They emerged from the well in another wave of water. Ratface imagined this place had stairs somewhere but she’d yet to see them. The water around her own core swirled. It kept pulling mana in from the water around them. The rest of the cores people were holding remained inert. The Champions squire had started pushing mana into hers, but it wouldn’t naturally pull it. The difference was obvious to Ratface. Hers was alive while the rest were holding a shell. Of course hers would be different. She knew that Abigail’s cores did pull them in. It must be a difference in runes.

  That was ignoring the fact that the serpent had understood her. Had remembered talking to someone like her. The other trial takers kept watching her in confusion and Ratface quickly went and joined her group to avoid the stares. Abigail took one look at her core and broke into a smile. The rest took their notes from there and broke out in a cheer. Ratface grinned as they clapped her on the back.

  “You all just stood out here while we did that?”

  “It was pretty boring,” said Kryssa. She had Halmir in her hands as she stroked his back. The boy looked incredibly content and nodded in agreement with her. Ratface suspected a little bit of bias there. It was still nice to see him relax. The glamour had a habit of doting on him, and he didn’t mind. Turning into a rat noble hadn’t stopped him also being the rat he’d once been. Ratface still couldn’t catch the sneaky boy.

  “Glad to see you passed at least,” said Albert. He was cautious while they were in the city. No. Cautious around Lily and her squire. He hadn’t lost sight of them since they reappeared. A habit from his parents. She wondered how thorough their training had been.

  Ratface turned back to the Champion. The rest of the trial takers had made it to their own groups except for Fulgora who was apparently alone. Ratface waved her over and introduced her to the group. She shook hands with all of them, although she lingered on Albert.

  “You feel like the wind,” she said with a sly smile.

  A distressed Albert looked over to Ratface and Tiffany. The two of them looked to each other in confusion then back at the hunter. He’d really gone to the worst two people for help.

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  They were all saved from their poor social skills by Lily calling out to them.

  “Well done on completing the first of the trials. It’s one of two in this city, with the next being where most of you will fail. After that we will be moving to the capital.” She smiled. It was interesting how relaxed she was which made Ratface suspicious. Her suspicions were proven correct when Lily continued.

  “The next trial will be to form armour around your core. We will not help you do so, and you only have a week to sort it out. Once your armour is completed, we will be testing if it is worthy.”

  That was a polite way of saying they were going to hit her if Ratface had ever heard it. Her eyes narrowed in thought. A week also seemed like a very short time to sort out armour. Abigail sorting her runes had taken her longer than that and she was still constantly tinkering with it.

  To be fair, that could just be the knight’s hobby.

  A glance at the others showed that they also were worried. Only Fulgora seemed at ease. Ratface tilted her head.

  “My people wait outside the city. Such a thing should not prove impossible. Most trials have armour making at some point.”

  “Your group didn’t want to watch you take the trial?” Ratface asked. She got a cheeky smile in response.

  “We’re not allowed too many of us in this particular city. They call us a safety hazard.”

  Ratface thought back to the serpent she’d so easily disposed of. Yeah, she couldn’t imagine that the people here were jumping at people who controlled electricity to come into their very wet city. They were a perfect counter for the city’s defences.

  A quick goodbye and they parted ways. Abigail sent Albert and the others to go look for accommodation while the two of them explored some options for armour.

  They found a few, but none that would be able to make rune armour that didn’t require some magic to be used. Abigail had ideas but none of them confirmed, and none that would be easy to achieve in a week. In the end the two of them admitted defeat and decided that it was a problem best faced with clear minds tomorrow.

  Ratface collapsed into her bed. It had been a long day. Something small was already in it and she rummaged into the bed expecting to find Halmir here squeaking in protest.

  Instead, she found a doll. It had been modified to have a green face and a scowl. A goblin then. Ratface scowled when she realised it was meant to be her. It only made them match better.

  The glamour had already been here. In the activity of the day and the trials she had almost forgotten that this was the city he wanted her help in. She sighed.

  It looked like she wouldn’t be getting much sleep after all.