"30 Steps to the Glory of Quetzcoatl (NEW STORY)" by Tansy A. H. Pye

30 steps to the Glory Of Quetzcoatl

One
The warrior takes the first of what will be the last thirty steps of his life. Below him the raucous crowd falls totally silent. The festivities and feasting stop suddenly as the entire village look up to watch their warrior, the finest of their village, the chief’s own son as he begins the long climb up the final 30 steps to the glory of Quetzcoatl.

Two
For the last year he has been treated as a king. And for the whole year the story of Melpomanec the finest of mexica’s Warriors has been the hottest property of all the Realitynet docusoaps on the Astranet. Voting has been hot on what should happen to this man. Should he be allowed to be sacrificed? Thousands of teenage girls would be heart broken.

Three
Voting has been hot on the Astranet but still the young warrior ascends. 75% want him to live. On a related chat site, there are fierce arguments for the warrior being allowed to meet the glory that has been promised him, who are we, they ask, to deny this man the fate he has chosen for himself. He made the decision to be the king of summer with his eyes open. He should be allowed be meet the glory of the Sun as is his right.

Four
The reporter on the steps of the pyramid rushes up to him, to interview him. The crowds below cannot see the blue ethereal form of the Astranet avatar, but the warrior can. In his drugged and tranced state he barely acknowledges it’s presence, if he were capable of thinking more clearly he would assume it to be a spirit of some kind, or a hallucination.

Five
“What are you feeling right now?”
“It’s warm up here.” The avatar is of course unable to feel the temperature but a diagnostic menu clicks up to give the Astranet navigator an estimated temperature on the steps of 106.5 degrees. So exposed on the golden steps it is a wonder the barefoot warrior can bear to go another step. But glory waits for him at the top of the pyramid and he must go on.

Six
He has trained for a year. It has not been all feasting and ladies, although it is true that after he had passed the trial of the warrior and been made the Summer King, any woman in the city could ask him to pass his seed to her in the hope that she could birth a child of the gods. Any man in the city would be pleased and proud if his wife made such a decision. For they all knew in a year he would be dead and the child would be their own, and maybe one of these children would grow up to be a great warrior and the family would be greatly compensated for the loss of their son and heir. It was a great honour to them.

Seven
“Are you afraid?”
“I am not afraid. I am the greatest of the city’s warriors. I am the finest warrior in all of Mexica. I am not afraid.” In the past year this warriors prime physique coupled with his sometimes amusing bedroom antics and almost godlike celebrity status wherever he went have made him the most popular History Docudrama star in the history of the Astranet. More popular than Cesar, who's eventual paranoia and madness should have changed his final line to ‘et tu Asranavigators’, votes for his death had been unanimous.

Eight
More popular than Robin Hood, who was as it turned out a bit of a disappointment. Just a thief and a thug, not even really a nobleman, and his abduction and rape of Marion had nearly caused the whole series to be cancelled, it was voted early in the series to allow him to be killed by the sheriff of Nottingham and put an end to the whole sorry mess. His name will live on in legend hope fully the series will be forgotten. For in truth fiction is greater than reality. And these Realitynet Docusoaps would eventually have their day and people would crave fiction and escapism again.

Nine
But for now the plight of the brave young warrior has everyone on the edge of their interfaces. The highest rated show of all time. In this last day it is estimated that 90% of the entire global population will tune in for the big moment. Will the warrior meet his fate. Some are watching for the gore, others to hope he is saved. But just a few, a growing few, in the hope that in the eyes of the young warrior they will see his faith and maybe, just maybe if they close in on his eyes in the moment of his release they might catch a glimpse of God himself and that would mean that mankind might not be alone in the universe.

Ten
The nobles of the crowd have rushed up the steps behind the warrior, but they are not permitted to step foot on the thirty sacred steps. Melpomanec seems oblivious to them, though he is only ten steps ahead. The jostling of the crowd below, over balance one of the onlookers, a woman by the name of Remec. She falls onto the golden sacred steps of the temple. As swift as thought an arrow appears in her throat, the temple guards at the top of the pyramid loose another three bolts into the front of the crowd, to remind them to stay back away from the sacred steps.

Eleven
The excitement in the crowd is still palpable, but they take a few steps back, one of them grabs the ankles of the fallen woman and dragging her of the steps, so that her corpse would not defile the ceremony above. A close up of the man dragging her body. It is her son. Hetomex, he had been in the competitions to be made the Summer King. He looks longingly at the back of the warrior his expression one of deepest regret. It should have been him. His Mother certainly had thought so. she had never forgiven her son for not winning the honour of being the Summer King and for the last year had refused to look in his face. He picks up his Mother’s body and begins the long walk down the pyramid.

Twelve
The warrior was completely oblivious to the drama played out behind him. He is hallucinating. He thinks he can see bright blue figures hovering beside him. They are arguing.
“It was his decision.” One of them seems to say. “He worked hard to be the best warrior, so that he could be sacrificed on this day.” He agrees with this voice. He did want to be here. What more noble a death is there? he would be one with his god. The chosen warrior of Quetzcoatl.

Thirteen
“No.” Says the other voice. “It isn’t fair. And besides, he is popular. The rating will drop.” The warrior doesn’t even understand this voice. The first voice argues for him.
“He is popular, because he is tragic. It is his impending death that has made his story so compelling. People love a tragic hero.”

Fourteen
The voices argue louder and harder. The warrior can neither understand them, nor escape them. He begins to panic, he has heard that other warriors who have taken the longest walk before him have gone mad in the end and been deemed unworthy of the God. He doesn’t want it to happen to him. He presses his hands over his ears. Still the voices continue. He begins to run up the stairs. In an effort to reach the glory of his god, before the voices drive him completely insane.

Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
The voices are quiet again. Even the crowd has fallen silent. There is fear among them now, that the warrior will fail. That he has gone mad. He has fasted for this trial. He is thirsty and tired and the run was a bad idea. The sun beats down on him harder than before. He feels every one of the hundreds of steps he has climbed burning into his calves and thighs. He looks up at the summit of the pyramid. So close. The Sun is directly overhead now. He must reach the summit soon, or he will be unworthy. But he also must not be seen to approach the God in fear or in madness, or he will be unworthy.

Twenty one
The damage that was done by the voices is worse than anyone can know. The panic and sweat of the warrior has cleared the drug out of his system. He is no longer in a drugged but lucid state. He can feel every muscle of his body, every cut and burn on his feet. His face and upper torso are burned and raw from the sun. The blue figure has returned. But the warrior does not know which one. “Why must you torment me? Are you sent from Tezcatlipoca? Tell the usurper that he will not take the sun this day. I will not help him.” An Info block appears on the Astranavigator interface ‘Tezcatlipoca. Rival of Quetzcoatl. God of Magic and Magicians, Also known as The Smoking Mirror, he is the god of the night and of the mysteries contained therein. He is a trickster God, he spreads chaos and war. He wishes to take the sun from Quetzcoatl. he has done so before.” There is a button marked. “More” But with the warrior so close to his goal no-one presses it.

Twenty two
60% of the astranavigators now vote against him being allowed to die. Those arguing for his independence are steadily getting the upper hand. The chat rooms are beginning to lag with the input. The money being generated from the hits to this site could buy and sell the warriors entire country. Suddenly the chat rooms fall silent. The warrior has stopped.

Twenty two
He cannot take another step. The pain is too much. his mind is clear and doubt has crept in with the pain. When he looks above him he sees only death. Not glory. Dimly he is aware that the eyes of the world are upon him. But his world is below him on the stairs. He is no longer aware of the millions of blue avatars that have suddenly winked into existence all around him. The entire Astranet have come to see this moment in person. They are not tuned to his mental wavelengths, they cannot communicate. Only watch. Only the Historynet docudrama reporter has been given the codes to allow communication with him. And yet. Suddenly there is a presence beside him. Talking to him.

Twenty two
“Turn back. You cannot succeed here. There will be another time. Another place. You can be the king again. I will give this to you.” This figure is black, not blue like the others and the sunlight glints off it’s foot. The Astranet security teems move in. The avatar is using hacked codes. They trace it’s code name ‘jaguar’. They find that it belongs to an Astranet terrorist of some renown. They try to break his codes, to remove him from the reality net, but he eludes them. They send in an avatar of their own.

Twenty two
The warrior has been listening to the dark man. He knows that this is Tezcatlipoca, but he is tired and afraid and the god is making sense. Above him is only pain and death. There is a new avatar. It has the colours of the rainbow through it. It faces the dark avatar. In a sudden flurry of colour both are gone. A blue avatar is beside him again. “why did you stop?”
“I am afraid.”
“Will you turn back?”
“I may. I could. Tezcatlipoca would make me a king.”
“Will he? For how long?” The warriors mind is wandering, the heat and exhaustion are beginning to take their toll on his body. If he does not begin to move soon he will not be able to at all.

Twenty two
He knows that Tezcatlipoca is a trickster. He should not listen and glory is but eight steps away. His father is on the steps behind him. The head of the village. If he had not chosen the long road, the warriors path to be the summer king then in time he would have been the lord of the village in time. “I do not want to be king.” He says with sudden realisation. “I did not take the longest road to be a king.” It is as if he gains a sudden burst of energy from this revelation.

Twenty three
“I took the longest road the be a God.” There is a cheer behind him. And a collective sigh of relief from the entire Astranet. He has regained his faith. The astranavigators had forgotten how important that was to his popularity. 85% now wish him to be allowed to die.

Twenty four
The warrior pushes on with renewed vigour. The cheering of the crowd now pushing him on. Astranet security avatar appears. But jaguar has already been disabled. efforts are now being made to find the owner of the rainbow avatar.

Twenty five
Still no sign of the rainbow avatar’s owner. The identity of this mystery hacker is almost spawning more chat sites than the fate of the warrior himself. Melpomanec, himself. Is smiling as he climbs the remaining few steps. The Priests above him are preparing for his sacrifice. They had been concerned by his hesitation, but they had not seen the avatars that appeared to him. Such visions are for the warrior alone on the longest road.

Twenty six
Only four more steps. The warrior can look into the eyes of the priest. Quetomex the high priest of Quetzcoatl takes his place at the top of the stairs his hands outreached to greet the brave Summer king. He curses with surprise as he realises that the young warrior is lucid. He sees the faith in the warrior’s eyes and motions to the guards, who have also noticed the lucidity of the sacrifice, that he will not need them to restrain him as yet. He has no doubt that the warrior will go willingly to the altar. But he will need to be held there.

Twenty seven
There will be great pain for him at the end. The Priest feels sorry for him. He does not take pleasure in the pain of the sacrifice. The drugs that are given to the warriors is not to make them compliant. They go willingly to the stone for their god. The drugs are a kindness from the priests, they dull the pain and release the mind. Quetomex reminds himself that the dose may need to be higher next time, but it is a delicate balance. Too much drug and the warrior will not make the climb and if there is no summer king then the next best sacrifice must be offered. If the warrior does not go to the block then the priest himself will throw himself from the pyramid to appease the God so that the crops will flourish and the rains will come.

Twenty eight
The warrior and the priest can almost touch and in that moment they are connected, both know that the other is willing to die for their God. Astranavigators are leaving the chat rooms all arguments forgotten. In the final poll 95% of those that cast a vote, voted to allow the warrior to meet his God and to die for his beliefs. The sky around the warrior is becoming crowded with avatars again.

Twenty nine
The warrior strongly clasps the priest by his wrists and bravely steps onto the top of the pyramid.

Thirty
Melpomanec climbs up onto the altar stone and lies back on it. He begins to pray. The Guards step forward and hold him down by his ankles and wrists. Quetomex raises his dagger. The shouted prayer of the priest and the scream of the warrior are almost completely drowned by the cheers and screams of the crowd below. In a swift and practised movement the priest cuts the still beating heart from the brave warrior and raises it above his head.

In the instant of his death the warrior sees the countless avatars above him and thinks that these must be the spirits of the kings that have gone before him. His spirit reaches out towards them. Among the countless blue spirits there is a flicker of a rainbow.

The Astranet went dead earlier today as a surge of energy ripped through it originating in the realitynet docusoap network. Thousands of navigators were left dead or severely braindamaged by the vast energy wave that seemed to be timed to coincide with the moment of the warrior’s sacrifice when net usage was at its greatest and most concentrated. Astranet security have said that this is the work of a virus implanted by the Astraterrorist known as Jaguar, or possibly the new hacker avatar that was reported at the site. Survivors of the shock wave have reported visions of rainbows and of wings.