Liv groans as she comes to, blood leaking from the sides of her mouth, her back battered and bruised. Every small movement is agonizing, pain shooting through her as she tries to prop herself up. Even that small action proved too much, her body flopping back onto the floor. God, everything hurt right now; still, she seemed to be on the platform, and she was alive.

With all the effort she can muster, she looks for the demon, hoping it was down for the count. It’s body is just a few steps from her, its carapace crushed by the sheer weight of the stone. Orange blood leaks from the wound, the demon either dead or dying, twitching with the final vestiges of its life. Satisfied with the result, Liv allows herself a smile, her arms weakly crossing over herself. A shiver runs through her body. Despite it being so hot, she felt cold. Too cold.

“Reckon we did it, boss.” She mutters softly, smiling weakly, her teeth stained red with blood.

“An impressive showing, Liv.” Her boss admits, causing her smile to grow. Relief begins to flood her system as her wounds begin to knit together, her boss continuing to speak, “I’ll speak with you more tomorrow. Good luck, Liv.”

“Yeah, see ya tomorrow.” She says, waiting till she can stand. Once she can, she pushes herself up, stretching her aching arms. Her boss’s voice had vanished completely. Just to sate her own curiosity, she kneels down, giving the ground three quick jabs. No orange glow springs up, Liv nodding slowly as she confirms. She stands back up, her eyes scanning the platform.

A few yards off the center, just left of the Queen's body, a glowing Strata has sprung back into existence, the same color and size as the one from the cold, dark room she had entered.

“Reckon that’s it.” Liv comments to herself, walking over to the Strata. Confidently, she reaches her hand out, pushing it through the Strata. It begins to suck her in, Liv not resisting in the slightest as she’s dragged through, falling into darkness, the wind whipping through her matted hair. She sighs as she closes her eyes, allowing it to pass over her aching body. A bit of relaxation might do her some good after all that-.

VWOMP

Liv falls onto the floor, falling for what felt like seconds, a far cry from the long fall she had before. Unlike before, she feels her stomach twist, clutching her gut to keep the vomit from escaping her mouth. Eventually, she manages to quell the nausea enough to sit up, her eyes darting around.

What she finds is the same cold stone room she was in before she entered the Strata, the flickering Strata collapsing in on itself behind her. The cold metal of the platform sticks to her arms, nipping at the bare flesh with teeth it doesn't have.

Just as the Strata is about to close, the spikes begin to thrum as if someone was striking it like a drum, each of the three letting out a shrill screech. Liv cries in pain, covering her ears in a vain attempt to ward off the sounds assaulting her, her body curling up defensively, the dim lights flickering violently. The Strata flickers for a moment before expanding once more, returning to its usual size and proportions, the horrid, shrill sound finally turning off.

Liv growls as she sits up once more, her eyes trained on the nearest spike. Her eyebrows furrow as she fights the growing urge to break it. Just as her will is about to falter, she hears footsteps descending down the steps, the greasy man coming into her view, seeming shocked at the sight of her.

“Ah, you’re back. Good job!” He smiles, his hands clasped at his chest. He walks over, giving her a once over, “You’re in better condition than most! No large injuries, and no festering. Impressive! A quick time, too. Not even a full day! I should have expected that since you didn’t bring any rations-.”

He suddenly stops, upper lip wrinkling as he inhales sharply, his smile replaced by frown. Realizing his reaction, he gives an apologetic bow, clearly flustered by his reaction. “My apologies! Even after all these years, I can’t get used to the smell of evaporating demon blood.”

Liv frowns, looking down at herself. She didn’t really have time to assess herself, but she can see how she could smell bad. Her tanktop is stained with blood, both hers and demonic, though the demonic blood is quickly sizzling away to nothing. Her pants are covered in dust, far less blood in it than in the tanktop. She pulls the tanktop up just enough to take a whiff, her own nose wrinkling a bit. When she was young, she had smelled rotting meat in supermarkets. This was worse, far worse.

“Blegh. Ya ain’t gotta apologize. This is nasty.” She says while stepping down, her hands in her pockets, trying to breathe through her mouth instead of her nose. That only ended with her getting a taste of the fumes, the nausea returning to her body.

The man nods quickly, relieved that Liv doesn’t seem mad at him. He extends his arm toward the stairs in a sweeping gesture as he speaks, “Well, you can shower and eat once you finish your mental assessment. Once that is done, you can stay here for a few days as your grade is assessed. With all luck, you’ll land yourself a group in the Hellfire Initiative.”

Liv pauses. Mental assessment? What the hell did the mental assessment entail? Was that reading and stuff? She gulps, her voice a bit lower than before, “E-Erm… Ya reckon I can wait till tomorrow? I ain’t in tip top shape.”

The greasy man gives a sympathetic frown as he shakes his head, “Unfortunately, the mental assessment must be done directly after the physical one. It’s to see how well Synth wielders can think after a stressful battle. Frustrating, I know. Unfortunately, I cannot do anything about it. No, I cannot sneak in food or drink for you as that is also not allowed. Yes, im aware it's unfair. No, I cannot change the system myself.” He prattles the last parts off, almost as if he’s heard them a million times.

Liv sighs, rubbing the back of her head as she looks between him and her gauntlet. She’s not very academically inclined, spending her days digging instead of indulging in the literary arts. After contemplating, she shrugs. She did have a bit of knowledge, and it’s not like she had a choice after coming this far. She, reluctantly, follows the greasy man up the stairs, steeling herself for the test to come.