Every blue moon someone with exceptional abilities are born! Sometimes someone talented in the arts of music, other times in the arts of languages or even trade perhaps, mostly it’s in strength, speed or magic… Warriors…

But every blood moon, a true leader is born someone who can stand their own even when the odds are stacked against them a thousand-to-one!

Who is this blood born, you might ask?

“You should have finished this within the three minutes I gave you girl! Instead you took your time! No you’ll pay for your foolishness with your life!” He howled as the air became heavy, pushing Ave down, unable to hold herself standing, she watched as the man closed in on her, not rushing at all. He pulled back his fist preparing to attack.

“You forget! You won’t be able to breakthrough my defense!” Her absolute confidence though was soon shattered as the man’s fist came bearing down on her, the stone wall that ‘magically’ erected itself, exploding under the king’s power.

“Remember my name in the afterlife girl, Ryker Rodes!” She watched as he readied his first again for the final blow, the unbearable force pushing her down kept her in place…

“White Spirits of the Air I release you!” She spoke shutting her eyes close and a white light from within her traveled to the dagger sparking between her and the beast of man, momentarily blinding him. With the added affect she felt the weight lift off her and she rolled out of arms way, Ryker never having slowed down in his attack, regardless of his blurring white vision.

She scattered back to her feet and back stepping as she witnessed the man following her movement.

“I can still see your shadowed movements! And I can hear you just as clearly! Your heart racing with every cowering breath!

“I’m not scared!” She yelled out, her breathing was heavy and her body felt numbed.

“Oh? Sure about that? Cause I could hear the quivering in your voice just now!”

“That’s from excitement!” She grinned, but there was nothing she could do to win, she knew that now… She really was a fool for thinking she could beat a ‘king’. This man… Her mother had been the strongest person she had ever known, able to beat Adventurers that came to learn some magic from her. Even against an Adventurer that was using the new ranking system, the second tier in the gold leagues… That was an equivalent to a normal Adventurer ranked 32…

How could a normal ranker, ranked thirteen, be this powerful?

“Then I’ll allow you to prepare one last attempt to prove your worth!” Ryker… He was enjoying her squirming!

“Sure! I like chances!” She pulled off her right hand’s glove, taking an arrow she dug into her palm, cutting it. Undoing the clasp of her cloak she allowed it to fall to the ground. Taking her bag of her back that was hidden under the cloak she pulled out the red magic artificer. An idea forming in her mind, this was her last chance. Lucky to have this man give her a chance to prepare she took it; she was naïve when she thought so little of her opponent, but not again!

“Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me…” She scolded herself.

“It’s her…” The betting men recognized her instantly.

“I can’t use magic, but my blood is magic enough!” She told the man, surprising him. Holding the artificer in her bleeding hand she focused, like her mother had taught her… Why hadn’t she thought about this before?

“The elements… Fire & Earth, Wind and Water! Che sha kno ba mi ri ha lo! Hem shim lore lha! Shorim khil ha ro cha hgim!” She shouted out her spell, the words fading into thin air, unable to be heard by anyone other than her; to her, it echoed like a little bell ringing in her ears.

“Impressive!” Ryker said taking pleasure in her futile attempt, the air around them howled dancing like a savage beast around in the arena, the ground trembled and the from the sky lighting roared.

“But at this rate you’ll kill yourself before I can get the chance! You’ve already lost control of the spell!” He shouted over the chaotic noise around them. Lowering himself to the ground, he readied to sprint up to her, spite the dangerous ominous black tentacles that danced by her feet.

As if teleported he stood behind her and with his hand he hit her hard in the nape. Her eyes glazed over as the life left them, her arms dropped to her side, the artificer tumbling to the ground. Her knees buckled in below her and he caught her just as she started to fall.

“And it’s your win I guess…”

“Pass!” He called out, surprising everyone.

“And all you’re the bets you made belong to me!” He roared.

The man that had listed everyone’s bets started collecting, some complained that Ryker was getting their coins… When did he make a wager?

“He’s the one that set up the bets!” The collector cackled.

“So how much did we make?” Ryker asked the collector as soon as the scrawny man entered Ryker’s office.

“Over two hundred gold coins, not including her.”

“Leave her be, she would have won, had I not knocked her out when I did, won and destroyed the entire city! That witch… What kind of monster did she give birth to?” Ryker’s curiosity sparked.