With the biannual combat tournament finished, a brief ceremony was held to finalize the rankings, which saw all warriors lined up from last to first. It was a great long line, given that there were 73 fighters in all. From his spot in 72nd, his view of the top finishers was pretty woeful, even when he tried leaning forward to get a look.

  As was the ekari tradition, the winner of the tournament was bestowed with a wooden bracelet. Its surface was etched with the shapes of various weapons. Based on Luran’s reaction, receiving it meant a lot to him.

  By the time the ceremony concluded, little of the day remained, but his war band elected to stay near the training area rather than turn in for the night, their minds still racing with the day’s events.

  They sat around a comforting fire, chewing thin pieces of dried meat. He had expected to feel disheartened with his performance, almost placing last, but to his surprise, he actually felt rather proud. To beat an ekari in single combat after the short time he’d been here was an incredible feat—even if the ekari was the worst among them.

  He couldn’t help but feel hopeful about the future. If he’d come this far already, who knew what he’d be capable of after even just a few years? He eyed Krag’s war club, which rested by his side as the large warrior pleasantly chewed on his dried meat, eyes closed, soaking in the flavor. This was Krag’s real custom weapon—not the wooden replica he used for the tournament.

  It was long and thick—even at the base. Thomas suspected the grip was at least three times as thick as that of a usual sword. Probably because Krag’s hands were so darn large, but perhaps also because it had to withstand the overwhelming force of Krag’s strength.

  He scanned the length of the weapon for any signs of fracturing. Beyond a bit of general wear and tear, it seemed to be in great condition. The weapon glistened when the campfire light caught it just right, its silvery blue demanding attention, leaving Thomas captivated.

  The war club had a slight bend from base to tip, with the impact zone having a greater curve to it. It was a large, abstract section that resembled the end of a bone. However, it was much larger and made of metal. The lack of any spiky elements implied that it was a weapon that inflicted damage with nothing but blunt force trauma—no surprise given Krag’s abundance of strength.

  “Say, Krag. If you don’t mind telling, I’d love to hear how you came to earn your war club. What did you do?”

  The giant swallowed his mouthful of jerky and picked up the war club.

  “Oh, this thing?” he asked, handing it to Thomas. Despite expecting considerable heft, he still found his arms bowed under the weight when Krag plonked it in his hand. It was incredibly heavy for a melee weapon. Somewhere around ten pounds. A few minutes swinging that, and Thomas would be spent!

  “Sure. I don’t mind telling the story,” he said, sucking off the meaty flavor from his fingers. “It was about five years back. I was escorting our forager, Ered, looking for rare herbs. She could take care of herself, but it was quite a long trip, so Akesh asked me to go to be safe. Lucky I did, as we were set upon by a tegusken.”

  “A tegusken?”

  “Yeah. A giant humanoid beast with a taste for ekari. Although I guess they’re pretty partial to humans too,” he said, scratching his chin. “Bigger than me, if you can believe it. They are pretty much giants. Imagine three of me stacked together! No, wait, they’re bigger than that. Imagine five Lurans! Hmmm, actually, we might need to go bigger.”

  “We get the picture, Krag,” Luran said, scowling. “They’re pretty big.”

  “Right. Anyway,” Krag said, laughing awkwardly, “we hear a large thudding that keeps getting closer. And this guy comes barreling through the trees, scattering anything living in his path. He goes straight for Ered, sensing her to be the easier meal, but I intercept. Thing is, these guys are vicious monsters, but they’re also intelligent—they sometimes wield weapons. This one carried the remains of a fallen tree, wielding it like a club. I may be strong, but even I have my limits. It swung the fallen tree into my shield, and carted me aside like a newborn!” he explained, swatting the air aside to visualize how outmuscled he was.

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  “The tegusken chased Ered, but I followed. Fortunately, I didn’t get too seriously injured by the first attack and managed to catch up, but by the time I did, it had a hold of her by the foot, was about to snap her right up! I just saw red. Charged at the beast, swinging my sword. Half-severed one of its legs on the first blow, and gave it a nasty gash to the hip on the second,” he exclaimed, his voice growing excited.

  “This caused the tegusken to drop Ered, and she managed to crawl away. If it were Luran, I’m sure he would have killed the monster, no trouble. Its massive size is easily bested by his speed and skill,” he explained, motioning to Luran with his head. “But you see. I’m not very fast. My size and strength are what set me apart. In the face of a far bigger and stronger opponent, I was in trouble,” he explained, his voice severe.

  “I did my best to evade and time my attacks, but it was hard going. I took one hit flush to the ear and got concussed. Still can’t hear out of it today. But I got a lucky break. The makeshift tree club the tegusken was using shattered after one particularly big swing, and during that moment of confusion, I struck it in the heart with my blade, saving both me and Ered.”

  “Wow!” exclaimed Thomas. “That’s incredible!” he marveled, passing the weapon back to Krag, who stroked it endearingly.

  “Thanks, Tommy. In fact, that fight is why I chose to get a war club. After seeing the tegusken wield it. I knew it was the weapon for me. Want to guess what it is called?”

  “It has a name?!” Thomas gasped, his eyes twinkling with glee. How awesome! It had to be something badass like Skyfall or Shattered Dawn.

  “Titan’s Tremor,” Krag bellowed with a wide grin. “Akesh helped with the name. I’m not too good with words…”

  “Woh! That’s so cool!” Thomas responded. “How about the rest of you? Elarissé? I see you’ve got a badass pair of short axes there. Care to share?” She side-eyed him.

  “Very well,” she said, picking one up and running a finger along its edge. “It is a pretty awesome story. Taking down a tegusken is impressive and all, but it doesn’t quite stack up with my feat. I earned my axes by slaying the biggest killers of all. Care to guess who?” she tempted, leaning in with a slow guttural voice

  “I don’t know. A four-headed tiger? A 100 ft basilisk?”

  “No,” she said, with a slow and ominous shake of her head. “I earned mine slaying far more wicked monsters,” she explained, not breaking eye contact with him. “I got mine slaying the biggest monsters of all. Humans.”

  Thomas instinctively recoiled, a cold shiver shooting throughout his entire body. Elarissé seemed to find this amusing, a cruel smile painting her face.

  “Come on, Ela. There’s no need for that,” Krag said softly.

  “What?” she said. “He asked! You wanted to know, right?” she taunted, sharpening the blades of her axes against one another. The metal rang out tenderly in delight. It wasn’t an outright threat, but the intent was more than clear.

  Luran didn’t move or say anything, just shot Elarissé a reprimanding look. That was enough. She grunted and placed one axe beside her. With the other, she started digging it into a tree stump, pulling away the fibers to keep her hands busy. There was a long, awkward silence. Thomas didn’t know how to feel about this revelation. He always figured the ekari had killed humans. They were to some extent at war, after all, but to be rewarded for slaying his kin? It just felt… wrong.

  But who was he to judge? He was all too familiar with the darkness of man. Sure, they preached love, fairness, and friendship, but this was simply one side of the coin. Turn it over, and you get an unobscured view of man’s legacy. It was marred by conquest, exploitation, and malice. And in no small sum. These heinous qualities were just as present as their virtues, perhaps more so. If humans were as wicked in this world as they were in his, he had no doubt that the ekari had good reason to hate them. After another long silence, he spoke up.

  “I’d still like to hear the story if that’s okay with you.”

  All eyes turned to Thomas in surprise.

  “You actually want to hear about how she killed your people?” asked Krag inquisitively. Thomas paused.

  “They are not my people. I’m not of this world,” he answered. “Besides, I have my own reason to despise some of my kind. Go on. I would like to hear it.”

  Elarissé’s usual harsh demeanor towards him fell away, replaced by a curious appraising look. This reaction to her taunt appeared to be the last thing she expected.

  “Umm. Very well then,” she said, dusting the mud off her hands. “Before I get to how I earned my axes, we first need to understand the events leading up to it.” She hesitated and swallowed a lump in her throat. “Zerron wasn’t always the chief of this village. In fact, he’s only been in that position for four years. He never wanted to be chief—it was a position that was forced on him. Forced when the previous chief, his brother, my father, was slain.”