“How did I get myself into this mess?” Daniel said, cursing his terrible luck. Robert had explained the whole situation to him.

It didn’t matter to him. He wasn’t the type to let others fight his battles for him anyway, but he had no idea what these creatures were capable of. How strong were they? Could they all create fire from nothing? Could they use those abilities on him? Daniel looked at Oros, who approached him carrying a bone breastplate, and his brother behind him was holding a spear made of bone. Oros gestured for him to take the armor, unfastening latches near the shoulders so it could be easily put on. Daniel removed his peacoat and handed it to Katrina, who stood next to him.

“I’m sorry, Daniel,” she said, folding the dirty coat in her arms.

Daniel sighed as he slid the armor over his head. It was incredibly light but had a solid and sturdy feel to it. “It is what it is, I guess.”

After the challenge had been issued, all the warriors in the throne room spread out into a large circle. They faced inward and allowed three crimson-clad Dae to enter and walk to the center. Boros spoke to his brother briefly, then turned to relay something to Katrina. She repeated it to Daniel. “He says it’s time to begin.” She put her hands on his shoulders, looked over his armor, tightened some straps, and tugged it to ensure it was secure. “Be careful, we’re counting on you.”

Daniel nodded and grasped the spear from Boros. The young Dae gave him a nod, and the two Dae walked into the center of the circle as well.

Daniel, Oros, and Boros stood shoulder to shoulder in the improvised arena. His eyes met those of his opponents one by one through the dark eye holes of their bone masks. Daniel swallowed the lump in his throat, and it fell into the churning mess that was his stomach. Smart thing to wear a mask he thought. They were almost unreadable. Daniel looked for a sign, any sign, of what was in these warriors’ heads. He stayed utterly stoic all the same, doing his best to hide any shred of fear. He heard Avria begin to speak. Daniel exhaled angrily, unable to understand her words.

“How the fuck am I supposed to fight in a trial of combat, where I have no goddamn clue what the rules are?” He turned to Robert, who was standing a good ten feet behind him. “Care to fill me in, Rob?”

“Oh!” Robert said as if breaking from some sort of trance. “She is saying that you are not to kill anyone and that… uh…” The young man paused and looked a little confused. “She said the use of the Dunamis is not allowed. Not sure what that means.”

Daniel turned back to his foes before him. Dunamis? It has to be their abilities. He began to wring his fingers around the shaft of his spear. “I guess that’s something,” he whispered aloud.

Avria shouted and raised her hand up in the air as if she were about to start a race. Daniel could hear Oros and Boros talking to each other to his left. He listened to them from habit, unable to understand a word of it, but wrote it off, thinking they were probably planning their attack. The two seemed calm and nonchalant, even seeming to joke about his current situation. He spread his feet into his warrior stance. Feet shoulder-width apart, grasping his spear in his hands, tilting it toward his enemies at an angle. At that moment, he was very thankful for the weapon they chose to give him. The spear was probably the best choice for him at this point. All he would have to do is wield it like a rifle with a bayonet.

Avria shouted, dropping her hand, and Daniel saw the group of three Dae break in front of him and rush toward individual opponents. From his peripheral vision, he saw Oros and his brother break and do the same. Daniel then looked to the Dae warrior who had chosen to fight him. His heart beat like a war drum, pumping his blood through his body and strengthening him. Daniel had been in battles before but not like this. Combat in a desert with a rifle was a totally different way to fight, but still, the feeling was the same. Fear was always the same; the pit in your stomach, the slowing of time, the pumping of adrenaline, the urge to run. Those who have seen it and faced it know there are only two things you can do when faced with such a thing. You either fall victim to your fear and run from battle, bringing dishonor and shame upon yourself and live, or embrace your mortality with open arms, clench your teeth and try to kill your enemy with every fiber of your being. The Marines only taught Daniel one of these responses.

Daniel dashed forward, bringing up his spear, taking a deep breath, and yelling at the top of his lungs. The war cry startled the Dae advancing toward him and he took one step back. That was all Daniel needed. He lunged his spear at the frightened creature’s gut, right beneath the bone armor that just covered his chest.

The Dae blocked the thrust with a quick parry from his own spear. This small setback did not halt Daniel’s violent advance, however. He pushed through his target, knocking the Dae even further off balance, then taking the butt of his spear and cracking it across his face. The warrior fell to the hard stone floor of the throne room with a loud thud. The impact jarred his head and the bone mask flew off. Daniel raised his spear again to finish him. The Dae raised his hands up to protect his face. Daniel looked at the frightened young creature, his yellow eyes wide, his lips quivering. Adrenaline pumped through Daniel’s body, his ears slightly muffled. He knew that look, the look of absolute and unrestrained fear. This opponent he was fighting may not have been accustomed to the amount of ferocity Daniel had displayed. He had caught him off guard and managed to win the first engagement. Looking down at the pitiful display, he clenched his teeth and relaxed his arms.

The young Dae saw this and screamed. Daniel saw a bright light spark to life in the palm of the creature’s already raised hand. A massive burst of electricity shot from his hand toward Daniel’s face. Daniel turned away but the electric burst smashed into him and blew him off his feet. He crashed to the stone floor, convulsing and screaming.

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Daniel writhed and twisted in agony, but managed to get his bearing and clambered to his feet. The Dae met his gaze and hurried to get on his feet as well and gain some distance between them.

“Ahh…” Daniel groaned in pain as he stood. “What the fuck was that?” His legs wobbled and buckled as he tried to take a step. He could hear the muffled screams and shouts from his companions. Katrina’s voice rang louder than the others. She was telling him to fight. He shook his head to clear it and glared at the young Dae. His left arm was still numb from the discharge, but he still managed to pick up his spear. I can’t let one of those blasts get me. -A direct hit would do some severe damage. Daniel scanned the area. There had to be something he could do. He couldn’t hear his allies’ battles with their opponents raging behind him as he should have. I thought they weren’t going to use their power. he thought, refraining from looking back. Daniel refocused on the current threat in front of him. Looking at the Dae’s boots, Daniel gauged the distance between them, approximately ten feet. Easy enough for one to lunge across but also easy enough to get fried by strange sorcery.

Daniel noted the Dae opening his hands again, conjuring light once more in his palms. Daniel grabbed his spear and lunged again at his opponent. He knew the same trick would not work twice, and though he had no real training with a spear, at this distance, if he threw it, it would probably hit its mark. Daniel let out a yell and hurled the spear as best he could at the warrior. The throw was hard but inaccurate. The Dae merely bobbed to the side to avoid the deadly airborne weapon. The extra second, however, was just enough to get Daniel close. The Dae pushed his hand out to unleash another blast of electricity, but Daniel grabbed his wrist and, with all his strength, pushed his hand up toward the ceiling. The discharge blasted upward and exploded on the roof of the throne room, bringing pieces of stone down to the makeshift arena. He could hear the creature babbling and grunting in his strange language. Daniel let out another roar of anger and brought his fist with all his might straight into the young warrior’s face. The force of the blow sent the Dae to the floor again, but Daniel had a hold on his wrist. Pulling him up with his left arm, Daniel brought his elbow back and smashed it into his face. The Dae grunted, and a blue-colored fluid burst from his mouth. Daniel let him go at this point and watched him fall to the floor, unconscious. Daniel took a deep breath and picked up the Dae’s spear from the stone floor. He had thrown his almost clear across the throne room.

Daniel whirled around to engage the next enemy but only saw Oros and Boros standing and looking at him. Daniel could feel the whole room focused on him. There was a deathly silence as the seconds ticked by. It looked like Oros and Boros had handily defeated their opponents and had seen the tail end of Daniel’s fight.

“We won?” he asked, looking at the two brothers.

The silence continued until Hego Agron shouted something to his two sons. They began to argue back, and Avria entered the fray, yelling something in return. Daniel was still heated from the battle, which had ended only moments prior. There was chaos as they shot words back and forth; Daniel could see they were not happy. He then looked at Robert and Katrina, his companions who could understand their language—maybe he could read them and get a grasp on the situation. They looked horrified.

“What the hell is going on?” Daniel shouted. As he did, the surrounding guards brought their spears, which had been pointed up at a position of attention, down to point at him. Daniel stepped back and pointed his own toward them.

“Enough!” The voice rang out, like a blast from a cannon, loud and powerful, bringing silence to the chaotic throne room.

Daniel grabbed his head; the overwhelming voice had caused a sharp pain, identical to what he had experienced in the Spirit Forest. Daniel looked around for the source of this intimidating voice. Hanging on the head of a statue that decorated the upper area of the throne room sat a gargoyle-like creature. It was the same creature that had stalked them in the Spirit Forest.

“That is quite enough,” the gargoyle said more calmly, in his deep and raspy voice. It let several moments pass before it spoke again. “Since when does Agron, Lord of House Ignos, take the word of a known fool over the word of his own children?”

Daniel reeled a bit from the words. He could understand this creature for some reason. Agron began to speak, stuttering slightly as he did. Daniel grimaced at the unknown words, looking back at the gargoyle.

“I have been following them, and as your brave son has said, these creatures were given my blessing.” The creature leaped from the statue extending its wings, and landed with a heavy thud before Daniel. The human stumbled from the sudden and direct approach but managed to stay on his feet.

“You, Lord of Ignos, will not harm them.” The creature then looked directly at Daniel. It’s piercing yellow eyes entranced him—he was frozen and helpless. There was an energy that pulsed from the creature, weakening him.

“Be at ease, human,” it said, raising a long, muscled arm to Daniel’s chest. “It would seem that you require spiritual energy to communicate with the Dae.” The creature pressed his hand against Daniel’s chest, and almost instantly, he was filled with a burst of wild and powerful energy. His eyes widened, and he grunted as the flow increased. Then, as quickly as it began, the flow stopped.

Overcome with dizziness, stumbled to one knee. Something opened up inside of him.

“What… did you do to me?” Daniel asked, breathing heavily.

He heard Oros let out a cheer and begin to shout something.

Daniel looked over to him, then grinned weakly. “Understood that, did you?”

Oros grinned in return, nodding in the affirmative.

“Human…” The gargoyle said slowly, getting Daniel’s attention. “I have exposed you to the energy of the spirits. I have watched its effects on your companions, and seen that you will develop this over a short time. I do not yet understand what you are or why you react this way to our power, but we will watch… and learn.” The creature then looked at Agron. “You, Hego Agron, will you appease the will of the spirits and watch over these humans?”

Agron said something with a slight bow.

“Very good,” it said in response.

The gargoyle turned its back to Daniel and sank into the floor. The sight disturbed him, but before anyone could react, it was gone.

Everyone was silent again, and Daniel turned slowly to an approaching Oros. The Kryo placed his hand on Daniel’s shoulder and let out a triumphant yell. Daniel looked at the Dae, who he had knocked unconscious. He was just now beginning to sit up with the assistance of two other warriors.

Daniel glanced at the ground, exhaling loudly, then looked back at Oros. “So… what now?”