Chapter 23: Duel in the Dark
The forest clearing shimmered in the fading twilight as Wilkens and Peterson stood ten feet apart. Amanda and Miranda sat on a large tree root, pens and notepads in hand, ready to analyze every move. Jean-Daniel leaned against a rock, munching on mango slices, watching the two with mild amusement.
"You ready?" Peterson asked, tightening the straps on his cardboard-fused gauntlets.
Wilkens stretched his arms and cracked his neck. "Born ready. Just... don't break me in half, alright?"
"No promises," Peterson smirked.
As the spar began, a translucent blue screen blinked in front of Wilkens.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Unlocked Skill: Adaptive Arsenal
Use any object as a base weapon. Encase it in shadow and morph its shape within durability limits.
Wilkens blinked. "Oh. This is new."
"Less blinking, more dodging!" Peterson yelled, already in the air with a flying kick aimed straight for Wilkens' head.
Wilkens dove to the side, rolled across the dirt, and his hand landed on a cracked trash bin lid. Without thinking, he willed shadow energy into it. The plastic hissed as it darkened and hardened, transforming into a sleek black shield with a faint glowing emblem.
Peterson came in fast with a second kick. Wilkens barely raised the shield in time. The impact cracked the air—Wilkens grunted, sliding ten feet across the ground, crouched low, both hands pressed into the dirt for balance.
"Okay," he panted. "Either he's trying to kill me, or he doesn't know his own strength."
From the sidelines, Miranda whispered, "This is insane."
Amanda scribbled notes. "His kick had about 600 pounds of force... That's terrifying."
Wilkens peeked to his right and spotted a thick tree branch. With a quick roll, he snatched it and pumped it full of shadow energy. It morphed into a long black spear with violet etchings. Without hesitating, he stepped into the shadows.
He vanished.
"Where'd he go?!" Amanda yelled, eyes scanning the forest.
Jean-Daniel narrowed his eyes. "Big tree. Left side."
Wilkens emerged twenty feet away, arm already cocked back. He launched the spear with full force.
Peterson's danger instincts flared—he summoned a skeleton with a shield mid-air. The spear collided—
—BOOM!
The skeleton exploded into bone shards, the shield flung across the clearing. The spear didn't stop there—it barreled forward and obliterated a tree behind Peterson.
Everyone froze.
Jean-Daniel dropped his mango. "...Okay, y'all need to stop before someone dies."
Peterson stood slowly, eyes wide. "Dude..."
Wilkens lowered his arms, breathing hard. "What just happened?"
Amanda and Miranda looked at each other, jaws dropped.
"Fight's over," Jean-Daniel declared. "Before we need a priest."
Peterson chuckled nervously. "You okay?"
Wilkens collapsed onto his butt. "Never better. Never more terrified."
The group gathered near the creek, talking, laughing, reviewing the battle.
Amanda was flipping through her notes. "Wilkens, you've got range, stealth, and precision. Add some hand-to-hand and you're lethal."
Miranda teased, "He needs cardio. That spear throw almost made him faint."
"I'm conserving energy!" Wilkens protested.
Jean-Daniel slapped his back. "You're a nerd with assassin powers. How does that feel?"
Wilkens looked down. "Feels... epic."
Then it happened. A new screen appeared in front of Wilkens.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
New Side Quest: Defeat your master in a duel.
Quest Completed.
New Skill: Shadow Warp – Wrap multiple people in shadow and teleport them to any previously visited location.
Before anyone could react, sirens wailed in the distance.
"Oh no," Miranda whispered.
"Did someone hear the tree explosion?" Amanda asked.
Wilkens shot up. "Time to go!"
He wrapped everyone in shadows. The world spun—
—and in the next second, they were back in Peterson's bedroom.
Everyone screamed.
"HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!" Amanda shouted.
Wilkens looked just as shocked. "I—I got a new quest, and it gave me the power. I didn't mean to—"
"Wait," Peterson interrupted. "You have a system too?!"
Wilkens looked sheepish. "Apparently? I thought it was a one-player game."
Jean-Daniel laughed so hard he rolled off the bed. "Wilkens just unlocked fast travel!"
Amanda tapped her chin. "If Wilkens has a system... maybe Jean-Daniel will get one too?"
"I better," Jean-Daniel said. "Or I'm gonna be the only normal guy on this team."
Miranda giggled. "Not if we get powers before you."
Peterson leaned back, smiling. "Alright, Voodoo Clan. We've got more training ahead."
"And more trees to destroy," Wilkens muttered.
[End of the chapter]