One of the Greatest

 A multitude of insects chirped and chittered amongst themselves through the patches of grass and dirt. The moon towered above the treetops, unapologetically illuminating the entire woods. Amidst the nightly orchestra rose Agon, fluttering his eyes open to the tickling sensation of a red beetle nudging against his eyelash. The nocturne symphony was abruptly stopped by a shrill scream.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

Agon shot up from the ground and ran with no destination, just to be anywhere but where he was. After a good distance, he found a nearby pond that rested in the heart of the forest. He fell to his knees right at the pond’s edge, panting uncontrollably; hunched over, eyes closed.

“Where am I…Where am I…Where…!” In his frazzled questioning, Agon touched his face. On the left side, he felt a rough etching. A swarm of visions flooded his mind in a flash. The infinite pier, the red rish…Olagna. Agon recalled it all. He then looked down and saw that his bloodied white garment was replaced with beige colored rags, slightly tattered. He looked down and saw that his feet were bare and covered in bits of soil. Agon leaned over the pond to see his moonlit reflection, softly stroking the scar where Olagna’s fishing hook once rested before he was cast out into this new world. He then pulled on the collar of his beaten shirt. Even in the night, he could see the "10:00" branding in the center of his chest. The sight overwhelmed him. Agon released his shirt collar and began to weep; his teardrops touched the pond water, making small ripples along its surface.

“S-somebody…help me…please…I-I’m so scared…I…I need help…”

Within a few minutes, the ripples grew, becoming more aggressive. Agon stopped and opened his eyes partially at the sound of the pond beginning to gurgle.

“W-wha…”

A large, toned body ferociously shot out from the water, and a woman’s voice rang out.

“YOU'RE MINE, ELBRUS!!!” She declared. Her arms rose high above her head, and in her hands was a giant blade. Agon couldn’t get a clear sight of it, but it looked as if it was bigger than her. All he could do was stare at the crazy woman who jumped out of a pond and appeared to be preparing to attack him from above. Her sights were set, and her target was very scared and confused.

“HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!” Gravity took the reins as the mystery woman’s blade dropped…backwards…behind her head.

“No no no no no no NO-” She screamed. Without a second thought, the blade fell out of the sky. Dragging the woman with her. She yelled in retaliation, but the natural force paid no mind. Agon watched in concern as he witnessed the gargantuan blade send the woman back under the water with an enormous splash. She sank like a stone, all the way to the merciless depths of four feet. The tip of the blade pierced the ground underwater, with the rest of its body standing tall above the surface. Agon wasn't sure how she had hidden herself and that thing in the first place. Seconds passed, and there was no sign of her getting back up. Agon. Slowly got up from the ground and turned back towards the woods. At that very moment, another splash was held.

“GUUUUH!” The woman burst from the pond, gasping heavily and coughing up several mouthfuls of water. Agon turned to see her struggling. For a second, he pondered what to do. He could risk his life comforting a strange woman hiding in a pond for who knows HOW long, or he could turn around and run away and try to make sense of how he’s going to survive out here in the cold night. He promptly chose the latter option. As he took one step forward, however, the woman called out in that same commanding tone as before.

“YOU.” Agon turned around to see the woman pointing at him; the other half of her body was struggling to pull out her giant weapon from the pond-soaked soil. “N-nice…try, Elbrus…B-but…huff…huff…I’m going to GET YOU. And when…when I…DO-” Her rough and reckless yanking resulted in her snapping the hilt of her blade. She yelped and fell back into the water. Agon paused, unsure of what to make of all of this. A couple more seconds passed, and she popped up from the pond once again with another hacking cough.

“ARGH! No! This weapon won’t work either! At this rate, I'll never become one of the greatest-”

“Uh…e-excuse me…”

The woman’s head shot up and turned towards the sound of Agon’s voice. He was standing hunched over, like a rabbit on guard for any potential predators. He was still feeling her out, even though every part of his body was telling him to leave. The woman walked over to the edge of the pond, where Agon stood. He backed up partially. Agon finally got a clear view of her face. Upon closer inspection, she actually was much younger than when she first appeared when leaping out of the pond. Her eyes were a deep green, and her hair was jet black, styled into several bantu knots with one long braid dangling off each side of her face to the bottom of her chin. She was also dressed in silver partial splint armor.

“...Wait, you’re not an Elbrus.” She said plainly, tilting her head to the side in confusion. Her entire war-hungry persona was exchanged for this new, softened character. Agon gazed at her, dumbfounded.

“...Huh…?”

“Did she call me…’ Elbrus'...?" He contemplated.

“Ah! My apologies! I was about to cut you in half! Well, I mean I WOULD’VE if my weapon hadn't failed me…I suppose seeking an official blacksmith would have been the better option, after all. Ah, truly a shame. It would have been one of the greatest kills of my life! Then again, you're still not the Elbrus, so it would’ve been all for nothing!”

“Now she's apologizing WHILE insulting me? Should I even take this as an insult? AND WHY WAS SHE UNDERWATER?!?"

Agon couldn't process any of what he was hearing and stood completely frozen. But before he knew it, his mouth had opened.

“Um…it’s…fine?"

“What am I saying…?!? IT'S NOT FINE!!! She just tried to kill me…! This could be a setup, a trap, I need to RUN!” His mind rattled with anxiety, and yet, he stayed in the girl’s presence.

"W-who are you? And…Why did you call me ‘Elbrus’?”

“Yes, introductions! Excuse my lack of manners. I am Dinorah Kuria, a soon-to-be noble warrior hailing from the town of Ruchs, and destined to be one of the GREATEST! Lovely scar, by the way! By chance, are you looking to be one of the greatest as well?” She puffed out her chest and stood tall, about a couple of centimeters taller than Agon. Dinorah extended her hand out to him, who was hesitant. He never interacted with another person this far in his old life, let alone initiated a conversation. Because of that fact, he was reluctant to make any physical contact, and simply looked at her with the softest eyes he could make while trying to dig up a sincere smile from his corroded mental state.

“Not one for handshakes, eh?”

“Not from random girls who try to kill me in the night, no! Wait, is she gonna kill me if I don’t shake her hand? I should run. I should shake her hand THEN run. But what if she tries to kill me for running?!?”

“Well..." She started. "...In any case. Now, it’s your turn!”

“M-my turn?!?”

“Yes, introduce yourself to me! And it better be one of the greatest introductions I've ever heard!”

“Uh...M-my name is…Agon.-”

“FULL NAME, SOLDIER!” she shouts, standing forever firm atop the soil. Her energy is so lively and intimidating. Agon stiffened up and raised his own voice in a poor yet respectable attempt to match her spirit.

“A-Agon Cora…!”

"'Soldier?!?’ Is she in the army?!? Is she going to ENLIST ME?!?"

“And you hail FROM?!?”

Agon stopped for a moment, his eyebrows furrowing.

“Wait…that’s right…I’m not from here…This is all new, isn’t it…?” Agon contemplated what to tell Dinorah. Telling her that he was flung from the sky by a "deity" with horns like a ram was out of the question. Then again, seeing as she had been hiding underwater in that pond for what could’ve been hours, she might’ve been the kind of character to believe him. Still, it wasn’t a chance Agon was willing to take. He scraped his mind for a suitable answer. Out of nowhere, he remembered Olagna’s disgusting visage standing proudly on that worn-out pier. Agon gasped under his breath. “I guess that’ll work…”

“I’m from…P-Pier.”

She leaned in, examining Agon with intensity. He did nothing but look straight ahead. His body shuddered under her unwavering look. She then snapped back and smiled.

“Aha! You must be from the countryside!”

“Countryside it is, then.” Agon sighed in defeat. “Y-yeah.”

“You know, I can’t say I've ever heard of Pier before, nor have I ever met a Pieran; is that correct? ‘Pieran’?” He nodded slightly, unsure if that was correct, himself. “Well, it sounds like one of the greatest areas to get away from the hustle and bustle of living in a busy town like Ruchs.”

“Y-yep. It’s a…very small village…uh…really easy to miss…”

“What is wrong with me…? Why am I talking to her so casually? I just died, got beaten half to death by a man with ram horns in his head and no eyes, got thrown into ANOTHER WORLD that I DON’T even know the name of, and almost died AGAIN by this girl who was hiding in a pond! And now we’re standing in the middle of the woods talking about our homes, one of which ISN’T real- and something called an…an elbow? I already forgot the name. If I try to leave, she might chase me down and kill me with that sword or her bare fists or I DON’T KNOW WHAT!!! And I'm too tired to move either way…The least I can do right now is try to gather more information, I guess.”

L-listen…Dinorah, was it? You said you were hunting for something…called a…um…”

“THE ELBRUS!”

Dinorah declared this…thing’s name to the heavens, almost appearing to make the leaves on the trees fall off.

“Apologies, I’m a bit eager.” Agon nearly curled up into a ball at her sudden outburst.

"'Eager’ is an understatement.”

“You see, the Elbrus is one of the greatest mysteries of Velicima.” His ears perked, and he interjected.

“Our…world, Ve…Vay-Lee-Seh-muh-”

“Yes yes, Velicima! Why are you saying it so strangely? You’ve lived here your whole life, haven't you?” She chortled.

“J-just uh…bit my tongue earlier.” He tried to giggle along with her through his lie.

“Velicima…so that's the name of this world...”

“Anyway, I don’t have much history on the Elbrus, just the story my father used to tell me when I was a little girl; The way he described it seemed so fascinating.” She held up a piece of parchment that depicted a poor illustration of something that potentially resembled a white and green deer, but its body was split in half, with a glowing ball in the center. Its antlers intertwined into a small knot right above the middle of its head. It’s hard to tell if she drew this as a child or just yesterday. Agon wasn't certain just what exactly he was looking at, but he remained silent, listening to her explanation.

“He also told me that the Elbrus was long extinct, but last week, I heard from an old drunk that he claimed to have seen a beast one night that looked JUST like my drawing of the Elbrus! He said it glowed brilliantly beyond a veil of mist within the Ulrich Woods. THESE woods!”

“Are we sure it looked EXACTLY like your drawing? I’m sure everything was ‘glowing’ for that man when you talked to him.”

“The man also said that he followed the glow, spying on the creature with a delicate eye. Until he watched the Elbrus come to THIS pond, and begin to cry into it!”

“Cry…Into the pond…? Why did-”

“It’s uncertain, but after hearing that man’s story, I was ecstatic. When I shared the news with my father, he seemed cold and told me it was all a fairytale, and forbade me to even speak of the Ulrich Woods ever again. I assume he was just worried about me, which fueled my determination even more! I knew I HAD to come here to the Ulrich Woods and find the divine Elbrus.”

“The creature you’re not even sure is real…right…”

“...Why do you want to capture the, uh…Elbrus…so badly?”

“It’s quite simple. So that I may slay it. In doing so, I'll be one step closer to my goal of becoming one of the greatest warriors of Veliciman history!”

“Um…you mean ‘THE greatest’, right?” Agon smiled weakly.

“No, no! I want to be ONE of the greatest warriors! Being THE greatest…That spot is already taken…”

“Taken? By who?”

“You don’t know?!? By the great warrior Louger, of course! She was born in Ruchs, as I was, and became a full-fledged warrior when she was just thirteen! I tried to make her my rival, which is another key trait of all great warriors, but I don’t think she was interested. Too many other important matters to tend to! Heinous beasts and the like! Dinorah cackled to the night air. Agon awkwardly grabbed at his other arm to try and distract himself from her obvious attempt to cope.

“R-right, sure…”

“By her third quest, she had already made a name for herself throughout Ruchs. I'm certain there are many other great warriors throughout this land, but for me, she stands at the very top. There are none quite like her!”

“She’s a really big fan of this person, isn’t she…?”

“I’m surprised; certainly the Pierans have sung her praises before, yes?”

“Hard for me to say, since that place isn’t real...”

“Every day, the townsfolk of Ruchs gasp and cheer as Louger walks by. She has the eyes of everyone, and yet she always keeps a level head. She’s a cold-blooded warrior with absolute composure and humility; one of the greatest souls to ever roam this earth! Compared to her, I...I’m…very much like the tadpoles in this pond.”

Agon looked at Dinorah with a bit more compassion as she spoke. Here was this girl who looked no more than sixteen, carrying so much weight on her shoulders just to try and stand out from this giant shadow. He had never talked with someone this long in his life, but he couldn’t find the will to pull away. Seeing the intricacies of life in the eyes of someone else was oddly compelling to him. Perhaps he saw more in them than just the horrors that plagued his own mind. It was, in a strange way, refreshing.

“So...how is defeating the Elbrus specifically going to help you to become the greatest…er…one of the greatest warriors?”

“Naturally, its rarity will help me build my legacy at a much faster rate.”

“Legacy…?”

“Every great warrior has a legacy; a string of feats and mysteriously wild encounters that are howled through inns, taverns, and guild halls. I have no feats yet, but from what I've observed, a warrior’s legacy usually begins with either one of two things: An encounter with a mystical creature or the acquisition of a special weapon that only the warrior can wield! With the Elbrus, I’m achieving both!”

“I WANT to say that makes sense, but…”

Take Louger, for example. On just her second quest, she raided a devious group of poachers who ripped a poor sea creature from its home in the ocean. She swiftly defeated every member of the group with nothing but a rusted dagger and her keen fighting instinct!”

“H-how many members were there?”

“Thirty!”

“THIRTY?!? To ONE?!?”

“After the battle, she rescued the sea creature and returned it to its home in the ocean. As a token of gratitude, the creature gifted her with a mighty blade carved by its own fins, straight from the deepest sea rock. That weapon is now known through history as Thalassio.

“Thalassio…?”

It's one of the greatest extensions of herself! When she draws it out, people say they hear the sound of water! If you don’t know Louger, then you’ve at least CERTAINLY heard tales of the ferocious Thalassio.”

“Right…definitely heard of…all of these things you're saying...”

“To become one of the greatest warriors of all time, I MUST have an amazing weapon of my own, with a name that strikes fear into the very darkness of this world! But I can’t just have it, I must EARN it!”

“And how would you…’earn it’…?”

"The Elbrus was weeping into this pond, so it's clearly in distress about something, yes? If I can figure out what’s troubling it, then maybe it will grant me a magnificent weapon of my own to wield!"

“H-hold on! You thought I was the Elbrus at first, and you tried to KILL me! You were literally JUST talking about how you were going to capture and defeat it! Now, all of a sudden, you wanna HELP this thing? W-where is this coming from?!?” Dinorah chuckled and blushed, rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment.

“Well...saying it out loud like this…I guess I realized that killing the Elbrus with no valid cause…is not noble in the slightest. It would certainly be one of the greatest acts of shame a warrior could perform. I mean, what would Louger think of me?

“You realize that NOW?!?”

“Admittedly, killing it seemed easier. I figured I could just lie and say that the Elbrus was ‘polluting the pond with poisonous tears’ or something like that. Who would argue my claim? Then I could kill it and fashion a weapon from its carcass on my own. No one would have to know! But then…after I heard you…I suppose I recognized how terrible a plan that was! Killing a sobbing creature is quite a bad look for a great warrior, yes?” She laughed heartily. That compassion Agon once felt for this girl quickly dissipated.

“What kind of 'warrior' are you?!?”

“S-so…when I was crying…”

“Yes, I had mistaken you for the Elbrus. Granted, I had been hiding in that pond for about two hours, so when I jumped out at you, my eyesight was a little rough, and I just saw a random blob before me. I guess I should’ve questioned why you weren’t glowing…or weren’t on all fours. I simply figured that you were the creature in disguise, and once I captured you, you would reveal your true form!”

“Do…do you even know if the Elbrus can change its form?”

“Not at all, but it seems fitting!” She commanded that hearty laugh once again from her diaphragm.

“Forget the Elbrus. She’s one of the greatest enigmas I've ever witnessed.”

“Wait…Agon…why WERE you crying?”

He paused, stroking the scar by his lip, softly. As his fingers brushed against the grooves within his cheek, memories flooded into his mind, flashing one by one. His death. Olagna’s torment. He breathed deeply, not sure how he was going to coherently explain any of what had happened to Dinorah. But just as he was about to answer, he saw the sun beginning to rise in the distance. A burning sensation immediately seeped into his chest. He pulled at the collar of his shirt to look down at his body, and saw that the "10:00" tattoo began to glow. The searing pain brought him to his knees.

“AGGGGGGGH!”

“Agon? AGON?!? What’s the matter?!?”

Dinorah couldn’t see what was behind Agon’s shirt, as he pressed his hand into his sternum to try and alleviate the pain. She stood over Agon, uncertain of what to do. Amongst his screams, Agon heard a voice in his head. 

“T.A./H.A. SKILL ACTIVATED. TIMER START.”