Chapter 23: Bravery From Emotion. (Ankara)

Chapter 23: Chapter 23: Bravery From Emotion. (Ankara)

This persistent annoying bitch.

Victor cursed out Kiki in his mind. Of course he knew that receiving a dream from the ancestors was entirely different from interrupting the battle.

But it was the only thing his mind could spit out during such an emergency.

Victor turned to Popo. He could really see the unwillingness in his eyes. But Kiki was his betrothed, and she had made a point.

The chief of the tribe was the custodian of tradition, not the shaman. And even if, the battle for chief was just too sacred.

According to customs, Victor’s head should be cut off his shoulders and hug on a tree in front of the village for an entire week.

Just to serve as a lesson.

This was the reason he panicked so much. He knew the rules.

But right now, his head enjoyed being attached to his shoulders.

Maybe it was the intense moment, but Victor’s mind worked faster than it had ever in his life. Drops of sweat leaking from his neck to stain the edge of Kiki’s blade sitting at his neck.

He could feel the tension in her muscles through the blade. And then the tension had a slight shift, as if she was about to apply extra force—

His lips moved. "I plead Ankara."

The Crowd gasped. "The sin taker?"

No one noticed, but Kiki’s lips gave a slight curl upwards at Victor’s words.

"No, what... what have you done?" Jaja tried to lean upright. "Do not dishonor me, Milkshake22. I will not—"

Victor turned and landed a punch on Jaja’s face.

’Ahhhh!’ Victor winced in pain. Fuck, did punching always hurt this much, or is it just his hard face?

With all Jaja had been through, Victor’s punch was enough to knock him out.

However, Victor turned back to Popo, he saw disappointment written all over his face.

"What have you done brother?"

Victor swallowed hard. Trust me, it’s the same question I am asking myself.

Kiki stepped forward facing the crowd, "Milkshake22 has stepped forward and plead Ankara," she said, voice high for all to hear.

If Victor did not know any better, he could tell that she was excited about this.

"Jaja is unavailable to refute his claim." Her eyes fell on the knocked out Jaja. As referee for this sacred battle, I ACCEPT the transfer of sin. The battle for chief will now be between Milkshake22 and Popo, the sons of late king Zaza."

Surprisingly, the small crowd roared with excitement.

"The battle will commence imme—"

"Excuse me," Victor interrupted, cough "as you know, my brother, Popo, just finished one battle. He needs to rest. A battle for chief would not be fair if he is exhausted."

Popo felt insulted by those words. But stilled.

"And like I said, the ancestors do not want to meet with Jaja just yet. I will need to attend to him."

This dampened the excitement in the eyes of the crowd.

But Kiki could not help but view Victor in a perculiar light. A kind of cunny passed through her eyes.

"And how long do you need?" She asked.

"Uhh... I’ll need a day... no, a week. Two weeks. Yes, I hear the voices of the ancestors, and they say we should battle in two weeks."

Kiki turned to Popo, "as the challenged, do you agree with this?"

All the while, Popo’s eyes had never left his little brother.

In his gaze was a mix of emotions and questions; Pity, annoyance, pleading, why would he do such a thing? Was it really the wish of the ancestors? Can I really end the life of my own brother?

Everyone went silent for a bit, the atmosphere tensed as everyone waited for popo’s reply.

Especially Victor, who prayed heavily in his heart, banking hard on the affection the game lore said Popo had on his younger brother.

Popo took a deep breath in, then out.

"I accept."

[Congratulations, Player has challenged Chief Popo of the southern bloodline babarians]

[Congratulations, New achievement unlocked: First challenge. All stats +1 point]

A wave of new found strength washed through Victor’s being. Still, this was not the time.

Popo’s reply shocked the crowd, but not Kiki. No one knew Popo than she did.

Still, what was to come was inevitable.

She nodded, "The Challenged has agreed. The sacred battle for chief will happen in fourteen days from now."

The little crowd dispersed, many whispering, their excitement obvious.

Victor sighed in temporary relief. Popo gave him one more confused look.

Victor wanted to say something, but Popo turned away.

For a second, Victor felt a pang in his chest.

Foto hurried to Popo’s side, taking his arm like an excited bride at the victory of her suitor.

The girl attending to Jaja hurried over, tears in her eyes.

"Let’s take him back." Victor suggested. She nodded wiping her tears as they both carefully lifted Jaja away.

The village now had an event to look forward to. Naturally, conversations about what happened was the topic of the day.

Night fell again, the twin moons high up in the sky.

Victor sat on a high stone. Since the events of the day, his thoughts had been chaotic.

Today, he had to confront emotions he never knew he was capable of experience, and did things he never knew he could.

Today was the first day he was standing up for another person, and himself also. Even though it was not intentional and in the heat of the moment, it actually made him feel a deep sense of pride in himself.

Enough that tears fell from his eyes. He wondered what could have happened if he had been this brave to turn and look at his mother when she was being crushed by that wall. Maybe, just maybe he might have been able to find a way to save her.

After all, he’d been in shock, but he still remembered one of the rescuers say, "if only the pressure on her lungs had been eased a bit, she might have survived."

It was a haunting thought at the back of his mind, and for the first time in ten years, he let himself wipe.

I am sorry, mama. I am so sorry... if only your little boy had been brave...