The explosion of sound physically impacted Josh as the crowd roared in agreement with the announcer’s blissful call to violence. Unable to help himself, Josh did a double-take at the familiarity of the voice and his inner Fight-Night child took over his mental controls. Excitedly, Josh muttered to himself, “It can’t be!?” As he cranked his neck back to Theia, seeking confirmation for his inner fanboy. “You guys did not hire Michal Buffer to announce this!” He shot his eyes to the right and left as if looking for an unwanted authority figure. Leaning into the Titan, he stage whispered “Did you!?” The confused look on the young woman’s face was erased as sanity returned to Josh’s mind and mouth. He quickly spouted “--Errr, never mind. Please answer my other questions first.”
She nodded solemnly once, and Josh turned back to the desert scrubland before them as he tried to get a glimpse of anything new given Michal Buffer’s invitation to the wild side–
Theia’s mental voice cut over Josh’s thoughts. The voice you heard is that of Hermes. Messenger and Compere of the Olympian Clan, Child of Zeus and Maia, descendant of Titans. As do we all, Hermes presents himself in the mortal realms with the voice and face that suits his needs.
“Wha-Wait! Are you saying that Michael Buffer, the silver-tounged ring announcer on my Earth, is a Greek god?! Who else—Whoaaaa Galachkk!” Josh threw up a little bit in the back of his mouth as his stomach dropped out from under him. From behind, Theia had very firmly grabbed both his elbows and instantly accelerated them into a steep climbing flight over blurring ground. Wind whistled through his ears, and tears streamed unbidden down his cheeks. Torn from his eyes by their incredible velocity. Josh couldn’t even hear the words leaving his own mouth as they flew at what might have been just less than Mach 1. If you were flying faster than the speed of sound you wouldn’t hear your own sonic boom. His science mind unhelpfully filled in. Ok…maybe faster thatn Mach 1 Josh conceded to himself.
As things equalized, Josh could hear Hermes, previously known to him as Michal Buffer, giving a series of pre-game annoucing.
“…CONTESTANTS ARE TAKING THEIR PLACES AT EQUIDISTANT LOCATIONS. THE OLYMPIAN PREY, UNEXPECTEDLY PLAYED BY TWO MORTAL HUMANS, ARE BEING TRANSPORTED TO THE CENTER OF THE GRADE—”
Somehow, Theia’s spoken words cut clearly through to Josh’s ears over the wind of their flight. “Now is the time for what you must know. Tafl is a bloodsport invented by our far too sadomasochistic allies, the Aesir and Vanir. You know them collectively as the Norse. Tafl’s purpose is to honor, via a contestant replication, our Mother's escape from the Star Children’s destroyed home during the Necro War. At that time, the remnants of the Star Children fled for their very existence and attempted to find an as yet unknown place of safety. Our ancestors were outnumbered, essentially unarmed, and surrounded by a numerically superior enemy force that was admittedly plodding but determined in the extreme.”
In the few seconds the Titan had spoken, the running tiers of shielded stadium seating off to Josh’s left had peeled away and was now completely out of sight. The four of them soared over an entirely open space with no structures, columns, or construction of any kind to be seen. Theia continued. “To fully simulate Mother’s escape, our team's two least powerful— ahh…most junior members,” She corrected herself, “are to be placed center pitch. Four enemy teams are stationed at the border of the field’s limits. Their starting positions surround you both at the four cardinal points. Just as it was for Mother. Also, as it was for Mother, your opponents are numerically advantaged, significantly more powerful, and equally determined. They are, however, hobbled. It will be in some unique way making them as plodding as the undead that hounded our ancestors were.
“Your task, as was Mother’s, is to reach Safety. Just as she didn’t know where this was when she started her journey, neither will you. Once the game is underway, you will be able to feel in which way Safety lies by channeling your Essence. When doing so, you will perceive which direction you need to go.” Her tone grew slightly more serious. Be warned: safety’s location is arbitrarily determined and it may move during the course of the game. Upon reaching Safety,” Josh could almost feel Theia’s eyes narrow at how her unlikely her words made it clear she considered this to be, “…the game ends and we are the victors.”
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
Unable to speak physically due to their continued flight, Josh spoke mentally through his Mind Attunement. “So… on foot, while surrounded by four groups of gods— all more powerful than us, we are supposed to avoid the four other teams, use the Force as a guide to a currently unknown location— which may be moving. When we reach it we win. Is that it?”
The Titan spoke in a considered tone. “...At its core, that is it. But remember, this is a ‘simulation’ of what our Mother had to lead her people through. You are outnumbered. Each of the four teams opposing you consists of four members. The most senior and powerful members are anticipated to take the field against you. The enemy teams may, and likely will, work together to capture and or expunge you. Either of these outcomes brings them victory. Unfortunately for us, all of the chasing teams win the same standing in the overall contest regardless of which eliminates you.”
Theia paused as she seemed to consider something, then continued. “…If you two hadn’t arrived when you did, being Prey would have fallen to me and Hyperion. Given the… limits you both endure…” The obvious note of sympathy in her voice gave Josh more pause than anything else she had said. He was a little surprised as his lungs gave a stilted squeak of pain in response to the Titan girl’s unexpected squeeze of both his biceps. An apparent physical assessment, one which her next words made it plain he hadn’t measure up to. “…I see that you both will face a serious challenge in bringing victory for House Olympia…”
Josh’s pride set itself to a medium boil at his apparent failure to measure up to the Titan-girl’s scale of manliness. They continued to surge over the sandy wasteland below as his Southside of Chicago roots reared their belligerent heads. Unable to help himself, he muttered, “...Ya…well that’s what Mr. Snake, the Bat-Mumy, and that backstabbing vampire thought before me and Sen took them out. Being overwhelmed is kind of our default starting position. But right now we’re 3 and 0, sister. Welcome to our lives.”
In the face of Josh’s irritable reply, Theia offered no further opinions on their chances and started to answer his previous questions. “Your opponents will be scions from four of the Star Child clans competing for dominance over the respawning Creaturix. The Hindi and Aztecs are both in opposition to House Olympia. The Sumerians are neutral to us. The Egyptian House of Ra are currently being courted as allies. There is no guaranteed help from any of the four. But if all else fails, you might attempt to find mercy and assistance from the House of Ra. They may or may not provide it.”
Josh swallowed hard and thought about four teams coming for him and Sen, each having a member as strong as Cronos. As these horrifying realizations began to bear their fruits of terror in his mind, Theia’s crystal voice spoke further. “You must utilize our Mother’s greatest advantage during her flight. Her force was small, mobile, and fleet of action. So too, will you be compared to the four chasers. They will be limited in their abilities to travel and also be prevented from using their individual powers, personal abilities and skills that could be used to stop you from reaching Safety at range. Thus, speed is your one advantage; make sure you use it to its utmost.”
Josh was a little confused at that and sought clarification. “So, they will be slowed compared to us and will have no ability to stop us from moving–”
The Titan’s voice cut Josh off. “That's not what I said.” A slight sense of urgency colored the woman’s tone as she slowed their flight and spiraled to land in the literal middle of nowhere. “I did say that our enemies will all be ‘limited in their abilities’ in some way that equalizes the four other teams against us. They will not have their personal skills and powers to stop you. But they will have the ability to stop you. The game will somehow, in some way, equalize this. Exactly ‘how’ or what form this limitation takes from game to game is uncertain. In the last several recorded instances, the equalization measures have all been vastly different. But even in these differences, one factor remains the same: if the pursued team should free their opponents from the equalizing limitations placed upon them, the pursuers will then be free to use their individual abilities.”
Well, that makes no sense. Why would we— how could we free them? Josh sent mentally back but received no response as the Titans and their passengers hovered down to the gravelly soil in a way remoniscent of Christopher Reeve’s classic wire-team-Superman-landings. The two Titans then sent Josh and Sen down as gently as Beverly Hills shoppers floor their Maltese lap rats when they need both hands.
Now on the ground, Theia answered his question. “…Occasionally the pursued chose to free their chasers from their equalizing limitations in order to do away with the rules of the game and simply beat them in direct combat.” Theia leveled a gaze at Josh. “In your particular case, despite your confidence, I do not recommend this. There is a significant power differential between you and all who will pursue you.”
