Chapter 2

As the berserker moved farther from the village he expanded his senses, assessing threats. Lorcans felt like an observer in his own body. He could feel his body moving, even evaluate all of the sensory input he was receiving, but knew instinctively that he, Lorcan, could merely observe and the berserker would ensure his survival. He also knew, instinctively, that course was the path to madness. He would be lost to the berserkergang if he did not regain control, no more than a wild beast that would have to be hunted and put down. As he began to reassert himself, the berserker railed. The struggle took hours, but, thought-by-thought, seemingly piece-by-piece, he regained himself. Becoming aware of his surroundings once again, he discovered that his struggle had not been all internal. Several trees had been broken at their base and a few boulders had been pulverized, while others had been thrown several tens of meters. He was awed by the power he now wielded, while feeling a smug satisfaction from the berserker.

{Well done Prime. You have a very strong mind. The berserker, most often, takes several days to subdue}he heard from Lady.

{What do I call you}he asked? {I can't just refer to you as 'Lady'. Do you have a name?}

{All of the berserkers who have come before you, have referred to me simply as 'Goddess'. While more than others, they are less than me and can be instructed. You, however, are My Prime and above me and may call me whatever you wish}replied Lady.

Stunned at her reply, he didn't know what to say. The Goddess was speaking to him! He had never imagined the voice, Lady, to be the Goddess. To be told that he was now above Her was almost more than his mind could comprehend. Added to the long list of shocks he had endured that day, this latest had left him feeling like he had taken a club to the head.

{I know you are not trying to tell me that I am now a god. I was born to enkiduan parents, I can't be a god}he mentally shouted!

{Please be calm Prime. No, you are not a god. I promise that, when you arrive, I will explain everything to you}came the soothing reply.

{Ok, }replied Lorcan. {I'll try to stay as calm as I can, just, try to spread out the shocks to only a one or two a day please}.

{Yes Prime. I apologize for overwhelming you with so much at once.}Lady said contritely.

Calm for now, Lorcan resumed his journey. Mentally calculating the distance he had traveled, he knew he had lost time and needed to speed up if he was going to make the 40 km he would need to travel per day. Lorcan eased into a ground-eating pace he knew from experience he could maintain for a while without tiring.

{My Prime, if I may?}Lady, having been monitoring his thoughts, tentatively asked

{This isn't going to be another shocking revelation is it?}Lorcan chuckled

{No ... well, perhaps, however, this should be a small one.}Lady said.

Slowing back to a trot Lorcan sighed and thought back to her {Go ahead please}.

{Prime, you are not taking into account the speed and stamina of the berserker when making your calculations. You no longer require as much rest as you once did and can run much faster than before}she explained.

Lorcan contemplated her explanation as he continued to trot. Resigned to the fact that shocking revelations were going to be the norm for a while, he returned to his previous pace. After an hour of not becoming winded or fatigued he sped up. After half an hour without complications he increased his speed again. And again. Then again, until he was running faster than he ever had without becoming winded or fatigued. Mentally calculating his new running speed let him know that he could now run faster than even a fenrir could travel.

After five hours he began to feel a small amount of fatigue. Slowing in increments until it lessened he returned to his previous best pace. After another hour he began sprinting again and decided to stop and rest the next time he felt fatigued since it was nearing sundown. Five hours later, feeling fatigued again, he slowed to a walk to cool down before stopping at a small clearing to rest.

{Very good Prime. You traveled 63.2 km today, despite losing time while regaining control of the berserker}Lady said.

Thinking about her comment and his own observation he asked; {Is the berserker a different being than me? Does becoming a berserker awaken a different being inside of us?}

{No Prime. You only perceive it that way because you are unaccustomed to feeling the different sensations that come with being a berserker. Even the act of 'subduing the berserker' is simply reigning in your own power. Part of your psyche wants to remain wild and do as it wishes without restraint. Your own humanity has to reassert itself or be lost beyond recovery. There have been berserkers that have been lost, but, very few since their advent, }she replied. {As you become accustomed to these new sensations, you will cease to see any separation between the berserker and the man.}

Lorcan thought about what Lady had just said as he began to take some supplies from his pack. He had eaten at mid-meal and slowed to snack several hours ago but still felt like he was starving. Realizing that he hadn't taken into account his increased energy needs, he would have to begin hunting sooner than he had anticipated.

Concentrating on his senses, he could smell water to the west, could hear the small and large creatures that made the forest their home, and see several predators checking to see if he might be their next meal. Acting on new instincts, he began to project menace in an expanding circle around him. The forest quieted instantly as it expanded and he watched as it reached the closest predator. A fenrir had stalked to within 25 meters of him and he watched as it met the expanding circle. The fenrir suddenly tucked its tail and crouched as if it had sensed a larger predator. He supposed it had. Lorcan knew that, now, he could take the wolf with ease if need be, despite it being the largest and strongest of the wolf kinds. The only other predators were a small pack of grey wolves who had crouched and watched to see if the fenrir would make the kill, hoping they could possibly steal it through superior numbers. As his menace expanded to reach the pack they turned and sprinted away while the fenrir still checked his surroundings for the larger predator it sensed. Because the fenrir were loners, it had to be much more cautious in its retreat. As it slowly edged away from him, Lorcan decided that he had projected his menace far enough to be safe while he rested.

Deciding to sleep for short periods and re-expand his circle when he woke, he unrolled his sleeping pallet and lay down to sleep after finishing end-meal. As he drifted off more pictures began to flash through his mind. They seemed to be directed at his subconscious, and so, did not keep him awake.

Waking an hour before sunrise, Lorcans first thought was to check for predators incase he needed to reproject his protective circle. He was confused to find it still in place. Just as the confusion began, however, he received an explanation seemingly from his subconscious. Part of the training he had received while he slept showed that one of the berserker abilities he had gained split his consciousness into several parts. He could now have ten independent lines of thought that did not interfere with each other, and yet, he could bring any single line of thought to the forefront of his mind at will. Meaning that as he slept one of the consciences maintained the circle while another was receiving the instruction, all without interfering with his sleep.

{Thank you Lady}he said.

{You are welcome My Prime. It is my honor to serve you in any capacity I am able}she replied.

He was confused by her deferential attitude but decided to ask about it after he started traveling for the day. After first-meal of dried meats and grains, Lorcan rolled up his sleeping mat, shouldered his pack, and resumed his journey.

As Lorcan walking to warm up he thought about this mornings revelations. Deciding to test his new abilities he began cataloging the predators he might encounter on his journey with part of his consciousness, another part was assigned to keep track of his surroundings, another to monitor his body as he ran, and another to speak to Lady.

{So, Lady, I keep sensing a certain amount of deference when you speak to me. It's confusing and, makes me more than a little uncomfortable. Why would a goddess show deference to a mere berserker?}he questioned

{Forgive me My Prime, but, you are not a "mere berserker". You are the first prime born on this planet, you are to the other berserkers as they are to normal humans. Your abilities will far outpace them, and, while they have been given rule over their respective areas, you will rule over them}she said.

Shocked again, he would have stumbled had not a different part of his consciousness been in charge of his body. {You're saying that I will rule over Beorn, Sverrir, Silvanus, Bipin, and Garbhan. The youngest of them is over two hundred years old. I don't think they will agree to defer to a fourteen year old.}he replied

{Prime, they, too, have been waiting for you. Everyone of them were informed when they Awakened that a Prime would come someday and that he would hold authority over all of them. Also, there are far more than those five berserkers. There are berserkers on every continent. You will, eventually, meet them all.}she explained

Stunned again Lorcan moved that part of his consciousness into the background so it could go over this new information. Moving the predator list to the foreground he began to go over it.

The gray wolf from last night was most dangerous because it was a pack hunter. They are slightly larger than a large dog, but, smaller than the largest dog breeds. They average thirty-four centimeters at the shoulder and weigh an average of thirty-eight point five kilograms. Berserker threat assessment; None.

The dire wolf, half again as large as a gray wolf. Hunts in smaller packs averaging two adults and one or two adolescents. More aggressive than their smaller cousins, they will attack most larger prey animals. Berserker threat assessment; Minimal.

The fenrir, largest of the wolf family. Measuring on average one point eight meters at the shoulders and weighing eighty-nine kilograms on average. They are solitary hunters and far more aggressive than either of their cousins. They are the only wolf breed that will actively hunt groups of humans. Berserker threat assessment; Low.

Black bear, smallest of the bear family. Omnivorous, they will hunt on occasion and scavenge when the opportunity arises but mostly herbivorous. Averaging two point four meters tall standing on their hind legs with an average weight of three hundred-sixty-three kilograms they posed a serious threat to travelers. Berserker threat assessment; Low.

Brown bear, more carnivorous than their smaller cousins they are still mostly herbivorous. Averaging three meters tall when standing on their hind legs with an average weight of six hundred-twenty kilograms they posed an extreme danger to travelers. Berserker threat assessment; Medium.

Cave bear, mostly herbivorous they will scavenge at any opportunity but rarely hunt. Averaging four point five meters, with some of the larger males reaching five point four meters, when standing on their hind legs with an average weight of one thousand-three hundred-sixty kilograms. Extremely aggressive when startled, they should be avoided at all costs. Berserker threat assessment; High.