Gods and Heroes- Rise of Fire

by Brendan Wright

  He's probably just waiting until I'm powerful enough to handle more before he shows me that kind of thing, he thought.

  Athan decided it wasn't his place to know just yet. He cursed softly and wondered why he followed Kerberos in the first place. He'd ask Kerberos about it soon, but not yet. He wasn't sure of Kerberos' mood, and he could be terrifying and brutal when not in high spirits.

  When Athan emerged from his tent, Kerberos was back at camp. Their leader was in his own tent, but Athan knew his mentor well and knew that whenever he was in his tent, he preferred his guards to stand further back from the entrance to show confidence and approachability. The former was mostly unnecessary as the entire tribe was aware of Kerberos' strength and abilities; The latter was pointless because as far as Athan was concerned, nothing could make the muscle-bound, seven foot tall leader of the Thearan army seem approachable. Even Athan was nervous around him, and they'd been training together and taking meals together for years now. The guards were indeed stationed on the other side of the walkway from their master's tent. Athanasius steered clear of his mentor for now, and went to one of the communal fire pits spread around the camp. It was early afternoon and a few hunters were preparing the midday meal. A few birds and lizards were already mostly cooked, being turned on a spit by hungry warriors. Athan sat nearby, waiting until the meat was cooked. He watched the warriors go about their business. He was mostly invisible to the tribe lately, and enjoyed watching them without needing to explain what he was doing.

  Athan had never been very social, and didn't fit in with the stereotypical Thearan personality. He had grown up with Aella, his best friend, who was also very quiet. They used to be inseparable, and he’d loved her as though she was his own sister until she fell for a new recruit, an escaped slave from Omatus named Erasmus. The Omati had just barely passed the initiation, and was far more talkative and friendly than Aella or Athan. But when he saw how close Aella and Athan were, he presented Aella with an ultimatum: Athan, or himself. To Athan's shock, she chose Erasmus. Since then, they really hadn't spoken much. That was about ten years ago, and Athan hadn't made new friends. Other than Kerberos.

  Kerberos noticed Athanasius after a little while, and approached him.

  "You don't talk to the others," he said to Athan. Athan shook his head, eyes downcast.

  Kerberos lowered himself to his knees, looking Athan in the eye. "I don't talk to them either. There can be great strength in solitude. But sometimes, we need others. Some things..." Kerberos put his hand on Athan's face. He was surprisingly gentle. "... Can only be done with others."

  Athanasius didn't understand what Kerberos was talking about at first. But they started spending time together, and Kerberos started teaching Athan to fight and use Fire Magic. And then Kerberos taught him other things, things they could only do together in the privacy of Kerberos' tent. Athan didn't realise what his feelings for Kerberos meant until the first time they laid together. It hurt for a while, but it was a sweet pain, made all the sweeter for being born of their closeness. Kerberos became Athan's whole world after that. They trained together, broke their fast together, shared Kerberos' bed, and talked of many things. Kerberos treated him well, but he was very secretive and he was a very passionate man, as prone to fits of white-hot rage as he was to moments of intense love. Athanasius still found himself alone every day for some time, while Kerberos dealt with being the leader of their tribe.

  So he sat at the fire, and watched; and when the meat was cooked he wandered close enough to cut some off for himself, and then wandered back to sit on his own again. Two of the warriors sitting at the fire were arguing playfully.

  "Can't you see the patterns on its back? It's a Diamondback, look!"

  "Haris, you are ignoring other signs again. See the shape of the claws?"

  "They look like any other claws, Iliana! What am I supposed to be looking at?"

  Iliana laughed and reached over to the cooking lizard. She cut off one of its legs and held it right up to Haris' face.

  "See how the curve gets more pronounced on the outside claws, and the diamond pattern is only a thin strip on the back? There's no diamond pattern on the legs or sides. It's clearly a Deathclaw."

  Haris deflated a little.

  "Yes, yes, you're right. You always are. I don't know why I still argue with you."

  "Because you're stubborn and a sore loser!" Iliana threw the lizard's foot at Haris, and hit him square between the eyes. He launched himself at her in retaliation. The two of them laughed and fought for a while, a pretend wrestle turning into a full contact sparring session. There was a noticeable shift in mood, from fun to truly competitive, though the smile never left their faces. Sparring was one of the most common activities among Thearans, and Athan loved watching. He was a decent fighter, but by no means the best. He always learned something from watching the older soldiers spar and was always happy to learn. He watched Iliana's stance change from an unarmed ready position to a close quarters dagger stance known as "Iro's Fangs". As most sparring sessions were among friends and were informal, a lot of warriors didn't use weapons. Iliana adapted the stance to use open, straightened hands in place of actual blades. Haris changed stance too, but was still using an unarmed form. Iliana swept her left hand in to Haris' core, aiming for a spot between his ribs. If they'd been fighting to the death, and if she hit her mark, he would have died in moments. But they knew each other well, apparently, and he expected the move. He deflected the blow with his right hand. Her right hand was already moving, and she stabbed his right shoulder just as he finished blocking her first strike. With a blade, that cut would have disabled his right arm completely. He tried to bat her hand away but she already hit him. He grunted and threw a punch with his left fist towards her face. Iliana swayed underneath it and sliced her left fingers across his belly, and then jabbed her right hand into his ribs, pointing up right at his heart. Haris grunted again, and laughed.

  "They say you can only improve by fighting someone better than yourself," he said, rubbing his new bruises, "So why haven't I become any better?"

  Iliana laughed too. "You don't learn from your mistakes, Haris." Her smile faltered.

  "You need to start paying attention to your weaknesses. It'll get you killed otherwise."

  Haris chuckled in response, though his smile had disappeared too.

  Finishing the lizard, Athan got up and walked through the camp, looking for someone to spar with. He didn't particularly feel like trying to spar with Kerberos, but wasn't close with anyone else. He saw Aella and Erasmus talking with a third person, a Shenza man he wasn't familiar with, and thought he might try them. Though they didn't speak much, they weren't exactly on bad terms. Athan thought it was worth a shot.

  Aella saw him approaching. Her face lit up very briefly, and then she glanced at Erasmus with what looked like a flash of guilt.

  So she still wants to be friends, Athan thought. The thought made him feel better about the lack of communication between them. At least he knew now that it wasn't a dead friendship.

  The Shenza warrior was the first to greet him, with a friendly nod and a smile. Athan returned to gesture and shook the man's hand.

  "My name is Dakesh," he said amiably, "honoured to meet you."

  "The honour is mine," Athan replied, "I am Athanasius."

  Erasmus turned from their conversation and regarded Athan coldly. "Greetings, warrior," he said. Though technically polite, it was the least friendly greeting Athan had ever heard, but he was used to Erasmus' chilly demeanour towards him despite their rare encounters. Athan didn't see the point in fighting for real, although he knew he could beat Erasmus. A sparring session would be satisfying enough, if Erasmus was stupid enough to agree. He decided to feign amiability instead.

  "Hope you're well, Erasmus?" Athan's grin felt odd, but he knew it would remove any possibility of angering Erasmus while at the same time making him uncomfortable.

  "Of course. And you?" Athan could see in the look Erasmus g
ave him that he knew what Athan was doing, and didn't appreciate it.

  "Very well. I've been training with Kerberos for a while now. Just wondering if any of you wanted to spar?"

  Dakesh looked as if he was about to reply, but a fierce look appeared in Erasmus' eyes. "I'll spar with you, warrior."

  Dakesh

  The Fire Festival was a wonder to behold. Thearans spent their lives fighting, hunting, killing, and setting fires; Dakesh saw all of these things every day since joining the tribe. But the festival was a new experience entirely; the fights were more brutal, the hunts more dangerous, and the fires many times larger. There was an energy in the air, so intense it was almost a physical presence like the smoke and ash that hung in the air around them.

  He spent a lot of time watching and wagering on the battles, and joined in the fighting several times. He won every fight except his last against Aella. When he submitted instead of fighting to the death he was jeered, but he saw relief in Aella's face and it lifted his spirits. Kerberos challenged Aella immediately after their fight. Dakesh couldn't resist watching; he moved to the ring and sat on the sand, sore and tired but watching intently.

  The fight was like nothing he'd ever seen. He had felt almost evenly matched against Aella during their battle; but when she fought Kerberos it became obvious he was merely a warm up for a warrior such as her. Even with his Kaizuun, he was utterly beneath her. Kerberos and Aella moved like lightning in a storm; twirling around each other, clashing and suddenly changing direction like leaves caught in a hurricane. He was mesmerised.

  Then they both unleashed their magic, enveloping themselves in fire, and the battle rose to a whole new level. Dakesh couldn't follow them; they were simply too fast. He sat for a while, watching blurred flames arcing towards each other and away again, not knowing who may be winning but not wanting to look away. Then an idea seized him, and he almost laughed at how obvious it was. He drew his blade, and the second it was in his hand the fight slowed down slightly; they were still moving faster than he could have caught up with, but just slow enough that he understood what was happening. They were both unarmed, and Kerberos seemed to be winning. Aella was on the ground, reaching for her swords.

  Just as she swept them off the ground, Kerberos kicked her viciously in the neck. He kicked her again and again, but she didn't even flinch. She stood, her movements so fast now that even with his Kaizuun he couldn't follow. He watched Kerberos try to attack her over and over, but she became a flame-filled whirlwind, surrounding him and avoiding him all at the same time. Suddenly, thin sprays of blood flew from Kerberos' legs, shoulders and back all at the same time. He grunted and fell to his knees. The fire covering him disappeared in an instant. Aella's remained as she stood over him and screamed at him to yield. Her rage and power were staggering.

  Kerberos yielded to gasps of astonishment from the watching crowd. Dakesh shook his head in amazement; he never would have bet on any warrior winning a fight against Kerberos. The Thearan leader appointed her his second in command right there in the ring where she almost killed him. Aella didn't look proud or pleased, however; instead she wore an intensely troubled expression as she walked out of the ring.

  Aella

  The festival ended about ten days after Aella was named second in command, and it passed quickly and uneventfully; except for one unexpected development. Aella didn't think anything more could occur during the festival that would shock her. And then Athanasius appeared while Erasmus, Dakesh and her were talking about their possible destination after the festival. She saw him first, and despite their estrangement, the first thing she felt was sudden joy. Then she remembered Erasmus was standing right next to her; She tried to mask her feelings and waited for Athan to greet them. Dakesh was the first to act, however, giving Athan a nod and a smile.

  They introduced each other, and Athan and Erasmus even traded cold pleasantries. When Athan asked if someone wanted to spar, Aella’s heart throbbed painfully. She missed their sparring, but if she accepted, Erasmus would only grow jealous and petty again. Dakesh looked as though he was about to accept, and she was suddenly very keen to see the two spar; if Athan had improved as much as she suspected, the fight would be very interesting to watch. But before Dakesh could say anything, Erasmus spoke up, the cold tone never leaving his voice.

  “I’ll spar with you, warrior.”

  Athanasius

  Athanasius and Erasmus stood, facing each other in one of the sparring rings. Athanasius decided to use his spear instead of the short sword he used more often. Kerberos fought at mid range and long range very effectively, and Athan adapted his fighting style with a spear to be able to deal with opponents from a distance. He knew Erasmus would be using a sword, and he wanted to try his long range fighting style against a short range opponent. He also knew he'd easily be able to beat Erasmus, and a part of him was looking forward to the satisfaction of putting him in his place.

  Erasmus was holding his sword ready, in a standard combat stance that gave away his mediocre skills at a glance. Kerberos had taught him how to quickly judge an opponent's body language before any battle started.

  "You can read skill level, confidence, injuries, habits and speed if you know what you are looking for," he'd instructed Athan, "all before the first strike."

  He answered Erasmus' stance with a more confident and advanced opening stance of his own. Right foot forward, standing side on to the opponent, spear in the extended forward hand and pointing down at the opponent's feet. The shaft of the spear ran parallel to his arm, the butt sitting roughly at his shoulder. It wasn't the most practical stance, especially if the opponent started too close, but it showed confidence and Athan knew there was enough time to transition to a more controlled stance by the time Erasmus reached him.

  His opponent's stance was melting away as anger took hold. Athan saw his silent, taunting confidence breaking Erasmus' resolve; he fought not to smirk. Erasmus gave in and rushed at Athan. Athan twirled, spinning the spear in graceful loops, bringing it around into a two handed grip as he landed left foot forward and slightly crouched. He was now perfectly balanced on the balls of his feet, his spear secured in a lethal position, blade pointing at the dead centre of Erasmus' chest. As the former Omati slave started swinging his sword, Athan twirled the spearhead around the blade of the sword, adding to its momentum and taking it in an arc out of Erasmus' grip. His opponent built too much momentum of his own, so Athan spun on his left foot, swinging the butt of his spear into Erasmus' back as he ran past. He stumbled and fell, and Athan stood in another confident stance over him, trying desperately not to laugh out loud. Kerberos' training had improved his combat skills drastically; he was still no master, but to the likes of Erasmus, he might as well be Kerberos himself.

  Erasmus was falling perfectly for his trap. He dragged himself to his feet, practically spitting with rage. Before he'd even steadied himself into a fighting position, he launched himself again at Athan. He barely needed to try now. He sidestepped and swung his spear into Erasmus' legs as he passed, tripping him up. He was just allowing himself a tiny smile when his feet were suddenly swept from under him, and the ground slammed the air from his lungs before he understood what happened. He rolled, trying to breathe in, and saw Aella standing over him, furious and looking ready for a fight. His heart sank as he realised he'd disappointed her. Your ego blinded you, you fool, he chided himself. Of course Aella would be angry at you for humiliating her love. He shook his head, dragged a wheezing breath into his lungs and looking up at Aella.

  "I'm sorr-" He started to say, but his own spear suddenly appeared, streaking down at his face with incredible speed. He felt the fire-hardened wood smash his forehead. White spots covered his vision. He rolled away from Aella, trying to gain his footing back. The spear came down hard on his back while he was rising. He screamed, dropping back to the ground. She hit him again, and again, and then he distantly heard his spear thud to the ground next to him. He was on his hands and knees, trying weakly
to stand, when Aella grabbed him roughly and hauled him to his feet. Though younger than Athan, she was larger than him by a fair amount, and certainly stronger. She was a pure blood Thearan, dark skin and white hair and golden eyes, and she was a true warrior. She was intense with her training and had incredible self discipline. She set him on his feet in front of her, keeping her hands on his shoulders in a vice-like grip. She was breathing heavily, but it seemed to be from rage instead of physical effort. She was not sweating at all, and if he hadn't felt the blows himself he wouldn't have known she just beat someone senseless and picked them up off the ground.

  She stared into his eyes for a few unbearable moments, unmasked fury twisting her features. They grew up together, inseparable until she fell for Erasmus, and were like siblings. He still saw her as a little sister, but he was absolutely terrified of her in that moment. Eventually, she let go of his arms and took a graceful step back. She was graceful in everything she did, her movements always perfectly coordinated and smooth. She hadn't taken her eyes off him since she set him on his feet. Her gaze didn't waver as she spoke, her voice quiet but laced with lethal promise.