Character Creation Contest #123 - Codifying a Legend

A chanting, slim-waisted woman stood as far back from the cliff as she could, her back to the wall of the mountain pass. Holding a long handled weapon with a bulbous end towards the trio of one-eyed monsters that barely peered over the cliff, she'd slam it against their knuckles any time they reached a hand over the edge towards her. The one that was hit would howl its offense, and the monster would duck its head below the cliff while he minded his hand. The other two would take their turns trying to reach her, only to receieve the same treatment.

A green mist started to form on the cliff which confused and quieted the monstrous attackers, and as it cleared, two men appeared. One was of an average soldier's build with long blond hair, an axe and shield, and a falcon on his gloved forearm. The other was tall, muscular, bald, had ritual markings on his skin, and carryied a mace with a stone head.

Seeing the giant hand reaching over the cliff, the bald one swung his mace at it, hitting it in the thumb, and causing it to draw back swiftly over the cliff, with a howl of pain from its owner. "You damned mage!" the warrior growled. "Where have you brought us now?"

As another hand made a swipe at them, the blond man swung his axe, cutting into one of the fingers. "It's certainly not what I was trying for!" he shouted back, as the giant howled and drew back its hand.

The bald one made a face, clearly trying to contain his rage, and said, "What a shock."

"I brought you here," said the woman, drawing both of their attention as she swung her weapon at another hand, hitting a knuckle already bruised from another hit. As it retreated, she said, "I needed help against these monsters."

"Cyclops," said the bald one. The blond man gave him an odd look. The bald man shrugged, "I know things," he said as he slammed his mace against a giant fingernail, chipping it.

"I needed help against these cyclops," she continued, "so I reached out. I sensed your spell, so I redirected it here."

"What?" said the blond, sounding alarmed as he looked at the woman, his falcon digging its talons into the next hand that swiped by.

"And where is 'here,' woman?" demanded the bald one, letting a hand swipe by, and simply slapping it with his own hand.

"Manjaro, shut up and deal with the cyclops," said the blond one. Looking back to the woman, he said, "You crossed the streams?"

"This is bad, Ulrich?" asked Manjaro as he swung his mace upwards, bruising another finger.

"It could have been very bad," acknowledged Ulrich, "and shut up." Swinging his axe without looking, barely making contact with a knuckle, he looked back to the woman, and said, "Who are you?"

Swinging her weapon at another hand, she said, "I am Gadanari, and the land we are in is called Greece."

Manjaro stopped and looked at her in surprise, a fingernail slashing his chest while his guard was down. "Agghh!" he raged at the pain.

"I got one!" a voice boomed from over the cliff.

"And yet he is not in your hand!" boomed another.

The bloody fingernail sailed over the cliff again, and Manjaro met it with his mace and an angry roar. Still seething, and reminded to keep his eyes on his foes, he asked the woman, "You are Kah-mo-dah-kai?"

"Kaumodaki," she said as she swung her weapon into the side of another hand.

"Ko-mo-dah-kee," Manjaro repeated. "What is the weapon of Vishnu doing here?"

Again, Ulrich looked at Manjaro with surprise. His falcon charged in, clawing a finger that was headed his way. His attention refocused on the cyclops' hands, and he continued swinging his axe.

"I am envoy of Vishnu today. I am on my way to Olympus," she said as she cracked another giant knuckle.

"Couldn't you have just gone directly to Olympus, rather than travelling this dangerous path?" asked Manjaro, mashing his mace into another thumb.

Kaumodaki looked slightly annoyed as she jabbed her weapon into the soft palm of another hand. "As Gadadevi, yes. But is not her time," she growled angrily as she slammed her weapon into yet another knuckle, a thundering crack coming from the bone. "This is not important right now," she snapped. "Can we deal with these monsters, please?!"

Smiling, slightly embarrassed, Manjaro said, "Oh, yes. I'll smash the next hand, and when it retreats, you run forward and jab your gada into the nearest eye."

The woman nodded, and with her gada pointed forward, she dropped into a stance, ready to run.

Manjaro swung his mace from over his head, smashing into the back of the next giant hand that came at him. He was pleased to see that it was the one with his blood on its fingernail.

When the cyclops howled, and the hand retreated, Kaumodaki ran forward screaming, and thrust her gada into the first eye that peeked back over the cliff's edge. The monster screamed, clutched its hands over its face, and ran blindly into the valley beyond the cliff. Stepping into a pond and tripping, it fell into the forest beyond, impaled multiple times on the trees.

"Well struck!" laughed Manjaro. "My turn!"

Nodding, Kaumodaki smashed her gada into the next hand. Manjaro ran forward with a roar, and smashed his mace into the temple of the cyclops. The giant eye rolled upwards, the iris almost disappearing behind the massive eyelid, and the monster simply dropped, a hand grabbing feebly at the cliff's edge as he fell.

"You are not so bad with a gada yourself," Kaumodaki said with a smile.

Manjaro hefted the weapon in his hand, and smiled. "We call it a mace," he said politely.

Gadanari nodded. "Perhaps we should help Ulrich."

"I've got it," Ulrich said, sounding annoyed as he slashed the tip of a little finger off with his axe. Then he thrust his free hand forward, and a green mist swept out, enveloped the last remaining cyclops, and flung it across the valley. The giant monster howled the whole way until it hit a peak on the other side, and the body rolled down into the valley. The mountain crumbled from the impact, and buried the cyclops in the rubble.

Manjaro turned to Ulrich with great surprise and annoyance, and pointing his mace toward the valley, he hollered, "Why did you not do that before?!"

"I was distracted by this woman's magic!" Ulrich said defensively, "Besides, you would have been angry if I'd not left some of the battle to you."

Manjaro clenched his fist as his chest heaved with an angry huff. Then he smiled suddenly, and laughed uproariously. "Ha! That is true, friend Ulrich!"

Walking up beside Manjaro, and placing a hand on his upper arm, Gadanari said, "I thank you for your help. Would you like to travel with me farther?"

Surprisingly pleased by the woman's touch, Manjaro said, "If you are in need of further help, dear lady, we would be pleased to aid the Kaumodaki."

"But," said Ulrich, "if you are not, we need to continue to our original destination. Our leader, Finnrick, will be waiting."

"Very well," Gadanari said with a nod, "but please allow me to give you this in thanks for your help." Touching her gada to Manjaro's mace, the stone and wood weapon turned to metal. The formerly hammer-like head was now round, with rounded studs all over it. "Manjaro, this mace will be more powerful than the one you came with, and as long as you hold it, you will be invulnerable."

Manjaro looked at the new weapon with great admiration and appreciation. Looking to Gadanari, he smiled, and nodded his approval. "Good heft."

Reaching the gada towards Ulrich, she said, "I can do the same for your axe."

Ulrich held up a hand quickly. "That's quite alright."

Gadanari smiled and nodded slightly. "Don't cross the streams."

Ulrich nodded back as his falcon landed on his wrist with something in its beak.

"Is that thing eating eyeball?!" Manjaro said with disgust.

Smoothing the bird's feathers, Ulrich said, "He needs his rewards too, Manjaro."

"And he shall have it," said Gadanari. Just with those words, the piece of cyclops eyeball became a fish. "Farewell, warriors," she said.

"Farwell," said Ulrich, and a green mist began to enshroud the two men.

Manjaro looked at his friend, and said, "Did you just compare me to your bird?"

With a sly smirk, Ulrich said, "How did you know who she was?"

As they faded from view, Manjaro said, "Where I came from, I was something of a historian."

Left by herself once again, Gadanari sounded annoyed, "Oh? Now it is your time!"

With that, she transformed. She became only slightly taller, her gada a bit longer and larger, and her clothing almost shined. "Quit complaining. Gadadevi is due on Olympus!" With that, there was a bright flash of light, and she disappeared.

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