Champions

That is when Sekhmet visited Amenemhet again, commanding him to raise a force to immediately attack the distant land of Erosius, across the Great Ocean. Amandure did not have a strong navy, what few vessels they possessed were for fishing and trade, not war. The king tried to reason with his goddess, explaining that he did not have the resources for such an assault. It did not go well. She wracked his body with the most intense pain imaginable for a full day. Every second of that agony felt like an eternity, and he prayed for death over and over. Finally it ended, and his goddess repeated her command.

Two weeks later the largest force of ships the king could assemble set sail for Erosius. He sent his greatest general with them, and prayed each day that they would succeed, for he knew his goddess would accept no less. Three months later his goddess visited him again, telling him that his force had failed, but that she would allow him a second chance. She commanded him to raise a vast navy and army, which would ensure his success this time. He was to use these forces to conquer and convert every island, and nation between his kingdom and Erosius.

It was a monumental task, and he had spent the last twenty springs working to follow her commands. He knew it would take him a few more years to reach Erosius, but his army and navy were the most powerful forces in the world now. He had also expanded his empire across one quarter of the globe.

These were his thoughts as he moved into the temple and knelt at the altar of his goddess.

"I have come my goddess. Your humble servant kneels before your greatness and awaits your commands."

Amenemhet, there is nothing humble about your service to me.

As the king struggled to beg forgiveness her laughter cut him short.

I have no desire for groveling cowards begging for me to solve their every problem. You are a strong leader, and your forces are an unstoppable wave that grows my power and influence in your world. Save your humility, I have no need of it.

"What can your servant do for you goddess?" he asked.

It is time for you to do as I have commanded. Hathor has returned, and has chosen a new Champion. You have done well these last decades and prepared this world for my challenge. Now you must gather all your forces, and sail to Erosius. Lead my faithful into battle and conquer this world for me.

"A Champion, goddess? The last Champion defeated my forces when they tried to take Erosius. The forces I can bring this time are far greater, but what shall we do when we face this Champion?"

You will do as I command. Worry not about the Champion. This new one is weak and inexperienced; she will be no challenge for MY Champion.

"Your Champion?"

Yes, Amenemhet. All your work to increase the faithful who venerate me has finally born fruit. I have enough influence in your realm to render a proper challenge. So I shall send you my Champion, and I assure you, he will easily defeat Hathor's child hero.

Then a bright flash blinded the king, and he fell back to the floor. Blinking the spots from his eyes, he looked back to the altar, and the statue of Sekhmet behind it. The altar was a smoking ruin, and the statue was gone. In its place stood a hulking brute. The man was larger than any the king had ever seen before, standing well over six feet tall, and he was enormous. The king guessed he was easily three hundred pounds of solid muscle, and the intricate plate armor he wore only made him more intimidating. He wore no helm, and his head was clean shaven, with tattoos covering its surface. He wore a full beard of black hair, with braids in it that hung down to mid-chest. Across his back was strapped a massive two-handed sword.

Shaking off his amazement, King Amenemhet III rose from his cowering position, straightening his back and standing. With a commanding voice he addressed the stranger, "Who are you and what are you doing in the temple of Sekhmet?"

Turning to gaze at the king, the large man spoke in a deep, soul chilling voice.

"I am the Champion of Enyo, the goddess you know as Sekhmet. I am here to lead your forces to victory, and crush the Champion of Hathor."

*****

Some Final Notes from the Author:

Congratulations on (hopefully) finishing my first work of fiction!

I have never written any piece of fiction for another person's consumption before this. I wrote this novel because I was tired of people who had never served in the Armed Forces and never seen combat trying to speak from a position of authority on things in which they were clueless. I love this type of story, and there are a number of other authors here on Literotica that have posted similar works, to varying degrees of success. If you have read them then you will certainly recognize some of the inspiration for this. However, I have climbed the hills of Afghanistan, worked closely with local national Afghanis, and crouched behind more than a few rocks while some of those assholes tried - ineffectually - to kill me. When I wrote the David character, I knew what I was talking about.

However, I had originally never intended to share this work with anyone, it was just for me. Yet, while this began as an amusement that helped pass the months as I looked for work after leaving military service (unemployed job-hunting doesn't fill a lot of the hours in the day), it became a type of therapy that helped me deal with a number of my PTSD and societal reintegration issues. I eventually decided to share it with the Literotica community because I have been reading stories on this site for over ten years, and I wanted to contribute something back. I also want your honest feedback. This is the first of three novels, in the first of three trilogies I envision for David (nine books total). Should I continue writing? Is this good enough to justify self-publishing? Let me know what you think.

And for you internet trolls out there...recall the fates of Bert, Tom, and William, and stay under your bridges and in your caves. Your ignorance is just as sensitive to the light of day.