Chapter 21: Competition and Determination

Dragons are frightening creatures.

Strength. Intelligence. Endurance. Agility. They had all of these in excess and more.

But most do not lower themselves to attack a group of prey huddling together in villages. They are too lazy for that. The Dragons simply keep to their territories, wherever they may be at.

Well, most of them do at least. After all, there are always exceptions.

And the best advice when facing such an “exceptional” dragon?

Run.

Then again, whoever listens to such advice even if it is as sure as the sun rising the next day?

-Wolf Under Stars

I woke to the sound of Brother Leaping Fox’s voice. “Wake up, Brother Wolf.”

A groan escaped from my throat, and I struggled to a sitting position. The inside of my mouth felt dirty, but that was only to be expected from chewing dirt all night. Half of my face was also dirt-covered.

A cursory glance at my surroundings reminded me of what happened last night—morning had already stolen the night away.

“I didn’t think you would fall asleep after what seems to be some sort of nightly prance around in the flower fields,” Leaping Fox said with some amusement. His voice turned serious. “What happened?”

“Where are Brother Ronat and Hidden Shade?” I asked, still trying to regain composure in my sitting position.

“Sleeping still,” he replied. “I woke up early today.”

Letting out a deep breath, I stood up and started patting the dirt away from my body and face. “Have you seen Hunter?”

Leaping Fox shook his head and he inspected me for a few seconds, eyes traveling up and down. “No, why do you ask?” His eyes narrowed with a suspicion, even a little confusion. Then his face lit up as if realization had crawled all over. “Don’t tell me you had a nightly rendezvous here…A chit-a-chat?”

“What in the world does that even mean?” A small trace of irritation painted my words. “And no, that’s not the reason why I am asking for Hunter.”

He let out a small sigh of relief. “Good, good. You don’t know it, but Dance of First can be…how should I put it? Quite hard to handle, I suppose.”

“Never mind that. Let’s wake the two up.”

Letting Leaping Fox follow along me curiously, I made to leave the fields, heading toward the building where we lived in. It was a short walk, but for some reason it felt twice as long as usual.

All of us Brothers are light sleepers. A slight noise out of the ordinary can wake us up. A slight change in the presence of the room or in the mood of the room. An unexpected intrusion. All of these would alert us awake. It is both a natural born and trained trait of the Hunters.

Waking the two up with but a few words, I proceeded to explain to my three Brothers of what happened last night. It took a few moments to recount the whole story, like trudging through a mire, but eventually, I made it across.

With a half-hearted mood, we passed the time in our own silent thoughts, breaking the silence every other moment or so to discuss what to do. In the end, there was really nothing more to do other than play the waiting game or to ask the lead Hunter of the Sun Cherishers tribe.

Finally, we headed for the competition which would begin when the sun was at its apex.

=======

The competition was straightforward. It was a free for all with many of the Sun Cherishers Hunters spectating, including their lead Hunter. Their lead Hunter was a female Demona with short darkish violet hair that twirled around into curls near her shoulders.

I narrowed my eyes at her, suspicion entering my heart. Had she known of the Vengeance-Sworn? It was likely for there were four of her tribe members that night. They could not have moved without the lead Hunter knowing.

Then there were the Hunters of the Night Sky tribe. Only five of them had arrived, so where had the extra four come from? No doubt, it had something to do with the lead Hunter of the Sun Cherishers. Perhaps she had allowed them to enter the populace under some sort of guise, or perhaps even through use of Vulcans. There was no way to keep track of the skies after all.

Since the contest was a free for all, we would begin by drawing lots, two of them having the same colors. For my lot, I drew a blue colored papyrus.

And when the judge called out the blue lots to begin the first round, I frowned at my luck.

Then I frowned even more as I saw who my opponent was. It was Sister Elera. I felt disappointed with my luck. Right from the start, I had drawn the crazy one as my opponent, the one who was even more battle-lustful than Sister Flara. Plenty of days spent with her during the daily hunts had revealed much of her nature.

It wasn’t a peaceful one. Especially when considering the fact that she had been born with the ability Strength from Anger. Sister Elera was definitely a Hunter I would not like to anger.

The blade-spear I had brought with me turned out to be unnecessary. In the competition, we were all handed our preferred weapons, only except they were a duller version. Made safe, they had called it. Their definition of safe was liable to bruises and broken bones though.

With that dull but competently balanced blade-spear in my hands, I stood facing against Sister Elera in the earthen courtyard. Surrounding the perimeters of the courtyard were the spectating Hunters along with a few other curious bystanders. In the forefront of the spectators were the contestants, along with my three Brothers.

Using just my index finger, I traced the blade of the weapon longingly. Truth be told, I wasn’t in any mood for a friendly competition. There were far greater worries on my mind. Worries and troubles I could not solve.

I shook my head free of those burdensome thoughts. Taking a deep breath, I made a gesture of respect and of greeting to my opponent. Sister Elera returned it with a suppressed anger. Or was it withheld excitement I had mistaken for anger?

Sister Elera was the tallest female Hunter in their group with her short violet-tinged black hair and dark violet eyes. As usual, the female Hunters were dressed in their outfits that left nothing to the imagination.

I suppose I shouldn’t be one to talk. I wasn’t leaving much to the imagination either with only my black leggings weave, different from the usual clothing I wore. It was thin and I almost felt as if it would tear apart with a single strenuous exercise.

The competition issued blade-spear also felt unfamiliar in my hands. As for the weapon my opponent wielded, it looked to be a long double bladed sword that was almost as tall as her. The handle of the double bladed sword looked to be four fists’ length and each of the opposing blades about three feet in length.

Another weapon that I had never seen before. She had not used anything similar in all of the hunts either, only resorting to a simple bow and daggers. I mused at that observation. The Hunters of the Sun Cherishers tribe seemed to have a love for exotic weapons. I inspected her weapon again. The handle looked especially intricate, as if it could come apart.

Feeling the warm rays on my bared body, I looked up at the sun in its apex. My blade-ridges were retracted inside, not showing their deadly edges. My Eraiteis was also filled to the brim with the Nature and Light Essences.

I activated it, knowing that some time would be needed.

Three seconds.

I was ready. Calmly, controlled, but most of all, unworried, I turned to face my opponent about ten steps away. This time, the spar did not begin with the silent consent from two opponents, but began when the judge nodded at us.

Two seconds.

No challenge. No battle-cries. I made none of them. There was only the calm, controlled silence inside me. Not even a hint of anger, of worry, of anything that could disturb the still pond that was my mind.

One second.

I moved without hesitation, closing the distance before lining up for a swing, attempting to carve halfway through her head. I proceeded onward, knowing that the swing would miss. And it did miss.

Activation—a soft golden flaring ran through the lines of power that was carved onto almost my whole body. The black runic markings of my Eraiteis glowed with a dim golden color. At the same time, I could see that her Eraieis had also been activated, just after mine did.

I moved on, faster than ever before, the strength flowing through my whole body. The air felt crisp, sharp enough to burn a hole in my lungs. My feet shifted, kicking up dust and dirt. I proceeded into Charging Boar, a balanced thrust that bordered on the edges of both defense and attack.

Another miss. She had dodged well again. But I gave her no respite, not even a single half second to regain her bearings. I moved faster than I ever did in my entire life, faster than I would have thought possible.

Dancing Leaves.

I moved into a series of skewed, slanted, and cross slashes. My blade traced arcs after arcs that seemed to come from nowhere, at oblique angles back and forth.

But my opponent blocked them all, dodging and parrying. She held a somber countenance as she defended against my attacks. I didn’t stop even though I could see was evading everything. I knew that she was hard-pressed now.

I fought hard. Harder than I ever did. It seemed as if a lifetime of determination had taken control of my body. I wanted to finish to win. I wanted to finish this battle quickly.

My blood entered its pseudo-surging, and I moved even faster. I fought even harder.

Her somber countenance was now filled with worry and her teeth gnashed against each other. Her double bladed sword moved quickly blocking a few strikes. Then she jumped backward, taking some distance. Hands moving quickly, she twisted her double bladed sword apart, and in her two hands, she now held twin swords.

As soon as her double bladed sword had separated, I was already within range once more. Her retreat had given me plenty of time to restart my Higher Assailing Stance and stand within a perfect range. I entered into the Phases of the Moon, one of the most complex series in the arts of the blade-spear.

I began with Full Moon and it was met with both of her blades. It was the only way. I had not given her any time to dodge the strike, nor could she have blocked with just a one-handed weapon against the full force of my two-handed blade-spear.

The force of my swing pushed her back half a step. New Moon, a shorter ranging arc in the Phases of the Moon. It pushed her back even more. I continued on, utilizing various Phases of the Moon, forcing her into a hard-pressed defensive retreat, sapping away at her strength.

Her countenance was no longer somber and instead filled with anger. She became more forceful in her blocking. But it wasn’t enough. No matter how much strength her fury lent her, she would not be able to overcome my strength, my determination.

Suddenly, she stopped the full force of my swing easily, not even moving back a step. A realization hit me. My opponent had entered into her Blodvraz state—her starblood form.

So be it. I could also play the same game.

My own Blodvraz activated and her eyes widened noticeably at that. I realized that she was most likely startled at the change that had come over my usual grey eyes. My eyes were now blood colored.

I started pushing her back again. Now the fight had turned into a waiting game. The one who was exhausted first would lose. The moment you exited out of Blodvraz, you would instantly be defeated.

I started counting the seconds as we fought at a standstill, with me still on the attacking side and her on the defending side.

A second. Two. Four. Six.

We continued our furious display of blocks, parries, and swings.

Seven seconds. Eight seconds.

Sister Elera coughed up a mouthful of blood and she went down on her knees, the two blades in her hands in an attempt to support her weight. At the same time, I stopped my blade-spear in the middle of a lunge, the blade hovering precariously close to her head. Moving back the weapon, I let it hung easily at my side.

A gesture of respect. “Thank you for the spar, Hunter Elera,” I said calmly, not allowing even the ecstasy that accompanied a victory to enter my voice.

Her violet eyes looked up at me. They looked furious with a hint of something softer. Surprise perhaps. Or even a grudging respect. “How long can you endure Blodvraz?” she asked.

“Ten seconds,” I replied without hesitation. There was no need to hide it. I thought for a second, then added, “Without a backlash.”

“And how old are you?”

“Ten and a half year old almost,” I answered.

The look of surprise on her face could not be hidden. The back of her hand that was still held onto the sword wiped at blood dripping from her mouth. “I see. A year younger than me and you can last longer in Blodvraz than me.” Sister Elera stood up and connected the two blades in her hands, forming one single weapon. She spat out a small mouthful of blood. “Damn monstrous,” she whispered to herself.

I could only give a small smile at that. I didn’t know if it was flattery or a curse.

“Well, it looks like you will easily win this competition, Hunter Wolf Under Stars,” she said. “I am almost evenly matched with Sister Solana, the strongest in our group. So I doubt she could even beat you even with her eight seconds of Blodvraz.” Her eyes held a perceptive glint. “Still, that spar you had with your Brother was a fake, I see. I couldn’t tell the difference at all.” She shook her head. “I suppose you aren’t weak, after all.”

“You aren’t bad at all yourself. If I were honest, I doubt any of my Brothers could beat you, except perhaps Brother Ronat,” I said.

She arched a brow. “The small one? You think he could beat me? If that was a consolation, I don’t feel happy at all. ”

I shrugged at her.

She laughed then. “I guess my wounded pride today can recover. A word of advice though. Watch your back with the Night Sky Hunters. One of them is a tricky bastard.” She frowned. “Actually, all of them are tricky bastards if I think about it.” A blood-covered grin. “And now you are on the top of my list of tricky bastards.”

“I accept your compliment,” I said with an air of feigned disdain.

My victory was soon announced after Sister Elera surrendered and we left the center of the courtyard then, allowing the next match to start.

“Well, you certainly frightened everyone with that show of strength,” Leaping Fox said with an amused chuckle. “I can almost taste the surprise on their faces all the way from here. It’s a good thing you decided to keep your strength under wraps even in the hunts. It is worth it to see these reactions.”

The next five rounds of the competition proceeded somewhat unexpectedly. Both Brother Hidden Shade and Brother Leaping Fox lost to the members of the Night Sky tribe. Their bladed gauntlets were tricky weapons to counter and their legs were also used as weapons. They were far more skilled than us in unarmed combat.

In the end, only Brother Ronat and I were the ones to advance along with two members from the Sun Cherishers tribe and the Night Sky tribe.

“Be careful of that big one I faced,” Leaping Fox warned us. “His strength is overbearing. I almost thought I would sink to the ground with each of his strikes.”

It was true. Even watching form the sidelines, I could feel the force of his strength. He had easily blocked the blade-spear with just one gauntlet fist. I suppose that was only to be expected from an eight feet and a half tall Hunter. A square jaw, a square head, a square fist—squared everything, including the muscles that lined his abdomen and his biceps.

The two that had advanced from the Sun Cherishers tribe were Sister Flara and Sister Solana, the leader of their group. They had easily beaten their opponents from the Night Sky tribe.

Leaping Fox smirked at Brother Ronat. “So, how does it feel to beat Sister Mina?”

“Satisfactory,” Brother Ronat replied easily, not the least bothered by his question.

Not giving up his fun, Leaping Fox said, “Shame you beat her so quickly. She was just the right size for you to dance with. The two of you were like cute baby Ronats.”

Brother Ronat fiddled with his fingers, a dark shadowy smile on his face. “Indeed a shame. I wanted to play with her longer.”

Startled, a silence came over Leaping Fox and the competition began after a brief rest, enough for our Blodvraz to recover.

For my round, my opponent was Sister Flara whom I defeated easily. It took a while however, for she was a determined opponent. She went down hard yet at the same time easily. A contradiction, I suppose.

As for Brother Ronat, he gained victory over the opponent that had defeated Leaping Fox. It was the longest fight of the competition where Brother Ronat kept running circles around his opponent. Never once stopping to rest, Brother Ronat chopped at the opponent like cutting down a big tree until he was black and blue with bruises.

Sister Solana, however, lost narrowly to her opponent from the Night Sky tribe. She was mercilessly flung out of the courtyard by a barrage of kicks and palm chops when her defenses had slipped for a second.

In the end, only three remained. Brother Ronat, the Hunter from the Night Sky, and me.

We were unlucky with the lots, however. Brother Ronat and I were matched up against each other first. I was surprised though since Brother Ronat conceded victory to me quickly before the battle even began.

“Why?” I asked.

“You are a pain to deal with,” he simply replied.

So we left it at that. Simple, but most of the times, it was like that between us.

The final fight was a narrow victory for me. My opponent was a Night Sky Hunter two years older than me and his Blodvraz state could last up to ten seconds easily. Like the other members of his team, his head was shaved, but there was no denying the masculinity inherent in his face. He had a strong nose and dark brown eyes that could probably charm a snake. There were also lines of smiles set around his mouth, showing that he was a Hunter who probably laughed a lot.

Even disregarding his Blodvraz, the strange thing that had almost overturned my victory were the runic enhancements on his hands and feet.

The Night Sky Hunter let out a delighted laughter at his defeat. “It is amazing that you could dodge all of my kicks and fists with such timing. Even my surprise attacks were of no use.”

I rubbed at the stinging wounds and grazes all over my body and on my cheeks. “You mean almost of no use. What is your Eraiteis anyway?”

Taking off the blade gauntlet, he showed me his right hand, then activated the runic enhancements on it. “These markings are what is known as Aura Extensions.” His face concentrated and the markings on his hands flared with a stronger golden light.

A golden aura protruded from his hand, almost a finger’s length long. His aura-covered hand then clashed with the blade of his gauntlet, making a dull thudding noise. “You see, the aura extends the range of my fists.” He grinned at me. “It is akin to attaching multiple small blades to your fingers or your whole fist if you prefer.”

I narrowed my eyes at his bared feet. “No wonder you took of your boots before our fight began.” I grinned at him. “Cunning. Was that why none of your other teammates showed off that skill?”

He nodded, still that grin on his face. “Good connection. Yes, I am the strongest in our team so I wanted to reserve this surprise attack for a really strong opponent.” He winked at me. “If we had not reserved these enhancements, all four of us would have proceeded into the final rounds.”

“Sly,” I complimented again honestly.

“So what is your name, friend Hunter?” he asked.

“I am Wolf Under Stars,” I said. “What is your name?”

“I am Umbrus,” he said. Then he smiled cheerfully before laughing out loud. “Your tribe certainly should stop giving animal names to their Hunters. It is a tradition that should not be paid heed anymore. We are not beasts and why wait until fifty years old to earn a name?”

We both laughed at that and I agreed with him.

The Night Sky tribe. They weren’t a bad lot at all, though their appearances gave off a wild savagery.

The competition ended with our tribe as the victor. And though I was the champion, my mood was soon soured by thoughts of the Vengeance-Sworn.

We asked the lead Hunter of the Sun Cherishers of the Vengeance-Sworn. She wasn’t surprised by our questions nor by our knowledge of the Vengeance-Sworn.

“They are all fools,” she had simply said. “And I am a bigger fool for having noticed it too late. I can only hope it is not too late as I have some of my most trusted Hunters looking for them at the moment.”

A week passed by soon as we stayed in the Sun Cherishers tribe. By then, the Hunters of the Night Sky tribe had already left.

Soon the report came. It came on a cheerful morning with the sun high up, its warm glows bathing the village and setting the rivers alight with their own suns. The report came directly from the mouth of the lead Hunter of the Sun Cherishers.

And it was not good news.

“Dead. All dead. Only the dragon’s black flames remain burning at the edges of the Wildlands. A whole forest and parts of the nearby land have been burnt and are still burning with the black flames of the dragon. The scouts cannot even get close to these areas for fear of being devoured by the black flames, so I doubt we will find any trace of their bodies.” she said coldly. “I imagine the black dragon will now go back into a slumber from its injuries. We found traces of its black blood in many of the areas that were still unburnt.”

The lead Hunter of the Sun Cherishers left us then without a single sympathizing gaze. Most likely she was coldly mourning the four dead Hunters of her tribe in her own way. Then again, she wasn’t the lead Hunter for nothing. She had to show a strong front.

But there was no need for me.

I closed my eyes as did all my Brothers. Leaping Fox no longer with his usual grin. Brother Hidden Shade and Brother Ronat in an even deeper silence. But in a silence that was tinged with a palpable sadness.

Devastation? I didn’t know what to call that feeling that tore at my stomach, at my heart.

Thus, we left the Sun Cherishers tribe, our feet heavy, our blade-spears heavy, but our hearts even heavier.

We traveled slowly. And even traveling across the brightness of the Valley of Suns felt as if we were trudging through a swamp, slowly sinking. It took us twice as long to arrive at the borders and cross into the Bleary Grasslands, its scenery a reflection of our hearts themselves.

We traveled in silence.

In thoughts that were our own. Thoughts we did not share with each other.

We passed by the grey greyness of the grasslands. It took us more than a week, much longer than our initial trip. I had always thought the return home is always the quickest. Turns out, that was a lie. The return home is always the hardest, and the slowest.

When we finally arrived back at the Piercing Moon tribe, our familiar home, more than two weeks later, it was in an uproar.

We raced to learn of what happened. Turns out, Hunter had left a letter to be discovered after a certain time.

“Well, at least we don’t have to break the news anymore,” Leaping Fox said with a laughter. A laughter that felt as fake as the brightness of the morning sun. Why was the sun so bright these days anyway?

In the end, Hunter had told the village of what had happened through a letter. A letter that was written in such surety of his death. He knew that he would die for his vengeance. The knowledge was as plain as the morning sun in that letter.

In the end, his parting statement of returning had truly been a lie.

Arkiees would no longer return.

========

At night, I stood at that familiar eastern clearing where I had often trained as a child under the watchful eyes of Hunter.

Blood traced my arm, slowly dripping down onto the ground. I looked around for quite some time, my arm still dripping blood, as if I was leaving a trail for someone to follow. Finally, I found what I was looking for.

A pink flower with six petals. A common flower known as the Caranathus. The symbol for defiance, of strength, and of great mental changes.

With my dripping blood, I painted the pink flower red as I knelt down onto the ground. Above me, the moon looked as if it was eavesdropping, peeking down at me, as if curious of what foolish acts I was about to do.

I could remember the words the Ritual Master had said to me that night.

The red heart. Of strength. Of willpower. Of passion. Of radiance.

And of rage, powerful enough to burn the whole world if ignited.

Something inside me was lit up then as I stood there bleeding on that Caranathus, as I stood there with a slowly forming determination.

My vision became tinged with red. My blood simmered with rage. Fury at my own weak self, fury at not stopping Hunter, fury at the black dragon. At everything. I knew that had I tried harder, I could have stopped him. I could have convinced him.

The anger bubbled in my blood now and the coolness of my breath in the night almost seemed warmed by it.

My determination finally formed itself fully, manifesting itself inside my heart, my mind. I now had a goal, a motivation that could not be stopped by anything.

I whispered softly to the night, “I will destroy you, oh dragon of decay and death. I will destroy you, not at this moment, but at a later moment, for I am but a weakling still. A powerless child that knows nothing.”

My whisper lowered a notch, becoming even softer. Like a small breath, unseen, unheard. “I will meet you with a tempered fury that could make your flames look like a child’s plaything. Then I will take that remaining eye of yours. And your life.”

I do not know why I whispered these words out loud. Perhaps I was blinded with a suppressed fury. Perhaps I was devastated, an illogical fire burning in me. Or perhaps I wanted my whispers to reach the dragon. To reach the moon. To reach the stars.

Or perhaps it was simply to reach my own foolishness.

I did not know.

And I didn't cared at that moment.