As Finlay walked the group down a series of corridors, they found themselves in one that came to a dead end.  At the end of the corridor were three great red doors and a small assortment of people standing outside.  Zeke stood still, a grim sentinel, looking onward at the doors as if anticipating them to do something.  Another younger man clad in leather armor with a red cloak draped about him was leaning up against one of the walls with three people that looked like they had been through war.  Their earth toned clothing was riddled with blood spatter, tears and one of them even looked like they had a close encounter with fire, his shirt singed and tattered.  The group slowly moved in and expanded into a pool of people as they stood a safe distance from the three doors.

[center][img]https://i.ibb.co/t4JjbtD/doors.jpg[/img][/center]

	"[color=fff79a]Finlay,[/color]" said the other red hood, a whisper of a mustache on his pail face with a small patch of hair on his chin that looked better suited to be located in his nether regions.  He pushed himself up off the wall to regard his brother in arms.

	"[color=929292]Trent.[/color]"  Finlay's response was devoid of emotion.  Someone listening in would not mistake these two for having much love for one another.

	"[color=fff79a]This is your crew?[/color]"  Trent looked at the people Finlay came with, seemingly unimpressed.

	"[color=929292]Aye, and that mangy lot must be what's left o' yers.[/color]"  Finlay looked to the four again.  A blond woman with a very muscular physique who skin was a mix of black, blue and red as she clearly took a beating and was littered with open wounds.  One of the men had long brown hair, a broken and bloody nose, and a cloth wardrobe that had taken a lot of damage.  This was the man who seemed to have tasted licks of flame on his arm.  The third man was suited up in light armor.  No doubt the armor looked pristine when he walked into the trial.  Now the metal was tarnished, dented and, in some places, pierced.  The short cropped hair did nothing to hide his swollen right eye and bloody lips.

	"[color=fff79a]I've still got two more groups.  Only one casualty so far.  I'm sure the rest will come though on top.[/color]"  Trent didn't look as confident as he tried to sound.

	"[color=929292]No doubt,[/color]" Finlay said, humoring him, before returning his attention to his own crew.

	"[color=929292]Alright, you dobbers, listen up!  While we wait for them to pull out the corpses of Trent's group o' idiots, let's go over some things. There are several challenges that you're all going to be faced with at the same time.  You'll be split into groups of four.  Your bunkmates are also your teammates.  The first challenge is Fear.  You must overcome fear in all instances.  You'll be facing a number of beasts and malicious individuals in your career as a Hood.  You're no good ta me if your cowering in the corner or making rash decisions.  Fear.  Get tha fook over it![/color]

	"[color=929292]The other challenge is teamwork.  Most Hoods, Red or Yellow, work in groups.  If you try to take on the monsters of the wold solo, the odds are going ta be stacked against you.  Ever try exterminatin' a pack o' werewolves by your lonesome?  Don't!  It's a deathwish.  Learn to work with your brothers n' sisters of the Hood.[/color]

	"[color=929292]Third is Adaptability.  You've got to adjust to your opponent, to the situation you're in, to your surroundings.  Techniques that might fell one beast may be absolutely useless against another and if you can't adapt, yer gonna be paintin' the floor red with yer own blood.[/color]

	"[color=929292]Behind these doors are 3 different, notoriously hard to kill baddies.  You and your mates will be entering these rooms at the same time and we are not opening those doors until the creatures are felled.  You might not make it, but don't give up.  If you lose your right arm, pick up your fookin blade with you left and get back in there![/color]"

	Just then there came a loud, slow knock on the middle door.  Zeke went to it and opened it up.  A half naked man, covered in crimson from head to... shins, pulled himself out of the room.  His feet were gone.  In their places was exposed, splintered bone and torn flesh.  As he advanced, he left a trail of red like a morbid snail as he dug into the group with his finger nails, determined to inch himself forward.

	"[color=fff79a]Jonathan?[/color]" Trent asked the shell of a man on the ground.  "[color=fff79a]Where are the others?[/color]"

	Through labored weeps, Jonathan answered, "[color=82ca9d]G-gone... oh god, they're all gone![/color]"  A smirk began to form on Finlay's lips as he pointed his thumb at the bloody thing.

	"[color=929292]See that?  That's fightin' spirit!  His fookin' feet are off and he's still goin'![/color]"  Jonathan's body fell limp on the ground.  The two Red Hoods and Zeke all stared at him for a moment.  "[color=929292]Well, he was.  And that's the type o' attitude I want from you lot![/color]"  Trent hesitantly pulled Jonathan's body out of the doorway while Zeke sealed the red door afterward.  There was still one group battling it out in the third door.

	"[color=929292]These creatures can be extremely difficult or extremely easy depending on how well you strategize with yer team.  They all of a fatal weakness, but that weakness is not universal to all of them.  You hit 'em where and how it hurts and they will fall.  You muck about too much, hacking and slashing randomly as you please and you won't come out of this thing alive.[/color]"  Finlay turned back to the door.  "[color=929292]How long has the last crew been in there, anyway?[/color]"

	Trent looked to Zeke with a worried expression.  That was an answer in and of itself.  It had been too long.  Zeke opened the red door and entered, shutting it behind himself.

	"[color=929292][i]Oh[/i]... I hope that beast isn't still in there.  He's about to get introduced to the-[/color]" But before Finlay could finish his sentence, the red door opened back up and out came Zeke with four limp and bloodied bodies carrying two under each arm.  He hurled them all at Trent as if to say [i]'Here's your trash.  Clean it up'[/i].  "[color=929292]Huh.  Well, Trent, three outta twelve ain't so bad, eh?[/color]"  Finlay couldn't hide his malicious grin before returning his attention to Team Dobbers.

	"[color=929292]Right, well they're gonna reset tha challenge, so to speak.  And by that, I mean they're gonna replace the slain opponents.  Won't take long.  Meantime, let me repeat the groups to ya...

Group One: Dragomir, Cohen, Chase and Fendrel.
Group Two: Album, Devout, O'Shay and Whitlock.
Group Three: Celestina, Hae, Locksley, and Rivington.[/color]

	"[color=929292]Does anyone have any questions?[/color]"  Just as someone's mouth moved, ready to ask, Finlay interrupted.  "[color=929292]No?  Good!  I got faith in ya!  Work together, conquer your fears, and adapt.  I'll see ya on the other side.  Now all that's left to do is to pick a door and...[/color]

[center][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/175928-the-red-hoods-initiates/ooc?page=6#post-4839189][b]Open It[/b][/url][/center]