The Imprisoned God

by Hans Bezdek

  Aodh laughed as he danced around the Lundori's strikes. When he grew bored with them, he opened his hands and shot the same kind of black thorns that had taken down Perkins. The last of the Lundori fighters didn't fare any better, and collapsed.

  "Have I finally run out of those people?" Aodh asked himself as he looked across the battlefield. "Hmm. I'm certain there are more to find in this place."

  Farr finally reached the other side of Aodh from Yri, his back to the cliff they had spent the night in. He looked to Khuwa, who was nervously waiting for his command. The blademagus nodded. The orc took out her two axes and banged them together. Farr sent forth his magic, and the blades sprang to life with electricity.

  Aodh lazily turned in the direction of the banging, tilting his head. He glanced at Farr to his right and Yri to his left.

  "You three don't look like the rest," he commented. "Were you adopted by them at a young age?"

  "No," said Farr. "We aren't with them."

  "I see," said the Mad God, crossing his arms and looking up at the rainclouds. "But then, why have you approached me this way? Are you intending on trying to fight me or beg for your lives? Because I must say, approaching me with weapons at the ready is not helping if you want to live."

  "As if you'd let us live if we dropped them," spat Yri.

  "Probably not," yielded Aodh. He looked over to see Zane on his knees next to the downed Perkins, with Grex performing his druidic healing. "But you come to fight me with only half of your group? That's rather insulting."

  Farr nodded at Yri while Aodh was distracted. The warlock muttered something to Cupcake, who flew off of her shoulders and a few feet closer to Aodh. The Mad God turned toward Cupcake, an amused expression coming over his face.

  "A flying pig?" laughed Aodh. The Mad God disappeared into a puff of smoke, reappearing next to Cupcake and scaring him. "I've never seen such a thing!"

  "Easy with the personal space, buddy," said Cupcake, floating back a couple of feet.

  "And a talking one at that!" laughed the Mad God. His laughter came to a sudden end and his eyes locked on Cupcake's. "Hmm... Hold on. You're a demon, aren't you?"

  That had blown any chance of surprising the god.

  "Now Cupcake!" shouted Yri, pointing at Aodh.

  The demon pig nodded and started to shift. Aodh quickly put his hand out, and his eyes flashed red for a brief second. Cupcake strained and oinked as he tried to expand into his demon lord form, but nothing was happening.

  "Uh..." said Cupcake, turning anxiously toward Yri.

  "What's the matter?" demanded Yri. "Transform and attack!"

  "Trust me, I'd really like to, but it ain't happening."

  The Mad God clapped and chuckled to himself. "Surely you didn't think I'd let you transform."

  "What did you do to him?!" shouted Yri, a ball of green fire appearing in her hand. She chucked the ball at Aodh, which grew as it neared him. Aodh calmly watched the green fireball approach, grabbed Cupcake, and tossed the demon at it.

  The demon oinked out in surprise and pain as the ball of flames connected with him, sending him tumbling over himself through the air and crashing several feet away. Yri let out a panicked cry and ran after Cupcake.

  "Yri, watch out!" warned Farr, but it was too late.

  Aodh jumped forward as she crossed by him. Before Yri knew what was happening, Aodh shot two thorns. Each one went through her shoulders, knocking her back. She shouted in pain, thrashing on the ground. Aodh had disabled her arms.

  Khuwa charged at the Mad God, letting out an orcish battle cry as Farr leveled his electric bow and unleashed a few arrows. Aodh danced out of the way of Khuwa's wild swings, but got hit by one of Farr's arrows in the side.

  The Mad God grunted in annoyance and glared at the blademagus. He reached his arm out, a ball of energy forming in it. Right before he released it, Khuwa landed a blow in the middle of Aodh's chest. The god bared his teeth as the electric current coursed through him, jutting his arm up slightly as he released his magic.

  The ball of destructive energy shot over Farr's head with terrifying speed, crashing into the cliff behind him with the sound of thunder. He turned around in time to watch the cliff structure disintegrate, along with all of the rock surfaces behind it. The waters of the ocean were pushed back for a moment, then swelled in to fill the space that had once been occupied by the cliff. Farr was glad the water wasn't able to reach the top of the mound, but could see now that potential power that Aodh wielded.

  Khuwa was also distracted by the exhibition of power, and took her eyes off of the Mad God. Between surges, Aodh managed to punch the orc in her temple, dropping Khuwa unconscious. The axe was still in his chest, and he placed his hands on each side of the flat surface. With a painful roar, he pulled the pulsing axe out of him. Pressing inward, he snapped the axe head in two and let the pieces fall to his feet.

  It's up to you, Farr. You've got to do this.

  It may seem pointless, but you've got to try something!

  Farr took another shot with his bow. The Mad God disappeared into a puff of smoke before the arrow of lightning reached him, appeared behind the blademagus.

  "Your group is particularly annoying," mumbled the god. He kicked Farr in the back, sending the man tumbling forward.

  Farr's electric bow had been dispelled. With a grunt, he got to his feet and pulled his hand back. He had just enough magic for one more weapon.

  "The Delinquents have been called worse," said Farr, igniting a sword of orange flames in his hand.

  "You call yourselves that?" chuckled Aodh, shaking his head. "How unfortunate."

  "It's our guild," clarified Farr. "And even if we die here today, the rest of us will come and defeat you!"

  The blademagus ran forward and sliced horizontally at the Mad God. Aodh jumped back, then jumped forward, grabbing the blademagus' wrist that held the sword.

  "You're not as talented with your weapon as the orc was," stated Aodh.

  "I don't have to be," said Farr. Then he punched his free hand into the gash in the god's chest.

  The Mad God let out an otherworldly scream, then struck Farr across the face with his forearm. The blademagus felt his nose break and stumbled back, tripping over a loose rock and losing the magic that had been holding his sword together.

  Aodh stalked forward as Farr sat there, knowing he had expended all of his energy.

  The Mad God laughed and shook his head. "You managed to genuinely hurt me. I can't even remember the last time I felt physical pain."

  "Get used to it," grinned Farr. "There's more coming for you as long as you stay here."

  "From you?" asked the Mad God, raising his eyebrows. "I think not."

  "You can't even defeat us at our full strength right now," chuckled Farr. "You've got no chance once the rest of The Delinquents find you.."

  Aodh's eyes narrowed. "Oh? And what makes you think that?"

  Farr nodded in Cupcake's direction. "Surely a demon, even a demon lord, is no match for a strong god. But you've trapped him in this form, limiting his power."

  "Removing a powerful ability from an enemy is a sign of weakness, is it?" scoffed the Mad God.

  "Not on its own. However, you've already shown you're struggling with controlling your power after all these years. The blast that took out that cave was a fluke caused by my electricity on Khuwa's axe, and you know it."

  Aodh frowned.

  "We're not even the strongest in our guild," laughed Farr. "Once they learn we're gone, they'll send the stronger ones after you."

  Aodh looked down at his chest, then back to Farr.

  "None of this means I shouldn't kill you right here and right now, though," said Aodh, holding his hand up toward Farr's face.

  "It doesn't," agreed Farr, smiling as he looked at his end in the Mad God's hand.

  Everything went quiet aside from the sound of the gentle rain and the soothing waves rolling in through the destroyed land. Aodh stared at him with his wild, unblinki
ng eyes. Farr braced himself, wishing the wicked being would get this over with.

  "Hmm," said Aodh, tilting his head. "You may be onto something. Perhaps I've gotten too rusty, what with being out of practice for a few thousand years. If this guild of yours, The Delinquents, would really come after me before I'm back to my former strength... that may prove to be problematic."

  The Mad God lowered his hand.

  "What are you doing?" asked Farr.

  "Thinking," replied Aodh. He squatted down to eye level with Farr. "While I have decided to spare the one called Zane, I'm more than a bit peeved some king thinks he can control me. The elf mentioned sailing here... is this U'Raze Kingdom on another island or continent?"

  Farr nodded.

  "I see. The Delinquents, are they also in the U'Raze Kingdom?"

  "Not yet," admitted Farr, confused at what the Mad God was getting at.

  "Hmm," said Aodh, standing up. "I have decided. As that dead elf suggested, I have made for myself a temporary goal."

  "And what would be that?" asked Farr.

  "I will look for my siblings while I regain my strength," explained Aodh.

  "You... have brothers and sisters?"

  "One of each," nodded Aodh. "No idea if they are both still alive or free, but I'm confident I'll find out sooner or later."

  Farr was quiet. He couldn't imagine three of Aodh.

  "Then I'm going to destroy this U'Raze Kingdom," continued the Mad God. "Once that's done, I'll come back and fight with The Delinquents. To make things interesting, I'll allow your group to live, so you may pass on the message and prepare. I do enjoy a good fight."

  Farr tried to control himself. Not only were his friends going to make it through the day, but he'd be able to warn the rest of The Delinquents before Aodh got to them!

  Laughter broke through the air. Farr and Aodh looked to see Zane getting to his feet, laughing loudly as he did so.

  "What seems to be the joke?" asked Aodh.

  "Your captivity has made you even crazier than before!" laughed Zane.

  "Hmm. Do elaborate," said Aodh politely.

  "Have you really forgotten?" snickered the paladin. "Gods can't cross bodies of water."

  Aodh stared at the ocean, his face contorting slightly. "Hmm. Is that right? I can't seem to remember..."

  "That was the genius of King Valdrick's plan," grinned Zane. "You're trapped on this crescent, meaning the U'Raze Kingdom will be free of the Epworth Empire's interference for as long as you're around!"

  Aodh glanced back at Zane and frowned. He disappeared into a puff of smoke, a few seconds later reappearing at the base of the mound in front of the waves of the ocean. The Mad God took a breath and placed a foot onto the water. Then his other foot.

  The Mad God stepped on top of the ocean, calmly walking over the waves that would have swept away anyone else. He turned around, smiling at Zane and Farr. Over the waves, rain, and wind, the two of them could clearly hear the Mad God's manic laughter.

  Zane's mouth dropped open and his eyes went wide in horror.

  Aodh waved at them, turned around, and slowly walked away from them on the water.

  Farr leaned back onto the mound and closed his eyes.

  They were beaten, exhausted, and had failed their guild... but they were alive.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Farr sat on the edge of the mound looking out as the sun was beginning to set through the large hole that had once been a cliff. The rain clouds had moved on shortly after Aodh disappeared just over two hours earlier. There was a soft breeze from the ocean that made Farr thankfully to still be alive.

  When he watched the sunrise that morning, he certainly hadn't expected the day to go the way that it had. They had totally, completely, unconditionally failed. That meant Commander Indures would be upset, there would be no promotion, and, to cap it all off, Aodh was wandering the world.

  It was hard to find any positives coming out of all of this. Walter would probably be happy that he was correct in his prediction. King Valdric0k might get what he rightfully deserves. There was also the matter of all of Farr's friends being alive, which was certainly a plus. Grex staying back to heal Perkins had proven to be a great decision, as the gnome was unhurt and spent the majority of the past two hours healing each of them. Somehow, he was able to get everyone into fairly good shape before running out of energy.

  "He's waking up!" called out Khuwa, grabbing Farr's attention.

  "W-What the...?!" came a gasp behind him.

  The blademagus got to his feet and joined with the others as they surrounded Perkins, with Cupcake landing on Yri's shoulder to get a better look. The elf tried to sit up, but could only manage a fraction of it. He relied on his elbows to not weakly fall again onto his back.

  "Whew!" laughed Grex, wiping some sweat from his brow. "I was not certain that he'd pull through."

  "Looks like you have more of a will to live than you've let on," smiled Zane sadly.

  They were the first words the paladin had spoken since Aodh had left. Farr had spent the majority of his time making sure Yri or Cupcake didn't kill the powerless paladin. Farr believed the man had suffered enough, and the warlock taking her frustration out on him wouldn't help anything.

  "I... I can't believe it," said Perkins, staring down at his wounded chest with awe. "I take it Nera decided to have mercy on me, eh?"

  Zane's smile slipped.

  "Not quite," said Farr, patting Grex on the shoulder.

  "The druid saved me?" asked Perkins, confused. "But... I had betrayed you."

  The gnome waved the thought away. "I've helped people who have done worse. Also, it was Farr's call."

  The elf nodded appreciatively at the blademagus. "You know, you all are too kind. What happened to Aodh, by the way? Did you all somehow manage to kill him?"

  "Not exactly," said Farr, recounting everything that the elf had missed.

  "I knew it!" said Perkins, wincing as he spun his attention back to Zane once the blademagus had finished detailing all that had happened. "I knew that 'gods can't walk on water' thing couldn't be right!"

  "I really was... or rather am, a fool," agreed Zane.

  "You can say that a few hundred more times," muttered Yri. Farr shot her a look. "What? You know I'm right."

  "What about your demon pig thing?" asked Perkins. "Is he still stuck like that?"

  "I hate it when people act like I can't answer for myself," pouted Cupcake.

  "Sorry," laughed the elf. "Well?"

  "I've tried to change forms a few times, even into something smaller," sighed Cupcake with a shake of his head. "Nothing."

  "Does that mean he's like this forever?" asked Khuwa.

  "I'm not familiar with a spell as powerful as this one," admitted Yri. "Since it hasn't ended yet, I'd assume it won't leave until the one who cast it is dead."

  "Which realistically means forever," said Cupcake sadly.

  "I'm sure that makes the paladin happy," sneered Yri.

  "I-It doesn't!" said Zane.

  "I find that hard to believe," she said, crossing her arms.

  "Words can't describe how sorry I feel," said Zane, water forming in his eyes. "All these people died trying to stop Aodh, not to mention Perkins and the rest of you. Your group has done nothing but try and help me, and I took advantage of all of you. Now Aodh has gone off to destroy my homeland, along with any other lands he encounters along the way. I... I've lost everything. Even Nera has abandoned me."

  Khuwa stepped up to the paladin. Farr almost told her to stop, but knew it was unlike the orc to betray his explicit orders. Zane looked at her feet, too ashamed to meet her eyes. She put out her arms...

  And hugged him.

  "It's okay," said Khuwa, tears streaming down her own face. "We all make mistakes."

  "You've got to be kidding me," sighed Yri, shaking her head.

  "What, like you've never made a mistake?" asked Khuwa over Zane's head.

  "Mistakes? Sure," nodded the warlock.
"Knowingly unleashing someone called the Mad God? Can't say I have."

  "Maybe it slipped your mind," snickered Cupcake, flying in a circle around his master. "That seems like something that isn't easily remembered."

  "At least he acknowledges that what he did was wrong," pointed out Grex.

  "Oh, not you, too!" complained Yri. "Surely you can see that he's only sorry because of all the bad things that are happening to him!"

  "Most likely," agreed Grex. "But that's better than nothing. Besides, killing him won't do us any good."

  "We can't know until we try."

  "There will be no trying anytime soon," said Farr pointedly.

  "Yeah, yeah," sighed the warlock, rolling her eyes.

  This was as good a time as any for Farr to bring up something that had been on his mind. He knew it would be met with mixed feelings, but with Khuwa and Grex seemingly accepting Zane's apology, and Farr finding it genuine, the others might be more okay with it.

  "What are the two of your thoughts on joining up with us?" asked Farr.

  Zane and Perkins looked at each, then back to Farr.

  "You mean for getting out of here?" asked Perkins.

  "Past that," said Farr, shaking his head. "I'm inviting the two of you to become honorary members of The Delinquents."

  "You can't be serious," groaned Yri, running her hands over her face.

  "I don't know..." said Perkins, wincing and holding his chest. "I'm not one for long term commitments."

  "View this as a trial run," offered Farr. "Since we didn't stop Aodh from being let out, I won't be promoted yet. You'll stay as an honorary member until I become an officer. When that time comes-"

  "Assuming you don't die, first," added Cupcake.

  "- you can let me know if you'd like to be considered for a full position with the guild or not," finished Farr, ignoring the demonic pig.

  Perkins smiled and leaned back. "Are you sure? No telling when I'll be back to my usual form, you know."

  "That's perfectly fine," nodded Farr. "The Delinquents have done more with less."

  The elf closed his eye and quietly thought about it for a moment. He opened it and laughed to himself. "Why not? I sort of owe you with all that's happened."