I've already turned sixteen, nearly a grown man. And yet, I remain unrecognized as a full-fledged Spartan still an unseasoned youth in their eyes.
After sowing seeds of doubt among my peers, my brothers began treating me with suspicion, keeping their distance. The distrust lingered, but in time, it began to fade.
I no longer led a squad, but I was still stronger than many. As for leadership… I will earn it again.
I strove to serve flawlessly, breaking neither orders nor laws. I fulfilled my warrior's duty with precision. But being merely a soldier is not my path. Every warrior dreams of one day becoming a general for only then can you shape the future, rather than simply obey someone else's will. But for now, that is not what matters.
In that time, I have grown stronger. My body commands respect by mortal standards, at least.
*
Name: Damocles
Age: 16
Strength (Physical power): 14
Agility (Speed, reflexes, evasion): 10
Endurance (Resistance to disease, fatigue, survivability): 16
Intelligence (Comprehension, learning, languages): 11
Charisma (Leadership, inspiration, persuasion): 9
Defense (Armor, bodily resilience): 9
Talents
Son of Sparta – +1 to starting attributes.
Evasion 12% (base 2% + Agility modifier) – You have a chance to dodge fatal blows. Your body has already endured countless wounds that could have been lethal. Your instincts have adapted to threats.
David – When your enemy is stronger than you, your stats increase by 10%.
Stony Endurance – +3 to Defense. When wounded, you can ignore pain. Bleeding is reduced by 20%. Makes it easier to stand your ground against superior foes.
Fleeting Shadow – Stealth level increased by 20%. You move with the grace and silence of a shadow, making you harder to detect.
Cunning of Hellas – You're skilled at deception. Having survived many schemes and intrigues, you've learned to adapt, subtly manipulate others, and escape from difficult situations.
Woodsman – You navigate forests with ease, light fires effortlessly, and can find food in the wild. It's also easier for you to hide among the foliage.
Abilities
Disease Immunity (passive) - When infected, temporarily increases Endurance by +3 (base 2% + 10% of Endurance score).
Combat Mastery, Level 8 (passive) – Increases Agility and Endurance by 12% in battle. Enhances attacks, helps detect enemy weaknesses, block, and counterattack.
Swordsmanship, Level 6 – Your sword skills are decent.
Spearmanship, Level 10 – Your spear skills are average.
Furious Storm - A lightning-fast series of three spear strikes.
Spartan Phalanx (active, requires allies nearby) – Increases all stats by 30%. When fighting in Spartan formation, you become part of a unified front.
*
A new ability revealed itself only after my spearmanship reached the tenth level. It seems that certain skills awaken only once a warrior masters their craft to a particular degree.
I would later come to understand that things like immunity and evasion held hidden depths. Their true effects depended directly on my core attributes. I began to notice a pattern: each point of Agility increased my chance to evade by roughly one percent, while immunity worked differently its strength was tied to Endurance. Roughly one-tenth of my stamina was converted into resistance.
This was especially evident in battle. My base stats would surge by several points, and whenever my Endurance and Agility spiked, my abilities immediately reflected it.
But things didn't always go as smoothly as I wished.
Recently, near Sparta's borders, an army was hastily assembled. It was dispatched to confront a coalition of several Greek city-states. The official reason: "Spartan cruelty" something the others could no longer tolerate. But rumors whispered of a deeper cause.
Some said the gods themselves had been offended, and a divine conflict had erupted among them. Yet even the immortals, it was said, would not wage war upon one another openly. Their comfort was far too precious. Mortals, on the other hand, were expendable. And so, war was unleashed.
Though I still did not know the whole truth, one thing was certain: an army nearly forty thousand strong was marching toward Sparta.
To meet them stood only ten thousand Spartans. Each of them ready to fight to the last. Even in the face of such overwhelming numbers, the enemy's victory was not assured. But it seemed they had a plan.
Spartans had proven time and again that numbers alone could not decide a battle. I had heard many tales of past wars, and all of them echoed a single truth: "The more enemies, the greater the glory."
And yet I doubted.
Something felt wrong. They would not march to certain death without a purpose. There had to be a design. There must be.
All I could do was hope that our army would prevail. If not… Sparta would face retribution.
Across the land, scattered among various training camps, were nearly three thousand adolescents of various ages. Around a thousand of them were between sixteen and twenty those already close to becoming true Spartans, and capable of fighting.
Perhaps there were more of us, if gathered all at once. But no one knew the exact number. It was hard to count we lost many to death, and some to surrender. In ancient Greece, keeping track of everyone was near impossible.
Days passed, and whispers of battles reached our ears. A prolonged war was not in Sparta's favor. Our doctrine was clear: the best defense is a swift attack.
Citizens of Sparta were those who marched to war. The rest helots and perioeci were called upon only when needed, a last resort, a contingency.
If Sparta could not claim a swift victory, the war would drag on, and that would be our undoing. The coalition of city-states had a larger population and could sustain a long campaign. Eventually, they would wear us down.
For Sparta the stakes were far more dire.
There might be no next generation. Not if the men failed to return from war.
Though, according to old tales and whispered rumors not all Spartan women were averse to liaisons with the perioeci. Children were sometimes born from such unions, though few dared speak of them. In truth, many sons were raised who bore no blood ties to the men they called "father."
Argos, Athens, and Arcadia three powerful city-states had united their armies against us. Their forces vastly outnumbered Sparta's, even before accounting for reserves and allies. Athens, with its far-reaching influence and silver-tongued orators, had drawn numerous city-states to its side.
Our enemies relied on numbers.We relied on valor, iron discipline, and the wisdom born of battle. Even if they outnumbered us four to one, it did not mean they were stronger.
This would be the greatest battle in Greece in over a decade.
"Damocles, news!" came a voice, snapping me from thought.
It was Damipp.
"Well?" I answered.
"There was a battle near Agros between two mountains, in the Ephimis pass. The Athenian army hadn't arrived in time. Our Spartan forces managed to drive back twenty thousand soldiers of Argos and Arcadia. Their reserves hadn't been fully mobilized. They simply weren't ready," Damipp reported.
The news struck me like a breath of mountain air. To push back such an army unthinkable. Yet by the scattered accounts that had reached us, the Spartans had launched a decisive assault and it seemed they had succeeded. The enemy had been caught off guard.
That was the core of Sparta's doctrine lightning-fast mobilization. While others were still gathering their troops and preparing for battle, Sparta was already waging war.
"Any word on enemy casualties?" I asked.
"Five thousand dead," Damipp replied with a smirk. "The rest fled like cowards, unworthy of being called warriors. Not one of them tried to make a stand. Each one only thought of saving his own wretched life."
Still, war is not won by a single battle. Nothing was decided yet.
Author's Note
I chose to portray a version of Sparta standing alone, without allies. Historically, Sparta had alliances with Arcadia and Argos, as they shared the same peninsula. But in God of War, war is constant yet the enemy is often unnamed.
In my vision, Sparta stands apart. The other city-states have turned against her because the Spartans live for war they raid their neighbors, enslave helots, and seize resources. Sparta is, above all, a military state. Without war, it cannot survive. That is why a coalition of polis formed against her.
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