YEET! Long chapter! Enjoy!
Teoitotia's POV:
We arrived in Tliltetepetl and Fujin left right away so Raiden can go warn the others. Since it was nighttime, I walked around my village to give the officers and elders more time to prepare for the meeting. I got restless and walked to the House of Laws. As I walked inside, I saw the night guards and greeted them, "Good night, brave ones." They nodded in return and I continued walking. There were guards watching over the House of Laws at night so no one could steal the records we have and adjust/destroy them. I strode to the meeting room and saw the officers already there, so I walked inside. Since we are fighters, we are taught to quickly answer the call when done so. I bowed my head and said in a soft voice, "Officers."
They bowed in return. "Teoitotiatzin."
Coyotlantli said, "The elders should be here soon."
I nodded and thought, I might as well inform them so they can start thinking about plans. So I started to tell them what occurred. Eventually, the elders arrived and we all greeted each other. A few minutes after the last one arrived, my uncle's attendant came out and we went to stand by our mats. My uncle walked out and held a hand up. "Please, sit." So we sat and when he did so, he stated, "I apologize for having a meeting this late at night and interrupting your rest, but this is an emergency. We will most likely be at war very soon." I saw from my peripheral vision as the elders became concerned and a bit frightened. I knew the officers were also very concerned. We have not been in any war...at all. My uncle raised a hand with his palm up to point at me. "I will allow Teoitotia to explain."
I stood up and walked near the entrance and right in line to my uncle. I kept my gaze down and my head slightly down, too. I slightly bowed and said, "Thank you, tlatoani. Elders and officers, I apologize to being the bearer of unnerving news. Not too long ago, Lord Tlaloc received a message originating in Chaosrealm. That message contained symbols on a scroll. I have never seen them before and with a bit of work, was able to see a hidden message only we spirits can see. As you all can deduce, that message must have been from a spirit. What was on it can be interpreted as a declaration of war...and revenge. Another set had how much time we have to prepare. We have, now, slightly less than a full day to prepare. Given the context of the message written on it, that message was directed to us, for no one else knows what occurred thousands of years ago to Tliltetlapiani. I also believe that the act of wiping out peoples or cities was done by them. Both in Mekaranoba and Outworld, certain peoples were killed besides the adults capable of fighting. I deduce that the no-good spirits have done it to give the weaker ones vessels to fight. Not to mention that we do not know who else they have gathered vessels from, but it can be safely said that from other unknown realms. I can almost guarantee that the Supreme No-Good Spirit is free and able to fight. In shorter words: The no-good spirits are prepared for a rematch against us for what occurred far before our time and we have less than a day to meet them before they go on to cause more chaos. However, we do not have enough warriors to face them alone. Tlatoani, we are at war and dangerously outnumbered as well as overpowered."
I saw the officers look sad and the elders were in shock. My uncle lightly tapped his spear to gather all their attention again and he asked me, "What is it that the others are doing?"
"Lord Tlaloc has gone to inform the monks, Nightwolf, the Special Forces, Lin Kuei, and Shirai Ryu of our situation. He is also going to ask Outworld's and Orderrealm's armies to fight with us. In about 4 hours, he will have gathered all the leaders of those respective armies in order for us to come up with a strategy. I do not know where, but he will come pick us up. I have to add, that I also suggested that the Spirits themselves fight with us." Before anyone else spoke up, I continued, "While we are powerful ourselves, there are just too many no-good spirits to fight against. We need spiritual power and the Spirits might make an exception to this."
My uncle spoke with calm, "Thank you. You may sit." I moved to sit down and he continued, "First, we must distribute our army appropriately. General and officers, would you agree with leaving 52 out of 527 (1/10) of our warriors here?"
I communicated with the officers and then responded to my uncle, "That is fine."
"Alright. We will leave an even mix of the physical, spiritual, and the ones who do both. The part-time warriors will be called to be vigilant until we come back. Secondly, the rest shall be called upon when it is a bit after dawn. They shall be informed and ordered to prepare anything they need, but they will also have time to be with their kin. The young porters will also come along (NOTE: The porters carry the weapons and other necessities of the veteran warriors so they can see what battle is like. They stay far enough from the fight so they cannot be harmed.). The moment the battle falls far from our favor, they will be sent back here as well as other warriors. Strategy will be left to the General and, if required, the officers. Elders, do you have any wisdom for us?"
The one elder who spoke for the rest stood up and took my previous place. He bowed and said, "Tlatoani, general, and officers, we have no other wisdom we have not shared with you all before. Not matter what the outcome is, we trust you to come up with the best strategy and fight with all of your might to come out victorious for the sake of our home. We are, however, concerned." He stopped.
My uncle said with reassurance, "Speak, Elder."
"Tlatoani, you have no heirs. General, you also have no heirs, nor siblings. Should the both of you fall, who will be the candidate for the position of tlatoani?"
I thought with annoyance, Of course they would be concerned about that. My uncle immediately responded with confidence, "I nominate my younger sister as the next tlatoani."
The elder retorted, "And if her mate falls?"
"Then I nominate any of the officers as the next tlatoani. It will be made sure that at least one of them survives. I promise in the Tloque Nahuaque's grace."
"Very well. That is all." The elder sat down.
My uncle calmly changed the subject, "Now, concerning the actual battle itself, we will prepare for the absolute worst and say that all no-good spirits will be present; The Supreme No-Good Spirit, its generals, minor generals, captains, and whole army will be there. General, is there any insight you already have that you can share with us?"
I stood up and went to my previous spot. I have turned emotionless and focused on pure logic. "As far as the minimum ability required to be a full-time warrior, no matter how many lower-ranked ones there are, our warriors will be able to defeat all of them, but since most of them will have hosts, the other armies will deal with them. Our warriors must aid when necessary. The ones that we are to exclusively deal with is the leader, generals, minor generals, captains, and a few below them. Considering our and their respective abilities and strength, every one of our warriors should be able to deal with the ones below the captains. With the captains, it may take about four regular warriors to deal with it, if not, then five. Please remember, there are many of the last two ranks I have talked about, therefore, our people may be occupied with all of them. That should be their focus. Considering the skill and strength of the officers, they should be able to deal with the minor generals together, however, with captains, dealing with captains should require none to little help. With generals, it would take a lot more to deal with them. I have defeated a general in the past, but it was the weakest one, and ever since, it must have been replaced. Either way, using all that I can do and be, I should be able to deal with the generals one on one. However, they will all most likely attempt to jump me so I have no fighting chance. Minor generals should be no problem for me, however, even they must be a problem for me when they reach a certain number. The Supreme No-Good Spirit, will be the main problem. Most importantly, I have not taken into account the Great Lords. They know the basics, so dealing with captains should be easy for one of them alone. I believe that they would need to learn more to deal with minor generals since they are more...creative. With the Great Lords, I believe that our workload will be more manageable. The main fear that I must bring up is that we do not know anything about the actual size of their force. We do not know how many higher-ranked ones exists. It would take, perhaps, centuries to be able to count all of them. Tlatoani, I fear that this is a battle we cannot win in the spiritual sense. The other armies may be able to deal with the far weaker ones, but we are not enough for the others, even with the Great Lords. Without them, we have no chance of winning. Not only that, but I have not even addressed the Supreme No-Good Spirit; Who knows how much power it has gained in the past few thousands of years? Either way, when the battle starts, it will target you and I as descendants of Tliltetlapiani. If the Great Lords join us against it, I fear we may not be enough, perhaps unless, true forms are revealed..."
The room was silent and then my uncle spoke slowly, "What if we send all of our warriors? Both full and part-time?"
I looked down at my feet and with hopelessness, I said, "That will still not be enough. If our whole army was multiplied by four or five, we may be just enough. Obviously, no one else can help us in this front. We are bound to fall."
(REMINDER: The ranks go like this: Tlatoani [Iztakoatl], General [Teoitotia], Supreme Officer, Supreme Junior Officer, Junior Officer [Coyotlantli], and then the captains and lower ranks.)
The Supreme Officer stood up and bowed at my uncle. "I apologize for my interruption, but I must speak."
My uncle quickly gave him permission. "Go on."
The Supreme Officer turned to me. "Teoitotiatzin, I believe that you may be able to do more than you say. You, like your mother and grandmother, can turn into your true form. We know that it can do and has far more power than if you were still in human form."
"But even I have my limits, Officer."
"I understand, but do not forget about your own power."
I nodded. "Thank you for your insight, you may sit." He bowed and sat. Then I went on, "Before I forget, I must say, that if the tlatoani, two officers, and I fall without being rid of anything higher than a captain, then retreat should be immediate. Without us, the high-ranked no-good spirits will have no problem dealing with the rest of our warriors. Additionally, the Supreme No-Good Spirit cannot be killed, for its existence is still necessary to this cosmos. Therefore, it must be trapped. The Great Lords, the Supreme Officer, Supreme Junior Officer and I should deal with it. If we can trap and lock it away, then their ranks should be a bit uneasy."
My uncle, in deep thought, gently said, "Thank you. You may sit." I bowed and went to sit. My uncle then continued, "As of now, we have a very rough outline of our strategy. Does anyone else have any concerns?" Silence. "Then, consider this meeting over. We shall have another one once Teoitotia and the officers arrive from their next meeting. Teoitotia, how much time is left before it?"
I was caught slightly off guard and thought about it. "I assume that perhaps a bit more than three hours are left."
"Very well then. Thank you for answering my call this late at night. Please, rest well. We have a decisive battle tomorrow. Should we win, we have a chance of peace for a few years, or even decades. Should we fail, we may all fall tomorrow." He tapped his spear. "We will take our leave so you can all rest." He stood up and walked out with his attendant behind him. Once he was out of sight, the rest of us stood up. My officers and I huddled.
I gently ordered them, "Please take a nap until Tlaloc arrives. I will wake you all up."
"You must sleep too, General," the Supreme Junior Officer noted.
I smiled. "I will."
Before anyone said anything else, the elders approached us. "General. Officers. We hope you all make the right plans.
We bowed our heads and I said, "Thank you, elders. Please, you must rest for later."
"Of course," the elder responded, then, they left. My officers and I shifted into jaguars (Besides Coyotlantli; He turned into a snake.) and lied down in a room reserved for guests. I closed my eyes, and although I might be very sleepy later, three hours of sleep was better than no sleep.
... ...
My officers and I were teleported by Raiden to a Special Forces base I have never seen before. It was about half an hour after midnight. When we walked into a certain room, we saw: Nightwolf, Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Sonya Blade, Johnny Cage, Kenshi, Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Kitana, Jade, Kotal Kahn, Sheeva, Baraka, and, what I assume are, the leaders of Orderrealm's army. What surprised me the most, was that Kojin, Sarutahiko, and Fujin were there, too. Everyone was gathered in groups. I walked to meet Fujin and my officers followed. When his brothers saw me, they nodded their head and I did the same in return. I stopped a few inches from Fujin and faced the same way as them, towards the large table meant for, what I assume, is planning. I spoke to him via our spirits, My love.
My love.
So you are all fighting too?
Raiden, for one, made an exception. I would like to say that I am not surprised, but I actually am. I thought he would want to deal with this himself.
I chuckled inside, as he intended me to do. Before any one of us could say anything else, Raiden called out, "If everyone could please gather around the table." The others and us approached the table, which was large enough for every one of us to directly see what was going on. Then Raiden continued, "All of you know the basics of what is coming, but I will let," he help up a hand to point at me with his hand open and palm up, "the one who has the most knowledge, explain." He tilted his head at me to go ahead and I nodded.
I slightly bowed, saying, "Thank you to all of you for answering our call. I am called 'Teoitotia.' You may call me 'Dancing Spirit' if you cannot pronounce my name. I am the general of my people. We are native Earthrealmers and have unique abilities almost no one else has, which is how I was able to detect this threat. These things, which we call no-good spirits, are coming mostly after my people and I, but then they will move onto other realms. These spirits are composed of different ranks. The weakest ones cannot cause much harm besides to other minor spirits, so I doubt that they will be present. The ones above them are still weak and cannot interact with the physical world unless they have bodies in which they can take over. In Outworld, we saw a whole people wiped out; I assume that the other bodies were taken for that reason. I suppose I should comment; the weaker they are, the more numerous they are. Because of this, there must have been many bodies and peoples slaughtered as well as stolen. These are all of your concern. The bodies and people that once were in them can no longer be saved. The more powerful and higher-ranked ones can interfere with the physical world, however, none of you can see, hear, feel, nor harm them." I lifted my hand to gesture at Kenshi and said, "Besides you, of course." I went back to talking to the others, "Those are our concern and we will try to force back from where your armies will be fighting. Although they lack in numbers, they make up for them in power. I must be honest, even with my warriors, Raiden, Fujin, Kojin, Sarutahiko, and I, I do not believe that we are enough to win. Which is why when and if the moment comes, one of my officers will signal for retreat..." I changed the subject, "My people have been the shield defending the realms from their chaotic ways for thousands of years and we have never seen any others who are able to do what we can do. If there are any, they will rise and help defend the realms. If not, there are many possibilities. I have given all the background information that is required to know."
General Blade asked, "What about their strategies? What do you know about their fighting styles?"
"Concerning the ones you are all directly up against? Nothing. I can almost assure you that they will use weapons. I know most of you will not understand this, but the stronger ones fight like how spirits do."
I understood that, Kenshi telepathically said.
I responded, I know.
Then Orderrealm's leader spoke, "Then please, let us talk strategy."
Sonya responded, "Yes," and she did something to cause the table below us to glow. How odd, I thought.
... ...
We took about three hours in that meeting and Raiden let Fujin come back with my officers and I to Tliltetepetl. Fujin joined us in our half an hour meeting to debrief my uncle and the elders about our strategy. The elders gave us their blessing and then all of us went home to sleep. Before I left, my uncle told me to rest to my fullest and that he will wake up in a few hours to debrief the captains, who shall then inform the rest of the warriors and porters about the situation, where they will be stationed, and any other information they might need. The point is that I will not be bothered by the small stuff and should rest to the fullest because I am essential in the fight against the big ones. I prepared for my rest and Fujin hopped in the bed with me. We lied on our sides, staring at each other. He put his hand on my cheek and started running his thumb over it. I just put a hand on his cheek. He spoke, "I regret nothing."
I raised an eyebrow. "Are you expecting something to happen to you?"
"Well, in a battle like this, it should always be expected. The generals and leader have the ability to erase me from existence, no?"
I growled. "Nothing will happen to you and your brothers. I swear it... Should I fall, retreat and I want you to push your spirit to the limit so you can fight another day," I gave him a sad smile, "and do not mourn me."
He pulled my head into his chest and he said in a low voice, "You do not know what is going to happen."
I felt his anxiety and sadness, so I nuzzled his neck. "But I can guarantee that there is extreme violence and pain coming. I can almost feel it."
"But not to you(?)" he whispered hopefully.
"I cannot promise anything. But you can." I moved my head back to look into his eyes. "Promise me that you will fight the feeling you will feel should I fail." He avoided my eyes and said nothing. I repeated, "Promise me."
He forced himself to look at me. "I can only promise that I will try to some degree."
I leaned in to kiss him once and then we closed our eyes to sleep. Our spirits danced with hope as our bodies rested.
... ...
When I woke up, Fujin was gone. I knew that he had gone to the Jinsei to recharge before we left for battle...in which we still don't know the location. We talked about it early last night in the meeting with the other leaders, but I simply had no clue. Neither did my officers. Fujin offered the thought that maybe it was going to be held where Tliltetlapiani first fought against a no-good spirit general, but I dismissed his thought. The Supreme No-Good Spirit would not dare fight us in Earthrealm nor their own native realm (because we wouldn't). In the end, we came up with no conclusion. I thought that they might pick a realm we know nothing about, but where they have been before. My first thought was Mekaranoba, but who knows? As of now, each army is to stay in their respective realms and locations. The moment we know about where the battlefield is, all or some (if the battle is to be in Orderrealm, Outworld, or Earthrealm) shall be immediately transported to the location by some Orderrealm fellow. The Spirits have the obligation to focus on the battle itself and nothing else. What we did know was that we had until 7pm to prepare.
I bathed and dressed as if it was a normal day. When I met up with my uncle, he said that he was well rested as were the officers. All of our warriors have been informed and no one was obligated to work besides those that patrol the borders, who will be the ones that stay here. Before a major battle, we rested, stayed with our families, and had a good time. We had the tradition of singing and dancing to our heart's content as well as crying for those that may be lost soon. Families were scared for the porters, as was normal, but they would come back. We will assure it, even if all of us had to die. It was an hour until midday and Fujin came back so we could spend time together. We could have relieved some tension, but we weren't in the mood. None of my family members except my maternal uncles (both by blood and marriage) will fight. In other words, they had the possibility of losing 4 people from this family (which includes Fujin and I). My other relatives pampered us with whatever we liked, especially to eat. Fujin didn't ask for anything because he didn't eat nor require any materialistic needs. There was lots of music and dancing, especially the later, by me. We need to be ready by 4pm (as in being in our battle gear and the warriors with their porters should be ready.). It was 2:30pm when we all started recalling memories that eventually led to tears falling off of everyone's faces, even Fujin's thanks to my grandmother's words and later, mine. Everyone was crying; my mother, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and mate. My mother had spilled embarrassing stuff about me, which I reacted by covering Fujin's ears and assured him that it wasn't important. Obviously, he didn't believe me. When the tears started, I clung to my mother and grandmother. Then my grandmother stuck with Fujin, which was understandable considering what my grandmother has done in the past, and I clung to my grandfather. His tears broke my heart. I felt as if I couldn't breathe. At 3:15pm, my uncles, Fujin, and I were to prepare for battle. Just before I left, my grandfather was begging me to save myself if the battle was lost and that he couldn't afford anymore to live without me. He even mentioned that I was the last connection he had with my father. That had led to more tears and I pulled away. Then Fujin and I walked home. Tears were still falling on the way there, but by the time we did arrive, my eyes were only red and puffy.
Fujin went to change in our room and I went to the room reserved for battle regalia. I removed my sandals and walked into the room. I removed all my garments so I was fully naked. I used a wet cloth to get rid of any dirtiness that might have clung to me. Then, I put on a white loincloth with a red, black, and blue stripe near the bottom. Over it, I slipped on a black-feathered, limb-enclosing suit. It fit snugly. I grabbed my white deerskin sandals with red ties and put them on. I then held my short hair in place with a red and white hair tie. Lastly, I put in my jade earplugs and labret. I could almost wear whatever I wanted, but some things like an elaborate headdress, which are used to attract the physical enemies' attention, are only reserved for the tlatoani. I grabbed my long and thin macuahuitl, which had no decor, and willed it to become a part of me. I did the same with another and 30 tecpatl (daggers). I carried no shield, because I was that type of fighter. I had no armor, but my philosophy was; if you get successfully hit by an opponent, then you might as well be dead. Carrying armor and shields are useless. My weapon is also my shield. You either die or succeed, there is no in between. I grabbed another macuahuitl and had it in hand. I walked out and met Fujin, who was already ready.
We walked out of our house and he left to meet with his brothers. I went to meet my uncle and warriors in a field reserved for sparring and other large events that were not to be hosted in the village. It was now 4pm. We went over the plan once and answered any questions they had. Suddenly, Raiden appeared and had another message for us to interpret. It said, "Mekaranoba. 7pm. Don't be late." We now knew where the battle was going to be held, but we still didn't know exactly where. I advised Raiden that we should arrive early before 7pm so we can detect where they exactly were and move accordingly. He said that he would communicate with the others and left. Then, we got into marching formation. It was now 6pm and we were ready, waiting.
Fujin and Sarutahiko appeared and created a portal for us. Once it was done, my uncle, who was at the front of the group, ordered with confidence, "Forward!" The officers and I were at the sides, waiting for all of them to go through.
Once they did, I told the officers, "Go on," and turned to Fujin and Sarutahiko.
Fujin informed me, "We have to get the others. You are the first group. Be alert."
"Always." I wanted to kiss him, but being in the eyes of others, that cannot happen. I walked through the portal and I heard it close behind me. Our warriors were organizing in a thin line facing forward. There were 475 warriors, not including my uncle, the officers, and I. There were 95 columns and 5 warriors in each row. My uncle was at the front and I was next to him. We all stood there and waited for others. I, like the others, noted the area. I thought for a moment and it snapped back at me; we were a few miles near the city that was destroyed when I first came here. The land was flat and quite open. Conveniently, open for a large battle. It was like a dying plain and there was forest nearby. I sensed for native spirits nearby and found none. Soon enough, the other armies started pouring in and monks were right behind us. My mind was blank as I thought about this situation and what the no-good spirits would be like. I just realized that if at least I or Fujin dies, the line of Tliltecalli (Remember: 'c' is pronounced as 'k') dies. The era of powerful, since we have naturally been born strong, and graceful speakers, dies.
...
At the end, the Spirits joined my uncle and I in front. Going down the line, it was: Kojin, Sarutahiko, Raiden, Fujin, I, and then my uncle. I sensed something large and malevolent. I know that every one of my people also sensed its presence. I stated out loud without emotion, "They are right in front of us. The battle will be here."
I moved my eyes to look at Fujin and found him to also be looking at me. Nimitztlazohtla, (I love you) he said with emotion.
My chest hurt and I almost teared up, but responded with just as much emotion, Nimitztlazohtla.
We moved our eyes back forward and I told his brothers, Just in case, I want you all to know that it was an honor knowing you all and it is an honor to fight with you.
Sarutahiko responded, Thank you for being part of this family. You really do lighten up the mood... Something we needed for a long time.
I second that, Kojin agreed.
I also stand by that, Raiden agreed.
I must also make a request that is not on my behalf, I mentioned.
They were taken aback and Raiden said, Go on.
If I die, and at least one of you survive, I want to let you know that Fujin will think about committing suicide. That is a guarantee. What is not a guarantee, is that he will try to actually accomplish it. Either way, there is still a chance he might actually do it. You can only distract him for certain periods of time from those thoughts and I am asking the three of you to please distract him when you can. Don't allow him to be alone at all for the most part. Focus on body language and what you feel from his spirit. If it gets to the extreme, prevent him from accomplishing that desired end. If he does not, force him to talk to my mother and grandmother. They know what it feels like and may offer guidance on how to fight it. If he does end his life, do not put the blame on yourself, please. I suppose it is easier to fight it when you have something to hold onto. It doesn't matter who comes out alive, but someone tell him to go on top of the mountain we went to when he proposed to me. Remember, if I die.
I swear to follow your request, Raiden pledged.
I swear to follow your request, Kojin pledged.
I swear to follow your request, Sarutahiko pledged.
Thank you. We no longer spoke to each other and then, right on time, we saw physical beings from miles back. I immediately recognized those that looked similar to the beings from Outworld. I looked around and noticed that the hosts were all adults and most in their prime. I should have done more, I scolded myself. The whole army covered the field from end to end and from the looks of it, the width was just as terrifying. I knew that they would outnumber us. After a few minutes, all of those who could see spirits, saw the more higher-ranked ones. They were eager and promised violence (and perhaps even torture) rolled off of them. Obviously, they were held back by their superiors, who were right behind them. Then we saw the captains and the generals that were right behind them. The generals were condensed and still huge in size; larger than that general I fought years ago. Those spirits were those colors that almost everyone would agree as disturbing and disgusting. I felt anger from my people and their effort to hold back from yelling out their challenge to our enemies that have been so for thousands of years. Even then, I also felt hints of fear and anxiety, more so from the porters, which weren't many and will stay back here, safe. I helped prepare my warriors as best as I could ever since I reached a captain position. The thing about my people and our neighbors from central to southern Mexico was that when death is right in front of our faces, we know that we cannot fight it, so we look at it straight in the face and go crazy!
I knew my ancestors were right besides me and they would like to be present to fight with us, but I suppose, not just mine; every Tliltetepah ever would love to be here...and it would have been a far more glorious battle.
Then the no-good spirits stopped. They were about a few miles from us. If their physical numbers had been far less, then we may not have been able to see them at all. Then came what my people and I all dreaded; the Supreme No-Good Spirit. It was so large, it would have been overwhelming to those who are new to this spirit stuff. I thought with relief, Thank Kenshi's ancestors that they are not new to this stuff. The Supreme No-Good Spirit was unlike the others; it was an a really dark blue that one could easily mistaken for black, which is far more easier to the senses than its inferiors. Weaker pure spirits naturally submitted to it, which, disgracefully, led to their deaths. All no-good spirits are not capable to doing anything good. They enjoy the horrors of the cosmos: rape, torture, violence, death, slavery.
The Supreme No-Good Spirit stopped and its inferiors stood still, waiting for a command. It glided forward to the front of its army. I was shaking on the inside with dread and my fists were clenched, but I stepped forward with confidence. My uncle reached out to grab my arm, but I leaned forward from his reach. He called out, Teoitotia! But I paid no attention to him. I felt Fujin's panic and he asked me more calmly, What are you doing? I continued walking forward and the master of our opponents glided a bit forward. It stopped after 3 seconds and I stopped a few meters from my people. I unclenched my hands and stood up straight with confidence.
It spoke in a deep voice that made one want to cover their ears and I sensed a smile in it's voice, You are related to Tliltetlapiani.
My name is Teoitotia. Descendant of Tliltetlapiani. Next-in-line to speak.
What message do you have for me, Teoitotia?
I am here to propose a deal you cannot reject.
It said slowly, intrigued, Go on...
You know that I am strong. I have killed one of your generals and a few other higher-ranked ones before. My heart start to race. I, Teoitotia, descendant of Tliltetlapiani, challenge you to a duel between you and I alone. No outside help. Just two spirits and their natural abilities. Whoever wins, gets to deal with the other, meaning that you can erase me from existence. Also, the winner is free to do whatever they wish with the opposing army. You can feel that if I fall, my people and our allies have no chance in winning against you. However, the same goes for you all.
It made a sound of pleasure that made me want to run away and squirm along the way (LOL. That rhymed!). Teoitotia, I accept your challenge. Once I am rid of you, your people are dead and I will be able to take over the realms.
I must ask, why did you ally with Shinnok when he tried to invade Earthrealm?
It did not hesitate to answer, I wanted to test him; see of he was worthy of being allied with, so I sent my weakest general to fight with him and test your people. One of my minions saw your people win and Shinnok's fall, so I knew that the one who led your people to victory was a worthy challenger and that Shinnok was as worthless as all of my army...besides my generals, of course. They actually get shit done. You have five minutes to consult your allies and I will do the same with mine...not for consultation purposes of course. It laughed and it made the hair on my neck stand on end. I wanted to shiver, but it would take it as a sign of weakness.
I turned back and walked to the questioning eyes of my uncle and the Spirits. My uncle beat them to it and whispered in a scolding tone, "What was that?! Why did you walk out like that without my permission?!"
I dared to meet his eyes. "Uncle, you know that I am far stronger than you." He looked taken aback at my confident confrontation. I looked at the Spirits and informed all of them, "I challenged him to a duel; One-on-one. No outside help. Just two spirits and their wits. Winner takes all."
I would have laughed, but I was too serious as all five of them asked, "Why?" I felt Fujin's anger, which really did surprise me.
I met all of their eyes, one-by-one. "We may be walking out of here without a single causality. Let's be real; most of these people do not know how to fight against things like these. If I can prevent them all from dying, then this challenge was worth it. If I fall, then we were never going to win in the first place; this would have been a death sentence for us all." I looked at my uncle straight in the eye, but said to all of them, "I was born like this for a reason. As Ana said, I was born with this strength to affect the cosmos in a drastic way. This power does not come for leisure." I looked back at all of them. "I believe that this is my reason for existing. I was born to push, them, back."
My uncle whispered in sorrow, "If you fail..."
I interrupted him, "Then retreat to fight another day. Take care of all of them for me- and tell my grandfather that I love him. I'm sorry this is very disrespectful and unorthodox, but this can save them all."
He said nothing and I turned to the Spirits. All of them, besides Fujin, said:
"May your ancestors guide you." (Sarutahiko)
"May you fight like you have never fought before." (Raiden)
"May your spirit reveal its true power." (Kojin)
All of them backed off a step so Fujin and I were staring at each other. Pain and sorrow was written all over his face and I could feel it, too. I wanted to fall to my knees and beg for forgiveness. Even though he spoke to me via our spirits, I could still hear him choke out, I would have tried to stop you, but I know that I cannot. I can only ask you to let it all out. Unleash all of your power.
I grabbed his forearms as if we were still in the courting phase and he reciprocated the action. I told him just as tearfully, You wouldn't be mine if you didn't feel the compulsion to try to stop me. Remember your promise. If I die, do not mourn me. Instead, celebrate how I lived. I regret nothing and even if I am wiped from existence, always remember that nimitztlazohtla, notlazohtzin (I love you, my love).
I saw a tear run down his face and he repeated, nimitztlazohtla, notlazohtzin. He said nothing more because he didn't need to.
I blinked, fighting tears that wanted to be free. I pulled back from his grasp and his gaze went down to the ground. I looked at his brothers, my people, my kin, and nodded my head. They all slightly bowed in return, besides Fujin, who stayed the way he was. I caught Coyotlantli's eyes and said, Thank you for being there when I need you. You were the brother I never had.
I saw his eyes turning red and he responded with emotion, Thank you for everything. I want you to know that you were the sibling I always wanted. He said the last part with a smile (since he already had a sibling [brother]) and I chuckled on the inside, as he intended me to do.
I turned around and looked ahead at my target. It was ready and I let all emotion leave me besides fury. I started to slowly walk forward and went through all my memories with my loves ones before going through all of my training. I thought, Thank you Na, Ta, for pushing me the way you guys did.
I continued walking slowly and the Supreme No-Good Spirit growled with excitement. It said, I have waited for millennia to get my revenge from Tliltetlapiani for preventing me from taking over Earthrealm and for eons for all the Spirits that helped lock me up. That starts today.
I thought to myself, For my people both past, present, and future. For my ancestors. For my family. For Fujin. For us.
I stopped walking when the Supreme No-Good Spirit purred, Thank you so much for this duel.
Duel...
Duel...
Dual...
Dual...
Ome... ("oh-meh," 2)
It felt like it was all in slow motion, but it was far from it. It was lightning fast. I got low into a semi-horse stance and with a jaguar growl, I extended my arms out, fists clenched, knuckles facing my enemy, and parallel to the ground. The earth below us went in a tidal wave toward it. I sent a really small part of my spirit to fuse with the act so it could cause some damage, but I secretly knew that it was almost nothing. It quickly went above it as I wanted it to. I did a front flip and summoned fire with it. The fire looked like a sound wave as it went to hit its target. I also put some of my spirit in it. If I don't put my spirit in any of those attacks, it won't do any damage. It extended itself and went in to strike me, but I was quick and ran forward at and angle as fast as I could. I summoned two of my daggers and I held into the obsidian blade. Then, I sent them forward with some of my spirit to cut off the limbs that the Supreme No-Good Spirit created to strike me where I currently was. I knew it had the ones behind me turn to strike me from the back, so I put my foot out to break and forced the earth to swallow me. I traveled underground to appear counterclockwise from where I was with a macuahuitl. I drew it back and sent it flying at an angle. It hit its target and my enemy growled in annoyance. It threw my weapon back at me, but I caught is and forced it to go away. I quickly extended my fist to throw fire at it like a flamethrower. Unsurprisingly, it created a hole in itself to let the flame pass and it came at me from all sides. I crouched lower and put my hands with their palms facing each other near my chest and a few inches apart. My fingers were bent as it they were claws and my elbows were facing out. I threw my hands out 180 degrees while keeping my hands constant and growled. The air around me began to circle me so fast, if anyone touched it, their flesh would come right off. A great portion of my spirit was instilled in it so my enemy couldn't find a loop hole in.
It menacingly stated, I've been waiting a long time to deal with all of you! I tried to hit me, but it made no effect. Come out! You may be no Tliltetlapiani, but you sure are strong! You'll do...
Break away...
Ehecatl... (Wind)
Strike...
Fail...
Tlalli... (Earth)
Hit...
Weak...
Run...
Stopped...
Back...
Tletl... (Fire)
Success...
Strike...
Dodge...
Teotl... (Spirit)
Strong...
Tlalli...
Ehecatl...
Tletl...
Atl... (Water)
I thought to myself; Dual... Ome... Ome... Ome... Ome...
Caught...
Escape...
Tlalli...
Cuauhtli ... (Eagle)
Teotl...
Caught...
Glide...
Tlalolliniliztli... (Earthquake)
I thought to myself; Ome... Ome... Ome... Ome...
My heart was racing, but I kept on thinking; Ome... Ome... I let my anger give me power. I let my desire to protect my loved ones give me power. I dodged its attack and shifted into a jaguar. I ran and used my spirit to summon, throw, and take back my various macuahuitl. It always hit its target, but it didn't seem to do enough damage to slow my enemy down. I growled both in challenge and frustration. Ome...
My enemy laughed. Is this the best you have to offer? What happened to the creature that killed my general without any effort? Where is the creature that is greater than Tliltetlapiani himself? It attacked and successfully hit me, but I quickly recovered as if nothing occurred. Where? It attacked again and hit me. Hard. I felt the pain, but brushed it off. Where?! It executed a different technique and I dodged successfully. Where?! Attack. Success. I had fallen to the ground with a grunt of pain and I felt the jab of Fujin's emotional distress. WHERE?!
I growled and summoned 10 of my daggers. With my spirit in them, I moved them around me in a wild manner. It cut off many parts of the Supreme No-Good Spirit and it growled in pain. I took the opportunity to capture those broken parts and rip them apart so my enemy had less of itself. Yet, that was kind of useless because this being is one of the few who can regrow its spirit. As it backed off, I slowly stood up as my daggers moved around so give me space. I summoned them back into me and started throwing earth, metals, fire, and wind at it in retaliation. It may look wild to outside eyes, but it wasn't. I was just the only one who knew my strategy. It grew angry and I felt the impact of its feelings, but it didn't affect me. I didn't expect what occurred to happen: It growled loudly so every spirit could hear within miles of here and large chunks of earth, like asteroids, suddenly rose. I believe this is where many say, "Oh shit."
It threw them at me and I easily dodged by using my own abilities. When some were unavoidable, I forced it to go back in no particular direction, but I made sure that it wasn't going towards my allies. In one of them, I grabbed onto it and flung myself up in the air. To keep my human form up there, I took one of Fujin's tricks and made the winds hold me up. I raised my arms up to the same level as my head with my fingers bent like claws. Earth came up in smaller chunks than when the Supreme No-Good Spirit did. With one below me, I let myself fall down onto it and got to it. I used the all the elements possible to attack including the earth chunks I jumped on. My enemy ripped the earth that was floating apart and it fell. I eventually had nothing to stand on and had the winds hold me up. Being in mid-air as a human is hard, especially when you are not used to it. I knew that it was going to strike and when it did, I shifted into a falcon and dodged. When it was clear, I shifted back to my human form with my arms down at an angle. Then I growled and harshly brought my forearms together in front of my face. Giant pieces of land came up and hit the Supreme No-Good Spirit. It cried out in surprise and pain. That's better... It growled as if it was expecting it, but it shouldn't have...
Before I did anything else, it sent out multiple extensions of itself and struck it. I quickly summoned all 30 of my daggers and moved them around me wildly to protect my body. It sent a large portion of itself straight to me. It was risky since it could lose a lot of itself, but that didn't matter. With its regeneration abilities, it was nothing to lose. It went right through my shield of daggers and dug itself in my shoulder. It felt as if a pole was thrown into me. No matter how fast I healed or how strong I was, that shit hurt. I was knocked back and I coughed out blood while expressing pain. It only sought to damage my body. It yelled in fury, IS THAT THE BEST YOU COULD DO?! Before any other thought ran down my neurons, it got a hold of me and flung me up higher in the air only to bring my down hard at an angle. I closed my eyes and tried prevent any harm from coming to me, but it was of no use. My enemy had a good and powerful hold on me. It let me go at the right time when I could do nothing but get hurt. With the help of gravity, I crashed into the earth and I heard my neck crack. I bounced and then my spine cracked. I bounced, there goes my legs. Again and I felt my arms break into less pieces than the rest of my body. I kept on bouncing as I slowed to a stop. I felt my head hit a rock and I saw white. I minimally felt as I crashed into a tree trunk and I stopped completely. I myself awkwardly sitting on the roots of the tree as my head rested on its trunk. When I opened my eyes, I moved them to look at myself. My body was broken. I had almost no sensation anywhere besides parts of my palms and some of my fingers. I tried to move my fingers and felt four of them move. I groaned in pain. I noticed that my feet and hands were bloody, which got on my regalia. I just realized that my left eye was swelling shut. I could barely open my right. I looked around at what I could and felt as blood from my head fell down. I gave a really weak cry of pain as I tried to back off the tree. I couldn't move; My spine was broken. To make it even worse, I felt Fujin's sorrow. I wanted to tell him that I was fine, but I was dizzy and starting to fall asleep. Also, I was too weak to do anything physically...and I was not fine.
I struggled trying to figure out what to do and I heard the Supreme No-Good Spirit approaching me, dodging the trees. It called out, Come on... Oh how a disappointment you are. If I hadn't felt it, I would say you are no descendant of Tliltetlapiani. UP! I'm not done yet. I plan on ripping your body to shreds in front of everyone here today. Then, I shall wrestle your spirit, trap it, and it shall suffer the same fate. Then you won't even notice that I had wiped you from existence.
I rapidly moved my eye, trying to figure out what to do. Then I heard warm and strong voices, IT IS TIME. ARISE.
I felt warm and I blinked. When I opened my eyes, I was standing, healed, and my eyes were glowing gold. I was serious and my face showed it. I felt my body and spirit shift. I was a jaguar, but my eyes were still glowing. I heard the voices again, LONG LOST. NO MORE. XILOCALLI ARISE.
Who are you all? I asked, but I kind of knew where this was going.
We are Xilocalli from Cholollan. A power long lost, has come back. You, like your father's family, our family, are naguals. Mostly dormant, but now you need this power. Fight!
My mind shifted back to focus on my enemy. I hear it speak, Come on you waste of spirit-
Before it went further I growled and ran so fast that in such a short time, I was on it; growling, clawing, and biting. It cried out in surprise and asked, What is this? as it backed off into where were previously fighting. However, I stayed on it, still attacking it. How is this possible?! It yelled and grunted in pain when I ripped off chunks of itself. Before that chunk could do anything else, it seemed as if it ripped itself apart. My enemy decided to back off and go back to our battlefield. I slowly and quietly walked out, still in jaguar for, with my eyes were still glowing. I looked up at my target and growled.
It laughed and claimed, You are a nagual! We haven't seen those in a long time! I thought all of your kind extinct! Obviously, a rat escaped...
Naguals are unique. There is only one physical form we can shift to, but our spirit also shift. Usually, I have to command my spirit and body separately, however, as a nagual, they spirit and body are one. My people haven't heard or seen one even centuries before the Mexica rose to power. I shifted back to my human form, eyes still glowing. I retorted, You should have more respect for your rivals. I slowly walked toward it. I didn't bother going back to that form. The more advanced no-good spirits knew a way around fighting a nagual, so I will only use it when I could do some significant damage.
The creature laughed. Well, it took a good beating to get that out, no? I heard the smile in its voice as it spoke slowly and cautiously, What if we pushed that further? I growled and it continued, Well? Any other talents you would like to show me? Come on! It growled with promised violence, Make this duel interesting for me.
I stopped.
Duel...
Dual... Dual...
Ome... Ome... Ome... Ome... Ome... Ome... Ome... Ome...
So it's that time, eh? I thought to myself. I closed my eyes as the spirit continued to talk. I thought about 2...duality...my nature... The great Ometeotl said that there was a reason I was the way I was. I was dual-natured; Female and male, good and no-good, gentle and violent, soft and hard. The list goes on. Many people are naturally a mix between two things that changes from situation to situation, but I am different. I can go to the extremes. I can be all no-good and all good. It's hard to explain to non-spirits, but that doesn't matter. I understand myself. For a long time, I hated myself for what I was. Gender roles didn't exist in my culture, but there has never been a being like me. I experienced rejection and love from the ones I hold dear. Eventually, the ones that had rejected me, came around. I was so scared to share this with others outside of my close circle. Judgement came easily to almost all humans and they can say some things that cuts deep into your soul... I guess all of these things are why I fell in love with Fujin. He's never quick to judge (if he even does) and he's exactly what he represents; fluid, ever-changing, open. I was expecting him to be slightly repulsed by what I was, but he didn't care. He sees beyond the superficial level. I felt my spirit break apart and I softly grunted in pain. I felt like myself, but...odd. From the outside, it looked like a cell splitting into two. The point is, those cells were the same, but I was splitting into two forms; female and male. But the other dual aspects of me were mixed in the two. One had more highlights of a certain feature than the other. I was basically splitting my spirit in two but picking out certain things within it. It hurt...as much as when the Supreme No-Good Spirit stabbed itself in me, but the transformation prevented me (us? I guess...me?) from expressing any pain besides a few grunts. Then, in relief, I grunted and sighed in both forms at the same time, for the same time. We looked the same, outfit-wise, but the bodies were obviously different.
My eyes glowed gold and I looked at my enemy. From my male form, I heard some my people and allies talk amongst themselves. I guess my people must be surprised most of all, but I focused my full attention back to my opponent as it said, Interesting... I have never seen a being like you. You surprised me yet again. Anything else to share? Please tell me this has more power, or else I'm going to-
I cut it off with my male form as I slightly lifted my foot and tapped it on the ground with my heel only. A giant boulder rapidly arose and smashed down on the spirit. I succeeded in harming it but then it reformed saying, That wasn't very nice. I expected more manners from someone like you-
My female form ran ahead to start attacking. My male form stayed behind and moved the earth's elements to attack. In my whole form, I had speed, agility, and strength, but they were never at my limits. Now, I maximized them; The male aspect had strength and used more earth and wind. The female aspect had speed as well as agility and used more water and fire. But, true to my nature, I used them all. Being split in two and having the same mind (more or less) had major advantages. I can now execute plans that requires two individuals and if something goes wrong, there is no need to communicate because both forms knew it. Two bodies, one mind.
I attacked just to get in hits, but meanwhile that was occurring, I was also thinking about clever tactics that could lead me to trap and send it away somewhere it cannot escape as easily as with its previous prison. My forms danced a lethal dance against the enemy that has been against us for generations. One would easily mistaken for my forms to be lovers...but how wrong they are. Ometeotl has also been mistaken by almost all people that have come into contact with our neighbors. Ometeotl was not two individuals and lovers. They are one whole being. Their aspects were just grouped into two different bodies. They may act like lovers, but I suppose it is because opposites need each other. Without it, the cosmos wouldn't exist. That is why we appreciate the Eastern way of thinking; they also understand that opposites are necessary and suffering is as normal and innocent as living.
(NOTE: Nahuatl doesn't have gendered pronouns)
Before I executed my next attack, my male form was caught off guard and my opponent caught my feet. I fell to the ground, face first, with a grunt and the Supreme No-Good Spirit wrapped around my legs to pick me up. I, with my own spirit, attacked it to free myself. I was having a bit of trouble as more came along and my female form abandoned the plan to help her counterpart. It formed a shield made of earth to block any more attacks. I analyzed my other form for any spiritual and physical injuries. There were none and I decided that it was time. My physical attacks have been a waste of time.
Teoitotiatzin. I froze. Let yourself be free. On behalf of all of Tliltecalli, Xilocalli, and Iztacoyocalli, I say, be free. Do not fear the harm of others. Focus on your opponent and everyone else will be fine.
Who are you? my voice echoed since I was speaking in two different forms
Tliltetlapiani.
I wasted no time and merged my bodies. Then, as I was kneeling down, I looked up in the direction of the sky. I closed my eyes. Be yourself...literally, I thought.
A loud jaguar roar could be heard by other spirits as I broke through my shield and went up in the sky. I heard the Supreme No-Good Spirit roar in pain. I was high in the sky...in my true form; a light jade-green ethereal being. I was in no particular form. I roared in challenge at my opponent.
It responded, FINALLY! A worthy challenge from the looks of it. DO NOT FAIL ME.
We each roared and charged at each other. When we clashed, it got messy. The way we fought was like semi-solids being violently mixed together, but merging is not possible. I used the physical elements to also help me. I have been prepared to not only change into my true form, but to also fight with it. I am one of the very few to be able to change like this. The others being my mother and grandmother. I fought will all that I was and the more often I was pushed back, the more my spirit felt different. When my enemy caught me, it made me feel so much pain. I was stuck...
I tried to get out, but something was off. It laughed. I became more angered. Then, it made a noise of confusion and I saw myself turn gold. I froze and said with dominance, OME. The most unexpected thing occurred; my spirit turned black.
Fujin's POV:
I stared in awe as his/her spirit turned from it's regular color, to gold, then black. But it wasn't just black. There was something within it that made it shine. I looked around my brothers and Tliltetepah as they were just as speechless as I. As the big two spirits were fighting, I heard one warriors ask, "Well what does this mean? Is this her...or his, true form? Why did it turn black? Has it been corrupted?"
I spoke a few words and everyone near me paid attention, "I think...that may be his/her true color. I'm not sure, but if we analyze it, it may be more metaphorical than we think. Teoitotia is dual-natured. Black is the opposite of white and white is the opposite of black. But, it is not just black. If you look at it from the right angle, you can see aspects that make it shine white. What we see is dark and scares many, but if you look at it carefully, you see its complexity. Think of it more like; when you judge and when you do not judge. I think the green color was a natural defense mechanism to blend in."
Sarutahiko responded to my thought process, "How very...metaphorical-. It fits. Careful brother, they're rubbing off on you. Not to mention that you are not the smoking mirror, so watch it." He said the last part playfully.
The Supreme Officer walked past the warriors and said, "I don't understand. How can General Teoitotiatzin be dual-natured? You all mean like Tloque Nahuaque? Is he, or she, actually male or female?"
Kojin answered him, "Yes, like them. But Teoitotia is both. Seems like two separate beings, but that is not the case."
I agreed in my mind and thought to myself, Indeed...and not matter what form, that spirit is still mine.
Teoitotia's POV:
In a certain position, my spirit formed into a jaguar and I dug my claws into it and brought it down from the sky, yelling, COME HERE. It roared in pain and anger.
YOU THINK YOU CAN BEAT ME?! I AM THE SUPREME SPIRIT. NOT EVEN THE SO-CALLED GODS CAN BEAT ME. I AM ETERNAL. I CANNOT BE KILLED.
BUT YOU CAN BE TRAPPED, I responded with anger as I forced it into two separate pieces. It shrieked in a powerful and terrifying way. I took the opportunity to rip one piece to shreds. It will take a while for it to regenerate all of that back, so I took the risk of doing it now...
I made 3/4ths of my spirit into a sphere to trap what remained of it. It roared and hit me, trying to find a loophole. My other 1/4th went around my larger part and went to the ground. I called out, NOW! Out from it, countless of figures formed; the forms of my ancestors. They circled around the sphere and started chanting in some old language that I have never learned of.
DON'T YOU DARE PUT ME BACK IN THERE! It looked around and something caught its attention. TLILTETLAPIANI, I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS FOR A WORTHY CHALLENGE! BUT YOU ARE WEAKER! TEOITOTIA, I WILL BE BACK STRONGER THAN BEFORE! YOU CAN-!
The noise stopped and all was silent. The 1/4th of my spirit came back to make me whole again. I eased my form and was still in above the ground, just floating. Then I turned into a large, ethereal, black jaguar to face the opposing army. They stood silent. I softly growled and hissed at them. The generals growled and one of them stated, We'll be back. Then they left so quickly that their inferiors looked around in confusion and fear. I barred my teeth and before they left, I sent multiple part of my spirit to rip them apart. They shrieked and tried to flee, but I caught most of them. By the time I finished, I knew that that wasn't all of them. The stronger they are, the higher the chance that they survived, but they won't be back for a while...anywhere. I glanced at the bodies left behind and knew that there was no saving the being that they once housed. I sighed in relief (but no one could hear me) and then I heard my people start crying out in happiness of my victory. I was so tired. The Supreme No-Good Spirit caught me plenty of times and succeeded in hurting me, but it couldn't rip parts of me apart. My spirit went to the ground in a crater that was created by our fight.
I shifted to my human form, now a male since I felt like it. I was on my stomach, eyes droopy. My body felt so tired that I really couldn't move anything. I've never felt this fatigued before. I felt hands on me to turn me around. When I felt stern, warm limbs below me, my eyes opened up a little more and I saw Fujin with a look of relief and slight concern. He knew I was alright (for the most part). "Sleep." I closed my eyes and a I felt myself being embraced by warmth and darkness.
Ok. So, the next few chapters contain far less action (in certain ways XD). Thank you for reading! I would appreciate any feedback!