Clash of Men

by Damon Glatz

  Divine Intervention

  After a long day’s ride, the spiral climb up this impossibly high tower was proving very difficult. Ohitekah began to breathe heavily and struggle up the golden staircase.

  “How did he know us?” Ohitekah said between breaths.

  “He is the keeper of the tower. He remains in contact with the Wind Mythic and the Goddess of the Air. They let him know who can ascend and who to forbid. It turns out this addition to our trip was well expected, even if we did not know it.” Red had no trouble climbing the stairs.

  The windows they passed periodically showed them crossing through the next level of clouds. The sun looked like it could be touched through the open window. The valley of clouds stretched as far as the eye could see.

  There were elaborate carvings along the walls of the staircase. As they walked higher there seemed to be a story being told through the images. It started with a bright light, and from the light the world was made, a world full of people living together. The light made five other beings; they must have been the five gods and goddesses. These beings made the five Mythics: the two dragons, the sea serpent, the stone giant, and the thunderbird. The Mythics came down from the Overworld and drove the people on the earth apart with war and destruction. This was the creation of the world, Red had explained. The five kingdoms began forming, each with their own Mythic. The Mythics created the seas and the mountains, the volcano and the rain.

  There was a strange panel, something Red had not mentioned in his story. It depicted a person from each nation, and they each held a glowing weapon: a bow, a katana, a large broadsword, a spear, and a thinner sword. They each took the glowing weapons and vanished into their own nations. The gods seemed angered and used their Mythics to fight one another. The carvings depicted ancient battles from all over the world, but the glowing weapons never made another appearance.

  The carvings turned to blank wall as they reached the height of the staircase.

  “Here we are.” Red stepped up and onto the top of the tower, followed by Ohitekah. There was an intricately designed circle in the center that patterned itself out to the edgeless side of the round platform. If Ohitekah’s step was not carefully watched, he realized he could easily fall down for an eternity. The wind was forceful as it blew through the circle.

  Inching himself to the edge, Ohitekah could see the wonderful expanse of clouds around him. On the other side, he could see the whole northern empire beneath him, with miles and miles of farmland and spots of a few large castles. He thought The Wall could be seen in the distance but he was not sure.

  The view left him in awe, it was hard to take it all in. He went back to looking at the clouds, a white sea of clouds flowing like around him with thick waves crashing into the tower under him. He noticed some of the clouds were moving faster than others, rising and falling quickly like a serpent moving in and out of water. Those clouds were more defined, glistening with a stronger brilliance.

  He studied the faster clouds closer. They were not clouds at all. It was something more: a great being that swam through the clouds like a smooth sea, sailing effortlessly through the heavens.

  The Wind Mythic.

  He could see its body cruising through the sky all around him. In all directions, as far as the eye could see, its white scales were penetrating the barrier between heaven and the world beneath. Its body was so long it could be seen moving in one direction on his right, and another on his left. It began to coil up the tower, wrapping itself around and around. Ohitekah looked to Red who stood still, waiting. He seemed comfortable, focused. Slowly the Mythic moved to the top and raised its massive head to see into the room.

  It was unlike anything Ohitekah had ever seen. This monster was the largest creature he could imagine. Its head was box like, white like the rest of his scaly body, with two large horns facing back from the top. It had a white beard coming off its chin and its nostrils were flared. It had rows of angled teeth that wrapped around its face. Ohitekah feared for his life.

  Its eyes were blue and staring intensely into Ohitekah’s, penetrating him, learning him. Something calming overtook his body and he was no longer afraid. This creature, as big as it was, meant no harm.

  “What do you seek?” a voice from nowhere boomed. It must have been the dragon. The sudden loud voice almost knocked him off his feet. He collected himself.

  “A vision told me that I needed to find and hunt the Thunder Mythic. I need your help!” Ohitekah shouted. He felt like he needed to yell at something of this size in order for it to hear him.

  “The Thunder Mythic is a peaceful being. It brings water and life to your people. Why do you seek its destruction?” Its voice was booming. Red stood in silence, unmoving.

  Ohitekah froze, stunned by the question. “I... I do not know.”

  The Mythic said nothing. It turned its head and began to move away from the tower. It sailed into the sky and back into the clouds. The rest of its long body followed, uncoiling itself around the tower. Ohitekah was confused. Red still said nothing.

  Did I do something wrong?

  There was suddenly a strong wind behind them, it whipped around like a tornado. Ohitekah feared he would be thrown from the tower. They both turned around.

  There was a visible column of air forming in the center of the room, like the wind was being pulled together to take shape. Their robes waved as the spiraling vacuum pulled them slowly into it. The shape began to become more defined. The wind slowed to a stop.

  There was a woman standing in the room, a beautiful, elegant woman that seemed to be made out of air. Her body was naked and translucent as thick grey wind moved within her. Her white ghostly hair fell to her legs. A mist of cool fog formed at her base, her small bare feet tip-toed lightly off the ground. This was no woman. This was no Mythic either. She was more than that. She was a goddess.

  The Goddess of Air.

  Ohitekah fell to his knees in her presence. He had never heard of anyone seeing a god or goddess before, not in the land of the living. Red did not move, continuing his unchanging stare.

  She began to speak. Her voice was elegant, rich and full of beauty. Ohitekah was sure he had fallen in love with her. No woman could ever be as intoxicating as this goddess was.

  “There was a time you would have fallen to your knees before me, Daisuke. What’s wrong?” she lulled. The goddess glided behind him and looked at him from all angles. Her voice was high, yet commanded a power to it. “Acting so strong, so defiant against the gods. Did I offend you?”

  “You know it is nothing personal, Minervanna,” Red spoke slowly and controlled, more so than usual.

  She smiled and lightly danced around the room. “Well, I would hope so, after all that I have done for you.” She stroked his face with her white cool hand.

  “How can we defeat the Thunder Mythic?” Red spoke, not wasting a word.

  “Straight to the point, no fooling around, Daisuke. I love that about you,” She softly spoke back. Ohitekah began to stand back up again. “So, this is the boy I’ve been hearing so much about. Talk of the Overworld you know, all the gods have their eyes on you, Ohitekah.”

  “Me? Why?” he spoke quietly, afraid of the goddess.

  “One of us sent you to kill the Thunder Mythic, wasn’t me, though. Someone has a plan for you. You have a destiny to fulfill.”

  “How can the Thunderbird be killed?” Red asked again.

  She shot him a playful look.

  “The ancient bird, bringer of storms, the bird that never rests, never lands, always soaring around the sky. What a tiring job that must have been, even for a Mythic. Thousands of years. Even my dragon knows to rest sometimes, good for the soul. How can you kill a legendary bird that never lands?”

  Minervanna floated across the room, tapping her finger on her chin. “Clearly the trick isn’t in how to kill it, you know that much, Daisuke. The question is, how can you make it land?”

  “Well?” Red spoke up again.

  “N
ow, I can’t go about helping men kill other god’s Mythics, that could put me in some trouble,” she said with a mischievous smile. “What I can tell you is, maybe you don’t have to make it land. As I said, maybe the bird is tired. Maybe it’s done flying. Maybe the bird wants to land. Maybe it doesn’t want to be the Mythic anymore.”

  Red swallowed a lump in his throat.

  Ohitekah had never thought of that.

  “Is that it?” Red asked coldly.

  “Yes, Daisuke, that’s all I can tell you.” She paused, holding her hands together and smiled. “Anything else?” She looked at them both.

  “What can you tell me about Lance and Nicholas? What’s their role in this?” Red asked.

  “Lance,” She paused again. “Proud son of the Ashland king. He has his own destiny and other gods looking over him. I cannot tell what will happen between you two, my vision is clouded.” She giggled. “Get it? Clouded?” Red remained motionless. She rolled her eyes and continued. “But where there was once honor in him there is a growing darkness. Keep your eye on him. And I do not know about Nicholas. He was supposed to be dead, I thought. Sometimes you humans surprise us.” She smiled.

  Ohitekah cleared his throat. This was his chance to finally speak to a god and he had his own questions.

  “Is this all a greater plan? Am I the one making my decisions? Or is this just fate and I’m doomed to my future? How do I know what’s right and what’s wrong?”

  She came to Ohitekah slowly and smiled. “Oh, child,” She stared into his eyes; her beautiful white eyes seemed to loom past him. “Gods try to plan, we scheme and plot this game we all play. But in the end, the one with the true power is you and you alone. You have a destiny of greatness in you. I can see that. But you are the one that makes it happen. If you wanted to you could go home right now and just live a normal life, but you’re not going to because you are not like everyone else. You were chosen for a reason, and your destiny is much larger than you can imagine, I can tell you that. You have no idea how far this life is going to take you. Please remember this, Ohitekah. It’s not about how you gain your power. It’s what you do with it that makes you a legend. Think with your heart and you will never regret a thing. I will be watching you, good luck.”

  She took a step back and looked at Daisuke. “It’s been a pleasure as always, old friend.” She kissed his cheek and vanished into the air, in a warm wisp.

  Chapter Twenty-Three:

  Trust

  Ohitekah did not know what to say. Red did not move, thinking deeply about the words she gave.

  “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” Red said. He looked at Ohitekah. “The Goddess of Air is always a sight to see.”

  “When have you seen her before?”

  “Growing up in the Feng Dynasty she was always the focus of our prayers. Her spirit has guided us in many wars, and she is a blessing to peasant and emperor. Even after becoming the Fire Mythic and becoming the puppet to the God of the Sun, she has never stopped helping me. She was even the one who sent me visions to find and help you… Nevertheless, she is a goddess. She is still playing the game they all play, and I still do not fully trust any of them. My allegiance is with mankind, with humanity, regardless of race or culture or deity.”

  “Did she tell you what you wanted to hear?”

  Red paused again. “I am not sure what I wanted to hear from her. Inspiring? Yes. Helpful? Not really. Let’s get back with the others.”

  The steps back down were much easier. The only trick to the spiral staircase was not losing your footing and slipping. He wished the stairs could be frozen like the hills during winter, and then he could just slide down and be at the bottom already. He glanced again at the radiant weapons carved into the wall. One for each nation.

  The bald monk was there to escort them out the doorway at the base. Lance was off in the distance looking over the mountainside to the villages below. Nicholas appeared to be upset and was sitting under a tree.

  “Let’s go,” Red said.

  “About time.” Lance turned around. “It’s freezing up here.”

  “It will only be colder down the mountain,” the monk mentioned. “The sun will be setting soon and the trail will be treacherous. May we offer you haven for the night?”

  Red looked to Lance.

  “Stop pretending like I have a say in this, Daisuke. You don’t care what I think. Yes, we’re staying the night, dammit.” Lance turned around and looked over the edge again, his blue and silver cape flowing behind him.

  He was always so focused, so determined. Ohitekah was still surprised he wanted to come on this journey in the first place.

  “What have you got to eat ‘round ‘ere?” Nicholas added.

  “Whatever you can find in our gardens, friend. Our humble village is open to you all to spend your time freely.”

  Nicholas frowned and nodded his head, worried most about his aching stomach. “Thanks, friend." He wanted meat. Leaves were for rabbits.

  Some homegrown vegetables actually sounded very nice to Ohitekah. He was getting tired of all the fish and venison he has been eating recently.

  They walked down to the monk village. Ohitekah gave it a closer look now that he was going to be staying here. The houses were tall and red, alike in design to the town’s wall. There was a larger temple in the center of the town with similar structure as well. There were statues of the Wind Mythic everywhere. Stone pathways and green gardens decorated the space between the ornately designed and ancient buildings.

  In the open areas, groups of orange robed monks trained in synchronized rhythm. Their timing and movements were very impressive. Red said they trained in martial arts as a form of self-discipline, not as a form of aggression toward others. He had spent a few years here when he was younger and learned a lot from the monks. In over two hundred years they had not changed at all.

  The room Ohitekah was given was small with a flat wooden bed. He laid down his furs to make it more comfortable. Anything was better than sleeping on the cold ground, so he made use of what he had. Compared to the samurai and villagers living on the lower end of the empire, these monks lived very simply. Yet, they all seemed to enjoy themselves. This society was a place Ohitekah would like to visit again. They had a lot in common with his tribe.

  The rest of the group was given rooms adjacent to his. Red did not accept a room. Instead, he wanted to meet with some of the head monks and meditate with them.

  Nicholas walked into his room with a plate full of whatever food he could scavenge. “These monks sure know how to grow some beans! Glad you’re not sleeping with me tonight,” he roared in laughter before going inside his own room.

  Ohitekah did not feel very tired yet. He decided to walk around alone for a little, to see more of the village. He stepped outside of the red building and followed the stone path in front of him. The sun had set and there was a cool breeze. Most monks appeared to be inside or meditating under some canopy. He could see Red with them, wearing one of their robes, silent as the breeze.

  The stepping-stones felt good on his bare feet. These rocks have been walked on for hundreds of years, Ohitekah gathered, as they were as smooth as glass. For as many people as there were, the dead silence was eerie. Red must have surely picked up his skills of silence from these monks, not one ever made a sound. Even the breeze seemed to attempt to hush itself.

  The path he walked led to the main temple was easily the largest building there. Its red floors stacked on top of each other and came to a point, almost looking like some of the samurai castles he saw earlier. The courtyard was large and lined with statues. The monk had mentioned earlier that the whole village was open to them, so Ohitekah decided to go inside the temple and explore.

  The large wooden doors were already open and he silently slipped inside. It was empty of other people. The only lights in the room were rows of candles that lined the walls. There were artifacts in the temple, large paintings of ancient battles and displayed weapons that Ohitekah could
only imagine the great history behind them. He slowly walked around the dark room, admiring some of the mystery of the items.

  He paused when he noticed the centerpiece of the wall of weapons. Framed delicately was a silver bow hanging on the wall. With it, a shimmering quiver stacked with metallic arrows. Its craftsmanship was superb, the build expertly designed. Despite its ornate appearance, there was something about it that was out of place. It took Ohitekah a moment to identify what it was.

  This was not a northern bow, it was nothing like a bow a samurai would use. This was a tribesman bow, a weapon of the plains. There were images of the thunderbird carved into its handle. Bolts of lightning decorated its length, but its metallic build made it look like nothing he had ever seen before.

  Why is a bow from the plains here? Who would make this?

  He admired the bow for a great length of time. Once he had it memorized, he turned around to see some of the paintings behind him. Suddenly he froze. He was not alone in the temple. He could see the silhouette of someone standing on the other side of the dimly lit room, looking at a painting. Surprised, he panicked for a split second. Thinking he was completely by himself, suddenly seeing a stranger shocked him more than he cared to show. He heard a familiar voice begin to speak.

  “Some of the history here is truly incredible.” It was Lance, and he was still facing the painting. “This painting is hundreds of years old, depicting the first battle between those worshiping the Mythic of Fire and the Mythic of Air. My ancestors were in this battle, so were Daisuke’s. Over a thousand years ago they decided, as cultures, that they hated each other more than they hated the Mythics. And so, the wars started all over who had the better monster, and the stronger god. This is the only record of that battle. Truly incredible.”

  “Yes, it is.” Ohitekah kept his distance. Lance still intimidated him, and he has never been alone with him before. This made him nervous.

  “The Fire Mythic has been a malevolent leader for us ever since that day. We joined forces for the first time to drive back those men to the mountains. The Eastern Dragon and the Northern Dragon have been mortal enemies since the dawn of time. Now they killed him. They control the power of both the dragons while we sit back helpless.” Lance turned around. “You might become the Mythic of Thunder one day, and it seems you have already formed your allegiance with the northerners. Do you think that is right? Should one empire dominate the world’s power all for themselves, with no regard of the kingdoms that are withering?”