Dukus: Victory and Sacrifice

**‘Is that him? The one they brought back from out by the reefs?’**

**‘He’s so young, maybe he hid from the Sahaugin that’s why he’s alive.’**

The other Triton looked at a young Dukus as he stood in line at the *agoge*. Aquan for Military Academy.

*I didn't hide...* He thought to himself.

Young boys without parents or who are groomed to be warriors are all enlisted to an agoge where they live and train until of age to further specialize. ‘*Devotion, Efficiency, Victory’* was etched on a large coral tablet hanging over the main hall.

Banners and tapestries of various Triton in full armor astride hippocampi combating Sahuagin in large multi colored murals. Tapestries and paintings in a large hall with little furniture, just images of the glory of the war.

*War isn't like this at all...*

Dukus ignored the pointless chatter of those nearby, staring at the calming blue of the ocean outside the stained glass windows. Losing himself in the wave of the sea weed, swaying…

A memory of his mother running her fingers through his long hair as he was just a boy.

The Sahuagin cutting their way through their village, the sound of War Conches being blown. A dead hippocampus, blood oozing out of its large sea horse like body, kicking its hoofs. *The evil* *in the deep dark.*

The War Conch, blaring again brought him back to reality. There was a Triton at the stone podium.

Stone pillars behind him on either side, he was in full armor.

***‘Welcome to the first day of your lives.**’*

He slams his fist down onto the podium.

**‘I will mould you just as Poseidon changes the trenches and reefs, you are nothing now. Untrained and unproven, there will be times where you will want to quit as the waves crash against you.**

 **Again.’** His fist falls onto the podium. **‘And again.’**

A small chunk of stone chips.

**‘Only when your years here are done will you be men. While others play politics and waste their time with pointless talk, in the Agoge we care about only one thing; Victory. Over the all that belongs in the deep dark of the endless sea, in defense of all Triton kind! We are Triton! We are chosen!’**

He raises his fist and the young boys and men in the hall cheered, a tapestry of a Triton raising a dead Sahaugin on the end of his trident hung behind the man, almost shaking in the vibration of his words.

…

**‘Next, Dukus.’** He stepped in front of the quartermaster who measured him for his new uniform. Giving him specific shells which correspond to rations, if you lost or had your shells stolen you wouldn’t be able to afford rations in the mess hall. It reminded Dukus of when his father gave him his allowance... He spent it all so quickly...

**‘You’re going to need to lose your hair. Go to the back and you’ll get shaved.’**

Dukus looked down at his feet, the image of his mother combing his long hair in his mind.

Of her complimenting its blue hue, rare among Triton with it usually being green.

**‘No. I will not do that.’** He said plainly.

Soon, Instructor Ares, the man at the podium was looking at him as he was called to his office.

The room was plain, stone pillars and Tridents hung up on the wall. A Sahuagin skull on a mantle.

Dukus sat in silence as the Instructor read from a parchment as to why this boy was brought to him.

**‘…Refusing a direct order… hair..? On his first day, I see.’** He put it down.

Instrucor Ares always wore his armor apparently as he stepped out in front of Dukus.

**‘You’re dismissed.**’ He said as he towered over him.

**‘Fine.**’ Dukus was numb, he didn’t care about any of this. He was just thinking of his family, of *that day*…

He turns to leave but then the Instructor reaches out and grabs him by the hair, pulling him back.

Reaching back he grabs the Sahuagin skull on the mantle and throws it to the floor.

'***‘*Look at it. You are weak, you cannot win as you are. Every sacrifice must be made for victory.’**

***‘*Let go of me!’** Young Dukus tries to wiggle free but the gauntlet held tightly to his hair.

**‘What are you ready to give up to win? To kill those that slaughtered your family, your people. For the last two thousand years! I *make* strong Triton here, are you strong?’**

**‘I am!**’ He turns and tires to elbow the Instructor but his elbow shoots in pain as it impacts armor.

**‘You are nothing, but I can make you into something. What are you ready to sacrifice!?’**

Dukus turns his gaze to the Sahuagin skull. The forces of evil, that took *everything* from him.

**‘I have already lost everything.**’ He says in a monotonous voice.

**'Not yet'**

Instructor Ares then drags forward a stool and hands Dukus a plain metallic razor.

Dukus slowly sits, looking at his face in the razor’s reflection, then shaves off his hair in silence.

…

Years pass and Dukus grows taller and wider, doing anything that was required to get ahead.

His pure willpower drove him to always compete to be the fastest and strongest in tests.

Soon, his name was put forward to be a Paladin by his instructors.

Ares pushed him to go purely into the martial arts but Juno picked him out from the crowd of young recruits.

How exactly the Triton were selected to be Paladins was a mystery, Poseidon has a will unknown they say.

**‘Those of willing to attempt the following of Poseidon follow me.’** High Paladin Juno said as she reclined on a curved segmented pillar outside the agoge, hoisting a large clay-more over her shoulder while simply walking away.

Dukus rose up to follow but one of the older young men stopped him **‘Don’t Dukus, it’s not worth it.**’

He wasn’t going to stop now. *I need to be stronger.*

A few of the bravest young men followed Juno out to the edge of the Acropolis, they walked on in silence until they stopped after hours at the coral valley where the sea floor fell off thousands of feet into various currents and whirlpools. A dark descent with a floor of jagged sharp coral teeth at the bottom, or so they say.

Juno stood with a helper that held the reigns of several Hippocami.

**‘You need not preparation to serve Poseidon, only faith.**

**We live and die at the fate of the currents.’**

She gets on her mount, girdled and armored, her long red hair flowing behind her.

**‘Follow me, take any mount. It matters not, only if Poseidon decides you die today, or live to serve.'**

Then without a single word her mount raises and then dives straight down into the descent, shifting left and right avoiding whirlpools and deadly currents. The young men looked to each other, a woman was doing something akin to suicide without a hint of fear. She put them to shame as they looked down into the dark depths.

*How can I complete my mission if I die here? How can I stop evil.*

The first among them was Icarus, he was smaller than the rest but got on his mount and dove right in.

Dukus wasn’t about to be outdone, he chose the nearest one without even looking. And went in after them.

He barely knew how to control the thing, trying to steer the mount left. Only for a gush of current to appear from the left. The steed ignored him and went right and down. Then it slowed down on its own, another Triton, Augustus, had zipped past him. Dukus tried to urge the steed to go faster, never to be outdone by anyone else. Only for a whirlpool to drag Augustus and his steed away, he saw his neck snap as it tilted to the side.

*Dukus closes his eyes, have faith, that is the key. That is how I will be victorious.*

He let go of the reigns, and the steed went left and right. He heard screams echoing behind him. They went deeper and deeper into the dark, he could sense something ahead as he closes his eyes. A bright light, a pleasant, aroma?

There she was at the bottom, Juno atop her steed, she looked beautiful with her hair flowing.

Then he looked to the left, Icarus! He was almost there, he would reach first. The bottom wasn't a jagged reef but a beautiful coral reef with all sorts of wildlife and plant life, it was beautiful... Poseidon's own sanctuary.

Just as Icarus was about to reach out to Juno in success a large reef shark bites into his side. She tries to reach out a hand, she almost drags the young boy to her but her fist closes.

His blood oozes slowly into the water and drifts into her red hair. Dukus descends and stops his steed next to Juno. The shark was gone, Juno was comforting Icarus's frightened steed.

**'I didn't think you would be the one'**

She says as she looks to Dukus, they waited for any of the other young men to arrive. None did.

**'Poseidon chooses in mysterious ways, Icarus was top of his class in clerical studies. He was a good...'**

'**If you cared for him so much, you should have done more to save him.'** Dukus says plainly.

**'It is not my place to question Poseidon, you are his chosen Dukus. I will do my duty.'** And so they trained.

...

**'This will serve my purpose.'** Dukus says as he picks up a trident from the wall of the arena's preparation area.

He surpassed expectations in training, picking up the basics quickly. Juno was surprised to find him training even while everyone else went to sleep. He beat them all, challenged them all to duels. Brutus was good competition, he always put up a good fight but it wasn't enough. He will prove himself in the Arena of the Depths.

The Sahuagin he will fight in the arena are not of the vastly intelligent type, but it will suit for training.

Tritons usually have an extended reach over the shorter Sahuagin especially with the use of Tridents and nets. Even though a smaller Sahuagin has extraordinary strength if a Triton could stay out of range they have the advantage.

The War Conch blows, he steps out to stand in the line with the other competitors.

**'Welcome one and all to the Arena of the Depths! Today we have our best military graduates, from the martial school of Ares our champion of last season, Achilles!'** A large Triton with a perfect physique steps out in their classic bronze armor, taking a bow as he raises a fist to his patron... Instructor Ares. *I will win, I am strong.*

Dukus trailed off in his mind, blood pounding in his ears.

The iron fist of the instructor, the razor.

'**We have two competitors, initiates as Paladins of Poseidon! Will He move the currents in their favor this moon tide? Paladin Initiates Dukus and Brutus!'** *Brutus joined too? He didn't even pay attention. No matter.*

*Ares will not win today.*

The horns blow and the Sahuagin are released, working with a partner initially is the best tactic and he felt slightly relieved as Brutus pressed his back against him. They were released from cages all around the arena and the rules were simple, one point for each kill. The keen eyed judges etched the score with hammer and chisel as they watched.

Achilles wasn't taking the usual tactic of luring them into Tridents and nets, he rushed forward with a javelin and tossed it into the crowd before drawing two dual swords. He was a beast, Dukus had to focus.

Throwing his net over a crowd of smaller Sahuagin he caught three, nudging Brutus to move forward, raising their shields and deflecting faster moving blows as smaller fast Sahuagin hit their shields and swam away. An injury slows them down surely Achilles would be slowed being so exposed, this is the correct tactic, this will work.

He stabbed his Trident into the net impaling two as he looked behind him to see Brutus fending off a small group.

Achilles had a pile of corpses underneath him, his back fully exposed. What the hell was he doing?

Then Dukus has to stop himself smiling, a Sahaugin had bit Achille's ankle. He looked up to Instructor Ares. Ares put his hand against his face and stood up to walk away. Was he abandoning his pupil? Dukus broke away from Brutus.

*No, it's not right... I will win based on my willpower. I made myself, you didn't make me Ares.*

He extended his hand and put it on Achilles shoulder. *I will prove my strength, properly, don't look away Ares.*

He pushed the Sahaugin that was biting Achilles away and then dove into the crowd of the fish men.

**'I am Dukus, the chosen of Poseidon! I am strong! Don't look away Ares!'**

One, two, he rose a Sahaugin on the tip of his Trident before kicking it off. He felt one biting his shoulder and he reached for it throwing it down to the floor and stabbing it through the throat. Then he throws his shield against two, dazing them before cutting through their abdomens, their intestines entangling with the trident.

He felt Brutus put hit back against Dukus, he was leaving his back exposed, surely he should be more cau...

*Then he felt something sharp stab into his side*

Looking down he saw a dagger poking out of him, Brutus...

...

He felt himself being hoisted up, Achilles was lifting him up off the arena floor.

**The Arena of the Depths is over! The scores have been tallied! In third place, Brutus!**

Opening his eyes barely he locked them with Brutus, no one noticed? Really? In all the chaos

'Brutus... you ass.' He mutters as he held the wound at his side.

**And... tied.. for first place; Achilles and Dukus!**

Dukus broke off of Achilles and stood by himself. *I lost, I need to be stronger...*

In the morning he reported what Brutus did to Juno, they found the dagger and after interrogating he admitted his crimes. Breaking out crying like a weakling, saying that Dukus was always winning that he was tired of living in his shadow. *I barely noticed how he felt, no matter, he was weak, weak...they all are. Too cowardly to investigate the rumors of strange more intelligent Sahuagin summoning undead, dark portals. I will go where no one has been.*

*I will become as no other Triton has became.*

 *Poseidon favors the strong, not the weak...*

**...**

..

.

*But I am strong.* Dukus caught his reflection in the river as the party walked on, a mountain of muscles.

He was ready to give anything up. Dragging his large brutal fingers over his shaved head, there was one long hair.

His finger wraps around the hair and he pulls it out, closing his fist. '**Dukus, come up here, a little help...**'

Adrian said as he folded his arms by a large wooden door, Sigmund nursing an injured shoulder after he tried ramming it. Dukus walks up and shoves Sigmund aside '**Let me do it.'**

He raises his Trident and throws it, it splinters the large wooden door as it is thrown off its hinges.

**'Stay behind me and close. Don't wander off**' He says plainly as he steps into the darkness.