AGNOMAKHOS
by Ulquiorra9000
Chapter 7
Alex's platoon wasn't due for patrol duty in another two hours, so after lunch one day, he walked into the temple room in his barracks and knelt. For a minute, he looked over the mosaics and carvings on the wall before him: scenes of heroes slaying hydras and gorgons, philosophers speaking to crowds, and most of all, Heliod and Ephara in the sky. Both gods loomed large, carved in loving detail.
Exhaling slowly, Alex bowed his head, shut his eyes, and let go of the mortal realm. He murmured a prayer, and the star-filled darkness of Nyx filled the room. Only a few torches on the walls disrupted the scene.
"Ephara, god of the polis, hear me," Alex intoned. He swallowed nervously; he had never done this before.
The polis god faded into view, a stately woman in a formal blue toga with gold hoop earrings. She held her vase of wisdom over her left shoulder, and gentle currents poured from it.
"Good day to you, Alex," Ephara said, her voice filling the room. "What brings you before me?"
"I, um..." Now that Alex was face-to-face with a god, he didn't find it so easy to articulate his thoughts. He swallowed again, his knees growing sore on the stone floor. "I don't know who else to come to. I'm troubled by what's happening."
"To Meletis, or to you?"
"To both, actually. They're connected."
"Yes," Ephara commented. "I have been watching the Reverent Army closely, Alex, and that includes you. I have seen you come into conflict with your fellows in regards of the citizens you swore to protect. You think the Reverent Army corrupted?"
Relief filled Alex; he knew he could count on Ephara to understand! "That's right. They've become bullies, Ephara, and forgot that the Army is supposed to guide and defend, not extort and intimidate the people! But no one else seems to care."
"I suppose you feel alienated, misunderstood."
She knows me better than I do myself! "I believe so," Alex said slowly. His oath to the Army made it difficult to speak out against it, but Ephara had to hear this. "I don't know what to do. I have to make a stand for justice, but I think the rest of the Army has a different idea about what justice is. I need guidance."
"You want all the answers, Alex?"
"I do. I'm desperate."
Ephara chuckled. "You remind me of another mortal, the sun champion. Heliod has told me about her desperate pleas for power before she became the champion. As he told her, and as I am telling you now, such revelations do not come from outside, but within."
Disappointment filled Alex. "I have to do all this myself? But I don't know what to do! I joined the Army to serve justice. But if the Army isn't just, what is there?"
"You are not truly alone, Alex," Ephara told him. "I watch over this city and its people, and anyone who truly desires to preserve Meletis has my blessing. Find your way, Alex, and I will be there. My true followers know what they must do to protect this city."
Alex mulled this over. Ephara wasn't telling him either way to obey the Reverent Army's ways or to speak out against it, but what if there was another options? What could it be?
Valerie came to mind and Alex grit his teeth. Join Agnomakhos? That's crazy. Valerie may be a rebel, but that doesn't mean that I am. Then again... popular support for the rebels grows every day, and isn't Meletis all about expressing the will of the people? The lines are getting blurred...
Ephara took Alex's silence as answer. "I trust you, Alex, and other passionate souls to do what is right. Should you be worthy if my blessing, Meletis and its people will thank you."
Alex realized that he wasn't getting anything else out of the polis god. "I understand. Thank you, Ephara, for your wisdom."
Ephara faded into the stars and the darkness lifted. Alex jolted as his mind detached from Nyx, and he slowly got to his feet. His knees ached.
Alex made a fist and extended it, feeling the red mana tensing in his flesh. With my fire, I can fight for what I believe in. Problem is, what do I believe?
"Hi. Am I interrupting?"
"Huh?" Alex jumped and whirled around. He saw Olivia standing in the room's doorway, a wide grin on her face.
Olivia tapped a bare foot on the floor. "Got some spare time?" she asked. "You look tense. We could spar to blow off some steam."
"Did you overhear anything?"
Olivia's face fell. "No, but I know that you've been upset, Alex, and I just want to help."
Alex smiled warmly. "Thanks. And I think you're right. A good sweat is just what I need."
"Great. Follow me."
*o*o*o*o*
Five minutes later, Alex stood at one end of his barrack's dueling ring while Olivia stood at the other end, twenty-five feet away. All the hoplites and mages from the fourth and fifth platoons surrounded the ring, cheering on their fellows. The sound bounced off the room's walls, filling Alex's ears with unnerving noise.
Breathe. Focus. Alex exhaled slowly, but he couldn't quite ease the knot in his stomach. Olivia, meanwhile, looked comfortable, even easy, as she drew her broadsword. Green and white mana swelled her right arm as she held the sword at the ready position. She, like Alex, had been coated with protective white mana for the spar.
"You ready to start, Alex?" Olivia called out with a grin. Her fellows from fourth platoon roared their approval.
Alex made two fists and flooded them with red mana. Flames wreathed his hands. "Yeah."
The one good thing about this, Alex decided, was that Olivia wasn't as blindingly fast as Jaina and Kulla. This was little comfort, though, when Olivia bounded across the ring and brought down her broadsword.
Whoa! Alex crouched and brought his hands together, and his mana-enhanced fists caught Olivia's blow before the sword's edge could touch his head. Alex's arms trembled and ached from the pressure of Olivia's strike, and he winced as the girl tried to break through Alex's guard. Slowly, but surely, her sword started to cut through Alex's mana.
Alex whirled out of the way and allowed Olivia's sword to strike the stone floor. Shattered bits of stone burst into the air and Alex stared, shocked. That blow would have easily cleaved him in half without his protective enchantments!
"Close one, Alex," Olivia smiled. She brought her sword back up and turned to face her opponent.
"Sure was." Tensely, Alex started to circle Olivia, his heart racing in his chest. He strained to block out the audience's cheering and taunts, trying to figure out how to get past Olivia's guard. Even though her sword was as long as her whole body, Olivia could wield it with surprising speed, and that presented a problem. How would Alex land an attack?
Then Alex looked down at Olivia's legs and got an idea.
"Yaaaaah!" This time, Alex went on the offensive. Slashing his hands through the air, he summoned twin jets of flame that crashed down on Olivia. Just as quickly, the captain sprang to the side and hefted her sword through the air. With difficulty, the sword dissipated the flames.
She's distracted! Encouraged, Alex closed in on Olivia and diverted some of his red mana to his feet, then swept his left foot at Olivia's knees.
Too late. Olivia leaped lightly into the air and did a backflip, still gripping her sword. She rightened herself and brought up her guard again, eyes closely watching Alex's hands.
I forgot. She's light on her feet! Still, Alex was sure that he'd have to land a stunning blow in order to deal a match-winning strike. Olivia had great strength and healing abilities, but not a lot of constitution. Just one strike!
The crowd roared its approval as both Alex and Olivia charged each other, broadsword and flames raging through the air. Alex fought to keep up with Olivia's blade, frantically waving his burning hands through the air to block her blows. With each strike, he felt his mana draining away, and his breaths game in gasps while sweat ran down his face. Olivia looked much the same, but it didn't slow her down.
"Oooooooh!" All the hoplites and battlemages stared with awe as Olivia knocked aside Alex's right hand and smashed her sword's edge into his chest. Alex's breath exploded out of him as Olivia's blunt strength crashed down on him. He staggered back, his vision blurry.
Olivia immediately moved to follow up, and she slashed her sword right at Alex's head. Desperate, Alex ducked and once again swept out a flaming kick. Like last time, Olivia sprang out of the way, then whirled around and kicked Alex on the temple with her bare foot.
The blow wasn't heavy, but it stunned Alex for a second. He could do little as Olivia's sword smashed into his left shoulder, and he felt himself thrown onto the floor in a heap. His protective enchantments sputtered and dimmed. Any second now, he'd have to yield.
"Is that enough?" Olivia called out kindly. "You can yield anytime you want."
"N... no," Alex huffed. He wiped his brow and shakily got to his feet, drawing the last of his red mana to his hands and feet. He sank into an offensive stance.
"All right!" Olivia twirled her sword. "You're not bad, Alex. The academy's training gets you started, but a real fight like this really draws out a warrior's potential. Nothing beats the real thing."
She's right. Alex stared down at his hands, wondering if he hadn't yet tapped his full potential. He had already seen service in the Reverent Army for two months, and it should have taught him something. If not, Olivia would crush him!
Growling, Alex balled his fists and strained his body to the limit, willing himself to draw more red mana. He let his anger flood his brain: rage at his inferiority to Olivia, Kulla's callous indifference to him, his sister's membership of Agnomakhos, his uncertainty of where his loyalties truly lay...
"Whoa!" Several hoplites leaped back when Alex's mana aura rejuvenated itself, blasting flames everywhere. Shocked, Alex stared down at his body, admiring the hardened flames of mana that coated it.
"Nice!" Olivia beamed. "A person's conviction strengthens his or her mana, and that goes double for red mana."
Alex grinned. "So, do you have more power hiding in you, too?"
"This is already my full power. I've mastered my own conviction, as have the other captains and colonels," Olivia told him. She pointed her sword at him. "Be careful, because I'm about to kick your butt. Try hard to kick mine first, okay?"
"You got it." Once again Alex charged his foe, fire raging at his fists. Olivia stepped foward to meet him, sweeping her broadsword through the air.
Alex's left arm caught Olivia's blow, and he bared his teeth with the effort of keeping it at bay. Even with Alex's pumped mana aura, Olivia's mana-enhanced strength was frightening. Quickly, he jabbed his right hand and Olivia and launched a blinding fireball.
Olivia drew back her blade and vaulted into the air, and the crowd parted to let Alex's fireball hit the wall instead. Olivia darted around Alex and swept her sword in a complex pattern, and it took all of Alex's mana and focus to keep it from slicing into him.
Then, for just a split second, an opening presented itself. Eagerly, Alex ducked one of Olivia's swings and feinted a strike at Olivia's head.
Just as Alex hoped, Olivia brought up her sword to block, leaving her navel open. Alex took his chance and caught her in the stomach with a mana-hardened punch.
"Argh!" Olivia's face scrunched when she took Alex's blow, but she still had the strength to snap her sword out again. The blade sliced through Alex's mana aura and rapped itself against his enchantments, throwing the fire mage to the ground.
Olivia staggered back, a hand on her belly. "I think that's enough, Alex," she panted. "Our enchantments won't last much longer."
Alex let himself stay on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. His fire aura faded and sank back into his body. "Won't argue with you there."
The crowd stared silently for a second, then burst into applause and whistles. Alex waited to catch his breath, then got to his feet and watched the onlookers exit the room. He turned to Olivia.
"I've never seen moves like that! How do you do it?" His head and body still ached from Olivia's expert sword strikes.
Olivia smiled and sheathed her giant sword. "Kulla taught me a lot of what I know. He understands that being mobile is vital for fighting. My strength alone isn't enough."
"No surprise there." Alex wiped his brow again. "He really looks out for you, doesn't he?"
"Well, I've helped him out, too," Olivia said, "but yeah. I really count on him. That's family."
Alex nodded, thinking back to his sister and parents. What had he done for them? He had sworn to keep Meletis safe, but from what? Thugs and cultists? So far, he wasn't sure who the enemy was.
"He also taught me that abused power is no power at all," Olivia added. "That's why we're in the Reverent Army; to use our power for good. Same for you, I hope."
"Yeah. That's right." But Alex wasn't sure if he believed those words anymore. And whatever his sister may be doing, however bitter his parents had become, they were still family. If he didn't look out for them, what kind of reverent soldier would he be?