As he walked, he drew his sword from the sheath. He had attached the blade to his hip before entering the Dungeon. He was walking at a steady pace, his head turning constantly as he looked for dangers. His shoulders were tense, and he was ready for action.

He was in Harrington's hunting grounds.

He was making good time and had managed to avoid any of the blind turns, just yet, sticking to the main path. The arc of the path was taking him towards these Hateful Spirits' hunting ground, but for the moment, he was still within Harrington's. He passed through one of the open areas with the benches that had appeared with my last level up. He did not stop and carried on.

All my Hunters were now aware of the Challenger and were moving through their hunting grounds or toward them. The sun was moving towards the mountains in the west and would soon set. The sky was a fiery red with few clouds. The graveyard was now becoming submerged in shadow.

Harrington found him about two-thirds of the way through his hunting ground. He was ahead of him and used this opportunity to reposition himself into a decent ambush point. I watched as he used his magic to help hide himself in a patch of deep shadow close to the path.

I was very impressed with his ability to do this and found it fascinating to watch. I had moved ahead of the young man during his walk as I was trying to find out where Harrington was, and encountered my Hunter as he discovered the Challenger.

If you didn't know he was there, he would not spot him. But the longer I looked, the more I realised that he had made a mistake. His powers affected the shadows in the area, but inadvertently created a shadow that was distinct from the others. It was easy to miss if you don't know what you're looking for, and I suspect I might have if I hadn't been watching the area more closely.

Would the Challenger see it? We were about to find out.

He arrived, and I continued walking. He was still tense and looking around for danger, but for the moment, he did not seem to have spotted my Hunter. He was still holding his sword ready for use.

He walked past my Hunter's hiding place, continuing on obliviously. Harrington disconnected himself from the shadows and moved behind the Challenger. It appeared that he was not aware of the danger behind him now. Or was he? I noticed a slight change in his stance as he walked.

He had been holding his sword drawn from the rest of the sword cane, using the side of his body to hide it. I did not see the rest of the cane. He was moving up behind the Challenger to run him through with the blade.

The young man turned suddenly as Harrington continued to approach. He raised his sword to protect himself. This threw Harrington off slightly, as he was not expecting to be detected approaching. Here, the Challenger showed his youth and inexperience; he should have attacked straightaway.

His inaction gave Harrington the ability to take the initiative once more. He lashed out with his sword, attempting to wound his opponent, but the young man blocked him. His movement showed that he had some training with the blade. He parried the strike from Harrington and started to attack him.

Harrington stepped back, using his greater reach to the advantage. The two swords clash together with a dull metal clang. The Challenger was pressing in trying to close the distance, but Harrington was constantly on the move. Watching the fight, I could see that Harrington had the better training and experience, but this young man had excellent reflexes.

As the duel went on, I began to wonder if Harrington's sword cane was actually up to the task of a one-on-one duel. His blade was not as long or as thin as his opponents. I was unsure of the quality of the metal it was made from, but could it withstand such abuse?

My attention was suddenly pulled from my musings when Harrington lunged in. The Challenger once more was able to parry the blade, but this time he stepped in, closing the distance between them. As he moves forward to push the blade away from him, opening Harrington up. As soon as he was close enough, he punched up with his fist enclosed within the sword's handguard.

The impact was under Harrington's chin, and it knocked his head back with a nasty snap. He staggered away now, completely vulnerable. Here again, the Challenger's inexperience worked against him as he did not follow up. He stepped away quickly, getting his guard backup ready to meet any counter-attack. I was starting to realise that the young man was no killer. Despite his advantages and youth, he lacked real combat experience.

Harrington's face was no longer a façade of calm but twisted in rage. He launched a furious assault which drove the Challenger back. Harrington's blade slipped through several times, but did not cut deeply as the thick coat the young man was wearing protected him.

The two men continued their duel, with Harrington now having the clear advantage. Unless this boy found his killer instinct, he was going to die here. The fight was moving the combatants off the path. The Challenger was being pushed back into the graves and statues. The darkness and shadows were growing around them.

The Challenger was able to keep Harrington from wounding him. He was breathing harder as the fight went on. Harrington was breathing deeper but not as hard. Harrington was playing with the Challenger. I shook my head mentally. He was still too arrogant in his fighting. Would he suffer for it?

I continued to watch and saw something new. Harrington was merging with the shadows, making him more challenging to see. He became far faster now with his strikes. The Challenger was struggling now as strikes slid past his defence. His heavy coat protected him, but some cuts had become open wounds. None were deep, but they were mounting.

The Challenger realised the danger he was in now. Watching the fight gave me a unique perspective, and I could see the change in his facial expression. He had come to understand that he needed to win or die.

Desperation is the mother of unique opportunities.

The Challenger lunged forward, forcing Harrington to the block. But the young man didn't stop his momentum as he kept pushing forward against my Hunter. The distance between them closed, and Harrington was being forced to step back. He tried to reposition himself, but not fast enough. A fist lashed out but missed the intended target of his face, instead hitting him in his throat.

Harrington was knocked back by the blow, clutching his throat as he desperately tried to breathe. He collapsed to one knee as he choked. The Challenger now had an opportunity to dominate the fighter, and he took it. He gripped his sword handle with both hands, bringing it down in a vicious, powerful overhead strike. Harrington saw the danger and got his blade up in time, and the two blades connected.

Harrington's blade was not designed for such abuse, and it bent and deformed from the blow. It, however, did succeed in turning his opponent's blade away from him, saving his life. The kinetic force of the blow drives him further down, closer to the ground. The Challenger didn't let up, recovering quicker than my Hunter by kicking him in the head.

If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

I suspect that Harrington is either stunned or has a concussion from that, as he's knocked onto his back. His reaction times are sluggish, and he's open now.

Unfortunately for Harrington, it seems that the young man had found his killer instinct. The sword penetrated his chest where his heart is located, and Harrington looked up in shock and pain. My Hunter coughs up blood on the front of his shirt, which quickly darkens from the spreading of it from the wound.

[Hunter: Alister Harrington. He has died and will be resurrected in 72:00:00.]

"He is too cocky. Hopefully, this will be a learning experience for him."

I said to myself as I watched the death of my Hunter. The two kills he's achieved on his way to his next level will be wiped. He will need to start rebuilding his kill total again. Luckily, he had some, or he would have lost a level.

The Challenger collapsed to his knees, breathing hard. He was pale, and when he looked once more at the body next to him, he turned and began throwing up. His sword was still protruding from the chest of my now deceased Hunter.

As he was voiding the contents of his stomach and coming to terms with killing another, I looked around at the sky. The sun was now well into its setting behind the mountains. The entire graveyard surface area will be shrouded in darkness within a few more minutes.

Harrington had surprised me by using his shadow magic ability in such a way. From the description I read, it seemed only defensive at the moment. It seems to be practising over the winter in his lair. I will need to speak to him on this matter when he is resurrected.

I turned my attention back to the Challenger. He was sitting with his back against the gravestone, looking at the dead body before him. He was in shock, and I took this opportunity to examine him. His coat had saved him from any serious injury, but I could see half a dozen cuts. Neither were bleeding badly; in a few, they had already stopped. If he can collect himself, you can start walking again soon.

He was drinking from a canteen now, and his hands were shaking. He had pulled the canteen out of the satchel that he was still wearing. His lantern had also survived the fight, and it seemed to be a reinforced miner's model.

By the time he had finally got himself together and stood back up, the sun had fully set. It had taken him about ten minutes to collect himself, but now that he was back on his feet, he reached out and gripped the hand of his sword. He pulled the blade, but it was too deep into the chest of my Hunter. From the depth of it, I suspect that the blade in the body might be impaled in the ground below.

The Challenger attempted to withdraw the blade several more times, but it was moving. This forced him to conclude what he needed to do. He placed his boot onto the chest of the corpse and pulled with both hands on the handle. With the sucking sound, the blade withdrew, and this caused another bout of vomiting from the Challenger. He had nothing left in his stomach but the water that would soon be expelled, and he was dry heaving from then on.

It takes about another five minutes to get himself back together again, but he seems to be more confident in his actions now. He looked around, identifying the path. The sky above was quite clear, with a half-moon visible in it. Stepping back onto the path, I got a better view of the area, as the light was weak, supplying some illumination. He reached out and grabbed his lantern, but stopped himself. He was about to light it, I suspected, but that would give away his location.

He slowly put it back as he let go. He looked back the way he came and then to the church spire in the distance. He began walking along the path again, deeper into the maze of the graveyard.

"Not turning back then. Well, at least he's learning."

At first, his steps were hesitant, but then he began walking with more purpose, and he soon returned to a steady pace. His breathing was back under control, but I could see he was still sweating. His shoulders were tense, and he gripped his sword tightly.

I shifted my position slightly higher above him to take a look around at our surroundings. He was at the edge of Harrington's hunting territory now. The path he was taking would lead him into the Spirits. I knew she was going to be up and around as the sun was entirely gone. I can see her just yet, but that doesn't mean anything.

I stayed with him as he walked at this higher elevation. I was more observant of my surroundings than he was at the moment, looking for the telltale, soft, silvery glow. Walking in the moonlight, I now realised how similar it was to the light reflected by the moon. I found it amusing how such things were observed at random times.

I was chuckling to myself a bit more when I noticed the globe ahead of us.

"Showtime."

I shifted back down to the perspective of the Challenger. I knew he would be able to see it just yet, but he would in a few minutes. She was just ahead of him, up around the slight bend in a side pathway.

I kept my attention focused on that area, waiting for him to see her or her to see him. The Challenger was tense and hypervigilant, and this gave him the advantage. He spotted the glow she was producing before she came into view. I noticed him tense up, and I knew he had seen the telltale signs of her appearance.

She came into view a few seconds later, and we observed her in what I referred to as her passive form. She looked lost, innocent, yet also in a daydream as she appeared to be walking. Her clothing was fast, and she seemed to be in what the time deemed her underwear. It was only when you were closer and paying attention that you realised that she had no feet connecting to the ground.

I turned my attention to the Challenger to see how he was reacting to her presence. He was confused but not lustful. It appeared her ability to seduce those who viewed her was not working fully on him. She now changed her angle of approach and was moving towards him, beckoning him closer.

He was near the junction that led to the next circle of the maze. I noticed that he was edging towards it as she moved towards him. I think she was aware that her abilities weren't working on him, but had changed yet. This surprised me; she usually was far more aggressive.

The distance between them was decreasing, and he was moving faster towards the junction while keeping her within his line of sight. He was still deep within her territory, and I wondered if he could get out in time before she rendered him apart.

When he was close enough to the T-junction, he turned and ran as fast as his legs could carry him. This triggered the Hateful Spirit, and she changed with her trademark scream. The chase was on.

The young man was running for his life. The Spirit was hot on his trail, entirely changed, trying to get into range to use her talons. She was closing the distance.

The young man was doing his best to keep moving, and as soon as he reached the second ring of the Dungeon, he began to dodge and weave between obstacles to slow her. He was glancing back often, tracking her approach, and quickly realised that the obstacles he was using to try to slow her down did not slow a non-corporeal being. I could hear him praying between the deep breaths he was taking as he ran.

He changed tack quickly, returning to a path that he used to its best advantage, avoiding obstacles that could slow him down. He ran on with the screaming banshee chasing him. I was pretty confident in calling the Spirit banshee nowadays.

I kept up with him as he moved. The Spirit was closing, and she was almost within striking range. She had lashed out a few times, but they had all missed.

His satchel and lantern will make an awful racket, slapping and bouncing around as he runs. Normally, this would tell everyone where he was, but with the Spirit chasing after him, I could forgive him this small blunder.

She was swiping at him again with her talons. She was missing him by millimetres now as she was right behind him. His occasional glancing back and realising how close she had only spurred him to move faster.

I suspected this was where his death would be.

There was no way that he could get away from her now, as she was so close, and I expected that she would soon render him…

It was as if she had an impact on something that cannot be seen.

Her attacks and the chase were stopped dead.

I looked around quickly, needing to elevate myself and realise that we had just exited the hunting grounds. The Challenger was still running and had not realised that she was no longer in pursuit. Her screaming continued, echoing through the area.

He briefly glanced behind him and realised she was no longer pursuing him, so he slowed down slightly, turning his head more. He confirmed that she was not following, but he didn't stop and kept moving. He did stop for several more minutes, but was looking more behind him as he ran on. He only slowed down and stopped when he was sure she wasn't following, and he nearly collapsed from breathing so hard.

"Well, you are lucky there. You're quite a fast runner."

I looked around where he had stopped. We were in Roberson's hunting ground now. If this Challenger made it beyond him, he would then meet Rigger and get a chance to reach the church.

The Challenger had collapsed to the ground, still gasping for breath.

Harrington had been cocky. The Spirit had not been fast enough. Would this young man survive what was ahead of him?

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.