The Battle That Does Not End

Talua felt her long before she saw or heard her. A suffocating presence like a wet blanket across your soul, but also a feeling like an unquenchable rage in your very bones and blood. The trees of the forest trembled, and the surface of the lake rippled. The air seemed to still, like a wildfire was sucking all life from it.

Just as suddenly the feeling let up, like the eye of a storm. Talua exhaled a sigh of relief for a moment, but wondered what caused it. Looking around, she spotted a woman at the edge of the lake. The woman seemed to be angry and was shouting at the lake, and as Talua cautiously drew nearer, the words became legible.

"Fight me!" The woman shouted. "Get out of the water and fight me you coward!"

As Talua inched nearer, the woman's ear twitched, but she didn't take her eyes off the water. When Talua drew within a couple dozen feet of the woman, she suddenly turned and stared Talua directly in the eyes.

"Who are you?" The woman demanded, her legs spread, hands on hips. "I'm kind of busy."

"I could ask you the same question!" Talua shouted back at her. "You're giving off a terrible aura!"

"Oh aren't you a feisty one?" The woman shouted back with a grin, and closed the distance between them seemingly in the blink of an eye. "Come on, tell me what's on your mind."

"Who are you!" Talua shouted, her anger rising. Why was this woman making her so mad?

"The little spirit shows no fear. Good, good." The woman said, nodding her head approvingly, and yanking the quarterstaff off her back in a smooth practised motion. "Fight me, little spirit."

Talua started to answer, but the woman was already swinging her staff, grinning like a lunatic. She barely dodged in time.

"Hey!" Talua shouted.

"That wasn't a question, spirit. Fight me!"

Talua did her best to study the woman's movements as she continued to duck and weave her attacks. It was clear she was just playing with her, but there was clear killing intent with each swing of her staff.

"Quit dodging and fight!" The woman shouted, suddenly landing a hit and sending Talua flying and into the side of her shrine, downstream.

Talua coughed and sputtered. Just what was this monster? The woman stood over her glowering as she shakily got to her feet.

"Not much of a fighter are you?" She asked, a frown on her face. "We got time enough for you to learn."

"Will you at least tell me your name?" Talua groaned, holding up her arms to block the next blow, causing the woman to laugh.

"You've earned that much. I am Neptis, Goddess of War! Of Revolutions! Of Violence!" Neptis smacked the ground with her staff at the statement of each title, causing a thunderclap with each smack.

"So you are my next test." Talua said through gritted teeth. "So be it, I'll rise to your challenge, like all the rest."

Neptis howled with laughter. "Good! If you refuse to fight you're as good as dead!"