Trails were the last thing Trixi expected to hike up when she arrived at Black Mountain. Personally, the redhead was imagining a more crude means to reach the top and not have her path clearly marked out by the wounding road. Not to say it was easy to navigate because the petite woman was pretty sure she had gotten lost several times. So often she would pause to absorb the exotic scenery, mentally comparing them to her memories of home. Interesting enough everything she encountered so far made her memories pale in beauty.

For what seemed like a long time, Trixi was the only thing traveling along the mountain and slowly the discomfort began to build. There was no other signs of life around which made the hairs on her neck stand upright. It made the woman feel like she was the perfect lean, Caucasian snack for the big bad wolf lurking in the shadows. That fact alone screamed for her to run and hide, leaving her breath shallow and nervous with each step. She was expecting whatever was causing the animals -the thought never occurred to her once that it might due to the competition- to rip out of the surrounding woods and attack her.

Thankfully nothing did.

Her attention devoted into scanning the surroundings was shortly interrupted when her boots stepped off the rocky path and into the quiet forest. A loud squelch entered her ears causing her to take on a disgusting look and her eyes turned down, half expecting a little ‘trail marker’ from the local wildlife. Or even the barbarian. Instead it had sank into the soft mud about a third of an inch. Slowly she lifted her foot to watch the brown ooze slide off her sole and back to earth.

Perfect, mud! Trixi thought bitterly while she placed it back down, her mind checking over her person again and was preparing for her opponent to arrive.

She zipped up her camouflaged coat all the way to her neck since the clouds were looming overhead, the coloring looking rather menacing. Her fingers brushed her equipment placed around her waist belt, mentally reminding her of each one’s location and type, while she started with the front. From the right to left, there were: two kunai, followed by the five blades stringed with about ten yards each of conductive wiring and a magnetic hook attached to a ring, the extra fifty wiring bundled up, and the last two kunai. In the back, there three blades on each side and within easy reach. At her sides were her collapsible batons. They could be easily ripped off and snapped open in less than two seconds, faster than most demons could unsheathe their swords and brace themselves.

Pushing down her nerves, Trixi brushed the scenery with her eyes to establish landmarks and memorize them for the battle to come. A tree, about several inches wide and reaching a vast height, was nearest her. There seemed to be several of these dotted around the area but she doubted their branches could support an individual. At least not without making a sound. Her green eyes shifted to most notable landmark: a stream or shallow river to her left. It was just beyond another large tree while he fast moving water curved and moved through the forest area, splitting it into two sections. Near the water’s larger section was two crudely made bridges, both likely made from the same trees being split down the center and laid across. Each seemed rather narrow to walk upon from what her eyes could tell but to know for sure, she would need to move closer to investigate. If they weren’t, they might provide some firm ground to properly battle in this muddy place.

Casually, Trixi started to move toward the longest bridge. Her boots carefully stepped through the moss and mud with only slight difficulty. She was aware whenever her boots lost traction and quickly made an adjustment in her step, preventing her from slipping on to all fours. This made the going slow but she wasn't in any hurry because she knew whoever she face would find her soon enough, wondering who would be her first challenge. At least one hand was always lingering near her baton, able to draw it fast and defend herself in the event of a sneak attack.

This mountain was different, that much Nicoli was sure of. The stories of it being built upon the bodies of petrified Angels wasn’t something he was ready to believe, but the fact that there was something supernatural about this mountain was undeniable. For all of his woodland skill he could scarcely find the tracks of a single animal and hear only the occasional warble of a bird. It was eerie to be sure.

He stayed his course, following the single winding trail, and he made sure to not step off of it. Who knew what would happen if he did? The passage of time meant little to Nicoli as he moved along, ever weary of any surprises that the mountain might unleash on him.

Wrapped in his mottled grey cloak he found that his path lead to a forested area, at least it was a forest compared to much of what he had seen earlier. It was then that he realized he could hear the sound of flowing water. It was then, after looking around, that his eyes fell upon his first victim.

Unbeknownst to him the moment he entered that area the magic of the mountain took effect and both combatants were sealed. Their fates would soon be decided.

With his hands shrouded under his cloak he too moved towards the bridge, his emotionless eyes set on the target, his once relatively silenced footfalls now were as loud as her own. Nicoli wanted his opponent to know he was there, to know that death would soon be upon her.

Trixi was getting slightly antsy. It seemed like hours were passing and time went lazily onward since she entered, becoming hours instead of mere minutes. Her mind wondering where her challenger was and when he would arrive. Inwardly, she was a bit relieved if she was going to be truthful with herself that the rock barrier hadn’t closed yet. It meant he wasn’t here for now.

While she walked toward the bridge, her eyes noted more of her surroundings and tried to memorize the differences in order to determine her exact location within this forest. In essence, mapping the area out took less time than she would’ve liked and didn’t distract her long enough to pass the time. Her idle thoughts were crushed when a low, rocky rumbled happened and caused her eyes to whip backwards. She hadn’t once paused or stumbled in her movement, keeping mind of how slick moss and mud could be since her venture into a swamp. It seemed the entrance where she had come from had suddenly sealed itself shut! A brief panic sprouted in her heart and caused her organ to miss a beat, her lungs thrusted up into her throat and forced her to swallow it back down. Every fighter faced fear. However, it didn’t mean it controlled or weakened them. Fear was human and in some cases, useful in keeping her alive. This was a fact Trixi knew all too well.

Inhaling and exhaling, she gradually slowed her racing heart enough. She noted she was only a few steps from reaching the bridge end. That’s when a tingling, uneased sensation suddenly spread along her flesh, making it crawl. This was followed by footsteps nearly as loud as her own, barely hidden by each step she took. Her fingers wrapped about her baton handle tightly where it held fast to her hip, her green eyes flickered to the direction. It was from the other side of the river.

It was there she spotted a man. He was likely about 6’0, at least she guessed due to the height, making his own way toward the same direction. She continued her path through the muck, focusing on hurrying and at the same time preventing herself from slipping across the scene. Trixi’s slight paranoia was suspecting his weapons or anything else could've hidden underneath his hooded cloak. So many possibilities raced through her mind causing a slight spark of excitement to rear up in her core. Since the moment she spotted the man, she pushed her left hand, the one furthest from her competition, behind her and gripped the Kunai nearest her ass center. Her fingers tightened then unsheathed it to rest in her palm, behind her back and out of immediate sight of her opponent. Her other was still firmly fixed on her baton handle.

If she wasn’t interrupted when she came to rest one foot on the bridge edge, then her head would visually appear to size him (through she already been doing that when she first saw him) and spoke with a cocky smirk. “So, I take it you’re my first challenge?”

Roughly half a foot shorter, smaller frame and reach, apparently in hear early twenties. Nicoli's emotionless orbs took in every detail afforded to him, filing it in his memory for use in the upcoming confrontation. His over all impressed, not impressive. Physically the girl didn't appear like much, but in a world full of monsters and magic that didn't equate to helpless or weak. He reminded himself that she would not be here if she were not confident in her abilities.

As he surveyed her every inch he noted the weapons that she wore on her belt. As he stepped onto the other end of the bridge he could see how tightly she gripped one of her batons, and also noted how she held her other hand out of his sight so that he couldn't tell what she was doing. It was a tactic also used, deception proved useful to those that knew how to properly wield it. Done correctly and it could cut deeper than any sword.

His pace didn't slow, soft soled boots making only a whisper of sound as he continued moving forward. Under the cover of his cloak his right hand grasped the eighteen inch baton he wore attached to his right thigh while his left reached slightly behind him and gripped his cloak tightly.

"I will be your only challenge." He said in a harsh tone, spitting it forth like venom. At this range his eyes would clearly be visible, as well as the murderous intent behind them. Nicoli had killed many many times before, mostly for money, it was clear that he view the girl before him like any other contract.

Trixi’s mind had likened his emotionless, black eyes to that of a murderous werewolf. His taste for blood was unable to be quenched as he only lived for the next new murder to satisfy him, his humanity dulled over time until nothing was left. Inside she partly pitied such creatures for giving into what their instincts demanded. Forcing her to put him down like a sickly, mangy and useless mutt who gorged himself long enough on misery.

It was time to get to work.

She had made sure her arm was slipped through the strap. In her past ignorance, this little flaw had resulted in her getting disarmed far too often and she knew if it happened this time, she was dead. Her boots scraped on the edge and wiped away excess mud then widened her stance. She would have to find her balance fast when she pulled this move, her mind not liking the extra work but her body would have little difficulty in managing it.

Without wasting more breathe on what was becoming a pointless conversation, Trixi said one final thing before she began. “I think you should know, my name’s Trixi…”

Meanwhile, she had shifted the knife blade carefully, gripping it in the traditional holding position to throw it. Suddenly, at the end of her words she raised her blade over her shoulder then shot it forward. It wasn’t intended to be a powerful attack but a distraction, however if it did hit then she wanted it at full power. Her left foot stepped onto the wooden bridge dead center when her arm moved at her target. It brought her figure closer to Nicoli’s position as her body slightly twisted to apply power behind the attack, careful to keep her wrist straight. Trixi’s eyes had estimated the distance earlier and adjusted her aim a little higher to where she targeted. If it wasn’t stopped than it would hit the man’s throat easily.

When the blade left her hand, her right hand jerked her baton off her belt and snapped it open. Her right foot lifted from the mud and passed the left one that was firmly planted, just to follow the leading kunai. Trixi was on the offense as she lowered her body a bit for balance, hearing the wood creak while she was navigating along the bridge.

If she wasn’t interrupted, she slightly shifted her weight back when she came into his person space, close enough she could easily smack him with the upper third portion of her weapon. This was to keep her from colliding with her opponent. Normally, she could come to a stop on a dime, but the water made it much harder and she had to account for that. On her trip to cut the distance, she was slipping her arm into the ready strap and jerking her other baton free into an offense mode like her other one. Next her right hand lashed out her baton, her aim at where she assumed was the man’s lower left thigh while her left was brought up near her head's level. In addition, she was already prepared to jerk back or lean forward depending on the outcome.

Trixi’s words were met with a mirthless smile as Nicoli moved across the thin make-shift bridge to meet her at its center. They always had to talk, have the last word. Nicoli wouldn’t reply, instead he kept his focus on the girl and where her hands were placed, he took note of the way she kept her left hand obscured by her body so as to prevent Nicoli from seeing what she was doing. It was combat 101, all combat was based on deception, Nicoli knew this and apparently so did the women named Trixi.

The act of her raising her arm up and over her shoulder to throw when a much quicker would have likely been more beneficial gave the Assassin more than enough time to anticipate its trajectory and act accordingly. The throat was a fine target, and if hit could end a fight instantly. But, it was also a highly mobile target and as his left foot came down he merely shifted his weight and leaned ever so slightly so that the weapon would go sailing harmlessly over his right shoulder. He never removed those cold and dead eyes from Trixi’s own though, he was coming for her and he intended to make sure that she knew it.

It was said that the Ma’Radiim were a walking bag of tricks, using deceitful and un-honorable methods of combat. It was all true of course, and Nicoli had perfected nearly all of their tricks, the amount of different trinkets and items he carried on his person were a testament to that. So, after he evaded the thrown dagger he would attempt to end the fight with what would appear one quick and devastating lethal move, though in actuality many different things would happen at once.

Nicoli would will his Radiim technique into use, unleashing a torrent of adrenaline into body. After that he would activate one of the magical charms he wore around his ankle, securing his footing on the slippery and thin bridge. His left hand would produce a dagger though it wouldn’t be thrown like his opponents, nor would it be used to block the baton that was coming down to crash on his left thigh. It would stay hidden within the folds of his cloak for a mere second longer.

Instead, he stepped in with his right leg so that the two were extremely close, his right hand, the one holding the baton would swing out and towards the left side of Trixi’s head. The mere moment after he launched his attack his left arm would shoot out like a snake, the rush of adrenaline making his attack faster and stronger than his frame would imply.

The target would be Trixi’s attacking arm, the intention was simple, jab the dagger through the womens bicep and using his increased speed and strength to tear it out.

Unless she prevented it, Trixi would find her strike true, landing directly on Nicoli's thigh. Though, she would see no pain in the mans eyes as the limited magic in the leathers he wore absorbed half of the force the blow she delivered. The armor could only do such a thing twice, but it turned what could have been bone breaking power into something that would likely only leave a bruise.

Seeing the man move and slant to the side, avoiding her first attempt to attack him easily, would’ve been an awe inspiring thing. That if she wasn’t busy trying to kill him. His eyes kept burning into her as she carried out her moves, his own speed seemed a bit surreal for the average human when he cut the distance a bit faster than she expected and brought himself into her personal space with his right foot. Never once did he lose his grip on the log, his boots unhindered by the rain soaked surface when he mirrored her own attack with a variation.

She didn’t take her eyes off her intended target, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t aware of her surroundings. One didn’t learn what she learned without expecting multiple attacks being possible at all times or just focusing on one thing at a time. That was the best way to get herself killed so any threatening movement from her peripheral vision immediately caught her attention in less than a moment.

Having spotted the baton reaching for a swing at her head, her left hand came up to protect it instinctively. Trixi’s arm rose upright and angled the baton downward, the top part touching her shoulder to give her a firm placement. It created what was called a pluma or shield defense, her bicep and forearm making up half a triangular shape with the baton being the third side that connected with the swing. The impact vibrated through her flesh when it hit, telling her it made contact (unless he altered his tactics), her teeth gritted as she was tilted to the side more than she expected.

Several things ran in her mind at once in a speed some people considered possible for her, but not in the clarity it came. She supposed it was because of her personality being so hyper.

Her eye noted his hand, fisted it seemed, jerking from his cloak right before her hit was destined to smack. Something seemed off with the shape, her mind vaguely bothering her about. It didn’t matter because she already concluded she didn’t want his strike to have a direct hit on her arm. One, she expected it would cause serious damage. He had shown extreme speed and now, when his attack hit, extreme strength when he clashed with her defense. Two, she wasn’t sure if he had unpleasant surprises in that fist from an ability like her own or worse. Better safe than sorry after all, she thought in amusement since her current position was anything but ‘safe’. Besides the cheap shot was enough to make Trixi want him to work for it.

She started her taser hands, sending an electrical charge into her hands and into the baton. Her thumb appeared to hold over the button but didn’t press it. She didn’t want it to go off early and all it took was a small mistake. When her hands powered the batons, they would act and play much like her taser hands but with longer reach and bashing damage. Through it wouldn’t start immediately.

Trixi pulled her right foot back, and let the slick log hasten her action while leaned a bit to account for the change in balance. She didn’t want to fall off the log after all as getting up would take precious time and put her too much at risk. Her mind less focused on adding force to the attack than earlier, her right side dropped lower including her aim and her bicep that Nicoli was aiming at. His punch skimmed the jacket surface, nearly missing her arm, as it followed through. Meanwhile her hand’s aim had lowered to around his calf and foot area, aiming to hook his feet and send him toppling to the water. If it hit that is.

Knowing the miss was likely, she had her now back right foot push against the log and pull her toward the end of the log. Her body was kept slightly low until she pulled back out of his range, making sure he wasn't going to do a counter strike, as she retreated back to muddy ground. The dirt squished when her boots sank a bit into the soaked, mossy ground unless stopped early. At least there, she would have more room to move and places to attack.

Of course, nothing was ever set in stone and even the smallest change in Nicoli’s movements would alter how this scene played out, determining the outcome in either’s favor.