Chapter 4: A Challenge

( Thank you guys for the feedback! I've received multiple pm's from people asking if i could make the chapters longer, and i will try to do that! :D I just have to find time between school and my job. I'd also like to apologize for any spelling errors that i might have made, but for now enjoy! :) )

"So riven….. That thing you tried to pull didn't work." Talon scoffed at her.

"No…. No it did not" Riven said disappointedly.

"Well what were you planning to do if you successfully got me to submit to your tactic?"

"I would've captured you again and taken you back, such is my duty talon…." Riven said angrily. Riven glanced up at Talon's rage ridden face.

"I knew something about that was too good to be tr- Oh, well i mean too much of a lie" Talon caught himself as he whipped his head away from Riven.

"Well, what was that Talon?" Riven paused him in curiosity.

"Nothing Riven, I just think you're a beautiful 'specimen', anyway, if you want to get away from me that badly, then i offer you a challenge" Talon said threateningly towards Riven.

"Oh uh, and what might this 'Challenge' Be?" Riven asked while she blushed.

"I'm going to take you to the jungle and we will fight, weapon on weapon, and if you manage to exhaust me to where i can't fight and you win, then ill go as your prisoner and take my execution. Talon said seriously while holding a glare at riven.

"R-Really?, you'll just go to your execution?" Riven snickered.

"Yeah, if i know that i cannot beat you in the field of battle." Talon held his gaze.

"Alright, i'll accept your little challenge, however i'd assume you're going to make me wear this still?" Riven gave a little smile.

"Of course, get a little view as will destroy you" Talon chuckled.

"I see" Riven said back playfully.

Talon approached Riven with a blindfold in hand.

"Whats that for" Riven asked.

"It's so you don't know the way without me" Talon smiled.

Talon wrapped it around her head covering her eyes and gave her the blind test. He told her to stand up and navigate to the front door of the room. Riven stood up from the bed and stumbled a bit until she found her balance, and started walking when talon stuck his foot out in front of hers. Riven stopped moving and looked down.

"Uh oh, looks like that fabric isn't thick enough, good thing i caught you before you even tried" Talon smiled as he walked into the bathroom. He took one of the drying rags from the counter and folded it into a plank form. He walked back over to riven and tied this around her head.

"Alright it's time to go" Talon placed his hand around her shoulder and lead her to the door and out towards the jungle. While they were traveling in the outskirts of town Riven suddenly asked a weird question.

"What if i don't want you to leave me Talon?"\

"That all depends on this battle, and if i see one shimmer of holding back, i will desert you just the same Riven." Talon said sternly to her. Riven turned her head away from Talon and looked down. An hour of walking passed by until the pair reached their destination. In the middle of the dense jungle there was a gigantic pit with a wooden sign in front of it that read " NBP " Talon nor Riven knew what that stood for.

"Aright, the blindfold's coming off Riven"

"Okay." Riven muttered.

Talon took the blindfold off of Riven's head and motioned her towards the pit. She climbed down a wall with vines on it. The pit appeared to be the size of a football field, only this 'football field' had giant boulders, dirt, and vines in it for terrain simulation.

"Alright im down" Rivens voice called out from the pit below.

"Okay, i'm going to drop the bag of weapons down in a second" Talon warned her. First talon unzipped the familiar duffle bag from the first inn they stayed at. He grabbed his steel and ruby arm blade and fastened it to his upper arm. "Look out below" Talon called out to Riven as he dropped the bag down to her. The back landed with a clank and dirt particles flew up a few seconds after the sound.

"Got it" She said.

"Now move to the opposite end of the pit" Talon ordered her.

"Yessir" Riven said playfully.

Riven leaped across the boulders for a minute or so, and got to the end of the pit and waved to Talon. Talon proceeded to climb down the vines. The last 10 feet he dropped down and landed with a soft thud. "Alright, let it begin Riven!" Talon shouted at her from the other side.

"Alright let's go!" Riven hollered back.

Talon speedily hopped up to a boulder to his right and observed the battlefield which he was going to be fighting on. He saw this purple and tan figure hopping across gaps and dashing through passageways close to the other side. Close to him was an open grassy area in the shape of an oval with giant boulders surrounding the clearing on every length. Talon hopped off of the boulder that he was on and walked over to the grassy oval. Talon stood in the middle facing Riven's side of the pit waiting for her to come. Talon waited for 5 minutes until he heard a

knock on a rock in front of him, so he moved cautiously towards the origin of the sound with his arm blade ready to strike. He peeked around the curve of a rock to look at where it came from, but as soon as he looked around the corner, he heard footsteps on the grass behind him with breathing. Talon focused in and stayed there leaned up against the rock. He counted down in his head "3…..2….1….NOW" Talon shifted his weight to the right and lept out of the way of

Riven's blade that came crashing down on the rock where he was once standing. Her blade slammed into the rock and sparked down until making contact with the grass beneath. Talon jumped onto the wall of the rock and leaped towards Riven, who was currently lifting her blade off of the ground. Riven's head shot up towards him and her arms followed with a large swing of her sword towards talon. The sword arched perfectly enough to slice through Talon, only to her

surprise talon was behind her and had already kicked her feet out from under her like in the house a few days ago. Talon held her by the arms and spun her around in a circle until he built up enough force, and he threw her towards the rock wall they were just at. Riven slammed into the wall and let out a grunt on impact. Her sword smashed into the wall as well and fell to her side. Talon slowly walked over towards Riven.

"So, big and powerful strikes is the way you go huh?" Talon asked her.

Riven heaved "N-No…. Thats only what you saw" She took a deep breath and picked up her sword as Talon readied his stance for round two. Riven stood up with great speed and lept towards talon as a green aura started to surround her. Talon had already known what was coming next with that glow, and as predicted the sword grew to full length and glowed with a green fire. Riven yelled as she thrusted the blade towards its victim. Talon saw this and immediately thought "Roll right then left then right…" He did as he thought, Riven's blade passed over him as he rolled to the right under the blade as she spun around for another attack. This time she swung her blade horizontally to the right as she spun her body along with the motion of the blade, as she did that Talon rolled to the right dodging the attack. Riven spun the opposite direction keeping the rotation going with the same kind of attack, however this time Talon rolled the left. He did this until Riven completed her rotation of moves. Talon didn't know what was coming next.

Riven took a giant leap into the air with her blade raised behind her head charging up for a sort of vertical slam attack. Talon saw this and froze, the only thing he could think of to do was to dodge to the left and pray for the best. So he lept and curled to the left as Riven's sword came crashing down into the sod. The slam emitted a shock wave that knocked Talon out of his roll and about 15 feet away from his set landing point. Riven stood up and spoke a few words as her sword grew brighter and brighter with the green fire. Talon got up on one knee and looked up. Riven rotated her body and swung the sword in a large horizontal arch shooting out the same wave that he had seen inside the house where his men had died.

Talon seeing her swing horizontally got down on his stomach and saw the wave pass over him. Riven's face was astonished, no one was really quick enough to evade that kind of attack. After she was done admiring the speed she snapped out of it and slashed upwards once and slammed down a second after that The shape to talon looked like a plus symbol, and only the corners were safe. So talon jumped up to his feet and darted to the right dodging the first wave and then quickly ducked down dodging the second. Realizing that he had just dodged them, he went ahead and vanished. Talon threw out daggers all around him, one piercing Rivens leg, Talon disappeared momentarily into thin air. Riven looked around for a moment thinking of where he could've gone.

Then she remembered, just like before, he likes to appear from behind. By the time she turned her head around it was too late. Talon whipped the blade out of her hand and put his blade to her throat.

"I guess that's it Ms Riven" Talon remarked with labored breaths.

"I guess so…"Riven gasped at the touch of a blade to her throat.

The two sat there momentarily. Talon just holding his blade at her and riven sitting completely still.

"You know there's something i wanted to do still" Said Talon with a chuckle.

"Oh, and what would that be Mr Du Coteau?" Riven giggled.

"This" Talon spun her around and unfastened his arm blade. The blade dropped to the grass and Talon looked into rivens eyes. He placed his hands on her hips and she looked right into his eyes.

"Oh, i see" Riven blushed.

"May we dance?" Talon asked.

"Why certainly" Riven said playfully.

Riven took her arms and wrapped them around talon's neck. They stood there and danced with each other for a bit before packing up.

"I enjoyed that.." She told Talon.

"Oh did you now?"

"Yeah i did"

"Well, it's time to go 'home' now" Talon gave a chuckled and picked up the bag.

"Yeah let's go, i won't run away, just trust me this time" Riven pleaded with Talon.

"Fine, but if you run, i'll hunt you down"

"Maybe i'd like that" Riven winked at Talon.

The two walked back to the hotel without another word said and the feelings fermenting between them.