Tagunban the Warrior

Tagunban laid before the shaman Yawanu in his hut as Yawanu set about giving Tagunban the tattoos that would mark him as a man of the Axe Clan and the Tribe of the Highlands for life. Yawnu grabbed a tool that was a fine bone needle secured to the end of a stick via a sinew wrapping; he then grabbed a small clay pot filled with an ink composed of soot and water among other things. Then with a long stick in his other hand Yawanu dipped the needle in ink before placing it on Tagunban's chest and lightly tapping the back of it with the stick as so it'd indent into the skin just slightly. Thus the process of a million needle taps began as Yawanu drew grand arching geometric designs from Tagunban's face down to his feet and up his back. The process took days and just like Tagunban remember from receiving his tiger slayer tattoo the process was largely painless with the real pain only emanating after the work was done and the muscles became red and sore. When all was finished Tagunban emerged from Yawanu’s hut as a full fledged man of the Axe Clan and of the Tribe of the Highlands and through elaborate monochromatic designs it showed with pride all across his body. The Chieftain, Katsu, Bongao, Ta Da, and the rest of the warriors in the village whom had respect in their hearts for his late father Katas all would greet Tagunban at the village center with a torrential uproar of cheering and hooting celebration. The Chieftain walked up to Tagunban sagely and placed a hand skinny and boney with old age upon his shoulder. “Tagunban anak Katas, from tiger slaying to raiding, from dueling to headhunting, and from mana training to technique learning. You have shown in every way that you are equal to any man in this village, therefore I with the power trusted to me by your fellow clansmen of the Axe Clan here-by declare to all that from this day forth. That you are a full fledged man and warrior of the Axe Clan with full right to moot and marry and you see fit.” the chieftain declared to all with pride as another cacophonous horde for hoots and shouts from the cohort of village warriors overwhelmed the evening air. Soon clay jars of rice wine were passed around to all present including Tagunban. “A toast to my little brother Tagunban, if our father were here he wouldn't only just be proud he'd be giving his loudest toast yet!” Katsu proclaimed as he raised his clay cup of rice wine with everyone else present doing so as well including Tagunban before taking a great swig of the clear, sweet, and burning liquid. The night’s celebrations were somewhat light, made up of a roast pig and the rice wine toast before everyone retired to their huts for the night.

It would be that night Tagunban would take a pack he had made from water buffalo hide the last rainy season packed with goods for a long journey and snuck off into the night. His goal being to go to Sword Clan Village and challenge the warchief to a duel like his father first wanted too. By day Tagunban strode long and fast and by night he focused upon and trained his mana and forms all the way sustaining himself on a diet of dried meat and buffalo cheese. As Tagunban sighted the Sword Clan village on the horizon he would camp outside its borders for the night and evening not wanting to fight at night or invoke the warchief's hospitality before dueling him to the death. Early that morning after finishing off the rest of his provisions he made his way to the Sword Clan village. Instead of walking to great wooden gates and asking for permission to enter, Tagunban would walk up to the stone wall and concentrate. His muscles began to spasm as electricity crackled from and around his body before with a burst of power like the crack of thunder Tagunban would leap and scale the wall; each footfall carefully placed upon stones that jutted the furthest out from the wall. Each stone being used a springboard for the next arcing lunge until the wall was scaled and Tagunban would simply take the stone stairs meant for the wall’s defenders down to the ground. Once Tagunban had set foot on the inside of the gate with the guards none the wiser he hold his axe in one hand and beat his chest with the other as he marched towards to warchief's long house. “The warchief has betrayed our tribe! The warchief has slain my father Katas of the Axe Clan outside of a duel! I demand to avenge my father in honorable combat! The warchief dishonors our tribe! The warchief will pay for his crimes in blood! Death to the warchief! I challenge the warchief to a duel to the death!” Tagunban shouted at the top of his lungs in burning passionate fury as he slapped his chest and marched through the roads of the Sword Clan village. Soon Sword Clansmen began to gather around Tagunban in anything from curiosity to passionate outrage at the bold accusations. Soon Tagunban would have a nearly rioting horde surrounding him as he made his way through the village causing a similar uproar to if a cohort of raiders kicked down the massive wooden doors of the village wall. By the time the enraged horde encroached upon the warchief’s long house the sky was flooded with the sound of the horde baying for blood like starving hounds; either for Tagunban's or the warchief's depending upon who was yelling. Having already heard the commotion well before there was an engaged horde at his doorstep the warchief opens his doors each of his four head trophies on his loincloth along with his two swords in their leather sheaths. “Explain this intrusion upon my honor, warrior of the Axe Clan!” the warchief demanded feigning an air of reserved confusion instead of the splitting rage he actually felt. “You saw to my father's death dishonorable trickster! You couldn't handle the scar upon your honor when he called out your insulting hosting. So when you heard news of his spiritual poisoning you sent an envoy to the spear clan to delay them sending a shaman to help him until it was too late!” Tagunban challenged with words that resembled wrathful mountain thunder than those spoken by a man. “Don't be absurd! What use would I have in killing one of my tribes warriors?! In your haste to blame someone other than your father for his own mistakes that I repaid my poor hospitality twice over?!” the warchief exclaimed as he unsheathed his swords in a show of force. With that last sentence above all Tagunban's whole body would redden with rage as he bared and clenched his teeth. “I will make you choke on your lies!” Tagunban roared as his body sparked with thunderbolts and he burst forth through the crowd axe in hand and faster than the naked eye could follow.

In the blink of an eye Tagunban had lunged at the warchief's and swung his axe downwards aimed squarely at his head atop his neck. In guard the warchief raised one sword to block while he kept the other positioned forward to strike. “If it's a duel to the death you want you arrogant young fool then it's a duel you'll get!” the warchief declared as he went to thrust the other sword forward into Tagunban's chest. Only to be met with the soul wrenching pain of a thunderbolt surging through his body as Tagunban channeled his electric mana through his axe, the warchief's sword, and full force into the warchief. The smell of burnt hair filled his nostrils and the taste of metal filled his mouth as every sense in his body felt like they were running feral; the thing that saved the warchief in that moment was his master of the Lugangu attunement. With it even with the electrocution he could spiritual insure his bodily functions still operated at a safe level; as well as continue with the forward thrust of his sword. Tagunban seeing the thrust lunged backwards, his body still charged with his mana he disappeared in a flash. Only to then suddenly reappear with a sideways strike of his axe; when the warchief blocked the strike with his sword again Tagunban would attempt to send another bolt of electricity into the man only for wicked arc to be redirected and blasted into the ground as burning purple energy surrounded the warchief's swords. Using the conductivity of plasma the warchief sent a then tendril of it through the air and into the ground to redirect the electricity. The warchief sent his other sword thrusting towards Tagunban’s heart only for Tagunban to use the hooked blade of his axe to pull the Warchief's other sword to intercept his thrust. Tagunban having the warchief's arms crossed then went in for a headbutt to his nose only for the warchief to duck down and align his forehead with Tagunban's nose instead. As his nose cracked Tagunban didn't delay in disengaging and disappearing again in another flash of blue electricity. This time however the warchief would go on the offensive, drawing moisture from the ground and air he watered the land around him in a circle and then froze it solid. When Tagunban using the Thunder Step rushed in again his feet would slip as his axe would go wide giving the warchief the perfect opportunity to deliver two large slashes across Tagunban's chest with both his swords; if he had wanted to kill Tagunban in that moment he could have with a cut to the neck or thrust to the heart. Yet with what Tagunban did in accusing him of treachery in front of his entire clan and whipping up an angry mob is such quick fashion against him; that wounding of his pride awoke the devil the Warchief’s or Sir Winston Cromwell the Second’s soul-his goal now to torture Tagunban and make him suffer before his death. Tagunban slid a bloody streak across the ice as his momentum carried him to its edge. Yet Tagunban without missing a beat got his legs and roared to the warchief and the horde watching around them as he gritted his teeth. “If you think such shallow cuts could keep down Tagunban anak Katas then it's no wonder you sought to kill my father with treachery instead of combat!” the crowd around them roared in angry hatred and or passionate agreement in response. Tagunban then took a forward heavy stance with his axe behind him as he rapidly channeled his mana into it. Electricity then began to arc around the axe head before the energy began to destabilize and formed the shape of a mighty eagle with its wing spread out. The Thunder Bird technique cried out in electric fury for blood as Tagunban swung his axe downwards along the ground sending the torrential current exploding the stone floor and shattering the ice all around as it rushed its way towards the warchief. When it reached the warchief the energy exploded upwards in a great crack of lightning, yet a purple glow would cut through the resulting dust cloud. The warchief has encased himself in a protective dome of burning plasma, before the dust settled the warchief summoned the winds around them and guided the plasma into two wicked tendrils that lashed out at Tagunban. Tagunban would again vanish in a flash of energy as dodged the attack with the Thunder Step, his muscles felt like they were on fire and his soul felt as if it were stretched thin yet he rushed forward on broken stone ground. Then Tagunban came back to the same tactic that won him his first duel, when facing an opponent more skilled than you; overwhelm them with unruly attacks. Like chain lightning Tagunban would come at the warchief at different angles each time taking a strike and retreating in the blink of an eye. Yet many times he would come out of the exchange with a new cut, burn, or bruise from the warchief's counter attacks. Tagunban couldn't even see if the warchief was getting out of the exchange any worse for wear as his eyes couldn't keep up with the action anymore, he relied on instinct, training, and his sense of touch to keep up with the breakneck speed. Still Tagunban didn't relent even slightly as he continued to speed in the full trance of combat. The warchief began to be pushed back his stance until the worst had happened, Tagunban's mana failed him. Completely spiritually drained, the electricity Tagunban relied on to hasten his movements quit coming as his muscles burned in unholy agony from being pushed beyond their limits. Tagunban would weakly rush forward with an axe swing that went wide only to be met with a deep biting cut down his arm that burned with plasma. Tagunban screamed in agony as he collapsed from the shock of the pain, finally making his completely drained muscle give out entirely. There Tagunban lied facing the sky as the warchief stood over him sword upraised and aimed for his neck, Tagunban knew this was it; he had wasted another life like he did his first in some vain attempt at glory for the sake of family. Only for the warchief to look up at the roof of his stone long house. There stood his two half brothers, Katsu and Bongao, axes in hand with mana rushing through them in righteous fury. The warchief laughed and sheathed his swords, his face filled with the subtle trickery of acting. “My tribesmen, did you really think I'd take this young man’s life? Look at his manhood tattoos, they are still red and freshly applied. Though clearly they had been applied far too soon for such an arrogant and foolish young man who was so bold as to make such obscene accusations against me. Still, this unwarranted attack on myself as your warchief cannot go unpunished. The Axe Clan must pay reparations for their inability to watch their youngest and foolish warriors. Now then you two, come collect your Clansmen and get him out of my sight. You'd do well to keep him on a short leash until he can act like an upstanding tribesman like us the Sword Clan.” boldly proclaimed the warchief to the crowd who cheered in approval. Katsu and Bongao quickly leaped down the longhouse and collected the bloody heap that was their youngest half brother Tagunban. They both shoulder Tagunban and lead him out the village as Katsu also carried their father's axe on his belt alongside his own axe. The crowd booed and threw stones at the trio as they passed, meanwhile while he still retained consciousness all Tagunban could think of was his thankfulness for his brothers and that they stepped in before he was either killed or his head trophy destroyed.