Chapter 1: Power

After surviving her childhood alone, Adriana Belleros swore she’d become a God.

She had heard the world was once more civilized hundreds of years ago, less dangerous than it was now. It sounded boring. It was hard at first, scraping by for food and fighting all the bigger, meaner kids, but it had become an early lesson in the way of things: the strong thrived and the weak were trampled. In the cities, in the provinces, and in the wilds, the strong ate the weak. So Adriana promised herself she’d make her way to the top, no matter what the cost.

She’d be the one doing the eating.

“Keep your head down,” Synto hissed at her, grabbing Adriana by the back of her tunic and dragging her to the ground. “I will not have you fuck this up for us!”

The four of them hid behind yellowing brush by the side of a dirt path in the mountains. The warm winter sun beat on them while they waited for their prey to show herself. Adriana, Synto, Davos, and Mykos. Their merry little gang as of a few weeks ago. Synto ran things and Mykos was his underling, but Davos was Adriana’s friend. Possibly the only one she had. He’d looked out for her and helped guide her for the past few years.

“Where the hell is she?” Adriana grumbled, just loud enough to be heard. “We’ve been waiting out here for hours with nothing to show for it. Is this even the right place?”

Synto cuffed the back of her head, making her vision shake and rage spike. She breathed hard through her nose, resisting the urge to backhand the leader of their little crew. She was bigger and stronger than him, so of course he had to assert himself whenever he could. Men like him could never handle powerful hirelings.

“Quiet,” he whispered, the urgency gone from his voice. “She’ll be here. My sources are good. She’ll come by, we’ll ambush her and pry her Divinity from her cold, dead fingers.”

“And it’s my turn to get the Divinity,” said Adriana. It wasn’t a question, and Synto didn’t confirm or deny. On his other side, Mykos shot her an insolent smile. He was a lean, greasy child a few years younger than her. He wasn’t shy about his feelings about a woman warrior on the crew, or who he thought should get the next taste of power.

“Relax,” Davos whispered in her ear. He was a good fifteen years older than Adriana, who had just left her teens, but he seemed younger than he was. More energetic, rarely at rest. Even in the brush his leg jiggled restlessly. 

“She’ll come by, we’ll get the information and end her. You’ll finally be among the ranks of the strong, and Synto’s info was good. You’ve worked hard, and you’ve earned it.”

Adriana fought to avoid flushing with pleasure. Of course, she didn’t need him to tell her she earned it, but it was nice to hear all the same. It was easy for Davos to say, he already had a few slices of Divinity to himself, and the power that came with it. If he hadn’t, Syntos wouldn’t have agreed to take them on.

“Damned straight. What was her power again?”

It was Synto who answered, indulging her curiosity without another cuff to the head. “A tiny bit of the Huntsman. Nothing too impressive. Not more than I’ve already got, but whatever power we’ll get will be worth it for our real quarry.”

There were two kinds of empowered people. Those who were devotees of the Gods, granted blessings through service to the divine and who had consistent, predictable abilities. And then there were those who gained their Divinity through conquest or scavenging, who had no such guarantee. Whatever amount of power they had, it became a part of them and changed to suit them.

A sliver of Divinity from the Huntsman could be many things. It might’ve been the way to scent out creatures and people, or an unerring knack to always throw a javelin or spear on the mark, or even the ability to conjure spears or arrows from nothing at all. 

More importantly than that, it would start the person on the path to Godhood.

Adriana dedicated herself to the javelin, the spear, and the sword. She may have been a woman but she was tall and broad of shoulder, with powerful arms and legs and a killer instinct honed by the streets. She even cut her hair almost in the style of a man, shaved on one side with the black hair lying flat on the other. Adriana was a strong, fiery, lethal woman and she would be even more potent with the power of a God.

“That sounds perfect for me,” Adriana insisted. “And I’ve been around longer than shit-for-brains over there.” She flashed her teeth in a fierce grin at Mykos.

“You’ve made your points and they’re being well considered,” said Synto in the long-suffering tone of someone who’s explained it again and again. He turned tired, shrewd eyes her way. 

“One of you will get the Huntsman’s piece, the other will get the Warmaster’s piece. With it we’ll be a complete gang and will be able to take on better jobs. More than just clearing out monsters near towns. We might even be able to hunt heroes and demigods and take some real prizes. I just need you to be able to support me, and the team.”

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Synto was approaching forty, but he hadn’t wasted any of those years. He was in the prime of his life, a wiry man of tight muscles and long hair pulled back in a ponytail. He had more Divinity than any of them at a complete five percent, bringing him to the first level of ascension. He had the heightened senses from that, and a solid power from the Warmaster: the Mystery of Vulnerability. 

He could see weaknesses, where to best strike and do the most damage. He said it came as impulses in his mind to act decisively. It was, he reasoned, exactly what made him work as a leader. It gave him the vision to see the route to victory, and he knew everything he could use against his people to keep them in line.

“We’re close, children. Trust me and we’ll get this done. When she arrives, Davos will get her attention while Mykos and Adriana flank. We don’t know what her ability is, so stay on your toes. Don’t get yourself killed before you get power. But for now, be silent.”

Adriana hated Synto, but her greed outweighed her anger. She wanted that Divinity so badly she could taste it. A power from the Huntsman would complement her already considerable strength and skills. Adriana would finally tread the path of the Gods, even if it was only the first step up the mountain.

For the next hour, none of them said much or did anything. The only sound was the gentle howl of the wind and the scattering of sand and dirt. Every so often Davos would jiggle his leg until a sharp look from Synto made him hold his eagerness in. The sun rose higher in the sky, bearing down on them like an angry bull. Adriana cursed her need to move even as she was grateful for the cover the brush provided.

Finally, Synto stirred. “I hear something. Be ready, Davos. Mykos and Adriana, wait to jump in.” Now that the moment was here, he didn’t require acknowledgement. They knew their parts. Adriana stood up, keeping the boulder between her and the road. She checked her javelins and her sword. This Huntsman devotee would have to be strong to survive all of them.

She liked their odds.

Again they waited, body poised and ready to spring. Synto looked around the boulder. He let out a sharp whistle as he ducked back behind the rock. Davos wasted no time. He pushed off against the rock and became a blur, his divine speed shooting him forward like an arrow. Adriana waited two seconds before she went out the same way, grabbing a javelin from her quiver.

She came out just in time to see Davos swing high and fast at a small, wiry woman, alone on the road. Most people caught unaware, it would have been over, but she moved almost as fast as him, ducking under his strike and jabbing out with a fist. She drove it into his ribcage, a quick in and out that made Davos stumble as momentum carried him forward.

He continued on another few feet before tripping and rolling along the ground.

The Huntress whirled around, hands held out in front of her. She looked just shy of old, with leathery brown skin and white hair tied back in poofs. But no one would ever accuse her of looking weak. “Come out now, cowards!”

Mykos obliged her, stepping out from behind the rock. He and Adriana advanced from different directions, weapons at the ready. The Huntress wasn’t worried, and that annoyed the hell out of Adriana. She let out a cry and flung her javelin once she was about ten feet away.

As if it took no effort, the older woman twisted out of the way. The javelin sailed through the air past her. Adriana already had another one out and flung it as well but to the same effect. The Huntress stepped to the side, right into the path of Mykos. The lean teenager brought a sword down in an arc Adriana couldn’t possibly see being dodgeable.

She was wrong. The wiry woman all but dropped to the ground and swept Mykos’ legs out from under him. He landed on the ground stunned, just in time for her to drive her knuckles right into his chest. He let out a choking gasp, but the Huntress was already up and moving, dodging the next javelin sent her way and the one after that.

When there was no time to throw another, the Huntress leapt into the air, leg extended. Adriana dropped the javelin she’d been holding and steeled herself. The older woman realized her mistake just a second before Adriana caught her by the leg and swung her into the ground. Her body made a satisfying thud.

Adriana drew her sword. Divinity was one killing blow away. She plunged her sword forward…right into the dirt. The Huntress rolled to the side and almost danced her way back to her feet. Her fist collided with the young warrior’s jaw before she could get another swing in. Adriana tumbled to the ground, the world flickering but not turning black.

“Davos, now!” Synto shouted.

Davos appeared again, right as the Huntress spun back into perfect balance. Despite her age and the numbers, she looked serene and in control. That hurt more than the punch. Davos came in fast, swinging his sword again–but the Huntress leaned into it and disarmed him. She raised up just in time for Synto’s club to crash into her skull.

She collapsed, seemingly lifeless.

“Right,” said Synto, smirking. “Good job team. You got her into the perfect position for me. Your performance could use a little work, but none of you were seriously harmed. Good enough, I’d say.”

Adriana picked herself up off the ground. “Then it’s my turn,” she said again, advancing on the unconscious woman. Synto put himself between them.

“Not so fast,” he said. 

Her everything bristled immediately, heat rising straight to her head.

“You son of a bitch,” she hissed, skipping right past whatever bullshit excuse he was going to give her. “We had an agreement.”

“We did, Synto,” Davos said, picking his weapon up. He stroked his short beard, looking between Adriana and the Huntress. “Give her the Divinity. Mykos has the next one.”

Mykos himself came up, weapon out and standing behind Synto. “But I really, really want it,” the teen said. “And it’ll be better for me. What does a woman know about being a hunter? The Warmaster Divinity might make you into a competent fighter.”

Adriana snarled and charged forward. Synto caught her and got her into a hold she couldn’t break. Mykos smirked and brought his sword down on the back of the fallen Huntress’ head, just as she began to stir. The metal bit into her neck. Another strong hack and it separated from the body, a green light glowing from the stump.

“You bastard,” Adriana shrieked, struggling against their leader. Davos looked between them, unsure of who to help.

Mykos took hold of the green light and brought it to his mouth, devouring it. Then the world flashed green and Mykos ascended.