“I’m not that great,” Amelia said, shrugging it off.

“Intense pressure that only increases as you go up. Most average between 150 and 200 stairs. The best of the best make it to 500, which we’ve nicknamed the Gatekeeper. A sudden and massive spike in pressure shuts everyone but the worthy down there,” Suzanne explained. “I did….350? 360? Which was it?” She asked Thomas. “362,” the cat spoke to both of them.

"Alright, so breaking 500's the goal then." Camus remarked nonchalantly, looking over to Suzanne. "So what's the deal with you making it to 362? I figured pretty much any teacher could get to 500, if that's where the best get to. Do students never make it that far, if the teach can't either?"

Richard patted her head and said "I'll see you at dinner than" heading to the throne room to discuss business.

Amelia sighed and headed to her room, feeling numb. She entered into it and shut the door behind her, as her eyes welled up with tears. Betrothed. Betrothed two days after her birthday. Not even a moment to enjoy being a full fledged adult. She sank to the floor with a quiet sob, putting her face in her hands.

"What's the fun in ruining the mystique?" Suzanne asked instead. "What do you think it is?" She raised her eyebrows in a challenge.

"Ooh, man, there's a lot of guesses I could make here." Camus remarked, thinking intently. "I think you could have made it past the 500, you just chose not to risk it. And from the sounds of it, if you can break the 500 you could probably make it all the way. So, I'm fairly sure you can either make it all the way up, or you think you can at the very least."

(Actually, I'm going to talk to you guys on messanger about this.)

Vxal stated "Sire, what if they fled to Fellythr, Hollow, or..."

Richard sat up and said "Don't say Arcana." He then said "Let me worry about Fellythr and Hollow. I'll get the Messanger's Guild to send letters to King Aliester and...umm...The new King..."

Vxal said "King Amondel, sire. However, you should be sending the letter to Queen Elind. The King is merely married to her. "

Richard stated "Thank you. The terms are simple with that. If they are there, keep them in their Kingdoms." he folded his hands "I don't that those vermin in my lands ever again."

Vxal stated "Sire, about Arcana" 

"What?" Richard barked a bit

"I think you might be over reacting a bit." Vxal pointed out "Arcana left for a  reason, remember? They did it the right way" 

Richard sighed and said "Still a little bitter about it is all" 

"Mine will surely be the toughest," Suzanne confirmed.

"Well," Camus watched other students trying the stairs, observing how far the current one was making it. "What's the etiquette for attempting the stairs? Do I need to go wait in line somewhere, or just push some nerds out of the way and say I'm doing it now?" He asked, probably not serious on the latter suggestion.

"As for the Kingdom itself" Richard said quietly

Vxal interupted and said "Sire, can I make a suggestion? Maybe it's not to late...to temper things. The fighting is over, we won. Our grip is..."

Richard clenched dhis fist and said "When my father showed weakness, vampires stormed our lands. It took someone else to fix it." Richard stated "I will not be weak, not when the kingdom still has leeches on it!"

Suzanne took a seat up on a nearby wall, with a decent vantage point of the base of the stairs, and on up as well. Thomas settled in her lap as she leaned against a lamp-post to watch. Not long after, Gendry appeared behind her, leaning on the wall on his forearms beside Suzanne so you could only see from shoulders up. "The great climb is today, huh?" she asked, as Suzanne looked over. "Yeeep," she said. "Just gotta beat Marcel," she muttered, and Gendry snickered. As though summoned, like always, Marcel appeared.

"Here to watch the competition, you two?" he sneered, standing on the other side of the wall, closer to the Stairs. Even with her vantage point on the wall, he seemed to look down his nose at her. Suzanne rolled her eyes. "I'll have you know my class is full of brilliant and capable minds. They will do wonderfully today, not like you and your dark magics," he hissed.

"My dark mages are as welcome as yours in this city, shut up Marcel and watch my kids stomp yours in the ground," Suzanne said, glaring at him. Marcel humphed to himself and turned around, leaning against the wall to watch.

At the foot of the stairs, someone appeared laying down and breathing heavy. "197!" He cheered, getting up, and then grimaced, holding his back. "Ow..." The crowd looked to Camus, towering above them, and stepped aside to make a path to the base of the stairs.

"Nice one man!" Camus clapped a few times for the man that just finished, but afterwards rolled his sleeves up and exposed his very large arms as he approached the stairs. "I'm gonna break that 500 mark, so just step back and watch everyone!" He declared, knowing full well nobody would take that seriously. He began his trek up the stairs, those first few no issue for him.