Raven AU volume 2 week 2, day 2
Leaderboard:
1st place: Colem and Ralten-8 lives, 8 rings
2nd place: Lisnet-8 lives, 7 rings
3rd place: Larix-7 lives, 7 rings
4th place: Alyth-7 lives, 4 rings
5th place: Lorsam-6 lives, 4 rings
Day 2 was here now and the warriors had already eaten breakfast. When the warriors had finished eating, the girls put up their hair and then Colem started arm wrestling with Lorsam, Ralten resumed reading his book, Lisnet wrote in her journal, and Larix and Alyth started playing a few rounds of Rock, Paper, Scissors to amuse themselves. It was sad to think that one of them would not be here tonight but they all understood that this was a competition so they may as well enjoy each other's company before the challenges started.
Raven had watched them after coming back from his morning patrol and once they saw him, the warriors turned towards him so he could address them. "Warriors, on this second day of the quest, some of you are very close in the numbers of lives and rings while others are a bit behind their fellows. Who has the confidence that they can turn their fortunes around and who has let uncertainty and doubt overtake them?" He asked before listening to their thoughts with his Staff of Power.
(Raven's Eye confessional)
Colem: Being in first place at the start of today with someone else was not something I expected but I do think as long as I don't get complacent I won't fall behind.
Ralten: I'm happy that I'm in a good position but that is going to change soon and I hope it's done by me getting ahead of Colem.
Lisnet: Being only one ring behind two of my fellows is really kind of nerve-wracking since I know I need to do really well if I don't want to fall down to a bad position but at the same time, I don't know if I can move ahead of them since they're both really strong warriors.
Larix: Being in fourth place means I really need to be careful since anything can happen and I really don't want to screw up and wind up going home first.
Alyth: I'm nervous about keeping myself ahead of Lorsam since I know I will be at a disadvantage in some of these challenges due to my height but I am going to do my best to avoid Way of the Warrior.
Lorsam: I'm disappointed that I fell down to last place but I do want to rise out of it in the challenges ahead if I can.
(End Raven's Eye confessional)
Raven stopped listening to everyone's thoughts and continued to address the warriors. "So, it seems many of you do want to improve though how that will happen depends on your decisions in the challenges ahead. Lorsam, it seems the moon on your standard is waning fast but can that waning change to waxing as the day goes on? We shall soon find out. Come my friends; we must meet our first challenge and it will once more be one that requires teamwork. This way."
The warriors followed the warlord who was their guide, wondering who they would be teamed up with for this challenge and hoping it was not too difficult. They all tried to put any doubts they had out of their minds as they knew they would need to focus here and work well with their fellow warriors.
"These adversaries are the next obstacle on this quest: stone demons. There is a potion that will turn such a demon to dust but the lever that must be pulled to pour that potion is beyond your reach. You must work in teams of three to build these millstones to gain sufficient height. Be warned that these demons are not the only obstacle to completing this challenge. You must avoid knocking the skulls from the poles for if you do, you will be paralyzed albeit temporarily. Once one team has completed the challenge, the remaining demon will turn his anger towards the team that remains, claiming them as his victims." Raven explained. "Colem, Larix, and Lorsam, you will go to this side." Raven pointed to the warriors' left. "Ralten, Lisnet, and Alyth, you will go to this side." He pointed to their right. Who would best work together as one? It was time to find out. "Warriors, are you ready?"
"Ready!" All six of them shouted.
"Then, let the challenge begin!" Raven declared.
The two teams went to their respective sides and each grabbed their first millstone. They were neck in neck for now.
"Okay, slow down." Ralten said to his team as they got to the first gate and carefully got the millstone through. They started running again then did the same through the second gate.
The other team seemed to have bad luck now seeing as Lorsam accidentally knocked a skull down while he, Larix, and Colem tried to get through their second gate, leaving the 3 temporarily paralyzed. Ralten, Alyth, and Lisnet took the opportunity to get carefully through the third gate as well and then ran to place their millstone down.
"Turn it a little; we need to make sure it's right!" Lisnet said as they turned their first millstone so that it would be placed flat. Now she and her team ran back just as the other team was unfrozen and also placing their first millstone down.
"Come on, faster guys! They're ahead of us!" Larix reminded Colem and Lorsam as they desperately tried to keep up. Then Lorsam ran into the post on the left side of the second gate and knocked down the other skull that had been up there, freezing his team once more.
Ralten, Alyth and Lisnet had their second millstone and still using the same strategy Ralten had thought of and didn't knock any skulls down except for one on the third gate. Then the other team unfroze and raced to get their second millstone.
"Lorsam don't run into-" Colem started to say just as the team knocked a skull down from the left side of the first gate and froze themselves again much to Raven's disappointment.
Alyth, Ralten, and Lisnet then unfroze and placed down their second millstone and then ran for their third one. Their opponents then unfroze and continued to bring their second one through their sets of gates, still feeling hurried as Larix started to panic. That caused her to knock down a skull at the same time that Lorsam did on their way back, freezing once more.
By now, Alyth, Ralten, and Lisnet had gotten their third millstone through all of the gates and placed it down correctly. Lisnet then climbed up to pull the lever, dumping the potion on the demon in front of the makeshift archway. This revealed their rings and the 3 winning warriors each picked up one as they ran through, satisfied with their victory.
That left Colem, Larix, and Lorsam to be taken by the remaining demon after they had unfroze. Raven was disappointed that they had done that badly but went to address the winners first. After all, good news had to come before bad news.
"Ralten, Alyth, and Lisnet, while you did knock down one slumbering skull, your choice of tactics for completing the challenge has preserved your lives. Place your rings on your standards." He said to them. Once they had, there was one more thing the warlord had to say. "Ralten, I see you now have 9 rings and therefore can win back a life."
The red haired boy smiled as the rings were removed from his standard and a feather added to it. He would be in first now and while it wasn't likely he would remain there, he wanted to do well in the other challenges today.
"Now, for your less fortunate comrades." Raven said, bringing back the losing team shortly afterwards. "Colem, Larix, Lorsam, you fell victim to the slumbering skulls due to clumsiness and a failure to temper your speed with patience. As such, each of you must now lose a life."
The 3 losing warriors looked disappointed in themselves and looking down briefly in shame as a life was removed from each of their standards.
"Now, the day is still young and we have many more challenges to face. This way." Raven led the 6 warriors to the location of the Ring Climb challenge.
Leaderboard:
1st place: Ralten-9 lives, 0 rings
2nd place: Lisnet-8 lives, 8 rings
3rd place: Colem-7 lives, 8 rings
4th place: Alyth-7 lives, 5 rings
5th place: Larix-6 lives, 7 rings
6th place: Lorsam-5 lives, 4 rings
(Raven's Eye confessional)
Ralten: When I realized that my team and I were winning, we took advantage of the other team's mistakes and just kept using our strategy we had started with from the beginning in order to keep ahead of them and I hope I can continue to be on top of the leaderboard after the next few challenges.
Lisnet: I'm really happy to be only one ring behind Ralten still and that Colem is now a life behind me since I was able to speak up during the challenge so that we could make sure all of our millstones were set down correctly.
Alyth: I'm glad that I was on a winning team again for this challenge because we all worked really well together and while I'm still in a dangerous position, I think I can do well in the challenges ahead.
Colem: I'm disappointed that I am now a whole life behind second place since my team and I could have worked better together but Larix kept panicking and Lorsam was careless so we didn't really have a chance.
Larix: Falling down to fifth was not something I wanted to do but I do know that I need to avoid panicking in the challenges ahead if I don't want to go home first.
Lorsam: I'm upset that I let my team down and really frustrated since if I can't start doing better, I will face the Way of the Warrior first.
(End Raven's Eye confessional)
Now the warriors had come to the location of Ring Climb and some looked nervous when they saw how high the rope rings went to get to the gold ring above them.
"Gold rings are often found in hard to reach places as you will discover here in Ring Climb. You must race each other in pairs attempt to gain the gold ring before your opponent. Fail to do this and you will lose a life." Raven said to them. "Ralten and Lisnet, as our current leaders, you will go first."
The other warriors went to wait their turn and the red haired boy and the blonde haired girl got tethered and got helmets on. Ralten was to Raven's left side, Lisnet was to his right.
"Warriors, though you were teammates previously, here you must be rivals. Lisnet, you could win back a life or Ralten could maintain his lead. Which will happen though? Are you ready?" Raven asked them.
"Ready!" The two warriors declared.
"Then, let the challenge begin!' Raven said to them and watched as they began climbing.
Neither warrior had a fear of heights so this was not an issue for either of them. They were both neck in neck the whole way up and it would be a very close match. Then Lisnet managed to grab the ring and grinned. Ralten looked disappointed in himself as he and his opponent were brought down and then untethered. They removed their helmets and then returned to the standards. That could have easily gone the opposite way due to how close the race was.
Colem and Alyth were next to get tethered and get helmets on. The former would climb on the rope rings to the right of where Raven was standing while the latter would climb the ones on the left.
"Colem, Alyth, remember that you are tethered and safe at all times." Raven said to them as a way of giving them reassurance. "Are you ready?"
"Ready!" The two warriors shouted. Alyth was just as loud as ever and confident whereas Colem didn't have quite as much confidence due to his fear although he had tried to hide it.
"Then, let the challenge begin!" Their guide declared.
Alyth started scaling the rings like a monkey and found her footing quickly. Colem had started going after her a little and could have caught up if he wasn't so nervous. He was very clearly shaking from fear and not putting much effort into this since he could not focus on the challenge.
Colem then just stopped where he was, still near the bottom, giving up entirely. Alyth was soon at the top and had the ring. She had mixed feelings about how she won as she and her opponent were brought to the ground, untethered, and had their helmets removed. The two then returned to the standards, Colem looking ashamed of himself for being unable to overcome his fear.
Larix and Lorsam would go last and soon they were tethered and had helmets on. The former was on the left of Raven, the latter on the right. It was obvious that hearing that Colem had failed made made Larix even more nervous about facing her fear of heights.
Raven had noticed Larix's lack of confidence after knowing that Colem had failed and had only one thing to say. "Larix, though Colem was not able to conquer his fear here, that does mean you will not be able to. Larix, Lorsam, are you ready?"
"Ready!" The two warriors answered, Larix not sounding quite as confident as Lorsam was.
"Then, let the challenge begin!" Raven declared.
Lorsam was pretty steady as he began his ascent. Larix was quite the opposite which was pretty ironic seeing as Lorsam had been so clumsy before. The brown haired girl did not look down though; she knew she had to do this if she did not want to fall further down the leaderboard and make the gap between herself and her opponent smaller.
Then Lorsam's general clumsiness kicked in and he lost his footing a little though quickly regained it. Larix had seen this and her fear came to the forefront of her mind once more. Then she swore she heard Raven say Larix, you must not give into your fear if you do not want to give up a life in the back of her mind.
Larix kept going as fast as she could, still scared but trying not to focus on it. She kept climbing but Lorsam was able to catch up fast and grab the ring first. Both were brought down and Larix congratulated her opponent as they walked back to the standards after getting untethered and removing their helmets.
Raven returned shortly after that and addressed the warriors. "Warriors that was one of many challenges that is more difficult for some than it is for others. Lisnet, Alyth, Lorsam, place your prizes on your standards." He said to them. Then he noticed something that Lisnet had also noticed. "Lisnet, you now have enough rings to exchange for a life. Congratulations." He removed 9 rings from her standard and added back a life.
The blonde haired girl smiled, feeling more confident than ever now though she would try not to be cocky.
Raven addressed the losers next. "Larix, you at least attempted to climb despite your fear, Colem, you gave up instead. Ralten, you simply lost the race as your match was very close. Each of you must now lose a life." He said, removing a feather from each of their standards. "Come my friends; there are more challenges to face and our next one will be quite explosive and exciting if you can do well in it."
The warriors followed their guide, wondering what this explosive challenge would entail.
Leaderboard:
1st place: Lisnet-9 lives, 0 rings
2nd place: Ralten-8 lives, 0 rings
3rd place: Alyth-7 lives, 6 rings
4th place: Colem-6 lives, 8 rings
5th place: Larix-5 lives, 7 rings
6th place: Lorsam-5 lives, 5 rings
(Raven's Eye confessional)
Lisnet: I'm really happy that I was able to complete Ring Climb first by a split second because I know that Ralten is probably one of the strongest people here and I need to watch out for him in the challenges ahead.
Alyth: I'm glad to be in third place now but I wish Colem had put up a better fight and hadn't been so scared.
Ralten: I'm disappointed that I am now a life down just after winning one back but I do think I can do better in the next challenge.
Colem: I'm disappointed that unlike Larix, my loss was because I just gave up and I feel nervous about doing well in the other challenges today.
Larix: I am very lucky I did not fall behind Lorsam yet but I know I need to completely conquer my fears if I don't want to go home first so hopefully I can do that.
Lorsam: I'm glad I had a victory here even if I am still in last place because I think I can still pull myself out of it.
(End Raven's Eye confessional)
The warriors had now been brought to a different loch than the one they had crossed to start the quest. It had 3 mines in the middle of it and a ring post with 3 rings. There was also a crossbow on shore and next to it, a bucket of 7 arrows.
"Of all the lochs in this land, this one is perhaps the most dangerous of all. If one were to attempt to get the rings now, they would be caught in an explosion courtesy of these mines. There is a way to spring the trap without putting yourself in danger though." Raven explained. "Using this crossbow and these arrows, you must attempt to strike the mines, gaining a gold ring for each mine that is destroyed. Fail to strike any and you will lose a life. Lorsam, you are in last place but here, you will go first."
Moments later, Lorsam stood behind the crossbow, wearing a lifejacket for when/if he got to go into the boat to get any rings from the ring post.
"Lorsam, you will fall further behind your fellows if you do not hit at least one of the mines. Are you ready?" Raven asked him.
"Ready!" The moon warrior shouted, feeling confident that he could hit all 3 mines.
"Then, let the challenge begin!"
As soon as Raven had said those words, Lorsan loaded the first arrow and aimed the crossbow at the mine on the right to try to hit it first. He knew he had only 7 arrows so he could not waste them. He fired, striking the mine. Then he did the same to the middle one and the one on the left and grinned. Lorsam paddled out to the middle of the loch to get the three rings and then returned, smiling as he returned to the others.
Now Larix came up to take her turn. If she could win back a life here, she would be good to go.
"Larix, you can not beat Lorsam's score but you can match it. Are you ready?" Raven asked her.
"Ready!" The wave warrior shouted, trying to sound more confident than she felt.
"Then, let the challenge begin!" he declared and left her to complete it.
Larix had a tougher time focusing than Lorsam had. She panicked when she missed the first mine and then it wasn't until she was on her last arrow that she managed to hit the middle mine. She sighed sadly; she would be tied with Lorsam for now but hopefully in the next challenge, she would outright move ahead of him and avoid Way of the Warrior.
Colem went up to take his turn. He was trying not to let his losses get to him but it was difficult to do so. Still, the blonde haired boy listened to what was being said to him now.
"Colem, two of your fellows have already met success here. Can you do the same? Are you ready?" Raven asked him.
"Ready!" Colem answered, trying to sound enthusiastic.
"Then, let the challenge begin!" Raven declared and left the young warrior to complete it.
Taking a deep breath, Colem calmed himself as he tried to aim correctly. Unlike Larix, he had no luck and if he had any aiming skills, they had deserted him here; his lack of confidence and inability to aim properly had cost him a life.
Now it was time for Alyth to take her turn and she was grinning as she came up to do this. It seemed Colem's failure had not disheartened her though Raven had something to say to her.
"Alyth, do not waste your arrows. Are you ready?" He asked.
"Ready!" The mountain emblem bearing warrior shouted in reply, mostly out of enthusiasm at getting to do this.
"Then, let the challenge begin!" Raven declared and left her to complete it.
Alyth took her time to load the first arrow and fired at the mine on the right after making sure her aim was perfect. She sunk the mine and it exploded. "Yes!" She shouted as she loaded the next arrow and aimed at the mine in the middle.
She fired and missed. Now she had five arrows left. Alyth tried again; this time she hit the mine and it exploded. Could she make it a perfect score? She aimed at the mine on the left and fired, causing it to explode and sink. She got into the boat and paddled out to get her rings. She returned to shore with them and then walked back to the standards
Then Ralten came up to take his turn; the red haired boy was feeling good about this challenge seeing as most of his fellows had also gained victory here.
"Ralten, you will not quite catch up with Lisnet here but every ring counts. Are you ready?" Raven asked him.
"Ready!" The tree emblem bearing warrior replied, clearly very confident.
"Then, let the challenge begin!"
As soon as Raven had said those words and left, Ralten loaded the crossbow; he had learned how to use one by reading a book at home and had practiced using one and a regular bow and arrow with his father so if he could remember that knowledge, he would do well here.
The red haired boy loaded the first arrow and fired at the mine on the left. He missed it but when he loaded the second arrow, adjusted his aim a bit and tried again. This time he had succeeded and he now had five arrows left. Ralten turned the crossbow towards the mine in the middle and then reloaded it, aimed, and fired once more, hitting the second mine. Now he had only one mine left to hit if he wanted a perfect score. Of course his position wouldn't really change much if Lisnet succeeded here but he wasn't thinking about that now. He simply focused and aimed at the mine on the right; he missed the first two shots, leaving him with two arrows now. Thankfully, his second to last shot was perfect and netted him the third gold ring.
"Yes!" Ralten shouted as he got into the boat and paddled out to get the 3 rings. Once he had them, he returned to shore.
Now Lisnet was the last to fire. She hoped to not join Colem in failure seeing as her aim was only a little bit better than his.
"Lisnet, you will maintain your lead even if you just secure one ring. Are you ready?" Raven asked her.
"Ready!" The sun emblem bearing warrior replied, feeling hopeful that she could do this.
"Then, let the challenge begin!" He declared and then left her to complete it. Did she have enough confidence though?
Lisnet had aimed at the mine in the middle first; she missed it with the first two shots, but got it on the 3rd, leaving her with four arrows left. She aimed at the mine on the right, missed the first time but got it the second time. She could not hit the third mine though as she wasted both of her final arrows and didn't get it aimed properly but 2 out of three was still a good score. She paddled out to get the rings, smiling as she did so and then once on shore again, returned to the standards, smiling widely despite her shyness. Perhaps said shyness was disappearing and she could become more social as she continued to remain confident.
Raven addressed the warriors once they were all in front of their standards again. "Warriors many of you showed your skills well in that challenge and should be proud of yourselves. Lorsam, Alyth, and Ralten, you each gained 3 rings. Lisnet, you gained 2 rings and Larix, you gained a single ring. Place them on your standards." He said to them. Once they had done so, he took a look at Alyth's standard. "Alyth, you have earned enough rings to exchange for a life. Congratulations."
Alyth grinned as the 9 rings were removed from her standard and a feather added to it.
"Colem, your aim has proven to be wayward here. As such, you must lose a life and share last place with Larix and Lorsam." Raven told the blonde haired boy before removing a life from his standard. "Come young warriors; this next challenge will require you to have a head for heights once more and determine who will be the first facing Way of the Warrior. This way."
The warriors followed Raven, wondering what would happen in this next challenge.
Leaderboard:
1st place: Lisnet-9 lives, 2 rings
2nd place: Ralten-8 lives, 3 rings
3rd place: Alyth-8 lives, 0 rings
4th place: Colem, Larix, and Lorsam-5 lives, 8 rings
(Raven's Eye confessional)
Lorsam: I'm really happy I got a perfect score after having done so badly earlier. Target Mines was a great challenge in my opinion.
Larix: I might be joint last now after Target Mines but at least I didn't lose a life.
Colem: I can't believe I'm doing so badly but I hope I can do better on the second to last challenge.
Alyth: I am very happy that I got a perfect score here since I knew if most of the others could do it, I could too.
Ralten: I didn't know if I could do it but I am very happy that I got a perfect score like Alyth and Lorsam did.
Lisnet: I am very happy that I preserved my lives even if I didn't quite score as high as some of the others because I did do my best and that's what matters the most.
(End Raven's Eye confessional)
The warriors looked up the tree that they had been brought to. There was a rope ladder attached to one branch and on that branch was a gigantic nest. They weren't sure what to make of it at first.
"Under ordinary circumstances, I would not condone thieving from a nest. In this challenge though, you will be attempting to gain gold that is guarded by a dragon while she is absent. The warrior who retrieves the ring in the nest will win the challenge while the other must lose a life. As 3 of you are in last place, we must draw for the black feather to see who will face Alyth in this challenge." Raven there were 3 warriors tied, a black feather was hidden in a small bag that also had white feathers in it that the warlord pulled out of nowhere, or at least that was what it seemed. "Colem, you will choose first."
Colem stuck his hand in the bag that Raven was holding out. Then Larix did and Lorsam did. They were not allowed to look to see what they had gotten until their guide had said to. It turned out that Larix had drawn the black feather and she was shocked.
"Larix, you will go against Alyth when it is your turns. Lisnet and Ralten, you will be going first." Raven declared.
Lisnet and Ralten got helmets on and got tethered. They were both determined to do this and quite confident to say the least.
"Lisnet, Ralten, will this outcome be different than in Ring Climb? We shall see. Are you ready?" Raven asked them.
"Ready!" Both warriors replied.
"Then let the challenge begin!" Raven declared.
Both warriors climbed the ladder, neck in neck the whole way. This time, it was Ralten who got the final ring first after getting the two extra rings. He grinned when he had done that. Lisnet accepted her loss pretty well as they were brought down and removed their helmets.
Now Larix and Alyth went to get tethered after putting on helmets. Larix's failure in Ring Climb was at the back of her mind but she tried to not think about it as hard as that was.
"Alyth, Larix could possible narrow the gap between you and herself if she is able to conquer her fear. Are you both ready?" Raven asked them.
"Ready!" The two girls shouted, Alyth sounding a lot more confident.
"Then, let the challenge begin!"
Both girls climbed, Larix still nervous. That got to the point where Larix lost her footing, allowing Alyth to scramble up the ladder and get the second ring first. The black haired warrior was at home here and determined to win. While Larix was catching up a little after calming down and regaining her footing, Alyth got to the ring first just before Larix had grabbed the top rung.
The girls were brought down and untethered, then removed their helmets and returned to their standards, Larix disappointed that she had failed again.
Now it was time for Colem and Lorsam to get helmets on and get tethered. The two boys knew that neither one of them could afford to lose a life and Colem wanted to reach the top first and avoid Way of the Warrior despite being so scared.
"Colem, Lorsam, neither of you can afford to fall into joint last with Larix. Remember, if you can not let go of your fear, you'll find yourself letting go of a life. Are you both ready?" Raven asked them.
"Ready!" Both boys shouted.
"Then, let the challenge begin!" Raven declared.
Both boys were now climbing, Colem wasn't doing it expertly but he was doing it and he was not going to give up this time. Lorsam however lost his footing and this time, it would cost him. The dark haired boy fell off the ladder, though the rope did keep him from crashing, allowing Colem to keep going and grab the last ring in the nest in addition to the other two. Of course the blonde haired boy felt bad for his competitor for falling, having not noticed it at first until being brought down and yet he was so happy he had done this despite being so scared.
Soon both boys were untethered and removed their helmets before returning to their standards.
Now Raven was addressing all 6 warriors. "Warriors most of you were able to climb well and showed great courage in doing so. Ralten, Alyth, Colem, you each gained 3 rings. Place them on your standards."
The 3 winning warriors did so and smiled.
"Colem, you have now earned enough rings to exchange for a life. Congratulations." Raven continued. He removed nine rings from the boy's standard and added a feather to it. He then turned to the 3 losing warriors. "Lisnet, Larix, and Lorsam, you each lost the race and in your case Lorsam, you also lost your footing. Each of you must now lose a life."
The losing warriors looked up sadly as a life was removed from each of their standards. Larix looked like she was about to cry although did not do so.
"Now we must move on to our final challenge of the day. This way." Raven said as he led them towards the Way of the Warrior.
Leaderboard:
1st place: Ralten-8 lives, 6 rings
2nd place: Alyth-8 lives, 3 rings
3rd place: Lisnet-8 lives, 2 rings
4th place: Colem-6 lives, 2 rings
5th place: Larix and Lorsam-4 lives, 8 rings
(Raven's Eye confessional)
Ralten: I'm happy to end the day back in first place and I am very glad not to be the first one doing Way of the Warrior.
Alyth: I'm surprised I wound up in second place seeing as I did a lot better than I thought I would.
Lisnet: While I am a little disappointed I didn't quite win Dragon's Roost, I am still happy to be in a good position.
Colem: I am pleased that I won Dragon's Roost since it was very terrifying climbing up the ladder and I still did it because I didn't want to face Way of the Warrior.
Larix: I'm upset that I let my fear get the better of me again but I hope I don't pick the black feather.
Lorsam: I'm disappointed that I did terribly for the most part today and I don't know what to expect now.
(End Raven's Eye confessional)
The warriors were all feeling a sense of dread as they came to the location of an infamous elimination challenge. None of them wanted to do it but they knew that somebody had to. Only four warriors had ever completed it: Ishal, Varna, Worjo, and Kinsa. It was unlikely anyone else would join that list at all although some had come close.
"These warriors knew that by the end of this day, their company of 6 would become 5. That time is almost upon us. Behold, the Way of the Warrior." Raven used his staff to move the gate blocking the entrance tunnel before explaining the challenge. "The Way of the Warrior tests all who face it to their very limits. Only 4 have survived this terrible trial and continued on their quests. Larix and Lorsam, you are both in joint last with 4 lives and 8 rings each. All of your fellows have more. Thus the black feather must be used to decide the fates of both of you."
The bottom 2 warriors watched as Raven briefly showed them the black feather and then put his hands behind his back to decide which hand to hide it in. The warlord then held out his fits. "Lorsam, you will choose. Which hand do you think the feather is in?"
"The left one." Lorsam answered.
It turned out that he was correct as Raven quickly showed him the feather. "Lorsam, it is your fate to take on this terrible trial."
The black haired boy who bore the moon emblem got the Way of the Warrior armor on and stood in front of the entrance
"Lorsam, if you think you can or you think you can not do this, you are right either way. Should you make it to the portal at the end of the pathway, you will be transported to the next stage of the quest and then Larix will have to face this deadly trial. Fail and you must return home. Are you ready?" Raven asked him.
"Ready!" Lorsam answered; he was inspired by his guide's words and would try to go as far as possible.
"Then may the luck of the Raven's Eye be with you! Let the challenge begin!" Raven declared.
The others waited as Lorsam crawled through the tunnel and started the course. Like many warriors, the black haired boy had no trouble with the first half but then fell at the rotating blades when one hit the back of his head and caused him to vanish.
Raven summoned Lorsam back and addressed him. "Lorsam, there is no shame in failing this deadly trial. Though you may not have done as well as you wished to in the tournament, you should still be proud of what you did achieve as you make your journey home. Farewell my friend."
Lorsam shook his fellow warriors' hands and they bid him goodbye before he got his belongings and left for home.
(Raven's Eye confessional)
Lorsam: I was really disappointed to go out first but I do realize that I need to get better at a lot of skills and hopefully can do better in whatever I want to do in the future.
(End Raven's Eye confessional)
"So, that was a very lucky escape for Larix but will she be so fortunate tomorrow? We will have to wait until then to see. For now, the remaining five warriors must remember this: Motivation determines what you do but attitude determines how well you do it. Come my friends; we must make camp." Raven led them away after saying this. Only time would tell what happened tomorrow.
Next time on Raven:
Who will triumph in Pontoon Pursuit and Demon Square?
Who will successfully gain a ring in Skull Cage?
Which warriors can cross the icy waters of the Deep Loch?
And can Larix avoid facing the Way of the Warrior?