.

- Chapter Two -

- The Great Master vs The Phantom -

- Huntswood -

As she had been told, Merana Aldebrane found herself in a strange location where a second before she had been seated at her throne in Ferabolt. The man she had been speaking to had refused to bow to her station, much to Merana's disdain, but the words he spoke had interested her enough that she decided to listen before having him killed. He explained to her of the strange tournament being held across the lands where the mightiest warriors fought against each other to prove their worth. She had done a similar thing while rising to her current position and coveted repeating the process with stronger fighters.

Merana's station was not the only thing that bolstered her presence; she was a thickset woman who stood a head taller than most men. Her fiery orange hair hung in waves to her back while her dark blue eyes stood out in contrast to her pale golden skin. When she had achieved the status of Great Master, Merana had gained a floating triangular halo above her head and the eight Iron Rods of Dominance floated mystically behind her back. She wore a brown dress rimmed with gold, with wide sleeves that tightened at the wrists and a white sash fastened around her waist. Over the dress she wore a blue tabard that hung to her shins and sported a two-layered, high and wide collar. The tabard had a golden rim as well as circular golden designs sewn into it. Resting on her shoulders and upper torso was thin leather armour with a golden triangle resting at her neck. The thick leather boots she wore on her feet provided practical footwear for her to move quickly on. Matching fingerless gloves covered her hands and a number of golden rings decorated her fingers.

Merana scanned the ugly trees of the forest around her until she spotted what she was looking for; her opponent. The man that had talked to her had also explained that she would only have one opponent in each fight and all she had to do to win was incapacitate or kill.

Thara Cavalletto was not as calm as the other woman, although you would not know it by looking at her, and looked around carefully having discovered herself in a new place so suddenly. The last thing she remembered was dismissing some soldier that had approached her on the street and disappearing into the shadows. Except that she hadn't reached the destination she had been expecting, instead appearing in a forest she did not recognise.

She was a small woman by nature, barely reaching most men's shoulders, and her waist length blonde hair was pulled back in a wild ponytail. Her striking violet eyes were hidden behind a pair of gold-lensed leather goggles. Thara wore a tight purple top, which stretched across her breasts, with a high neck covered by a white cravat and a red leather corset fastened with golden-buckled straps. Matching purple trousers, although not as tight, covered her legs and she wore knee-length leather boots with small golden discs on the front. A leather belt was cinched tight around her waist with two more hung loosely at alternating angles holding two pouches to the sides of her thighs. Her arms were covered from shoulder to fingertips with iron coloured armour, plated and jointed to allow freedom of movement. Attached to her left forearm by golden bands was a large drill piece, bouncing back and forth as if readying to engage at any moment. Similarly on her right forearm, this too attached by golden bands, were two serrated blades eight inches in length and ending in a deadly point. A small white mouse currently sat on her shoulder and she held a long stemmed pipe in her teeth.

Despite not recalling anyone telling her, Thara could remember a set of instructions and rules that apparently seemed to be relevant to her current situation. She had spotted her so called opponent immediately but had ignored her for the time being as the woman had not moved; until now.

"My first opponent is a little girl?" Merana said as she charged magical power within herself. "I was told that I would be fighting great warriors, not children."

Thara remained silent and slowly tracked sideways, stepping outwards to avoid the trees, keeping her eyes locked on the strangely dressed woman.

"Not the talkative type? It's best you learn your place immediately, it will make things go much easier for you." Merana sneered as a gust of wind passed over her. "I wouldn't want to kill you." The wind suddenly changed direction and started rotating around her until she started rising off the ground and came to a hover a couple of feet clear of the grass and roots of the forest.

Thara watched this display through her goggles, keeping her face still of emotion. She had seen magic before, obviously, but nothing quite so blatant. The assassin was used to the more subtle side of such things and so didn't know exactly what to expect. She exhaled smoke from her mouth and then pulled the pipe free to glance inside the chamber. Luckily for her, she had restocked mere moments before her abduction; she would have enough to give her the adequate cover when needed. Replacing the pipe and looking back towards Merana, Thara grinned and came to a sudden stop behind a thick tree trunk, hiding her from view.

"You can't hide from me so easily." Merana said as she raised her hand and it grew orange with heat before a ball of flame appeared in it. She leisurely flicked her hand towards the tree Thara was behind and the flame shot off like a cannonball. It sheered through branches, leaving only a blackened trail, until it pierced through the tree where Merana guessed Thara's head to be.

Thara hadn't stayed still though and was already close enough to attack by the time Merana noticed her. The assassin used her smaller stature to roll into range and aimed a kick to Merana's ribs. The sorceress was quick on the mark though and Thara's leather sole had barely brushed her when she swept away on the air.

The quick exchange confirmed two things for Thara; one, her opponent needed distance to be most effective. Two, Thara had to get in close to win. With that in mind, she twitched her left hand and the drill attached to her forearm started rotating slowly, before speeding up to become a blur. Merana started to say something but Thara didn't listen as she drove the drill into the ground and drew a wide line in front of her. It wasn't the trench she was interested in; instead she focused on the rocks, dirt, and tree root her drill had sent into the air.

Thara stopped the drill suddenly and swept it forward in a wide arc, knocking the debris in wild trajectories towards Merana. The sorceress smiled and waved her hand in front of her, sending a wave of water to wash everything away. As planned, Thara used this to get in close quickly and swiped her twin claws at Merana's stomach. Once again, Merana quickly floated backwards on her air but this time she retaliated with a trio of fireballs fired in quick succession.

They moved quickly but Thara dodged all three, although the third came dangerously close to burning her neck. This time, instead of moving forward to attack, Thara dodged backwards herself and disappeared behind another tree.

"Is this the best you've got, missing and hiding? If so, I'm extremely disappointed." Merana said as she raised her hands and generated a small black cloud that flickered with light in each. "I'll just have to hope my next opponent is tougher." The two clouds grew bright with their light and a bolt of lightning jumped out of each one. They tore through the trees in front of Merana like paper; shattering the wood and catching them alight as they went. However, Thara was nowhere in sight. Merana frowned and sent a quick gust of wind down the destroyed path to extinguish the trees she had ignited. "Alright, I'll admit that's a neat trick."

Using her magic meant her pipe would be less useful later but Thara thought that if it saved her life, it wasn't wasted at least. She stepped out from behind the tree she had appeared behind and looked through the moderate foliage at her target. Thara would need cover to prevent herself from being frazzled by the lightning, and she had just the thing. She clambered up the tree and perched in a crooked branch, the leaves hiding her from clear view. Then with a heavy puff into her pipe, she started generating smoke that begun to surround her.

Merana looked around cautiously when there was no counterattack until she decided the girl wasn't coming. Instead of dousing her clouds, she sent them up into the air instead, where they joined together to create a bigger cloud that crackled with lightning. "Now, I'd rather not burn down the entire forest, I suspect the smoke would be better for you than for me." Merana said loudly but in no direction in particular. "But I can't leave you to run around unwatched."

She held out both her hands again but this time two balls of water appeared, dripping slightly into her upturned hands. Merana flicked a finger on each hand and the spheres started spinning on the spot until they looked like miniature cyclones contained in bubbles. They didn't stay in place for long as they started circling Merana in opposite directions, speeding up and growing longer with each second until two rings surrounded her. Then with the clenching of her hands, Merana changed the shape of the rings to flat chakrams and angled them in opposite directions; making her the nuclei of her watery atom.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are." Merana sung before pushing her arms out quickly.

The water chakrams expanded quickly and sheared through the trees like saws. At the angle Merana had set them, they cut both high and low for a fair distance before dissipating. Nothing happened for a second and then trees started to collapse at the point they had been cut. Merana used the wind at her feet to spin quickly until she caught sight of a figure falling not far from her. "Got you." She said as another cloud appeared in her hand and crackled with lightning before a bolt struck off quickly. Merana realised at this point that the figure she was aiming at seemed to be shrouded in something.

Thara was surprised to find herself falling as the tree below her collapsed but she twisted in the air and landed on all fours and looked up to see the witch forming another cloud to fire lightning at her. The smoke she had exhaled from her pipe was now thick and dense and swirled around her closely in random patterns. As soon as she saw the cloud start to form, Thara removed the pipe from her mouth and blew out air sharply. The smoke around her exploded outwards and reared up like a tidal wave to cover the area in all directions. Thara immediately changed her position and felt her hair stand on end as a lightning bolt passed through her previous position. Now in the cover of her smoke, she didn't need to use her ability as she raced through the trees in a wide curve, aiming for her strike.

"Oh." Merana exclaimed as her attack was shrouded by a mass of smoke that was quickly travelling towards her. She sent a torrent of air into it but it seemed to have no effect. She created two short cyclones either side of her and sent them forward, where they ripped leaves and small branches off the trees, but they didn't do anything to the smoke. She braced as the smoke passed over her but nothing harmed her, instead she realised the true purpose of the smoke. "A smoke screen? Another useless trick for someone who fights like you do."

She spun around quickly, hoping to gauge some kind of clue to where the strike would come from, but came up with nothing. The smoke was continuously swirling but Merana thought she saw movement behind her and sent another tongue of lightning in the new direction. Nearly at the same moment as she fired, a sharp pain raked along her back and she was so shocked she dropped to the floor with a stumble. With a tentative hand, she felt at the point of the pain and found her dress ripped and blood on her fingers.

"Damn it!" She exclaimed as she hovered off the floor again and spun around to try and catch sight of Thara. Another movement caught her eye and this time she was sure as she sent off her cloud into the air and attacked with a wave of flame that cascaded forward through the trees, burning them to cinders. Once again, a sharp pain ran along her back, higher than the last time, but she managed to stay afloat; gritting her teeth against the pain. With the pattern figured out, Merana attacked without waiting for an apparent movement.

The wall of wind rolled forward but Merana had already spun around and sent a blade of water flying forwards to where she was sure Thara was currently attacking from.

Thara was no kind of idiot. An established pattern was easy to figure out, even for someone like Merana. However, Thara figured that she'd fall for a fake out and so established the fake pattern, ready to change it up when Merana predicted the apparent next move. This meant as Merana attacked with her water blade, Thara was already at her side and drove her twin blades deep into Merana's thigh. The witch screamed but Thara didn't hesitate as she aimed her spinning drill bit at the screams origin.

Merana acted quickly, despite her bulky size, and managed to push the drill bit away from removing her head. It did tear up her hand but she ignored the pain as she generated a group of tiny flame balls and sent them down to Thara's face.

Thara quickly pulled her blades free and rolled behind the witch as she fired her flames, the attack singeing her back as she moved, she aimed a swipe at the back of Merana's knees but she dodged it with a quick air shuffle forward. Thara didn't let up and dived forward to attack, realising a second too late that a small black cloud was hovering in front of her. She kicked the ground to move to the side but the lightning bolt completely engulfed her left arm and Thara couldn't help but scream as she felt the searing pain run through her; the lightning destroying her drill in the process.

The scream was satisfyingly loud and Merana smiled as she sent her cloud into the air and created a small blade of water and aimed at where she estimated Thara's throat to be. The blade passed over the girl's head, slicing some hairs free, and Merana cursed silently as Thara dodged further out and disappeared into the mist again.

"You're like a wounded cat now, little one. I'll catch you eventually." Merana crooned as she let herself touch the ground and took a slow step forward. "Come now, don't be shy…you're about to finally learn your place beneath me."

Thara leant heavily against the thick tree and cradled her injured arm in front of her. Small spasms occasionally rocked it but the fact Thara could still feel the near-excruciating pain told her it would heal eventually. However, she would need to finish the fight soon or the pain would distract her and probably end up getting her killed. She made a quiet whistle out of the side of the pipe in her mouth and the white mouse that had taken refuge in her thigh pouch scampered up to her shoulder again.

"I just need you to distract her for a second, alright?" She whispered, her voice pleasant to the ear. The mouse nodded and clambered down her to the floor before racing off into the smoke. Thara untied her cravat and managed to fashion it into a makeshift sling to hold her injured arm beneath her breasts as securely as possible. It still hurt, but not as much as moving it normally. She used her ability to switch positions, running her to the edge of empty, and dropped to a crouch with Merana in view a couple of feet away; the smoke nothing but a thin haze to the assassin's goggles.

Merana stepped through the fog carefully, managing to avoid tripping over the roots at her feet, and flexed her hands slowly; ready to cast immediately. "I know you're…" she stopped as something landed on her shoulder with a thud. Her head turned sharply and she saw a plump white mouse perched there with its head tilted to the side. "What the…?" She managed before something pierced through her chest and pinned her to the tree behind her. She choked as blood bubbled from her lips.

Thara pushed her twin blades deeper until her fist was touching the breasts they were pierced between. The mouse jumped from Merana to Thara and Thara let out a little whistle of thanks as it returned to her pouch.

"Killed… by a little girl." Merana said, wiping the blood away from her mouth. The eight iron rods that had been floating behind her now scattered to the floor and her halo disintegrated. "How… embarrassing."

Thara didn't say anything and twisted her arm before pulling it free and dropping Merana to her knees in front of her. With a sharp inhale of her pipe, the smoke that surrounded them was sucked back into it to reveal the destruction around them; burnt, broken, shredded trees that looked naked in the light of the forest.

"But I'm not done." Merana managed before looking up. Thara followed her gaze and saw a large black cloud brimming with lightning ready to fire. "A last trap."

The cloud suddenly erupted and numerous snaking lightning bolts dropped towards the ground. Thara reacted instantly and flicked one of the iron rods on the floor to the top of her foot and into the air. Then with a swift kick from her other foot, she sent it flying directly upwards where it clashed with the one lightning bolt close enough to do any harm. The lightning bunched at the metal rod and gave Thara enough time to jump to the side and avoid it as the earth exploded around her.

When the dust had settled, Thara stood up from her crouch and looked across to where Merana was now leant against a collapsed tree. Clumps of dirt covered her and had settled into the crooks of her now-dim face; the sad look on her face said it all.

"I didn't plan to fight you. But you attacked me first." Thara said quietly in her melodious voice. It wasn't an apology, just all the justification Thara needed to kill someone.

Turning her back on the body, Thara wondered what to do next. She started towards one of the few trees left standing, intending to scale it to get a look at the surroundings, but suddenly a beam of light shot down from the sky to surround her. Surprisingly, her goggles did nothing to suppress the beams brightness as Thara looked in all directions. Nothing happened for a second but then the light was gone; and so was she.