Chapter 67: The Lady Of The Manor

Alabaster

It had worked, he couldn't believe it, and it seemed silly in the extreme but Alley could not deny the truth in front of him. He had successfully initiated a Challenge by grabbing the root of a tree.

A little over half the Undead monsters that populated the glass room had been Manifested Creatures, including the Undead Faekin that had been trying to stomp his head in. These exploded into the classic blue light of manifestation and flowed back into the hands of the woman protruding from the tree trunk.

Climbing to his feet, Alley locked eyes with the female figure. They were the only part of her that seemed human and alive. Right now they also seemed pretty angry. That was alright, Alley wasn't in the friendliest of moods either.

“You accept and I'll kill you” he called up at the wooden figure with a savage smile.

“You decline and I'll kill you as well unless those other Undead retreat.”

The tree woman's eyes narrowed and Alley was struck by the woman's response. It wasn't a voice in his head per se, more a projection of intent. Somehow her thoughts in their most primal form exploded into his mind.

“I accept.”

He could feel a strange anticipation behind the thought like she was looking forward to the Challenge. That made sense Alley supposed, it probably got pretty boring being a tree.

That didn't justify sending her minions to harass travelers for the last several centuries though. Alley felt sure that he needed to put her down. It was the right thing to do.

Speaking of doing the right thing he shouted at Darius to run. The redheaded boy was right in the midst of where the Challenge arena would appear. If the arena formed whilst Darius was still inside it, the hunter was going to have a bad time.

Alley winced as his prediction came true and his friend was sent hurtling through one of the glass walls back out into the courtyard.

It was probably fine, Darius was a fairly durable guy. Still Alley ignored his opponent to peer through the newly made hole in the wall as best he could from here, until he confirmed that Darius was both moving and had not been crushed by a flying skeleton.

Reassured of his friend’s immediate survival Alley turned to face the tree that occupied the other side of the arena of blue energy.

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“Alabaster Roe; Crown Of The Cursed King, Rank Twelve” he called up at her.

“Manners from one that just threatened to kill me? How droll. “ Came the alien thoughts projected into his mind. Alley wasn't sure how she was doing that, or why she had only begun after he initiated a Challenge. Maybe the linking of their Decks to create the Arena allowed it somehow?

“Lady Clataire Asley; Garden Of The Doomed Maiden, Rank Ten.”

Garden Of The Doomed Maiden? It was certainly appropriate, but that seemed to often be the case. Alley had read the idea that Decks sought out owners that fit them, but he knew it was nonsense. After all, it was common knowledge that the flow of Resonance from the Dealer into its wielder was why Decks and owners were so often alike or linked in some way. That didn't explain why various sects, factions, and religions he had read or been told about favored certain Resonance types almost to the exclusion of all others.

‘Not important right now Alley.’ He reminded himself and focussed on the task at hand.

If he could kill the tree lady, and she really was the nexus of the Undead in the swamp maybe the non-manifested monsters would collapse or get some kind of debuff like the knights had.

In classic Darius form, the hunter essentially shouted Alley’s own thoughts at him from outside the glass room.

“Hey Alley, do you maybe think they will all die if you kill that tree?”

Shouting over his shoulder whilst still keeping one eye on his opponent Alley replied.

“I’ve been thinking about that too. I’m pretty sure she is the source of the Undeath Resonance but I’m thinking fifty-fifty on whether killing her will kill them.”

There was a breif pause and before Darius implored Alley to finish this one quickly. Alley who had no idea how many monsters were presently converging on their location intended to do just that.

Closing his eyes the dark haired boy took a deep breath and made a concious effort to ‘switch modes’ so to speak.

‘It's only a game, a really fun one and everything. You don't need to worry about winning or losing, just play the best you can, read everything you can, and enjoy yourself. Do that and she doesn't have a chance.’

After his internal pep talk was over Alley felt the aggression that had been building flow out of him, replaced with the joy of facing a brand new opponent with Cards and strategies he had likely never seen before.

The savagery that had been in his voice and smile moments before was gone also. He still felt that the only course of action was killing this woman, if nothing else she had to be insane.

Besides those Resonance Crystals growing from her branches were an incredible haul and he wanted to help the ghost girl pinned to the wall. On top of all of that if he could in fact put an end the Undead menace within Rakino swamp it would help the prospectors range further and safer, which had to help their ailing economy at least a little.

Perhaps most importantly of all;

“I gave you the chance to back down. Don't forget that.”

The sense of disbelief that came across their apparent link was more than palpable.

“You are shockingly arrogant for a boy of the lowest rank and I hope you haven't forgotten that your Deck Sprite can't help while I have her trapped.”