FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

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CHAPTER 15

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As I roused I felt a heaviness over me. I grunted as I tried to move. My entire body felt sore. This was hardly a new experience for me, but I felt particularly sore today... Memories of last night came back to me. I had fought against Ghal, Champion of the Guardian Deity Gias. It had been a brutal fight, I can only assume I lost since I don't remember how the fight ended.

I tried to open my eyes but they refused to open. My eye lids felt like they had honey on them the way they refused to open. I slowly, and stiffly, began raising my arm so I could rub my eyes.

"You're awake now I assume?" I recognised the voice as belonging to Coltan.

"Y..." I attempted to speak but my throat was so dry I coughed.

"Here let me get you some water." It was Fras. She was here as well.

I sensed her come to my side and sit down. She gently cupped the back of my head with her paw and I felt the cup brush against my muzzle and sipped from it. The cool water felt amazing on my throat. After a few sips I had had enough. I slowly peeled open my eyes and once I had gotten used to the light pouring in the window, I realised I was in the hut I shared with Jan'Zar.

"How are you feeling?" She asked.

"Sore." I said, my voice was still a little hoarse.

"Lady Jan'Zar has gone to speak with the Elders, and Champion Ghal." Coltan said.

"Ghal..." I muttered. "He really gave me a beating." I grunted as I sat up, my entire body aching in protest at the move, my vision blurred and the room began to spin; a wave of nausia washed over me. "That was a mistake.... urgh..." I slowly lay back down again.

"You were amazing though!" Coltan smiled. "You really gave Champion Ghal a real fight!"

"However what happened after..." Fras trailed off.

"After?" I asked.

"You don't remember?" Coltan asked.

"I don't remember how the fight ended." I admitted. "I assume I lost, and afterwards I was brought here to rest?"

"True... but..." Fras trailed off again.

"We should wait for the Lady to return." Coltan interrupted his sister.

"Lady Jan'Zar will be back shortly." A familiar voice said from the doorway.

"Master!" I exclaimed and began to sit up to show Jun'lao respect.

He raised a paw which stopped me and I lay back down. He smiled softly and walked across the room toward us. Fras and Coltan had turned and bowed their head respectfully.

"How are you feeling Malakye?" He asked.

"Sore." I admitted, "But I will be fine."

"That is good to hear." He nodded. "I'm glad you are not seriously hurt."

"Thank you Master." I smiled. That was when I noticed the wound under his left eye. "What happened to you Master?"

"Oh this? A minor wound, you need not worry about it."

"Who did that to you!?" I growled. "Was it Ghal!?"

"Malakye..." Fras whispered. I looked at her but she was hesitant to continue. Her gaze moved to Master Jun'lao and then back to me, but she eventually came out with what she intended on saying. "You were the one who injured him."

WHAT!?

I looked to Master Jun'lao and Coltan for confirmation, neither of them denied it or corrected what she said. I stared at the wound in disbelief, why would I.... How could I have??? I would remember doing such a thing... wouldn't I? Had I lost control? Had the spirit within me taken control of my body at the end of my fight with Ghal and caused havok?

"As I said, you need not worry over this wound. I do not blame you."

"Was it..."

"No!" Master Jun'lao stopped me from finishing my question. "It was an unexpected result of your training, that neither myself nor Lady Jan'zar expected."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"We believe that due to the Spiritual training the Lady has been putting you through, specifically the meditation training, where you continue to use your nen while resting, meant that you were able to continue fighting after you lost consciousness." He explained. "That combined with flow training allowed you to continue to fight, but since you weren't conscious you were unable to tell friend from foe. As a result attacked anyone who got too close to you."

"Did I..." I swallowed heavily, not sure I wanted to hear the answer to my next question. "... hurt anyone?"

"You injured a few of Ghal's warriors when they attempted to stop you." Jun'lao answered. "And you dislocated Harlock's arm. But no one was seriously injured."

I flinched after hearing what I'd done to Harlock. I felt guilty that I'd hurt him and Master Jun'lao.

"Champion Jun'lao subdued you shortly after." Coltan added.

"I'm so sorry..."

"You do not need to apologise, it is not your fault." Master Jun'lao knelt down next to me and patted my arm in an attempt to reassure me.

"But I was the one did it..."

"Not by choice."

"By choice, or by accident... I was still the one who attack you, and hurt the other Masrur!" I exclaimed. "I-I-I... everyone will hate me now! They'll not feel safe around me..."

"No one hates you Malakye." Jun'lao insisted.

"Champion Jun'lao is right!" Coltan blurted. "We do not fear you! I know that the other Masrur will not fear you either!"

"We will not abandon you!" Fras added. "You will always have a home with us!"

"You may not be Masrur by birth, but you have the soul of a Masrur!" Coltan smiled.

"We take care of our own!" Fras beamed. "And you are one of us!"

"You guys..." I couldn't help but well up with tears. I sniffled like a little cub and wiped the tears from my eyes.

"You see Malakye, you have nothing to worry about." Master Jun'lao shot an 'I told you so' smile at me. "In fact, you impressed Ghal more than anyone."

"Really?"

"He was impressed at your willingness to keep fighting. Not to mention how well you fought. Your Hakar is going ahead as planned, Ghal simply said what he said to get under your scales." Master Jun'lao assured me.

"That's good." I sighed and let myself lay back and relax.

"Now, eat some food and get some rest. Your training resumes tomorrow."

"Yes Master. I'll be there!"

While Coltan went to fetch me a meal, insisting that I remain in the hut to rest, Fras kindly massaged my muscles in an attempt remove the aches from my body so I would be able to rest more effectively. Fras was very good at this particular task, it was a traditional form of Masrur medicine, especially when combined with herbs; but my injuries were not that serious so we were not using them. Her touch was heavenly, I couldn't help but groan in satisfaction as her skilled paws eased the aches and tension from my body!

"Enjoying yourself?" The familiar voice of Jan'zar declared as she entered the hut.

"Your Ladyship! I was just..." Fras exclaimed in mild panic. Jan'zar raised a paw to silence her.

"I am not angry." She assured Fras. "But I need to discuss a few things with Malakye."

"I shall continue this later then." Fras said, bowing her head before leaving the hut.

"You fought quite well against Ghal."

"Thank you." I replied. "If it wasn't for Master Jun'lao, Master Kami's and your training, I would not have stood a chance against him."

"You needn't be so formal with me while we are alone." She scoffed. "But you are right. When you first arrived here, Ghal would have finished you in a matter of seconds! You have grown during your time here, and I believe you are ready for the next stage of your training!"

"Next stage?" I muttered.

"While you still need to become stronger still, and learn to overcome the spirit within you, I think you are ready for the next stage of training. Normally you would not take part in this training until you had defeated the spirit within you, but I believe it will benefit you towards achieving that goal." She clarified. "The training will start after the Hakar. Ghal has already begun the preparations, and we expect visitors from other lands to start arriving in the next few weeks. He shall construct a suitable arena for you to fight in." She explained.

I hadn't realised that Ghal would be constructing an entire arena for the event! That certainly made sense as to why he was involved in the first place! Just how many furs were coming to witness this event that it required an arena!?

"Ghal also wished to send his appreciation for the fight you gave him." She smiled. "You made an impression on him."

"I shall have to thank him for his gratitude." I said. In Masrur culture, when the victor of a fight offered his appreciation for the fight it was a sign of great respect, not just some social nicety that was offered to everyone.

"Then you will have to wait until he returns in due time. He has departed in order to aquire the manpower required to construct the arena and the temporary residences of the visiting representatives."

"Oh." I said not realising he had departed already. "I will remember to that."

"Good. Now get some rest, tomorrow you resume your training." She smirked. "You did lose after all! So don't think I'm going to let you off just because you proformed admirably in an unwinnable fight!"

"Thank you." I said with a sigh and gratefully lay down and relaxed. Coltan would return shortly with some food for me, but I could already feel my eyes getting heavy.

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Jan'Zar kept her promise, and despite my bodies complaints to the training, I followed through with my training to the best of my abilities. The Hakar was going to happen soon, and this was my last chance to prepare. When I met Ghal again, I wanted to do it knowing I had become stronger. My fight with him had taught me much. I was too reliant on my k'tan powers, I needed to be able to fight opponents like him without them! My bending powers may have no effect on the spirit within me while in my mental scape after all!

Two weeks later a large work force arived and set up camp near the village and began constructing additional buildings and residences of varying sizes, while another team began constructing the arena where we would fight. They dug a pit into the ground and then began building rows of seats around the perimeter of the pit for the audience to sit and watch.

It took them over two moons to finish all the work, but at no point during all the construction work had Ghal reappeared. He would show up to make sure all the final preparations were complete. As a Champion I'm sure he had more improtant things to do rather than oversee the construction of a building.

Once the arena was finished Jan'zar was invited to inspect it. She took me to the arena with her. It was impressive! Around the pit were stands where the spectators would sit, made from wood. It wasn't as impressive in size as the main arena back in Zangar, which could sit a couple of thousand furs with ease. But it would seat a few hundred with no problem at all, and there was plenty of standing room as well. If they had made this much seating I guess they were expecting a much larger crowd than I had been. Already visitors were beginning to arrive by the dozens! The housing area that had been built for them nearby was larger than the village itself!

"Impressive work." Jan'zar praised.

"Thank you for your kind words my Lady!" The Masrur in charge bowed his head respectfully at the praise.

"Quan always delivers!" A voice declared from behind us. It was Ghal!

"Thank you my Lord." Quan smiled and bowed.

"We are ready for the Hakar!" Ghal announced proudly. "I hope you're all healed up!"

"I am!" I declared. I stepped forward and bowed my head towards him. "Thank you for the fight before. I learned a lot from fighting a strong opponent like you."

"Heh! Don't think anything of it shrimp!" He slapped me on the back with enough force to make me stumble forwards a step. It stung badly as well. "It had been a while since someone put up such a desperate fight against me!" He grinned.

"Thanks..." I said since I didn't know what else to say. With he was definitely complimenting me, my ego was slightly bruised that he pointed out the desperation part.

"The Hakar will begin in seven days time." Ghal announced. "All of the particpants are expected to arrive within the next four days."

"Then I will send word to Garr and the others."

Garr and the others; Khaine and Callen. I was finally going to see them again. I wondered how strong Khaine had gotten? Was he able to use nen now? He was already miles ahead of my in regards to spiritual training before we parted, I wonder if he was close to conquering the spirit within him? I also wondered if Callen had missed me?

"Come now!" Jan'Zar commanded. "You still have training to do!"

"Of course." I nodded and followed her quickly as she left.

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The day of my testing had finally arrived. After waking up and eating a light breakfast Jan'zar escorted me to a hut where half a dozen female masrur began grooming me. They washed me down with some sweet smelling water, and they weren't shy about reaching into every knook and cranny; there was nothing sexual about the act. Even if there had been I don't know if I would have been able to get hard. I was very nervous about today. There had been a lot leading up to this day. All the effort, blood, sweat and tears I had lost while training. I was not wanting to disgrace myself or my Masters! This was test, a very public one at that!

Spectators had travelled from far and wide for this event, not to see me specifically, but for the spectacle itself and the chance to meet the Guardian Deities. Apparently some of the other Guardian Deities other than Callen and Jan'zar would be in attendance today. We would be fighting against several different opponents in a gauntlet style match.

I didn't know how many opponents I would have to fight against over the course of the day, or who they were, but they had been chosen specifically to fight me; Khaine would have his own opponents. I didn't expect any of the fights to be easy, but I would need to pace myself so I didn't exhaust myself in the first couple of fights.

Jan'zar had told me that I was to use everything I had learned in order to win; the only exception to this rule was using the spirits power. I had no intention of using the spirits power. I was confident in my skills, but I wasn't arrogant enough to think I would be able to win against every opponent. My fight against Ghal, two moons ago, had reminded me that there were far stronger furs out there than myself. More than three seasons had passed since I had come to this village, and today I would prove to my Masters that their time had been well spent! I would do them proud.

Once the females had finished bathing me, they began applying war paint to my body. A intricate design in red paint in the center of my chest, the symbol for fearless forming the center of the design, which flowed outwards, lines of paint leading to my throat, arms and legs in yellow paint. Two other females drew intricate designs on my arms, one on my back and two others on my legs. Once the female finished the design on my chest she applied two strokes of pain under my eyes and then one long line down the center of my muzzle.

This was apparently the Masrur's way of showing their faith in me, and was a great honour. This was a ritual only applied to warriors going off to face a great challenge. For them to do this was symbol of the greatest respect for someone like me who was not born a Masrur. Any who looked upon me would know that I was to be treated as a Masrur warrior or face the repercussions of the tribe.

To finish the ritual the females then attached leather straps to me. They offered a small amount of protection, but didn't restrict the view of the war paint they had applied to me. These were more ritualistic than for actual protection. The outfit included a leather loin cloth which completed my outfit, in addition to the leather straps on my legs, arms and shoulders.

As I emerged from the hut into the warm light of the mid-morning sun a large crowd of Masrur had gathered. The Elders were there and I bowed my head in respect to them, a gesture which they returned with a smile. Jan'zar, Master Kami, Master Jun'lao and his students were there as well. Master Jun'lao smiled with pride at me.

I was now offered a final meal before my trial. Shasmar stepped forwards and stood before me. We smiled at one another before she knelt before me and presented a plate with a piece of honey'd flatbread on it and a mug of sweetened malcha milk. I promptly eat the meal, eating the delicous bread in two large bites and the downing the milk in one go. Once I was done Shasmar rose from the ground, smiled, and returned to the crowd.

As the final stage of the ritual Coltan and Fras stepped forward with a spear and an axe. They knelt before me and held them up to me to take. I took the axe, examined the fine workman-ship of the weapon and attached it to the holster on my hip I had been given for it, and then took the spear. It was lighter than I expected for a steel spear, but I could feel the strength it had while it was in my grasp. I nodded in appreciation and shouldered the spear.

With the ritual now over I followed Jan'zar to the arena. Everyone else followed close behind. There was an incredible number of furs lining the road to the arena. All of them there to gaze at Jan'zar as she walked ahead proudly, not really looking at any of them. I had never seen so many furs in one place before! There must have been thousands of furs here! Far more than the arena could hope to hold!

Once we arrived at the arena we stood and waited. I wanted to ask what we were waiting for, but no one had spoken since I had emerged from the hut before, and it seemed rude to break it now. It was a heavy but comforable silence. As we stood there several furs stepped forwards and kept a respectful distance and placed offerings on the ground in front of us. Each time a fur presented a gift Jan'zar nodded in acceptance. Every fur left with a smile, happy that their gift had been accepted. It didn't matter what the gift was, be it gold, flowers, food or some small trinket or another, all gifts were accepted with the same response by the Deity of War.

There was some sort of commotion in the distance. Cheers and excitement grew within the crowd. What ever was going on it was getting closer. Eventually the cause for the cheers came into view. Standing head and shoulders above everyone else I saw the massive frame of Garr first. He was clad in heavy armour and the crowd parted as he walked to allow him passage. I saw a number of Masrur reach out to brush their paws against him, touching him in revereance and respect, ashe passed by them. There was a small entourage following Garr, but the only two that I new was Callen and Khaine.

My heart soared when I saw the three familiar muzzles again; even Khaine's. It was good to see them again! Nearly a full cycle had passed since we had parted ways, and even the sight of Khaine brought back memories of my time at camp with all of them. Despite Khaine's attitude towards me life had been pretty good back then. We had been separated, or rather I had been separated from Callen. I had been forming an unhealthy bond with him, one which the spirit could use against me in its attempts to assault my psyche. But now I had attained the skills I needed in order to defend myself without fear of repercussions from my emotions.

Callen smiled at me when our eyes met. He hadn't changed in the slightest. My heart beat a little harder when he smiled. I couldn't wait to be able to speak to him again, but first we needed to resolve the reason we had gathered here today.

My eyes met Khaines. We acknowledged each other, but little more than that. He looked stronger, his body certainly had more muscle on it than before. He wore a serious expression and was staring at me. But there was no contempt behind the gaze, just determination. I could respect that determination as it was the same as I felt. Unlike me though he wore no war paint or ritualistic clothing. He was clad in a black loin cloth, clean and new, but otherwise unremarkable, and black leather wrist-guards. He wore two swords strapped across his back.

Once everyone had gathered Harlock and the other elders stepped forward and bowed their heads in respect.

"It is my pleasure to welcome you all! Lord Callen. The hero Garr. And your companions as well."

"Thank you." Callen smiled. "It had been too long."

"Malakye. Khaine." Jan'zar annouced our names and we both turned our full attention to her. "You two shall fight three challengers chosen by your Masters. You are allowed to do anything it takes in order to win these challenges. Each round will end once one of the participants are declared unable to continue or yields to the other." She explained. "Once all three challenges have been completed, then we will decide if you are truly ready to move on to the next stage of your training."

"I understand." I nodded, silently curious as what the 'next' stage of training could possibly be.

"Very well." Khaine sounded confident. He always had, but this was different, he didn't sound as if he bluffing. He knew he had the skill to back up his confidence. I was excited to see just how strong he had become.

We all entered the arena, we stood in a box high above the arena, a similar box sat across the way with a number of furs in it. They were our opponents I guessed. Master Kami and Jun'lao were here with me, and Garr was with Kaine. The nearby crowd members wished us luck and were genuinely excited. I could hear numerous furs making bets with each other.

"Khaine you shall go first." Garr declared. "Once the match ends you will return here and then Malakye shall fight. You shall take turns in fighting to give you a chance to recouperate between rounds."

Off to our right I saw a number of strange looking furs sitting in box with Callen, Jan'zar and two others I didn't recognise. One of them I did recognise though. It was Luna! Out of the five sitting in the box three of them were Guardian Deities I knew! A wave of understanding washed over me. The other two were Guardian Deities as well; ones I had not yet met.

"GREETINGS!" A voice bellowed to my left. I turned and saw that it was Ghal.

The crowd fell silent and began listening to him as he gave a short speech. He started by welcoming the honoured guests; the Guardian Deities. He named them all. The two that I hadn't met were apparently Pyraat and Gias. They were honestly not what I had imagined the Guardian Deities of fire and nature would look like. Gias's vessel was Elven, just like Jan'Zar and Kunsel had been. Pyraat one the other paw had a vessel that was unlike anything I'd ever seen. They had obviously taken features from a variety of different species. I didn't have long to examine him before Ghal announced for the first contestants to enter the arena.

Khaine stepped forwards and walked down the staircase into the arena below. Across the way his opponent was doing the same.Harlock stood in the center of the arena waiting for them. He would be the one responsible for judging if someone was unfit to continue, or to announce when someone yielded. He would also declare moment each round began. Once the two of them reached the center of the arena Harlock exchanged a few words with both of them.

Khaine's opponent was a tall, armoured avian of some sort. He wore a polished chest armour, and matching guantlets and shin guards; all of which shimmered almost blindingly in the late morning sun. Under the armour he wore white leather. The pristine silver of the steel looked beautiful against the pale blue of his feathers. He drew a pair of long swords from his back and stared at Khaine with a determined gaze.

I looked down at Khaine. Khaine didn't seem nervous at all. In fact he was smiling! He drew a pair of short swords from his back. Unlike the avian warrior Khaine didn't have a set of armour. Like me he wore little more than a loin cloth and a few bandages on his forearms for some protection.

I noticed yet again just how much muscle he had put on since we last met. He hadn't been scrawny by any stretch of the imagination, but now he had a body of a warrior which had been earned through struggle and hardship. Looking at them, Khaine had the advantage of strength over his opponent. Both furs stood facing each other with unerring confidence.

"Read the flow." I heard Master Jun'lao whisper behind me. I nodded in understanding. Right now the flow between them was pretty even, but upon closer inspection I had to put the advantage to Khaine.

"THIS FIGHT IS BETWEEN THE WOLVEN WARRIOR KHAINE AND THE KNIGHT GRIMBAR! BEGIN!" Harlock bellowed. "BEGIN!"

Instantly the two furs sprinted headlong towards each other and the crowd erupted in cheers. The short distance between them was covered in less than a second, and I was momentarily blinded by a flash of light as the sun reflected off the birds dazzling armour. Their momentum carried them past each other and they both came to a stop after a few steps. The flow between them was erratic, but a moment later the flow moved strongly towards Khaine. A second later the blue feathered warrior fell to one knee and clutched at his side. I was too far away to see the extent of the injury, but I could see the white leather under armour he wore slowly turning red with blood. Khaine had landed a decisive blow! Even if the avian was willing to continue to fight there was little doubt that Khaine would be able to best him. He had practically won the fight in a single exchange! But I already knew that his opponent was not simply going to give up that easily.

The speed of the exchange had been dazzling; perhaps as dazzling as the avians armour. The erratic nature of the flow had made me suspect that Khaine had also been struck, but he was standing there completely unharmed. Khaine had always been a defensive fighter, but there had been no hesitation in the way he charged towards his opponent. He was a completely different fur in a fight now!

It was now that I sensed it. Khaine's nen! So he had finally managed to learn how to use it. It was strong, perhaps matching a Master level bender back in Zangar. While his nen wasn't the strongest I had felt, it certainly seemed potent! I knew that Khaine was not someone to be underestimated just because my own nen was stronger than his own!

Defiantly the avian warrior stood up and turned to face Khaine and the crowd roared its appreciation. Khaine smirked in amusement and tossed his sword in the air before catching it again. His confidence practically oozed from him now! The avian dashed forwards and Khaine stood still. With a flurry of speed and incredible swordsmanship the avian warrior assaulted Khaine with a dazzling assault. Khaine was forced onto the defensive and backed away from the warrior using his own swords to block and deflect the avians attacks.

The flow around the avian grew stronger, but it was still no where near as strong as the flow around Khaine! As the flow around Khaine peaked I knew that his counter assault was about to happen! And just as I had predicted the counter came! He ducked and weaved around the blade of the avians sword, instead of parrying with his own. He closed the distance between them and drove his fist into the wounded side of the avian. The blow staggered the warrior and with one swift motion Khaine pulled the avian to the ground, knelt over him and pressed the blade of his swords to his throat.

"THE WARRIOR KHAINE WINS!" Harlock declared.