Forest Dweller

You leap back moments before Ayla hits the spot where you stood, breaking through the earth and continuing downward like a torpedo. You begin concentrating your energy, looking for where she will emergy next. You feel a strange force under the ground where you stand and leap to the side just in time. She strikes through the ground, her dagger raised out in front of her with both arms. The movement is almost too fast to see, the air itself for a moment looks as though it is being cut. Then she spins in midair and dives down at you again, and you realize monitoring her movements will be much harder than you thought. Sliding to the side with your energy within your feet to give extra force, you miss her by a fraction of an inch and bring your sword up to cut at the ribbons that are left behind in her wake. You see her flinch for just an instant, then she is back, faster than ever. This time you trip as you fall to the side, managing to pull some ribbons down with you. She looks as though she has been hit in mid-flight- her movements slow as her entire body goes rigid. Then it is gone again.

You've found her weakness. The ribbons help her speed. Without them, you can keep up. As she dives back and forth, trying to slice you in two, you sidestep, bring down your blade and slice through the ribbons in her wake. She slows down over time, which is fortunate- your feet are starting to get weary. Finally she is slow enough for you to leap to the side and stab straight at her. To your horror, however, she vanishes and kicks you hard in the back. You fly forward and spin yourself around in time to grab her foot and throw her around. Again she vanishes and this time slaps you across the face. You fall to the side, stunned. You feel a dagger pierce your side, then a claw digs into your neck. What feels like a sword blade cuts down your entire back and you stare in horror as you fall to the ground, motionless and bleeding. Darkness takes you...