(To complete the Trial of Two Paths you must acquire the key item.)
(The key item is guarded by Gor''vath the Earthbreaker. You can either sneak past it or defeat it to acquire the key item.)
(You have 180 minutes to complete the trial.)
I looked over the trial’s description. It was just like the info.
“Champion, we will fight against it, aren’t we?”
Thalia spoke up with a voice that sounded like a tired mother of three boys.
“Shealth is the safer of the two options. It is also better energy saving wise.”
Blanche mulled it over with a calculating tone.
“If it’s anything like its name, Earthbreaker implies area control—probably capable of blocking exits or covering ground in a way that makes retreat hard.”
Aurora added.
“Let’s scout the area. We first need to find it. We will think about our next action after that.”
I decided, looking around. We were in a forest. In theory, unless that creature had some kind of super senses I could sneak around it. But was it the right choice? I needed to grow stronger and it wasn’t going to happen if I avoided fights.
As we moved into the forest, the air grew denser, the canopy above thick with twisted, knotted branches that blocked out most of the light. A low hum filled the air, a faint tremor reverberating through the ground—an ominous warning of Gor''vath’s presence.
“Keep close,” I whispered, gesturing for the others to spread out in a loose line. A rumble echoed from deeper within the trees. The ground trembled, and the earth shifted beneath our feet as if warning us to turn back. I motioned for everyone to halt, crouching low as we moved forward again with even greater caution. Branches and vines tangled underfoot, but something else stood out—the faintest trace of mana radiating ahead, raw and unsettling.
Blanche scanned the area, her gaze sharp and assessing. “I sense it. Not close, but the power is… oppressive.”
I nodded. “Artemeni, can you catch a glimpse of it from the trees?”
With a quick nod, she sprang up a nearby tree, her footsteps light on the branches. After a moment, she stilled, gaze fixed ahead, and signaled for us to join her. I leaped up next, trying to keep as quiet as possible, and the others followed suit.
From our vantage, Gor''vath came into view—a hulking beast covered in thick, stone-like scales, its body fused with chunks of earth and rock. It looked like a massive bull, each of its steps heavy enough to shake the ground. It prowled near a massive stone pedestal, where I assumed the key item lay.
I shrugged my shoulders, feeling the mana pressing down on my shoulders. Damn. No wonder the trial gave us the option to sneak past it. This mofo probably could take on the Nidhogg.
Aurora’s sharp intake of breath told me she was equally taken aback. “It’s not just a creature—it’s practically a walking fortress.”
Blanche raised an eyebrow, assessing the beast with her usual detached calculation. “If it really can shake the ground to this extent, then even getting close without detection will be… tricky.”
G?kb?rü growled with a low voice and my eyes widened.
“Spread, now!”
I grabbed Thalia and Artemeni grabbed Aurora. We ran opposite ways as a massive boulder struck where we were, demolishing several trees before stopping. The beast’s head snapped towards us, its hostility apparent.
“Well, there goes any chance of sneaking around.”
Gor''vath snorted, its nostrils flaring as it registered our scattered positions. Chunks of earth rose around its feet, seemingly alive and ready to attack on its command. I sighed. It managed to sense us. How? We were a fairly long distance away from it.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. Thalia, buffs please.”
Thalia’s hands glowed faintly, her voice calm despite the beast bearing down on us. "Blessing of the War Goddess, guide our blades and shield us from ruin!" As her buffs took effect, a warmth spread through my limbs, hardening my skin like armor, making me feel faster and stronger.
“Artemeni, think we can handle this?”
I shouted, drawing the Demonic Swordbreaker from my arsenal. The sword’s dark edge gleamed with an otherworldly aura, crackling with latent power. I parried chunks of stone thrown at us. Artemeni landed beside me, her spear drawn and her shield ready.
Artemeni smirked, adrenaline lighting up her eyes.
“I will fight alongside you, until my last breath.”
Okay, that was too much.
“We will hold it here. Everyone else to the pedestal. That’s where the key must-“
I stopped shouting the moment I saw the beast rear up. I summoned my shield, gigantifying it while G?kb?rü erected an ice wall around us.
The beast brought its front hooves down and the ground shook. I grabbed Thalia to stop her from falling as I tried to keep my balance. I glanced back and saw massive stone walls circling us, stopping us from reaching the pedestal.
“This shit. You want to fight? We’ll give you a fight.”
“Bark!”
G?kb?rü let out a fierce bark, his fur bristling, and I could feel the cold mana gathering around him, ready to unleash. Beside me, Thalia steadied herself, her gaze sharp as she extended a hand toward Blanche and Aurora, the glow of her protective wards enveloping us. Gor''vath stomped, sending another wave of tremors through the ground.
“Artemeni draw its attention. Blanche, Aurora try to stop its movements. Thalia, stand by. I will try to deal damage with G?kb?rü.”
Artemeni nodded, determination set in her features. She darted toward Gor''vath, her movements swift and agile, while Blanche and Aurora circled around, preparing to launch their attacks. Blanche’s hands moved in intricate gestures, lightning and ice swirling around her fingers as she muttered under her breath, and runic letters shone around Aurora. With G?kb?rü by my side, I charged forward, feeling the cold bite of his mana mixing with my own. The beast locked its eyes on me, snorting as it pawed at the ground, shards of rock breaking free under the force. I raised the Demonic Swordbreaker, I blocked them as I ran towards it. Artemeni didn’t waste a moment, her spear glinting as she struck Gor''vath''s side, aiming for the softer flesh between its stone plates. The beast roared, twisting to swipe at her, but she was already gone, spinning away to keep its attention on her.
With Gor''vath distracted, Blanche took her opportunity, her voice rising above the chaos. “Ice bind!” She hurled her hands forward, sending tendrils of frost snaking along the ground to wrap around the beast''s legs. For a second, Gor''vath’s movement stuttered, and I could see the brief falter in its stance as it fought against the freezing bonds.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Aurora’s runes flared to life, casting a blinding light over the battlefield. “Gravity Seal!” she shouted, her aura heavy with power as she wove her magic into the ground below Gor''vath. The beast’s limbs buckled slightly, forced to contend with the augmented weight pressing it downward. The earth around it groaned as it struggled to stay upright, every movement slower, every attack hindered by Aurora’s spell.
I met G?kb?rü''s gaze, a shared understanding passing between us. “Let’s go,” I whispered, feeling the icy breath of his mana as we closed in, darting around debris and shattered stone. Gor''vath swung one of its forelegs to shake off Aurora’s seal, and I took advantage of the split-second delay, activating Armor Collapsing Claw. The energy surged through my body, covering the Demonic Swordbreaker in a menacing aura, amplified by G?kb?rü’s icy mana.
We lunged forward in unison, G?kb?rü’s breath forming a freezing mist around his jaws. He leaped onto the beast’s shoulder, claws sinking into the cracks in its stone-like armor as he unleashed Ice Wolf’s Breath point-blank, freezing a segment of its scales solid. I didn’t hesitate; with a powerful downward strike, I slammed the Demonic Swordbreaker into the frozen patch, shattering layers of rock with a satisfying crack. The beast roared in pain, its leg buckling beneath the combined assault.
Artemeni lunged back in, taking advantage of the opening. Her spear thrust toward the vulnerable flesh we’d exposed, drawing a deep wound that oozed a thick, earthy fluid.
Gor''vath’s eyes flared, and it twisted to retaliate, its body thrumming with the ominous glow of earth mana. It slammed its hoof into the ground, sending fissures racing toward us. I barely had time to shout, “Jump!” before a surge of jagged rocks erupted from below. Blanche and Aurora leaped to safety, but Gor''vath’s attacks were relentless; the beast twisted with a ferocity that belied its size, breaking through Aurora’s Gravity Seal.
“G?kb?rü, back to me!” I yelled as we regrouped, circling Gor''vath and rethinking our approach. Every moment we kept it on the defensive, our collective attacks chipped away at its defenses, but it was clear this creature was resilient, each blow only wearing it down bit by bit.
“Hmpft.”
I infused massive amounts of mana into my sword and threw it to the creature. It rose a stone wall to block it but I was already running towards it while manifesting a bigger version of Wurm-Scale Earthshaker, its weight apparent. I also activated Titan Slayer’s Rune. If its hide is made out of rocks, Gaia Burst should work on it.
With a surge of energy coursing through me, I felt the Titan Slayer’s Rune pulse in sync with my heart, amplifying my strength and agility. Wurm-Scale Earthshaker grew heavier in my grip, each step sinking deeper into the ground as I approached Gor''vath. The stone wall it had raised to block my initial strike cracked under the force of the empowered hammer, and as I reached the beast, I activated Gaia Burst.
Mana flooded through the Earthshaker, and the ground responded, erupting beneath us with jagged rocks that burst forth, aiming to crush the monster’s limbs. Gor''vath stumbled, chunks of its rocky armor dislodging as it roared in fury, its massive form struggling to hold against the onslaught.
Artemeni capitalized on the opening, her spear glinting with a sharp aura as she struck, embedding her weapon deep within Gor''vath’s exposed shoulder. The beast’s roar grew deafening, a primal sound that seemed to shake the entire forest. Blanche sent a streak of lightning through the cracks in its armor, sizzling and sparking as it connected with the raw flesh beneath. I raised Earthshaker high, and in a fluid motion, brought it down with all my weight, aiming for the beast’s vulnerable neck.
The blade bit deep, and I could feel the resistance of its rocky hide giving way. G?kb?rü circled back to our side, his icy breath creating a fog around Gor''vath’s lower limbs, the cold mist slowing its movements even more. The creature swayed and weakened, and I could see its fury turning to desperation. It let out one last bellow and slammed its hooves down, sending a massive shockwave across the battlefield. The ground beneath us split as the beast attempted to shake us off one last time.
“No. Arcane Downpour.”
Aurora’s voice rang in my ears before a massive pillar of light stuck the beast. The burst of energy from Aurora’s Arcane Downpour struck Gor''vath head-on, the radiant mana searing through its rocky exterior with blinding intensity. Cracks formed along its body as the sheer weight of Aurora’s magic pressed it into the earth. The creature groaned, its once impenetrable hide crumbling under the combined assault of elemental fury, raw strength, and precision.
Gor''vath staggered back, weakened and barely standing, the chunks of earth and stone that once formed its sturdy frame now littering the ground around it. Wasting no time, I drew in a deep breath, calling forth my mana, and let it surge through my veins like a raging river. I raised the Wurm-Scale Earthshaker one last time, bringing it crashing down onto Gor''vath’s exposed body. The strike echoed through the clearing, a thunderous impact that shattered the beast’s final defenses.
With a final, shuddering groan, Gor''vath’s body collapsed, breaking apart into a pile of rubble.
“Well, that was some- What?”
Before I could do much as to utter a sentence Gor''vath’s body reformed itself.
“Ah, fuck that. G?kb?rü, you are flying.”
G?kb?rü let out an overeager bark as he jumped into my hand. I took a deep breath and threw him towards the pedestal. As G?kb?rü soared through the air, his small frame wreathed in icy mana, his eyes locked onto the pedestal with a keen determination. He let out a fierce bark mid-flight, and with a final surge of power, a frozen trail followed in his wake, an icy path slicing through the battlefield and reaching for the key item.
The beast’s head snapped towards him. From its body language, I felt it was getting ready to charge towards G?kb?rü.
“Hold it back!” Artemeni shouted as she dashed in again, her shield growing in size with mana. Aurora joined her, magic flaring brightly as she summoned another Gravity Seal, anchoring parts of the creature to the ground. Despite their best efforts, Gor''vath was frenzied by someone getting close to a key item. Its horns smacked Artemeni to the side but Thalia’s golden shield caught her.
Blanche and Aurora unleashed their magic with renewed intensity; Blanche’s tendrils of lightning shot towards the creature, crackling along its weakened body, while Aurora’s gravity manipulation pressed down on its legs, anchoring it just long enough for G?kb?rü to reach the pedestal.
I gripped the Wurm-Scale Earthshaker, calling upon every ounce of remaining mana, and channeled it into a final Gaia Burst. The ground beneath Gor''vath fractured, forming a massive chasm that threatened to swallow it whole. Despite all that, it tried to climb towards me.
G?kb?rü ran towards us with a crystal in his mouth. I assumed it was the key item. He jumped into my arms.
(You completed Trial of Two Paths.)
(Rating party’s performance…)
(A)