N iarrah, Lirradon’s granddaughter, was a Novice about to become an Apprentice. Because of her fast development, many elders, including her grandsire, had great hopes for the young prodigy.
She was now in charge of a reconnaissance group that included three Guards and ten Apprentices, all reporting to her.
When the Arena-unlocking system message appeared, Niarrah was at a family meeting discussing the plan of fighting off the Devourers, and the powerful energy flash that had been reported by the scouts.
Present were four elders, two deputies, and Niarrah’s elder brother and sister who, like herself, had earned this privilege through hard work that benefitted their family.
Harron, age fifty-eight, was an Apprentice, and had devoted himself to clearing the dungeons of mobs and searching for ancient artifacts. His effort put two new dungeons under the control of the Great Family of Nero and yielded five scrolls with long-forgotten skills and spells.
Orrliah, the sister, had become a Guard at the age of eighty-six, which gave her a voice in all important family affairs. Although she had left the rank of an Apprentice behind her thirty-seven years ago, she was still praised as a young genius.
Niarrah blinked, reading the messages. Shifting her gaze to her family members, she saw everyone staring at her with excitement.
“Sister,” Harron said, a note of triumph evident in his voice despite his effort to contain it. “A unique opportunity has presented itself to you.”
“An opportunity?”
“I’ll explain.” Varrdak, one of the elders, stood up from the table, a kind smile on his wrinkled face, and went to the door, beckoning her to follow. “While we’re away, you summon all the Novices to the Battle Hall and report to the Head. Perhaps we should host a tournament for those who want to enter the Arena.”
Confused and followed by everyone’s stares, Niarrah went after Varrdak. The meeting was held in the Council building, the nooks and crannies of which she knew very well, having spent much time there since she was a child. But, passing another door, she realized that she had never been to this part of the building before.
She saw even more unfamiliar staircases, rooms, and passages until Varrdak stopped before a sealed stone door.
Niarrah could no longer contain her curiosity. At twenty-six, she still was an adolescent by the standards of the Tinorr people, and she was as inquisitive as nearly every person her age.
“What’s this place? Why have I never heard of it?”
“A moment.”
Varrdak took a small square locket out of his pocket and, putting it into a matching hollow in the door, poured his mental energy into it.
The locket gradually took on a soft blue glow, and then the ground trembled. With a dull thud, the door began to open, responding to the elder’s magic.
Niarrah waited patiently, out of respect for Varrdak more than anything else. Finally, when the doors stopped moving, she snuck a peek inside and saw a rectangular stone stela topped with a twirling hologram of a shield and a sword.
“Come,” Varrdak called and waved his hand, inviting her in. Seeing that she was too mesmerized to move, he put a hand on her shoulder and nudged her inside.
The room looked odd. Like it was transported into this world from a different one.
The stela was about seven feet tall and about two fingers wide, enveloped in condensed magic energy. Small airwaves would run down it from time to time, as though cleaning its surface, but with no visible effect. The only other thing in the room —– except for the hologram and the ambiance of antiquity — were the blue glowing words hanging in the air.
The Arena
Difficulty levels available: Novice (I)
Niarrah gasped in admiration, barely containing the urge to touch the stone structure. Instead, she looked at Varrdak who seemed to be struggling to come to terms with the fact that there was a hologram above the stela, waiting for an explanation.
“It’s working,” he muttered to himself.
“Elder Varrdak?” she called to draw his attention.
“Ah, forgive me, child.” Looking into her bright-yellow eyes filled with anticipation, he smiled gently. A good friend of her grandsire, he considered her as his own granddaughter and often referred to her as such in informal situations. “I’ll be brief. This stela opens the way to an inter-server arena. We don’t know how it operates or where it’s located. Not even our ancestors knew these things. According to their records, it transports your mind to a hidden location that abides by its own rules. In the past, it used to be open to all players. But with the Admins’ departure, the access to it was lost, like many of the System’s powers.”
“Yes. I remember reading something about it in the books.” Propping her chin with her hand, Niarrah stared at the stela, remembering all she knew about the ancients. “The legendary Space Store is another piece of their legacy, isn’t it? But why would the Arena only open now while the Store has been open all this time?”
“No one knows.” Varrdak shook his head. “Perhaps someone has found a way to activate it. A way that worked, unlike all the rest.”
“Could it have happened because they are back?”
Varrdak considered her question for a while, then heaved a sigh.
“We’ll know soon enough. It doesn’t matter right now. Focus on the Arena.”
“Yes, elder.” Niarrah argued no further. Instead, she asked another question, tilting her head to the side. “What’s this opportunity that my brother mentioned?”
“The Arena. We don’t know what will happen after it activates, so the choice is up to you. You can become the first player in many thousand years to use it. But you might die, so—”
“I’m ready,” Niarrah interrupted, voice full of determination.
“You...” Looking into her serious face, Varrdak saw that she had already made her mind, so he just nodded with a sigh, accepting her decision. “Very well then.”
He took a step back, leaving her alone at the stela.
Although Niarrah’s decision was a firm one, she didn’t rush. Approaching the structure slowly, she stopped and, darting a glance over her shoulder, saw Varrdak nod at her.
“Take care.”
“I will.”
She took a deep breath and, gritting her teeth, shot her hand forward to touch the cold stone.
Enter the Arena?
Yes/No
***
Getting no reply, Raven was about to shrug and go back to his business when he heard the same voice say:
You are being challenged by Niarrah, daughter of Emperor Darral.
Accept?
Yes/No
“Challenged? Daughter of an emperor? What? I thought I was alone here.”
Taken aback, he considered it for a while. Realizing that he wouldn’t get any of his questions answered if he sat here pondering them, he rubbed his chin and accepted the challenge. He was here to find out what the Arena was, so it’d be stupid to leave without giving it a go.
Once he accepted the challenge, the darkness dispersed and he found himself in a glade surrounded by a forest, with a small stone altar in its middle — and his opponent standing forty paces behind it.
Niarrah looked young, about seven feet tall, and dressed in gear like nothing he had ever seen before — some sort of an unusual yet stylish-looking military uniform. He knew that Ascension was full of things he had never seen before so, instead of spending any more time staring at her clothing, he looked up at her face.
Her blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and her gray skin webbed with lightning-like cracks. Her bright yellow eyes observed him just as closely. He could see her brows rising higher and higher in astonishment.
They would’ve kept staring at each other for a long time if it weren’t for a system message.
Welcome to the Arena!
Since this is your first visit, please read the rules:
1. The tasks are randomized
2. You must complete the task within the assigned time period
3. You may kill your opponent, but that does not mean that you should
4. You cannot leave the arena until you complete your task, or until the timer runs out
5. If you leave the arena with none of these conditions met, you will never be allowed in again
6. If the task is not completed before the time runs out, a random fine will be applied
7. A dead opponent will respawn every 3 hours, losing 20% of their stats for the entirety of their stay in the Arena.
8. The rewards are randomized
Good luck, player!
Task: Find and kill a Black Tortoise and bring its horn to the altar.
Deadline: 3 days
Reward: The Heavenly Stone of Wisdom
As he read, he was surprised at how detailed the rules were. The reward system was weird, but he didn’t mind it as long as he got something for his efforts.
He was about to close the message when his body was paralyzed with fear. Trying to convince himself that he was just seeing things, he checked the time again.
“Three days? THREE DAYS?!”
The deadline stunned him so badly that he paid no attention to the quiet sound of a sword sliding out of its sheath.