James breathed out, shoulders sagging. Okay, that spider was dealt with. Hopefully there were just three to a bridge, and that would be that.

He slowly walked forward, eyes wide, looking up, down, side-to-side. After a moment, one hoof on the bridge, he decided that it would be a good idea to have a backup. Well, it would have been had the spell not failed. Whatever.

He galloped across the bridge, wings flared in case he fell and grabbed the key in his mouth, holding it securely before carefully making his way back.

He shoved the key into the hole and stepped back a moment, looking around. Was that it? Was this terrifying trial finally over?

There was a quiet click as the key slotted into place, and a white glow pulsed from the thin gaps around it, within the keyhole. This grew bright, seeming to flood and flow forth until it was blinding: and then the room around James faded.

A soft grinding and churning resonated through the cave, and as the light faded, it was as he had found it: dull, empty, blank. There was no sign of the spider, of the crevasse or of the bridges: but Emuh was fluttering down in a flurry of black feathers, his glowing green eyes regarding James with sardonic interest. "WELL," he said in a half-shout, "AT LEAST SOME OF YOU PRACTICE. YOU'RE NOT DEAD," he added, and clacked his beak once with a gunshot crack. "CONGRATULATIONS."

A thread of magic wound out, without warning; a violet tendril that sparked and danced with arcane energies. This brushed James, and a moment later his magicka was fading, draining, emptying: a dizzying and sickening feeling that would leave him temporarily exhausted--and weakened, until he could build himself back up. It felt hollow, yet there was a sensation there of greater potential: like a vessel emptied, but cleaned to make more room.

The knowledge of a new spell itched at his mind, waiting to be unlocked.

"NOW GET OUT," Emuh hooted, and turned, and fluttered away.

James has Transcended. He is now a Transcendent Pupil, and may work his way back up to Transcendent Master. Upon attaining this rank, his player may post in Update Me to choose a Specialization (viewable in the Magic section of the Guidebook).

He has also learned the spell:

Astral Projection:

Transcendent Intensity Transformation. The user may project their entire personality, magical knowledge, and memories into either their familiar, or an incorporeal arcane phantasm. This can be controlled by the user to travel, communicate, cast spells, and if through a familiar, physically interact with the world. The user's body will be unaware and helpless for the duration. This spell can be used to escape death by allowing the user to take over the body of their familiar, instead--effectively killing the familiar in the process.

@James

James met Emuh's gaze evenly, eyes slightly narrowed. His ears pinned and he snorted, not at all impressed with this complete asshole of an owl. How a creature such as this gained so much power was a mystery.

The tendril met his body and he gasped, shuddering as his magic was drained. He hissed and drew back, having not expected this. He didn't feel stronger at all, in fact, he felt like a colt again.

"Ass," he hissed under his breath, and turned, spreading his wings and taking off at a gallop, eager to just get home.

He took to the air and tossed his head, snorting as he swooped down through Polaris, headed to Pegasus.

Exit James