Zavier stepped to the tree line, the woods beyond darker than they should have been given the brightness of the rest of the world. To the left and right of him the woods stretched off into the far distance, but not so far that he couldn't see the curve of trunks that faded into the horizon. Looks like a damned-big circle, he thought. Wonder why I can't see beyond the first row of trees? Light should be filtering in - the upper foliage isn't that dense. He paced the line of trees that were too even, too perfectly-spaced.

"Hey!" He called to the sky. "I know this is a prefab dungeon and all, but could you give me a clue what I'm looking at? Is it safe to go inside?" No reply came, not that he expected any. He knew someone had to be watching him - what good test didn't have a proctor? - he just refused to let them think that he didn't know. With no answers forthcoming he took a deep breath and stepped into the darkened woods.

Instantly the world appeared around him, the woods now visible, if dark. He could see further than when he stood outside, although not by much. The entire forest seemed to be lit to about the level of an hour or two after twilight - just enough light to see, not enough to see far. He turned to see the world beyond looking perfectly normal, bright and inviting. He moved to step out, wanting to see the effect from the other side again, only to stop when an announcement appeared in his vision.

Welcome to The Evernight Woods! This trial will require you to locate and kill the guardian of the woods within seven days. Bonus experience will be issued for each day remaining on the timer when the guardian is killed. Bonus experience will be gained if all creatures within the woods are killed before the guardian. Additional bonuses are available and can be discovered throughout the trial.

All experience gained while inside The Evernight Woods will be issued after the trial is complete. Stepping outside of the woods will forfeit all experience gained. Not killing the guardian within the time allotted will forfeit all experience.

The trial begins now.

Zavier cursed as he saw the timer begin. He recalled the curve of the trees and performed a quick mental calculation to assess the size of the woods. This place is fucking huge! How in the hell am I supposed to explore it all in seven days?

He took off at a sprint, running along the treeline, being careful not to get too close to the edge for fear of stepping out. He stretched his senses in every direction, finding nothing. His internal calculations told him that even after an hour at a dead-out sprint he'd barely covered a single degree.

I'll never explore it all in time this way. I need something else - there's no way this trial is meant to be as simple as running around. It'd take months.

He stopped, finding a comfortable patch of grass to sit and concentrate. He split his mental processes, a small portion dedicated to watching and listening for threats, the rest devoted to his first plan.

"Okay Ed, let's see if I paid close enough attention." He lifted the tip of the chain, admiring the perfect beauty of his Sonic Screwdriver. With perfect recall he replayed every time Ed had drawn his life-seeking skill, practicing with the patterns and overlaying them on The System's skill data. He was able to see how much the patterns mimicked the Identify skill, the core of the skill branching out in ways meant to be modified by the caster's desire. In most cases Identify worked on auto-pilot, doing what it was designed to do and no more. Ed had somehow managed to modify the ancillary command codes to imprint what he was looking for as the core of the skill, then send it out to look for what it was programmed to look for. Instead of casting Identify on something in front of him, the skill was pre-loaded with an idea of what the user was looking for and went to search it out instead. Pretty clever, you lucky bastard, he thought as he put the finishing touches on the skill.

Zavier smiled in triumph as a dozen small lights appeared in front of him, the command to 'seek life' primed. "Go," he said and they flew off into the woods. He sat back and waited, reviewing the inner workings of the ability as he did. His wait wasn't long - 10 minutes after sending them out most had returned. He absorbed the lights into him and immediately had a strong feeling of what they had found.

Six had found pockets of life, one had found a single, larger life form, and the rest had reached the outer limit of how far they could travel and returned without finding anything. Zavier jumped to his feet with excitement, running towards the closest group.

Minutes later Zavier was peeking out behind a tree at the glowing balls of light that were flitting between the trees. Fireflies? He cast Identify.

Name: Will-o'-Wisps Level: 5 Description: Floating, glowing orbs of light that lead travelers astray. These ethereal creatures are often used by other forest creatures to lure adventurers into dangerous areas or traps. Their movements are unpredictable, and they are known for causing confusion and disorientation.

Abilities:

Luring Light:

The will-o'-wisp can emit a captivating glow that draws its prey toward dangerous locations, such as traps or the territory of stronger creatures.

Illusionary Tricks:

They can create illusions to confuse and disorient, making it difficult for their prey to know which way to go.

Weaknesses:

Weakness to Disruption:

High-pitched sounds or sudden bursts of energy can disrupt their focus and make them flee.

No Physical Form:

They cannot interact with physical objects and are vulnerable to magical attacks or any means of blocking their light.

Okay, they look pretty easy to kill but will be hard to catch. Let's hope that the Sonic Screwdriver is magical enough to do some damage. Zavier leapt into the area of trees with the glowing Wisps, his chain spearing through the first and sending the rest scattering. His aim was true, spearing directly through the ball of light, but the chain thunked against the trunk of the tree behind it. The Will-o'-Wisp made an angry tinkling sound before bobbing away. With a curse Zavier pulled the chain back and looked around him. The Wisps had formed a ring around the area, bobbing in place.

They looked trapped in this area. Let's try something else then. He ran forward, both chains swinging now. He slashed, whipped, and speared them over and over, each strike doing nothing more than causing more angry tinkling and bobbing. The Wisps rushed at him, buzzing in his face before buzzing away, only to be replaced by others.

Zavier stepped back, frustration bubbling up as the Will-o'-Wisps continued to mock him with their erratic movements. His chains whipped through the air in futile arcs, unable to damage the glowing orbs. Each time he struck, the Wisps simply darted out of range, their eerie, high-pitched tinkling laughter ringing in his ears.

"Enough of this!" Zavier growled, his mind racing. He wasn't going to be outmaneuvered by a bunch of floating lights. Not today.

He paused, focusing inward. The key to winning this fight wasn't brute force. It was the System. It had given him tools, all he had to do was figure out how to use them. The pen - his Sonic Screwdriver - wasn't just a simple object; it was a gateway to manipulate the System itself. If he could harness the energy he'd seen before, what the Arcane Scamperers had used, he could turn the tables on these creatures.

Zavier let out a steady breath, calming himself. He needed to think this through.

The trick wasn't attacking in the conventional sense. He'd seen how the Arcane Scamperers' energy worked, how their arcane lightning had arced into anything they touched. He knew that kind of power could overwhelm these Wisps.

Taking the pen from its fastened position at the end of his chain, Zavier stared at it. He could feel the pulse of the System's code inside, an interface waiting for him to rewrite its rules. A few quick movements, and he could manipulate it to generate the energy he needed. He just had to make it work.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Okay, time to upgrade," he muttered, closing his eyes and concentrating as he began to inscribe a new command code onto the System. He focused on the characteristics of the Will-o'-Wisps - how they relied on their light to confuse and disorient. He could feel it even now, their attempts to confuse him slamming against the fortress wall of his high Intelligence stat. He envisioned a countermeasure, a burst of energy that would disrupt their light, knock them out of their disorienting dance.

The pen whirred quietly in his hand as Zavier's mind worked. He encoded the concept into the System's code, inscribing it directly onto the pen. The words took form in his mind first - Arcane Lightning.

He exhaled sharply and finished the last stroke, completing the arcane algorithm. The pen hummed, and Zavier felt the familiar sensation of power coursing through the chain and into the tip of the Sonic Screwdriver. His grip tightened. This was it.

With a focused thought, he pushed the energy through the pen, channeling it into a concentrated strike. The air crackled, a vibrant blue bolt of energy lanced out from the pen, and a flash of lightning tore through the air, straight into the heart of the nearest Wisp.

The Wisp screeched, its light flickering erratically before it vanished entirely in a burst of sparks. Zavier grinned, watching as the others darted back in surprise. The lightning wasn't just disruptive - it was devastating. With a vicious grin he placed it back into the tip of his chain. "All right you slippery bastards, let's see how you like this."

They regrouped quickly, their glowing bodies reappearing in the trees around him, their movements even more erratic than before. Zavier could feel their attempts to disorient him again, but this time, he was ready.

He swung the chain with calculated precision, releasing another blast of Arcane Lightning. The bolt struck true again, this time hitting multiple Wisps as they tried to circle him. One by one, they flickered out, their bodies overloaded with the raw power coursing through them. He spun, whirled, and flashed the chain out to the places they were - to the places he knew they'd be. His mind ran the calculations faster than they could move and, by the end, he didn't even need to look to know that he'd hit them.

As the last of the lights winked out he felt the familiar rush of victory, but it was short-lived. He knew these Wisps weren't the real challenge; they were just a test. The Guardian had to be somewhere nearby, waiting for him to make his move.

He stood tall, his chains now humming with potential energy, the pen still glowing softly in the chain that was looped across his shoulders. The fight wasn't over yet. Not by a long shot.

"I see you," Zavier muttered, scanning the woods for the next trial, his mind already shifting to the next phase. The System had given him the power to fight back. Now, he just needed to keep adapting, keep learning, and eventually, he would face whatever was waiting for him at the heart of the Evernight Woods.

His first real test was over. But the real battle was just beginning. He was off at a run, a beaming smile on his face.

Zavier's sprint stopped him at a copse of trees, large, shadowy forms lounging just out of sight. He could make out wolf-like forms, albeit larger and distinctly more angry-looking to him. He cast another Identify to see what he was dealing with.

Name: Dire Wolf Level: 9 Description: Larger and more aggressive than regular wolves, dire wolves are formidable predators. They have an unnatural intelligence and often travel in packs, using coordinated tactics to hunt down prey. Some may be able to phase in and out of the material plane, making them harder to track and fight.

Abilities:

Pack Tactics:

Dire wolves gain strength from being with their pack, increasing their effectiveness in combat when they fight alongside others.

Phase Shift:

The dire wolf can partially shift out of the material plane, becoming intangible for short periods, allowing it to pass through obstacles or avoid attacks.

Weaknesses:

Separation Anxiety:

If isolated from the pack, the dire wolf loses much of its strength and combat effectiveness.

Silver Weakness:

Dire wolves are especially vulnerable to silver-based weapons, which can pierce through their magical defenses.

Ooh boy, these don't look fun. He pondered the situation for a time, trying to get a good count despite the darkness. He was hesitant to send out any more Identification Orbs, as he had begun to think of them, for fear of the light calling attention to him. These fuckers are big - not sure I can take them out in a straight-on fight. He was all too aware of his lack of combat skills and wished more than ever that Tess was here to help him out. She'd make short work of these upstart dogs.

He scanned the area for the umpteenth time, waiting for inspiration to strike. As his eyes trailed up the trees a plan formed in his mind. Guess I have to Spiderman this. As silently as possible, but still far too loud to go unnoticed, his chains flew into the lower boughs of the large trees.

Zavier was flying - or his best approximation of it anyway. His Razorlink Chain's ability to attach to anything it touched and his pen's ability to sink into anything it hit allowed him to fly between the trees like a superhero gymnast. He swung around the trees in wide arcs, one chain affixed to a tree as he swung, the other swiping or spearing at the leaping Dire Wolves below. They were tough - a single swipe of the razored chains or a spear from his pen was not enough to take them down, but he was winning the war of attrition. He just had to stay above their reach.

Pretty damned good reach! He thought in panic as one nipped at the heel of his shoe before he could swing out of the way. That was a close one! His arms were growing tired with the constant swinging, but there was no opportunity to rest. The lowest branches were too high for him to reach the wolves, although they offered a few moments of rest. He couldn't stop, though. Last time he'd taken a breather his arms had begun to shake and he'd felt the strength drain from them. He had to keep up the constant motion while he still had energy to give. He wasn't confident that if he left their space they wouldn't be able to follow. They didn't seem constrained like the Will-o'-Wisps had. With a groan of frustration he sent his chains out again, leaping from his perch to swing back across the pack.

He had thinned them down from their original six to just three, but these three were tough bastards. He considered dropping to the ground to finish them off there, but didn't like his odds. Fuck me, just die already! His frustration was mounting in proportion to the strength he was losing with each swing. He thought furiously, but no new strategies came to mind. Come on, he yelled internally at himself, you're smarter than this!

The three were standing shoulder-to-shoulder, chasing him as he swung. He couldn't say they were intelligent, but they certainly weren't dumb. They never strayed far enough from each other for their Separation Anxiety debuff to take effect, and he wasn't providing them any reason to make mistakes. With a cry of frustration he swung himself onto a branch as wide as his torso, wiping away the sweat that was pouring off of him in sheets and obscuring his vision.

"Think, you useless bastard! They're just dogs!" He stood there, arms shaking, chains hanging into the darkness below. He could barely make out the forms of the wolves, the yellow reflections of their eyes the only thing telling him where they were.

"Okay then, let's let gravity do the work. Hopefully you can't see me either." Zavier lashed out with the Razorlink chain, wrapping their sharp links around the branch he was standing on. "This is a really stupid idea," he mumbled to himself before yanking it back as hard as he could.

The edged links cut through the branch like it was made of balsam and in seconds he felt it shift under his weight. With a cry and a final heave he felt it give way, then his stomach was in his throat as he and the branch were in a free-fall.

He reached down and touched the branch, activating the Weight Increase enchantment on Fara's Gift as he did. The ring let him increase the density of whatever weapon he held by up to three times its mass. He'd previously only used it on his chain, but this time he was using it on a huge fucking branch.

The motorcycle-sized branch fell, landing with the force of over 1000 pounds of mass falling from almost two stories up. Its heavy thump shook the trees around it, crunching meeting Zavier's ears as he was rebounded back into the air. He flung the chains out, hoping, praying, that he could catch something. The universe did not provide.

He landed flat on his back, bouncing as the breath was knocked out of him. He hit again, struggling to roll to his stomach. He panted as he climbed to his feet, shallow breaths wheezing out of him in bursts as he tried to catch his breath. A pit erupted in his stomach from where his kidneys had struck the hard earth. He stumbled backwards, propping himself up against a tree and blinking to clear the flashes of white from his sight. If anything came for him now he was dead and he knew it.

He whipped the chains around in clumsy loops, hoping it would fend off anything that came at him. Instead, he was greeted by a System message.

Congratulations! You have unlocked a hidden achievement You have defeated all enemies within a zone without touching the ground. Bonus experience awarded.

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