The Inner Odyssey

Alden watched as a sizable majority of the crows erupted.

The force of the explosion was deceptive - to the naked eye, it seemed like a mundane person could survive it, but Alden knew better. In fact, he would go so far as to say that just one of these self-exploding crows would be enough to cause him a lot of trouble.

Two would require straining himself to an extreme degree, and three would most likely result in his death.

The Holy Knights, however, faced an almost endless swarm of them. And the warriors did not seem like they had given up, fighting with everything they had. Flashes of green, and the frenzied howling of the wind, signified the intensity of their efforts.

In this moment, more than ever, Alden understood just how wide the gulf between an Adept and an Expert was. Moreover, the gap between an Expert and a Master was supposed to be almost double this.

Alden briefly wondered how long it would take for him to climb the ranks.

He hoped it wouldn't take him too long to reach the pinnacle.

…Assuming he survived, of course.

As Morrigan's apprentice, Alden was also now responsible for protecting the inhabitants of the Sanctuary. He would bear more of this burden once he officially became the new Keeper, but it was still imperative that he grew fast enough in order to carry out his duty.

The young man clenched his fist.

Flames of desire stirred in his heart.

'After the Tournament, I need to commit myself fully to reaching the next Rank. If not, then at the very least, I want to make substantial progress in refining my core.'

Maybe… the second part of his Paladin Exam would aid him with that.

In any case, Alden returned his attention back to the fierce bout.

The Holy Knights were struggling to ward off so many explosions, their figures fading in and out of the dark cloud which had formed from the death of so many crows.

The crowd, as well as Alden himself, grew restless the longer the Holy Knights had to endure the devastating attack. Eventually, the flock of crows dissipated, and the Night Ravens assumed their human forms, materialising a fair distance from the stone-like warriors.

The only indication they had been in a dire fight at all was the occasional tear in their dark clothing.

The Holy Knights, meanwhile, were a lot more worse for wear. For the second time during the Tournament, they appeared like they had just ventured into a region rife with Defiled and just barely managed to escape with their lives.

The attack had ruined their armour in several places, shattered runes and cracks littering its dark, stone-like expanse. Soft light spilled out, a sign of their regeneration, but even then, to Alden, it felt like the massive explosion had taken a lot out of the Holy Knights.

The latter regarded their opponents silently, as if viewing them in a new light.

Certainly, Alden admired not only the Night Ravens' capabilities, but also their quick thinking, and their willingness to keep fighting, even in the face of a 'mightier' Guild. The warriors donning the strange, beak-like masks took a moment to catch their breath, before exploding into action once more.

Only, instead of transforming into a vast swarm of crows, their figures completely disappeared.

It was as if they had slipped into their shadows.

Alden's good eye narrowed.

Suddenly, he tensed.

Because just then, the Night Ravens had noiselessly emerged out of the shadow of the Holy Knights, and stabbed them in the back with a blade wreathed in greyish-dark energy. This magical blade pierced the shroud of invisible wind protecting the stone-like warriors, and bit deep into their bodies, drawing a shocked gasp from the crowd.

The Holy Knights writhed, doubtless experiencing great pain.

They also tried to regenerate once the Night Ravens removed the insidious blades, but the remnant energy which lingered in the wound seemed to inhibit that. In response, the wind raged, howling as it raced towards the Night Ravens.

However, the masked warriors vanished before it tore through them.

A moment later, they appeared out of harm's way - on the opposite side, already striking with their shadow blade. This time, the strange weapons tore through the right shoulder of the Holy Knights.

The Holy Knights flinched.

Immediately after, the Night Ravens materialised through another part of their opponent's shadow, and punctured their other shoulder.

Unfortunately for the top-ranked Guild, the Night Ravens were not done yet.

Two more journeys through the shadows, and the Holy Knights staggered, unable to remain upright.

The crowd murmured, a nervous energy proliferating through their ranks.

Would the Holy Knights be eliminated this early in the Tournament?

Alden's expression turned tense, a tightness in his chest mirroring the tension enveloping the whole stadium.

He watched as the Holy Knights fell to their knees. Several members of the crowd cried out, hoping their encouragement could jolt the Holy Knights into action, but it seemed their injuries were too severe.

Very soon, a deafening silence encompassed the Theatre of War, the spectators all in disbelief. Nobody had expected this, and nobody thought the Night Ravens would win. It appeared the masked warriors were just too insidious, even for the Holy Knights.

Each Night Raven stood behind the kneeling form of a Holy Knight. They seemed intent on savouring the despair of the crowd, letting it reach its peak, before plunging their blades through their opponent's midsection.

Alden tensed.

However…

Just then, a wondrous sight occurred.

The figure of the Holy Knights turned vague and formless, as if embodying the wind - green flecks of energy shining subtly in its centre. This resulted in the shadow blades harmlessly slipping through the tenacious warriors, dealing no damage.

In the next moment, the stone-like warriors shuddered - now impaled - as they relinquished control of whatever strange trick they were using. In return, however, three green spikes of wind energy erupted from the Holy Knights.

Alden held his breath.

The crowd did too, as they inspected the fruit of their Champion's efforts with bated breath.

There, standing behind the Holy Knights, the Night Ravens stood motionless like stiff sculptures, frozen in place.

The reason?

The spikes of wind energy hovering inches from their throats.

A massive roar suddenly swept through the crowd.