Book 4: Chapter 46: Less and More |
Michael did his best to control the path of the creatures, trying to push more divine energy through the god so that he could seal wounds that would lead them in the direction he wanted them to move and so he could be more efficiently use his smite, but it was exhausting and his consciousness was rapidly fading.
The others all drew their weapons and began to look for the threat. It didn’t take long for the first of the insectoid creatures to begin emerging. They were hideous bright red creatures with terrible mandibles and bodies covered in spines that had brought viscera out from the god they’d emerged from.
Before the creatures could adjust Marcus started firing. Reaper’s shots reverberated through the cavern, echoing in such a way that it seemed he was firing a dozen bullets with each trigger pull. He dropped six before they began to react to what he was doing and started to swarm toward him.
Before they were even halfway to him, Ollie threw two fireballs, each of which exploded in their midst and scattered limbs and bodies. After they were thrown he aimed his staff at one that had attempted to hide in the shadow of the god, and its body was bisected by a slash of pure magicka.
Gabriel and Pyotr rushed forward in front of the others. Gabriel was a blur as he impaled one of the ants on his sword before aiming it, summoning a concentrated sphere of magic at its tip, and unleashing a beam of pure power that tore through two dozen, killing them at once. He could’ve killed more, but he had to angle the spell away from the god. Pyotr tossed his extra sword to his scarf, freeing up his left hand to shoot small blasts of fire from his hands even as his blades shot out, eviscerating any of the parasites that got too close.
Michael thought he’d have to interrupt his healing as one of them closed in on him by sneaking beneath the shadow of the god, but before it got too close Dundan rushed forward and crushed it with a flying elbow. In spite of how lithely the old dwarf had maneuvered through the narrow tunnels, he was heavy and when he landed on the creature it exploded into viscera. Michael was concerned that the dwarf’s skin would’ve been covered in wounds from the spines, but it must’ve been hard as stone as there was no visible damage to anything but his robe.
The fighting continued for several minutes while Michael continued to focus on his healing. The more wounds he sealed on the god and the cleansing smite he channeled through it, the easier the fighting became for his allies. He pushed everything he had into his healing, his legs giving out as his vision went black, but he managed to keep his hands on the god. He kept pushing until he lost consciousness.
…
The darkness was full of life. In the walls that surrounded him, the chambers he’d emerge into, and the tunnels his siblings created. He could feel all of them through subtle vibrations he felt against his skin. Even when he was tunneling through rock and stone, shaking the earth for miles, he could still feel their movements and shifts. When he’d first found the dwarves he was intrigued. His siblings had encountered them first, and had communicated, in their way, the strange hairy creatures that struggled against the dark. Those that he’d met had been carving their way through dirt near the surface, trying to access warmth deeper beneath the ground. Curious, he’d burrowed to where they’d made their opening, before tunneling through to a larger chamber deeper inside.
Travelling nearby several years later, he sensed something in a narrow tunnel some distance from him. He moved toward it, emerging into the tunnel where he sensed several of the smaller, more vicious creatures hunting a tiny dwarf. Last time he’d encountered the vicious ones they’d attempted to break his skin with stone tools. He quickly tunneled through them, stopping before the dwarf that had been running from them. It looked confused and terrified, its eyes wide as it looked up at him. It seemed hungry and hurt.
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He opened up his mouth carefully, extending a small protuberance from his mouth that he cut lightly against one of his teeth. He put it in front of the small creature, vibrating his body to provide it with reassurance. The dwarf looked at it confused for a few moments, then put its mouth to it, sucking on his silver blood for a few moments. His strength restored and his eyes clearer than before the dwarf bowed deeply to him, and in that moment he saw images from within its mind. A family of bearded children, a warm den, and an idol of him carved crudely into the wall. He sent back images of his own, slowly so as not to overwhelm the small creature. Metals he’d encountered, creatures of the deep dark to avoid, and where safety could be found. Once he was done he tunneled back to the nearest tunnel in which his kind lived before he returned to the deepest parts of the earth.
…
Michael awoke to his entire body vibrating. He carefully rolled over and adjusted again to having limbs before carefully pushing himself up. It had been some time since he’d pushed himself healing hard enough that he’d lost consciousness. He didn’t miss it.
He turned his attention to his friends who were finishing off the last of the ant creatures. He saw Pyotr kick the head off of one, launching it into the ceiling where it stuck to the tip of a stalactite. He returned his attention to the god. The vibration was coming from it, and Michael could feel his energy being restored more quickly than usual as it reverberated all through him. He placed a hand on the stone-like hide of the god and stepped back as its mouth opened. A small proboscis of some kind extended, the tip of it bleeding a bit as it went toward him. He smiled, but held up a hand.
“I’m afraid my dance card is full. I’ve got more than enough gods.”
The vibration shifted intensity up and down in what Michael interpreted as laughter and the god shifted ever so slightly toward Dundan.
The dwarf bowed deeply and took the tube into his mouth, drinking deeply. As he watched, Michael was certain he could see the dwarf’s skin hardening and more veins of ore spreading across it. He moved carefully around the god and approached the sight of carnage his allies had created.
They were catching their breath and Michael removed his helmet, kneeling to look more closely at one of the insectoid bodies in front of him. He removed his mace from his belt to flip it over and examine it from every angle.
“They’re rift creatures,” he said. He looked over to Ollie. “They’re similar to the ones we found in that well back in Hume.” He gave it a firm kick. “I’d guess that this was intentional. They must’ve found out about the dwarven gods somehow and wanted to weaken them before their invasion. The damage to the god was horrifying.”
Ollie looked in his direction with both eyebrows raised and his expression concerned. “What the fuck?”
Michael looked behind himself to see the scene of Dundan drinking his god’s blood through a tube.
“It’s okay. That’s how the god deepens its connections to the followers.”
“He’s not worried about that brother, he’s worried about you,” said Pyotr. “Your hair is completely white.”
“Ah. All of it's white now, huh?”
“Some of it was white before?” asked Marcus. “Why? What’s wrong?”
“I… don’t know. I noticed it some time ago. After the battle of Lataxia.”
“And you didn’t think to mention it?” asked Ollie.
“It wouldn’t have changed anything,” he responded. “It’s just white hair and some crow’s feet. I’m stronger than ever.” He sighed. “I am planning to see Carmen when we get back to Hume.” He looked at the others. “She’s a taker that was a doctor on Earth and is a diviner and healer here.”
“What about the gods?” asked Gabriel, concern thick in his voice. “Could they have an answer?”
“I haven’t asked them.”
There was a kind of resounding groan from the others.
“Whatever the answer is, it wouldn't change what I’m doing and what I need to do.”
“Ask them, Dad,” said Gabriel sternly.
Michael opened his mouth to argue, but seeing the looks everyone was giving him he closed it and let out a sigh. He closed his eyes and extended his attention to the gods, putting his full focus on their words. He could parse of dozens of conversations spread across thousands of believers.
~You are becoming less and more~
The words came from Seras. He turned to the others and repeated what she said.
“Nykas can call me a cunt, but they can’t give you a straight answer on this?” asked Ollie.
“It seems so,” replied Michael. “I trust them. I’ll be okay, and I’ll talk to Carmen like I’d planned as well.”
“I only just got you back, Dad. I don’t want to lose you again so soon,” said Gabriel with an earnestness that broke his heart.
“You won’t,” he replied. “I just might look like I could actually be your Dad.”