The screen flickered once more, its blue light intensifying.
Preparation time complete.
Final trial commencing.
The air in the chamber began to shimmer. Slowly, figures began to materialise before them—six forms taking shape.
When the shimmer cleared, they found themselves staring at duplicates of themselves.
The copies stood in similar postures and wore identical expressions, but their equipment told a different story.
Each duplicate wielded the gear that they'd carried when first entering the Spire, the Ravager scale weapons that don't have the obsidian steel blades.
But there was something unsettling about their eyes—a mechanical coldness that belonged to puppets or robots.
The blue screen materialised above them:
Face who you were. Prove who you have become.
The chamber floor shifted beneath their feet, creating six separate arenas connected by transparent barriers.
Each pair found themselves isolated in their own space, the others visible but unreachable through the crystal walls.
Walter tapped his cane against the floor, studying his duplicate. "Interesting. They've captured us exactly as we were when we entered."
"Let's show them what we've learned," Ethan said, rolling his shoulders.
---
Ethan's duplicate stood with a confident posture, its ravager-scale axe held with practiced ease. This wasn't a novice—it moved with the same tactical awareness Ethan had.
"Same technique," Ethan observed. "But this axe is much better."
His duplicate attacked with familiar patterns—the same combinations Ethan had practiced and refined in battle.
But there was a crucial difference. Where his duplicate's ravager-scale blade was effective, Ethan's obsidian enhanced one cut through defences with devastating superiority.
More importantly, his enhanced mana capacity allowed him to channel energy into his strikes with an intensity his former self couldn't hope to match.
The duplicate's axe work was technically sound, but when their weapons clashed, the obsidian edge began carving notches in the ravager scales.
"Incremental improvement," Ethan said, delivering a strike that his duplicate blocked smoothly—only to watch its axe head show stress fractures. "Small advantages that compound."
The fight ended when Ethan's superior equipment advantage became insurmountable. His duplicate's damaged weapon finally gave way entirely, the ravager scales cracking under the repeated strikes, leaving it defenseless.
---
Victor's duplicate moved with the same precision, wielding its ravager-scale dagger with practiced skill.
His duplicate attacked with moves Victor knew intimately—the same combinations he'd worked on and the same tactical approaches he'd favoured.
The difference became apparent with each clash of blades. Victor's obsidian-enhanced dagger sliced through his duplicate's defences, the superior edge finding gaps while resisting damage that accumulated on the ravager scales.
More crucially, Victor's enhanced mana reserves allowed him to maintain peak performance throughout the engagement.
Where his duplicate began to show signs of fatigue, Victor felt as fresh as when the fight began.
Victor's blade deflected his duplicate's strikes while delivering cuts that slowly chipped away at it.
His duplicate fought skilfully but found itself gradually outmatched by superior equipment and enhanced stamina. Each exchange favoured Victor more heavily as the fight progressed.
The decisive moment came when Victor's blade finally cut through his opponent's weapon, stabbing it straight in the chest.
---
Lily's duplicate drew its bow with practiced form, ravager-claw arrows nocked with competent precision.
The exchange began immediately, both archers firing simultaneously. Lily's obsidian-pointed arrows flew smoothly, nearly hitting her duplicate but they managed to dodge, with only one leaving a light scrape.
However her opponent's arrows were just as precise, requiring Lily's full attention to avoid them.
Her duplicate proved more challenging than expected. Each shot forced Lily to move, duck, and weave as arrows whizzed past with lethal accuracy. The duplicate's aim was identical to her own, making it predictable yet dangerous all the same.
Lily rolled behind cover as three arrows struck the barrier where she'd been standing. Her duplicate maintained the pressure.
The fight was long winded and difficult but ultimately ended when Lily's superior arrows penetrated through the duplicates cover.
---
Walter's duplicate approached with familiar caution, Ravager scale cane held in the same measured stance Walter remembered. Both combatants circled each other with identical footwork, testing range and timing.
The engagement opened with traditional cane work—thrust, parry, riposte. Walter's duplicate executed the same techniques with similar timings.
But Walter had a trick up his sleeve. When his duplicate committed to a binding attack, Walter pulled his sword from its sheath.
His duplicate's eyes widened as the unexpected sword point appeared at its throat.
Walter pressed his advantage ruthlessly. His duplicate tried to adapt, using the cane's reach to keep the sword at bay, but Walter's sword allowed him to hold an overwhelming advantage.
Walter's sword sliced through the duplicates cane, embedding itself in the opponents abdomen. Finally the sword point settled against its neck, ending the fight.
---
Sam faced his duplicate across the arena, they both wielded their spears. Yet neither one was willing to be the first to make a move.
The stalemate stretched as they mirrored the other's movements. When Sam shifted left, his duplicate countered. When the duplicate probed forward, Sam withdrew. It was like fighting a reflection that anticipated every move.
Both spears tested distance simultaneously, tips nearly crossing in the center of the arena before both fighters withdrew.
Minutes passed with neither gaining advantage. Thrust met parry, advance met retreat. Sam's duplicate fought with the same methodical and cautious approach.
The breakthrough came when Sam's superior mana reserves began to matter. Where his duplicate's movements started showing the subtle fatigue of sustained concentration, Sam maintained peak performance.
His enhanced endurance allowed him to sustain the mental and physical effort.
A fractional delay in his duplicate's response created the opening Sam needed. His spear found the gap, piercing his opponent's shoulder, thus rendering him near enough defenceless.
---
AJ faced his duplicate in human form, with his axe in hand. His duplicate sat, unable to maintain its human shape.
The engagement was brief and decisive. AJ's duplicate attempted to shift into a defensive stance, but its Ravager scale based defensive measures weren't able to hold up.
AJ's first strike was intended to destroy it in one blow. His axe swept horizontally, the obsidian edge slicing cleanly through his duplicate. He expected the fight to end there.
Instead, both halves of his duplicate continued moving. The upper portion fell but immediately began extending tendrils toward the lower half, which turned and moved to rejoin its separated part.
The duplicate was attempting to recombine, treating the bisection as a minor inconvenience.
AJ watched with fascination as the two halves stretched toward each other, their surfaces beginning to merge. His duplicate's resilience was impressive.
Without hesitation, AJ shifted. His right foot expanded and hardened, reinforcing itself with stone. He raised it and brought it down with devastating force.
The stone-reinforced foot crushed both halves simultaneously with a wet squelching sound. This time, there was no recovery, no attempt at reformation. His duplicate's remains spread across the arena floor, finally still.
The fight had allowed him to discover something new about himself, merely cutting him in half wouldn't be enough to keep him down.
---
The chamber began to dissolve around them, reality shifting as they were transported not to another trial, but to the small, initial chamber they had entered the Spire from.
"It's over," Lily said softly.
They had entered the Spire by accident, forced to overcome trials that tested them not just physically but also mentally. Now they stood in the stone chamber where their ordeal had begun, the mysterious symbols on the walls dim and lifeless.
The stone wall that had sealed them in was no where to be seen, revealing the tunnel beyond.
"Come on," Walter said, adjusting his pack. "Let's get out of here."
They made their way through the tunnel in silence, each lost in their own thoughts about what they'd accomplished.
The glowmelt trail AJ had left still provided a faint glow, guiding them back to the cave's main chamber.
The hot springs greeted them with their familiar warmth, steam rising from the water. For a moment, they paused, remembering the night they'd shared here—the conversations, the trust, the bonds that had ultimately carried them through the Spire's trials.
"Feels like a long time ago," Victor murmured, watching the steam curl upward.
But they didn't linger. The morning light filtering through the cave entrance called to them, promising freedom and the continuation of their journey. They gathered their remaining gear and stepped outside.
The cliff face loomed before them, exactly as they remembered—a sheer wall of stone that stretched high, its surface offering few handholds and fewer hopes for an easy ascent.
This was what had driven them to seek shelter in the cave in the first place, and now it stood between them and their goal once again.
"Right," Ethan said, as he studied the rock face. "How are we getting up this thing?"
Sam spoke next. "It seems to be made of granite which is good for grip and there are plenty of spots to hold onto. The main issue is the height and the lack of obvious places to stop and rest."
"We could look for a different route," Lily suggested. "Follow the cliff face until we find a gentler slope or a path that leads up."
Walter shook his head. "That could take days, and we don't know if such a route exists."
Victor studied the cliff. "The direct approach then. But we'll need climbing equipment we don't have..." He glanced at AJ. "Don't have, yet."
AJ's form rippled as he considered the challenge. "I could probably manage it. Create handholds, maybe make a ladder or rope for the others to use."
"How tall would a ladder need to be to get to the top though..." Sam said, looking up at the imposing cliff face.
"I don't need to make it go all the way up," AJ said. "Just enough to get us off the ground and past the smooth section at the bottom. After that, I can create handholds that Ethan can hammer into the rock face as we go."
Ethan nodded approvingly. "Sounds good to me. I should be able to hammer the grips into the stone without issue."
"That could work," Walter nodded.
Victor examined the rock face. "The stone looks solid enough to hold manufactured grips. Beats trying to find and use the natural handholds."
"Right then," AJ said, his form already beginning to shift. "Let me get started on that ladder."
AJ's ladder took shape against the cliff face, it was made of wood. It stretched six metres up the smooth granite, reaching past the most challenging initial section where natural handholds were virtually non-existent.
"That will get us started," AJ said. "It should hold your weight."
Ethan went first making the climb look effortless. AJ created obsidian-edged grips, each one shaped for driving into granite.
At regular intervals, Ethan would pause and hammer a new handhold into the rock face, the sound of metal striking stone echoing across the landscape.
Lily followed next, she tested each handhold carefully, Walter followed closely behind her.
Sam was next and Victor brought up the rear, taking their time and resting when they could.
AJ flowed up the cliff face beside them, his form able to stick to the rock surface. He continuously created new grips for Ethan to install, his creation speed getting quicker and quicker, though his mana was draining at an equal pace.
"Halfway there," Ethan announced from above, sweat soaking into his clothes despite the cool breeze. The view below was already impressive—the forest canopy spreading out like a green carpet.
By midday, they crested the cliff's edge, pulling themselves onto solid ground with sighs of relief.