by CJ Embers
After equipping the leather sheath and stowing my weapon, I took a deep breath and started the trek to the arena. Each footstep sounded too loud in the quietness, and each step closer I could feel my chest tighten more and more.
While Adepti were not allowed to share details of the Trial, there was one who let slip a small one to his friend before going off the Marnori. Because I happened to be in the right place at the right time, I found out that the Trial had seven Phases. I had to get through seven Phases, or die trying. Either way, I would be free.
As I stepped up to the arch, I gripped the pommel of the sword. My foot passed the threshold onto the glossy marble of the arena, and a grating chuckle filled the air.
“A woman comes to test her mettle?”
A chill ran up my spine. After two decades of being alive, I had finally heard the voice of our god. The sheer power radiating from those seven words made my skin tingle with electricity.
A moment later, I was broken from my reverie when his mocking tone sunk in. Was even Karua’s god a misogynist? The thought made me seethe, but I refused to waste my energy dwelling on it; I was here for one thing, and one thing only.
Shoving down the disgust, I wound my way through the stone forest towards the center of the arena. The moment I stopped, Helis’ voice sounded again.
“So be it. Prepare yourself!”
A burst of light blinded me. Before I could recover, something smacked me hard enough to send me flying. The breath was sucked from my lungs as I landed with a thud and skidded a few feet. With a frustrated growl, I leapt up, shaking my head to clear the rest of the fog from my vision.
A shadow loomed over me and I dodged, jogging backwards a few steps so I could finally get a look at my attacker. To my surprise, it looked like a man, but completely wooden. I didn’t have much time to take in the strange sight before the enemy rushed towards me again.
Thinking quickly, I ran back towards the archway and skidded to a halt beside one of the two braziers that guarded the entrance. The sharp thud of wood on marble was getting louder as I quickly glanced at the bowl of fire that was balanced on a thin pedestal.
Just as my adversary shot through the archway, I dashed to the other side of the brazier and used my sword to leverage the bowl off the pedestal.
The large dish hit the path with a heavy thunk and the fire bounced out, spraying red-hot coals all over the wooden enemy. The strange man stumbled, slipped on some of the coals, and fell. Flames quickly engulfed it. When it was no longer moving, the entire thing shimmered and disappeared, leaving the fire to crackle at nothing.
A tremendous boom shook the ground beneath my feet, and I saw something flash from between the stalagmites. Another boom filled the air, but this one was even louder, and a cloud of dust bloomed from somewhere closer to the center.
I quietly immersed into the stone forest and snuck around one stalagmite after another. When I realized another boom hadn’t come, I didn’t know whether that made me more worried or more relieved.
Finally, the center came into view. Peeking around a stalagmite, my eyes widened. Standing near the middle of the empty space, facing towards where I had been by the entrance, was a huge, mechanical beast.
I dared to lean farther and spotted a few stone trees were shattered in front of it. My eyes travelled back to the beast and saw one of its arms looked much larger than the other. Studying it silently from my hiding place, I deduced that the larger arm was bigger because it held some sort of weapon.
This is only Phase Two and I have to defeat that thing?
A heavy thud and shudder shook the ground again, and to my horror I realized the enemy had spotted me. It turned to me with a whirring noise and the weapon on its arm glowed red. I realized what it was just before it shot, and I scrabbled to get out of the way in time.
A rocket whizzed past me and impacted the nearest stalagmite with a mighty explosion. The force knocked me off my feet and my head hit a stone tree. Gasping in pain, I stumbled to my feet as the mechanical whirring filled the air again.
Blurriness filled my vision as I drunkenly stumbled as far away as I could before another rocket was shot. When it came, I had thankfully managed to put a fair amount of the forest between me and it. As the metal enemy rhythmically fired, chipping away at the stalagmites, I took a moment to gather my bearings.
A sharp pain was biting my scalp, and reaching up, I felt blood and a gash. I grit my teeth and glanced in the direction of the beast. Now that I had a moment to breathe, thoughts shuffled through my mind.
The metal creature was huge, and the rockets could easily pulverize me if one hit me, but the enemy didn’t seem to be able to move. It had been about five minutes since completing Phase One, and it had not moved since I spotted it. So, despite how dangerous it seemed when I first laid eyes on it, it wouldn’t be too difficult to deal with as long as I was quick on my feet.
Steeling myself, I gripped my sword and dashed through the stone forest, trying to be as quiet as possible. The enemy heard me occasionally, but there were many times when it lost me. I passed through the pool and building section, stealing glances at the beast whenever I could.
Stepping into the tree section, I knew what I had to do. I slowed and became quieter on my feet, knowing it would be more difficult to kill if it would continue to spot me. I crept closer towards the center of the arena and when the beast came into view, it was still facing towards the building section.
I wanted to be fully behind it, so I snuck around, being so quiet that all I could hear was the sound of my own breath whispering between my lips.
I stepped away from the cover of the foliage and ever-so-slowly made my way towards my newest adversary. Being out in the open, knowing I’d have nothing to hide behind to block the rockets made a cold sweat bead upon my brow.
With only five feet left now between us, I stood, raised my sword, and dashed forward, plunging the blade into the small opening in its back. The sword nearly got wrenched from my hands as gears inside the beast chewed at the weapon.
Whirring pierced my ears and dread struck me as the enemy turned. With my hands still gripping my sword, I got swung around. My weight and the force of being flown slipped the weapon from the gears and we both went flying. I rebounded quickly and ran for my sword, then lunged at the beast again and shoved my blade into its weak spot with all my might.
A horrible metal-on-metal screeched, making me want to recoil, but I only tightened my grip. The large enemy shuddered and slowed, until finally it stilled. I removed the sword from its back and quickly glanced at it; the blade was a bit worse for wear, but clearly whatever metal it was crafted from was one of the best.
Another blinding flash of light filled the arena, but I shut my eyes before it could damage my vision again. As soon as it dimmed, my eyes shot open and I looked around wildly. The metal beast had gone, and in its place was a lithe man shrouded in black robes with a long, straight blade grasped in his hand.
This looks more my style…
Instead of running away like the previous Phases, this time I met my adversary head on. The man did not hesitate as he raised his sword to meet mine. Our weapons clashed and sparks flew. We traded blows, and although he was quick, I was able to match his speed and agility.
The edge of his blade grazed my side, and I let the pain guide my arm. A moment later, my sword protruded from the masked man’s stomach. He froze and fell to the marble in an ungraceful heap, and I couldn’t stop a feeling of pride that crept up in the form of a smirk.
“Is that all you’ve got?” I demanded, ripping my sword from the man’s guts. “I’m basically halfway done the Trial and you’ve barely made me sweat!” I yelled, looking around.
The robed man shimmered and disappeared.
“You mocked me for being a woman; let me go right to the last Phase of this Trial and show you how mistaken you were!”
Silence met my words. There was no blinding light, no mocking cackle... no sign of the next Phase
.
“Are you too much of a coward to let a woman show her strength?!”
A burst of light shot forth from the middle of the center, and I raised my sword while shielding my face with my arm. When the light died down, I kept my weapon raised but looked for my next victim. A tall man stood where the light had been. He was covered in onyx armour and a fearsome, horned helmet obscured his face; the only thing visible being his two blazing red eyes. Gripped in each hand was a black, jagged blade.
He walked forward slowly, like he didn’t view me as a threat. “A wise warrior knows each battle is to be learned from. By so brazenly demanding to skip the remaining three Phases, you will come to regret that request. It, however, makes it easier for me,” he added with a grating chuckle.
The man sounded familiar, catching me off guard. It was the same one which had mocked me for being a woman, which meant… “H-Helis? You are the last Phase?”
He came closer and I raised my sword, but he knocked it away with ease and grasped my chin. “In the flesh,” the dark god answered with a soft growl.
For just a moment, his powerful touch brought forth my weakness. At the most important time of my entire life, the fire of battle was sucked from my lungs, leaving only ashy wisps that made it hard to breathe.
Noticing my tiny moment of distraction, Helis chuckled as his metal-clad fingers grazed my neck. “Women… So pathetic. So simple to distract their feeble minds.”
At his words, the fiery blaze returned tenfold and I shoved his hand away and spat at his feet. “You’ll find my mind is not as feeble as you think!”
He shoved me away and I stumbled, fighting to keep my balance. A moment later, one of his blades sliced through the air and I leapt back.
The deity slashed at me again, barely giving me a moment to breathe. I leapt for my sword and rolled onto my back just in time to block what would have been a killing blow. The sharp clanging of our weapons meeting rang throughout the arena.
He pressed down with his weight, and my arms trembled, fighting with everything I had to keep him from breaking through my defense and slicing open my chest.
Muscles crying for release, I could sense myself weakening, and his blade slowly closed in on my flesh.
I’m not going down this easily!
With a burst of strength and a roar of effort, I heaved upwards, dislodging his hold. I rolled away and leapt to my feet. My muscles felt rubbery from the effort and I dreaded what came next. In the moment that the ebony god came for me again, I steeled myself and tightened my fingers around the grip of my sword.
He wielded his weapons quickly, and I had yet to do anything but block. Every time I did, I could tell I did a worse job. His flurry of attacks were a constant sap of my energy.
I blocked another swing, and as I stepped back, my heel caught on a stalagmite and I fell, side and face scraping against another stone. Hearing a hiss, I shifted, and a jagged black blade struck the ground where my head had just been, sending up a cloud of dust.
Leaping for my sword, I grabbed it and dashed farther into the stone forest. My chest felt like it was on fire, my arms were jelly, and my face was burning from the sting of the open wound.
I looked back once to see the tall onyx god walking after me. The fact that he wasn’t chasing me was disconcerting, making me feel like a piece of prey he was wearing out.
That’s exactly what I am…
When I was far enough away, I slowed and quieted my footsteps. I continued to walk for a while, making sure to not go in a straight line.
Eventually feeling safe enough, I took a moment to rest and sat down with my back leaning against a stalagmite. As I sat there, trying to listen for Helis’ footsteps over the sound of my own pounding heartbeat, uncertainty and fear overwhelmed me.
Tears pricked my eyes as I struggled to draw breath quietly. I had been overconfident and challenged the deity, and now I was paying dearly for it. He was right; a wise warrior knew that every battle was to be learned from. Although I had saved energy by skipping the other Trials, I was still completely drained now, with no ideas of how I would defeat this Phase.
Maybe the Tehji were right all along… Maybe women aren’t good enough for this.
The moment those words left my mind, memories took their place. Every time I was beaten down with the words of the men in Shekri and the Tehji. Every time I was told I wasn’t good enough. Every time I was told my only value was being an incubator.
I grit my teeth and got to my feet, muscles renewed with the strength of anger.
Helis saw me immediately, and he stopped, almost seemingly like in surprise as I stalked towards him.
“I’m done having other people dictate my life!” I snarled, lifting my sword to meet with his.
The sound of our weapons rang in my ears and I swung at him again. “My life has more worth than that!”
The deity let out a low sound as we exchanged blows, and I couldn’t tell if it was a growl or a grating chuckle.
My sword grazed his armour and I nearly crowed, but I fought down my excitement. It was the most I had gotten on him this entire battle, but celebrating too early could spell doom.
His weapon sliced at my side, and the jagged edges viciously tore my flesh. I recoiled from the pain and he swept my legs out from under me. Before I could recover, his metal-clad foot connected with my stomach.
The force nearly caused me to puke and I struggled to breathe. I saw his blade come down and moved just in time. Instead of it splitting my skull open, it grazed down the side of my head and came to a jarring stop on the ground of the arena.
Still reeling from the deep wound on my side and the kick to the gut, I couldn’t gather my bearings enough to do anything other than barely miss his blade again and again.
When it came down yet again, I knew I couldn’t move in time. The tip of his black sword pierced my chest and stopped just an inch deep.
“Pathetic,” Helis growled. “You will be nothing, even in the afterlife.”
I twisted and tried to push the blade away, crying out as the tip of the weapon sliced farther into my skin. Helis was still as stone and refused to budge.
Having no other option, I forced myself up, pushing his weapon farther into my chest. Unbearable pain flooded my body as the metal sunk into my flesh. When I was close enough to his legs, I gripped one and pulled as hard as I could, forcing his knee to bend.
When he toppled, I leapt on top of him, tore the blade from my chest, and shoved it underneath the chin of his ebony helmet. The dark god stiffened and golden blood gushed down, a stark contrast to the onyx metal of his armour.
I slumped over onto him, no longer having the energy to keep myself up as my own blood flowed down onto the arena floor. His chest rose and fell with weakening breaths as my cheek pressed against the metal encasing it.
Crimson dripped from my mouth as my pierced lung filled with blood. “A woman… beat you.” I coughed and blood pooled between my cheek and the deity’s armour. “Dying… was worth it…”
Chapter 7
W hen I awoke, I wasn’t sure where I was. I couldn’t feel my body and wondered if I was in the afterlife. When a Tehjin came into view, I knew I was back in my village and groaned quietly.
I tried to speak but couldn’t find my voice as I teetered on the edge of unconsciousness again. The man left. Sometime later, he returned, followed by the other two.
“So she’s alive, then,” one said.
“Apparently so.”
“Does that mean she succeeded?”
“She wouldn’t have returned alive if she hadn’t,” the original man said.
Another reached over and touched my shoulder. “She does have the mark of the Adepti. So she really did it, then.”
“It is blasphemy!” a Tehjin snapped. “She stole Eldrik’s chance at Ascending. A woman! She must be punished!”
One nodded solemnly in agreement, but the other looked concerned. “But brothers… technically she is an Adeptus now. H
ow would we punish one who has Ascended?”
It looked like an argument exploded between them, but all I saw was their angry expressions and quickly-moving lips before my vision darkened again.
* * *
When I awoke again, I had apparently been moved. My muscles responded to my brain this time, and I looked around to find myself in the village jail.
Yelling from outside caught my attention and I wondered if it was that which awoke me. When I recognized my mother’s voice as the one yelling, confusion and surprise filled me; I never knew she had it in her to argue with the men in Shekri.
When she started crying and apologizing, I sighed and straightened my head, staring up at the ceiling. The door to the building opened a short while later, and I looked over to see my mother step in with a guard following on her heels.
“Two minutes,” he said.
My mother rushed over to the bars and grasped them tightly, her knuckles turning white. “Kena! My daughter… Are you okay?”
I tried to sit up, but pain lanced up my side and across my chest. Seeing my face contort in pain, my mother begged me to stay down.
“I’m okay, Mom,” I croaked out.
“Why did you do this?” she asked, voice cracking as her eyes filled with tears.
“I want a better life, Mom… I don’t want to be forced to carry child after child.”
Seeing how hurt she looked, my own eyes flooded with tears and I fought back sobs, realizing just how horrible my situation was.
I hadn’t fully thought through the consequences of my actions. I should have known they wouldn’t have let me walk free after usurping the Trial despite bearing the mark that now rested upon my shoulder.
I should have also realized that I would likely be heavily injured after Ascending and have no strength left to fight; and even if I did, there would have been no way I could take on an entire village, even as an Adeptus.
Although I had been ready to die in the arena, it was different now that I had survived. And knowing I could face death at the hands of the Tehji was terrifying.
