The western training grounds had been transformed into a sort of obstacle course.
Aegis stood with the other remaining participants, staring at the setup. Rope bridges stretched over pits filled with water. Climbing walls that shifted and moved. Platforms that appeared and disappeared at random intervals. And at the far end, a massive stone door with glowing runes etched into its surface.
Duchess Valemont stood on a raised platform, hands clasped behind her back. Her steel-grey hair caught the afternoon light.
"The Cooperation trials test your ability to work with others under pressure," she announced, her voice carrying across the grounds. "You will be assigned partners. Your task is simple: reach the far door, solve the puzzle, and ring the bell behind it. The catch? Neither of you can complete the course alone. You must rely on each other's strengths."
She gestured to the course.
