The warriors and the audience were given a fifteen minute break before the next trial. The remaining eleven were led to another tent, where different foods and drinks were being served for them to replenish their strength.
“Enjoy your break, combatants,” the announcer told them. “You won’t get another.”
Everyone sat down and rested while waiting for the next trial. The dead were being mourned; except the Reeper, who didn’t have a team.
Axel spotted nine amulets slotted into the announcer’s gauntlet. He stared at him with revulsion. The announcer looked back at him.
“I get one amulet for the strongest of the dead in each trial, Mr. Brooks,” The announcer said with a sneer. “I wonder whose soul I’ll receive next.”
Axel continued to stare at him as he walked out of the green tent.
“Hey, are you OK?” Belle asked Axel.
“Yeah. Why?”
“You were looking at the announcer like you wanted to kill him.”
“I do want to kill him,” Axel replied as he sat down with her near a table.
“Why? What did he do to you?” she asked, waving her mug.
“Doesn’t matter,” he said. “Very soon we’ll be leaving Rayfort.”
“You’re right,” she said, drinking from her mug. “In a few minutes we’ll either end up in Bluegate or in a grave.”
“You don’t think we’ll win?”
“The best warriors are dropping like flies!”
“We’re alive, aren’t we?”
“Through sheer luck.”
“I don’t think so.” He leaned back in his chair. “We do have to be careful in this trial, though. Everyone will be trying to sabotage each other in the next trial so that there are fewer opponents in the final one.”
“Have a little more faith in people, Axel.” She took another sip from her mug. “What about us?”
“Hm?”
“Will we sabotage others for the final trial?”
“We won’t intervene unless we have to,” Axel replied. “They’re welcome to kill themselves.”
“Huh.” Belle took her final sip, then put the mug on the table. “I guess there’s just one thing I don’t get.”
“What’s that?”
“Why does Ender hold these trials only to kill the winners in the end, like the twins told you? I mean, I know he’s evil, but that just seems foolish. If you have a warrior capable enough to survive these trials, why not recruit the person as a guard or a soldier?”
“That’s out of the question for him,” Axel explained. “He’s paranoid. He knows most people in Rayfort hate him. He’d rather not have a possible traitor in his royal army.”
“Then why hold these trials at all?”
“This, all this, is just some sick game to him.” He sat upright again. “He derives pleasure from bloodshed. All the more reason he needs to go.”
After a moment, Belle began to ask, “Did you know Ender well before-”
“Stop.” Axel said in a low voice.
“What?”
“I know what you’re asking, but don’t ask it here.”
“Why?”
“Because of him.” He discreetly pointed towards the elf, who was sitting at the nearest table, his back turned towards Axel.
“He suspects,” Axel said, carefully picking his words. “And if he has proof, he will cause a disturbance, and our hopes of getting there-” he pointed upwards, “-will be lost.”
“Oh.” Belle raised her eyebrows. “That elf is dangerous.”
“I know. Apart from us, he might be the best warrior in the group. We need to be alert.”
The elf got up and walked away with a smile, putting an amulet back in his pocket.
After a few more minutes of waiting, the group was asked to get up and walk towards the next building.
“How does the audience even see what goes on inside these buildings?” A warrior questioned.
“The ravens,” the Auremian replied, pointing at one flying over them. “The audience sees what they see.”
“And what if we kill those pesky ravens?” the warrior asked.
“Then you get disqualified,” Axel said. “Which is a polite way of saying you’ll be killed.”
The warriors continued to walk near the building, where they were asked to stop for a brief moment by the announcer.
“The second trial is about to commence!” The announcer said while the audience cheered.
“Soon, our warriors will be locked in a death room! Who will live? Who will die? We’ll soon find out!” The audience cheer grew much louder.
The announcer turned to the contestants.
“Warriors, prepare yourselves!” The door to the next building opened.
“‘Death room’?” A fighter said. “That is very vague.”
The warriors walked into the building leading to a dark room much like in the first trial, and the door closed behind them. This room was much smaller than the last one.
A control orb floated in front of the group.
“Mr. Brooks, if you will,” the announcer’s voice boomed. Axel frowned.
“Ugh, quit with the theatrics,” a mage said, and walked up to the orb. He held it similar to how Axel did and began slowly reading the spell.
Axel knew what was about to happen; he crossed his arms and waited for it.
The control orb suddenly turned red and let out a blast of force, throwing the mage back. He lay on the ground, groaning in pain.
“I believe I distinctly said ‘Mr. Brooks’, not ‘Mr. Ray,’” The announcer said. “Correct?”
Axel walked up to the orb and muttered the spell while the mage looked at him in frustration. The orb flickered, then disappeared.
“Let the second trial commence!”
The floor started shaking. The warriors frantically looked around.
“What’s happening?” A fighter said.
All of a sudden a large part of the floor rose up into the air in front of the warriors, like a platform; then it sank into the ground again. Another platform rose out of the ground, stayed for ten seconds, then sank back into the ground. The contestants stared in confusion.
“Are we supposed to climb on them?” a mage said.
“I’d assume so,” The Auremian said. “Is this the dreaded ‘death room?” He started roaring with laughter.
“This is a joke,” a fighter said. “Come on, let’s find the exIT-” before she could finish his sentence, a platform lifted off the ground, taking her with it. She stood on the edge, and managed to balance for a second before tumbling down. She drew her sword and stabbed it into the side of the platform, hanging on for her life.
“Curse these stupid trials!” she yelled from above. If she fell from this height, she would definitely break her neck.
Multiple other platforms rose from the ground in random order. As some started sinking, others rose.
Another platform went up, taking most of the warriors with it, including Axel and Belle. Axel used magic to lift himself of the ground and hover in the air, so that he doesn’t have to jump from platform to platform. Other mages did the same.
“As deadly as this is,” Belle said, “For a death room this still isn’t that bad.”
As if on cue, a green liquid suddenly shot out of the walls, and quickly began covering the ground. Fumes came out of it, and it began corroding the boots of the warriors still down below.
“OK, that’s bad,” Belle said.