Current

You think to yourself that Current would be a good name for the trident. You drift off to sleep.

In your dreams you can hear the voices of a thousand lives. Their blood runs deep in your memories.

6:00 am

Friday Afternoon.

--

This time Susie wakes you up, she's decked out in light metal armor, and wearing two long daggers at her waist. She has determined look in her eye. Her light blonde hair shines fairly in the morning sun. "The Proving is going to begin soon." she tears off your blankets. You yelp, your boner is sure to be on full display.

"The Proving?" You try to hide your naked features from Susie but she doesn't really seem to care. You guys do have the same Dad.

"It's a tradition here in the Demi Isles. The Proving serves as just that, a proving ground for the new and old. New recruits can take place in combat and try to earn a divine beings favor. You don't have to be born into divine blood to become a demigod, you can just as well earn a god's favor through combat or great feats. The other houses are encouraged to take part in order to test the undetermined and train their own troops." Susie shrugs, "It's all just an excuse to hit each other and then brag who's strongest. But, as always, results matter."

You nod, " So I'll be proving whether or not Aquana fucked up on his blessing?"

Susie barks out a laugh, "HA! Exactly! The undetermined new recruits are expected to do stupid, brave, and foolish things, in order to curry some favor. But you? You've been claimed by Aquana since day one. All eyes are on you right now. Heavenly and mortal. People are expecting you too much of you if you ask me." Susie gives you a mysterious look.

You sigh. Politics. "Sounds complicated, let's go bash some heads." you strap on the metal armor Jotor gave you yesterday. It's made from leather and iron, lightweight and flexible but with enough protection to guard against blades and arrows. You grab your shield and will Current into your hand. The trident floats from your desk and calmly into your hand. Susie woos, "Neat toy."

"Thanks my dad bought it for me." You say dryly. That earns you a laugh from Susie.

"Well, here's another gift from your family." Susie smiles as she hands you a pair of gloves. The gloves are flexible, like leather, with a soft silky touch to the material. The gloves are also heavy, punching with them would be sure to cause serious damage. Susie strikes like a viper with her left hand, the motion of her unsheathing her blade is done so quick you're unable to react. The blade of the dagger drags against your gloved right hand. You feel a slight tug, but virtually no pain. "Nifty right? The material is made from Demon Bull leather, heavy, but it'll protect your hands like nothing else. You all ready? We've got to get going." Susie leads you outside to the common room. There's a group of at least sixty odd people armed to the teeth and wearing deadly expressions. You don't know most of them, but you do see Jotor and a couple of people from your first night.

"Howdy there Hark!" a man named Glim Dowsner gives you a high five and a pat on the back. "The Proving is a real exciting time y'hear! All kinds of exciting powers, and a whole buncha action." Glim guffaws and rocks backwards. "I bet you're a real rabble rouser yourself Hark. Though you won't be needing to prove much I guess."

"Ya can say that again, the lad is as Aquana as Aquana himself! You're going to be under a lot of pressure today Hark! Show them what you're worth ay?" Jotor cries out as he approaches you. Several more members of the crowd begin introducing themselves at rapid pace. Everyone here is so warm and friendly it feels a bit strange. After introductions are over your group heads out to the Proving grounds.

"No need to worry Hark! I daresay the undetermined are going to be the ones to face the most pressure today." Glim laughs raucously. "The Isle Lord put in a new policy. Any humans not claimed by a divine being by winter will be **** to leave. Expect to see some nasty shit today boys."

"Why's the Isle Lord doing that?" Susie pipes up, kicking a small rock down the dirt road. "The Isle's have gotten too dangerous, we're unable to house the artisans and regular folk safe from the attacks, if they're unable to protect themselves, it's back to the real world for them."

A dreary silence reigns for a bit at the mention of the ongoing attacks. Something you notice that lingers on the faces of your cabin mates. They've all lost friends and family due to the attacks. You look up at the burning sun, the sky is beautiful today.

Gray clothes, gray banners, gray soldiers, gray faces. Part and parcel for the Undetermined camp. Tey stretches in the sunlight, his face isn’t so gray. “Proving day! Proving day!” The Undetermined soldier does a couple of jumping jacks. “Quit hopping around Tey, we have work to do.” A taller Undetermined soldier smacks Tey in the back of the head. “Hey who do you think you are?” Tey spins and bites his tongue as soon as he sees Kien glaring at him. “The General of the Undetermined Army is who I think I am.” Kien smiles, “You think you’re ready?”

A serious look takes Tey’s face and he snaps into salute. “To take on a horde of powerful demigods equipped with nothing but a sword and shield all in the vain hope that a divine being takes pity on me and claims me as their own? Oh yeah, I’m ready Kien.” Tey does another set of jumping jacks. “That’s what I like to hear. Now go help Elem with the cannons.”

“Cannon duty? Ugh, you’ve gotta be kidding me.” Tey runs off.

Kien stands for a moment, soaking in the movements of his camp, will they be enough? This band of Undetermined are the best that the Isles have ever seen. But the Demigods are fearsome beings, some are as strong and fast, others command the elements with ease and can tear up the battlefield at a moments notice. Then there are the smart ones, a child of a god of knowledge is a fearsome foe to face on a battlefield. Kien sighs and begins preparing his armor for the Proving. Kien Halhar is in his twenty seventh year, and has served as Undetermined General for ten years now, in that time he’s managed to mature and train the Undetermined into a well oiled army, capable of truly standing their ground in Provings, and holding their own in the attacks. Time after time he’s seen Undetermined soldiers, led into battle by him, claimed by the gods, and time after time, Kien accepts that his day will never come.

Will today be much different? Kien looks up at the lazy clouds floating by, oblivious in their journey across the sky. Then he looks down and grimaces. “No time for daydreaming. Let’s work.”

"Chain the god damn dogs right now! Get to it!" A brown haired girl is screaming at droves of armored people. The troops move in perfect tandem, creating a slow rhythm of work and toil. Quivers to be loaded, swords to be sharpened, armor to be crafted, chariot to be reinforced, then all of it must be double checked, triple checked, and by the gods if you don't quadruple check. "General Jing! We have the dogs in chains as of this moment, we require your assistance in calming them down for the chariot attachment!" The messenger salutes before scurrying away to deliver more news. Jing glares at several slacking troops. Her red eyes give her looks a most fearsome effect, some have described her eyes as being blessed by Fuoco himself, with the ability to burn anyone she looks at. The slacking men straighten up and hurry to find tasks of their own. "Useless idiots! If I catch you slacking off again it's latrine duty!" Sparks begin to fly from Jing's body, the heat grows more intense with her anger. Jing curses, stomps the ground and makes her way to bulldogs. The bulldogs are maybe the one part of Jing's army she doesn't berate constantly. The bulldogs are both the size of elephants, capable of tearing trees in two with their powerful maws and also blessed with the ability to spew lava from their mouths. The massive beasts bark and howl at their masters arrival. "Shh, shh, settle down my loves." Jing walks right up to the two gargantuan dogs and beings to pet and handle them. She strokes and leads them to a large metal chariot, fashioned with lances and a dome like cover to protect the driver. A furry wave engulfs Jing's face as she locks in the dogs. She hands the reins to a nearby soldier, "Don't feed them. I want them hungry for the battle."

When you reach the Proving Grounds you realize just how many people inhabit this island. There are nearly a thousand people gathered here, sporting different banners, and wearing an array of colors. The clamor of the armor is deafening, battle cries, chants, shouts, and laughter ring out across the tall green trees of the Proving Grounds. The general area is a lush and vibrant forest, filled with magical plants and ancient trees. The different houses are spread out over the flat grassy terrain.

You see the bright red flag of House Fuoco with the symbol of a bulldog in the north.

A bright green flag sporting a tree is perched atop a hill in the eastern parts of the forest. You can see the banner but nothing else. Those must be the children of Akaria.

Then there's your flag, a deep blue and adorned with the symbol of a whale. There are about 70 or so people standing around it.

And last, the gray flag of the undetermined flies high to the south.

You look to Susie. "All those people are undetermined?"

"That's right, they're out in droves right now ever since the new policy. Most of our members are out on an expedition right now so we're down a lot." Susie explains. "Hey! Orlo! Get Hark filled in." Susie shouts out to a large man that is standing guard near the flag. It looks like he's been here all morning in preparation.

"Ho there! My name is Orlo Koralle. I'm the head of the the children of Aquana. I'll be acting as the general of our forces for the Proving. You needn't worry about **** nor maiming once the Proving begins. There is an ancient blessing over these forests. Any wounds suffered here will heal no matter how severe. I witnessed a man regrow his head once. Wow, that was gross."

You're not sure if he's kidding, you're pretty sure he's not kidding. "So go wild Hark! I hear you're a dab hand with the trident from Jotor." Jotor comes and claps you on the back, laughing loudly, "Heads to crush, names to take! Oh what a rush!" You smile and fist bump Jotor.

"There aren't many of us here." You say to Jotor, eyeing the massive swarming forces of the other armies.

"Ay, the bulk of our troops are gone, but they know better than to underestimate Aquana's children. Even at seventy heads we stand as strong as two legions!" Jotor boasts and claps an arm around a young boy with silver hair. "Hello Hark. I'm Remi." the boy gives you a smile, his eyes dance with blue lights.

You nod, the children of Aquana seem to be an impressive bunch. You can see glares and scowls coming from the other houses. Particularly at Orlo. A loud horn sounds in the distance, it's a deep enthralling sound, a war horn. "Fuck yeah!" A blonde girl shouts, she is wielding a wicked looking mace. She seems to be excited by the prospect of battle. "Wait so we still feel pain right?" You ask Orlo, while lining up beside Jotor.

"Every single bit." Orlo gives you a mad grin before unsheathing his katana.

Another horn sounds, this time shrill and high. You can feel your blood curdle and your adrenaline spike. It sounds like the **** rattle of a power metal singer. "CAPTURE THE ENEMY FLAG FOR GLORY. BEGIN!" A loud booming voice rings out from the sky. You can hear and feel the armies begin to surge. Orlo shouts at his marching troops. "HEADFIRST INTO THOSE FUOCO DOGS!" the children of Aquana respond with pistol shots and yelling, sprinting at full tilt towards the red banners.

"Fuck you Orlo!" You see a red headed girl in bright shining armor riding a chariot. Except instead of horses the chariot is being pulled along by giant flaming bulldogs. Their maws are filled with lava and their barking is demonic. The redheaded girl is leading the charge with a band of two hundred or so footmen. The rest of the Fuoco troops branch out to defend against the green team.

The armies begin to clash, in the corner of your eye you can see the children of Akaria being engaged by the undetermined. You see large thorns jut from the ground and lift several impaled people into the air. Before you can be distracted the Fuoco infantry crash into your frontline. Jotor and Orlo are both by your side, attacking and defending in precise harmony.

Orlo shouts," Bubble Formation!" Bubbles? You think to yourself, before being lurched into position by the sudden movement of your group. The blue army makes a circle formation, able to defend from all sides at once. A man with a large waraxe rushes you. You hold the line, letting the man come to you. You catch his blow on the front of your shield, Jotor shanks the man with his sabre and shoots him in the head. The gore and blood goes everywhere, painting your shield in a ghastly way. "Har har!" Jotor goes sprinting off, eager for more blood. "JOTOR!" Susie tries to call him back to the line but Jotor is already in the thick of things, taking out several ranks of men at once. The Fuoco soldiers surround him and begin striking with their blades, but the metal passes through Jotor's armor and body with no more than a splashing sound. "Blood for Aquana!" Rain begins to fall, thunder surging like a bull in the sky. The Fuoco chariot is now headed straight towards Jotor and the circle formation.

You sprint after Jotor, it's like his words set off a spark in your mind, calling you to bloodthirst. "Not you too Hark! Fuck! With them!" you can hear a voice behind you say. You shift your shield and ready your trident. You can feel your net jostle inside of a small rucksack attached to your belt. The chariot is large, carrying the redheaded girl and two archers clad in leather armor, there's little protection for the team of charioteers however, and they're open to a barrage of ranged attacks.

The chariot moves swiftly though, the dogs providing unpredictable and explosive movements, while also unleashing barrages of their own, in the form of molten lava bombs. Two such lava bombs go hurtling through the air as one of the dogs makes a horrible spitting sound. You feel your heart drop into your gut as an arrow grazes past your hair. Jotor rushes the chariot with no regard for personal safety, battering several men on his trek. One of the archers aims directly at him, murmuring an incantation that sets her arrow ablaze with a strange dark fire.

You scream Jotor's name but the man is lost to his bloodlust, you grimace and set your feet. Planting hard on your lead foot to give you the leverage to hurl your trident. It's awkward to do while wearing armor and holding a shield, but you manage to heave your trident at Jotor's attacker. The archer sees the throw and lowers her bow while leaning hard right. Current sails past harmlessly and into the open air behind the chariot. You will Current to make a wide turn backwards and back at the archer. Current arcs through the air, not losing any momentum even through vector changes. The archer lifts her bow once again but before she can let loose a shot, Current thuds through her exposed neck, the throw lifts the archer off of her feet and into the chariot driver. The chariot driver loses balance and tumbles from the reins. "Good going Hark!" With only one archer on board, the chariot is completely **** .

The redheaded girl comes to her feet quickly, shoving off the dead archer who then bursts into bright white light. The girl makes a grab at Current but it struggles from her grip and returns to your hand. "Take the chariot Hark and kill the archer. I'll deal with this lass."

"Oh I've been waiting for this since the last Proving, Jotor Battlehelm." The blonde Fuoco girl spits and gestures rudely.

"What did you miss me that much?" Jotor sways his hips and twirls his pistol. The girl smiles, drawing a long thin blade from her side. The blade is white hot, you can feel the intensity of the heat even in the rain. She moves with panther like speed, pouncing towards Jotor with a strange combination of attacks. The blade seems to bend and stretch, creating odd angles of attack. Jotor manages to parry the first set of strikes but is cut on the leg. A pistol shot rings out and the girl does a quick spin, the blade of her sword cutting through the bullet with ease. She pushes Jotor again, pressuring with that strange style of hers. Jotor locks swords with her, but the metal of his blade quickly melts upon contact, with no other options Jotor jumps high in the air, and transforms his body into a large stream of water. It looks like an entire pool is flying through the air at unnatural speeds. The rain only adds to the stream's size and soon the Jotor stream is snaking around and bashing the girl from all sides.

An arrow shatters harmlessly against your chest. You snap to attention, the archer on the chariot looks terrified.