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Soulweaver 171: Proving Grounds
🕑 Added 2025-07-21 18:00:09 +0000 UTCNOTE: We'll continue with 2 chapters a week per story for now. I will make an announcement when we return to 3x a week. Thank you all for your patience.
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I barely noticed as we followed the Sylrithar across the canopy forest floor onto a bough that was as large as a New York skyscraper turned on its side.
That wasn’t on account of boring scenery—quite the contrary. Being a mile up on a ginormous tree that housed an entire civilization of advanced elves was practically straight out of the fantasy roleplaying games I used to play, and I’d dreamed more than once of swapping places with my characters in those worlds.
I’d done more than dream, actually. I’d wanted it with every fiber of my being. And now that I was living the dream, I wasn’t even paying attention. That was because my head was too filled with thoughts of maximizing our time in the training space. How exactly did that work? And how long did the effect last? If we immersed ourselves there—something I was pretty sure Aerion and her silver tongue were more than capable of negotiating—would the effect last until we entered our next Cataclysm Dungeon?
Or what about another Trial? Could we maybe seek out a Convergence-Rank Trial? Just how many levels would I gain for completing a Trial a full rank above me?
Even a slight powerup made that training space incredibly useful. If it gave us a real advantage? That would make it invaluable. Something that maybe even a god and his country would covet.
I itched to go back right now and start. Maybe I could—!?
“... Your accommodations!” the Sylrithar said, throwing open a door at the bottom of a short wooden staircase. He’d been talking the whole time, but I’d tuned him out some time ago.
This, though? This brought me back from dreamland. This just couldn’t be ignored.
“This is…”
“Marvelous!” Aerion finished, rushing into the spherical space we’d just entered.
We stood on a platform about halfway up the sphere. As far as I could tell, the ground—and everything else—was made of vines and branches that grew organically from the main bough. Except unlike most flooring, this one had gaps in it. Enough gaps for me to see the floor below us. That was also how I could tell we were in a sphere. Amber lights were embedded into some of those gaps, dousing the place in a warm hue that felt like home.
Couches sprung from floor as though having grown out of it, and ornate silk rugs covered part of the floor. They were among the few furnishings not made of vine and wood.
“You must let me speak with the Blessed who constructed this,” Aerion said, eyes practically sparkling. It made sense that she’d take an interest given her engineering mindset, but even I was impressed. Enough to wonder whether I ought to expand my magic repertoire to the arts outside of combat. It wasn’t just that the vines and branches turned every wall into a natural window into the incredible surroundings—it was cozy, too.
“I’m sure that can be arranged,” the Sylrithar said with an amused smile. “Now, as much as I’d love to stay and chat, I must return to my duties.”
“Of course,” Aerion said, whirling to face the elf. “We’ve taken too much of your time.”
“Hardly,” the Sylrithar said. “The pleasure is mine. Should you need anything, please notify the attendant stationed outside. Imaera will see to your every need. She’ll arrive later this evening.”
Aerion and I nodded, and with that, the Sylrithar left us, closing the circular vine door behind him.
“Isn’t this just incredible?” Aerion asked, spreading her arms wide and spinning around the room. “What luxury!”
“Indeed,” I muttered, taking in the space in full.
The floor was soft, and for some reason, my feet never slipped into the gaps. Was that magic? Or were the gaps just too small to pose a real hazard? When I looked closely, I noticed it was covered in something like short moss. The floor below us had what looked like a lavish organic bed, and there were hallways on either side that led to two smaller spheres. A living room and a bathroom, I guessed.
Oh yeah, that view that every room had? It included the mile-long drop down to the ground. Because this whole aerial condo was suspended below the bough it was connected to.
“Greg! Down here, come look!”
I followed Aerion down the spiral stairs that led to the bedroom. Unlike the floor above, this one had no obstructions occluding the view below. All the way down to the forest floor.
“You can see everything from here!” Aerion said. She’d removed her boots and was currently on her belly, peering between the gaps in the vines.
“Uh, huh,” I said, suddenly feeling a little squeamish. The experience was quite similar to the glass-bottom observation decks they put at the tops of skyscrapers back on Earth. “This doesn’t scare you at all?” I asked.
Aerion cocked her head. “Why would it scare me? This material is durable. It must be, to have lasted this long. I doubt we could even pierce it with our weapons.”
“Well, sure, but this isn’t even a proper floor. I mean, it has holes in it!”
Aerion rolled her eyes. “Not like you’ll fall through! Look, I can’t even push my foot through,” she said, giving me a live demonstration. “Or would you rather we stayed in more mundane accommodations?”
“That’s a loaded question if I ever heard one,” I said, seeing her scrunched nose and look of absolute distaste on her face. “No, we’ll stay here. It’d probably be rude to refuse, anyway. I’ll get used to it. I’m just a little surprised you’re taking this so well.”
Aerion shrugged. “I’m used to tall buildings. Order’s territory is full of them.
Ah, right. The technological, modern land of Axius sounded more than a little interesting. It honestly sounded downright steampunk, and after that oath I made to Aerion, I was sure we’d see it someday. Maybe not before vanquishing the Archon, but someday. I looked forward to that day.
“Alright,” I said with a grin. “We’ll have all the time in the world to get used to this place. For now, how about we go train?”
Aerion said nothing. She didn’t have to—her grin told me everything I needed to know.
— —
Finding the place again proved harder than we expected. Imaera, our attendant, hadn’t shown up yet, and rather than wait, we struck out on our own, figuring we’d navigated dungeons and Trials. How hard could a giant elven tree be?
“We’re lost,” Aerion muttered.
“We’re not lost!” I replied.
Aerion turned and stared.
“Okay, we’re lost,” I said.
“Will you finally consider asking someone?” she asked, understandably exasperated.
This, however, was a matter of morals. Of principle.
“Aerion. There’s something about me you should know. I never ask for directions.”
“Er, why?”
“Because, er… Because.” Because I’m damn good at memorizing minimaps, and there is no way this infernal tree is gonna one-up me.
Aerion waited patiently. When I didn’t volunteer anymore, she deflated, hanging her head. “Right, then,” she said, before stomping off.
“Hey! Where are you going?” I asked, running to catch up with her.
“Asking someone.”
— —
Ten minutes later, we found ourselves in the training hall.
Aerion threw me a withering look.
“It’s not my fault the passages close!” I muttered. “The game was rigged!”
Aerion sighed and clutched her head. “Please don’t tell me I’m due for a lifetime of… of this,” she said, waving her hand at me.
I grinned. “You better believe it. Also, I’ll have you know this was a fluke. I’m normally excellent at spatial navigation. As you know.”
“That’s, ugh. It’s true,” she replied.
I blinked. Man, she was honest to a fault. I so loved that about her.
There were fewer elves practicing than before, but there were still a good dozen people around. Half of them were locked into one-on-one duels, while another group spectated while their members all fought an elderly elf with a white braided beard that reached his waist. It took everything I had not to gawk as he dropped assailant after assailant. Often leaving them unconscious mere seconds after their bout began.
I made a note not to ever fight that guy. Or get even remotely close to him, for that matter.
“Erm, if that’ll be all, I’ll be off now,” said the kind elven man who’d shown us to the training hall. I’d completely forgotten he was there.
“Yes, erm,” Aerion said, clearly having forgotten herself. “Thank you so much for your help. Truly.”
The man smiled, bowed his head, then left.
“Is everyone here that nice?” I said. “Or is it just your royal aura?”
My words earned me what was probably a well-deserved kick to my armored shin.
“Jokes aside, do you feel any stronger here?” I asked. “Can’t say I do.”
Aerion frowned, thinking. “Something certainly feels different, though it is difficult to, what is it you say? Put my finger on it? Feel like throwing a few punches?”
I grinned. “It’s why we’re here!”
— —
We found an empty corner of the large training space and began our little duel. Aerion lunged forward while I darted away to put some distance between us.
We’d decided against weapons for this fight—if the tree did enhance us, the last thing we wanted was to cause some real damage because we underestimated our strength. Besides, we wouldn’t need weapons to gauge the tree’s boost.
I accelerated to max speed as Aerion threw her punch, dodging with ease. Or at least, I meant to.
The next thing I knew, I was looking at vines and roots. It took me a second to realize what it was—the ceiling.
It was replaced a moment later by Aerion’s annoyed face. “Going easy on me, are you? How are we supposed to test our abilities if we don’t fight at our full strength?”
I blinked. “Uh, Aerion? I wasn’t going easy. That was my top speed.”
It was Aerion’s turn to blink. “You are serious?”
“Dead serious. Looks like you’ve got a serious speed boost. Now, help me up so we can see if there’s anything else.”
I fared a bit better the next round, but Aerion still handily defeated me. After another two rounds that went the same way, it was obvious that Aerion’s speed and agility had grown by leaps and bounds, but that wasn’t all. Her strength was significantly greater, even without [Reave].
Meanwhile, I hadn’t improved even a single iota, and the tables had turned completely. I was usually the one to beat Aerion in a duel—without [Reave], she just couldn’t keep up with my speed. Now, though, it felt like I was the slow one here.
“Six rounds, six wins,” Aerion said smugly.
“Enjoy it while it lasts,” I said, only half joking.
“Still nothing?” Aerion asked, her smirk giving way to an expression of concern.
“Zip. Zilch. Nada. It’s like the tree’s ignoring me entirely.”
Was that because I was a Champion? Did Champions not receive the same benefit from the tree? The Sylrithar never mentioned anything like that, though then again, he didn’t really have any reason to.
“Another bout?” Aerion asked.
“Sure—”
“I have a better idea,” an ancient voice spoke, tingling my spidey sense even before I turned to see who’d said it.
“Yep,” I muttered, biting my lip. “Of course it’d be him.”
It was the old elf we’d seen earlier. The one who utterly dominated his foes, leaving them unconscious.
The elf smiled warmly, and his eyes twinkled like a doting grandpa. “How about you and the pretty lady fight me this time, instead?”
