Free Web NovelChapter 10: Chapter 10: The Weakest Link
The heavy thumping of the tribal drums started up again, the deep, rhythmic vibrations rattling right through the dirt floor The Shaman, an old man covered in white ash and bird feathers, stepped forward, waving a smoking bundle of dried herbs toward the fire-breathing bear totem.
"The blood of the Fire Bear is tested today!" roared the Chieftain, his booming voice echoing across the silent clearing "All youths who have seen eighteen winters, step forward and face the ancestors!".
A crowd of young tribesmen broke away from their families, moving toward the center of the clearing there were about thirty of them in total, a mix of young men and women Kellar adjusted the heavy Overlord’s Club on his shoulder, walking out beside them without a single hint of urgency, calm and collected..
As they formed a loose semicircle in front of the roaring flames, a heavy, deliberate shoulder slammed into Kellar’s side, nearly knocking him off balance.
"Move it, Little Flame Out of the way before the smoke chokes you out" a harsh voice sneered.
Kellar stabilized his footing, his emerald eyes narrowing as he turned to look at the guy It was a tall, broad-shouldered youth named Tor, whose chest was already as thick as a tree trunk Around them, several other young hunters snickered, whispering and pointing at Kellar with blatant contempt.
Looking around the circle, Kellar realized something immediately Every single youth standing there looked strong, built with raw, heavy muscle and hardened by a lifetime of brutal physical labor Compared to them, Kellar’s current body was noticeably lean, slender, and borderline scrawny.
A sudden flood of memories from the previous owner of this body rushed into his brain The old Kellar had been the favorite target of the village because of his weak physique, the other youths shoved him into the mud, stole his rations, and treated him like garbage He had been the pathetic, trembling weakling of the Fire Bear Clan.
So, this kid was the local punching bag, huh? Kellar thought, a cold, dangerous smirk slowly spreading across his handsome face as he gripped the handle of his metallic club Well, too bad for you idiots The old Kellar is dead.
The Shaman raised his skeletal hands, the rattling of animal bones tied to his wrists filling the sudden silence He threw a handful of dried powder into the roaring flames, causing the bear totem’s mouth to erupt in a brilliant flash of emerald fire.
"The Flame of the Ancestors does not lie!" the Shaman chanted, his raspy voice carrying a chilling, archaic weight "We gather to separate the steel from the slag The Fire Bear Tribe survives because our men are the unyielding stone that crushes the beast, and our women are the fertile soil that welcomes the seed A woman’s strength lies not in the spear, but in her silence and her womb They are the background of the lodge, meant to carry the burdens and nurse the next generation of giants They will never hold the war-axe, for their blood is made for the cradle, not the battlefield!".
Kellar glanced around the semicircle The young women standing in the line didn’t look angry or insulted; they simply stared down at the dirt, their faces passive He looked at the crowd of adult hunters, who were all nodding in solemn agreement.
Jesus, Kellar thought, his modern engineering mind recoiling slightly This guy is wrapping his blatant sexism in religious poetry, and literally nobody blinks an eye For these people, treating half the population as breeding livestock and disposable commodities is just the natural law It’s built right into their operating system.
But the Shaman wasn’t finished His cold, milky eyes slowly drifted away from the women and locked directly onto Kellar’s slender frame, his lip curling into a look of profound disgust.
"But a woman who cannot fight is natural" the Shaman bellowed, pointing a crooked, ash-stained finger right at Kellar’s chest "What is unnatural is a man born with the bones of a bird! A male of the Fire Bear who possesses the frail, delicate flesh of a maiden is an insult to the totem! To be a man of this clan means to be a crushing weight Look at this Skinny boy! How can a weakling with no meat on his ribs protect the fire? He is inadequate to bear the mark of the Burning Bear! He is nothing but a drain on our winter rations!".
A loud wave of mocking laughter erupted from the surrounding crowd Tor and the other heavy-set youths smirked, flexing their massive, scarred arms to emphasize the brutal contrast.
Kellar felt every eye in the village piercing into him like heated needles Even from the back of the crowd, he could feel Maya’s anxious, trembling gaze locked onto him The tribal structure had already judged him as a defective component before the trial had even begun.
They think a slim build means a weak engine, Kellar thought, his knuckles turning white as he subtly adjusted his grip on the hidden handle of the Overlord’s Club under his tunic.
