Hero's Journey

Chapter 49

Delia's bottom hits the dirt for the millionth time that day. Spots for her vision in dazzling star-like colors. 

As soon as she had woke up in the early morning the day after the welcoming party she had been nearly worked to death.  The first half of the day knowledge about hunting and trapping had been drilled into her head.  After noon, the second half of the day, she's been coached on hand-to-hand combat as well as some fighting with a dagger.  This is where she is now.

"Come on, get up."  Yetska demands, you need to learn all you can before returning to Lit and I'm afraid you can't do that whilst lazing around on the jungle floor."

Delia groans. "I wouldn't be spending most of my time on the forest floor if you fought cleanly. Using your legs to trip an opponent so you can drive your spear into their back, is not honorable fighting." It is only when the words are out of her mouth that she realizes how critical they sound.

Instead of getting angry, Yetska laughs. "How naive of you, young warrior! Fighting is never clean, as a warrior you should take every opportunity to kill your partner. Fighting isn't a polite waltz, but a primitive dance of death. Get that in your head now, because the opponents you face in the future already do know this. Fighting in itself is never honorable, stop romanticizing."

Delia feels anger burn in her chest. I take her words of wisdom to heart, but I am not naive. I will not be treated like a child.

Delia pushes out her legs and kicks Yetska's out from underneath her. The Amazon lets out a surprised sound as she topples to the hard-packed jungle floor. Quickly, Delia points her dagger at her neck.

Yetska's lips upturn in a smirk. "That was a very foul move, Delia. Not honorable at all." She mocks.

"You said it yourself, there is no honor in fighting. So, if you want me to fight dirty, then that's what I'll do."

"You show great promise, young warrior, but I will always be the master." In a single graceful movement Yetska easily reverses their position so she is somehow on top with her own weapon pointed at Delia.

Delia can only feel dazed. "How did you....?"

Yetska gets up and offers Delia a hand in which she takes. The Amazon pulls her to her feet before speaking. "I'll be teaching you that next. Defense is just as important as offense."

"Good to know."  Delia notes.

Yetska offers Delia a sharp smile.  "Now back to work, young warrior."

〰〰〰

Delia's bones sing in a chorus of pain as she shuffles back to her and Heswyn's tent after a long day of lessons.  She grimaces as she ducks into the tent's entrance where Heswyn sits and shifts through the notes she'd taken that day.

"Looks like you got a workout."  Heswyn observes.

"You have no idea."  Delia says as she painfully plops on to her bed mat.

Heswyn sends Delia a reassuring look.  "How did you do?"

The writer stretches out her sore muscles.  "Yetska told me that I showed promise.  It probably helped that I learned a thing or two by watching Kagon and Kip spar and fight monsters.  I'm just happy I'm finally getting a proper lesson."

"Yes, that is good."  Heswyn agrees.  "It isn't safe for you to go adventuring without having much knowledge about fighting.  Kagon is a fool to not teach you."

"I agree completely, he thinks he can protect me from everything.  He's not all powerful like he thinks, no one is." 

"Kagon's story is a sad one, it's why he's the way he is.  However, it still doesn't make it right."

"His story?  Kagon doesn't tell me anything about himself, really.  I've been traveling with him for so long, but I hardly know a thing about his past.  Do you mind telling me?"  Delia asks, her writer's curiosity piqued.

"Yes, but only because Fates knows that he never will. He tries to shove does his past every chance he gets."

Delia nods, it explains why he's never told her anything about it.

"Okay." Heswyn pauses for a moment. "I'll start with how I met Kagon in the first place. He was about a year younger than you when he stumbled up to the great library to take shelter from a roaring storm brewing outside. At the time he was half starved, much like how you told me you found Kip." She says.

"The next morning I discovered him unconscious on the library's steps. I brought him in and nursed him back to health. During this time he was mentally a wreck and that's when I found out what happened to him."

Delia leans in and listens closely as not to miss any details.

"Kagon was born in a poor village off of Pik's capital, Kia. It was far enough away from the capital and insignificant enough that it was a prime spot for beasts to attack. It was there that Kagon grew up an only child to a father that was hardly ever home and a mother that doted on him and loved him enough that he never felt spiteful of his father's absence."

"When he was a boy of only twelve, his father up and disappeared. However, his father was gone so often that he and his mother only realized he vanished a week later. It wouldn't of mattered to either he nor his mother, but Kagon's father was the one that kept their meager livelihood. Without him, the two had to sell much of their small land and animals and begin working." Heswyn takes a breath.

"His mother began working as a seamstress and he did odd jobs for the more wealthy people in their village. However, it wasn't enough to repair their house as it continued to fall apart over the years. It made easy prey to any monsters looking for a meal."

A sickening feeling develops in Delia's stomach. She can tell that this is when things began to go downhill.

"It was the week after Kagon's fifteenth birthday when a monster broke into the village and destroyed much of the area, but it was Kagon who suffered the most. The monster broke into their deteriorating home and slew his mother, the person he loved most and Kagon wasn't able to do anything to save her, being only a boy with little knowledge in combat."

"The beast would of killed him as well if some of the villagers wouldn't of came and chased it out. Instead of being taken by the orphanage, Kagon left his village and journeyed toward Lit without even realizing it, which is where I found him."

"After nursing him back to full health, Kagon insisted on leaving to become a hero to protect the defenseless and slaughter any evil creature that entered his sight. I had no choice but to let him leave, but before he did I gave him money, food, and a simple knife to protect himself with. From there he worked himself up to being Kagon of Pik, hero to all the lands."

〰〰〰

Kagon slams his hands on his cell's bars.  "It has been a day since Delia and Heswyn left!  Allow me to journey on a dinghy to the island so I may save them from the Amazons!"

By this time the sailors have begun to ignore his shouts, bribes, and threats.  His yelling is fruitless.

I've escaped from the prisons of the jail-country of Bele when they mistook me as one of their prisoners. This rickety cell will not be able to contain me for long.

However, he hasn't escaped from the rickety cell yet.