Season 1. Chapter 66: Game IIII
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CHAPTER: Labyrinth Games – Woodland Region, Level 5
Title: "The Hollow Coliseum"
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The mist thinned, and the world opened wide.
A vast underground dome stretched across the earth—a forgotten arena, its structure carved from ancient petrified wood and silver-flecked stone. The ceiling held the illusion of a sky: twilight frozen above, speckled with distant stars.
This was Level 5 – The Hollow Coliseum, the combat trial.
Here, brute strength wasn't enough. Showmanship, survival, and crowd manipulation mattered just as much. For the first time, the contestants were not alone.
Above them—illusions of past champions, instructors, and unknown spectators—watched from the branches, like echoes of judgment.
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The Rules:
> Survive five minutes in the ring.
Every thirty seconds, a new hazard appears.
You are graded not just on victory—but elegance, wit, and control.
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Contestants:
Shura stood quietly, staff gripped, eyes wary. Her cleric spells weren't meant for showy fights, but she had spirit on her side.
Elowen, with her elegant grip on water-based Vita magic, now focused it into sculpted defenses and pressure attacks.
The Moss-Hat Druid, now wordless, had grown quiet mushrooms on his back, each one twitching with reactive instinct.
Two unknowns remained, exhausted but burning with stubbornness.
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The Match Begins
First Hazard: Reverse Gravity Pulse.
A wave knocked contestants into the air. Those who couldn't land gracefully were stunned for five seconds.
Elowen conjured a geyser beneath her to ride the fall and gracefully pirouette onto a raised platform, earning illusion applause.
Second Hazard: Predator Illusion
A phantom beast stalked the arena—a ten-foot horned beast that vanished when seen. Contestants had to use strategy, reflection, or decoys.
Shura used a mirror shard from her pocket to track its movements, redirecting the beast toward another player.
Third Hazard: Thread Trap
Invisible threads—Zack's signature—crawled across the arena floor. They wouldn't bind this time, but they'd slice points off players' scores if touched.
Moss Druid grew a mushroom wall and walked across its cap bridge. Another player got entangled and lost half their score.
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The Final Minute: All Hazards Active
The arena shifted rapidly. The air crackled with energy. Players weren't just surviving—they were performing.
Shura invoked the spirits, momentarily glowing with twin sigils of the White Tiger and Black Tortoise. Elowen shaped a spiral of water into a floating lens that refracted the arena's dangers. The moss druid dove into a pit of spores, disappearing, only to reappear on a ceiling outcropping.
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Aftermath
As the hazards faded and the trial ended, scores shimmered midair:
Elowen: 91
Shura: 89
Moss Druid: 86
Others: Eliminated or scored below threshold
Tu Cherry and Tu Gooseberry reappeared through a glowing rift, tails swaying.
Yarrow stood beside them, arms folded.
> "Congratulations," Yarrow intoned, voice quiet but proud.
"You have earned the right to face the final trial."
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CHAPTER PREVIEW: Level 6 – Dwarven Village Trial
Title: "The Root of Judgment"
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The forest path narrowed until it opened into a sun-bathed dwarven village, tucked between frosty hills and pine-covered cliffs. Chimneys puffed with cinnamon-scented smoke. Laughter echoed. It was oddly… peaceful.
But peace was the trap.
Dozens of dwarves bustled about—bakers, blacksmiths, vegetable farmers, miners—all illusory, yet deeply reactive. The players were guided to a long field and a humble dwarf with a pipe and tired eyes.
> "Pick the three vegetables that don't belong," he said.
"They're impostors. Poisonous in disguise. Get it wrong, and the field resets... violently."
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Mechanics:
The trial is not about combat, but observation, instinct, and subtle druidic logic
Mushrooms that fake ripeness
Carrots that change their color under moonlight
Onions that whisper if you listen close enough
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Twist:
There's no single correct answer. Each player is tested differently. The vegetables change based on personal history, magical affinity, and emotional state. The village itself adjusts.
Only those who understand themselves better than the garden pass.
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End of Woodland Region Arc Approaches...
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CHAPTER: "Echoes and Embers"
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The campfire crackled softly in the fading dusk. Riven stood beneath the old stone arch of a half-collapsed tower, arms folded, head tilted as the flames reflected against his wooly-blue hair. Maps fluttered behind him on crates as Hale Eryndor, his tactician companion, ran over projected paths and elemental trend patterns.
> "Three players marked red," Hale muttered. "They've begun breaking protocol. If Zack doesn't intercept soon, they'll scatter past reach."
Riven didn't respond immediately—just smirked faintly, watching the patterns shift.
Somewhere nearby, the quiet shuffling of boots approached.
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Oliver, his green jacket slightly damp from forest dew, approached the edge of the planning circle. He paused only briefly, then veered off—toward Garrick, who was busy trying (and failing) to sweep pine needles off a stone doorstep.
"Hey Garrick," Oliver said.
The half-dwarf glanced up, brushing his dirty blonde bangs aside. "Yeah? You finally gonna confess your undying admiration for my cleaning technique?"
Oliver blinked. "I was gonna ask if you were okay with adding someone else to our circle."
Garrick exhaled dramatically. "Another? Sure, why not. What's a revolution without new weirdos." He pointed a broom at Oliver. "But if they step in my personal corner of the tent, I will explode. Emotionally."
Oliver offered a nod and subtle smile. "Thanks."
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Back at their tent, Fern lay curled beneath a blanket of leaves and moss, in a deep, immovable sleep. The druid's soft breathing was accompanied by faint plant growth at her fingertips. She wouldn't stir until the moon turned.
So Oliver turned elsewhere.
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Nico was upside down.
Literally—hanging from a tree branch by his tails, orange hair dangling toward the forest floor.
> "Took you long enough," the foxkin grinned, flipping down and landing effortlessly next to Oliver. "I knew you'd want me eventually. Who else has charm, agility, and directional instincts better than a migrating bird?"
Oliver raised a brow. "You read the situation or just guessed?"
"Both," Nico winked. "Now, let's crack the map."
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The Search Begins
They unfurled a Systematic Map—an adaptive scroll made of Vita-bound bark that glowed with golden veins. Oliver pressed his fingers against the etched surface and whispered:
> "Find potential player vectors. Priority: Zack Erebus."
The map pulsed blue and red, drawing shifting lines from various labyrinth exit points.
Nico leaned over it, tail twitching. "Looks like... they're funneling through the Aurelian Verge. Which means…"
Oliver narrowed his eyes. "...They're heading into the Fairy Forest."
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Scene Transition – Toward the Unknown
The Fairy Forest wasn't marked on most official maps. To outsiders, it appeared as just another section of woodland—but those who entered quickly learned otherwise.
Winds changed direction mid-step. Trees reshaped their branches to hide paths. And whispers filled the air, speaking in riddles or laughter. Fairies didn't like logic—but they adored Vita.
As the sun dropped behind the trees, casting golden light through the canopy, Oliver and Nico approached the edge.
> "You think Zack would be in there?" Nico asked, ears tilted back.
"He's not really the... glittering mushroom type."
Oliver stared ahead, silent for a moment. "If someone's cheating in there… or if they've broken pattern... he'd follow."
The trees pulsed faintly, as if listening.
Oliver stepped forward. "Let's find him."
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