Cracked God

BOOK 1 CHAPTER 8 “PRIDE BEGETS WAR”

There was nothing but dead silence in the gymnasium for a minute after the commandant’s words. Everyone’s eyes were on Tifon with great anticipation, however, out of all of them, the only ones he noticed were Aurora’s. There was a sense of grave distress in her eyes that kept him from moving even a single muscle.

Suddenly then she dropped her gaze, and almost as if a spell was lifted off of him Tifon unfroze. Followed by the crowd’s cheers he made his way to the arena.

Pankration: the ancient martial art still practiced in military training today. Sadly most of its techniques and teachings were now long lost. Being replaced by more modern wrestling, the only thing that had remained from its old history was just the name. At least, so was the case for all those not born into the family line of Areios.

Finally stepping into the arena Tifon stood 7 feet away from her. Perhaps the only hint given of the coming slaughter was the fire of unbridled bloodlust that flared up in the commandant’s eyes when he would meet her gaze.

The extent of his immortality would now be tested.

Tifon noticed only two things before the battle began.

The first was the commandant’s stance, it was no wrestling or martial arts position he’d ever seen before. Her left arm was raised vertically in front of her, parallel to the rest of her body which was almost sideways, her hand curved towards her in a fist. Her right arm, on the other hand, was thrown back completely behind her, forming a 100° angle between her forearm and bicep, this arm’s hand was also made into a fist. However, while her body was mostly sideways to Tifon, her feet were pointing in his direction. Her left leg, which came first, was substantially more bent and strained than the right, giving the impression that all of her weight was being supported by just that leg.

The second thing Tifon noticed was the sudden surge of power into the commandant’s backmost leg. The outline of the suddenly flexed muscles was nearly visible.

What followed afterward happened almost instantaneously. In a single leap, the commandant had closed all 7 feet between them in one second. Tifon saw at that moment the image of a bloodthirsty animal pouncing directly at him. Her defenses seemed impenetrable to him, and while her elevated position left no room for escape, there was only one thing on Tifon’s mind.

(RETREAT.)

(I MUST RETREAT OR I WON’T SURVIVE.)

There are 4 main bullet points in ancient Pankration that all its practitioners should be capable of employing.

First:  Shock Tactics. To surprise the enemy with a sudden and fully-committed advance, placing the enemy in psychological distress and immediate shock.

Second: Othismos Aspidon, or the Shield Push. When finally coming into direct contact with the enemy use your shield to bash against any defenses they may have.

Third: Abandon Aspis. With the sudden switch of defense into offense, the Shield Push excludes all effect weaponry had on combat, devolving it into a test of might. After noticing the cumbersome effect the shield has on their fighting, the enemy will abandon it, leaving them defenseless.

Fourth: Custom of the Dead Greeks. If the opponent is of substantial military value to the enemy, do not murder them. Holding their warriors as slaves of war, the victory can be enforced by ransoming the fallen back to the defeated.

The commandant went through each step in an instant. Seamlessly transitioning between advance, engagement, and attack. There was no room for any counter by Tifon, even further, he had lost from the very first second. For he wasn’t prepared for war. And that is all that Pankration was in reality. There were no secret teachings, no special techniques, it was barely even a martial art in any sense that mattered.

It was the art of war itself.

After a resounding bash with her left arm against Tifon’s retreating guard, the commandant used the ensuing momentum from the force of her left hand to catapult her right one overhead, and with the entire might of her weight, her fist crashed into Tifon’s skull. Truly, if the commandant had deigned to use her Boon in that instant, the damage dealt to Tifon would be irreparable. 

Even though both were on equal ground, the battle seemed unfair from the start to all. For although the commandant was barehanded, her limbs moved like weaponry. Her Boon had transformed over the years into more than just a power to be called forth. The Gods’ favor had defined her very being, she had become war manifest.

The match was over as soon as it had begun, and the furious air around the commandant soon started to dissipate, the last words Tifon heard from her before his consciousness faltered were the following:

“It would seem your pride did not stack up to the Gods’ after all.” 

(Gods… what happened? Was I somehow drugged?)

It was now around noon of the following day. That’s right, Tifon had been unconscious for the better half of a whole day.

^^^: “Oh heavens! It would seem he’s at last regaining consciousness!”

The incredibly sweet tone of voice could only belong to one person, and true enough, it was her indeed.

Nurse Ias: “You had us in such a terrible worry there, Tifon! How cou󠇦————————”

The school nurse's words soon melted into a haze, Tifon had still not completely recovered himself.

(‘Us’?)

It took every ounce of strength he had in his body to turn his head, which for some reason felt as though chained in one place, to his other side.

(…!!!)

Screwing up his eyes, the face he saw in his albeit still blurry vision was unmistakable.

Tifon: “Commandant Calli?!”

The shock, (or maybe rather the PTSD) seemed to completely revitalize Tifon at that moment, already starting to remember all that transpired before he lost consciousness.

Commandant Calli: “You have something to say, soldier?!”

Nurse Ias: “Come now, Tifon! Is that any way to speak to sweet Calli? She’s been waiting here with me by your side for the past 12 hours.”

Tifon: “…‘Sweet Calli’?!”

Tifon may well have lost consciousness again just from the surprise. If it weren’t for the commandant continually snapping him back to reality with her ‘elevated manner’ of speech, that is.

Nurse Ias: “Just so-”

Commandant Calli: “What’d you just call me, brat?!”

Nurse Ias: “Oh I’m so sorry, Calli. I had no idea you’d get offended by the term…”

Commandant Calli: “Aha, no, no please Ias, you have nothing to apologize for, aha-ha-haa”

The commandant followed her statement with a sharp glance at me. That’s it, that blow to my scull had definitely driven me mad.

Tifon: “Gods help me.”

Commandant Calli: “Oho, wow, so now you’re all about the Gods, is that so?!”

Tifon: “It’s literally a figure of speech!”

Nurse Ias: “Now, now you two, there’s no need to be so on edge. And Tifon! Calli here is still the one that brought you to me immediately after you’d fallen so badly during your training, you should really be thanking her!”

(‘Fell during training’, is that so?)

Glancing at the commandant after Nurse Ias’s words I could practically read the expression on her face.

‘A single word out of you and you’re dead.’

Deciding not to press legal charges after all I let the matter slide.

Tifon: “So, uh… Am I free to go yet or?”

Nurse Ias: “Oh Heavens, no, no. You’re scheduled for bedrest at least until the end of the week. Although I have healed most of your surface-level injuries already, it seems you were seriously concussed from that fall.”

I side-eyed the commandant, who then immediately turned her gaze to the corner of the room.

After an audible sigh, I continued:

“Well, suppose it can’t be helped.”

Nurse Ias: “Quite right, sweety. We’ll give you some space to rest, alright? You just focus on getting better for now.”

Our school nurse made her way out of my room in the infirmary, followed by Calli. However, when she got to the door she suddenly spoke without turning around:

Commandant Calli: “I saw your true face before our fight, you weren’t able to hold yourself back at that moment, huh? I could tell. That smile you made when you spoke of mortality, only two types wear it. Madmen… And Gods.”

She said the last half in a most uncharacteristic half-whisper:

“…That pride could make you invincible, but would that be worth everything?”

 With these final words, the commandant made her exit. Although I had no way of knowing for sure. Something by the way she spoke told me I wouldn’t see her again, not for a long while at least.

(Gods, what am I supposed to do all day cramped up in here?)

!!!: “IS HE AWAKE?”

 “WHAT? THEN WHY CAN’T I SEE HIM?!”

 “JUST LET ME IN-”

 “HEY, HANDS OFF LADY!”

Yup, that could only be one person. The door was begrudgingly creaked open by Nurse Ias.

Nurse Ias: “Uh… Dear, I’m so sorry for barging in again. Especially after what I just said but… Are you up for taking visitors?”

Aurora: “Just let me pass already, that idiot can’t be trusted to make the right decisions anyway!”

I answered our school nurse, trying not to acknowledge Aurie.

Tifon: “I think I’ll manage somehow miss, thank you for the concern.”

Ias left after a quick smile and nod, almost as if in a hurry to go somewhere. Probably because she wanted to escape Aurie.

After the nurse left Aurie sat down on my bed next to me in complete silence. We stayed like that for… I couldn’t tell you how long. It was as if time had frozen in those seconds.

I tried to say something, but Aurie instantly cut me off. She spoke in an incredibly sad, yet erratic tone:

Aurora: “How could you be so reckless…?!”

Finally meeting her gaze I saw how puffed up her stark red eyes were. From the look of it, she’d been crying an awful lot. (Why? Over me…?)

The sudden pang of guilt came onto me like a cold shower. I finally woke up to reality.

(What would my family have gone through if they knew the truth as well?)

I had acted as if I didn’t care how the outcome would affect anybody else but myself.

(How selfish could I be? How-)

HOW PRIDEFUL.

I could feel my face contorting into the most unseemly smile.

My only recourse was to hold Aurie against me to keep her from seeing it. I must’ve already known the answer to the commandant’s question, right from the beginning.

I HAD TRULY MISSED THIS FEELING.