FALSE GODS

05 Nectar of the Gods

The goddess paused, furrowed her brows, and raised her arms to examine them. It was then that her heart froze.

Niobe's beautiful, toned arms were slathered with some sort of fluid. The ooze glowed red, spreading from her fists to her lower arms, finally dripping down to the elbows.

"What in the name of Hera is this?" she exclaimed in panic. Her question was answered immediately when the pain came to her.

Crackle! It burned through Niobe's skin, flesh, and bones like magma. A scream escaped her, one with so much agony that it sent shivers up Felix's spine.

The young god stared at his lover in disbelief. He could no longer recognize her voice, mannerisms, or body language. The sweet-talking, vivacious goddess was braying helplessly without a hint of grace.

On her end, Niobe had never felt pain like that before. She screamed her heart out, praying the miasma on her arms would go away. She shook, wiped, and snapped, but it stayed with her, like mud that had come alive.

Amid her heart-rending cries, within a few seconds, the goddess's hands and lower arms turned to cinders and fell off. She sank to her knees, convulsing, debilitated by the agony. The smell of burning flesh filled the air.

Meanwhile, their assailant had gotten to its feet. "False Gods must die," the golem declared with a much more unmistakable voice than earlier.

"I serve the nectar of a true god," it added ominously. The golem positioned itself and shuffled up for another encounter.

The first thought that arrived in Felix's mind was to turn and run away. Escape. Survive. Get help. Everything mortal and human about him came to the fore. Humans were vulnerable and needed to run, hide, and deceive to survive.

Resistance was pointless. There was no way Felix could handle a lava golem that even Niobe, a powerful goddess-prior, had failed to subdue. She was seasoned in battle and had hunted great monsters during the past century, while he was barely a recruit.

Felix shut his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he found he had moved from his position. Surprisingly, he found himself standing in the golem's way, shielding Niobe.

'What? How did I get here?' Felix found himself wondering. 'Did my body act by itself?'

Yes, humans are weak, but they are also brave, especially when their loved ones are in danger.

Felix had been living a life of servitude in the patrician city of Modo. After entering the Citadel, Niobe's love had transformed him into a man he had never imagined himself to become.

Felix was content with his life, and he owed all his happiness to Niobe. He would do anything to protect her. That included laying down his life.

Niobe, regardless of her pain, noticed his heroism and called out to him. "No! Felix! Don't be stupid! You must run! You can't fight that thing! Go and get help!"

She begged him with more than words, but he had already made up his mind. Felix no longer felt fear. "Nero Impexis Techos!" he spelled. 

A six-foot-thick wall of ice erected itself in front of him. It was called a frost shield and could stop even a charging minotaur.

The lava golem raced towards them again, determined to finish what he started. The searing heat melted the ice as the fiend drew near.

Felix sighed. Ice was his strongest elemental power—tough luck. Now, only a physical attack remained as the last resort.

Felix took a high attack stance, imbuing his sword with elemental power. As the monster closed in, he swung down with all his might.

Clang! Metal screeched against stone, and Felix felt his gladius sword shatter in his hands. The next moment, a grip tightened around his waist.

The lava golem had seized him and lifted his body in the air as if he were a rag doll. It opened its mouth wide, revealing a glowing, bottomless crater.

"Is it going to swallow me?" Felix wailed in horror. He had expected a noble death, impaled in the guts or beheaded, but had no idea he would end up being eaten alive.

Felix kicked his legs and arms, but all that struggle was in vain. He watched helplessly as the monster pulled him closer to its mouth, which was a fiery vortex.

The red haze inside was blinding, but Felix could not take his eyes off it. It called out to him. He could hear a cacophony of voices. Thousands of people calling out, screaming in agony, begging for rescue.

Souls. Souls trapped in hell. The young god suddenly realized his destination. Behind him, Niobe let out a fresh scream. She had figured it out, too. "Nooo! Felix!!!"

Crack! The monster chomped Felix's head off, gulped it down, and cast the rest of the body aside. There was no blood. The blistering miasma had cauterized his torso.

Felix was dead, and his soul, perhaps, was already in hell. The lava golem shifted towards Niobe. "False gods must die. It is now your turn, false goddess."