by Eric Vall
Today was the day, we’d travel to the heavens and fight against the gods. For the first time in hundreds of years, I’d lay my eyes upon the place I remembered so clearly. I’d see the faces of those I’d once called family and watch the light leave their eyes as I slaughtered them. I would see my father and my mother, even the long-line of brothers that came after Otia and me.
We were ready, but the gods would throw everything they had at us. I was thankful at this moment to have my loyal minions by my side. I couldn’t imagine fighting this battle without them by my side. There was so much uncertainty going into this, but I was glad to have my women’s trust and support. I couldn’t do any of this without them, if it hadn’t been for them, I would have been trapped inside my dungeon still.
The battle would be long and hard, but we were prepared. My minions had made strides in their training and were now proper warriors. They could hold their own against gods, and I’d seen it with my very eyes as we battled against the Holy Order. My women killed them without mercy or pity, and it made me incredibly proud. When I’d first met them, they’d been timid and unsure how to use their weapons. Even Morrigan only knew one spell at that time and rarely used it because she feared hurting her sisters.
My minions were very different now, especially Carmedy, who was the hardest to break of her pacifist ways. The feline was more bloodthirsty than all of her sisters combined. I never imagined the alchemist taking joy in fighting back against our enemies, but I’d seen it time and time again. They were ready for this challenge even though it was the largest out of all the things we’d ever faced together.
In truth, I feared for their safety and the safety of the children held within their wombs. Rana was the farthest one along, and the god inside of her grew steadily, transferring its powers to the fox as time ticked by. Though Morrigan and Carmedy’s children were only conceived last night, I could sense their pulse of energy stronger now. It was as if the fetuses inside of them sensed the coming war and strengthened them.
I climbed out of bed as I used my telekinetic power to pull my armor over to me. The metal scraped across the wooden floor and slowly began to snap into place over my fleshy avatar. The armor felt different this time as it slid into place over me, more powerful than it had ever been. The dark armor was special to me, it’d protected me all of this time, but I knew that soon I wouldn’t need it.
My godly form and sigil had been stripped of me when I was cast from the heavens, and once I stepped foot back through the sanctum, it would return to me. The avatar my essence resided in was a semblance of the body I once possessed in the heavens. All the facial features were the same, but I pondered for a moment on what my minions would think once they saw it.
Right as the last bit of metal slid into place, Morrigan roused from the bed. Her snow-white hair shifted around her shoulders as her dark eyes found mine across the room. The elf didn’t smile or move from the bed, but her eyes turned to the window behind me. She blinked slowly in the bright light and then shifted to the floor as she grabbed for the robe she’d worn last night.
“This day has been long-awaited, Master,” the elven woman whispered, careful not to wake her still sleeping sister.
“It is,” I nodded as I turned back to the window and Morrigan joined me. “Are you worried?”
“No,” the elf stated firmly as she slipped her hands into mine, and I felt the steady pulse of power through her. “Our forces are strong, my sisters and I will do well. We also have the four other gods on our side, we’ve seen what they can do in battle, and their powers will be heightened once we enter into the heavens.”
“You do understand that the same goes for the gods, correct?” I inquired as I reached out and tucked a lock of her hair behind a pointed ear. “The deities will be in their element there, their powers are stronger in the gods’ realm than on earth. Those we’ve fought here were weaker than those we will fight today, do you think you can do it?”
“Are you doubting us now of all times, Master?” Morrigan chuckled under her breath as her dark eyes flitted to mine.
“No, I only say that because this will be the hardest thing we’ve ever done,” I told her as I brought her close and embraced her. “I do not fear for my life, but only of yours and your sisters. Morrigan…there is a slight chance that some of us will not make it--”
Morrigan pulled away from me slightly, her white brows furrowing as she stopped that sentence from coming out of my mouth completely.
“Don’t you dare speak it,” the elven woman uttered. “We will all come home together.”
“We don’t know what the gods will do once we get there,” I told her in a calmer voice. “But yes, I will make sure that each of us makes it back safe and sound.”
“No man, no god, not even the Holy Order could stand in our way,” the elf replied easily into my shoulder. “The heavens will be no different. I certainly am not afraid, and neither are my sisters. We willingly came along on this journey with you, and we will fight alongside you for the rest of our lives just to be near you. The gods will fall even if we fail today. We will destroy them, may it be today, or tomorrow, or a hundred years in the future, we will kill each one of them.”
“Yeah!” a sleepy voice cried from behind us, and we both turned as Carmedy sat up in bed. “We’re gonna kick their asses and send ‘em home crying to their mommas!”
“I think we’re going to do more than make them cry,” I chuckled as I lifted my right hand into the air and clutched it into a fist. “We’re going to slaughter each of them until I am the only remaining god.”
A soft knock came at the door, and before any of us could respond, the door exploded open. Annalise stood sideways with a shocked expression as Rana strode into the room, wearing a beautiful new set of armor. The redhead grinned to each of us and turned dramatically to show off the beaten metal.
“Hey!” Carmedy cried as she grabbed the blankets and hastily covered her naked body. “Knock first and wait for an answer before you just waltz on in!”
“I tried to tell her,” Annalise snorted as she rubbed her temples and shook her head. “She never listens.”
Out of the corner of my eye, Carmedy quietly climbed out of bed and slipped on the white robe from the floor. The alchemist tied it securely around her waist and giggled as she noticed my eyes.
“That’s not what’s important right now!” Rana cried as she gestured madly to the armor she wore. “What is important is this new shiny gold armor the four gods gave me!”
“The four gods gave you this?” I asked with furrowed brows as I stepped closer.
“Yeah, they made each of us minions a suit last night while everyone was sleeping off their hangovers!” the fox replied quickly as she held out her arms and twirled. “They even gave me this!”
Rana reached for the heavy sheath at her hip and pulled out a large claymore that was an exact copy of the Eye of Alipsis. The redhead sliced at the air with the sword as she grinned madly.
Golden rounded, metal plates covered almost all of Rana’s body. Her breastplate cupped her chest perfectly and along the edges of each piece were engraved lines that glowed with a bright emerald light. Every time she turned or made a move, the color within the engravings flashed and beat like a heart. I felt godly power beat from it, and it was not from any of the four gods, but instead, Rana herself.
Crème colored leather-covered her thighs in between a short chainmail skirt that rustled as she posed for all of us. The sword the gods gave to Rana matched the suit of armor and as she rested the heavy blade against her shoulder, shivers ran up and down my spine. Rana truly was a sight to behold, and I knew once the god’s laid eyes on her in the heavens, she would strike fear into their hearts.
“They knew I was sad to lose the weapon given to me from the Tichádáma, so they made me a sword along with the armor!”
“If you lay another hand on me, I will bite it off!” A loud hissing voice rose into the air from out in the hall, and Annalise
whipped her head in the direction.
“They’ve been trying to get Heijing into hers all morning, but she says that her robe is more than enough for her.” The high queen explained as the pounding of small feet reached our ears.
Heijing flew into the room as her icy blue eyes landed on me. The tiny Qianlong made a break for me and hid behind my towering body as her hand gripped onto me tightly.
“Awh, Hei-Hei, don’t be like that!” Ruituri called out in a singsong voice from down the hall.
“I told you not to call me that,” Heijing snapped from behind me, and I chuckled deep in the back of my throat. “We are not friends nor family, and I am not your pet! Stop calling me such silly things!”
Ruituri appeared in the doorway with a silver breastplate in her hands, and her feral yellow eyes searched for the petite Qianlong. Her wild gray hair was flushed up as if she had been tugging at it, and she batted it out of her face. The goddess’s eyes moved to me and then the small swatch of blue hair over my shoulder. Ruituri grinned evilly and headed for me, but I shook my head grimly.
“If my minion doesn’t want to wear it, I will not allow you to force her into it,” I stated, and the goddess of rot slumped.
“Aw, come on, Master,” Ruituri pleaded with me desperately as she sagged disappointedly, and the metal of the breastplate dragged across the wooden floor. “I made it especially for her, look, it’s so pretty, and it’ll look great with her hair!”
I glanced down at the armor for a second and what the goddess said was true. The silver metal had been shined to perfection, and the bright sapphires pressed into the collar sparkled.
“She’s right, Heijing,” Carmedy persuaded as she stealthily slipped from the bed and pulled on her robe. “It’s gorgeous, and it’d look so good on you.”
I didn’t want to agree with either of them because this was the Qianlong’s decision to make, but I could imagine the proud dragon wearing the ornately made armor. Heijing peeked over my shoulder and glared down at the armor in Ruituri’s hands. The goddess held it out to her with a wide grin, and the Qianlong glanced hastily over at Carmedy, who nodded excitedly.
“Why don’t you just try it on?” Annalise offered with a tilt of her head. “And if you don’t like it, you can take it off and never wear it again.”
“I will only do it if all of you put on the armor given to you, too,” Heijing huffed, and the rest of my minions glanced at each other.
“Already done!” Rana smirked as she placed her closed paws on her hips and again turned in the armor.
“Where’s Haruhi?” Carmedy questioned as she came closer to examine the fox’s outfit.
“I’m right here!” the sage’s voice answered from the hall, and the sound of clanking metal reached out ears. “Sorry, Bellum was helping me put on my armor, I’ve never worn something like this before.”
Haruhi stepped into the room, and my eyes widened in surprise. The librarian wore very little metal at all besides shin guards that reached all the way up to her knees, gauntlets that surrounded her wrists up to the elbow and a beaten copper chest piece that rested over her collarbones and shoulders. The rest of her body was protected in black leather that clung to her shapely form like a glove but still allowed her to move around comfortably. Long leather strings stitched up the sides of her corset and thighs in a lighter beige color. The sage’s gun holsters hung from her waist, and the golden muzzles of each peeked out.
“What do you think?” Haruhi giggled as she spun once to show off what the gods made for her.
“You look fantastic!” Annalise breathed as she rushed over and ran her fingers over the plate on the librarian’s shoulders. “But so little armor? Won’t she get injured?”
“No,” a deep voice answered from the doorway as Malsumis stepped through. “We’ve made precautions for that. Haruhi uses revolvers and has a low chance of having close or hand-to-hand combat. That determined her amount of armor, but I know what you’re thinking, that doesn’t lessen her chance of taking a direct hit from a god. We’ve taken precautions for that, Haruhi if you would?”
“Sure!” the sage smiled as she took a defensive stance, and my brother formed a small orb of orange light in his hands.
In one swift movement, Malsumis hurled the sphere of light at Haruhi, and the sage crossed her arms in front of her face. The orb of orange light blasted toward the librarian but right as it got to be within three feet of her body, a golden grid appeared around her like a forcefield. The ball of orange slammed into the grid and then exploded into tiny sparks that fell to the floor harmlessly.
“We took inspiration from the Holy Order’s enchantments and made them for Haruhi’s armor, though much stronger,” Malsumis explained as he gestured between Rana’s and Haruhi’s armor. “Think of each of these pieces as a living breathing thing, like an extension of yourself or another limb. The armor can sense an attack from any direction and will protect you each time.”
“So, all of our armor has this, not just Haruhi’s?” the fox asked excitedly, and Malsumis nodded with a small smile.
“The only suit of armor that is different from all the others is Heijing’s.” Domor murmured as he stepped through the door, and I believed that this was the first time I’d ever heard his voice.
“What’s different about hers?” Morrigan asked as she came to stand beside me and glanced behind me at her smaller sister.
“Heijing is the only one of you that can shift between two forms,” Domor explained as his soulless eyes wandered over each of us. “When we battled against Tintagal with you, Annalise’s augmentation stone lent its powers to her Bánwolf and covered her in armor too. Heijing’s will do something similar, it allows her shift in between human and dragon form with time-lapse or damage to the pieces. I hope that eases your mind a bit, Miss Qianlong.”
“We have all the sets ready for you if you would like to try them on.” Bellum murmured as she stepped in next to Domor, and the goddess leaned against the doorway.
I glanced over my shoulder at Heijing, and her icy blue eyes seemed to have softened, she even looked a bit excited about the idea of the armor now. I stepped to the side and brought the Qianlong forward. Heijing’s usual commanding and intimidating air was gone as she peeked at the gods nervously. The dragon cleared her throat, squared her shoulders, and firmly nodded.
Carmedy squealed excitedly as she raced over and intertwined her arm with Heijing’s. The Qianlong didn’t pull away from her sister but smiled nervously as the alchemist led her out of the room. Annalise and Morrigan followed after them eagerly, and both Rana and Haruhi remained in the room. The two other women admired each other’s new outfits, and I stepped closer to take them in, too.
The only remaining god in the room was Malsumis, and he stood against the wall with his arms crossed over his thin chest. His eyes wandered over my women’s armor with a pleased expression, and as I reached out to touch the delicate workmanship, he smiled softly.
As I touched the fine metal, god’s power rushed to the surface and tingled against my fingertips. It buzzed lightly against my flesh and the harder I pressed, the more it began to hurt. I drew away my hand and glanced up at my younger brother with an awestruck look.
Malsumis was a god who was never meant to reach the surface or enter into the heavens. Even his own mother thought he was unfit to rule the Underworld, she hated him just as my father despised me. We were children born to parents who didn’t want us, and we felt an affinity toward each other.
“Malsumis,” I started in my deep, oaky voice and my brother raised his chin to me with an interest in his eyes. “The power in these pieces…”
The god grinned and stepped away from the wall with his arms still over his chest. Malsumis circled Rana and Haruhi, and the two women glanced at him out of the corners of their eyes. They weren’t afraid of him per se, but his presence was unlike any other we’d witnessed. Malsumis was much different from all the other gods, even those he resided with. My brother had an ot
herworldly aura that surrounded him at all times, and I knew it was from being born in the pits of the Underworld.
“Just as you suspected, brother,” my brother nodded as he stopped in between Rana and Haruhi and gestured between the two of them. “The power harnessed through the armor is their own. It didn’t take long for the four of us to figure out what you were doing, and we decided we wanted to help you out. Each set of armor magnifies the powers appearing within their bodies and makes them usable at one-hundred percent.”
“R-really?” Haruhi squeaked as she looked down at her paws with newfound awe.
“It may not seem very strong here and now but once we reach the heavens, you’ll be able to tell the difference,” Malsumis nodded as he smiled to the sage and then turned to me with a serious expression. “We created these sets of armor as thanks to you, Kazama. You’ve allowed us to fight alongside you all of this time, and we hope that you allow us to stay in your presence for the rest of your rule.”
Malsumis and his companions had been a great help to us in the last few days. They’d given us the gifts of the holy cannons, and now, they’d given my women these beautiful suits of armor. I planned to keep them with me as my royal council as long as they never betrayed me and there was no doubt in my mind that they would keep their honor. Their thoughts were pure and true, with no signs of malice or deception toward my women or me. These four gods merely wanted justice for the wrongs that had been committed against them and others like me.
I didn’t know all of their stories or their reasons for leaving the heavens, only that Ruituri with the help of the other three had opened the sanctum for us. All I knew was each of the four gods had a reason for abandoning their true home and turning away from those who raised them. I had heard about Ruituri’s past from her father, Nergal, and could understand her plight against the heavens. She, like Malsumis and I, had been created with evil deeds in mind, and now, she wanted to take it out on those who brought her into this world.
