combat? where are my weapons?" Aaron knew that he was pretty buggered without at least a knife.

"The proving ground armoury is now accessible..." The text disappeared. "Would you like directions to the armoury" 

"Well I'm not keen on getting lost i guess" The armoury wasn't that far away, Aaron felt patronised as he arrived there. "I guess i would have found it sooner or later" Aaron was wondering how long it would take him to feels the columns till he found the right one.

The door seemed to lead into nothingness but as he steps inside the grand armoury reveals itself.

"Choose your weapon for your first challenge"  A timer had begun ticking down from sixty seconds.

Aaron thought that if he got to choose when he entered that he could choose his challenge too. "Bollocks" he thought as he rapidly looked over the medieval weapons available to him.

"Without knowing what the challenge is i am pretty fucked" Aaron knew that it was either find a weapon or go out bare handed. "That's the one i wanted" Every road mans favourite round London. "I just got to get close enough to stick him with this" It wasn't the best idea to take a kitchen knife to a fight that lay inside a magic portal but that was the only thing he knew how to use proficiently.

"Time is up...please make your way to your opponent"  Aaron's legs were shaking, he was feeling worse now then when the sphere had charged him. Without a word Aaron stepped carefully onto the stage of the colosseum.

A shadowy figure stood in the centre of the arena. "Is this my opponent?" He thought, trying to keep a brave face. The figure had no face but it was no bigger than him and didn't seem to be carrying a weapon.

"I'm ready when you are then, i suppose" Aaron didn't think he could get out of this one. He didn't know if this figure was staring at him...it had no face.

Challenge commencing in 3...2...1"

The figure charged Aaron who had just managed to dodge a stab from his challenger. "That was a close call" he didn't get a change to reset his feet before the man like shadow charged towards him again. Aaron tried to slash at the figure but his blade went right through him. "Fuck!" it wasn't the first time he'd made a bad decision in his life. Aaron is grabbed by the neck and slammed to the ground.

It hadn't even been a minute yet and Aaron was seconds away from throwing in the towel. the menu popped up again.

"Would you like to change the difficulty... current difficulty: Extreme"

"This has a difficulty mechanic?" Aaron scrambled to his feet, blood oozing from a wound on his face. "Show me the other options"

"Difficulty options are as follows...Easy, Normal, Hard, Realistic and Extreme" 

"What sort of game sets a player up on the hardest difficulty?" Aaron's face could feel how much this wasn't a game. "Can i speak to the Sphere?"

"All communication to the outside world is blocked whilst you are inside the proving ground" 

Aaron sniggered "I guess I'll bitch and complain to it later then" He thought carefully about which level he he wanted to choose. "Lets start with easy and as i get better i will move up"

"Would you like to change the difficulty to Easy mode, be advised that you must defeat ten opponents before being able to raise it"

"Ten seemsa reasonable figure to match, yeah change it to Easy mode" Aaron knew that it didn't matter the level as its what this place was for.

"You have selected easy mode...changing challengers and Armoury to reflect this change"

The guy that just kicked his ass faded into the nothingness it came from. The arena was empty.

"Adjustments made please return to the armoury" Aaron with a pip in his step did exactly what.

The armoury hadn't changed much although there was pieces of armoury that looked cool but wouldn't help his mobility.

"I'll stick to my hoodie and trackies" he said. "Oh and look at that" in his vision was a similar timer to what he'd see above the arena door before. "Easy mode is the way to go"

"Two minutes to next challenge" Feeling a little more hopeful Aaron picked up what looked like a Police baton last to wield with his kitchen knife. "I'll be inconvenient and deadly"

Aaron would be ready this time.

Out on the arena floor, Aaron could see the same Shadowy figure.

"Lets see what easy mode feels like" he spoke quietly to himself. Aaron ran with the same ferocity as the figure had done before.

"AAAAHHHH!" As he reached his target Aaron smashed it round the face with his baton, repeatedly stabbing it in the stomach. The figure fell to the ground without a sound.

"Maybe easymode means the target is unsuspecting? Like a a victim in London i suppose" he said quietly to himself.

"You have defeated a enemy, please return to the armoury"

"That was a piece of piss (really easy)" Aaron Exclaimed. "This'll give me a chance to decide on a player style" Aaron could tell that this area was just like a video game.

"Would you like to continue?" The words seemed patronising but now he'd got his adrenaline pumping he no longer desired to go back to bed.

"One more then I'm leaving this place" He spoke with confidence. "And this time I'm going with these" Aaron had spotted a Dagger which had not been there before plus a short sword that he'd gather would be a good match for one another.

"Make your way to the arena" Aaron did so feeling like he'd got this.

Aaron ran outside with the Short sword in his right hand, and the Dagger in his left. He had to squint to stop the dust from going into his eyes. Aaron lunged at the figure with his Sword, stabbing it impaling them through the chest.

"Take that you faceless prick" Aaron spewed at his opponent. It fell to the ground and the menu came up once more.

"You have defeated an enemy, please enter the armoury"

"Banging" Aaron said as he strolled back to whence he came.

Whistling as he entered the Armoury Aaron could see a clock above the exit.

"Is that the time at home?" He questions.

"The time shown is what time is recorded in the real world"

For Aaron it felt like he'd been there atleast a day. "I've only been here for two minutes?"

"For every one day you are within the proving ground two minutes passes on the outside."

"This will definitely come in clutch then" He comments.

"Would you like to exit the proving ground?" The voice sounded like it would miss him.

"I've got eight fights left to go..." Aaron didn't know whether or not he should go back. He could spend atleast another couple of days in here as he didn't feel tired yet. "This place certainly is different that's for sure" he thought.

"Lets round it off" Aaron decided. "It's easy enough."

Aaron Slashed, Stabbed and beheaded that figure till he hit the magic ten. He was exhausted.

"It was certainly worse when you fought back mate" Aaron spoke to the mutilated figure that in the fetal position on the ground that he only a few challenges ago had feared.

"You have completed 10 challenges...Would you like to undergo a Difficulty assessment?"

"I'd imagine I'd need to prove i can handle this level first, but I think I'll go back to bed" Aaron couldn't believe he'd been in here for less than five minutes but now he was starting to tired. "Send me home please mate" Aaron saw a portal form infront of his eyes. He walks towards it and the screen pops up.

"Progress is being saved" and below that "Do not leave the proving ground whilst saving"

"Its like saving in a game" he thought. "I'll not be able to go back to my PC to game ever again"

"Saving complete you many now leave the proving ground" Aaron half heartedly left through the portal. He was flung from one end to the other and landed with a thud outside his wardrobe.

Aaron could hear quick feet approaching his bedroom door.

"Is everything okay in there master Aaron" asked Arnold who sounded out of breath.

As Aaron got stood back up he replied "I just fell out of bed Arni, no need to worry"

"Gave me quite there scare but as long as your okay" Aaron could hear him beginning to walk away. "Would you like me to look you over Master Aaron"

"Get some rest my friend, nothings happened that can't wait till the morning but thank you" Aaron replied knowing that Arnold was the one person he knew had his best interest at heart.

"Rest well Aaron and I will see you in the morning"

Aaron tried his best not to flick the Telepathy switch in his head as he slipped into a deep slumber.

He was having a lovely dream then the menu window opened..."You have a call..."

Aaron was now semi awake as this request came up. "Answer the buggar then" He grumbled.

"How is the search for your target going?" Aaron wasn't aware that it could call him through the menu.

"Spent abit of time in the training area" he replied. Why was it chasing him up this early in the morning.

"You must not forget your task, you must find Thomas Smith and Eliminate them."

"I know what the task is and if your going to keep remind me every couple of days it's going to get annoying" Aaron was right, if this mystical sphere was going to chase him up regularly even if he had no idea where to start he may find his heart stops beating sooner rather than later. He had to get a start.

"I will check in occasionally on your progress, as I have entrusted you with my gifts I expect a rapid completion to this mission" it retaliated.

"Do you know something i don't? If not I'm going back to sleep" the so called "call" was dropped. "I guess they will request a call if it detects the time is past midnight or something" he thought as he rolled onto his left side and tried to get back to sleep.