Chapter 1: It takes more than talent

            As the morning sun rose, the land was lit ablaze with an orange light. Rocky outcrops and dirt were all the eye could see, except for the sparse and weathered plants. The early morning sun casting long distorted shadows across the rusty brown dirt. Dust clouds commonly kicked up from the wind, strengthened by the barren landscape. As if great elemental beings came to life and walked among the plants and rocks, born from wind and dust. The quietness was like a heavy blanket that hung in the air unbroken. Almost hidden from view, a small mud house rested in a shallow depression. Behind the house was a small clearing, a dusty well was all that prevented the clearing from appearing as barren as the surrounding landscape. Under the little shade that the bungalow offered, a figure danced around a hulking black shape; whirling around two wooden swords while hopping from either foot.

            “Come on ya great lump” he shouted “Don’t be afraid to hurt me”

            The boy was around 15 years of age, well-built if not on the thin side, with murky green eyes and shaggy brown hair. Sweat dripping from his forehead traced lines across his dirt caked face. The thing stared back and then reared up on his powerful hind legs and beat his chest revealing incredible muscles, with a shout, he bared his fangs and flexed his back, great shards of diamond shot through the skin on the back and rested there like turtle shell. The incredible ape was clearly upset about something.

            “Well how else are we supposed to get off this dust ball if we DON’T train all night.”

            The creature sat back down and nodded, then opened his fanged mouth and barked at him, startling a juvenile lizard that was basking on a flat rock not too far from the house.

            He laughed and punched the ape’s massive hairy arm, “I want to win too pal, as long as we don’t get slaughtered in the process, and if dad asks, we woke up 20 minutes ago.”

            With another loud bark the gorilla picked up the boy and set him on his shoulders, smoothly retracting the shards of diamond on his back like a cat would his claws.

            The boy smiled to himself as the shards seemed to melt into his friend’s coarse back hair. Clinging to the Ape’s massive head, he finally let his muscles relax after a long night. The air was heavy with moisture, making it difficult to breath for those who were not acclimatized. Dust clouds and humidity combined to create an inescapable smell of must. As the pair drew near to the edge of the shack, the boy nudged his friend’s head signaling him to put him back on the ground.

            “Time for some breakfast, what do you say pebble head?”  He didn’t wait for his companion to reply and dashed into the dark enclosure.

            With a scream of delight the ape smashed his heavy fists into the rocky ground sending two pillars of stone skyrocketing into the sky, a dust pheasant unlucky enough to be caught standing over top the once flat ground, was sent hurtling into the air. A couple seconds passed, and the boy poked his head back outside.

            “what were you thinking for food? I’m kinda craving-” The dead bird landed with a muffled thud, kicking up a small cloud of dust.

            “… bird, I guess” the boy said looking down at the fresh carcass. “How did you…” His words trailed off when saw the new pillars of rock jutting out of the ground. He whistled as he wiped the dusty sweat from his forehead. “well okay then”.

Hairy shoulders lifted as the gorilla arrogantly shrugged, the sheer size and power of his body was enough to give the creature a sizable advantage in any fight. But what makes him special enough to be a racer, are the developing abilities that he possesses. In a universe dominated by sport, the ability to win is what’s important, and if you can harness the power of the earth, then you have the potential to be unbeatable.

“Ever since your galden emerged, you’ve been getting faster and faster at making those pillars,” the smaller companion said, “I’m pretty sure just a month ago you were having trouble pushing those shards out of your back”.

The monkey took a moment to reflect on what the boy said, and then barked his satisfaction. The lad continued with tireless enthusiasm, “I know dad keeps telling us not to get too ahead of ourselves,” he stooped down to pick up the dead bird and continued, “but I know that even he thinks your galden is special, apparently no other racer has galden that pulses like yours, none that he faced anyway”

Just as the last of his words escaped from his mouth, a man opened the door and stepped through directly in front of the boy. He had long blonde hair, greying with age, that fell down to his shoulders. His face was like a map of wounds with no clear direction; one exceptionally large and knotted scar ran from the right corner of his mouth up to his temple., he was very tall and had a slim build, he walked with a limp but had no pain; his nose crooked as if broken many times and a large piece of his left ear was nowhere to be seen.

            “There you are, Valor, breakfast is-” the man stopped and stared at his son who was dripping with sweat and covered in dust after his overnight training session, a sly smile danced across the man’s lips, “another early morning bout?” he asked.

            Valor cast a sidelong glance at his hairy friend and then back at his father, “yeah, for sure, definitely, early morning uh huh” he gave his father his best ‘innocent 15-year-old’ smile.

            The man gave his son a shrewd look and then nodded approvingly, “well I’m proud of you, taking initiative and training on your own! As long as you’re not pulling all-nighters again, even the best riders need their sleep… right son?” the man reached over and took the dead pheasant from the boy, who was now shifting his weight uncomfortably.

            “Oh, I know that dad! you’ve drilled it into me enough times, sleep and the energy system and… photosynthesis and what not, right Diargo? We always -”, His words were cut short as a heavy hand cuffed him across the back of his head, strong enough to send him sprawling in the dirt.

            Valor scowled up at his attacker and friend, rubbing the tingling spot on the back of his head, “stupid monkey not brave enough to lie to my dad… ride together, die together blah blah blah”.

            Valor’s father tossed up his arms in exasperation, causing the limp body of the bird to narrowly miss the overhang of the roof. Not bothering to help his son up from the ground he shook his head and said, “Valor I’ve told you ENOUGH times”

            “I know dad”

            “When you stay up all night, you exhaust your body to the point of no recovery”

            There was a loud crash as the behemoth ape sat down to watch his companion get lectured.

            “I know dad”, Valor said

            His father continued, “No recovery means no afternoon training”

            The boy let out a defeated sigh “I know dad”

            “No afternoon training means no training with your old man”

            Casting an annoyed glance at the ape who was now letting out a rumbling chuckle, the boy replied “uh huh”

            Ignoring the gorilla, the man persisted “and no training with your old man means- “

            “Death”, Valor stood up and brushed the dust off of his legs and arms, “when we don’t train with you, we only increase our chances of death”

            His father’s gaze softened, and he relaxed his crossed arms, “yeah… I guess I’ve drilled that into you enough times as well”.  The man walked over to the seated gorilla and gave him a loving pat on the arm. “I may have been a rider, but at the end of the day I’m your father. I know first-hand the brutality of what you’re committing to, and if we’re going to do it together, then were going to do it right.”

            Defeated, the boy relaxed and dropped his chin to his chest. “you’re right, I’m exhausted, it was dumb, I’m dumb, were dumb, “he looked at his friend and met a deadly glare, “I’m dumb”.

Valor’s father sighed and walked over to his dejected son, “how about we start this day off right with some roasted pheasant, then you can get cleaned up and get some rest. I’m sure you worked up an appetite”

The boy beamed at his father, grasped his hand and pulled him into a quick hug, “never again dad, we do it your way”. Valor winked at his companion and gave him a broad smile “Thanks for the bird pebble head”

Diargo shook his head at his friend’s good fortune, Valor never truly suffered any consequences for his actions. The monkey gave the man a disapproving look as Valor dashed into the house.

Valor’s father rolled his eyes, “Do you really think I can punish my son for having the grit to train all night? That takes heart… he’s a winner.” He wiped the sweat that was already forming on his brow, the morning sun angrily staring down at them. “Need I remind you that you’re a team, you can’t just hang him out to dry when his old man gets on him.”

Diargo shook his head, taken a back, now he was the one getting scolded.

The man pressed further “You do care about him don’t you? If you’re not going to defend him from a simple scolding, then how can I expect you to defend him when you’re on the track.”

            The monkey’s yellow eyes narrowed, confused at how Valor was off the hook and now he was the one taking the brunt of the old man’s hazing. This did not stop his anger from rising however, he hated when his commitment to Valor was questioned, that was his brother. The great ape slammed his fists into the ground and snorted a large cloud of steam into the man’s face.

            Valor’s father nodded approvingly and patted the monkey on the side of his face, “I love you both,” he said. He turned around and walked through the door of the house and out of sight. The monkey lumbered over to the stone pillars he had created to wait for breakfast, as he inspected his craftsmanship, he reflected on the events that just happened, human families were weird, but he was glad to be a part of one.

                        An endless cloud of dust and sand encircled Diargo as he hurtled across the barren landscape. Valor sat on the back of his neck and clutched his friends’ coarse hairs as he lowered his face deeper behind the massive shoulder. It was a poor attempt at keeping the sand out of his eyes and mouth. Blinking his stinging eyes for the hundredth time, Valor cursed himself for not grabbing the old training visor. He refused to wear the oversized helmet because it was heavy and restricting, not to mention the musty smell made it almost impossible to breath.

            The storm cleared just enough to allow Valor to catch his breath and check his surroundings. They were nearing their second lap of the makeshift track that he built with his father. The track snaked around for just over 11 miles, with each twist and turn uniquely designed to give the best possible variety of scenarios that the duo would experience. The pair were nearing their fifth turn, and through the haze of sand and dust Valor could make out the outline of a large rock wall.  The barrier extended unnaturally out of the ground, giving the makeshift tract an almost one hundred and eighty-degree turn. Valor tightened his grip on Diargo’s fur and risked a glance up at the mountainous outcrop of rock that was giving his father a perfect overview of the entire track.

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Taking advantage of the fading storm, Valor yelled at his friend through the blistering wind, “Get ready to push off!”

The ape nodded his head in acknowledgement as the pair continued to get closer to the wall. The powerful strides of the monkey brought the duo to top speeds, and Valor braced for the impact of their plan. Just as it seemed like they would crash headfirst into the wall, Diargo leaped explosively from the ground. Hurtling through the air, the monkey twisted his body so his feet would make contact with the wall first. When the massive ape collided with the wall, his knees flexed to absorb the impact. Powerful leg muscles bunched, and the Ape pushed himself off the wall with as much strength as he could muster. A loud crack rang in Valor’s eardrums as he clung to Valor’s neck for dear life, the sudden change in direction threatened to turn his stomach and he fought to keep his bearings. The tactic was executed flawlessly, almost. As Diargo was attempted to land his feet got tangled underneath him, sending his massive form toppling to the ground. As Diargo’s body rolled across the rocky ground, Valor was sent hurtling off, landing even more ungracefully than his huge companion. Letting out a loud groan Valor pushed himself onto his back, he cracked open his dust covered eyes to see his father’s impassive face staring down at him.

“well that was terrible,” his father said.

            Valor’s grimace of pain turned into scowl, “that’s what you said the last time, and the four times before that!”

            His father’s expression did not change, “because the last five times you’ve attempted that move, it’s been terrible.”

 When the sandstorm hit their region, his father had jumped at the opportunity to wake his son up for an impromptu training session. The storm, he claimed, was just what the pair needed to better hone their skills as competitors.

  Valor threw his hands up in exasperation. “I’m still not sure why you’re getting angry with me, It’s Diargo’s fault we crashed!”

            Diargo lifted his large head from the sand to glare at Valor, not bothering to pick himself up from the ground. He snorted a large clump of sand out his nostrils before laying his head back down.

            Valor’s father sighed and ran hand through his long hair, “This may be the greatest lesson I can give you, so listen well.” He paused to listen to lower his face from a particularly strong blast of sand whipped up from the violent winds. “Diargo, do you mind?” he motioned his hands at the storm around him.

            With an overexaggerated groan, the monkey pulled himself to his feet and placed his palms flat on the ground beneath them. After a couple moments of concentrated silence, crystal walls materialized out of the ground, flowing like living water over their heads. Completely shielding the three from harsh winds. Valor’s father smiled and thanked the ape before turning back to look at his son who was now admiring smooth walls that surrounded them.

            “You need to learn trust. That is your biggest flaw when I watch you ride. The minute you start doubt the capabilities of your racer, is the minute you lose, and I’m not talking about the race.”

            “But I don’t- “Valor’s response was cut short as his father continued.

            “I don’t mean his capabilities as a racer; I mean his capabilities as an extension of your own mind and body. You must become one!”

            Valor, now visibly confused, shook his head and said, “I have literally no idea what you’re talking about at this point. How do we ‘become one’? He doesn’t even talk.” Valor turned his head to look at his friend who sat on his hind legs patiently listening to the lesson that Valor’s father was giving them. The light from the sign reflected through the crystal dome, creating unique patterns of light that danced across the ape’s massive had.

            Valor’s father continued, “yes but you CAN understand him, I know you can, I see it every day. How do you think that’s possible?

            Valor thought about it for a moment and then said, “Well you can understand him too dad, we both talk to him.”

            Valor’s father shook his head and then gazed thoughtfully at Diargo, who returned the steady look. “No… no I can’t understand him, I can interpret his expressions and his body language. But what you have is special, you actually TALK to him. You know what he’s thinking and what he’s trying to say”. Valor’s father turned back to look at his son who sat staring at him in silence. “The galden he possesses is the same that you do”. 

            Valor’s jaw dropped as he swung his head back and forth between his father and his giant friend. “you mean, I have galden? You can’t be serious.”

            Diargo snorted in disbelief suddenly jealous that the magic flowing through his blood might not be as unique as he thought.

            The long-haired man continued to remain impassive as he stared at his son with the same thoughtful expression. “Every living creature possesses galden, it’s the life blood of this galaxy, however it is rare for a creature to be born who can utilize their galden. Even more rare for the same frequency of galden to be shared between two individuals.” Valor’s father stood up and walked over to the monkey and put a calloused hand on his hairy shoulder. “It’s a gift really, a talent that has been passed down through our family. I had it with Glacier, and it’s what made us so dominant.”

            Valor could not believe his ears, he gave Diargo an incredulous look “So I can… also control the earth? Like I can make crystal rooms like this one?” he motioned to the dome that enclosed them. Diargo stared intently at the old man, sharing Valor’s curiosity and uncertainty.

            “No, I’m afraid not, your galden is different, as a rider its stronger than normal but it’s a miniscule shred of the galden that Diargo has in his blood.” Valor’s face fell but perked up once more as his father continued. “But that’s not to say what you have is special, and if you continue to train and develop your galden, you and Diargo will be unstoppable.” The long-haried man shook his head and smiled, “I’m sorry I would have told you this sooner, but I wanted to be sure of what I sensed.”

            Valor walked over to Diargo to give his friend a closer look, inspecting the grooves and lines in his face. Diargo returned the look with a little uncertainty and glanced at Valor’s father and then back at his friend. He had known for a long time that galden flows through every living creature. He could sense it all around him, but could it be true that his lifelong friend could possess a talent similar to his? The ape snorted out a large cloud of steam in Valor’s face and turned away. Impossible, no one could match his power, especially not a human of Valor’s size.

            Valor remained unflinching from his friends dismissive snort, he turned to look at his father and asked, “How do I sense it? You said you could sense it; I want to be able to as well”.

            His father smiled and nodded his head, “ok I’ll show you, ready?” Valor nodded eagerly and stared intently at his father. Diargo swung his head back around to fix his yellow eyes on the pair, suddenly much more interested in the conversation.

            Valor’s father closed his eyes and said, “First you need to focus your attention on whoever it is your sensing, then imagine you’re reaching into their heart with your mind.” He took a deep breath and released slowly and steadily, “open your mind and sense the magic pulsing in their heart, see it with your mind as if it’s a flare in the dark. The more powerful the galden the brighter in will burn.” He opened his eyes and smiled at Valor, “ok, now you try”.

            Valor nodded and looked at Diargo, “ok come here and let me touch you”. Diargo’s thick eyebrows raised in disdain and crossed his massive arms across his chest. Frustrated Valor frowned and pleaded with his friend “don’t be a baby, I’m not going to do anything to you”.

            Diargo grunted and looked at Valor’s father, who chuckled and nodded his head. Diargo uncrossed his arms and hesitantly allowed Valor to reach out and touch him. Valor was in constant physical contact with him throughout the day, but something about this interaction seemed different.

            Once Valor placed the palm of his hand over Diargo’s heart, he took a deep breath and closed eyes. He imagined his mind snaking into Diargo’s heart and tried to see the ‘flare’ of diargo’s galden. Nothing but darkness.

            “Nothing’s happening, I can’t see anything,” disappointed Valor opened his eyes and removed his hand from Diargo’s chest. Diargo released his breath that he just now realized he was holding. As Valor turned to look at his father, Diargo glanced up at the dome and focused intently on the sound outside, the storm seemed to be slowing down.

            “That’s okay, you’ll eventually get there, and then you’ll understand.” Valor’s father said, “keep practicing and training, it will only get stronger.”

            Valor shrugged his shoulders, disheartened that he couldn’t sense anything. He closed his eyes once more and felt the exhaustion start to creep into his muscles from the overnight training session. Valor stretched his arms above his head and then nodded, “Alright, more training and more practicing, I can definitely do that.”

            Valor’s father let out a loud laugh that startled Diargo, who jumped and hit his head off of the crystal roof above them. Which only brought another bout of laughter.

“I think it’s time to head home.” Valor’s father said.

 Scowling, the monkey placed his massive hand on the crystal wall and watched as the structure melted away in front of him. Once outside, Diargo curled his lip in distaste at the sand that was still blowing across the landscape. Valor noticed his friend’s expression as he climbed on his back and said, “3 more years buddy, 3 more years and we can win the qualifiers and get off this overcooked rock”

Valor’s father chuckled as he pulled himself up onto Diargo’s back behind valor, “and your 18^th birthday present will be my fantastic coaching”.

Valor turned to look at his dad, “uh I was thinking something closer to a new racing helmet. Maybe one that doesn’t smell like Diargo’s neck folds”

Diargo let out an angry bark as he ran across the desert.

“As long as you don’t forget about your old man, I’ll get you whatever you want kid.” Valor’s father said.

Valor rolled his eyes “As if I could ever forget about you or these hellish training sessions.”

His father gasped in mock indignation, “one day you’ll miss this, so enjoy it while it lasts.”

Valor shook his head as he watched the Kypeeran sun slowly set in the horizon, “I don’t think I ever will.”

 

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