When Night Meets Might

Frieda Haraldsdottir, a daughter of a Huldian noble. In Huldian culture, both males and females are equal in a household and equal in war, but the higher class of Huldians view daughters and women as no more than a political bargaining piece.

This was the soon-to-be fate of Frieda. At the age of fifteen, she would be married off to one of the higher nobles to increase her family's strength. As she looked out of the window of her soon-to-be husband's castle, she wondered if there was anything more out of the walls she had always been behind her entire life.

But that's when she saw them, three thieves who entered the castle. Initially, she was going to call the guards, but she instead sparked up a conversation with one of the thieves. He sounded so bright for someone who looked so shady, and something about them felt so free to her.

Then, from her mouth, something slipped out, "Could you… perhaps take me with you?" She remarked, earning a surprised look from herself and the thief, "Oh excuse me I let my tong-"

"Sure thing, but maybe not today, we're busy, how about tomorrow?" The thief suggested, taking Frieda back. But her slight surprise turned into sadness as she knew what was going to happen tomorrow.

"Please do," she begged, even though she didn't expect anything.

The sun rose for tomorrow as Frieda walked down the long stone hallway to become a wife. Her soon-to-be husband, a man twice her age stared with boredom on his face; this was Frieda's life from now on, and she could do nothing about it.

"FLAME SHOT!!" But suddenly the roof fell onto the crowd below, as Frieda looked upon three figures. But the one who got her attention the most was the boy with purple hair, his eyes burning with determination and his smile contagious, "It was a bit hard to find out who you were, so I'm sorry for being late." The boy reached out his hand towards Frieda as the light finally entered her world, "Time to make decisions yourself, Frieda."

Years later, the once sheltered noble Frieda Haraldsdottir, had now become a strong and respected warrior. But now, she faced her most important battle, one with a Zanian archer that pushed her to the brink in their earlier fight.

After finding their own battle spot, Frieda and Leena stood silently, waiting for the other one to make a move. As the tension rose, Frieda felt her sweat descending down her face as the rain started to fall.

In an instant, the sound of rushing winds and thunder echoed through the entire battlefield as Frieda's concentration was broken for just a moment, but it was a moment Leena took full advantage of.

Firing her bow, Leena shot an arrow infused with mana at Frieda. The Huldian was too late to defend herself as the arrow slipped through the cracks of her armor and dug itself into her skin.

Leena reached out her hand as she mimicked grabbing something and twisting it, "SHOCK!!" Electricity burst inside Frieda's body as Leena prepared to shoot another arrow. But as she lifted her bow, Frieda's blade came barreling towards her.

It hit her shoulder, producing only a small cut due to her armor, but the impact sent her back a bit. Frieda walked through the pain as she charged with her shield in front of her.

She quickly got near Leena as she swung her shield. Leena knew if she were to get hit it would've dealt more damage than her blade swing; so she decided to play defense as she dodged the attack.

But as Frieda swung, she picked up her blade and put her shield to her back. She began to two-hand her blade as she put the pressure on Leena. But the elven archer simply dodged and weaved most of the warrior's attacks.

Yet, Leena could not counter as much as in their first fight, because of Frieda's new stance, she couldn't target the back, and she was being hit with an unending barrage of attacks.

But as Frieda landed a kick on Leena's stomach to temporarily stun her, she charged up an attack to capitalize on it. But Leena managed to recover quickly, stepping back from the attack as she lined the ground in front of her with her hand, "Rolling Thunder."

The ground in front of the archer began to surge with lightning as she pulled back her bow. Leena shot ten arrows in rapid succession, while Frieda managed to get her shield just in time.

But still, in her guarded stance, Frieda lifted her foot with mana surging towards it, "RUMBLE!!" And with a stomp on the ground, she produced an earthquake that disorientated Leena.

The warrior threw her blade again, hitting the archer square on the chest, taking all the air out of her. As she ran towards Leena, she put Channeling onto her shield as she slid on it to get through Leena's Rolling Thunder.

Frieda mimicked her earlier attack, as she lifted her shield to hit Leena with it, hoping to continue the fight with her momentum. But Leena did something that surprised Frieda, she moved ever so slightly, as the shield hit her face.

Leena twisted with the strength of the hit, but wasn't knocked out due to her positioning. As she twisted back towards Frieda, the warrior saw her pulling back her bow, blood pouring beyond her mask.

"Bellowing Cry," Leena released her bow, firing a roaring shot that hit Frieda on the chest. Its thunder surged inside Frieda, and its strength caused her to be shot back a big distance.

As she got up, Frieda lifted her shield as fifteen arrows met it. Blood poured from her mouth as she was overwhelmed. "S-she wasn't this fast at firing arrows before."

Leena continued her barrage of storming shots, they were increasing with weight as she shot at Frieda's shield. But as she was still shooting, a pillar of stone shot below her, yet her Perception managed to detect it on time.

Leena took a step back as more and more stones came up; and soon, their battlefield was filled with pillars. But as Leena pulled her bow back, she realized what Frieda was intending.

The elven archer ducked as a sword swing almost took off her head, and dodged another as it almost pierced her. But when Leena shot at Frieda to counter, the Huldian warrior stepped behind one of the pillars, completely blocking herself from Leena's arrows.

The elf scoffed in annoyance, but there was no time for that, for her mana suddenly surged. Leena quickly ducked as a wide swing cut through four stone pillars. Frieda, with a blade covered with sharp rocks, swung vertically at the archer.

Her Kutha was so strong it sent out a powerful slice that extended for another five meters, cutting and shattering the pillars, and making the earth shake around them in a fifteen-meter radius.

Leena knew if she had gotten hit by that shot, even with her armor and channeling, she would've been cut in half. But she quickly suppressed the thought as she readied her bow, shooting five mana-infused arrows in under a second.

It all connected as she reached her hand out to use shock. But as she did, her body was hit by a massive shield, instantly stunning her and causing her to be sent flying a considerable distance.

But time suddenly slowed down for her, as words entered her mind, "A Princess of the Order of Night will battle even when unconscious Leenamille, do not disappoint me again." Though not knowing the world at the very moment, as she hit the ground hard, Leena reached out her hand.

"Shock." The mana inside Frieda erupted with lightning she had never felt before, it burnt her from the inside, causing her body to surge out blood from everywhere, her eyes, ears, mouth, and even nails.

As Leena rose from her temporary stun, she remembered the words Artefus had told her, "Leena, I'm sure your family has implanted battle instincts into your very being that have become second nature, use them to the fullest, and believe in them. Though strong champions that use the bow are rare, there are a few I have encountered, and all of them use this specific magic art, yet, it is a very costly one, so do not overuse it."

As the still-smoking Frieda was starting to recover, she suddenly saw Leena running towards her. Quickly she prepared her blade and put her shield at her back as she swung the second Leena got in range.

But as she did, the elf, ducked under it, as she slid on the wet grass, her bow pulled back. Leena located her target as she released her bow. Frieda's mana surged with danger as she listened to it, moving her leg slightly.

The arrow passed through her armor and to her thigh, causing her to limp, but due to her moving it, the arrow didn't hit a nerve that would've paralyzed her leg completely. As Leena got behind Frieda, she pulled her bow back again, now with three arrows ready.

Sensing danger, Frieda moved back suddenly, intending to crush Leena between one of the pillars. But in the nick of time, the elf moved out of the way, her bow now pointed at Frieda.

But it seemed like the warrior had predicted this, as she had already equipped her shield to block the shots. But even with a shield in front of her, Leena fired her shots.

Frieda wondered what she intended to happen, but as the arrows pierced the cracks of her armor behind her back, she found out. Leena's arrows moved and curved to hit Frieda's exposed back. But even with the hit, Frieda bashed her shield at Leena, causing the archer to take heavy damage.

But as she went on to swing her blade, she couldn't hit Leena with full force, for the arrows had hit a nerve. But Leena was also confused, "Why can she still move her arms?" She wondered.

As Leena stepped back, Frieda removed the arrows from her back, if it wasn't for her tough muscles and armor padding, she knew she would've lost. As the warrior took a step, the hit from her knee caused her unbearable amounts of pain.

As Leena prepared another arrow, she felt the exhaustion coming in. Artefus had warned her about the effects of the Magic Art Redirection, but she couldn't imagine just how strong it was. But as she turned to her wounded prey, she knew it would be over soon.

But then a blade almost cut off her head as Frieda, grunting in pain, pursued Leena. The elf archer could not believe what she was seeing, but she knew she wouldn't allow herself to lose.

For the next few minutes, the two battled in a dance of struggle, with Frieda's back being like a pincushion of a sewer. And Leena's mask being filled with blood she had to take it off.

But their duel ended in a crescendo of violence and mastery.

As Leena fired another Redirected arrow, Frieda simply just tried to walk through it. But as the arrow pierced her jaw, she summoned all she could to not faint of the pain.

With a bash of her shield, Leena was sent back, crushing a few of her ribs. But the elven archer wasn't finished, for she immediately fired a mighty shot as she tumbled on the ground.

"BELLOWING CRY!!" She cast, sending an arrow that ripped through the air towards Frieda.

The warrior knew she couldn't dodge the shot, it was too close. So with all her might, she put her shield in front of her, as she Channelled it with most of her remaining mana.

The arrow hit the shield, with its power temporarily stopping Frieda. But as the warrior pressed on, her force along with the arrow's, broke her shield and the arrow.

Only a blade now with her, she intended to finish the fight as she charged for the last time, "FIGHT!! OR DIE!!" She yelled as Leena stood ready to end it. Frieda entered with a pierce towards Leena's body.

But the elf was too fast as she dodged to Frieda's side. But suddenly, without the presence of her shield, Frieda grabbed Leena's face, slamming it onto the hard ground. Leena coughed up blood as she heard something crack. But her body reacted first than her mind as she barely rolled away from Frieda's ground strike.

Crawling back, Leena pulled her bow as Frieda prepared to stab her. Leena shot first, her arrow piercing through Frieda's left eye, but it didn't go far enough to hit her brain, so Frieda continued her stab.

The blade went two inches inside Leena's right chest area, with her distance and Frieda's inaccuracy saving her from being hit in a vital area. But Frieda wasn't done yet, as she swung her blade, producing a long scar from Leena's chest all the way to her arm, with it hitting a nerve, Leena's arm went limp.

But the archer wasn't done yet, grabbing an arrow, using her feet and elbow, she exploded from her exposed position. She intended to drive the arrow into Frieda's neck, but as Frieda moved from reaction, it went instead into her shoulder.

Frieda merely grunted as she prepared her blade. Leena, using her legs, bounced off of Frieda, but the warrior's blade caught Leena's legs; due to her vision, Frieda didn't get a straight swing, causing her to break Leena's legs instead of cutting them.

But as Leena hit the ground hard, she reached her hand out, earning a look of fear from Frieda, "SHOCK!!!" She exclaimed, as the arrow lodged into Frieda's shoulder burst with electricity, stunning her.

The warrior was at the end of her road, but still, she decided to pick up her blade, as she knew victory was just up ahead. But then she saw her, Leena, with an arm paralyzed, bleeding, and unable to walk; yet still had a bow with an arrow, being held by her remaining arm and the string being pulled back with her mouth, "BELLOWING CRY!!!" She murmured as the shot howled out.

Frieda looked unto the bursting blue and purple, as a tear went down her face, "I don't want to die." The arrow hit her chest, and without her shield, and low on mana, she took the entire force of the attack.

It sent her flying back to the stone pillars, its force causing her to go through five before she stopped. As Leena looked on, her eyes tired and her body pouring with blood, she saw the body of Frieda, with an arrow piercing her armor, and her head, falling limp.

In the battle of Leena and Frieda, the elven archer Leena had won.