For those of you new to this series, you can find the first entry here: Introducing, the Good God Damn. This is a weekly series I’m writing episodically.
As soon as Tobias lurched into a run, his exhaustion vanished. It simply oozed away. He found that he was struggling to maintain the slow pace that the rest of the fist seemed to demand. He listened to his breath as he was running. It was slow, even, and relaxed. He blinked. His breath had been ragged only when he was at rest. When he was fighting his breath calmed and his energy never flagged. He glanced at Dar’kid running next to him. He was pale with fatigue. His breath was fast and shallow. Not a good place to be.
“Fist halt.” Tobias called.
The fist staggered to a stop. Dar’kid flopped to his back, his knees up with his arms over his head. he was breathing rapidly.
Tobias flinched as his fatigued crashed down on him. He wobbled and knelt. He took a few deep breaths to work through the sudden weakness. He wasn’t out of breath though, just felt like he had worked out an hour ago and was just worked to the bone.
“Raven, I need you to run next to me.”
“Why, so you can leer at me?” She gasped.
“No. I need to count your breaths.”
“Uh, what?”
“We run and walk on a 500 to 100 cadence. I’m finding that 500 of my breaths is… uh, too long.”
“Oh, so you want to count mine, because I’m fat and out of breath.”
“Look, you’re the most winded here. My spark is changing me.” He gestured at his silvered inner portion of his forearm.
“So, basically. Yes. I’m fat and the least fit.”
Tobias opened his mouth. Then shut it. He decided a drink was a better choice than immediately responding.
“Look, he’s trying to do right by the fist. Everyone’s exhausted. It seems like he can’t judge that any longer.” Red said.
“My mother’s journal spoke of a metal man. A man that could fight for hours. That could run for days. He would deliver messages, but once delivered he’d collapse for hours.” Plain’s deep soothing voice sounded tired too.
“So, you think Tark is the same as this metal man?”
Plain nodded.
“What do you say? Be that barometer for this run. Tonight we’ll think of something better.”
“Oh, so you think I’m fat and out of shape too.” Raven sounded wounded.
“Not at all. You’re more worn out than anyone else. You healed the skinny kid more than once. You stared down that bear.” Red touched Raven’s arm, “You were amazing. Now, you’re wiped. Either do the counting for us so we can rest more, or let Tark count for you.”
Raven looked at Tobias.
“If you tell me when we should stop, that’s fine too. 500 and 100.” He said.
Raven groan. “You all are going to owe me for this.” She wiped sweat from her forehead. “You better count. I’m too tired.”
“Ok. Thank you. Thank you for helping me. I needed it.”
Raven gave a curt uncomfortable nod.
Tobias counted his breath to 100 and then stood. “Ok, let’s get running.”
Tobias fell into an easy run next to Raven. She looked at him, shook her head and then continued running.
After a minute of running she turned to him, “Fuck you.”
“You stared down that bear. That was fucking impressive.”
“Oh, now you’re trying to flatter me.”
Tobias laughed.
Raven punched him.
“Hey are you trying to make me more metal?”
“Oh shut up. I didn’t hit you that hard.”
“Fist halt!”
“Thank the Lord of the Stars.” Dar’kid called as he collapsed again.
Tobias felt the wave sweep over him again. He closed his eyes as he felt his energy ebb. It felt like a throbbing. After vigorously rubbing his eyes, he stretched his back. He surreptitiously checked his arm. He signed in relief when he didn’t see a knuckled shaped patch of skin.
He felt a hand on his back, he started. It was Raven. “You were really worried about that?”
He searched her face, then sighed. “I’m scared. I don’t know what this spark means. I don’t know what will turn me more metal.”
“I’m sorry.”
Tobias raised his hands and nodded. She patted his arm and went to chat with Red.
Tobias continued to count.
“When we get back to the barracks, could you talk with Laughing man?” Plain asked, interrupting Tobias’ counting.
“Yea, sure.”
“It is important.”
Tobias glanced up at Plain, his concerned etched into his face. He was looking at Giggles. Tobias followed his gaze. Even from where they were talking, it was clear something was off with Giggles.
“Yes. I’ll talk with him.”
Plain shuffled off. Tobias shook his head. If the giant was this exhausted. It was impressive anyone was running at all.
“Ok Fist. Let’s get going.”
As they started their slow jog Tobias counted. The fist eventually made it to the barracks.
Commander Lee was no where to be seen. Tobias wasn’t alone when he sighed in relief.
There was more food than usual along with several bottles of alcohol. The fist shuffled to the long tables. After Tobias put his plate on the table, it as then he realized Giggles hadn’t been in the food line.
He grabbed another plate and went outside. He found a hunched figure sitting on what Tobias had considered his rock. As Tobias approached, he saw it was Giggles. His shoulders were shaking in a silent cry. Tobias found a place for their plates and sat with Giggles.
“Are you hear to cheer me up?” Giggles spat at him.
“No.”
“Then why are you here?”
“So you wouldn’t be alone.”
“I want to be alone.”
“I know. I’ll be here, alone with you.”
Tobias sat far enough away to give Giggles space. He ate in silence. Eventually he heard Giggles eat. Then the clatter of cutlery as he finished.
Tobias went back for seconds. He brought a serving tray and two large mugs and a pitcher. He served himself some more food and took a long drag on the mug. It was a dry ale. Floral, with a nice bite. It was a hot day it helped cut through that.
“Do you know what my axes said me, today?” Giggles asked quietly.
“No.”
“They told me this was the 500th time we’d done that fight. That it was the first time we all made it through.”
“Your axes know of the echoes, too?”
“It seems so.” Giggles paused. “You saved my life today.”
“That’s what a fist does.”
He heard a rustle. Tobias glanced up and saw Giggles was shaking his head. He looked to be holding in a sob.
“It doesn’t do that?” Tobias asked.
“No. If things go bad in that. I always died first. We didn’t actually die. It was a spell. Regardless, you always blamed me.”
Tobias stared at his feet. He took a swig of his ale.
“When some of us survive, it was because you decided to save me. This was different, though.” Giggles continued. “This time, you brought the fist around me. You saw my exhaustion, you cared to give me rest.”
“My father was the lord of my village. He made us, as children, fight. Winner got more crops or reduced taxes for their parents or something. I learned early that success came from teamwork.” Tobias said. “I made sure my team worked well together. That we had a plan. That we rested. Other teams didn’t. They often died.”
“So, you’re just looking at me as another team member?”
“No. You’re part of my fist and I’m part of your fist. We’re Good God Damn.” Tobias looked back at the barracks. “No, there’s something else. I feel an affinity towards you all.”
“Why, though? I’m so broken. I’m so fucked up that I’ve already lost a leg.”
“What do your echoes say about that? Are there echoes where you’ve lost a leg like that before?”
Giggles hesitated.”There are, uh, a few echoes.”
“Can you learn from that echo? Give us an edge in whatever’s coming next?”
Giggles sighed. “Do you really believe me with these echoes?”
Tobias shrugged, “You used them to save my life. Your axes say they are real. That’s enough for me.”
“Really?”
“Look, I’m turning into a metal man. Sparks are a strange thing. Maybe this is one of your sparks. Maybe this time, we go past your echoes.”
Giggles smiled at that, “That’d be nice. That’d mean we lived. I’d like that.”
Tobias gave him a tight smile, “Let’s listen to those echoes and live then.”