Angelos Odyssey

3-2

Kiyoko turns abruptly and rests her yari spear across her left shoulder as she begins to walk away from us. “Come on, Thoko,” she says, “let’s not waste our time on the dead.”

yari“I’ll be with you in one second,” her companion barely looks her way before continuing to smile at me with what appears to be subtle contempt.

“‘Thoko,’ huh? I think I remember that name. I don’t associate myself with the Meiziki Clan anymore.”

“So just ‘Tavon,’ then? Tavon, the Knight Killer? Is that what you wanted?”

“Why’s she looking at you like that, T?” Raiko interrupts.

“It’s just like she said: we used to serve the same monster.” I nod while looking at her and ask, “Is your full name Thokozani? You served under the Third Seneschal, right?”

“That’s right. ‘Mr. Sensitive.’ Best teacher I ever had. The Father threw away my hopes and dreams, so I had to find another way.”

“So did I, but I didn’t become a monster.”

Thoko takes a step closer without breaking her gaze and says, “Do you know how many people you killed?” Her smile flashes to an angry scowl, and she shouts, “I really liked the Bomber Goddess, Tavon! I looked up to Champion Isa, and you f*****g killed her before I ever got a chance to meet her! When I heard your name in the news, I just knew you had to be finished. They introduced all these heroes to take you down, and then you went and punched a bunch of good people to death because you’re nothing but a stupid f*****g thug!”

knew She slaps me, then she continues, “I became a Death Officer because I wanted to fight people like you, people who use their power to punish the weak—and now you’re ruining the reputations of Death Officers everywhere by pretending to be associated with us.”

youAll I can say is, “Congratulations. What rank are you?”

“One!” she shouts even louder. “Congratulations? Boy, do you think I give a f**k about your opinion?” Thokozani frowns and looks solemn as she says, “You’re a murderer. Death Officers are supposed to hunt threats to humanity, not go around bashin’ peoples’ brains in. Don’t you get it? You’re going to die, Tavon Meiziki!”

murdererto die“Just ‘Tavon.’”

“I don’t give a f**k,” she replies while shaking her head curtly. “Everyone knows who you are. That’s not how this is supposed to work. People aren’t supposed to know your name or what you’ve done, so now I’m making you my target, and I hope Grandmaster Kei marks you for death!”

my Thoko rapidly draws the largest bat she has, swings it at my head, and—

I stop it in the air with one hand.

“Heh,” she snorts before pulling it back.

Thoko prepares to swing again with a scowl. She strikes, I flinch, and she stops midway. She starts to chuckle, drops her weapon, and walks away as she says, “You’re not worth a proper fight. Just wait until your back’s turned. I’ll get you.”

As Thokozani and Kiyoko move toward the stairs on our left, I catch Raiko staring at Kiyoko’s ass.

“Damn,” he says. “How’d you manage to piss off two beautiful women that fast? They don’t even know you and they already want you dead.”

I let out a deep sigh and say to him, “I got caught up in something bad and didn’t have much of a choice. People come and go. If Artemis doesn’t kill me, then they might; if they don’t, it’ll be someone else.” I smile at him and continue, “Until then, I have to make sure you’re ready to take my place when the time comes. When that day comes, you won’t have to worry about being marked or people calling you anything like ‘Knight Murderer.’”

“They’re just jealous. I saw how you stopped that bat, T. She was shook.”

“She’ll come around.”

“No. She won’t,” he says without skipping a beat. “Let’s go.”

As the two of us head toward the same set of stairs, we’re met with yet another stranger. This one’s scarier than the rest.

“Stop right there,” bellows a deep voice to my left.

I see him and sense an overpowering aura that sends a jolt up my spine. A head colored pitch black with small splotches of grey turns my way; in between narrow slits that reach up to two ears that are shaped like small craters, deep purple irises bore into my soul as a stone-faced stranger examines me without saying a word.

I hear Raiko curse as he steps back in shock; my nerves keep me locked in place.

“Uh, can I help you?” I ask.

He stares at me for a few more seconds, and then he slaps me across the face faster than I can react. I stare at him dumbfounded as my cheek grows hot to the touch.

“My name is Eigog, the nineteenth member of Noboros. Our leader requested that you join us after the passing of one of our own, and you rejected him. Why?”

I brace myself as I fall into stance, anticipating that he’ll strike at any moment. Eigog’s body bursts aglow with a black light that spills out from his pores while spots of bright violet radiate all around him.

“Stop. I’ve no time for petty disputes. Tell the little one to stand down.”

Behind me, Raiko goes pale as he clenches both fists and remains fixated on the light that flares out across Eigog’s body.

“It’s all right, man,” I say to him while scratching my head. “If he wanted to give us a hard time, we’d already be feeling it.”

I look back toward Eigog, who stays concentrated on me.

“I just wasn’t ready to commit. I don’t think I’d be cut out for it.”

Eigog frowns, then he says, “Someone was kind enough to offer you a privileged position. You’ve killed hundreds of other humans but can’t find the time to ‘commit?’ Who are you to turn us down? Do you think that you stand a chance against me?”

“Tch. I don’t know. Maybe we’ll have to fin—”

Slap! He hits me so fast that I’m taken off-guard and almost fall on my side.

“Human, my friend out there will cut you until you bleed out. There is no way for you to survive this encounter, and, if you do, I will not forgive you.

“Artemis’ life was full of transgressions. My life, on the other hand, was not. I fell from heaven, back down into the mortal realm with humans like you. There was no one who would accept me. Lord Inen was the only human willing to give me anything close to shelter, and so it bothers me that a murderer thinks it’s okay to refuse his request. If you kill Artemis Spilsbury, we will be enemies from this point on. I’m giving you a fair warning, Tavon Meiziki. Surrender this fight or you’ll face an uphill battle.”

I nod to him and reply, “I’ll think about it. I’ll let you know my decision by the end of the match.”

Without waiting for him to respond, I gesture for Raiko to follow me down the steps. Eigog’s aura reaches out toward us, intensifies, and sends a shock throughout my body that causes me to stiffen when I feel it.

“It just got real cold, T. Did he do something to us?”

“It’s his zol. He’s holding back a lot of his power while trying to intimidate us with an impression that’ll last.”

“What do you think he is?”

“I don’t know. If he’s really the only member of his race on Earth, then we’re out of luck on getting that information.”

“Human or not, are you scared of him?”

“Nah.”

I think about looking back over my shoulder but realize that I’m too nervous to try it.

“He wants you to throw the fight. You gonna do it? Some of these people really don’t like you, T.”

I think over what he’s asking me as we reach the center platform, where dozens of Maeja thugs drink alongside some of the most well-dressed passengers on board. I see people holding wine glasses, cigars, and carrying plates of seafood, curry, and sushi around a central arena which is marked by a loose gathering of people. This gathering forms a square around an open plain of wooden flooring, where Artemis awaits in prayer with his pupil, Avodeus.

The crowd around me grows louder as I make my entrance. I hear the name, “Knight Killer,” being uttered across the lower deck and people turn to face me, greeting me with hesitant nods as I make my way toward the center. Titus is at the opposite end of the arena, next to Sygdom, who smokes some foul substance out of a long pipe while breathing hard as he stares my way. Titus acknowledges my arrival by aiming his automatic pistol high in the air.

“Wait here. This shouldn’t take long,” I say to Raiko, and, as I come to stand a short distance away from my rival, Artemis stands to his feet and tells his pupil, “Pay close attention. I sense a miracle fast approaching.”

Just as the crowd around us bursts into an uproar, Titus fires into the air and, with half a mug of frothy beer in one hand, he says while slurring his speech, “E-Everybody, everybody! Eyes on me!”

Everyone goes quiet, and, before Titus can continue, Sygdom screams at me at the top of his lungs, “You made us wait, Tavon Meiziki!”

Sygdom grabs Titus’ pistol and fires a round at my head. I strafe to the left, on reflex, and Sygdom screams again, “Artemis was here twenty minutes ago! What took you so long—answer me!”

While staring at the barrel of his gun, I tell him, “I was stopped by a lot of people on the way here.”

Sygdom shoots into the air and shouts, “You’d better lose this fight, Tavon Meiziki! I don’t appreciate being made to wait on pests like you. You will die right here, all right?” He shoots again without waiting for a response and says, “All right.”

Sygdom gives Titus back his weapon before walking away from us as he lights his pipe and inhales deeply. Titus surveys the crowd and delivers the opening speech:

“All right, everybody, we already know what we’re here for. This message is for everyone on board who is not a part of the Maeja: if you do not have the cash, you do not pass. In other words, if you’re not carrying the gold, you’re gonna be sold. This ship is due northeast starting now, so that we won’t be in the jurisdiction of Habasu-Hortu. No, rather, we’ll be in free territory until hitting Gi-Io, the City of Androids. Here’s the best that we can do:

“For those who are all paid up, don’t worry about it. Come and go as you please. As for those of you who can’t afford it, you’ve all just become gambling men. Pick your fighter, be it the prayer or the slacker, and place your bets with one of our local creditors. If your fighter wins, best believe that you’re free to go. However, if your fighter loses, you’ll owe a Maeja creditor until we’ve decided that you’ve paid off the debts that you’ve incurred. Please take this seriously, folks, because your choice here may make the difference between a life of freedom and a life of servitude. Betting will stay open all the way up until the moment one of them is officially dead, but once you’ve made your choice you can’t go back. And so, without further ado, let the candidates for death enter the ring proper. C’mon and strut your stuff, fellas.”

Artemis and I stare each other down as we move to stand in the middle of ring. Just as I start to walk his way, I feel a hand clap down on my shoulder.

“It’s Baraka. I’ve got your back. Stay strong, brother.”

I turn to face him, but he’s nowhere in sight. Baraka’s still choosing to stay invisible; I respect his choice and move on ahead.

As Artemis approaches, the skin on his face withers to grey; it tears open, creating canals of blood that rapidly transmute. Rivers of red turn the color of ash and are reabsorbed into a body that expands outward with a jagged skeletal structure, breaking in parts so that threads of bone and grey muscle fibers curl around his arms and legs, forming narrowly-ribbed, calcified sheaths. He ribs extend out from his chest as it becomes a dark shell. The features of his face flatten underneath a palette of flesh that transmutes into a hardened muzzle. This muzzle fits below a barren visage with two balls of black fire in the place of eyes and spiked, white hair. Two black flames stare back at me and from out of a body surrounded by an ashen, grey aura which becomes brighter and brighter the closer he gets.

“I’ve spent the remainder of my life trying to make up for my sins. This battle means a lot to me, Tavon. There is something I’ve discovered that must be shown to the world. Are you prepared?”

“Of course.” I nod and smile at him.

He smiles back, and the announcer continues:

“Everyone, listen up! You’ve got two choices: the Knight Killer or the Impaler. A lowlife murderer’s chances against a seasoned member of Noboros is pretty low, if you ask me,”—he remarks while glancing my way—“so this should be a quick fight.”

Before I forget, I take my hoodie off and remove my gloves; they hit the ground with a thud. I strip down to unweighted joggers but keep my weighted shoes on prior to confronting Artemis again while wearing a heavy black thermal over another weighted sleeveless shirt.

“I see you’ve been taking your training seriously.”

“To make up for not understanding Shinte and not being able to move faster, I’ve decided to buckle down on moving with more weight. I feel a whole lot lighter without it.”

His aura flares out and he says, “You’ll never be able to keep up with me.”

Titus continues: “Mr. Sygdom has promised an honorary position as one of us to the winner of this fight. Tavon Meiziki, i***t that he is, has already refused this position, and so the outcome should be clear to everyone. If Mr. Sygdom deems that this fight isn’t entertaining enough, the stakes may get a little higher.”

refused Something off to the side catches Titus’ attention.

“Oh, if it isn’t Grandmaster Jia.” As Jia heads my way, Titus continues, “It looks like the Grandmaster of Gi-Io would like to say something to one of our fighters.”

With a grim expression, Jia looks at me and says, “Throw the fight. Do it.”

As he walks away, I catch Hadrian staring at me from across the ring. When our eyes meet, he scowls immediately and gestures for me to pay more attention to Artemis. Titus finishes the opening announcement:

“Folks, we have two of the strongest fighters on board to entertain us. ‘Tis a blessed day, indeed, so let’s not waste any more time. If both fighters are ready, then let the battle begin!”