The next day, after an intermediate training session, Daryl took Mallory's weapon and replaced it at the sword rack. To her surprise, he came back with two wooden swords. The last time the two of them sparred was a couple of years ago, since he wanted her to focus more on increasing her agility and coordination with climbing. "Before your initiation tomorrow," he started, tossing her the faux weapon and gripping his with both hands, "I want you to show me how far you've come."

            Mallory caught the weapon with one hand at its hilt. She squinted her eyes, watching him widen his stance and take a few steps back. Taking a breath and placing one foot behind her, she lowered her chin and gripped her weapon with both hands. With her false sword held out in front of her, she locked eyes with her master, prepared to initiate her strike.

            Daryl tensed the muscles throughout his body, ready for the girl to pursue him with full force. Fortified in his position, he ordered, "Come!"

            With that, Mallory charged towards him on the balls of her feet, grains of sand spraying backwards in response. In an instant, she clashed blades with his, a backlash ringing throughout her body as if she struck an immovable object. It was not painful, though. If anything, it was invigorating. She kept the rush going pulling her weapon away with a spin away from him. Upon facing him again, she went for a slash towards his knees.

            Daryl blocked her second attack with a deft shift of his sword. He could feel her remarkable strength almost forcing him to tremble against her attack. Nevertheless, his position remained as stoic as it was in her first attack. His blade did not waver under her resistance. I'm not holding back, neither should you.

            Feeling the strength behind his block, Mallory exhaled with a smirk. Here I go, Master! Mallory pulled back with another spin and aimed higher, that time towards his shoulder. He deflected her blow with a slash powerful enough to break off a splinter from her weapon that went soaring through the air. The shock of his attack and the flying twig was almost enough to distract Mallory from her master's impending attack. As she regained her composure, she hopped to the side in order to avoid a jab towards her abdomen. With his upper body leaned forward, she tried to take advantage of the opening with a downward swing towards the back of his neck.

            Daryl immediately twisted himself back upright, crossing blades with his apprentice. He took a few steps towards her and applied more pressure against her weapon, pushing her back about half a foot's distance. As he expected, she did not wince nor buckle. The girl looked up at him with a fiery glare, her arms shaking only slightly. Daryl narrowed his eyes at her, knowing full well that there was far more strength in her than what she was showcasing. You can do better than that!

            As if reading his mind, a small grin formed at the corner of her mouth as she flexed the muscles in her back and stomped forward to push him back. She saw the sternness in his face falter a bit as she managed to move him a few inches back, taking the moment to knock his sword to his side and give herself an opening. The moment she attempted to seize her opportunity with a swing towards his shoulder.

            With the finesse of what one would expect from someone half his size, Daryl leaned and ducked his upper body under Mallory's sword as it swooped above him. Being in that position, he swung at Mallory's shins.

            Mallory's eyes widened seeing her master in a lower position than what she had been used to back when they sparred on a more regular basis. In spite of being taken off guard, Mallory responded with an upward leap to avoid Daryl's attack. With her descent, she came barreling down with a swing towards her master's back.

            In the same, seamless fluidity as his previous attack, he brought himself upright to block Mallory's slash, swinging back at her with such power that it sent the girl backwards through the air.

            Mallory caught her breath after getting the wind knocked out of her and she managed to land on her feet, only having a second to react once she caught a glimpse of her master charging towards her. She knew that with all the momentum he was gaining in his rapid approach, she would have to strike with all her might just to block him. In the second she had to respond, she hiked up a knee and spun on the tips of her toes planted in the sand, creating the velocity she needed to meet her master's attack with one of her own. The two of them clashed weapons with such a force that it threatened to break the wooden blades in half, Mallory stamping her foot in the ground to reinforce her stance as she struggled against her master.

            It was at that point Daryl began to feel the fatigue in his arms, his elbows beginning to shake under his apprentice's resistance. His shoulder blades ached from being forced to put his back into all blocking all of the girl's attacks, making him wonder how she was faring in comparison. The unrelenting ferocity in her eyes told him that she still had plenty of fight left in her. I really am getting old. With that realization, he readied himself for the offensive and pulled back his weapon. Aiming towards her neck, he swung at full strength, certain that she would block it once more.

            Mallory noticed that Daryl seemed to be getting weaker as the fight went on, so with his next attack, she planned to take advantage of that by swinging at his blade with every bit of strength she could muster in one swing. All the way from the soles of her feet, she flexed every muscle in her body to deliver a fervent parry, causing him to release a hand from the false weapon and stumble backwards slightly. Her eyes widened at what was the biggest opening she had ever made against her master. She wanted to pounce on the opportunity, but a sharp sting running throughout her body caused her to hesitate, unable to keep from wincing. With a sharp inhale, she pushed through the pain and went for a jab towards his neck.

            Daryl grunted and placed a solid foot on the ground, regaining his posture while at the same time thrusting his own weapon towards the side of her neck. The tip of Daryl's sword tapped the side of Mallory's neck, as Mallory's hit the side of Daryl's simultaneously.

            The girl's mouth hung wide open, not only from panting with exhaustion after giving it her all, but also in astonishment of what she had just accomplished. Even Daryl's eyes were wide with wonder as they were glued to the tip of her blade resting against his neck. In their surprise, it took them a moment to acknowledge that Daryl had bested her at the same time, though. Their concentration soon shifted to Daryl's blade at Mallory's neck.

            Daryl blinked a bit and lowered his weapon, to which she lowered hers as well. It's a draw... The swordsman thought about saying the words out loud, but after witnessing firsthand just how much his apprentice had blossomed throughout her years of training, he could not think of it as anything other than a victory for her. He met her mint green eyes that were full of expectancy. Narrowing his gaze, he nodded. "You are ready."

***

            The night of her initiation took place at the training grounds with a flickering orange glow from the torches luminating the darkness. Mallory stood before the stage on which Rod stood at the center of, Daryl standing at his right. Grace stood to his left with Liam at her side. The rest of the sorcerers, including Victoria, stood on the stage amongst many other swordsmen and handlers.

Like the others predicted, there was a big turnout to see her fight, so big that there was not enough room on the wooden stage for everyone to watch from there. There was a huge crowd several feet behind Mallory, which made her wonder if she would even be able to have a proper amount of space for the match. Standing in front of the stage, facing Mallory, were several more swordsmen in a shoulder-to-shoulder lineup, including Jeremy and Braden the Brash. Since those two were Mallory's most likely options for the duel, it only made sense for them to share the ground with her. On each end of the line was a handler holding a wooden sword, ready to present the fighters with them once the duel was set to get started.

Rod stepped forward, staring down at Mallory for a moment and then at the men around her, and began, "Tonight, we are here to evaluate the progress of Mallory..." His voice trailed off as a lost expression overcame his face. He looked back at Daryl and asked, "What's the girl's surname?"

Daryl shrugged irritably and proposed, "Maybe you could try asking her instead."

Rod looked back at Mallory and cocked an eyebrow. He gestured towards her with a formal yet sloth like motion of his hand and continued, "Mallory...?"

Mallory knit her eyebrows and looked down. Do I have a surname...? She lifted her head and answered, "I don't have one, sir..." She tried to remain confident, but the pain of her past being stolen from her felt all the more present in that moment.

There was a soft murmur behind her, as if the men were intrigued by the fact that her lineage felt even more mysterious. Some of them mentioned Daryl's name, and all Mallory could gather from that was maybe they were comparing her to her master.

She took a breath and concentrated on taking back what was stolen from her instead. When I find my father, I'll ask him myself!

Rod stretched a corner of his mouth and looked down at her with a somber look. "I understand." He turned his attention to the rest of the crowd and continued, "We are here to evaluate the skill of the sole apprentice of Daryl the Dauntless. Should her prowess prove to be of worth in a duel with any swordsman of her choosing, she will be initiated into the Swordsmen's Guild without question. Understood?"

The night erupted with a collective, "Yes, sir!"

"Ooh, so loyal..." Victoria cooed quietly.

"You can learn from them," Liam hissed back at her.

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "I'm loyal to whomever I wish." She glanced at Rod and smirked.

Grace noticed what she was saying and, although she was glad that the sorceress had respect for Rod, she made a stale face in response. I can't believe he used to like her.

Rod turned his attention back to Mallory and went on, "I'm certain you gave your choice a lot of thought. So, without further ado, Mallory, choose wisely."

The girl looked above at all the people she had come to know over the years. Liam smirked at her, Grace nodded with excitement, and Wade gave her a thumbs up. Daryl had his arms crossed with a stern look on his face that told her he knew that she would make the right decision.

With their trust in her restoring her confidence, Mallory looked to her left to meet eyes with Jeremy. He granted her a feeble smile, as if he was letting her know that he was still willing to fight her but knew that she was not actually going to pick him. Sorry, Jeremy. You're just a little too safe. Then, she shifted her attention to Braden the Brash towards her right. He tilted his head to crack his neck, grinning back at her with a clear desire to take her on himself. She hardened her expression and balled her fists. Alright, Braden. It's time to show you...

Right as Mallory began to muster up the courage to make her final decision, however, the ceremony was interrupted by a monstrous voice, calling, "What's all this about?"

A collective gasp exploded from everyone in the area, all heads turning towards the source of the roar. The figure bounded towards the cliff that led back up towards the village. Upon seeing who it was, some men cheered, while others gripped their swords.

Grace's heart jumped furiously in her chest at the sound of his voice. "No...!" she whispered.

Liam flailed backwards, almost slapping Grace unintentionally, and yelled, "W-what is that?"

Victoria narrowed her eyes, a rare look of disgust morphing her facial expression. "Who is that...?" she corrected.

William held Sophia tighter to his side with his arm wrapped around her waist, placing his other hand on the hilt of his sword strapped to his hip. Phoebus staggered backward, the color draining from his face as he turned to Wade and asked, "C-can we please leave?" Wade's eyes got big witnessing the giant for the first time, shaking his head to answer Phoebus's question.

The beast planted the side of his enormous foot against the stony, steep cliff, placing a robust hand on it as he slid down. Through his descent, several rocks and clumps of dirt came down with him. He landed on his feet with a thud, sand splattering upon impact. He turned around to face the guild, his crooked teeth bared in appalment. "Ya wanna tell me what I'm lookin' at, boss?" he demanded, looking up at the sorcerers on the stage. "'Cause it ain't the Swordsmen's Guild!"

Daryl flared his nostrils and drew his sword, ready to take the ogre on if he had to. You won't wreak anymore havoc around here. I don't care who you are.

"Grace?" Liam whimpered as he turned to Grace for an answer, still drawing a blank about who the creature was.

"It's him..." Grace replied, unable to take her eyes off of the subject of everyone's attention. "Garrison."

The realization struck Liam like a bolt of lightning as he slowly turned to face the man again. That's the guy who tried to kill me... I am so dead.

A black bear skin pelt covered the giant's chest and upper back, ending at a point right above his naval button. He still wore the signature tiger skin fastened at his waist and draped over his knees. His face was clean shaven, revealing new wrinkles around his twisted face that made the tattoo almost indiscernible. Despite the insanity of his size, it still appeared wondrous how he was able to carry the giant claymore strapped to his back with such ease.

"Garrison," Rod started, rubbing his eyes with annoyance, "you haven't been around in years, and the first thing you wanna do is complain?"

"I wanna know what's goin' on!" Garrison barked. "What are all these weaklings doin' in my guild? And what's everybody doin' out here anyway...?" The giant's voice trailed off as his attention shifted towards the girl who was at the center of it all.

From the moment she realized it was Garrison, Mallory stood in the same spot with her head held high, glaring at him the whole time. She thought back to how she was petrified with fear after she had caught his attention all those years ago. In that moment, looking into his repugnant, mismatched eyeballs, she wanted him to know that she was not scared of him anymore.

His eyes widened with some combination of repulsion and amazement. "You...! You're that little brat from back then!"

Eyes began to shift back to Mallory as people became curious as to how he knew who she was.

Grace looked down at her and deciphered the glower on her face instantly. Her eyes grew wide as she began to shake her head. Mallory...don't!

"Garrison!" Rod called with a voice more thunderous than normal. "This is her initiation! She's no brat, she'll be a swordsman, soon!"

"He's nothing but an overgrown pest, isn't he?" Victoria acknowledged, raising an eyebrow at Liam. "Rod doesn't seem to like him either. Shall I cook him?"

"No," Liam snapped. He caught a glimpse of his wife's grave expression and wondered why she was staring at Mallory like that. Wait...please tell me she's not thinking what I think you think she's thinking...

Garrison's chest heaved up and down with muffled laughter. "Her? A swordsman? Like another woman could get into this guild!" He tilted his head towards Grace and added, "That one was lucky enough to be the daughter of the best swordsman in the world. Ya really think some outsider, mud-faced woman has what it takes to be a member of this guild?"

"That's what we're here to see, Garrison," Rod grumbled, more irritated than anything. "As soon as Mallory decides—"

"I want him," Mallory declared, pointing a steady finger at the giant who loomed several feet across from her.

"What?" Liam blurted, along with quite a few others, baffled by her boldness.

"Mallory?" Jeremy called in a hushed tone. She looked at him to see him shooting her an incredulous stare.

Her eyes then shifted over to her previous option, Braden, who she expected to be rather upset that she did not choose him. Instead, he looked much more impressed than the others. He even chuckled a bit when he caught her eye. Before turning her attention back to the ogre, she gave Braden a reassuring nod. I can still show you what it means to fight for someone.

A wide grin revealing murky gums spread across the fiend's face. "Me? Ha ha, ya hear that, boss? She wants me! Looks like she's tryin' to follow in the crow's footsteps. How cute."

"Psst, Daryl!" Liam whispered, leaning towards Daryl from the left side of the stage. The swordsman looked to the sorcerer with a blank expression. Liam threw his hands in a shrug like motion and continued, "She's going insane! Do something!"

In response to Liam's plea, Daryl sheathed his sword and crossed his arms, turning his attention back to Mallory.

Liam threw his arms up in the air and shook his head. He grabbed his wife's hand and started biting his nails. If this gets any uglier, I'll step in myself!

The sorcerer's hand felt clammy against hers, and as much as she wanted to believe in Mallory, she could not help but be worried for the girl's safety as well. Mallory...what are you thinking? 

Rod's eyes were wider than they had been in some time. That night marked only the second time he had ever seen Garrison challenged by someone else. He blinked for a moment and turned his attention back to the young apprentice. "Mallory," he called. She fixated her gaze back to the leader of the guild. There was a determined, almost fearsome look in her eyes that told Rod she was dead serious. Nevertheless, he asked, "Is that your final decision?"

She nodded and looked back at Garrison, who was chuckling under his breath the whole time. "Yes," she answered, causing a quieter ruckus amongst the swordsmen.

Victoria's face contorted into that fox like grin of hers. "I knew I had a good feeling about this one."

"I don't even know if I could beat him," William admitted to his wife. "Could she really do it?"

Tim the Blacksmith stood near the couple, laughing under his breath. "We're gonna find out!"

Mallory felt a short rush of warmth, which caused her to lock eyes with Wade. He had this concerned, almost pleading look in his boyish face. She furrowed her brow for a split second, understanding his concern, but after seeing the beast again, she had already made up her mind. She hardened her gaze and looked back up at Rod, ready for him to announce their duel.

Rod cleared his throat and ordered, "Say it, then. Say that you wish to duel this man for your initiation."

Right before she made her statement, she looked to Daryl to see if she could gain some approval from him at the very least. What she saw in his stern countenance in that moment was something that contrasted heavily from what he met her with the first time she challenged the giant those years ago. Where she looked for approval, she found something beyond that. It appeared to her that Daryl wanted her to go through with the fight.

Shifting her eyes back to Rod, Mallory nodded and declared, "For my duel, I choose Garrison the Gargantuan." The clarity of her voice cut through the air, silencing the men that populated the beach with sheer astonishment.

While everyone else's minds were full of doubt, Daryl took a deep breath and raised his head, eager to see his apprentice in action. Restore their faith in you, Mallory. I know you can.

Garrison broke the silence with a bellowing cackle, his head thrown back filling the air with his maniacal amusement. Then, he lowered his head to meet eyes with his opponent. "Ya wanna take me on, do ya?"

His horrifying gaze bored into her, but she remained calm, recalling her master's words so long ago about how she must control her fear. Not only was his size intimidating, but the giant's eye enveloped in blackness reminded her all too much of Eagle Eye. With all his cackling and sadistic presence, it was like she was back in the building where her father was taken. She could feel hatred boiling back up inside of her. It's because of people like you that Daddy was taken. I won't let them have their way anymore, starting with you!

Rod looked back and forth between Mallory and Garrison, as if he was contemplating whether or not he should allow a fight like this. Then, he let out a reluctant exhale and announced, "Then it's settled. Mallory, your opponent shall be the top swordsman of the Swordsmen's Guild: Garrison the Gargantuan, as requested."

Garrison's eyes narrowed, seeing that Mallory was ready, even antsy to fight him. He grinned even harder, balling his hands into boulder like fists. "Fine," he started, his monstrous timbre spitting a venom that could ward off any other man, "then I'll remind ya where you belong: in the dirt!"