Birpal conjured his silver mirror and held it out. Light flashed from its surface and a copy of each of his golems appeared from thin air to fight the originals.
Gilgamesh’s eyes narrowed as he took control of his Boulder Ape, but after just a brief exchange, he realized the stark advantage was firmly in his hands. The copies showed nothing more than the simplistic movements of a golem’s autonomous standard, while he had another hand to play.
Gilgamesh took control of his Bolt Viper and made it bump its copy off course. In that opening, he shot an iron arrow that impaled the copied Forest Hand straight through the center of its palm, and the golem dispersed into fragments of light.
He then wielded his Forest Hand to hold down the copied Bolt Viper and let his own shoot another iron bolt into its head where its core was. The iron bolt broke off a chunk of the copy’s head, but it did not crumble.
A sharpness found Gilgamesh’s eyes but he didn’t panic. He used his two golems to inflict damage on the copied snake until it broke into light and dispersed.
“They’re not perfect copies. They’re just fakes.” Gilgamesh realized.
Armed with that knowledge, he turned his focus back to the battle of giants and controlled his Boulder Ape to grapple its fake to the ground. He had it rip off one of its arms and unleash a barrage of blows until the fake dispersed into the wind.
Birpal’s silver mirror flashed again and new fakes appeared. This time, there was also a copy of himself. Gilgamesh had his stone golem grapple its fake to the ground as his own copy rushed towards him with iron dagger drawn.
Gilgamesh slipped the keen thrust and flipped his fake to the ground. It grabbed his arm immediately, but before it could properly grapple back, he drew his dagger and stabbed it in the head repeatedly until the fake dispersed.
“Did he lie? Or are there two kinds of copying? The duplication of my dagger resulted from putting it into the mirror, while these came from mere reflections.” Gilgamesh wondered. “Either way, I can’t let this continue. If Birpal’s mana runs out, I’ll lose this opportunity.”
Stemming from its advantageous position, his Boulder ape finished cratering in the fake’s torso until it was destroyed. He destroyed the fake Bolt Viper again, and used his own to get a clean shot at Birpal’s legs. But Birpal’s mirror flashed and a reflected iron arrow shot out from it to break apart against the other.
Gilgamesh changed tactics. He used his Bolt Viper to distract Birpal, then wielded his Forest Hand to launch himself in the opening. Birpal jolted in a panic to face him in time but Gilgamesh was faster. He knocked the mirror out of his hands and tackled Birpal to the ground as he slammed into him. Gilgamesh raised his dagger with the intention to cut the man’s tendons to cripple him, but a wave of distortion surged out from the cowering Birpal.
Gilgamesh collapsed to his knees instantly. His head dangled back to face the sky, completely inert. The mirrored Forest Hand dispersed away and all three of his golems broke down back to their cores.
Gilgamesh felt as though he floated in darkness. He could not see. He could not hear. He could not feel or smell or taste. He could only think, and even then just barely. While he drifted aimlessly in this sea of nothing, he knew instinctively how easy it would be for his mind to slip away, if he did not keep hold of it.
Birpal looked around, confused from his cowering position, and soon realized what had happened. He had only used his Disruption Field out of mindless reflex, an ability he was born with that removes the power of all magical things. It was a Talent equally as disadvantageous to himself as it was to others. More accurately, it was even more so since he was no warrior.
“Hahahahaha!” Birpal broke out in a mocking laugh of relief and frustration as he rose to his feet. “It seems you are just as hollow as the magic of that harlot!”
Birpal picked up the iron dagger that Gilgamesh dropped as he walked towards him.
“None of you understand what true wealth is!” Birpal yelled with fervid fury as he stabbed the dagger down into Gilgamesh's eye.
Birpal panted heavily as he took a few steps back and ended his disruption. The exhilaration of victory and lingering tremors from his nerves caused him to laugh as he basked in the thrill and relief of survival. But as the moments passed, he realized he still hadn’t been given a message.
Gilgamesh pulled out the dagger from his eye and lunged to stab Birpal low in the spine. Birpal fell like a puppet that had its strings cut. His warped expression of confusion very quickly fell into terror as he realized his limbs would not obey him.
“That power won’t matter if you can’t move.” Gilgamesh collected his golem cores and pushed Birpal upright with his foot. “Bring out your mirror.”
Birpal was slow to react, so Gilgamesh took his dagger, and pushed it under one of his fingernails. A stifled, guttural scream of excruciating pain escaped the Pandava’s mouth.
“Even if you are paralyzed, you can still feel pain.” Gilgamesh explained, as he continued his torture. “Bring out your mirror and this ends.”
“S..st..oop…”
Gilgamesh only got to the third finger before Birpal conjured his silver mirror along with his pleas. Without hesitation, he placed his Clay Scout core within. He chose it first as it was the least important of the four golems he had, just in case the mirror did not work as he suspected. But the silver mirror returned two cores to him, and the Schema confirmed their legitimacy.
With that success, he then copied Boulder Ape and then Forest Hand, but when he went to put in his Bolt Viper it merely stopped on the glass. The mirror suddenly lost all of its luster and shattered into light. Gilgamesh glanced at Birpal only to find his lifeless face.
[ You have slain a Charioteer. Do you wish to remain? ]
“..Did his heart give out?”
[ Birpal Pandava - Hero (Iron Rank) ]
Attributes:
Strength - 5
Agility - 4
Vitality - 7
Perception - 9
Force - 10
Spirit - 31
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Control - 12
Willpower - 8
Talents:
Disruption Field lvl. 1 (silver)
Traits:
Astra (sacred)
[ Disruption Field (silver) ]
‘Obstruct the flow of mana within the projected space.’
[ Astra (sacred) ]
‘Materialize the soul as a personal item of wondrous power.’
Birpal’s status was as he expected for a scion of the Great Clans, though it seemed in his case that he had received no other Attribute Points other than the ones rewarded by the first two trials. Aside from that, two things of note caught Gilgamesh’s keen interest.
“It acknowledges his clan name?” Gilgamesh’s own status only showed his given name. “What does that mean? I am of the Zoraster, that is beyond doubt… Does the Schema acknowledge what I desire to be acknowledged…?”
His gaze drifted over to the Pandava’s bloodline Trait, which lacked a level like his own. “The few monsters back in the Frontier Trial that had traits were the same way. Without levels... Are Traits normally static? Then…” He inspected his other Trait, which he had thus far ignored.
[ Incomplete Stigmata (??? ]
‘The Mark of one who has started a path. Defier, thy path is unknown.’
‘Magic is denied. Traits can be altered.’
Gilgamesh recalled what Nem said at the end of the last Trial.
“Talent can be improved…” Gilgamesh thought.
[ Serpent of False Mysteries ] is saddened by the lack of more snakes.
[ Mercenary Queen ] bestows 1 Attribute Point for attaining 5 victories.
[ Serpent of False Mysteries ] bestows 1 Attribute Point.
[ Mercenary Queen ] is amused.
[ Husband of the Golden Bride ] cautions against hubris.
[ Three-Headed Snake ] asks if you have achieved enough.
[ High Priest ] is watching.
“No.” Gilgamesh answered the Tower.
[You have passed the Third Trial]
‘Rewarded 2 Bronze Cards.’
[Bronze Card]
‘Acquire any Bronze tier Ability within the Schema.’
Something flickered within Gilgamesh’s eyes. He could think of many abilities that would be of great value to him, but the duel just now weighed heavily on his mind. “I can’t allow that to happen again…”
Gilgamesh explored the vast array of options that appeared before him. There were truly countless. Even if he had days to inspect and contemplate on each of them, he may not have time to assess them all.
It was far too numerous to shift through properly, and Gilgamesh found it difficult to believe the Tower would make its reward so unreasonable. With that thought, he desired for something of a specific effect, and only the relevant Traits emerged.
[Mana Insulation]
‘Contains personal mana within one’s vessel to reduce interference.’
This trait seemed to be the best of its kind, but there was a problem.
“Contains mana…”
Use of his Master Golem Core required him to emit mana in order to wield his golems. Given the wording, there was a possibility that this new Trait would prevent that. The disadvantages would far outweigh the benefits if that were the case.
Gilgamesh thought for a moment, then searched for something that could bypass this flaw, and found something with potential.
[ Mana Connector ]
‘Maintains a simple mana tether between conduits.’
It was possible that such ‘tethers’ would be exempt from the effects of Mana Insulation, but he was still hesitant. It was, after all, nothing more than his guess as to how these two Traits would interact.
This was not the same as choosing a weapon that he could discard if necessary. There was a risk that these Traits could ruin him, however small. A trace of dread churned within him.
“...it’s too risky.” Gilgamesh decided. “Such abilities shouldn’t be that common. I should focus on more certain benefits.”
Everything relied on his mana, and the long recovery time was a pressing issue. He needed something to replenish his reserves more quickly. Gilgamesh scoured the vast array of Traits, and settled on two final options.
[Mana Leech]
‘Siphon the mana of other beings through physical contact.’
[Passive Meditator]
‘Doubles the natural rate of mana recovery.’
“Passive Meditator isn’t a huge improvement, but it has no drawbacks. Mana Leech has far better potential for acquiring mana, but it is too conditional…” Gilgamesh debated the merits of each.
“My body is my weakness… In a truly dangerous fight, I would need to keep my golems between threats and myself. There won’t be much opportunity for me to take advantage of such a trait when I am most in need of it…” Gilgamesh deduced.
There were ways he could compensate for that, but those brought limitations and risks of their own.
“Talent can be improved…” Gilgamesh repeated. “If my Traits can be altered like Talents, then they can also be improved. I can make anything I acquire into something better… It must be Passive Meditator.”
Having decided on his first option, Gilgamesh contemplated his second. “My offense is lacking. I won’t be able to rely on deception and ingenuity every time.”
[ Golem Enhancer ]
‘Slightly strengthens the active golems bound to you, and increases the cost of their expenditure.’
[ Golem Trainer ]
‘Imbue the active golems bound to you with a portion of your expertise in combat.’
“Stronger in a shorter time is better than the opposite.” Gilgamesh determined. “And the second means I wouldn’t need to rely on Master Golem Core as much. And it will scale the more proficient I become…”
On that train of thought, Gilgamesh remembered his remaining golem. The golem had very low Attributes and almost no combat potential, but it did have a high mana capacity and a useful Feature which gave it potential as a scout.
He hadn’t made use of it so far because he simply had no use for it, not even for its intended purpose. However, if there was a way to employ it as a scout, he could better avoid excessive risk and better prepare for his objectives.
[ Golem Peerer ]
‘Passively see through the vision of all active golems bound to you.’
“This would enable that. No… more than that.” Gilgamesh thought. One of the major limitations of his direct control was the disconnect between himself and his golems. “If I can see through them, my ability to fight with them will improve significantly…”
Gilgamesh lingered only a moment before he made his decision.
[ You have acquired Passive Meditator (bronze). ]
[ Passive Meditator has reached lvl. 1 ]
[ You are rewarded 2 Attribute Points. ]
[ You have acquired Golem Peerer lvl. 1 (bronze). ]
[ Golem Peerer has reached lvl. 1 ]
[ You are rewarded 2 Attribute Points. ]
[ Gilgamesh - Hero (Iron Rank) ]
Attributes:
Strength - 2
Agility - 7
Vitality - 10
Perception - 7
Force - 3
Spirit - 26
Control - 11
Willpower - 14
Traits:
Incomplete Stigmata (???), Master Golem Core lvl. 2 (silver),
Material: Clay (inferior)
Mana Capacity: 260/260
Unalloted Attribute Points: 6
[Third Trial Rankings]
- Attila Atreus
- Marduk
- Genjiro Koga
- Thutmose III
- Shen Wei
- Ramesses II
- Ishtar
- Shen Yi
- Garland Atreus
- Eskender Saba
- ...
10,319. Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh stared not at his own name, but at the highest ranked, that which stood above even Marduk. A name he was wholly unfamiliar with.
“...Attila Atreus?”
“Valor! Glorious Valor!” Nem appeared. “How many of you worthless cowards ended up as a soldier? How many of you chose to retire after killing a single charioteer? Ahahahahaha! The grain falls and the chaff is blown away!”
Nem’s smile stretched vainly. “How many of you will survive till the end?”
The tan-colored sand beneath Gilgamesh’s feet became paved stone and the subtle breath of dry wind became a hectic clamor, as he found himself within a bustling medieval bazaar, surrounded by stores and stalls as far as the eye could see.