Xion CH40: The Pantheon At War

Lotus flew down over the forest tribe and landed at the only treehouse with a continuous plume of black smoke billowing from its yellow fire brick chimney. The sounds of hammers pounding and an elf cursing filled her ears with their familiarity. She crawled through a large open window. Lotus enjoyed life here with her master and his mates. She approached a room covered in quickly sketched pictures stuck to a wall. They resembled the many visions she had shared with her master. If not for the invasion coming soon, she would curl up for a nap after her long flight. But her master needed her.

Like a storm hovering over a calm lake, she felt a powerful presence. Her master stood an easy 6ft tall and was practically the shortest person in the entire tribe. He wasn’t an elf but could throw elves around like toys. While his muscles weren’t absolutely bulging, they looked titanic compared even to the skull tribe elves. Her master’s chest was broad as a barrel, and she could feel waves of overwhelming power waiting to be unleashed.

“In two days, the pantheon will finish off the skull tribe and head straight for us. I don’t think there is anything the skull tribe can do to stop them.”

Every God she had seen had been sketched and their possible abilities listed. Their power levels were recorded, proving her master’s senses were amazing. She couldn’t detect the strengths of others with any accuracy through her master’s eyes, but he could through hers. The numbers he listed were spot on from what she could determine.

Comparing them to her master wasn’t fair. The mule god’s 700PL might have been nearly 20 times greater than her master’s 40PL, but he still wore his weights most of the time. She always suspected her master liked to hide his real strength for just the right moment.

She watched him stand in front of the sketches and shake with excitement. What else could her creator feel about a battle against gods? He was truly beyond her understanding. If she were the one in his place, she would have fled. There was no way she would be strong enough to fight something like a single god, much less many gods on the warpath.

…

Valigael believed in the cause of her Khan. As she led her band in the great army that had conquered the great Ugal plains, her confidence in her leader grew. Few could have held so many of their tribes together and led them to sack the silk slippered lords of the North, the barbarians of the west, or the hardy skull tribe of the south. Those elves were so ugly that not even the most beautiful couldn’t compare to a Plains Tribe girl. Destroying them would do the world a favor, and it was possible with the pantheon.

She rode on the back of her trusty steed and kept her bow on target. Another band retreated in their direction, and Valigael raised her bow. Without a word, the rest of her band did the same. Their tactics had been ingrained into them by the teachings of their Khan and experience on the battlefield. The skull tribe might look big and tough, but they were soft on the inside.

When she saw the whites of their eyes, she opened fire. The tired skull tribesmen fell like wheat before a scythe. Every arrow struck home, and her band advanced over the corpses of the ugly skull tribe. They usually tried to take the most beautiful of the other tribe and offer them to the great Khan, but there was no point. The skull tribe was a bunch of ugly barrel-chested barbarians.

A scout rushed in and stopped beside her. “I have news Valigael; you can’t let the others know about this.” Her band got in close to listen to the scout’s words.

“Just beyond the skull tribe lands, there is a forest full of the most beautiful young elves. Each has skin as supple as any noble or princess, and they are all as white as ivory. Some even glow in the dark. The great Khan would reward us if we captured some. I’m going to report right now. Do you want me to suggest your band be added to the escort detail for the ambassadors?” The scout asked.

“The last group was butchered by the skull tribe, and their hand and feet were sent back to the khan,” Valigael said.

“These aren’t savage skull tribe but a gentle ivory forest tribe. Once they see the pantheon, they will beg us to join. I’m sure they will give themselves to you to sweeten the deal.” The scout said.

It had been a while since she had any. The skull tribesmen were ugly with their flat chests and angry eyes. She preferred to fill them full of arrows and call it a day. However, the vision of a tribe of beautiful elf maidens with ivory skin and gentle hands pleased her.