A powerful screech like that of a massive bird shattered the otherwise quiet atmosphere. Alanna gripped her spear tightly as she approached what appeared to be a massive closed portcullis with a demonic looking prehistoric ostrich. That was the only way Alanna could describe the thing she was seeing. It stood at least 220 centimeters and weighed 226kg and had a mottled appearance on grey feathers that covered its body. The eyes were uniform in the color of blood red and its beak jutted out 46cm from its head before curving downward in a sharp tip. Its legs were digitigrade ending in 3 toed taloned claws that looked like large hawksbill daggers. She stared in wonder and a bit of terror at the massive beast before it broke into a sprint and moved at her with incredible speed.
Alanna jumped to the side but her movements were slowed by her inability to process what she was seeing. The creature had lowered its head to ram the druidess and was partially successful. Alanna's leap to the side saved her from a crushing impact but the glancing blow was enough to spin her around and fling her off to the side. She hit the ground hard but rolled a bit to bleed off the excess momentum. She used what remained of it to spin back to her feet and acting instinctually thrust out hard with her spear.
The bladed edge sunk into flesh and a terrible scream sounded even as the impact send vibrations down through the shaft and down her arms. She retracted the spear and jumped to the side as her mind and vision caught up to the action. Her spear had sunk deep into the right side of the bird but given its enraged state she was not sure it did a while lot. She also felt pain in her body as well as a strain in her back where she had rolled over the pack she had been wearing. It was too late to take it off and prepare herself for combat so she left it on and tried to adjust her balance appropriately.
The bird screeched out its rage and kicked its massive dagger like feet at Alanna who deflected it with the spear from a high guard then circled the spear head back in place and thrust it forward again. This time the bird jumped back and tried to take a bite out of the spear when it grazed its chest. It managed to turn its head and catch the spearhead as Alanna attempted to retract the strike and return to guard. It was an impressive feat of spinal agility but it realized it made a mistake when the spine of the spear head tore a groove it its tongue and caused it yet another injury.
Still, the move pulled the spear out of guard causing Alanna to be slightly off balance when the creatures taloned foot came up with a kick. The druidess ripped the spear back as she rolled back over her shoulder to come back to her feet. She had been fast enough to avoid most of the damage from the kick but a taloned claw managed to scratch her stomach and rip one of her few remaining shirts. She groaned at the loss of another of her comfortable items and let the irritation fuel her desire to kill the overgrown chicken.
The terror bird was bleeding fairly badly from a deep puncture in its chest yet the rage it held kept it from fleeing. It charged forward once more with as much speed as its exhausted and wounded body could manage but compared to its first charge it seemed slow. Alanna easily stepped to the side and thrust with precision and power into the meat of the chest. She felt the spear impact and crack bone then she hit something vital because the bird staggered a few steps after she quickly removed the spear. It let out a weak squawk then collapsed in death.
Alanna began to breathe deeply to flood her body with oxygen and slow her heart rate. The fight was not overly difficult from a perspective based on skill, but the danger was real and the beast, while predictable, was also stronger and faster then she would have expected. She had some minor internal bleeding from the initial impact and a slight pain in her back but the scratch along her abdomen was the worst. She did not bother healing it though as she was afraid to use her mana without dire need given it would not recover in this mist. She finally dropped the pack and removed a cloth that she used to wrap the injury on her abdomen. She managed to get it wrapped around her waist when the massive terror bird dissipated into mist and the large portcullis it stood before slowly raised. The opening of this gate was punctuated by a loud resonant echoing sound like that of a gong. Alanna checked her bandage then picked up her pack and spear and started toward the gate.
When she passed the gate the entire thing dissipated into nothingness and what was left behind was a thicker fog that slowly moved away toward the town. She looked forward toward the keep on the hill and saw another curtain wall with a gate and 4 somewhat spectral looking guardians with swords planted into the ground in front of it. "So, are these guardians my trial?" Alanna muttered. She tried to recall what Scáthach had mentioned about what she would face but there seemed to be a slight discrepancy. That giant dino-ostrich was not a plover. She worried at what the differences would mean even as she closed the distance with the 4 sword wielders.
"So, how do I fight 4 people at once?" Alanna asked herself. She dropped her pack but and carefully crossed the last few meters by shuffling forward in guard. The swordsmen reacted to her by raising their weapons and moving to surround her in a staggered V shape with the two trailing to the left side and one to the right of the swordsman that had been second from her right. She knew that would be a terrible position to be in so she rushed to the left causing them to turn slightly then rounded their formation with a quick juking step to the right. She brought up her spear from low guard and circled the head to deflect any attacks of opportunity as she skirted past them and backed closer toward the wall but kept backing down the right side so that she kept an escape path open. It was difficult to maneuver this way but she did not want to put her back to close to the wall given the length of her weapon and how she would have to wield it if any closed with her.
After a few exchanges with the four who were coming in from multiple angles, Alanna relaxed slightly. They were trained with their weapons and their teamwork was very good but they were far slower and physically weaker than she was. Their attacks barely moved her weapon out of place and their slower speed with both attacks and footwork allowed her to keep a distance. She was happy to note that their forms were still physical based on the impacts she felt. She struck out several times but they were always there to take advantage of their numbers by baiting attacks and collapsing their perimeter. She had not had a clear opportunity to make decisive strikes and had been probing at their defenses.
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There was a pattern to their actions that Alanna was able to recognize after a few minutes. The swordsman at the center was the anchor and the way he attacked and from what guard position he attacked indicated where the other's would follow up. Overhead strikes from a hanging guard would have the left pair trying to pierce her with thrusts while the right would commit to an underhaw strike. The center warrior's sword would defend the vulnerable side when they attempted the stabbing motion so long as Alanna did not push it out of position. Which she started doing when she understood their tactics.
Instead of parrying the next attack she moved slightly to the left She feinted a thrust forward toward the second from the left causing the warrior to step back and pull his weapon. Alanna quickly pulled back and pushed the center warrior's return strike back down with the shaft of the spear then kicked out with her foot into the side of the man's knee. The impact was solid even thought the swordsman was somewhat spectral and her superior strength showed itself when the joint hyperextended and broke. The man's face took on an agonized silent scream and he fell to the side putting the furthest to the right out of position from the others.
Alanna punished the slip with several quick thrusts into the left pair. Most were parried, deflected, or outright blocked by the two frantically working together yet her speed and precision could not be denied and they took several shallow stabs to their extremities. This slowed them significantly, but she was unable to remove them from the melee before the non injured third rejoined the combat.
However, the damage to their coordination and the accumulated injuries proved to be their undoing. Yet, even so they did not go easily and had one more trick to play. The uninjured one moving more quickly than the others moved out of position allowing Alanna to circle to the right while deflecting an overhand slash started from left high guard. She nudged the slash back tow the left then slashed bringing the leaf side of the spear head back to the right across its now open neck. The semi-transparent being dropped its weapon and collapsed along side it while its head rolled away. However, the being collapsed into mist that separated into three parts and entered the other combatants. Even though all three were injured their speed and strength seemed to increase.
After several more seconds she managed to kill them but she took a small scratch to her arm when the swordsman with the broken leg managed to hop back into the fight. Fortunately, his strike had little power or precision and after a step back she pierced his chest causing his essence to be divided into the other two which became faster and stronger. Still their injuries prevented them from putting up much of a fight and she managed to kill both quickly.
Alanna caught her breath and walked slowly back to where she dropped her pack. She had traveled quite a ways down the wall during the fight which surprised her when it took a few minutes to get back to her belongings. She pulled a small canteen from the pack and sipped at it before cleansing and wrapping the scratch on her arm. She was in a bit more pain but her concerns over mana held her back from casting her regeneration spell. She was also concerned about the additional trials. This had been much more difficult compared to the overgrown chicken and there were at least 5 more trials from what she understood.
She stretched out then picked up her pack and walked through the now open gate. The gate, like the previous, disappeared upon her passing through the threshold and Alanna's shoulders slumped when she saw the 5 figures holding spears in front of the next gate some 50 meters away. She knew she would have to use some of her magic this time as she was no where near proficient enough to defeat them all given that she no longer held a reach advantage. She wished, and not for the first time, she had brought a ranged weapon of some sort. Of course she had no idea how to use one but that mattered little to her in the midst of complaining.
Alanna wasted little time and summoned forth her pitcher plant wild growth as she sprinted toward the spearmen who to her relief moved forward to meet her allowing the wild growth spell to grow behind them. She threw her spear into the center most opponent and shifted into her wild shape as it sped across the remaining few meters and blasted through the man's chest and coming out the other side. Her speed increased as she fell forward on all fours and darted around the spears being thrust toward her. She leapt onto another spearman as the pitcher plant grappled the two trailing men hindering their strikes. Her teeth and claws savaged the man she leapt upon even as the impaled man dissipated and his essence flowed into the others strengthening them. The one she was clawing and biting succumb soon after and she fell from his standing corpse as it too dissipated.
As Alanna fell she felt an impact into her flank and a sharp pain in her rear leg. She let out a yowl of pain and swiped a massive paw into the spear embedded into her snapping the shaft and causing her to cry out in pain as the spear head ripped its way out. She ignored the pain and ran at the now weaponless man and ended him with brutal savagery until another sting impacted her thick hide. She jumped back as the man she killed dissipated and found herself facing another spear wielder. She scanned the battle field and saw that her plant had managed to completely entangle a spearman leaving her with a one on one battle. She roared out her pain and anger and swatted at the spear that was sending probing strikes to test her mobility. Alanna feinted a stagger as she swiped at the spear causing her to seemingly stumble out of a protected position causing the spearman to leap forward and thrust.
The saber tooth tiger leapt to the side and swiped her razor sharp claws down the exposed arm ripping it and the spear from the man's body. She took the opportunity presented and leapt upon the man driving him to the ground. One bite later and another head rolled then dissipated into the last man who was wrapped completely in the rope like stems of the plant that was trying unsuccessfully to eat him. Alanna limped toward the man's head and swung her massive claws down. She wined in pain and cast her regeneration spell and lay down next to the plant to allow it time to heal her battered body.
