Hiya all Rimu here with the final authors note of the year!  I know that updates have been extremely infrequent and for that I'm truly sorry.  I've been going through a lot with my mental health and anxiety and honestly finding the energy to write in spite of it being my greatest passion has proven remarkably difficult.

I'm sorry for the delays and for making you wait, chapter 40 will be the final chapter published in 2020 as I'm going on hiatus till January where I will resume the story with hopefully better writing and more frequent updates.  H

I feel like I don't deserve your support especially those who have been so gracious as to support my Patreon.

I started this story on a whim and I expected maybe a few people to read it...but we're closing in on 100k views and well over 1000 readers and favorites...I'm speechless.  

Thank you so much and enjoy the chapter, my dear readers <3

 

 

Mari waved farewell to Ruka, who returned her gaze with a look of smug reassurance, Mari was happy that that this pain in the ass ordeal was half over.  Returning to the common area, Mari found her guide sitting cross-legged with her hand on her head, snoring away.

“Asleep on the job, huh?”

“Best of the best, my ass.” Mari sneered, entering the third chamber.

 

“Let’s play doggo.”

 

The white life enveloped her and wisp her away to the location of the third trial instead of an expanse of nothingness Mari was greeted with a winding forest path bathed in the warm amber glow of the setting sun.

 

Mari followed the path unsure of what waited for her at the end of it she had only taken a few steps when something most unexpected stopped her in her tracks?  A wounded little girl with mattered blue hair stumbled her way unto the forest path.

 

She was wearing a stained white dress soaked in blood whether it was her own or someone else’s Mari couldn’t say, but her parental instincts kicked in as she rushed over the child to see if they was injured.

 

“Hey kid, are you hurt?”

“I’m lost, I can’t find my way out.” The child said through manic sobbing.

 

“Hey look at me, look at me.” Mari said lifting the child’s chin.

“I’ll help you out of her okay, but you have to be brave.”

“Okay.” The child nodded.

 

 

Mari held the child’s hand and continued to follow the path laid out for her Mari was worried though if things went south Mari didn’t have any Ballum left so she was effectively as helpless as this child should anything attacked them.

 

The child’s tearful moans had softened to a dull whimper as Mari felt a lot of empathy for the child, empathy she had a diminished capacity for. Shinobu’s death had changed her outlook on this new life of her’s

 

A violent fury stormed inside of her and she was just able to keep it in check she was going to pass these trials, grow stronger and then unleash her storm on those unsightly bitches and bastards who the source of all her pain and suffering.

 

 

Eventually Mari and the child arrived a fork in the road with two signs each emblazoned with a single word, easy was etched in the sign above the left path and hard was etched into the right.  Thinking little of it, Mari started down the easy path.

 

 

Of course it was never going to be that easy as soon as she stepped foot on to the path the child became heavy as if they were made of stone and no amount of pulling or coxing could make the child move.

 

“I swear when I meet this head mistress I’m going to shove my fist up her ass.”  

 

 

 

Not being sociopaths enough to abandon a child and realizing that this was most likely apart from their plan, Mari resolved herself to trudging down the dangerous path.  The very instance that Mari turned from the path the child sprung back to life and became light like a feather.

 

The path seemed identical to the other one, but she was sure that would change who knew what dangers lay across this perilous route.  The child had stopped its wailing in fact it had stopped talking and making sound all together.

 

After walking someways down the road bored out of her skull because this kid was about as fun to be around as watching paint dry, actually watching paint dry might be a touch more enthralling.  Mari heard something deep in the forest that put her on high alert.

 

It was low guttural growling that seemed to becoming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time, Mari started to panic knowing that she couldn’t defend herself in her current state let alone some vulnerable kid.

 

 Her fears were soon realized as she saw through the treeline several creatures closing in on their position like vultures stalking a carcass.  The creatures were none other than her favorite mangy mongrels.

 

 

“Shit, Hellhounds! Well, that’s just wonderful”

 

 

Mari felt shivers trail her spine, and her knees buckle as the beasts crept ever closer acting on instinct Mari took off running hoping that she would reach the end of the path before they were minced and ripped to pieces by the hungry bitches.

 

She felt them hard on her trail spit overflowing and spilling from their mangy maws her heart was beating loud in her chest drowning out everything else with its rapid rhythm.  Anxiety was overwhelming her as her senses went numb.

 

They were getting closer every second the situation was becoming ever more dire. All she could be run placing one foot in front of another forever a single solitary step out of danger.  Mari lowered her gaze to check on the child who was smiling with wide, vibrant eyes.

 

That smile seemed to have a calming effect on her and she felt the anxiety lessen enough she lifted her eyes to the path ahead and saw that it was finally coming to the end a few meters were all that separated her and the end of the test.

 

She felt her muscles ache and her legs buckle, but she pressed on, not wishing to experience their sharp teeth ever again.  Mari didn’t know how she knew that reaching the end of the path with this nameless child would guarantee their safety.

 

She felt it on instinct like a wounded animal seeking sanctuary she kept sprinting even though she wanted to collapse doing these trials had better be worth it Mari though trying to take her mind of the searing pain in her legs.

 

Lost in her own thought Mari had failed to notice that more hell hounds had leaped onto the path blocking their progress and allowing the other Hellhounds to catch up to them.

Mari collapsed as the beasts started to enclose on their position her body was drowning in sweat and the almighty urge to vomit had crept up on her.

"Is this the end?" She thought closing her eyes.