The Bloodforged Kin

Chapter 254 246: Jaidyn: A Trial of Dominance

Jaidy sat on the ground, plucking blades of grass from around her and studiously ignoring the System message that had been flashing larger and more impatiently in her vision.

Do you choose to enter the trial? Yes or No.

"Lady Jaidyn, you must choose." Thaloriel's voice was as deep and melodious as always, belying his diminutive size. He was the leader of The People - the wood sprites that had taken up residence in her second domain, Home.

She huffed and threw the blade of grass down. "I don't want to though! It's going to make me choose something dumb and I don't want it!"

"Trial rewards can be extremely beneficial, especially the personalized ones. It would behoove you to enter."

"I don't need their stupid rewards! I saw what it gave the other people; knives and swords and other things to build that stupid machine. I don't need that stuff."

Thaloriel sighed. He was often reminded just how young she was - even by human standards. And yet he was always patient. Jaidyn had been nothing but good to his people, keeping her promise to keep them safe and never force them to do anything they didn't want to do. Technically he owed her nothing, and his people lived by technicalities, but he still felt like the scales weren't balanced - especially in times like these. He owed her nothing, but he could gift her advice and the wisdom of his prodigiously long life. It was only right and it cost him nothing.

"Lady Jaidyn, if you would permit me - I do not believe you've fully considered your options."

"What options? It just keeps asking if I want to go in but doesn't let me pick anything! I just know it's going to give something stupid!"

"You could choose to leave. There is nothing that requires you to enter a trial."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "No! It's my trial!"

He suppressed another sigh, leaning on a lifetime of experience not to slap her into sensibility. "Jaidyn, you are a Contract Domain Specialist. Regardless of whatever your class is currently called, that is what you are. You will never be bound by only the options you see in front of you. You do not realize it yet, but you will always have the ability to negotiate."

Jaidyn looked at him with hopeful eyes. Thaloriel had taught her what 'negotiate' meant - it was just a fancy word for what she'd been doing the whole time. "Do you think it would let me?"

He shrugged. "You can only make the attempt. If nothing else, you can always choose to refuse the trial anyway."

"Okay then! That's what I'm going to do! Hey, System!"

Thaloriel's hand shot out, gripping her wrist tightly. "Wait!" he hissed. "Before you begin you must form the desire firmly in your mind, then push all of your will and skills into achieving it. Starting a negotiation without it only leads to doom. So before you begin, what do you want?"

Jaidy thought about it - thought harder than she'd ever thought in her life. What did she want? She knew she wanted more friends, but she didn't really care what kind. They just had to be fun and nice and follow her rules. She could ask for someone strong but she didn't so much care about that either. She thought more, until her head started to think of other things. Things like how much she loved running and playing, and how she hated sitting around Safehold all day. She hated how short her legs were and how long it took her to go everywhere - she could never catch up to Lady Tutu and the sprites. She wanted… she wanted… A light went off in her mind. She wanted to be fast.

She smiled mischievously at Thaloriel, and the sprite matched it with his own.

Jaidy ran through the field, laughing as she did. The sprites ran with her, their tinkling laughter sounding slightly dangerous at the thrill of the hunt. She'd left Lady Tutu in her domain - Jaidy didn't want to kill anything here and Lady Tutu couldn't help but be bad sometimes.

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The sprites broke ahead of her, their lithe forms carving trails through the grass in front of her. She heard a tussle and a high-pitched squealing. She caught up and saw what they'd trapped - a small pig that was thrashing uselessly under their viny arms.

"Yes! Good job!" Jaidy ran to it and jumped on its back, grabbing its ears. "Okay, let go!"

The sprites stepped back and the pig started bucking and squealing, dancing underneath her in an attempt to throw her off. She held on for dear life, slowly gaining her balance on its neck. When she felt comfortable enough with her position she bonked it on the head with Teddy.

"Stop that!"

It stopped, more from confusion than any pain that the bear might have caused (but didn't). She leaned forward and whispered in its ear. "I'll let you go, but first you're going to help me catch a rabbit!"

It didn't understand fully - it may have been sentient but it was still a pig, after all - but it got the idea. With another squeal it took off at a run, legs pistoning underneath it in a staccato drumbeat. Jaidy whooped in excitement as the grass whipped across her legs and the wind rushed past her ears. They ran, guided by the sprites who were scouting ahead. The pig was faster than her, but nothing could catch the sprites who ran like the wind themselves.

The trails in the grass cut to the left and Jaidy pulled the pig's ears, earning a squeal of irritation even as it turned to follow her lead. The high grass broke and they were on a patchy, dry ground that threw dust clods as they ran. Ahead Jaidy could see what she was looking for - the Jackrabbits that had attacked everything on those first days of the Cryptid Challenge. They saw her approaching on the back of the pig and looked more confused than scared. That didn't stop them from jumping into the air and spinning in place to take off at a sprint away from her.

The chase was fun! The sprites did most of the work, capturing a rabbit and holding it for her. She climbed onto its back, narrowly dodging ugly yellow teeth as she did. She bonked it too - with her hand this time, not with Teddy, and grabbed its ears super tight. It squealed too, but she was holding the ears super strong. It took off, faster than the piggy had been.

It wasn't long before she saw the deer - or maybe something that was like a deer, but that had too many antlers. The sprites couldn't take one of them down, but they could help Jaidy jump from the rabbit's back onto one of the deers'. She couldn't reach its ears but she could reach the antlers, and that was just as good. She had to stand on its back, pulling with all her might to turn its head, but she did it. She was getting so strong!

The deer things raced ahead until the sprites called her attention, Jaidy leaning into the horns to make it turn. Up ahead was a thing that looked like the cheetahs she'd seen in books, but with scales instead of spots. It didn't matter though - they were super fast! The deer barely caught up, but when it did Jaidy saw that Thaloriel was already on the lizard cheetah's back, standing easily as it ran, hand reaching out for her. Jaidy was a little scared, but she was no scared girl! She could do brave things! When she got next to it she jumped, Thaloriel's grip like hardened oak as it pulled her onto its back.

Jaidy laughed as they ran so, so fast! This was amazing!

"Is this enough, Lady Jaidyn?"

She twisted back to look at him, standing as easily on the running cheetah as if he'd been on solid ground. She didn't have to think about it very long. "No. He's fast, but not, like, super fast."

Thaloriel nodded. "We have not reached the heart of this trial. I do believe there will be faster ahead." He pointed past her and Jaidy turned back to see the rocky escarpments and pillars ahead of her. The land looked desolate and barren - all dark gray stone that shot upwards in random towers. She squinted as could see forms jumping from one to another.

"I think those are horses!" She squealed in delight. Thaloriel only nodded, eyes far sharper than hers narrowing in concern.

They soon reached the edge of the rocky area and Jaidy pulled the cheetah to a stop.

"I can feel it, Lady Jaidyn - this area is different. If you want one of the creatures here it must be won by you, and you alone. No aid will be allowed."

"You can't come with me?"

He only shook his head.

She gulped, considering. The cheetah was super fast - he would be great for what she wanted! But was it what she really wanted? She didn't want to be fast, or even super fast - she wanted the fastest, coolest thing she could ever get. She wanted something so fast that she could go anywhere, run from anything, and not let anyone or anything tell her what she could or couldn't do again. She nodded and slid off of the cheetah, wrapping her arms around its neck. "Thank you Mr. Cheetah, you were a lot of fun. You can go."

To her surprise it nuzzled her back, then looked at her quizzically. She understood that it would come with her if she asked, but she couldn't. There were rules and Jaidy followed the rules.

"No, you go have fun. Thank you!" She kissed him on his cute nose and smiled as he walked away.

With a very adult sigh Jaidy made a very adult decision. With a somber look she addressed Thaloriel. "Here, take Teddy." She didn't like how disappointed Teddy looked, so she turned his face away.

Thaloriel took Teddy solemnly. "I will take good care of him, Lady Jaidyn. I wish you the best of luck. The People will wait in your Home for your return."

Jaidy set her jaw and stepped into the rocky landscape, her body barely shaking at all.