Abiathar aero angrily limped down the hall of the medic center he was trapped in. snapping at a healer who tried to help him, he tried to push down the memories that lead to his current imprisonment.
Aero was a member of the Grinine Race native to the planet augustine. The grine were humanoid being with vibrant skin tones not a single hair on their body plus then but strong exoskeletons a different color from their skin. An interesting characteristic of the grine is that the male bears their offspring and are held in high regard yet treated like glass something aero hated, the glass thing not the other one.
Augustine was a thickly forested planet with many fast reproducing species that for a reason unknown to them hate the Grine. To repeal these aggressive creatures the Grine opened melee school where they trained people to specifically deal with them. Areo was attending one of these schools which made him world-famous as he is the only male to do so period. There were two responses to this those who supported him but asked him to be careful and those who told him he should stop before he hurt himself, he disliked the first type and hated the second.
Anyway, the reason he was injured was that on his last training mission where he was supposed to take care of a small pack of babbits a somewhat horrid-looking mix between a rabbit and bat but were a very dull green. It turned out that it was forty large packs of babbits. Aero was to take out 35 packs before he ran into trouble. One of the babbits managed to bit his ankle the situation went downhill from there. capitalizing on his injury the beast knocked away his weapon before ganging upon him. Though he was able to take down a few more, but he knew that unless something happened he would die. So seeing he had no other choice but to ask for help and get was recused by-
Slamming his fist into the wall denting it Aero tried to push down the rage and shame in his veins,' damn the zalts why did it have to be her. There are hundreds of students what bad luck did I have at that time.' straight up growling at the nurse who tried to help him Aero started moving back to his room. Tearing the curtain aside he groaned at the sight of the man known as Adir beit looking over his medical report school. Taking a deep breath he growled," Hello Adir."
"Hello Aero, how's this place treating you?"
"Like I'm glass but the foods decent." the younger male grumbled as he walked over to his bed. Beds used by the Grine were basically giant quilt beanbags, the design of each was unique to each owner because the squares making up the quilt record significant events of their life with a representative image and the date. Aeros bed had the generic first few squares birth, first sentence first friend first fight won, okay that last one wasn't generic but he was so happy and proud of it his mother couldn't not make a square for it(a lot of people said she should have waited until after his punishment to give it to him). Flopping in his bed Aero tossed his cruth to the side before rolling over he listened to Adir talk about some mindless things as he tried to plan his return to school and how he would deal with the whispers that were sure to greet him. His first idea was to ignore them but he vetoed that because he didn't have a saints patience(or much at all), his second idea was to knock out a few whispers but the teacher would have him scrubbing floors again(not happening), maybe he could knock out the whispers in a challenge then he wouldn't be scrubbing the floor but few would accept a challenge from him…
It was seven and a half petals later that a comment from Adir pulled Aero from his planning," so your mother gave me a message to give you, first she ask that you wait until your injury fully healed before you start training, secondly don't be too mean to the staff remember most people walk on ice with you, third you'll be getting a patch for this event," immediately Aero tried to speak up but Adir cut him off," you may not like it but this is an event that has a big effect on your life so you will get a patch, those are your mother's words exactly." Adir finished up from the other side of the room where he moved while he talked(just because Aero was injured didn't mean he was harmless)
Grumbling Aero turned over grabbing the medic center issued blanket at the foot of his bed and pulled it over his head. Sighing Adir grabbed his leather sack from where it sat next to the door and pulled out a rather thick scroll. Placing the scroll on aero's he whispered farewell before leaving. Hearing the curtain move Aero pushed the blanket down to his lap before sitting up and grabbing the scroll, 'birth of the lords' the leather binding of the scroll read. Curios and having nothing better to do he undid the leather opening the scroll.
The story was in treating talking about how the universe was created. The one who created was the source, at one point the topic change to some bad guy who did seven grande sins for power. How he fought with the source and lost the battle. The war on the other hand came to a standstill as the source was injured and seven in killable beasts were born.
"What interesting story!" he commented after rewrapping the scroll."what if it was real?" the intruder caught his leg like it was nothing smiling brightly.
"Now, now!" they caught his crutch, " I'm not here to fight you I'm here to ask you a few things." Aero tried to take back his crutch so he could hit the intruder, sighing they attacked a never cluster in aero's stunning him.
If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
"My name is Abhimani, I'm female and the cosmic lord of pride. Would you mind becoming my successor?"
"Successor to what" she only had him best for the moment, but that wasn't gonna stop him from kicking her ass. Especially for looking at him like that like he was a harmless little thing.
"Why the lord of pride of course! Like in that story scroll." aero remembered that, the temporary lord made from the parts of the companion.
"I don't want your power!" aero said trying to figure how he could move again.
"I'm not offering you my power, I'm offering you a chance to make your mother proud and make those naysayers eat their words. I'm giving the chance to make sure there's never a repeat of needing to accept help from someone you hate."
"I know you're trying to use my pride against me!"
"The fact you can realize it only makes you a better successor, control your immense pride that is why I'm offering to you. but the question will you take the title, the title that will allow you to live up to your endless pride?" the smile on their face was the smile of someone who knew they would win.
"no!" just to spite them he smiled as he said it he wanted that title but he wanted to be manipulated less.
"that fine, I'll just have to give it the one more worthy than you." bait
"huh, by the zalts is that?" in the back of his head aero heard a warning.
"why the one you saved you!" line
"no, NO NO! NO!! she is not better than me. I know this like I know the rights of Koneas the zaltses of work! that female is not better than me!" if his leg could handle it he would have stood and tried to strangle the stranger, he would have tried if he could move
"then prove it and take the tile of lord of pride" sinker. "I'll take it and show you that no one will be a better pride lord than me!"
"really thank you, to give you the titles are heart must be near each other. that won't be a real problem seeing how most species have their heart in their chest" the current lord of pride didn't dare have their successor show him his bareback, he lacked armor there so it was an intimate place.
in the end, they placed their chest together allowing the transfer to start, aero flinched when he felt the prideful energy flow into him. it was strange how the energy felt prideful but aero calmed himself allowing the transfer to happen." ah I've been found out!" calm aero was able to understand, and yes he was pissed the other but he was also impressed. he was even more pissed at himself for falling for such a simple trick, he wasn't gonna hit them yet partly because he still hadn't regained full use of his body.
the transfer took almost twenty petals o complete and by that time Aero could move once more the first thing he did was try and slap his provider. they moved out of the way, smiling the entire time. "you should sleep the power will settle by the time you wake up, and then I will tell you about the responsibility of the lord, and one final thing my call me prejudice!" with that they disappeared leaving Aero alone in his room.
"I'm gonna kick their ass one day!" then he grabbed his quilt and curled up under it. he was asleep within minutes off to the realm of Onna the zaltess of slumber, he dreamed of dancing colors and sounds. when 13 flowers passed he worked up and rolled off his bed before crawling toward his crutch and standing. after doing the stretches his doctor instructed him to do he went for his first meal, he could have it brought to him but he saw pity and concern in their eyes.
the pity set him off and he admits to overreacting but just because he couldn't walk didn't mean he deserved pity."ow! ow! ow!" his leg was hurt something strong right now, stopping he leaned against the wall to rest it.' how can I get to the mess hall?' it was a bit far and he didn't take his pain slime yet so he was feeling the full force of his injury.
"would you like some assistance?" Aero looked up at the nurse and growled at her, she was taken back for a moment before trying to help again. snapping his teeth at her he would have walked away if he hadn't almost fallen from his leg giving out under him, he managed to catch himself but the nurse had grabbed him by the waist a moment later. for a moment there was silence before told her to get off she did if only to avoid getting his with his crutch that he had raise.
she back up outside his sticking range but stayed close enough to assist if need. Aero decide that she didn't exist before counting his way to first meal, he was able to make it this time and blended in with the crowd. grabbing his jell, a mix of vegetables and meat what kind he didn't know Aero found a spot where he could eat alone. bitting into the jell he marveled at the texture, it was great but his mothers' was still better.
it took several bit bites before he cleaned his plate, he didn't move from his spot until he was sure that his meal had settled in his stomach not wanting it to come back up. returning the plate he started the trackback to his room, it wasn't easier than the walk from his room.
back back on his bed, he prepared to sleep, "good moring young lord!" right he forgot about them." prejudice right?" he kept his gaze on the ceiling, they only laughed before crossing their legs and floating mid-air. "the main job of the lord is to keep the beast inside its cage, their cages can only be broken from the outside so they try and influence those outside it." aero felt the air shimmer with energy one, it wasn't the kind his race fought with." the best way to do this is to deal with the energy that is created by pride." the Grine sat up this energy felt like the power he received last night except a hundred time more.
"there a three good ways to deal with this energy, destroy the source, absorbed it, or disperse it!" the pride energy was becoming dense the more prejudice talked, "so which path will you choose? how will you deal with the prideful energy of your race and beyond?"
the curtain door was pulled open, the doctor was here to give aero his medicine. "well how are you doing this fine morning?"
"My leg hurt like usual!" he told her eyes snapping between her and prejudice who was currently sitting on the ceiling.
"well let's fix that!" with much more gentleness than needed the doctor removed his bandages, under them was his cracked leg exoskeleton and under it a femur with a hairline fracture. the doctor felt the wound and judge his reaction, something he had to let show to his displeasure. but she said it was healing well and he could lose the crutch in about two weeks if he was smart." I am smart!" he declared as she rewrapped the leg.
"yes a very smart boy you are!" she reassured him handing him his pain medicine, a small ball of jelly. he took the sweet-tasting thing and swallow in one. she congratulated him on not fighting her today before making a retreat, but not before promising to return in a few hours with another dose of medicine.
"What a nice woman!" prejudice floated down "now did you think about my question?"
"I'll do what I want!" he told them plainly. he didn't expect them to laugh but he did expect his anger at the lighter.
"don't worry I'm not laughing at you it just the other lords of sin said something similar, they all wish to do things their way? but that doesn't bother me in fact I can't way to see how you do things aero!"