Kaelen tightened his grip on the Vanguard dagger hidden beneath his rags. He calculated the exact angle needed to pierce Lyra's throat. He could kill her before she uttered a single word.
But the golden sunlight of the High Tiers offered no shadows to hide in. Dozens of Platinum-armored guards stood patrolling the perimeter. If he struck down a noble in the center of the Guild Hub, he would be executed instantly.
He slowly released his grip on the hilt. The abyssal black glow in his eyes faded into dull gray.
"You are playing a very dangerous game," Kaelen whispered.
Lyra did not flinch. Searing heat radiated from her fractured chestplate, blistering the air between them. "I am playing to survive. We have a deal."
Before Kaelen could set his terms, the Gold Tier knight on the floating platform raised his hand. A deafening horn blasted through the courtyard.
"The Vanguard Trials begin now!" the knight bellowed. "Enter the Abyssal Labyrinth!"
Massive bronze doors at the back of the courtyard ground open. A dark, gaping maw of a stairwell was revealed. The air blowing out of the tunnel smelled of stale blood and crushed stone.
Initiates surged forward in a chaotic wave. Kaelen and Lyra moved with the crowd out of pure necessity.
As they descended into the gloom, Kaelen felt a sharp gaze burning into his back. He glanced over his shoulder. Lord Valerius stood on a higher step, flanked by four heavily armed mercenaries. The arrogant blonde noble drew a finger across his own throat.
Kaelen simply turned his head and continued walking into the dark.
The stairs ended in a sprawling cavern of shifting stone walls. Bioluminescent fungi provided a sickening green light. The massive bronze doors slammed shut above them, sealing the initiates inside.
A mechanical voice echoed from the walls. "Survival phase initiated. Eliminate the simulated threats. Find the exit."
The ground trembled violently. The stone walls began to slide and grind together. Kaelen grabbed Lyra by the shoulder and pulled her into a narrow corridor just as a massive stone block crushed the space they had been standing in.
They were completely separated from the rest of the initiates.
"Don't touch me!" Lyra gasped, pulling away. The heat coming off her skin scorched Kaelen's palm.
"Keep your magic suppressed," Kaelen warned. "You are going to detonate."
Before Lyra could respond, the ceiling above them cracked.
Two massive, jagged shapes dropped from the shadows. They were artificial beasts forged from steel and glowing blue Aether crystals. Mechanical Arachnids. Their razor-sharp legs gouged deep trenches into the stone floor.
The blue interface flickered in Kaelen's vision.
[Warning. Simulated constructs detected. No harvestable essence available.]
Kaelen cursed. Fighting these things was a complete waste of energy. The System could not feed on machines.
The first Arachnid lunged. Its front legs thrust forward like twin spears.
Kaelen activated Street Stealth. His body blurred, dropping low to slide under the lethal strike. He drew his Vanguard dagger and slashed upward at the construct's joints. Sparks showered the corridor, but the magically hardened steel barely scratched.
Lyra stepped forward. She thrust her open palm toward the second beast. A blinding beam of pure, overcharged white fire erupted from her hand.
The blast hit the mechanical spider squarely in the center. The construct instantly melted into a puddle of glowing slag.
But the cost was immediate. Lyra screamed in agony.
The fractured crystal on her chestplate cracked again. A deafening pop echoed through the narrow hallway. Blinding light leaked through her silver armor. She collapsed to her knees, clutching her chest as the suffocating heat instantly vaporized the moisture in the air.
The surviving Arachnid pivoted. It locked its glowing red eyes onto the incapacitated knight and raised its scythe-like legs for a killing blow.
Kaelen did not hesitate. He channeled pure kinetic energy into his dagger. A violent purple aura ignited around the chipped blade.
"Aether Slash!"
He swung the dagger horizontally. A crescent of purple light tore through the corridor. It struck the mechanical spider with devastating force, cleanly severing its head and front legs. The construct crashed to the floor, completely destroyed.
Kaelen exhaled sharply, the dark energy settling back into his core. He turned to check on Lyra.
She was shaking violently on the ground. The magical overload was accelerating.
"Get away from me," Lyra choked out, tears of pain streaming down her face. "I cannot hold it back!"
Kaelen stepped toward her, raising his hand to siphon the excess energy.
Heavy footsteps echoed from the shadows behind him.
Kaelen stopped and spun around.
Lord Valerius stepped out of the gloom. His four armored mercenaries spread out, blocking the only exit. They drew heavy broadswords that hummed with lethal, concentrated magic.
"Well look at this," Valerius sneered, his eyes gleaming with cruel delight. "The parasite and the broken knight, trapped in a dead end. Kill the boy. Leave the girl to explode."
The system interface flashed a brilliant, bloody crimson.
[Multiple Sentient Prey Detected.]