"Extended Trial?!" Will cried out. "Way to go Glenn!"
"And why not?" Eve smiled. "We're all damn good, but you're beyond good. You can beat the three of us at once without breaking a sweat!"
"I know." Glenn sighed. "I should be ecstatic. But all I can think of is that this means...He will be here. In this village. Because of me."
There was a brief silence. They all knew about the Master. They'd been taught about him almost from birth. All children were taught about He Who Destroys Gods, how each child would grow into an essential part of the Consortium, as it was known on Earth. Not all would be warriors, of course. Eve's brother, Neil, was a rapidly advancing politician in a nearby city, helping to spread and enrichen Consortium influence in that area of the world.
The four friends, though, were all highly skilled fighters. They'd trained hard for their entire lives. Now, the time known as the Trial was approaching. During the Trial, representatives of the Master would come to the village to watch them display their skills, and then pick them out for assignments in the Consortium army. But the Extended Trial...this rare event only manifested when an instructor saw the potential for an elite warrior, one who would answer personally to the Master Himself. And it meant that the Master would appear personally at the Trial to observe His new servants...
"What if I screw it up in front of Him?" Glenn asked. "That'd be...you know how bad that'd be!"
Daniel patted him on the back. "Don't worry about it, Glenn. You're the best - you're way ahead even of Deveronne! You'll do great!"
"Deveronne's a great fighter, yeah, but this is the Master we're talking about! Neither of us even compare to Him!"
"Don't worry about that." Will encouraged. "It's not like the Master will expect you to beat Him. He'll probably just be looking for potential. And anyone could see that in you!"
Glenn sighed. "I hope so. But I know what I'm doing for the next week. Training until I drop!"

It was late in that same evening when Glenn's father, Julius, interrupted Glenn's training. Glenn was pouring with sweat, and had pushed himself so hard that he was starting to see double. Julius had also been a warrior, but a terrible injury had robbed him of the use of his right leg, and his fighting prowess. He had trained Glenn as a child, before Glenn had been accepted as Daveronne's student. Now, he led Glenn up to the attic of their house, where the family's prized possesions were kept.
"Father?" Glenn asked. "What is it?"
"Do you know how proud I am that my son has been entered into the Extended Trial?" Julius asked. "You come from a long line of warriors, son, but none of them ever became part of the Master's elite. Until now. I think it is time for me to pass this on..."
Julius unlocked a heavily padlocked secure cupboard. He pulled out a long weapon. It was a spear, mainly bronze, but alloyed with iron, silver, and several other metals that no scientist of Earth would recognise. Glenn gaped.
"Father! That's...that..."
Julius nodded. "This is Crystarr. This weapon was one made and consecrated by the first of our line to serve the Master. It served me very well for countless battles. If it wasn't for Crystarr, I'd be dead now rather than with a mere ruined leg."
Julius presented Crystarr to his son, holding it gently, almost making the action ceremony. Glenn took the spear in his hands. It wouldn't be right to say that he heard a voice from the spear, but he felt something. A feeling of greeting, or similar.
"You are now the master of that spear, son." Julius said. "Take care of it, and it will take care of you. That is the way it is."

Glenn's mother, Katarina, had died two years before. Glenn dreamt of her often. But the dreams weren't memories or fantasies. It was common knowledge that the Master was most powerful in the realms of dreams and nightmares, and even his subjects who had passed on could be found in dreams by their loved ones. This is how Glenn had talked to his mother since her death.
"I wish you could be there, Mother." Glenn sighed.
"Me too. If there was one event I would choose to attend as a living woman again, this would be it." Katarina agreed. "But that can't be. All I can do is wish you all the fortune there is. I know you'll make me proud."
"I hope so."
"I know you will. I can see you at the Master's side even now."
Glenn cocked his head. "Father's waking me up. I have to train for the Trial."
Katarina smiled. "You do that. And tell your father he needs to sleep more - I rarely see him at the moment!"
Glenn laughed. "I will, Mother. He's more excited than I am..."

"He's coming!"
"We're going to see the Master!"
The day of the Trial had arrived. It seemed to Glenn that the air was full of the excited whispers of the young children of the village. The prospect of seeing the Master in person had them laughing and running like living dynamos of energy. But then, the older residents weren't exactly unaffected either. Glenn gripped Crystarr a little tighter. He hoped with all his being that he wouldn't bring everything crashing down in failure.
"He's here!"
The young girl's cry shouldn't have been heard through the cacophony of shouts and chatter in the streets, yet the moment the shout left her lips, the whole village went silent. There was a sudden burst of activity as the people lined and grouped up, then this too was gone.
A small entourage turned the corner. Glenn had seen numerous pictures, descriptions, and even some films of the Master, but seeing him in person for the first time was no less than awesome. The Master was a tall, powerfully-built man. His long white locks cascaded down his back, and his eyes glittered every colour that Glenn knew of, and then some. He wore a tight black costume that seemed to absorb the very light around it, and was adroned with a thick black cloak with ornate and large shoulder-pieces, huge bestial skulls carved in horn.
His entourage was made up of five people. Glen recognised one of them. The woman in black with a single blood-red feather in her hair was the High Priestess, Blackfire. The others, Glenn did not recognise. There were two very large, muscular men in similar uniforms. The main difference was that one had unruly red hair, while the other had his hair tied back so tightly that Glenn couldn't even make out the colour. There was another man, a man in white facepaint with black markings, looking like some sort of harlequin. And the final person was a girl, maybe two years younger than Glenn. She wore a strange costume made up of tens, even hundreds of strips of cloth, purple, red, green and black. Both her forearms were tattooed, large markings of black flame licking with red sparks leading up from her wrists. She scanned the crowd, and looked right at Glenn. Glenn stood up straight. No doubt she'd noticed him as he'd been dressed up in the garb of one chosen for the Extended Trial.
"Greetings, my loyal ones!" The Master grinned widely. "It is my great pleasure to referee this event, no less than an Extended Trial! Tell me, where is the instructor here?"
Deveronne approached, and dropped to one knee. "Master."
The Master nodded. "And those who prepare for Trial?"
The four young warriors took one step forward. Deveronne indicated to them in turn. "Daniel Hayne, Eve Jadening and Will Cennon await Trial. Glenn Mace awaits Extended Trial."
The Master nodded and looked at the four hopefuls. "Then, before Trial begins, I will make my own introductions. No doubt you already know me as Pitt, the Master. These here are my High Priestess, Blackfire, two of my elite, Judge and Exodite, and my...advisor, Malkavian."
The harlequin, Malkavian, said nothing but thrust forth a small white cat at Pitt. The Master gave Malkavian a long, withering look. Malkavian stared back, but withdrew the cat. Pitt shook his head, then returned his attention to the crowd. "Then let us begin the Trial!"
The crowd eagerly moved to the large field that had been prepared for this event. As he walked, Glenn wondered who the girl was and why the Master had not introduced her. He forced himself not to dwell on it, though. If the Master did not want to give out her name, He must have His reasons.