The Champ is Here! Part 1

Cordayl, still tied up, is escorted by the king to his private quarters since now the intruder has become a welcomed guest.

Dropping him in front of the door, he tells him to wash up and prepare his stomach for another fight.

"Aren't you gonna untie me?" Cordayl ask.

"For what? We both know you're only choosing to stay tied up." The King chuckles as he walks away.

Smirking, Cordayl breaks free of the ropes by simply flexing. He walks in and immediately washes the dirt and grime off his body. He then lies in bed to close his eyes for a minute, but he actually ends up dozing off… into a nightmare.

Cordayl awakes to see his fellow clan members running and ravaging a village, destroying everything. Men, women, and children all lay dead inside their homes and out on the streets.

Cordayl is down in the chaos, but looking at the pure destruction of this village, he feels this isn't right.

As he is gazing, though, he is stabbed in the back by a defender of the village.

Cordayl jumps back after feeling the contact and stands across from the older man, who looks at him with eyes full of pain and hatred.

The old man attacks and Cordayl makes slight work of him, quickly dislodging him from his weapon and tossing him through a house wall. But the man walks back out and squares up again.

Cordayl catches his punch and hits him with an uppercut in the midsection that nearly drops the old man, but the man catches himself and tries to knee Cordayl in the stomach. Cordayl catches the knee and crushes it in his hand.

The old man falls to the ground, too tired to scream in pain. Cordayl looks down on him, and the old man spits on his leg. Cordayl kicks him and leaves to pick up the old man's sword.

Suddenly, the view changes and Cordayl is now looking through the eyes of the defeated old man, looking up at himself as he grabs the weapon.

But Cordayl throws the sword, and it lands next to his head on the left. Cordayl watches himself turn to leave, but he is suddenly stopped by one of his father's generals.

"You didn't finish your meal, young prince." The general teases Cordayl.

"He's defeated. His death will come when they send the bomb." Cordayl answers.

The general laughs, "Young prince, your kindness will be your downfall. In this world, chaos is imminent, and order is necessary. The weak need the assistance of the strong, and those dumb enough to refuse it shall be made an example for future detractors.

"You, being a future king, need to know when to show mercy and when to deal death. But as a soldier I need you to follow orders to the letter. King Juulian ordered this village and its inhabitants to be destroyed. That is what this unit will do. I'll let this incident be a learning lesson but show this weakness again, and you'll never be my king."

And with that, the general brings his heavy foot down on Cordayl's head.

Cordayl jolts up, sweating too hard for a quick nap, and decides to get some fresh air.

Walking out of the shelter, he is soon backpedaling into the room, with the girl walking in right after him. "Here's your ceremonial outfit for tonight's feast. Put this, the dinner is almost ready. Is everything alright?"

"I'm fine. Just hungry." Cordayl replies, taking the clothes and moving to put them on. As he undresses, he notices the girl's eyes locked on him the whole time. "You see something you like?" Cordayl teases her.

The girl snaps out of her daze and tells Cordayl she'll wait for him outside, quickly exiting the tent.

A few minutes later, Cordayl comes out sporting his new outfit, and the girl apologizes because it seems a little baggy on him. Cordayl barely notices, and they walk together to the banquet hall.

"So how does a Melatonin warrior end up all the way over here? I thought your people were territorial like mine, " she asks.

"We are allowed to travel. Our ancestors believed it was important for us to see the world so we could see how we fit into it." Cordayl tells her.

"Fascinating. How long have you been traveling?" She continues.

"Almost 10 years now," Cordayl tells her.

"10 years! Do you not ever miss home?"

"I miss it every day," Cordayl answers sadly.

A silence develops. The girl tries to lighten the mood before they arrive at the banquet.

"Well, I am sure that a mighty warrior such as a Melatonin fits in wherever they choose." She smiles.

Cordayl shows a small smile. "The world isn't as friendly as you would think, " he tells her as they open the doors to a grand hall full of Troyell citizens.

Who all have their eyes locked on him.

As they enter the banquet hall, Cordayl tries to sit in the back, but the girl tells him he is to sit beside the king. Cordayl begrudgingly makes his way to the front of the banquet hall.

As he walks towards the front, he hears whispers and sees fingers pointing as the people wonder who is this boy that defeated so many of their warriors.

Cordayl sees several warriors with bruises, casts, and bandages all over their bodies and realizes he might've gone a little overboard.

The voice interjects, "Nobody died, so I know for a fact you were holding back."

With the special guest finally here, they wait for the king. Cordayl stares at the crowd of people who stare back and quickly realizes that he is basically at a dinner with the most prestigious of the village, and they aren't as welcoming as the king.

The king arrives soon after Cordayl and silences the room with a stomp of his foot.

With another stomp, they all stand. Then he pulls a giant piece of bread out from behind him and breaks it in front of them, signaling the start of the feast.

Cordayl is brought three giant plates of food for him and the king to share, and the king insists that he eat freely. But once the king sees how much a starving Cordayl can eat, he orders an extra two plates to be brought to the table.

As Cordayl engulfs the food, the king starts a conversation. "It is good to see the strength of the Melatonin has not diminished. I am sorry to hear what happened to you and the Hardoy tribe. I'm sure it was a glorious battle."

Cordayl gets a flash of his father's ashened face. "Thank you, sir," Cordayl says, wiping his mouth.

"Still a little puzzling to us warrior tribes as to how that battle ended with both tribes wiped out. But that is to be expected by 2 such ferocious tribes. The battle isn't won until an entire side is destroyed."

"There is a lot the world still doesn't know about that day," Cordayl states, drinking from his glass. The king looks at him with curiosity in his eyes as Cordayl goes back to eating.

At the end of the meal, Cordayl leans back into his chair but quickly sits back up as he notices a few of the warriors getting up and making their way to the front of the banquet hall.

The king tells him to relax, they wouldn't dare attack one of his guest in his sight.

"And when you aren't around?" the voice questions.

The first soldier to approach the table shows his respect to the king and then to Cordayl, acknowledging the strength of Melatonin. He claims never in his life has he seen anyone fight with so much grace and strength, and tells him that his scars will be a tale he will enjoy to share with his grandkids.

The second soldier to approach does the same, giving his respects first, then tells Cordayl how marvelous that fighting exhibition was. Never before had the warrior seen such a strong individual of Cordayl's size and stature be able to outlast so many deadly warriors.

He tells Cordayl that his kids are already running to him with rumors and questions about the fight and that he gets goosebumps reliving the tale with them, and then he returns to his seat.

A few more come to give respect to their new champion, and a few more come to vow their redemption and to conquer this false champion, as he isn't worthy of such praise or title. Cordayl obliges them all, and they return to their seats.

The dinner progresses, with Cordayl meeting generals and even a few native women who invite him out afterward. Cordayl tells them he won't be in town long as he is traveling somewhere, but they leave the offer on the table.

The last to approach the table is an elderly lady who smiles the whole way up to the front. She shows her respect to them both but then asks the king for an audience.

The king allows it, and after smiling for another two seconds, she shouts at the top of her lungs, "JUUUNGO!!!" and the room falls silent.

Cordayl leans to the side to speak to the girl, who has a worried expression on her face, "Who is Juungo?" he asks.

"Not who, what." She says. "And in summary, it's a very bad situation for us, I mean you." she corrects herself

"So what, I'm going to court or something?" Cordayl jokes.

"Yes. Juungo is a trial of the champion. It is an old ritual in which the people decide whether to accept or refuse a champion. If refused, that warrior must fight for his title against a chosen opponent. If they sit, they accept you. If they stand, then," her voice trails off as she watches her tribesmen.

One by one, they stand up, showing their vote for the contest, as they look down on Cordayl.

The king is silent for a few seconds and then stomps his foot twice to signal that he is allowing the challenge. Then, the room forms a giant huddle to discuss the matter further.

"What are they doing now?" Cordayl ask.

"They are deciding on a challenger. Please don't let them choose Khaun." The girl prays

"I hope they choose Khaun!" the voice chimes in. The king slams his foot down again, and the old lady walks out of the huddle.

Calmly and sweetly, the elder informs the king, "Our challenger will be… KHAUN!!!!"