Many things came from my godhood. Even if I could be considered a lesser type due to my sudden ascension. It came with alot of perks. But having a target on the back of my head is not one of my favorite feelings in the world.
I went up stairs to our bedroom at the end of the hall. Guards stood watch outside of the room to make sure none could disturb my wife while she ate or slept.
They quietly opened the doors for me to enter. And Sam was just finishing her meal which was great. She had actually managed to eat everything and that was a feat in itself. She had hardly had any appetite after the birth and I had been extremely worried.
I slowly approached our egg which seemed to hum with energy and knelt next to it. I gently laid a hand on it almost as a type of comfort for myself and sensed something move within.
"Heaven knows what you will arrive as. I just wish for you both to have a happy childhood." I whispered to it. I got up and moved to sit beside Sam for a time and explained that I would be away for a while.
"For how long?" She asked with her eyes closed as she scrunched the blankets in her fists. The servants had already moved to take her empty dishes and such.
I shook my head. "I dont know my dear. But I do know that I need to do whatever it takes to keep our family safe." I said while moving a stray strand of hair away from her face. "It could take weeks or it could take months. But until you are both safe I can't be home. I have more enemies than I thought. And now they will hunt my bloodline to extinction if they have to. As such it will only bring danger to you if I stay."
Little dark spots began to appear on the sheets as tears began to fall from Sam's face. "Why is it... that when we try so hard to get the best out of life... more people show up to destroy it?" She sobbed out as her head bowed in anger and sadness.
I gently rubbed her back trying to console her to some degree but knowing it would do little. "Everything has an opposition. I guess ours... will just need a bit more of a push." I said. And so we continued talking till nightfall. The sun set beautifully across the horizon dying the sky red, orange, and pink. The birds flew tweeting and cawing across the sky.
Sam had laid back in bed and finally managed to fall asleep. But sleep did not come fore me. And when I had laid there for a while I nodded a bit to myself and rose from my place next to the bed, grabbed a pack I had set aside, and moved to the door.
My godly items floated from their place around the candelabra and into their respective hands. The crown of fire nested itself above my horns as I exited the room. I moved down the stairs and through the front door.
When I exited I found a surprise. Standing before my home was a large group of soldiers that knelt at my appearance. They were coated in Varying armors of Gold, Silver, Brass, Iron, and Leather. The commanders wore gold armor with their lieutenants wearing silver. The archers wore brass while the riders wore iron. And past those were the foot soldiers.
A hundred in number and they all wore leather emblazoned with the symbol of a salamander over their hearts.
And at the head stood King Kyle. "I had a feeling that you would want an entourage for your journey." He said with a wave of his hand toward the army.
I noticed he had finally managed to relax from the shock of the past couple days and nodded.
"There is a hoard of monsters coming here. They will arrive in three days time. I plan to meet them half way. If any of you do not wish to join you are welcome to go home to your families. But if you decide to come with me. I will promise you great glory. Dying in a battle beside a god is a great honor. Living through it is even greater to be able to tell your children."
I held my right hand which held my hammer aloft. "To the Night we battle and to the Dawn we raise a glass of Victory!" I boomed. Every dwarf without fail smashed a fist against their armor before holding that same fist aloft. "For the Glory of Our Kind! For the Glory of the Gods!" They roared in response.
I suddenly felt every item in my arsenal surge with power. The power echoed out in waves across the army before me. The armors glowed as runes suddenly covered them. Elvish, Dwarvish, And other runes I couldn't identify surrounded the salamander emblem on their chests. Light shining through the air like a golden sunrise as a grin crept across my face. "To battle!" I roared.
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Citizens filled the streets of the marketplace as their day began. They had no idea what happened earlier in the day or even what was about to happen.
"I need a dozen eggs!" One woman called out to a vendor.
"Sell me a loaf of Swallow Wheat bread!" A man called out.
The noise of the market filled the air like a commercial district should. Children were playing by a stone fountain chasing each other laughing playfully. Then there came a sudden rumble across the ground. A couple pebbles jumped a little here and there with the rumble.
The children slowed to a stop when they felt it. The crowd slowly calmed to a silence as a stomping rumble filled the ground and air. It didn't take long for the people to realize something.
This was a marching beat. The People began to turn as the rumble grew louder and saw a sight that made them give way. A gold draconic being bearing items that shivered with power led an army of dwarves. Some fell to the ground in fear as others were stuck in place.
That was till they saw the king. His helmet was down but his armor was unmistakable. A gold armor with silver colored metal mixed throughout it. The Helmet was an eagle while his hammer bore a serpentine creature engraved on it.
The people began to kneel as they eyed the being passing by. They had no recollection of such a being existing with exception to Ignis. But hadn't he been just a six armed being. Where did this eight armed one come from? This ones body exuded a holy energy.
Sick people close by felt their vitality increase. Wounded limbs were made whole as the sick suddenly had their fevers break. Without so much as touching him they reaped so many benefits. And this happened across the entire city. As they say some winds bring enormous fortune to the ship blown by them.
The gates of the city opened wide as the army went out into the field to the west. The Army's moral was growing with every passing day. Not a single monster approached as they travelled.
And a peaceful march that lasted nearly two days came to a sudden end. We noticed smoke and dust in the sky the afternoon of the second day of the march. The army had just finished setting up camp and had readied their dinner rations. Meanwhile I sat with my gaze toward the horizon.
I saw small figures in the distance but I knew what was coming. Those were giants. And there were quite a few of them. According to my shattered vision from the shadow mother cult members it was a well organized stampede.
Years had been spent accumulating monsters and hypnotizing them only to unleash them at the right moment. And now was that moment.
I saw many small black shadows standing on the giants shoulders as they drew closer.
"It would seem the enemy has come to meet us." A heavy voice said as silver gauntlets glistened in the light.
"Indeed brother. Should we let the horde kill him or do you wish to take a swing at him?" A feminine voice echoed from where she sat on her giants shoulder.
The man grunted. "We should see how many trump cards he'll pull out first then strike his weak spot." He said. Little did they realize that I could hear all of it from where I stood. I thought for a moment before placing my divine relics on the ground and stepping out onto the field. My voice rumbled through the air. "Are you ready brothers!" I roared.
A cheering chorus met my ears and I turned a serious gaze to the opponents before us. The men all gathered their weapons and got into their ranks. "Archers!" I shouted as I raised my lower left hand. The archers organized into 3 lines beside me. The biggest ones at the back with the smaller ones at the front and the crossbow users in the middle.
I held my hand high till we could feel the thumping in the distance. I lowered it with a swish. A red and gold aura covered the arrows as I allowed my power to enter and enchant the metal tips.
"Fire." I whispered and hell rained down on the enemy. A wide shadow travelled across the ground as the arrows flew. It would seem to the naked eye that these were just normal arrows. So in complete ignorance the monsters didn't even try to dodge. Then they hit.
Explosions and crackling electricity filled the air followed by pained roars and screams. A giant fell with it's arm blown clean off while other smaller creatures were obliterated with just a single arrow. The funny thing was that some creatures had shields around them due to cloaked riders on their backs. But only one of them caught my attention. A single giant didn't have any protection yet came out unscathed. I focused and saw a big cloaked man on its should with his silver gauntlets splayed out. The arrows sent to that giant were disintegrating and my buffs dispersed.
"Hoooo. Looks like someone interesting finally arrived." I rumbled out as the archers cheered. The riders and foot soldiers formed in front of me in arrow shaped lines. Kyle still stood by my side awaiting orders. I raised my right hand with the war hammer appearing in it and the archers readied another volley.
The giants and monsters roared in rage and confusion. But it was only when the largest giant roared that everything started. Monsters charged forward in a frenzy but not a single soldier budged from their post. "FOR GODS AND COUNTRY!" I roared as I swung my hammer forward. A large ball of electrified fire shot at the incoming horde from its head.
I'll just say that we felt the impact from where we were. The fireball hit a shielded leopard creature and exploded. Red lightning chained to the creatures around the shield and hit the rider from behind. After all the lightning hit there was a mass explosion. Monster parts rained across the field as the monsters continued their frenzied charge.
And we charged forward. My footsteps caused the ground to tremble as I ran. And as I charged forward the giants seemed to get bigger till I realized they were about half my expanded combat size at 50 feet. I began to laugh as I ran.
"Children should have stayed at home!" I chuckled out. The riders and I were leading the group as the foot soldiers marched forward in an orderly fashion.
My items poured out their power and I felt every sense in my body heighten. The cup supplied power to my legs as the hammer applied buffs to my arms. The crown filled my head with energy and focus. The orbs gathered energy to my wings boosting my speed further. The scroll of death gathered power to somewhere I couldn't understand. Like it was pouring energy into my soul. Dragons Cry shined with a power and glory much like I did. And as I neared the charging horde I opened my mouth and roared. "Let's Play!"