by Eric Vall
“Well, looky-here, who looks mighty fine in her new armor!” Rana cried, and Haruhi, Malsumis and I turned as Heijing stepped into the room. “See? There was no reason to be afraid!”
The sage gasped loudly and covered her mouth with both paws as the Qianlong squared her shoulders solemnly.
“I wasn’t afraid of the armor,” Heijing stated in her cold, monotone voice. “I was tired of Ruituri pawing at me constantly to put it on. I allow those who are close to me to lay their hands on me, not a stranger with stinking flesh and wild eyes.”
“Hey now, that stranger with stinking flesh and wild eyes made you a perfect set of armor,” Ruituri giggled madly from the doorway as she ushered Annalise, Carmedy, and Morrigan in. “Don’t complain, I was excited for you to try it on.”
“Thank you for the armor, it fits perfectly,” Heijing snarked with an upturned nose and then drew away as Ruituri launched herself at the Qianlong. “Refrain from touching me again, please, the threat of bodily harm still stands.”
I chuckled deep in the back of my throat and then turned my attention toward the armor she wore. Heijing’s long cerulean hair was tied back in a long, cascading ponytail and a crown rested against the flowing locks. The crown came to a large point directly in the middle of her forehead and stabbed upward at the ceiling. A large aquamarine stone was pressed into the woven metal and glittered in the light as she turned her head.
The Qianlong wore a fitted breastplate that lifted her small breasts high and the plated metal over her stomach resembled the scales she had when she was in her true form. The armor over her stomach came down to a point between her legs, and a cerulean skirt bloomed out underneath. The fabric rustled softly against her short legs as she turned and gave me a full view of her body. The skirt came to her knees, and a pair of brown leather boots brushed at the fabric, leaving only an inch of bare, pale flesh underneath to peek out. Metal guards covered most of the boots and left only a small amount of the leather revealed to the eye. A long aquamarine cape trailed after her and a tuft of speckled brown fur accented the neckline.
The Qianlong stood in front of me and stood tall with her shoulders thrown back. Her icy blue eyes met mine coldly and then softened as she smiled up at me. Heijing’s cheeks flushed a soft pink as she took the fabric of the cape in her gloved hand and held it out to me.
“What do you think, Kazama?” Heijing asked, and I stepped closer, taking all of her in.
“You look fit to be a warrior queen,” I stated and lifted my eyes to my other three women in the room. “All of you do, and that’s exactly what you will be.”
Carmedy, like Haruhi, didn’t have much armor on because the alchemist used a long-range weapon and very rarely fought in hand-to-hand combat. The feline’s outfit looked something like a dress with the only armor covering her shoulders in heavy-looking pauldrons that came down almost to her elbows. In one hand, she held a large round shield, and she hid behind it mischievously as she giggled. The fabric of the dress was a deep emerald color, the same shade as her wide, sparkling eyes and strung across her chest was a thick looking belt.
The belt was a complicated network of loops and strung from each one was a premade potion. None of the bundles smoked or sizzled, but I could feel the magical properties pouring off each of them. A copper band like a crown rested around her head, just above her eyebrows, and I could make out protection runes carved into the warm metal.
I stepped forward and ran my fingers over the carvings in the metal band as Carmedy giggled once more. My eyes raised to the four gods waiting at the other side of the room, and Bellum smiled widely.
“My idea,” the goddess nodded softly as she rested her hands behind her back. “Carmedy will also have a forcefield, but if the gods launch an attack directly at her, it’ll be discharged in a different direction.”
“Isn’t it cool, Master?” the feline grinned as she grabbed at my hands.
“Yes, but I would like to add that you look stunning and fearsome.” I chuckled and then turned toward Morrigan.
The elven woman wore an outfit I would’ve never imagined her wearing in everyday life. Her top reminded me something of the bras she wore underneath her long black robes. It was made entirely out of intricately swirled metal and held her tightly in place. The tops of the elven woman’s pale breasts and taut stomach were out in full view, but she didn’t meet my eyes shyly. Morrigan’s white hair shifted as she stepped forward, and the long chainmail skirt clinked pleasantly as she bowed her head to me.
“Does it displease you, Master?” the elf asked in a soft tone.
“No, I find it very appealing,” I stated as my eyes moved over her body hungrily and the elven woman blushed profusely.
I turned my attention to Annalise and then frowned. The high queen’s armor wasn’t much different from the one she normally wore except for a few added pieces here and there, and my eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Malsumis stepped forward with pursed lips, and I turned my attention to him. The rest of my minions had received full suits of armor, and yet, Annalise hadn’t, why not?
“It doesn’t look like much now,” my brother started softly. “But as we’ve explained to Annalise, you will see all the changes we’ve made once she activates the augmentation stone. That is when Annalise is at her strongest, and the armor will change fully then.”
“Why don’t we test it now?” the high queen asked as she drew Bloodscale, but I felt instantly that was a bad idea.
The thrum of power through Annalise’s body was so intense that I barely recognized her soul. The high queen was twenty times more powerful with the added armor and the holy child within her womb.
“No, no, no.” Malsumis cried as he shook his head vehemently.
“Do you wanna blow up the entire fortress, us along with it?” Ruituri cackled with laughter, and all of my minions’ eyes widened.
“O-oh, then we’ll wait until we get to the heavens then,” Annalise replied shakily as she sheathed Bloodscale.
All of my women came together in the middle of the room to admire their new armor, and I watched them intently. This was it, yet another added advantage on our side. I didn’t need new armor, the four gods already knew that. Once the five of us deities entered back into the heavens, we’d be reunited with our holy bodies, and we’d be almost untouchable. There was still some doubt in my mind about our chances, but I was an all-powerful god now with the holy weapon Allagis in my hands. There was no stopping me, the four gods or my minions, we were on the warpath.
The gods who cast me out wouldn’t stand a chance against us.
Chapter Sixteen
After my women were dressed in their armor, we all exited the fortress and walked toward the ruined common. My armies gathered around us, their faces solemn, some even saddened that they couldn’t join us on this next journey. Adam and Amos stood together with Ansel directly in between them. As we strode past, the Decathmor brothers lowered their heads and fell to one knee.
As we moved toward the center of the common, the rest of my troops followed suit and lowered themselves to one knee respectfully. I moved my eyes over the mass of men and women I’d accumulated over the past few months. Valasara, Tamarisch, Machstein, Tintagal, and finally the islands of Canarta. They stood all around us, and a wave passed through their mass as they bowed humbly to my women and me.
Their added numbers had aided us exponentially in taking the Holy Order’s stronghold and thanks to their help, the mages were wiped out. Galencia was dead and would be rebuilt and integrated into my new kingdom soon after my women and I left for the heavens. When we returned, the ground we stood upon would look completely different. I didn’t assume that my new palace would be finished by the time we returned, but this place would no longer have the stench of the Holy Order upon it.
I looked out over the crowd as I stood at the center of the destroyed common, and the remnants of the fallen walls loomed in the background. Through the two massive holes we’d blown into the stone, I
could make out the burnt remains of the buildings and homes. Beyond the blackened structures, the ruined docks and deep aquamarine ocean stood, and I could almost imagine what it would look like when we returned.
It almost seemed like yesterday that Morrigan, Haruhi, and I arrived in Galencia adorned in our disguises. On this continent, we’d learned more about the atrocious things my father planned to do with the humans and surprisingly enough, found the brother that’d gotten me thrown from the heavens. I grinned hatefully right as his beaten and broken body was brought forward through the crowd. Makar led Otia, and the Valasarian man tugged on the chain to keep the powerless man moving.
Just as planned, Makar brought my brother closer and offered me the chain around Otia’s neck. I closed my gloved hand over the cold metal and ripped it backward, causing my brother to stumble and nearly fall. He hadn’t been killed in the battles; I made sure of it because I wanted him here at this moment. His body was beaten and bruised, and blood steadily dripped from a gory wound that spanned from his left shoulder all the way down to his right hip. Otia was in an immense amount of pain, I could sense it, and I relished it for a moment as I stared into his face. He couldn’t travel to the heavens now, I’d ripped his powers from him and made him mortal while still in his dungeon. I’d taken his power and lent a small amount to Morrigan and Haruhi, but I would return the smallest amount to him for this journey.
Otia wouldn’t be able to fight against us, but I wanted to show my parents what I’d done to him, what I would do to them in the end. The son they’d doted on for all of his life would return to them, broken, beaten and on the verge of mortal death. I’d always known they’d loved him more, it was apparent even when we were children, but it was still a mystery why they’d thrown him out in the end. Not that I cared why Otia was thrown from the gods’ realm, he deserved it for what he did to me. I would take him back, parade him in front of the parents that despised me from the beginning and then destroy all of them.
Finding Otia in that dungeon was nothing more than a happy accident, we’d been there solely to find the sacred items, but we’d discovered so much more. As I glared into Otia’s face, I could tell that my little brother was trying to communicate with me, but I turned away from him with a loud scoff. He didn’t deserve my mercy, after what he did to Isolda and me, he deserved nothing from me but vengeance.
“Are you ready, Kazama?” Malsumis asked as he came up from behind and laid a hand on my armored shoulder.
Malsumis, the man I’d met only a few times, but he had been a better brother to me than Otia or the long line of siblings that came after. My true brother, born of Eris, just like me, and despised by all the gods that looked upon us. Yes, Malsumis and I were akin to each other, and I felt a strong connection between the two of us. He was the only other god I would consider a brother, and I would keep him in my courts for the rest of eternity.
I breathed in deeply as I sensed out the powers of the four other gods. Malsumis stood directly beside me, and he was the strongest next to mine. Malsumis was directly connected to the Underworld just as I was, but his upbringing was much different than mine. He’d been born there, in the sulfur pits, discarded by Eris and left there to rot. He’d survived and clawed his way up into the heavens, but after that, I didn’t know the rest of his story. Somehow, he’d met the three other gods and decided to leave the heavens because of the corruption of the holy council.
Ruituri was the second strongest out of the four of them. The goddess of rot received her powers from her father, Nergal, one of the gods I’d killed along the way. The goddess’s strength pulsed from her like a heartbeat, and Ruituri stared up at the sky with her feral, yellow eyes. She seemed like a wild animal, foaming at the mouth to be released, and I was about to do just that. I would set Ruituri upon the gods like a mad dog, and I couldn’t wait to see the carnage she’d leave in her path.
Domor and Bellum weren’t as strong as the other two, but their powers were more evenly matched with each other. The goddess of war and the god of famine worked well together out on the battlefield and just like Malsumis, I didn’t know all the details of their lives and the sufferings they had undergone. I hoped in the future that I would, and they too would become assets in my court.
“Shall we?” Malsumis asked again, and I nodded as I looked out over the crowd waiting in front of us.
I stepped forward, my women tightly surrounding me with the four gods behind them. All of my soldiers slowly rose to their feet and looked into my face with expressions of admiration and awe. I’d taken over their lands and given them things that they could only dream about. Each country was wealthier, healthier, and happier because of me, and they wanted nothing more than to aid me along in this journey.
A feeling of finality settled over me, and I stood even taller. This was the very last time I would have to think about the gods that wronged me. After today and the coming battle, all the other gods would be lost to time. I would be lord and god over every country, Master of every woman and man, and I grinned to my followers as I lifted my hands into the air.
“When you first landed here on your ships with your weapons at the ready, you were nothing more than strangers with the same goal in mind,” I boomed as I looked proudly over the horde of soldiers. “Now, as you stand shoulder to shoulder with fighters from other countries, you are brothers, a family under my rule. I handpicked all of you, placed you under my care, and watched you grow and blossom. You’ve proved your worth to me, time and time again and the land we currently stand on will not only be mine but also yours too. You’ve shown me your loyalty, and now it’s my turn to show you that your trust is well placed. The gods will fall and we, and our nation, will be victorious in the end.”
Their cheers rang in my ears as many of them unsheathed their swords and lifted them into the air. I moved my eyes over each face in the crowd, and their enthusiasm bolstered my spirits. The doubts in my mind faded away as I watched them jostle one another excitedly. This wasn’t a goodbye, we would see all of them very soon, and I finally realized that. There was no more time for worrying or second-guessing all of my decisions, now was the time to act.
It was finally here, the cumulation of all of our efforts over the last few months. When my women released me from my dungeon, this wasn’t my goal at the time. I simply wished to escape the Holy Order, and the gods had banished me too, but now, I knew that this was the path I’d always been meant to take. I was born for the sole purpose of destroying the heavens and killing the gods. Maybe that was the reason that Chirus despised me so much, he knew my destiny.
My troops quieted down as I lifted my right hand once and then turned toward my women. I ushered them closer, and they stepped into a tight circle around my avatar. I could tell from their tense expressions that they were worried, but they tried their best to hide it from me.
“Place your hands on me,” I instructed them as I gripped my hand on the chain that held Otia. “Close your eyes and hold your breath until I tell you it’s alright.”
I lifted my eyes to the gods directly behind us and Ruituri tittered with nervous laughter as she scratched her rotted limbs.
“See you there,” the goddess of rot cackled as she brought up her hands in one swift movement. “We’ll make sure to leave some gods for you.”
Ruituri slapped her palms together and then lowered them close to her chest. The goddess’s feet folded themselves up underneath her, and she floated midair for a second. A yellowish-green smoke billowed around her as she closed her eyes, and I coughed at the rotten smell that came from it. With a loud crack of lightning, the goddess disappeared from view, and the last thing I saw before she vanished was the insane smile that spread across her lips.
Malsumis’s eyes connected with mine, and he gripped the edge of the black cloak he always wore. The god of mortal death lowered his head as a portal of black opened up beneath his feet, and he was slowly lowered into it. His eyes met mine for a moment, and then his thin lips moved to
speak.
“Let’s avenge what’s been done to us, brother,” the god spoke in his grave, raspy voice.
I breathed in deeply as my eyes fluttered closed. I heard the snap of energy as Bellum and Domor transported themselves to the gods’ realm, but I concentrated intensely on the power building in my chest cavity. I felt my connection to the heavens strengthen like a string tugging me onward, and as I concentrated in on it, all sounds around us filtered out. All the troops disappeared as did the fortress as I separated myself from the mortal world.
An ethereal calm washed over me as all thoughts cleared from my head, and a blinding white light took over. I felt time pass like the falling of grains of sand, and I could vaguely tell that we were moving through planes of existence, but my women didn’t dare open their eyes. As we drove through the celestial pools between earth and the gods’ realm, I felt the avatar my essence inhabited begin to break down. I could still sense the hands of my minions, but they no longer rested on my shoulders and arms but instead floated in the air over me.
My avatar decomposed and fell away like the petals of a dying flower. The heavy weight of my dark armor was gone, and I knew that it too had been lost. The armor had protected me through this journey, but I no longer needed it in the heavens. I would be reunited with my godly form once we reached the gods’ realm, but I still felt a loss of both my avatar and the protections I’d had for so long.
With no avatar and only my essence, I could see in every direction at once, and I watched as we hurtled through time and space. A warm pocket of air surrounded my women and me. Their eyes were tightly closed, and their cheeks puffed out just as I instructed them. They weren’t in any pain, and I examined their bodies for a few seconds in wonder. Each of their bodies glowed with a different bright color, the light flashed and stemmed from their bellies for a moment and then spread throughout all of their limbs.
