Raven AU volume 1 final week day 4
Leaderboard:
1st place: Kelsal-8 lives, 8 rings
2nd place: Myrves-7 lives, 6 rings
3rd place: Evlar-7 lives, 1 ring
4th place: Aljos-6 lives, 2 rings
It was hard to believe that it was the penultimate day of the quest and yet, here it was. The warriors had all had breakfast and were doing different things. Evlar was skipping rocks into the stream, Kelsal was finishing cleaning up camp and then decided to arm wrestle with Aljos and Myrves had begun daydreaming. Of course, they all stopped when their guide walked up to them to address them.
"Warriors, with Verko joining Jameth on the long path home, you four remain but one more of you must join them by the time the sun sets. Who will that be?" Raven asked them before listening to their thoughts.
(Raven's Eye confessional)
Kelsal: I'm very happy to still be in first place even though I am apprehensive about the challenges ahead.
Myrves: I'm in second place and I really want to stay there since I've made it this far and I want to go farther.
Evlar: I'm disappointed that I could not rise out of third place yesterday but I hope I can do so today.
Aljos: I'm disappointed that I am still in last but maybe that will change in the first challenge or two.
(End Raven's Eye confessional)
Raven addressed them out loud again. "Each of you began this stage of the journey with nine lives with some losing more than others have. Aljos, you have grown in skill level much like your emblem the tree and have also gained more control over your emotions. Can you rise about any of your fellows and once again avoid leaving us? We shall see. Come my friends, our first challenge of the day awaits."
The warriors got up and followed Raven, wondering what they would have to do first. They didn't have to wonder for long as they soon stopped near a wall and Raven briefly looked beyond it to see Nevar's Eye, staring as if he was saying "I see you too Nevar."
All 4 warriors looked nervous as Raven addressed them. "Warriors, while all of you have faced Nevar before, here you can not quite do so. This is Nevar's Eye, a magical device he uses to spy on these lands. You must risk this gaze in order to retrieve the rings you seek. To look into Nevar's Eye spells doom for any mortal so during this challenge, you will be blindfolded and must rely on your other senses to keep you on the path. Beware also of the demon sentinels, themselves made blind by Nevar's stare for if they touch you or you them, you will lose a life. Likewise, should you stray from the path or lose the race, you will also lose a life. Kelsal, Myrves, you will attempt this challenge first."
Soon both blonde haired warriors had been blindfolded with Kelsal at the start of the path on the right and Myrves at the start of the path on the left. Each of them were holding staffs, normal ones that would only act like walking sticks like one might use when hiking.
"Kelsal, Myrves, are you ready?" Raven whispered to them. He had Myrves' glasses in a pocket on the inside of his cloak to keep them from breaking.
They both nodded their heads yes.
"Then let the challenge begin." He replied, watching to see if either of the two leading warriors would succeed here.
Nevar's Eye stared at the two young warriors as they slowly tapped each stone and got from one to the other without touching the grass. Both Kelsal and Myrves were neck in neck so far but how long would it remain like that?
Sadly, Kelsal did not remain in the race for long; when trying to get passed the first demon, she accidentally brushed against its cloak, causing Nevar's Eye to take the blonde haired, wave emblem bearing warrior instantly.
Myrves had no clue this happened but she did keep going, feeling confident that she could make it to the end but not overconfident at all. She was completely focused and not thinking about anything else. She did manage to get past the first demon without stepping on the grass and then also successfully got past the second one. Now she only had a few more stones to go but she could not lose focus.
Carefully, Myrves' steps from stone to stone continued and she finally reached the two rings, grabbing them with her right hand while still holding the walking stick in her left hand. She was smiling upon realizing that she had won.
Moments later, Aljos and Evlar had both been blindfolded and given walking sticks and were at the beginning of the left path and the right path respectively.
"Aljos, Evlar, Kelsal has already fallen in this challenge. Make sure you do not do the same. Are you ready?" He asked them quietly.
Both Evlar and Aljos nodded their heads yes.
"Then let the challenge begin." Raven whispered softly and watched the bottom two tap out their paths.
Both bottom two warriors seemed to be going quicker than Kelsal and Myrves had but not too fast so as to avoid Kelsal's fate. Aljos was slightly ahead of Evlar though, balancing carefully as she tapped out a path and moved from stone to stone. She stopped when she heard the chains attached to the first demon; he must be crossing the stone in front of me, the tree emblem bearing warrior thought. She waited until she was sure it had passed before she tapped the stone in front of her with her stick and got herself over to it carefully.
Evlar did the same and was still neck in neck with his opponent. At least until he inadvertently forgot to turn to go onto one stone when he came to the bend in his path, stepping onto the grass and getting eliminated by Nevar's Eye instantly.
Raven watched Aljos continue doing the challenge, hoping that she could complete it.
Somehow despite everything, Aljos made it to the end carefully without making any mistakes and grabbed the two rings. She was smiling upon realizing she had been victorious.
Moments later, Myrves and Aljos were each in front of their respective standards and no longer blindfolded. Myrves had her glasses back on now after getting them back.
"Aljos and Myrves, the right amount of caution and focus as well as remembering that other senses need to be relied on in the absence of one has earned both of you treasure. Place your rings on your standards." Their guide said to them.
Both girls did so, smiling and feeling proud of themselves.
"Now for your less fortunate comrades." Raven continued, bringing back Kelsal and Evlar with his staff. "Evlar and Kelsal, in your haste to complete this challenge you failed to remain on the path and were taken by a demon respectively. I have brought you back but at the price of a life."
Both losing warriors felt ashamed of themselves for not being more careful as a feather was removed from each of their standards.
"Come my friends; we must leave this dangerous location to one that is more familiar to you but only slightly safer if you have the wits to get passed it." Raven said leading the four warriors away from Nevar's Eye and towards the Riddle Bridge.
Leaderboard:
1st place: Kelsal and Myrves-7 lives, 8 rings
2nd place: Aljos-6 lives, 4 rings
3rd place: Evlar-6 lives, 1 ring
(Raven's Eye confessional)
Myrves: I am very happy that I won Nevar's Eye since it was much more difficult than Dark Path was back in my heat and I didn't think I would be able to make it to the rings at first.
Kelsal: I'm disappointed that I wasn't more careful since now I have fallen back down the leaderboard a little and am tied with Myrves again.
Aljos: When I reached the rings, I was ecstatic since I knew I would rise to third place upon realizing that Evlar had lost.
Evlar: I'm disappointed that I am in last place now but I will do what I can to avoid Way of the Warrior.
(End Raven's Eye confessional)
Now they had all come to the Riddle Bridge and all 4 warriors were listening closely again to the explanation.
"I am sure by now you are aware that knowledge is an important weapon in any warrior's arsenal and it must be used here at the Riddle Bridge. Once an ordinary bridge in more peaceful times, it is now haunted by various spirits who will not let just anyone cross it." Raven explained. "You must answer the riddle posed by the Riddle Book by spelling out the answer using the correct stones. Fail to step on the correct letters and the spirits will claim you. Kelsal, Myrves, you are both tied in first place so you both must face the black feather once more; the one who draws it will walk the path and the other will assist." Raven told them. He took a feather from a pocket in his cloak, as the bag that had previously held feathers had gotten ripped and he had not had time to mend it, then put his hands behind his back to decide which one to put the black feather in. He held both his fists out, making sure it wasn't obvious which one held the feather. "Kelsal, you will choose first."
Kelsal touched Raven's right fist. To her surprise, she saw that she had chosen the black feather when Raven revealed it.
"Kelsal, you shall walk the path. Myrves, you will assist her." He said.
Myrves went behind the stand with the riddle book on it and Kelsal got to the beginning of the bridge just before the letters.
"Remember should the sands in this glass run out, you will both be taken by the spirits." Raven reminded both the leading warriors. "Are you both ready?"
"Ready!" Kelsal and Myrves replied.
"Then let the challenge begin!" He declared, turning the hour glass over.
Myrves opened the riddle book and she and Kelsal listened closely.
I weaken all men for hours each day.
I show you strange visions while you are away.
I take you by night, by day take you back.
None suffer to have me, but do from my lack.
"Hmm, 'strange visions'." Myrves was thinking something not so appropriate but she realized that what she was thinking would not be a family friendly answer and wouldn't fit the path seeing as there were only five rows of letters.
"It also says 'take you by night'. It's got to be something like sleep!" Kelsal realized the answer first.
"Well, go ahead and try it." The other blonde haired warrior replied.
Kelsal stepped on the "s" and when nothing happened, stepped on the "l", then on an "e", another "e" and finally the "p" and stepped off the path, smiling as she did so.
The other warriors and Raven then followed by stepping on the same stones and the four warriors were lined up in front of their standards once more. Kelsal and Myrves each grabbed two rings and hugged each other.
"Kelsal and Myrves, you have shown that a sharp mind is just as important as physical strength and won two rings each. Place them on your standards." Raven said to them. When both girls did so, he had one more thing to say "Kelsal, Myrves, you also both have enough rings to exchange for a life. Congratulations."
Both girls grinned as 9 rings were removed from each of their standards and a feather was added to each one courtesy of their guide's Staff of Power.
"Now that your wits have been tested, we must see who has the nerve to complete our next challenge. This way." Raven lead his four charges away to the next challenge, one that would be another unfamiliar one to the four warriors.
Leaderboard:
1st place: Kelsal and Myrves-8 lives, 1 ring
2nd place: Aljos-6 lives, 4 rings
3rd place: Evlar-6 lives, 1 ring
(Raven's Eye confessional)
Myrves: I am really happy that Kelsal was sort of able to solve the riddle without me because the answer I was guessing was one I shouldn't say out loud.
Kelsal: I'm glad I was able to solve the riddle this time at Riddle Bridge because I really like mental challenges the best out of all the ones in the tournament.
(End Raven's Eye confessional)
The next challenge was one that Aljos was dreading as they came up to a chasm with a zip line going across it and a rope one had to be tethered to on the side they were on. Sure she had completed the Zip Line challenge yesterday but she wasn't sure she could do this one. Myrves was unsure about this challenge only because she never wanted to do rock climbing again after her Cliff Face failure.
"I hope your hearts and your stomachs are strong enough to handle this challenge, The Drop. To do it is simple in theory; you must climb down part of this rock face to a zip line which you then must ride down to complete the challenge, gathering both rings." Raven said. "Fail to complete it and you will lose a life. Evlar, you seem to have a confident gleam in your eye. You shall take up this challenge first."
Moments later, Evlar was now tethered and ready to make his way through the challenge after getting a helmet on.
"Evlar, you need to get both rings if you wish to not fall further behind your fellows. Are you ready?" Raven called to him from the other side of the chasm.
"Ready!" The brown haired boy shouted in reply.
"Then let the challenge begin!"
As soon as Raven said that, Evlar carefully made his way down to where he needed to be and grabbed the first ring. Then he made sure to make his way over to the shuttle line, zip line, whatever it was and hooked himself to it correctly and pulled himself across. He was calm and confident in his actions as he made his way over to his guide and was soon unhooked and had the second ring. Evlar was happy with himself for completing this challenge and now, he just had to wait by the standards for the girls to take their turns.
Now it was Aljos turn once she got a helmet on; she was tethered and trying to put her fear out of her mind.
"Aljos, if you can not climb down, you will fall into last place. Are you ready?" Raven called to her from the other side.
"Ready!" She shouted, trying to sound confident.
"Then let the challenge begin!" He declared.
Aljos took a deep breath and began her descent to the point she needed to get to, carefully placing her hands and feet on good handholds and footholds. When she got to where she needed to hook herself up to the zip line, she grabbed the first ring and slid it around her wrist and then carefully unhooked her climbing rope from herself and hooked her harness to said zip line correctly. Halfway there now, she reminded herself. She then got herself across on the zip line quickly, smiling at the fact that she had found the courage to do this.
Raven was watching and smiling as the tree emblem bearing warrior made her way over and got the second ring. He helped her back up onto solid ground. "Well done Aljos." He said to her. To see a warrior conquer a great fear of theirs was always something worth remembering.
As soon as Aljos was with Evlar to wait, it was Myrves turn; she had gotten the helmet on and had gotten tethered. She knew there were no demons here but she still was afraid of falling off the rocks despite being tethered; she tried to put her failure at Cliff Face back in her heat out of her mind and listened to what her guide had to say.
"Myrves, Aljos has shown great courage in completing this challenge despite her fear. Can you do the same? Are you ready?" Raven called over to her, having sensed that she was uneasy about doing this.
"Ready!" The blond haired girl called back to him, trying to sound confident.
"Then let the challenge begin!" He declared.
Slowly, Myrves carefully made herself climb down. She was now fully focused on getting to the first ring. When she did, she made her way over to the zip line and hooked herself to it correctly. She had completed the hard part; now for the easy part. She got herself across the chasm on the zip line to the other side where Raven was standing. Then she grabbed the second ring and smiled as she was brought back to solid ground. She then went back to her standard, doing a happy dance.
Now Kelsal was getting ready to do the challenge. She was tethered and had a helmet on and was ready to maintain her tie with Myrves.
"Kelsal, are you ready?" Raven asked her.
"Ready!" She shouted in reply, confident in her ability to do this.
"Then let the challenge begin!" he declared.
While Kelsal was no longer afraid of heights, she was still being cautious so as to not fall. None the less she had climbed down to the first ring and put it around her arm. Then she carefully moved herself from the rope to the zip line, making sure to do so carefully so she would be hooked onto it correctly. She then went down said zip line, not looking down at all and she was smiling as she got the second ring. She was still tied with Myrves and hoped to move ahead of her later.
All 4 warriors stood in front of their standards once more and were smiling as they were addressed.
"Warriors, you have all shown great courage in completing this challenge and each won two rings. Place them on your standards." He said to them. Once they had done so, he continued speaking. "Now, we must make haste to meet our next challenge."
The warriors followed Raven, wondering what this second to last challenge would be.
Leaderboard:
1st place: Kelsal and Myrves-8 lives, 3 rings
2nd place: Aljos-6 lives, 6 rings
3rd place: Evlar-6 lives, 3 rings
(Raven's Eye confessional)
Myrves: I'm really happy that I was able to complete The Drop even though it was a scary challenge.
Kelsal: I am happy that I am still in first but hopefully the next challenge can break the tie between me and Myrves.
Aljos: I'm happy I conquered my fear of heights today even though I can not quite catch up to Myrves and Kelsal.
Evlar: I hope one of the girls loses the next challenge because I really don't want to face Way of the Warrior.
(End Raven's Eye confessional)
They soon came to another loch; Myrves did not want to take another swim but then she saw the pontoons arranged in a square shape and so did the others and they wondered what they were for.
"Warriors, a balance of speed and endurance is needed in this challenge, Pontoon Pursuit. In pairs you will race around the pontoons attempting to take a gold cloth from your opponent's back before they can grab the one attached to you. Should you get caught or fall into the water, you will lose a life. If you win, you will stay on to face the next challenger and if you earn a ring, you will not lose a life even if you fall in during the match after that. Kelsal, Myrves, it is time to see if your tie can be broken with this challenge so you two shall race first." Raven said.
Kelsal and Myrves soon had gotten life jackets on and then had a gold cloth attached to each of them and were standing on opposite, diagonal corners of the pontoons, ready to race. They knew neither one of them was in danger of facing Way of the Warrior but that did not mean either one of them wanted to lose. Myrves once again had her glasses off but did not seem to be bothered by that fact.
"Kelsal, Myrves, one of you will fall into second here. Are you ready?" Raven asked them.
"Ready!" Both blonde haired girls shouted.
"Then let the challenge begin!"
As soon as they heard that, both girls started chasing each other from pontoon to pontoon. Myrves was managing to say ahead; she did not want to have a repeat of her performance in Treasure Ring. Kelsal was pretty good at balancing though, mostly. Why mostly? Well, she and Myrves both slipped and fell into the water but not quite at the same time.
"Myrves, you stayed on a second longer than Kelsal so the ring is yours." Raven announced.
"Yes!" Myrves hoped she wouldn't slip and fall again. Soon she was back in the corner she had started in, the right corner on the side closest to the shore while Aljos was in the left corner diagonally across from her. Kelsal had gone back to the standards to wait for the other bouts to be finished.
"Aljos, you must win here to avoid falling behind Evlar. Are you ready?" Raven asked both girls.
"Ready!" Aljos and Myrves both shouted.
"Then let the challenge begin!" he declared.
Both girls ran around the perimeter and somehow, Myrves was catching up to Aljos though the younger warrior was not going down without a fight and managed to stay ahead. At least for a little bit. When the blonde haired warrior got close enough to her brunette opponent, she grabbed the gold cloth from the latter's back and smiled.
Aljos sighed sadly as she went back to the standards. Now could Evlar break Myrves winning streak? He was determined to as he got over to the corner that Aljos had previously occupied and his blonde haired opponent stood on the corner she had started on in the other matches.
"Evlar, can you break Myrves' winning streak? We shall see. Are you ready?" Raven asked them.
"Ready!" They both shouted.
"Then let the challenge begin!"
Evlar was a very determined warrior but Myrves was also just as determined. The match wasn't going to end in a draw but the two of them had run around the pontoons for about 2 minutes before Evlar slipped and fell into the water.
"A clean sweep for you, young Myrves. All 3 rings are yours." Raven was smiling a little as he said this.
"Yes!" Myrves grinned. She was back in first place to end the day and it was the greatest feeling in the world.
Soon Myrves and Evlar had joined Kelsal and Aljos back at the standards to listen to what their guide had to say to them. None of them were wearing life jackets now but Myrves did have her glasses back on.
"Myrves, your speed and stamina has earned you all 3 gold rings here, putting you in first place. Place them on your standard with pride." Raven said to her.
The cloud emblem bearing warrior did so and smiled.
"Kelsal, Aljos, and Evlar, you fought bravely but could not defeat her and therefore you must each lose a life." Raven continued, removing a feather from each of their standards with his Staff of Power. "Now my friends, we must meet the next challenge before the sun sets on this day and for one of you, it will be your last."
The 4 warriors followed Raven towards the Way of the Warrior course once more, the familiar sense of dread over all of them, especially Evlar.
Leaderboard:
1st place: Myrves-8 lives, 6 rings
2nd place: Kelsal-7 lives, 3 rings
3rd place: Aljos-5 lives, 6 rings
4th place: Evlar-5 lives, 3 rings
(Raven's Eye confessional)
Myrves: When I won all 3 matchups in Pontoon Pursuit, I was very happy with myself since now I'm in first place again.
Kelsal: I was disappointed that I lost to Myrves again but I am glad that I am in second and I hope to continue to do well tomorrow in order to get a good time advantage in the Last Stand.
Aljos: I was very lucky that Evlar also lost that challenge because I am not ready to do Way of the Warrior just yet.
Evlar: I'm disappointed that the girls have been kicking my rear end all day but I am going to try to go as far as I can in Way of the Warrior.
(End Raven's Eye confessional)
As soon as they approached the deadly course once more, the warriors listened again to the explanation and Myrves was trying not to cry.
"We once again come to the most daunting challenge any warrior will ever face. Few have succeeded in facing it while many have failed." Raven reminded them. "Aljos, Evlar, you both have 5 lives left however, Aljos has 6 rings to her name whereas you Evlar have only 3 rings. It is therefore your fate to take on this terrible trial."
Evlar got the armor on that he needed to use for this elimination challenge and stood in front of the entrance. He was going to try to go as far as he could and not let fear or nervousness deter him from his goal.
"Evlar, should you reach the portal at the end of the golden pathway, you will be transported to the next stage of the quest and then it will be Aljos' fate to take on this challenge. Fail to stay on the path and you must return home. Are you ready?" Raven asked the young boy.
"Ready!" Evlar shouted, feeling confident.
"Then may the luck of the Raven's Eye be with you. Let the challenge begin!"
Evlar crawled through the entrance upon hearing those words, still determined and knowing that this was going to be difficult.
The girls waited to see how far Evlar would get; none of them wanted to do this trial today and they wanted to keep their hopes of an all-female final alive. Evlar for his part was doing well on the first half of the course but when he got to the second half with the rotating blades, one struck his head when he was trying to get past that set, causing him to vanish.
The next thing the brunette boy knew, he was in front of his standard once more and feeling ashamed of himself for not being more careful.
"Evlar, there is no shame in failure at this daunting task. You have accomplished much just to get this far in the tournament and you should be proud of your achievements. As you turn homeward, keep your head held high and may the wind be at your back. Farewell my friend." Raven said to him.
The girls each hugged Evlar and exchanged a few words with him. He returned the hugs and then started his long journey home, disappointed to be leaving but glad that he would be seeing his family again soon.
(Raven's Eye confessional)
Evlar: I'm a little bit disappointed that I did not complete Way of the Warrior or get as far as Verko did but I am proud of making it so far because I have had a great time and accomplished a lot of things I didn't think I ever would get to do. I think Kelsal or Myrves might win.
(End Raven's Eye confessional)
"So, four warriors now become 3. Tomorrow one more of them will be eliminated at Way of the Warrior and one will become ultimate champion. Who will it wind up being? We shall see." Raven said. "Remember to not let failure into your heart. Let it into your head and be wiser for it. Come my young friends." Raven said, leading the 3 girls to the final campsite they would stay at as a group of warriors.
Next time on Raven:
Will the warriors survive Dead Man's Gorge and build their Stone Soldiers in time?
Can Aljos complete the High Walk on her second attempt?
Who will be eliminated at the final run of Way of the Warrior
and who will triumph at the Last Stand?