Strength and agility

  ‘What is it with these weirdos and suffering?’ Kato asked himself as he stepped into a sterile grey room. A faint musky scent hung in the air, and the room was bathed in pale fluorescent lighting. Kato closed the door behind him. “Hello. I am here for my evaluation.” His voice echoed off the tall ceiling, bouncing from wall to wall.

  ‘How many hoops are they going to make me jump through, though, before I can rob them? I mean avenge Styx.’ Kato rebuked himself. His avarice was starting to rear its ugly head. ‘Remember why you’re here.’

  A small desk rose from the centre of the room in one smooth motion. It, like the rest of the room, was a smooth grey, and a single piece of paper rested neatly on top.

  Kato walked forward. He reached the desk and picked up the paper. He turned it over. ‘Is this a joke?’ The page simply read, ‘Project your status screen.’ Kato looked at the words, uncertain. He couldn’t admit he didn’t know what they were asking for without revealing his identity as a fraud, and he wasn’t about to start guessing. That was the type of thing that got people killed.

  “I refuse,” he said to the lone piece of paper lying on the desk.

  The piece of paper looked back at him. Its expression remained unchanged. Kato couldn’t tell if it was upset or angry at his declaration. However, this could easily be attributed to his lack of practice at discerning the emotional disposition of stationary stationery.

  “You can give me the silent treatment all you like. My position’s not changing.”

  A low whistle pierced the air, and the musky scent was pushed away by the fierce smell of the outdoors. Kato glanced at the piece of paper again. Miraculously, it had decided to humour him.

  ‘Traditional testing methods will be conducted in place of wilful cooperation.’ Kato read the words slowly. ‘That doesn’t sound ominous…’

  “That will suffice. Thank you.”

  The chill of cold air wrapped around him once again, and the words on the letter changed. ‘Baseline testing will commence shortly.’

  Kato paused, looking at the sheet. ‘Am I supposed to be doing anything?’

  A moment later, his thoughts were answered as the floor beneath him began to rise. Startled, Kato darted to the side but hit an invisible wall. He spun around, quickly mapping his surroundings. He was on a rough-cut circle that had unattached itself from the floor with no warning. He was hemmed in on all sides by invisible walls or thick stone, and he was floating upwards with no sign of stopping.

  Thankfully, the platform paused in its upward ascent when Kato had risen to approximately half the room’s height. He braced himself for the sudden fall. His muscles tensed as he held his breath, waiting for gravity to kick in, but it didn’t. Instead, the lights dimmed. ‘That’s not concerning.’ Kato stood back up straight. He raised his fists. He wasn’t going down without a fight.

  Under normal circumstances, if a supernatural entity had picked him up without warning and locked him in a floating cage, Kato probably would’ve given them what they wanted. However, that wasn’t an option here. He steadied his breath, trying to think. ‘They wouldn’t kill you. Not so soon after the trials. Not after you’ve done nothing but make friends since you got here…’ Kato thought of Logismoi, Darren and Patchy. He was going to die. He started banging against the invisible walls as hard as he could. This would not be his end!

  The room continued to dim. The light seemed to drain into the floating platform beneath him until everything was swallowed by black.

  Kato took a deep breath. ‘This is probably normal. Yeah, it must be. Why else would they have it prepared?’ Kato took a second deep breath. The platform below him flared as vivid white light shone across him.

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  Within instants, the light broke off into a lattice of shifting blues, reds and greens. A faint tingling sensation erupted across Kato wherever the light struck. The beams moved with surgical precision, scanning him in slow, deliberate sweeps. A new tingle ran up Kato’s spine. ‘This feels pretty invasive.’

  The beams spiralled around him, tracing each inch of his body. Kato continued to shiver as wave after wave of colourful light assaulted his sensibilities.

  Without sound or fanfare, the beams suddenly retracted back into the platform beneath him before flowing back into the ambient. Within seconds the room had been returned to its original state, albeit with a floating Kato and platform hanging in its centre.

  Soon that was resolved too. The pair was returned to the ground in one smooth motion. Kato darted away as soon as he heard the gentle click of a successful landing. He paused, staring at the platform he’d just come from. There was no sign, no seam in the floor, not even small scrapes or markings indicating its presence. Kato breathed heavily, his heart madly beating. ‘What just happened?’

  A cool breeze of air passed through the room, fluttering the piece of paper in its wake. Kato looked over to the desk with distrustful eyes. ‘I suppose I should at least hear it out.’

  Kato returned to the paper. No apology or even reasoning for its actions awaited him. ‘Baseline testing completed. Proceed with traditional testing methods for unwilling cooperators.’ Kato stared at the paper, aghast. ‘It’s unreasonable to pick people up without warning.’ He cursed it in his head but wisely chose not to voice his grievances.

  Ding! A short trill broke the silence. Kato’s eyes shifted to the far wall. A small wooden door had appeared with the words ‘Strength test’ carved into the wall above it. ‘They really do love their appearing door tricks here,’ Kato mused, but approached the doorway, nonetheless.

  Stepping through the door, a vast pressure immediately assaulted Kato, forcing him to the ground. He gritted his teeth and struggled, unable to move. Gradually, the weight began to lessen until at last, he was allowed to stand.

  Kato stood up, fighting against the pressure that in turn fought to keep him down. The second his head raised, the pressure lifted. Kato looked forward. The room was completely empty, apart from another door at the end. The wooden door glowed lightly. The illumination revealed the words ‘Agility test’ carved above it.

  Kato walked over and attempted to pull the door open. It didn’t move. He pulled harder. The door refused to budge. He glowered at the dusky ornate handle before grasping it once more and yanking back with his full strength. Sweat rolled over Kato’s forehead as he tested his mettle against the doors.

  Kato slipped, falling from the handle and landing on the ground with a heavy thud and a sharp exhale of air. He lay there for a moment staring at the grey expanse above him as he waited for the stinging in his ribs to fade. ‘That was smart.’ He pushed himself back up.

  Kato looked around the room. It was no more empty than before. His gaze returned to the door. ‘So, we meet again.’ Kato stealthily snuck up on the inert door, carefully approaching at an angle he wasn’t likely to be seen before sneak attacking the handle, grabbing it and yanking back with all his might. Surprisingly, his plan was flawed, and the door refused to budge. He raised a leg and pressed a foot against the wall, levering his full body into his struggle. With a deafening creak, the door finally gave and swung open.

  The number eight flashed across the light wooden door in a pale silver. Kato blinked. ‘What was that?’ He stared at the door, tracing the grains. There was nothing there. He chuckled nervously. ‘That, like everything that came before it, was normal. Completely normal…’

  He entered the next room.

  “Ow!” Kato cried out as he was pelted by something the moment his foot crossed the opening. Bang! Bang! Bang! Floating orbs hurtled through the air, smashing into Kato with ever-increasing force. He darted to the side. The orbs shifted trajectory, following him before striking his back. Kato darted forward, sprinting across the room.

  The room disagreed with his plan. The floor was pulled underneath him, and Kato went shooting back, faster than his feet could carry him. Bang! Bang! Bang! The orbs began to pelt into him again. Desperate, Kato span to the side, arcing backwards as he attempted to dodge. The floor continued to push him back.

  Kato ran against the sentient floor, desperate to reach the wooden door leading to the next room. It didn’t work. He kept getting pushed further and further back. Bruises welled against his skin as his pale body was painted purple. Desperately, Kato twisted his body again and again. The malevolent orbs were slowing down. He was beating them!

  Bang! Kato smashed against the wall he’d come from, bested by the moving floor. Bang! Bang! Bang! The orbs smashed into his crumpled form. With a pained cough, Kato jumped forward. Adrenaline surged through him as his feet met the moving floor.

  He pushed forward, dodging the orbs with exaggerated twists and lunges. The progress was not fast, but he made it to the far side, nevertheless. The wooden door ahead of him lit up with a glow. The words ‘constitution test’ were carved above it.

  Kato sprinted over. The orbs shot after him, refusing to grant him succour. Kato grasped the door with a bruised hand. Thankfully, it didn’t resist him. The number fourteen flashed once on the door as he swung it open and shot inside.

  Chapter 1

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