All Chapters of FALSE GODS: Chapter 11
- Chapter 20
27 chapters
11 Storm in a Goblet
The Apostolis rode the ocean like a gargantuan monster. It sailed twenty thousand stadia away from the Gulf of Stratos, a perilous stretch into the infinite. No other ship in Kinheim could boast of such a feat. The waves rose precipitously, aiming to touch the sky, but the vessel plied over them with arrogance. It was a ship of stunning proportions- a length of one hundred ninety feet and a cargo room of over two thousand tons. The vessel could house nine hundred passengers. It had assembly and dining halls below deck. There were twenty separate stalls for pegasi. It was a work of art, with statues, sculptures, a temple of Aion, along with a gymnasium to practice pankration. The granary had stocks for a year-worth of food, drink, and other rations. There were luxurious rooms with the best linen and leather that gold could afford.Envisioned and built by Myron, the divine architect, the vessel was made of the finest metals, exotic woods, and marble. The frame of the
12 Fish in a Barrel
“We found Charybdis,” Petromax repeated. The Modo citizens had gotten down on their knees when he had arrived, and the minor gods had formed a file to bow their heads to the God-King. When Charybdis was mentioned, there were audible gasps and murmurs. Apart from Petromax and his God-prime, nobody on the Apostolis had set eyes on the monster before. In fact, no mortal had lived to tell the tale of an encounter with Charybdis. “That is welcome news, Your Providence,” Nerva exclaimed. “Shall I command the crew to steer the ship in its direction?”Petromax walked to the edge of the waist deck with his hands clasped behind his back. He donned a sailor skirt and nothing else. His wooly, half-long hair and beard, braided at the ends, were dripping wet. The titan was barrel-chested, layers upon layers of muscles billowing as he walked. His torso was quartered into dollops of sinew and brawn, matted with coarse body hair.&ldquo
13 Manta in a Puddle
Marcus Petromax walked into his chamber. The floor was made of marble, set in lattices of wood. The walls and furniture were chestnut and cedar. He picked up a pitcher of wine and drained it. He walked to the narrow windows to look at the ocean.Tunica dimitas, Marcus uttered, and his clothes evanesced. He stood naked with windows open. Salty brine splashed against his body, and he shut his eyes, listening to the chaos of the troubled waters. The titan had to return to the ship to protect his people. But, somewhere far away, Charybdis lay in wait.Marcus was the only living god who could bend two unique natural elements- wind and earth. He could speak to the wind, decreeing it to change direction. He could move hills with a flick of his wrist. Or so his worshippers would have everyone believe. The truth was that Marcus Petromax had not been in a proper battle for very long now. The last war which pushed him to the limits was fought in the previous century.
Last Updated : 2022-04-05Read more
14 Monster on a Platter
Marcus Petromax lounged on the king’s bed with the lady princep curled up against him. Lia felt spent and kindled at the same time. It was early morning, past sunrise, but the skies looked deceptive. She tried to recover memories of the night, but her mind was foggy, and her body urged her to rest. Lia knew that the God-King had slept with her, but the particulars and events escaped her. She remembered floating in the air, feeling boundless pleasure and euphoria. Somehow, the goddess had found a salubrious source of joy. But will she be given another chance in the future? Her thoughts returned to the present.“How far have people gone over the ocean, Your Providence?” she purred innocently.Marcus chuckled. The young goddess had not yet thoroughly embraced immortality. Such questions were remnants of her mortal life.“There is no ‘far’ in the ocean, my dear. It is just there, all around us. But they say the Apostolis has gone
15 See You Anon
Empousa’s modest villa was a traditional one. The entrance led to an open courtyard surrounded by arcades on three sides. A peristyle garden flourished in the courtyard with luxuriant flowering plants, vegetable patches, and herbs, which were periodically irrigated.A garden freshly watered makes glad the man who is tending it, Empousa would say.There were cushioned lounges and stone benches for resting and entertaining guests. An altar of the goddess Necessitas, in the middle of the courtyard, stood beside a small fountain, which erupted with water every now and then.The floors and walls were mosaics made of colored stones, tiles, and pebbles. There was paint on the walls depicting several gods and great kings.The arcades were supported on twelve feet tall columns. Quarters on the left were the andron, where the men of the household lived. Those on the right made up the gynaikon, where the women were boarded. The entrance-facing rooms were the back, the
16 Odds and Ends
After dropping off Felicity at her lodging and parting from Tarsus, who went home to bid farewell to his guardian, Damon returned to the Pig and Whistle Inn. The sleuth he had hired had returned with welcome news about his person of interest. Apparently, the Vigils had found a young lad wandering in cuppa, asking for food and water. While charity was allowed, begging was forbidden in Pago and Modo by order of the City Governors. Violators were arrested and produced before the magistrate for a trial. The nomad had been found guilty of additional offenses during his trial, as he refused to reveal his parentage or citizenship. He had been sentenced to a month of incarceration in the City Vigil Prison in the Agora. It was to be followed by an appraisal after he had served his sentence. The magistrate’s men had carried out some investigation to find that the child belonged to a Modo patrician. Through the Modo embassy situated in the Agora, they had opened up a negotiat
17 Friendly Neighborhood Assassin
Damon capered down the twenty-foot-high prison compound wall. He had trained himself to scale several times higher obstacles- palisades, enclosures, barricades, and even dams. His usual undertakings required him to sneak into fortified dwellings of wealthy or influential citizens.There were no guards in the inner courtyard. Perhaps the Vigils believed that no one in his right mind would try to break into a prison. Damon tiptoed around the central edifice and found no means of entry. It had no windows, and the skylight openings were too narrow for him to slide through.He scampered up the building over the plumbing and reached the edge of the terrace. Two guards were on the watch, their eyes on the Agora enclosure, with their backs to him. Damon leaped over the terrace battlement and removed two fine needles from his belt. The terrace was about fifty feet wide, and he had to sprint towards them undetected. The guards did perceive someone approaching them. But they were too
18 Element of Surprise
“If I heard you clearly, you broke into the City Vigil Prison last night and rescued this girl who will accompany us on our journey?” Tarsus asked for the third time.“Yes, and do you have a problem with that, beanstalk?” Damon fired back.“No, runt. I am happy you have a nursemaid to take care of you.”“What? She’s not my maid! She’s my acolyte.”“Call her what you wish. I am glad, regardless.”“One of these days,” Damon warned, “you’re going to need my help, and then we will see who is glad.”“When I get accidentally enclosed in the paper walls of the City Vigil Prison, I will certainly call out to you.”“How dare you belittle my heroic feat of last night?”“It is laughable to call it an achievement. The Vigils are always drunk and are as smart as my pinky toe. A blind cripple could break out of that prison.&rdq
19 The First Born
The Agrippa family had no wealth or belongings of any significant value. Perhaps a few bronze coins were lying around in the house somewhere. The furniture was minimal and decades old. Their land, if one ventured to call it that, was oddly placed in the marshes. It was unfit for farming, and weeds had made it their dominion. The only possession of worth was their home, a small wooden log cottage on the outskirts of Fugi. If they were to walk five miles to the south, the walls of the Ascendancy would come into view, towering above the tallest trees.Ruben and Lysa Agrippa had never left their land after getting married. The nearest neighbors were a mile away and preferred not to pay visits. They were afraid of getting their carts and horses swallowed by the mud. The couple had two offspring—Elias, a sprightly sixteen-year-old boy, and Rhode, a bashful nineteen-year-old girl.Their homestead had a makeshift vegetable garden built on clay and sand hauled from the
20 The Mudborn
One hundred and seventy years back, Ruben Agrippa’s great grandfather, Rhesus Agrippa, had purchased the land in the middle of nowhere for a piece of silver. Over a hundred acres, it had fertile soil with good texture. The surrounding forest flourished with winged and land game and well-placed watering holes for hunting. He envisioned a sprawling household with grain stocks and spices and meat for trade. Self-assured of his venture, Rhesus set about birthing seven children to handle the future enterprise.In the early years, his vision seemed to pan out splendidly. The farms had good harvests every year, and the game collection was in surplus. The Agrippa family started saving gold. They built a mansion overlooking a brooklet. Rhesus died fulfilled, believing he had arranged perennial income for his descendants.Around a hundred years ago, the Ascendancy mandated establishing a hundred-foot high wall around Theikos. It was to keep out barbarians from entering the cit