Tribal

6

"Alright Acacia, I'm gonna be tutoring you. I'm the strongest in the tribe so it won't be as hands-on as I'd like. So Reed will take my place; I've taught him everything I know. If you can beat him, you can beat the knight!" Clover did her best to give encouragement, but it sounded more like taunting. It did not matter, as before Acacia even had time to adjust her glaive, Clover blew a whistle, and she was on the ground before she could blink.

"What the fuck?" Acacia was beyond confused; she hadn't even seen Reed move and he somehow already had her pinned? His speed was insane!

"Sorry!" Reed, as timid as ever. Apologizing after beating a combatant with ease. The mantis didn't even break a sweat.

"Reed dear, perhaps we can work up to full speed. Acacia doesn't have the same reflexes as I." Clover watched the display of Reed's swift attack combined with the surprising amount of strength that he had. She stifled a laugh at the scene; she knew that Acacia would not be able to stop her husband in a test of reflexes. They would train her to be able to sense a dust ball float across the battlefield and train her to be fast enough to cut a raindrop in half. They would, of course, need to train her to be stronger; the knight was known for the fact that he was allegedly unbeatable in combat. If he was, none had seen it and lived long enough to tell any of it. She would need to match Reed's speed, reflexes, and strength if she wished to beat the knight. Then Ash would teach her how to outsmart her opponent. The knight was strong; the rumors made his level of combat skill unobtainable. She would need to beat him in a battle of wits; she had to notice small mistakes, unnoticeable to the untrained. She would need to see the cracks in his armor and be skilled enough to strike them. It would be long, and it would be very difficult. But Clover was confident that Acacia was determined enough to get through the harshest training regimen she had ever experienced.

After a week of training with Clover, Reed, and Ash, Acacia was worked to the bone. She was much stronger, yes; by the end, she could easily outpace Reed, and Ash's training paid off, as Acacia could see even the tiniest movement and accurately predict what was likely to happen next and dodge with ease, thanks to the speed and reflex training with Reed. She was confident she would be strong enough to pierce whatever armor the knight had planned for the fight. Clover had been helping Acacia with her strength training, and Acacia was strong enough to match or even surpass Clover's power.

But Clover and Reed were harsh teachers in combat. Acacia was tired and needed the last day before the duel to rest while Clover was in bed being cared for by Reed and Ash was busy getting his speech prepared and packing for his trip to the palace. But finally, after a week of anticipation awaiting this day, and the duel on her mind, Acacia had finally got to have the duel she had been preparing her whole life for. Her greatest achievement was right in front of her, and she was as ready as she could be. The knight would lose this day, and she would have the proof that she needed to prove that she was strong enough to rule the tribe alongside her cousins!

"I wish you the best of luck for your duel today, Acacia." Ash was preparing for his departure; he would be gone a few days and would not be able to see the fight. Clover, however, wished to see Acacia's hard work pay off, so she insisted on being at the arena, much to the displeasure of Reed.

"I'll do my best; I will prove that I deserve my place as a lord." Ash had understood the reason behind Acacia's duel, despite the fact that she deserved to be lord more than he or Clover. (Clover shared this position;) Clover was prideful, but she believed that Acacia worked much harder than she at trying to be the best and prove that she was lord-worthy. Clover would never admit this aloud but she did feel this way.

"Oh Acacia, you above all should be prideful; you are our best, the pride of the Mantis Village. But I understand the need to prove oneself. Just be careful. See you three soon; I shall be home in a few days' time." And with that, Ash was off.

"Ah, don't worry Acacia, after our week of training, there are none in the village who could possibly beat you!" Clover was as supportive as she could manage; she was not good at reinforcement, but Acacia was nervous, try as she may, everyone could see it. They understood her, of course; the knight might as well have been a fairy tale, the tall, wordless warrior, caped in the deep blue of the night, the feared right hand of the king of Hallownest, and no documented defeats. Who could ever hope to defeat him? He and the current queen of Deepnest had many duels in their younger years, all of which he was victorious. He faced off against Ogrim, the White Defender, one of the kingdom's five great knights and was victorious; many believed that the knight would have taken the throne had it not been Hollow's by birthright. The knight valued his family above all and did everything in his power to keep them safe. 

He would never attempt to usurp the throne from his brother. He was trained by the great nailsage Sly, who had retired and became a shopkeeper in Dirtmouth. Along with being trained by the three nail master brothers, Sheo, Oro, and Mato. Sheo had become an artist in Greenpath, Oro had hidden himself at Kingdom's Edge, far, far away from anyone who could find him, and Mato had spent his whole life training in the Howling Cliffs. He had defeated the three Mantis Lords of the previous generation. He had killed the crazed traitor lord in combat. He had become the champion of the colosseum of fools. He had gained the favor of the Hive by besting their knight in combat. Then there were the rumors that had yet to be confirmed but many still believed. Such as how he had reportedly summoned a nightmare circus that used a ritual of dance and flame to create a new heir to their troupe leader. And of course, the craziest rumor of all, one that only a few dared speak of, was that he had summoned a demonic god of shadows and used his power to kill the fallen god of light, The Radiance. It was just speculation, barely any truly believed it, and fewer still ever dared to utter this rumor.

But all of the rumors put aside, he was still a formidable opponent and even with all the help and training she had received, she would still be in for the fight of her life. And hopefully, she would be victorious. This meant so much to her for her to lose. Still feeling jittery she awaited on her throne for his arrival. Finally, after a week of the hardest training she had ever gone through, the greatest challenge of all was so close. Her victory was close at hand and she could not fail. Soon she hears commotion, and the knight was walking to her throne, his cloak was behind him, rhythmically flowing. She could swear that its ends flapped to her heartbeat, the light of the lanterns reflecting off of his shining black armor. He looked as if he were a ghost, the ghost of Hallownest, had arrived.