Impure: Godslayers

George finally managed to avert his gaze away from Osy’s lifeless staring eyes.

“Why-What did you do?” George said.

Patronisingly, Hydro reached towards George to console him.

“It was his tim-,”

“No it was not,” Saturn snapped.

He slapped Hydro’s hand aside, before she could even lay a finger on George’s shoulder.

“Osy…No!” Lee yelled as his hands ignited.

The sands around his hands were blistered into glass granules as Lee slowly stood up. Hydro turned to Lee, as he grabbed her shoulder. Hydro’s face had barely creased in pain, before Lee threw her back with one hand.

All the soldiers who were able limped or staggered out of the crater, from fear of being caught in the salvo of the demi-gods’ bout. Hydro cursed loudly as she landed several feet away. Her armour which had been previously untouched was now damaged and she had a nasty burn on her left shoulder.

Wailing like a mother, maddened by the loss of her child, George refused to be consoled by Norton. Saturn already understood the passionate nature of his lover and did not bother to ask George for aid. He instead fitted three arrows on his bow. Hydro laughed as she grabbed her dagger on the ground next to her and stood up.

“Please mortal, do you really think you are a factor here? Is this the future Lee? Standing side by side with mortals,” Hydro jested loudly.

“You seek to crush mortals under your heel, I cannot allow that,” Lee said.

Hydro sneered as she backed away from Lee, who was slowly advancing. The flames around his hands burned ever brighter.

“No, whereas Shadro and his siblings would have them die, I would simply have them live beneath my heel,” Hydro retorted smugly.

“And for this you slayed Osy?” Lee asked.

His tone was ringing with utter disbelief and profuse anger.

“You saw the way he was. He and that old man Norton would have us serving the mortals. You heard what Shadro said, the prophecy was manufactured by Norton, but now we have a chance to take the place of Shadro and his siblings...”

Hydro’s words did little to pacify Lee’s rage as he kept advancing.

“Osy was dying anyway; I simply put him out of his misery….”

Hydro slipped on the glassy surface of the crater, as she struggled to walk backwards uphill.

“The mortals are not our equals; they should not be treated as such. I know you feel the same.”

Finally, Hydro’s gambit seemed to have worked as Lee suddenly stopped in his tracks.

“I did…” Lee said with a stone-faced expression.

Saturn, who had been following close behind Lee, let his eyes stray from Hydro for a moment, to see the flames on Lee’s hand slowly extinguish.

“Wait wha-” Saturn uttered.

“But not anymore, not like this,” Lee yelled.

His fists were consumed by fire as he sprinted forward.

“Wait!”

However, Lee ignored Saturn’s warning. His entire body burst into golden flames as he rocketed through the air, up the crater slope towards Hydro.

Suddenly Lee screamed as one of his arms exploded. The force of the explosion knocked him off his flight-path and as he landed roughly on the sand, his flames were extinguished. Lee wailed breathlessly like a new born, as he held the useless length of flesh and bloodied bone, all which remained of his arm. It was clear that every blood vessel in his arm was ruptured, and it seemed the blood had ripped the arm itself from the inside out.

Meanwhile Saturn released three of his flaming arrows simultaneously, but Hydro deflected them all with her dagger. Saturn gasped at this amazing feat, as Hydro smiled back mischievously.

“Surprised mortal?” Hydro asked mockingly, as she slowly approached her prey.

“GEORGE! Do something,” Saturn yelled as he backed away and loaded his bow.

George proved himself a broken man, by weeping loudly over Osy’s corpse. He was not showing any signs of stopping, despite Norton’s urging.

“Put yourself together, we need you,” Norton croaked.

His efforts were limited by his broken arms. He attempted to push George away from Osy’s body with his shoulders.

“No we need Osy. He would have made a plan to rout this treachery if he but lived, if we but listened,” George bemoaned tearfully.

“Stop her George she is going to kill Lee. Please somebody stop her,” Saturn yelled.

He released another arrow which Hydro deflected with a swing of her dagger, and her eyes still firmly planted on Lee.

Thousands of mortal soldiers surrounded the crater, and they remained still, petrified by fear. They looked on as Lee imprudently cradled his demolished blood soaked arm. This was all except King Ugo, who contrary to his brother’s urging hurried down the crater. Lee whimpered on, oblivious to Hydro, as she overshadowed him with her dagger raised. At the instant when Hydro was about to plunge the dagger deep into Lee, she was suddenly jerked back.

“My love what are you doing?” Ugo asked in confusion.

Hydro staggered back and forced her arm free of Ugo’s grip.

“Silence mortal, do not mistake my love for you, for respect,” Hydro said as she pointed her dagger emphatically at Ugo’s face.

Defiantly, Ugo grabbed the long blade. With blood oozing from his clenched hand, Ugo pulled the dagger, forcing Hydro forward until they were face to face.

“I will not let you do this,” Ugo said through gritted teeth.

“You mortals, I do not know what is shorter, your memories…. or your lives,” Hydro said as she yanked her dagger back forcefully.

The blade cut deep into Ugo’s hand, as it ripped its way out of his grip. The young King wore a shocked expression as he recoiled in pain. He had two cuts on his hand. The first across his fingers, were bone deep, whilst the second laceration, exposed the innards of his thumb joint. Ugo was compelled to support his blood bathed hand with the other, because the cuts were so deep that he feared his hand might fall apart.

“I am a goddess, do not presume to tell me what I can and cannot do,” Hydro chastised haughtily.

The look on Ugo’s face could only be described as anguish. The pain of his injury was little compared to the ache of his breaking heart. Hydro on the other hand was more focused on Lee as she turned round to the immobilised demi-god, her scowl spelling her deadly intent. With a flick of her free hand, all of Ugo’s blood on Hydro’s dagger was instantly stripped off and soaked the sands.

“I want my dagger clean so it may savour the taste of your blood,” Hydro said.

She raised her glistening unstained dagger, whilst approaching Lee. Meanwhile Saturn had resorted to scolding at George to intervene.

“George, do something!!”

“We all have fluids in us, we are undone. You saw what she did to Osy; she could kill any of us at any time. So tell me, why bother?” George cried hopelessly.

“No that is her weakness!” Saturn yelled.

Hydro, who was about to stab Lee; stopped in mid-strike and slowly turned to look at Saturn. The archer looked up just in time to meet the gaze of the maddened goddess.

“She can only control the fluids in your body if she touches you. I tried to stop Lee from touching her? Remember Drazo he touched her frequently. That is why she has not attacked you yet,” Saturn slurred urgently.

Hydro’s gaze suddenly shifted from Saturn, to George. George, who looked up and wiped his tears, revealed a stare most foul. Hydro glanced at Lee at the corner of her eyes before looking back up to George, who narrowed his eyes in focus. Suddenly Hydro lunged down at Lee, her dagger glinting warningly under the hot sun.

Despite her speed, the ground opened up and swallowed Lee, before Hydro could connect her deadly blow. Hydro landed roughly on the ground with her blade buried harmlessly in the sands.

Meanwhile Lee’s body erupted from the sands next to George. As Lee landed in a seated position next to him, George placed Osy’s head gently on the ground. He patted Lee on the shoulder, but the demi-god remained as he was, cradling his very mortal injury and staring vacantly in the distance.

As George stood up, two columns of sand rose up his legs until it covered his entire skin. He turned his head sharply, cracking his neck as he sprinted towards Hydro.

Subsequently Saturn let out an excruciating scream. George dug his heels into the sands, which brought him screeching to a halt as he turned to Saturn.

Saturn was hunched over on his knees and wheezing loudly as he held his chest. George gasped as Saturn spluttered a mouthful of blood on to the sands.

“I may not have touched you, but I did touch someone,”

The sound of Hydro’s callous scorn drove George into an almighty rage. He growled and advanced towards Hydro. Yet no sooner had he taken a step forward before Saturn suddenly let out a greater scream. He fell to the ground, wriggling in pain.

“Tut tut... Either you fall or he does? So why not shed your sand-skin so that I can get my hands on you,” Hydro purred.

George’s eyes shifted from Saturn to Hydro, as he battled with his choices.

If he engaged Hydro, his true love would die a death most horrid. If he allowed Hydro to touch him, he and Lee would be dead and then there would be no one to stop Hydro in her bloody pursuit for godhood. George gritted his teeth, for his indecision was agonising.

“George….my heart. The pain is too much, just slay her,” Saturn screamed breathlessly.

“No you will di….” George retorted.

“She has revealed her true nature, and it is dark. When she slays you she will kill me anyway. Kill her, forfeit my life for the greater good,” Saturn exclaimed angrily.

“If such a thought crossed my mind, I would burn it out with a red hot poker,” George said.

“Now George, now!”

George inhaled deeply as he ran his hand roughly through his hair in frustration.

“I am sorry... I love you,”

As the words left his mouth four figures with his likeness, which were composed entirely of sand, erupted from the ground around George. Hydro sighed with a contented expression, as every blood vessel in Saturn’s body ruptured simultaneously. With a spine twisting, neck breaking twitch, Saturn died instantly. Blood seeped from his eyes, and also spewed out of all of his orifices and from tiny lacerations all over his body.

George yelled in rage as all his doppelgangers dived into the ground. They erupted around Hydro, and before she could react, they subdued her. Despite Hydro’s efforts she was disarmed and forced to her knees.

“You wench. You deserve no mercy, we trusted you. I shall make your end as painful as your betrayal was to us. You hunger for power? Allow me to provide a substitute,”

As though they were cued, the doppelgangers sank into the sand dragging Hydro with them. Hydro screamed as she clawed at the ground, waist deep in sand. Spurred by his desperation, King Ugo dared to sprint towards George.

“Please forgive her,” Ugo yelled.

Yet the emotionless look on George’s face and his failure to answer caused King Ugo to cease his pleas. He turned round and ran to Hydro’s aid. However, it was too late for Hydro was already choking as she was neck deep in sand. By the time he reached Hydro, only her hand remained above ground.

“No!!!” Ugo yelled.

He dived to the ground. As he slid on his chest along the sands, Ugo tried to grab on to Hydro’s hand. However, he only managed to get hold of her fingers.

“No, no, no!” Ugo yelled as Hydro’s fingers were forced out of his hands

Ugo dug into the sand like a dog, maddened by the craving for its buried bone.

“Hail the god-slayers. They have slain the gods, and even one of their own who would have harmed us. Hail,” King Nilas cheered.

“Hail! Hail! Hail!”

The whole battlefield echoed with the chanting of every able soldier. Meanwhile Obbo ran down the crater towards his brother. He finally reached Ugo who was stupefied by his great loss. As Obbo consoled him, Ugo’s sorrow was quickly infected with rage by such jubilation at his lover’s death. He tried to stand up, but his hands hit something hard beneath the sands. Ugo moaned and winced in pain as he rummaged through the sand to disinter what had hurt him.

Grasping the thick hilt, Ugo lifted the object up. He narrowed his eyes at the harsh reflection of the sunlight off the metallic object. Meanwhile, the soldiers on the battlefield were oblivious of the power in Ugo’s possession, as they were still caught in their victorious chorus. Ugo quickly realised that it was one of the godly weapons that Shadro possessed. Suddenly Ugo felt nothing but rage and pain, and now he had the power to dispense it on anyone, anywhere.

The old man began to cough violently, causing King Paracas to take a cup off his bedside table. Finally the old man stopped coughing as the cold water rushed down his dry, raspy throat.

“You should rest now Norton,” Paracas said.

“I have rested for centuries; I will not die without telling the truth,” Norton said sternly as he pushed the cup away.

He sniffed his wrinkle matted nose before he continued speaking.

“The two remaining demi-gods died foolishly. In their haste to serve mortals they pushed themselves too far. Lee forced the fires down and George closed the ground below the sea; such a feat exhausted them to their deaths. They died right there on the sea, they closed the Fire-falls and died on the-”

“Boiling sea,”

King Paracas turned round to see it was his son who had spoken. Prince Vaco walked in through the doorway and placed a hand affectionately on the King’s shoulder.

“Is it done?” Norton asked.

“Is what done?” Paracas asked inquisitively.

King Paracas felt his son’s grip on his shoulder tighten.

“Yes, the defenders of the faiths are all dead,” Prince Vaco retorted.

“What!” Paracas yelled.

Yet before the King could turn round, his son buried a dagger into his back. As he growled in pain, Paracas pushed his son off him and fell to his knees.

“Why?” Paracas croaked with a mouth full of blood.

“Why? I will tell you why, those idiots they killed my siblings only to throw away their lives on their fools’ errand of serving the mortals. They left this vacuum… room for you mortals to grow mad with the power, the power of the godly weapons….our weapons. Power that rightfully belongs to me,” Norton snapped.

Even with death dimming his vision, King Paracas could see that the old man was speaking with more vigour than he had ever done up till this point.

“You… you are not...” Paracas stifled his words.

“Norton, my misguided son? No that foolish immortal died centuries ago,” the old man laughed.

With his last bit of energy, Paracas reached forward and ripped the bedcovers off the old man. King Paracas let out a hopeless forlorn gasp, when he saw the odd injury on the ancient body. A whole side of the old man’s mid-section was missing, yet there was no laceration or scar.

“I have been from the shadow for too long, we are as a long lost couple doomed to stare at each other from the expanse that divides us. In this feeble form my immortality became a curse. I swore to destroy their legacy for what they have done to me and instead I was just strong enough to watch it grow,” Norton replied bitterly.

“Shadro. You are Shad-” Paracas said with his last breath as he fell to the ground.

“Are you sure all the defenders of the faiths are dead?”

Prince Vaco knelt over his father’s body. For a moment a hint of emotion showed in his face. However the facial expression, proved as fleeting as his thoughts on patricide.

“I made sure my men brought the catacombs beneath the palace down on them. There was nothing left down there but rocks and blood,” Vaco said as he took the dagger out of his father’s back.

“Your prize is among my belongings, it is called the Sacred Blade,” Shadro said as he pointed towards the corner of the room.

Vaco nodded and wiped the dagger on his father’s back.

“Sorry father, but you did want to be a martyr,”

He stood up and walked towards the corner of the room. Vaco rummaged through heaps of clothes and trinkets, until he found a wide, long chest. The moment he opened it, Vaco pulled out the godly weapon. With both hands, he gripped the long and evenly shaped hilt. The out-worldly glint of the two blades, which protruded at either end of the hilt, shone on Vaco’s face.

“I on the other hand, am a survivor,” Vaco muttered as his eyes widened with hunger.

“Ahhh”

The strained groan was accompanied by the sound of a harsh wind, which compelled Vaco to turn around. He was shocked to find the old man on his feet. Shadro was not supporting himself for he was tugging at a black line, which led to a shadow on the floor. The shadow was that which was casted by King Paracas’ corpse. Finally the line snapped and left Shadro with a black mass around his hand. The black mass hovered in the air around his hand like black ink dancing in water. Shadro placed his hand over the missing section of the lower part of his torso. Instantly the black mass slid into it like a snake. The mass morphed into bones, blood, guts and then flesh. The missing quarter of Shadro’s torso, which had stretched halfway up his ribs and down to his pelvis, was suddenly replaced. In addition unlike the rest of his body, the patch of skin over this newly formulated flesh was youthful and healthy.

“Finally after centuries I can breathe with both lungs,” Shadro roared.

His voice reverberated with vigour renewed. Prince Vaco immediately stepped forward. He sank on a bended knee and bowed his head.

“I have been too long from the shadows and now the connection has been realigned. At this rate, I shall be rejuvenated in a few years,”

Shadro smiled widely as he limped towards Vaco.

“It would be remiss of you to think I will not repay you for your loyalty. When my godly feat is fully restored…when I am a god once more, rest assured if not in your lifetime, your sons shall rule the world, second only to me. One King, one nation under-”

However before Shadro could complete his triumphant monologue, Vaco stood up and drove the Sacred Blade into his torso, in one sweeping motion.

“Wha-” Shadro gasped as he desperately clawed at Vaco’s face.

“What?”

Prince Vaco turned his face so that Shadro’s old feeble hand slipped harmlessly down to his throat and then his shoulder.

“What? Did you think I committed patricide so that you may one day be god again? Did you think I had some sort of faith affirming catharsis? I did not kill my father for you… I killed my father for me!”

As Vaco exclaimed, he yanked the blade out of Shadro. Shadro fell to his knees wheezing. With one hand he held his blood soaked abdominals and he stretched out his other hand. The shadow on the far wall, which was casted by King Paracas’ corpse, began to shudder. Shadro screamed and strained but try as he might, that was all the shadow did, shudder. The petrified look on Vaco’s face was now replaced with a terrific smile, as it was clear to him that he truly was in control.

“One nation under me, the age of the gods is over. So begins the time for kings,”

“No-”

With one sweeping motion, Vaco span the other blade on the weapon and cleaved Shadro’s head off his shoulders. As the head rolled to the side, the body slumped to the ground. Yet the old, feeble hands twitched, as the shadow continued to shudder. Prince Vaco yelled as he brought down the blade and planted into the corpse with all his might. Finally the body was still and so was the shadow, finally Vaco’s mind was at ease. He exhaled in relief as he jerked the Sacred Blade out of the headless body. Vaco picked up a piece of cloth from the bed and began to wipe the blades of the Sacred Blade.

He exited the room, and left the inner palace. Vaco made his way through the bustling palace corridors, which was filled with wounded soldiers and civilians seeking shelter. Soon, Vaco was stood at the main doorway of the palace, overlooking a terrible scene. The entire courtyard was filled with soldiers, battered as they were, they stood ready for battle. The smoke of the burning city could be clearly seen over the palace walls, and the rhythmic thump of the enemies at the palace gates filled the air.

“My Prince,”

“General,” Vaco answered as he looked to the soldier with blood stained armour that had just bumped into him.

“We are undone. Ellenia has fallen. Half our forces have fallen and the other half rally to protect the palace and what is left of our beloved city. This is truly the end,” the General bemoaned.

Despite the grave atmosphere around him and the General’s proclamation of certain doom, Vaco simply kept cleaning the Sacred Blade with a relaxed smile.

“The end?” Vaco asked as he cleaned the last drop of his Shadro’s blood off the Sacred Blade.

Suddenly the palace gates finally gave way under the strain and shattered to the ground. Subsequently the enemy forces began to mill in.

“My good General, this is just the beginning,” Vaco said as he threw the bloodied cloth aside.

The Prince yelled as he span the Sacred Blade in one hand and leapt into the battle.

Allina heart