{ Golem-Infested Ruins - Jungle Trials }
The jungle breathed around her—thick, humid air that tasted of ancient stone and decay. Evara Umbrea walked through the vine-choked ruins like royalty surveying her domain. Crumbling temples rose from the mud, half-swallowed by creeping vegetation, but she moved between them with fluid confidence.
She didn't sneak. Didn't hide.
She *invited* challengers.
The shadows stirred. Three climbers emerged from concealment between moss-covered pillars, moving with practiced coordination. One hefted a jagged rock, while the others spread wide, boots silent on slick stone.
The rock flew first—a distraction.
Without even turning, Evara's hand snapped up. Her fingers closed around the projectile mid-flight, knuckles white with controlled pressure. The stone crumbled to dust between her palms, powder trailing through humid air.
Then she pivoted.
The first attacker was already committed to his rush. Evara's knee met his jaw with surgical precision—bone cracked against bone. He dropped hard, blood spattering ancient moss.
The second came from her blind side.
He found her elbow instead of an opening.
The impact drove air from his lungs in a wet wheeze. Ribs snapped like kindling. Before he could recover, Evara grabbed his hair and drove his skull into the nearest stone pillar.
Once was enough.
The third had already turned to flee, but the ruins offered no mercy. Evara moved through the obstacles like liquid death, tackling him from behind. His struggles lasted exactly seven seconds before going limp.
Stone shifted nearby—something massive stirring beneath collapsed walls. A Jungle Golem pulled itself from its ancient rest, eight feet of weathered granite and pulsing runes. Its core glowed like a beating heart.
The crowd's roar reached her through dimensional barriers. VOX commentary crackled from invisible speakers.
*"The Crimson Executioner strikes again! Three climbers down, and now she's facing a Golem bare-handed!"*
Evara grinned, blood still speckling her knuckles.
The Golem swung—a blow that could pulverize stone. Evara flowed under it like water, using its size against it. When it overextended, she leaped onto its arm and ran up the limb like a bridge.
At its shoulder, she vaulted over its head and drove her heel down into the runic core.
The core shattered. The Golem toppled like a felled tree, ancient stone scattering across the ruins.
*"Unbelievable! Pure devastating technique! The crowd is going wild!"*
Evara landed atop the fallen construct, not even breathing hard.
"Next," she said simply.
---
{ Elevated Jungle Terrain - Cliff Zone }
Miles away, Elina Vel moved through the canopy like she'd been born to it. Where Evara commanded attention, Elina erased herself from the world's notice. Every step was calculated silence, every breath controlled precision.
She stalked her target from above—another Jungle Golem patrolling the cliff paths below. This one was larger, older, its stone skin carved with deeper runes that pulsed with ancient power.
Elina waited. Observed. Planned.
When the moment came, she dropped from the branches like falling silk, landing without sound on the mossy ground. The Golem's head turned, runes flaring as it detected her presence.
It charged with surprising speed for something made of stone.
Instead of meeting force with force, Elina moved like a dancer. She flowed around its crushing fists, redirecting momentum with open-palm strikes that found the gaps between armor plates. Each touch was precise—targeting joints, weak points, the delicate rune-work that gave it life.
The Golem stumbled, confused by an opponent who wouldn't stand still long enough to hit.
Elina led it in a deadly waltz across the cliff terrain, her movements so fluid they seemed choreographed. When it overcommitted to a crushing blow, she guided its own weight into the trap she'd prepared—a section of cliff already weakened by root growth and erosion.
The ground gave way. Stone cracked under the Golem's massive weight, and it plunged through into the ravine below.
The crowd held its breath.
*"A deadly swan on the battlefield... she doesn't fight. She performs."*
Elina straightened her robes and continued deeper into the jungle, already invisible again among the shadows.
---
{ Central Jungle Zone - Stone Clearing }
Zayna Malik entered the clearing like a force of nature. Three massive Golems patrolled the stone-filled arena, each one larger than the last. Watching climbers whispered from the treeline.
"Even she can't handle three."
Zayna cracked her neck and grinned.
She charged the largest Golem without hesitation, boots pounding against packed earth. It swung a massive fist—she took the glancing blow on her shoulder, muscle and bone absorbing what would have shattered a normal person.
Pain flared. She ignored it.
Her arms wrapped around the Golem's waist, muscles bulging as she found her grip. With a roar that shook leaves from nearby trees, she lifted the eight-foot construct above her head.
For a moment, impossible physics held. Then Zayna suplexed the Golem into the ground with earth-shaking force.
The impact cracked the forest floor. Shockwaves rippled outward, knocking smaller trees and sending a cascade of leaves spiraling down like green snow.
The other two Golems hesitated—as if ancient stone could feel uncertainty.
Zayna rolled her shoulders and spat blood.
"Next."
---
{ Deep Jungle Paths - Lizard Territory }
Noah Varnok rode through the undergrowth like a barbarian king, mounted on a giant jungle lizard that moved with surprising grace through the dense vegetation. When he spotted a ragged figure stumbling between the trees, he couldn't resist.
Lucien Arkwright looked like he'd been living rough for weeks—torn clothes held together with vine scraps, shoes that were more hole than leather, scratches covering every visible inch of skin.
"You look like a beggar," Noah called out, steering his mount closer. "Do you live here? How many days have you been starving?"
Lucien looked up with the hollow eyes of someone who'd been surviving on tree bark and questionable water. "I'm not a beggar. I'm also a participant." He paused, then asked hopefully, "Can I get a ride?"
Noah's grin was predatory. "Sure."
He grabbed Lucien by the collar and flung him onto the lizard like a sack of grain.
The ride began immediately—Noah tearing through the jungle at breakneck speed while Lucien clung desperately to whatever handholds he could find. Branches slapped his face, vines tangled in his hair, and something with too many teeth tried to bite him as they passed.
Noah used him as a human shield, ducking behind Lucien whenever obstacles loomed ahead.
"I'm not armor, dammit!" Lucien yelled over the rushing wind.
"Could've fooled me," Noah replied cheerfully.
They burst into a battlefield—climbers and Golems locked in chaotic combat. Without warning, Noah grabbed Lucien and flung him off the lizard mid-air.
"Stay here," he called, already leaping into the fray.
Lucien hit the ground hard and rolled. "STAY?! You're supposed to protect me!"
But Noah was already gone, laughing as he traded blows with anything that moved.
The lizard stared at Lucien with what could only be described as betrayal. Its reptilian eyes narrowed, and Lucien suddenly realized he might have a new problem.
"Hey, we had a moment!" he said desperately. "We shared a ride!"
The beast took a deliberate step forward, clearly offended at being used as transportation for what it now saw as a deception.
"You think I betrayed you? You feel used—YOU THINK I RAIDED HIM?!"
The lizard roared.
"I DIDN'T EVEN WANT TO BE HERE!!"
Lucien ran.
---
{ Bamboo Grove - Zone Border }
Jin-Seok walked cautiously through the towering bamboo, senses alert for danger. Someone slammed into him from behind—Kaleon, panting hard and looking over his shoulder with obvious panic.
"Do I know you?" Jin-Seok asked, steadying himself.
"We're about to become close friends," Kale gasped. "Run."
Twenty-plus figures burst from the grove behind them, screaming in unified rage.
"THERE HE IS!"
"THE FRAUD!"
"GET HIS ACCOMPLICE TOO!"
Jin-Seok stared. "Accomplice?"
"They think you're with me," Kale explained, already moving. "Technically, you are now."
"What did you do?!"
"Business."
Thunder cracked overhead, as if the jungle gods themselves disapproved.
Jin-Seok shot him a look. "Even the jungle gods don't approve of you."
Jin seok's expression remained perfectly straight, almost proud. "You sure about that?"
"Absolutely," kale replied with a dumb look.
They both started sprinting as the mob closed in, angry voices echoing through the bamboo forest. Behind them, the chase devolved into chaos as pursuers tripped over roots and each other in their fury.
"I will kill you if we survive this," Jin-Seok panted.
"That's fair," Kale replied without missing a beat.
Kale's expression shifted, becoming oddly serious despite their recent escape from an angry mob. "Actually, I'm starting the greatest merchant union in the Tower." He paused, then grinned with that same confidence that had gotten him into trouble. "I have a position for a business partner. You in?"
Jin-Seok's expression was flat. "I've seen your business. No thanks."
"Come on," Kale said, spreading his hands in mock innocence. "What could go wrong?"
Jin-Seok stared at him for a long moment, remembering the twenty people who'd just chased them through the jungle screaming about fraud. Then he shifted awkwardly, clearly caught off guard by his own consideration of the offer.
"I'll... think about it."
Kale's grin widened. Something told Jin-Seok his quiet climb up the Tower had just gotten significantly more complicated.
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{An Original Series by Celestial Raven}