Mt. Ohm - God Slayer, K. van Marshall [little bear else holmelund minarik .txt] 📗

Chapter 1 - Immortal

Waaqa’s Keep - Mt. Ohm

“If you are truly seeking enlightenment sit down, stop glaring and listen. This place and I gifted you your immortality, and you were only permitted entrance here because you have a part to play, so do not misplace your wisdom”.

The goddess before me stares coldly. Her smokey silver soul smouldering into a cross legged pose. Even I'm impressed by the ferociousness of the gaze piercing forth from her elegant spirit form.

She may be thousands of cycles old, but it is time for me to educate this troubled goddess. She came to Mt. Ohm with anger and questions, like a petulant teenager... she will be humbled.

Although this mighty goddess is one of the oldest living immortals, the years of her lifetime are insignificant to an eternity.

“So I will start where it began. ‘Go live a life of adventure, experience all the world has to offer, and lastly, do not die an uneventful meaningless death. A life chasing the purest of dreams will result in fewer regrets’, the last mortal words of Qi Eckar”, I say in my most mighty voice.

It's a bit much, even for me, so I lower my tone to a more comfortable level, then continue.

“As with most things in life, it is far easier said than done. Of those who strive for a life such as this, only a few brave-hearted souls can reach such an ambiguous ambition, but for Qi Eckar, a being described as courage incarnated, it was simple”.

The background changes around us, as I clear the blank black canvas from the pocket space we currently reside. The temporary void we inhabit is one of many located inside Mt. Ohm and the other side of the cosmos. We are a dimension away from the more important proceedings.

I can't let a goddess of her strength roam Mt. Ohm carelessly, she could disrupt the tests and she has disturbed enough. I will give her a truth and set her onto a new path.

Fiery red grass and a vibrant cosmos become the perfect props and settings. The sharp blades grow while twisting and turning, eventually platting together into a perfect replica of a boy.

As I continue the story, my subconscious gifts the infantile figure of Qi Eckar life, and the vibrant red blades of grass begin to move.

“Born on this small planet of Gaiterra, a water blessed rock once warmed by two suns and later adopting the third. Qi Eckar travelled the entire planet washing away sadness with hope everywhere he went; the magnificent powder blue Wasp desert, the great Danu lake, the wild lava-spouting lands of Sanmagu, even the frozen Jhana continent. Not one place on this wondrous warring planet did his graciousness not bless”.

As I continue more blades of grass stretch into the sky. They break free of the ground to form the props and characters for the show. The goddess is more fascinated by Qi Eckar's puppet than my story. She releases her serene pose and floats over to inspect the animations. Qi Eckar's legend is so long ago even the eldest living immortal does not know his face.

“A man of great morals, and even greater deeds, a true prophet and warrior. By the end of his mortal life his philosophies had swept immense changes throughout this world. Those who pass on his legend in stories and scriptures, and follow his lead, buoy his legacy”.

The goddess returns to her pose as the animations change scene.

The long red grass swirls and stretches before the canvas of stars. Morphing from one form to another, the display adds extra weight to my words.

There is an easier way, but allowing this goddess access to my mind could be dangerous.

“Today, thousands of cycles later his name still floats above the tides of time - sailing across countries, continents and the cosmos”.

The immortals spirit flares, her kirah becoming a shade brighter. For the first time since her arrival the goddess smiles. It's not a visible smile, but a being as perceptive as I, is able to notice the slightest of changes. It's the reason I was chosen.

“Since the era of immortals began, numerous Pheenomes and Immortals have gallivanted across the planet. Scarring the surface of Gaiterra's history with their unimaginable deeds of might. While their myths spill across shores, their legacies aid in the development of the modern world. They've created unimaginable utopian cities of bliss and bizarre realms of torture. Yet, the invading waves of heroic Pheenomes, benevolent Gods and maniacal Demons have yet to capsize the warship sized achievements of the greatest, Qi Eckar, the All Wise”.

I notice a slight hint of frustration creeping back into the goddess. Maybe I have been talking for too long.

I continue.

“Even now, in your divine land of the gods, Nyamut, amongst the Pantheon where present day powerhouses congregate - when discussions of the strongest or wisest take place - only Qi Eckar's name can surf brazenly atop the waves of pretenders”.

I pause, waiting for some sort of reaction to my comment, but nothing. She sits waiting for the story to continue, still watching the animations intently. The light of her soul washes the pocket space, searching for lies in the shadow of the story, but there are none.

She is untrusting, but I have no need to lie to a physical being, well... quasi-physical.

Before her arrival in the air space of Mt. Ohm the goddess underwent a self enforced evolution. Transforming the last of her physical husk into kirah and merging it with her spiritual reserves. The goddess is now much more than the other immortals of Gaiterra, yet her spirit must experience eternal endlessness before she nears the level of my ilk.

“Some even believe Qi Eckar to be the first immortal. A recipient of a godly gift from Mt. Ohm. This is false. This mountain was created hundreds of cycles after his awesomeness left the world. He was a Pheenome in a world of Alkemists, the power that filled his mortal vessel exceeded the strongest of immortals. If you combine all present day gods, demons and pheenomes their power would be like a single drop in the ocean compared to his might”.

At this point she is probably sure I am exaggerating, but still I speak no lies.

“When the time for his ascension arrived the fabric of space, and the aspects of time that form this reality, rippled under the cosmic consequences. The weight of his spiritual evolution simultaneously reached the fine senses of far off entities hidden the other side of the veil. Despite our own legacy and immense reality bending powers many of us acknowledge Qi Eckar as the true expression of his highest self”.

As one may expect being the first hueman to anchor his soul to the vastness infinity came with universal notoriety.

“What does all this have to do with the islanders?!”. The goddess finally erupts.

I can't say I didn't see the explosion coming, but the heat is astounding. Even here in a space completely controlled and created by my own will, my form tingles from the rage of her intense blaze.

I continue.

“While Qi Eckar is Gaiterra's eternal messiah, and his exploits lord head and shoulders above all others. His time has long passed, and now a new era of hope and freedom is about to be born on these muddy blood-soaked shores”.

“Still you avoid the question like some slimy royal or politician of the court. Why are you meddling on this planet?”. The goddess fumes.

The fact that she can not sense my mind and has her powers restricted must only add to her frustration.

I continue.

“A history dominated by savage warfare and upheaval has seen constant clashes between the world governing superpowers. This was long before the sudden appearance of Mt. Ohm, my home and the birthplace of immortals. Its emergence some 200,000 cycles ago set the world onto a new path of creation and destruction”.

I pause, sensing the anger behind her silence ready to erupt again, yet she keeps quiet.

I continue.

“Originally I feared adding immortals to a world of chaos would be unsustainable. So far I have been proven right. Although, at this moment the world is drifting through an era of delicately balanced peace, the slightest touch could topple it into utter chaos, but chaos is not always bad... if done right”.

“So you want chaos?!!!”. She bellows, her voice sharp and strong.

I knew that last line would upset her. Honesty often hurts.

“It is sometimes needed as they are needed. As are you. The islanders all have a role to play. They - along with someone I didn't foresee - are crucial. The world is becoming more volatile than ever, with the old patterns repeating and the strong arming themselves. This cycle must be broken and the righteous actions of a few strong willed individuals are needed. Gaiterra is in dire need of a rebalance. It is time to summon that type once more”.

Chapter 2 - Captured

Castle Winford - Youllo

 

As soon as we stepped through to the courtyard, I knew it was over, we have been completely outplayed. Zweek’s thoughts spin wildly.  

With every step his regrets evolved further towards becoming full-grown monsters; snarling and barking in frustration. He managed to hide it well, taming the beasts just enough that they prowled the backyard of his subconscious. This was the only thing that allowed him to keep moving.

Stepping with caution he enters the anticipated kill zone. Leading the way slowly Zweek finds himself in the unusual position of field leader. It is not his style to command from the front, but today it is necessary.

As the young leader skulked towards inevitable defeat, his thin frame is a tiny dot in the massive stone arch entrance of the courtyard. This was not where Zweek wished to die. Surrounded by the aesthetically pleasant, yet spiritless grey stone walls of Wastham. Confronted by statues and giant blocks of artfully chiselled rock; a common feature of major cities of Youllo. Tourists come from all over to gawk at the intricate craftsmanship detailing the streets and buildings.

Looking at his grand surroundings, Zweek only felt bitterness. His hopes of achieving a life such as this were done.

I hate this place, the dast rich and their plots. That rent Prince ruined us just when our dream was in reach.

Straining his neck, Zweek looked up, scanning the tops of the walls. They are at such a height his neck aches just attempting to see their summit. Suspiciously, there is not a single flat-headed guard in sight.

The haughty home of Prince Edvard. The grandest castle in Winford is not even the biggest in Youllo, yet its long crooked spires easily mask the lower section of sky. Rows of spiked towers separate the star splashed heavens into a sharp toothed grin.

A heavy sluggish chill pushed Zweek on his slender back, slowly rubbing his sapphire blue skin with an icy hand. His tattered black cloak and silver-thread Ettopian battle suit give little protection against the enduring cold. Zweek questions himself in the face of the unwanted blood-chilling embrace. Is it the cold