Legacies of light

As I walk through the door, I see what I can only describe as an ever-growing lump of flesh. It isn’t that much bigger than two meters, yet I instinctively feel a sense of dread that I have never before.

Lugh throws me a real spear, and says, “What is my greatest achievement!”

“The besting of the wonderbeast Vánagandr. Countless fell by its claws and you killed and devoured it.”

“This beast that lays in front of you is the remainder of its flesh, and half of its brain I kept for experimental purposes, and know I want you to fight it by yourself.”

Lugh whistles and the flesh form starts to change, it continues to repeat over and over again until this two-meter lump of flesh takes on the form of a wolf, but most of its flesh is still exposed, and in small patches, skin is throughout its body.

Its teeth fully regenerate, but only one eye does. It has a tail reminiscent of a crescent moon, and its body seems metallic but also organic. I can tell that whether this thing once looked like, it was glorious.

Though in its current form, it both disgusts and shocks me. But before I can even show such emotions on my face it attacks. So I jump away as fast as I can and barely dodge.

My life almost ended.

Despite the panic, I currently feel I have no time to worry because, by the time I do, I notice that it is already coming for me again. So I move away and this pattern continues.

This beast is so fast I barely am able to keep up, but if it comes down to speed I won’t ever lose. I start to increase my speed and as I do the beast easily keeps pace.

Did it just speed up? Does that mean it was going easy on me?

Annoyed, I say, “Red branch battle arts; star flower.” And then still at high speed, I strike it seven times retaining my motion.

“How’s that!” I say as I look back towards it.

As the beast turns to face me, I notice that the seven places I have hit have started to regenerate. Then the beast comes its attack.

This really isn’t good for a spear user. But I may have a way around this. Earlier Lugh say it was his flesh and half its brain, which is strange considering that the beast regenerated other organs.

Does that mean its brain is necessary for its regeneration to continue? Lugh bested this beast, and with how quickly just this lump of flesh heals the real one must have done it much better.

So I doubt he just kept attacking it till its regeneration wore off. The key to winning this battle is to strike at its brain!

I continue to use red branch battle arts to move around and then after I line it up and get it into position, I say, “Red branch battle arts; Sonic thrust.”

Then with one stationary thrust at the speed of sound, I penetrate its head. But my spear never hits its brain. I try to move my spear out of its head, but I can’t.

The beast has regenerated so fast that it stopped my spear before it could pierce, and right now I am completely stuck in place.

Not wasting the opportunity the beast raises its tail and small it into me. The tail is sharp and powerful, so it leaves a deep cut on my arm, and sends me flying to the end of the room.

With my back against the wall, I look at the beast slowly removing my spear from its head, and as I do I feel my resolve waver.

What a fool I was thinking I could somehow beat this thing. Deep inside me, I guess I enjoyed believing that I could defeat such a legendary beast, but it seems I am nothing but a fool.

I stare to look at Lugh and see his face of utter indifference. Seeing this my heart sinks, and I say, “Just a fir bolg after all.”

As the beast pulls out its spear and stares at me. I can feel my impending doom coming towards me, and I say, “How familiar this feels.”

Then an image of my mother and sister flashed before my eyes. One all too familiar, they are both hurt and lying on the ground.

The beast lunges at me, but jumps onto the wall and says, “That’s right, I think I had forgotten. Life has always been unfair.”

“Red branch battle arts; Sky flower,” I say as I jump from the wall all the way over to my spear.

“That’s why I fight, that’s why I train hard. So, I can fight back against that shittiness for them.”

Suddenly a memory pops into my head something that puts a smile on my face, one of Setanta saying, “You're my partner.”

“And as long as he sees me as his equal I won’t die to you!”

The beast lunges at me, but I say, “Red branch battle arts; star flower,” and attack the beast at the same time.

If its regeneration is so fast that I can block my spear, all I need to do then I make it so that it regenerates slowers. I must pierce its important organs and as they regenerate I will pierce its brain.

So I continue I start using star flower again and again, which makes me move around it at high speed as I pierce it again and again. Its liver, heart, lungs, spleen, intestines. Then I say, “Red branch battle arts; Clover.”

Then I stop right in front of its face, and then instantly pierce different muscles of its face four times, then I do the follow up to this and pierce its neck.

Then I say, “Red branch battle arts; Sky flower,” and then I slam my leg right into its face breaking its skull, and it this moment of weakness, I use sonic thrust to completely pierce its brain.

I let out a shout, and then say, “I won!”

But suddenly I see the tail of the beast swing towards me. It is going to hit me, it is way too late to dodge or block it!

As I prepare to be stuck I see the tail suddenly break off, and the beast half dead body gets flung across the room by Lugh.

“Turning to me, he says, “You did far better than expected.”

With an extremely irritated look, I say, “Thank you. It was a privilege to even fight a fragment of the beast that made you famous around the land.”

With a slightly confused expression he asks, “But why do you look angry.”

“I am not angry in the slightest my lord, I feel that this action is definite proof that you are Setanta’s dad.”

He looks confused for a few more seconds and then turns, his head saying, “Ok.”

HOW ANNOYING!!!!! Still, the strength he used to knock the beast away was beyond me. I doubt adults would be able to have an easy time against this thing and he just blew it away, he truly is worth his title.

He turns around and says, “Ferdiad I haven’t told anyone this, but there is a high chance that Setanta will become the next high king.”

Shocked, I say, “But I thought High King Conchobar was trying to have an heir, didn’t he just marry the girl he got pregnant?"

“It was another miscarriage. His father ate many different wonderbeasts throughout the world, and it seems this mixture has led to multiple problems when convincing. One could say it is the price to pay for our extravagant eating habits.”

“I knew that the issue of beastkin not watching their dietary restrictions has led to birth problems but I didn’t think it was this bad.”

“For the common folk who have restricted access to food, it isn’t an issue. But for the red branch who have none, it has become a far more pervasive issue. So at this point, an heir isn’t expected from my brother-in-law.”

Suddenly my body starts to shake, and I say, “Setanta the high king.”

In my mind, I see Setanta covered in every piece of jewellery imaginable, and him saying, “Now as my first command I decree all men must drink twenty buckets of poison if they wish to be recognised as adults.”

HE WILL DEFINITELY DO THAT!

Lugh says, “I can see you are worried.”

“I can already imagine the frivolous laws I will have to deal with.”

“That’s your only issue with him being high king.”

Confused, I say, “Well of course, when it comes to his duties for the sake of people he won’t ever fail.”

With a slight smile, he says, “I see.”

“Though he needs to learn restraint,” I say with an annoyed furry. “Still I have already promised myself to help him rule Gorias, the entire empire cannot be that much bigger.”

Lugh then says, “The position as king of one of the four providences is powerful, but my position is subject to change. If the people of this providence were to suffer my title would be stripped and another member of the red branch would take over for me.

But the high king is different. Unless one is proven to be an affront to Danu herself, none would ever even question the person who sits on that throne. So many would be far more willing to gain Setanta's favour and manipulate him. He will be surrounded by liars.

We the Tuatha Dé Dannan have worked hard to separate ourselves from humans. Humans lie, cheat, scum, beg, plunder, and will shatter all principles in exchange for prolonging their lives.

They are a disgusting existence who take years to simply take a single step forward, against their horrible selves before taking another two steps back. That is the reason so much of there is history, so many of their lives have been lost.

But it is not their fault for such behaviour it is just their role. The world is a horrible place and humans simply weren’t given the tools by who there false god to brave it.

Danu is unlike the messiah they know, she has granted us the ability to brave this world, to overcome its trials and tribulations. Countless of the strongest humans I have seen couldn’t have overcome what a mere beastkin of fourteen years could do.

Nature is our power, so we respect it and the creatures that derive from it far more than humans. We are superior, and Setanta is the accumulation of all of our work as the Tuatha Dé Dannan.

But slowly few are acting like humans, and to remain pure we must make examples out of those fools, such as Conchobar and his excess that has led to the end of his line, and the foolish men who beat his wife to a state pf horror and daughter to silence.”

I grip my fist as an unpleasant memory resurfaces. Turning to me, Lugh gets down to my eye level and says, “My son will be critical for the future of the world, and he needs supporters. The two he brought in will be his legs. Minagrain will be his wife at his left, and you will be the one to stand at his right.”

Full of pride, I say, “Ever since you both saved me and my family, I swore myself to be just that, and I will no matter the situation.”

He gets up and says, “I know you will.”

Walking past me, he pats my head and says, “Amongst men I have met in my life, you are truly one of the greatest. I am proud of you.”

As he walks away, I touch my head and smile. Then I follow after him. In my heart, I know I will always follow this house.

-The next day-

Location: Path to Emain Macha

Grabbing a bunch of random berries off a tree we are riding past, Setanta puts it in his mouth and I say, “Maybe I made a mistake.”