Testing

No sooner had the venerable goblin finished speaking had the aspiring competitors scattered into the winds, eager to be the first to find the treasure. The more intellectually minded of them turned inwards, consulting books, records, or the religious centers for ancient knowledge, thinking that a relic piece of paper would provide the precise location of some piece of treasure needed in just this occasion. Some others took the other extreme, charging headfirst towards the river, hoping that a strong front stroke and hearty pair of lungs would be all it took to pluck the item from the riverbanks. You knew better than to pursue either choice. Grimix was clever, as well as having high standards. This was never going to be that simple. There was a puzzle to work out, you were sure of that; he would never give up the game that easy.

He said under the water, you remember. He could have very easily been speaking literally. You remember that the Pathfinders dealt with some kind of monsters a while back that were associated with underground cave systems. If so, there must be an entrance nearby, and if so, you'd be willing to bet it's in the hills, beyond the Krug River. As you exited the city and crossed the bridge, you could see that the river was already full of other hopefuls, using different means to track the treasure down. An enterprising wizard had even used his magical prowess to try and detect metal in the river, with a friend going after it. That so many were taking the obvious answer and coming up short helped fill you with confidence. The only thing that worried you, for now, was that if you're wrong, that the bookish types might figure it out before you're able to figure it out and correct course. That was a risk you were going to have to take, for the moment.

You could feel yourself sweating already underneath your heavy armor as you strode upwards in the midday sun. It was uncomfortable, but nothing you couldn't handle, or weren't used to. The fires of the forge had not only tempered the metal you worked, but you as well. For as badly and as long as you've wanted to become a Pathfinder, this certainly wasn't going to stop you. Nor was treading into the dark, as you reached the gaping mouth of a cave system, seemingly out of nowhere and definitely away from the Krug River currently runs. Though not as keenly suited for the underground as the dwarves or the darkened elves, you'd be able to see well enough; better than the humans at least, which comprised most of your competitors.

Sword drawn, you moved into the cave slowly. You had no idea what might be living in here, but you were at least aware that most cave dwellers, animals and monsters alike, were territorial and not keen on unwanted visitors. The last thing you needed was you loudly and quickly parading through and attracting the kind and amount of attention that you couldn’t handle. Seeing crushed and dry bones of a long since dead corpse, gave you a grim reminder that was an entirely distinct possibility.

“Sorry friends” You spoke to the piles of bones “Pray for me that I have better luck than you did.” You moved along, cautious to not step on any of the remains. Though they had clearly long since been dead, you know Dineth the Destroyer, the God of Death, was extremely sensitive about perceived disrespect of the dead, and would not suffer those who refused his commands. You grew more cautious, as the skeletal remains became more intact as you went further in. You’d lost all available natural light and not seen anything, leading you to think that perhaps you’d gone down here for nothing. Still, the cavern still went on, winding upwards and downwards, left and right, to the point you’d lost track of which cardinal direction you were even facing anymore. It had been unimportant until now, you would merely need to follow the path you took in to get back out.

Hitting upon a crossroads of sorts, that plan changed, and let you with a choice. There was a steep, curved, slanted hill upwards that had converged on your path, where the two merged before coming to a sudden stop, arriving at a cliff face that went down for a considerable distance, it could be climbed down, you reckon, with a great deal of patience, strength, and skill. You could hear the faint sound of moving water, suggesting you may be on the right course after all. As you listened closely to try to determine where the sound was coming from, you heard a more distressing noise that caused you to turn back.

Three of the intact skeletons you’d passed had become animated by some foreign, unknown means. Slow, machine like movement, they seemed to be even less cognitively capable than Zombies, they must have risen to attack anything that moved past them, you thought. Grabbing basic clubs, their hostile intents were clear. You could continue to try and outrun them, but you reasoned they would continue pursuing you no matter what.

Standing to fight, you took a defensive position until they were near enough to strike. Hoping to collapse the skeleton in on itself, you made a piercing stab between the ribs, hoping to reach the spine. Having misjudged, the blade merely went between them and to the side. Swatting your hand away with the club, you let go of the sword, which quickly fell unceremoniously to the cold floor. Grimacing in pain, you held tight to your shield. As the skeleton came down with his weapon at you again, you opted to turn the defensive tool into an offensive one. Sidestepping, you Slammed it into the enemy, and charged towards the wall. Lacking primary movement beyond the magic that powered it, it easily lost footing, powerless to stop you, cracking and breaking apart in between the hard jagged stone wall and the metal shield.

Showing an unexpected degree of awareness, one of the other skeletons picked up the dropped sword, wielding it alongside the club it already possessed. You picked up the club dropped by the first skeleton, giving it a slight shift in your hands to understand its weight and balance. The other two skeletons had come up behind, and again with unexpected intelligence seemed to be trying to surround you. Defending yourself would be all the harder in that kind of position, and so you decided to rush them, taking a small risk now to prevent putting yourself in a greater one later. Taking a wide, horizontal arc, you swung for the lead skeleton’s head just as it was trying to take a diagnol slash at you. The club face made clean contact with the skull, cracking it severely. The animating magic vanished immediately, causing the swing to be given up partway through, the sword dropping and sliding along the ground before it fell off the cliff with a series of loud clangs. Unable to dwell on how damaged the weapon might be, or even if you’d be able to find it again, you instead continued to take the fight to the remaining foes. No sooner had that skeleton dropped that you were able to set yourself up to attack the one to the left. Pulling your arm back, you used the inertia to swing your body opposite the direction it had already moved to put even more weight into your next swing. Achieving what you’d tried to do with the sword, you were able to connect with the spinal column, shattering the body into two distinct clumps of bone, neither of which moved any further.

The final animated undead was a bit more erratic. Desperate even, swinging quick, wild strikes with its club to keep you away from it. Feeling confident in your abilities, you were willing to bide time, looking for an opening. Seeing the cliff face behind it, you had a clever solution. Stepping into a blow and lifting your shield up, you were able to get close in. Pulling your shield in close again, you used it’s extra heft and size to give an authoritative shove. It was enough to move it backwards, losing it’s footing as the one had prior. Tumbling back, it fell off the cliff, a clattering of crashing and breaking bones as it went down.

The threat done, you could now properly reassess your next steps. The slanted hill looked smooth and likely formed by the movement of water, which would have probably also made the cliff face. If that’s where the water went, that was also probably the direction you needed to go. Carefully looking over the cliff, you tried to find the best place to go down. There was no easy path, that was for sure. You could make the journey in your armor, but the extra weight and awkwardness of the shield on your arm would make it too difficult to repel down.

“Fuck” You let out into the quiet void as you took it off, really thinking about what you were about to do. Not only were you letting go of an expensive bit of gear, you were also taking a huge risk. Nobody knew you were here, you realized, meaning if you took a fall and broke something, nobody would know to come down here to find you. Is this really worth it? You asked yourself. “All of this to become a Pathfinder?”

You steeled yourself, realizing the answer immediately. If you were going to be adventuring pathfinder, taking risks and entering dangerous situations was a natural and inevitable part of the job. This would surely be a part of the test; to weed out the cowards. Taking a deep breath, you turned yourself around, and began to descend the cliff face. It was a nerve wracking ordeal, constantly looking about for the next place to put a foot or a hand. You thanked Quargh for granting you your sight in the dark. Had you been human, needing a torch or the like to see, you’d surely have been doomed by now. You quickly lost track of time going down, it felt like an eternity, reminding yourself constantly that while this larger event is technically a race, this section has to be done with extreme patience.

Having made more than halfway down, you gauged that you would be able to safely jump off and land on your feet without any injury. Ensuring there was no ledge or impediment behind you that you might bump into and lose control, you positioned your feet in places where you had good stability and power from. On a self count, taking short deep breaths on each one, you pushed yourself off, making sure to clear the space between you and the rock wall. Though only for a second or two, the weightless falling feeling was greatly unnerving. The sudden landing more so. Unused to this behavior, you hadn’t factored the additional weight of your armor on your body when you landed, causing pain in your feet and discomfort throughout your body.

“Not doing that again” You groaned out to yourself as you slowly moved your body, recovering from the landing. Looking back up the way you came, you became reasonably sure you would not be able to get back up that way. Anxiety ran through your body again, fearing you may have trapped yourself down in here. Taking a moment to calm yourself, you heard the sound of water again. If the water is running anywhere, and not pooling in this chasm, it must be going somewhere. That must mean there would be a way out.

Following the sound was a little difficult. The sound reverberating off the walls changed in volume and direction, making you doubt yourself multiple times whether you were going the right way. Continuing on despite the doubt, you were eventually able to find the source. It was far more than you had anticipated. There was a river of water going through the cave, it’s source and destination unclear. There was a waterfall in the distance to your left, with a strong current moving off to your right. A slight gleam of light suggested that may have been a way out.

You felt a pain of defeat, seeing the scenario before you, seeming like you’d gone in a large circle with nothing to gain for it, and having lost your weapon and your shield. Grabbing a rock from the ground, you threw it into the lake angrily, yelling out an inaudible sound.

“Well, Khlia, there went your shot” You lamented. Sitting on cross legged on the stone floor, you took a moment to regroup yourself before moving one step or another. As you tried to collect yourself emotionally, you saw something curious in the distance. There seemed to be a cavity behind the waterfall, and looked like there may have been something there.

“Under the water” You said to yourself, realizing that anything in that cavity would, technically, be under the water roaring several feet over it. You couldn’t tell from this distance or through the water what it was, but it seemed large. At this point, you had to see for yourself. You had nothing else to lose for looking.

Putting your hand in the water for a moment, you felt the current and the temperature of the water. It was moving fast and strong. Never having learned to swim, moving up through the river with the extra weight of your armor was a terrifying prospect. You were sure though that undressed, you’d be able to make it. Your body was already feeling a slight chill, just from your skin being exposed to the slight spray of the cold river. Your kind was built to withstand worse, but it was still important to note how your body was reacting. If it started shivering, everything to follow would be made worse. Additionally, getting in that metal armor wouldn’t do you any favors of getting your body warmed back up again once you were out.

You tepidly moved yourself from the flat rock you stood on into the river, your body tightening as it acclimated to the chill of the water. It was a work of strength, walking in this water, past your waist, against the strong current. What you hadn’t counted on, were rocks or other obstructions on the floor below you. There were harsh edges throughout, making it hard to find a safe and comfortable place for you to plant your foot to take another step forward. What would have taken you a minute or two to cross on normal flat ground seemed to have taken three or four times as long, but you would not be deterred. With each step, you saw clearer that there was in fact something under that waterfall, more certain that it was the target of the mission. More confident that it was your key to becoming a Pathfinder.

As you heaved yourself up, it was another bracing shot of cold as you went under the waterfall, now your entire body cold and subject to the chill. Up close and without the water obscuring your vision, it was a large, heavy, decorative chest.

“Always one more thing” You grimaced, catching your breath. Even heading out with the current rather than against it, getting out of here with this, whatever it was, would prove to be difficult. You had a hard time imagining that the thing would float in the water, which would mean carrying it through the water while also working to not be swept up by it.

You opened it up to see what was inside, and were surprised by what you found. It was a full set of plate armor. Although you had just taken your armor off to retreive this one, it was clearly superior. Not only would it protect you better on a basic level, it was clearly of a higher quality than you'd ever seen before. Picking up the pieces, they seemed to have no weight to them at all.

"What in the world?" You asked yourself out loud. Though not a wizard and no training or experience in the arcane, it seemed to you that it was magical in some way. Grimix or someone else would tell you more, as you were now sure this was what you were after. With a second wind, you took the chest, and started making your way back. Though the chest itself had heft to it, it seemed as though there were no contents inside. You were originally unsure about putting your armor back on, but you felt reasonably confident you could get your way out. You certainly didn’t want to trudge back into town undressed, if you could help it. Not that you were embarrassed of your body, mind you, far from it. You just didn’t want to deal with the consequences.

Following the water out was a small act of faith in itself, as the river chocked down to a small hole, leaving no room above the waterline. Taking a deep breath of water and pushing for it, you forced through, getting yourself and your newfound treasure through. Opening your eyes, the sudden change in brightness, even through the muddy water, told you were on the other side. Lifting a hand up above your head, you ensured the space was clear before you rose your head up. Taking a deep breath, you looked about, trying to reorient yourself. The first thing you noticed was how late in the day it already was, the sun nearly setting. Second thing you saw, once you got yourself out of the river, was the city of Khoquarag off in the distance. The distance in the cavern had been deceiving, now a good deal further than you had imagined, and even further away than you had traveled before. You could see how the waterway you traveled, now much calmer on the opposite side of the mountain wall, later fed into the Krug river. It didn’t make sense how that worked the way you did, but you weren’t going to dwell so much on it. If this was all a work of the Fey, there’s really no reason that it would have to follow any rules of science or logic as you’d understand it, not that you were ever greatly educated in such things.

The important thing now was that you could literally Find a Path to get home, with the treasure you found from the mission. It would take a lot of time and energy to get back there, but you were more than ready to take the journey. The hard part was over now, you were sure of that, and all worth while so that you could return and achieve your lifelong goal.

To become a Pathfinder.