The Ascension Trial was over.

  Kael stood in the center of his square, the victory slowly settling over him. The walls still glowed with a brilliant gold light. The fight had been fierce, but now, it was still.

  Kael had risen. He had ascended to bronze.

  Around him, the creature that had been the towering monstrosity began to disintegrate in purple flames. The flames seemed to devour the remains, curling and consuming with a slow, almost deliberate hunger. The bones, the flesh, the once-terrifying creature, all reduced to ash.

  Kael watched as the fire consumed the last of the beast. With a calm hand, Kael reached down and grabbed the only thing left untouched by the flames—the spellbook. It lay amidst the charred remains, its cover filled with arcane symbols and runes beyond Kael’s understanding. Kael flipped through it absentmindedly, its pages devoid of any contents.

  It had been the tool of the Master. For spells and demons. And now, it was Kael’s.

  Behind him, Gerry and Three Arms worked together, lifting up the shelter that had collapsed. They had managed to place the roof and walls on a hinge, allowing for intruders who trigger the trap to be crushed, but also allowed the rebuilding to be quick. The golems worked to reset the structure, their movements efficient.

  As the shelter was rebuilt and the monster’s body ceased to exist, the walls of Kael’s square began to shimmer, the gold fading into a deeper, brighter hue. The magic that had held the square in place, the magic that had kept Kael here, shifted once again. Slowly, the brilliance of the gold began to fade, the light dimming as the walls returned to blue once more, a welcome and familiar sight.

  Kael felt the shift as if the earth itself was settling back into place. The square had returned to the forest, to where it once was. The forest beyond his square looked unchanged and Kael was certain he was home.

  For a brief moment, Kael allowed himself to breathe, to take in the full reality of what had happened. He had succeeded. He had survived the trial. He had ascended.

  "Well, well," Skrindle said. "You did it. Congratulations. Welcome to Bronze.”

  Kael didn’t respond right away. He simply looked at the imp, his focus split between the battle still fresh in his mind and the anticipation of what came next. Finally, after a brief silence, Kael nodded. "What’s next?"

  Skrindle’s grin widened. "Look," he said, his voice a little more serious. "Your orb's bigger now."

  Kael blinked, taken aback by the change. He hadn’t noticed it until now, but the orb, once around the size of his head, had grown in size. It was larger, its glow brighter, a deeper hum radiating from it.

  "It is bigger."

  "Exactly. With the increase in size, your orb can generate and hold more mana. It can hold more power now. More summons. More magic. More of everything."

  Kael’s eyes brightened. More magic, he thought. More summons.

  Skrindle’s wings fluttered slightly. “As a bronze, your orb will generate gold on its own,” Skrindle said.

  "Generate its own gold? How long till I get enough to start a conclave?"

  "You need ten thousand gold, eh?" the imp mused. "Well, that’ll take about ten thousand days, I reckon. Since your orb generates a gold piece a day."

  Kael’s shoulders slumped slightly, the weight of the numbers settling in his chest. Ten thousand days. More than twenty-seven years. This will take forever.

  But before Kael could voice his frustration, Skrindle continued. "But, there’s a silver lining, Master. You see, the Master you killed has loot. Not just any loot. He had gold, artifacts, recipes, things that could help you. And they are yours now."

  Skrindle wordlessly produced an orb. Kael took it from Skrindle and looked into its glow, sickly and green. The orb trembled, its surface cracking slowly, like some ominous creature trying to break free.

  Kael instinctively took a step back, but the orb didn’t appear threatening. His fingers twitched as he felt the familiar pulse of magic growing stronger. The cracks in the orb spread and gold began to spill out from within it, cascading in a steady stream until the orb was empty. But before Kael could fully grasp what was happening, the gold was absorbed into his own orb, its familiar light flickering brighter as the wealth of power filled its core.

  “562 gold,” Skrindle said, floating nearby with a smug look. “Not bad for your first haul, Master Kael.”

  Kael raised an eyebrow, his lips tightening into a thin line. That was almost two years of just waiting less.

  The orb was not done as two bottles fell out of the orb, falling to the ground with soft thuds. One was a small vial filled with a vibrant green liquid, the other a large, round-bottomed flask.

  “The first bottle, that green liquid, is poison,” the imp said. “The other,” he gestured to the flask, “is a strength potion. A bit more useful, I’d say. Drink it, and you’ll be able to fight with the strength of ten men for a short time.”

  The orb absorbed the potions, emitting a faint glow when the bottle was shifted in.

  "And look at that—you’ve also got recipes for a poison slime and Deathbolt. Quite a nice haul from your little victory."

  "What about the recipes for the oculothrax? Skaras?"

  "Those are the only recipes that Master had," Skrindle said with a shrug. “Nothing else he left behind.”

  “Fine,” Kael said, his mind moving to the next thing. Poison slime and Deathbolt spell. The poison slime would work well with his other slimes but a magic spell. That had Kael intrigued.

  Kael held up his orb, the words forming within its light.

  Death Bolt - When all three bolts hit a target level 2 and below, the target instantly dies

  It’s my first spell. I don’t know what to expect, Kael thought.

  Kael’s heart beat faster as he focused, drawing the magic to his hand. A green swirl of energy flickered before his palm, faint at first, but it grew brighter as he willed it into being.

  And then, with a sharp exhale, Kael thrust his hand forward. Three bolts flew from his hands and hit the nearest tree with a sound like a distant crack. In an instant, the tree’s bark began to darken, curling inward as if consumed by some unseen rot. The green energy from the bolts spread through the tree like poison, eating away at the wood, the leaves wilting and crumbling with unnatural speed.

  The tree withered before him. In seconds, it had gone from healthy, solid, and full of life to a husk of its former self.

  Kael stood, looking at the aftermath of his first spell. As he looked around at his companions, his loyal slimes—Jello and Mush—Kael noticed something different.

  Jello appeared slightly larger, its once squishy form now more round and rotund. Its gelatinous body rippled with newfound strength, the slime’s movements more deliberate, more powerful. Kael’s eyes narrowed as he watched the slime, the shift in its size unmistakable. The evolution had already begun.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  Mush, too, had undergone a change. Where Mush’s body had once been pliable and fluid, it was now almost frozen, rigid even.

  "That’s right, Kael," the imp said. "After their kills, both of them leveled up. Jello’s grown bigger, stronger. And Mush… Well, Mush is colder now. Quite literally."

  Skrindle, ever the know-it-all, chimed in again, “You got two choices for Jello, continue down the Defender path, growing larger, or the Shielded path, where he gains a hardened carapace to protect you, but lose some of his flexibility.”

  It didn’t take long for Kael to make up his mind. Defender was the clear choice. Jello was already agile and useful. The ability to grow larger, to take more damage and still keep moving—that would give Kael a reliable ally on the front lines.

  "I choose Defender," Kael said firmly. "Make Jello even larger. I need someone who can hold the line."

  The transformation was swift. Jello’s body rippled, expanding further until it stood at the size of a full-grown man, its form becoming more solid, but still retaining the shape of its slime-like structure. It looked at Kael, excited at its new larger form.

  Kael then turned his attention to Mush, who had been waiting nearby.

  Skrindle’s voice interrupted Kael’s thoughts. "Again, two choices. The Icicle path lets Mush shoot three icicles in quick succession—basically, making his ranged attack better. But the Coldness path, that’s a whole different thing. It grants Mush an aura that freezes everything around him. Really turns the environment into a hostile place."

  Kael thought it over. The ability to shoot multiple icicles was appealing, more ranged options for his creatures. But Kael’s eyes flicked to the grass beneath Mush, imagining the grass freezing as Mush hopped through.

  The Coldness path... Kael’s mind whirred. He could summon more ice slimes, and those could fire more icicles. The real advantage of Mush’s Coldness path was the aura. It would allow Mush to freeze everything in the vicinity, slowing down enemies, controlling the battlefield.

  "I choose Coldness," Kael said with certainty. "We’ll freeze everything around us. The more control we have, the better."

  Mush’s form rippled, the icy aura around him expanding like a quiet storm. The grass beneath his body froze solid, the ground taking on the pale, frosty hue of winter. The air around him grew colder, and Kael felt a freeze past him.

  "Skrindle, what about Gerry and Three Arms?" Kael asked.

  Skrindle, hovering nearby, looked at Kael with an almost mocking expression, his wings fluttering lazily. "Golems don’t level up," the imp said with a sneer, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Their level is determined when they're forged.”

  Kael's brow furrowed, disappointment settling in his chest. "So... they can’t evolve like Jello or Mush? There’s no way to push them further?" His voice was quieter now, tinged with the realization that Gerry and Three Arms, for all their strength, were static—locked into their initial potential.

  Skrindle grinned. "Not unless you reforge them, which is a costly endeavor. They are what they are, Kael. They don’t evolve like other creatures."

  Kael looked down at the orb in his hand, his fingers curling around it as he thought of the battles ahead. His gaze then turned to the display in the orb.

  Kills: 10

  A small frown tugged at Kael’s lips as he examined the count. Ten kills. None of the kills during the Ascension counted. He had faced down monsters, fought against the Skara, against the monstrosity, and yet here he stood, staring at an empty tally. Ten kills.

  "Should've gotten more," Kael muttered, the disappointment in his voice evident.

  "Master Kael," Skrindle said, a slight edge of amusement in his voice, "Masters and their summons don’t count toward your kill tally. Stops Masters from preying on other Masters.”

  Kael’s memory flashed, remembering Borota standing over Lorran with his massive dual cleavers.

  "It doesn’t matter," Kael said, lifting his gaze and straightening his posture. "Invaders will come anyway. And when they do, I’ll kill them.”

  "That’s the spirit," Skrindle said, his tone turning more thoughtful. “Kill your way to the top.”

  All the discussions of Ascension were done, the management of the square completed for the day and Kael stretched, his body aching from the trials he had just endured.

  It was only a day but it felt like weeks. He lay on the cool earth, the ground beneath him a welcome respite. His eyes closed, and for a brief moment, Kael allowed himself to forget the chaos, the tension, the relentless trials that had pushed him to the edge.

  But then, just as the darkness of his thoughts began to slip into a more peaceful quiet, a voice cut through the silence. It wasn’t his own thoughts—it was her voice.

  "Kael. Kael!"

  The sound jolted Kael awake, his body snapping up from the ground as his pulse quickened. His heart leapt into his throat, and a cold wave of concern swept over him.

  Lira.

  He closed his eyes once more, his breath steadying as he focused inward. He reached out with his mind, connecting with the wisp, Twinkle. He had grown accustomed to this. To see using his wisps. To see and reach her, when the world became too distant.

  And through the mist of magic and distance, he could see her.

  Lira.

  She stood before him, her form flickering into view, but not as he remembered. She was different. She was wounded. There were bruises on her face, cuts along her arms, and blood splattered across her skin. It was a mess of violence, of struggle. And yet, despite the obvious pain, Lira smiled. It wasn’t a happy smile, but it was there—something of defiance, something of strength.

  "Lira," he said. He had hoped she was safe, that she was out of harm’s reach, but now, seeing her like this, the worry intensified.

  "Are you okay?" Kael’s voice was sharp with concern, though Lira could not hear it. "What happened? You’re hurt."

  He wished he could be there for her, to aid her, to fight with her. But they were worlds apart, a pulsing wisp their only way to speak.

  Lira’s smile faltered for just a second as she looked down at her bloodied clothes, the bruises and cuts that marred her skin. "I’m fine," she said. “This isn’t my blood.”

  Kael looked around her, through his connection with Twinkle. Lira’s summons were different from Kael’s, these strange creatures he had not seen before. Spiders, giant spiders were skittering around her rocky square and zombies, reanimated corpses that lurched around aimlessly.

  She lifted her hand in front of Twinkle to show him the small hammer she was holding. Blood dripped from it, staining her fingers. "It was hard to fight on the ground, after... after having wings."

  Lira had been like him, a Master of the Square, but unlike Kael, she had known the thrill of flight, the power that came with it. To lose that, to be grounded once again, was a blow Kael could only imagine.

  “You don’t have to fight alone, Lira. We’ll fight together.”

  For a moment, through will-o-wisp communication, they were silent, the bond between them unspoken, but palpable. The spiders crawled, the zombies shuffled, slimes wobbled and golems creaked, but for a moment, there was only Kael and Lira.

  Kael could feel the weight of the silence between them, the distant connection that pulled at his thoughts.

  “Are all the invaders dead?” Kael asked.

  Lira’s eyes flickered as she glanced around at the bloodied remnants of the battlefield. The spiders that had swarmed over her enemies were slowly dispersing, and the zombies, their limbs still twitching, were now standing still. "Yes," she said. "All dead."

  But just as the words left her mouth, a movement caught Kael’s attention. His eyes narrowed as a human, limping, staggered behind Lira. His sword was raised, his steps uneven, but there was no mistaking the malicious intent in his eyes.

  He was coming for Lira.

  Kael didn’t hesitate.

  Twinkle zipped towards the would-be attacker with incredible speed. With a burst of blue lightning, Twinkle zapped him. The man swung his sword at Twinkle, despite his exhaustion.

  Lira’s spiders, sensing the new threat, surged forward, their many legs moving like a tidal wave of death. The zombies, their decayed forms still eerily coordinated, followed suit. They swarmed the man, tearing into him with gnashing teeth and claws. The man never had a chance.

  Lira’s voice rang out in Kael’s mind. "I missed one!" she said, the slight laugh in her voice at odds with the carnage around her. "Thanks for the help, Kael."

  Kael chuckled softly, shaking his head. He didn’t need to be in the same square as her to lend a hand. With Twinkle at his command, he could reach her, even from afar. The thought was oddly comforting—his aid, his help, could stretch beyond his own borders.

  "It’s pretty cool," Kael said, a grin spreading across his face that Lira could not appreciate. "That I can help, even when I’m in my own square."

  "I appreciate it, Kael. You know I’ve reached the required kills for my Ascension. Would you help me with my Ascension?"

  Twinkle hovered in mid-air, tracing the words before Lira in a small blue trail.

  Sure.

  ******

  Square: Unknown

  Master: Kael

  Difficulty: Bronze

  Conclave: None

  Treasure: 1582 Gold

  Residents: 4 Ice Slimes Lvl 1

  8 Green Slimes Lvl 1

  1 Green Slime Lvl 3

  24 Will-o-wisp Lvl 1

  1 Steel Golem (Strength Specialization) Lvl 3

  1 Steel Golem (Complexity Specialization) Lvl 3

  Kills: 10