TICK
TICK
*beep*
Ugh, finally.
After 60 rather boring matches and several uncomfortable meetings, I finally met a Patron that suited me named Kirasu. After 20 more strangers fell to my quiver, I received my second and final invitation to her wonderful, green paradise.
"Your inclination with a bow is impeccable for your race and level. There's a clear innate connection you posses to your worlds environment as well, one that has already allowed you a supreme command over one of its most vital aspects. I see in you a temperament forged alongside Mother Nature Alongside me." She said, standing up from her multi-bark throne atop the face of a massive tree that appeared to have grown to fit the gods throne and provide shade with its overhanging bark perfectly. Countless vines covered in flowers twisted and wrapped around one another, forming a staircase step by step as she descended toward me.
"Your loyalty to both your kin and mine has not gone unnoticed, human. After some deliberation, I've found no other candidate across your universe better suited as my Champion, Willow." The god continued, extending her hand letting her deep green arm grow toward me. Unlike any of the other annoying gods that invited me to their noisy, smelly domains filled with nonsense, Kirasu had been an easy choice. Firstly, she explained her love and role as protector of the natural balance across the multiverse, and spoke highly of how delicate it can truly be to hold. A consistent struggle I've long seen in nature itself in reverence.
Second, her domain was incredible. It was like an endless forest filled with trees that grew both independently, and around one another like the vines themselves. The ground was covered in patches of flowers, tall and short grass, bushes of strange forms of red and green leaves shaped like traditional ivy. Flora I'd never seen before as far as the eye could see, under three distant suns spaced across the sky from horizon to horizon.
But the final and most vital reason I selected her as my patron was because Kirasu actually called me by my preferred name. Prior to the tournament, my parents named Cere, at birth. Cere Foster. Said parents also passed just a few months before this whole freaky 'integration' thing. Though, it wasn't like their passing was felt overly much, as my sister and I had been carrying the full load of our families responsibilities for years.
There was a moment, a window in which the full weight of knowing my big sister and I were totally on our own was…suffocating. While I'd collected game from our traps that needed to be put down before, I could never get the image of the light leaving my mothers eyes crawling through the wreckage of our flipped, beater of a truck. My father was already gone, with only his torso visible his upper have was somewhere wrapped around the tree they smashed into. Luckily my sister and I were sat in the truck bed, where she spotted our father's head hit the steering wheel after a particular long gulp from his bottle. From there, all I remember feeling her hands grab me, followed by a lot of loud, earth rattling thumps before realizing I was laying in the mud. My elbow still hurts just thinking about it…
Fuck that, not worth it.
For as long as I remembered, all four of us lived in a small little shack in Idaho, made of sheet metal and rotting wood tucked deep in the woods. It sat about 20 miles out from a small town, where we'd venture out shop for medicines and toiletries. After my parents' respective addictions retired them from hunting or working in general when I was just a little girl, my older sister Tiara carried most of the load for a long while.
Tiara jumped head-first into work as a sole provider by the age 15, doing any odd jobs she could get her hands on in town. When opportunities ran dry, Tiara would set traps how father had taught her as a little girl to catch animals roaming the woodlands. Luckily for us, she paid enough attention to feed the lot of us.
One thing I always loved about Tiara, was she always found a way to get me something for my birthday. She struggled day and night at times just to keep our parents' booze and my belly full, yet she never failed to get me something special for that day. When I was 9, she brought me home a toy bow and arrow.
"Better starting practicing now, Cere. One day soon, I'm going to need your help out around here if you're gonna keep growing and eating all my damn game." Tiara said sarcastically through that confident smirk of hers, displaying all four of her dimple indents. Even after a full week without food, or one of fathers famous furies whenever he was low on booze, Tiara always met my gaze with a big smile. She always insisted to me our suffering was temporary, no matter the situation. Her posture was unshakable by the blows life threw. Both to the physical damage when we were younger, and mental as our father aged and had to result to vitriolic insults when he drank.
With nothing but appreciation since my little hands tickled that toy quiver, I always held my end of the bargain. Damn, I really loved that little plastic bow. Tiara did maintain a strict 'no bows indoors' rule that forced me to leave in order to practice. Lucky being inside with mother and father was notoriously awful, especially when they both were awake enough to argue. So most of my free time was spent practicing my accuracy on empty cans while Tiara was busy in town working or out hunting. During that time, I got a chance to grow mu familiarity with the life teeming in the vast woodlands surrounding me.
See, I resented my parents at a young age and I feel rightfully so, but the woods? The vibrant, often dangerous plant life, the countless wooden giants strewn in vines lining every branch like the veins along my own inner forearm, all vividly etched into my mind. The birds that flew overhead, giving notice to predators serving as alarms to the danger of the forest gave direction. Only reverence and adoration filled my little heart with every stroll through the myriad of giant roots and foliage riddled grounds around our property growing up.
At least, property our family built, though my sister says the shack was mostly up and in shambles when our parents found it before I was born. According to Tiara they were happier back then, and that we had a brother. I didn't hear or see much else of either outside of stories my sister told, most of them ending with a lesson in self control. Truthfully, it felt more like a tall tale to inspire hope we had people out there, but I appreciated the thought all the same. Besides, there was little room for complaining by the age of 13 when I finally got my very own and very real bow.
For three years straight, all of my energy was spent carving targets into trees and training my accuracy with that bow. With time, it was too easy to hit the center, so I began practicing shooting while running and climbing. By my 16th birthday, Tiara apparently took note of my progress and bought me a compound bow, electing me the primary hunter. She of course kept the price-tag on the quiver, using the cost as her main argument for focusing fully on her job and education.
It only took a week for my training to translate into consistent successful hunts, while my traps and Tiara's cash kept us fed in the meantime. I continuously adopted more and more duties for the family from my big sister as the years passed. Of course, each served as the perfect excuse to explore depths of our wonderful woods.
With the tendency to climb the tallest tree I can find, came a natural appreciation for a gorgeous view, which was always immaculate from atop any of the 20 foot trunks that decorated the soil. And with that beauty often came excellent vantage points surveying suitable hunting grounds. With so many wonderful creatures to just observe, let alone bring home to the family, it's only natural I've spent the majority of my 21 years of life outside.
That is, until our parents…of course life did become a million times easier financially without having to fund their alcoholic benders. Still, it only took a few weeks for us to start bickering like them.
"I don't fucking understand you, Cere! We can finally get out of here. We don't HAVE to rot in this rundown shit-shack anymore. And both of them are LONG gone, why the hell are we still here!?" Tiara begged at the doorway, waving her money around she'd been saving for over 10 years in secret.
"Nothing except our lives, this is all we've ever known, Tiara. We eat good, we have a home, we just added an entire fucking floor, and town's just a bike ride away now. And like you said, they're both long gone now. So why do you want to leave so badly?" I countered, not seeing reason to waste the money on 'rent', just to surround us with more loud, angry noise. Especially when we finally finished our father's 10 year attempt at making our rundown shack a two-story, though my sisters income and friends from work played a rather massive role in that development. Tiara's eyes widened angrily, raising her voice fully letting frustration fly.
"What, other than sanitary conditions somewhere with a bigger population than fucking two?! Because this is all we've ever known, Cere. There's MORE to life than hunting, skinning, making fires just to survive the night. I'm a registered nurse for fucks sake, you don't have to make your own clothes anymore?!" Now pinching at my handmade coat. I felt my own anger flicker, as she was digging her long, red nails into my favorite coat.
"When did you become too good for us, Tiar-"
"WHO'S US?!" She yelled, leaning into my face. We'd spent days arguing about moving after I noticed her begin to pack almost immediately after mom and dad died.
"There's no drunken children in adult skin to keep breathing anymore, Cere! We did it, it's done, it's time to fucking MOVE ON!" She bellowed with watery, bloodshot eyes. I was going to retort how I normally did, reminding her of why we stayed in the first place having never been for them. That it was her idea to stay once we became capable of caring for ourselves, to embrace the beauty in our struggle and find our home in the world around us instead of harping on what we couldn't see. Who we couldn't see. Before I could get a word in however, there was a knock at our front door.
Turning, we both stepped back to see it was already open, with a scruffy overweight man in blue overalls and a dirty beanie, with two others peering in behind him. He smiled as look around and spoke.
"We heard some commotion comin' over here. Y'all ladies alright?" A man asked standing at the doorframe. We looked at each other, then back at our wide open front door before Tiara spoke.
"We're fine, thank you. Please, if you would shut the door behind you, our family will be home soon and won't take kind like to uninvited company."
He smirked, narrowing his gaze.
"Now, all that you were hollerin' about earlier didn't sound like you were waitin' on nobody." Now he had taken a few steps in, and the third man inside closed the door behind them.
"Would be a shame if you ain't had nobody strong to take care a ye'. It could be dangerous in the woods for some pretty ladies like y'all." He continued, wafting his rancid breath reeking of alcohol.
The other two men, both in dirty tank tops and grass stained jeans, had brandished a knife and tape between them, while the first was slowly inched closer to us,.
"How bout it, bell? A little protection for a little lo-"
As the man lunged toward my arm, Tiara snatched one of fathers empty whisky bottles off the table besides her and smashed it into his face. Before I could get a strike of my own in, Tiara grabbed and yanked my arm.
"RUN!"
With no time to argue, we both beelined to the staircase where we were cut off by a creep clutching a knife. Tiara began slowing, but I knew this was our only route seeing though the backdoor was cut off by the asshole she just gave a glassy makeover. Sliding by my sister, i waved my hand taking his attention high while jamming my heel into the side of his knee. The man's leg folded under my boot far easier than the predators I'd faced in the woods as he collapsed to the floor, tossing knife up to the second step of the staircase.
"Come ON!" I commanded, grabbing Tiara who was standing totally stunned. Her knee bounced off the edge of step before she came to, scurrying up to follow. The sounds of large footsteps and the occasionally grumbled profanity tailed close behind as we bolted for my bedroom.
One prick clutching rope around his shoulder got a hold of my sister's hair as we reached the top of the staircase. Spotting my bow and quiver were resting by the bedroom door, I leapt and rolled past while snatching my weapon off the floor. I turned with an arrow knocked to find he'd grabbed Tiara around the neck, whispering in her ear as he squeezed. Suddenly, his face leaned to the side yelling in pain as Tiara swiped a knife across his face.
Without hesitation, I loosed the arrow driving it deep into his beaty eye. His body convulsed before going limp, allowing Tiara to pry his arm from her neck as he fell lifeless to the floor. She lurched in from the staircase walkway diving into our room. My foot wrapped around the edge of the door, using my leg to slam the door closed behind us. Scanning the room, the open window was the only feasible exit I could find. At least, without risking having to fight another creep my sister here.
*BANG*
Before I could begin crawling through the window, the pig of a man threw his overweight body through the door. Tiara has barely stood up in front of the doorframe, sending her flying on impact.
"You stupid bitch." He growled, huffing with a wheeze. The man leapt forward the moment I drew my arrow from my quiver. His head down and weight was fully forward indicates as much commitment to his charge as the agitated boars roaming our woods. Stepping to the side, my foot instinctively launched up kicking my leg off the pale wall like I would the trunk of a nearby tree. The man dove head-first into the wall under me, though not with enough force to break through the wall. Instead, his head made a hollow thunk as he ricocheted off the wall.
Turning back in a daze, the man woozily loaded a punch stumbling at me yet again. Already pulling another arrow, I spun it in my hands before slamming the tip between his knuckles before kicking him in the chest. The creep yelled in pain clutching his hand as I knocked my next arrow. As his angry grimace loosened into a look of fear as his gaze met my hands, 3 feathers suddenly obscured the center of his forehead. His eyes crossed upward, collapsing with a single stream of blood running down the man's face.
Dropping my bow, I had just began jogging over to on Tiara when everything went totally white. Once the faceless woman let me select a new bow and quiver was and finished giving me the low-down on this multiverse bullshit, I was told I'd be in a tournament for Earth's best 'prospects'. Knowing it meant I'd have to kill another person, I felt my knees begin to buckle at the memory of those fuckers gruff, lifeless faces.
"What is the matter, Cere?" The strange woman with no clear features said in a considerate tone.
"I-…I can't. Not after…." I barely squeezed out of my tightening throat before realizing a tear blurred my vision. The faces of those men were still stained in my mind, and appeared clear as day every time I blinked. It wasn't the same as animals, they were people. Though, they certainly behaved far worse than any animal I'd encountered…
"Cere, you must understand, no one will actually die here. This is merely a way of proving yourself, potentially even gaining a great advantage in a powerful ally. Losing participants are merely teleported to a viewin-"
"I KNOW! But what about after? The tutorial will be full of us, of…monsters." I replied clutching my arms to my chest, shouting now more than talking. The odd woman paused, frozen like a mannequin at a tailor before answering.
"Your sister lives, Cere. Statistically speaking that won't be for long however, as she isn't as naturally equipped to survive the multiverse. Frankly, neither are you. Only one of you have been selected for this prestigious multiversal opportunity, but it is entirely optional to participate. I will leave the decision in your hands, but decide now." She explained. It was the most human she'd sounded in over an hour of discussion, and it felt…threatening. She was right though, as much as I hated to admit it.
Yet…I couldn't continue into the tournament with a clear conscience. Not with the person I was, someone so desperately afraid of change. I had to be someone willing to adapt without losing my true nature. Something that could withstand the blazing heat of conflict, as well as the cold emptiness that came with feeling alone. I need to hold firm through the cycle tribulations like the change of seasons. Something I'd long envied in the natural sky scrapers that inhabited the forest since I was just a little girl for was their strength, and certainty of purpose without needing to much any external affirmation.
"If I'm to do this, I do not wish to go by my birth name any longer. I wish to be known simply as, 'Willow'. I exclaimed, glaring at the woman's featureless, pale face. She froze yet again, before twitching go attention.
"The system does not find this request to be unreasonable, however you may not change your displayed name again until a skill is accrued to do so. Do you accept and wish to continue your journey into the Placement Tournament?"
Momentarily hesitant, Tiara's bruised and bloodied face from its impact to the door flashed in my mind.
"I accept." I said. The faceless woman simply nodded.
"Good luck, Willow."
Ever since, it's been more difficult trying not to view each fight as another hunt. At worst, their effective danger never surpassed an agitated hunter deep in the forests. Still, I knew better than to underestimate a person, noting people had always been the real monsters lurking out forests. At least the vast majority I'd encountered outside of our family. Hunters willing to wipe out entire ecosystems for pricy game, trappers that left their catches to suffer, and of course those who paid an unwanted visit. The brutality that people display without a thought was not nature's priority, it simply is or isn't.
Images of my prior fights brought on a terrible mixture of emotions. Hatred for a few braggadocios dickheads who usually said some bullshit about 'going easy' on me. A few even attempted stipulating a fucking kiss for peace, immediately earning an arrow through their wretched face. Which of course brought me to the joy at their vivid looks of terror moments before falling. Finally, and worst of all, was the guilt for the few who had clearly lived without fighting for survival, and were scared. I'd grown so frustrated with prior bigmouthed competitors constantly flapping their gums, occasionally that anger slipped into my fights with much kinder spirited opponents. A particularly younger fellow sticks out the most, a mage who was shaky from the beginning. Something I retroactively noticed only after unleashing a barrage of arrows through his knees, chest and forehead. He really didn't deserve all that…
"Hello, fair archer woman. In case you do not recognize me in these hideous garments they've provided me, my name is Prince Artullo, first in line to the throne to King Arlamon, ruler of the most beautiful lands the world has ever known. I've been trained by the world's finest warriors in the infallible discipline of the rapier, and I'd like to take this time to allow your immediate surrender." My first 'top 10' tournament opponent blabbed on, snapping my from my thoughts. Curious at exactly how dreadful this guy truly was, I simply let my brow furrow in confusion.
"No?…no matter. I do not recognize you, and only the most elite belong in a culture of supreme martial talent such as this one." He added, before turning to the blonde watching from outside the battle arena.
"Neither of you seem as though you've had the amenities to nurture your warrior spirits properly, though I commend yours in particular. There's nothing more valuable to a King than a competent General." The supposed Prince rambled on, completely taking his eyes off of me like a brown bear that had already eaten. Like I was harmless to him. My eyelid twitching, hands balled in a fist, with the sound of my thick knuckles cracking under the added pressure. My heart, pounding faster than it had since…that day. Rage filling my chest.
"Now, please. Place that flimsily stick and your arrows on the floor. I ensure you I will make this painless." The prince demanded, raising his chin high as he turned to face me.
Oh HELL no.
"You know what, your highness? I have a better idea." I shot back, feeling my nostrils flaring with rage.
"It was not a suggestion, peasa-"
Not willing to allow that sentence to finish, I loosed an arrow aimed straight for this fuckers ugly mouth. He raised his rapier, deflecting it with a gaudy smirk.
"Petulant girl." With that, Artullo began casually advancing, holding his thin blade at a strolls pace. My hand snagged an arrow, nocking and firing another straight for his shoulder. Once more, the prince deflected my arrow with a quick swipe with his rapier. I fired again for his sword hand, causing the asshole to swiftly side step my attack.
"How amusing! You must have fought the lowest this place had to offer. No matter, I'll make this quick as a merciful ruler should." Artullo proclaimed, with a chuckle. My jaw clenched seeing his agility, realizing I'd have to actually respect this pricks ability.
Fine, but this won't be fun for you.
Grabbing another arrow from my quiver, my hand released the wood as it hovered behind my head, dropping it arrowhead-first into the arena floor. Nothing could prepare me though, for the priceless look on his face relaxing from a scrunched confident brow to wide-eyed bewilderment.
Focusing my intent, a small burst of energy channeled from my feet through to my hand as the arrow fell from my grip. My muscles relaxed as a glimpse of my favorite tree back home flashed in my mind. Sounds of wood popping and crackling filled the air as Willow Trees sprouted from each of my arrows sprawled across the arena. Artullo's head slowly rose watching my tree sprouting behind.
Discovering this ability of mine was a complete accident that occurred in my very first match. Even with having selected a new name for a new beginnings I still couldn't shake my apprehension to kill anything again. It was only after I nervously dropped my arrow mid-nocking my bow did I remember what compelled me to come here. It wasn't just a want, I needed to become stronger, not just physically but mentally as well. With a burst of emotions, the calm stillness I'd found the moment my sister and I finished off our final intruder washed over me a hundred-fold.
That's when the first Willow tree exploded from the ground where I dropped my arrow. A loud ding accompanied its emergence with a message stating I'd made a skill. Ever since, this skill and I have decorated over 70 arenas, as I didn't really enjoy staying in any one particular place for too long. The wait between fights was often consistent with its popularity, which often shifted after a few of my fights. The ability to achieve a birds-eye view was incredibly useful, as well being my only piece of home I've had with me. Yet, it wasn't always necessary to use, unfortunately.
Stepping backward lifting my hand, I grasped onto a branch while placing my foot onto a larger one as the willow sprouted up at its typical, incredible rate of growth. Artullo stumbled back in retreat, pointing his rapier at me.
"There can be no mercy for you, witch." Artullo said with an oddly shaky voice. The rapier tip erupted with a flash of golden energy. Instinctively I leaped off the branch and over him, firing an arrow at the prince before landing onto another of my sprouted arrow-Willows thick branch.
My attack slipped between the prince's thick shoulder armor, piercing his arm causing Artullo to let out out a high pitched yelp. He ripped the arrow free and threw it to the side.
"Get down here, that's a command!" He barked, his voice cracking as blood began leaking from his shoulder. Turning to my other tree, I fired an arrow at a downward arch, being sure I pulled as far back as I possibly could.
"How dare you take your eyes from me in battle?!"
He flexed forward to fire his stupid laser again, but not before my arrow was released. It flew towards the trunk of the Willow, only to be absorbed completely without breaking its path. As the tail end of the arrow disappeared into the tree, its tip formed out of the tree behind Artullo at knee height. It burrowed deep behind his knee, causing him to drop to a knee.
Swinging on the branch I stood on, I threw my legs into the shadow casted onto the tree's bark, and felt myself slide through without resistance. Focusing my will, I appeared behind Artullo myself, and jammed my arrow into the back of his other knee. He fell once more, and swung his sword wildly behind him. It was greeted with the 'thunk' of his rapier hitting the bark, as I'd already stepped back into my Willow, appearing on the tree branch across from where I'd been originally.
Firing into the only appendage I hadn't missed, his arm flailed in the air under the pressure of my arrow finding purchase in his forearm. Jumping down, I approached Artullo, now slumped on his knees wincing in pain.
"What was it you called me, a 'peasant'?" I asked, bashing the end of my bow against the cheek of the spoiled prick before me.
"How…how dare yo-"
*SLAP*
Artullo's voice wasn't necessary anymore, he said all he had to. I saw his instincts, I know his nature.
"You know, I've never got to meet someone like you before in person. My sister used to warn me of the rich kids that ran about our town, visiting in the summer in their newly built homes while dwindling the locals hunting grounds. They were the biggest reason Tiara fought so hard to get some plastic card for spending money easier, since she noticed how often those wealthy fucks simply swiped away their problems. I couldn't believe someone so ignorant, so astray from their natural instincts believed their material bullshit made them happier, or better than anyone, could exist."
The prince shakily lunged for his rapier, earning an arrow that pinned his palm to the arena floor.
"Move again and you'll become the soil for my children's growth." I angrily warned. The princes face twitched with fear, devoid of that smug arrogance he entered this place with.
Good.
"As I was saying, you're an interesting new experience, Prince. But…that rot in your heart? I am all too familiar with that." Pacing in front of the sniveling man before me.
"I've failed to trust myself, at times wondering if I were mistaken about the nature of man. Instead, I've found the most repulsive to be those who've strayed rather how far from their own nature. You pretend to matter, like the values you hold are shared by all. You're clueless to the order of life outside of your bubble, in turn damning you the moment money ceases to define status." I said, thinking out loud more than talking to the quivering mess hunched on all fours before me.
"Yo-You have no right to speak to me this way?! You're nothing, show some fucking respect you ape!?" The prince whimpered, apparently fighting his fear with the same pompousness he came in with.
"Yet even an ape would knows better than to drone on selfishly in the face of a predator. You believe yourself the apex, yet nothing you have or done warrants any kind of worship."
Squatting down, I leaned in closely to his face, biting my inner cheek until the taste of blood covered my tongue. With a pair of long, deep breaths, I managed calming myself enough to speak.
"You are a relic, Artullo. You are unfit for this environment, because it was never made for it in the first place. You could never evolve, because it's not your nature to. Therefore, Nature has deemed you unfit for this world, Prince. Allow me to enforce its will here, before she has her way with you later." I said, brandishing an arrow and piercing it deep through his chest. my boot smashed into the back of the arrow, jabbing it deeper while knocking him flat onto his back. With a thought, the rest of my arrows embedded in his body sprouted, instantly ripping him apart under a mess of expanding trunks. Then, in a blink I was teleported out.
Stepping away from the arena having, I found a decent spot secluded from the others while making my way past the stares of my few remaining hunts. Reflecting on the fight, a smile creased my lips realizing it actually felt good to win a fight for the first time since before entering this tournament. Sighing, I sat down and began patiently waiting for the next fight.
I needed that.