AN: Another new chapter... I don't own MapleStory and I'm not getting paid for writing this.
Attic-Window: Thanks... I always worry my fight scenes are a little too boring. Ryker is pretty cool...
It was over in seconds. In a single, lightning-fast move, Arec had pinned Chase against the wall and placed a knife to his throat. "Submit!" He hissed vehemently, completely in contrast with his former laid-back, almost humorous attitude only moments before.
Chase's face whitened to a color that matched the gray ash that lingered on graves. He seemed to wither physically. "I... submit..."
Arec released him with a sneer on his face. "You are not worthy to wield the power that resides here. Leave!"
Chase's eyes faded. Weakness fill his heart in an instant, but in that same moment, a defiant fire erupted deep within, emboldening him to stand and face Arec fully. "Screw your 'holy force!' I don't need it..."
Aradia's gaze hovered near her feet as Chase stalked by. "Chase..."
"Don't say it! Aradia... Tell Ayrill... Tell her... I'm sorry. And... That I still keep by my promise, no matter if I lose this stupid force."
"Chase."
Chase turned to face Alex, who had shouldered his axe and was blocking the path. "Alex... Move."
"Not until I've told you something."
"Fine! Lord it over me that you're better than me!"
"I'm above that... I know how you feel, Chase. Remember, I too was turned aside. Grow strong, without the permission of your betters."
Alex stepped aside and Chase walked past. The group turned away from him. Aradia suddenly broke her silence. "Are we just going to let him leave?"
"Yes."
"But he's still our friend! We can't just let him walk off into the wild!"
"He can take care of himself."
Chase turned and looked back. "Aradia, I'm not welcome here. I need to train... El Nath... Appeals to me. It's harsh and unforgiving... One wrong step and I'm dead... This is what I need..." With those final words, Chase strode on, soon fading from view.
"Ryker, your turn."
XxX
"Begin..." Arec breathed softly.
Ryker immediately brought his Varkit up to protect his face as Arec dove at it with his own dagger. The attack bounced off his defence harmlessly and Ryker dove forward to begin his own onslaught. The blows were deflected by Arec, who yawned tauntingly. "Band of Thieves!" Thieves poured from the shadows and began to help attack Arec.
"Mediocre move. Band of Thieves!" Arec sneered. More thieves appeared from the shadowy recesses of the room and joined the onslaught. The room was a maelstrom of furious battle, alive with the glint of steel in the air and the buzzing of the daggers. In the middle of it all, Arec and Ryker dueled in mid-air, neither giving quarter or relenting in their raging attacks.
Aradia gaped openly at the mad pace of the battle. "How can they move that fast?"
"It seems... Dark Lord taught Ryker well. He's holding his own against an opponent who had Chase beaten in seconds. That's pretty impressive..." Alex mused quietly.
The summoned thieves were fading away, leaving only Ryker and Arec, still battling with a ferocious intensity that matched that of two starved wolves fighting over the last scrap of meat. Arec shifted his weight, allowing him to slide beside Ryker, who was still stabbing at Arec with wild energy. With a quiet laugh, Arec slipped underneath Ryker. Druce watched the airborn battle with a mixture of fear and awe written across his face. "Ryker's finished now. He's let Arec get inside his defences. It was an amazing battle though. I've never seen one so... intense."
As Arec prepared to strike Ryker from beneath, the young hero smiled. "Shadow Web!" Arec froze, his limbs stretching to the point of pain.
"That's a Hermit technique... But... You're a Chief Bandit..."
"I am? I never actually said that did I?"
Arec looked stunned and struggled vainly in his bonds. "But... you wield a dagger... And you used Bandit skills..."
"So?"
"How... Nevermind! It just makes the battle all the more interesting!" Arec, with an almighty wrench, twisted out of the web and, in the same movement, pulled out his claw. "Avenger!"
The massive shuriken flew swiftly through the air toward Ryker. Nonchalantly, Ryker fitted a Casters onto the hand not holding his Varkit. "Avenger!" Ryker tossed his own giant shuriken at Arec. The two shuriken collided with a metallic screech. Ryker's cut cleanly through Arec's attack, meriting a loud gasp from the ancient thief. Arec writhed wildly in the air, just barely dodging the attack.
"Dammit... He's alot stronger than I thought... Assaulter!" Arec appeared beside Ryker, his dagger raised threateningly.
As the dagger cut through the air towards Ryker, he raised the hand wearing the Casters. Snagging the blade just above Arec's hand, he deftly flipped the dagger, relinquishing Arec's grip on it. The ancient thief grinned. "Too slow!"
"Wha...?"
A thief, recently summoned by Arec, leapt from the shadows. With a grunt of exertion, the thief kicked out at Ryker, landing a strike on his abdomen. Ryker crashed to the floor, groaning slightly. Arec was there, tossing Ryker into the air and slamming him against the wall. "You're finished! Any last words?"
Ryker smiled. "Not really. Here, some mesos for the... interesting battle." Ryker slid a coin into Arec's hand.
"Anything else?" Arec asked, slightly thrown off by Ryker's stranged behavior.
"Yeah, one thing more. Meso Explosion!"
The coin began to glow brightly as Arec's eyes widened. Before he could throw it away, it exploded, creating a huge dust cloud and gusts of high speed. Rene slammed the door shut just as huge pieces of earth collided with it. Aradia gasped. "Woah! How's Ryker going to survive that?"
Druce sighed. "He was rather impulsive. I doubt either of them will survive."
Alex let out a single bark-like laugh. "But you have to admit... He has style."
Rene tentatively opened the door. "I believe the fight is over... Alexei, Aradia, please come with me."
As they strode boldly into the shrouded room, the dim outline of a person carrying another person came into view. Ryker shuffled from the dust, dragging along Arec. Upon seeing Rene and his friends, he promptly dropped him to the floor. Arec groaned softly. Rene signaled to Robeira, who hurried over and dragged Arec away. "Hey, guys. How's it goin'?"
Rene sighed. "You have passed your test. Please follow me and I will lead you to your next opponent. This time, you will all fight simultaneously." She led them towards another door. "Through here is your next opponent... Zakum!"
AN: Alright! How was the fight? And... uhh... Was the next guardian kinda easy to guess? Well, feel free to review... Oh. Was Chase's departure too short? Well, he's gone for the rest of this story. But... He may make an appearence in the sequel, which I am certainly gonna write. I got inspiration for it so I'm gonna write it. Anyway, please review. YOu can also tell me whether or not I should write a sequel...
