NOVEL WEB Chapter 362: Blood Rubies
Ren, Thorn, and Lilith stood side by side, their cloaks drawn tight around them. Even though it was warmer than the rest of the mountain, the air outside the walls of Carthage was still cold.
They watched quietly as names were called one after another, each group of three rising to their feet and heading through the gates of Carthage under the silent watch of the armored guards.
Every few minutes, the crowd thinned.
The mercenaries from the east had already been called. The Rosefields too, with the six dividing themselves in two teams of three each.
And still, the trio waited.
Thorn shifted on his feet, muttering under his breath, "Last to register, last to go in. Next time, I'm coming three days ahead of schedule."
"You're planning on doing this again?" Lilith asked with a smirk.
"Oh, hell no." Thorn said with distaste. "We're winning this."
Lilith smirked but said nothing, her eyes fixed on the gates. Ren remained silent, but his fingers tightened slightly at his sides.
Then, their names were called.
"Ren. Lilith. Thorn."
The three exchanged a brief nod and stepped forward. Alongside them, two other teams rose as well. One of them was a group of pale, hooded figures that didn't speak, and the other a more rugged trio, all carrying long spears and stone-faced expressions.
Together, they approached the gates, each one relieved at the chance to finally get out of the snow. The gates were fully open now, the stone mouth of the mountain yawning wide.
As the three teams crossed the threshold, the first thing Ren noticed was the temperature. Just by passing through the gate, it felt like he'd entered a new world entirely.
The temperature dropped sharply from freezing to just chilly.
"What the…" He heard Thorn mutter beside him. Even the other groups murmured words of astonishment.
Ren had read about this in the game's wiki, but it was something else to experience himself. But the temperature wasn't enough to distract him. He couldn't help but glance around.
There were guards everywhere.
On the walls. By the path. Even stationed in alcoves carved into the stone, their halberds gleaming and their eyes watchful beneath metal helms.
He could tell that these were not ceremonial soldiers. These were executioners with discipline in their bones. If anyone stepped out of line, they wouldn't make it to their second breath. My Virtual Library Empire (M|V|L0EMPYR) hosts the original.
They were not walking into a city. They were walking into a crucible.
Once past the threshold, the groups were led through a narrow stone tunnel, wide enough for the teams to walk shoulder to shoulder. But they weren't going towards the glowing lights or rising towers of Carthage.
Instead, the path curved, diverting down a side route. One that clearly led away from the main road.
The tunnel opened up after a short walk, and they stepped into something massive.
A wide, circular forest sprawled before them, nestled within the hollow heart of the mountain. Around it, keeping it from devouring the mountain, was a tall wall.
Above, the rock curved into a dome, but directly overhead, the stone had been carved away, leaving a colossal circular opening through which the sky poured. The morning light filtered in, casting long beams down into the forest like spears of gold through green.
It wasn't natural.
This was a proving ground.
The forest stretched in every direction, the trees thick and tall with dark bark, visible over the walls.
Thorn let out a low whistle. "I think we found the playground."
Standing ahead of them was the same clerk from earlier. He stood near the walls of the forest, right in front of one of the doors leading into it. There was a large stone table beside him and scrolls were arranged neatly upon it.
He turned as the groups approached.
"There are no more teams. You are the final nine."
He gestured to the trees behind him.
"Somewhere within this forest, a blood ruby has been shattered into three fragments. Each one has been hidden."
He held up a red shard of crystal between his fingers before placing it back down.
"When a fragment is claimed, a red pillar will rise into the sky from its location. The same will happen if a fragment is taken from one bearer by another team. You'll always know who has what."
He stepped back and spread his arms wide.
"Only the team that returns with all three fragments will be allowed to enter Carthage."
There was a pause, the cold wind curling through the clearing.
"There are no rules on how you achieve this. Use whatever methods you can muster. You are allowed only three members per team. There will be no reinforcements."
He turned to walk away, but then added one final line.
"Oh. And do remember, this is not an illusion or simulation. If you die here, you die for good."
With that, he vanished behind the stone doors of a second tunnel, sealing the exit behind him.
The nine participants followed obediently as the armored guards began to move, directing each team toward a separate door fixed into the giant walls that encircled the forest.
Ren, Thorn, and Lilith were led to the last doorway, positioned near the curve of the mountain wall. A guard standing beside it offered no words, only a nod, before waving them forward.
"Once we're in, it'll close." Ren muttered as they passed under the arch.
Sure enough, the moment the last of their boots left the threshold, the thick stone door groaned shut behind them, sealing them into the forest with a deep thud.
There was no going back.
"Let's move." Ren said instantly, picking up pace. "Don't speak unless you have to."
Thorn and Lilith fell in behind him, boots crunching softly over the thick layer of damp leaves carpeting the forest floor.
The canopy above was dense, blotting out much of the light from the open ring high above, leaving the forest dim and shadowed even in the daylight. Fog laced between the trunks like smoke.
Ren didn't slow. He zigzagged them through winding paths, up sloped terrain, and across a shallow stream. All the while, his senses were on full alert, feeling for any hint that they were being followed.
He didn't trust the start point. It was too obvious. Too visible. If anyone wanted an early advantage, they'd be watching the entry points.
So he put distance between them and that door. Fast.
Only once they had climbed a steep incline covered in brambles and passed through a ring of jagged stones did he finally slow.
"We're good." He said quietly.
They had arrived at the base of one of the giant trees, the kind that reached high enough to touch the dome's open ceiling. Its bark was thick and ridged, with knotted roots that sprawled out like sleeping snakes.
Ren turned to the others. "Up."
Without question, they began to climb, using footholds in the bark and low hanging vines to haul themselves up. The tree's girth was so massive it took them a minute to reach a wide branch high above the forest floor.
They settled there, hidden by foliage, with a view of the mist shrouded terrain below.
Thorn sat with his legs dangling, panting slightly. "Fast legs, Ren."
"I'd rather not get hunted before we even breathe." Ren replied, crouching on the branch and scanning the trees below.
Lilith perched nearby, silent, eyes moving constantly.
They were high, secure, and out of sight.
Now, it was time to plan.