The Challenger

by Harlon Banks

  Wait...

  "... Why am I not healing?" He thought to himself briefly confused; a breath hitching in his throat now as he saw a vision of another imminent death. Cursing under his breath, Jonath crouched and then with all the strength he could muster pushed off the cracked earth in a mighty vault backwards and clean over the broken stone... Eyes widening as he jumped way higher than he expected, now twenty feet in the air looking upside down at the snake yank its edged tail out of the stone surface. The glow in his eyes flaring up brighter than ever; crescent hues overcharged with another vision of him being impaled on the snakes waiting tail as he fell back down...

  "Can't dodge... !" He hastily thought to himself with wide eyes and stunned features as he fell closer and closer to that large blade! Quickly swiveling dagger in hand back to a reverse grip and bracing himself while eyes focused on both the snakes preparing to simultaneously attack him from both sides. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion now; time feeling as if it were lagging into stasis as he got closer and closer to those predators and the ground. Even when the serpents both lashed out their tails to spear him like stakes, it all moved slow just like his own hand as he raised it to counter.

  Jonath's dagger sparked off the metallic cutting edge of the closer beasts tail after having shifted his falling position slightly. The closer one attacking having been deflected by the dagger with an insane amount of accuracy and precision on Jonath's part while the other instead of landing a killing blow; merely grazed his left flank cutting the enchanted fabric and drawing blood. The wound being much less severe than it naturally should have been had it tore through regular clothing, for the enchantment woven into the fabrics made the fibers flexible as cloth yet tough as light metal alloys all the same. Hitting the ground with both a loud thud noise and a tumble off into the rubble; Jonath coughed profusely as dust filled his lungs and expelled out seconds later. Dagger having freed itself from his grip and rattling away into the shadows after the messy landing, his fingers curled across the stone as he took a moment to gather himself.

  "... Ahh!" He gritted his teeth and tightly shut both eyes while struggling to stand again. His left side underneath his ribs felt wet and hot, no doubt from the slash wound. He panted to himself, fatigue accumulating more and more. Ears attentive to any sounds he could hear out in the darkness from those serpents, but it didn't look too good. Holding his side, he couldn't help but enjoy these precious seconds of recovery; they probably were the last seconds he'd get anyway. Still, the odd question of why his injuries were not healing like they had earlier in the forest when he awoke distracted him. Head tilting in thought, wondering if it were tied to his stamina? Maybe he had to think about the wounds regenerating? Did they have to be a certain severity?

  Another vision of his impending death snapped Jonath out of his thoughts and he quickly jumped off into a tumble dodging the snapping fangs of one of the serpents...

  "Shit!" He cursed rolling on his back arms splayed out and panting heavier now in the dark. The light gems rays no longer in range to cover him as he were now surrounded by pure darkness; his pale eyes opening again and looking at the light several meters out of his vicinity. A pained grunt escaping his throat when he rolled on his side and forced himself to stand again, stumbling a bit tired before regaining stability.

  "I can't see them... I don't think I can last longer relying on those screwed up visions of my death either..." He muttered between breaths as he broke out into a tired run towards the light again. Arm cradling bloody side, teeth gritting at the pain of the slash across his flank; even if these clothes were reinforced with magic the fact that things tail still cut relatively deep said a lot. This was no flesh wound, regardless of it not being deep enough to have him holding in his insides.

  "Almost there... Gotta stay in the light..." He repeated mentally to himself as he picked up speed and reached his hand out as if to be seized by the gems light. Shutting his left eye again, the blood irritating his vision no matter how many times he managed to wipe it away.

  As he took one last step forward, so close to the light... A final vision of him dying a horrible death flashed through his mind. That step turning into a pivot that spun him around in a one-eighty just in time for shocked eyes to see that bladed tail arc towards his throat as he stumbled on his own feet and fell backwards.

  "I won't make it... !"

  Those words echoed frighteningly in the depths of his psyche, he couldn't dodge this. That vision of his death was about to become a reality, and there was nothing he could do about it. Everything seemed to slow down; the world around him falling into a near stasis again when the adrenaline hit its highest throughout every nerve of his body. Death was caressing his throat, the sharp edge of that steely tail tip a mere few feet from his throat... Only would be a second or so more before it drew red across his windpipe, then it'd be all over...

  "So pathetic... I die like this..." Jonath scoffed in his mind as the light in his pale hues started to dim down and those crescent-shaped pupils collapsed back into rounded shapes, as if giving up as well and accepting his fate.

  "Sever." Liariana's eerily tranquil voice made everything snap back to realistic pacing as Jonath's eyes saw a streak of crimson red across the darkness and the sound of flesh being severed with air. Crimson eyes cold and profound in the dark with their primordial glow, blood spilling from the severed tail squirming at the base of his feet; Jonath caught sight of her as she were motionless in a crouch several feet next to him. The serpent screaming out in pain with a series of gutteral hisses and erratic squirming across the ground while blood spurted from the wound painting stone red. The Yelkath holding her reversed grip sword tightly in left hand, blood dripping off the razor-sharp blade as she stood and raised it after swiveling it back around into a regular grip.

  Looking over her shoulder, glowing red hues focused on the direction the sound were coming from; Liariana flicked the blood off her sword and turned away from the beast as she let a single, cold word leave her lips.

  "Kusanagi..."

  Several more slashes appeared and shredded the snake apart from the point of amputation all the way up to the beasts maw; despite Liariana still standing stationary. Blood now leaking profusely from the injured beast as it fell out and soon became no more. Jonath absolutely dumbfounded by what just happened, his pale eyes locked on the woman's figure as her crystal light finally wafted through the air over to her and illuminated them both. The woman standing there, not a single scratch on her or any signs of fatigue compared to him...

  The second snake lurched towards her from behind, massive head cocked open with saber fangs primed to dig into her flesh. Jonath opened his mouth to say watch out and warn her but before those words could even leave his mouth...

  A simple, effectively shift of positioning and the woman sidestepped the lunge while keeping the same monotone, empty expression. Ninjato blade gripped tightly in both hands for one solid arcing slash directed along the hinge of the monsters open jaws and then dragged forcibly against the momentum of the lunge. Flesh separating quickly and ripping the snakes side open, it collapsed into a pool of blood at her feet twitching and writhing. A twirl of the blade between her fingers ended with another flick to knock off the blood and she slid it back into its sheath.

  It was all over... Just that quickly. Jonath didn't know what or how to think about being saved by her again... Yet at the same time, he was relieved more than ever she acted when she did. His body relaxing as adrenaline wore off and his mind settled.

  "Took you long enough to offer a helping hand." Jonath scoffed at her after wincing from the pain of his wounds. "Not complaining though, you saved my life either way."

  "Your moves are unorganized and inconsistent..." Liariana's words made the amnesic shut up and raise a brow at her. Red hues locking on pale as the glow in the former vanished and her slit pupils returned to their original shapes. "You have the reactions and physical capacity to have easily dodged those creatures adva
nces, yet you sustained multiple injuries and your dodges were unsightly. Are you unaware of how to use your own strength?" She asked now walking towards him and then past him breaking eye contact. Her footsteps echoing in the pause between words.

  "I did tell you I have amnesia remember? I'm still trying to figure out my own capabilities, so get off my case." He responded with an annoyed eye roll when suddenly his eyes expressed disbelief and a higher level of frustration. "Wait, you were watching me get attacked all this time!?" He asked in a riled tone. Liariana initially ignoring his question and still heading back to the wall where the fissure was, but eventually got around to answering him moments later.

  "The way you evaded, although it was anything but fluent it wasn't based off conventional reflexes was it?" She responded with a counter question that made Jonath freeze up. Pose relaxing as he glanced off into the darkness in quiet.

  "I've never seen anyone evade attacks like you have, it made me curious to watch for a bit. It was as if you saw it before it even were enacted; and your response happened outside the normal speed it takes for someone to react to their environment." She explained in a tranquil voice while Jonath snorted and followed after her again; both resuming where they left off before that unwanted interruption.

  "I guess I was interested in seeing how long you could fare on your own. For an amateur amnesic as you put it you lasting as long as you did seemed nothing short of a miracle." She continued talking, turning to look at him again for the briefest of moments much to his exasperation. "Also I believe this is yours?" She added on pulling the combat knife out of a smaller sheath around her waist and handing it to him hilt first. Jonath blinking at the gleaming silver blade, reaching out to take it and return it to its housing in his left boot. This woman was something else, at this point he'd be a fool to take her abilities for granted. Speed, agility, precision, accuracy, stealth, technique, she had it all... How could he compare to that? Well, it anything this only solidified his earlier thoughts...

  If Liariana wanted to, she could kill him rather easily...

  "I'd suggest keeping a closer eye or a tighter grip on your weapon during combat; those who are easily disarmed generally do not live much longer after losing said weapon." Liariana's words sounded almost condescending despite the numb tone and empty look in her eyes. Jonath scoffing at her in response, gaze narrowed in annoyance but quickly shifting back into a monotone stare of his own as he looked up at the wall.

  A small breath, and Liariana scaled the wall again; grabbing the base of that irregular fissure at the top with bandaged palms and hoisting herself up effortlessly into it to descend on the other side again. However before she did that, she actually stayed posted up in the crack of the architecture with her glowing light gem and looked down at Jonath. The young man tilting his head in confusion, what was she doing?

  "I'll stand guard up here while you climb; wouldn't want another ambush to catch you off guard. You might not be so fortunate this time." Once again the words spoken by the Yelkath hit a nerve in Jonath; his expression momentarily turning into a scowl at her but then? It faded away, quick as it came. Ignoring the underlying theme of her being pompous about the discrepancy between their current abilities, Jonath didn't give her the benefit of a response. Merely walking over to the wall with a tired limp, preparing to scale it himself.

  "Wait..." Liariana said.

  "What is it now?" Jonath sighed aloud looking up at her.

  "Your wounds are healed. Why are you still limping?" She responded tone neutral yet a curious tilt to her head.

  ... What!?

  "Huh?" Jonath furrowed a brow removing his gloved hand from his side and sure enough the slash across his flank had sealed up good as new. "What the hell?" He muttered lost and dazed about this, hand reaching up now to dab at the wound across his brow. Sure enough, that one was gone too along with the lesser scrapes and bruises spanning his body that he'd accumulated fighting those two serpents. Nothing left but dried blood and fatigue, the silver-haired amnesic otherwise looking none the worse for wear.

  "How did I not notice... What the hell?" He repeated looking at his open palm, and then up to Liariana who simply eyed him as if analyzing his reactions.

  "He really has no clue about his own powers..." She thought to herself, simply shaking her head and closing her red eyes as she vanished into the dark beyond the fissure. Seemingly forgetting already she had planned to keep watch over the guys ascent up the wall be it intentional or not. Deciding now wasn't the time to dwell on this, Jonath wasted no effort climbing the wall as fast as he could; all the while looking over his shoulder every few seconds expecting another attack even though no such thing ever came again. Fingers hooking into crevices, gripping protrusions and boots scraping against rock, he climbed higher and higher until eventually he reached his destination. Left hand sliding into the narrow base of the large fissure in the wall and his strength easily hoisting himself up into it as well.

  "Can't keep letting this girl save my life." He sucked his teeth, moving beyond the crack and descending inside of the cathedral with a small thumping noise when boots finally hit the ground. Liariana looking over her shoulder at him, crimson red hues looking beyond strands of black bangs amongst pale skin; she returned her attention to what was ahead. Finger extending as arm raised to point towards a pedestal at the far end of the buildings interior, beyond broken pillars and empty halls.

  "There." She said calmly, arm lowering back down to her side. Jonath turning his attention to the darkness beyond, eyes catching sight of a feint glimmering silver spherical object encased in a glassy cube atop a stand. The sphere blood-red and black in coloration, the cube encompassing it glassy and transparent; it was about the size of if not slightly bigger, a baseball. The red streaks and swirls across black body emanating a soft glow and a humming noise that could be heard in a gentle tune all the way from the other side when both were absolutely silent.

  "So that's it? Was expecting something less... cryptic looking." He voiced his disbelief as he walked closer to Liariana ahead of him. His body feeling as if the fight before never happened at this point. Footsteps echoing in the halls, Liariana lowered her gaze to the ground and closed her eyes with arms hanging limply at her sides.

  The tension in the air was subtle, her fingers twitching slightly with every footstep Jonath took closer and closer...

  "Yeah, that is what I'm looking for..." Liariana responded. Jonath suddenly stopped walking and then turned his gaze slightly to look upon her with perplexed pale eyes and features. That was an odd choice of wording she just used... He didn't know why he'd caught on to it, maybe it was her tone being a bit more suspicious than usual... Maybe it was her sudden shift in posture... Or maybe it was just blind luck that have him this sudden bad feeling about her. His body basically screaming for him to get away yet he kept the wariness hidden for the moment.

  "... I'm?" He repeated to her and moments later his eyes widened as a vision himself getting slashed across his throat in one fluent motion flashed across his psyche. A breath hitching in his throat as he realized what was going on; arms brought up and crossed to guard his face and neck as he back stepped right as Liariana's sword freed itself from its sheathe and lashed out at him!

  The air was rended with her sword, blood splattering in a half-moon across the nearest pillar as Jonath fell on his back with a hard thud...

  Mercy Kill

  The Challenger Chapter Seventeen - Mercy Kill...

  Jonath hit the ground with a hard thud; sliding backwards a couple of feet across smooth stone floor. His forearms slashed right under the elbows of both when he'd defended his face from her sword, blood painting pale skin red and distinct gashes of carved out flesh and bone. That sword was too sharp; to be able to cut through bone with such a quick motion was inconceivable, was it enchanted too?

  Jonath screamed out in pain, the wounds of his arms sealing over with a flare of ghostly pale essence flowing through them. The now healed man looking at
Liariana with fury and confusion in his eyes as he quickly scrambled back to his feet and the two squared off.

  "What the hell is wrong with you!?" Jonath barked out in anger, left hand ripping the dagger out of its holster and bringing it up reversed grip to defend himself. The woman's cold and empty red eyes not portraying a hint of regret or remorse when he spoke, solidifying her attempt on his life was thoroughly intentional. The tension in the air got very heavy, crushingly so as the two stood mere feet apart from one another...

  Liariana raised her sword again at an angle in front of her face, Jonath could see his reflection off the shimmering steel of the blade. The vibe she gave off, the look in her eyes, the intimidating pressure her aura gave off. All of it felt as if Jonath were staring death itself in her beautiful, hollow face.