The party was an absolute rager. It was the first of its kind in this rendition, at least to Walker’s knowledge, and lasted through a large part of the evening hours even if the sun didn’t change position. When the early hours of the morning made their appearance, two young ladies stood waiting for him, feet tapping impatiently.
“You said you’d test us before we left,” Runner said with a glare.
Walker rubbed his hand across his eyes, “I did say that, didn’t I.”
She looked over at Lucy, who gave a very small and almost embarrassed nod, before looking at Walker again, “And we’re leaving for the Conservatory today, right?”
Walker’s hand fell by his side, “Alright, I get it. Come on, let's knock this test out.”
The two girls fell in beside him, both giddy at the chance to move up in the Unending Summit. As they began to leave the arena, stepping around the bodies splayed out across the sand in different forms of hangover and passed out stupor, an amazing thing occurred. A few of the more sober variety watched them leave and joined the procession.
Some slapped themselves awake. Others picked up alcohol-filled friends, not wanting them to miss the action. They didn't want to lose out on a chance to see what Runner and Lucy had been talking about for the last several weeks—a chance to punch the Creator.
That wasn't the only reason the procession grew behind the three walking figures. It was also because of the reputation of the two ladies walking beside Walker, the holder of Origin. Lucy and Runner were legends within the small community of Sonata. Ares recognized them for their extreme talents in battle, and Athena admired them for their naturally developed wisdom. Founders had even seen them talk to Elder Virgil, the terrifyingly sizeable black creature, as equals, which swayed them more than anything else due to his enigmatic presence.
But there was more.
Lucy was a natural leader. Others admiringly looked to her for help, a dose of confidence, or just encouragement to keep working through the training program. She never complained, never whined about the difficulty. All that anyone ever saw of her was the ability to buckle down under pressure and charge harder. Lucy Reed’s nickname was the Shield for more reasons than one.
Runner was a self-proclaimed hero-in-training. Not only was she supremely confident, but she'd turned the taciturn god of the underworld into her unwilling mentor. She never spoke with the other Founders much, but that only increased her fame on the grass-like moon known as Sonata. She was a curiosity, an unknown element. Whenever Ares set forth his battle simulations, Runner was the first to sprint into action, a spear held at the ready. She was the first and only Founder ever to defeat Elder Athena in the most challenging game of games, Ping Pong. And, when she wasn’t working with the Elders or receiving private lessons from Elder Hades, she could be seen running across the grass, true to her name.
No matter how often others asked Elder Cagna, she’d never tell them how many milestones the women had completed. All they knew was that they were special, unique, and that something about them set them apart.
When meals were taken, they sat together, alone in a vast sea of filled tables. It wasn’t that they were feared, far from it. Only that there was a respect inherently gained by their presence. Others didn’t want to intrude on them. They could be speaking about anything or nothing, and none would step close. That was the Heroes table. That was Runner and Lucy’s table.
As the Founders and a smattering of Primigenials walked behind them, keeping a healthy distance, they couldn’t hear what the two women were talking to Walker about. If they knew, they’d likely be shocked.
“Runner Walker is a shitty name,” Walker said for the third time, “If you don’t want to take on my surname, that’s understandable. I’m the father of all Founders; any of them could be a Reed. But taking my first name for your last? That’s weird, and together, the two words sound stupid.”
“Look,” Runner replied calmly as she continued to jog in a circle around them. “Lucy is my sister, and I love her, but I don’t want to be a Reed. I want to be something different. Someone who stands out more. Maybe I don’t even need a last name. Besides, you’ve said so yourself. This is a new world; we can be whatever we want to be.”
“And you don’t want to have your own Territory, right?” Lucy asked with a slight glare as she took another step, “You don’t want to have a territory right next to mine?”
Runner ran around the duo three times, far exceeding the speed of an unawakened human, “Nope. How can I run if I’m rooted in one place? How can I explore if all my explorations are tied to a single location? I’d rather be free to move from one area to another, helping others and saving those who need it. It’s who I am. Even old Fork thinks so.”
“Who?” Walker asked.
“Elder Hades,” Lucy supplied with an exasperated look, “She spends a lot of time with him.”
“Because he’s forking smart,” Runner said with a smile on her next lap, “He’s amazing at coming up with tactics and hypotheticals, as he calls them. It’s helpful. I don’t want a territory; I want to run my own club, one that just wants to help others.”
“First, that's not what a club is. You're talking about a Guild or a Company. And second, how are you going to afford to do that? Things will cost money. Food costs money, repairs to equipment cost money, everything does...” Walker sighed, intentionally holding off from telling them about the Bounty system. “I’ll have to start early on the Faction system because of you. Hrmm,” He stared off into space for a long time, his feet moving by themselves as he mumbled, “I wonder if I can just pay Ulysses to do it for me.”
“Who’s Ulysses?” Runner asked on her next pass.
“Fucking Awakened hearing.” Walker looked behind him and past the crowd. They were hard to miss with all the disjointed and combined muttering. They’d passed the portal more than a few minutes ago and stood in a relatively empty area. The Arena was the better place for this, but with the party ending a few hours ago, this was the spot to be. Unless he wanted unconcious Founders to suddenly get kicked in the head or knocked into the distance.
Looking out at the crowd, he raised his voice to be heard more easily, “Is there anyone else who has already passed the second test for the Unending Summit and is currently ranked as an Explorer? The Seeker test is quite simple, trial by combat. As the only person able to currently conduct the test, you’ll be facing myself.”
He looked around for the count of thirty. With nobody speaking up, Walker turned back toward Lucy and Runner, “Are you both sure you want to do this? I may have a Zenith when the displacement ends. You’d be doing the test with a relatively nice guy named Chipper rather than me.”
The two would-be heroes looked at each other before turning back to Walker.
“I’m ready,” Runner said with a fierce smile.
“Me-me too,” Lucy said right after.
Walker looked at both a final time, then nodded. The Book of Souls exited his chest and flipped over. A Morningstar appeared from the back of his Icon, his waiting hand pulling it the rest of the way out before his Icon re-entered his chest. “Then so be it. Withdraw your weapons, and let's do this.”
Lucy looked far away momentarily before two oddly shaped shields popped out of the air. She secured both onto the upper end of her wrists, fully covering her hands. She also pulled a few odd bits of pounded dark gray metal from her inventory, attaching them to specific points on her body. The metal's shape and attachment reminded Walker of clay plates he’d had in his military gear. The kind that stopped bullets and could easily be replaced. It was a neat bit of ingenuity.
While Walker watched Lucy prepare, Runner completed her own preparation. She held a worn and scratched-up spear in her hands with great familiarity; hands spread evenly to allow for attack and defense. A strap across her chest from shoulder to hip told the story of something hanging off her back. After Walker asked her to show him, she spun around, and he spotted a quiver. It was made of an oddly striated leather he didn’t recognize, with a clasp in the middle holding a tightly strung bow. Fletching peaked out of the top, each finely put together with no variations in the feathering.
Both were ready to fight. In fact, if he wasn’t mistaken by the grin on both of their faces, they were more than ready. They were happy, too.
Fucking battle maniacs, Walker thought, before an unbidden grin of his own came out to meet them.
He swung the Morningstar a few times to limber up, not needing it after the awakening but still feeling it necessary for the drama about to unfold. As it moved through the air, any form of air resistance seemed to shatter, causing the two Founders to watch the Morningstar’s movement rather than what the rest of the Creator was doing. It sounded like a buzzsaw as displaced air created a current from the weapon's movements. As he rested the wooden haft against his shoulder, the only sound that could be heard was that of two dry throats swallowing.
Breaking the silence, he yelled out, “Founder Lucy Reed, Founder Runner, are you ready for your trial by combat?”
"Yes!" Runner yelled back, feet spread and body angled for attack.
"I am ready, Creator!" Lucy screamed back right after, the adrenaline shakes already present in her vibrating body.
Walker looked at the crowd and grinned, "You're going to want to move further back." Without waiting for their acknowledgment, he spun his weapon a few times, moving his body in small, semi-fluid steps. He'd lived a large amount of Kwaya's memories and watched as she learned how to use the volatile ball of metal and chain. He was no expert, by far. But what he lacked in skill, he more than made up for in strength and speed. After finding the momentum had reached its peak, the sound not unlike thunder swirling through the air, he roared out, "Begin!" then smashed the head directly into the ground. The collision sounded like an explosion, pulverizing the grass and dirt.
The power of Walker's attack on Sonata's soil caused pieces of the ground to erupt into the air. As Walker's improvised cover blanketed the area, he stood perfectly still, listening for what he knew must arrive soon. After all, she couldn’t help it. In only a few seconds, he heard the running steps of the woman formerly called Seven. The Hero-in-training flew out of the screen into Walker's area faster than he'd expected, spear leading the way, a cocky grin plastered to her face.
Rather than try to block, Walker waited until the last second, letting her feel she'd succeeded in her attack, before stepping to the side. An open palm struck the woman on her padded leather shoulder, causing an undignified squawk to leap from the back of her throat. The would-be hero flew through the floating dirt with a wide-open mouth, landing several feet away.
But Walker didn't have time to enjoy her discomfort as the woman tried to get the particulates air out of the back of her throat. Another woman, covered in small round plates of Faer metal, stepped out of the screen in a steady cadence. Each step on the ground moved from heel to toe, always in balance, ready to move at any angle necessary.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Where Runner tried to move quickly, striking before her opponent had a chance to defend themselves, Lucy took a more measured route. Taking three quick steps to close the gap between them, she threw a quick punch. Walker watched it come and decided to test her mettle, throwing a punch of his own to meet her. As their hands moved toward the inevitable conclusion of force, he noticed the edge to the shield a second too late.
The force of their fists meeting caused a very small shockwave to roll out, pushing the dust away from the area. When it cleared, the crowd, now more than a hundred meters back, noted three things: Runner picking herself up off the ground and coughing; Lucy cradling a single hand while taking a knee; and the Creator, a small amount of blood dripping from one of his hands.
Son of a bitch that stings, Walker thought as he shook his hand, waiting for his amplified healing to kick in. Before he could have another thought, quick steps made him spin around.
A spear was searching for his stomach. He slapped the tip aside, barely, only to see it embed itself in the ground as its wielder shifted with the movement. Runner used her spear's leverage to swing her body, planting two feet into Walker's chest and causing him to stagger out of the spot he’d been trying to hold. As he collected himself, he caught a glimpse of a smile on her dirt-covered face.
Battlemaniacs, he thought as he noticed Runner helping Lucy up, her right shield arm cradled against her body.
He wanted to go all out. To meet them on even ground and allow them to push as hard as they could to take him down. But after looking at his Morningstar, he realized that if he did push his limits, he'd probably kill them, Awakened or not. Stowing away his weapon, Walker covered himself in darkness, monologuing as if he were the true villain in the story.
"Regenerating cells or not, Lucy, that hand isn't going to work when the Faer is folded on top of it. So, how well do you two do when one of you is injured?"
Time to move this up a level
Without waiting for a response, the Creator used his full allotment of speed, appearing between the two women the moment Lucy was standing up straight again. Two punches flew out, striking both in the chest and launching them a healthy distance away from each other. Where Lucy rolled to get back to her feet, Runner performed a light flip in the air to regain her stance, quickly pulling the bow from her back.
"One!" Lucy screamed, one hand idly rubbing her chest.
"One!" Runner repeated back.
Lucy pushed off the ground, taking giant bounding leaps Walker's way. He chose not to let her. Speeding forward, he slid across the ground, one hand finding the woman's leg and grabbing on tight as she attempted to take another step. Falling with a grunting sound, Walker lifted her with one arm and slammed her onto the other side, a sound like air escaping bellows whooshed out of her. Before Walker could even grin, an arrow pierced him in the asscheek.
"Son of a bitch!" Walker yelled out as he was forced to let Lucy go to remove the uncomfortable plumage sticking out of him.
Lucy took the offered freedom to smash the blunt side of her still-working shield arm into one of his toes while another arrow sprouted from one of his shoulders.
"Yah look like a Guineafowl!" Heph yelled out from a distance.
Walker ripped the next arrow out while kicking Lucy, knocking her several feet away, "A what?"
"A turkey, you damned fool!" Ares screamed out before the group laughed.
Walker mentally sighed while taking on a severe expression as he questioned what he was doing here. Yes, he'd wanted to test the Founders, but that didn't mean he'd wanted to make a fool of himself, least of all in front of a crowd. But the watching wonderers didn't know what he was doing.
Each time Lucy and Runner stepped toward him, he'd moved his combat prowess up a tier. The first was to fight while trying not to move, which obviously didn't work for long as they stepped up on their own. The second was to use only his Awakened abilities, which sadly meant becoming a little faster, a little stronger. Again, he lamented the reduction of what his true power could be without the godeater parasite. The third, well, they'd found out in a moment.
Pushing the darkness from the rest of his body to his hands, Walker's eyes tracked Runner as she moved from one spot to another. He didn't need to worry about Lucy for the moment as she was still trying to catch her breath from the ground. Dodging two fast arrows, Walker made the sign for wind quickly, followed by another for tunnel. A colossal gust tore through the area, causing her most recently fired arrow to blow way off course, throwing her dozens of feet back and into the air.
Thinking she was busy for the moment, he turned toward Lucy again. Walker figured it would be better to take out the stalwart tank while he could, but a moment later, another arrow landed on his other shoulder.
With a grimace and glare at the offending shaft of wood sticking out of his, until recently, well-managed shoulder, he focused his intent again. If they wanted to poke and prod at his body, it seemed only fair that he could do the same.
Rather than take the time to rip out the arrows, he ignored the pain of the movement and quickly made the sign for water, followed by two more.
Small, thin bolts of pressurized water jets began to fire toward the tank. Lucy had already regained her feet and dodged for all she was worth. When one struck her hip, throwing her down and shattering the metal in its place, she screamed out the number three before replacing the round metal bit with another from her inventory.
“Three,” a voice whispered behind him. He spun, but already, an arrow held tightly in a fist was arcing toward his chest, bright teeth reflecting the sun overhead. The puncturing of the arrow went much deeper than those before as Runner stabbed it just above his clavicle. However, this was a trade. As the arrow struck him, a sizeable bolt of water shot into Runner’s stomach, throwing her back and away from him as she spun through the air. He spent a moment checking on her to ensure the damage wasn’t too bad. He’d purposely aimed it for a non-vital section on the edge of her ribs.
Aside from some heavy breathing and spots of red on the ground, the woman seemed to be in decent shape. Lucy tried to use the time he was checking on her partner to attack, but he saw that coming from a mile away. Making a few more signs, a ditch opened up behind him just as she got closer, dropping her five feet down, judging by the sound she made when landing.
They’re adapting too quickly…Alright, let's accelerate again.
Walker made five copies of himself, giving them an extra jolt of Dimensionality. All five rushed off to deal with Runner as lightning sprouted from his hands, striking the woman in metal, trying to exit the hole he’d created. However, something unusual happened. It pooled into the small Faer discs covering her body.
Huh...I didn't know it could do that
"Me own bit of handiwork that," He heard Heph saying before Walker pushed Kinetic energy into his feet and threw himself at Lucy. He placed a tiny amount of resources into his fist and punched toward her chest. The metal woman did the same with her crumpled hand, angling to meet his own again. Amid their clash, the Kinetic and lightning met, causing a splash of orange and blue-white to shoot out.
This time, she couldn’t take a knee as the force of his punch threw her back. The unmistakable sound of bone breaking had fired through the air, along with a deep-chested grunt. Walker’s hand felt slightly tingly, while Lucy now cradled her arm with her other hand.
That’ll take a moment to heal. He turned toward Runner to check his reflection’s progress, always weary about having the woman at his back.
Five Davids continued to dance around the woman, constantly getting in front of her vision and throwing punches and kicks whenever she grew close. Of course, that wasn’t the only thing they were doing.
“You’re going to fail, Runner.”
“Walker Runner is a stupid name.”
“How do you run in such tight clothing? I don’t get it…is it just me?”
“Go away!” Runner screamed out, pelting a few with arrows from a noticeably reduced quiver. When she reached the last arrow, she quickly re-slotted her bow and removed her spear from her inventory. But sadly, that was not meant to be.
“Hi!” Walker said from behind her, having moved with as much speed as he could bring forth while not using the Temporal strand. A soft-shoed foot sprang into her back before she could react, launching her forward as he Sparta kicked her to the ground. Five Davids leaped on top of her as soon as she landed, punching and kicking for all they were worth.
Lucy in the distance tried to come over, but Walker appeared before her, “Hello again, Ms. Reed,” Before tripping the foot parallel to her broken arm. She landed with a light yell, not enjoying the stress placed on her healing arm.
Walker looked at the downed woman, then the other, five Davids standing around her and knocking her down each time she tried to stand up. Nodding once, he roared out, “Do you concede!”
Lucy looked up at him first, “I concede, Creator.”
“Like Tartarus I concede you piece of-” A David kicked her hard in the ribs, knocking the wind out of her. After she regained it, a mumbled response came back that the crowd had to strain to hear, “I concede, Walker.”
He smiled, two grimaces flashing across his face as he pulled the arrows out of his shoulders, “Then I declare you have passed the trial by combat. Congratulations, Seekers.” Making the changes in the Follower system, two blank books dropped before each woman as they ranked up. “I’ll explain what those are for before you leave for Crescendo. Congratulations again.”
The waiting crowd surged forward, splitting in three different directions. Some checked on Lucy, Asclepius carefully looking her over to ensure her self-regeneration cells ability was working correctly while Heph removed and inspected her metal plates. Others crowded around a disheveled and bloody Runner, a few making fun of her while giving strange looks to the Davids. The last group, filled with Assistants and Primigenials, circled around the Creator. None of them looked happy.
“You know you took that too far, right?” Rimi stated before the others could begin talking.
Walker shook his head, “No, I don’t think so.”
Ares harrumphed, “And why do you think that? Even I wouldn’t have bloodied them so badly. You clearly hurt the girls, might have killed them, and certainly damaged their confidence.” The god of war put his hands on his hips, unhappy with the treatment of his star pupils, “It shows a fundamental lack of understanding, of what Leaders are meant to do. Inspire.”
Rather than answer, he looked over at Athena, “Did you figure it out?”
She gave him a brilliant smile, “Of course. You started at around where you understood a Tier one monster’s capabilities to be. Then two, three, and you stopped at four because they couldn’t handle it. Am I right?”
He stepped over, giving her a quick hug while infusing a small amount of his soul energy into repairing his clothing, “I like you.” When he stepped back, a small blush stained her cheeks. “The goddess of wisdom is correct. I intentionally fought the Seekers with a scaling amount of power. I needed to know, after all of the training we’ve put them through, if they were ready. The Conservatory is not a joke. They might be maimed, maybe even killed. Testing them, the two best fighters of the first cohort, let me know where the peak of the Founders currently lies. Now, we know not to send them at any Tier four monsters. At least, not until they’ve unlocked and begun to train their skills.”
“Hold up!” Runner yelled as she ran closer, escaping the cloying group standing around her. “Did you say we can’t take on Tier 4 monsters?”
Walker nodded, “Yep—certainly not Tier 5. You’re not there yet. But don’t worry. You and Lucy are plenty well-trained. The Elders did a great job preparing you for everything. Now, you just need to enter Incipience and gain access to your Mastery if that's the route you choose to take.”
Runner visually bristled, a slight shiver cascading through her body, “That’s bullshit; I could take down a Tier 4 by myself. Plus, the jump from four to five can’t be that much. I trained under Elder Rimi, I know what they’re bringing to the table.”
“Oh?” Walker asked, a dangerous glint in his eye, “You think you could take down a Tier 4?”
“Of course I could. What, were you holding back?”
Walker gave a slight grin and took two steps away from the group. Pushing kinetic energy into his shoulders and elbows, he performed a series of signs—hundreds of tiny sparks lit up over his palms. Using the bursts of energy contained by the strand placement at his joints, his arms moved faster than the eye could track. Dozens of sparks shot out, elongating as they moved until they formed great bolts of lightning. He was careful only to fire everything into the sky.
As each salvo struck the atmosphere, the thunder was so mighty it knocked everyone back a step. He looked like nothing less than a Gatling gun formed from pure electrical energy. Just as the last spark sat on his palm, he purposefully fired it into the ground, a healthy distance from everyone. The Crater it formed was over four feet deep, and a small fire remained where it ended.
“What do you think, Rimi?" he asked as everyone’s hearing was still recovering. “Would you say a Tier 5 could do that based on a pure kernel of lightning?”
The Blue squirrel looked at it momentarily, then shrugged, “Probably. Maybe even a high Tier 4. It’d be close.”
Walker nodded, all business. He returned to the group, looking into Runner's eyes as everyone stood silently, “You’re not ready yet, Runner. Even a hero needs to know which fights to pick.” He placed a soft hand on her shoulder, pulling her away. A few Founders wandered over to look at the hole in the ground while others helped Lucy as her arm continued to heal. It was almost time to head to Crescendo.
“Did I ever tell you about the first fight I ever got in? It was in elementary school, and this kid hit me in the back. A real piece of shit, I’m telling you.”