Chapter 8: Ch.8
I needed to leave the cat people who began to worship me, but I could not just leave them out here in the wilderness. I decided the best way would be to carry them to the closest city in Zandorion and leave them there so I could continue my journey, but already, there were hundreds of them. I had learned that they bred like rodents in litters, which explained their massively increasing population.
My strength had reached a level that I could throw a whale a mile away, and knowing that, I thought I could just lift a large chunk of land for them to all sit on top, but I realized that would be a large burden and would take a long time. I decided, instead, I would just have Centaria watch over them. She was fast enough that it would take only half a day to make the journey, as she was able to fly as I was.
'I need to get a mount, or perhaps learn to open gateways.'
Knowing they were in capable hands, I set back on my journey to find the god, Graith, but I would change my way of searching.
I had realized at some point from my children and grandchildren, that we gods exude a presence greater than that of a mortal. It was how I was able to find the cat fucker in the crowd of filth that he was a part of.
I would begin meditating in an attempt to level up my divine sight. It allowed me to see and hear from great distances as if I were standing there personally, but its limit was its range, and that I had to focus on what I was seeing. I thought it would be better to instead sense for anything that stood out, instead of searching every inch. It was difficult at first, since across a mile-wide diameter around me, there was all kinds of noise: insects, mammals, avians, reptiles, mortals, even the blowing of the wind and the shifting of trees. It was too much on my mind at first, but as I practiced, I eventually got the hang of it.
I drowned out everything and began focusing instead on what did not belong.
I heard the sound of iron and fire.
My eyes burst open, and I moved to act.
I crossed the sky as fast as I could, charging in its direction, to the north. As I reached that destination, I would come across a metropolis, unlike anything I had seen. I was speechless. The city was massive and developed, with architecture unlike Zandorion. I was certain. This was another god's territory, and among its many citizens, were gods.
'There are so many gods. No... Demi-gods... Hundreds, a thousand. Their armor; this is certainly where Graith is. Rushing in head first would be foolish. I should gather information first... But if I use my divine sight, they may be able to tell I'm watching them. Perhaps I should instead enter the city in disguise.'
I took off my helmet and tied it to my waist. The city had no walls or guards, so it was easy to slip inside. Once I was in the city, I covered myself in a dull, grey cloak, and proceeded to join the crowd of people roaming the streets. There was a clear distinction between the demi-gods and the mortals, with the mortals wearing rags for clothes, and the demi-gods wearing proper clothing of quality fabrics, or armor still smeared with blood.
There was clearly a hierarchy here, the gods acting as the masters to the mortal servants. I saw a mortal man, on his knees and begging a demi-god standing over him. The demi-god placed his foot on the man, and pressed down. Had he pressed any more, the man's spine would have snapped, but seeing this was not enough to make me lose my cool.
The city's buildings were sturdy and made of stone, superior in just about every way to my own. Their understanding of architecture was certainly greater than mine. This made is easy to know where I was going, as the majority of homes were dull and simple, and flooded the land below. As I looked up to the mountains and hills, I would see temples and palaces, even a massive statue of a figure in armor. I could only assume who that was.
'So that's what you look like.'
My time in the city would be spent wandering around in judgment. The way that Graith handled the mortal's development was effective, despite being tyrannical in nature. His statue overseeing the city was the most obvious example; a means of reinforcing control over the mortals as a constant reminder of his divine power.
Their development exceeded my own by a large margin. They had managed to acquire oil for their iron lamps, which hung from the streets and provided light during sunset. Their clothing was better tailored, and the streets smelled of fresh bread and herbs. It was tempting to say the least, but even as my mouth watered, I couldn't risk revealing myself, and I had no money to afford any.
By night, I left the city to arrange my thoughts.
'I shouldn't be rash and start a war because of a misunderstanding. The deaths of my believers were probably due to ignorance, rather than an order by him. He probably didn't even know society had developed so much outside of his own land. Perhaps the best approach would be a political one. It would benefit Zandorion if we could arrange trade ties. This would allow me to get my hands on their foo- to better our development. However, I did kill his children, but with so many, perhaps he won't care. No... I can not trust things I do not know for certain. I can not trust, them, who I do not know. I must be smarter. One wrong move, and it could mean more than my life, it could mean the lives of everyone I am responsible for. If I were in their shoes, I would not trust me, but going so far as to kill me is a different story. What I should do is... First learn, learn their motives.'
By sunrise the next day, I had made up my mind. I would approach the city, approach the god, Graith, but I would do so in a way befitting my stature. I did so from the sky, descending slowly onto the center palace on the mountain.
It was a given that my sudden arrival brought the attention of weapons drawn, but I was unarmed, and I made my peaceful intentions known.
"I, am Orion. A god, from a neighboring country. I have come to converse with your country's leader."
I would eventually be welcomed into the palace, though the demi-gods would keep a close eye on me. They led me to the center of the palace, a large room of pleasure, which would be the simplest way of putting it.
It was a room full of women wearing little to no clothing, with many of them bearing children and snacking on berries. At the center of the room to the back, a man who I recognized from the statue, sat on a throne with a woman feeding him berries on each lap.
"Ah, our guest! Orion, a god, like me."
That would be the first time I met Graith, and the impression I was given would be a mask a smug and arrogant man, over the face of a smart and methodical thinker, a feeling I got from those eyes of his that failed to follow his expression.
"I am."
The man's smug grin grew wider, and the corner of his eyes sharper. He leaned forth from his throne, prompting the two women to get off as he then stood up, and reached out his arms.
"You, you're a brother!"
"Brother?"
"Yes! From the same world as I! I can't tell you how long I have waited for this! To talk to someone else who knows what it's like, what it's like living in this new world."
I was taken aback to say the least, surprised and a bit unnerved by his seemingly, genuine happiness.
He approached me, and unintentionally, I tensed up my muscles. However, he did nothing to harm me, instead embracing me for a hug. His body was much leaner than my own, but his height and reach were comparable to my own. Simply put, he was tall, and not only that, but he was good-looking, which put me off.
'My looks and body changed a lot when I became a god, but my appearance was overall the same, so he must be the same. Blonde hair, blue eyes, he must have been good-looking even before. ...Should I punch him?'
"You have no idea how long I have been waiting to meet another god, like me! These people... They're so boring! I could only find enjoyment in someone else who knows about the same stuff I do! Not that I remember them specifically, which I am sure you understand. Like... Like that game, with the monsters that you battle with, and they have types and stuff. You take turns, and the higher speed stat goes first. You know?"
I could vaguely recall what he meant, but whenever I tried to remember an image, but only pixels and blurred colors would come to mind.
"Yeah... I do. Can't remember the name."
"Right! But that's all right! We can still talk about that! You see, I've been trying to replicate that and so much more, but it's difficult to remember when, well, you know, when I can't remember. Come, come! Allow me to treat you as a host should."
An almost elaborate feast was prepared for me. A long table of marble and over a dozen dishes: a loaf of bread, roasted boar, steamed vegetables, and already peeled berries, similar to grapes. It was only us who sat at the table, both of us in the center across from each other.
I tried to smile, to seem friendly, as opposed to me normally dull or serious self, but my focus began to loosen as I gorged on the fine food.
"How is it?" He asked me.
"Amazing! Divine... I haven't had food like this in so long. Food that tastes like more than just salted meat and vegetables."
"Right? I had spent so long eating just bland meat. Though... I still miss the food of our world."
"You and me both."
"By the way, my name is Graith. I can't remember my actual name, so I decided on Graith. I even have a title. God of the New World. What's yours?"
"Oh... Well... My name is Orion, but I don't have a title like that."
"Oh, well that can't do. You should have a proper title. What do your people call you?"
"Just, Great Orion."
"I see. Well, we're both gods, true gods, unlike all of them. I am not sure if you could tell, but most of the people here are gods, like us, but only half-gods. They're my children, but their power falls far behind my own. I do hope you don't find me to be so disgusting, having so many children, but it was a means to grow my power."
"No. I understand. I have children of my own."
"Do you?! How many."
"Four."
"Oh... Well... The amount I have sounds embarrassing in comparison to yours. I lost count of how many I have."
"With so many, how do you have time to father them?"
"Me? Father?" He laughed as if I had told a joke. "No, they are nothing more than soldiers. Do you care?"
"No. I understand." I began to realize that he was crazy, prompting me to play along. "I chose not to have too many children, because then they may someday overthrow me. It was a risk I couldn't take."
"You totally get me! I had thought of that once, but ultimately decided I would continue having children, for the sole reason that I needed more manpower to build. Tell me, Orion... Do you recall that game where you hunt monsters? As you progress through the stages, they get increasingly more difficult to defeat. It's a horror game."
At that moment, I was too busy chewing and just blurted out my thoughts without properly thinking about it. "Hm? Oh, no, I never played that."
"Oh, well what about that show, with the team of five, and they are different colors and have different weapons and robots that combine together."
"Mm... Yeah, I never watched that. That show was for fucking children."
I should have been paying attention at that time, not focused on eating my fill, because if I had, I would have seen the face he was making when insanity fully took over.
"Yes. You're right. Orion, you shouldn't spend the night alone. How about I lend you some women? You can have your pick. I have many beautiful daughters who are all well taken care of. However young you want them to be, you can have."
I looked up at him grinning and leaning against his arm and I suspected ulterior intentions to his offer.
"I couldn't..." I tried to refuse, but it was clear he would not have it any other way.
"Oh, don't be shy. I insist. Treat them however you want." He stood up from the table, having not touched a single bit of his plate. "I will arrange for one to accompany you. The most beautiful, of course." He continued to smile as he spoke, a plastic smile, like that of a mask.
At that moment, every inch of my skin crawled. I felt my instincts, down to my very core, warn me of something. Perhaps it was my own nerves, my imagination getting the better of me, but I had learned to trust my body. That night, I was given a room to sleep in, but I would never even touch the bed.
I waited, waited until someone approached, expecting someone to approach, and my patience would soon find its reward.
I was under the guise that a woman would find her way to my room, and one did, but I had already seen behind the wall, the many others waiting in silence.
The woman would enter my dark room, as I had snuffed out the candle. There, in the dead of dark, I was standing with my armor on, and my spear in hand. As she approached, stripping herself of her clothing, I placed my helmet on my head.
She may not have been able to see me, but I could see her as plain as day; see the dagger in her hand.
"Oh, Great Orion." She whispered in the dark, an alluring and soft-spoken voice, yet cold.
As she got closer to me, her hand touched my breastplate, and she gasped. At that moment, I grabbed her wrist, forcing her to drop her weapon.
As the sound rang out, I was certain that it would be a signal to the others to strike. I threw the woman to the side, stepped up to the doorway, and with my spear in hand, I tore through the wall and through the necks of those on the other side before they could even turn the corner.
The woman in my room didn't give up. She jumped at me, but with the back of my hand, I slapped her away. I refused to kill her.
"You are not even wearing armor, and you have no weapon. If you truly wish to die, then find some. I will then take you seriously as a warrior."
As I left the room and entered the hallway, I snuffed out all of the candles with a gust of wind that blew through the entire palace. I would use the dark to my advantage.
'I did not want things to turn out this way, but now I have no choice but to slaughter a god.'
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