Gorr the God-Butcher lunged forward, tendrils of black ooze flailing along the ground to throw the pale alien forward. Zagreus’s vision was awash with pink lights, a surefire sign that danger was near. The godling waited until the last second before jumping forward, his body dissipating into wisps of volcanic gases and ash. Gorr’s tendrils grappled wildly where Zagreus was standing, but found no purchase.
Fire-walking Zagreus reappeared behind Gorr, his morbid shortsword raised high in the air. However, before he could land a blow, Gorr’s cloak lashed out backwards in horrid spikes. They latched onto the godling, who yelped in surprise. The tentacles were wet, practically liquid, but they retained their solid form, grazing Zagreus’ skin in all the unpleasant ways it could.
The godling tensed his foot against one such tentacle and attempted to kick off of it. He had no idea how much damage this strange liquid weapon could do, and needed to stay quick and out of Gorr’s reach. Unfortunately, his foot could not find any footing, as the tentacle dissipated into inky water before reforming into a tentacle.
“What in Tartarus-“ the godling began to say as the tentacles started wrapping around him.
Flame-walking Zagreus spun in place, but found that these liquid limbs were now tense enough to be like of pure muscle. The godling struggled against his bonds, but was helpless as the tentacles drew him closer to the God-Butcher.
Gorr gave Zagreus a toothy grin, his incisors flashing in the dusklight. He raised an arm, and an ebony blade formed around his hand.
“This was easy, little god.”
Zagreus grit his teeth and kicked off another tentacle. This time, he kicked against one of the tentacles binding him, hoping it would be solid enough to be sufficient footing. He was right, and as he lunged off, his body was a whirlwind of simmering ash that reformed a short distance away.
Gorr spat in displeasure before sending another flurry of tendrils Zagreus’ way. The godling was just in the middle of congratulating himself on his escape, and was not on his guard to deflect them. He raised his blade, unable to evade, hoping in vain to block the assault.
Thankfully, it seemed the gods had not abandoned the godling.
An array of ethereal platinum-gold shields flashed into existence, wrapping around flame-walking Zagreus like a warm hug. Gorr’s weapons bounced ineffectively off of the armaments, coiling back to avoid the glimmering light.
“Zagreus!” the warm yet stoic voice of Athena rang through the bucklers, “Cousin Ares told me he was able to reach you. Stay on your guard! I sense you have strong enemies, wherever you are.”
“You don’t say,” Zagreus grunted, his footing off-balance as the tentacles pushed him back, “Thanks for the assist, Lady Athena.”
Of course, Athena could not hear him, but he still liked the thought of conversing with the mighty Olympians. After all, one should be grateful for divine boons.
Before Zagreus could continue this thought, the shields fizzled away, and the tentacles continued their assault. Zagreus flashed away once more, breaking into a sprint directly away from Gorr. More celestial armaments appeared behind the godling as he ran, shielding flame-walking Zagreus as he fled.
“Not fleeing!” Zagreus spat, “Just a tactical retreat!”
Back-talking Zagreus continued to run. He felt the burning hairs on the back of his neck raise, and his vision was flooded with pink. The godling hopped into the air, deftly avoiding a flurry of tentacles aimed at his ankles. While he was aloft, however, he was unable to change his momentum. As Gorr shot another spray of tentacles, Zagreus spun in the air, swinging blood-drinking Stygius at the tendrils. The blade lopped off the tips of the tendrils, but the tentacles seemed unperturbed, their progress towards Zagreus’ neck steady and unslowed.
Zagreus gagged as he felt the tentacle crush his neck slightly. Gods, he was outmatched. This strange liquid weapon was too versatile and strong at the same time.
Zagreus noted, with no small surprise, the bloody sword hanging over Gorr.
The God-Butcher howled a raspy scream as the sword fell down, jamming into Gorr’s shoulder. The sword vanished quickly after it made impact, leaving behind a pretty severe gash. The tentacles all recoiled and returned to their cape form, releasing flame-walking Zagreus. The godling landed on his smoldering feet and brandished blood-drinking Stygius with a triumphant smile.
“So, that weapon of yours,” Zagreus grunted, “It’s a part of you, eh?”
Gorr snickered as the black ooze coated his wound. After a few seconds, the ooze squirmed away, and there was no sign of any damage whatsoever. Zagreus noted this with displeasure.
“The All-Black is a weapon beyond your understanding, little god,” Gorr snarled before reforming his arm-blade.
“I believe you,” Zagreus replied, “But I’ve destroyed lots of things I don’t understand.”
Gorr hurled the sword as hard as he could, throwing his entire weight behind the blow. Zagreus dashed forward, planning to phase through it as he did before. Thankfully, the shields rose up around him once more, defending him as the airborne blade lashed out with half a dozen writhing tentacles.
Zagreus slashed once more with his blade, chopping at as many tentacles as he could. While the tentacles dissipated just as instantly as before, Ares’ curse was regardless able to find purchase. Another bloody sword dropped into Gorr’s shoulder. Gorr snarled unhappily before swinging once more at flame-walking Zagreus with an array of tentacles. Zagreus tumbled backwards before swiping again, landing another blow on the tentacles.
With two hemomantic swords embedded in Gorr’s back, it was safe to say that the God-Butcher was displeased.
“I’m going to take that toy away from you, little god,” the predator snarled, slithering out yet another pile of tentacles that shot out towards the Son of Hades.
Zagreus grinned at the thought. “Let me make it easier for you!”
The godling twisted his torso and flung his blade as hard as he could, sending blood-drinking Stygius spinning in a grim arc of red and black. Gorr deflected the blade handily with his tentacles, landing yet another bloody sword in Gorr’s shoulder.
“Fool,” the God-Butcher chuckled.
Zagreus raised a hand, and the blade started flying back towards the godling. Gorr raised a hand, and three ebony limbs lashed out to grab the blade out of the air. Concerned Zagreus willed the sword back to him again, but found that Stygius would not budge.
“Blood and darkness,” Zagreus mumbled.
“This is a fine blade,” Gorr commented, inspecting blood-drinking Stygius with casual expertise, “Perhaps a little worn, but its craftsmanship cannot be understated. But you gods with all your fancy weapons are all the same.”
Gorr grinned as he revealed his gaping shoulder. From inside his bloody wounds, rows and rows of sharp teeth started tessellating out like spinning wheels of jaws. These teeth started swelling out of Gorr’s various wounds like worms with rapidly spinning jaws.
“You are useless without your weapons!” Gorr roared, “I am my weapon!”
Gorr lashed out with two of these toothy appendages, which Zagreus jumped over. Thankfully, these tentacles seemed to be firm - for whatever reason, the whirling dentures apparently required this weapon to be solid. Flame-walking Zagreus kicked forward off of the tentacles and tumbled on the ground. Another toothy tentacle rushed towards Zagreus, which the godling deftly hopped over. It slammed into the ground where Zagreus had been standing moments before, shredding the dirt and spraying it everywhere.
Zagreus jammed his smoldering foot into the soil, then kicked up. A clump of dirt collided into Gorr’s eyes, making him snarl in irritation. The smirking godling flung his fist into Gorr’s jaw, sending the God-Butcher stumbling back. Zagreus let loose a flurry of untrained but powerful punches, each blow sending a shockwave that rippled through the leaves of the overhead trees. In the chaos of it all, Zagreus managed to snatch his sword out of Gorr’s hands. Unrelenting Zagreus then swung wildly with his stygian weapon, cutting into Gorr’s pallid flesh. A triad of bloody swords thudded viciously into Gorr’s shoulders.
The God-Butcher recovered quickly, shrugging off the blades. He kicked Zagreus, sending the godling hurtling back. With one irritated motion, Gorr swept at the bloody blades embedded in his torso, snapping them in twain.
Gorr inspected his wounds with interest. They healed quickly, flesh swelling to replace what Zagreus had severed.
“You’ve made this interesting, little god,” Gorr chuckled, “Now, tell me. What will you do?”
Zagreus observed with no small interest that Gorr seemed more powerful than before. The golden light that enveloped all living things started pulsing at a steady rate around the Butcher. Zagreus winced as he noticed his own exhaustion.
Flame-walking Zagreus shrugged timidly. “Can I get back to you on that?”
Before Gorr could reply, Zagreus zipped deeper into the trees. Flashes of golden light filled the gaps between the branches as Zagreus fled the field. Gorr watched the scene with amusement.
“Run, little god,” Gorr chuckled, “I will find you.”
Fire-walking Zagreus reappeared behind Gorr, his morbid shortsword raised high in the air. However, before he could land a blow, Gorr’s cloak lashed out backwards in horrid spikes. They latched onto the godling, who yelped in surprise. The tentacles were wet, practically liquid, but they retained their solid form, grazing Zagreus’ skin in all the unpleasant ways it could.
The godling tensed his foot against one such tentacle and attempted to kick off of it. He had no idea how much damage this strange liquid weapon could do, and needed to stay quick and out of Gorr’s reach. Unfortunately, his foot could not find any footing, as the tentacle dissipated into inky water before reforming into a tentacle.
“What in Tartarus-“ the godling began to say as the tentacles started wrapping around him.
Flame-walking Zagreus spun in place, but found that these liquid limbs were now tense enough to be like of pure muscle. The godling struggled against his bonds, but was helpless as the tentacles drew him closer to the God-Butcher.
Gorr gave Zagreus a toothy grin, his incisors flashing in the dusklight. He raised an arm, and an ebony blade formed around his hand.
“This was easy, little god.”
Zagreus grit his teeth and kicked off another tentacle. This time, he kicked against one of the tentacles binding him, hoping it would be solid enough to be sufficient footing. He was right, and as he lunged off, his body was a whirlwind of simmering ash that reformed a short distance away.
Gorr spat in displeasure before sending another flurry of tendrils Zagreus’ way. The godling was just in the middle of congratulating himself on his escape, and was not on his guard to deflect them. He raised his blade, unable to evade, hoping in vain to block the assault.
Thankfully, it seemed the gods had not abandoned the godling.
An array of ethereal platinum-gold shields flashed into existence, wrapping around flame-walking Zagreus like a warm hug. Gorr’s weapons bounced ineffectively off of the armaments, coiling back to avoid the glimmering light.
“Zagreus!” the warm yet stoic voice of Athena rang through the bucklers, “Cousin Ares told me he was able to reach you. Stay on your guard! I sense you have strong enemies, wherever you are.”
“You don’t say,” Zagreus grunted, his footing off-balance as the tentacles pushed him back, “Thanks for the assist, Lady Athena.”
Of course, Athena could not hear him, but he still liked the thought of conversing with the mighty Olympians. After all, one should be grateful for divine boons.
Before Zagreus could continue this thought, the shields fizzled away, and the tentacles continued their assault. Zagreus flashed away once more, breaking into a sprint directly away from Gorr. More celestial armaments appeared behind the godling as he ran, shielding flame-walking Zagreus as he fled.
“Not fleeing!” Zagreus spat, “Just a tactical retreat!”
Back-talking Zagreus continued to run. He felt the burning hairs on the back of his neck raise, and his vision was flooded with pink. The godling hopped into the air, deftly avoiding a flurry of tentacles aimed at his ankles. While he was aloft, however, he was unable to change his momentum. As Gorr shot another spray of tentacles, Zagreus spun in the air, swinging blood-drinking Stygius at the tendrils. The blade lopped off the tips of the tendrils, but the tentacles seemed unperturbed, their progress towards Zagreus’ neck steady and unslowed.
Zagreus gagged as he felt the tentacle crush his neck slightly. Gods, he was outmatched. This strange liquid weapon was too versatile and strong at the same time.
Zagreus noted, with no small surprise, the bloody sword hanging over Gorr.
The God-Butcher howled a raspy scream as the sword fell down, jamming into Gorr’s shoulder. The sword vanished quickly after it made impact, leaving behind a pretty severe gash. The tentacles all recoiled and returned to their cape form, releasing flame-walking Zagreus. The godling landed on his smoldering feet and brandished blood-drinking Stygius with a triumphant smile.
“So, that weapon of yours,” Zagreus grunted, “It’s a part of you, eh?”
Gorr snickered as the black ooze coated his wound. After a few seconds, the ooze squirmed away, and there was no sign of any damage whatsoever. Zagreus noted this with displeasure.
“The All-Black is a weapon beyond your understanding, little god,” Gorr snarled before reforming his arm-blade.
“I believe you,” Zagreus replied, “But I’ve destroyed lots of things I don’t understand.”
Gorr hurled the sword as hard as he could, throwing his entire weight behind the blow. Zagreus dashed forward, planning to phase through it as he did before. Thankfully, the shields rose up around him once more, defending him as the airborne blade lashed out with half a dozen writhing tentacles.
Zagreus slashed once more with his blade, chopping at as many tentacles as he could. While the tentacles dissipated just as instantly as before, Ares’ curse was regardless able to find purchase. Another bloody sword dropped into Gorr’s shoulder. Gorr snarled unhappily before swinging once more at flame-walking Zagreus with an array of tentacles. Zagreus tumbled backwards before swiping again, landing another blow on the tentacles.
With two hemomantic swords embedded in Gorr’s back, it was safe to say that the God-Butcher was displeased.
“I’m going to take that toy away from you, little god,” the predator snarled, slithering out yet another pile of tentacles that shot out towards the Son of Hades.
Zagreus grinned at the thought. “Let me make it easier for you!”
The godling twisted his torso and flung his blade as hard as he could, sending blood-drinking Stygius spinning in a grim arc of red and black. Gorr deflected the blade handily with his tentacles, landing yet another bloody sword in Gorr’s shoulder.
“Fool,” the God-Butcher chuckled.
Zagreus raised a hand, and the blade started flying back towards the godling. Gorr raised a hand, and three ebony limbs lashed out to grab the blade out of the air. Concerned Zagreus willed the sword back to him again, but found that Stygius would not budge.
“Blood and darkness,” Zagreus mumbled.
“This is a fine blade,” Gorr commented, inspecting blood-drinking Stygius with casual expertise, “Perhaps a little worn, but its craftsmanship cannot be understated. But you gods with all your fancy weapons are all the same.”
Gorr grinned as he revealed his gaping shoulder. From inside his bloody wounds, rows and rows of sharp teeth started tessellating out like spinning wheels of jaws. These teeth started swelling out of Gorr’s various wounds like worms with rapidly spinning jaws.
“You are useless without your weapons!” Gorr roared, “I am my weapon!”
Gorr lashed out with two of these toothy appendages, which Zagreus jumped over. Thankfully, these tentacles seemed to be firm - for whatever reason, the whirling dentures apparently required this weapon to be solid. Flame-walking Zagreus kicked forward off of the tentacles and tumbled on the ground. Another toothy tentacle rushed towards Zagreus, which the godling deftly hopped over. It slammed into the ground where Zagreus had been standing moments before, shredding the dirt and spraying it everywhere.
Zagreus jammed his smoldering foot into the soil, then kicked up. A clump of dirt collided into Gorr’s eyes, making him snarl in irritation. The smirking godling flung his fist into Gorr’s jaw, sending the God-Butcher stumbling back. Zagreus let loose a flurry of untrained but powerful punches, each blow sending a shockwave that rippled through the leaves of the overhead trees. In the chaos of it all, Zagreus managed to snatch his sword out of Gorr’s hands. Unrelenting Zagreus then swung wildly with his stygian weapon, cutting into Gorr’s pallid flesh. A triad of bloody swords thudded viciously into Gorr’s shoulders.
The God-Butcher recovered quickly, shrugging off the blades. He kicked Zagreus, sending the godling hurtling back. With one irritated motion, Gorr swept at the bloody blades embedded in his torso, snapping them in twain.
Gorr inspected his wounds with interest. They healed quickly, flesh swelling to replace what Zagreus had severed.
“You’ve made this interesting, little god,” Gorr chuckled, “Now, tell me. What will you do?”
Zagreus observed with no small interest that Gorr seemed more powerful than before. The golden light that enveloped all living things started pulsing at a steady rate around the Butcher. Zagreus winced as he noticed his own exhaustion.
Flame-walking Zagreus shrugged timidly. “Can I get back to you on that?”
Before Gorr could reply, Zagreus zipped deeper into the trees. Flashes of golden light filled the gaps between the branches as Zagreus fled the field. Gorr watched the scene with amusement.
“Run, little god,” Gorr chuckled, “I will find you.”