Alyssa Nightraven, The First Challenger; Dilkon, AZ

The shirtless man’s body slumped to the ground, his blood draining from the multiple stab wounds that appeared in his chest just moments before. Alyssa watched as his life spilled out on the concrete around here before returning to the shadows and seeking out her next victim.

Tracy’s Raiders were doing just that, sending in small groups of raiders from different approaches, attempting to unseat the outnumbered defenders. At some point in the fight the entire south face of the General Store exploded outward as a series of lightning strikes slammed into it all at once. Immediately Dany announced “Not me!”, right before Choox’il released a rapid stream of arrows and declared the offending mage had been removed from the fight.

Brondwyn and Feodr now stood in the gap, fending off a small horde of shirtless raiders armed with spear and bow, while Alyssa and Lulu worked from the shadows. This had been the pace of the battle for the last twenty minutes or so. The horsemen still “circled the wagons”, though their number was slowly dwindling to the myriad unsuccessful raids. Unfortunately for the Raiders, this seemed to be the only tactic they knew.

Even now, Eli was charging in with a relief force consisting of his mounted cavalry augmented by some of the Faceless mages, and Spider Demon Archers supplied by Lord Shubin. The deputies from Flagstaff and Eli’s other scouting teams were already in place to the West waiting for the arrival of the main force. Additionally, a contingent of Valkyr augmented with several adventuring groups were also moving up. The dwarves were too far away and too slow to be a factor in this battle, as well, the Beastmen were still settling into their new territory. Not that that had stopped several dozen from joining the adventurer groups in their hard march to battle.

The plan, as had been relayed by Eli was that his mounted force would move in through a shallow canyon to take up position to the northeast, while the slower moving Valkyr and adventurers would close off the Raiders escape routes to the south. They would initiate their counter-attack when those forces were in place, which was still another estimated twenty minutes away.

19:35…

19.34…

Alyssa watched the timer in the corner of her vision impatiently as she skewered another unsuspecting Raider who had allowed himself to drift too far from his group. She turned her attention to another trio of opponents that were gathering behind the fence of the park where she had seen the children playing ball. She marked their position, silently relaying it to Choox’il and Dany who remained on the General Store roof providing withering coverfire. A moment later an arrow exploded in the middle of the group, followed by the thunder of an arcing lightning strike. The men sailed stiffly through the air, charred from both fire and lightning, to land dead in the street.

She stood at the corner of the intersection leading north-south and east. Down each main street she could see another host of Raiders charging towards their position. With her stamina running low she spent less and less time in [Shadow Walking], forced to rely more and more on her dungeon honed attributes and experiences. Lulu, sensing the shift in tactics, imposed herself next to her soul bound master. Brondwyn and his brother, Feodr, finished their one fight and joined her on the street. Choox’il and Dany of course, remained on the higher vantage point offered by the roof of the wrecked General Store.

“Challenger, I am running low on arrows. I do not know how much longer we can endure.” Choox’il called out as the Raiders covered the distance between them.

“Mana’s a bit low as well.” Dany added.

“As are we, Challenger.” Feodr spoke for him and his brother. “They sent their fodder to wear us down. But you knew they would do that, didn’t you?”

Alyssa eyed everyone carefully, then reached out a hand to rub Lulu’s massive neck, “You tired too?”

The dark furred coyote eyed her with big yellow eyes and released a small whine in acknowledgement. She hung her head for a moment to gather her thoughts while eyeing the timer in her vision.

15:01…

15:00…

14:59…

The three attacking groups slowed their advance several hundred meters from where she stood with her team, spreading out as best they could between the buildings that flanked the narrow streets. She lifted her black armor clad right arm and flexed her artificial fist, analyzing the limb in tense silence.

“I’m never backing down again. I swore that to myself.”

Brondwyn cracked a slight grin as he spoke, Feodr adjusted his grip on his weapon while purposely adjusting his footing. She looked down the road at one of the approaching groups with disgust on her face.

“You call me Challenger. What kind of Challenger would I be to run away now when I have our target coming to us?”

Choox’il and Dany looked in the same direction as Alyssa, seeing the man they had been hunting arrogantly sauntering towards them with a smug smile plastered across his face.

“So, it seems Little Raven, you have something that belongs to me. Hand it over now and I’ll let your team leave.”

She cocked her head curiously at his statement, “Just my team? Why would I hand the core over to you?”

Tracy stopped in the middle of the street less than a hundred meters from here with his hands spread wide. He swept them about to indicate his force of Raiders that was gathered around the city. “Yes, just your team. You, well, you will die here today. You have no way out.

Alyssa glared hatred at the insufferable man. She acknowledged that getting away now would be difficult, but she didn’t think it was impossible for her team to clear a path back out of the city. Moreover, she meant it when she said she wasn’t backing down ever again.

Tracy took her silence to indicate he might be getting through to her, so he continued his evil monologue, “Of course, if you are willing to beg me for your life, I may just keep you as a fuck toy. How’d you like that, huh?”

Alyssa’s heart began to race. She knew he was goading her into action, but she didn’t care. Her anger was slowly beginning to boil. Unnoticed to Tracy, her shadow affinity was beginning to flare its dominance, quickly swirling about her feet in violently churning eddies. Lulu’s haunches flared in shared anger, snarling sword sized incisors at the man who openly threatened her soul-bound human.

“I’m sure we can fuck the white man’s taint out of your dirty whore cunt. Of course, first, I’ll have to put your dog down. Maybe I’ll fuck you on the carpet I make from her hide.”

Alyssa’s ears rang at his insolence. She barely made out the sound of Tracy’s men chuckling in the distance as he taunted her fury. All at once her stamina was restored, followed by the shadows that were swirling at her feet exploding out behind her to blot out the low hanging Arizona sun. She launched into the air on a pillar of inky black shadow with both her gleaming Falcata’s drawn. As she reached the apex of her jump, the System recognized her action for what it was.

Alyssa Nightraven has initiated a Challenge of Destiny against Tracy Smith!

… Initiating isolation and non-interference protocols, all parties not involved in the Challenge will be removed from the arena of battle.

“[GET OVER HERE!]”, Alyssa roared as gravity began to reassert its hold on her. An inky black tendril of shadow lashed out faster than one could blink to wrap around Tracy’s waist and begin jerking him towards the angered Challenger. At the same time the system erected a barrier along the length of the street where they would fight, shoving everyone not involved out of the impromptu arena.

The shirtless native man summoned a shiny spear with a vicious serrated head that was as long as Alyssa’s forearm. He swung the weapon up just as she brought her falcata’s down to clang loudly against the steel haft. He was rocketed back to the street below just as quickly as he was pulled into the air.

As he was about to hit the ground, the surrounding shadows condensed where he was about to land, ripping open to reveal a wide maw of snarling and snapping teeth. He twisted his hips awkwardly to unleash a hasty round kick that connected against Lulu’s snout. He heard her yelp in frustration before receding into the shadows.

Alyssa didn’t bother giving him time to adjust his footing, she shot towards him like a bullet out of a rifle. Shadow clung to her in flickering streamers as she swung her weapons for his neck.

ClllaaaaaaaaaNG!

Tracy skidded backwards in the street, dust, smoke, and sparks stretching out in front of him. They now found their positions in the arena reversed from the start of the fight. Feodr looked over his shoulder menacingly as he casually removed the head of one of Tracy’s men. “If you manage to best the Challenger, I’ll be sure to end you myself!” He called out as he shoved his sword through another man’s chest, shoving him up against the System created barrier. Blood pooled at the base, and the oversized Valkyr managed to spit in Tracy’s direction before diving back into the press of bodies around him.

Tracy flinched as Alyssa appeared in front of him, blades slicing through the air to take his arm from his body, he spun the haft of his spear up, managing to deflect her sudden attack. He quickly countered with a swipe of his weapon aimed at her throat. Alyssa bent over backwards allowing the spear to pass harmlessly through the space she had just occupied. He continued his momentum to bring the butt around to hopefully catch her with the blunt end of the spear. Unfortunately for him she allowed the shadows to swallow her up as Lulu made her presence known once again.

Tracy rolled away from the murderous black coyote. When he rolled back to his feet he felt Alyssa’s blade reaching for his ribs. He shifted just an inch, it wasn’t enough. He hissed in pain as the blade sliced a shallow cut across his ribs, just under his left armpit.

When he spun around to skewer the girl that had vexed him for so many days he found she had already retreated out of range of his spear. “First blood is mine. Last blood will be as well.”, then she faded into the shadows again.

“FUCKING BITCH! WHY DO YOU FIGHT FOR THESE ABOMINATIONS!? YOU ARE OF THE PEOPLE!” He roared into the air, attempting to yell over the noise of the unreachable battle around him.

The only answer he received was the sound of Alyssa’s falcata whistling through the air to take his neck. He barely managed to avoid losing his head, stumbling backwards in an attempt to regain his footing only to groan in pain as he found himself pancaked across the arena barrier. Alyssa had struck him with a well timed [Shadow Charge] and was about to follow up with a pair of swords through his chest.

Despite the pain in his back he dropped low, swinging his spear wide. Alyssa tried to evade the attack, but found herself over committed. She jerked back as the sharp cutting edge of the spear cut through her unprotected lower abdomen. Tracy, seeing the shock on her face, painfully pressed his advantage and attempted to bury the head of the spear in her chest.

Lulu was there in an instant with powerful jaws latching painfully around his left leg. Before he could complete his thrust he was shook hard twice before being tossed like a ragdoll to the other end of the street arena.

“Fuck…” He groaned as the pain he felt caught up with the sound of his own joints being violently dislocated. Lulu circled Alyssa protectively as she checked her wound.

Tracy tried to stand only to find his hips failed to carry his weight. A quick check of his notifications confirmed his worst suspicions.

Dislocated Hip - movement reduced by 75% until healed. Unable to stand until healed.

He quickly removed a medicine bag from his spatial inventory and drank the contents within. The effects were immediate and painful. He wasn’t sure which was worse though, the sound of his hips re-aligning, or how much the action hurt. “Son of a bitch!”

He paused as he stood, Alyssa and Lulu were gone. Which meant they were coming for him from within the shadows. His heart beat in his ears as he strained to make out the details of any shadow larger than a fist. “Fuck this, [Sight of the Ancient Peoples]”

Tracy sighed as the spell sucked down a massive chunk of his sparse mana pool. As the spell settled into his vision, certain details he had overlooked at the start of their fight began to reveal themselves. More importantly, he could see where Alyssa stalked him from several meters away, as well as her damnable coyote companion.

“There you are, you little bitch!” He muttered through grit teeth as he activated another ability, “[Spirit Strike]”. He allowed the power of the ability to guide his spear as he thrust forward into the shadow where his sight indicated.

“GAH!” Alyssa was ripped bodily from the shadows, the shock of which was written across her face.

Tracy reached back to strike again only to redirect as he caught sight of Lulu attempting to repeat his previous ragdoll performance. He brought the butt of his spear down on her nose while delivering a spinning kick to the shocked Challenger’s gut.

Alyssa tumbled backwards for several feet while Lulu recoiled from the strike on her snout. Tracy delivered a swift kick to the underside of the massive coyote’s jaw with enough force to send her tumbling head over heels. The dog landed with a hard thud several meters back. She attempted to stand, only to find her legs weak beneath her, causing her to stumble and collapse in a pathetic whimper.

Satisfied the girl’s coyote was out of the fight for the time being, Tracy returned his attention to Alyssa, “Now. Is that all you’ve got, bitch!?”

Alyssa glared pure hatred as she stood up to face him. To her irritation, [Shadow Walking] failed to activate. A quick glance at her notifications indicated that whatever attack Tracy had used had disrupted her ability for the next five minutes. Another quick check showed that her reinforcements were over eleven minutes away. Not that any of that mattered at this moment. She was locked in another Challenge of Destiny, there was no stopping this fight. At least, not until one of them surrendered or was lying dead on the ground.

Well, that’s not going to be me, mother fucker! Alyssa thought as she took on an open fighting stance that the two Valkyr brothers had been training her to use. She spread her feet wide, flexing her knees and leaning forward. One falcata held low, the other held across her chest, shoulders flexed up to protect her neck. A gust of wind billowed her cape behind her, it’s sudden passage took with it the sounds of pitched battle behind her.

“Let’s see if you can fight as well without your shadow tricks, Little Raven.”

Tracy launched forward, activating an ability similar to her own [Shadow Charge]. She was prepared for the maneuver, however, activating her newest ability with a shout of pure hatred, [Challenger’s Call to Battle]. In the instant before Tracy arrived on her position, her speed and attack power were increased by 50% of normal. She ducked as the tip of his spear was about to drive through her neck. At the same time she shifted her blade to open the skin on the underside of his leading arm. Then she spun away to allow him to pass without making any contact with her.

“Son of a…!”, he growled at the sudden pain in his arm then spun to face her again. The haft of his spear was quickly becoming slick with the blood that flowed freely from the seemingly innocuous wound she left on his arm. He spat, adjusted his grip and engaged her in a series of lightning fast thrusts and swipes.

The pair clashed in a furious spray of sparks as the sound of metal crashing against metal drowned out each warriors’ own grunts of pain and exertion. Both warriors' bodies blurred across the street as they jockeyed to inflict mortal damage on the other. Slowly the restriction on Alyssa’s shadow affinity began to recede, made evident by the slowly encroaching inky blackness that seemed to inch towards her.

A lull formed in their battle of annihilation as a particularly well timed attack forced Tracy back several meters. He made the fatal mistake to pause and notice that the tempo of battle outside the barrier had shifted to favor Alyssa’s group. Before he could take the time to ponder just what was happening outside he noticed that his opponent had disappeared before him. With [Sight of the Ancient Peoples] on cooldown he had no way to find the infuriating girl.

He needn’t wait long though, as she made her presence known by sending long tendrils of shadow to physically restrain him while he was distracted. The coordination of the tendrils terrified him, his legs and arms were restrained at nearly the same instant. His head whipped around in panic. “FUCK!”, he spat.

He struggled in place then froze. Alyssa slowly walked up out of a thick patch of shadow on the street. She spun her swords lazily in each hand, glaring at him from beneath the cowl of her cloak. Tracy came to the grim realization that the fight was over. He was completely at her mercy.

“I… I surrender. I’ll order my people to stand down.” He spit out the words in shame, this isn’t how it was supposed to go for him and his people. This was supposed to be the opportunity they needed to reclaim their ancestral lands. Their honor. Their DIGNITY!

You have offered surrender to Alyssa Nightraven while engaged in a Challenge of Destiny, if Alyssa Nightraven accepts your surrender, you will become her property.

The horror of the notification settled in as the color drained from his face. “Wha- N- NO!”

He began to protest the obvious mistake he had just made when Alyssa flashed a wicked smile that silenced him.

“Don’t worry asshole, I’d never keep you around. [Challenger’s Assault].”

She punched her swords forward in five quick strikes. Two for each lung and one through the heart. Tracy tried to take a stunned breath only to cough weakly as blood began pouring from his mouth and chest. He looked at the young girl who’d bested him and attempted to ask her “why”. Only a gurgling mess came out of his mouth. Soon his spear clattered noisily to the ground and his body slumped.

As soon as the tendrils dissipated, he fell limply to the street. Alyssa turned away as his life left his body.

Challenge of Destiny between Alyssa Nightraven and Tracy Smith has been resolved!

Alyssa Nightraven has been recognized as the winner!

Congratulations for surviving your second Challenge of Destiny. You have been awarded 2 million experience.

You have gained the title “Merciless Challenger”

Your Legend grows…

“The fuck?”