'Thanks so much,' Varian said, pocketing the pouches of various minerals the vendor handed him.
'Any time! And if you're heading out of the city, make sure you use those lanterns, yes?'
Varian nodded as they moved away again to go over their new purchases. Galcrest had proven itself with such a massive variety of minerals for sale that even Corona couldn't compare. Varian's coin purse was significantly lighter but his pack was much heavier.
'How many firecrackers can you make with all that?' Hugo asked Yong who was grinning at his new supply of minerals to make black powder.
'Depends. Do you want lots of little ones, or some really big ones?'
'Please don't drop a glacier on us, Yong,' Varian said but he was grinning too. Despite his anxieties about the trial they were yet to face, he felt way more confident having his alchemy supplies restocked. And it was hard to feel worried when the day was already proving to be a prime example of a brilliant mountain day. The blizzard had passed through the night, leaving behind a shockingly clear sky and a layer of fresh snow and ice covering most surfaces that shone like millions of diamonds in the light. They'd made the decision to also purchase some snow goggles when they were almost blinded stepping out of the inn that morning. The Galcrestians were filling the streets around them, calling friendly greetings about, exchanging gossip and news, or simply sharing a meal and enjoying each others company. The words in the inn last night had been accurate; it seemed everyone here looked out for one another in every possible way. The group of three had even been offered the use of one of the city's forges to work on their equipment prior to heading out which Varian was grateful for. He didn't particularly like the idea of having to conduct alchemy in their rooms back at the inn.
He leaned over the burner he'd set up, watching the yellow solution bubbling away in its beaker, waiting for the moment it started to smoke before depositing some of the blue powder he'd just purchased. Hugo was working across from him on his own chemicals but he glanced up at the flash of green as Varian's Flynnoleum began to form.
'What is that stuff anyway, Goggles?' he asked, meandering over.
'Custom explosive,' Varian replied evasively, 'I use it for my hot water system back home.'
Hugo frowned down at it, as if trying to work out its components.
'You came up with it yourself?' he continued.
'Well, yeah. Needed something cleaner and more reactive than coal.'
Hugo hummed and returned to his area, but kept glancing back at the rest of the chemicals Varian was making. After using most of his supplies in Bayangor and the mountain pass, he was refilling everything he had until his bandolier and belts were completely full and his staff was glowing brightly from the orbs at its head. He wasn't sure if this Trail of Change was the only aspect to this trial, but he wasn't going to take any chances. If it was anything like the fire trial, this one would probably throw some kind of water or ice monsters at them. And he wasn't going to be caught out by some snowgeists again.
By mid morning, all of them were ready and after leaving Ruddiger with Prometheus, they left Galcrest behind as they headed towards the glacier the locals pointed out to them. Despite how pretty the day was, they were only a few minutes outside the perimetre of the city when Varian pulled out one of their round lanterns he'd purchased. It was a smaller version of the glowlights the Galcrestians used throughout the city for light and warmth and with a quick shake, the chemical inside sparked and began to glow, giving off a brilliant warmth.
'Okay, these things are great,' Hugo commented, moving closer to warm his hands while Varian tried to ignore how close he was.
'I wonder if they're flammable?' Yong added, 'They'd be really cool as fireworks!'
'Maybe when we're not out in the middle of nowhere, okay?' Varian asked and Yong grinned.
They path to the glacier was well marked which Varian was grateful for. The idea of wandering about in the Galcrestian mountains didn't appeal to him in the slightest. Even so, as they began to rise out of the valley to the north, it started to become more treacherous with ice covering patches that was almost invisible to the eye coupled with loose rocks that shifted underfoot. Varian took the lead, handing the lantern off to Yong in the middle and testing the path ahead with his staff to guide them around the worst of the danger. When they reached the glacier itself, Varian couldn't help but pause to gaze up at it in undisguised awe.
'It's massive!' he exclaimed.
'And it's constantly moving,' Hugo replied.
'What? Is it melting?' Yong asked nervously.
'Sort of. But glaciers are constantly moving downwards like a really slow river. It's how all these valleys formed. They carve out the rock.'
'There's no way,' Varian scoffed.
'Oh, it's true. Ask any of the Galcrestians when we get back.'
The path began to rise up alongside the glacier until they were looking down on its scarred and twisted surface. Varian caught sight of a massive crevasse as they passed, realising that if any of them fell, they'd never be able to get out again. He shifted nervously away from the edge. In then end, all it took was one misstep that caused him to lose his footing as he stepped onto an invisible patch of ice that knocked his leg out from under him. He yelped, losing his grip on his staff as he tipped over sideways, the loose rock offering no solid purchase to grab onto. There was no time to recover or try to save himself as a glacial crevasse loomed up at him. Then a tight grip wrapped around his hand and he looked up to see Hugo heaving him backwards with everything he had, Yong scrambling to grab Varian's other hand.
'Not so fast, Goggles!' Hugo groaned, struggling under the weight.
With him and Yong heaving with all their strength, Varian scrambled his way back up the side of the path, dragging himself as far from the edge as he could and tried to catch his breath.
'Th-thanks!' he gasped, realising just how close he'd come to death. And they hadn't even reach the trial yet.
'Hey, you've got the totem, remember?' Hugo panted, 'Can't let that fall.'
Varian rolled his eyes. Of course Hugo was more concerned about the trial.
'Are you alright?' Yong asked, face pale with terror.
Varian nodded, slowly rising to his feet and reclaiming his staff, trying not to shake.
'Watch out, there's ice,' he advised and Hugo barked a laugh.
Proceeding at a much slower pace, Varian didn't get caught out again until the path abruptly veered to the right straight into the side of the mountain. Here there was no more threat of falling, but Varian still proceeded with caution, travelling a few yards before the trail suddenly doubled back on itself, still continuing to descend until the darkness was suddenly chased away by a pale blue light.
'No way,' Varian breathed as Yong gasped in shock and even Hugo made a small noise of surprise. The tunnel had taken them right under the glacier, the rocky roof now replaced with the ice itself as if it was being held up by invisible glass. Varian reached out and brushed his hand against the ice, wondering how Demanitus had ever thought of something like this.
'We can sight-see later,' Hugo muttered, his voice echoing and distorting about the tunnel. 'Come on.'
Varian pushed onward even as the rocky tunnel turned completely to ice until they reached a stone monolith with Galcrestian words carved into its surface. Just like the Bayangor trial, they began to glow as they approached, the soft blue shifting to Coronan as Varian read, "To move into the future, one must confront the past."
It was no riddle, but a warning for what they were about to face.
'Here,' Varian said, offering Hugo one of the lanterns and drawing another for himself. 'I don't know what'll happen in there but we should all have some way to keep warm.'
'We've got this!' Yong said confidently, raising his own lantern, 'We can beat this together!'
Varian nodded, smiling tightly as he took a deep breath and stepped inside. But the moment the three of them crossed the threshold, a thick blue fog sprang up around them, completely blocking any view they had of each other. Varian jumped in alarm, raising his staff as he reached out for Yong.
'Yong? Hugo!'
His hand struck something solid and he blinked as the fog cleared, finding himself staring at an icy wall. He spun around, but he was alone at the end of a tunnel with no way to go but forward. Ahead, another wall of fog floated, completely still. The others were gone.
'Guys?!' he shouted, his voice echoing around him, 'Can you hear me?'
There was no response aside from the whispering of the ice and the sound of his own heart beating. He shivered, holding the lantern closer and realised with a start that ice was starting to form on his boots. Like it or not, the trial had begun and he had to keep moving if he was going to make it out alive. So he stepped forwards into the fog, bracing himself against whatever he might see.
Hugo was elated when he spun around and realised the others were gone. It seemed Demanitus intended the trial to be faced individually rather than as a group which he couldn't be happier about. It meant his cover was safe and he was free to proceed without fear. So he strode forwards into the fog confidently, his lantern held high as it enveloped him inside. For a moment, there was nothing but the fog around him and the quiet click of his footsteps on the solid icy surface below. But after a moment, he caught the sound of a faint voice, muffled through the fog. He paused, listening intently as he tried to recognise Yong or Varian, but it was neither of them. It sounded like a child's voice if anything and he knew it had to be the trial. There was no way a kid was all the way out here.
'Give it back!'
'What are you gonna do about it?' another voice mocked, sounding slightly older and far more malicious. 'A runt like you? Ha!'
The fog shifted and Hugo found himself staring down at... himself when he was only four or five, lying on his back and staring up at three older kids looming over him. The one in front had a small hunk of bread in his hand and Hugo knew he had just taken it from his younger version. It was a memory, that much was obvious, but it was strange seeing himself from a third person perspective. He sidestepped around himself, taking in the scratches on his face and the messiness to his hair and clothes. This had to be either during or immediately after his time in Ingvarr's central orphanage.
He watched his memory self lash out with his legs to kick the older kid right in the kneecaps, the action startling enough that he staggered backwards and dropped the bread. Hugo snatched it up and darted away before the three could recover, their shouts of anger fading behind him. The scene moved with memory-Hugo until he stopped and took shelter behind a pile of discarded crates and barrels behind a steel mill. He wolfed down the bread before he had a chance to lose it again and leaned back against the wall, rubbing the burgeoning bruise on his cheek. Hugo winced, his own hand rising to his face. He remembered that punch the kid had thrown at him. He was sure it had almost broken his jaw.
Something glimmered from next to memory-Hugo and he looked down to see a small bronze gear and spring, both bent out of shape but easily repairable. He snatched them both up and shoved them into his pocket before darting away again.
Hugo shivered and looked down, realising his feet were starting to freeze to the ground. Right. He had to keep moving. He tore himself away from the memory and continued on down the tunnel until the fog shifted again and he found himself in what he now knew as Donella's private study. His memory version was maybe seven or eight now, but he had a worn look in his eyes that made him look far older. There was a jagged rawness to his memory self that came from surviving in an unforgiving world thanks to only his own wits and skills. Behind him were two other boys, more than a few years older than him, but they relied on Hugo for his excellent lock-picking abilities that he was showcasing just then. He was crouched before a magnificent chest with sturdy copper edging and an intricate lock that Hugo was currently moving his way through.
'Hurry up, kid!' one of the boys hissed, peering out the window, 'They'll be back any second!'
'Good thing I've got it then,' Hugo replied with a smirk as the lock clicked satisfyingly. But in his hubris, he didn't even consider the idea that it might be trapped or alarmed in some way. So when he pushed the lid open, he only had a second to see the detonator fixed to the inside before a brilliant flash of light filled his vision and he was thrown backwards across the room. He hit the wall and crumpled to the ground, trying to blink vision back into his eyes, but everything was blurred and refused to focus. He heard heavy footsteps approaching the door to the office and the boys scrambling to climb out the window. Hugo reached for them, desperately staring at the blur that was one of them as he hesitated on the sill.
'Help...' he breathed but the boy turned his back and jumped, just as the door opened and a massive man in black armour strode into the room. Hugo couldn't make out much more through his fading vision, but he knew that he was about to die.
'What do we have here?' a woman's voice asked coldly as another figure stepped out from behind the man, approaching Hugo until she was close enough for his blurry vision to focus on her features. Her dark brown eyes were calculating and Hugo instead focused on the scar that spread across her chin like someone had cracked her skin.
'Interesting,' she commented, 'Cyrus, bring him to the infirmary.'
Hugo shook himself out of the vision, hurrying before he could be locked in place again. That was the day he had met Donella and their partnership had started. She hadn't exacted a punishment on him, and had even given him glasses to repair the damage he'd taken to his eyes. But he owed her and they both knew it. So he began to work for her instead, training under her and Cyrus which seemed to be what the next vision showed him.
He saw himself getting punched straight in the gut hard enough to send him skidding backwards across the training room. He was maybe fourteen now and far taller and lankier than he had been before.
'Faster!' Cyrus snarled across from him, already charging at Hugo again.
Hugo bolted, leaping aside from another punch even as he struggled to breathe. Here, it was move or die. Cyrus was far stronger than he could ever hope to be, so Hugo knew he had to be faster. So he ducked and dodged, darting under his punches to deliver precise blows of his own at key points at his joints. But even he couldn't keep ahead of the big man forever. Cyrus spun around just as Hugo was going for the back of his knees, grabbing Hugo by the throat and lifting him into the air. Hugo gaped and grasped at his hand, but his grip was absolute and he knew there'd be no mercy. Cyrus wouldn't kill him, but he'd make him regret getting caught. Hugo's hand dove into his jacket pocket and he produced a small glass vial filled with pink powder which he smashed straight into the side of Cyrus' head. His grip relaxed and Hugo crumpled to the ground, leaping away as Cyrus' eyes rolled back and he collapsed, the pink powder settling over his head.
Behind Hugo, the door opened and Donella walked in, barely glancing down at the man before turning her attention to Hugo.
'What did you do?' she asked mildly.
'Sedative,' Hugo replied raspily, rubbing his throat. 'Knocked him out. He'll be up again in an hour or so.'
Donella nodded, the only sign of her approval that Hugo ever got.
'In that case, you can take his job. I need you to get something for me.'
The next memory was one Hugo really didn't want to confront and he hesitated as he heard the sounds of his own gasping breaths. He looked back but the fog had solidified behind him and his feet were starting to freeze again. He had to keep moving if he wanted to stay alive. So he gritted his teeth, striding forwards in the hopes that he could get it over with quickly.
He saw himself, chained to a wall in one of Ingvarr's prisons, torso covered in methodically placed slices that dripped blood into pools under his bare feet. His head hung low but his sandy hair didn't conceal any of the bruises on his face. Standing before him was a man in an Ingvarrian guard uniform; all black leather and silver trim. His black hair was slicked back and neat while his perfect goatee was twisted in a sadistic smirk as he looked down at Hugo.
'Where did you hide it, rat?' he asked coldly.
Hugo was silent, refusing to answer. If he did, Donella's punishment would be worse than anything this idiot could come up with.
The man raised his fist, clutching a whip embedded with small blades. With a crack, he slashed it across Hugo's chest, making him cry out as another cut was added to his already impressive collection.
'Where is it?' the man repeated and Hugo glared up at him, lip split and blood dripping down his chin. He spat in the man's face and he reeled back in disgust, wiping it away.
'Very well. I can see that you might be more responsive to some of our more... advanced techniques.'
He turned away to a small bench where Hugo could see a number of chemicals lined up. He didn't see what the man selected, but when he turned around again, he held a syringe filled with a glowing purple solution that looked like a fresh bruise.
'I hear you're something of an alchemist too,' the man continued as he approached, 'You'll appreciate being the first test subject for my new invention.'
He grabbed a fistful of Hugo's hair and wrenched his head to the side to expose his neck. Hugo bucked and tried to pull free, but in moments the syringe was plunging into his skin and he could feel the icy coldness of the chemical entering his bloodstream. The reaction was immediate as a fierce, searing pain began to spread outwards, feeling like his skin was on fire. He shouted and convulsed, but nothing he did eased the torment that only got worse with every second. His vision tunnelled as his awareness narrowed until all he knew was that pain.
Hugo wrenched his eyes away from the memory, his breath catching in his throat. He went to lift his hand to his neck where he could still feel that needle pierce his skin, only to find his arms were frozen to his side. He looked down with horror as he realised his entire body from his shoulders down was encased in ice that was thickening by the second. He couldn't even feel his feet anymore.
'No!' he snapped, struggling against it. His efforts were briefly rewarded as he got his arms free and he pulled his jacket open to drag a brilliant red bottle out. He ripped the cork free and poured it out all over himself and watched as it cut into the ice, melting it away enough to wrench himself free. He tried to run, but instead of fog ahead of him, there was another wall, trapping him with that memory. He could still hear his own screams hanging in the air, but he couldn't bear to face it. But there wasn't much else he could do if he wanted to avoid becoming part of the glacier around him.
There was movement from his pocket as Olivia crawled out, climbing onto his shoulder and pressing her warm bronze body to his cheek. His breathing began to slow as she squeaked at him, finally making him turn to face the memory. He watched as the torturer finally left once he had become unresponsive, and an identical squeaking reached him from under the door. Memory-Olivia slipped into the room and raced to Hugo, climbing up to his manacles and pushing her tiny metal paws inside. In moments, the manacle was clicking open and Hugo slumped, only supported by his other arm. She scrambled to free him completely and he crumpled to the floor, oblivious to her efforts to rouse him. She turned to the workbench where the chemicals were still laid out and hurried over, reading their labels. Making a decision, she grabbed one and heaved it over her back, staggering back to Hugo and dumping its contents over his cuts. Several long minutes later, Hugo began to stir, looking at Olivia in shock.
'You're here,' he muttered, slowly sitting up.
Olivia nodded and squeaked, pointing to the barred window to Hugo's left, then the assorted chemicals on the bench. Despite his injuries and exhaustion, Hugo got to work, quickly mixing a number of them into an acid strong enough to melt the bars, squeezing his thin frame through them and leaving the torture chamber behind. Donella barely glanced up as he staggered back into her office, tossing the small metal orb he'd been sent to steal on her desk.
'Get caught in some trouble, did you?' she commented drily.
Hugo didn't respond, turning to limp to his chambers.
Present Hugo sighed as the fog in front of him finally allowed him to pass. There were more memories after that one, but they were nothing compared to it. All of them showed the years that had shaped Hugo into the person he was today, exposing every facet of himself that he thought he'd buried beneath his arrogant exterior. Then suddenly, the fog was gone and he found himself standing in a large circular chamber. A door made of ice was set into the wall ahead of him, but it refused to budge under his hand. A glance back showed that the tunnel he'd just come through was now clear of the fog and he could see the entrance at the far end, leading back to the surface. But he turned away and leaned back against the door, sliding to the ground and hugging the lantern to his chest, waiting for Varian and Yong to appear.