Missteps V.2

Chapter Sixteen – Berserker Fight

Clerics woke up the Candidates the next morning with a hearty breakfast of various fruits and meat. None of the Candidates spoke as they ate. There was only one thing on their minds; the upcoming fight.

After the meal was consumed, they were each ushered back into their rooms where a contingent of Clerics waited for each of them. The Candidates were bathed in perfumed water, and then dressed.

Jun was put into a pure white sleeveless tunic with black pants that ended just above his ankle. He was allowed to wear his own boots, but they'd been visibly cleaned. A large blue sash was tied around his waist tightly, with only a little tail left hanging at his side.

His hair was trimmed back. Already he preferred a style that had become popular in the military before he'd left. The sides and back of his hair were shaved close to his scalp, while the top was thicker. The clerics tamed the mop that was the top, as they cut and styled it so that it stayed out of his eyes. The sides and back were cropped close. When they went to shave the scruff off his face, Jun waved them away.

"I've spent too long forced to have a smooth face, I want to see my beard." The clerics all had a little laugh. Jun let them do some touch-ups where it started to grow patchy in places, but that was all. After the facial hair was dealt with, red paint was applied.

"Originally we were going to do half your face, but now we'd run the risk of ruining your beard." The young cleric explained as she colored in a thick line across his face and around his eyes. "The blue sash is for Zhonnic, but the war paint is for the Tribe."

Finally, he was ready. Two clerics led him through the Temple and out to the Arena. A third cleric trailed behind them, Jun's warhammer in his hands.

Cacophony roared from the Arena as they drew closer. Inside, a fifty by fifty ring outlined with red ropes stood. White dust marked the inside. Jun was led to a corner. He was the second to arrive.

Around him the Bands howled as each Candidate arrived. Flags and streamers of red and white, and blue and silver, dotted the crowd. Along the edge, the four Bands of the Candidates were given seats up front, Zhonnic's crest stamped into the wall below them. The sky above was cloudy, and only streaks of light streamed through. Jun was actually grateful for the cover. He'd seen earlier how glaring the white marble of the Arena could be under the sun, and he didn't need any distractions.

Calder and Eira led their Band into a roar as Jun walked in. Ander was once again situated on Calder's shoulder. This time, he had a length of rope holding him in place, just in case.

Near the front of the Arena, the platform from before had been decked out in blue and silver cloth, and three chairs had been added. Two of the chairs were simple wooden chairs, while the large chair in the middle was covered in the dark pelt of an animal Jun couldn't recognize. Dirann sat in the fur covered chair, flanked by Alaric and Moryn. Behind them hung the large banners of Zhonnic and the Tribe. On the ground next to them was a large ornate gong. As the clerics led the Candidates in and deposited them, they took up positions around the edge of the ring a few feet back.

The excitement in the air was palpable as the Candidates were handed their weapons and made their way into the ring.

Like Jun, the other three were dressed in sleeveless white tunics, black pants, and blue sashes tied around their waists.

Bidrek's silver skin nearly matched his tunic. On his right arm, opposite of his new tattoo, was a ring of what appeared to claws. Going by some of the stories Jun had heard during the week, he was willing to bet they were bear claws. In his hands Bidrek held twin battleaxes while a pair of bracers adorned his arms. The red paint smeared across his face outlined his prominent cheekbones. Combined with his tall 6'10" height he was an imposing figure.

Comparatively, he made Maia's 5'3" even shorter. Her hair, while already short, had been trimmed even closer to her scalp. She wore the breastplate that Jun had seen the previous day and held a greatsword. She was the only one wearing armor. Her war paint was two simple stripes under her eyes.

Ardena's long hair was piled up and secured on top of her head. Her tunic showed off the ripped muscles of her arms as she made a few practice swings with her own battleaxe, this one obviously made of a better material than both of Bidrek's and much larger. A red line was drawn down the middle of her face and neck.

Dirann stood up and raised her hands. The crowd around her quieted.

"I know better than to bore you all with a speech, but I feel I must at least say something." A smile graced her lips. "Fight hard, play fair, and may you bring glory to Zhonnic. Begin!" As the words left her lips the gong rang out, its mallet seemingly held by invisible hands.

The four Candidates barely moved for the first few seconds, as they slowly stepped forward and sized up their opponents. Jun took two forceful steps towards the center of the Ring, his hands clenched around his warhammer, ready for someone to face him. Ardena moved toward him, showing off her swinging technique to Jun, almost asking if he was truly ready.

It was Bidrek who made the first real move. With a roar he entered a Verta-Kochen and ran full tilt towards Maia. In surprise Maia threw her right arm up to block the first axe. The axe dug in but gave Maia the jolt needed to fend off the second one with her sword.

Pulling her arm out, Maia entered her own Verta-Kochen and the scent of salt water filled the air around her. Bidrek bristled slightly as a small electric current ran over him. As she brought her sword up, Bidrek reached out and smacked the sword away from him.

Suddenly Bidrek hissed. Turning his head, he watched as Jun pulled his warhammer away from the Dragonborn's back.

"Low blow attacking from behind." Bidrek snarled. His eyes flared. He moved out of their range, but not before Jun had reached out and raked a wide line down the length of the silver back, tearing the tunic completely. The force made Bidrek stumble and fall to the ground, but he managed to catch himself and instead knelt in front of the two Candidates. Ardena was back away from the skirmish, her axe resting over her shoulders as she just watched.

"Let's take a minute and just cool down." Bidrek gave a small laugh before breathing out a cone of the most intense cold Jun had ever felt. The winters in Nydag were bad, but Jun could feel the beginning of frostbite on the tips of his ears and nose. Looking over at Maia, she looked just as frostbitten.

Maia was the first to shake off the cold and charge forward. Bidrek dodged the blow as he rose to his feet, but once again the smell of salt water filled his nostrils as his skin tingled with electricity. It wasn't enough to truly hurt him, but it was enough to make him pay attention.

Jun came around the side, the Verta-Kochen written all over his face. Bidrek watched almost in slow motion as the warhammer slammed into his shoulder. As the weapon connected, a bright light pulsed out. Bidrek hissed, more so from the light than the hit.

Ardena sighed. She sidled up to Jun and took a couple of swings at him, with only one of them leaving a faint scratch on his arm. It was obvious to everyone she hadn't really tried.

Now that Jun had a new playmate, Bidrek narrowed in on Maia. She was able to evade the first, but not the second axe as it cut into her armor and found skin.

With a scream Maia brought her greatsword down on Bidrek, slicing his arm just under his totem. Blood dripped down his arm, that same electrical current making it dance as it raced through him.

In a Verta-Kochen-filled fury Bidrek attacked, but Maia deflected one axe as the other axe bounced off her armor.

Something in Bidrek's eyes didn't sit right with Maia. She dashed away and raced toward Jun where he'd just slammed his warhammer into Ardena's face, causing her lip to bleed. The young berserker misjudged the distance between the two of them as she struck out with her greatsword, but still managed to slice into Jun's calf with the tip of her sword.

Jun grunted and turned to face her.

"I'm a little busy." He snarled as he brought his warhammer up, catching her right in the chest. Between the light that radiated out from the attack and the force of the blow, Maia was pushed back. Her breath came in gasps as she blinked away stars, and she was unsteady on her feet. The armor was visibly dented.

"Nice swing," Ardena called out. Besides the audience, she'd been the only one who saw Bidrek come up behind Maia, chasing her, and miss with his axes as Jun's light blinded him as well.

Her eye's still a little blurred, Maia went for the bigger target which happened to be Jun. She missed. This time, it was Jun who smelled the sea and felt the electricity as it raced through him.

Jun swung at Bidrek, but Bidrek moved out of the way as he went in closer towards Maia.

By now the crowd had begun to sneer at Ardena from the stands. She paid them no heed though as she circled around the group, taking a position a few feet behind Jun and Maia.

Bidrek could feel his Verta-Kochen beginning to end. With a savage inhuman draconic roar, he attacked Maia with everything he had left. Sparks flew as one axe scrapped along her breastplate, and the other sliced along her wrist. Blood spurted out, splattering all over the once white tunic of Bidrek. Maia fell in a heavy heap.

Just as she hit the ground, her eyes sprang open. With her wrist still bleeding, but not gushing, she began to crawl towards the outside of the ring.

Jun stepped over her and swung out towards Bidrek in an effort to cover her retreat. It didn't even matter if he hit or not, which he didn't.

Finally, Ardena entered a Verta-Kochen. Running up to Jun she caught him once at the base of the neck. "Let her fight her own battles. That is the only way she will learn!"

"He's going to kill her!" Jun roared over his shoulder as he aimed for Bidrek's legs. What Jun and Maia could see that Ardena could not, was the blood lust in Bidrek's eyes. Jun's attack missed, and Bidrek rounded on the prone Maia, his Verta-Kochen-filled eyes focused solely on her as he entered his second Verta-Kochen.

The dragonborn twirled his axe before he brought it down, burying it in Maia's left leg. Maia screamed and passed out as Bidrek savagely jerked the axe out. With his other axe, he brought it down the same way to Maia's right leg. Her body jerked as blood sprayed out, covering Bidrek's face.

With a hitch to her breath, Maia's eyes fluttered open once again. Terror filled them as she looked up at the silver dragonborn covered in her blood. Using the last of her strength, Maia crawled through the ropes to the waiting huddle of clerics. Bidrek struck out one last time, but instead sliced a red-dyed rope instead of her.

Once she was outside of the ring Maia was loaded onto a stretcher and taken out of the Arena, two clerics already casting healing spells upon her.

"Is that how a Champion of Zhonnic fights? Wailing on an opponent who can no longer fight back?" Jun roared as he attacked Bidrek, not even acknowledging the blow Ardena gave him as he ran past her. Bidrek moved to the side, but his height got him as Jun stuck his leg with a flash of radiant light. Bidrek's knee buckled inward, but only for a moment as the dragonborn stayed standing.

"If it is, then I'm ashamed." Ardena said softly so only Jun could hear as she joined him.

Bidrek, seeing a new opponent he hadn't hit yet, attacked Ardena. The first axe bit deeply into her bicep, but she blocked the second axe.

Jun could feel his Verta-Kochen fading as he went in for another strike. The warhammer slid off the silver scales and Bidrek didn't even react.

Ardena attempted to use Jun's attack as a distraction, but instead became Jun's distraction as Bidrek blocked her attacks.

"You're boring me," Bidrek growled as he shoved Ardena away from him and faced Jun. Jun blocked the first axe, but Bidrek brought the second one in from the side. The axe slashed through Jun's side, causing him to yell in pain. With his Verta-Kochen gone Jun felt every inch of the axe as it tore through him.

Jun's breathing came in hard gasps. Weakly he tried to attack Bidrek but missed.

Ardena came up behind Jun.

"Let me take care of him," she whispered before she slashed his arm.

Bidrek towered over Jun, and with a slash to the arm and a final slash to the chest, Jun fell at his feet. The dragonborn claimed another victory.

"It's just you and me now, Big Guy." Ardena's eyes flashed red as she let the smell of blood overwhelm her and fuel the Verta-Kochen even more. She attacked, and each blow was accompanied by a yell, as she hit Bidrek once, twice, three times with her axe. Each blow pushed him back until finally his eyes rolled back in his head, and he collapsed onto the ropes.

The crowd roared as Ardena held up her weapon and faced her Band. Clerics rushed towards the two fallen fighters, their faces being the last thing Jun saw before he fully sank into unconsciousness.

"Jun, it's time to wake up." Jun grunted as the soft voice cut through the hazy mist. He opened his eyes slowly, hissing softly at the bright light streaming in through a window. He was in his room at the Temple.

"How are you feeling?" The same voice asked. Jun looked over and saw Alaric sitting on the edge of his bed, a half-eaten apple in his hand. As Jun watched the older man brought it up and took a large bite out of the fruit.

"Sore, but alive." Jun sat up. "How's Maia?" Alaric's face fell.

"Still unconscious. She was badly hurt due to Bidrek's strikes, especially her right leg. By the time they'd arrived at the Temple and could truly heal her, it was too late. Her entire right foot was black, circulation had been stopped and it'd died. They had no choice but to cut off it so the rest of her could heal." Jun was silent as he let the words process.

"Her foot, she lost her foot." Jun whispered. "How can she fight without her foot?"

"She can't, and Zhonnic has felt the need to take away her Candidacy. The tattoo had already vanished from her arm by the time they'd gotten her to the Temple."

"What will happen to her?"

"She will go home. This was an injury accrued in battle. There is no shame, her inexperience just got the best of her."

"And Bidrek, what about him?" Jun clenched the bedsheets in anger. He let his blood lust get the best of him."

"I know. If Dirann had her say Bidrek would be stripped of his Candidacy as well, but it is not Zhonnic's will. His Band hails him as a hero for his actions. That I am disgusted by." Alaric took another bite and thought for a moment. "Bidrek is strong and has natural abilities, but he does not possess the level of control that a Champion needs. The level of control that Ardena possesses."

"Did she win?" Alaric nodded. "Good."

"Jun, I have something very important to tell you, so I need you to listen to me." Alaric's tone went deadly serious as he pinned down Jun with his stare.

"Of course," Jun gulped as trepidation filled him. In horror he looked down at his arm, but only felt a modicum of relief that the tattoo was still there.

"The Battle was designed so that Candidates could show off their prowess, show off what the Bands were to get behind. Show their power, their abilities." Alaric stood up and went over to the open window. "Both Bidrek and Ardena showed what they are capable of, but the Bands came away with an uneasy sense about you." He chucked the apple core out of the window before he turned to face Jun once again.

"You ran around the field taking cheap shots at your opponents and covering the backs of those who are supposed to be your enemies. You are a berserker Jun! You are to lead the battle and be a fighting force that no one can stop. You were stopped and you came away with a reputation as a support fighter." Alaric's words cut Jun, and there was silence. Jun climbed out of bed and faced Alaric.

"Where I come from, the strong protect the weak. Where I come from, you don't attack those who can't attack back. Maia lost her foot because of Bidrek, if I hadn't stepped in, she might have lost her life."

"Then she would have-"

"Don't give me that!" Jun roared. "Don't give me that 'she would have died in battle' spiel. Bidrek crossed a line, and it wasn't a battle anymore. Bidrek became a monster that we had to put down. The kind of monster that all of you were so surprised that I didn't become over the years of not being part of the Tribe. He didn't control his Verta-Kochen, he gave into it.

"If my actions were so disgraceful to the Tribe, then why do I still have the tattoo? Why hasn't mine vanished like Maia's? If your whole point is that I'm ultimately unfit to be a Candidate, which is where I think you're going, then why is it still there?"

"Obviously Zhonnic still thinks you can learn." Alaric took a step closer. "Like you Neolemus didn't fight like us, but he learned over time."

"I'm not Neolemus. My name is Jun Ling and my story is my own. It's as Dirann said, Neolemus's tale is done."

"But his spirit lives in you, I can see it." Alaric rushed closer to Jun but Jun pushed him away.

"I have nothing to do with him!" Jun stalked to the other side of the room, away from Alaric. "I came here wanting to know more about the berserker side of me, so that I could protect a group who have put their lives in my hands. Whatever or whoever you think I am, I'm not."

Silence descended between the two of them. Alaric made a move to go forward, but Jun took a step back.

"You're not ready, I understand. We will talk later." Alaric left without another word. As soon as the door was closed behind him, Jun went to the small chest at the foot of the bed and retrieved his clothes. After he'd left the military, he'd decided to try out some new fashions, and though the fur vest was warm, he'd never really felt comfortable. He was happy when he discovered a Nydag trader in Dayur. He quickly traded in his fur vest for a hanfu set. 'Are you dressed?' A soft voice asked in his head a few minutes later.

"Yes," Jun answered to empty air. He had just finished putting on the first layer of his hanfu. A section of the far wall moved out and over, and out stepped Dirann. She was still dressed in the blue robe with the silver strappings that she'd worn at the fight.

"What do you want?" Jun asked as he grabbed the next layer and began putting it on.

"To check on you, I've checked in on all the Candidates. I gave Bidrek a piece of my mind, but I'm not sure any of it stuck." Dirann moved and sat on the bed. "I think you have some questions."

"Who does Alaric think I am? Neolemus?"

"That is a question not easily answered. He sees similarities in you and Neolemus most definitely, but he also prescribes to a very strict way of looking at the world. To him, a berserker is about strength and prowess. He's an eloquent speaker, but he doesn't always listen to what he says. This new rise to the clergy has given him a platform."

"Is he challenging you?"

Dirann laughed. "No, he wouldn't dare. I've been High Priestess for far too long. I hold secrets and knowledge that he can't even dare to imagine. No, my position is safe. Yours however, is precarious."

Jun snorted. "Apparently I don't possess the qualities a berserker should."

"You don't, and that makes you unique." Jun looked at Dirann in surprise. The Head Priestess continued. "Jun, Bidrek would have killed Maia. Any second longer and I was ready to step in, but I didn't have to. It's not often that another berserker comes to the aid of a fellow berserker like you did. What I mean is, do you remember what Ardena did?"

"She told me to back off essentially."

"She also took a swing at you. Ardena waited until you were down before she unleashed on Bidrek. She waited until she was the only opponent left. The berserkers in the Bands have come to think that only one can stand out. That it is truly the last man standing that matters. The competition can get so fierce to be the last one that some Bands refuse to have more than one berserker fighting the same battle at a time.

"They and Alaric, and countless others throughout all the Bands, seem to have forgotten that a single berserker is not that powerful. A single berserker cannot fight an army, a single berserker cannot be a force unto themselves. They need support and help like any other. But nowadays the berserkers are put on such high pedestals that when a berserker does need help, they feel shame for asking. That shame leads them to not ask. Neolemus didn't want to seem weak for asking for help with his injury from the Band he helped. He waited until he returned to the Temple to ask me to look at his injury. By then it was too late, the poison had gotten into his system and all we could do was watch.

"This culture that Alaric and others are preaching, it isn't helping. It's hurting." Dirann took a shaky breath.

"But today, today I watched you stand over a fellow berserker so that they could get to help. Today I watched you team up against a common enemy not for the glory, but because it was a threat." Dirann stood up and walked over to Jun. "Today I watched you set an example of what a berserker can and should be. Don't listen to Alaric. Keep fighting like that and show the rest of these fools that you'll be the one left standing at the end." Dirann gave one last smile before she left the way she'd came, not giving Jun a chance to respond.

Jun stood in that empty room, thinking about the two very different conversations he'd had in a very short amount of time. He walked over to the window as he put on his last layer and looked out on the grounds. The sun was still high in the sky, the clouds being on their way out, so not much time had passed since the battle. Already whole sections of the tent city were being dismantled. The time of revelry had passed, it was time to get back to work.

He gathered his warhammer from the chest, and left the Temple. He made his way back to his Band's encampment. He tried to ignore the looks of disappointment and sneers that he received from the faces that before were only joyous and proud. As soon as he reached the encampment he went straight to his tent and began to pack up his and Ander's things.

"Do you want to talk?" Eira's voice said from behind him as she entered the tent after him.

Jun didn't look at her. "Depends, are you as disappointed in me as everyone else?"

"No, I mean sure the battle could have gone differently, but you'll learn how to fight like a berserker. All it takes is practice."

Jun paused and took a deep breath. "So you're saying that I should have helped tear down Maia, instead of trying to stop Bidrek? Is that how a berserker fights? Just wail on the weaker opponent until they die or lose a limb?" Jun stood up and rounded on Eira, his voice yelling as he reached his breaking point. "Or would you prefer that I just ignored Maia and her plight and instead focused on attacking Ardena. Essentially just taking a step back and letting Bidrek kill Maia. Tell me, how exactly should I have acted in that scenario? Alaric just criticized me, and Dirann wants me to become some sort of example, but neither of them actually gave me any useful tips, so here I am. Here I am asking my new sister, What-Should-I-Have-Done?" Jun's hands were clenched into fists as his whole body shook.

He dragged a hand through his hair. "I know, that I wasn't classically trained like everyone else here. Here, you're taught to let your Verta-Kochen guide you, to let your Verta-Kochen steer you from one battle to the next. I wasn't trained like that, as I've told all of you many times. I was trained to guide my Verta-Kochen, instead of it guiding me. To channel the strength and fury into my strikes at an opponent I chose. I was taught to work with the other soldiers in my platoon, to trust them as much as they trusted me. We worked together to take down our foes, instead of just me running out there and them following behind and working around me. Every time I go into battle, I go in with the mindset of how to work with my allies for a common goal. I don't go in looking to be Top Dog or the last one standing. If I'm the last one standing, that means that I've failed." Jun sat down heavily on the ground. "So I'm sorry if how I fight is such a disappointment, but I can't just flip a switch and change it. I don't want to." Silence followed as Jun's voice tapered out to a whisper. Eira wordlessly sat down next to him. Neither of them said anything for several minutes.

"Maybe, you have a point." She finally admitted. "For the past thirty or so years, there's been a noticeable decline in berserkers. Too many of us are falling in battle, many not living long enough to sire children. That's why some berserkers have taken to 'sowing their seeds' as Alaric put it. A lot of the Bands are stringent when it comes to bloodlines and who can reproduce with whom.

"Before, I just assumed that the dangers we were facing were increasing, and that was why we were dying off. But now, maybe you're right in that we're fighting wrong. Like you I've only ever fought one way, but you're right. If you hadn't stepped in, Maia would be dead. No one else would have stepped over her like that. I would have tried to get Bidrek's attention, but I wouldn't have physically put myself in harm's way like that to save someone I wasn't related to."

"So, you don't think I'm a disappointment?" Jun asked softly.

Eira smiled softly. "No, I think you're exactly who Zhonnic needs as his Champion." She slung her arm around him. "No matter what little brother, I'm in your corner. I'm going to make it my mission to beat up anyone who doubts you while you're off having adventures."

"That's strangely comforting," Jun confessed with a laugh. The knot that had been forming in the pit of his stomach ever since he'd woken up to Alaric had finally started to untangle.

"Finish getting your gear ready to go. We aim to be heading out in an hour." Eira told him, and with a final clap to his back she left the tent. A few minutes after she'd left Ander wandered in.

"So, do you think the trip was worth it?" The wizard asked as he began stuffing items into his bag, not all of them his.

The Candidate nodded. "In the end, I think it was." Jun relayed the talks he'd had with Alaric, Dirann, and finally Eira as he showed Ander how to better pack his gear.

An hour and a half later, the Band of the Broken Earth left the Temple grounds. The Band accompanied Jun and Ander back to Dayur. They had to pick up the last of their winter supplies before they headed back to the Realm of Nightmares.

True to her word, anyone in the Band who voiced their doubts about Jun was given a black eye courtesy of Eira.

It was a three-day journey back to Dayur. During that time, Eira and eventually Calder, listened and took note of many of the strategies and tactics that Jun had learned while in the military.

Jun had gone into the mountains looking for answers on what being a berserker meant, and now he came out of the mountains with a purpose of changing them.