Fight and Prosper

“Flaemis, You’re too single-minded!” Drix corrected, slamming his fist into my chest. “Balance is what you need”

“Its kinda hard to balance when my magic is randomized”

“There are ways to stack a deck,” Drix admitted, folding his arms and tilting his head. He spied me and looked at me with certain wordless domination in his glance. He lifted his leg all wordlessly and he swung it. It connected against the side of my head. He put all his force, all his body and will into this kick. Falling to the ground My head slammed against the stark white flooring. “If you can’t understand there’s a formula to luck then you’re not lucky”

“Look before we continue….there’s a student I need to speak with”
“A student?” Drix cocked an eyebrow and stepped back. “It's not the brother of the fallen Dragoon is it?”

“I….I just need to know how he’s holding up”
“Listen….you reveal anything you heard here and you’re dead!” Drix shook me by my collar. He stopped and shook his head, his head dropped forward and he raised his arms in a shrug. “You teachers are always so sentimental it's sickening”

“I beg your pardon”

“Oh, you heard me…!” His eyes perked up and his mouth grew into a wide Cheshire-like smile. “Why bother worrying about future soldiers when you can raise them to be the perfect weapons, unfeeling...unflinching monsters willing to go to extreme lengths to do a good job”

“What The actual hell is wrong with you?”

“I’m a strategist….its only the smartest decision to have a force of literal weapons in your employ rather.

“Weapons? Those weapons you want to control so bad are thinking feeling children and you’ll have to go through me before you hurt them”

“No I won’t,” Drix said with a playful smirk. “Hurt’s being a political figurehead doesn’t it?”

“Who said anything about politics?” As the guttural words left my mouth a resonate bubble of hatred and indignation floated to my throat, stinging and burning like a powerful mead.

“No need to get so high and mighty prof. You’re just a Headmaster not a God of Forge or even the king” He punched me again, his fist connected against my chest and I flopped to the ground. All I could feel and understand was a roaring crescendo of pain that pinged ever louder as it went on. Floundering on the ground holding my chest. I looked up at Drix who glared down at me.

His playful demeanor was gone; there was now a stoic snake-looking man looming o’er me. His shadow eclipsed mine. His eyes were empty and glazed over like he was home but was letting his instincts answer the door. He shook his head and snapped his fingers. Before I knew it I was forced to my feet.

“I think it’s time we have some rougher training” he punctuated what he had said with howling vultures-like laughter. Before I knew he had struck me. His fist connected against my chin. My head recoiled and I flopped to the ground. Collapsing to my knees or so I thought. I was soon back on my feet before I knew it. Drix clapped and laughed.
“Wow, you must really like taking my jaw-shattering punches!” A glow of purple lighting gathered around his fist. He took a squatting position bracing himself against the ground as he prepared his next move. the memory of my father played again.

Fight and prosper! Fight and prosper Flaemis

Like a primal feeling, a deep-seated feeling of wanting to finally give in.

In a flash of black light, red eyes, and purple miasma. There I stood in a shadowy haze of the man I knew I was. My body was limp and yet all the while pensive and tense.

ASTROGIUS: GEMINI SCHATTEN!! I roared pacing on my toes like some waiting beast with a hunger for flesh. My hands opened and extended like weapons. eyes dilated and wild. Large and manic with red piercing pupils that could pierce the soul with a wayward glance.

“Well, this is new!”

I couldn’t process what he said. All I could think was the same three words over and over. Fight and Prosper! And from the looks of it, I was about to do a whole lot of it. Suddenly Drix stopped, he raised his hands above his head and sat on the floor. He watched me tactfully then immediately he spoke.

“We’re done for today!” he said with a smirk. He folded his legs and put his fist under his chin. “But it seems that your conscious brain isn’t active in this transformation….go right ahead and take a pot shot” He lifted his eyebrow and stared. “But it will be the last punch you ever throw” Drix spat. “You punch me now….I can get your ass thrown in the lowest pit of the dungeon with no hesitation.

as soon as the smoke came Gemini dispersed leaving as a normal man.

“You’re free to go….the maid staff have provided you quarters….we will train tomorrow morning….don’t be late,” Drix said coldly leaving the room in a silent huff rather than a bombastic wham and scram as I had imagined. In the solitary room, embraced by amber light with only pools of my own blood as mirrors. I sat and I pondered. Sitting down on my knees and bringing my hands over my head I flashed back to mere seconds ago as it played in my head over and over. Followed by those three words. Fight. And. Prosper. The last words my father ever gave me, The words I can’t control and the memory they are tied to.

I flashed back to what Simon said and his laughter soon after.

“Enough with the humor!” was my relationship with father just a joke….a failed punchline that fell to the ground but nevertheless stays with you. Was Simon right?

“What was Dad Hiding?"

***

Sufferous Numeron….an odd one he is. Hell, most of the time I barely notice he’s there. The kid sat next to me. Hunched over with folded arms as he looked out at the royal playing grounds. His eyes transfixed on the players. Catching, receiving, and tossing a ball to one another. His eyes followed their every movement, every muscle his eyes painstakingly copied and traced it into his retina. Finally growing rather bluntly bored of the silence I spoke up.

“You ok kid?” I stuck a cigarette in my mouth. Lighting it and breathing out a plume of smoke with a groan. Sufferous huffed shifting and turning his back to me. “I can’t help ya unless ya talk ta me” I said, lighting another cigarette. Chain-smoking….yeah it was one of those days.
“I’m fine!” Sufferous shot. “Uncle Virgil already worries about me enough so you don’t have to”

“No….but I’m worried about you as a person….look death is hard”

“Death? Is this what this is about? Is this why you called me out to the Snapdragon Palace?!” he shakily spoke. Sniffling and standing up and pointing at me with a shaking finger. “You have no idea what I saw….what I felt!” he was barely coherent at this point, his voice shattering into a broken flicker of broken vowels and whimpering words.

“Let it all out kid….you cry and you cry until the next tear is out of joy”

“I saw everything…..She…..She…. Oh, Inthan!!!” Watching the boy break down wasn’t what I had planned for the day. Extending my hand I placed it softly on his head.

“Its ok….you’re safe here...let it out scream if you want” Slapping my hand Sufferous screamed. Holding his head as the tears rolled down his face. His black hair tousled by the wind as he turned his attention to the sky above.

“You can’t begin to understand what it was like”

“I can’t understand?......maybe your experience with death, yes? But I have already danced with the reaper twice” I stomped on my cigarette and stuck a fresh one in my mouth. “I ain’t mad at ya….you’re just an emotional kid….so be emotional I ain’t gonna judge ya”

“I...I” words failed Sufferous. Try as he might to open his mouth and begin to form a thought, the words then took an extended absence not too soon after.

“Just breathe kid…” Again I extended my hand only to be met by a second slap.

“I can process my emotions without you Headmaster!” He retorted before his face crumpling into a srorrowful frown. Tears streaming down his face.

“No….You can’t look at yourself Sufferous? You’re broken”

“You can state the obvious without being hurtful”

“Hurtful? look….I’m not being hurtful but I apologize if that’s the way i came off….but look you are safe at the academy….you can be free to scream, yell and cry all you want….hell I can even give you good spots to be alone”

“You don’t get sad headmaster you’re...always so...so you!”

“Everyone gets sad every once and a while….life in and of itself is a burden a cross we are to bare if we are to truly thrive” I inhaled taking a drag from my cigarette. I spoke slowly. And not with a defined structure just a free associated string of thoughts. “If you wanna be mad, be mad, if you wanna be glad, be glad, if you wanna be sad, you be sad….nobody should tell you when where or how your emotions are accepted you’re you not some weapon” I gripped Sufferous’ shoulder and gave him a small jostle. “If you’re mad you damn well should turn all your anger towards killing the damn thing that took her away”

“Pardon me Mr. Shingumi I hate to intterupt….the king has requested your presence at once” A butler said taking a bow. Crossing his arm over his stomach he stood with a unique grace. A certain auspicious percllivity in his stance. I took in as much as I could of his appearance. White hair, young porcelain skin. A monocle on his face and all capped off with a white suit black tie and a vibrant red rose tucked neatly in his breast pocket. He stood up and switftly moved back towards the palace.

“Well that’s my que to go kiddo….here” I plopped something into his hands and with a smile I waved him away with my father’s three words.

“Fight and prosper”
Sufferous held his hand close to his chest and looked down at it. A crummpled cigarette lay in his palm. Turning his back on the Palace a smile crept on his lips.

“Fight and Prosper” he said to himself softly at first and then he planted his feet outstretched his arms; wand and cigarette in hand. Tears running down his face he shouted.

“FIGHT AND PROSPER!!!” His voicerferous voice shaking and breaking before melting into a sobbing morose display of vulnerability. Turning his head to the Palace he uttered one single phrase softly like a teardrop in a rainstorm.

“Thank you”

Walking into the palace I was only a second through the door before I was pulled and jostled every which way by maids and butlers. All the while they said things like

“His eminence needs you!” they said pulling on me.

Finally I was shoved through the same large golden door from before. His eminence seated on the Throne. His knee pulled into his chest and a dire look on his face.

“Mr. Shingumi!” He exclaimed. “We have dire news!”

Taking a knee I gazed at the king, well I did before my mind began to wander. I couldn’t help but keep looking at the other things around the room.

“MR. SHINGUMI! YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE!” The king slammed his fist into the armrest of his throne. “This is dire!”

“Y...Yes sir”

“We have received word from the Council of Commanders….that the identified Acnient Wyvern….as they titled it Nidhogg….” He stopped and drew breath, wiping his forehead. “Has begun an odyssey towards the Rose Capital….like its looking for something!”

“Its coming here?” I shook my head and felt that same bubbling anger burn in my throat.

“Unfortunatley so….I tell you this because simply you just need to keep a secret that’s it”

“Sir! If I may” That feeling grew louder and louder. Screaming in my mind. I opened my mouth and just spoke what was on my mind. “But that is the dumbest decision! We should mobilize the Capital at least the upper city….show that dragon not to mess with us”

“Do you want to cause hysteria? Honestly”

“Well no”

“Then allow me if I may Mr. Shingumi what would that accomplish other than mass hysteria...we want to evacuate the Capital city of Yeurs without a commotion….we need you to come up with a cover story”

“Why would I do that?”

“I understand lying is something we all never wanna stoop to….but this, this is a necessity” He said brining his other leg onto his throne. Sitting like somesort of belfry gargoyle he sighed. His lips curled downward into a frown. “All I need you to do is take Baron Omstead and evacuate the capital”

“Omstead….no you can’t be sending me with”
“Howdy Ya’ll!” a gravely voice cut through the reverence of the room. In walked not what you’d expect following such an irreverent voice. Your mind might generate images of a young slender man with a bit of a sailor’s mouth. With the rhythmic tapping of a cane walked in Old Man Omstead. Bright red bushy hair, blue eyes and an overall outfit that screamed.

“I can buy and sell you twelve times before noon” He strolled in and lightly checked me with his shoulder. “Hey big guy what did I miss?”

“Everything you irrev-”

“Baron Omstead….it is good to see you”

“Yeah missed ya too; now where ya dad….its fun playing dress up and all but I’m here to speak with King Tell not his brat”

“My father is currently buried but if you keep talking back I’ll send you to him”

“Alright Alright I was only joking King Archfienz…!”

“Virgil….just take Mr. Shingumi and evacuate the capital city”

“Well that sure as shit sounds like a plan to me so lets hop to it Mr. Shingumi” Virgil grabbed my forearm and before I knew I was drug against my will.

Ozy sake I hope Kin isn’t too worried.

CHAPTER 6 END!!