5-1. Prejudice
Elijah only knew peace.
He didn’t know how long it lasted. Nor was he in any condition to question it. Instead, he basked in the quiet. For the longest time, he’d been forced to acclimate to a cascade of stimuli – from his enhanced senses to the input from One with Nature – and he hadn’t realized how much that tidal wave of information had weighed on his shoulders. Now, though – he felt only blissful silence, and to such a degree that he could, at last, relax.
Then, without warning, his senses screamed at him as he reappeared in an entirely different world. He had expected it. Planned for it. But the notion that he’d crossed untold lightyears – perhaps even dimensions – was almost too much for him to bear, at least in the short term. Still, he’d long since grown accustomed to pushing those distractions aside so he could focus on what was important.
Like his surroundings.
He didn’t think the system would immediately throw him to the proverbial – or perhaps literal, considering he didn’t know what sort of world played host to the Trial of Primacy – wolves. So, he opened his eyes as well as his senses and inspected the ruins in which he’d found himself.
The first thing he noticed was that he was inside what had once been a grand structure with eye-catching architecture. Fluted columns ringed the circular chamber, each one bearing elaborately carved capitols, though they were far too worn for Elijah to determine the subjects of those sculptures. The chamber itself was a little more than a hundred yards across, with a cracked dome overhead. It glimmered with a dull shine, but Elijah couldn’t tell what metal had been used in its construction. A large rift – maybe five feet across at its widest point – stretched from the center of the dome all the way to the edge, allowing a shaft of sunlight into the chamber. It was the only source of light.
And then there were the people, none of whom he recognized.
He’d hoped that he would enter the Trial alongside the people from Ironshore. He didn’t trust Robolo or Nia, but they were familiar. That was much better than trying to rely on strangers. Besides, Kurik was with them, and over the years, the dwarven scout certainly had earned Elijah’s trust.
Before he could say anything to the strangers – none of whom were human – a notification appeared before Elijah’s inner eye:
| Welcome to the Trial of Primacy. The Excised world known as Ka’arath has been temporarily reconnected to the World Tree and terraformed for the purpose of this Trial. It will be your home for the next year. To leave, you must reach the Nexus Town, where you will find a World Tree Branch as well as safety from the local dangers. The rules of the Trial are thus: There are ten challenges scattered throughout the Trial Grounds. They represent the nine realms connected to the World Tree, with the tenth representing the Abyss. Defeat them, and you will be rewarded with powerful items. In addition, everything you do within the Trial will carry with it a point total. At the end of the Trial, these points will be added together to determine Primacy. The rewards for Primacy are as follows: First Place – 10 Levels (plus all rewards earned by those beneath) Second Place – 5 Levels (plus all rewards earned by those beneath) Third Place – 3 Levels (plus all rewards earned by those beneath) In addition, there are rewards for the top 100. They are as follows: 1-10 – Will of Iron 1-50 – Minor Potion of Mind 1-100 – Minor Potion of Body Finally, all experience awarded in the Trial will be enhanced. The Trial of Primacy is a sacred opportunity only given to those who will become the leaders of your world. Do not take it lightly, though. The Challenges are not the only dangers. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Good luck.
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