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Nutmeg could still remember the day everything changed for her.
She was polishing her shield on the edge of the Nutmeg Tribe’s barracks, as usual. When she was younger, she used to polish her shield in the tents, along with the rest of the Nutmeg Tribe’s warriors. However, she noticed that the tents would grow quiet in her presence, filled with hushed whispers, and that was enough to tell her that she wasn’t welcome.
Nutmeg felt her hand ball into a fist as she rubbed her shield harder. It simply wasn’t fair. It wasn’t as if she meant to beat her fellow warrior to a pulp- he was simply too weak. And it wasn’t as if she wanted to burn her own mother- she only wanted to show off her new power. And now they were all treating her like some monster, refusing to even get close to her.
"That child of yours is a bad omen, the tribe elder had croaked in fear. . She is far too violent, and that fire…must be a curse bestowed by the Great Destroyer himself…One day. she will rain hellfire upon the Tribe…."
Her parents had paled in horror then, pushing her away from them despite how she was sobbing with her arms outstretched, seeking an embrace that she realized far too late that she would never get again. All of the Nutmeg Tribe knew the Great Destroyer far too well- he was the cause for villages, tribes and kingdoms razed entirely to the ground and for the spice storms that blew unforgivingly throughout the land.
After thousands of attempts at trying to integrate herself into had learned that it was useless to convince them that she wasn’t some blight that Burning Spice had somehow inflicted upon them.
Nutmeg Tiger jolted as the sound of a horn pierced through her thoughts.
“It’s the Great Destroyer! The Great Destroyer is here!” Terrified screams echoed all around her, and for a split second Nutmeg thought she summoned him with her thoughts. It would make sense for someone cursed with his power to be able to do such a thing, as absurd as it sounded.
She was near the edge of the tribe’s territory. It would be easy for her to escape, and there was plenty of time to find a place to hide from the destruction that the Beast was about to cause.
Instead, Nutmeg turned around and walked toward the fray. After all, she had always wanted to see the Great Destroyer for herself.
As she ran into the thick of battle, the smell of jam and smoke filled her lungs. In an instant, she found herself surrounded by terracotta-colored rubble and bodies both dead and half-dead. The sounds of screaming, growling, groaning, and weapons clashing against both weapons and property rang around her, creating a morbid symphony with her own heartbeat.
And in the middle of it all, was the Great Destroyer.
He was a hulking figure, with tattooed terracotta skin reminiscent of that of a tiger. The triangular gemstone embedded in his chest shone brightly with the light of a raging firestorm. His matted black hair flowed to the ground that cracked beneath his feet. And his teeth were a sharp, dull gold, glinting faintly in the
Burning Spice was the picture of pure strength and power, and Nutmeg Tiger felt her body go numb and her mouth run dry. Was it awe she was feeling, or fear? She did not know.
He cackled as he casually threw aside the corpse of someone Nutmeg didn’t care to get to know, their head lolled to the side because of their snapped neck.
“Hahahahah, ahh, this never gets old….” He glanced around, “I wonder….is there anyone willing to give me a real challenge before I wipe you all out?”
Nutmeg felt her stomach sink. She could lie to herself and say that it was solely because of the possibility of her village being razed to the ground and her people’s crumbs joining the ever-whirling spice storm, forgotten by history. But that wasn’t all. No- She knew, deep down, that she was destined to meet Burning Spice, and show him her strength. Then, he would decide on whether or not she was worthy to live.
It was now or never.
“I’ll be your opponent!” She heard herself blurt out as she stepped in front of him. The Beast’s blazing slits turned toward her, and for a moment, she thought she felt her fur being singed by that gaze alone.
“Another little tiger comes to challenge me, hm?” He said in amusement, raising his axe and putting it over his shoulders. He beckoned her over with his clawed index finger.
An invitation.
And she was glad to take him up on it.
She struck first, leaping toward him and trying to uppercut him with her shield. He chuckled at that, and brought his axe down on her, which she blocked in time.
As they exchanged blows, Nutmeg felt her jam boil, the thrill of the fight filling her every being. This was what it meant to be among the strong. This was what it meant to truly fight. She felt a smile spread across her face as she saw a weak point and struck Burning Spice with the sharp point of her shield, managing to land a hit. The Destroyer growled, and they continued to fight. Axe strike after axe strike hit both her cookie and Wild Spice halves, and finally, she was launched into a boulder, and slid down into the sand.
Her chest heaved as she lay there, jam pooling beneath her. She tried to move, to get up, to do anything at all- but the adrenaline and energy had completely left her body, and the pain settled in. She couldn’t move, and could only watch as Burning Spice came closer and closer, the ground cracking beneath his steps.
“Not bad, little tiger. You actually managed to both hurt and entertain me. What’s your name?”
“Nutmeg….Tiger Cookie…” Nutmeg uttered her name, and Burning Spice’s grin widened as he listened to her attempt at forcing her voice to remain steady.
“Yes…..yes. You will do.” Burning Spice purred approvingly, and offered his hand to her.
“Become my general, Nutmeg Tiger Cookie,” He said- no, commanded. “With you by my side, we shall teach the world to bow down to the strong.”
Nutmeg could feel the eyes of her tribe on her. She glanced around at all of them- injured and cowering from both The Great Destroyer and her as they whispered amongst themselves.
“And if I don’t?” She growled halfheartedly.
Burning Spice chuckled darkly, as if seeing through her facade of defiance. “Then you will die along with your tribe. It would be such a waste, really.”
“We’d rather join the Spice Storm than join someone like you!” Nutmeg recognized that croaking- the Village Elder, peering out from his hut. He didn’t even have the courage to take even a step outside.
What a coward.
She will teach him- and the rest of the village- the consequences of refusing to respect the rightful authority of the strong.
Nutmeg looked Burning Spice straight in the eyes, not fearing its blazing inferno- and raised her hand. Soon, a ball of fire struck the Elder’s hut, bathing it in flames.
Only after her first act of destruction did she consider herself worthy to take Burning Spice’s hand. This was her destiny, after all. And it was time to embrace it.
In that moment, nothing else but his satisfied golden grin and the glee in his blazing gaze mattered.
“Excellent.”