Chapter 40: Test
With a seemingly long path before them, Tral being his lazy self first leaves a marker that looks like a snowman by the stairway in case they encounter a different staircase that looks the same before he makes go-carts for them with bumpers on the sides to keep them on the path.
Yet even with a much needed speed boost the pair find themselves spending hour upon hour winding around this labyrinth long after the fun of driving go-carts has become stale.
On their journey they often find themselves back at the spiral staircase albeit on a different part of the path each time much to Tral's ire "we are literally wasting time going in circles, I get the whole patience is a virtue kind of deal but this is mind numbingly boring"
Darick can't help but agree and they both end up just reading random files that they have on hand about magic even though neither of them have much affinity towards the subject with the hope that maybe it will help fight mages in the future.
Hours blend together while they eventually stop seeing the stairway anymore. They even link the carts together and take turns driving so that they can sleep continuing on in such a manner until quite suddenly Darick yells waking Tral from his nap.
"Wall off the starboard side! I can't believe how much I missed seeing a freaking wall."
It wasn't just any wall either as it surrounded a great gateway on all sides reaching up to merge with the ceiling like a massively thick pillar standing out in the void.
The pair got so excited that they left the go-carts behind to investigate the structure. Upon a closer look the outside of this wall was covered in faintly glowing runes that pulsed with energy while the gateway seemed to be made of a transparent membrane of energy.
In front of this barrier was in engraved stylus that read "Only one may pass with nothing but themselves. All else shall be removed. Proceed on foot and make your way to the other side"
They looked at each other before Tral said casually " well that seems simple enough although it kinda sounds like it wants to make someone naked."
Darick frowned while thinking before he replied "It should be a test of some sort, maybe resilience to the cold and the ground would freeze the feet which is why it wants the person to walk so it should probably be me that goes through as I can survive much harsher conditions."
Tral countered that after some thought "That is true but it doesn't say anything about not using powers as long as we walk and if it does limit power then it would turn yours off as well. Maybe I could make new clothes after the barrier then I would be better at handling the cold."
"That would be cheating though and we don't know how it would react to that." Darick claimed quite perturbed by the issue.
"well there is only one way to find out" Tral spoke as he quickly took a step through the membrane which caused his clothes to disintegrate leaving him standing butt naked on the other side.
"You're mad, your power doesn't work or what if you can't come back!" Darick exclaims in shock at how rash is friend was being.
Tral shrugs before putting his arm back through the barrier with ease. Then after stepping away from the barrier he uses his power to make new clothes without issue which brings a smile to his face. "Yes, see it's not cheating if you're just amazing" He claims before trying to make a bike as well but the bike immediately melts in a most haphazard fashion.
"Ha, so you can't cheat after all, rules say that you must walk" Darick gloats as his friend is denied his usual lazy approach.
"well now I really don't want to jump or stretch my luck" Tral decides although his new shoes seem to be fine. He turns back to Darick to say goodbye before heading off alone leaving his friend to wait at the gate for his return.
He expected like the rest of this labyrinth that the journey would be long but very quickly came to the end of the path or rather a huge gap with the path continuing on to a door on the other side.
There appeared to be no way across this void which he tested by throwing a chunk of metal only to have it dissolve shortly after falling bellow the walkway.
"Well the stylus did say to make my way so here goes nothing " Tral says to himself before creating a simple stone bridge to cross the gap.
It lands immediately fulfilling its purpose bridging the gap between the two paths. Tral hesitantly taps the bridge with his foot but nothing unusual happens.
"Ok then, this seems crazy easy. I wonder what it was supposed to test for if someone couldn't just make anything they wanted? Weird…" Tral asks himself before crossing the bridge with no issue.
On the other side stood a plain stone double door with no handle at all but when he approached it opened by itself allowing him passage right away.
After such easy tests Tral kind of felt a mixture of relief as well as confusion but that was soon washed away when he beheld the contents of the room before him.
As the door opened up a terribly biting cold permeated out and the inside was almost entirely taken up by a great crystalline tree that seemed to be the source of this frigid air.
The tree bore no leaves nor fruit but half frozen into the center of its trunk was a pale man who appeared ancient beyond knowledge. Only his head and chest where partially out of the trunk.
As Tral slowly approached this seemingly dead man, his blood red eyes very suddenly opened to send a piercing gaze into Tral forcing him to stop.
They stayed like that for an unknown amount if time before the being spoke in a harsh scraping tone that seemed to have not been used in an eternity.
"Salvara you have finally arrived. Sooo long have I waited this day. Ever since the old one placed me here to sneak past the many harvests I have slumbered, dreaming of the time when my blood would fulfill the bargain and be free to roam this world once more."
"You may have many questions at this time but TIME we do not yet have. You Tral Salvara must drink from my heart so that I may become your sire as you are mine. Only then shall we commune to fulfill the desires of the heart."
After the words stop leaving his mouth his chest rips open to reveal his withered unbeating heart.
The frozen man is clearly an ancient vampire who has been trapped within this tree for countless eras.
Tral seems transfixed on the heart stepping forward both under compulsion and also his own will for he knew this is exactly what he had come for.
The power radiating from the heart was immense but it only drew him closer into an embrace.
His mouth opening wipe with anticipation as he leaned in to take a deep bite.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone