Ishar did not understand why Edda started weeping once the Telinete Rhino appeared. Sure, the beast was hideously large, standing at the height of two men with its four limbs as thick as his body. It was menacing with red carapace resembling scales emerging out of the flank of its limbs and the sides of its bulk. The rest of it was grey and three sharp large horns the size of toddlers aligned the bridge of its snout. Everybody's attention was on the Telinete Rhino, marveling at its cyclopean splendor. Edda let out a little scream into the silence that had engulfed the Juckwa Arena. She sounded frightened and Ishar presumed that the beast was the cause of her fear.
Ishar knew that Edda was seeing death, that she was overwhelmed by the end that all within the realm slowly marched towards. But Ishar didn't see what she saw, to him the beast held a familiar beauty. Its beady eyes on either side of its face gleamed red and it's intake of breath was loud and highlighted the sheer mass of the creature. It was simply beautiful to Ishar's eyes. It made him feel like he was in the beast's mercy, that his existence had not placed him at the top of nature's hierarchy but had only deluded him so.
Orgeeg stood at the outcropping of Royal Black guards that surrounded the small stairs leading to the throne where the King spectated from. He stood among women, the lowest Ranks of the Black Guard consisted mostly of women and him being the last meant that those women would be the majority of those he interacted with for as long as he held his Rank. Bitterness stained his soul, he should have been on the small stairs, right next to his King. Now Masutap stood in his place. Masutap who'd avoided him since his demotion.
Orgeeg's mood, however, wasn't completely dampened. The Kolotian he hated stood within the Arena together with the Remu woman. The woman shook out of fear and stepped back until her back touched the wall. The Kolotian looked to be too frightened to move, he stood with his eyes glued on the Telenete Rhino, the sheer monstrosity of the beast negated his ability to react. Orgeeg enjoyed this, the Kolotian was doomed and would look like a fool before all of Binoria. He still did not believe the mbengo's boon had been to kiss the Princess, the Kolotian was indeed a deluded fool in life and deserved the death that awaited him.
Rehny had stolen glances towards Queen Lamical who stood next to her husband the King. She had not met his eyes let alone turned her face in his general direction. She wore dark robes similar to her husband's and though her head was held high Rehny could tell that she was struggling to maintain her air of calm. Has she received the message I left her maiden? Rehny wondered. If Lamical had received the message he'd left behind would she still blatantly ignore him? Even after all theze years he still found it hard to read the woman.
Rehny turned his eyes back to the Arena. He had thoughts regarding the whole ceremony, to him the Nula Anyl was just held by the Binorians to exalt gore and animosity. The whole 'Goddess Meena' reasoning behind the ceremony was just a font to hide Binoria's bloodlust and need to appear superior. It would have been funny if a deity would have actually intervened and helped the two facing the Telinete Rhino in the Arena. It was unlikely that that would happen provided the Gods were dead. The Remu woman and Kolotian were as good as dead too.
"It brings me great satisfaction to see that Kolotian scum die." Dahli said. Leba glanced at her before turning his attention back to the Arena. He knew how Dahli was when she was offended and infuriated. The Kolotian's boon had been an insult to her, he'd reminded Binoria that she was nothing but a Jewel, something that could only be marveled at. Dahli had played a huge role in ensuring the Nula Anyl happened, she wished to be recognized for it and not as a symbol of Binorian beauty. Leba scoffed at Dahli's need to change as she was perceived. Did she not know the importance of a mask? Leba's interest peaked as the Telinete Rhino bellowed once more, its pointed upper lip parting from its lower lip as it shook its head at the scent of blood. The crowd cheered. He'd read about the Nula Anyl but he'd never known that he'd one day see it happen.
Ishar turned to Edda who pressed herself to the base of the wall in an effort to sink through it. "Do your best not to draw its attention while I go and try to tame the beast."
"What? We're dead Ishar. We're dead. We're dead. We're dead." Edda spoke with her eyes fixed on the Telinete Rhino. She knew the smell of the blood they were drenched in had already stoked the beast's rage. There was nothing they could do, their fate was sealed and the Kolotian was in a state of denial.
Ishar didn't respond to Edda's babbling. Instead he walked forward, towards the beast that was several feet from him. "Ovek." Ishar called on the name of the God who'd availed Himself to him. "What do I do?" He drew nearer to the beast that had tilted its horns in his direction. He came to a stop seven feet away from the Telinete Rhino.
Ishar ignored the cheers of the Binorian crowd and the sound of his own beating heart. He focused, not knowing what he was focusing on. He listened, not knowing what he hoped to hear. He observed, not knowing what he was to see. "Ovek, what do I do?" He asked again right as the Telinete Rhino lifted its front limb and brought it to the ground, crushing the plants beneath it. It raked at the ground with its forelimb and growled at Ishar.
Ishar wondered whether the God Ovek was ignoring him or if he was asking the wrong question. "How did Selarch tame the beast?" Ishar asked, changing his words but maintaining their meaning. He didn't hear Ovek's voice but a memory of the God's words to him brimmed to the surface of his mind. "Meena is order, she is sanity. She is the steady flow of knowledge, wisdom and understanding and she bestowed upon the Kings of Binoria an incredible sense of intuition concerning all that she is. They are able to spot her presence as she exists in everything just as I do."
Just as I do. Ishar inched closer to the beast and abruptly dropped on all fours. The Binorian spectators went silent as they saw the Kolotian proceeded to raise his hand while still on all fours and slam it onto the ground, digging dirt and raking the ground as the Telinete Rhino was doing. Ishar bared his teeth at the beast and let out his best imitation of the creature's basso bellow that came out sounding more like a donkey's bray.
"You're mad." Ishar spoke to the Telinete Rhino. "I can feel your rage and I do not understand it." The Telinete Rhino moved to the side, seeking an angle from which to charge. "Rage does not require understanding, it is to be felt and to be acted upon." Ishar got off the ground and started moving in the same direction as the beast. They circled each other until the beast's back faced Edda. "I have rage too that demands to be acted upon." Ishar said.
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"Is he speaking to it?" Leba asked loud enough to reach Rehny's ears. Rehny inched forward. He is indeed speaking to it.The Commander confirmed.
"Shall we act upon it? Act upon the madness?" Ishar asked before immediately charging towards the beast at the same time the Telinete Rhino charged towards him.
Did he just run towards the Telinete Rhino instead of away from it? Orgeeg was taken aback. He watched as the Kolotian and beast collided. The whole Binorian congregation stood up, forsaking the comfort of their seats to pile on top of each other for a better view of the insane Kolotian charging to his death.
The Telinete Rhino angled its longest horn at the beginning of its snout towards Ishar's belly. The beast was large and its momentum fast enough to break bones upon impact even if its horn completely missed him. Ishar laughed and jumped as the horn plunged towards him, the Telinete Rhino raised its snout to impale Ishar in the air but the Kolotian placed his feet on the space between its first two horns and used the force of the snout's lift to flip over the Telinete Rhino and land behind it. Ishar proceeded to lift the beast's tail and slam a fist into the Rhino's exposed testicles.
The Telinete Rhino spun while letting out an enraged cry that was mingled with pain. A noble woman's servant fainted and several nobles choked on the cakes they were enjoying as they spectated. Rehny stepped forth until he came to stand beside the two royal siblings next to the wall. He watched as the Rhino turned around to find the Kolotian back on all fours, baring his teeth at the beast.
The Telinete Rhino's eyes stayed fixated on the Kolotian on the ground. It watched as Ishar dragged his hand through the dirt and the beast returned the challenge by scratching the ground with its forelimb. Ishar smiled. "You are male so you have a weakness that I am sure has never been exploited, are you unaware of your weaknesses my friend? isn't this nice? I am helping you discover yourself." Ishar said and charged the Telinete Rhino again.
Edda slid down the wall to kneel on the ground. Her face was stained with tears. I'm suppose to be dead. She thought. I'm suppose to be dead. And yet she wasn't. She watched as the young Kolotian darted towards the Telinete beast, catching it unawares and backtracking just as the beast lunged. Ishar started running circles around the creature, looking for weakness and the beast responded by whirling and swinging its horns from side to side in a bid to kill him. It's horns fell just a few inches short of the Kolotian, how he survived thus far was a mystery.
Ishar was pushed back towards the wall as the Telinete Rhino worked to limit his evasive options. He dodged the horns but the beasts looming mass was slowly caging him in. "I feel your excitement." Ishar said while attempting to crest the Rhino's side but to no avail as the beast backtracked to block him. "Your madness is familiar but unintelligible." Ishar ducked just beneath the Rhino's plunge, he squatted in order to avoid being impaled by a horn and for a moment a brief window availed itself. Ishar raised his fist and connected with the beast's snout.
The Telinete Rhino bellowed and retreated several steps while shaking its head and flicking its ears. It's beady red eyes were wide and wild with rage. It broke the ground, scratching at it with both its forelimbs and puffed heavily with its horns angled at the Kolotian. Ishar went down on all fours and dragged both hands upon the ground in an attempt to mimic the Telinete Rhino.
"I am not afraid of you for though our madness differs it is still of the same place." Ishar spoke to the beast. "It is of chaos. Let us unleash it together, friend. Let us kindle each other's rage and burn brighter than the sun." Ishar reached out an opened palm towards the Telinete beast that crouched ready to charge at him. "BRING IT ON." He screamed and curled the fingers of his outstretched hand into a fist.
Ishar's words were not echoed by the Red Priests as majority of them stood with their mouths gaping same as everyone else in the Juckwa Arena. Orgeeg did not understand what was happening, he shot his eyes in the direction of the marble throne to find King Vayin Vigon standing with his attention fully on the Arena. He is standing! Orgeeg was in awe.
The Telinete Rhino charged the Kolotian and Rehny expected the boy to continue with his evasive dance that had prolonged his life so far. Rehny felt... excitement? He gripped the wall hard with his gauntleted fingers and leaned so far into the Arena to the point that any further leaning meant he would be an additional offering to the Goddess. A glance at the Royal siblings showed them leaning over the wall just as he was, their different hued eyes wide with their breaths held in their throats. Silence enveloped the Juckwa Arena save for the heavy stomping of the Telinete beast charging the Kolotian who...who stood still?
Ishar stood and clutched at his blood stained red robe. With one pull he tore himself free of his clothing right as the Telinete Rhino barreled towards him. He was naked as he dove to the side to evade the Telinete's charge while at the same time flinging his red robe over the beast's head. Blinding it. Ishar hit the ground and rolled away from the beast as it shook its head from side to side in an attempt to free itself of the cloth upon its face.
"Nakedness is something we both share now." Ishar said as he rose from the ground and charged the Telinete beast.
"GODS!" Dahli exclaimed as Ishar run up the beast's flank, clutching at it's jagged carapace and dangling from it as the beast bellowed and trampled the ground while rocking its head from side to side in order to free its face of Ishar's bloodied cloth.
"Gods indeed." Leba said as he observed the naked Kolotian pull himself further up the Telinete Rhino's flank and onto its back.
Edda brought her trembling hands to her mouth as she watched Ishar scale the Rhino's back. He used its protruding carapace on either of its sides to find hand holds and foot holds to inch himself closer to the beast's head as it whirled in an attempt to shake free of Ishar's cloth that had stuck to the horn furthest up its snout. Ishar let out a shout that echoed within the Juckwa Arena and launched himself towards the beast's head. He raised his palm and brought it down on the creatures skull, not ceasing in his scream as he lay on its neck and back with an extended hand on the creature's head.
Ishar raised his head as he screamed and several Red priests fell off the wall, fainting and landing onto the Arena at the mere sight of his eyes. Ishar's eyes glowed a fierce amber and the hand he'd brought down on the beast's head vibrated . The animal had gone completely still, together the Kolotian and the beast resembled a statue save for Ishar's scream and his eyes that shone like orbs of light.
Ishar stopped screaming and brought himself to stand on the completely still Telinete's back with his eyes on it ."I will name you Carrot." He said and was perturbed by the sound of his voice. It was deeper and carried with it an ancient tone that resonated throughout the Juckwa Arena. A Legion Captain screamed and dropped onto those at the level beneath him, several Binorians started clawing at their heads and screams were heard emanating from the crowd. Ishar's voice was not his own.
"Ovek darling, you are back.” A male voice with a louder feminine accentuation that sounded like the first note of a ballad that moves masses resonated within the Juckwa Arena. The voice was like honey, sweet and endearing in a fond way that made a part of Ishar's heart ache. Ishar turned to the direction the voice came from as all Binorians dropped to their knees while facing the same direction. Binorians started worshipping and Ishar felt rage as his amber eyes met the red glow emanating from Vayin Vigon's eyes who stood at the foot of the small stairs leading to his throne with a smile on his face.