A Worthy Challenge IV has started at Arx - Ward of the Compact - Sanctum of Genesis.

Perhaps Kyda could have rested on this day where the snow sweeps through the city so wildly, the wind biting at every exposed limb. But there is no rest for those who carry with them the weight of responsibility. And so she stands, a black-armored statue decorated in flecks of snow, and waits. Her legend in the city has grown, and challenger after challenger has stood before her in an effort to prove their worth. She must be nearing the end of this test, right? How much longer will she swing her sword against the people of Arx before she reveals her purpose? That sword at present is held to the ground, the tip disappearing in building snow, and her hands close around the hilt to watch and wait.

As far as these challenges have gone, Porter has passed by Kyda on a number of occasions without saying a word. The Archlector of Gild has been on a much needed sabbatical for personal reasons, so he's steered clear of whatever exactly is going on here. But he can't stay away forever and eventually curiosity consumes him and he hauls Bree along for this experience. The knight is given a long look when he enters the area and with a sidelong glance to his partner, he strolls up to her with a small box. "You've been out here awhile, looks like. Do you want... a cookie? This chocolate coin? I've got a slice of cake in here too but it actually might be getting stale which is probably a crime /somewhere/..." Porter's eyebrows furrow together at this tragedy. Finally he offers, "Porter Kennex, Archlector of Gild. And who are you?"

Bree is hauled! Or more like, she's willingly running alongside Porter because she, too, wants to meet this ancient knight everyone is talking about. The number of guesses she makes along the way is what keeps her warm, because each supposed reason for the woman's appearance is met with a bouncing step and an excited burst of energy. "Maybe she was lost at sea..." the latest of the ideas comes before they step in front of the Shrine, and in front of the knight. She moves up with Porter, a fist brought to her chest in greeting of dame to dame. "The chocolate coins are delicious," she assures the woman before dipping her head. "Dame Bree Harthall," she speaks her own name before straightening.

1 Iron Guardsmen, 3 Black Fleet Reavers, Moonsilver, the pale-feathered raven arrive, following Raven.

1 Iron Guardsmen, 3 Black Fleet Reavers, Moonsilver, the pale-feathered raven leave, following Raven.

Kyda shifts as the pair approach, both impressive in their armor and energy, especially when it is so cold outside. She does not immediately speak, hazel eyes on the man, then his recommendation-giving companion. When the titles are spoken, Porter is paid extra attention, and the woman actually bows her head. "Archlector Porter Kennex," she says with respect for his position, and then looks to the woman. "Dame Bree Harthall. Well met." As to the offer, not even a glance is spared the box. "No thank you. I eat when I must." Which is not, it seems, right now. "Do you come to challenge?" she asks after a moment, her voice clear, no impatience in the tone.

"Knight Commander Bree Harthall of the Knights of Solace," Porter helpfully adds on after Bree has given her own introductions, flashing a smile in her direction that's both proud and incredibly fond. He bounces on the heels of his booted feet somewhat, taking in the response from Kyda with a tilt of his head. "Maybe you will want to eat later? When you must!" He's undaunted by his care package being turned down and since she won't take it from him, he kind of sidesteps over to where it looks like her things might be and just places it right down there instead. When he straightens back up to his full height, an eyebrow is lifted. "I've heard of challenges and I'm always prepared for testing my metal against that of another fighter. Especially one reportedly more skilled but I just have a question. What is the challenge in regards to? And why here in this place? What are you hoping to achieve in this city?"

When Porter shares Bree's full title, the Knight Commander laughs, warm and bright despite the cold puff of air that forms from the sound. "Yes, that is indeed my full title." She watches Porter push past the refusal with a gentle insistence, her own smile fond at the man she loves making certain someone is taken care of. "If you do not enjoy chocolate," she offers a possibility that to her seems strange. "There are other worshippers in the Shrine of Gloria who might." As for the question, her eyes widen, and she parts her lips to speak, but Porter beats her to it - the why and the what. "When I know the cause, I give myself over fully to it. But experience has taught me that I need to not leap into every battle without reason." Her smile is turned inward and she adds, "That has been a hard learned lesson, but there it is."

Kyda registers the addition of the title, and she looks at Bree anew, respect clearly etched there. "The Silver Order," she observes. "You hold a paramount position for humanity." And then Porter just puts that box over there with her things, and she watches him with mild disbelief. It vanishes after a time and she finds her voice again, "Thank you. I will see the chocolates are put to good use." In her belly, or in someone else's! When the questions come, she inhales a slow, meaningful breath that has her looking to the shrine behind her. "The challenge is to find those who are worthy enough to stand against dangers I can not name nor describe. Arx has always been a beacon in Arvum, and when I woke from my slumber I knew I must search here for those who will not shatter when they face immeasurable obstacles." She looks back to Porter, something more behind those hazel eyes this time. A deep melancholy, a quest unfinished, a duty untended. "I cannot speak the details so openly. I cannot speak them to any who has not passed Gloria's test of honor. If you need every detail, this is not the challenge for you." At the last she looks out over the street that runs by the shrine. "Many have stood without asking why. Many have hoped to see themselves the victor. The only promise I can make you is that I will take none against their will. When I know who might stand with me, I will make certain they know."

Porter was not hired to be the Archlector of Gild due to his very good recognition of normal people boundaries, that's for sure. "Ah, just enough details and manage to still remain mysterious!" he remarks upon her explanation, managing to not sound too disappointed that he can't know everything all at once. He looks beyond her to the shrine, his attention lingering as she goes on to speak and finally bringing his gaze back onto her. His smile pulls at the corner of his mouth and he says to Bree, "Have you ever noticed that some people lose track of Rite to Gloria? It becomes about winning! When really I believe it to be more about standing honorably while in engaged in the fight." Switching focus to Kyda once again, he bows his head. "I'll challenge! Or is it accepting your challenge? Either way, it would be a privilege to try my hand against you and honor the gods at this time. If in the end, you decide that you would like help from me in your difficulties, you would need only call upon me. I'm easy to find!"

"Perhaps they fear that if they lose here, they will lose when it is a life or death matter?" Bree offers a bright spot to those who think only over victory, even in challenges. She wants to think the best of them always. When Porter readily accepts the challenge, she reaches out a hand instinctively to squeeze his arm - made more difficult by armor, of course. "I will accept, as well," she joins in the call, nodding back to Kyda. "And you cannot miss him. He is very tall, and has the best beard in the city. But I offer my hand, as well, should you require it." She turns fully to the man beside her now, dusting off a bit of snow from his shoulder. "Fight well," she encourages him with an adoring smile, and then trots back a few feet to give space, to watch every move. She isn't watching to learn Kyda's skill, instead watching the Archlector to observe /his/ that she knows so well.

"I do not aim for mystery," Kyda admits with a flash of passion behind those words. She is not a woman who hides in shadows, who utilizes subterfuge to get what she needs. "I do what I must to honor the oath I have sworn myself to." And there's some more mystery she piles right on, despite not wanting to be an enigma! The interplay between the two clearly shows their hearts, and she observes with a keen eye but a mostly unreadable expression. Does she approve of love? Who knows! Another mystery. Whoops. "Accepting the challenge," she gives the correct vocabulary for it and takes a step from her post to begin clearing a spot in the street for the pair to fight. "Confirm the parameters. First blood."

"My apologies, I didn't mean for it to seem as if that was your aim," Porter offers with a deferential nod of his head to this MYSTERIOUS knight. But he does not point out all of the other mysteries she has now hinted at whether intentionally or not. "Perhaps, perhaps. It also doesn't do to die out in battle either," he agrees with Bree, more than happy to allow for that more positive note for those who wish to be victorious always. Before she can pull away completely, he stoops and graces her forehead with a kiss and tickle from his beard. There is no mystery of their love for each other, it blooms brightly even in the winter. His assistant is nearby and she has his axe, which she hands off to him while giving Kyda a LOOK then she gives Porter a LOOK. Like he can't be serious! But Nara doesn't get paid to dissuade him from challenges. "To first blood! Let us begin," he states, hefting the weight of his weapon.

Bree moves to stand with Nara, and where the assistant is he can't be serious! she is go get her, tiger! She even gives a little thumbs up, still tingling a bit from the brush of lips and beard against skin. Or maybe that's the cold.

Kyda watches the exchange, but the most important element is that he confirms that he understands the rules. He does, and she seemingly satisfied, lifts her blade to level it at him. "May Gloria bless you," she passes to him the wish she has set to each of her challengers, and then leans back into her stance, inviting his first attempt. "When you are ready, Archlector Porter Kennex."

A fight has broken out here. Use @spectate_combat to watch, or +fight to join.

When she gives Porter the go-ahead, he steps into footwork that is certain and secure, comfortable in the knowledge that he's a trained fighter. He has confidence, but it's not enough. He swings at her but in the process of executing his blow, she takes her aim at him as well. He misses her entirely, not coming within so much as a reasonable reach of the woman. And in that moment, she cuts through the metal of the diamondplate hauberk. To the hauberk's credit it defrays much of the damage he might have taken otherwise, but she still slices through it. He stops immediately, as per the terms of the challenge and steps back. His axe is held up and he announces, "I yield! To the honor of Gloria." The Archlector bows his head in show of deference to the knight and her skill. When he looks back up at her again, it's not with disappointment that he lost the challenge so decisively, it's with surprise. "I've had the great privilege of facing off against numerous talented fighters since I came to this city, you are without a doubt the fastest that I have ever seen. I wish you the best of luck with whoever you find to help you with your task." He's not even breathless! At least not breathless from exertion. His smile breaks wide and he then goes on to suggest, "Perhaps after a fight with Dame Bree, you'll be hungry for the chocolate and cookies! I can't you imagine you are after ours." That humor is genuine and not meant to be complaint, though he does touch his hand to his abdomen to examine the blood. "A moment." He needs to deal with this bleeding.

The speed at which Kyda finds the perfect place to strike is indeed impressive, although not inhuman. There are places she can improve, moves she makes that allow for the opponent to draw blood from her. When she ends the challenge so swiftly, however, they are given little chance to find them. The Archlector's weapon is impressive, and the heft behind his swing enough to make her move with both a desire to take advantage and a realization that if she does not, she might be broken to the point where her challenges mean little. And so her alaricite weapon finds the spot, and the cut she leaves him is not deep, but it serves enough to satisfy the rules. He yields, and she straightens, the tip of her blade lowered. "Yielding is not needed, Archlector Porter Kennex. You stood well against me, and the terms are met." She says nothing to the hunger or the cookies or the blood he needs to deal with. Her hazel gaze looks beyond to the woman standing watch with his assistant. "And you understanding the terms as well, Dame Bree Harthall?"

Bree was prepared to watch the fight as long as needed, but that turns out to be not long at all, because as Porter lifts to strike, Kyda wins the day. The Solace knight's body pitches forward like she might rush to see if Porter is okay, but the man remains standing and is still talking chocolate, so he's totally fine. Right? She calls from her spot, "You are quite the force, Dame Kyda Barron." When attention turns on her in earnest, she takes in a breath and bobs her head a few times. "Indeed. First blood, right? Or... first strike?" She laughs, trotting from the sidelines toward the challenger, but it is at Porter she stops. Kyda can wait a moment while she checks his hauberk. "There are dressings in the bag I gave Nara," she informs him, not poking too much at the wound. And then her voice drops to murmur a quick few words before she turns to the other dame. "I am ready for this challenge. May Gild continue to watch and keep us both." She gives her own little cheering on with the gods!

Kyda turns from Porter to the woman he clearly loves, and she looks away suddenly as if intruding on some moment of intimacy. The tightening of her jaw suggests something more, however. A memory sparked, one she shoves deep down. Bree calls that she is ready, outlines the terms, and the ancient Templar turns back to the pair. "And may Gloria bless you," she returns the wish with one of her own before moving to find space, to set herself for this fight. "When you are ready, Dame Bree Harthall," she invites the bout to begin.

A fight has broken out here. Use @spectate_combat to watch, or +fight to join.

Keso, a totally legit assistant, Peanut, an oversized mountain dog arrive, following Aleksei.

Having been bled by Kyda, Porter goes to sit by his assistant who is shaking her head at him. "You just /had/ to fight the mysterious knight with a mysterious quest who doesn't even eat cookies and chocolate. What did you think was going to happen, Porter?" She fixes her hat and goes about helping him remove the hauberk so that his wound can be checked out. It's not anything serious, just a little bloody and stained through his shirt. He's certainly seen much worst. While he suffers his tending, he watches Kyda and Bree engage in their own challenge. "Do better than me!" he calls out. Bree's got this.

Does Bree do /better/ than Porter? Absolutely not. She does almost exactly the same as him! The joyful knight rocks back on her heels as Kyda takes her position, and her own blade of alaricite is brought round to provide some measure of protection against the blackened metal of the Templar's. When the Solace knight moves, she explodes in a burst of energy, flying forward with enough speed and force that Celestia strikes true. The ring of metal is heard, and Kyda is struck across the chest without any proof of blood to put an end to the fight. Bree attempts to spin away but it is little use. Kyda is there, and her right arm suffers the brunt of a blow that would take it clean off if not for the steel she wears. The blood springs forth from the wound that is strangely similar to Porter's own. Like, they totally do everything together. Even get wounded by an ancient knight together! She hops back, looking to that arm, and then back up at Kyda. "Wow," she laughs, blue eyes dancing with delight. "You're amazing."

Kyda watches as the exuberant knight charges her, not fast enough herself this time to avoid being struck, but her armor does what armor is supposed to do. A bruise at best will blossom beneath, but the fight continues. She steps into the knight trying to evade, and her two-handed blade is brought down with expert precision against her fighting arm, meant to end the challenge there, or at least disarm her opponent. The first happens, and the moment Kyda feels the blade touch flesh, she pulls back and lowers it, a flick of red droplets sent against the snow. The praise from the woman is met with the tiniest bit of movement at her lips before she dips her head. "You stood well, Dame Bree Harthall." She steps back, moving to reclaim her post. But first, to Porter she calls, "Thank you again, Archlector, for the box."

It's not the first time Aleksei has heard tell of the mysterious knight accepting challenges in the Sanctum of Genesis, but it's the first time he's shown up for it. Once he gets close enough to hear the telltale clash of blades and get in sight of the swift motion of combat, a curiosity brightens his eyes. He hangs back a bit, watching the end of the match as it plays out, offering a quick, crooked smile to Porter before his attention swiftly returns and he watches Kyda take first blood to end the fight. "Damn," he says, clearly impressed even at what little he saw.

Porter watches the swift and impressive display of fighting skill between Kyda and Bree, clapping as the challenge reaches its conclusion. "Nicely done!" he calls out to the pair of them. Nara swats at his arm and mutters something about him not moving because she's trying to dress this wound, thanks. He looks down to see what she's up and then hears the remark about the box. "You're welcome! I have more boxes!" Of course he does. The calling out is making him move again, which earns another swat. "Seriously, you don't pay me enough for this." He'd have retort, but Aleksei has turned up and saw Porter starts talking to him next. "Right? She's very, very, very fast. Are you going to accept the challenge?" he wonders curiously.

Bree beams under such praise, but she cannot help her own effusive response, "And you stood well, too! Honestly, I've not seen anyone wield a two-handed blade like that ever. Whatever it is you fight for is very lucky to have you as its defender." She slides Celestia back into her belt and then flexes her fingers, trying to make certain they still work after the force of the strike. "Thank you again, Dame Kyda. I wish you the best of luck in what you need to do." She turns and trots back to Porter, leaving a little breadcrumb trail of blood droplets behind her in the snow. "Did you see?" she knows he did, but she shows him anyway. Look at the wound, Porter. Her shoulder hitches forward so he can inspect. "Oh. Aleksei! Hello," she smiles at the other man in spite of the blood and the cold. "Yeah. Are you going to accept?"

Kyda steps back to her post fully, retrieving a cloth from her supplies, which requires moving the box Porter gave her over just a bit. She's surprisingly delicate with the way she handles it, as if not wishing to dirty any bit of the gift. The cloth is pulled across her blade, wiping the blood clean, and set back in the pile. She turns, blade to the ground, chin tilted upward, and waits once more.

"I'm /pretty/ fast," Aleksei muses thoughtfully, considering Kyda. "Wish I'd seen more of the fight." He looks over to Bree with a flash of a smile when she greets him. "Hello! Good showing, from what I saw." His head cants as he looks back to Kyda, considering the question both Porter and Bree have posed to him. And then he says, "Well I guess it's not in my nature not to." He strides up to Kyda and extends his hand to her in greeting, his smile warm. "Aleksei Morgan."

"You will just have to go in as unaware as the rest of us!" Porter laughingly replies to Aleksei's comment about having wished that he'd seen more of the fight. With Bree back in his vicinity, he shifts his attention there so that he might inspect her damage. "Ah! That's very nice, but can it compete with this?!" And here he lifts his shirt up further which is entirely unnecessary. Nara throws her hands up and leaves. He seems completely impervious to the cold that everyone else is experiencing right now.

Bree seems to think it is entirely necessary, because she looks! Fully. Bent at the waist, inspecting the damage. "That she managed that through the armor," she whistles low, her chin upticking to look at Porter with a grin. "She's amazing." A hand reaches out to touch where he revealed the skin, and she murmurs a quick, "Cold. Put your shirt back on." And then sidles up to him, letting her own wound go unattended for the moment. She knows when something is a scratch and something is more deadly. For now, she wants to watch Aleksei step up!

Kyda's routine has been the same - fight, return to her post, fight, return to her post. Her mission is clear, and it leaves little time for socializing or partaking in the shirt-lifting shenanigans that seem to be happening over there. She misses those, however, because Aleksei steps into her purview. His hand extends, and she looks at it first, then to his face. Fingers loosen from the hilt of the blade held with point to ground, and she clasps the offered limb above the wrist, a soldier's handshake rather than a polite finger-to-palm handshake of diplomacy. "Aleksei Morgan," she echoes the name, committing it to memory with the rest. "Do you come to accept the challenge? If so, assure me that you understand the terms." Her hand releases and returns to her blade, still set inactive as she waits to make certain there is clarity between them.

"Very nice," Aleksei assures Porter as he lifts his shirt. But then his attention is set wholly upon Kyda, and his expression sobers as she clasps his forearm; his own grip is firm there, but unaggressive. He does not try to prove anything there. "A fight to first blood, my blade against yours," he tells her, and there is a precision to his words there. It's his business to understand the terms of a fight. "I understand. And I accept."

"What's nice?" Porter is looking around when he hears that statement, his eyebrows lifting. But it totally just goes over his head like a big whoosh. What doesn't go over his tall stature is Bree telling him to put his shirt back on, which earns a quick grin. He drops his clothing back into place and wraps his one arm around her shoulder. "Lets sit!" There are surely benches around here in this outdoor space and he treats to one with her so that they can /canoodle/ publicly.

"Okay," Bree agrees to the sitting and the canoodling, but there's a small problem with her desire to watch a fight that will surely end with Porter being jostled and her leaping from the bench. But for now, while Aleksei and Kyda speak to the terms, she settles in, making sure her right arm is on the outside so she doesn't get blood everywhere. So considerate.

"Good," Kyda's blade lifts with the word and she steps from her place of rest, moving to walk a circle in the snow, a makeshift boundary for their bout. "May Gloria bless you," she speaks that common refrain, no challenge started yet without her consecration of the match. She steps into the circle she's drawn, and the blackened alaricite lifts with surprising ease. "When you are ready, Aleksei Morgan," she allows him first movement, her knees bending, her hazel eyes watching with hawk-like alertness.

A fight has broken out here. Use @spectate_combat to watch, or +fight to join.

Ramona - A Guard in Ashford House Colours, Bigsby - A Thoughtful Looking Young Man in Nondescript Clothing, 2 Ashford Archer, 1 Ashford Scout arrive, following Lisebet.

Lisebet is on her way to the Shrine of the Queen of Endings, though she might be taking a meandering path. The petite duchess is wearing rose leather, warm enough in the cold, though she's not lingering much on her way. Mostly she's headed to where she wishes to go, but she is stopping whenever something catches her attention, so she's fairly obviously not in a huge rush.

"Gods bless us both." Aleksei's smile is crooked, but there's no less sincerity to the sentiment, regardless of his predilection for boyish humor. He draws his sword and takes a moment to consider at first, gaze sweeping over her form with a sort of casual ease that belies the amount of observation he's taking. And then he moves in, quick on his feet, but with a certain amount of guardedness that a keen eye might notice; he's testing at Kyda's defenses at first rather than making aggressive attacks. Certainly his lack of plate helps to keep his movement free and unencumbered, but even then, Kyda is /still/ impossible quick with her defense. As they circle each other and test those attacks, there's a growing brightness in Aleksei's eyes, a widening of his smile as she proves just as much of a challenge as he was warned. And then he starts pressing in against her defenses with a bit more focus. He doesn't leave easy openings for her, but it's clear he's shifting his attention a bit more towards the attack. And he's /quick/. He manages to keep her blade from him for maybe longer than he even expected, dancing through the match, trying to slip his own sword past her defenses. But then the cut finally comes, Kyda's blade managing to slip against his side with the flare of his longcoat.

Kyda's chin dips as he extends the blessing to her as well, but no further words come. She is resolute and precise in her quick movements, but his own blade finds its home against her armor again and again. The sounds of battle rise up from the snow-covered grounds, and there is very much a tit for tat exchange happening, with just the smallest of slip determining who takes the victory in this challenge for first blood. The dance they engage in takes them through the snow, leaving a strange pattern of boot prints to follow, and finally Kyda finds her window. She flicks the tip of the blade with almost impossible accuracy when his longcoat flares, and she feels the give of skin beneath the touch. And that's all it is, a touch! But it is enough to bring forth blood, and so the conditions are met. She steps back, blade lowering, a touch of pink to her cheeks. "Well fought, Aleksei Morgan," she gives him that praise, and then looks to her supplies. "I think I near the end of my challenge. If you hear of any others who wish to try, tell them time is of the essence." She glances to Bree and Porter on the bench, and then she moves toward the shrine. She retrieves her things and vanishes past the entry.

Bree and Porter, for their part, are very active audience members! Bree cheers, Porter calls out encouragement, and they watch Aleksei and Kyda clash. This one lasts far longer than their own did, but the result is the same. "Good job, Aleksei!" the Butterfly Knight calls, and then turns to Porter when Kyda seems to be finished for the afternoon. "We should take care of these wounds somewhere warmer. You can lift up your shirt again without fear of freezing!"

Lisebet catches sight of the battle, and stops, staring. She moves closer, ending up near the bench where Bree and Porter are. They get a brief nod and a wave, but her attention is on the match between Aleksei and Kyda. Her eyes widen and she seems to be nearly on the tips of her toes, holing her breath. And then she cheers, loudly! With a voice trained to project. "Oh well fought, well fought!" There's a bit of awe in her voice, as she's quite glad she accidentally happened upon this bout. Even in this freezing cold.

Aleksei works to catch his breath as he watches Kyda go, looking at her like he's just a little bit in love in that moment, in the way of a person who falls in love with challenge as easily as breathing. "Damn," he says, the word utterly admiring, and then he laughs. He only thinks to call after her when she's all but gone, "What are you fighting for?" But it's too late, really. "/Damn/," he says again, still beaming.