The Test (Part 2)

'What have I gotten myself into?' was Kai's only thought as he dashed through the mess of branches and leaves.

Stumbling through the dense forest, Kai cursed under his breath. Iris- the crazy guild master expected him to be able to fight her and win. Otherwise, he would not be allowed to take on the mission that allowed him an audience with the king. He still did not exactly know what the mission was even about, but if he wanted the king's help, he'd need to win... and that meant defeating Iris.

"You can run, but you know you can't hide!" Iris's high-pitched voice echoed after him.

Whipping his head back for a quick glance, he caught a glimpse of the guild master's vibrant dress trailing after him in the distance.

Narrowing his eyes, Kai kept running. To where? Even he didn't know yet. As of the moment, his only goal was to get as far away as he possibly could and form some sort of plan if he wanted any hope of being able to beat Iris at her own game.

Pushing his way through the vines, Kai noticed a fallen tree up ahead. As it was thick and shady, the space shadowed by the trunk was the perfect spot to hide under as he bought some time to pull together a plan.

As he neared the trunk, he quickly slid over it, stumbling a bit as he went. Kai quickly dashed under the cover of the trunk, the dead leaves scattered over the ground providing him enough undergrowth to camouflage himself in.

'Alright, calm down and think Kai,' he thought to himself, trying to control his breathing- which was at the moment, fairly ragged from the running.

"What are my options?" he took a deep breath, focusing on the moment. "I can keep running, or face her... neither option seems to be optimal. If I kept running, it'd simply be a matter of time until she finds me, or until I grow too tired to keep going. If I fought her, I'd inevitably lose, and possibly get badly injured..."

He closed his eyes, furrowing his brows in thought.

"Come out come out wherever you are!" Iris's voice boomed. From the sound of it, she didn't seem to be too far, but also not too close... maybe roughly 60 feet away? Well, in any case, all that mattered was finding a way to trap Iris with a plan.

'Trap.'

"Hold on... maybe I don't need to choose whether to run or fight. What if I could do both at the same time?" Kai murmured to himself, biting his thumb.

A split second later, a faint smile flitted across his face as he came across a realization. He could use his environment to his advantage if only he acted fast and carefully enough. That's right... he had a chance at winning against his impossible opponent.

Slipping quickly and quietly from the shade of the fallen trunk, Kai carefully crept farther and farther away from Iris, managing to maintain a decent distance between him and the guild master. When she was no longer anywhere in sight, Kai got to work.

He patted the ground, searching for a spot with soft soil without any roots blocking the way.

"Here." He whispered in triumph; finding a little section of the earth, soft enough to smoothly dig his hands into the ground. He knew he didn't have much time to formulate an elaborate or very deep trap, so Kai was only able to dig a reasonably medium-sized hole with the dagger, around 12 inches deep. It wasn't very large but it would definitely be useful in distracting Iris for a moment if she managed to step into it.

When he had finished digging, he quickly spread the lump of dug-up dirt, smoothly around the hole, then covered the gap with dead leaves and thin sticks. Kai took a step back, admiring his work. The hole was camouflaged so well, that even Iris wouldn't be able to tell it was there.

However, that would only be the first part of his plan. The second part involved his agility and strength. Once Iris was distracted by the hole for a moment, he would take the opportunity to jump from behind, blending in with the cover of the forest, and bring the dagger to her neck while he was still in her blind spot.

If that didn't work...

It will.

That's what Kai told himself at least.

Kai took a step back from his trap and scanned the area for any sign of the umbrella-wielding monster- otherwise known as the guild master. To Kai's luck, he didn't need to search for very long before he found her. Well, heard, rather than saw.

"AGH! Why are there so many BUGS everywhere?!"

Iris's voice boomed through the forest. Holding back a sigh, Kai wiped the sweat off his brow and crept towards the direction of her voice. She was still making a racket when Kai carefully stepped out from the cover of lichen and leaves.

"It's a forest, you know. What did you expect?" Kai called to her.

Hearing the sound of his voice, Iris turned sharply to face him. Her umbrella was closed- probably to keep from knocking into branches and forest material constantly. Iris held the umbrella behind her back with both her hands, smiling pleasantly at him.

"What happened to 'running for your life?'" She smirked.

Kai looked to the side, trying to seem inconspicuous and uninterested. "I just figured it's easier to just get this over with. Confronting you just seems like it'd go a lot quicker."

Iris narrowed her eyes for a split second, her gaze piercing into him like needles. It only lasted a moment, as her eyes changed to a playful expression. "I see... and you suddenly think you can beat me in a duel?"

"Why don't you find out?"

Kai slipped back into the cover of the forest, carefully leading her towards the place where his trap lay in wait.

With Iris jumping through the fallen tree logs and branches, she looked like a snake weaving through the undergrowth steadily hunting down her prey- which was in this case, him. Speeding through the forest, the world around him seemed to blur, melting into a single canvas of green. Kai took a quick glance behind him, only to find the grinning face of Iris, staring at him through the leaves only a few feet away. Keeping her eyes locked on Kai, she suddenly picked up her speed, lunging at him.

"I've been awfully bored, with you running and hiding like a mouse! This is a duel, is it not?" Iris's giggle boomed behind him.

Kai could see the trap just up ahead. In just 10 seconds or so, Iris should stumble into it- providing him an opening.

The only problem would be if Iris were to stop following him and end the battle there.

"Where are you running, Kai?" Iris smiled, holding her still-closed umbrella out behind her like a sword.

Kai ignored her, continuing to run. He could feel himself running out of breath, with each step becoming heavier and heavier. However, the slight falter in his steps was a sign of weakness. It was a beacon for Iris to pounce on- and she did.

He felt something sharp suddenly hit his back with a force like a truck. The air seemed to have been blown right out of him, and he tumbled to the ground, rolling away from the trap. The umbrella. That's what hit him. He could see Iris with her hand outstretched, gazing teasingly down at him. Her eyes seemed to glint with mischief, as she reclaimed her umbrella.

Kai stood up quickly, not bothering to brush off the bits of dirt caught on his shirt. He kept his eyes on the guild-master, trying to measure the distance between her and the trap with each step she took. She was so close. One step to the left, and she'd be caught for a moment.

A wrong move. That was the only shot he had at beating her. It was such a pathetic realization that almost made him laugh. Yet before he could even move, he felt the impact of something hit him again. Kai spun around, expecting Iris' vibrant purple eyes to stare back at him. Instead, he saw the glimpse of the familiar outstretched umbrella, before it folded back into a neat little rod.

The boy clutched his head, reorienting himself after the blow. Slipping the dagger from his pocket, Kai concealed it in his sleeve and lunged towards Iris. She turned smoothly, dodging his attack as if it were nothing more than a flimsy piece of paper. Raising her umbrella once more, she struck Kai with its canopy, causing him to be pushed back by the force.

"You look as if you're not even trying to avoid my attacks." Iris pouted, crossing her arms at her sides mockingly.

Kai spat on the dead leaf next to him, ignoring Rin's taunt. She struck him again, harder this time.

"You really ought to show your guild master some respect, you know."

Kai only smirked in response. The guild-master made a 'tsk' sound, looking down at Kai in disapproval. Without warning, she sent a barrage of attacks, hitting Kai squarely in the face each time. On the fifth blow, Kai rolled low to the ground, revealing the hidden dagger. He knew that he wouldn't be able to strike her if he ran at her because he'd be too slow, so if he wanted it to reach her, that just meant that he'd need to put all his strength into throwing it right at her.

He threw the dagger smoothly, aiming at Iris's unprotected stomach. The dagger whisked through the air, straight towards her. To Kai's disappointment, however, Iris noticed the dagger just in time and smacked it away with the wooden end of her umbrella. Before he could realize what had happened, she followed up with a quick jab to his chest with the wooden handle of the umbrella. Kai crumpled backward in pain, clutching his chest.

She stared down at Kai, unimpressed.

"Was that seriously your attempt at an attack? You're going to need to try harder than that to beat me."

She raised her weapon again, striking Kai with the open part of her umbrella. He was bombarded by so many attacks, that all he could see was the opening and closing of the umbrella face, each flash indicating a new strike of pain for Kai. With no weapon and no shield, he knew that he was clearly fighting a losing battle. Plus his lack of combat experience on top of that, he was utterly beaten. He was a punching bag for a little girl.

At least, that's what Kai wanted her to think.

During her flurry of attacks, Kai noticed something. After every nine strikes with the canopy of her umbrella, the tenth was always switched to strike him with the wooden side of the handle. It seemed as though she was following some sort of strict rhythm of fighting. He had proven this by testing it with the dagger. When he had thrown the dagger towards her, she could have easily blocked it by simply directing the umbrella's canopy to swat it away... and yet, she knocked it aside with its wooden end.

Of course, it was only a theory after it had happened, but after counting the strikes in her flurry of attacks, he had realized that there was in fact a pattern to her technique.

That simple detail would be her downfall.

Iris seemed to revel in beating up Kai, with each blow becoming swifter and harsher than the last.

"Are you just going to sit there and let me win?" Iris prodded.

Kai closed his eyes, refusing to be provoked by her. This was simply a game of endurance.

'Four... Five...Six...' Kai counted to himself, tuning out the pain.

"Do you really expect to pass this test if you don't even try?" Iris's voice echoed through his head.

'Seven... Eight... Nine...'

"Who's going to save your sister now?"

At this, Kai opened his eyes. There was blood running down his head, obscuring his eyes with red. However, at the moment, the only thing in his vision was sheer determination.

Iris seemed to have noticed this slight change, but before she could react, Kai suddenly yelled at the top of his lungs, directing the unexpected blast of noise right at her. For a moment, even the trees shook with the vibration.

Iris, disoriented, took a step backward- right into where the trap lay in wait. She let out a quick little gasp, as her leg fell into the little ditch. She was still recovering from Kai's sudden shout, rendering her confused for a moment when her foot gave way into the ground. This gave Kai the perfect opportunity to turn the tides of the "duel."

Not missing a beat, Kai swiftly ran up to Iris, taking the wooden handle of the umbrella in his hands- which she had just so conveniently switched on the tenth blow for him. He twisted the handle smoothly, creating a gentle 'pop' sound. Iris, upon hearing the familiar sound, regained her senses and yanked her umbrella away from Kai, sharply pulling away from him.

However, it was too late.

The cleverly concealed weapon in the umbrella revealed itself, as it slid out of the umbrella handle. The golden tip of the sword gleamed under the reflected sunlight penetrating through the treetops, causing the blade to shine as though it were some sort of dazzling gemstone. The sword grip and guard were both silver, lined with a glistening golden rim. There was also a scarlet ribbon tied around the sword grip, matching the dark red cloak Iris wore. The sword was beautiful. Carefully crafted- yet at the same time, just as deadly as it was intricate.

Kai admired the magnificently crafted weapon once more, then brought his eyes onto Iris. She stood a few feet away, studying him carefully.

"You don't know how to use that, do you?" She smirked.

"That's a good question..." Kai paused for a moment. "Well, only one way to find out."

Kai stabbed the sword forwards, and its blade seemed to slice through the air. The silver and gold weapon was lighter than he expected. Iris, although weaponless, was not weak. She reclaimed the umbrella part of the weapon which was still laying on the ground, and pushed it open, using it as the shield it was meant to be.

The two duelists stared at each other in a moment of shared silence before lunging at each other, sword against shield.

However, there was one fundamental difference between the two fighters that decided the fate of the duel from the very start.

Kai had something to fight for, and that made him strong.

In a matter of mere minutes, Kai had knocked Iris off her feet by striking the shield with such a force that even she couldn't have stood against- especially with her petite build. While she was recovering from the recoil of the blow, Kai kicked the umbrella shield away from her, rendering her weaponless, shieldless, and more or less defeated.

Kai pointed the golden tip of the sword towards Iris's neck and stared down at her disdainfully the way she had done to him. Iris simply smiled and lay on her back.

"Looks like you got me, huh?"

Kai gave no response and simply held the sword to her neck.

"All right, all right, Mr. Serious, "Iris sighed, "I surrender."

And with that, Kai lowered the sword, returning it to Iris. She gave him a faint nod and took the weapon from him. Kai had not even taken a step back when he felt the smooth blade of the sword against his skin.

"Your strategy was good, I'll give you that," Iris hissed into Kai's ear, "But if you ever take my umbrella from me again, I'll kill you."

Iris lowered her sword and resheathed it inside the umbrella handle. The gleaming gold-tipped sword was concealed once more, like a deadly snake waiting for the right moment to strike its prey. Kai smiled with contempt, turning to face her. He bowed mockingly at Iris, holding his arms to his sides in a grandiose manner.

"Of course, guild-master."

Iris pursed her lips into a tight smile, acknowledging his mockery. "Now that you've passed my test, I will disclose all the information regarding the king's quest to you tomorrow morning." She paused for a moment, before continuing, "you've proven yourself strong and capable of taking on the assigned mission. Congratulations, Kai."

Kai lifted his chin in pride, but his moment of happiness did not last long. He needed to find Rin, and he needed to find her fast. Yet despite his worries, he knew that Rin was strong. She would undoubtedly survive until he found her.

"You asked me earlier who was going to save my sister," Kai said.

Looking straight into Iris's deep, lavender-tinted eyes, Kai felt himself burn with determination.

"I am."