Book 4 Chapter 26

The sun rose high and shone down between the mountain cliffs as the morning of the Clangang arrived. Clan Waythe, along with Tirr and his followers, slowly made their way down the valley, only to see the other clans doing the same.

Their destination, the Tribe’s old fighting grounds, was a place of training and sports back when the tribe lived in the old valley together. After the tribe split, it had been mostly abandoned, save for the occasional duel over honor that took place every decade or so, or for situations like today…

The fighting grounds lay within an old basin… Once a lake roughly the size of a square mile, it had dried hundreds of years ago, leaving a large flat depression with raised slopes surrounding it on all sides.

After years of wind and rain, the once flat lake bed had been carved and warped... Small hills and boulders combined with a new small stream and foliage, created plenty of cover and hiding spots for those within. Those watching from the outer rim, however, were afforded a great view of the entire battlefield.

Tirr took in the details quickly and found it was bigger than he had imagined…Dun had given a brief description, but seeing it person was different… It was large enough that, since the fighters would start on opposite sides, just getting to each other may last longer than the fight itself… Still, it was just a minor worry, not enough to change any of their plans.

They had spent the day before deciding their lineup and discussing strategy. Figuring out the order in which their fighters would go up took the least amount of time really. Though Dun advised leaving the strongest until the last, namely Maria and Doron, Tirr had denied him viciously, saying it was better to start off with a bang.

In Tirr’s opinion, it was far better to let Marian and Doron go first, hopefully crushing their opponents mentally and leaving a lasting impression on those that would fight next. With Tirr being so adamant, the first two were decided quickly. And after that Lin and Iesa fought for a while before it was decided the fire disciple would go first. The last two spots were then filled by the young blade master and another of the water disciples, though Tirr hoped that those matches wouldn’t matter…

After that, they spent the rest of the day going over the grounds with Dun, talking about what methods and strengths the other competitors may use. It had been a productive discussion, though Tirr was sure it was more useful for everyone besides Maria.

His Apostle had been different recently. He could sense that the center of her faith was far more stable than it had been before, and her strength seemed to be progressing in leaps and bounds. She had only broken through to mid-stage a while ago and here she was already close to becoming a late-stage Zealot.

He was sure it had something to do with the new aspect she had been working on, but she had refused to tell him anything about it and kept saying he’d just have to see wait and see. Hopefully, Tirr thought to himself, Whoever got put up against her lasted long enough for her to use it…

Soon the clans had positioned themselves along the rim of the fighting grounds. Stretched out in a thin line, they cheered and booed as the first competitors started to make their way down into the basin. Maria walked down confidently, turning back to give Tirr a wave before continuing down the slope. On the other side, their first opponent came down as well.

Mali raised his arms with a yell, echoed by his clanmates and many others around the lakebed. He walked down with an axe and nothing more at his belt, his steps quickening as he went further. Both competitors stopped as they reached the bottom, their views of each other blocked by the basin's natural terrain. Yet each knew their opponent was there, somewhere…

As those watching saw them reach their places, Fari came out from amongst her clan, her staff rattling at her side as she raised it high into the air. “We are here today to witness Clangang!” her voice carried over the basin, causing Mali to sneer.

Fari turned towards where Tirr stood with Clans Waythe and Fui on either side. “The warriors of Tirr will fight to prove their worth and gain entrance to the Tribe!” Beside Tirr, those of his honor guard yelled along with the members of clan Waythe and Fui. Hearing their calls, Tirr nodded approvingly, his eyes though stayed locked on where Maria stood.

Fari then turned to the other side of the lake bed, “The clans of Havo, Jacta, and Krawl oppose them!” Here another cheer rose and Mali raised his hands encouragingly as his father led the chants.

Fari waited for them to quiet before she continued. “Up first, from Tirr’s warriors, we have his… Apostle? Maria! And from Clan Krawl we have the clan leader's son himself Mali!” As cheers and boos receded once more she swung her staff across the basin. “Fighters!” She called down to them, “Are you ready?”

Maria raised a hand as Mali did the same on the other side. Seeing both hands Fari nodded, and shouted once more, her staff swing down to strike at the slope, “Then let the Clangang begin!”