The hammer came down, and Redmane caught it.
Specifically, he caught the invisible nimbus of force surrounding its head. It smacked down into his palms, and his claws dug into it, as if it were a physical substance. Redmane gritted his teeth as he felt the heat of it searing his hands, making them begin to glow. But worse than that, he felt the of his hands coming apart, as if the God Breaker were capable of obliterating them at the abstract level.
“You should have stayed wherever Belskaya put you, father,” said Vos.
That name again. Belskaya. He kept saying it.
One of the Five Heroes, he thought it was.
So that’s how they conquered Kraal, With this one’s cooperation.
Redmage growled. He flexed his will as well as his arms, and the hammerhead began to retreat from his face. But Vos was his equal in Might it seemed, even after his long slumber. It was a contest of muscle, both of their arms rigid, shaking as they struggled for control.
He decided to put his finger on the scales.
The Beast Liberated
Gnosis: 279
Vos convulsed. Shreds of leathery skin flew from his body. He did not bleed, but to Redmane’s satisfaction his face did register pain as the Beast Within visited him, to rip him apart from the inside out. The pain distracted Vos just enough for Redmane to wrench aside the God Breaker and roll backward, coming to his feet again.
“I won’t be staying put anymore,” said Redmane. “Not for you or anyone. This is my world.”
And they fought.
Conviction met instinct. Discipline met fury.
Redmane and Vos moved through the Abyss like forces of nature. And the longer they fought, the more Redmane felt like a force rather than a man, or a monster, or a God, or an Imbued, or whatever he was.
The God Breaker swung in wide arcs, its presence bending the air, while Redmane's claws sliced through the space between them. The Abyss rippled beneath their feet as they pushed each other to the brink.
Vos watched Redmane charge in. He closed his eyes, gripped the God Breaker and its nimbus of power swelled. When he swung the hammer, force projected from it like a boulder shot from a catapult, taking Redmane off his feet at range, sending him tumbling and rolling to a halt face first on the floor.
Corpus: 1215
As before, a blow from the God Breaker made Redmane’s mind feel as though it had come apart. It was worse than simply being dazed by blunt force trauma. It seemed to loosen the cohesion of his thinking, his memories. A small part of his mind that still worked reckoned this must have been how the God Breaker had disassembled him, how he had come to exist sealed in so many different forms.
The rest of his mind could do naught but groan in pain, and struggle to grasp the danger of the situation.
Vos advanced with slow deliberate steps, like an executioner, the God Breaker steady in his grip.
He raised the hammer again, its arc poised to deliver the end. The moment stretched, filled with the silent tension of inevitability.
But there would be no such inevitability.
Just as the God Breaker was about to descend a second time, Redmane rolled onto his back to face Vos.
Roar of the Elder
The Beast Liberated
Gnosis: 199
First, the roar of the great bear stunned him. Then the Beast Within made a second visit, with results as destructive as the first if not moreso.
Vos took a step back, partly doubled over from his injuries, and Redmane snarled, rolled forward and leapt at him with a claw held high.
Lion’s Lunge
Gnosis: 169
He went for the full combination. Vos deflected the first blow, barely. The second and third scored on his face and chest, leaving deep furrows. Redmane’s divine son coughed, and a small trickle of black substance ran from the corner of his mouth. What little blood he held onto in his decrepit state, perhaps. Or embalming fluid.
Vos gazed at Redmane bitterly. “Murder and fornication were the only laws of your world. The laws of the jungle.”
“Better than the laws of a tyrant,” said Redmane.
His claw swept in for another blow to the face, but Vos shouted his defiance and knocked it aside with the God Breaker, whipped the hammer around to answer that blow with one of his own. One that slammed down onto the ground of the Abyss so hard even the malleable darkness seemed to crack beneath it.
The force surrounding the God Breaker was the true obstacle to overcome. It gave Vos an unmeasurable reach advantage. And it was difficult, if not impossible, to tell where and how he could effectively defend against Redmane’s attacks. Every assault was a guess. And not every guess was correct.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
The only solution he could think of was to make a large quantity of guesses in rapid succession.
Redmane and Vos circled each other, streaked in and clashed with enough force to send tremors through the Abyss, rippling the dark waters beneath them.
Redmane moved with focus, his strikes finding what few gaps existed in Vos's defenses and carving into them with prejudice. Vos countered with powerful swings, but Redmane's agility kept him just out of reach. But no matter how many times his claws found purchase on Vos’s hardened, leathery skin, his divine progeny marched forward with a grim countenance, undeterred by the damage.
Redmane lunged forward, claws aimed at Vos's gaunt face.
Vos swung the God Breaker in a wide arc to block him.
Redmane ducked the swing, scored a quick slash to Vos's side, forcing Vos to step back. Vos attempted a counter with the hammer, but Redmane sidestepped, avoiding the nimbus of force around the head of the God Breaker as it whooshed by. Redmane followed with a series of rapid strikes, each one pushing Vos further back.
Vos's grip on the God Breaker slipped slightly as he tried to regain control.
Redmane’s predatory eyes widened the instant he saw that momentary weakness.
He pressed harder, relentless, claw after claw battering his foe’s defenses, leaving him no time to regroup, retreat, counter. Vos stumbled, struggling to maintain his stance. Redmane's final strike was an overhand right claw which landed with force, knocking Vos off balance and sending him reeling.
Might of Umber
Gnosis: 149
He may not have been able to bleed him or poison him, but he could make himself stronger.
And now was the time.
Gnosis flowed into his body, strengthening it, fortifying it. He felt his skin harden as his muscles charged with power.
Vos rallied, twisted and swung a mighty blow.
Redmane knocked it aside.
Another came, the head of the God Breaker screaming though the Abyss on its way down.
Redmane caught it. Felt it burn his hand. Felt the effect of the hammer’s magic trying to dissolve him.
He leaned in close, his gaze locked on Vos.
“You struck the memories out of me,” he said. “But even without them, I can tell you’re a failure of a son.”
Vos set his jaw, grimaced with effort.
Redmane grinned.
And he took the God Breaker away.
Vos’s eyes widened with fear. He raised an arm to block the blow that came down, knocking him to the floor. He rolled to his feet, in time to get blasted across the Abyss by an underhand swing. Vos tried to right himself in midair but Redmane was already leaping after him. Battering him some more before he could even hit the ground.
His hollow eyes hazed over. No doubt he was experiencing the same fugue Redmane had, when the God Breaker struck him.
A gratifying observation.
“Should I do what you did to me?” Redmane asked, as he struck Vos again.
“What version of you could I create. What parts of you should I knock off, to make you more pleasing to me,” he struck again, the blow spinning his foe around.
“Or should I be done with you completely,” said Redmane, as he slammed the God Breaker down on Vos’s head, sprawling him on the ground. “What did you tell me earlier? This time I shall disintegrate?”
Vos tried to rise. He put his hands on the ground and pushed, arms shaking. Another blow sprawled him flat again.
Redmane stared down at him.
Truly wondering what the best course would be.
He once had a son, and it had become this thing. Perhaps he’d even loved him sometime in the distant past. But no longer. The very weapon he held in his hands had knocked the love out of him, quite literally. A part of him recommended smashing Vos into so many pieces he could never reconstitute himself.
But another part felt a stirring of curiosity.
Redmane knelt over and turned Vos so that he was face up. The ancient face gazed up at him balefully, but he noted a certain look in the eyes. The gaze of a rebellious child.
“I think I ought to get to know you better,” said Redmane.
Then he opened wide and bit into Vos’s head.
He only screamed once.
Level Up
Level 101 —> 102
Level 102 —> 103
Level 103 —> 104
Level 104 —> 105
Quality Points awaiting allocation: 4
In a few bites, Redmane could feel the soul of Vos entering his body. He let the Corpus nourish him but redirected the soul, sending it into his Soulspace.
Corpus: 4005
What… What have you done to me…
You might be useful to me in the future, said Redmane. Until then, you can sit and think on what you’ve done.
With the naughty child chastised, Redmane closed the door on his Soulspace and looked down at the weapon in his hands.
—
God Breaker
Great Hammer (Heavy Melee Weapon)
Weapon Profile:
Damage +50
Armor +10 while blocking (Defensive 5)
Reach +10 (Force Projection)
Soul Sundering
Weapon of Vos, the First Sovereign. It was forged in the depths of the earth, in a lake of primal fire, to reshape the world and even the Gods themselves.
—
Twice this weapon had been used to subjugate him.
But no longer.
He had half a mind to simply break it, or leave it to get lost in the Abyss for all time.
Instead, he ate it.
—
Weapon Profile:
Claws
Damage +50
Evasion Negation 10 (Fast 5)
Corpus damage over time on hit (Rending 4)
Armor +14 while blocking (Defensive 7)
Attacks damage up to 4 foes (Cleaving 3)
Spirit Touch (Godslayer 1)
Vorpal (Godslayer 1)
Reach +10 (Force Projection)
Soul Sundering
Bite
Damage +50
Armor Penetration 8
Evasion Negation 20 (Fast 10)
Soul Sundering
—
The Soul Sundering effect carried over into his bite as well as his claws.
Redmane supposed he could use it to eat someone’s memories. Or their personality. Or whatever else belonged to a thing, insubstantial or otherwise.
He held up one of his claws, examining it. The thrum of power around them felt stronger. Much stronger. Even in the dark of the Abyss he could tell by how they distorted the air when he made even the slightest movement.
To test it he swept his claw through the empty air, and as he did so he felt blades of force sweep outward like a cutting wave.
Remarkable.
For a short while he simply stood there in the middle of the Abyss, considering what had just taken place.
With Vos captive, he could learn much about his own history.
With the God Breaker a part of him, he could crush Aerin Morholt and anyone else who might like to come and try him.
That thought made him look around for the presence of the Abyssal Well. He located it, and made his way across the silent waters, enjoying the prospect of being an unpleasant surprise for a Coterie of Imbued.
When Redmane reached the surface a second time, at the Abyssal Well right next to the Tomb of Vos, Pietr’s presence rushed into his mind.
My lord, the Imbued of Asgoph have determined the location of the God Breaker, and the secret phrase which unlocks its hidden door. Even now they—
I have the God Breaker.
What?!
I bested my son, took it from him, and ate it.
Redmane sensed a wild swell of relief from his servant.
I see! How shall I serve you next, my lord?
Return to Valtr and Vengarl’s group. Help them clear whatever Zone they’re clearing. I will await the Imbued here.
With that said, Redmane walked over to the steps of the Tomb of Vos and sat upon them as if they were a throne, grinning as he awaited Aerin Morholt and his band.
The looks on their faces would be priceless.
PATREON
