by James Huff
The five of us decided to walk toward the statue together, happy to have made our friendship pact and totally unconcerned by the trio of naysayers. As we approached the statue, a sea of people rushed in that direction and the entire area was filled with masses of students from all six castes. The high priest approached the base of the statue and touched the feet of the Alphae with his scepter. At that moment the Alphae could be seen descending from the lofty ceilings and floating above us all. His body was concealed and only his massive head could be seen looming above us. “Children of Institution,” he began, glinting with pride. “You have all been chosen to be here to participate in a very important and honorable retreat in preparation for your first initiation. The first section of the tournament will begin momentarily before we come back here for the high noon Worship Service. I know you are all prepared and the best of you were all selected to compete in the greatest tournament of Victeous that Metropolis has ever seen. I have said it before and I must admit that this class of Institution is unlike any other group of initiates that I have ushered into the new Dawn of Light and Service. Now gather around and welcome in this glorious day.”
At that point all of the flying creatures that were seen above us began to swarm around the Alphae, forming beautiful and intricate patterns around his mighty form. Then the high priest motioned to the other priests to begin the call of the Alphae and all of the students instantly fell to their knees and many of them starting going into convulsions to welcome the god and the new day. I decided to pretend to be taken by the excitement and began to dance around, trying my best to fit in amongst all that madness. I looked over at Amy and could see her frustration as she pretended to fall into a similar swoon. Justin, Peter, and David did not seem to be pretending and did not struggle at all to conform. Eventually the high priest struck his scepter to the ground six times, signaling silence. Then the Alphae spoke once more. “Remember glorious children that it is in submission and unquestioning obedience that you find the true freedom that I shall grant each of you as I welcome you into my many wonderous and glorious kingdoms on the final initiation of your death. Know that I love each and everyone of you equally and with good measure. But I shall strike those down with mighty power and great vengeance who oppose my holy and omnipotent will. Though fear not, for the day shall soon come when all will unite under my banner of pride. Now go. Remember to respect your opponent during each Victeous match.”
The high priest then made an announcement. “Will the priest of each caste please escort all of the inductees to the inner stadium to begin the first stage of the tournament. Now go and remember, that all things done be unto the glory of the Alphae.” Amy wished me luck and gave me a quick hug as we all were escorted past the waterfall and into an underground crypt that led to a hidden set of lifts. We descended down the lifts about three or four levels and then proceeded to exit them and walk down a wide dark corridor as we approached two massive golden and silver double doors. There were many designs embroidered on the doors of warriors competing against each other in mortal combat. Some of the scenes were rather graphic. The Silver priest then instructed all of the noncombatants to take their seats in the stadium beneath the banner of the Silver caste and instructed for all competetors to follow him into the locker rooms. There were separate quarters for each caste as well as for male and female combatants.
I walked into the locker room and noticed that the facility was much nicer than in the gymnasium of the Silver caste. We were each instructed to enter the containment and cleansing chamber first and then we proceeded to get dressed into our professional grade symbiotic bio units or SBU’s. As I got dressed I was happy to see Mr. Merck come into the locker room. He came right up to me and shook my hand. “I know you will make the Alphae proud today. I have always known that you have the heart of a warrior John. I will let you in on a little secret. The first combatant you will compete against is a member of the Lead caste. I know how big of a rivalry there is between the Silver and the Lead castes and I know that you can prove to your opponent that the Silver caste will be victorious.” He patted me on the back and returned to the center of the room and got everyone’s attention. “Conratulations to each of you for being selected to compete in the tournament. There is only one rule that I must make very clear to you all. If you are the victor in your match this morning, or at any time during the tournament, you must remember to revive your opponent. Failing to do so in a timely manner will result in a 300 point penalty against the entire caste. I know that none of you want to be the one to bring such a loss of points to your caste. So remember to always respect your opponent. Now if you will please follow me to the competetor’s box to await your match this morning. And one more thing. You will not all be chosen to compete this morning. The first stage of the tourmanent is merely to separate the boys from the men. Now go and remember, that all things done be unto the glory of the Alphae.”
We were then all escorted out of the locker rooms and began to enter the stadium, welcomed by thunderous applause. My heart started beating faster. The excitement was really getting to me as well as the anxiety I felt in my heart. I had to admit that I was very nervous. What if I screwed up? What if I angered my entire caste? I just knew that I could not let that happen. Besides, I enjoyed Victeous. And I was good at it. It was the only thing about Institution that I loved and always looked forward to. With newfound confidence I joined the other 59 combatants of my caste as all of the castes came before us there in a procession, with each physical education instructor bearing the banner of the crest of each caste. We stood there in formation as the sea of people in the massive stadium began to applaud. Soon, after the signaling of the preists, the students in the stadium began to beat their feet on the floor as the thunderous applause turned into an even greater cacophony.
Then the high priest struck his scepter to the floor, signaling silence in the entire stadium as the Alphae arose from his throne to the East and raised his staff on high, announcing the beginning of the tournament. “Silence! I wish each of you congratulations for being accepted into the great honor of competing in our very first Victeous tournament of the new class of Institution. I have selected each of the combatants who will be competing today and I will announce them now to come forward and receive my blessing.” I waited in formation as we were selected, six at a time, to come before the Alphae and face our opponent and receive his blessing. I was selected shortly and faced my opponent from the Lead caste. I was shocked when I saw that it was the same blonde boy that had approached my friends and I earlier that day by the waterfall. I was happy, though, to be able to be the one to put him in his place. We each knelt before the Alphae while he touched our foreheads with the tip of his scepter and then he beckoned for us to kiss his feet. We then returned to our formations and I waited patiently while each of the opponents were blessed in this manner.
We were then escorted by our instructors to our exclusive box to await our time of combat. Mr. Merck gave us one last brief speech before the first matches began. “Now you will all be competing six at a time. This means that there will be three fights going on simultaneously. This will continue for the beginning stage of the tournament until there have been enough eliminations to allow for one fight at a time. Only about 25% of you will be competing today. I ask for the rest of you to cheer for your caste mates and be respectful and observe. When it is your time to compete, you will each be called up to the stadium floor by the Alphae. There will be a team of drones keeping score the entire time. Remember that although you get many points for a kill, points will also be awarded based upon form and presentation. Remember students that you are not only competing, but you are putting on a show for the rest of us. Also keep in mind that one of the mystics of the great palace of the Alphae is in attendance with us this morning and will be throughout the entire tournament. This is just one more reason for each of you to respect your opponent and fight with honor and dignity. Now prepare yourself and remember, that all things done be unto t
he glory of the Alphae.”
With that a loud trumpet blast was heard from above and the Alphae could be seen to take his seat on his throne, as the six priests of each caste prostrated before him and the high priest knelt on one knee behind them. After the trumpet blast ended, the seven priests all stood up and turned around and faced the stadium floor to observe the first round of Victeous matches. The Alphae announced the first matches. There were two opponents he announced first, one from the Iron caste and the other from the Tin caste. They were both boys. Next I was surprised to hear Amy’s name get called for her to face a member of the Mercury caste. Her opponent, interestingly enough, was a boy who was rather tall for his age. He had a fierce look upon his face, like he was ready for war. Finally there were two other opponents called up, two girls, one from the Lead caste and the other from the Iron caste. The opponents were motioned by their instructors to face each other in each of the three arcs marked upon the floor. Then, a cannon went off as each opponent took their opening stance and began combat.
I didn’t care about the other two matches and decided to focus my attention on Amy’s fight. Amy and her opponent activated their avatars simultaneously. Amy appeared to be taking the catious route and seemed to be studying her opponent’s moves as he inched in closer, his avatar seeking out a point of vulnerability. Her oppenent’s avatar was wearing armor that was black as night and a cloak was over its face. It was very tall and carried a large black sword. In his other hand there was a small round shield that glistened with silver and gold. Amy’s avatar had the appearance of a warrior princess with dazzling silver breastplates and two crescent shaped short swords. Suddenly Amy’s opponent let out a loud cry and lunged in at her avatar with his sword, going for a death blow to the head. Amy quickly dodged the attack with a quick duck and rolled around behind her opponent’s avatar. It was then that she rose up, performing a dual strike at the legs of the avatar. Both strikes were blocked by her opponent’s sword as Amy rose to her feet and took her original stance.
Amy and her opponent remained rather distant, testing their boundaries through attacks, each one being dodged. Finally Amy let out a loud cry as she ran and jumped high into the air. Her avatar then did an amazing maneuver and cut a backflip while dually striking toward her oppoenent’s head, going in for the kill. But her opponent blocked the attack once more with his sword and grabbed Amy’s avatar and flipped it over and then threw himself upon her, trying to get his sword to her neck. I watched on in horror and suspense as her opponent’s sword got closer and closer to her neck, while Amy blocked it with her swords. Finally in an amazing feat of strength, Amy let out a loud cry and flipped her body upward, slashing her openent across the chest in a dual strike. Blood instantly gushed out of her oppenent’s avatar as the entire stadium erupted into a thunderous applause. But her opponent did not give up. Instead he charged straight for her in an attempt to impale her with his sword. But he made a fatal mistake and did not mind his footing as I saw Amy duck down and roll while simultaneously striking her opponent’s legs, causing his avatar to fall to its knees. I could hear the entire stadium yell out in unison, “Finish him!” Then I saw Amy take both of her swords and put them across the avatar’s neck as she decapitated it and sent its head dropping to the floor. Instantly both avatars dissipated and her opponent fell to the floor unconscious. Immediately, and with no hesitation, Amy walked up to her opponent, reached into her uniform, and pulled out a syringe which she injected into his neck, instantly reviving him. Then she helped him to his feet, they both bowed to each other, and the instructor took Amy’s hand and lifted it up, announcing the first victory of the Silver caste.
Thunderous applause ensued as Amy stood there, basking in the pride of her victory. The other two matches ended momentarily and the Alphae commissioned for the six fighters to return to the box as he began to call upon the next combatants. My name was the first one that was called and so I went up and took my place in the center arc next to my opponent from the Lead Caste. The look on his face was one of pure disgust and I could not wait to put this boy in his place for his insults that morning. The Alphae spoke up. “Now I want all of you to have a good, clean fight and always remember to revive your opponent.” The Alphae threw a rather stern glance in my direction, as if he was expecting some other form of disobedience. But I would not try to offend the Alphae in such a foolish way. The last thing I wanted was to cause my caste such a loss in points. I was confident that the Silver Caste could win the Caste Cup and I wanted to be the champion of that win. In fact, I willed it with all my being.
After the Alphae’s brief speech the cannon went off with a bang that echoed throughout the stadium. My openent activated his avatar a few seconds after I activated mine. His avatar carried a large battle axe in one hand and a short sword in the other. He was wearing a horned helment and had a large red burly beard. He was dressed in brown animal skins and had a rather primitive, barbaric appearance. Fitting for the Lead Caste, I thought. But that thought soon subsided. My avatar remained the same, the falcon headed warrior wearing the same garb as the Alphae, shirtless with a white apron and a golden sash. I carried the crescent headed spear of the Silver Caste and a curved shortsword of my own.
My openent was obviously studying my moves and hesitated as he approached me. I decided that I would not be so cautious and moved in for the first strike. I lunged forward with my spear while holding my sword over my body to be ready to use to parry if necessary. My opponent quickly dodged my attack, but just barely and I was able to cut his shoulder. I could see a small amount of blood leaking out of his arm and watched it drip from the tip of my spear. Then my opponent made a dual strike, first with his battle axe and then with his sword. I was able to block his first attack with my sword but I had misjudged my tactics and blocked his sword strike with my spear, which was cut in half and then dissipated. Great now I was only dealing with one weapon. And two against one did not seem fair.
My opponent took advantage of my lost spear and began making multiple double strikes at me, faster and faster. I tried my best to block them all but his last strike with the battle axe slashed me across the chest and I fell over, screaming in pain. The pain from the suits was really realistic and this was the strongest blow that I had ever endured in a Victeous match. A cacophony of applause came over the audience as they all began to chant, “Finish him!” I was forced to my knees and my opponent began to gloat over me like a half slain sheep. But I still had some energy left. I would not give up. I had yet to be defeated. He swung back with his axe and as soon as he began his strike, I dodged it instantly and swung hard at his legs, chopping them clean off. The audience was hushed in suspense. Then I struggled to my feet, blood still leaking from my avatar and my body becoming weak from all the pain. As I stood there brooding over him, I slit his throat with no hesitation. After expelling a plethora of blood his avatar dissipated, rendering my opponent unconscious. I hesitated for just a moment, proud of the victory I had just won for my caste, as well as the restitution I had gained from his mockery. But I remembered the rules and the Alphae’s stern look, so after just a few moments I went over to my opponent and injected him with the revival serum. It was then that the high priest came up to us, lifting my hand in victory. The applause that ensued only furthered my pride and my resolve to become the greatest Victeous champion that Institution had ever seen.
After the fight I was ushered back to the box to watch the remainder of the fights for the first session of the tournament. I was the only member of my caste to fight in this session and I didn’t really pay much attention to the fights that ensued. After the session was over, the Alphae gave a brief thanksgiving prayer and speech and ushered us all to go outside and spend a few minutes to socialize and be ready for the worship service which was to begin at high noon and would be followed by our lunch. I managed to find Amy outside by the waterfall. “Congratulations. You had an amazing fight. I am sure you will do well in the rest of the tournament.” She smiled at me
. “Thanks John. And congratulations to you as well. That was quite the come back that you made. I thought you were done for. It just goes to show you have a strong heart. You must have been in a lot of pain.” We exchanged a brief hug and then both stared lazily up at the waterfall. “I wish my grandfather had been there to see me fight today,” I said with a sense of nostalgia. “I am sure he would be proud of you,” Amy replied while squeezing my hand with affection.
An announcement was heard from above as we were all told to go to the Center Grove for our High Noon Worship Service. I approached the path to the grove and walked with Amy up to the beautiful central gardens that covered the area. Soon the high priest activated the disk at the center of the large stone altar and the Alphae rose to greet us all. “Welcome Inductees to the first day of your week long retreat to prepare you for your first initiation, From Darkness Unto Light.” The Alphae glinted with pride as he raised his scepter on high, struck it to the ground, and his dragon descended down before us and let out a mighty roar while he breathed fire onto the altar, igniting it in bright flames. It was then that the drumming began and all of the people went into their fervent worship, beating their breasts and convulsing while chanting the call of the Alphae. I knew better than to stand in silence so I joined in and pretended though I decided to dance because I felt less silly doing so. For the first time since I had been inducted into Institution I felt a certain sense of pride come over me. I had excelled in all areas of Institution, despite my behavioral issues. I knew that I would go on to become the greatest Victeous champion that Institution had ever seen. I was proud to put my opponent in his place.