M21

The pristine, white marble steps led up a relatively short flight of stairs into another marble chamber that was, again, lit with a soft white glow emanating from an orb that hovered near the ceiling. Morgan noted that the room was circular and about twenty paces across. In the center of the room was another statue, this one of a giant humanoid. The statue loomed over Morgan’s head, and as he approached, Morgan could see that the figure depicted in the marble stone was bedecked in heavy armor and wore an eyeless mask shaped like a turtle’s beak. Morgan continued his approach cautiously, holding his spear in front of him. Was this another challenge so soon? Where was Issa?

“Hello, Challenger,” a gravely, basso voice issued forth from the beaked mask.

“Hello,” Morgan replied cautiously.

“You stand upon the threshold to your final challenge. The Challenge of Virtue,” the statue announced grandiosely, its booming voice echoing in the marble chamber.

“Virtue? What virtue are you testing? Where is my companion?”

“Concern yourself not. The System has determined a fitting Challenge of Virtue for you and each other Challenger to set foot in these halls.”

“I was told that Issa and I would be reunited for the fourth challenge.” Morgan’s voice had gained an edge.

“I know not of this Issa. I know not what you were promised. Only the administrators of the Challenge of Virtue know what it entails. Any information you were given prior to coming here cannot be relied upon.” The statue spoke firmly and for the first time moved; it uncrossed its arms and punched one marble gauntlet into the palm of the other. The resultant crack of stone on stone reverberated off the marble walls, causing Morgan to wince and hold his hands up to his ears.

“So, is Issa facing this challenge on her own?”

“If your comrade has entered the Marble Halls with you and progressed apace, then yes, your comrade is now facing a similar challenge.”

“Alright, what’s the challenge, then?”

“At last, down to the business at hand.” The statue relaxed its arms, allowing them to fall to its side with a smooth grinding sound. “The System has contrived a choice for you to make. Your choice will reveal an aspect of your character. You are fortunate to have this challenge as your fourth; there is no failing it.”

“There’s no failing it? So either choice will allow me to pass?” Morgan felt like there must be some sort of a catch - the System hadn’t really given him anything for free. Actually, he reasoned, that wasn’t entirely true; the very first Advancement Orb had been given to him upon waking in this place.

“That is correct. The System values all virtues, or even the lack thereof. The System understands that all sorts of individuals are needed in the great tapestry of existence.”

“So if there is no correct choice, what’s the point of the challenge?”

“Ahh, this challenge is an opportunity for you to display your character and earn a reward that will facilitate your progression.” The statue’s basso, gravelly voice took on a higher tone, and Morgan felt it was almost like hearing a sand mixer trying to be coy.

“All right, anything else I need to know?” Morgan was tired, and he wanted to get through this and reunite with Issa.

“Yes. After completing this challenge, you will remember that it involved a choice, but you will not remember the choice you were given or the choice you made.”

“What? Why?” Morgan backed up a step.

“Simply because people who finish this challenge are not meant to share their experience and choices with others who might enter the Crucible. It wouldn’t do for others to make plans for such eventualities.”

“Well, I hate the idea that the System can just mess around in my head, removing memories.”

“A frivolous fear! You should know that such a feat is not merely the province of the System; many billions of cultivators have achieved sufficient skill to alter the memories of a welp such as yourself.” The statue once again crossed its arms, and its voice rumbled like boulders clashing.

“It would seem I don’t have a choice, then. Let’s proceed.” Morgan gestured with his arm toward the empty walls of the room, assuming that the challenge would appear behind another disappearing wall.

“Very good.” The statue spread its arms, and two pedestals rose from the floor in front of Morgan, one to his left and one to his right. As he watched, atop the marble pedestals, different colored lights began to coalesce. Atop the left-hand pedestal, red motes gathered into a spinning orb and condensed to form a round crystalline sphere with swirls of inky black moving inside the predominantly red crystal. A similar crystal orb had formed on the right-hand pedestal, but it was primarily silver, shot through with azure.

“What? I thought this was a test of virtue. Am I just supposed to pick the color I like best?”

“Patience.” The statue’s voice was clipped, and for the first time, Morgan realized that it was concentrating. “Look into each sphere, but do not touch until you’ve made your choice. The only way to fail this test is by not viewing both of your choices,” it said after several moments of silence. Morgan followed its instruction, stepping forward to peer into the red and black sphere.

Morgan seemed to be flying over a vast forest. He saw trees unlike any from Earth filling the horizon: tall white trunks with blue leaves, massive, fern-like red canopies that resembled fall foliage, blooms like multi-colored orchids, sunflower-shaped blossoms of every hue sprinkled among green boughs. The wild chaos of the alien forest nearly overwhelmed his senses, but soon he was nearing the edge, and he could see a vast open grassland opening up. The grass was the color of robin's eggs and short and feathery. From his perspective, Morgan could see that the plains continued for many miles, all the way to the foothills of massive purple mountains that rose in the distance. Looking over his shoulder, he realized more mountains rose on the other side of the forest he’d just flown over; this was a valley, teeming with vibrant life.

Not in control of his flight, Morgan was forced to observe as he veered to the right, swooping lower over the grassland. In moments objects came into view: thousands of small tents and just as many small fires. As he drew nearer, he could see the people milling around the tents, and his heart lurched when he realized they were humans. These were his people. This verdant valley was where the rest of the colonists had been placed. His joy turned to frustration as his flight veered to the left, leaving the human encampment behind, soon he was soaring toward the distant, purple mountains. They rose, massive crags, into the sky as he approached, and he realized just how big they were. The sunlight grew dim, and as the yellow-orange light faded, twin moons rose above the mountains. One moon was massive, with a ring orbiting it, and it filled a quarter of the sky. The other was smaller, more reminiscent of Earth’s moon.

Morgan became aware of small yellow lights all along hills leading up to the mountainside. Thousands, tens of thousands of them. He wondered what they were. Were they some kind of insect or natural crystal formations reflecting the moonlight? His flight brought him ever closer, and he realized that they were fires. Soon, he could make out that they were big, like bonfires, and then he saw the tents around them. He flew even closer, and then he could make out the figures dancing around the fires and banging on drums. He could hear the drums now and the guttural chanting. Finally, his flight slowed, and he was hovering over one of the bonfires, and he saw the dancing figures more closely - Urghats, thousands upon thousands of Urghats.

Suddenly Morgan was back in the marble chamber in front of the statue. Somehow he knew that if he grasped the black and red sphere, he’d aid his people in some way against the impending Urghat invasion. He was tempted to touch it right away, but the statue’s words still rang in his mind - he had to view both of his choices. He took a step to his right and looked into the silver and blue orb.

Once again, Morgan had a bird’s eye view of a scene. This time he wasn’t flying over an alien forest, but he was hovering near the ceiling of an immense cavern. He was instantly sweltering in the heat because the cavern floor was wholly engulfed in magma. In the center of the cavern, hanging from a black iron chain, was a gibbet. The iron cage was just big enough to hold a person, and it was swinging, slowly, back and forth about 50 feet over the lava. Morgan’s heart lurched when he saw that a person was struggling with the door to the cage. As in his last vision, he didn’t have control of his flight, but soon enough, he found himself floating gently down toward the gibbet. When he was just a dozen feet away, he finally was low enough to see directly into the cage, and nausea struck him like a tidal wave when he saw it was Issa.

How could this be? His quest showed that she had passed her Agility challenge. She should be making her own choice right now, not swinging from a gibbet over a lake of lava. Morgan tried to call out to her, but she couldn’t seem to see or hear him. As his mind spun, trying to think of a solution, he suddenly found himself back in the round, marble room with the statue.

“What the fuck, man? Are these visions true?” Morgan could feel the heat building in the back of his neck, rage threatening to overtake his good sense.

“I don’t believe they would create much of a dilemma if they weren’t true, but I cannot be sure. I’m simply an administrator.” Morgan thought he saw a hint of a shrug in the stony shoulders, which further enraged him.

“This is bullshit.” Morgan paced back and forth. Just as with the first, when he finished the second vision, he’d known that if he grasped the orb, it would somehow aid Issa in her predicament. So what was the System’s game? Clearly, it wanted to rile up his emotions. Did it want him to pick the Utilitarian choice and help the most people? Did it want him to value the individual and go with his gut, which was to help Issa? Did the System even care? The statue had said that the System valued all virtues. Morgan knew that a general or captain would choose the option to help the most people. They would weigh the lives of all the people who might die fighting the Urghats against Issa’s life, and they would say, “I had to go with the greater good.” Morgan also knew that he wasn’t a politician or a ship captain. Would he be able to live happily knowing he had sealed Issa’s fate?

A thought occurred to him: he wouldn’t have to live with it. The System was going to remove the memory of his choice from him. He could save his people, sacrificing Issa, and he’d never have to remember he did it. “Fuck that,” he said and reached out to grasp the blue and silver orb. He knew it was impulsive and probably not the “smart” move, but he didn’t care. Yes, he valued the colonists’ lives, but he honestly didn’t feel invested in them at all. He also felt like they weren’t under the imminent threat of death, and maybe they’d be able to mount a good defense against whatever the Urghats were planning. Deep down, Morgan knew he was simply justifying his decision; He cared about Issa and wanted to save her. He hated being manipulated, so he went with his gut. Those were the real reasons he grabbed that orb.

All of these thoughts were racing through his mind as his hand made contact with the cold, glassy surface of the orb. As he gripped the baseball-sized ball of glass, he felt it become pliable, and then it was like it had turned into a liquid as it splashed over his fist. A sensation, like ice water entering his veins, rushed up his arm, and then his vision narrowed to a pinprick, and he lost consciousness.